The effect of a fermented herbal feed supplement on the digestion of horses

The main goal of recent study was the impact assessment of a commercially available fermented herbal feed supplement on the digestion of horses and the intestinal microflora. The experiment was made with four adult horses. The product was consumed by the animals for seven days in addition to the usual oats and hay diet, in an amount of 200g. Sampling was made before and immediately after the treatments and 21 days later. From the fresh faecal samples the number of lactic acid and coliform bacteria was determined. At the end of the experiment, the dry matter, crude protein, crude fiber, and acid-insoluble ash (AIA) content of hay, oats and faecal samples were measured. According to our results it can be concluded that the horses participating in the experiment responded favourably to the treatments. The positive effect of the product was clearly evident for all nutrients only 21days after the treatments. Based on our results, the lactobacillus content of the product was relatively low. Thus, we concluded that the positive effect of the product is mainly due to the beneficial effect of herbs. The favourable values obtained by crude fiber suggest that the tested product had a positive effect on the bacterial processes in the post-intestine and the efficiency of fiber breakdown. The results of the recent experiment are also confirm the important role of herbs and plant extract in the modern equine nutrition

The effect and accumulation of antibiotics and their residues in horticultural plants: a review

Antibiotics have been used in the agriculture in large quantities since they were discovered. In animal husbandry these compounds are used not only to do treatment for sick animals but for prevention of diseases and also for growth promotion. The extreme usage of these antibiotics led to increasing numbers of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Today it is a danger that is considered very seriously worldwide. In the European Union, the usage of antibiotics as growth promoter is forbidden since 2006, but according to different statistics collected by administration departments there are big differences in antibiotics usage among EU countries. The antibiotics that are used in animal husbandry get to the fields through the manure, where the plants will take them up and absorb them into their own tissues. There are only a few studies demonstrating the harmful effects of antibiotics in humans or animals, however, several experiments were conducted to prove the deleterious effects of antibiotics in plants. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of antibiotics and their residues in horticultural plants. The consumption of the raw or processed vegetables accumulating antibiotics and their metabolites may mean the highest risk on human health. The results of studies in this subject showed that the use of antibiotics must be continuously controlled in both human and animal applications. The information of farmers, producing or using manure on their fields, about the dangers of over expose of antibiotics could be one of the keys to reduce the danger of antibiotics in health

Búzakorpa, valamint két egytényezős probiotikum etetése nem befolyásolta a termelési paramétereket, azonban megváltoztatta a bél egyes paramétereit brojlercsirkék esetében

The effects of a single strain lactic acid producing bacteria (LAB) (Lactobacillus farciminis 5x109 CFU/kg) and a single strain butyric acid producing bacteria (BAB) (Clostridium butyricum 2.5x109 CFU/kg) with or without wheat bran supplementation (WB), were investigated on the production traits and on several gut characteristics of broiler chickens. In total, 576 male Ross 308 day-old chickens were divided into 24 floor pens and fed a corn-soybean based control diet (C) and five other probiotic or wheat bran supplemented diets (LAB, BAB, LAB+WB, BAB+WB, C+WB) in 4 replicates. The wheat bran content of the starter, grower and finisher diets were 3, 6 and 6%, respectively. During the 37 day long fattening period, growth rate, feed intake were recorded and feed conversion was calculated. At the end of the trial, 8 chickens per treatment were slaughtered and the following parameters investigated: trypsin, lipase and amylase activity of the jejunal chyme, ileal histomorphology and Lactobacillus load. None of the treatments resulted significant differences in the production traits (P>0.1). BAB supplementation tended to decrease digestive enzyme activity. Feeding WB in all combination increased crypt depth (P=0.002), ileal muscle layer thickness (P=0.001) and decreased the villi: crypt ratio (P=0.037) in the ileum.Kutatásunk során egy tejsavtermelő (LAB) (Lactobacillus farciminis 5x109 CFU/kg) és egy vajsavtermelő baktériumtörzset tartalmazó (BAB) (Clostridium butyricum 2.5x109 CFU/kg) probiotikum készítmény hatását vizsgáltunk önmagában, valamint búzakorpa kiegészítéssel (WB) a termelési paraméterekre és a bél néhány morfológiai tulajdonságára baromfi esetében. Ennek során 576 Ross 308 típusú napos kakast osztottunk hat kezelési csoportra, 4 ismétlésben, csoportonként 24 állatot beállítva, kukorica alapú tápot alkalmazva (C, LAB, BAB, LAB+WB, BAB+WB, C+WB). Az indító, nevelő és befejező táp búzakorpa tartalma 3, 6 and 6% volt. A 37 napos nevelés alatt mértük a csirkék testtömeg-gyarapodását, takarmányfogyasztását és kiszámításra került a takarmányértékesítés. A hízlalást követően kezelésenként 8 állat került levágásra, majd az alábbi paraméterek vizsgálatára került sor: tripszin, lipáz és amiláz aktivitás a jejunumból, ileális hisztomorfológiai paramáterek és ileális Lactobacillus szám. Egyik kezelés sem eredményezett szignifikáns különbségeket a termelési paraméterekben (P>0.1). A BAB kezelés tendenciálisan csökkentette az emésztőenzim aktivitást. A búzakorpa kiegészítés hatására minden kombinációban nőtt az ileális kriptamélység (P=0.002), az izomvastagság (P=0.001) és csökkent a boholy-kripta arány (P=0.037)

