Desempenho produtivo de bovinos alimentados com cana-de-açúcar com diferentes níveis de concentrado

Foram avaliados o consumo, as digestibilidades totais e ruminais e as taxas de digestão (kd) e de passagem (kp) ruminal dos nutrientes de dietas constituídas de cana-de-açúcar in naturae diferentes níveis de concentrado. Utilizaram-se cinco bovinos mestiços, fistulados no rúmen, com peso corporal inicial de 300±50kg, distribuídos em delineamento em quadrado latino 5x5. As dietas experimentais foram constituídas de: 1) 100% cana-de-açúcar in natura(CA); 2) 80% de CA + 20% de concentrado (C); 3) 60% de CA + 40% de C; 4) 40% de CA + 60% de C; e 5) 20% de CA + 80% de C. Os dados foram analisados utilizando-se o procedimento MIXED do SAS (versão 9.1), bem como análise de regressão e 5% como nível crítico de probabilidade para o erro tipo I. O consumo de matéria seca (MS), expresso em kg/dia ou g/kg de peso corporal foi influenciado (P<0,05) pelos níveis de concentrado. Os demais consumos calculados em kg/dia também foram influenciados (P<0,05) pelos níveis de concentrado, assim como os consumos de FDNcp, FDNi e NDT, expressos em g/kg de peso corporal. O pool (kg/dia) foi aumentado linearmente à medida que se elevaram os níveis de concentrado para MS. Comportamento similar foi observado para ki (h-1) da MS e da FDNcp. As taxas de digestão (kdh-1) da MS, da MO e da FDNcp aumentaram linearmente com a elevação dos níveis de concentrado na dieta. Estimaram-se máximos fluxos omasais (kg/dia) com 52,22 e 31,45% de concentrado na dieta, respectivamente, para MS e FDNi. A digestibilidade aparente (DA) da MS também foi influenciada pelos níveis de concentrado na dieta. As digestibilidades ruminais da MS e da FDN aumentaram linearmente (P<0,05) com a adição de níveis crescentes de concentrado. Conclui-se que níveis próximos de 65% de concentrado resultam em maior ingestão de energia em dietas contendo cana-de-açúcar

Effects of day of gestation and feeding regimen in Holstein × Gyr cows: II. Maternal and fetal visceral organ mass

This study investigated the influence of day of gestation (DG) and feeding regimens (FR) on maternal and fetal visceral organ mass in Holstein × Gyr cows. Forty-four pregnant multiparous Holstein × Gyr cows with an average initial body weight of 480 ± 10.1 kg and an average initial age of 5 ± 0.5 yr were allocated to 1 of 2 FR: ad libitum (AL; n = 20) or maintenance level (ML; n = 24). Maintenance level was considered to be 1.15% of body weight (dry matter basis) and met 100% of the energy requirements; AL provided 190% of the total net energy requirements. Cows were individually fed a corn silage and concentrate-based diet composed of 93% roughage and 7% concentrate (dry matter basis) as a total mixed ration twice daily. Pregnant cows were slaughtered at 4 DG: 139 (n = 11), 199 (n = 11), 241 (n = 11), and 268 (n = 11) d, which was followed by necropsy. Mass of heart, liver, and gastrointestinal tract was heavier in AL- than in ML-fed cows. Mammary gland mass was heavier in AL- than in ML-fed cows, and the heaviest mass was observed at 268 d of gestation. Feeding regimen did not influence fetal body weight in this study. The majority of the visceral organ masses were similar in fetuses from cows fed AL or ML. These data indicate that maternal feed restriction does not affect the development of most fetal organs or fetal development; however, some maternal organs are affected by the FR provided. Moreover, the negative effect on mammary gland mass caused by ML feeding will probably not affect the subsequent lactation because the crude protein concentration in the mammary gland increased with ML feeding. However, we suggest that the AL diet in pregnant dry cows should be provided with caution because the amount of fat in the mammary gland increased at 268 d of gestation

Does a reduction in dietary crude protein content affect performance, nutrient requirements, nitrogen losses, and methane emissions in finishing Nellore bulls?

