Use of palm oil cake in diets for slow growing chickens

Looking for food alternatives for slow-growing broiler chickens is a necessity to boost production, which is mainly conducted by small and medium producers linked to family farming, especially in the Amazon region. For this reason, the objective was to evaluate the potential use of Palm Oil Cake (POC) as an alternative ingredient in the feeding of slow-growing broiler chickens up to 28 days of age. We used 416 male French Red-Naked Neck chicks, in a completely randomized experimental design with four treatments (0, 10, 15, and 20% of POC inclusion) with eight replicates each. The performance of the birds, allometry of the digestive organs and the economic analysis of the diets were evaluated. It is concluded that POC can be included in the diets of slow growing broiler chickens, up to 28 days, in up to 15% without causing damage in their performance, without negatively modifying the allometry of the digestive organs and without economic disadvantages to the producer

Effect of exogenous emulsifier and different fat sources on the performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility, and serum lipid profile of broiler chickens

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of an emulsifier on reduced-energy diets using two fat sources for broilers. The study was designed as a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. The first factor was 2 fat sources (poultry fat or beef tallow). The second factor was a basal diet with the recommended energy levels, a diet with a 0.83 MJ/kg of energy reduction, and a diet with an energy reduction and inclusion of 1 g emulsifier/kg of diet. The emulsifier used in this study was composed of soy lecithin and polyethylene glycol ricinoleate. The emulsifier increased apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and apparent metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen balance (AMEn) in beef tallow diets compared to energy-reduced diets (P<0.001). Broilers fed poultry fat had higher weights and weight gains at 35 and 42 d of age (p=0.001), and they had higher daily deposition of fat in the carcass (P = 0.025) when compared to diets with beef tallow. The inclusion of emulsifiers in broiler diets improves AME and AMEn but did not affect the energy reduction diets, whichresulted in reduced performance, decreasing daily fat deposition, but without effects on serum lipid profile in broilers.Um estudo foi conduzido para avaliar o efeito de um emulsificante em dietas com baixo teor de energia usando duas fontes de gordura para frangos de corte. O estudo foi delineado em arranjo fatorial 2 x 3 de tratamentos, o primeiro fator foi 2 fontes de gordura (gordura de frango ou sebo bovino) e o segundo fator uma dieta basal com os níveis de energia recomendados, uma dieta com 0,83 MJ / kg de redução de energia e uma dieta com redução de energia e inclusão de 1 g de emulsionante / kg de dieta (composto de lecitina de soja e ricinoleato de polietilenoglicol). O emulsificante aumentou a energia metabolizável aparente (EMA) e a energia metabolizável aparente corrigida para o balanço de nitrogênio (EMAn) em dietas com sebo bovino em comparação com dietas com redução de energia (P <0,001). Frangos de corte alimentados com gordura de frango apresentam maiores pesos e ganhos de peso aos 35 e 42 dias de idade (p=0,001), e maior deposição diária de gordura na carcaça (P=0,025) quando comparados às dietas com sebo bovino. O emulsificante incluído nas dietas de frangos de corte melhora a EMA e EMAn, mas não supre a redução energética, causando efeitos negativos no desempenho, diminuindo a deposição diária de gordura, mas sem efeitos no perfil lipídico sérico em frangos de corte

Effect of exogenous emulsifier and different fat sources on the performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility, and serum lipid profile of broiler chickens

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of an emulsifier on reduced-energy diets using two fat sources for broilers. The study was designed as a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. The first factor was 2 fat sources (poultry fat or beef tallow). The second factor was a basal diet with the recommended energy levels, a diet with a 0.83 MJ/kg of energy reduction, and a diet with an energy reduction and inclusion of 1 g emulsifier/kg of diet. The emulsifier used in this study was composed of soy lecithin and polyethylene glycol ricinoleate. The emulsifier increased apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and apparent metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen balance (AMEn) in beef tallow diets compared to energy-reduced diets (P<0.001). Broilers fed poultry fat had higher weights and weight gains at 35 and 42 d of age (p=0.001), and they had higher daily deposition of fat in the carcass (P = 0.025) when compared to diets with beef tallow. The inclusion of emulsifiers in broiler diets improves AME and AMEn but did not affect the energy reduction diets, which resulted in reduced performance, decreasing daily fat deposition, but without effects on serum lipid profile in broilers

Environmental Enrichment Promotes Plasticity and Visual Acuity Recovery in Adult Monocular Amblyopic Rats

