Cartilage proteoglycans from normal and osteochondrotic porcine joints.

Modern pigs grow fast but are highly susceptible to degenerative joint abnormalities, including osteochondrosis. Normal and osteochondrotic humeri and femurs were obtained from five normal and ten lame adolescent boars to study cartilage proteoglycans. Histological examination of joints indicated a locally-reduced intensity of proteoglycan staining by safranin-O in lesion areas of cartilage. Cartilage proteoglycans extracted with 4.0 M guanidinium chloride were studied using Sepharose 2B gel chromatography. The proteoglycans from severely osteochondrotic joints were less (P less than 0.05) aggregated and contained a greater (P less than 0.05) proportion of smaller monomers than those from normal joints. Loss or damage of core protein, including its hyaluronic acid-binding regions, may account for the greater proportion of small monomers. The results also indicated that the proportion of hyaluronic acid in the total glycosaminoglycan uronic acid fraction, estimated by Sephadex G-200 chromatography and cellulose acetate electrophoresis, was lower (P less than 0.05) for the extracted proteoglycans than for the residual or the whole cartilage proteoglycans in all joints studied.     

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and -II and IGF binding proteins in serum and mammary secretions during the dry period and early lactation in dairy cows.

Concentrations of IGF-I and IGF-II, and IGF binding proteins (IGFBP) in serum and mammary gland secretions were surveyed during the dry period and early lactation of 30 Holstein cows. Although there was a threefold drop in the concentration of IGF-I in serum from the last week of the dry period to parturition (81 +/- 7 to 24 +/- 3 ng/ml, P less than .01), there was no significant change in serum IGF-II concentration during this period (150 +/- 17 vs 173 +/- 13 ng/ml, P greater than .05). Furthermore, a 57% increase in serum IGF-I was observed from the last week of lactation to the second week of drying off (100 +/- 5 to 157 +/- 8 ng/ml, P less than .05). Changes in serum IGF-II were not observed (126 +/- 11 vs 150 +/- 10 ng/ml, respectively; P greater than .05). Although IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGFBP concentrations in mammary secretions peaked 2 wk before parturition (2.95 +/- 1.1, 1.83 +/- .6, and 7.27 +/- .76 micrograms/ml, respectively), total output/quarter was highest in colostrum (394 +/- 119, 295 +/- 132, and 2,680 +/- 1,967 micrograms/quarter, respectively). Weekly milking of two individual quarters during the dry period did not affect (P greater than .05) IGF-I or IGF-II concentration (ng/ml) or total output (microgram/quarter) and milk yield in colostrum and milk (2 wk and 7 wk) compared with the ipsilateral quarter. The data support the hypothesis that IGF-I may be transported by the mammary gland epithelium. Furthermore, the secretion mechanisms of IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGFBP by the gland may be related to each other.     

Effect of whole-body potassium depletion on plasma, erythrocyte, and middle gluteal muscle potassium concentration of healthy, adult horses.

The effects of whole-body potassium depletion induced by food deprivation on plasma, erythrocyte, and middle gluteal muscle K concentrations was quantified in 16 healthy, adult horses before, during, and at the end of a 7-day period of food deprivation during which water and sodium chloride were available ad libitum. Potassium concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Plasma K concentration remained constant (3.49 +/- 0.09 mM K/L of plasma; mean +/- SEM) throughout the study. Erythrocyte potassium concentration decreased from 93.10 +/- 1.94 mM K/L of erythrocytes on day 0 to 88.63 +/- 2.39 mM K/L of erythrocytes on day 2 (decrease of 4.8%; P less than 0.05) and thereafter did not change. The K concentration of the middle gluteal muscle decreased from 91.06 +/- 2.96 microM K/g of muscle (wet weight) to 79.61 +/- 2.09 microM K/g of muscle (decrease of 12.6%; P less than 0.05) on day 4 and decreased further on day 7 to 73.62 +/- 1.85 microM K/g of muscle (decrease of 19.2%; P less than 0.05). There was no correlation between the plasma and erythrocyte K concentrations (r = -0.066), the erythrocyte and middle gluteal muscle K concentrations (r = 0.167), or the plasma and middle gluteal muscle potassium concentrations (r = -0.018). The water content of the middle gluteal muscle remained constant (73.23 +/- 0.36%) throughout the study. Erythrocyte membrane potential did not change (-99.26 +/- 0.87 mV) during the study, whereas the magnitude of the membrane potential of the middle gluteal muscle decreased from -105.84 +/- 1.67 mV on day 0 to -100.93 +/- 2.10 mV on day 7 (P less than 0.05).     

Feeding behaviour in chickens given diets containing medium chain triglyceride

1. The effect of dietary medium chain triglyceride (MCT) on short‐term food intake was compared with the effect of long chain triglyceride (LCT) in chickens. Maize oil was used as the LCT while glyceryl tricaprylate (C 8) and glyceryl tricaprate (C 10) were used as MCT. Cumulative food intake was determined during the 6 h after the start of feeding.

2. Chicks were given diets containing 200 g C 8/kg diet, 200 g C 10/kg diet or 200 g LCT/kg diet in experiment 1. As early as 30 min after feeding, cumulative food intake in both MCT‐supplemented diets decreased significantly compared with the diet containing LCT.

3. To determine if endogenous cholecystokinin (CCK) was responsible for the decrease in food intake caused by MCT, birds were injected with the CCK‐A receptor antagonist devazepide (DVZ, 1 mg/kg BW) before diet presentation. DVZ had no effect on food intake with either LCT‐ or MCT‐supplemented diets.

