In order to investigate the effect of RFRP-3 on the feeding behavior and growth performance of rats, a total of 30 clean-grade SD rats with similar weight were selected and randomly assigned into the following three groups: a control group received a 200 μL saline solution per rat per time by intraperitoneal injection, a low-dose RFRP-3 treatment group received the 200 μL RFRP-3 solution with concentration of 1 μg/100 μL per rat per time by intraperitoneal injection, and a high-dose RFRP-3 treatment group received the 200 μL RFRP-3 solution with concentration of 10 μg/100 μL per rat per time by intraperitoneal injection. There were 10 rats in each group with half male and half female. All of the experimental rats received intraperitoneal injection twice daily for consecutive 14 days. During the whole experimental period, the feed intake, feeding behavior and body weight of the experimental rats were observed and recorded; the feed to gain ratio and Lee index were calculated, the serum was isolated from the blood samples, the blood lipid related indicators were determined, and the expression level of hypothalamus appetite related factors was assessed. The results showed that compared with the control group, the intraperitoneal injection of high dose RFRP-3 resulted in an extremely significant (P<0.01)increase in feed intake in rats in light-environment, and the feeding behavior was mainly manifested in a extremely significant (P<0.01) increase in feeding frequency and an obvious decrease in satiety; in terms of growth performance, the RFRP-3 treatment groups had a very significant (P<0.01) increase in body weight and a significant (P<0.05) reduction in feed to gain ratio; for obesity indexes, the Lee index of the rats was increased significantly (P<0.05) after receiving the intraperitoneal injection of RFRP-3, and the serum contents of triglycerides and total cholesterol were also very significantly (P<0.01) increased; the expression level of NPY mRNA in the hypothalamus in RFRP-3 treatment groups was increased significantly (P<0.05), while that of POMC mRNA was decreased significantly (P<0.05). In conclusion, intraperitoneal injection of RFRP-3 can improve the feeding behavior and growth performance of rats, and this physiological function may be achieved via regulating the appetite-related factors in hypothalamus.

In order to characterize the epidemic law of PRRS in Ningxia, the RT-PCR assay was used to amplify the cDNA fragment of ORF3 gene, a protein-encoding gene of GP3 protein, from the PRRSV clinical isolate. The results showed that the ORF3 gene of the PRRSV clinical isolate was 765 bp in length and encoded 254 amino acids. It had more than 85% homology with the North American type strain VR-2332 and less than 60% homology with the European type strain LV. The obtained PRRSV clinical isolate was genetically close to the strains of JXA1, HEB1 and HUB2 which were dominantly prevalent in China in recent 3 years. The analysis of the hydrophilicity of GP3 protein of the PRRSV isolate showed that its first 57 amino acids were hydrophobic signal peptide sequences. The analysis results of antigenic epitope prediction of GP3 protein of the PRRSV isolate were basically the same as those of some other domestic and foreign PRRSV strains, indicating that the GP3 protein of the PRRSV isolate in this study had similar antigenic properties to that of other strains.

In order to investigate the function of porcine group A rotavirus VP7 gene, a set of primers were designed based on the DNA sequence of porcine rotavirus VP7 gene in GenBank. The rotavirus Shanghai isolate SH-1 was used as a template for PCR amplification, and the obtained VP7 gene was cloned into pMD-18T vector for sequencing and analysis. The results showed that the VP7 gene sequence encoded 326 amino acids with relative molecular weight of 37.38 Ku and theoretical isoelectric point (PI) of 4.77. The VP7 protein was dominated by alpha helices and contained 13 epitope regions. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the isolate SH-1 was genetically closest to KM230930.1 strain. The genotype analysis demonstrated that the isolate SH-1 was G10 type which belonged to the zoonotic virus strain.

