Invited review: Recommendations for reporting intervention studies on reproductive performance in dairy cattle: Improving design, analysis, and interpretation of research on reproduction

Abstract

Abundant evidence from the medical, veterinary, and animal science literature demonstrates that there is substantial room for improvement of the clarity, completeness, and accuracy of reporting of intervention studies. More rigorous reporting guidelines are needed to improve the quality of data available for use in comparisons of outcomes (or meta-analyses) of multiple studies. Because of the diversity of factors that affect reproduction and the complexity of interactions between these, a systematic approach is required to design, conduct, and analyze basic and applied studies of dairy cattle reproduction. Greater consistency, clarity, completeness, and correctness of design and reporting will improve the value of each report and allow for greater depth of evaluation in meta-analyses. Each of these benefits will improve understanding and application of current knowledge and better identify questions that require additional modeling or primary research. The proposed guidelines and checklist will aid in the design, conduct, analysis, and reporting of intervention studies. We propose an adaptation of the REFLECT (Reporting Guidelines for Randomized Controlled Trials for Livestock and Food Safety) statement to provide guidelines and a checklist specific to reporting intervention studies in dairy cattle reproduction. Furthermore, we provide recommendations that will assist investigators to produce studies with greater internal and external validity that can more often be included in systematic reviews and global meta-analyses. Such studies will also assist the development of models to describe the physiology of reproduction.

Strategies and Methodologies for Developing Microbial Detoxification Systems to Mitigate Mycotoxins

“…The high costs of raising and keeping large animals and strict guidelines for using animals in research [132,133] are other factors to consider when performing preliminary toxicity evaluations. In some cases, the use of primary and secondary cell lines derived from different hosts (mainly porcine/canine) [134,135,136,137,138] may be warranted to replace actual animals.…”

Review: Utilization of yeast of Saccharomyces cerevisiae origin in artificially raised calves

“…Gut development in the first few weeks of calf’s life is dynamic and can digest and absorb nutrients [88]. Effect of SCY on the ileal mucosal development in calves has not been reported.…”

Applying a systems approach to thyroid physiology: Looking at the whole with a mitochondrial perspective instead of judging single TSH values or why we should know more about mitochondria to understand metabolism

“…These proteins now called SERBPs have been found to be involved in more functions than just lipid and cholesterol metabolism [202], [203], [204], [205] as they can regulate the ATP citrate-lyase gene [206]. More interesting is the fact that they can regulate some of the elements involved in thyroid function such as the NIS gene in the thyroid [207] as well as mammary epithelial cells [208], the thyroid peroxidase [209], and the thyroglobulin gene [210]. Besides these relations to thyroid function there are also interaction between the SERBPs and steroidogenesis.…”