Effects of feeding distillers dried grains with solubles, high-protein distillers dried grains, and corn germ to growing-finishing pigs on pig performance, carcass quality, and the palatability of pork.

An experiment was conducted to investigate pig performance, carcass quality, and palatability of pork from pigs fed distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), high-protein distillers dried grains (HPDDG), and corn germ. Eighty-four pigs (initial BW, 22 +/- 1.7 kg) were allotted to 7 dietary treatments with 6 replicates per treatment and 2 pigs per pen. Diets were fed for 114 d in a 3-phase program. The control treatment was based on corn and soybean meal. Two treatments were formulated using 10 or 20% DDGS in each phase. Two additional treatments contained HP-DDG in amounts sufficient to substitute for either 50 or 100% of the soybean meal used in the control treatment. An additional 2 treatments contained 5 or 10% corn germ, which was calculated to provide the same amount of fat as 10 or 20% DDGS. Results showed that for the entire experiment, pig performance was not affected by DDGS or HP-DDG, but final BW increased (linear, P < 0.05) as corn germ was included in the diets. Carcass composition and muscle quality were not affected by DDGS, but LM area and LM depth decreased (linear, P < 0.05) as HP-DDG was added to the diets. Lean meat percentage increased and drip loss decreased as corn germ was included in the diets (quadratic, P < 0.05). There was no effect of DDGS on fat quality except that belly firmness decreased (linear, P < 0.05) as dietary DDGS concentration increased. Including HP-DDG or corn germ in the diets did not affect fat quality, except that the iodine value increased (linear, P < 0.05) in pigs fed HP-DDG diets and decreased (linear, P < 0.05) in pigs fed corn germ diets. Cooking loss, shear force, and bacon distortion score were not affected by the inclusion of DDGS, HP-DDG, or corn germ in the diets, and the overall palatability of the bacon and pork chops was not affected by dietary treatment. In conclusion, feeding 20% DDGS or high levels of HP-DDG to growing-finishing pigs did not negatively affect overall pig performance, carcass composition, muscle quality, or palatability but may decrease fat quality. Feeding up to 10% corn germ did not negatively affect pig performance, carcass composition, carcass quality, or pork palatability but increased final BW of the pigs and reduced the iodine value of belly fat.

Energy, phosphorus, and amino acid digestibility of high-protein distillers dried grains and corn germ fed to growing pigs.

Three experiments were conducted to measure energy, P, and AA digestibility in 2 novel co-products from the ethanol industry [i.e., high-protein distillers dried grains (HP DDG) and corn germ]. These products are produced by dehulling and degerming corn before it enters the fermentation process. Experiment 1 was an energy balance experiment conducted to measure DE and ME in HP DDG, corn germ, and corn. Six growing pigs (initial BW, 48.9 +/- 1.99 kg) were placed in metabolism cages and fed diets based on corn, corn and HP DDG, or corn and corn germ. Pigs were allotted to a replicated, 3 x 3 Latin square design. The DE and ME in corn (4,056 and 3,972 kcal/kg of DM, respectively) did not differ from the DE and ME in corn germ (3,979 and 3,866 kcal/kg of DM, respectively). However, HP DDG contained more (P < 0.05) energy (4,763 kcal of DE/kg of DM and 4,476 kcal of ME/kg of DM) than corn or corn germ. Experiment 2 was conducted to measure apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and true total tract digestibility of P in HP DDG and corn germ. Thirty growing pigs (initial BW, 33.2 +/- 7.18 kg) were placed in metabolism cages and fed a diet based on HP DDG or corn germ. A P-free diet was used to measure endogenous P losses. Pigs were assigned to treatments in a randomized complete block design, with 10 replications per treatment. The ATTD and the retention of P were calculated for the diets containing HP DDG and corn germ, and the endogenous loss of P was estimated from pigs fed the P-free diet. The ATTD was lower (P < 0.05) in corn germ (28.6%) than in the HP DDG (59.6%). The retention of P was also lower (P < 0.05) in pigs fed corn germ (26.7%) than in pigs fed HP DDG (58.9%). The endogenous loss of P was estimated to be 211 +/- 39 mg per kg of DMI. The true total tract digestibility of P for HP DDG and corn germ was calculated to be 69.3 and 33.7%, respectively. In Exp. 3, apparent ileal digestibility and standardized ileal digestibility values of CP and AA in HP DDG and corn germ were measured using 6 growing pigs (initial BW, 78.2 +/- 11.4 kg) allotted to a replicated, 3 x 3 Latin square design. The apparent ileal digestibility for CP and all AA except Arg and Pro, and the standardized ileal digestibility for CP and all AA except Arg, Lys, Gly, and Pro were greater (P < 0.05) in HP DDG than in corn germ. It was concluded that HP DDG has a greater digestibility of energy, P, and most AA than corn germ.

