Assessing the nutritional status of beef cattle: current practices and future prospects

Accurate determination of nutritional and health status of animals is invaluable in modern animalagriculture. Body weights and body condition scoring are the commonly used methods of assessingnutritional status of animals. This paper discusses drawbacks these methods have and highlights thebenefits for using blood metabolites in assessing nutritional status of beef cattle. Blood metabolitelevels indicate the extent of metabolism of energy, proteins and other nutrients in animals. Glucose,cholesterol, non-esterified fatty acids, protein, urea, creatinine, albumin, globulin, minerals, liverenzymes and haematology can be used objectively, reliably and routinely to assess the nutritionalstatus of cattle. In Southern Africa, the use of these metabolites is rare due to lack of equipment forblood analysis and the high cost of analyzing the blood parameters. However, use of high value Ngunicattle in Southern Africa requires the use of blood parameters to accurately assess their nutritionalstatus. Several factors, such as physiological status of an animal, breed, nutrition, season and ageaffect levels of blood metabolites. Combining body weights, body condition scores and bloodmetabolites increase accuracy of assessing the nutritional state and welfare of beef cattle

European micronutrient recommendations aligned: a general framework developed by EURRECA

Background: In Europe, micronutrient recommendations have been established by (inter)national committees of experts and are used by public health-policy decision makers to monitor and assess the adequacy of the diets of population groups. Current micronutrient recommendations are, however, heterogeneous, whereas the scientific basis for this is not obvious. Alignment of setting micronutrient recommendations is necessary to improve the transparency of the process, the objectivity and reliability of recommendations that are derived by diverse regional and (inter)national bodies. Objective: This call for alignment of micronutrient recommendations is a direct result of the current sociopolitical climate in Europe and uncovers the need for an institutional architecture. There is a need for evidence-based policy making, transparent decision making, stakeholder involvement and alignment of policies across Europe. Results: In this paper, we propose a General Framework that describes the process leading from assessing nutritional requirements to policy applications, based on evidence from science, stakeholder interests and the sociopolitical context. The framework envisions the derivation of nutrient recommendations as scientific methodology, embedded in a policy-making process that also includes consumer issues, and acknowledges the influences of the wider sociopolitical context by distinguishing the principal components of the framework: (a) defining the nutrient requirements for health, (b) setting nutrient recommendations, (c) policy options and (d) policy applications. Conclusion: The General Framework can serve as a basis for a systematic and transparent approach to the development and review of micronutrient requirements in Europe, as well as the decision making of scientific advisory bodies, policy makers and stakeholders involved in this process of assessing, developing and translating these recommendations into public health nutrition policy. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (201 0) 64, S2-510; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2010.5

The effect of supplementation on milk yield in Boer goat ewes

No Abstrac

Potential for value-addition of Nguni cattle products in the communal areas of South African: a review

Please help us populate SUNScholar with the post print version of this article. It can be e-mailed to: [email protected] Wetenskapp

Diseases of Renal Microcirculation: Diabetic Nephropathy

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus and its long-term vascular complications are increasing worldwide. Diabetic nephropathy is one of the main microvascular complications of diabetes and is characterized by the development of persistent macroalbuminuria (i.e., a urinary albumin excretion [UAE] >300 mg/24 h) or proteinuria (i.e., a urinary protein excretion >0.5 g/24 h). Characteristic glomerular changes of diabetic nephropathy include thickening of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), mesangial expansion, and podocyte injury. Since type 1 and type 2 diabetic nephropathies share similar histologic characteristics as well as structural-functional relationships, one common classification is used to describe the pathologic classification of diabetic nephropathy for both type 1 and 2 diabetes. Although UAE should rather be considered as a continuous variable rather than using specific cutoff values, we describe the clinical course of diabetic nephropathy based on the classic approach using three stages based on urinary albumin excretion (i.e., normoalbuminuria, microalbuminuria, and macroalbuminuria). Diabetic nephropathy is a major independent risk factor for diabetes-related morbidity and mortality. However, a number of interventions are available that can reduce the risk of developing diabetic nephropathy and slow the progression hereof. Key treatment strategies that could reduce the incidence and progression of diabetic nephropathy include blood glucose control, blood pressure control, lipid-lowering therapy, and lifestyle interventions