Effects of dried distillers grains with solubles on sow carcass fat quality

A pilot experiment was conducted to determine the effects of feeding nonpregnant (open) sows a diet containing 50% dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) on growth and carcass fat quality. A total of 8 open sows were allotted to 1 of 2 diets by parity and BW. One diet was a standard corn-soybean meal-based gestation diet; the second diet was a corn-soybean meal-based diet that contained 50% DDGS. All sows were fed 5 lb/d of feed in a single feeding for 92 d. All sows were harvested on d 92 at the Kansas State University Meat Laboratory for determination of carcass fat quality. As expected, no differences in BW or backfat change were found (P \u3e 0.62) for the feeding period. Additionally, no differences (P \u3e 0.23) in lipid oxidation as measured by 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay were reported either initially or after 5 d of retail display for sows fed 50% DDGS compared with controls. Lipid oxidation increased (P \u3c 0.003) as measured by TBARS assay for both treatments from d 1 to 5 as expected. Jowl fatty acid analysis revealed an increase in linoleic acid (P \u3c 0.01), total polyunsaturated fatty acids (P \u3c 0.01), and the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids (P \u3c 0.03). Also, there was a trend for increased jowl iodine value (P \u3c 0.08) for sows fed 50% DDGS compared with the controls. In summary, feeding 50% DDGS to open sows for 92 d did not significantly affect BW, backfat, and lipid oxidation compared with controls. However, feeding 50% DDGS increased the concentration of linoleic acid and total polyunsaturated fatty acids and tended to increase jowl iodine value compared with controls.; Swine Day, 2008, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 200

The Effects of Cordyceps Mushroom Powder and Purified Mushroom Beta-Glucan on Nursery Pig Performance

One hundred thirty-two gilts and barrows (18.2 d of age) weighing an average of 13.4 lb (Duroc × (York × Landrace)) were put on test for a 35-day growth trial to assess the effects of Cordyceps mushroom powder (MP) or purified mushroom beta-glucan (BG) as an antibiotic alternative in nursery diets. There were 6 diets, negative and positive controls (NC and PC), 150 and 300 ppm mushroom powder, and 150 and 300 ppm beta-glucan equivalents to the MP diets. Pigs were divided by weight, sex, litter, and assigned to 6 body weight (BW) blocks. Within BW blocks, sex ratios were constant in each pen. Pigs and feeders were weighed weekly to determine average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed efficiency (F/G). During phase 1 (d 0 to 7), pigs fed the PC had increased ADG, ADFI, and d 7 BW (P \u3c 0.05) compared to pigs fed the NC. Beta-glucan and MP also increased ADFI in phase 1 (P \u3c 0.05) compared to the NC. During phase 2 (d 7 to 14), a health challenge (hemolytic Escherichia coli) went through half of the pigs with the other half challenged in phase 3 (d 14 to 21). This led to some erratic performance because of the pigs eating, but losing weight. In phase 4 there was a BG and MP interaction between source and dose. Pigs fed 300 level of MP had improved F/G, while those fed the 300 level of BG had poorer efficiency in phase 4 (P \u3c 0.07). Overall, there was an improvement (P \u3e 0.05) in F:G ratio in the PC when compared to the NC. There was also an interaction between source and dose for ADFI (P \u3c 0.05) between the BG and MP treatments. There was a significant improvement in F/G in MP and BG pigs compared to NC pigs (P \u3c 0.05). On day 35, there were no differences in final BW among treatments. A premarket weight was collected on all pigs at d 154 after weaning, and pigs fed the 300 BG from day 0 to 35 were 24.4 lb heavier than the NC (P \u3c 0.05) and 15.4 lb heavier than the PC (P \u3c 0.05)

Evaluating the Interactive Effects of Cordyceps Mushroom Powder and Carbadox to Pharmacological Copper and Zinc for Nursery Pigs

