Renal threshold for urinary glucose excretion by tilapia in response to orally administered carbohydrates and injected glucose

Two experiments, oral carbohydrate administration (Experiment 1) and vein glucose injection (Experiment 2), were conducted to gain more insight into the ability of hybrid tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus × O. aureus, to utilize different carbohydrates and to establish the kidney threshold for urinary glucose excretion. In Experiment 1, both glucose and starch were administered orally after the tilapia were fasted for 24 h. Plasma and urine were sampled from the fish at selected time intervals from 1 to 24 h thereafter. Higher (p<0.05) plasma and urine glucose concentrations were found in fish fed on glucose than in fish fed on starch. The concentration of plasma glucose of tilapia peaked at 3 h (25.45 mM for glucose; 8.24 mM for starch) after the oral ingestion of both carbohydrates. Maximum urinary glucose concentrations (48 mM for glucose; 10 mM for starch) in fish fed glucose and starch were at 3 and 4 h post administration. In Experiment 2, five concentrations (0, 0.08, 0.12, 0.16 and 0.24 g glucose ml^–1) of glucose solution were injected into the caudal vein of the tilapia. Urine were sampled from the fish at 30-min time intervals from 0 to 6 h after the injection. Blood was sampled at 1 h after the injection. Higher urinary glucose concentrations were observed in fish injected with 0.12 g glucose ml^–1. When the urinary glucose concentrations in fish injected with the various glucose concentrations were plotted against the plasma glucose concentrations of the fish 1 h after injection, the kidney threshold for urinary glucose excretion in tilapia appeared to be about 6 mM.     

Seasonal variations of chemical constituents in the muscle and viscera of small abalone fed different diets

SUMMARY: The seasonal changes in levels of chemical constituents in the muscle and viscera of small abalone Haliotis diversicolor fed gracilar and an artificial diet were investigated. Muscle yields were higher in winter and spring. In October specimens, total adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP)-related compounds (ARC), total free amino acids (FAA), and glycogen in both muscle and viscera decreased markedly. The artificial diet fed to small abalone had much higher glycogen in the muscle than those fed on gracilar, and showed a great seasonal change. Total amounts of ARC in the muscles were higher through March to July, while those in the viscera were maximal in January. Taurine, arginine, glycine, glutamic acid, and alanine were the major FAA in both tissues, accounting for 81–94% of the total FAA. Total amounts of FAA in the muscles were higher in the samples collected from winter and early spring than in other seasons. Glycine, glutamic acid, and adenosine monophosphate might be the most important taste components related to the palatability of small abalone. Their total amounts in the muscles of the two specimens were considerably high in December to March. This finding suggested that small abalone produced in winter and early spring might be more palatable.     

Applications of fish nutrition research in aquaculture: the Taiwan experience

Fish is an important dietary animal protein in Taiwan. Fish production has increased from 20 000 tonnes (t) in 1938 to over 300 000 t today. The change in feed inputs from trash fish to formulated feeds enabled industrial production of fish food. Nutrition studies for shrimp began in the 1970s and continue today. Stable ascorbic acid derivatives have allowed industrial production of shrimp feeds and the development of the extensive production systems in Taiwan and elsewhere in Asia.     

Effects of intumescent formulation for acrylic-based coating on flame-retardancy of painted red lauan (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Parashorea</Emphasis> spp.) thin plywood

Acrylic emulsion based painted red lauan plywood (Parashorea spp.) is most commonly used for indoor furnishings. This study investigated the enhancement of the fire retardance of painted plywood by interaction among four major components of intumescent formulation: (1) acrylic emulsion resin as binder resin (BR), (2) pentaerythritol as carbonizing substance (CS), (3) melamine as foam producing substance (FPS) and (4) ammonium polyphosphate as dehydrating agent (DA). Effects of changing BR/CS ratios (designated as FRA series) and FPS/DA ratios (designated as FRM series) on flame-retardance of painted plywood were investigated using a cone calorimeter. The intumescent formulation significantly enhanced fire retardancy of painted plywood by exhibiting lower peak release rates and longer times to reach peak release rates, compared with uncoated plywood (UP) panel and plywood panel solely coated with acrylic emulsion resin. Lower BR content in the FRA series and lower FPS content in the FRM series were shown to enhance flame retardancy of painted plywood. The positive correlation between total heat release values under increasing combustion duration and incremental changes of BR and FPS contents in two series further verified the above findings. Consistent with the observed flame retardancy enhancement of painted plywood, lower heats of combustion and weight losses for paints in the FRM series were also identified by oxygen bomb calorimeter measurements and thermogravimetrical analysis. Infrared analysis of the chars indicated the formation of phosphate ester linkages with the lowest BR content in the FRA series and the lowest FPS content in the FRM series showing superior enhancements of flame retardancy for painted red lauan plywood.     

