Effect of the manganese content in laying hen feed with different Ca and mineral levels on the egg shell quality and bone mineralization of hens]

Four experiments with 270, 44, 432 and 66800 Leghorn hens were carried out to investigate the influence of various Mn additions to diets differed in mineral or Ca contents on egg shell quality. The addition of 300 mg Mn/kg diet improved significantly egg shell breaking strength by 4 N over one year. The supply of 50-500 mg Mn/kg diet for 10-24 weeks of the second half of laying year did not influence the egg shell quality. Addition of mineral mixture or Ca grit to layer rations with adequate or higher Mn levels did not influence egg shell strength. High mineral content in a low manganese diet increased number of cracks by 3%. Strength, weight and ash content of tibia were significantly reduced by feeding a low mineral level. Addition of 50-150 mg Mn per kg low mineral diet normalized partially tibia stability in young hens. It was concluded that supplied dietary Manganese influences calcification positively only in young hens. High levels of Ca did not influence the effects of Mn. 50 mg Mn per kg layers mixture have been considered as an essential supply.     

Genotypic Variability in Biomass Protein and Nucleic Acids in Four Linum Species to Sodicity Stress

Differences in gas exchange parameters i.e. carbon exchange rate (CER), transpiration (Tr), water vapor conductance (g) were investigated, under a controlled environment, in a semi-dwarf (SD) Triticum aestivum line, its tall (TL) near isoline and the Payne (PA) variety characterized by small leaves. The plants were maintained in: (a) optimal substrate moisture condition (CTR); (b) salinized by watering with a 0.12 m NaCl solution (SLT); (c) water stressed by withholding waterings during a period of six days (STR); (d) stressed and salinized during the same period and with the same saline solution (S + S). CER and Tr were negatively affected by the stresses; SLT and S + S treatments had a higher WUE compared to their respective controls CTR and STR.
SD line had a better performance in terms of CER and WUE, particularly when water and salt stresses interacted. Leaf anatomy and assimilation/internal CO₂ concentration curves contributed to explaining the SD performance.     

Pilot study of the effect of acemannan in cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus.

Acemannan, a complex carbohydrate shown to stimulate interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor alpha and prostaglandin E2 production by macrophages, has also demonstrated antiviral activity in vitro against human immunodeficiency virus, Newcastle disease virus and influenza virus. A pilot study was undertaken to determine acemannan's effect in 49 feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infected cats with clinical signs of disease (Stage 3, 4 or 5), 23 of which had severe lymphopenia. Cats received acemannan either by intravenous (Group 1) or subcutaneous (Group 2) injection once weekly for 12 weeks, or by daily oral (Group 3) administration for 12 weeks. Upon entry into the study, cats were randomly assigned to one of the three groups. Laboratory analyses were performed at the beginning of the study and at Weeks 6 and 12. Cats were allowed to continue with a predetermined maintenance regimen of acemannan after completing the 12-week study. Thirteen cats died during the course of treatment. Upon necropsy, the most frequent histopathologic findings were neoplastic, kidney and pancreatic disease. Friedman's two-way ANOVA test showed no significant differences in efficacy among groups administered acemannan by the different routes. Therefore, groups were combined and a signed-ranks test was used to determine changes over time. A significant increase was seen in lymphocyte counts (P < 0.001). Neutrophil counts decreased significantly (P = 0.007), as did incidence of sepsis (P = 0.008). When cats entering with lymphopenia were analyzed separately, a much greater increase in lymphocyte counts was noted (235%) compared with non-lymphopenic cats (42%). A survival rate of 75% was found for all three groups. Thirty-six of 49 animals are alive 5-19 months post-entry. These results suggest that acemannan therapy may be of significant benefit in FIV-infected cats exhibiting clinical signs of disease.     

Evaluation of abomasal outflow diversion as an experimental model of hypochloremic, hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis in lactating cows.

