Serum protein electrophoresis in retired racing Greyhounds

BACKGROUND: Retired racing Greyhounds are becoming common as pets. Because of their unique physiology, results of routine laboratory tests are frequently outside the reference interval for dogs. Compared with other breeds, Greyhounds have low serum protein concentrations, but the concentrations of different serum protein fractions have not been reported. OBJECTIVES: Our objectives were to evaluate the results of serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) in healthy, retired racing Greyhounds and compare them with a control group of age- and gender-matched non-Greyhound dogs. METHODS: Agarose gel electrophoresis was done using a standard method; the gels were stained with amido black and scanned with a Cliniscan 2 densitometer (Helena Laboratories, Beaumont, TX, USA). Protein fractions were identified by visual inspection of the electrophoretogram. A Student's t-test assuming equal variances was used to compare the concentration of the different fractions between groups. RESULTS: The concentrations of total protein, total globulins, and alpha-1-, alpha-2-, beta-1-, and beta-2-globulins were significantly lower and the albumin to globulin (A:G) ratio was significantly higher in Greyhounds than in non-Greyhound dogs (P < .05). There was no significant difference in albumin or gamma-globulin concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Low serum protein concentrations in Greyhounds are the result of low concentrations of a- and b-globulins. These results should be kept in mind when evaluating both healthy and sick Greyhounds. Additional studies are needed to identify the individual proteins associated with low alpha- and beta-globulin concentrations in Greyhounds.     

营养水平对仔猪断奶综合征的影响

试验选取杜×长×大三元杂交仔猪,随机分为2个处理组,每个处理3个重复,每个重复10头仔猪.试验组饲喂5008配合日粮.对照组饲喂5000配合日粮.针对仔猪断奶综合征的表现特征,分别测定各组猪生长性能和腹泻率等指标.试验结果表明,饲粮中合有高水平的蛋白质及能量对断奶仔猪有促生长作用,可缓解仔猪断奶综合征的发生.     

五龙鹅早期血浆总蛋白质消长规律与成分研究

本试验选用五龙鹅蛋用系与快长系各150只进行网床育肥试验,测定血浆总蛋白质含量,并进行PAGE电泳。结果显示:初生雏鹅血浆总蛋白质含量较高,随着日龄(1~90 d)增加呈先下降后升高趋势,以对数函数和抛物线函数分段拟合效果较佳,R2为0.9445、0.9568;血浆总蛋白质含量在性别间差异不显著,品系间差异显著。PAGE电泳结果表明:血浆中蛋白质种类在品系、性别间没有差异,随日龄的增加亦没有条带变化。清蛋白含量的变化是引起血浆总蛋白质含量变化的主要因素。     

不同品种类型玉米不同器官和全株生物产量比较

本试验旨在比较不同品种类型玉米(Zea mays)不同器官和全株的生物产量,以提高玉米定向培育的选择效率。选择32种具有代表性的玉米优良品种为试验材料,根据淀粉性质、籽实外形、成熟性质和用途4种分类方法,分别对完熟期玉米的籽实、玉米芯、苞叶、叶片、叶鞘、茎秆及全株的鲜物质、风干物质、干物质以及粗蛋白质和总能产量进行比较。每个品种选择5个地块,每个地块选取10株玉米。结果表明:玉米的籽实、玉米芯、苞叶、叶片、叶鞘、茎秆和全株的鲜物质、风干物质、干物质、粗蛋白质和总能产量不同品种类型间差异均显著(P0.05)。根据淀粉性质、籽实外形和成熟性质分类不足以区别不同品种类型玉米的不同器官和全株生物产量(P0.05)。按用途分类,不同品种类型玉米不同器官和全株生物产量(玉米籽实的风干物质、干物质和总能产量除外)均差异显著(P0.05),表现为饲用玉米红粒玉米普通玉米糯玉米。对广泛种植的普通玉米和饲用玉米进行比较,设定普通玉米产量为100.0%,则饲用玉米籽实、玉米芯、苞叶、叶片、叶鞘、茎秆和全株的鲜物质产量分别为121.9%、164.2%、175.5%、149.0%、151.7%、168.8%和149.9%;风干物质产量分别为107.9%、143.7%、155.1%、139.4%、126.1%、162.0%和129.1%;干物质产量分别为107.5%、143.4%、155.0%、139.5%、125.7%、162.0%和129.21%;粗蛋白质产量分别为119.0%、142.9%、181.5%、161.6%、122.0%、137.4%和131.7%;总能产量分别为107.7%、143.8%、155.0%、139.4%、126.1%、162.0%和129.1%。玉米籽实干物质、粗蛋白质和总能产量占玉米全株的比例,普通玉米分别为47.75%、57.87%和48.49%,饲用玉米分别为39.72%、52.36%和40.48%。由此得出,普通玉米全株饲喂是"粮改饲"的最基本的策略,而饲用玉米籽实和全株生物产量都高于普通玉米,种植饲用玉米可以增加30%左右的土地利用。     

No easy solution for the fractionation of faecal nitrogen in captive wild herbivores: results of a pilot study

