Field evaluation of melatonin implants to advance the breeding season in 1-year-old farmed red deer hinds

The efficacy of controlled-release melatonin implants to advance the onset of the breeding season was assessed in 1-year-old red deer hinds on five commercial deer farms in various localities in the North Island of New Zealand. Between 44 and 60 hinds in each of six herds were equally divided among treatment and control groups at each site. Melatonin treatment commenced between 27 November and 16 December and was achieved by the subcutaneous administration of two 18 mg melatonin implants. Three doses were given at about 30 day intervals. Two adult stags for each hind group were treated with three 18 mg melatonin implants concurrently on either two or three occasions. On each property, treated and control hinds were joined as one herd to treated stags commencing 30 January-10 February and concluding 15 May-2 June. The hinds in the four experimental herds underwent rectal ultrasound examination May-June to estimate conception rate and foetal age. Calving dates, hind and calf mortalities, weaning weights, and the antler growth cycle and harvesting data were recorded. Overall, treatment with melatonin resulted in an average advance of the median calving date of 22 days (range 12-36 days) when compared with untreated controls in the same herds. Pregnancy rates were 91.3-100% in treated hinds and 63.6-100% in untreated hinds. There were no differences in calf mortality or calf sex ratio between treated and untreated groups. No hind deaths could be attributed to melatonin treatment. The weaning weights of calves were 5.68 kg and 4.43 kg heavier for the male and female offspring of treated hinds respectively, compared with those of control hinds. Treated stags commenced rutting behaviour earlier than normal and the antler casting and growth cycle was advanced. Treatment resulted in advancement of the seasonal pattern of coat changes in hinds and stags, but no untoward side effects of the melatonin treatments were observed.     

Comparison of three techniques for estimating the forage intake of lactating dairy cows on pasture

Quantifying DMI is necessary for estimation of nutrient consumption by ruminants, but it is inherently difficult on grazed pastures and even more so when supplements are fed. Our objectives were to compare three methods of estimating forage DMI (inference from animal performance, evaluation from fecal output using a pulse-dose marker, and estimation from herbage disappearance methods) and to identify the most useful approach or combination of approaches for estimating pasture intake by lactating dairy cows. During three continuous 28-d periods in the winter season, Holstein cows (Bos taurus; n = 32) grazed a cool-season grass or a cool-season grass-clover mixture at two stocking rates (SR; 5 vs. 2.5 cows/ha) and were fed two rates of concentrate supplementation (CS; 1 kg of concentrate [as-fed] per 2.5 or 3.5 kg of milk produced). Animal response data used in computations for the animal performance method were obtained from the latter 14 d of each period. For the pulse-dose marker method, chromium-mordanted fiber was used. Pasture sampling to determine herbage disappearance was done weekly throughout the study. Forage DMI estimated by the animal performance method was different among periods (P < 0.001; 6.5, 6.4, and 9.6 kg/d for Periods 1, 2, and 3, respectively), between SR (P < 0.001; 8.7 [low SR] vs. 6.3 kg/d [high SR]) and between CS (P < 0.01; 8.4 [low CS] vs. 6.6 kg/d [high CS]). The period and SR effect seemed to be related to forage mass. The pulse-dose marker method generally provided greater estimates of forage DMI (as much as 11.0 kg/d more than the animal performance method) and was not correlated with the other methods. Estimates of forage DMI by the herbage disappearance method were correlated with the animal performance method. The difference between estimates from these two methods, ranging from -4.7 to 5.4 kg/d, were much lower than their difference from pulse-dose marker estimates. The results of this study suggest that, when appropriate for the research objectives, the animal performance or herbage disappearance methods may be useful and less costly alternatives to using the pulse-dose method.     

Bioavailability of vitamin A sources for cattle

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the bioavailability of 5 sources of vitamin A. It was hypothesized that some vitamin A products have protective coatings that are more resistant than others to rumen destruction and that such protection would result in greater tissue concentrations of vitamin A. Fifty-three yearling Angus x Brahman cattle, consisting of 39 steers and 14 heifers, were stratified by BW and sex and randomly assigned to 6 high-concentrate diet groups receiving no vitamin A supplementation (control) or vitamin A supplemented from the following sources: Microvit A (Adisseo, Acworth, GA), Rovamix A (DSM, Parsippany, NJ), Sunvit A, Lutavit A, and Microvit A DLC (Adisseo). The vitamin A treatment groups were fed daily 80,000 IU of retinol/animal in a low-retinol concentrate diet (78.5% oats, 10% cottonseed hulls, 8% molasses, and 2% cottonseed meal; DM basis) and a free-choice, poor quality (low carotene) hay for 84 d. Every 28 d, BW was determined and liver biopsies and plasma were collected and analyzed for retinol concentrations. All retinol treatments showed significant increases in liver retinol concentrations compared with control animals (P < 0.0001), which steadily decreased over time. At all collection times, Microvit A led to numerically, but not significantly, greater concentrations of retinol in liver than did all other treatments. However, at the end of the experiment, there was no significant difference in liver retinol concentration among Microvit A, Rovamix A, Lutavit A, and Microvit A DLC diets. When liver retinol concentrations at all collection times were considered, Microvit A and Rovamix A appeared to provide the most bioavailable vitamin A.     

