Life Sciences Commons^™

Cutting Edge: Il-21 And Tissue-Specific Signals Instruct Tbet+Cd11c+ B Cell Development Following Viral Infection, Wenzhi Song, Gina M Sanchez, Daniel P Mayer, Holly N Blackburn, Irene Chernova, Jason S Weinstein

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Tbet+CD11c+ B cells, also known as age-associated B cells (ABCs), are pivotal contributors to humoral immunity following infection and in autoimmunity, yet their in vivo generation is incompletely understood. We used a mouse model of systemic acute lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection to examine the developmental requirements of ABCs that emerged in the spleen and liver. IL-21 signaling through STAT3 was indispensable for ABC development. In contrast, IFN-γ signaling through STAT1 was required for B cell activation and proliferation. Mice that underwent splenectomy or were deficient in lymphotoxin α generated hepatic ABCs despite the lack of secondary lymphoid organ contributions, suggesting …

Extracellular Rna Sensing Mediates Inflammation And Organ Injury In A Murine Model Of Polytrauma, Andrew O Suen, Fengqian Chen, Sheng Wang, Ziyi Li, Jing Zhu, Olivia Conn, Ping Cui, Laurence Wechsler, Alan Cross, Gary Fiskum, Rosemary Kozar, Peter Hu, Catriona Miller, Lin Zou, Brittney Williams, Wei Chao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Severe traumatic injury leads to marked systemic inflammation and multiorgan injury. Endogenous drivers such as extracellular nucleic acid may play a role in mediating innate immune response and the downstream pathogenesis. Here, we explored the role of plasma extracellular RNA (exRNA) and its sensing mechanism in inflammation and organ injury in a murine model of polytrauma. We found that severe polytrauma—bone fracture, muscle crush injury, and bowel ischemia—induced a marked increase in plasma exRNA, systemic inflammation, and multiorgan injury in mice. Plasma RNA profiling with RNA sequencing in mice and humans revealed a dominant presence of miRNAs and marked differential …

The Insulin Receptor Regulates The Persistence Of Mechanical Nociceptive Sensitization In Flies And Mice, Yan Wang, Roger Lopez-Bellido, Xiaojiao Huo, Annemieke Kavelaars, Michael J Galko

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Early phase diabetes is often accompanied by pain sensitization. In Drosophila, the insulin receptor (InR) regulates the persistence of injury-induced thermal nociceptive sensitization. Whether Drosophila InR also regulates the persistence of mechanical nociceptive sensitization remains unclear. Mice with a sensory neuron deletion of the insulin receptor (Insr) show normal nociceptive baselines; however, it is uncertain whether deletion of Insr in nociceptive sensory neurons leads to persistent nociceptive hypersensitivity. In this study, we used fly and mouse nociceptive sensitization models to address these questions. In flies, InR mutants and larvae with sensory neuron-specific expression of RNAi transgenes targeting InR exhibited persistent …

Early Mortality In Acute Myeloid Leukemia With Kmt2a Rearrangement Is Associated With High Risk Of Bleeding And Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation, Daniel Nguyen, Hagop M Kantarjian, Nicholas J Short, Wei Qiao, Jing Ning, Naval G Daver, Elias J Jabbour, Tapan M Kadia, Gautam Borthakur, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, Marina Y Konopleva, Michael Andreeff, Farhad Ravandi-Kashani, Koji Sasaki, Ghayas C Issa

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with rearrangement of lysine methyltransferase 2a gene (KMT2Ar) is characterized by chemotherapy resistance and high rates of relapse. However, additional causes of treatment failure or early mortality have not been well-defined in this entity.

Methods: In a retrospective analysis, causes and rates of early mortality following induction treatment were compared between a cohort of adults with KMT2Ar AML (N = 172) and an age-matched cohort of patients with normal karyotype AML (N = 522).

Results: The 60-day mortality in patients with KMT2Ar AML was 15% compared with 7% with normal karyotype (p = .04). We …

Association Between Bariatric Surgery And Outcomes In Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, Fadi G Haddad, Hagop M Kantarjian, Aram Bidikian, Elias J Jabbour, Nicholas J Short, Lianchun Xiao, Courtney D Dinardo, Tapan M Kadia, Kayleigh R Marx, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, Farhad Ravandi, Koji Sasaki, Ghayas C Issa

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Bariatric surgery is the most effective weight loss intervention. However, it can also decrease the bioavailability of oral medications. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors, the mainstay treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), are the most successful example of an oral targeted therapy. The impact of bariatric surgery on CML outcomes is unknown.

