EVALUATION OF GROWTH AND CARCASS TRAITS BETWEEN 42 AND 58 DAYS OF AGE IN CHICKENS DIVERGENTLY SELECTED FOR BODY WEIGHT

The effect of divergent selection for high (H) or low (L) body weight at eight weeks of age for 25 generations on growth and carcass traits between 42 and 58 days of age was studied. The chicks were reared in individual cages under standard management conditions. Selection for low 8-week body weight has resulted in higher relative body weight increase for the period from 42 to 58 days of age compared to chickens from the high line. Body weight increased by about 72 % in the low line and by about 56 and 44 %, respectively in the males and females in the high line. In both lines of chickens dressing out percentage and the percentage of abdominal, subcutaneous and total fat increased with body weight, whereas percentage of m. pectoralis superficialis and m. pectoralis profundus remained roughly constant. Percentage of skin decreased with increasing of body weight. In both lines females had a higher percentage of total fat than males. There was evidence that total fat content increased independently of animal body weight with a certain age. Fixed age comparisons of feed conversion ratios showed no differences in feed conversion between the two divergently selected lines of chicks

Effect of dietary linseed oil and Ganoderma lucidum or olive leaves supplementation on fatty acid composition and oxidative status of rabbits

[EN] The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of natural antioxidant supplementation on the oxidative stress induced by a high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in rabbit diets. Forty-eight SIKA rabbits (24 male, 24 female) were penned individually and after a 5-d adaptation period divided into 4 homogeneous groups (2.58±0.3 kg). The CONT– group received a diet with 60 g/kg palm fat, while the other 3 groups received a diet with 60 g/kg linseed oil which was either unsupplemented (CONT+) or supplemented with 10 g/kg of Ganoderma lucidum (REISHI) or 10 g/kg of olive leaves (OLIVE). Rabbits were euthanised at 102 d of age, 22 d after the start of the experiment. Live weight, weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion rate were recorded. The fatty acid composition of back (M. longissimus dorsi) and hind leg muscle (thigh muscle), adipose tissue (abdominal fat) and liver were determined. To evaluate the oxidative status of rabbits, the malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in the plasma, liver and both muscles was measured. DNA damage in the leukocytes was measured. Linseed oil addition increased the PUFA ratio and decreased the proportion of saturated fatty acids in all tissues (P<0.001), with no detrimental effect on productive performance of rabbits compared to palm fat. Linseed oil also reduced n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio in all tissues (P<0.001). However, linseed oil addition increased the oxidative stress by increasing MDA concentrations in the liver and muscles (P<0.001), but did not affect the plasma MDA concentrations and the extent of DNA damage in the blood leukocytes compared to palm fat. Addition of olive leaves tended to decrease the concentration of MDA in the liver Addition of olive leaves tended to decrease the concentration of MDA in the liver compared to CONT+ (P=0.059), with no effect of Ganoderma lucidum.Trebušak, T.; Levart, A.; Frankič, T.; Salobir, J.; Pirman, T. (2014). Effect of dietary linseed oil and Ganoderma lucidum or olive leaves supplementation on fatty acid composition and oxidative status of rabbits. World Rabbit Science. 22(1):71-81. doi:10.4995/wrs.2014.1183SWORD718122

Nucleotide supplementation: a randomised double-blind placebo controlled trial of IntestAidIB in people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome [ISRCTN67764449]

BACKGROUND: Dietary nucleotide supplementation has been shown to have important effects on the growth and development of cells which have a rapid turnover such as those in the immune system and the gastrointestinal tract. Work with infants has shown that the incidence and duration of diarrhoea is lower when nucleotide supplementation is given, and animal work shows that villi height and crypt depth in the intestine is increased as a result of dietary nucleotides. Dietary nucleotides may be semi-essential under conditions of ill-health, poor diet or stress. Since people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome tend to fulfil these conditions, we tested the hypothesis that symptoms would be improved with dietary nucleotide supplementation. METHODS: Thirty-seven people with a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel gave daily symptom severity ratings for abdominal pain, diarrhoea, urgency to have a bowel movement, incomplete feeling of evacuation after a bowel movement, bloating, flatulence and constipation for 28 days (baseline). They were then assigned to either placebo (56 days) followed by experimental (56 days) or the reverse. There was a four week washout period before crossover. During the placebo and experimental conditions participants took one 500 mg capsule three times a day; in the experimental condition the capsule contained the nutroceutical substances. Symptom severity ratings and psychological measures (anxiety, depression, illness intrusiveness and general health) were obtained and analysed by repeated measures ANOVAs. RESULTS: Symptom severity for all symptoms (except constipation) were in the expected direction of baseline>placebo>experimental condition. Symptom improvement was in the range 4 – 6%. A feeling of incomplete evacuation and abdominal pain showed the most improvement. The differences between conditions for diarrhoea, bloating and flatulence were not significant at the p < .05 level. There were no significant differences between the conditions for any of the psychological measures. CONCLUSION: Dietary nucleotide supplementation improves some of the symptoms of irritable bowel above baseline and placebo level. As expected, placebo effects were high. Apart from abdominal pain and urgency to have a bowel movement, the improvements, while consistent, are modest, and were not accompanied by improvements in any of the psychological measures. We suggest that the percentage improvement over and above the placebo effect is a physiological effect of the nucleotide supplement on the gut. The mechanisms by which these effects might improve symptoms are discussed

Early stroke-related deep venous thrombosis: risk factors and influence on outcome

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is a serious complication of various medical conditions including acute stroke. Our aim was to identify the occurrence of early stroke-related DVT, risk factors for its development and the influence on outcome. The study involved consecutive patients admitted to our center due to acute ischaemic (n = 278) or haemorrhagic (n = 12) stroke during a 16-month period. We collected data on their pre-stroke health status, neurological deficit on admission and baseline serum CRP and fibrinogen level. Ultrasonographic imaging was performed at the 3rd (IQR: 2–4) and 9th (IQR: 8–9) day after stroke. Patients thrombosis occurring between the first and second examination comprised the newly developed early stroke-related DVT group. We found DVT in 8.0% (24/299) of patients at initial evaluation. Newly developed DVT was present in 3.0% (9/299) of patients, and was predominantly distal (7 of 9 cases). It was associated with elevated serum CRP level (OR 8.75; 95%CI: 1.61–47.6), which was verified in a model adjusted for stroke severity and pre-stroke dependency (3–5 pts. in mRS). In a multivariate model, newly developed DVT significantly increased the risk of 3-month mortality (OR 12.4; 95%CI: 1.72–89.4), without affecting the combined risk of dependency and death (OR 2.57; 95%CI: 0.39–17.0). Early stroke-related DVT is an infrequent complication. However, it may be an independent risk factor for 3-month mortality. Increased serum CRP level combined with normal fibrinogen level seems predictive for development of DVT. It may be reasonable to provide those patients with additional DVT prophylaxis

Iconic dishes, culture and identity: the Christmas pudding and its hundred years’ journey in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and India

Asserting that recipes are textual evidences reflecting the society that produced them, this article explores the evolution of the recipes of the iconic Christmas pudding in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and India between the mid-nineteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Combining a micro-analysis of the recipes and the cookbook that provided them with contemporary testimonies, the article observes the dynamics revealed by the preparation and consumption of the pudding in these different societies. The findings demonstrate the relevance of national iconic dishes to the study of notions of home, migration and colonization, as well as the development of a new society and identity. They reveal how the preservation, transformation and even rejection of a traditional dish can be representative of the complex and sometimes conflicting relationships between colonists, migrants or new citizens and the places they live in