The effect of Silymarin on Production Performance and Some Carcass Characteristics of Broilers Consuming Aflatoxins

هدفت الدراسة الحالية الى معرفة مدى تأثير مادة السليمارين وفائدتها على الاداء الانتاجي وبعض صفات الذبيحة لفروج اللحم المتناولة علائق حاوية على سموم الافلا والتي تعاكس تاثيرات السموم السلبية, اذ تم توزيع  مئة واربع واربعون من ذكور أفراخ فروج اللحم نوع (روز 308) بعمر يوم واحد وبأوزان متقاربة(40+ 5 غم) الى اربع مجاميع متساوية العدد بواقع 36 طائر لكل مجموعة والتي بدورها قسمت الى ثلاثة مكررات بواقع 12 طائر لكل مكرر.تم توزيع المجاميع على الشكل التالي المجموعة الاولى : مجموعة السيطرة, المجموعة الثانية : العليقة القياسية مضافا لها سم الافلا بكمية 500 ميكروغرام / كغم علف, المجموعة الثالثة : العليقة القياسية مضافا لها سم الافلا بكمية 500 ميكروغرام / كغم علف بالاضافة الى 0.5 مللتر من مادة السليمارين لكل لتر ماء شرب, المجموعة الرابعة : لعليقة القياسية مضافا لها سم الافلا بكمية 500 ميكروغرام / كغم علف بالاضافة الى 1 مللتر من مادة السليمارين لكل لتر ماء شرب. استخدمت التربية الارضية على الفرشة العميقة, استمرت التجربة لمدة (35 يوم), اثناء فترة التجربة, تم حساب الصفات الخاصة بالأداء الإنتاجي لمدة خمسة اسابيع وهي وزن الجسم وكمية العلف المستهلك ومعدل الزيادة الوزنية ومعامل التحويل الغذائي.اظهرت النتائج وجود تحسن حسابي ومعنوي لصالح المجموعة الرابعة مقارنة مع بقية المجاميع.        في اليوم الاخير من التجربة تم ذبح خمسة فراريج من كل مكرر وتم دراسة قياس صفات الذبيحة ونسب الاعضاء التالية وهي كل من البنكرياس والقانصة والكبد والطحال والقلب والمعدة ونسب قطعيات الذبيحة متمثلة بالفخذين والصدر والظهر والجناحين والرقبة ونسبة التصافي. أظهرت النتائج عدم وجود فروقات معنوية بين المجاميع الاربع في معظم صفات الذبيحة بالرغم من وجود بعض التحسن البسيط  لبعض صفات الذبيحة. يستنتج من هذه الدراسة ان اضافة مادة السليمارين الى ماء الشرب لمجاميع ذكور فروج اللحم المتناولة سم الافلا قد يحسن بعض من صفاتها الانتاجية. The current study aimed to know the extent of the effect of silymarin and its usefulness on the productive performance and some characteristics of the carcass of broilers which consuming diets containing aflatoxins which counteract the effects of negative toxins, which is  One hundred and forty-four male broiler chicks, type (ROSS 308), one day old, of similar weights (40 + 5g), were distributed into four groups of equal number by 36 birds per group, which in turn was divided into three replicates by 12 birds for each duplicate. In the following figure, the first group (the control group), the second group (the standard diet plus aflatoxin in an amount of 500 micrograms/ kg of feed), the third group (the standard diet plus aflatoxin in an amount of 500 micrograms/ kg of feed in addition to 0.5 ml of silymarin per 1 liter of drinking water), the fourth group (the standard ration plus  aflatoxin in an amount of 500 micrograms / kg of feed in addition to 1 milliliter of silymarin per 1 liter of drinking water). Ground culture was used on a deep litter, the experiment lasted for (35 days). During the trial period, the characteristics of the production performance for a period of five weeks were calculated, which are body weight, amount of feed consumed, weight gain rate, and feed conversion ratio. The results showed a mathematical and significant improvement in favor of the fourth group compared to the rest of the groups. On the last day of the experiment, five chicks were slaughtered from each replicate. The carcass characteristics were measured and the proportions of the following organs were studied: the pancreas, the gizzard, the liver, the spleen, the heart, and the stomach. The results showed that there were no significant differences between the four groups in most of the carcass characteristics, despite some slight improvement in some of the carcass characteristics. It is concluded from this study that adding silymarin to drinking water for groups of male broilers consuming aflatoxin may improve some of their productive characteristics. &nbsp

