Effect of dietary inclusion of benzoic acid (VevoVitall®) on the microbial quality of liquid feed and the growth and carcass quality of grow-finisher pigs

peer-reviewedBenzoic acid has long been used as a food preservative due to its antibacterial and antifungal effects. Supplementation to pig diets has also been shown to inhibit microbial free amino acid degradation and to control yeast growth in fermented liquid feed. However, the effect of dietary inclusion of benzoic acid (BA) in fresh liquid feed for grow-finisher pigs on feed quality and the resultant effects on pig growth remain unclear. The objective of the current study was to compare four inclusion levels of BA (VevoVitall®) on feed microbial quality and on the growth performance of grow-finisher pigs. Two-hundred and sixteen pigs with a starting weight of 30.0kg (± 7.43 SD) were used in the experiment. The four dietary treatments were as follows: (1) Basal diet + 0kg/t BA (0kg/t BA), (2) Basal diet + 2.5kg/t BA (2.5kg/t BA), (3) Basal diet + 5kg/t BA (5kg/t BA), (4) Basal diet + 10kg/t BA (10kg/t BA). Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts in the mixing tank were similar across treatments (P>0.05) but were lower in the troughs for the feed supplemented with 10kg/t BA than for all other treatments (P0.05). In conclusion, while BA may limit the growth of LAB in liquid feed and stabilise feed pH, its inclusion in the diet did not improve the growth performance or carcass quality of grow-finisher pigs

Thyroid Hormone Receptor Beta in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Is Essential for the Physiological Regulation of Food Intake and Body Weight.

The obesity epidemic is a significant global health issue. Improved understanding of the mechanisms that regulate appetite and body weight will provide the rationale for the design of anti-obesity therapies. Thyroid hormones play a key role in metabolic homeostasis through their interaction with thyroid hormone receptors (TRs), which function as ligand-inducible transcription factors. The TR-beta isoform (TRβ) is expressed in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), a brain area important for control of energy homeostasis. Here, we report that selective knockdown of TRβ in the VMH of adult mice results in severe obesity due to hyperphagia and reduced energy expenditure. The observed increase in body weight is of a similar magnitude to murine models of the most extreme forms of monogenic obesity. These data identify TRβ in the VMH as a major physiological regulator of food intake and energy homeostasis

A comparison of T2 and gadolinium enhanced MRI with CT myelography in cervical radiculopathy

Two MRI strategies which have been reported to be effective in assessing cervical exit foramina, were prospectively compared with CT myelography in 20 patients with cervical radiculopathy. The first strategy utilized 3D T2(*) images, the second gadolinium enhanced 2D T1 images. Gadolinium (dimeglumine gadopentetate, Schering Ltd) enhanced images did not confer any benefit in the investigation of this condition, probably due to enhancement of herniated disc material and osteophytes adjacent to the neurocentral joint. Three-dimensional (3D) T2(*) white cerebrospinal fluid images had an accuracy approaching 90% for the diagnosis of foraminal encroachment, compared with a gold standard. MRI including a 3D T2(*) sequence is thus an acceptable primary investigation for cervical radiculopathy, but when the findings are incompatible with clinical symptomatology, CT myelography is still indicated

Two-dimensional MRI at 1.5 and 0.5 T versus CT myelography in the diagnosis of cervical radiculopathy

A prospective comparison was made of standard two-dimensional MRI sequences, at both high and midfield strength, with CT myelography in 23 patients with cervical spondylosis. MRI is adequate for assessment of cord compression, where high field strength is superior to midfield strength. MRI using 4-mm sections is inadequate for presurgical assessment of root compression. It remains to be proven whether thin-section white-CSF volume sequences or gadolinium-enhanced volume studies can replace CT myelography