The objective of this study was to evaluate the independent and additive effects of Cordyceps mushroom powder (MP) and carbadox to pharmacological levels of copper and zinc in nursery pig diets. Two hundred and ten crossbred weanling pigs (Duroc × (York × Landrace)) average of 19 d of age and 12.8 lb were used in a 33-day growth trial. Pigs were allotted by weight, sex, ancestry, and assigned to body weight (BW) blocks. Within BW blocks, sex ratios were constant in each pen. Pen was the experimental unit, and growth performance was analyzed using BW, average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed-to-gain ratio (F:G). There were 7 pigs/pen and 6 pens/treatment. Treatments were: 1) a negative control diet (NC); 2) positive control (PC; carbadox, 50 g/ton); 3) NC+ 300 ppm Cordyceps mushroom powder (NC+MP); 4) PC + 300 ppm mushroom powder (PC+MP); 5) supplemental copper sulfate (125 ppm) and zinc oxide (3000 ppm d 0 to 7, 2000 ppm d 7 to 35), CuZn. Dietary treatments were fed in a four-phase feeding program (d 0 to 7, d 7 to 14, d 14 to 21, and d 21 to 33). Pigs fed the PC, PC+MP, and CuZn diets had increased BW (P \u3c 0.05), ADG (P \u3c 0.05), and ADFI (P \u3c 0.10) over those fed the NC at the end of phases 1, 2, and 3, with no main effect of MP treatment. During phase 4, pigs fed MP, PC, and CuZn diets all had increased ADG (P \u3c 0.05; 0.95, 1.05, 1.00, 1.11, 1.07 lb/d, diet 1–5, respectively) and ADFI (P \u3c 0.05) over the NC fed pigs. Overall, d 0 to 33, pigs fed PC diets and CuZn had increased ADG (P \u3c 0.05) and ADFI (P \u3c 0.05), with pigs fed MP tending to have increased ADFI (P \u3c 0.08) over NC-fed pigs. Plasma TNF-α concentrations at d 14 postweaning showed a trend for a carbadox main effect, as well as a mushroom by carbadox interaction (P \u3c 0.10) for plasma TNF-α, with the 300 ppm MP having the numerically highest value, while the combination of carbadox and 300 ppm MP had the lowest concentration of TNF-α. Feeding nursery pigs pharmacological levels of Cu+Zn and carbadox have economical value to increase nursery pig performance, while MP may increase pig ADFI and final BW through potentially complementary modes of action to carbadox

Prescription of reninâ angiotensinâ aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi) and its determinants in patients with advanced CKD under nephrologist care

Reninâ angiotensinâ aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi) are recommended for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. In this study, we describe RAASi prescription patterns in the Chronic Kidney Disease Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (CKDopps) in Brazil, Germany, France, and the United States (US). 5870 patients (mean age 66â 72 years; congestive heart failure [CHF] in 11%â 19%; diabetes in 43%â 54%; serum potassium â ¥5 in 20%â 35%) were included. RAASi prescription was more common in Germany (80%) and France (77%) than Brazil (66%) and the United States (52%), where the prevalence of prescription decreases particularly in patients with CKD stage 5. In the multivariable regression model, RAASi prescription was least common in the United States and more common in patients who were younger, had diabetes, hypertension, or less advanced CKD. In conclusion, RAASi prescription patterns vary by country, and by demographic and clinical characteristics. RAASi appear to be underused, even among patients with strong classâ specific recommendations. Although the reasons for this variation could not be fully identified in this crossâ sectional observation, our data indicate that the risk of hyperkalemia may contribute to the underuse of this class of agents in moderate to advanced CKD.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150590/1/jch13563.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150590/2/jch13563_am.pd

The endothelial-specific regulatory mutation, Mvwf1, is a common mouse founder allele

Mvwf1 is a cis-regulatory mutation previously identified in the RIIIS/J mouse strain that causes a unique tissue-specific switch in the expression of an N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase, B4GALNT2, from intestinal epithelium to vascular endothelium. Vascular B4galnt2 expression results in aberrant glycosylation of von Willebrand Factor (VWF) and accelerated VWF clearance from plasma. We now report that 13 inbred mouse strains share the Mvwf1 tissue-specific switch and low VWF phenotype, including five wild-derived strains. Genomic sequencing identified a highly conserved 97-kb Mvwf1 haplotype block shared by these strains that encompasses a 30-kb region of high nucleotide sequence divergence from C57BL6/J flanking B4galnt2 exon 1. The analysis of a series of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenes containing B4galnt2 derived from the RIIIS/J or C57BL6/J inbred mouse strains demonstrates that the corresponding sequences are sufficient to confer the vessel (RIIIS/J) or intestine (C57BL6/J)-specific expression patterns. Taken together, our data suggest that the region responsible for the Mvwf1 regulatory switch lies within an approximately 30-kb genomic interval upstream of the B4galnt2 gene. The observation that Mvwf1 is present in multiple wild-derived strains suggests that this locus may be retained in wild mouse populations due to positive selection. Similar selective pressures could contribute to the high prevalence of von Willebrand disease in humans

