Forage Plant Secondary Metabolites At the Intersection of Animal Health, Productivity, and Sustainability

The nutritive value of forages and other feeds have long been studied. However, the roles of secondary metabolites produced by forage-plants and their endophytes are an emerging field. Historically, the term secondary metabolite was used for compounds that were less abundant in plant tissue than the primary metabolites, such as fiber, sugars, and protein. It has become clear that secondary metabolites play important roles in the ecology of forage plants, and that both the detrimental and beneficial impacts of secondary metabolites to forage-animals should not be underestimated. This thematic session will consider fescue toxicosis, a detrimental outcome of ergot alkaloids produced by the tall fescue/Epichloë coenophiala symbiosis. Reports will also be made on isoflavones and condensed tannins from forage legumes. Secondary metabolites in general, must be better understood to be used in management programs that consider foraging behavior and the spatial distribution of bioactive forages in the landscape for enhancing forage-animal health and productivity. Human nutritionists refer to food with pharmacological benefits as a “functional food.” Forage scientists can borrow that idea for “functional feeds”, an interdisciplinary area that combines forage sciences and pharmacology

They Say Dancing

https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/ninety-six-press/1009/thumbnail.jp

Soy Hulls: More Than Just a Feed Supplement

There is approximately 35 million acres of tall fescue in the USA, with most of this acreage being utilized in hay meadows and grazed pastures in a region between the temperate northeast and subtropical southeast and commonly referred to as the Fescue Belt. Popularity of the grass is due to its productivity, persistence, and low cost of management. Unfortunately, a fungal endophyte that infects most plants of tall fescue produces ergot alkaloid toxins that cause a toxicosis in cattle and other grazing livestock. Fescue toxicosis may reduce reproductive performance of cow herds and weaning weights, and reduce post-weaning weight gain and overall thriftiness. Cattle inflicted with toxicosis have elevated body temperatures, maintain rough hair coats during the summer, and have reduced blood concentrations of prolactin (hormone required for milk production, and growth and development processes). Consequently, fescue toxicosis is estimated to cost the U.S. beef industry approximately 1 billion dollars each year

Promote Growth and Animal Health with Isoflavones in Red Clover and Other Legumes

The field of nutrition has continued to expand since the 18th century. We once thought that the only important components in foods and feeds were proteins, carbohydrates, fats and salts. Evidence was slowly pieced together to show that certain minor components were essential for life, and the vitamins were discovered. Like the doctors that first suspected vitamins were essential, some cattlemen have long noted advantages in animal performance and health on certain diets in ways that cannot be explained by a simple forage analysis. Today, we are learning the roles that phenolic plant secondary metabolites, sometimes called polyphenols, play in both human and animal nutrition. In particular, our USDA-ARS unit is conducting research on a group of polyphenols called isoflavones, which are found in clovers and other legumes. Isoflavones prevent damage by ultraviolet light in plants. They are also a chemical defense against infection by bacteria and fungi. It has long been recognized that isoflavones also have biological effects on animals that consume the plants. They are antioxidants and estrogens. The estrogenic effects of legumes, well known in ruminants, are due to isoflavones. Much of the early research on isoflavones in ruminant diets is about their negative effects on reproduction. However, new research is showing there are benefits to cattle that consume isoflavones. In this article, we will explore two recently discovered benefits of isoflavones: 1) improved dietary nitrogen efficiency, and 2) improved blood flow during fescue toxicosis

Dialysate Sodium: Rationale for Evolution over Time

Oligo-anuric individuals receiving hemodialysis (HD) are dependent on the dialysis machine to regulate sodium and water balance. Interest in adjusting the dialysate sodium concentration to promote tolerance of the HD procedure dates back to the early years of dialysis therapy. Evolution of dialysis equipment technologies and clinical characteristics of the dialysis population have prompted clinicians to increase the dialysate sodium concentration over time. Higher dialysate sodium concentrations generally promote hemodynamic stabilization and reduce intradialytic symptoms but often do so at the expense of stimulating thirst and promoting volume expansion. The opposite may be true for lower dialysate sodium concentrations. Observational data suggest that the association between dialysate sodium and outcomes may differ by serum sodium levels, supporting the trend toward individualization of the dialysate sodium prescription. However, lack of randomized controlled clinical trial data, along with operational safety concerns related to individualized dialysate sodium prescriptions, have prevented expert consensus regarding the optimal approach to the dialysate sodium prescription

