Abstract Poor growth performance and metabolic disorders are prevalent problems in lambs exposed to maternal heat stress, specifically during the last mid-third of gestation. Columbia–Rambouillet crossbred lambs (n = 12) were immediately separated from their heat-stressed and non-stressed dam at lambing. The maternal heat stress exposure occurred during the last mid-third gestation and was for about 40 d (40 to 80 d). Lamb body weight (BW) was recorded daily for 4 mo. A glucose tolerance test was performed in mo 4 to evaluate glucose concentrations and insulin response. Maternal heat-stressed lamb (HS) presented reduced BW throughout the experimental time (P < 0.05) than maternal thermoneutral lamb (TN; CN = 12.69 ± 0.29 kg and HS = 9.89 ± 0.29 kg). Glucose concentrations were similar between environmental conditions (P > 0.05). Neither the insulin response presented a significance (P > 0.05) between those lambs exposed to HS and TN conditions during gestation. Although maternal exposure to HS can affect performance of the offspring throughout life, metabolic disorders associated with insulin resistance are not a problem at 4 mo. However, preliminary data showed that these same lambs at 8 mo old and 11 mo old show an irregular insulin response in maternal heat-stressed lambs that can persist throughout the life of the offspring.

Abstract Heat stress during pregnancy causes placental insufficiency and resduces fetal growth by reducing the oxygen and nutrients availability. In lactating production animals, heat stress during gestation lowers performance by decreasing milk yield and impairing reproduction. The study objectives were to understand the consequences of the exposure to warm environmental conditions during pregnancy on placental weight, colostrum production, and milk production of ewes utilizing heat chambers. Columbia-Rambouillet pregnant ewes with singletons (n = 11) were assigned to one of two environmental treatments: 1) heat stress (HS) or 2) thermoneutral (TN; 22°C) during mid-gestation (d 40 to 80) for a duration of 40 d. Heat stress consisted of 12 h at 40°C/55% humidity and 12 h at 35°C/45% humidity. Dry matter intake (DMI) and water intake (WI) were measured daily for both treatment groups. Feed and water were given ad libitum for HS ewes and TN ewes were pair fed to HS ewes for the entire duration of study. At lambing, the offspring were separated from dams. Measurements were taken of placental weight and colostrum production. The placental weights from HS ewes had a mean of 218 g compared with the placental weights of the TN group at a mean of 396 g (P < 0.01). Colostrum was measured for the first 24 h post lambing. The mean colostrum production of TN was 718 mL and for the HS group it was 882 mL. The colostrum production differences between control and HS groups were nonsignificant. Following lambing, ewes were milked twice a day for a 21-d period to evaluate milk production. Daily milk production for HS ewes was a mean of 1.16 kg/d while the TN group ewes had a mean of 1.31 kg/d (P < 0.01). Exposure of HS during mid-gestation had a significant impact on placental weight and 21-d milk production.

