Rumen fermentation and degradability in buffalo and cattle using the in vitro gas production technique.

An in vitro trial was conducted to investigate the effect of different inoculum sources (buffalo vs. cattle) on rumen fermentation and degradability. Incubations were carried out using rumen fluid obtained from buffalo or cattle fed the same diet [60% grass hay and 40% concentrate; 18 kg dry matter (DM)/day]. The fermentation kinetics of eight feeds commonly used in ruminant nutrition (alfalfa hay, barley meal, beet pulp, corn meal and silage, ryegrass hay and silage and soya bean meal s.e.) were studied with the in vitro gas production technique and rumen fermentation parameters (substrate disappearance, pH and volatile fatty acids production) were determined after 120 h of incubation. The linear relationship indicates that the microbial metabolic pathways of the two inocula for all the substrates were qualitatively similar, albeit often quantitatively different. In this in vitro study, a significant influence of rumen inoculum (buffalo vs. cow) on fermentation and degradability of the examined substrates was found. The differences in buffalo and cattle rumen fermentation can be explained with a different microbial activity of the two ruminant species, because of different amount of microbial population or microbial population constituted by different species of bacteria and protozoa.

Effect of diet on the metabolic profile of ostriches (Struthio camelus var. domesticus).

In order to study the metabolic profile of ostriches in relation to diet, 40 animals of both sexes were divided equally into two groups and fed two diets ad libitum consisting, on a dry matter basis, of the same commercial concentrate (60%) for the two groups and of corn silage (group A) or alfalfa hay (group B). In the morning, after about 12 h of fasting, blood was collected from the wing vein. The following haematological parameters were determined with an automatic system (Ektachem 250 analyser, Kodak): glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, lactate (LAC), total protein (TP), uric acid, total bilirubin (Tbil), creatinine (CREA), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), potassium (K), chloride (Cl-), iron (Fe), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (AP), cholinesterase (ChE), alpha-amylase (Amyl), lipase (LIP) and gamma-glutamyltrasferase (GGT). Diet significantly affected some parameters of the metabolic profile. Indeed, owing to the presence of alfalfa hay in the diet, group B showed, in comparison to group A, significantly higher values of uric acid (222.5 vs 387.5 mmol/L, p < 0.01), GGT (8.50 vs 11.3 U/L, p < 0.05), Tbil (8.50 vs 10.7 mmol/L, p < 0.05), Ca (2.41 vs 2.83 micromol/L, p < 0.01), Mg (1.01 vs 1.18 micromol/L, p < 0.05) and K (2.71 vs 3.16 micromol/L, p < 0.01). The levels of creatinine (27.3 vs 32.6 mmol/L, p < 0.05) and AST (344.9 vs 461.4 U/l, p < 0.01) were also higher for group B.

Vegetable and animal food sorts found in the gastric content of Sardinian Wild Boar (Sus scrofa meridionalis).

Authors report results emerging from gastric content analysis from n. 96 wild boars hunted in Sardinia isle, during the hunting tide (2001-2005), from November to January. Mean pH of the gastric content was 3.77 +/- 0.69. Mean total capacity (TC) of each stomach was 1702 +/- 680 g. Mean Stuff ratio (CW/TC) between the content weight (CW) and stomachs TC was 0.45. Food categories found in animal stomachs were: 19 categories of vegetal species (Allium spp., Arbutus unedo, Arisarum vulgare, Avena fatua, Avena sativa, Castanea sativa, Ceratonia siliqua, Chamaerops umilis, Cichorium intybus, Hordeum sativum, Juniperus oxycedrus, Myrtus communis, Olea europea, Pirus amygdaliformis, Pistacia lentiscus, Quercus spp., Rhamnus alaternus, Triticum durum, Zea mais); 11 categories of animal species (Agriotes lineatus, Apodemus sylvaticus dicrurus, Chalcides chalcides, Chalcides ocellatus tiligugu, Crematogaster scutellaris, Forficula auricularia, Helix aspersa, Lumbricus terrestris, Ovis aries, Podarcis tiliguerta tiliguerta, Scolopendra cingulata); three categories were identified in general terms (insects larvae, hairs of mammals, feathers of birds). Food categories found in the stomach contents of Sus scrofa meridionalis confirm observations by other researchers who report the prevalence of vegetables in spite of animal food sorts in the wild boar diet in Italian regions.

Effect of autonomic nervous system dysfunction on sudden death in ischemic patients with anginal syndrome died during electrocardiographic monitoring in Intensive Care Unit.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of sympathovagal imbalance in patients with ''ischemic'' sudden death (arrhythmic death preceded by ST segment shift). Although heart rate variability is a powerful tool for risk stratification after myocardial infarction, the mechanism precipitating sudden death is poorly known. METHODS: We analyzed the records of 10 patients who had ischemic sudden death during ECG Holter monitoring. Thirty patients with angina and transient myocardial ischemia during Holter monitoring served as control subjects. Arrhythmias, ST segment changes and heart rate variability were analyzed by a computed interactive Holter system. RESULTS: In 8 patients the sudden death was induced by ventricular fibrillation; in 2 by atrioventricular block followed by sinus arrest. All 10 patients showed ST segment shift. ST depression (maximal change 0.54+/-0.16 mV) occurred in 6 patients and ST elevation (maximal change 0.65+/-0.24 mV) in 4. The standard deviation of normal RR intervals (SDNN) was 92+/-30 ms during total Holter monitoring period vs 70+/-10 ms and 46+/-8 ms in epoch 1 and epoch 2 respectively. The SDNN was lower before the occurrence of ischemic sudden death: 54+/-12 ms (P< 0.005) in epoch 3 and 26+/-5 (P<0.005) in epoch 4 (i.e. 5 min before the onset of fatal ST segment shift). In controls the SDNN was 108+/-30 ms during total Holter monitoring period, whereas is measured 58+/-28 ms 5 min before the most significant episode of ST shift vs 26+/-5 in the group with sudden death (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Sympathovagal imbalance, as detected by a marked decrease in heart rate variability, is present in the period (5 min) immediately preceding the onset of the ST shift precipitating ischemic sudden death. These findings suggest that transient autonomic dysfunction may facilitate, during acute myocardial ischemia, fatal arrhythmias precipitating in sudden death.

Effects of Coumarin and Sparteine on Attachment to Cellulose and Cellulolysis by Neocallimastix frontalis RE1.

The plant secondary metabolites coumarin and sparteine reduced attachment to cellulose, cellulose solubilization, and the proportion of lactate in the fermentation products of the anaerobic fungus Neocallimastix frontalis RE1. Neither compound directly inhibited the endoglucanase or lactate dehydrogenase activities of cell extracts of the fungus.