Loss of visual acuity caused by abnormal visual experience during development (amblyopia) is an untreatable pathology in adults. In some occasions, amblyopic patients loose vision in their better eye owing to accidents or illnesses. While this condition is relevant both for its clinical importance and because it represents a case in which binocular interactions in the visual cortex are suppressed, it has scarcely been studied in animal models. We investigated whether exposure to environmental enrichment (EE) is effective in triggering recovery of vision in adult amblyopic rats rendered monocular by optic nerve dissection in their normal eye. By employing both electrophysiological and behavioral assessments, we found a full recovery of visual acuity in enriched rats compared to controls reared in standard conditions. Moreover, we report that EE modulates the expression of GAD67 and BDNF. The non invasive nature of EE renders this paradigm promising for amblyopia therapy in adult monocular people

Multicentre Italian study of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adolescents, preliminary data as at 10 April 2020

Data on features of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in children and adolescents are scarce. We report preliminary results of an Italian multicentre study comprising 168 laboratory-confirmed paediatric cases (median: 2.3 years, range: 1 day-17.7 years, 55.9% males), of which 67.9% were hospitalised and 19.6% had comorbidities. Fever was the most common symptom, gastrointestinal manifestations were frequent; two children required intensive care, five had seizures, 49 received experimental treatments and all recovered

Effect of the environmental temperature on the performance of growing swine

Foram realizados dois experimentos utilizando 72 machos castrados, em fase inicial e em crescimento, para avaliar o efeito da temperatura ambiente sobre o desempenho, composição de carcaça e parâmetros fisiológicos. Em ambos os experimentos, os animais foram distribuídos em delineamento experimental inteiramente ao acaso, com três tratamentos, seis repetições e dois animais por unidade experimental. Os tratamentos foram assim constituídos: 1 – animais submetidos ao estresse por calor (35oC – fase inicial; 32oC – fase de crescimento); 2 – animais em conforto térmico (22oC), alimentados à vontade; e 3 – animais em conforto térmico (22oC), com alimentação pareada ao dos animais do tratamento 1. No primeiro experimento foram utilizados 36 animais com peso médio inicial de 15 kg, que permaneceram em experimento por 23 dias. Foram observadas redução no consumo de ração, no ganho de peso, no rendimento de carcaça e piora na conversão alimentar, bem como queda nas deposições diárias de proteína e gordura em animais submetidos aos tratamentos vii1 e 3, comparados àqueles do tratamento 2. Os tratamentos não infuenciaram os pesos relativos dos órgãos avaliados, com exceção do peso relativo dos rins e do estômago, que foram menores nos animais do tratamento 1 em relação aos do tratamento 2. Os parâmetros fisiológicos (temperatura retal, temperaturas de superfície de pele e freqüência respiratória) foram influenciados negativamente pela estresse térmico. No segundo experimento foram utilizados 36 animais com peso médio inicial de 30 kg, que permaneceram em experimento por 35 dias. Houve efeito da temperatura ambiente sobre o consumo de ração que reduziu, porém com melhora na conversão alimentar e na eficiência de utilização de lisina para ganho dos animais em relação aos demais tratamentos. A deposição de gordura foi menor para os tratamentos 1 e 3 em relação ao tratamento 2, porém apenas os animais em conforto térmico com alimentação pareada apresentaram queda na deposição de proteína. Os animais em estresse por calor apresentaram menores pesos de jejum e de carcaça que os animais em conforto térmico com alimentação à vontade, porém maiores que aqueles com alimentação pareada. O rendimento de carcaça não foi influenciado pelos tratamentos, bem como os pesos relativos dos órgãos avaliados, com exceção do estômago, que se apresentou menor no tratamento 3. As temperaturas de superfície e freqüência respiratória foram influenciadas negativamente pela alta temperatura (tratamento 1). A temperatura retal não foi influenciada pelos tratamentos. Concluiu-se que na fase inicial a temperatura ambiente, por meio da redução do consumo de ração, influenciou negativamente o ganho de peso, a conversão alimentar, bem como a deposição de proteína, além de aumentar a frequência respiratória e a temperatura retal dos animais. Na fase de crescimento a alta temperatura influenciou negativamente o desempenho dos suínos, mantendo a deposição de proteína na carcaça, e esse efeito não foi limitado à redução do consumo de ração.Two experiments were carried out using 72 castred males, in initial and in growing phase, to evaluate the effect of the environmental temperature on the performance, carcass composition and physiologic parameters. In both experiments, the animals were distributed in a completely randomized blocks of experimental design, with three treatments, six repetitions and two animals in each experimental unit. The treatments were constituted in: 1 - animals submitted to the stress by heat (35oC - initial phase; 32oC - growing phase); 2 - animals in thermal comfort (22oC), fed ad libitum; and 3 - animals in thermoneutral environment (22oC), with similar feeding to the animals of the treatment 1. In the first experiment were used 36 animals with average initial weight of 15 kg, which stayed in experiment for 23 days. It was observed reduction in the ration intake, in the weight gain, in the carcass performance and worsens in the feed conversion, as well as reduction in the daily protein and fat depositions in animals submitted to the treatments 1 and 3, compared to those of the treatment 2. The treatments did not influence the relative weights of the evaluated organs, except for the relative weight of the kidneys and of the stomach, that were smaller in the animals of the treatment 1 in relation to the animals of the treatment 2. ixThe physiological parameters (rectal temperature, temperatures of skin surface and breathing frequency) were negatively influenced by the thermal stress. In the second experiment 36 animals with average initial weight of 30 kg were used. The animals stayed in experiment for 35 days. It was observed effect of the ambient temperature on the feed intake that reduced, even so with improvement in the feed conversion and in the efficiency of use of lysine for weight gain in relation to the other animals in the other treatments. The fat deposition was smaller for the treatments 1 and 3 in relation to the treatment 2, but only the animals in thermal comfort with similar feeding showed lower protein deposition. The animals under heat stress showed lower body weight in fasting and lower carcass weight than the animals in thermal comfort with ad libitum feeding, even so larger intake than those with similar feeding. The carcass performance was not influenced by the treatments, as well as the relative weights of the evaluated organs, except for the stomach, that was smaller in the treatment 3. The temperatures and breathing frequency were negatively influenced by the high temperature (treatment 1). The rectal temperature was not influenced by the treatments. It was concluded that in the initial phase the environmental temperature, by means of the reduction of the ration intake, influenced negatively the weight gain, the feed conversion, as well as the protein deposition, also increasing the breathing frequency and the rectal temperature of the animals. In the growing phase the high temperature influenced negatively the swine performance maintaining the protein deposition in the carcass, and that effect was not limited to the reduction of the ration intake.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológic

Níveis de proteína bruta na dieta e desempenho reprodutivo de fêmeas primíparas em gestação

Foram testados três tratamentos (10,0; 13,5 e 17,0% de PB) com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito dos níveis de proteína bruta na dieta sobre o desempenho eprodutivo de 36 fêmeas (12 por tratamento) suínas primíparas em gestação. As dietas continham (ou excediam) todos os nutrientes necessários para suprir as exigências dos animais, de acordo com o NRC (1998), à exceção dos níveis de proteína bruta. Embora a proteína tenha sido diluída com amido, a proporção aminoacídica foi mantida em todas as rações, em razão da relação constante nas quantidades de milho e farelo de soja. Foram avaliados o ganho de peso da fêmea durante a gestação, o número de leitões nascidos, o peso da leitegada, a espessura de toucinho e o desempenho da matriz durante a lactação e após o desmame. Não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre as médias das variáveis ganho de peso durante a gestação, espessura de toucinho, peso do leitão ao nascimento e número de leitões nascidos. Durante a lactação, não houve diferença entre os grupos de fêmeas alimentadas com níveis diferentes de proteína bruta na gestação para as variáveis consumo de ração, perda de peso, perda de espessura de toucinho, ganho diário de peso dos leitões e peso da leitegada ao desmame. Não houve efeito dos tratamentos no intervalo desmame-cio nos desempenhos reprodutivo e produtivo de fêmeas primíparas

Environmental enrichment promotes recovery of visual acuity in adult amblyopic monocular rats.

<p>a) Electrophysiological assessment of visual acuity (VA) showed a significant difference between OND-EE rats and OND-SC animals and between OND-SC rats and untreated controls (grey shadow in the graph), but not between untreated controls and OND-EE rats (One Way ANOVA p<0.001, post-hoc Holm-Sidak test OND-SC vs. OND-EE and untreated controls p<0.05, other comparisons were not significantly different). Insert shows a schematic representation of the apparatus used for VEP recording. b) Representative examples of VA estimates for the previously deprived eye in OND-SC and OND-EE animals. Percentage of normalized VEP amplitude is plotted against log spatial frequency. Visual acuity is obtained by extrapolation to zero amplitude of the linear regression through the data points in a curve where VEP amplitude is plotted against log spatial frequency. *, statistical significance; error bars represent s.e.m.</p