The response to zilpaterol hydrochloride supplementation by two breeds of beef steers under controlled heat stress conditions were evaluated for impacts on growth, carcass merit, and physiological stress indicators. In two separate studies, Brahman and Angus steers were placed in environmental chambers and housed for 21 d under 1 of 2 environmental conditions 1) heat stress (THI = 73 to 85) or thermoneutral (THI = 68). In a 2 x 2 factorial, steers also received 8.38 mg· kg-1· d-1 on 88% DM of zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) or soybean meal carrier only for the 21-d period. Feed intake, respiratory rate, and rectal temperatures were evaluated daily. Total weight gain was recorded and used to calculate average daily gain (ADG) and gain-to-feed ratio (G:F). Brahman steers were harvested at the market weight (489.31 ± 97.7 kg) and Angus steers on d ~22 after treatment (307.26 ± 6.23 kg). In both studies, body weight gain and ADG did not differ between environments or supplements. Brahman steers exposed to heat stress exhibited greater (P < 0.05) respiratory rate than thermoneutral steers, regardless of supplement. An environment x day interactions (P < 0.04) was observed for rectal temperature. On d 8, unsupplemented heat-stressed Brahman steers had higher (P < 0.05) rectal temperatures than ZH-supplemented thermoneutral steers. On d 11, ZH-supplemented heat-stressed Brahman steers had higher (P < 0.05) rectal temperatures than unsupplemented thermoneutral steers. Angus steers exposed to heat stress exhibited greater (P < 0.05) respiration rates throughout the experiment than thermoneutral steers. On d 8, unsupplemented heat-stressed Angus steers exhibited greater (P < 0.05) respiration rates than ZH-supplemented heat-stressed steers. On d 8 and 19, heat-stressed Angus steers exhibited greater (P < 0.05) rectal temperatures than thermoneutral steers. Angus steers exhibited an environment x supplement x day interaction (P < 0.05) for rectal temperature, with a decrease (P < 0.05) rectal temperature in ZH-supplemented steers. Carcass merit traits did not differ between environments in Brahman steers. Cold carcass weights were lighter (P < 0.05) in heat-stressed Angus steers compared with thermoneutral steers. ZH-supplemented Angus (but not Brahman) steers exhibited decreased (P < 0.05) respiration rates and rectal temperatures. Together these findings indicate that Brahman steers were more resistant to heat stress than Angus steers but were less efficient, with ~10% less G:F. Based upon the data collected, supplementation with zilpaterol hydrochloride did not negatively impact production in either breed.

Lay Summary Heat stress (HS) negatively impacts livestock health and carcass quality. Supplementation of livestock with beta-adrenergic agonists (beta-AA) increases muscle mass and decreases fat deposition. The purpose of this study was to understand how HS and zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH), a beta-AA, alter gene expression in muscle and in adipose of cattle. Twenty-four steers were assigned to thermoneutral (TN) or HS conditions and were not supplemented (NS) or supplemented with ZH for 21 d. RNA was isolated from muscle and adipose collected on days 3, 10, and 21 to identify changes in gene expression. Several individual loci were differentially expressed (DE) due to HS or ZH in both tissues while the interaction of HS and ZH altered expression in adipose. A less stringent definition of DE used to explore biological pathways predicted that both treatments alter metabolism. Pathway analyses also supported that HS increased inflammation in adipose, but that these inflammatory pathways were downregulated by ZH. HS also was predicted to induce oxidative stress in muscle although ZH moderated this response. This study provides information on how HS and beta-AA act independently and interact to alter physiology, lending insight useful for the development of management and mitigation strategies for stress. Transcriptomic evidence supports that heat stress induces stress pathways in adipose and muscle of cattle. Pathway analyses support that supplementation of zilpaterol hydrochloride to heat-stressed cattle moderates some of the unwanted impacts of heat stress. Heat stress (HS) triggers oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, and disrupts growth efficiency of livestock. beta-adrenergic agonists supplemented to ruminant livestock improve growth performance, increase skeletal muscle mass, and decrease carcass fat. The objective of this study was to understand the independent and interacting effects of HS and zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) supplementation on the transcriptome of subcutaneous white adipose tissue and the longissimus dorsi muscle in steers. Twenty-four Red Angus-based steers were assigned to thermoneutral (TN; Temperature Humidity Index [THI] = 68) or HS (THI = 73-85) conditions and were not supplemented or supplemented with ZH (8.33 mg/kg/d) for 21 d in a 2 x 2 factorial. Steers in the TN condition were pair-fed to the average daily feed intake of HS steers. RNA was isolated from adipose tissue and skeletal muscle samples collected via biopsy on 3, 10, and 21 d and sequenced using 3MODIFIER LETTER PRIME Tag-Seq to an achieved average depth of 3.6 million reads/sample. Transcripts, mapped to ARS-UCD1.2, were quantified. Differential expression (DE) analyses were performed in DESeq2 with a significance threshold for false discovery rate of 0.05. In adipose, 4 loci (MISP3, APOL6, SLC25A4, and S100A12) were DE due to ZH on day 3, and 2 (RRAD, ALB) were DE due to the interaction of HS and ZH on day 10 (P-adj < 0.05). In muscle, 40 loci (including TENM4 and OAZ1) were DE due to ZH on day 10, and 6 loci (HIF1A, LOC101903734, PDZD9, HNRNPU, MTUS1, and TMCO6) were DE due to environment on day 21 (P-adj < 0.05). To explore biological pathways altered by environment, supplement, and their interaction, loci with DE (P-raw < 0.05) were evaluated in Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. In adipose, 509 pathways were predicted to be altered (P < 0.01): 202 due to HS, 126 due to ZH, and 181 due to the interaction; these included inflammatory pathways predicted to be upregulated due to HS but downregulated due to the interaction of HS and ZH. In muscle, 113 pathways were predicted to be altered (P < 0.01): 23 due to HS, 66 due to ZH, and 24 due to the interaction of HS and ZH. Loci and pathway data in muscle suggest HS induced oxidative stress and that the stress response was moderated by ZH. Metabolic pathways were predicted to be altered due to HS, ZH, and their interaction in both tissues. These data provide evidence that HS and ZH interact to alter expression of genes in metabolic and immune function pathways and that ZH moderates some adverse effects of HS.