Methods: In a retrospective analysis, we screened 652 patients with CML and identified 22 with prior bariatric surgery, and compared their outcomes to a matched cohort of 44 patients with no prior bariatric surgery.

Results: The rate of early molecular response (3-month BCR::ABL1 < 10% International Scale) was lower in the bariatric surgery group compared with the control group (68% vs. 91%; p = .05), with longer median times to achieve complete cytogenetic (6 vs. 3 months; p = .001) or major molecular responses (12 vs. 6 months; p = .001). Bariatric surgery was associated with inferior event-free survival (5-year, 60% vs. 77%; p = .004) and failure-free survival (5-year, 32% vs. 63%; p < .0001). In a multivariate analysis, bariatric surgery was the only independent predictor for the risk of treatment failure (hazard ratio, 9.40; 95% CI, 2.71-32.55; p = .0004) or event-free survival (hazard ratio, 4.24; 95% CI, 1.67-12.23; p = .008).

Conclusions: Bariatric surgery is associated with …

Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase 1 Inhibits The Development And Progression Of Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia, Hua Wang, Rohan Moniruzzaman, Lei Li, Baoan Ji, Yi Liu, Reza Abbasgholizadeh, Guangchao Liu, Ruiqi Wang, Hongli Tang, Ryan Sun, Xiaoping Su, Tse-Hua Tan, Anirban Maitra, Huamin Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Ras plays an essential role in the development of acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, mutant Kras is an inefficient driver for PDAC development. The mechanisms of the switching from low Ras activity to high Ras activity that are required for development and progression of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanINs) are unclear. In this study, we found that hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) was upregulated during pancreatic injury and ADM. HPK1 interacted with the SH3 domain and phosphorylated Ras GTPase-activating protein (RasGAP) and upregulated RasGAP activity. Using transgenic mouse models of HPK1 or M46, a kinase-dead mutant of …

A Comparison Of Two Approaches To Dynamic Prediction: Joint Modeling And Landmark Modeling, Wenhao Li, Liang Li, Brad C Astor

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Joint modeling and landmark modeling are two mainstream approaches to dynamic prediction in longitudinal studies, that is, the prediction of a clinical event using longitudinally measured predictor variables available up to the time of prediction. It is an important research question to the methodological research field and also to practical users to understand which approach can produce more accurate prediction. There were few previous studies on this topic, and the majority of results seemed to favor joint modeling. However, these studies were conducted in scenarios where the data were simulated from the joint models, partly due to the widely recognized …

Strict Conservation Yet Non-Essential Nature Of Plasmid Gene Bba40 In The Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia Burgdorferi, Irene N Kasumba, Kit Tilly, Tao Lin, Steven J Norris, Patricia A Rosa

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The highly segmented genome of Borrelia burgdorferi, the tick-borne bacterium that causes Lyme disease, is composed of a linear chromosome and more than 20 co-existing endogenous plasmids. Many plasmid-borne genes are unique to B. burgdorferi and some have been shown to provide essential functions at discrete points of the infectious cycle between a tick vector and rodent host. In this study, we investigated the role of

Investigation Into Differences In Palatability Among Festulolium Varieties As Haylage, E. Touno, S. Kushibiki, H. Shingu, A. Oshibe

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Japan, paddy fields that are no longer used for cultivation of rice are being converted to cultivation of forage crops. Therefore, grass with greater wet resistance and higher quality is required. Festulolium is an interspecific hybrid between the Lolium and Festuca species and combines the characteristics of high-quality ryegrass and resistance to hostile environments from fescues (Thomas & Humphreys, 1991). Among festulolium varieties, there is wide variation in environmental resistance and feeding value. One festulolium variety, Paulita, shows superior wet resistance to Evergreen and the total digestible nutrients of Evergreen was similar to that of cocksfoot (cv. Kitamidori) (Touno …

