Long-term cattle manure application in soil

Studies were conducted to investigate the effects of long-term management practices on level and distribution of soil P and enzyme activities involved in P transformations in soil. Treatments included manure, P, NP, NPK, and NPK plus lime. Cattle manure was applied every 4 years at 269 kg N ha^-1 for over a century and chemical fertilizers were applied every year at 67 kg N, 14.6 kg P, and 28 kg K ha^-1 for over 69 years. Total soil P increase in soils ranged from 4.5 to 10.3 kg P ha^-1 year^-1 with the highest increase detected in the P-treated and the lowest in the manure-treated plot. Approximately 77-86% of the applied inorganic fertilizer-P in the past 69-71 years was recovered either in the harvested grain or remained in the top 30 cm of soil, while only 32% of the applied manure-P was recovered. Microbial biomass C and activities of alkaline phosphomonoesterase, phosphodiesterase, inorganic pyrophosphatase, and dehydrogenase were significantly higher in the soil treated with cattle manure. Acid phosphomonoesterase activity, however, was significantly higher in soils treated with chemical fertilizers. Results from this study suggested that manure-P is relatively more mobile than inorganic fertilizer-P. Long-term application of cattle manure promoted microbiological activities and P cycling, but did not result in P accumulation to levels close to those in inorganic P fertilizer-treated soils.     

Rocky Mountain ecosystems: diversity, complexity and interactions

The interior west of North America provides many opportunities to study ecosystem responses to climate change, biological diversity and management of disturbance regimes. These ecosystem responses are not unique to the Rocky Mountains, but they epitomize similar scientific problems throughout North America. Better management of these ecosystems depends on a thorough understanding of the underlying biology and ecological interactions of the species that occupy the diverse habitats of this region. This review highlights progress in research to understand aspects of this complex ecosystem.     

Equol,a Blood–Brain Barrier Permeable Gut Microbial Metabolite of Dietary Isoflavone Daidzein,Exhibits Neuroprotective Effects against Neurotoxins Induced Toxicity in Human Neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y Cells and Caenorhabditis elegans

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Emerging data support that plant food based isoflavones have ameliorating effects on a variety of neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease...     

Evaluation of a radioimmunoassay for type III procollagen peptide in the dog

Type III procollagen peptide (P-3-P) is a serum marker for hepatic fibrosis in humans. The utility of a commercially available radioimmunoassay for P-3-P was evaluated in the dog. The specificity of the assay was assessed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of canine serum and purified bovine P-3-P, followed by Western immunoblotting with rabbit aniti-P-3-P serum. The sensitivity was assessed by performing the radioimmunoassay on dilutions of sera from 22 dogs. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of purified bovine P-3-P and sera from two dogs suspected of having elevated P-3-P concentrations revealed no homologous bands of staining. Western immunoblotting showed marked cross-reactivity of the high antisera concentrations with several components of the serum proteins, but none corresponding to the purified P-3-P. All tested sera from dogs had minimal competitive binding with radiolabeled P-3-P in the radioimmunoassay. Dilution curves of dog sera did not parallel either the standard curve or the dilution curve of a known test human serum. There were no statistically different P-3-P concentrations in any of the groups of dogs studied. It was concluded that currently available radioimmunoassay kits for the measurement of P-3-P in the human are not applicable in the dog. Seemingly, the structure or metabolism of canine P-3-P may vary significantly from that of the bovine or human, limiting the sensitivity and specificity of this assay in the dog.     

Field studies with convalescent serum and infectious bursal disease vaccine to control turkey coryza

Convalescent serum given to 1-day-old poults delayed clinical signs of turkey coryza by several days and reduced mortality on infected farms. Turkey breeders immunized with cell-culture-adapted infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) or turkey infectious bursal disease virus (TIBDV) had a marked increase in virus-neutralization (VN) antibody titers. The VN antibody titer was significantly higher in progeny poults than in poults from unimmunized breeders. Clinical turkey coryza and mortality was considerably less in poults from IBD- or TIBD-vaccinated breeders than in control poults. They also responded more favorably to hemorrhagic enteritis and fowl cholera vaccination.     

Cytochemical properties of chicken blood cells resembling both thrombocytes and lymphocytes

