Fatty acid profiles of muscle, liver, heart and kidney of Australian prime lambs fed different polyunsaturated fatty acids enriched pellets in a feedlot system

We investigated the effect of various dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) sources on the fatty acid profiles of muscle, liver, heart and kidney of Australian prime lambs. Seventy-two White Suffolk x Corriedale first-cross lambs weaned at 6 months of age were randomly allocated to the following six treatments: (1) Control: Lucerne hay only; wheat-based pellets infused with 50 ml/kg dry matter (DM) of oil from (2) rice bran (RBO); (3) canola (CO); (4) rumen-protected (RPO), (5) flaxseed (FSO) and (6) safflower (SO) sources in a completely randomized experimental design. Lambs in CO, FSO, SO and RPO treatments achieved contents of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 22:5n-3) plus docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) in the longissimus dorsi muscle ranging from 31.1 to 57.1 mg/135 g, over and above the 30 mg per standard serve (135 g) threshold for “source” claim under the Australian guidelines. There was no difference in n-3 LC-PUFA contents in longissimus dorsi muscle of lambs fed dietary oils of plant origin. The highest 18:3n-3 (ALA) contents achieved with FSO diet in the muscle, liver and heart were 45.6, 128.1 and 51.3 mg/100 g, respectively. Liver and kidney contained high contents of n-3 LC-PUFA (ranging from 306.7 to 598.2 mg/100 g and 134.0 to 300.4 mg/100 g, respectively), with all values readily exceeding the ‘good source’ status (60 mg per serve under Australian guidelines). The liver and kidney of PUFA fed lambs can be labelled as ‘good source’ of n-3 LC-PUFA based on EPA and DHA contents stipulated by the Food Standards of Australia and New Zealand guidelines. Therefore, if lamb consumers consider eating the liver and kidney as their dietary protein sources, they can adequately obtain the associated health benefits of n-3 LC-PUFA

Feedlot growth performance and carcass characteristics of steers backgrounded on buffel grass or buffel–Desmanthus mixed pastures

Feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of tropical beef steers backgrounded on buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) only or buffel grass oversown with desmanthus (Desmanthus spp. ; 11.5% initial sward botanical composition) were evaluated. It was hypothesized that tropical beef cattle steers backgrounded on buffel grass only or buffel grass oversown with desmanthus with similar backgrounding growth performance will not differ in feedlot growth performance and carcass quality. Three hundred and twelve Bos indicus × Bos taurus tropical composite steers, 20–23 months old and weighing 413 ± 24 kg, previously backgrounded on buffel grass only or buffel-desmanthus mixed pastures for 147 days were finished on a concentrate diet in the feedlot for 110 days before slaughter. Buffel–desmanthus backgrounded steers had a slightly higher average daily gain (ADG; 1.8 kg/day) than the buffel grass backgrounded steers that had 1.7 kg/day ADG (p < 0.01). However, the final live weight and dry matter intake were not different (p ≥ 0.59). All the carcass traits measured were not different (p ≥ 0.18). Only 4% buffel grass and 8% buffel-desmanthus backgrounded steers fell short of the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) index, a level that is within the 4–9% reported for cattle produced in Queensland and slaughtered between July 2019 and June 2020. These findings indicate that desmanthus can be used to background beef cattle in northern Australia vertosol soil regions, where there is a paucity of adapted pasture legumes, with no negative impact on feedlot performance and carcass quality. The hypothesis that tropical beef cattle steers backgrounded on buffel grass only pastures or buffel grass oversown with desmanthus with similar backgrounding growth performance will have similar feedlot growth performance and carcass quality was accepted