The Feeding Value Of Silage Made From Peas Grown Alone Or In Mixture With Cereals, A. Kirilov

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The interest in pea as a forage crop rich in protein does not decrease. In areas frequent summer drought pea (Pisum sativum) as a whole plant for forage gives assured yield and may be used for zero grazing, hay or silage. The winter varieties use winter-spring soil moisture better and give higher yield than the spring varieties, but they lodge, so it is necessary to sow them with supporting cereal crops to increase lodging resistance. The objective of the study was to compare the intake, digestibility, energy value and quality index of two wilted silage made from winter …

Annual Legumes As An Alternative For Animal Feeding In Cuba, María Felicia Díaz, C. Padilla, E. Lon Wo, M. Castro, R. S. Herrera, R. O. Martínez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Studies conducted in Cuba have demonstrated the importance of the agronomic and nutritional performance of the species Vigna unguiculata (cowpea), Canavalia ensiformis (jackbean), Stizolobium niveum (mucuna), Lablab purpureus (dolicho) and Glycine max (soybean) as feed sources for non-ruminant species. Under Cuban tropical conditions, and with minimum agricultural inputs, jackbean, dolicho and mucuna have attained forage yields between 4 and 6 t dry matter (DM)/ha and grain yields between 2.57 and 3.41 t/ha and cowpea and soybean have given yields of between 1 and 2 t/ha (Díaz 2000). This study was carried out to determine the chemical composition of grains and …

Relative Yields And Nutritive Value Of Whole Crop Rice Harvested On Four Successive Dates For Forage In Korea, Jong-Geun Kim, Y. C. Lim, E. S. Chung, S. H. Yoon, S. Seo, M. J. Kim

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

About four million tons of forages are fed to ruminants in Korea, but half of them rely on rice straw as roughage and 0.6 million tons of forage was imported. The lack of forage results in increased imports of concentrate feeds and increased production cost. Now, Korea has about 1.1 million ha of rice fields, but as a consequence of world trade negotiation, Korea will open the rice market from next year. It is expected that due to aging farmers and lower rice price, about 0.2 million ha of paddy field will not be cultivated for grain rice. Therefore, we …

Nutritional Evaluation Of Banana Peelings From The Various Banana Varieties In Different Regions Of Uganda, J. Nambi-Kasozi, Elly N. Sabiiti, F. B. Bareeba, E. Sporndly

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Uganda, peri-urban agriculture is very important in sustaining livelihoods of the increasing population in urban and peri-urban (U & PU) areas. However, this form of agriculture has a number of problems, feed shortage being the most important. The agricultural produce brought in from the rural areas is marketed in raw form hence increasing the crop wastes in the market areas. The crop wastes, if properly sorted, can serve as alternative feeds for the animals kept in the U & PU areas. Banana (Musa spp) peelings (BP) constitute the largest proportion of all the crop wastes in most …

Effect Of Intensity Of Grassland Management On Chemical Composition And Content Of Structural Saccharides In Forage, Jan Pozdíšek, P. Mičová, M. Svozilová, A. Kohoutek

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage quality has a crucial effect on animal performance and on grassland management. This paper contributed information on the effects of different methods of grassland utilisation in the Czech Republic.

Changes In Grass Quality Of Coastal Meadows In Estonia, Tiina Köster, Karin Kauer, R. Viiralt, A. Selge

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Estonia the reason for reduction in coastal meadows and expansion of the stands of the common reed (Phragmites australis) is the discontinuation of traditional use of grasslands which were previously grazed and cut. Phragmites australis usually produces dense and monospecific stands at the waterline, where species richness is low. It can survive in ungrazed shore meadows, but it suffers from grazing (Tyler, 1969). The investigated Phragmitetum australis association had been influenced by grazing activities, but it remained rather sparse and due to that had relatively low productivity, reaching 3.11 t DM/ha. Traditionally coastal meadows have been used …

Accumulation Of Zearalenone In Herbage Of Winter Pasture Situated In West Poland, P. Goliński, M. Kostecki, Barbara Golińska, B. T. Golińska, P. K. Goliński

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The importance of winter pastures in beef production in Europe has been growing steadily. In Poland, especially in its western part, there are already farms which utilise pasture swards during late autumn and winter. The major problem, however, is the quality of forage ingested by animals as it tends to deteriorate with the passage of the vegetation season with danger of accumulation of various mycotoxins (Laser et al., 2003) of which the most important is zearalenone (ZEA).

