Effects of days on feed, roughage sources and inclusion levels of grain in concentrate on finishing performance and carcass characteristics in cull beef cows.

An experiment was conducted with 16 Japanese Black cows to determine the effects of different days on feed (89, 208, 271 and 341 days), inclusion levels of grain in concentrate (60% vs. 40%; dry matter (DM) basis) and roughage sources (hay vs. rice straw) on finishing performance. Additional four cows were slaughtered at 0 days on feed to obtain non-fed carcass data. Maximum carcass weights were observed in cows fed for 271 days; an increase in carcass weight of only 14 kg was shown from 208 days to 271 days. The marbling score increased (P < 0.05) with days on feed. The percentage of fat in the subprimal rib linearly increased (P < 0.05) with days on feed. The percentage of lean meat was higher (P < 0.05) for cows fed rice straw than for cows fed hay as a roughage source. Increasing the days on feed decreased (P < 0.05) the yellowness of the fat. The effects of the inclusion levels of grain in concentrate on the finishing performance of cows were lower than the other two factors. In conclusion, feeding improves carcass values, but feeding over 208 days is an inefficient system of production in cows.

The effects of urea-treated potato pulp (PP) ensiled with beet pulp or wheat bran pellets to reduce moisture of PP and flake density of corn grain supplemented with the PP silage on digestibility and ruminal fermentation in beef steers.

The effects of adding beet pulp or wheat bran to urea-treated potato pulp (PP) in order to reduce moisture of PP silage and flake density of corn grain on digestibility and ruminal fermentation in beef steers were studied in a split-plot design experiment. The whole-plot treatments were PP silage mixed with 0% added pellets (CON), 9% (as-fed basis) beet pulp pellets (BP) or 9% (as-fed basis) wheat bran pellets (WB) as water-absorbing materials. The subplot treatments consisted of supplements formulated to contain either high-density corn (HDC) or low-density corn (LDC). BP steers consumed more (BP vs WB, P = 0.011) concentrate than did WB steers, whereas hay intake did not differ between the treatments. Dry matter (BP vs WB, P = 0.023) and organic matter (BP vs WB, P = 0.029) digestibility were higher for BP steers than for WB steers. Starch digestibility was higher (P = 0.006) for LDC than for HDC. There were no differences in the concentration of ruminal ammonia nitrogen among the treatments. Molar proportions of ruminal acetate were higher for BP steers than for WB steers (BP vs WB, P = 0.030). Conversely, molar proportions of propionate were lower for BP steers than for WB steers (BP vs WB, P = 0.044). Flake density of corn did not affect ruminal characteristics. In conclusion, from the viewpoint of feed intake and digestibility, BP is superior to WB as a moisture control material for urea-treated PP silage, and flake density of corn supplemented with urea-treated PP silage does not alter ruminal fermentation.

The effects of inclusion levels of urea-treated potato pulp silage in concentrate and roughage sources on finishing performance and carcass quality in cull beef cows.

ABSTRACT An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of inclusion levels of potato pulp silage in concentrate (0, 15, 30 or 45%; on a dry matter basis) and roughage sources (rice straw or wheat straw) on finishing performance and carcass quality of cull beef cows. Sixteen Japanese Black (Wagyu) mature cull cows (490 +/- 31 kg of BW) were used in this experiment. Increasing the levels of potato pulp silage in concentrate and roughage sources did not significantly affect feed intake in cows. In addition, the final body weight, daily gain and feed : gain ratio were not influenced by the inclusion levels of potato pulp silage in concentrate and the type of roughage. Increasing the inclusion levels of potato pulp silage in concentrate would probably decrease the marbling score. The L* values of the longissimus muscle (LM) tended to respond quadratically (P = 0.078) as the inclusion levels of potato pulp silage in concentrate increased, and was lowest for cows fed the concentrate which included 30% potato pulp silage. The a* and b* values of the LM and fat color were not affected by the inclusion levels of potato pulp silage in concentrate. No effects of roughage sources on finishing performance were observed.

[Dual-phase chemical-shift imaging in the detection of diffuse bone metastasis].

Preliminary studies were performed to evaluate the usefulness of lumbar bone marrow MRI using the dual chemical-shift GRE sequence in the detection of diffuse bone metastasis. Two GRE images (TE = 2.3 msec and 4.6 msec) were obtained, and SIR was calculated. SIR was designated as the ratio of in-phase to out-of-phase signal intensity. Among 45 patients with suspicious lumbar bone metastases, diffuse bone metastases were present in 7. Mean SIRs were compared by unpaired t-test. SIRs of diffuse bone metastases had significantly higher signal intensities than those of non-diffuse bone metastases of vertebrae (p < 0.01).

Usefulness of early-phase helical CT for detecting recurrent rectal cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of dynamic enhancement of helical CT in the detection of local recurrence of resected rectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 142 patients with a history of curatively resected T2 or T3 rectal cancer, follow-up plain CT indicated that they had a loco-regional recurrent tumor; consequently, they underwent follow-up pelvic helical CT providing accurate early-phase contrast enhancement in the lower pelvic region. The patients were divided into four groups according to the grade of contrast enhancement of the suspected mass-like lesion before and after contrast enhancement, and the correlation between groups and results obtained by biopsy and/or surgery were assessed. If no correlation was found, patients were followed up for a period lasting from 400 days to two years. As of June 2002, results had been obtained for 80 patients, and correlation between these results and grouping by contrast enhancement ratio was analyzed. RESULTS: All patients in the highest-grade group (n=10) had local recurrence. When only the highest-grade group was considered positive, there were no false positives and only one false negative. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that early-phase contrast enhancement is useful for accurately detecting recurrent rectal cancer. This can be easily achieved using the SmartPrep function, and should be used to distinguish recurrent tumors from postsurgical scar tissue, because these two tissue types do not exhibit similar enhancement patterns.

A case of testicular malignant lymphoma with extension to the epididymis and spermatic cord.

Findings of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a case of testicular lymphoma are presented. The tumor was lower intensity than the normal testis on T2-weighted images. Coronal images clearly showed the tumor extending to the spermatic cord. Compared with seminoma, lymphoma more often invades the epididymis and spermatic cord. MRI is a useful method for differentiating between testicular lymphoma and seminoma because it clearly shows tumor extension to the epididymis and spermatic cord.