Insight into rural and remote GP training and supervision in Queensland

Many rural and remote communities are struggling to attract and retain GPs while experiencing poorer population health outcomes and burden of disease. Therefore, the provision of a reliable rural GP workforce is vital. Registered Training Organisations provide high quality training experiences for GP registrars. A collaborative project between JCU and Monash University aimed to identify aspects of GP training which impact registrars’ experience. Perspectives were obtained from GP registrars, supervisors, and practice managers. This presentation focuses on training and supervision aspects in rural and remote north-west Queensland. A mixed methods study was undertaken and both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. A modified survey based on the adapted Critical Access Hospital Community Apgar Questionnaire was used to collect data about perceptions of rural GP training and supervision with the highest rated factor being medical quality and the lowest rated being scope of practice. Semi-structured interviews were then used to gather additional information about training and supervision experiences. Interviews were thematically analysed and primary themes relating to attractors and barriers for workforce training and supervision, and impact of rural remote practice were elicited. Attractors included lifestyle, rural medicine, scope of practice, services and incentives while barriers included workforce factors, lifestyle, location, services and incentives. Rural remote GP training experiences contribute a variety of attractors and barriers which impact on a positive training experience for registrars. Identification of these factors make it possible to tailor training accordingly and foster a positive rural experience that may translate to a future reliable workforce

A collaborative comparison of Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) standard setting methods at Australian medical schools

Background: A key issue underpinning the usefulness of the OSCE assessment to medical education is standard-setting, but the majority of standard-setting methods remain challenging for performance assessment because they produce varying passing marks. Several studies have compared standard setting methods; however, most of these studies are limited by their experimental scope, or use data on examinee performance at a single OSCE station or from a single medical school. This collaborative study between ten Australian medical schools investigated the effect of standard-setting methods on OSCE cut scores and failure rates. Methods: This research used 5,256 examinee scores from seven shared OSCE stations to calculate cut scores and failure rates using two different compromise standard-setting methods, namely the Borderline Regression and Cohen's methods. Results: The results of this study indicate that Cohen's method yields similar outcomes to the Borderline Regression method, particularly for large examinee cohort sizes. However, with lower examinee numbers on a station, the Borderline Regression method resulted in higher cut scores and larger difference margins in the failure rates. Conclusion: Cohen's method yields similar outcomes as the Borderline Regression method and its application for benchmarking purposes and in resource-limited settings is justifiable, particularly with large examinee numbers

Scrotal circumference, body weight and serum testosterone concentration of Red Sokoto weaner bucks as influenced by dry season crop-residue supplementation

The effect of dry season supplementation with crop-residue-based rations on bodyweight, scrotal circumference and serum testosterone concentrations in Red Sokoto weaner bucks at 5, 6 and 7 months of age was investigated in the present study. There were 7 treatment groups which were fed a positive control ration (conventional concentrate) fed at 1 and 2% of the bucks' bodyweights (Rations 1A and 2A), two crop-residue-based test rations each fed at 1 and 2% of bodyweight (1B, 2B, 1C and 2C), and a negative control that was unsupplemented (Ration D). All treatment groups had ad libitum access to natural pastures and Digitaria smutsii hay as a basal diet. Bodyweight and scrotal circumference of the bucks significantly increased (P < 0.05) with age from 5.9 kg to 10.2 kg, and 4.40 cm to 6.95 cm, at 5 and 7 months of age, respectively. Bucks on Ration D (unsupplemented group) had the lowest bodyweight and scrotal circumference. Bucks on Ration 2A showed a significant increase in basal testosterone concentration from 0.32 ng/mL at 5 months of age to 0.65 ng/mL at 7 months of age. Peak testosterone concentration also increased from 1.0 ng/mL at 5 months to 2.8 ng/mL at 7 months of age. Bucks on test Ration 2C had higher bodyweights (6.75, 8.00 and 10.00 kg at 5, 6 and 7 months of age, respectively) than bucks on the other test Ration B (6.20, 7.20 and 8.50 kg, respectively). There were no significant differences between the two test rations with regard to scrotal circumferences of the bucks at all ages. However, at 7 months of age, bucks on test Ration 2C had significantly higher peak testosterone concentration (1.80 ng/mL) than their counterparts on test Ration 2B (1.30 ng/mL). The secretory patterns of testosterone were episodic and pulsatile in nature. It was concluded that crop-residue supplementation in prepubertal Red Sokoto bucks has a significant influence on their bodyweight, scrotal circumference and testosterone production. Test Ration C was a cheap, affordable and better crop-residue-based ration for optimal reproductive performance than test Ration B.\u

Crop-residue supplementation of pregnant does influences birth weight and weight gain of kids, daily milk yield but not the progesterone profile of Red Sokoto goats