Diversity And Variation In Nutritive Value Of Plants Growing On 2 Saline Sites In Southwestern Australia, Hayley C. Norman, R. A. Dynes, D. G. Masters

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In south-western Australia 10% or 1.8 million ha of the farmed area is affected by dryland salinity and a further 6 million ha are at risk of salinity (NLWRA, 2001). Animal production from saltbush (Atriplex spp.)-based pasture systems represents the most likely large-scale opportunity for productive use of saline land in the short to medium term. Feeding saltbush-based pastures as a maintenance feed during the prolonged autumn feed gap typical in Mediterranean-type climates maximises their economic value. The aim of this study was to explore the diversity and nutritive value of plants that typically persist in saltbush-based saltland pastures.

Nutritional Characteristics Of Four Species Of Native Pastures From The Highlands Of Central Mexico, O. A. Castelán, A. A. Rayas, A. Espinoza, J. Estrada, C. Arriaga, F. Mould

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Research in Mexico has been devoted to nutritional characterisation of improved pastures, but native species of grasses have not been studied. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the nutritional value of four species of native pastures and composite samples of them.

Seasonal Variation Of Forage Productivity And Quality Of Communally Managed Grassland In The N’Komati River Basin, D. W. Nguluve, C. Menezes, A. Buluveze, A. P. Laita

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Livestock production is increasing in Mozambique. This trend, however, is facing such challenges as land tenure, erratic and not well-distributed rainfall (resulting in floods or droughts), overgrazing, wildfires, and the unsustainable resource management practices of communities. The study objectives were to evaluate forage species occurrence and seasonal variation and to estimate grassland productivity, nutritive value and savanna carrying capacity.

Forage Composition And Quality Of Tankbed Grassland Ecosystems In Sri Lanka; A Preliminary Study Of “Tabbowa” Tank, G. G. C. Premalal, Sujatha Premaratne

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Although, Sri Lanka does not have large natural lakes, the early settlers devoted their energy to build water bodies (tanks or reservoirs) in association with forest catchments to provide water for irrigation. The tank bed is a grassland area of the tank, which lies between the catchment forest and the present water level. In general, the tankbed has three major zones - lower, middle and upper - and in some seasons the middle and upper parts may be underwater. This tankbed area is dominated by grassland vegetation and is a valuable feeding ground for free-grazing livestock. The main objective of …

Variations In Nutritive Values Of Two Different Desert Forage Plants Growing In The United Arab Emirate Environment, T. Ksiksi, A. Bamakhrama, M. Satri

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage plants in desert environments have to withstand both shortages in resources and over grazing during most years. This variation in resource availability is associated with variation in the nutritive values of the plant species. Moreover, these differences are not only seasonal but also vary between plant parts. Variations in nutritive values in key species, therefore, need to be better understood in order to sustainably feed livestock (Abdurazak et al., 2000), because effective management requires adequate knowledge of the interaction between the animal, the pasture and the environment (Kassilly, 2002). Forage toxicity could, however, cause irreparable damage to production. …

Factors Affecting Forage Quality Of Native Species In Iranian Rangelands, Hossein Arzani, J. Torkan, H. Kaboli, M. Zohdi

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Animal performance is closely correlated with the nutrient value of the forage available and this is affected by different factors (Arzani et al., 2001). Crude protein content (CP), digestible dry matter (DDM) and metabolisable energy (ME) were considered particularly appropriate for evaluation of range forage quality. This paper reports on factors affecting the forage quality of range species grown in Iran.

Determination And Comparison Of Forage Quality Of Five Species In Different Phenological Stages In Alborz Rangelands (Iran), A. Ahmadi, Hossein Arzani, A. A. Jaafari

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In order to evaluate grazing capacity and integrated management of rangelands and grasslands , it is necessary to be aware of the quality of range plants. Phenological (growth) stage has the greatest effect on forage quality with most of the qualitative indices decreasing with the progress of the phenological stage (Holecheck et al., 2001). This research studied the changes in forage quality for species in the Alborz rangelands.

