Prediction of forage digestibility from some laboratory procedures.

Digestibility of 106 samples of hay, grass, grass silage and legume forage was estimated by regression from cell contents and cell wall constituents estimated chemically. Cell wall constituents were cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, cutin, plant silica and soil contamination. Values were not as closely related to digestibility in vivo by sheep as were values obtained by digestion with rumen fluid in vitro. Correlation between digestibility of cell wall constituents and lignin content was poor, and this and other reasons for the poor results from chemical analysis are discussed.-T. D. B. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission

Standardization of procedures for nitrogen fractionation of ruminant feeds

Abstract The Cornell Net Carbohydrate Protein Model (Chalupa et al., 1991; Sniffen et al., 1992) has developed the need for uniform procedures to partition feed nitrogen into A, B, and C fractions (Pichard and Van Soest, 1977). While carbohydrate fractions are relatively standardized (based on NDF, ADF with corrections for ash, protein, and lignin), the fractionation of plant nitrogen has been open to considerable variation in procedures. This has led to non-uniformity among reported values for nitrogen fractions. This paper recommends reliable procedures for nonprotein nitrogen (NPN) and buffer-soluble protein. These procedures have been examined for reproducibility and relevance to biological expectations. Procedures for acid-detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN), and neutral-detergent insoluble nitrogen (NDIN) are also included as they are required for the model. Some alternatives in certain procedures are offered

Seasonal Changes in Nutritional Quality of Agropyron desertorum Compared with Six Other Semiarid Grasses

Desert wheatgrass, (Agropyron desertorum (Fisch.) Schulte) an introduced perennial grass, is widely used to improve the forage resources in semi-arid regions of the western United States and Canada. The use of this species is based on trials that have shown that it provides early forage, is drought tolerant, often produces greater yields and animal gains, and is able to withstand heavier use than many native species. The nutritional attributes of this species are compared to those of certain other grass species in this paper

Growth and Nutritional Value to Cattle of Grasses on Cheatgrass Range in Southern Idaho

Seven grass species--desert wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum), streambank wheatgrass (Agropyron riparium), cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), basin wildrye (Elymus cirtereus), Sandberg's bluegrass (Poa sandbergii), bottlebrush squirreltail (Sitanion hystrix), and needle-and-thread grass (Stipa comata)--were harvested to a 1/2-inch (1.2-cm) stubble height periodically between mid-March and December in most years from 1962 through 1968 at the Saylor Creek Experimental Range in southern Idaho. These samples were analyzed for N, P, S, Ca, Mg, K, Na, Zn, Mn, Cu, and Fe. Certain digestibility fractions (NDF, NDF-ash, DCW, DCW-ash free, and TDDM) were also determined on these samples. In addition, estimates of the soil chemical status, soil moisture contents over depth and time, forage yields, and moisture contents over time, effects of ammonium nitrate fertilization on forage yields and mineral composition, and animal grazing responses to cheatgrass range are included

Assessment of the Dairy Production Needs of Cattle Owners in Southeastern Sicily

This study was undertaken to investigate research and outreach priorities for Progetto Ibleo (Project Ibleo), a center created in 1990 with tripartite government funding to serve dairy producers in the Hyblean region of Sicily. Data comprised values for production and composition of milk from 1984 to 1989 from 35 herds of Modicana cows on a system based on pasture and that from 69 input-intensive herds of Holstein cows, associated lactation and reproduction measures, and yield and composition of forages from 4 of these farms in 1988. Season had a large effect on the neutral detergent fiber and crude protein composition of forages, production and composition of milk, and predicted yield of fresh Ragusano cheese manufactured from the milk of these cows. The poorest forage quality and the poorest cow performance were observed in summer and fall months (May to October). Lactation curves that were flat, without a discernible peak, or convex were observed for both systems, especially for cows calving in spring and in the dry summer seasons (March to July). These abnormalities, signifying substantial sacrifices in production potential, probably had a complex etiology that stemmed from low nutrient intake and high neutral detergent fiber and low crude protein composition of the grazed and preserved forages. Research and outreach priorities to support the Hyblean dairy industry should include chemical evaluation of forages and other feedstuffs, low moisture ensiling of high quality winter forages, better formulation of diets that are dense with nutrients, and the shifting of calving patterns to better exploit high quality winter forages

Abirateron in combinatie met androgeendeprivatietherapie bij patiënten met hormoonnaïef gemetastaseerd prostaatcarcinoom: Is het tijdperk van androgeendeprivatie-monotherapie voorbij?

Data van twee gerandomiseerde studies hebben aangetoond dat abirateron plus prednison, gecombineerd met androgeendeprivatietherapie (ADT) de overleving verbetert van patiënten met primair gemetastaseerd hormoonnaïef prostaatcarcinoom (mHSPC) in vergelijking met ADT alleen (hazardratio 0,62 en 0,63). De belangrijkste bijwerkingen (hypokaliëmie en hypertensie) waren mild (graad 1–2) en goed te behandelen. Voor patiënten met hoogrisico lokaal gevorderd of lymfogeen gemetastaseerd prostaatcarcinoom zonder metastasen op afstand was er een winst in progressievrije overleving, maar zijn de data nog te immatuur om overlevingswinst aan te tonen. Voor patiënteTwo randomized trials have shown that abiraterone plus prednisone and androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) improved surviv