Protein-mediated boundary lubrication in arthroplasty.

Wear of articulated surfaces can be a major lifetime-limiting factor in arthroplasty. In the natural joint, lubrication is effected by the body's natural synovial fluid. Following arthroplasty, and the subsequent reformation of the synovial membrane, a fluid of similar composition surrounds the artificial joint. Synovial fluid contains, among many other constituents, a substantial concentration of the readily adsorbing protein albumin. The ability of human serum albumin to act as a boundary lubricant in joint prostheses has been investigated using a pin-on-disc tribometer. Circular dichroism spectroscopy was employed to follow the temperature- and time-dependent conformational changes of human serum albumin in the model lubricant solution. Effects of protein conformation and polymer surface hydrophilicity on protein adsorption and the resulting friction in the boundary lubrication regime have been investigated. Unfolded proteins preferentially adsorb onto hydrophobic polymer surfaces, where they form a compact, passivating layer and increase sliding friction-an effect that can be largely suppressed by rendering the substrate more hydrophilic. A molecular model for protein-mediated boundary friction is proposed to consolidate the observations. The relevance of the results for in vivo performance and ex vivo hip-joint testing are discussed.

[The low quality of home-made oral rehydration solution in Salvador, Bahia (Brazil)]. / A baixa qualidade do soro caseiro em Salvador, Brasil.

In 1988 a nation-wide campaign aiming to inform the Brazilian population about preparation and use of simple sugar/salt oral rehydration solution (ORS) was carried out. The campaign was massively shown by the media. This preliminary study assessed the quality of ORS prepared by 23 mothers of in-patient children from a pediatric hospital in Salvador, State of Bahia. Fourteen (60.9%) among the 23 mothers prepared solutions containing Na concentrations ranging from 30 to 80 mmol/L which is recommended by the World Health Organization. Eleven (47.8%) solutions contained glucose within the recommended range of 30 to 112 mmoI/L Only 6 (26%) out of the 23 mothers prepared ORS with simultaneously adequate Na and glucose concentrations. However, just 3 (13%) out of these 6 ORS also presented balanced electrolyte concentrations. Potential iatrogenicity due to high concentrations of Na and glucose was found in 30.4% and 43.5% of the solutions, respectively. These data raise serious concerns about the quality of home-made sugar/salt ORS, and therefore about its use as a safe agent in a campaign of diarrhoeal diseases control.

[Clinical diagnosis versus autopsy]. / Diagnóstico clínico versus autópsia.

Records from 910 autopsies performed at a university hospital in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil were examined in order to assess the accuracy of clinical diagnoses of the patients' underlying causes of death. This study found inaccurate clinical diagnoses in 31% of the cases. The overall rate of diagnostic error appeared to remain fairly stable from 1970 to 1982, being highest for older patients. Thirty-six percent of the 263 cancer deaths were incorrectly diagnosed, and a number of pathologies considered relatively easy to diagnose were not always correctly identified--the underlying cause of death being incorrectly diagnosed in many of the fatalities caused by such ailments as arterial hypertension, chronic obstructive lung disease, pneumonia/bronchopneumonia, and schistosomiasis. Quite aside from their direct medical implications, diagnostic errors of the magnitude observed in this and other studies seriously jeopardize the quality of vital statistics and such statistics' usefulness for improving public health.

Clinical diagnosis versus autopsy.

Records from 910 autopsies performed at a university hospital in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, were examined in order to assess the accuracy of clinical diagnoses of the patients' underlying causes of death. This study found inaccurate clinical diagnoses in 31% of the cases. The overall rate of diagnostic error appeared to remain fairly stable from 1970 to 1982, being highest for older patients. Thirty-six percent of the 263 cancer deaths were incorrectly diagnosed, and a number of pathologies considered relatively easy to diagnose were not always correctly identified. Quite aside from their direct medical implications, diagnostic errors of the magnitude observed in this and other studies seriously jeopardize the quality of vital statistics and such statistics' usefulness for improving public health.