Spatial Characterization of Soybean Yield and Quality (Amino Acids, Oil, and Protein) for United States.

Continued economic relevancy of soybean is a function of seed quality. The objectives of this study were to: (i) assess the spatial association between soybean yield and quality across major US soybean producing regions, (ii) investigate the relationship between protein, oil, and yield with amino acids (AAs) composition, and (iii) study interrelationship among essential AAs in soybean seed. Data from soybean testing programs conducted across 14 US states from 2012 to 2016 period (n = 35,101 data points) were analyzed. Results indicate that for each Mg ha-1 yield increase, protein yield increased by 0.35 Mg protein ha-1 and oil yield improved by 0.20 Mg oil ha-1. Essential AA concentrations exhibit a spatial autocorrelation and there was a negative relationship between concentration of AA, protein, and oil, with latitude. There was a positive interrelationship with different degree of strength among all AAs, and the correlation between Isoleucine and Valine was the strongest (r = 0.93) followed by the correlation among Arginine, Leucine, Lysine, and Threonine (0.71 < r < 0.88). We concluded that the variability in genotype (G) x management (M) x environment (E) across latitudes influencing yield also affected soybean quality; AA, protein, and oil content in a similar manner.

Broiler breeder manure phosphorus forms are affected by diet, location, and period of accumulation.

Phosphorus (P) modifications of poultry diets have successfully decreased the total P (TP) in manures, but the effects on manure water-soluble P (WSP(M)) remain unclear. Our objectives were to characterize P forms in broiler breeder manures as affected by dietary P modification, location within the pen, and manure accumulation period. Two diets were formulated with and without phytase to attain 0.40% available P (AvP) during the breeder laying phase (22-64 wk of age). Manure was collected after accumulation periods of 48 h, 3 wk, and 39 wk in locations under the feeder and drinker and under the common area (between the feeder and drinker) of the pen. The TP, WSP(M), orthophosphate, and phytate in manure were measured. Broiler breeders that were fed phytase with a simultaneous reduction in nonphytate P (NPP) produced manures with 15% lower TP than those fed a traditional diet, but did not change WSP(M) when averaged over manure accumulation periods and locations within the pen. Regardless of diet, location within the pen, or accumulation period (r(2) = 0.76), the WSP(M) increased linearly as the manure moisture increased. As manure accumulation periods increased (48 h, 3 wk, and 39 wk), TP manure concentrations increased (11.9, 13.2, and 17.3 g/kg, respectively), orthophosphate proportions increased (73.2, 80.1, and 91.0%, respectively), and phytate proportions decreased (23.1, 17.0, and 6.7%, respectively). The mineralization of phytate and other organic complexes, which drive off carbon dioxide, presumably contributed to the increased orthophosphate and TP concentrations. Keeping breeder manures dry helps to avoid the mineralization of phytate to orthophosphate; this mineralization increased WSP(M) in our study, and thus increased the potential for elevated P loss in runoff when surface applied.

A pilot study of oral bioavailability of dioxins and furans from contaminated soils: Impact of differential hepatic enzyme activity and species differences.

An in vivo pilot study of the oral bioavailability of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in two soils with distinct congener profiles (one dominated by PCDDs, the other by PCDFs) was conducted in rats and juvenile swine. The pilot study revealed potential confounding of relative bioavailability estimates compared to bioavailability in spiked corn oil gavage for tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF) in the rat study due to differential EROD induction between groups receiving soil and those receiving spiked control PCDDs/PCDFs. A follow-up study in rats with the furan-contaminated soil was then conducted with reductions in the spiked control doses to 20%, 50% and 80% of the soil-feed dose in order to bracket hepatic enzyme induction levels in the soil group. When hepatic enzyme induction was matched between the soil and spiked control groups, the apparent relative bioavailability for TCDF was reduced significantly. Overall, after controlling for hepatic enzyme induction, estimates of relative bioavailability in rats and swine differed for the two soils. In the rat study, the relative bioavailability of the two soils were approximately 37% and 60% compared to corn oil administration for the PCDD- and PCDF- dominated soils, respectively, on a TEQ basis. In swine, both soils demonstrated relative bioavailability between 20% and 25% compared to administration in corn oil. These species differences and experimental design issues, such as controlling for differential enzyme induction between corn oil and soil-feed animals in a bioavailability study, are relevant to risk assessment efforts where relative bioavailability inputs are important for theoretical exposure and risk characterization.

Short communication: influence of Staphylococcus aureus intramammary infection on serum copper, zinc, and iron concentrations.

