Effects of endocannabinoids on feed intake, stress response and whole-body energy metabolism in dairy cows

Endocannabinoids, particularly anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), are instrumental in regulating energy homeostasis and stress response. However, little is known about the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in ruminants, although EC could improve dairy health and productivity, at least by increasing feed intake. In this study, we report if intraperitoneal (i.p.) AEA and 2-AG administration affects feed intake, whole-body macronutrient metabolism, isolation and restraint stress, and whether diet composition modulates circulating endocannabinoid concentrations in cows. Twenty Simmental cows in late lactation were fed a grass silage and a corn silage based diet. On each diet, cows received daily i.p. injections with either AEA (5 µg/kg; n = 7), 2-AG (2.5 µg/kg; n = 6) or saline (n = 7) for 8 days. Endocannabinoid administration for 5 days under free-ranging (non-stressed) conditions had no effect on feed intake or energy balance, but attenuated the stress-induced suppression of feed intake when housing changed to individual tie-stalls without social or tactile interaction. Endocannabinoids increased whole-body carbohydrate oxidation, reduced fat oxidation, and affected plasma non-esterified fatty acid concentrations and fatty acid contents of total lipids. There was no effect of endocannabinoids on plasma triglyceride concentrations or hepatic lipogenesis. Plasma AEA concentrations were not affected by diet, however, plasma 2-AG concentrations tended to be lower on the corn silage based diet. In conclusion, endocannabinoids attenuate stress-induced hypophagia, increase short-term feed intake and whole-body carbohydrate oxidation and decrease whole-body fat oxidation in cows.Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100018686Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659Forschungsinstitut für Nutztierbiologie (FBN) (2113)Peer Reviewe

Association between Fatty Acid Composition in Hair and Energy Availability during Early Lactation in Simmental and German Holstein Cows

This study examined (1) if fatty acids in bovine hair are influenced by dietary energy levels and (2) if the relationship between energy availability and fatty acids in hair persists across breeds and farms. Sixty-two and 59 Fleckvieh (Simmental), and 55 German Holstein cows from three farms, respectively, were fed two levels of energy concentration of roughage (6.1 and 6.5 MJ net energy for lactation/kg dry matter) and two levels of concentrate supply (150 and 250 g/kg energy-corrected milk). The average body weight was 727 kg (Simmental) and 668 kg (Holstein). The average lactation number was 3.1. Hair samples were taken in lactation weeks 4 and 8. In Simmental cows, a lower energy deficit due to a relatively higher energy intake from high energy concentration of the roughage was associated with higher C18:2n-6 and C18:3n-3 contents in hair at week 8. In cows from all three farms, higher energy intake between lactation weeks 2 and 6 correlated with higher content of C18:2n-6 in hair samples taken in lactation weeks 4 and 8. No correlation was found for C12:0. These results provide the first evidence that increased energy intake increases the contents of C18:2n-6 in hair

Erneuerbare Energien in der Raumplanung. Ein Hindernislauf mit Tücken.

Die Energiewende stellt die Raumplanung vor große Herausforderungen. Insbesondere die Plannung und der Bau von Anlagen zur Gewinnung erneuerbarer Energien sind immer wieder hoch umstritten und selten einfach umzusetzen. Der Sammenband präsentiert mehrere Seminararbeiten, die unterschiedliche Aspekte zum Thema erörtern und viele Beispiele aus der Praxis darstellen

Fog controls biological cycling of soil phosphorus in the Coastal Cordillera of the Atacama Desert

