Lipid profile in eggs of Araucana hens compared with Lohmann Selected Leghorn and ISA Brown hens given diets with different fat sources.

1. In a cross-over trial, the egg cholesterol and fatty acid composition of Araucana hens was compared with those of two commercial breeds (Lohmann Selected Leghorn and ISA Brown) under two feeding regimes, either high (Hn-3) or low (Ln-3) in long-chain n-3 fatty acids. 2. The Hn-3 diet was formed by isocaloric substitution of animal fat in the control diet (Ln-3) by a dry product containing stabilised fish oil with standardised concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). 3. Both breed and diet had influences on egg composition, without interactions. 4. The Araucana breed showed lower feed intake and lower egg weights than the other two breeds. The yolk weight was similar, leading to a much higher yolk:albumen ratio in the Araucana eggs. 5. In comparison to commercial breeds, Araucanas produced eggs with higher cholesterol content per g of yolk, which was even more pronounced when expressed per g of egg, due to the high yolk content of the eggs. The cholesterol content of an egg remained unchanged by the diet, irrespective of the dietary fat source. 6. Changing to the Hn-3 diet led to greater concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and lower concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) contents in the yolk, without a change in the ratio of saturated (SFA) to unsaturated fatty acids (UFA). 7. Within the PUFA, the n-3 fatty acids increased at the expense of the n-6 fatty acids, indicating a competition between n-3 and n-6 fatty acids for incorporation in the yolk.

Immunocompetence in organically fed finishing pigs: effect of corn cob mix.

Two consecutive experiments were performed to evaluate the effects on the immune response of corn cob mix (CCM) in an organic pig diet. The immunoglobulin (Ig) M, IgA and IgG responses against an intramuscularly injected model antigen, bovine thyroglobulin, were used as indicator. The experiments were performed in an organic barn with nine pens of four crossbred pigs (two barrows and two sows) from 45 kg to slaughter. In the first experiment, the organic concentrate was mixed with organic CCM-silage to obtain three concentrate: CCM ratios of 100:0, 80:20 and 60:40 (w:w). In the second experiment, three concentrates were produced to obtain diets with equal nutrient levels on a dry matter basis after 0%, 20% and 40% CCM inclusion. Higher inclusion rates of CCM in the ration were accompanied by lower thyroglobulin-specific IgG responses. These effects could not be attributed to one specific component of the CCM, such as fatty acid composition, although there was a degree of correlation with lower vitamin A concentrations. Mycotoxin concentrations were absent or minimal. The study indicated that dietary ingredient composition may affect immunocompetence.

Quantitative structure-activity studies of insect growth regulators: XVIII. Effects of substituents on the aromatic moiety of dibenzoylhydrazines on larvicidal activity against the Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata.

Larvicidal activity against the Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) was measured for a series of N-tert-butyl-dibenzoylhydrazines having various substituents on the benzoyl (A-ring) moiety nearer to the tert-butyl group, with the other benzoyl (B-ring) moiety being unsubstituted. The effects of these substituent on the larvicidal activity were analyzed using classical quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) procedures. The effects of substituents on the A-ring moiety on larvicidal activity were entirely different from those against the lepidopteran rice stem borer Chilo suppressalis (Walker) previously reported. Position-specific steric and hydrophobic effects, as well as certain substitution patterns, were likely to participate in modifying the larvicidal activity. The activity of para-substituted compounds was generally lower than that of un-, ortho- and meta-substituted compounds. Most multi-substituted compounds showed an activity equivalent to or lower than that of the unsubstituted compound. Among 46 compounds tested, the 2-sec-butoxy analogue was most potent against L decemlineata, although this compound had previously been shown to be only weakly active against C suppressalis.

Status praesens: cochlear implant. UIA-KULeuven-Forelec.

The authors review some basic anatomy and physiology of the auditory system as an introduction to the principles of cochlear implantation. A detailed description of the UIA-KUL-Forelec implant (LAURA) is given.