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These results confirm that an enriched environment improves animal welfare in confined chickens, regardless of the stocking density. Reducing stocking density clearly appears to be an important means of increasing animal welfare.The aim of this work was to evaluate, in the different production seasons of the year, the physico-chemical quality of an artisanal cheese traditionally obtained from autochthonous grazing cows, with particular reference to fatty acids (FA) of nutritional interest that play an important role in the risk or prevention of some human pathologies. For this purpose, cheeses were sampled in 11 farms, repeating the samplings in 3 different periods of the year (summer, autumn-winter, and spring) when the productive conditions of the pastures varied. The cheeses produced in the spring period, when cows ingest a greater amount of grazed forage, resulted in a more adequate composition of the main FA, which are recognized as having a health effect, such as α-linolenic, trans-vaccenic, rumenic, docosapentaenoic (DPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids. Branched-chain FA were found in greater quantities in spring cheeses, as well as in summer ones. The FA composition of cheeses produced in the different seasons was reflected in some nutritional indexes that also resulted as more suitable in cheeses obtained in the spring period. The positive effects induced on the FA profile of cheeses are presumably linked to the diet of autochthonous cows, which is mainly based on forage from natural pastures. Therefore, the results obtained confirm the benefits of grazing, which is able to guarantee the production of healthier cheeses for consumers.In the last few years, there has been a notable development in the breeding of freshwater shrimp (astaciculture), which involved various species and in particular, the two Australian Parastacidae species, Cherax destructor and Cherax quadricarinatus. Information about the haemolymphatic parameters of these two species is fragmentary, and filling these gaps becomes important given their importance in aquaculture. Cellular and biochemical parameters were analyzed in both species to create a reference baseline for these parameters to identify the state of welfare or suffering of these animals. The results showed that the total haemocyte count, haemocyte subpopulations, enzymatic activities and pH are similar between the two species, while total protein and osmolality are higher in C. destructor than C. quadricarinatus. Knowledge of these parameters could assist in evaluating the good health status of these species kept in aquaculture facilities.Translocations and releases of farm-reared birds are considered among the major drivers of genetic pollution with consequent loss of genetic diversity in wild populations. In this study, we aimed to assess the extent of hybridization and introgression in the Italian partridges as a consequence of translocation. [https://www.selleckchem.com/products/rk-33.html RK-33 inhibitor] We surveyed two mitochondrial markers and one nuclear marker of Alectoris and Perdix from collections (museums and private collections), extant wild populations and farms. Consistent with previous studies, we found haplotypes of allochthonous species within the same genus, likely due to introductions for hunting activities. In addition, we found hybrids between Perdix and Alectoris species with genetic markers from both genera in single individuals. Such introgression was bidirectional and in both mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Counterintuitively, most of the hybrid samples came from collections before the 1950s, when large-scale translocations started, from wild populations where Grey Partridge (Perdix&amp;nbsp;perdix) and Rock Partridge (Alectoris&amp;nbsp;graeca) overlap in their distribution, whereas only one hybrid occurred among the farmed birds. Our results suggest that Perdix and Alectoris species can hybridize in nature and that artificial translocations and releases of farm-reared birds for restocking or reintroduction purposes may be only partially responsible for the genomic mismatches of Italian partridges.Around 100 million animals are killed annually for the global fur trade, with 85% reared on fur farms and 15% trapped in the wild. Fur farming is banned across the United Kingdom (UK) under the Fur Farming (Prohibition) Act 2000 in England and Wales and parallel legislation in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Despite the farming bans, the import and sale of fur products to the UK have continued, largely due to European Union (EU) membership. The UK left the EU in 2020 and the British government is exploring a potential ban on the import and sale of fur post-Brexit. This paper reviews public surveys on attitudes to fur farming in the UK from 1997 to 2021. It then reports the results of an online questionnaire to investigate in greater depth the beliefs of UK residents (n = 326) about the welfare of animals used in fur production, knowledge of the legal context of the fur trade and attitudes toward a ban on the import and sale of fur in the UK. A large majority (86%) of respondents believed that fur-farmed animals do not experience a good life. Over four-fifths (83%) disagreed that it is morally acceptable for the UK government to ban fur farming and yet continue to import and sell fur from producers overseas, with over three-quarters (78%) supporting a legal ban on the import and sale of fur in the UK.Cetaceans are tight-skinned mammals that exhibit an extraordinary capacity to heal deep soft tissue injuries. However, essential information of large full-thickness wound healing in cetaceans is still lacking. Here, the stages