Metabolites are the ultimate executor of life activities after gene transcription and translation into proteins. Therefore, changes in metabolites can directly reflect the variations in various life activities in the body. Using metabolomics technology can clearly and intuitively detect the changes in the body's metabolites. Productive diseases in dairy cows have been the clinically significant diseases in animal husbandry and veterinary medicine industry. The occurrence of productive diseases in dairy cows will directly or indirectly lead to a decline in the production performance of dairy cows and bring economic losses to the breeding industry. The application of metabolomics technology can help to more comprehensively understand the occurrence and development of diseases, accurately detect the substances and metabolic pathways involved in disease occurrence, and enable veterinarians to carry out targeted prevention, control and treatment of diseases. In this paper, the application of metabolomics technology in the researches of dairy cow's productive diseases is reviewed, in hoping to provide insight into the prevention and control of these diseases in dairy farms in the future.

Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins which belong to the superfamily of transcription factors are widely distributed in eukaryotes. At present, most of the functions of bHLH transcription factors have been identified in animals, however, it's study in plants is relatively limited. As the second major transcription factors in plants, based on their interactions between specific amino acids and the target genes, bHLH transcription factors play important roles in plant growth and development, physiological metabolism and stress response, and then regulate the expression of associated genes. In order to further understand the information on function and characteristics of bHLH transcription factors in plants, we reviewed their structural features, classification and biological functions, with focus on the most recently reported investigations on their response to abiotic stress. Our review may provide a theoretical basis for further understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the actions of plant bHLH transcription factors in response to stress.

The cashmere growth and reproductive activity of cashmere goat are periodic, and they are regulated by many factors. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF), as a class of polypeptide growth factors, is involved in the process of cell mitosis, proliferation and differentiation, and anti-apoptosis. In addition, it also plays crucial roles in proliferation and differentiation of hair follicle epitheliums and dermal cells, follicular development, oocyte maturation, follicular atresia, and fetal growth and development. This article reviews the research progress on the IGF system and its regulative role in cashmere growth, follicular development and atresia, and fetal development in cashmere goat, in hoping to provide references for further investigation on regulation of economically important traits of cashmere goat by IGF.

The trait of cashmere yield is determined by genetic factors. The low yield of cashmere is the key factor that restricts the cashmere industry development. In this study, a total of six three-year-old female Alpas cashmere goats weighing around 34 kg with low cashmere yield (n=3, <480 g) and high cashmere yield (n=3, >1 000 g) were selected from the same population to identify the genomic regions representing selection signatures for cashmere yield trait. For each experimental goat, the high-coverage whole-genome sequencing (30×) was performed, and a total of 8×10⁶ single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were obtained. By comparing the high- and low-cashmere-yield goat groups, we identified 18 genomic regions that might contribute to the phenotypes in cashmere yield trait in Alpas cashmere goat populations by using selective sweep method. Candidate genes of cashmere yield underlying strong selection signatures including CUL1, FBXL3, YY1 and EZH2, were identified, which were involved in multiple signaling pathways associated with secondary follicle development of cashmere such as circadian rhythm signaling pathway, Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and TGF-β signaling pathway. Our results demonstrate the potential of using sequence data in identifying genomic regions that are responsible for economically significant phenotypes in goats, which in turn can be used in the selection of goat breeds for cashmere yield.

[Objective] To establish a determinative method for macro-elements and trace-mineral elements in mare's milk samples based on full-automatic graphite digestion and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) as well as inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). [Method] The pre-treatment of milk samples was carried out with full-automatic graphite digester; the contents of four macro-elements including kalium, natrium, calcium and phosphorus in the milk samples were determined by using ICP-OES; the standard solutions were prepared with gravimetric method, and the contents of a total of 23 trace-mineral elements including aluminum, arsenic, boron, barium, beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, lithium, magnesium, manganese, nickel, lead, antimony, tin, strontium, titanium, thallium, vanadium, zinc and selenium were quantitatively analyzed with ICP-MS using rhodium as internal standard; the standard substances for analysis of food bio-components were used to validate the method. [Result] There was a good linear relationship in the range of 0-20 μg/mL for macro-elements and 0-200 ng/mL for trace-elements, and the correlation coefficients of the standard curves were all higher than 0.999; the detection limit for macro-elements by ICP-OES ranged from 0.010 0 to 0.068 8 μg/mL, and that for trace-elements by ICP-MS ranged from 0.001 10 to 1.578 ng/mL; the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the mineral elements of the standard substances for analysis of food bio-components were less than 11 % (n=6); the determination results were all with the allowable deviation range of the value. [Conclusion] The good linear correlation, detection limit, accuracy and other aspects of the established method can meet the requirements for accurate, efficient and simultaneous determination of mineral elements contents in mare's milk.

