Although the fibrotic process is more intense in the SSc group, it does not affect the prognosis of these patients. Because the elastotic process is higher in the SSc group, this might suggest that autoimmune inflammatory mechanisms affecting the elastic fibre system play a greater role in the pathogenesis and pulmonary remodelling process of SSc NSIP than in idiopathic NSIP.

Our objective was to determine the effects of two strains of obligate heterofermentative bacteria, alone or in combination, on the fermentation profile, gas production kinetics, chemical composition, and aerobic stability of sugarcane silage. A plot of sugarcane was manually harvested, mechanically chopped and treated with: distilled water (5 mL kg–1; Control), Lentilactobacillus hilgardii CNCM I-4785 [3 × 105 colony-forming units (cfu) g–1; LH], Lentilactobacillus buchneri NCIMB 40788 (3 × 105 cfu g–1; LB), and LH+LB (1.5 × 105 cfu g–1 of each strain). Treated forages were packed into 1.96-L gas-tight silos (0.40 porosity) and stored at 25 ± 1.5°C for 70 days (4 replicates per treatment). All heterolactic inoculants were effective to increase acetic acid concentration and inhibit yeast metabolism, as treated silages had lower formation of ethanol, ethyl esters and gas during fermentation. Lower fungal development spared soluble carbohydrates, consequently resulting in silages with higher in vitro digestibility. Nevertheless, L. buchneri was the most effective strain to extend the aerobic stability of sugarcane silage (based on both temperature and pH rise). The use of L. buchneri alone or in combination with L. hilgardii, applied at 3 × 105 cfu g–1, is a feasible strategy to inhibit yeast metabolism and increase the nutritional quality of sugarcane silage.

The objective of this study was to examine the conservation process and feed value of total mixed ration (TMR) silages. In Exp. 1 we evaluated the fermentation pattern and aerobic stability of TMR silages containing different protein and lipid supplementations. In Exp. 2 we compared the performance of finishing beef heifers fed those TMR silages. In both experiments, treatments were as follows: ensiled TMR with urea (U); ensiled TMR without a protein supplement at ensiling, but soybean meal supplemented at feeding to balance diet crude protein in Exp. 2 (SMnf; where the acronym nf indicates nonfermented); ensiled TMR with soybean meal (SM); and ensiled TMR with rolled soybean grain (SG). Thirty-two Nellore heifers (313 ± 8.8 kg shrunk body weight (SBW)) were blocked by initial SBW, housed in individual pens, and enrolled in the Exp.2 for 82 d. In Exp. 1, treatment without a protein supplement (SMnf) had lower content of crude protein, soluble crude protein, NH3-N, pH and clostridia count compared to U (P ≤ 0.03). Lactic acid concentrations tended to be reduced for SMnf compared to U (P = 0.09). Ethanol concentration was reduced in SG compared with SM (P < 0.01). 1,2-Propanediol concentration was increased in SMnf compared with U (P < 0.01), reduced in SM compared with SMnf (P = 0.02) and increased in SG compared with SM (P = 0.02). Dry matter (DM) loss during fermentation was low and similar among treatments (~3.7%). All silages remained stable during 10 d of aerobic exposure after feedout. Considering fermentation traits such as pH (≤4.72), NH3-N (<10% of N, except for U treatment), butyric acid (<0.05 % DM), and DM losses (<3.70% DM) all silages can be considered well conserved. In Exp. 2, diets were isonitrogenous because of soybean meal was added to SMnf before feeding. Compared with SM, cattle fed SG made more meals per day (P = 0.04) and tended to have a decreased intermeal interval (P = 0.09). Dry matter intake, average daily gain, final SBW, hot carcass weight, Biceps femoris fat thickness, and serum levels of triglycerides and cholesterol were increased for SG compared to SM (P ≤ 0.05). In brief, TMR silages exhibited adequate fermentation pattern and high aerobic stability. The supplementation of true protein did not improve animal performance, whereas the addition of soybean grain as a lipid source improved the performance of finishing cattle fed TMR silages.

RESUMO O objetivo da pesquisa foi comparar o peso e o ganho de peso em touros de corte jovens inteiros, imunocastrados e submetidos à orquiectomia bilateral. Para isso, noventa touros da raça Nelore de 18 a 24 meses de idade, criados em um sistema de semiconfinamento, foram divididos em três grupos, sendo: 30 animais inteiros, 30 imunocastrados com anti-GnRH e 30 submetidos a orquiectomia bilateral. O peso vivo foi determinado nos dias 0, 30, 56 e 91 do experimento. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado. Os dados foram analisados pelo PROC MIXED do SAS. As variáveis (peso vivo e ganho de peso médio diário) foram submetidas à análise de variância. Quando significativas, as médias foram comparadas pelo teste de Tukey a 5% de significância. Animais inteiros e imunocastrados apresentaram maior peso vivo final (476,50 kg e 473,80 kg, respectivamente) e ganho de peso médio diário (1,25 e 1,20 kg-1 animal-1 dia, respectivamente), enquanto que os castrados cirurgicamente tiveram desempenho inferior (peso final: 440 kg e GMD de 0,81 kg-1 animal-1 dia). A imunização contra GnRH (Bopriva ®) é eficaz na obtenção de bons resultados para peso vivo final e ganho de peso médio diário e pode ser uma alternativa para a castração cirúrgica.

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed the association of hundreds of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with breast cancer (BC) risk, which mostly locate in non-coding regions, suggesting regulatory roles to the causal variants. Functional characterisation of GWAS loci has been biased towards the effect of regulatory SNPs on transcription factor binding. Here we set out to determine the extent of the contribution of breast cancer risk-associated SNPs to alternative splicing (AS). We screened genome-wide significant (P ≤ 5 × 10 −8 ) BC risk SNPs for association with AS, using expression and genotype data from normal breast samples, from the GTEx project. We identified four splicing quantitative trait loci (sQTL). In locus 6p22.1, rs6456883 is a significant cis-sQTL for the expression of ZNF311 gene isoforms. Three SNPs in locus 8p23.3, rs6682326, rs3008282 and rs2906324, were also identified as significant cis-sQTLs/svQTLs for the expression of RPL23AP53 gene isoforms. In-silico functional analysis revealed that these variants can potentially alter enhancer splicing elements within the target genes. Our work shows that BC risk-associated variants at two loci are associated with AS isoforms in normal breast tissue, thus demonstrating that AS plays an important role in breast cancer susceptibility. Furthermore, it supports that all cis-regulatory mechanisms should be considered in the functional characterisation of risk loci.