The goal of the present study was to characterize changes in serum trace mineral concentrations in cattle with experimentally induced Staphylococcus aureus mastitis. Nine primiparous Holstein-Friesian cattle were challenged with approximately 150 cfu of Staph. aureus ATCC29740 by intramammary infusion on d 6, 7, and 8 of lactation. Serum Cu, Zn, and Fe concentrations were determined immediately before and at 24, 48, and 72 h after the final intramammary infusion of Staph. aureus. Infection status (cfu/mL of Staph. aureus), milk somatic cell count, and mastitis score were also determined at these times. Infection resulted in a decrease in mean serum Cu, Zn, and Fe concentrations to 89, 83, and 81% of preinfection concentrations at 24 h postchallenge. One-way analysis of variance for repeated measures demonstrated a significant change in serum zinc concentration. The reductions in trace mineral concentrations were of less magnitude than observed following experimental E. coli mastitis.

Validation of the in vitro gastrointestinal (IVG) method to estimate relative bioavailable lead in contaminated soils.

The effect of the dosing vehicle (e.g., dough) on the ability of an in vitro gastrointestinal (IVG) method to predict relative bioavailable Pb associated with soil ingestion was evaluated. Bioaccessible Pb determined by the IVG method was compared with relative bioavailable Pb measured from dosing trials using juvenile swine for 18 contaminated soils ranging from 1270 to 14200 mg Pb kg(-1). Bioaccessible Pb was measured in the IVG gastric extraction (GE) and intestinal extraction (IE) solutions. Mean bioaccessible Pb values were 32.2% for GE without dough, 23.0% for GE with dough, 1.06% for IE without dough, and 0.56% for IE with dough. It is possible that phytic acid associated with the dough addition decreased bioaccessible Pb. In vivo relative bioavailable Pb ranges for different swine tissues were 1 to 87% for blood, 0 to 110% for liver, 1 to 124% for kidney, and 0.04 to 94% for bone. Strong linear relationships between IVG GE Pb with dough (r > 0.76, P < 0.0002), IVG IE Pb with dough (r > 0.56, P < 0.015), and IVG GE Pb without dough (r > 0.81, P < 0.0001) and in vivo bioavailable Pb as estimated with blood, kidney, liver, and bone were found. Inexpensive in vitro methods may be useful in providing an estimate of the variability in relative bioavailable Pb at a single study site. The IVG method can be used to estimate relative bioavailable Pb, As, and Cd in contaminated soil.

Chemical extraction methods to assess bioavailable arsenic in soil and solid media.

Soil ingestion by children is an important pathway in assessing public health risks associated with exposure to arsenic-contaminated soils. Soil chemical methods are available to extract various pools of soil arsenic, but their ability to measure bioavailable arsenic from soil ingestion is unknown. Arsenic extracted by five commonly used soil extractants was compared with bioavailable arsenic measured in vivo by immature swine (Sus scrofa) dosing trials. Fifteen contaminated soils that contained 233 to 17 500 mg kg(-1) arsenic were studied. Soil extractants were selected to dissolve surficially adsorbed and/or readily soluble arsenic (water, 1 M sodium acetate, 0.1 M Na2HPO4/0.1 M NaH2PO4) and arsenic in Fe and Mn oxide minerals (hydroxylamine hydrochloride, ammonium oxalate). The mean percent of total arsenic extracted was: ammonium oxalate (53.6%) > or = hydroxylamine hydrochloride (51.7%) > phosphate (10.5%), acetate (7.16%) > water (0.15%). The strongest relationship between arsenic determined by soil chemical extraction and in vivo bioavailable arsenic was found for hydroxylamine hydrochloride extractant (r = 0.88, significant at the 0.01 probability level). Comparison of the amount of arsenic extracted by soil methods with bioavailable arsenic showed the following trend: ammonium oxalate, hydroxylamine hydrochloride > in vivo > phosphate, acetate > water. The amount of arsenic dissolved in the stomach (potentially bioavailable) is between surficially adsorbed (extracted by phosphate or acetate) and surficially adsorbed + nonsurficial forms in Fe and Mn oxides (extracted by hydroxylamine hydrochloride or ammonium oxalate). Soil extraction methods that dissolve some of the amorphous Fe, such as hydroxylamine hydrochloride, can be designed to provide closer estimates of bioavailable arsenic.

In vitro lead bioaccessibility and phosphate leaching as affected by surface application of phosphoric acid in lead-contaminated soil.

