„sheep“ 23 výsledků

The aim of this experiment was to determine the effect of medicinal plants (Artemisia absinthium and Malva sylvestris) as feed supplements on blood parameters, and local immune responses in the abomasum of Haemonchus contortus infected lambs. Twenty-four lambs were infected orally with 5000 L3 larvae of H. contortus and subsequently randomly divided into four groups: unsupplemented animals (UNS), animals with A. absinthium (ART), animals with M. sylvestris (MAL), and animals with a mix of two plants (ARTMAL). During the experiment, samples of blood were taken for evaluation of hemoglobin and albumin levels. All animals were humanely killed after 75 days of the experiment, and abomasum tissue samples were taken for histopathology. The hemoglobin concentration in the blood was influenced by time (p< 0.001) and in all groups decreased until day 45. The serum albumin levels were influenced by treatment (p< 0.05) and time (p< 0.001) and in all groups occurred reduction until the end of the experiment compared to day 15. The number of plasma cells was higher in ARTMAL compared to MAL (p< 0.05). UNS and ART had significantly higher numbers of mast cells compared to MAL (p< 0.01 and 0.05, respectively). The regeneration of abomasal tissue was most frequent in ARTMAL. The results showed that dietary supplementation by A. absinthium and M. sylvestris did not positively affected blood parameters but influenced local immune response in the abomasum of H. contortus infected sheep.

The aim of the work was to analyse the impact of different intensities of grassland exploitation on the productive capacity in the context of declining livestock numbers and the need for temporary or permanent extensification. The research was carried out in 2017-2020 in the locality of Žirany in the Nitra district, located in the temperate zone at the boundary between the continental and Atlantic-continental regions. Average annual temperatures are around 9 °C. The original semi-natural vegetation has been used for sheep grazing for many years. There were 8 experimental variants of use/cutting with different intensity of exploitation: var. 1 - abandoned unused, var. 2 - 3x per year, var. 3 - 2x per year, var. 4 - 1x per year, var. 5 - 4x - 3x - 2x - 2x - 1x per year, var. 6 - 1x - 2x - 3x - 4x per year, var. 7 - 3x - 1x - 1x - 3x and var. 8 - 2x - 1x - 1x - 1x - 2x. By comparing the sum of yields for the entire 4-year annual cycle, we concluded that, with the exception of the 1x annually mowed variant, all the others differentiated themselves from the abandoned stand by their increased production capacity. We also observed differentiation between fertilized and exploited variants into groups. The stand mowed 3 times annually (variant 2, 29.07 t ha-1) was shown to be the most productive. The second group consisted of variants with production lower in the sum of 4 years by about 5 t ha-1 (3, 5, and 6). The same level of lower yield was then found on stands with temporarily reduced intensity of use (variants 7 and 8). In the effectiveness of applied nutrients on production growth, it was found that as the number of applications increased, nutrient use also increased. The average of the years in the overall assessment of the 4-year cycle showed the dynamics from the individual years and also confirmed the tendency of the highest nutrient use at a stable 3-cut use.

This study was investigated the correlation between miR-29a and miR-34a expression in Iraqi Awassi ewes during different reproductive stages and their potential as biomarkers for assessing pregnancy health, birth type, sex as well as blood parameters. Blood samples were obtained from five Iraqi Awassi ewes (3.5–4.5 years with 45–50 kg body weight), pre-mating (0), 14, and 45 day post-mating (PM), along with 75 and 135 days of pregnancy. miRNAs (miR-29a and miR-34a) were detected by using RT-qPCR. The relative expression of miR-29a was significantly increased (P ≤0.05) within different day as 45 (16.25 ±5.194), 75 (14.32 ±4.09), and 135 (13.29 ±6.52) of pregnancy compared to 0 and 14 day respectively. Additionally, a higher relative expression of miR-34a (P ≤0.05) was observed on day 135 of pregnancy (2.3 ±1.05) when compared to the other reproductive periods. Both miR-29a and miR-34a showed no differences in terms of birth type and sex. Regression coefficient analysis identified a significant relationship between miR-29a expression and various metabolic and biochemical parameters, such as serum amino acids, fatty acids, and estrogen levels. The analysis indicated that miR-29a exhibited an inverse correlation with amino acids while demonstrating a direct correlation with fatty acids and estrogen. In conclusion, miR-29a and miR-34a could serve as valuable biomarkers for monitoring the health of pregnancy in Awassi ewes. This study provides new insights into the function of miRNA in reproductive physiology, paving the way for improved management of sheep reproduction.