Four adult, lactating dairy cows were subjected to diversion (loss) of gastric contents through a T-shaped cannula placed in the cranial part of the duodenum just distal to the pylorus. Diversion was continued for 10 to 12 hours, at which point the cows were very weak and depressed. The volume of effluent during this period ranged from 37.3 to 46.8 L, with the largest volume being produced during the first four hours. All cows became dehydrated, with mean packed cell volume and total plasma protein concentration increasing 30% and 19.6%, respectively, but with only a slight increase in plasma creatinine concentration. Plasma Cl- concentrations decreased from a mean of 97.3 mEq/L at the beginning of diversion to a mean of 87.2 mEq/L at eight hours. This was followed by a plateau or slight increase in concentrations over the final hours of diversion. Plasma K+ concentration followed a similar pattern, decreasing from a mean of 3.9 mEq/L to a mean of 2.94 mEq/L at six hours, followed by increasing values until termination of diversion. No changes in plasma Na+ concentration were noted, except for a mild decrease in one cow. Plasma calcium concentrations decreased significantly, reaching 6.6 +/- 0.6 mEq/L at the end of diversion. Venous pH, plasma HCO3- concentration, and plasma base excess concentration increased during the first four to eight hours of diversion, followed by a gradual decline. Although a mild hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis resulted from diversion of abomasal outflow in all cows, substantiated by a mild increase in plasma strong ion difference, the changes observed were not as great as expected.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Antibody response to crustacean ectoparasites in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), immunized with Argulus foliaceus L. antigen extract

Abstract. A humoral antibody response was demonstrated by ELISA in rainbow trout immunized intraperitoneally with extracts from the branchiuran ectoparasite Argulus foliaceus. A similar immunization protocol produced a higher titre response in a rabbit. Both trout and rabbit identified several antigenic components on immunoblots. ELISA and immunoblotting indicated that rainbow trout and rabbit anti-A. foliaceus sera identified components from the parasitic copepods Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus elongatus.     

Effects of dietary molybdenum on nematode and host during Haemonchus contortus infection in lambs.

The addition of molybdenum (0.05 mmol kg-1 dry-matter) to the diet of lambs given a trickle infection of Haemonchus contortus larvae (500 third stage larvae d-1 over six weeks) reduced mean faecal egg counts (epg) from 3952 to 2312 +/- 402 by 32 days (P less than 0.02) and greatly reduced the mean number of worms recovered from the abomasum 14 days after infection ceased (907 compared with 4167: P less than 0.01). Infection reduced haemoglobin concentrations less in lambs given molybdenum although the difference was small relative to the reduction in worm burden. Lambs not given molybdenum had low intraepithelial mast cell counts in the abomasal mucosa and less abomasal hypertrophy than expected from abomasal parasitism. Molybdenum did not consistently reduce the copper status of the host or the parasite. Previous exposure to molybdenum greatly reduced protein but not proteinase activity in, or secreted by, adult worms cultured for eight hours. It is suggested that molybdenum either increased the inflammatory response which preceded worm rejection or that it indirectly enhanced that reaction by reducing the effectiveness of copper-dependent, anti-inflammatory enzymes in the gastrointestinal mucosa.     

Behaviour of laying hens in a deep litter house

1. Flocks of medium hybrid laying hens were housed in a modified deep litter system; the house was divided into 2, 3 and 4 pens in three successive years. Flock size was 300 or 370 and stocking density varied from 3.4 to 10.7 birds/m2. Higher densities used were above those recommended by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). 2. A random sample of 100 birds was identified with individual tags in each of the 9 flocks; regular observations using a scanning technique were made in each laying cycle to determine bird location and behaviour. 3. In all flocks the use of area by some individuals was uneven, that is, they were sighted in certain areas significantly more often than would have been expected by chance. The proportion of such individuals varied between flocks from 35 to 65%. Overall, birds spent more time on the slatted area than would have been expected from the area that it occupied. 4. A wide variety of different behaviour patterns was observed both on litter and on slats, but with foraging occurring more on litter and feeding more on slats. 5. Movement appeared to be constrained by crowding, because time spent in locomotion decreased in approximately linear fashion with increased stocking density. This provides support for MAFF recommendations of limits on stocking density in deep litter houses.     

低、无毒农药防治花灌木主要刺吸式口器害虫

在查清天津市园林主要花灌木刺吸口器害虫桃粉蚜、绣线菊蚜、棉蚜和山楂红蜘蛛发生消长规律的基础上 ,确定了防治适期和结合点 ,筛选出 10 %吡虫啉、绿灵、蚧螨灵、 1. 8%齐螨素和花保5种低、无毒药剂 ,防效均达到 90 %以上。查出天敌 13种 ,并对优势种作了取食量调查