of full-thickness wound healing were characterized in Fraser's dolphins (Lagenodelphis hosei). The skin samples were collected from normal skin and full-thickness cookiecutter shark (Isistius brasiliensis)-bite wounds of stranded carcasses. We defined five stages of wound healing according to macroscopic and histopathological examinations. Wounds in Stage 1 and 2 were characterized by intercellular and intracellular edema in the epidermal cells near the wound edge, mixed inflammatory cell infiltration, and degradation of collagen fibers. In Stage 3 wounds, melanocytes, melanin granules, rete and dermal ridges were noticed in the neo-epidermis, and the adipose tissue in adjacent blubber was replaced by cells and fibers. Wounds in Stage 4 and 5 were characterized by gradual restoration of the normal skin architecture including rete and dermal ridges, collagen bundles, and adipose tissue. These phenomena were quite different from previous studies in terrestrial tight-skinned mammals, and therefore, further in-depth research into the mechanisms of dolphin wound healing would be needed to gain new insights into veterinary and human regenerative medicine.Marek's disease is an infectious disease in poultry that usually appears in neural and visceral tumors. This disease is caused by Gallid alphaherpesvirus 2 infection in lymphocytes, and its meq gene is commonly used in virulent studies for coding the key protein functional in oncogenic transformation of the lymphocytes. Although vaccines have been introduced in many countries to control its spread and are proven to be efficient, recent records show a decline of such efficiency due to viral evolution. In this study, we reviewed the outbreak of Marek's disease in Asia for the last 10 years, together with associated meq sequences, finding a total of 36 studies recording outbreaks with 132 viral strains in 12 countries. The visceral type is the most common (13 in 16 studies) form of Marek's disease, but additional unobserved neural changes may exist. MD induces liver lymphoma most frequently (11 in 14 studies), and tumors were also found in spleen, kidney, heart, gizzard, skin, intestine, lung, and sciatic nerve. Twelve viral strains distributed in China have been reported to escape the CVI988 vaccine, reaching a mortality rate of more than 30%. Phylogenetic analyses show the internal connection between the Middle East (Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia), South Asia (India, Indonesia), and East Asia (China and Japan), while external viral communications might occasionally occur. In 18 strains with both sequential and mortality data, amino acid alignment showed several point substitutions that may be related to its virulence. We suggest more behavioral monitoring in Marek's disease-endemic regions and further studies on strain virulence, together with its Meq protein structural changes.Myostatin (Mstn)-A, the main isoform among Mstn splicing variants, functions as a negative regulator, whereas Mstn-B functions as a positive regulator in muscle development. Because broiler chickens are a fast-growing breed raised for meat production and layer chickens are a slow-growing breed raised for egg production, differences in the expression of Mstn isoforms between the two distinct breeds were analyzed in this study. There was no difference in the expression levels of total Mstn (Mstn-A and -B forms) during embryonic development and at D33 between the two breeds. Interestingly, the ratios of Mstn-B to -A were significantly higher in the broiler compared to the layer at most ages. In pectoralis major muscle (PM) tissue, the cross-sectional area (CSA) of muscle fiber was significantly greater in the broiler. The broiler also showed greater bundle CSA and a similar fiber number per bundle compared to the layer at D5 and D33. These data suggest that the greater bundle CSA with myofiber hypertrophy in the broilers is associated with greater muscle growth. The relationship between the expression of Mstn isoforms and growth rate can be used as a potential genetic marker for the selection of higher muscle growth in chickens.Welfare-oriented regulations cause farmers worldwide to shift towards more welfare-friendly, e.g., loose housing systems such as aviaries with litter. In contrast to the traditional cage housing systems, good technical results can only be obtained if the behavior of hens is considered. With increasing flock sizes, the automation of behavioural assessment can be beneficial. This research aims to show a proof of principle of tools for analyzing laying-hen behaviors by using wearable inertia sensor technology and a machine learning model (ML). For this aim, the behaviors of hens were classified into three classes static, semi-dynamic, and highly dynamic behavior. The activities of hens were continuously recorded on video and synchronized with the sensor signals. Two hens were equipped with sensors, one marked green and one blue, for five days to collect the data. The training data set indicated that the ML model can accurately classify the highly dynamic behaviors with a one-second time window; a four-second time window is accurate for static and semi-dynamic behaviors. The Bagged Trees model, with an overall accuracy of 89% was the best ML model with the F1-scores of 89%, 91%, and 87% for static, semi-dynamic, and highly dynamic behaviors. The Bagged Trees model also performed well in classifying the behaviors of the hen in the validation data set with an overall F1-score of 0.92 (uniform either % or decimals). This research illustrates that the combination of wearable inertia sensors and machine learning is a viable technique for analyzing the laying-hen behaviors and supporting farmers in the management of hens in loose housing systems.