Peptidergic control in a fruit crop pest: The spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii

Neuropeptides play an important role in the regulation of feeding in insects and offer potential targets for the development of new chemicals to control insect pests. A pest that has attracted much recent attention is the highly invasive Drosophila suzukii, a polyphagous pest that can cause serious economic damage to soft fruits. Previously we showed by mass spectrometry the presence of the neuropeptide myosuppressin (TDVDHVFLRFamide) in the nerve bundle suggesting that this peptide is involved in regulating the function of the crop, which in adult dipteran insects has important roles in the processing of food, the storage of carbohydrates and the movement of food into the midgut for digestion. In the present study antibodies that recognise the C-terminal RFamide epitope of myosuppressin stain axons in the crop nerve bundle and reveal peptidergic fibres covering the surface of the crop. We also show using an in vitro bioassay that the neuropeptide is a potent inhibitor (EC50 of 2.3 nM) of crop contractions and that this inhibition is mimicked by the non-peptide myosuppressin agonist, benzethonium chloride (Bztc). Myosuppressin also inhibited the peristaltic contractions of the adult midgut, but was a much weaker agonist (EC50 = 5.7 μM). The oral administration of Bztc (5 mM) in a sucrose diet to adult female D. suzukii over 4 hours resulted in less feeding and longer exposure to dietary Bztc led to early mortality. We therefore suggest that myosuppressin and its cognate receptors are potential targets for disrupting feeding behaviour of adult D. suzukii

The Secreted Metalloprotease ADAMTS20 Is Required for Melanoblast Survival

ADAMTS20 (A disintegrin-like and metalloprotease domain with thrombospondin type-1 motifs) is a member of a family of secreted metalloproteases that can process a variety of extracellular matrix (ECM) components and secreted molecules. Adamts20 mutations in belted (bt) mice cause white spotting of the dorsal and ventral torso, indicative of defective neural crest (NC)-derived melanoblast development. The expression pattern of Adamts20 in dermal mesenchymal cells adjacent to migrating melanoblasts led us to initially propose that Adamts20 regulated melanoblast migration. However, using a Dct-LacZ transgene to track melanoblast development, we determined that melanoblasts were distributed normally in whole mount E12.5 bt/bt embryos, but were specifically reduced in the trunk of E13.5 bt/bt embryos due to a seven-fold higher rate of apoptosis. The melanoblast defect was exacerbated in newborn skin and embryos from bt/bt animals that were also haploinsufficient for Adamts9, a close homolog of Adamts20, indicating that these metalloproteases functionally overlap in melanoblast development. We identified two potential mechanisms by which Adamts20 may regulate melanoblast survival. First, skin explant cultures demonstrated that Adamts20 was required for melanoblasts to respond to soluble Kit ligand (sKitl). In support of this requirement, bt/bt;Kittm1Alf/+ and bt/bt;KitlSl/+ mice exhibited synergistically increased spotting. Second, ADAMTS20 cleaved the aggregating proteoglycan versican in vitro and was necessary for versican processing in vivo, raising the possibility that versican can participate in melanoblast development. These findings reveal previously unrecognized roles for Adamts proteases in cell survival and in mediating Kit signaling during melanoblast colonization of the skin. Our results have implications not only for understanding mechanisms of NC-derived melanoblast development but also provide insights on novel biological functions of secreted metalloproteases

Effects of glycerol and ractopamine hcl (paylean) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and loin quality of finishing pigs

A total of 1,054 barrows and gilts (PIC, initially 207.8 lb) were used in a 28-d study to determine the influence of glycerol and ractopamine HCl (Paylean) on growing-finishing pig performance, carcass characteristics, and loin quality. The experiment was conducted in a commercial swine research facility in southwest Minnesota. Pigs were blocked by weight and randomly allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments with 10 replications per treatment. Pigs were fed corn-soybean meal-based diets. Dietary treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial with main effects of glycerol (0 or 5%) and ractopamine HCl (0 or 6.75 g/ton). Overall (d 0 to 28), there were no glycerol × ractopamine HCl interactions (P > 0.10) observed for growth performance. Pigs fed dietary glycerol had improved (P 0.40) were not affected. Pigs fed diets with added ractopamine HCl had improved (P 0.08) for lower ADFI than pigs fed diets with no ractopamine HCl. For carcass characteristics, there were glycerol × ractopamine HCl interactions observed (P 0.22) loin characteristics. Ractopamine HCl tended to improve (P < 0.08) sirloin chop a* (redness) color. Neither ractopamine HCl nor glycerol influenced iodine value of belly fat, jowl fat, or backfat. In conclusion, pigs fed 5% glycerol had improved F/G, whereas pigs fed ractopamine HCl had improved growth and carcass characteristics and a tendency for improved loin a* color