The history of silage preparation technology development is tightly related with human agricultural and animal husbandry progress. As an important feed resource for domestic animals, especially for ruminants, how to enhance the nutritional value of silage and improve animals' performance by its application has always been a hot research topic in animal feed science. The appearance of additives for silage preparation has brought a new sight to achieve this goal. At present, many additives have become commercially available and more new types of additives are arising. Here, we reviewed the developmental history, main types, developmental status and developmental prospects of microbial inoculants for silage, in hoping to provide a theoretical reference for developing new kind of advanced microbial inoculants.

In order to characterize the production performance of different alfalfa varieties introduced in Otog Front Banner of Ordos City of Inner Mongolia, a total of 5 alfalfa varieties ('SK3010' 'Giant energy No.2' 'SR4030' 'Caribou' 'Golden queen') planted and utilized in large area in this region were used as experimental research objects, and their production performance, yield and nutritional components were determiend and statistically compared. The results showed that there was a significant (P<0.05) correlation between leaf length and branch number and number of main stem nodes; there was a also significant (P<0.05) correlation between yield and plant height and number of lateral branches; the similarity equation between yield and plant height was y₁=25 802+17.26x₁, and a significantly (P<0.05) positive correlation between them was observed; the similarity equation between yield and number of lateral branches was y₂=26 842+4.20x₂, and they were significantly (P<0.05) positively related; the order of multi-year yield of the tested alfalfa varieties was 'Giant energy No.2' > 'SR4030' > 'Golden queen' > 'SK3010' > 'Caribou'; the protein content of 'Caribou', 'Golden queen' and 'Giant energy No.2' all exceeded the international standards (17.00%), and the order of crude protein content was 'Caribou' = 'Golden queen' > 'Giant energy No.2' > 'SR4030' > 'SK3010'; the crude fat content of 'Golden queen', 'Caribou' and 'SR4030' were all higher than 10.00%; the crude fiber content of 'Giant energy No.2', 'SR4030', 'SK3010' and 'Golden queen' all exceeded 30.00%. Based on the yield and quality indicators, our results demonstrated that the alfalfa varieties of 'Giant energy No.2' 'SR4030' 'Golden queen' and the other tested varieties were feasible to be large-scale popularized and utilized in Otog Front Banner.

In order to grasp the status of Artemisia plant resources in Ordos City, a survey on different types of Artemisia plant resources was conducted in this region. A total of 32 species (4 variants) of Artemisia plants were observed in Ordos City which were divided into four categories, including mesophyte (n=14), halophyte or meso-halophyte (n=14), xerophyte or meso-xerophyte (n=2) and ultra- xerophyte (n=2). The observed Artemisia plants were dominantly distributed in the hilly and plain desert steppe subclass of temperate desert steppe and grassland subclass of sandy desert grassland. It is indicated that there are abundant Artemisia plant resources with wide distributive ranges and high adaptability in Ordos City.

In this study, four experimental treatment areas were set up to assess the changing characteristics in plant nutrients and soil nutrients of different layers using Stipa breviflora desert steppe as the research object. The results showed that the height of Stipa breviflora in light-grazing area SA1, moderate-grazing area SA5 and zero-grazing area CK was significantly (P<0.05) higher than that in over-grazing area SA3. The height of plant population in SA1 area was the highest. The plant with the greatest influence on coverage of plant population was Allium polyrhizum, and significant (P<0.05) difference between the grazing areas and CK was observed. SA1 area had the lowest total nitrogen content of plant community, and the lowest carbon content of plant community was also observed in SA1 area followed by CK. The order of N/P value was SA5>SA3>CK>SA1. Grazing reduced the content of fast phosphorus in the soil and increased the organic carbon in the surface soil.

