Absorption and metabolism of benzoic acid in growing pigs

Dietary benzoic acid (BA) supplementation causes a pronounced reduction in urinary pH but only small changes in blood pH. The present study aimed to investigate the portal absorption profile, hepatic metabolism of BA, and renal excretion of hippuric acid (HA) underlying the relatively small impact of BA on systemic acid-base status. Eight growing pigs (BW = 63 ± 1 kg at sampling) fitted with permanent indwelling catheters in the abdominal aorta, hepatic portal vein, hepatic vein, and mesenteric vein were allocated to 4 sampling blocks and randomly assigned to control (CON; nonsupplemented diet) or BA supplementation (B; control diet + 1% BA top-dressed). Feed intake was restricted to 3.6% of BW and the ration divided into 3 equally sized meals offered at 8-h intervals. Blood pH (7.465 and 7.486 ± 0.004) and urinary pH (4.99 and 7.01 ± 0.09) were less (P = 0.03 and P < 0.01) in B compared with CON. The arterial concentration, net portal flux, and net hepatic uptake of BA increased (P < 0.01) in B compared with CON. The net portal flux of BA increased (P < 0.01) after feeding with B, but remained positive (P < 0.01) at all sampling times (n = 8). Recovery of dietary BA as increased net portal flux and hepatic uptake of BA was 87 ± 5% and 89 ± 15%, respectively. The recovery of dietary BA as urinary excretion of BA and HA was 0.08 ± 0.02% and 85 ± 7%, respectively. It is concluded that the small impact of BA supplementation on systemic acid-base status was caused by a protracted BA absorption and efficient hepatic extraction and glycine conjugation in combination with efficient renal clearance of HA. Together, these physiological mechanisms prevented major BA and HA accumulation in body fluids.

Not exactly related

Not exactly related but I just finished pulling a ton of weeds from my yard… no more stickers for a bit!

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Macro- and micromineral composition of fetal pigs and their accretion rates during fetal development

Twenty-six crossbreed (Yorkshire x Landrace) sows bred to Duroc boars were used to determine fetal measurements and mineral compositions at various stages of gestation. Sows were fed a vitamin and mineral fortified 15% CP corn soybean meal gestation diet fed at 2.1 kg daily with dietary minerals meeting or in excess of NRC requirements. Sow and litter measurements were evaluated at 5 periods postcoitum (45, 62, 80, 100, 115 d). The experiment was conducted as a completely randomized design with 3 to 6 observations per mean. Uterine fluid and fetal tissue were collected upon slaughter from the sows during the first 4 measurement periods. The empty uterus and uterine fluid contents were weighed. Individual fetuses were weighed and their length measured. Neonatal pigs from 6 sows were killed by electric shock before colostrum consumption. The fetuses and neonates were subsequently frozen, ground, and analyzed for water, protein, ash, and fat. The mineral profile was determined for the entire litter by inductively coupled plasma analysis technology. The sow and litter was each considered the experimental unit for all measurements and mineral compositions with regression analysis determined from 45 to 115 d of gestation. Results demonstrated that fetal weight increased quadratically (P < 0.01) and uterine fluid increased quadratically (P < 0.01) from 45 to 62 d, but then declined to 100 d postcoitum. The water, protein, ash, and lipid content of the fetus increased quadratically (P < 0.01) from 45 to 115 d of development, with the greatest increase of each component occurring during the last 15 d of development. Each of the macro- and microminerals increased curvilinearly (P < 0.01) as fetal development progressed with approximately 50% of the total litter and fetal macro- and micromineral contents occurring during the last 15 d of gestation. These results indicate that there is a large increase in mineral contents of fetal pigs during late gestation and that there may be an increasing sow mineral requirement particularly with high-producing sows having larger litter sizes. Regression equations developed on an individual fetus basis for each macro- and micromineral from 45 d postcoitum to parturition could be used to model mineral accretions.