Supplementation with a β- adrenergic agonist (β-AA) for 21 days in Brahman steers under heat stress conditions (HS) was evaluated with respect to feedlot performance and carcass merit. Twenty-four Brahman steers (kg = 338 ± 39) were housed in two controlled environment chambers with one of two environmental (ENV) conditions 1) heat stress (HS; THI = 73 to 85) and 2) thermoneutral (TN; THI = 68) with either Zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZL) or soymeal supplementation (CN) using a randomly assigned in a 2 x 2 factorial design (n=6/group). Daily data were collected for dry matter intake, water intake, respiratory rate (RR), and rectal temperature (RT). At the end of 21 d period, total weight gain was used to calculate average daily gain (ADG) and gain to feed. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein on days -7, 3, 10, and 21 for cortisol analysis, and biological impedance analysis (BIA) was determined on days 3, 10, and 21 on each animal. Steers were harvested at 544 kg on average post supplementation/environment conditions, and carcass merit was determined. There were no differences (P > 0.05) in feedlot performance. Brahmans exposed to heat stress had greater RR during the heat stress periods of the experiment, regardless of supplementation. Environment and day interactions (P < 0.04) were observed for RT, HS steers had a greater RT on d 8 but similar RT on d 15 and 19. Stressed steers with ZL had higher RT (P < 0.05) than TN/CN steers on d 11. There was no interaction (P > 0.05) between environmental conditions and CN and ZH supplementation for cortisol concentrations. Regardless of environmental treatment or supplementation, no difference (P > 0.05) was associated with BIA characteristics. There were no differences (P > 0.05) for hot carcass weight, cold carcass weight, USDA yield grade, 12th rib loin eye area, marbling score, KPH percentage, and 12th rib fat thickness between groups. Twelfth-rib loin eye area lean color from HS/CN had higher lightness (L*) (P < 0.05) than TN/CN steers. HS/CN steers present a similar (L*) to ZL in TN and HS conditions. Redness-greenness (a*) was greater (P = 0.01) in carcasses from HS steers with or without ZL than TN/ZL but similar to TN/CN. Steers exposed to HS and CN had a higher (P = 0.02) change of 12th rib lean color from yellow to blue (b*) than TN steers with CN and ZL. Supplementation with β-AA did not negatively impact growth, carcass performance, or carcass merit in heat-stressed steers.