The Rostock Energetic Feed Evaluation on the Base of Net Energy

Feed evaluation was an emphasis of research from the foundation of the Oskar-Kellner-Institute of Animal Nutrition in 1953 at Rostock by Prof. Kurt Nehring. The aim of the research work was the elaboration of a feed evaluation system containing reference numbers of feed values and requirements of farm animals. The approach and the present system are outlined in this paper

Hepatoprotection in bile duct ligated mice mediated by darbepoetin-α is not caused by changes in hepatobiliary transporter expression

AIMS: Darbepoetin-α (DPO), a long-acting erythropoietin analog, has been shown to protect the liver against cholestatic injury, to exert an antifibrotic effect, and to increase the survival time in a model of common bile duct ligation. Here we evaluate whether these tissue-protective effects are caused by DPO induced regulation of hepatobiliary transporters. MAIN METHODS: C57BL/6J mice underwent common bile duct ligation and were treated with either DPO or physiological saline. Time dependent (2, 5, 14, 28 days after bile duct ligation) protein expression of different hepatobiliary transporters which have been established to play an important role in hepatocellular (i) bile acid uptake, (ii) bile acid excretion, and (iii) retrograde bile acid efflux were assessed. mRNA and protein expression of Lhx2, an important negative regulator of hepatic stellate cell activation, was determined. KEY FINDINGS: Saline treated cholestatic mice impress with increased mRNA expression of Lhx2 as a defense mechanism, while there is less need for such an upregulation in mice treated with DPO. Whereas Ntcp (slc10a1) protein expression is suppressed as early as 2 days after bile duct ligation to 40% in untreated animals, DPO treated mice exhibit decreased protein level not before day 5. Similarly, the steady decline of Mrp4 (abcc4) protein level during extrahepatic cholestasis in control treated animals does not occur upon DPO application. SIGNIFICANCE: The collected data show that DPO affects expression of hepatobilliary transporters during obstructive cholestasis but do not provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate a direct correlation between this regulation and hepatoprotection by DPO

Leaf gas exchange characteristics, biomass partitioning, and water use efficiencies of two C 4 African grasses under simulated drought

Background Few studies have evaluated the effect of drought on the morpho-physiological characteristics of African C4 grasses. We investigated how drought affects leaf gas exchange characteristics, biomass partitioning, and water use efficiencies of Enteropogon macrostachyus and Cenchrus ciliaris. Methods The grasses were grown in a controlled environment under optimum conditions, that is, 70% of the maximum water-holding capacity (WHC) for the first 40 days. Thereafter, half of the columns were maintained under optimum or drought conditions (30% of maximum WHC) for another 20 days. Results Under optimum conditions, C. ciliaris showed a significantly higher photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate than E. macrostachyus. Drought decreased the photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate only in C. ciliaris. The net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and leaf transpiration of E. macrostachyus did not differ significantly under optimum and drought conditions. E. macrostachyus showed an increase in its water use efficiencies under drought to a greater extent than C. ciliaris. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that C. ciliaris is more sensitive to drought than E. macrostachyus. The decrease in the intercellular CO2 concentration and the increase in stomatal limitation with drought in C. ciliaris and E. macrostachyus suggest that stomatal limitation plays the dominant role in photosynthesis of the studied African C4 grasses

Short communication: Development of an equation for estimating methane emissions of dairy cows from milk Fourier transform mid-infrared spectra by using reference data obtained exclusively from respiration chambers