Effects of porcine circovirus type 2 and mycoplasma hyopneumoniae vaccines on nursery pig performance

A total of 360 weanling barrows (PIC 1050, 21 d of age and 13.0 lb) were used in a 35-d study to evaluate the effects of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo) vaccines on nursery pig growth performance. Two commercial PCV2 vaccines were evaluated in this study: (1) a 2-dose product, Circumvent PCV (Circumvent; Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, Millsboro, DE) and (2) a 1-dose product, Ingelvac CircoFLEX (CircoFLEX; Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc, St. Joseph, MO). For the M. hyo vaccine, RespiSure (Pfizer Animal Health, New York, NY), a single 2-dose product, was used. At weaning (d 0), pens of pigs were blocked by average pig weight and randomly allotted to 1 of 6 treatments in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement composed of a combination of PCV2 vaccine (Circumvent, CircoFLEX, or non-PCV2-vaccinated control) and M. hyo vaccine (RespiSure or non-M. hyo-vaccinated control). There were 5 pigs per pen and 12 pens per PCV2 × M. hyo vaccine treatment. All vaccines were administered according to label directions— CircoFLEX at weaning and Circumvent and RespiSure at weaning and 21 d later. Common diets were fed by phase to all pigs. There were no PCV2 × M. hyo vaccine interactions for any response criteria. Overall, pigs vaccinated with Circumvent had decreased ADG (P < 0.02) and ADFI (P ≤ 0.01) compared with CircoFLEX-vaccinated and control pigs, respectively. On d 35, Circumvent- vaccinated pigs weighed less (42.9 lb, P < 0.01) than pigs vaccinated with CircoFLEX (44.4 lb) or control pigs (44.4 lb). Pigs vaccinated with RespiSure had decreased ADG compared with control pigs (P ≤ 0.05) from d 14 to 21 and d 21 to 25. On d 35, RespiSure-vaccinated pigs tended to weigh less (43.5 lb, P = 0.06) and have lower ADFI (P = 0.06) than controls (wt = 44.3 lb). These data indicate that PCV2 and M. hyo vaccination can independently reduce feed intake and performance of nursery pigs and that the PCV2 vaccine effect is product dependent. Although PCV2 and M. hyo vaccines are known to improve finishing performance, their negative impact on nursery performance must be considered when implementing vaccine strategies

Effects of increasing glycerol and dried distillers grains with solubles on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs

A total of 1,160 barrows (PIC, initially 68.4 lb) were used in a 97-d study to determine the influence of glycerol and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) on growing-finishing pig performance, carcass characteristics, and fat quality. Pigs were blocked by weight and randomly allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments with 7 replications per treatment. Pigs were fed corn-soybean meal-based diets arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial with main effects of glycerol (0, 2.5, or 5%) and DDGS (0 or 20%). Overall (d 0 to 97), there were no glycerol × DDGS interactions (P > 0.12) for growth performance, carcass characteristics, and carcass fat iodine value (IV). Increasing glycerol did not affect (P > 0.14) ADG or F/G. Adding 20% DDGS to the diet did not affect ADG. However, pigs fed diets with 20% added DDGS had greater (P < 0.02) ADFI resulting in poorer (P < 0.01) F/G than pigs fed diets with no DDGS. For carcass characteristics, pigs fed increasing glycerol tended to have increased (linear, P < 0.11) yield. Pigs fed diets with added DDGS had increased (P < 0.01) jowl fat, belly fat, and backfat IV compared with pigs fed diets with no DDGS. However, increasing dietary glycerol tended to decrease (linear, P < 0.11) backfat IV. In conclusion, feeding pigs 20% DDGS worsened F/G and increased carcass fat IV, whereas feeding glycerol did not influence growth performance but tended to improve carcass yield and reduce backfat IV