10 research outputs found
Anaphylaxis after zoster vaccine: Implicating alpha-gal allergy as a possible mechanism
Letter to the edito
Reactivity to heparin in patients with alpha-gal allergy
Galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal) syndrome is an immunoglobulin (Ig)E-mediated allergy syndrome to an oligosaccharide found in nonprimate mammalian meat and mammalian-derived products. 1 Oral consumption reactions are characteristically delayed, but are immediate with parenteral administration. 1 Since the discovery of alpha-gal IgE antibodies while investigating hypersensitivity reactions to cetuximab, much attention has been paid to both theoretical risks and reported cases of hypersensitivity reactions to various medications and medical devices derived from nonprimate mammals. 1 ,2 The true extent of this risk is still largely unknown. 3 One medication of interest is heparin; both unfractionated heparin and low-molecular weight heparin, enoxaparin, are derived from porcine intestinal tissue. In a case of immediate hypersensitivity to heparin in a patient with a high concentration of alpha-gal–specific IgE (sIgE), we would like to draw attention to positive skin testing result to heparin products
Effects of sorghum particle size on milling characteristics, growth performance, and carcass characteristics in finishing pigs
A total of 200 finishing pigs (PIC TR4 × 1050; average initial BW of 103.2 lb) were
used in a 69-d growth assay to determine the effects of sorghum particle size on growth
performance. Pigs were sorted by sex and ancestry and balanced by BW, with 5 pigs per
pen and 10 pens per treatment. Treatments were a corn-soybean meal-based control
with the corn milled to a target mean particle size of 600 μm, and sorghum diets milled
to a target mean particle size of 800, 600, or 400 μm. Actual mean particle sizes were
555 μm for corn, and 724, 573, and 319 μm for sorghum, respectively. Feed and water
were offered on an ad libitum basis until the pigs were slaughtered (average final BW
of 271 lb) at a commercial abattoir. Reducing sorghum particle size improved (linear,
P < 0.01) F/G, and we observed a tendency for decreased (P < 0.06) ADFI. Reducing
sorghum particle size from 724 to 319 μm had no effects on HCW, backfat thickness,
loin depth, or percentage fat-free lean index (FFLI), but tended to increase (P < 0.06)
carcass yield. Pigs fed the sorghum-based diets had no difference in growth performance
or carcass characteristics compared with those fed the control diet, except carcass yield,
which was numerically greater (P < 0.07) for pigs fed the sorghum-based diets. When
using a regression equation, we determined that sorghum must be ground to 513 μm
to achieve a F/G equal to that of a corn-based diet, with corn ground to 550 μm. In
conclusion, linear improvements in F/G and carcass yield were demonstrated with the
reduction of sorghum particle size to 319 μm. In this experiment, sorghum should be
ground 42 μm finer than corn to achieve a similar feeding value
Effects of adding cracked corn to a pelleted supplement for nursery and finishing pigs
Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of supplementing cracked
corn into diets of nursery and finishing pigs. In Exp. 1, 144 pigs were used in a 28-d
trial. Pigs (PIC TR4 × 1050; initially 16.5 lb) were weaned and allotted with 6 pigs
per pen (3 barrows and 3 gilts) and 6 pens per treatment. All pigs were fed a common
diet for 7 d postweaning and the experimental diets for the next 28 d. Treatments were
corn-soybean meal-based in the form of mash, pellets, and pellets with 100% of the corn
either ground (618 μm) or cracked (3,444 μm) and blended into the diet after the rest
of the formulation (the supplement) had been pelleted. Overall (d 0 to 28), ADG and
F/G improved when pigs were fed the mash control compared to the pelleted diets
(P < 0.001); however, this response was caused by the poor performance of pigs fed
the supplement treatments, with the pigs fed the complete pellets having improved
(P < 0.01) ADG and F/G compared with pigs fed the pelleted supplement blended
with ground and cracked corn. Finally, pigs fed the supplement blended with cracked
corn had numerically lower (P < 0.11) ADG and poorer (P < 0.001) F/G compared to
those fed the supplement blended with ground corn.
In Exp. 2, 224 nursery pigs (initially 16.3 lb) were used with 7 barrows or 7 gilts per pen
and 8 pens per treatment. Treatments were corn-soybean meal-based and fed as mash,
pellets, and pellets with 50% of the corn either ground (445 μm) or cracked (2,142
μm) and blended with the pelleted supplement. Pigs fed mash had improved (P < 0.03)
ADG and F/G compared with pigs fed the other treatments; however, this resulted
from adding ground or cracked corn outside the pellets (complete pellets vs. pelleted
supplement with corn, P < 0.01).
In Exp. 3, 252 finishing pigs (initially 88.2 lb) were used with 7 pigs per pen and 9
pens per treatment. The treatments were the same as Exp. 2. Pigs fed mash had lower
(P < 0.004) ADG compared with pigs fed diets with pellets. Pigs fed complete pellets
had improved (P < 0.03) ADG and F/G compared with pigs fed corn and the pelleted
supplement. Also, pigs fed the supplement blended with cracked corn had greater
(P < 0.02) ADG than pigs fed the supplement blended with ground corn. Pelleting the
diet led to an increase (P < 0.05) in ulceration scores; however, these negative effects on
ulcer scores were reduced (P < 0.001) by cracking 50% of the corn and adding it postpellet