The objective of this study was to determine the optimum ultrasound-assisted extraction condition for total flavonoids from Radix scutellariae. Extraction of total flavonoids from Radix scutellariae were carried out with ultrasonic-assisted technology, and the total flavonoids content was determined using sodium nitrite-aluminum nitrate colorimetric method. Via single factor and orthogonal experiments, the optimum extraction process of total flavonoids from Radix scutellariae was determined as followed: ethanol concentration was 50%, sonication time was 25 min, material-liquid ratio was 1∶25, and sonication temperature was 70 ℃. Under these conditions, the obtained total flavonoid extraction quantity was 15.15 mg/g.

The objective of this study was to assess the in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory effect of a traditional Chinese veterinary medicine preparation of 'Sanhuanglian Powder (SHLP)'. In in vitro experiment, the toxicity of SHLP on RAW264.7 cells was investigated by CCK-8 method, and the LPS induced inflammation model in RAW264.7 was established to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of SHLP. In in vivo experiment, xylene was used to induce acute inflammation model in mice, and the degree of auricle swelling, organ index and serum levels of TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-8 and COX-2 were determined. The results showed that the maximum safe concentration of SHLP on RAW264.7 cells was 50 μg/mL. High, medium and low doses of SHLP could inhibit the secretion of IL-8, TNF-α, IL-β and COX-2 in RAW264.7 cells at different degrees (P<0.05 or P< 0.01). High dose of SHLP extremely significantly (P<0.01) reduced the NO secretion level in culture supernatant of RAW264.7 cells. High, medium and low doses of SHLP extremely significantly (P<0.01) inhibited the auricular swelling and down-regulated the secretion of serum inflammatory cytokines of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and COX-2. Various concentrations of SHLP had no significant effect on the organ index of the experimental mice (P>0.05). In conclusion, the traditional Chinese veterinary medicine preparation of 'Sanhuanglian Powder' had significant anti-inflammatory effect in vitro and in vivo.

The manure and sewage produced in dairy farm which are directly returned to the field or discharged without treatment not only result in environmental pollution, but also affect the sustainable and healthy development of the dairy industry. Using the physical form as the classification foundation of the manure and sewage, this paper summarizes the main harms brought by the improper disposal of manure and sewage in dairy farm, and expounded the scientific treatment and resource utilization technology of manure and sewage in dairy farm, including solid manure treatment technology, sewage treatment technology, microbial fermentation bed technology and utilization of the disposal products. Furthermore, we analyze the existing problems in treatment and resource utilization technology of manure and sewage in dairy farm and the developmental direction in future, in hoping to provide references for improving the level of scientific treatment and resource utilization of manure and sewage in dairy farm.

In 2016, China cancelled the Temporary Purchase and Storage Policy (TPSP) of corn and put forward the principle of 'Price Supplement Separation'. The influencing factors of corn yield under the background of TPSP adjustment have become the hot issues in theoretical research and practical activities on agricultural economy field. Based on the sample data of corn yield and total power of agricultural machinery, sowing area, agricultural fertilizer application amount, effective irrigation area and policy factors (implementing TPSP or not) in Hebei Province from 1991 to 2017, the least square method was used for regression analysis to establish the optimal regression model between corn yield and the above influencing factors in Hebei Province. The results showed that there was a positive correlation between sowing area, effective irrigation area and corn yield, and these two factors had the most significant impact on corn yield. The total power of agricultural machinery and policy factors also had a great influence on corn yield. The amount of fertilizer application had a minor impact on corn yield in Hebei Province. Based on the above results, we put forward some policy suggestions such as enhancing the construction of farmland infrastructure and strengthening the policy support on corn industry.