The parameters investigated in this study with the objective of evaluating growth, lactation and reproductive performances, included birth weight, litter size, 0-90 days gain and average daily gain of kids as well as the milk yield and progesterone profile of Red Sokoto does supplemented with crop-residue based rations during the long-dry period of the subhumid zone in Nigeria. A total of 7 treatments of 4 goats each was utilised. All treatment groups had a basal diet of Digitaria smutsii hay and natural pasture ad libitum. Ration A supplemented with the conventional concentrate was used as the positive control; rations B and C were supplemented with crop residues; and ration D without supplement was used as the negative control. Supplementation with concentrate and crop residues significantly increased (P < 0.05) the birth weight and liveweight gains of kids, but littersize was unaffected. The heaviest kids at birth (1.3-1.4 kg) were from does in treatments 1A, 2A and 2C, while does in treatments 1B, 2B, 1C and D had the lightest kids (1.07-1.18 kg). The highest gains of 53.9 g x day(-1) were recorded in treatment 2A and the least (32.4 g x day(-1)) in treatment 1B. Supplementation also significantly influenced (P < 0.01) the daily milk yield of dams over the 90-day period of the dry season. All the does had similar progesterone profiles from late gestation through parturition to early lactation irrespective of their treatment group. It was concluded that ration C fed at the 2% level is a good and affordable supplementary feed package for increased birth weight and preweaning gains in kids for meat production

Influence of supplementing pasture-based primiparous Holstein-Friesian dairy cows with crude degummed canola oil on milk fatty acid composition

The quest for alternative sources of healthy nutrients that facilitate the modification of milk without compromising drinking quality is a continuous research endeavour. The objective of the study was to quantify the milk fatty acid composition of pasture-based primiparous Holstein-Friesian dairy cows supplemented with crude degummed canola oil (CDCO) with a view to improving the milk quality for beneficial health effects. This study tested the hypothesis that incremental supplementation of grazing primiparous Holstein-Friesian cows with CDCO will alter milk fatty acid composition towards increased total monounsaturates. Comparisons were made between unsupplemented grazing dairy cows and their peers on dietary supplements containing low (25ml/Kg DM), medium (35ml/Kg DM) or high levels (50ml/kg DM) of CDCO in addition to ad libitum grazing access to pasture. There was no significant effect (p>0.05) of CDCO supplementation for eight weeks on the proportions of total polyunsaturated fatty acids (tPUFA), omega-3 (ω-3) and omega-6 (ω-6) fatty acids in milk. However, significant impacts of CDCO were observed on the proportions of 18:1ω9c, 18:1ω7t, total saturated (tSFA) and total monounsaturated (tMUFA) fatty acids (p<0.005), with a significant increase in the tMUFA/tSFA ratio in cows consuming CDCO. It was concluded that incremental levels of CDCO supplementation can modify the fatty acid composition of milk towards increased monounsaturates without any negative impact on grazing primiparous cows.\u

Omega-3 fatty acids, nutrient retention values, and sensory meat eating quality in cooked and raw Australian lamb

This study evaluated omega-3 intramuscular fatty acids in the longissimus thoracis et lumborum of commercially prepared Australian lamb loin chops. Meats, denuded of external fats were cooked by means of conductive dry-heat using a fry grilling hot plate, to a core temperature of 70 °C. An untrained consumer panel assessed meat appearance, aroma, tenderness, juiciness, taste and overall liking. Results showed no compositional alterations (P > 0.05) to omega-3 fatty acids due to cooking treatment, whereas on absolute terms (mg/100 g muscle) omega-3 fatty acids significantly (P < 0.05) increased. The mean EPA + DHA content of the cooked meat at 32.8 ± 2.3 mg/100 g muscle exceeded the minimum 30 mg/100 g per edible portion required for the defined Australian classification as 'source' long-chain (≥ C20) omega-3 for cooked lamb. A 3.4% intramuscular fat content in the initial raw meat was sufficient to maintain acceptable overall sensory eating quality. Results endorse the application of this cooking method to enable delivery of health beneficial long-chain omega-3 fatty acids of commercially prepared Australian lamb loin chops to consumers without impediments to sensory eating properties

Manifold benefits from quality assurance in clinical assessment

[Extract] The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a recognised clinical assessment tool for students in the health professions. Data generated from the OSCE can be used to benchmark student attainment of core clinical competencies in a way that usefully informs schools about the efficacy of their teaching and assessment