Evaluation and mitigation of enteric methane (CH4) emissions from ruminant livestock, in particular from dairy cows, have acquired global importance for sustainable, climate-smart cattle production. Based on CH4 reference measurements obtained with the SF6 tracer technique to determine ruminal CH4 production, a current equation permits evaluation of individual daily CH4 emissions of dairy cows based on milk Fourier transform mid-infrared (FT-MIR) spectra. However, the respiration chamber (RC) technique is considered to be more accurate than SF6 to measure CH4 production from cattle. This study aimed to develop an equation that allows estimating CH4 emissions of lactating cows recorded in an RC from corresponding milk FT-MIR spectra and to challenge its robustness and relevance through validation processes and its application on a milk spectral database. This would permit confirming the conclusions drawn with the existing equation based on SF6 reference measurements regarding the potential to estimate daily CH4 emissions of dairy cows from milk FT-MIR spectra. A total of 584 RC reference CH4 measurements (mean ± standard deviation of 400 ± 72 g of CH4/d) and corresponding standardized milk mid-infrared spectra were obtained from 148 individual lactating cows between 7 and 321 d in milk in 5 European countries (Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, France, and Northern Ireland). The developed equation based on RC measurements showed calibration and cross-validation coefficients of determination of 0.65 and 0.57, respectively, which is lower than those obtained earlier by the equation based on 532 SF6 measurements (0.74 and 0.70, respectively). This means that the RC-based model is unable to explain the variability observed in the corresponding reference data as well as the SF6-based model. The standard errors of calibration and cross-validation were lower for the RC model (43 and 47 g/d vs. 66 and 70 g/d for the SF6 version, respectively), indicating that the model based on RC data was closer to actual values. The root mean squared error (RMSE) of calibration of 42 g/d represents only 10% of the overall daily CH4 production, which is 23 g/d lower than the RMSE for the SF6-based equation. During the external validation step an RMSE of 62 g/d was observed. When the RC equation was applied to a standardized spectral database of milk recordings collected in the Walloon region of Belgium between January 2012 and December 2017 (1,515,137 spectra from 132,658 lactating cows in 1,176 different herds), an average ± standard deviation of 446 ± 51 g of CH4/d was estimated, which is consistent with the range of the values measured using both RC and SF6 techniques. This study confirmed that milk FT-MIR spectra could be used as a potential proxy to estimate daily CH4 emissions from dairy cows provided that the variability to predict is covered by the model

Hypothalamic Reactive Oxygen Species Are Required for Insulin-Induced Food Intake Inhibition: An NADPH Oxidase–Dependent Mechanism

1939-327X (Electronic) Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tOBJECTIVE: Insulin plays an important role in the hypothalamic control of energy balance, especially by reducing food intake. Emerging data point to a pivotal role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in energy homeostasis regulation, but their involvement in the anorexigenic effect of insulin is unknown. Furthermore, ROS signal derived from NADPH oxidase activation is required for physiological insulin effects in peripheral cells. In this study, we investigated the involvement of hypothalamic ROS and NADPH oxidase in the feeding behavior regulation by insulin. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We first measured hypothalamic ROS levels and food intake after acute intracerebroventricular injection of insulin. Second, effect of pretreatment with a ROS scavenger or an NADPH oxidase inhibitor was evaluated. Third, we examined the consequences of two nutritional conditions of central insulin unresponsiveness (fasting or short-term high-fat diet) on the ability of insulin to modify ROS level and food intake. RESULTS: In normal chow-fed mice, insulin inhibited food intake. At the same dose, insulin rapidly and transiently increased hypothalamic ROS levels by 36%. The pharmacological suppression of this insulin-stimulated ROS elevation, either by antioxidant or by an NADPH oxidase inhibitor, abolished the anorexigenic effect of insulin. Finally, in fasted and short-term high-fat diet-fed mice, insulin did not promote elevation of ROS level and food intake inhibition, likely because of an increase in hypothalamic diet-induced antioxidant defense systems. CONCLUSIONS: A hypothalamic ROS increase through NADPH oxidase is required for the anorexigenic effect of insulin

Proteomics and the search for welfare and stress biomarkers in animal production in the one-health context

Stress and welfare are important factors in animal production in the context of growing production optimization and scrutiny by the general public. In a context in which animal and human health are intertwined aspects of the one-health concept it is of utmost importance to define the markers of stress and welfare. These are important tools for producers, retailers, regulatory agents and ultimately consumers to effectively monitor and assess the welfare state of production animals. Proteomics is the science that studies the proteins existing in a given tissue or fluid. In this review we address this topic by showing clear examples where proteomics has been used to study stress-induced changes at various levels. We adopt a multi-species (cattle, swine, small ruminants, poultry, fish and shellfish) approach under the effect of various stress inducers (handling, transport, management, nutritional, thermal and exposure to pollutants) clearly demonstrating how proteomics and systems biology are key elements to the study of stress and welfare in farm animals and powerful tools for animal welfare, health and productivity