In this experiment, the 6-month-old and 12-month-old local Guangxi black goats were used as control to evaluate the meat production performance and meat quality of the meat-rich-typed new strain of Guangxi black goats. The indicators associated with slaughter performance, meat quality, meat chemical composition and flavor influencing factors were comprehensively determined and analyzed. The results showed that the 6-month-old and 12-month-old black goats of new strain had extremely significantly (P<0.01) higher carcass weight, slaughter rate, net meat rate, net carcass rate and eye muscle area compared to their counterparts of local goats; the new strain black goats had extremely significantly (P<0.01) higher values in muscle quality indicators of meat color and marbling, and had extremely significantly (P<0.01 for 12-month-old goats) or significantly (P<0.05 for 6-month-old goats) lower tenderness shear values compared to the local ones; in terms of meat chemical composition, the new strain had significantly (P<0.05) higher content of crude protein, fat and phosphorus, and had significantly (P<0.05) lower content of crude fiber; for the flavor influence factors, while extremely significant (P<0.01) differences in content of total amino acid and glutamate between the new strain of black goats and local ones were observed, no significant differences in content of the other tested amino acids (except for glycine content in 12-month-old goats) were found (P>0.05); significantly (P<0.05) higher content of saturated fatty acid and unsaturated fatty acid was observed in the new strain black goats; there was no significant difference in cholesterol content between the new strain black goats and the local ones(P>0.05), but both of them was lower than that of the recommended values by sheep production standard; the contents of thiamine and inosine of the new strain black goats were significantly(P<0.05)higher than those of the local ones. Based on the above measurement results, it can be concluded that the meat-rich-typed new strain of Guangxi black goats has good meat production performance and comprehensive nutritional components, and can provide rich protein and amino acids; its meat is fresh and juicy with good taste and unique flavor,and has minor species-related characterizing flavor, low cholesterol content as well as rich unsaturated fatty acids. In conclusion, this strain is the first choice in breed selection for production of high-quality black goat suitable for southern regions, indicating its tremendous development potential.

In order to investigate the effects of oxygen providing on breeding eggs hatching efficacy of Lhasa white chickens and Tibetan chickens, the breeding eggs of the fifth generation of Lhasa white chickens, Nimu Tibetan chickens and Shannan Tibetan chickens were selected to perform a hatching trial, and the indicators associated with hatching efficacy of the breeding eggs of different chicken varieties during and at the end of the hatching process were determined and compared. The results showed that higher egg wight, birth weight and the ratio of birth weight to hatched egg weight was observed in Lhasa white chickens and Nimu Tibetan chickens under the oxygen non-providing condition compared to the oxygen providing condition, however, the opposite results were observed in Shannan Tibetan chickens. When oxygen was provided, the hatching rate of incubated eggs of Lhasa white chickens, Nimu Tibetan chickens and Shannan Tibetan chickens were 29.40%, 35.01% and 14.72% higher than those under the oxygen non-providing condition. Under the oxygen providing condition, the hatching rate of fertilized eggs of Lhasa white chickens, Nimu Tibetan chickens and Shannan Tibetan chickens were 31.55%, 39.49% and 11.91% higher than those when oxygen providing was absent. In conclusion, hypoxia is the most important factor that limits the improvement of hatching rate of breeding eggs of elite germplasm resources of chickens in plateau. Our results may provide a theoretical reference for improving the hatching rate of breeding eggs under plateau condition.

The objective of this study was to investigate whether the application of case teaching method in Veterinary Production Science helps to enhance the undergraduates' learning interest and improve their achievements in this course. Taking 8 classes of College of Veterinary Medicine as the research object, the case teaching method was implemented in teaching of Veterinary Production Science. After the completion of teaching, the research object was investigated by questionnaire, and their final scores was compared and analyzed by Graphpad prism 6. The results showed that the surveyed undergraduates expressed their approval and favor for the integration of case teaching method into the teaching process of professional course, and their learning interest in Veterinary Obstetrics Science was generally increased. In addition, they expected to include the case-based teaching in future. The comparative analysis of the final scores found that the average scores of the two teaching classes receiving the case teaching method were 0.93 points higher compared with the previous sessions. It is indicated that the case teaching method is beneficial to enhance the undergraduates' learning interest in Veterinary Obstetrics Science and helps to improve their achievements in this course. The case teaching method are expected to be introduced into the teaching process of the professional courses in the future.

Veterinary Diagnostics is a professional basic course with strong practicality for the undergraduates majoring in veterinary medicine. It not only contains a wealth of theoretical knowledge, but also covers many operational skills on clinical diagnostics, laboratory diagnostics and radiology diagnostics. In order to strengthen the undergraduates' practical ability in clinical diagnosis and to cultivate more excellent talents in veterinary medicine, in view of the current status and problems of theoretical and experimental teaching of Veterinary Diagnostics, we improved and adjusted the teaching syllabus of this course. Furthermore, the implementation and application efficacy of integrating theoretical teaching with clinical cases and guiding experimental teaching with scientific researches in Veterinary Diagnostics was discussed.