Generally accepted criteria were used to identify typical nucleated thrombocytes and typical small lymphocytes in chicken-blood smears subjected to modified-Wright staining. Other cells, here referred to as "intermediate cells," were difficult to classify because in some aspects they resembled thrombocytes while they also had features typical of small lymphocytes. The "intermediate cells" had small, round or oval nuclei with coarsely condensed chromatin, characteristic of both thrombocytes and small lymphocytes. In addition, "intermediate cells" had moderately abundant cytoplasmic volumes, typical of thrombocytes but blue cytoplasm lacking both granules and vacuoles, which is characteristic of small lymphocytes. It made little difference to the thrombocyte count whether these cells were classified as thrombocytes or small lymphocytes; however, this decision made a substantial difference to the lymphocyte count in some chicken-blood smears. Most "intermediate cells" (351 of 410 cells examined) were nonfluorescent after treatment with formaldehyde gas. Furthermore, most "intermediate cells" failed to acquire characteristic pigments when subjected to either Grimelius staining (179 of 204 cells examined) or periodic acid-Schiff staining (173 of 206 cells examined). Typical small lymphocytes reacted in the same way, failing to fluoresce after gaseous formaldehyde treatment (65 of 65 cells examined) and failing to react during Grimelius staining (41 of 44 cells examined) or periodic acid-Schiff staining (21 of 21 cells examined). In contrast, almost all typical thrombocytes became fluorescent in response to gaseous formaldehyde (709 of 718 cells examined) and gave positive reactions when subjected to Grimelius staining (381 of 382 cells examined) or periodic acid-Schiff staining (322 of 326 cells examined). These findings suggested that "intermediate cells" should be classified as lymphocytes in differential cell counts.     

Effect of level of protein and supplemental choline on reproductive performance of gilts fed sorghum diets

A total of 214 gilts was used (two trials) to determine the effect of protein level and choline supplementation during gestation on weight gain, conception rate and subsequent reproductive performance. The gilts were fed either a 12 or 16% crude protein sorghum-soybean meal diet containing either a high supplemental choline level or no supplemental choline in a 2 X 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Conception rate was not influenced by either protein or choline level. Choline supplementation increased pig weight at 42 d of age (P less than .14) and litter weight at 21 (P less than .12) and 42 d (P less than .1). Gilts fed the 16% protein diet produced larger pigs at 42 d (P less than .13) and heavier litters at birth, (P less than .1) 21 d (P less than .14) and 42 d (P less than .05) than gilts fed the 12% protein diet. A larger choline effect on litter size and pig and litter weight was observed for gilts fed the 12% protein diet than for those fed the 16% gestation diet, although the protein-choline interaction was not significant for any traits measured. The incidence of spraddle leg condition was low and was not affected by level of dietary protein or supplemental choline.     

The importance of adrenocortical steroids in the pathogenesis of ketosis in diabetic guinea pigs (Caviae porcellus)

The roles of adrenocortical steroids in the pathogenesis of diabetic ketosis were investigated in guinea pigs. Groups of normal and Streptozotocin-induced diabetic animals were either given saline as a control, methylprednisilone as an exogenous steroid, or adrenocorticotrophin to stimulate endogenous steroid production. Plasma and urine ketone determinations were made daily for six days at which time animals were necropsied. The qualitative procedure used failed to detect ketonemia, and ketonuria was only found in diabetic guinea pigs treated with steroids. The results support the hypothesis that the absence of ketosis in spontaneously diabetic guinea pigs may be the result of a relative glucocorticoid insufficiency secondary to fatty degeneration of the adrenal glands, a common lesion in spontaneously diabetic guinea pigs.     

Cell-mediated immune responses in cattle adult-vaccinated with Brucella abortus strain 19 and in cattle infected with Brucella abortus field strain.

Cell-mediated immune responses in cattle adult-vaccinated with Brucella abortus strain 19, cattle infected with B abortus field strain, and nonexposed cattle were studied by an in vitro lumphocyte-stimulation test (LST). Lymphocytes were prepared from peripheral bovine blood by the Ficoll-diatrizoate technique, and results were assayed for [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA by liquid scintillation spectrometry. Serotests and bacteriologic isolation attempts were conducted simultaneously with LST. Lymphocytes from cattle infected with field strains had significantly (P = 0.01) higher specific lymphocyte-stimulation inexposed controls. The LST, the serum standard-tube agglutination test (STT), the Rivanol (RIV) test, and the complement-fixation (CF) test correctly classified cattle from which field strains and strain 19 of B abortus were isolated. The LST was negative in cattle vaccinated with B abortus strain 19 (nonshedding), but the three serotests had many false-positive reactions. The CF test had the least false-positive reaction, followed by the RIV test, and the STT was the least specific. Well before the three serotests became positive, the LST was positive in samples from some cattle during the incubation period of the infection. There was little or no correlation between cell-mediated immune responses (as measured by LST) and serum antibody responses (as measured by STT, RIV test, and CF test) in vaccinated but culture-negative cattle and in some nonvaccinated cattle during the incubation period.     

Isolation of avian influenza virus (subtype H5N2) from chicken eggs during a natural outbreak

Avian influenza virus (A/Chicken/Pennsylvania/83; H5N2) was recovered from the yolk, albumen, and shell surface of eggs obtained from naturally infected chicken flocks in Pennsylvania and Virginia. These findings represent the first reported isolation of avian influenza virus from the internal contents of eggs from naturally infected flocks. The need for adequate safeguards to prevent spread of the virus during commercial movement of table and hatching eggs, cracked and "checked" eggs, and egg flats and other materials is emphasized.