Phenotypic aspects of lamb survival in Australian Merino sheep

Lamb survival in Australian Merino sheep was investigated using survival records from 14,142 lambs born between 1975 and 1983. This data set included roll calls of live lambs at birth, 7 d, marking (30 d), and weaning (110 d), which allowed 4 binomial traits (alive or dead) to be recorded for each lamb at each time interval. The average survival to weaning was 72.4% with 23% of singles, 32% of twins, and 45% of multiple-born lambs not surviving to weaning. The timing of lamb loss was consistent across birth types; 6% died within 24 h of birth, a further 14% by 7 d, 3% between 7 and 30 d, and 8% between 30 and 110 d. Partitioning of phenotypic variation revealed that after the first postpartum week, mothering ability of Australian Merino ewes is not an important factor in lamb survival. Some ewes repeatedly lose lambs at birth and in the early postnatal period, but the intraclass correlation decreased by a factor of 10 for survival after 7 d of age (0.096 at birth and 0.100 at 7 d, falling to 0.009 at marking and 0.018 at weaning). This study examined the relationships of lamb survival with lamb birth weight and found varying relationships at each time period. Whereas birth weight had a highly significant curvilinear relationship with survival to weaning, the relationship was flatter for survival to 24 h with only small differences between average birth weights and the birth weight at which survival was optimized (–0.04, 0.28, and 0.54 kg for single-, twin-, and multiple-born lambs, respectively). This suggests that any management interventions to increase birth weight may increase the risk of death to both lamb and ewe during the lambing process due to dystocia. Among twin-born lambs there was a carryover effect of losses at birth on subsequent loss in the first week of life. Survival to 7 d of age was highly dependent on the survival of the littermate, favoring those whose littermate survived, but after the first week, this trend was reversed. Lamb birthcoat score had a small positive impact on survival only at birth.

Bovine myofiber characteristics are influenced by postweaning nutrition

This study determined the extent to which bovine longissimus lumborum muscle (LLM) myofibers are influenced by nutrition for 120 d from weaning and the time-course of recovery after severe postweaning nutritional restriction. After weaning, 3 groups of Belmont Red cattle, a tropically adapted breed, were fed to achieve rapid growth (RG, ≥0.6 kg of BW gain/d; n = 16), slow growth (SG, 0.2 kg of BW gain/d; n = 17), or BW loss (WL, 10% loss of weaning weight; n = 17) over 120 d. They were then grazed as 1 group at pasture with forage supplementation for 600 d until slaughter at approximately 500 kg of BW. Samples of LLM were taken from 8 to 12 animals per treatment 6 d before (baseline) and 115, 204, 324, and 476 d after commencement of the study and from all cattle at slaughter (d 721). Myofiber characteristics were determined by immunocytochemical staining of myosin heavy chains. Cross-sectional areas (CSA) of the major myofiber types 1, 2A, and 2X in WL were reduced at d 115 compared with baseline and with the growth groups (all P < 0.001); however, there was little difference in the percentage of the different myofiber types (all P > 0.10). Differences in CSA of the major myofiber types between WL and the growth groups at 115 d were smallest for type 1 (slow oxidative) and greatest for type 2X (fast glycolytic). Consequently, the relative area (percentage of total myofiber area) of type 1 myofibers in WL was significantly greater at 115 d than in the growth groups (P < 0.001). During recovery from postweaning nutritional restriction, significant differences in major myofiber type percentages were not evident (all P > 0.10), and by 721 d CSA of myofiber types differed little between the treatment groups, although SG had greater CSA of type 1 (P < 0.05) and type 2A (P < 0.01) myofibers than WL and RG. At 721 d, the relative area of type 2A myofibers was less in WL compared with SG (P < 0.01) and RG (P < 0.05) and of type 2X myofibers greater (P < 0.05) in WL compared with SG. It is concluded that in the LLM of cattle undergoing severe nutritional restriction immediately postweaning, the size of the more glycolytic fiber types is more adversely affected than the more oxidative types, resulting in an increased relative area of type 1, slow oxidative myofibers. However, given adequate time and nutriment at pasture, LLM myofiber characteristics of cattle recovered to near normal after severe, chronic nutritional restriction immediately postweaning, consistent with earlier findings for beef quality.

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