Veterinary Internal Medicine is one of the main courses of the veterinary medicine discipline. Mastering the theory of Veterinary Internal Medicine and solving clinical problems using the learned knowledge has high requirements for undergraduates' theoretical knowledge and practical ability. Encouraging undergraduates to master the learning methods on Veterinary Internal Medicine and acquire clinical diagnosis and treatment ability in limited classroom teaching content is currently the exploratory focus for veterinary medicine teaching staff in China. The traditional teacher-led teaching model is no longer sufficient to meet the growth and update of theory and technology in Veterinary Internal Medicine. The case-based teaching method aims to improve undergraduates' learning interest and cultivate their ability to think independently, analyze problems and solve problems,which is one of the directions for veterinary education reform. Based on the experience of teaching this course, the application of case-based teaching method in theoretical and practical teaching of Veterinary Internal Medicine is expounded, in hoping to provide a reference for improving the teaching quality of this course.

The experimental course of Animal Environmental Hygiene is an important link to enhance the operational skills of the undergraduates. Through the experimental courses, the undergraduates can make a correct evaluation of the farm environment. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively improve the teaching quality and effect of the experimental courses. This article discusses the major problems existing in the construction of experimental courses of Animal Environmental Hygiene, and analyzes them from the aspects of teaching concept, experimental content, teaching method and course evaluation. Furthermore, the countermeasures and suggestions for the teaching reform of experimental courses of Animal Environmental Hygiene are also put forward.

In order to determine the dominantly prevalent species of ovine Theileria in Yanbian region of Jilin Province, the blood smear microscopy and PCR assay were used to identify the ovine Theileria from the clinical samples, and the phylogenetical analysis of the isolates was carried out subsequently. Blood smear microscopy revealed that round worms were present in the red blood cells of the blood smear. Bioinformatical analysis of the MPSP gene of ovine Theileria Jilin strains demonstrated that the protein encoded by MPSP contains 3 N-glycosylation sites, 14 potential epitopes and a signal peptide structure. The established phylogenetic tree showed that the three clinical isolates in this study were 100% homologous to Theileria luwenshunli (GQ281044) and had a close relationship, indicating that the isolated ovine Theileria were Theileria luwenshuni. The prevalence of Theileria luwenshuni in Jilin Province was observed in this study.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute or subacute infectious disease caused by peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV). Sheep, goats and some small wild ruminants are vulnerable to the infection of PPRV. PPR has a very high morbidity and mortality, and always brings huge economic losses to sheep farms and herdsmen. Therefore, the diagnosis and comprehensive prevention and control measures of PPR are summarized, in hoping to provide references for the prevention and control of PPR.

[Objective]To understand the mastery status of brucellosis related knowledge and potential risk behavior of brucellosis infection in herdsmen in Lingqiu County of Datong City of Shanxi Province, and to provide references for implementing the targeting healthy publicity and education associated with brucellosis. [Method]A total of 70 cattle farmers were selected from Lingqiu County by simple random sampling method. A questionnaire was designed to investigate the brucellosis associated prevention and control knowledge as well as high-risk behaviors of the herdsmen. [Result]77.14% of the surveyed farmers had no awareness of feeding the newly purchased cattle herd separately for the consideration of epidemic prevention, and 45.71% of them had no vaccination behavior against brucellosis for the cattle herd. Although a series of propaganda intervention measures associated with brucellosis were carried out in recently years in this region, there was still a large room for improvement. [Conclusion]The awareness rate of brucellosis related knowledge among cattle farmers in Lingqiu County is relatively high. However, there is still a big gap between the planning target and the reality, indicating a potential risk of brucellosis infection. Accordingly, in the following work, the propaganda intervention against brucellosis targeting the cattle farmers should be strengthened to improve the awareness of brucellosis protection for this specific population.