4. In experiment 3, chicks were given a choice between either diets containing LCT and C 8, LCT and C 10, or C 8 and C 10 to confirm whether or not the palatability of the diets was influenced by the dietary fat sources. There was no difference in food intake between C 8 and C 10‐supplemented diets. However, chicks preferred the LCT‐supplemented diet compared with either of the diets containing MCT.     

Effect of ractopamine on growth, carcass traits, and fasting heat production of U.S. contemporary crossbred and Chinese Meishan pure- and crossbred pigs.

Twenty-four U.S. crossbred (Duroc x White composite; D x Wc; 83.9 kg), 24 purebred Meishan (M; 59.4 kg), and 24 Meishan x White composite crossbred (M x Wc; 83.4 kg) barrows were allotted within genotype to a 16% CP corn-soybean meal diet or this basal diet + 20 ppm of ractopamine and allowed ad libitum access to feed for 52 d. No genotype x ractopamine interactions were detected (P greater than .05) in pigs for growth, lean cuts, ham and loin characteristics, leaf fat and visceral organ weights, fasting whole-animal heat production, and carcass traits except longissimus muscle area (LMA). The LMA was increased by ractopamine in D x Wc and M x Wc pigs (P less than .05) but not in M pigs. Compared with D x Wc and M x Wc pigs, M pigs had lower ADG, ADFI, and gain to feed ratio (G/F), shorter carcasses, and lower dressing percentage, LMA, predicted amount of muscle, weights of trimmed picnic, loin, and ham cuts, percentage of ham lean, and CP in ham lean, but heavier liver, kidneys, pancreas, and entire gastrointestinal tract with greater percentage of ham fat and ham bone (P less than .05). The M x Wc pigs had lower ADG, G/F, dressing percentage, LMA, amount of muscle, weights of trimmed cuts, and percentage of ham lean but heavier lungs, pancreas, stomach, and large intestine than did D x Wc pigs (P less than .05). Supplemental ractopamine increased ADG, G/F, dressing percentage, amount of muscle, trimmed loin weight, percentage of ham lean, and CP in ham lean and decreased weights of heart, lungs, kidneys, and pancreas in pigs (P less than .05). Neither genotype nor ractopamine had any effect on 4- to 24-h postprandial whole-animal heat production of pigs (P greater than .05). These results indicate that ractopamine will improve growth performance and carcass leanness in pure- and crossbred Meishan pigs.     

Comparison of fractional excretion and 24-hour urinary excretion of sodium and potassium in clinically normal cats and cats with induced chronic renal failure.

The influence of induced chronic renal failure on 24-hour urinary excretion and fractional excretion of sodium and potassium was studied in cats. Induction of chronic renal failure significantly increased fractional excretion of potassium (P less than 0.0001) and sodium (P less than 0.05); however, 24-hour urinary excretion of sodium and potassium decreased slightly following induction of chronic renal failure. Fractional excretion and 24-hour urinary excretion of sodium and potassium were compared by linear regression in clinically normal cats, cats with chronic renal failure, and clinically normal and affected cats combined. In clinically normal cats, linear regression revealed only moderate correlation between fractional excretion and 24-hour urinary excretion for sodium and potassium. Linear regression of these same relationships in cats with chronic renal failure, and in clinically normal cats and cats with chronic renal failure combined, indicated low correlation. Fractional excretions of sodium and potassium were not reliable indicators of 24-hour urinary excretion of these electrolytes in cats with chronic renal failure or unknown glomerular filtration rate. Fractional excretion of potassium and sodium correlated only moderately with 24-hour urinary excretion in clinically normal cats.     

Cerebellar degeneration in dairy calves: clinical, pathologic, and serologic features of an epizootic caused by bovine viral diarrhea virus

Three of nine dairy calves born in the spring/summer wee severely ataxic at birth. Necropsy of the 3 affected calves revealed severe cerebellar degeneration (hypoplasia). Clinical signs were inapparent in the adult cows. Serum neutralization titers of the cows and calves indicated high bovine viral diarrhea titers.     

The Effects of Cesarean Section Anesthesia on Heat Loss and Heat Production in the Newborn Rabbit

The newborn of some smaller animals rely upon heat produced by nonshivering thermogenesis in the brown fat to prevent a fall in body temperature after birth. Because of their pharmacological properties, some drugs may affect nonshivering thermogenesis. Therefore, in this study, the ability of newborn rabbits delivered under Innovar-Vet, ketamine hydrochloride, methoxyflurane and epidural anesthesia to maintain the rectal, subcutaneous interscapular and lumbar temperature was investigated at an ambient temperature of 35°C or 22°C and the results compared with control newborns delivered without anesthesia. When the newborns were exposed to 35°C, the anesthetics studied had no effect on the ability of the newborn to maintain the rectal temperature and the subcutaneous temperature over the interscapular fat pad was similar to the lumbar subcutaneous temperature thereby indicating that nonshivering thermogenesis was not activated. However, at an ambient temperature of 22°C Innovar-Vet or methoxyflurane reduced the temperature difference between interscapular and lumbar temperatures to 1.6°C compared to 2.5°C in controls and the difference between core temperature and ambient temperature to 3.5°C greater compared to 7.5°C in controls. Ketamine hydrochloride or lidocaine hydrochloride plus meperidine has less effect because these compounds lack adrenergic blocking properties. These data suggest that newborns delivered under anesthetics or tranquillizers that have adrenergic blocking properties require a warm (35°C) environment to prevent a fall in core temperature.