Heat stress reduces livestock performance while supplementation of beta-adrenergic agonists (βAA) such as zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) improve production efficiency; both stimulate lipolysis. The objective of this study was to understand the effects (independent, interacting) of heat stress and ZH on the subcutaneous adipose transcriptome in fed steers. 24 Red Angus steers were assigned to thermoneutral (TN; THI=68) or heat stress (HS; THI=83) conditions and fed no supplement (NS) or ZH (8.33 mg/kg/day) for 21d in a 2x2 factorial. TN steers were pair-fed the HS daily average. Subcutaneous adipose samples were collected at day -3, 3, 10, and 21. RNA was isolated and sequenced using 3’ Tag-Seq reads to a depth of 3.6 million reads/sample. Transcripts were mapped to ARS-UCD1.2 and quantified. After quality control, differential expression (DE) analyses were performed in DESeq2 with a significance threshold (FRD) of 0.05. Pathway analysis was used to explore pathways affected by HS, ZH, and their interaction using DE loci (P < 0.05). The acute phase response signaling pathway was predicted to be activated at 3d, but inhibited at 10d and 21d by the combination of HS and ZH. At multiple time points, inflammatory pathways including those for interferon and IL-8 were predicted to be activated by HS. Mitochondrial function pathways including oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and TCA cycle II were altered by ZH. Adipose centric pathways for phospholipase-C and protein kinase-A signaling were altered by HS/ZH interaction while glycolysis was altered solely by HS. These data support the hypothesis that exposing cattle to HS conditions and ZH supplementation alters the subcutaneous adipose transcriptome, but not necessarily in an additive fashion. These data provide information regarding the supplementation of βAA in heat stress environments, especially if it mediates the effects of HS.

Thirty-five Holstein cows were utilized in a completely randomized design to evaluate the efficacy of 2 doses of an aluminosilicate clay at reducing aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) transfer into milk. Cows were stratified by parity, stage of lactation, and milk production. Cows were assigned to 1 of 5 dietary treatments for 13 days (n = 7): (1) control (CON), basal diet; (2) clay control (4C), CON plus 4 oz clay; (3) aflatoxin (AF) control (AF-CON), CON plus 113 ppb AF; (4) AF-CON diet with 4 oz clay (4C+AF); or (5) AF-CON diet with 8 oz clay (8C+AF). Data were analyzed using the GLM procedure of SAS, and significance was declared when P ≤ 0.05. Milk yield was greatest in 4C+AF and 8C+AF cows and least in CON. Milk AFM1concentration averaged < 0.01, N/D (< 0.04 ppb), 1.64, 1.26, and 0.90 ppb for CON, 4C, AF-CON, 4C+AF, and 8C+AF diets, respectively. A dose response was observed for AFM1 transfer with a 21.88 and 40.63% reduction in cows consuming 4C+AF and 8C+AF diets, respectively. Feeding aluminosilicate clay to AF challenged Holstein cows resulted in a dose response reduction in AFM1 secretion and improved milk production.

Heat stress (HS) negatively impacts livestock performance and carcass traits while beta-adrenergic agonist (βAA) supplementation improves animal production and efficiency; both can stimulate lipolysis in adipose. The objective of this study was to understand the independent and interacting effects of HS and βAA on the subcutaneous adipose transcriptome in lambs and on visceral adipose fatty acid mobilization in steers. For study 1, 24 wethers were assigned to thermal neutral (TN THI = 65) or HS (THI = 80) conditions and supplemented without (NS) or with ractopamine hydrochloride (RH) for 30d in a 2 x 2 factorial. TN lambs were pair-fed the average intake of HS. RNA collected from subcutaneous fat at harvest was sequenced. Differential expression (DE) analyses identified 71 (Padj < 0.05) loci altered due to the interaction of environment and supplement. No DE genes were observed for the main effect of supplement, but HS reduced expression (P < 0.05) of RBM3 and increased expression (P < 0.05) of ATXN7L1. HS was predicted by pathway analyses to impair adipogenesis and fatty acid mobilization. In study 2, 24 steers were assigned to TN (THI = 65) or HS (THI = 83) and NS or zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) treatments for 21d in a 2 x 2 factorial. TN steers were pair-fed the intake of their HS cohort. Ex vivo fatty acid mobilization from visceral adipose in response to 0 or 1µM epinephrine was quantified at harvest. Fatty acid mobilization did not differ among groups when unstimulated, but epinephrine-stimulated mobilization was less (P = 0.05) in HS and greater (P < 0.01) in ZH steers. These findings indicate that heat stress-induced reduction of fatty acid mobilization from adipose may be associated with increased expression of stress-responsive genes. Moreover, the stimulatory effect of ZH on epinephrine-induced fatty acid mobilization was present after chronic treatment. Our data have yet to identify an interaction between HS and βAA supplementation that demonstrably impacts well-being.