Evaluation the nutrient composition of extracted sunflower meal samples, determined with wet chemistry and near infrared spectroscopy

Twenty extracted sunflower meal (SFM) samples were collected and analysed with classical laboratory methods and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). From the results, the variance of the nutrients, the accuracy of NIRS prediction and the interaction of the different nutrients have been evaluated. The results showed that NIRS provides high accuracy for crude protein, amino acids, fibre fractions and total phosphorus. The reliability for crude fat, crude ash and sugar predictions was however lower. The relationship between the measured and estimated amino acid contents was significant in all cases with high correlation coefficients. The crude protein content of the SFM samples showed a positive correlation with the crude ash, phosphorous and sugar contents, and a negative correlation with all fibre fractions. According to our results, the amino acid composition of the sunflower meal protein is not constant. The ratio of methionine and histidine HIS is higher, while that of cysteine, tyrosine, arginine, isoleucine, leucine, valine and phenylalanine is lower when the protein content of SFM increase

Feeding sunflower meal with pullets and laying hens even at a 30% inclusion rate does not impair the ileal digestibility of most amino acids

The use of locally available protein sources in poultry nutrition is challenging for feed manufacturers and farmers. Sunflower meal (SFM) is available in high quantities in several European countries and could be used as a poultry feedstuff at higher inclusion rates. However, its maximum inclusion rate in the diets of different poultry species and age categories is unknown. Pullets and laying hens can probably tolerate higher amounts of SFM, but only limited information is available on these poultry groups. Therefore, a digestibility trial was carried out with 8-week-old layer type pullets and 50-week-old laying hens. Beside a basal diet, SFM was fed at 10, 20 and 30% inclusion rates. Feeding SFM significantly improved the digestibility of essential amino acids (AA) of threonine, valine, lysine, tyrosine, glycine, aspartic acid, and arginine in the pullet diets. No such improvement was found in laying hens. Only the absorption of the two branch-chain AAs, leucin (pullets) and isoleucine (hens), declined due to SFM. The AA digestibility of the SFM itself was also calculated by linear regression. The coefficients were, in all cases, higher in hens than in pullets. Comparing the measured digestibility coefficients of SFM with table values, it can be concluded that high variance exists because of the differences in the methodology and the test animals in the digestibility trials. From the present trial, it can be concluded that SFM can entirely replace extracted soybean meal in pullet and layer diets, without negative effects on the protein digestion of birds

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

Az antibiotikumok és maradékanyagaik hatása és akkumulálódása kertészeti növényekben: áttekintés

Antibiotics have been used in the agriculture in large quantities since they were discovered. In animal husbandry these compounds are used not only to do treatments for sick animals but for prevention of diseases and also for growth promotion. The extreme use of these antibiotics led to increasing numbers of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Today it is a danger that might be considered very seriously worldwide. In the European Union, the application of antibiotics as growth promoters is permitted since 2006. However, it is also known, from statistical data, that there are big differences in antibiotics use among the EU countries. The antibiotics that are applied in animal husbandry go to the arable fields through the manure application. From the soils crops and agricultural plants might take them and absorb, accumulate into their own tissues. There are only few studies demonstrating the harmful effects of antibiotics in humans or animals, however, several experiments were conducted to prove the deleterious effects of antibiotics in plants. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of antibiotics and their residues in horticultural plants. The consumption of the raw or processed vegetables with the accumulated antibiotics and their metabolites may result high risk on human health. The results of studies in this subject showed that the use of antibiotics must be continuously controlled in both human and animal applications. There is a necessity to inform of farmers (whom are producing and using manure on their fields) about the dangers and risks of over exposed antibiotics in the soil-plant-animal human food chain

A vastagbél szerepének áttekintése különböző gazdasági állatoknál

A gasztrointesztinális traktus (GIT) a test és a külső környezet közötti interfészként szolgál. Egy rendkívül speciális szervrendszer, amelynek legfontosabb feladata a szervezet tápanyagigényének kielégítése az emésztésen keresztül. A bélmikroflórát a szervezetre gyakorolt ismert hatása miatt az "elfelejtett szervnek" is nevezik. Valószínűleg a leginkább tanulmányozott szimbiotikus rendszer. A hosszú távú kölcsönhatások révén a gazdaszervezet és a mikroorganizmusok között egymástól való függés jött létre. Jelentősége gazdasági állataink esetében is nagy. A bélben lévő mikroflóra ökoszisztéma jellemzői befolyásolhatják a bél lumenének morfológiáját, metabolikusan módosíthatják a lumenben lévő exogén és endogén tápanyagokat, az immunrendszer működését, aktív szerepet játszhatnak a patogén kontrollban, és befolyásolhatják az állat takarmány igényeit. Ha egy állat mikroflóra ökoszisztémája instabil, a tápanyag forgalom veszélybe kerül. A tanulmány elsődleges célja a vastagbél, valamint a mikroflóra jelentőségének bemutatás