Self-inhibitor of bean rust uredospores: methyl 3,4-dimethoxycinnamate

Two germination inhibitors from bean rust uredospores were identified as the cis and trans isomers of methyl 3,4-dimethoxycinnamate. They appear to be the "self-inhibitors" previously described from these spores.     

Mortality in lambs and cattle following the administration of phenothiazine

Ovine white liver disease is an economically important hepatic dysfunction which occurs in the wanner parts of New Zealand. Acute, chronic and recovered phases can be recognised clinically, histologically and biochemically. The condition is associated with severe ill-thrift and, in the acute phase, with photosensitivity. Acute and chronic cases show elevations of serumenzymes (GOT, GGT) and copper and, sometimes, bilirubin. WLD appears to affect only cobalt-deficient sheep, and we consider that it is either a metabolic consequence of vitamin B₁₂ deficiency, or a toxic hepatopathy against which adequate levels of dietary cobalt, or tissue vitamin B₁₂, are protective.     

A vitamin e response in a young dog

Extract

This subject will be covered in three sections, first, a brief history of how the idea of using trained dogs to help the blind was conceived, then the present-day methods of training guide dogs, and, finally, how the blind person is trained with their guide dog to work together as a team.     

Bioavailability of lysine in selected foods by rat growth assay

Lysine bioavailabilities in reference protein and 16 test protein diets were estimated using 10 day rat growth assays. A standard growth curve was obtained by feeding 5 diets containing casein, zein and synthetic amino acids ranging in total lysine concentration from 0.3 to 0.7%. Experimental foods were added to the basal diet at the expense of zein and/or synthetic amino acids to provide 2 specific lysine concentrations, i.e., 0.4 and 0.6%. Availabilities were established by comparing growth responses from the test food diets to the regression line of the standard growth data. Availabilities were over 88% for 13 of 16 products. Utilization was poor in pinto beans (73%), rice-wheat gluten cereal (70%), and skim milk powder heated to 100°C for 12 h (66%). Addition of excess lysine (700 mg/100 g diet) to the pinto bean diet did not improve growth response; thus poor digestibility or some unidentified growth inhibitor is indicated.     

Teratology.

Two categories of collaborative studies are defined. Examples of each type are presented through teratologic studies conducted at the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in collaboration with an Environmental Protection Agency laboratory and a laboratory in the USSR. These studies and the few pertinent studies found in the literature point out the problem of obtaining repeatability and uniformity of results among tests conducted to determine teratogenic potential. Collaborating laboratories should take more time to select the procedures to be used, to standardize the intended protocol in greater detail, to train participating personnel uniformly, and to test for repeatability by use of a known teratogen, before tackling major interests. Establishment of an archives would improve duplication of published results by making available additional pertinent unpublished information. Finally, possible advantages of collaborative studies for the testing of teratogenic potential are offered.     

Effects of growth hormone-releasing factor and feed intake on energy metabolism in growing beef steers: net nutrient metabolism by portal-drained viscera and liver.

Effects of growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF) and intake on net nutrient metabolism by portal-drained viscera (PDV) and liver were measured in six growing Hereford x Angus steers fed a 75% concentrate diet at two intakes in a split-plot design with 4-wk saline or GRF injection periods within 8-wk intake periods. Daily rations were fed as 12 equal meals delivered every 2 h. Steers were injected s.c. for 21 d with either saline or 10 micrograms/kg of (1-29)NH2 human GRF at 12-h intervals. Six hourly measurements of net nutrient flux (venous-arterial concentration different [VA] x blood flow) across PDV and liver were obtained 8 to 10 d after injections began. Energy and N balances were measured using respiration calorimetry during the last week of injections. Greater intake increased blood flow (P less than .01) and net visceral release or removal of most nutrients (P less than .10). Exceptions included a decrease (P less than .10) in net PDV glucose release with greater intake in saline-treated steers and a decrease (P less than .01) in net liver removal of lactate with greater intake. Treatment of steers with GRF decreased net liver removal of alpha-amino N (AAN; P less than .05) and ammonia N (NH3N; P less than .10) and release of urea N (UN; P less than .05), increased liver release of glutamate (P less than .05), and decreased net PDV release of NH3 N (P less than .10). Decreased liver extraction ratio for AAN in GRF-treated steers (P less than .01) implies a direct effect of GRF treatment on liver metabolism separate from changes in liver AAN supply. Proportions of body N retention not accounted for by net total splanchnic AAN release increased with GRF treatment. This suggests a change in peripheral utilization of dietary AAN supply or an increase in total splanchnic N retention.