Effekt av driftsmåte og engalder på kvalitet av kumelk

2007-2008 ble det gjennomført et feltstudie med målsetningen å finne sammenheng mellom engdriftsystem, produksjonssystem og melkekvalitet. Ni gårder med økologisk melkeproduksjon basert på kortvarig eng (KØ) ble paret med 9 gårder med konvensjonell melkeproduksjon basert på kortvarig eng (KK) og 7 gårder med økologisk melkeproduksjon basert på langvarig eng (LØ) ble paret med 7 gårder med konvensjonell melkeproduksjon basert på langvarig eng (LK). Fôrprøver og melkeprøver ble samlet inn annenhver måned. Botanisk sammensetning ble estimert før første slått i 2007. I tillegg ble data fra kukontrollen analysert. Melkeprøvene ble blant annet analysert for fettsyresammensetning, innhold av vitaminer, innhold av selen og innhold av fytoøstrogener. På de konvensjonelle gårdene var det grasarter som dominerte. På de økologiske gårdene var det i tillegg til grasarter en betydelig andel belgvekster (KØ) og urter (LØ). Kvalitetsegenskapene hos melk ble i større grad påvirket av produksjonssystem (økologisk eller konvensjonelt) enn av engdyrkingssystem (kortvarig eller langvarig eng). Det antas at hovedfaktorene var kraftfôrmengde, kraftfôrets innhold av lipider og botanisk sammensetning av grovfôre

Fatty acid characterization of Finnish organic milk - a farm survey

Bulk-tank milk samples were collected in January (2008) from 45 organic farms in Eastern Finland to examine their milk quality during winter feeding

Phytoestrogens found in milk inhibit COX enzyme activity in murine macrophages

Will be published late

Relationship between grassland management and bovine milk quality

Bulk-tank milk was collected every second month (in 2007) from 32 farms in Middle Norway to examine the effect of grassland management and farming system on milk composition. Sixteen farms with organic farming system were paired with 16 farms with conventional farming system. In both farming systems, 9 farms had short-term rotational grassland and 7 farms had long-term grassland. Milk fatty acid (FA) composition and milk concentration of α-tocopherol, β-carotene, retinol,phytoestrogens and selenium were analyzed. Only small differences were found in milk composition from farms with different grassland management, except for the concentration of phytoestrogens and selenium that were highest on farms with short-term grassland. Milk FA composition, milk concentration of phytoestrogens and selenium were strongly affected by farming system. Milk from organic farming had higher concentration of phytoestrogens, selenium and higher proportion of C18:3n-3, short-chain FA, long-chain FA, saturated FA and lower proportion of C18:0, C18:1n-9, C18:2n-6 and lower n-6/n-3 FA ratio than milk from conventional farming

Development of Transgenic Cloned Pig Models of Skin Inflammation by DNA Transposon-Directed Ectopic Expression of Human β1 and α2 Integrin

Integrins constitute a superfamily of transmembrane signaling receptors that play pivotal roles in cutaneous homeostasis by modulating cell growth and differentiation as well as inflammatory responses in the skin. Subrabasal expression of integrins α2 and/or β1 entails hyperproliferation and aberrant differentiation of keratinocytes and leads to dermal and epidermal influx of activated T-cells. The anatomical and physiological similarities between porcine and human skin make the pig a suitable model for human skin diseases. In efforts to generate a porcine model of cutaneous inflammation, we employed the Sleeping Beauty DNA transposon system for production of transgenic cloned Göttingen minipigs expressing human β1 or α2 integrin under the control of a promoter specific for subrabasal keratinocytes. Using pools of transgenic donor fibroblasts, cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer was utilized to produce reconstructed embryos that were subsequently transferred to surrogate sows. The resulting pigs were all transgenic and harbored from one to six transgene integrants. Molecular analyses on skin biopsies and cultured keratinocytes showed ectopic expression of the human integrins and localization within the keratinocyte plasma membrane. Markers of perturbed skin homeostasis, including activation of the MAPK pathway, increased expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1α, and enhanced expression of the transcription factor c-Fos, were identified in keratinocytes from β1 and α2 integrin-transgenic minipigs, suggesting the induction of a chronic inflammatory phenotype in the skin. Notably, cellular dysregulation obtained by overexpression of either β1 or α2 integrin occurred through different cellular signaling pathways. Our findings mark the creation of the first cloned pig models with molecular markers of skin inflammation. Despite the absence of an overt psoriatic phenotype, these animals may possess increased susceptibility to severe skin damage-induced inflammation and should be of great potential in studies aiming at the development and refinement of topical therapies for cutaneous inflammation including psoriasis