Replacement of Fishmeal with Soybean Meal in Male Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticusxO. aureus) Fingerling Diets at a Suboptimal Protein Level

A feeding trial was conducted to study the feasibility of using soybean meal (SBM) to replace fish meal (FM) as a protein source for tilapia feeds containing 24% dietary protein. Replacement levels were 0%, 33%, 67% and 100%. At each replacement level, methionine was either supplemented up to the amount that the 100% FM protein diet contained or not supplemented. The experiment was carried out for eight weeks in a recirculated water system. Fish fed diets in which 100% of the FM was replaced with SBM either with or without methionine supplementation had significantly ( P < 0.05) lower weight gain, feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio and protein digestibility than that of the groups fed the diets containing FM as the sole source of protein. Also, fish fed diets in which 67% and 33% of the FM was replaced with SBM did not differ significantly ( P > 0.05) from that of the control group. These data suggest that when dietary protein level was suboptimal (24%), up to 67% of the FM protein in tilapin feeds can be replaced by hexane-extracted SBM protein without any adverse effect on tilapia growth and feed conversion ratio.     

An abortion storm in cattle associated with neosporosis in Taiwan

An abortion storm associated with acute neosporosis involving 18 cattle was observed in a dairy farm in Taiwan. Aborted fetus age ranged from 3 to 8 months. Of the 38 cattle in that farm examined during the abortion storm, 52.6% (20/38), 13.2% (5/38) and 10.5% (4/38) contained both IgG and IgM, only IgG and only IgM antibodies to Neospora caninum, respectively. No antibody to N. caninum was detected prior to the abortion storm. Follow-up study conducted a year later showed that 23 out of 28 cattle had sero-converted. Since some cattle were positive to either only IgG or IgM, we suggest that both IgG and IgM should be tested for diagnosing neosporosis. Neosporosis surveillance of naive cattle herd is recommended.     

Polymorphisms in the promoter region of myostatin gene are associated with carcass traits in pigs

Higher average daily gain, more lean meat yield and less fat yield of porcine carcass increase selling profits for animal producers. Myostatin (MSTN), previously called GDF8, is a member of transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) superfamily. It is a negative regulator for both embryonic development and adult homeostasis of skeletal muscle. In this study, the genotypes of the previously described SNPs MSTN g.435G>A and g.447A>G SNPs in 66 Duroc pigs, 33 Landrace pigs, 180 Duroc × Landrace (DL) pigs and 155 Duroc × Yorkshire × Landrace (DYL) pigs were determined by Taqman SNP Genotyping Assays. For Duroc and Landrace pigs, MSTN g.435GG/g.447AA individual had greater backfat thickness (p < 0.05) than g.435AA/g.447GG individual, whereas MSTN g.435AA/g.447GG had greater meat (p < 0.05) and meat percentage (p < 0.05) than g.435GA/g.447AG individual. For DL and DYL pigs, the MSTN g.435GG/g.447AA animals were greater in backfat at ultrasound 10th rib (p < 0.05) and carcass 10th rib (p < 0.01) than g.435AA/g.447GG individual. The MSTN g.435AA/g.447GG individual also had higher values than g.435GG/g.447AA for anterior‐end meat (p < 0.05), posterior‐end meat (p < 0.01), total meat weight (p < 0.01) and meat percentage (p < 0.01). This study confirmed evidence that MSTN g.435G>A and g.447A>G affected carcass traits in pigs. The effects of the mutated alleles were additive with the maximal effects resulting from two copies of the mutated allele. Selection for MSTN g.435A/g.447G allele is expected to increase muscle of limb and total meat production and decrease backfat thickness.     

Establishment of the Long-Term In Vitro Culture System for Chicken Primordial Germ Cells

The objective of this study was to establish the long-term in vitro culture system for chicken gonadal primordial germ cells (gPGCs). Primitive gonads collected from 5.5-day-old chicken embryos were dissociated and explanted onto plates pre-coated with 0.1% gelatin. Each of the four different conditioned media from proliferating and mitotically inactivated chicken embryonic fibroblast (CEF) cells and murine embryonic fibroblasts (STO cells, CRL-1053, ATCC, USA), respectively, was supplemented with growth factors and used to support the growth of gPGCs. The result showed that all the conditioned media could promote the growth and colony formation of gPGCs in vitro , in particular the medium conditioned by inactivated CEF cells. The gPGC-derived colonies maintained in inactivated CEF cells-conditioned medium up to 281 days were positively stained by periodic acid Schiff reaction and antibodies specific to anti-SSEA-1, SSEA-3, SSEA-4, integrin α6 and integrin β1. Their capacities of migration via vascular system and taking up residence in the primary gonadal ridge were further demonstrated by transferring to the dorsal aorta of stage 17 recipient embryos. These results suggested that our culture system is able to maintain chicken gPGCs for long-term in vitro culture without losing their capacity to express pluripotent markers and to integrate into the gonads.