[Evaluation of Aspergillus niger phytase and dietary phosphate in weaned piglets. 1. Growth, blood serum and bone status]. / Prüfung von Aspergillus-Niger-Phytase und Futterphosphat an Absetzferkeln. 1. Mitteilung--Wachstum, Blutserum- und Knochenstatus.

A high phytic acid diet (barley, wheat, soya bean meal, 4 g P/kg, of that 2/3 phytate P) without added phytase, with phytase supplement (1000 U/kg diet) or with supplementary phosphate (2,2g P/kg diet) was examined with 3 x 12 weaned piglets. The high dietary P level due to phosphate addition, significantly improved body weight gain and feed:gain ratio. The phytase effect on these criteria was small. The phytase but more the supplementary phosphate increased P concentration of serum. In case of phytase addition pigs had 10% less ash P and Ca in the rib than animals of phosphate group. In the group without phytase or P addition the ash, P and Ca concentration of bone were decreased by 20%.

[The effectiveness of oral and parenteral vitamin A doses in growing cattle with different vitamin A supplies]. / Untersuchungen zur Effektivität oraler und parentaler Vitamin-A-Gaben bei unterschiedlich mit Vitamin A versorgten wachsenden Rindern.

The effect of one single oral or parenterally administered dose of 1 million IU vitamin A on the vitamin A depot in the liver and on blood plasma vitamin A concentrations was investigated in 3 individual feeding experiments with involvement of 18 and 24 calves or 24 fattening bulls. 50% of all animals in each of the 3 experiments received feed without any vitamin A through 108 or 112 or 209 days, prior to vitamin A administration, or received 10.000 IU/100 kg live weight and day. Parenteral vitamin A administration in either group yielded rise in blood plasma from 0.06--0.35 to 26.2--30.2 mumol/l, after 1 or 2 days. The maximum value measured after oral administration was 1.9 mumol/l. Most of the plasma values had returned to normal (0.6--12. mumol/l) within 14 days from administration. Oral and parenteral vitamin A doses, after 14 days, caused significant rise in vitamin A concentrations in the liver (from 15.5 to 82.5), with the increase resulting from parenteral administration (from 13.7 to 99.1) being clearly higher than that resulting from oral administration (from 17.3 to 65.9 mumol/kg fresh liver tissue). The same trends were recorded from recovery of vitamin A from the liver (26.8% after parenteral administration versus 15.0% in the wake of oral doses). Storage in and recovery from vitamin-A depleted animals were below values recorded from young cattle with sufficient vitamin A supply. These findings are likely to confirm that one single parenteral vitamin A administration was of clearly higher effectiveness, as compared to oral application.

[The phosphorus supply of swine between 11 and 38 kg. live weight. 2. The phosphorus, calcium and ash deposit in skeletal and soft tissue homogenates during P deprivation and during the use of two different phosphate feedings and different ration conditions]. / Untersuchungen zur Phosphorversorgung von Schweinen im Lebendmasseabschnitt 11-38 kg. 2. Mitteilung. Der Phosphor-, Kalzium- und Ascheansatz im Skelett- und Weichgewebehomogenat bei P-Unterversorgung und bei Einsatz von zwei verschiedenen Futterphosphaten sowie unterschiedlicher Rationsgestaltung.

The influence of phosphorus (P) supply on the content of ash, P and Ca of the skeleton and soft tissue as well on the P deposition in the empty body of pigs (approximately 35 kg live weight) was studied in 3 individual feeding experiments with different diets (P-content 2.97, 2.41 or 3.7 g/kg diet). In each experiment 2 of the 3 groups (7 or 8 animals per group, initial weight approximately 11 kg) were supplemented with the feed grade phosphates "Rükana" or "Cefkaphos". In the experiments the supplemented amount of P as "Rükana" or "Cefkaphos" was 2.50, 2.33 or 0.5 g/kg of the diet. After intake of approximately 65 kg of the diet the animals were slaughtered. Homogenates of bones and soft tissues of the left half of the empty body were analysed for ash, P and Ca. Both of the feed grade phosphates increased these parameters in the skeleton and soft tissues as well the P deposition in the body to the same level. In the middle of the experiments the P deposition per kg live weight gain amounted to 4.6 g ("Rükana") and 4.4 g ("Cefkaphos").

[The vitamin A requirement and the vitamin A status of growing cattle. 1. Studies of calves]. / Untersuchungen zum Vitamin-A-Bedarf und zum Vitamin-A-Status wachsender Rinder. 1. Mitteilung. Untersuchungen an Kälbern.

