Effects of dietary vitamin K levels on bone quality in broilers.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary vitamin K (menadione) on bone quality in cage-raised broilers. Three hundred and sixty male broilers were randomly allotted to one of six treatments, with six replicate pens per treatment and 10 chicks per pen. Broilers were fed one of six diets including a control diet or the control diet plus graded levels of vitamin K (0.5 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg, 8 mg/kg, 32 mg/kg and 128 mg/kg). Water and feed were provided ad libitum during the 7-week experimental period. Results indicated that vitamin K supplementation of broilers diets significantly effected bone quality and feed efficiency. The treatment containing vitamin K at 8 mg/kg improved growth performance (during weeks 6-7) and bone quality (during weeks 0-3). In our study, hydroxyapatite binding capacity of serum osteocalcin (during weeks 0-3), bone breaking strength, bone flexibility, bone ash weight increased linearly (P < 0.05) and bone mineral density, bone mineral content increased quadratically (P < 0.05) with increasing supplementation of vitamin K. In conclusion, to gain optimum bone quality and broiler performance, our studies suggest that the concentration of vitamin K in broilers diets should be 8 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg, and 2 mg/kg, for the starter, grower and finisher phases, respectively. Furthermore, it was shown that the starter period is an important phase for improving bone quality. In addition, this study validated the mechanism of vitamin K effects on bone quality. Vitamin K boosts the carboxylation of osteocalcin and decreases the concentration of serum under-carboxylated osteocalcin enhancing hydroxyapatite binding capacity of serum osteocalcin and improving bone quality.     

银川地区羊肝中阿苯达唑(丙硫苯咪唑)残留情况的调查

阿苯达唑又称丙硫苯咪唑或丙硫咪唑，有时又称抗蠕敏，是目前国内常用的驱虫效果好、范围广、毒性较低的兽用驱虫药。随着家庭舍饲养羊规模的不断扩大，饲养者为了减少因寄生虫导致的死亡并增加育肥效果，常把阿苯达唑作为育肥前预防驱虫或寄生虫病治疗的首选药，出现了滥用或超剂量使用的现