Prediction of nitrogen excretion from data on dairy cows fed a wide range of diets compiled in an intercontinental database: A meta-analysis

Manure nitrogen (N) from cattle contributes to nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions and nitrate leaching. Measurement of manure N outputs on dairy farms is laborious, expensive, and impractical at large scales; therefore, models are needed to predict N excreted in urine and feces. Building robust prediction models requires extensive data from animals under different management systems worldwide. Thus, the study objectives were (1) to collate an international database of N excretion in feces and urine based on individual lactating dairy cow data from different continents; (2) to determine the suitability of key variables for predicting fecal, urinary, and total manure N excretion; and (3) to develop robust and reliable N excretion prediction models based on individual data from lactating dairy cows consuming various diets. A raw data set was created based on 5,483 individual cow observations, with 5,420 fecal N excretion and 3,621 urine N excretion measurements collected from 162 in vivo experiments conducted by 22 research institutes mostly located in Europe (n = 14) and North America (n = 5). A sequential approach was taken in developing models with increasing complexity by incrementally adding variables that had a significant individual effect on fecal, urinary, or total 2manure N excretion. Nitrogen excretion was predicted by fitting linear mixed models including experiment as a random effect. Simple models requiring dry matter intake (DMI) or N intake performed better for predicting fecal N excretion than simple models using diet nutrient composition or milk performance parameters. Simple models based on N intake performed better for urinary and total manure N excretion than those based on DMI, but simple models using milk urea N (MUN) and N intake performed even better for urinary N excretion. The full model predicting fecal N excretion had similar performance to simple models based on DMI but included several independent variables (DMI, diet crude protein content, diet neutral detergent fiber content, milk protein), depending on the location, and had root mean square prediction errors as a fraction of the observed mean values of 19.1% for intercontinental, 19.8% for European, and 17.7% for North American data sets. Complex total manure N excretion models based on N intake and MUN led to prediction errors of about 13.0% to 14.0%, which were comparable to models based on N intake alone. Intercepts and slopes of variables in optimal prediction equations developed on intercontinental, European, and North American bases differed from each other, and therefore region-specific models are preferred to predict N excretion. In conclusion, region-specific models that include information on DMI or N intake and MUN are required for good prediction of fecal, urinary, and total manure N excretion. In absence of intake data, region-specific complex equations using easily and routinely measured variables to predict fecal, urinary, or total manure N excretion may be used, but these equations have lower performance than equations based on intake

Prediction of enteric methane production, yield and intensity in dairy cattle using an intercontinental database

Enteric methane (CH4) production from cattle contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions. Measurement of enteric CH4 is complex, expensive and impractical at large scales; therefore, models are commonly used to predict CH4 production. However, building robust prediction models requires extensive data from animals under different management systems worldwide. The objectives of this study were to (1) collate a global database of enteric CH4 production from individual lactating dairy cattle; (2) determine the availability of key variables for predicting enteric CH4 production (g/d per cow), yield [g/kg dry matter intake (DMI)], and intensity (g/kg energy corrected milk) and their respective relationships; (3) develop intercontinental and regional models and cross-validate their performance; and (4) assess the trade-off between availability of on-farm inputs and CH4 prediction accuracy. The intercontinental database covered Europe (EU), the US (US), Chile (CL), Australia (AU), and New Zealand (NZ). A sequential approach was taken by incrementally adding key variables to develop models with increasing complexity. Methane emissions were predicted by fitting linear mixed models. Within model categories, an intercontinental model with the most available independent variables performed best with root mean square prediction error (RMSPE) as a percentage of mean observed value of 16.6, 14.4, and 19.8% for intercontinental, EU, and US regions, respectively. Less complex models requiring only DMI had predictive ability comparable to complex models. Enteric CH4 production, yield, and intensity prediction models developed on an intercontinental basis had similar performance across regions, however, intercepts and slopes were different with implications for prediction. Revised CH4 emission conversion factors for specific regions are required to improve CH4 production estimates in national inventories. In conclusion, information on DMI is required for good prediction, and other factors such as dietary NDF concentration, improve the prediction. For enteric CH4 yield and intensity prediction, information on milk yield and composition is required for better estimation