Phosphate treatment of lead-contaminated soil may be a cost-effective remedial alternative for in situ stabilizing soil Pb and reducing Pb toxicology to human. The leaching behaviors of the P added to soil surface and the effect on subsurface Pb bioaccessibility must be addressed for this remedial technology to be acceptable. A smelter-contaminated soil containing an average of 2,670 mg Pb kg(-1), collected from the Jasper County Superfund Site located in Jasper County, Missouri, was surface treated with 10 g P kg(-1) as phosphoric acid (H(3)PO(4)). Following a simulated column leaching and 90-day treatment of field plots, respectively, bioaccessible Pb, P, and pH in soil profile were measured. Surface treatment using H(3)PO(4) effectively stabilized soil Pb and reduced leachable Pb and the bioaccessibility. Phosphate leached into deeper profile significantly lowered bioaccessible Pb in subsurface. Reduction of Pb bioaccessibility increased as a linear function of increasing soil P. Although surface H(3)PO(4) treatment resulted in an enhanced leaching of added P and may increase potential risk of surface and groundwater pollution, the P leaching under field conditions is very limited. Lime addition following the treatment may reduce the leachability of added P and further immobilize soil Pb.

Validation of X-ray fluorescence-measured Swine femur lead against atomic absorption spectrometry.

The aim of this study was to apply the technique of (109)Cd-based K-shell X-ray fluorescence (XRF) bone lead measurements to swine femurs and to validate the concentrations obtained therefrom against an independent chemical measurement of bone lead: atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The femurs ranged in lead concentration from 1.0 to 24.5 microg of lead per gram of ashed bone, as measured by AAS. On average, XRF overestimated AAS-measured femur lead by 2.6 microg/g [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1-4.0 microg/g], approximately 2 microg/g poorer than that observed in studies of human tibiae. Measurements of swine femur and, by extension, of nonhuman bones may require adjustment of the XRF spectrum peak extraction method.

Refining the risk assessment of metal-contaminated soils.

Determining the bioavailability of toxic metals (Pb, As, and Cd) in a diverse range of soils, allows scientifically derived data to dictate site-specific remedies to reduce the risk for sensitive human populations. Based on a series of dosing trials in a juvenile swine model, site-specific estimates of relative bioavailability of Pb in soil ranged from 3% to 86% compared to soluble lead acetate. Another experiment using a pregnant swine model revealed: 1) Pb accumulation in fetal tissues was 50% or more of maternal and; 2) pregnant females accumulated 2-to-4 times more lead in tissues than unbred females. Relative bioavailability results for arsenic- and cadmium-contaminated soils further support the view that soil metals are not always as well absorbed as soluble forms, therefore use of default toxicity factors for assessing human health risk may overestimate the hazard.

Lead immobilization using phosphoric acid in a smelter-contaminated urban soil.

Transformation of soil lead (Pb) to pyromorphite, a lead phosphate, may be a cost-effective remedial strategy for immobilizing soil Pb and reducing Pb bioavailability. Soil treatment using phosphoric acid (H3PO4) was assessed for its efficacy to reduce Pb solubility and bioaccessibility. Soil containing 4,360 mg of Pb kg(-1), collected from a smelter-contaminated site in Joplin, MO, was reacted with 1,250, 2,500, 5,000, and 10,000 mg of P kg(-1) as H3PO4. The reaction was followed by measurements of Pb bioaccessibility, solubility products, and microprobe analyses. Soluble Pb concentration in the soil decreased with increasing H3PO4 addition. Adding 10,000 mg of P kg(-1) reduced bioaccessible Pb by 60%. The logarithm of bioaccessible Pb decreased as a linear function of increasing H3PO4 addition with an R2 of 0.989. A higher soil/solution ratio was required to extract bioaccessible Pb after the treatment. Microprobe analyses showed that the Pb particles contained P and Cl after the reaction, and the spectra generated by the wavelength-dispersive spectrometer were similar to those of synthetic chloropyromorphite. Lead solubility in the P-treated soil was less than predicted for hydroxypyromorphite [Pbs(PO4)3-OH] and greater than predicted for chloropyromorphite [Pbs(PO4)3Cl]. The P treatment caused approximately 23% redistribution of soil Pb from the clay and silt size fractions to the sand fraction. Soil treatment with H3PO4 resulted in the formation of a compound similar to chloropyromorphite and reduced bioaccessibility of soil Pb, which may have a potential as an in situ technique for Pb-contaminated soil remediation.