An experiment was conducted to evaluate whether a reduction in dietary crude protein (CP) content affects animal performance, energy and protein requirements, N losses, and enteric methane emission in finishing Nellore bulls. Twenty-six animals, with an average age of 20± 1.0 months and initial body weight (BW) of 296± 8.1 kg were used in this experiment. Four animals were used as baseline reference animals and were slaughtered at the beginning of the experiment. Four animals were fed at maintenance level (MAIN), whereas 18 bulls were divided into 3 groups (n = 6 in each group) and were randomly assigned to the treatments consisting of three levels of CP in the diets: 10, 12, and 14% of CP. At the end of the experiment, all animals were slaughtered to evaluate their chemical body composition, energy and protein requirements, and carcass characteristics. A linear effect was observed for dietary CP level on CP intake and digestibility, while greater values were obtained for animals that were fed 14% CP. Nitrogen metabolism was affected by CP levels, where animals that were fed 12 and 14% CP had greater urinary N losses than those that were fed 10% CP. There was no effect of CP level on retained N, animal performance, and carcass characteristics among diets, and there was no effect of CP level on microbial efficiency and CH 4 emissions. Thus, this study showed that for finishing bulls, the level of dietary CP did not interfere with muscle deposition and greenhouse gas emissions. The reduction of CP content in diets does not affect DM intake, animal performance, and carcass characteristics, thereby suggesting that the use of 10% of CP in diets for finishing bulls reduces their environmental impact due to a lower urinary N excretion than 12 and 14% CP-based diets. Animals that were fed 10, 12, and 14% CP diets had emissions equivalent to 3893; 3755; and 4255 g d^-1 of CO 2 , respectively, and no difference was observed among diets. Furthermore, methane emission is not affected by CP levels ranging between 10 to 14% which, on average, is 16.3 g kg^-1 of DM intake. Our study found that a decreased CP level did not influence animal performance, but it did decrease N losses in manure without affecting methane emissions. However, it is important to highlight that more studies are necessary to confirm these results

Whole exome sequencing identifies driver mutations in asymptomatic computed tomography-detected lung cancers with normal karyotype

The efficacy of curative surgery for lung cancer could be largely improved by non-invasive screening programs, which can detect the disease at early stages. We previously showed that 18% of screening-identified lung cancers demonstrate a normal karyotype and, following high-density genome scanning, can be subdivided into samples with 1) numerous; 2) none; and 3) few copy number alterations. Whole exome sequencing was applied to the two normal karyotype, screening-detected lung cancers, constituting group 2, as well as normal controls. We identified mutations in both tumors, including KEAP1 (commonly mutated in lung cancers) in one, and TP53, PMS1, and MSH3 (well-characterized DNA-repair genes) in the other. The two normal karyotype screening-detected lung tumors displayed a typical lung cancer mutational profile that only next generation sequencing could reveal, which offered an additional contribution to the over-diagnosis bias concept hypothesized within lung cancer screening programs

Evaluation of equations to predict body composition in Nellore bulls

The equations developed by Hankins and Howe (1946, HH), Marcondes et al. (2010, M10), Marcondes et al. (in press, M11) and Valadares Filho et al. (2006, V6) were evaluated to predict the body composition from the 9–10–11th rib cut in Nellore bulls. The evaluated equations estimated the physical and the carcass chemical composition, the empty body chemical composition and the noncarcass chemical composition. Thirty-seven Nellore bulls (1471 months old initially) with shrunk body weight of 259724.9 kg were used in this experiment. The bulls were randomly divided into three groups: five bulls to the reference group, four bulls were fed at maintenance level and twenty-eight bulls were fed ad libitum. The bulls fed ad libitum were separated into four groups, one of which was slaughtered every 42 days. The diet was composed of corn silage and concentrate (55:45). After slaughter, the 9–10–11th rib cut was dissected into muscle, fat and bone fractions. The remaining carcass was similarly dissected. The others parameters that were evaluated as partial predictors included the empty body weight, the dressing percentage, the visceral fat percentage, the organ and viscera percentage and the composition of the noncarcass components. The values estimated with prediction equations were compared to the observed values. The equations obtained by M11 predicted correctly the carcass physical composition. However, the muscle and fat tissues were under and overestimated, respectively, by HH. Some constituents of the noncarcass components can be predicted from equations developed by M10. The equations obtained by M10 predicted correctly the carcass and empty body chemical composition. The carcass water was underestimated by HH. The equations by V6 did not predict the carcass or empty body chemical composition. The carcass physical and chemical composition and empty body chemical composition can be predicted from the composition of 9–10–11th rib cut by equations obtained by Marcondes et al. (2010, in press) while the composition of these components cannot be predicted by Hankins and Howe (1946) and Valadares Filho et al. (2006) in Nellore bulls