Dexamethasone and flumethasone residues in milk of intramuscularly dosed cows

A field study was performed to assess the level of drug residues in milk after therapeutic application of highly potent synthetic glucocorticoids. Dexamethasone was tested either as a crystalline suspension or as a combination of sodium phosphate and phenylpropionate esters. Intramuscular injection of these preparations in lactating dairy cows (60 μg dexamethasone/kg body wt) yielded drug residues in milk of up to 8.4 ng/mL 12 h after treatment. These dexamethasone residues fell to below 1.0 ng/mL within 3 days after treatment. Intramuscular injection of an aqueous flumethasone preparation (13.5 μg/kg body wt) produced drug residues in milk in the range of 0.7-1.2 ng/mL 12 h after treatment, whereas flumethasone was below the detection limit of 0.23 ng/mL 2 days after administration. These results indicate that toxicologically significant residues may arise transiently in the milk during the first 2-3 days after intramuscular injection of synthetic glucocorticoids. Urine from the same animals contained 5- to 50-fold higher glucocorticoid concentrations than the corresponding milk samples. Thus, urine analysis appears to be an effective method to monitor the use of synthetic glucocorticoids in food producing animals.     

Quantification of momilactone B in rice hulls and the phytotoxic potential of rice extracts on the seed germination of Alisma plantago‐aquatica

The occurrence of herbicide‐resistant weeds has boosted interest in the use of crop allelopathy as a potential alternative to herbicides for weed control in rice (Oryza sativa). The phytotoxic compounds that are released by rice could help to enhance its competitive ability and improve weed management. This study aimed to screen rice genotypes for phytotoxic activity, quantify the amount of momilactone B in various rice tissues, and identify the potential parental lines for quantitative trait locus analysis. Therefore, a total of 41 cultivars from germplasm collections was evaluated for their effects. Significant differences were found among the rice cultivars in their ability to reduce the germination, root growth, and root dry weight accumulation of Alisma plantago‐aquatica. The leaf extract was the most inhibitory to germination. Out of the five cultivars that were tested, momilactone B was detected in four of them: Marateli, Kizilirmak, Karadeniz, and Kiziltan. Karadeniz and Kiziltan were identified as the rice cultivars with a high momilactone B content in the tissues and therefore they could be used in breeding programs to enhance the phytotoxic potential of rice. The development of a rice cultivar with proven allelopathic characteristics could provide an environmentally friendly and low‐cost approach for the control of A. plantago‐aquatica.     

Effects of dietary arginine silicate inositol complex on mineral status in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Arginine silicate inositol complex (ASI; arginine 49.47 g kg^?1, silicon 8.2 g kg^?1, inositol 25 g kg^?1), a novel composition that is a bioavailable source of silicon and arginine, has potential benefits for vascular and bone health. We have previously reported that bone mineral content increased and the amount of Ca, P, Mg and Mn in the excreta decreased in poultry with ASI supplementation. In the present study, the effect of ASI supplementation at various levels (0, 500, 1000 mg kg^–1 ASI) on growth, feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and concentrations of body elements, operculum bone ash and activity of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in rainbow trout was evaluated. Ninety 0+ year‐old rainbow trout with initial average weight of 50 ± 3 g were randomly assigned to three treatment groups, three replicates of 10 fish each. The fish were fed either a basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with either 500 or 1000 mg of ASI. Body weight gain (P = 0.25), feed intake (P = 0.36) and feed efficiency (P = 0.42) were not signifcantly influenced by the dietary ASI supplementation. Per cent operculum bone ash (634 g kg^?1 versus 558 g kg^?1, P = 0.001) and ALP activity (112 UL^–1 versus 92 UL^–1, P = 0.001) linearly increased as dietary ASI supplementation increased. Increasing dietary ASI supplementation linearly increased serum and whole body Ca (P = 0.01), P (P = 0.01), Mg (P = 0.05; P = 0.001) Mn (P = 0.05; P = 0.01) and Zn (P = 0.01; P = 0.02) concentrations respectively. In conclusion, ASI supplementation to the basal diet significantly improved operculum bone ash and whole body mineral content in rainbow trout and did not impact feed consumption, weight gain or FCR.     

The effects of dietary organic or inorganic selenium in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) under crowding conditions

In the present study, the effects of different sources of selenium (Se; sodium selenite or selenomethionine) supplementation on the growth and serum concentrations of oxidative stress markers [malondialdehyde (MDA), 8‐isoprostane, glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) activity] and muscle Se, MDA and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) levels in rainbow trouts were evaluated. The fish (n = 360; 0 + years old) with initial average weight of 20 ± 0.8 g were randomly assigned to 12 treatment groups consisting of 3 replicates of 10 fish each in a 2 × 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments (stocking densities, Se sources, Se levels). The fish were kept at low (25 kg m^?3) or high (100 kg m^?3) stocking densities and fed a basal (control) diet or the basal diet supplemented with either 0.15 or 0.30 mg of Se kg^?1 of diet from two different forms: sodium selenite or selenomethionine. High stocking density decreased weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR) when basal diet was fed (P = 0.001). A linear increase in feed intake and weight gain and improvement in FCR were found in sodium selenite (P = 0.01)‐ or selenomethionine (P = 0.001)‐supplemented fish reared under crowding conditions. Serum and muscle Se levels and serum GSH‐Px activity increased (P = 0.001) linearly, whereas serum and muscle MDA concentrations and serum 8‐isoprostane decreased linearly as dietary sodium selenite (P = 0.01) or selenomethionine (P = 0.001) supplementation increased. Selenomethionine and sodium selenite supplementation decreased Hsp70 in the muscle of fish reared under crowding conditions (P < 0.05). Supplementation with Se improved growth and antioxidant status of fish and the effects of selenomethionine were relatively greater than sodium selenite in the crowded groups. Results suggest that crowding conditions cause significant detrimental effects in rainbow trout indicated by increased oxidative stress, reduced feed intake and body weight gain. ?t also indicates that dietary Se supplementation offers a feasible way of reducing the losses in performance of rainbow trout reared under crowding conditions. Selenomethionine seems to be more effective than sodium selenite and the higer dose in the present study also seems to be more effective than the lower dose.