Sensitivity and specificity of serum copper determination for detection of copper deficiency in feeder calves.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between serum and liver copper concentrations and evaluate serum copper determination for diagnosis of copper deficiency in juvenile beef calves. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. ANIMALS: 105 juvenile beef calves. PROCEDURE: Copper concentrations were measured in paired liver and serum samples from 6- to 9-month-old beef calves. Regression models that predicted liver copper concentration as a function of serum copper concentration were developed. Sensitivity and specificity of serum copper concentration for detection of low liver copper concentration were determined, using a range of serum copper concentrations as test endpoints. Positive and negative predictive values were calculated. RESULTS: The association between serum and liver copper concentrations was significant; however, regression models accounted for only a small portion of the variation in liver copper concentrations. For a serum copper concentration endpoint of 0.45 microg/g, sensitivity and specificity for detection of low liver copper concentration were 0.53 and 0.89, respectively. Positive and negative predictive values of serum copper concentration for detection of low liver copper concentration ranged from 0.37 to 0.85 and 0.63 to 0.94, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Regression models are inappropriate for predicting copper status as a function of serum copper concentration. Serum copper concentration is fairly specific for detection of low liver copper concentration but only marginally sensitive when serum copper concentration of 0.45 microg/g is used as a test endpoint. The value of serum copper concentration as a diagnostic indicator depends on prevalence of copper deficiency.

Anatomic and physiologic reference values in least shrews (Cryptotis parva).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The least shrew is an established animal model for reproductive and pharmacologic research. Biologic reference data are needed to assess animal health status and provide a rationale for use of novel statistical programs to evaluate the effects of orally administered substances in toxicologic and pharmacologic studies. METHODS: Organ weights, blood biochemical and hematologic values, and food and water consumption data were collected from 50-day-old shrews after two weeks' consumption of a standard feline diet. RESULTS: In general, data correlated well with values reported for other mammalian species. Plasma phosphorus concentration was high. There was a significant difference in food and water consumption per gram of body weight between shrews at lower and upper (+/- 1 SD) weight ranges for the study. The 3.2-g animals consumed 27% more food per gram of body weight than did the 5.0-g animals. CONCLUSIONS: The high phosphorus concentration was attributed to hemolysis resulting from the axillary cut method of blood sample collection. The small size of the shrew allowed demonstration of the Kleiber effect within a +/- 1 SD weight range in a single species. The phenomenon necessitates the use of statistical methods other than the typical tests establishing the significance of the differences between the means of groups for oral toxicologic and pharmacologic studies.

Metal toxicosis in horses.

The ubiquity and stability of metals in the environment make them unique as a pollutant or an essential dietary component. Metals are neither created nor destroyed by chemical processes but are redistributed in the environment. In combination with other elements, metal compounds and alloys are essential materials of the contemporary world. Inappropriate use or distribution in the environment leads to adverse health effects on all biologic systems, including horses. Gastrointestinal upset is a common feature of acute toxicosis with metals in general. Among the metals discussed, arsenic and inorganic mercury have a propensity to do severe damage to the gut. Deposition of cadmium on forage is the source most likely to intoxicate horses. This subchronic to chronic problem in horses is manifest as disease of the musculoskeletal system and kidneys. Iron-containing hematinics are widely used in racetrack horses and occasionally result in hepatopathy when excessive doses are administered. Lead continues to be recognized as the most significant environmental metal pollutant. Poisoning is encountered routinely in humans and animals. Of the animal species of veterinary concern, lead-poisoned horses are not a frequent encounter. Lead-intoxicated horses show signs of peripheral neuropathy (laryngeal hemiplegia), intermittent colic, and mild anemia. Acute mercury poisoning sometimes occurs from the common use of mercury-containing blistering agents, with most clinical findings related to acute renal failure. Chronic excessive intake of zinc by horses is uncommon but devastating in rapidly growing foals. The mechanism of chronic zinc toxicosis is coupled to the induced copper deficiency. The condition is a disease of cartilage in the articular and growth physes.

Subclinical copper accumulation in llamas.

A 9-year-old, intact male llama with mild ataxia and generalized malaise of 1 month's duration was euthanized following clinical evaluation. Excessive liver copper concentrations were found in the llama and also in clinically normal herdmates. This case documents multiple animals with increased hepatic stores from standard diets and mineral supplements.

Developmental toxicity of purified fumonisin B1 in pregnant Syrian hamsters.

The purpose of this study was to characterize the developmental toxicity of fumonisin B1 (FB1), a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium moniliforme, on fetal Syrian hamsters. Fusarium moniliforme has been associated with a variety of diseases in animals and esophageal cancer in humans. Purified FB1 causes leukoencephalomalacia in horses and is hepatocarcinogenic in rats. Fumonisin B1 has been associated with fetal toxicity in rats and mice and has been suggested to be involved in reproductive failure in pregnant sows. Results from a preliminary developmental toxicity study using an aqueous extract of F. moniliforme corn-culture material in hamsters suggested that FB1 was a developmental toxicant. These results were verified using purified FB1. Six groups of ten time-mated female Syrian hamsters were dosed with 0.0-18 mg kg(-1) day(-1) of FB1 by gavage on days 8-12 of gestation and euthanized on day 15. Live fetuses were weighed and examined for gross external and internal abnormalities and skeletal anomalies. Purified fumonisin B1 was shown to cause dose-dependent fetal death and delayed fetal development without causing fetal abnormalities.