Soils in hyper-arid climates, such as the Chilean Atacama Desert, show indications of past and present forms of life despite extreme water limitations. We hypothesize that fog plays a key role in sustaining life. In particular, we assume that fog water is incorporated into soil nutrient cycles, with the inland limit of fog penetration corresponding to the threshold for biological cycling of soil phosphorus (P). We collected topsoil samples (0–10 cm) from each of 54 subsites, including sites in direct adjacency (<10 cm) and in 1 m distance to plants, along an aridity gradient across the Coastal Cordillera. Satellite-based fog detection revealed that Pacific fog penetrates up to 10 km inland, while inland sites at 10–23 km from the coast rely solely on sporadic rainfall for water supply. To assess biological P cycling we performed sequential P fractionation and determined oxygen isotope of HCl-extractable inorganic (Formula presented.). Total P (Pt) concentration exponentially increased from 336 mg kg−1 to a maximum of 1021 mg kg−1 in inland areas ≥10 km. With increasing distance from the coast, soil (Formula presented.) values declined exponentially from 16.6‰ to a constant 9.9‰ for locations ≥10 km inland. Biological cycling of HCl-Pi near the coast reached a maximum of 76%–100%, which could only be explained by the fact that fog water predominately drives biological P cycling. In inland regions, with minimal rainfall (<5 mm) as single water source, only 24 ± 14% of HCl-Pi was biologically cycled. We conclude that biological P cycling in the hyper-arid Atacama Desert is not exclusively but mainly mediated by fog, which thus controls apatite dissolution rates and related occurrence and spread of microbial life in this extreme environment.ISSN:1354-1013ISSN:1365-248

Fog controls biological cycling of soil phosphorus in the Coastal Cordillera of the Atacama Desert

Abstract Soils in hyper-arid climates, such as the Chilean Atacama Desert, show indications of past and present forms of life despite extreme water limitations. We hypothesize that fog plays a key role in sustaining life. In particular, we assume that fog water is incorporated into soil nutrient cycles, with the inland limit of fog penetration corresponding to the threshold for biological cycling of soil phosphorus (P). We collected topsoil samples (0?10?cm) from each of 54 subsites, including sites in direct adjacency

Impact of clinical decision-making participation and satisfaction on outcomes in mental health practice: results from the CEDAR European longitudinal study

The present study aimed to assess: (1) whether a more active involvement of patients is associated with an improvement of clinical symptoms, global functioning, and quality-of-life; and (2) how patients' satisfaction with clinical decisions can lead to better outcome after 1 year. Data were collected as part of the study 'Clinical decision-making and outcome in routine care for people with severe mental illness (CEDAR)', a longitudinal observational study, funded by the European Commission and carried out in six European countries. Patients' inclusion criteria were: (a) aged between 18 and 60 years; (b) diagnosis of a severe mental illness of any kind according to the Threshold Assessment Grid (TAG) &gt;= 5 and duration of illness &gt;= 2 years; (c) expected contact with the local mental health service during the 12-month observation period; (d) adequate skills in the language of the host countries; and (e) the ability to provide written informed consent. The clinical decision-making styles of clinicians and the patient satisfaction with decisions were assessed using the Clinical Decision Making Style and the Clinical Decision Making Involvement and Satisfaction scales, respectively. Patients were assessed at baseline and 1 year after the recruitment. The sample consisted of 588 patients with severe mental illness, mainly female, with a mean age of 41.69 (+/- 10.74) and a mean duration of illness of 12.5 (+/- 9.27) years. The majority of patients were diagnosed with psychotic (45.75%) or affective disorders (34.01%). At baseline, a shared CDM style was preferred by 70.6% of clinicians and about 40% of patients indicated a high level of satisfaction with the decision and 31% a medium level of satisfaction. Higher participation in clinical decisions was associated with improved social functioning and quality-of-life, and reduced interpersonal conflicts, sense of loneliness, feelings of inadequacy, and withdrawal in friendships after 1 year (p &lt; 0.05). Moreover, a higher satisfaction with decisions was associated with a better quality-of-life (p &lt; 0.0001), reduced symptom severity (p &lt; 0.0001), and a significantly lower illness burden associated with symptoms of distress (p &lt; 0.0001), interpersonal difficulties (p &lt; 0.0001), and problems in social roles (p &lt; 0.05). Our findings clearly show that a higher involvement in and satisfaction of patients with clinical decision-making was associated with better outcomes. More efforts have to be made to increase the involvement of patients in clinical decision-making in routine care settings