Objective The extensive breeding of commercial chickens has led to a sharp decrease in the resources of a large number of indigenous chickens, especially the indigenous chickens in the southeastern coastal region, which are on the verge of extinction, and the indigenous chickens in the northwestern region of China, which are also at risk. However, there are few reports on the evaluation of genetic diversity and conservation of genetic resources of indigenous chickens in remote areas in the Northwest of China. Methods In the present study, the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship of six indigenous chickens from different regions were studied based on variation in mitochondrial DNA control region (D-loop), and the degree of introgression from commercial breeds into these chickens was determined by the number of haplotype sharing between indigenous and commercial breeds. Results Twenty-five polymorphic sites and 25 haplotypes were detected in 206 individuals. Principal component analysis showed that the Jingning (JN) chicken had the highest genetic diversity among the six indigenous chickens. According to the degree of introgression, the six indigenous breeds may be involved in commercial breed production, and the introgression from commercial chickens into the Haidong (HD) chicken is the most serious. Conclusions The genetic resources of indigenous chickens have been eroded, so it is necessary to consider the protection of their genetic resources. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the six indigenous chickens have two major matrilineal origins one from Yunnan or its surrounding areas in China and the other from the Indian subcontinent.Objective An experiment was designed to determine if behaviour traits expressed by twin- and triplet-bearing lambs and their dams at 3-18 hours of age (after the immediate ewe-lamb bonding had occurred) were associated with lamb survival to weaning. Methods The behaviour of twin and triplet lambs and their dams was assessed in the paddock at 3-18 hours after birth. Observations were made of the number of high- and low-pitched bleats, time to stand, make contact with dam, suck from dam and follow dam were recorded for each lamb. The maternal behaviour score of the each dam was assessed. A random sub-sample of lambs were assessed during a maternal-recognition test at 12 or 24 hours of age. Traits included time spent standing, sitting, walking, time taken to reach the ewes and time spent with the ewes as well as the number of high- and low-pitched bleats emitted by the lamb. Results In the paddock, for each additional second required for twin-born lambs to follow their dam, lambs were 1.004 (95% CI 1.000-1.008) times more likely to survive to weaning (P less then 0.05). The opposite relationship, however, was seen in triplet lambs.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/gs-9973.html  For each additional second required for triplet-born lambs to follow their dam, lambs were 0.996 (95% CI 0.993-0.999) times as likely to survive to weaning (P less then 0.05). During the maternal recognition test (MRT), twin-born lambs were 0.989 (95% CI 0.979-1.000) times as likely to survive to weaning for every additional second they took to reach the contact zone (P less then 0.05). Similarly, triplet-born lambs were 0.994 (95% CI 0.989-0.999) as likely to survive for every additional second they took to reach their dam (P less then 0.05). Conclusion All ewe behaviours and the majority of lamb paddock and test behaviours were not associated with the survival of twin- or triplet-born lambs and, therefore, are of little use as indicators of lamb survival to weaning.Objective Reliable information about the demographics and population structure of endangered species is important for conservation strategies. In this regard, the population structure and genetic diversity of three Iranian cattle breeds were investigated. Methods The samples included Sarabi (n = 213), Taleshi (n = 81), and Nejdi (n = 211). They were genotyped using BovineSNP40 BeadChip. In addition, 45 Holstein (Bos taurus) and 46 Brahman (Bos indicus) out-group samples were used. Principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) were used to study the population structure. Results Based on Bayesian information criterion (BIC), the optimal number of clusters for DAPC method was obtained equal to seven. The populations were separated based on this clustering. The highest value of markers with minor allele frequency (MAF) ≥ 0.05 was observed in the Nejdi population (94.24%). The lowest FST (0.053) and the lowest Nei's genetic distance (0.037) in the indigenous cattle were observed between Taleshi and Nejdi breeds, which were also consistent with the results of the phylogenetic analysis. Moreover, phylogenetic tree showed that Iranian cattle breeds are admixture breeds from varying degrees of Bos indicus and Bos taurus. The results of AMOVA revealed 36.62 % genetic variation between cattle breeds (P less then  0.001). Conclusions This study showed that the value of FST was low between the Taleshi and Nejdi breeds, which is due to their common ancestry. Within breed genetic diversity was high in Sarabi, Taleshi, and Nejdi breeds. Significant levels of genetic diversity in these breeds can be applied to conserve these cattle and increase their reproduction through suitable breeding programs.Objective This study assessed the effects of probiotics on cecal microbiota, gene expression of intestinal tight junction proteins, and immune response in the cecal tonsil of broiler chickens challenged with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica. Methods One-day-old broiler chickens (n = 240) were randomly allocated to four treatments negative control (Cont), multi-strain probiotic-treated group (Pro), Salmonella-infected group (Sal), and multi-strain probiotic-treated and Salmonella-infected group (ProSal). All chickens except those in the Cont and Pro groups were gavaged with 1 × 108 cfu/mL of S. enterica subsp. enterica 4 days after hatching. Results Our results indicated that body weight, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio of birds were significantly reduced (p less then 0.05) by Salmonella challenge. Chickens challenged with Salmonella decreased cecal microbial diversity. Chickens in the Sal group exhibited abundant Proteobacteria than those in the Cont, Pro, and ProSal groups. Salmonella infection downregulated gene expression of Occludin, ZO1, and Mucin 2 in the jejunum and Occludin and Claudin in the ileum.