Dietary Fusarium moniliforme culture material induces in vitro tumor necrosis factor-alpha like activity in the sera of swine.

Sera obtained from a group of pigs (n = 5) fed a diet amended with fumonisin containing Fusarium moniliforme culture material was used to determine the levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF) activity by a functional bioassay utilizing the TNF sensitive WEHI 140 mouse fibrosarcoma cell line. Two pigs developed signs consistent with pulmonary edema which was confirmed by pathologic examination in only one pig. Significant, time dependent increases in TNF-like activity were observed in all pigs during the five days of the trial. Another group of pigs (n = 5) was given a defined daily dose of the same culture material by gastric intubation. Two pigs developed fulminant pulmonary edema and sharp increases in TNF activity were observed during the 3 days of the trial in all pigs. In both cases the activity was not abrogated by addition of a neutralizing anti-human TNF monoclonal antibody suggesting that other factors may have been responsible for these effects, possibly the increased levels of sphingoid bases in the serum. Since the pig has become an important model in the study of TNF mediated endotoxic shock, these studies illustrate the relevance of certifying the absence of this important mycotoxin from corn based animal diets, specially if functional assays are used to monitor the activity of TNF in serum.

Bioavailability of lead to juvenile swine dosed with soil from the Smuggler Mountain NPL Site of Aspen, Colorado.

Bioavailability of lead (Pb) has become an issue in quantifying exposure of sensitive populations and, where necessary, establishing cleanup levels for contaminated soil. Immature swine were used as a model for young children to estimate the degree to which Pb from two fully characterized composite samples from the Smuggler Mountain Superfund Site in Aspen, Colorado may be bioavailable to resident children. The composite soils contained 14,200 and 3870 micrograms Pb/g of soil. Relative and absolute enteric bioavailabilities of Pb in soil (oral dose groups of 75,225, and 675 micrograms Pb/kg body wt/day) were estimated by comparison with an orally administered soluble Pb salt (lead acetate = PbAc2.3H2O) (dose groups of 0, 75, and 225 micrograms Pb/kg body wt/day) and an intravenously administered aqueous solution of Pb (100 micrograms Pb/kg/ day) from the same trihydrate salt administered daily for 15 days to 50 juvenile swine. The biological responses (area under the blood Pb concentration-time curve, and the terminal liver-, kidney-, and bone-lead concentrations) produced by Pb from PbAc2.3H2O and lead-contaminated soils were determined. This study revealed Pb from soil containing 14,200 micrograms Pb/g of soil had a bioavailability relative to Pb from PbAc (RBA), ranging from 56% based on the area under the blood lead concentration-time curve (AUC) versus dose, to 86% based on calculations from liver-Pb loading versus dose. Similarly, Pb from soil containing 3870 micrograms Pb/g of soil had an RBA ranging from 58% based on the AUC versus dose, to 74% based on calculations from liver- and kidney-Pb loading versus dose. Bioavailability of Pb in soils may be more or less than EPA's default RBA of 60%, therefore, measuring site-specific RBAs provides a basis for improved exposure and risk assessment.

Acute arsenic toxicosis in five horses.

Five adult horses presented with acute clinical signs of watery diarrhea, excessive salivation, muscle tremors, ataxia, and depression. Four died within 24 hours and the fifth was euthanatized approximately 48 hours after onset of clinical signs. Necropsy finds in two of the horses included hyperemia of gastric mucosa, intestines filled with green to black watery fluid, and multifocal to coalescing, hemorrhagic 1.0-2.0-cm-diameter ulcers of the mucosa of the cecum and large colon. Histopathologic changes in the cecum and large colon consisted of mucosal necrosis and ulceration, vascular thrombosis, necrosis of submucosal blood vessels, and infiltration by mixed mononuclear inflammatory cells and neutrophils. Arsenic toxicosis was suspected. The owner had not been feeding the horses any grain; however, a mixture of grain and pink powder was found in the pasture. Liver arsenic concentrations in the two horses were 14.0 and 11.0 ppm, a sample of renal cortex contained 108 ppm arsenic, and the grain/powder mixture found in the pasture was positive for arsenic at > 3,000 ppm. kidney lead concentrations were 6.5 and 4.2 ppm. Results were consistent with lead arsenate or lead arsenite poisoning.