The Secret Ingredients of Clover: Biochanin a and Isoflavonoids

It is well known that the value of clover is in nitrogen. Clovers fix their own nitrogen so that an input of nitrate fertilizer is not required. Furthermore, they are rich in protein-nitrogen, and can be used to meet the protein requirements of ruminants. Clovers also contain a class of chemicals called isoflavones, and we have recently discovered evidence that the isoflavones positively influence the way that ruminants digest protein

Faculty Artist Recital: George Curran, bass trombone and Bernard H. Flythe, tuba

Kennesaw State University School of Music presents Faculty artist Recital: George Curran, bass trombone and Bernard H. Flythe, tuba.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1595/thumbnail.jp

Shorter length dialysis sessions are associated with increased mortality, independent of body weight

Hemodialysis patients have high rates of mortality that may be related to aspects of the dialytic procedure. In prior studies, shorter length dialysis sessions have been associated with decreased survival, but these studies may have been confounded by body size differences. Here we tested whether in-center thrice-weekly hemodialysis patients with adequate urea clearances but shorter dialysis session length is associated with mortality independent of body size. Data were taken from a large national cohort of patients from a large dialysis organization undergoing thrice-weekly, in-center hemodialysis. In the primary analysis, patients with prescribed dialysis sessions greater and less than 240 minutes were pair-matched on post-dialysis weight as well as on age, gender, and vascular access type. Compared to prescribed longer dialysis sessions, session lengths less than 240 minutes were significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 1.26). The association was consistent across strata of age, gender, and dialysis post-weight. Secondary analyses found a dose-response between prescribed session length and survival. Thus, among patients with adequate urea clearance, shorter dialysis session lengths are associated with increased mortality independent of body weight

Faculty Recital: 2016 Octubafest

Kennesaw State University presents 2016 Octubafest, a faculty recital featuring Martin Cochran, Artist-in-Residence in Euphonium and Bernard Flythe, Artist-in-Residence in Tuba, along with Judy Cole, Artist-in-Residence in Collaborative Piano.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1699/thumbnail.jp

Switchgrass \u3cem\u3e(Panicum virgatum)\u3c/em\u3e Fermentation by \u3cem\u3eClostridium thermocellum\u3c/em\u3e and \u3cem\u3eClostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum\u3c/em\u3e Sequential Culture in a Continuous Flow Reactor

The study was conducted to evaluate fermentation by Clostridium thermocellum and C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum in a continuous-flow, high-solids reactor. Liquid medium was continuously flowed through switchgrass (2 mm particle size) at one of three flow rates: 83.33 mL h−1 (2 L d−1), 41.66 mL h−1 (1 L d−1), and 20.833 mL h−1 (0.5 L d−1). The cellulolytic phase was initiated by culturing C. thermocellum (63 °C, 24 h). The temperature was decreased (35) and C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum was inoculated. When metabolism decreased (96 h), the temperature was increased (63 °C; 24 h) to permit cellulosome production by C. thermocellum. The C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum was re-inoculated and the temperature returned to 35°C. The average gross production over 9 d was 1480 mg total acids (formic, acetic lactic butyric), 207 mg total solvents (acetone, butanol, ethanol), and average dry matter disappearance was 2.8 g from 25 g non-pretreated switchgrass. There was no effect of flow rate on the product formation. These results indicate that C. thermocellum can survive and produce cellulases with C. saccharoperbutylacetonicumin a continuous-flow, high-solids reactor temperature with temperature cycling