Red Angus steers (n = 24; 260 ± 25 kg) were used to analyze the effects of supplementation of zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) under heat stress conditions on respiration rate (RR), rectal temperature (RT), growth performance (GP), and carcass traits (CT). Steers were randomly assigned to a 2 x 2 factorial treatment arrangement (n = 6/group) with factors including heat stress (HS; THI=71 to 83) or thermal neutral (TN; THI=27 to 39) conditions and with/without supplementation of ZH (0 or 8.38 mg/kg/d on 88% DM basis). Steers were provided 9 d to acclimate to tie stalls rooms under TN conditions before starting the study. TN steers were pair-fed to the average daily dry matter intake (DMI) of HS steers. Ad libitum water consumption (WC) was recorded daily. HS and TN steers were harvested on d 22 and 23, respectively. By design, DMI was not different between environments (P = 0.43). DMI also did not differ between supplement groups (P = 0.31). RT, RR, and WC were greater (P < 0.01) in HS steers compared to TN steers. There was a supplement by environment interaction (P = 0.02) for RT, as HS steers fed ZH had lower RT than HS control steers (39.1 vs 39.5 ℃). ADG was 20% higher (P = 0.04) in HS steers compared to TN steers. CT did not differ (P = >0.05) due to environment, treatment, or interactions between environment and ZH supplementation. Our results suggest that feedlot steers under our experimental conditions display some sensitivity to HS through GP, RR, and RT, however, this did not translate to an impact on CT. Furthermore, ZH supplementation under HS conditions appears to impact thermoregulatory responses positively, yet this did not impact GP or CT.

Patients with diabetes have a higher risk of developing chronic complications and cause a huge burden to the public health care system as well as on patients and their families. We studied these diabetic complications about kidney, eye and peripheral vascular diseases to understand their prevalence and distributions in a national survey.We analyzed diabetic complications using National-Health-Insurance claims filed from 2005 to 2014. We used this database to evaluate their developments of kidney, eye, and peripheral vascular diseases according to the International-Classification-of-Diseases, Ninth Revision using clinical modification diagnosis codes.The prevalence of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) significantly increased from 10.49% to 17.92% from 2005 to 2014. The prevalence rate of diabetic foot significantly decreased from 1.34% to 1.05% from 2005 to 2014, and the rate of severe infection also significantly decreased from 50.69% to 45.85%. The amputation rate significantly decreased from 24.91% to 17.47% among all patients with diabetic foot.In this study, the trends in DKD and dialysis prevalence were similar to those of the 2012 report. The rate of increase in dialysis prevalence is lower in this study than in the 2012 report. The prevalence of diabetic foot, severe infection, and amputation in this report exhibited significantly decreasing trends. This improvement may be attributable to care from multidisciplinary teams. We should dedicate more resources to our prevention program of DKD and retinopathy to further improve outcomes in the future.

Mold growth is an inevitable consequence of feed production, as a result their harmful metabolites "The Mycotoxins" are commonly found in livestock diets. In the last 40 years, great advances in the field of mycotoxins have increased our knowledge on the detrimental effects of these toxins on animal production. Climate change and agronomic practices play an important role in the unpredictability of mycotoxin contamination of feedstuffs. The primary classes of mycotoxins are aflatoxins, zearalenone (ZEA), trichothecenes, fumonisins, ochratoxins (OTA) and the ergot alkaloids. Due to the high variety of feedstuff utilized in dairy operations and the high production stress typically associated with modern dairying, mycotoxins are important anti -nutritional factors in dairy nutrition programs. In order to maximize dairy performance and health, mycotoxin analysis and prevention strategies must be part of the all dairy nutritional and health programs.

© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oup.com. Transl. Anim. Sci. 2018.2:S185–S188 doi: 10.1093/tas/txy049

The livestock industry, like many other agricultural industries in the United States, is dependent on the labor that migrant and seasonal farm workers (MSFW) provide. Infections caused by zoonotic pathogens are commonly underreported or misdiagnosed, and possibly more so in migratory populations that face cultural, structural, legal, financial, and geographic barriers to health services. The objectives of this project were to: assess feasibility of collecting and analyzing infectious pathogens; inform future risk assessment models; and encourage livestock worker health and safety. Swab samples were collected from the shoulders, knees, and foreheads of employees at two livestock operations at the end of work shift (n=20). The swabs were cultured for E.coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. Molecular Salmonella DNA was extracted and quantified using droplet-digital Polymerase Chain Reaction (ddPCR). Additionally, a questionnaire including demographics, work tasks, and health and safety practices was administered to all participants. E.coli O157:H7 was detected in 13% of cultural environmental samples and Salmonella was detected in 3% of cultural environmental samples. Molecular Salmonella DNA was quantified in 60%, 40% and 15% of samples collected from workers’ foreheads, shoulders, and knees, respectively. The majority of participants spoke Spanish and had completed some high school. Finally, all participants reported wearing gloves, an apron, and boots during the workday. The questionnaire provides insight that can be used to create appropriate recommendations for the livestock industry, workers, and workers’ families. The positive cultural and molecular samples indicate the need for improved sanitation practices at farms, utilizing the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls. This pilot project informs future investigations, helps build risk assessment models, improves worker knowledge and health, and fosters preventive practices in the Arizona agricultural industry.

本研究的目的是对比添加无机硫酸盐形式和螯合形式的铜、锰及锌对产奶量、血浆和乳中矿物质浓度、嗜中性粒细胞活性以及疫苗接种后抗体滴度反应的影响。试验选择25头荷斯坦奶牛,从刚产犊到泌乳12周,完全随机分为两组。第一组包括17头奶牛,泌乳天数较大（泌乳天数:试验开始时平均泌乳天数77d）,第二组包括8头牛（试验开始时平均泌乳天数32d）。试验日粮设计按照NRC建议添加量的100%添加铜、锰和锌,通过无机硫酸盐添加形式（ITM）和蛋氨酸羟基螯合物形式（CTM）,不考虑其他日粮成分提供的微量元素数量。每天记录采食量和产奶量。每周测定乳成分,乳中铜、锰及锌的含量在试验0、8周测定。血浆铜和锌浓度及嗜中性粒细胞活性在试验0、4、8及12周测定。嗜中性粒细胞活性通过体外方法测定趋药性、吞噬作用以及活性氧产量得到。试验第8周接种狂犬病疫苗,第12周时分别通过快速荧光焦点抑制试验以及酶联免疫吸附试验测定疫苗效价反应。检测得到无机和有机试验组日粮中铜分别为21mg/kg和23mg/kg,锰为42mg/kg和46mg/kg,锌为73mg/kg和94mg/kg。各处理组没有发现对产奶量、乳成分以及血浆矿物质含量产生影响。有机试验组干物质采食量少于无机试验组,但主要原因是因为两组牛体重的差异。乳中铜浓度,有机组高于无机组,对泌乳早期组奶牛的影响是有限的,对经产牛的影响显著高于初产牛。嗜中性粒细胞的功能没有受到不同处理组的影响,只有在泌乳天数较大牛群中的有机螯合试验组增强了嗜中性粒细胞功能。狂犬病疫苗抗体滴度,通过ELISA反应得出结论,螯合处理组奶牛反应是无机处理组的2.9倍,RFFIT方法得出结论是有增强的趋势。补充螯合形式的铜、锰及锌,与无机盐相比,可能会增强泌乳早期奶牛的免疫功能。