Five experiments with 18 to 36 male calves each of the black and white dairy cattle breed (age: 14-21 days, initial live weight: approximately 45 kg per animal) were carried out in order to investigate the influence of various vitamin A supply (0-80,000 IU per 100 kg LW and day) on dry matter intake and weight gain as well as the vitamin A status of liver and blood plasma over 84 days. The calves consumed a diet free of carotene and vitamin A consisting of milk replacer, concentrate and chopped wheat straw. The calves were fed in three experiments for a longer time in order to observe the further vitamin A depletion. Nine animals consumed an unsupplemented ration, nine other one got 10,000 IU vitamin A per 100 kg LW and day. Biopsies of liver and plasma samples were taken from 4 animals per group every four weeks. The various vitamin A supplementation did not significantly influence the dry matter intake (Mean: 1.67; 1.48 to 1.80 kg DM per animal and day) and the weight gain of calves (Mean: 702, 599 to 770 g per animal and day). First vitamin A deficiency symptoms (reduced feed intake, decreased weight gain, diarrhoea etc.) were observed in animals of unsupplemented group after 100 days of experiments. After 84 days the vitamin A concentration of liver of animals of unsupplemented groups decreased to 1.3-32.2% compared with the begin of experiments (60.6-155.7 mumol/kg fresh matter). Up to 51% of initial concentration were found when 10,000 IU vitamin A per 100 kg LW and day were fed. About 25,000 IU vitamin A per 100 kg LW and day were required in order to keep the initial level of vitamin A concentration of liver. The plasma vitamin A concentration is unsuitable for estimation of vitamin A status of calves. The concentration of vitamin A of liver and plasma amounted to 114 mumol per kg and 0.25 mumol per litre at the begin of experiments. The vitamin A concentration of liver of unsupplemented group decreased to 20 mumol per kg, that of plasma increased to 0.28 mumol per 1 at the end. A strong vitamin A deficiency (liver concentration: less than 10 mumol/kg) may cause a decrease of vitamin A concentration of blood.

[The effect of various Ca and P supplies on the metabolic parameters of wethers and bulls and on the fattening performance of bulls with vitamin D deficiency]. / Einfluss unterschiedlicher Ca- und P-Versorgung auf Stoffwechselparameter von Hammeln und Bullen sowie auf die Mastleistung von Bullen bei Vitamin-D-Mangel.

The influence of different Ca- and/or P-supply on metabolic parameters and Ca-resp. P-balance was tested in 12 balance trials with mature wethers at different feeding regimes. Furthermore the influence of dietary Ca-excess on metabolic parameters and fattening performance of bulls was also tested. Increasing the P-intake at normal Ca-supply (Ca/P-ratio 1:1.7 ... 3.6) or at Ca-excess (Ca/P-ratio approximately 1.6:1) led to a higher P-concentration in blood and urine and lowered the Ca-content in serum as well as the apparent Ca-balance. These effects were greater in the ration rich in concentrate than in the ration rich in roughage. Increasing the dietary Ca-intake (Ca/P-ratio approximately 3.6:1) had no influence on metabolic parameters of wethers. In a vitamin-D-deficiency trial the Ca supplementation (Ca/P-ratio approximately 4.2:1) improved the performance of bulls and retarded the incidence of signs of rickets (lower feed intake, higher concentration of alkaline phosphatase in serum, lower bone mineralisation) for about 100 days compared with the control group (Ca/P ratio: 1.2:1).

The vitamin A activity of beta-carotene in growing pigs. 1. Effect of a supplementation of a grain soya bean meal diet with vitamin A or beta-carotene on the liver vitamin A storage.

In 3 experiments with a total of 113 growing pigs, supplements of 1,000 to 9,000 IU vitamin A or 2 to 100 mg beta-carotene to vitamin A and beta-carotene free grains soyabean-meal-diets were tested. The liver samples were taken by biopsy or after slaughtering. The error of biopsy sampling was defined in preliminary experiments. The initial liver vitamin A depots were checked by slaughtering of 5 piglets of each group. The vitamin A content was analyzed by the anhydromethod or fluorometrically. In all 3 experiments, the different vitamin or provitamin intake did not influence feed intake and growth at any time. Highly significant linear relations were found between the intake of vitamin A or beta-carotene and the storage in the liver. Due to the higher relative liver weight, younger animals had a lower vitamin A concentration in this organ. Related to the tested beta-carotene dose of 2, 4, 8, 50 and 100 mg/kg feed, a vitamin A activity of 360, 320, 290, 130 and 80 micrograms retinol equivalents per mg beta-carotene was found. The conversion of beta-carotene into vitamin A decreases inversely to the beta-carotene intake. The vitamin A activity of synthetic beta-carotene which is higher than the beta-carotene analyzed in feedstuffs is discussed.