Variation In The Quality Of Forage Of Six Rangeland Species In Different Phenological Stages, Zeid Ahmadi, H. Arzani, Hossein Azarnivand

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

An understanding of forage quality is fundamental to the measurement of grazing capacity. In addition, knowledge of forage quality is necessary for planning grazing and developing range improvement and development programmes, such as planting and seeding of rangelands. Among the different factors that affect forage quality, phenological stage is particularly important (Cook, 1972; Caballero et al.,2001). The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of plant species, phenological stages and life form on forage quality indices.

Chemical Composition And Gas Production Of Pasture Dominated By Artemisia Frigida And Carex Duriscula Species, G. Udval

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In vitro gas production from a feed sample incubated with a rumen fluid inoculum has been successfully used by Menke et al. (1979) and Steingass & Menke (1986) to predict the nutritive value of the substrate fermented. Recently, the gas test has been adapted so that the increase in gas production at a series of chosen time intervals is read off. The aim of this study was to describe the kinetics of fermentation of the feed incubated with reference to OMD, DMD, metabolisable energy (ME), neutral and acid detergent fiber (NDF, ADF), cellulose and lignin contents. Samples were harvested …

Seasonal Variation Of Crude Protein Content Of Different Herbaceous, Shrub And Tree Species, M. R. Mosquera-Losada, E. Fernández-Núñez, A. Rigueiro-Rodríguez

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Silvopastoralism is a sustainable way of land management that reduces fire risk due to the reduction of fuel under trees when plants are used as animal food. This is particularly important in areas like Galicia that have 16% of the fired area of Europe. Silvopastoral systems can contribute to environment conservation and provide feed for autochthonous breeds more adapted to mountain conditions, enhancing biodiversity conservation. In formation on seasonal changes in crude protein content of spontaneous species will indicate better management of pasture resources in mountain areas.

Nutrient Accumulation In Leaves And Soft Twigs Of Moringa Oleifera Lam. At Different Growth Stages In Western Highland Of Cameroon, E. Tedonkeng Pamo, B. Boukila, J. R. Kana, F. Tendonkeng, L. B. Tonfack, M. C. Solefack Momo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Moringa oleifera belongs to the Moringaceae family and is considered to have its origin in the south of the Himalayan mountains. The species is being introduced into the highland zone of Cameroon. It is a tree which has many valuable properties and it is of great nutritional and scientific interest. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate nutrient composition in leaves and soft twigs of M. oleifera at different growth heights when grown in the Western Highland of Cameroon.

Evaluation Of Superoxide Anion Radical Scavenging Activities Of Plantains And Pastures By Electron Spin Resonance (Esr), Y. Tamura, T. Masumizu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Producing animals without using feed-grade antibiotic growth promoters and chemical medicines is essential. In response, many scientists are now studying medicinal plants and herbs to identify and quantify those plants that may have a beneficial effect on animal production. Plantains have been used in herbal medicines and are being evaluated as a potential pasture species because of their medicinal values in animal health. In this study, antioxidant activities of plantains were compared to those of common pasture species to clarify the effects of plantains on animal health and production.

Characterisation Of Herbage From Temperate Organic Pastures, E. Kuusela

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grazing is an essential part of organic dairy farming systems. Although the nutritive value of herbage and herbage availability determine the intake and nutrient supply for grazing cows, the composition of typical herbage from organic pastures has been unclear.

Water-Soluble Carbohydrate (Wsc) Concentrations In Ireland And Norway Of Lolium Perenne Differing In Wsc Genotype And Receiving Varying Rates Of N Fertiliser, P. O'Kiely, L. Nesheim, P. Conaghan, F. P. O'Mara

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cultivars bred for elevated water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentration may have improved grass ensilability and nutritive value. Increasing rates of application of N fertiliser generally reduce grass WSC concentration, although it is unknown if the response is similar for normal and elevated WSC genotypes or if these factors interact with growing conditions. This experiment evaluated the effects on grass WSC concentration of varying N fertiliser application rates to perennial ryegrass cultivars of high or normal WSC genotype grown in Ireland and Norway.