Lactipro (Megasphaera elsdenii) Increases Ruminal pH and Alters Volatile Fatty Acids and Lactate During Transition to an 80% Concentrate Diet

Direct-fed microbials commonly have been used to enhance performance or to decrease shedding of foodborne pathogens in beef cattle. Megasphaera elsdenii is a recently introduced probiotic bacteria marketed under the trade name Lactipro (MS-Biotec Inc., Wamego, KS) and is a key lactate-fermenting bacterium in the rumens of cattle fed high-concentrate diets. Megasphaera elsdenii is responsible for metabolizing up to 95% lactic acid within the rumen, and thus is an important species for controlling occurrence of ruminal acidosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in ruminal pH and volatile fatty acid concentration during the transition from a diet with 60% concentrate to a diet containing 80% concentrate after administering five different oral dosages of Lactipro

Hops Βeta-Acid Extract Yields Feedlot Performance Similar to Rumensin

Hops (Humulus lupulus) have played an integral role in beer manufacturing and are widely known for their antimicrobial and preservative properties. α-acids of hops are extracted and utilized to enhance beer flavor, leaving residues largely composed of β-acids. Beta-acid extracts of hops are structurally similar to ionophores and may express ionophore-like traits. Ionophores, including Rumensin (Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN), are used to improve feed efficiency and to decrease the incidence of digestive disturbances in feedlot cattle. A large portion of in vitro studies show benefits from feeding hops or hop acids with results similar to ionophores; however, live animal experiments are needed to confirm these observations. The objectives of this study were to assess the effects of β-acid extracts of hops on feedlot performance in cattle fed high-concentrate diets and determine a response to varied doses of β-acid extracts of hops

Inhibition of Pediatric Glioblastoma Tumor Growth by the Anti-Cancer Agent OKN-007 in Orthotopic Mouse Xenografts

We thank the Peggy and Charles Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK, for funding, who received an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P20 GM103639 for the use of the Histology and Immunohistochemistry Core for providing immunohistochemistry and photographic services. This work was also supported by Oklahoma State University, Center of Veterinary Health Science (Support Grant AE-1-50060 to P.C.S.), the Musella Foundation (R.A.T.), and the Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation (R.A.T.).Pediatric glioblastomas (pGBM), although rare, are one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in children, with tumors essentially refractory to existing treatments. Here, we describe the use of conventional and advanced in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to assess a novel orthotopic xenograft pGBM mouse (IC-3752GBM patient-derived culture) model, and to monitor the effects of the anti-cancer agent OKN-007 as an inhibitor of pGBM tumor growth. Immunohistochemistry support data is also presented for cell proliferation and tumor growth signaling. OKN-007 was found to significantly decrease tumor volumes (p<0.05) and increase animal survival (p<0.05) in all OKN-007-treated mice compared to untreated animals. In a responsive cohort of treated animals, OKN-007 was able to significantly decrease tumor volumes (p<0.0001), increase survival (p<0.001), and increase diffusion (p<0.01) and perfusion rates (p<0.05). OKN-007 also significantly reduced lipid tumor metabolism in responsive animals (Lip1.3 and Lip0.9)-to-creatine ratio (p<0.05), as well as significantly decrease tumor cell proliferation (p<0.05) and microvessel density (p<0.05). Furthermore, in relationship to the PDGFRα pathway, OKN-007 was able to significantly decrease SULF2 (p<0.05) and PDGFR-α (platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α) (p<0.05) immunoexpression, and significantly increase decorin expression (p<0.05) in responsive mice. This study indicates that OKN-007 may be an effective anti-cancer agent for some patients with pGBMs by inhibiting cell proliferation and angiogenesis, possibly via the PDGFRα pathway, and could be considered as an additional therapy for pediatric brain tumor patients.Yeshttp://www.plosone.org/static/editorial#pee

Hops Βeta-Acid Extract Yields Feedlot Performance Similar to Rumensin

Hops (Humulus lupulus) have played an integral role in beer manufacturing and are widely known for their antimicrobial and preservative properties. α-acids of hops are extracted and utilized to enhance beer flavor, leaving residues largely composed of β-acids. Beta-acid extracts of hops are structurally similar to ionophores and may express ionophore-like traits. Ionophores, including Rumensin (Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN), are used to improve feed efficiency and to decrease the incidence of digestive disturbances in feedlot cattle. A large portion of in vitro studies show benefits from feeding hops or hop acids with results similar to ionophores; however, live animal experiments are needed to confirm these observations. The objectives of this study were to assess the effects of β-acid extracts of hops on feedlot performance in cattle fed high-concentrate diets and determine a response to varied doses of β-acid extracts of hops