No tissue level abnormality of vitamin A concentration despite elevated serum vitamin A of uremic patients.

In 57 patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) [44 patients on regular dialysis treatment (RDT), 33 renal transplant patients (RT) and 26 normal patients (NP)] and in a further 11 patients with CRF (8 patients on RDT and 17 patients without any renal disease in the post mortem) the vitamin A content of the serum obtained from the tissue of the liver, the stomach, the subcutaneous adipose tissue and the bone were analyzed. The vitamin A content of the serum was increased significantly for all groups of patients in comparison with the control group, but hypervitaminotic ranges were not reached in any case. The vitamin A content decreased depending on the time of dialysis treatment and the period after kidney transplantation. The retinol-binding protein accumulated even more than vitamin A in CRF and RDT. This statement is not in conformity with that of a hypervitaminosis A, of which normal respectively decreased RBP levels are characteristic. The serum prealbumin concentration was near the upper limit of the normal range in all groups of patients. The serum content of beta-carotene in patients with CRF and RDT was raised in comparison with NP and RT patients. As to the vitamin A content of the organs, a distinctive decrease appeared in the liver, so that a marginal supply must be assumed. In the stomach and the subcutaneous adipose tissue no changes, in comparison with the control patients, resulted. Due to renal insufficiency the results indicated an unphysiological situation in the vitamin A metabolism. Connections with disturbances of the fat-household could not be set up.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[The influence of the rumen fermoregulator monensin, on selected parameters of the metabolism of fattening bulls]. / Einfluss des Pansenfermoregulators "Monensin" auf ausgewählte Kennzahlen des Stoffwechsels von Mastbullen.

In two feeding experiments fattening bulls received on average a daily supplement of 170 or 200 mg Monensin. In a further 8-week experiment the daily Monensin supplement was 0; 500 or 1 000 mg per day. Ergotropic Monensin supplements (experiments 1 and 2) did not change the blood count and the Ca, P and Mg content of blood serum and the activity of AP, AST and LAP in the serum remained unchanged. Net acid base excretion and the content of Na, K and Mg in urine were not significantly influenced either. The influence of 500 mg Monensin per animal and day on the feed intake of animals previously given lower supplements was insignificant. 1 000 mg Monensin per animal and day resulted in a 40% decrease of feed intake and permanent diarrhoea. It was connected with a diminishing of the glucose content in the blood and an increase of net acid base, Na and P excretion in urine. The blood count did not change after the Monensin overdose. In conclusion one can say that the ergotropic Monensin supplement did not change the metabolism parameters.

[Vitamin A requirement of growing swine. 2. Effect of the vitamin A supply on the vitamin A concentrations in the liver and plasma of piglets and fattening swine]. / Untersuchungen zum Vitamin-A-Bedarf des wachsenden Schweines. 2. Mitteilung Der Einfluss der Vitamin-A-Versorgung auf die Vitamin-A-Konzentration der Leber und des Plasmas von Ferkeln und Mastschweinen.

In 9 experiments the vitamin A content of the livers of 64 newborn (still births and deaths up to 48 h p.p.) and 69 weaned piglets, 122 growers and 110 fattening pigs was investigated after slaughtering or autopsy. Liver samples were taken from 78 growers by means of biopsy after latarotomy. A fluorometric analysis of the plasma vitamin A level was made. At the time of birth the vitamin A content of the piglet livers was less than 100 IU/g and did not show any differences between the experiments. At the time of weaning, however, the livers of piglets from large-scale production showed a three times higher content (175 IU/g liver) in comparison to those from traditional production. Highly significant linear relations were established between the vitamin A content of the feed and the liver. According to these, a liver content of vitamin A of approximately equal to 30 IU/g is ensured by approximately equal to 2,000 IU in weaning piglets and by approximately equal to 800 IU vitamin A/kg feed in fattening pigs. The vitamin A activity of the beta-carotene in weaners was ascertained as less than 100 IU/mg. The plasma vitamin A level indicated the vitamin A status only in the range of deficient supply. A different plasma content could not be detected between 1,000 and 4,000 IU vitamin A/kg feed. According to this, a semilogarithmic relation was calculated according to the model of a saturation curve between the vitamin A content of the plasma and the liver. The threshold value for the decrease of the plasma level under 45 IU vitamin A/dl is 35 IU/g liver. Due to the low definiteness measure (B = 0.52) the relation cannot be applied to the individual animal. A contamination of 1,000 mg nitrite/kg feed had a low, and in the course of the experiment decreasing, influence on the vitamin A content of plasma and liver.