Faecal nitrogen (FN) concentration is used as a marker for habitat quality and digestive efficiency in free‐ranging herbivores. In herbivores, FN can be separated into undigested plant N (analysed as the N concentration of the neutral detergent residue) and metabolic faecal N (MFN). It has been suggested that by differential analysis of the faecal fibre‐bound N, the MFN fraction can be further split into a bacterial N and an endogenous N fraction [Hesta et al., Br. J. Nutr. 90 (2003) 1007]. We applied these methods to 96 faecal samples of 48 mammalian herbivore species from zoos. Species were grouped into coprophageous and non‐coprophageous hindgut fermenters and ruminating and non‐ruminating foregut fermenters. Diet was not controlled. The FN decreased with body mass, possibly reflecting higher proportions of concentrates in diets of smaller animals. The proportion of MFN increased with FN, indicating that higher quality food might enhance the gastrointestinal bacterial flora. The only outlier to this pattern was the lesser panda (Ailurus fulgens), confirming the low relevance of fermentative digestion in this herbivorous ‘carnivore’. No relevant differences between the four digestion types were noted. The proportion of endogenous faecal N (32–80% of FN) was always higher than that of bacterial faecal N (7–30%), which contradicts basal understanding of herbivore digestive physiology. Thus, the method of Hesta et al. (2003) does not appear applicable to herbivores. While the results do not exclude the possibility that detailed differences might occur between digestion types, they indicate a high degree of similarity between herbivores that rely on bacterial fermentation, regardless of their digestion type, with respect to metabolic faecal losses.     

固态发酵复方中药防治奶牛乳房炎的效果及对生产性能的影响

本研究采用枯草芽胞杆菌和产朊假丝酵母按等比例制作固态发酵复方中药,并对复方中药发酵前后对奶牛乳房炎及生产性能的影响进行了对比分析.结果表明,与空白组相比,复方中药发酵前后均可显著降低奶牛乳房炎的发病率(P＜0.05),可提高牛奶的乳蛋白率(P＞0.05)和乳脂率(P＞0.05),可显著提高奶牛产奶量(P＜0.05),添加复方中药制剂组和发酵的复方中药制剂组的产奶量分别较空白组提高了0.72kg/d和2.64kg/d;经发酵后的复方中药制剂在降低奶牛乳房炎发病率、改善乳品质和增加产奶量等方面的效果均优于未发酵的复方中药制剂(即普通中药制剂);复方中药经发酵后,有利于提高中药的利用率及药理活性.     

补饲对湘东黑山羊血液生化指标的影响

采用32只3～4月龄的湘东黑山羊,研究三种不同补饲水平对其血液生化指标的影响.设1个对照组与3个试验组,试验组平均补饲量依次按100 g/d、200 g/d、300 g/d.结果表明:肥育羔羊的血清尿素氮、钙、无机磷与总蛋白含量在各组间的变化范围依次是:19.77 mg/dL～20.98 mg/dL、8.28 mg/dL～10.52 mg/dL、4.14 mg/dL～4.80 mg/dL、72.53 g/L～81.33 g/L.     

A recombinant-based ELISA evaluating the efficacy of netobimin and albendazole in ruminants with naturally acquired fascioliasis

The therapeutic efficacy of albendazole and netobimin in ruminants with naturally occurring fascioliasis was investigated using a recombinant-based ELISA. The variation in the IgG response against a 2.9-kDa recombinant protein (FhrAPS), termed efficacy index (EI) 1, and the egg-output changes, termed EI 2, were used to evaluate drug efficacy.The values of EI 1 ranged between 0% and 50% in sheep, and between 0% and 30% in cattle after treatment with albendazole and netobimin. Similar EI 2 values were observed in sheep receiving albendazole or netobimin, but the highest values were found in cattle treated with netobimin. The significant reduction in the IgG response to FhrAPS found in this study shows promise in terms of developing alternative methods for evaluating the efficacy of chemotherapy against Fasciola hepatica in grazing ruminants.     

Effects of oocyte-derived growth factors on the growth of porcine oocytes and oocyte–cumulus cell complexes in vitro

During oocyte growth and follicle development, oocytes closely communicate with cumulus cells. We examined the effects of oocyte-derived growth factors, growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15), on the growth and acquisition of meiotic competence of porcine oocytes collected from early antral follicles (1.2–1.5 mm). First, we confirmed that GDF9 and BMP15 mRNAs were expressed almost exclusively in the oocytes. Oocyte–cumulus cell complexes (OCCs) collected from early antral follicles were cultured in growth medium supplemented with 0–100 ng/ml of GDF9 or BMP15 for 5 days. GDF9 dose-dependently increased the OCC diameter, while BMP15 did not. GDF9 and BMP15 had no significant effects on oocyte growth (P > 0.05). When OCCs that had been cultured with 50 and 100 ng/ml BMP15 were subjected to a subsequent maturation culture, they expanded fully by gonadotropic stimulation and 49% and 61% of oocytes matured to metaphase II (MII), respectively. In contrast, GDF9 did not promote cumulus expansion, and < 10% of oocytes matured to MII. Based on the difference in cumulus expansion, we compared the expression of luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) and follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) mRNAs in cumulus cells. The level of LHCGR mRNA was increased in cumulus cells of the BMP15 group, although there were no significant differences in FSHR mRNA levels among the groups. These results suggest that GDF9 promotes the growth of OCCs and that BMP15 promotes LHCGR mRNA expression in cumulus cells during oocyte growth culture, which may contribute to cumulus expansion and oocyte maturation.     

The effect of different food types and rations on the liver and muscle of cod (Gadus morhua L.)

In a short time feeding experiment it was shown that the liver weight of cod was significantly reduced in prawn-fed cod compared to sand-eel-fed cod. The dry weight and the protein content of the muscle were not significantly reduced. It is concluded that short time energy deprivation of cod primarily affects the liver. The results futher support the view that the food type and ration of cod can produce anomalous effects in field studies of e.g. parasite induced liver weight decrease in cod.