The effect of oilseeds in diets of lactating cows on milk production and methane emissions

Thirty-six lactating multiparous Holstein cows were assigned to diets that contained 2.3, 4.0, and 5.6% fat for an entire lactation to determine the effect of oilseeds on milk composition, production, and methane emissions. The diets were formulated so that whole cottonseeds and canola oilseeds provided equal amounts of added fat. Methane emissions were measured every 3 mo from two replicates of four cows per treatment using a room tracer approach. Dry matter intakes and yields of milk and FCM were greater for cows fed the diets containing oilseeds. Although the concentration of protein in milk was reduced, yields of both protein and fat tended to be increased by the addition of fat. Within the milk fat, the concentrations of C10, C12, C14:0, and C16:0 were reduced and concentrations of C18, C18:1, and trans-C18:1 were increased in response to dietary oilseeds. In serum, urea-N was increased by the dietary oilseeds. Supplementation of diets with oilseeds did not affect methane emissions but tended to increase the efficiency of milk produced per unit of methane emitted. A 1.7% addition of fat to the control diet from a combination of oilseed types increased yields of milk without reducing methane emission rates. The strategy of using unsaturated fats from oilseeds to substantially reduce methane emissions was ineffective, although yield of milk was increased.

Effects of tallow on the energy metabolism of wethers fed barley finishing diets

A balance trial was conducted to titrate the effects of tallow on the energy metabolism of wethers fed barley finishing diets. Six dietary levels of tallow (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10%) in a barley finishing diet were fed to six crossbred wethers (35+/-1.1 kg) in a randomized complete block design. Diets were 73% barley, 10% tallow and(or) bentonite, 10% alfalfa pellets, and 7% supplement. There was no effect of tallow level on OM intake (1,103.1+/-51 g/d), OM digestibility (84+/-0.9%), GE digestibility (83+/-1.1%), or cell solubles digestibility (84.2+/-1.2%). The level of tallow quadratically decreased ADF digestibility (P < 0.05), methane emissions, and methane energy as a percentage of GE P < 0.01). There were linear increases in dietary GE (megacalories per kilogram of OM [P < 0.01]), dietary DE (megacalories per kilogram of OM [P < 0.05]), and dietary ME (megacalories per kilogram of OM [P < 0.01]), as dietary tallow increased. Numbers of ruminal protozoa (Entodinium spp. and Polyplastron sp.) decreased linearly (P < 0.05) with increased level of tallow. The energy value of tallow (calculated by difference) was low. The total-tract fatty acid digestibility of tallow was calculated by linear regression, without intercept, after accounting for the fatty acids digested from the base diet (0% tallow fed to a wether in a period). Fatty acids of the same carbon length were pooled for the regression analysis. All linear regressions were significant (P < 0.10) indicating no effect of tallow level on fatty acid digestibility. Lauric acid had low digestibility. The high digestibility of all C16 (89%) and C18 (104%) fatty acids suggests an effect of tallow on endogenous and microbial fatty acid excretion. Fatty acid digestibility was probably a minor contributor to the low energy content of tallow, calculated by difference, in these diets.

Repeated low-level formaldehyde exposure produces cross-sensitization to cocaine: possible relevance to chemical sensitivity in humans

Sensitivity to chemicals in humans has been proposed to be an acquired disorder in which individuals become increasingly sensitive to chemicals in the environment. A possible link between the manifestation of psychiatric symptoms in individuals claiming sensitivity to chemicals was investigated based on a leading hypothesis put forth by Bell and co-workers (1992) to explain the amplification of symptoms after chemical exposure. The hypothesis is that chemical sensitivities may be akin to sensitization observed in rodents after repeated psychostimulants. Repeated exposure to psychostimulants enhances behavioral activity and the underlying neurochemical responses in specific limbic pathways; a similar sensitization of limbic pathways has been proposed to occur in individuals who become sensitive to chemicals. To test this hypothesis, female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to either air or formaldehyde (Form) for 1 h/day for 7 days or 20 days (5 days/week x 4 weeks). Two to 4 days after the last exposure, rats were given a cocaine challenge (= early withdrawal) followed by an additional cocaine challenge 4-6 weeks later (= late withdrawal). No differences in cocaine-induced locomotor activity were noted between groups after 7 days of exposure. However, after 20 days of exposure to Form, vertical activity was significantly elevated at both early and late withdrawal times. These studies demonstrate that behavioral sensitization occurs after long-term, but not short-term, low-level exposure to Form, and lends support to the limbic system sensitization hypothesis of sensitivity to chemicals in humans.

Proposed animal neurosensitization model for multiple chemical sensitivity in studies with formalin

A potentially promising line of animal research relevant to multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is that of sensitization in the central nervous system (CNS), particularly limbic pathways in the brain. Sensitization is the progressive and enduring enhancement in behavioral and neurochemical responses that occurs after repeated exposure to psychostimulants or environmental stressors. Since the onset and progression of sensitization has many parallels with that of MCS, it has been proposed that MCS may be initiated through a mechanism similar to the sensitization of CNS components occurring in the rodent. To test this hypothesis, female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to formalin vapors (FORM, 11 ppm) or water vapor (control) 1 h/day for 7 days. The next day, a saline injection was given followed by a cocaine injection (15 mg/kg, i.p.) 24 h later, and locomotor activity was monitored. Animals pretreated with repeated FORM inhalation demonstrated a significantly enhanced locomotor response to cocaine compared to controls, an indicator that specific limbic pathways may have been sensitized. At 4 weeks of withdrawal from FORM exposure, a subset of animals remained sensitized to a cocaine challenge. No differences were found between groups after a saline injection. In a second experiment, animals were screened prior to FORM or water exposure for their response to a novel situation, a measure believed to reflect an animal's general responsiveness to stimuli. Rats were divided into high responders (HR) or low responders (LR), based on their locomotion in a novel cage. Results from three behavioral tests demonstrated that HR and LR were differentially affected by exposure to FORM. In a passive avoidance test, HR and LR appeared to be different in their distribution of responses, while HR and LR responses in the FORM group were nearly identical. On the elevated plus maze test of anxiety, HR spent more time on the open arms than LR in both treatment groups, with significant differences between HR and LR in the FORM, but not water, treated group. On a hot plate test to measure nociceptive levels, no differences occurred between HR and LR in the control group, whereas nociception of LR tended toward an increase compared to HR in the FORM-exposed group. Results from the second experiment suggest that the effects of FORM exposure may be obscured by examining behavior in a heterogeneous population (HR and LR). This approach using animal models may help define neural substrates that mediate the amplification of responses of a subpopulation of individuals to chemicals in the environment.

Bulls show no preference for a heifer in estrus in preference tests

The objective of this experiment was to determine whether sexually experienced bulls would demonstrate a preference (using primarily olfaction) between a heifer in estrus and a heifer in diestrus (luteal phase) when physical contact was denied. In Exp. 1, a heifer in estrus and a heifer in diestrus (n = 18 pairs) were individually enclosed in opposite ends of a pen. During each period (n = 18), three bulls were individually introduced into the pen and allowed 5 min to demonstrate preference between the heifer in estrus and the heifer in diestrus. The total time that a bull spent within 2.5 m of either heifer was used to evaluate his preference. The total time that bulls spent adjacent to the heifer in estrus was not greater (P greater than .05) than the total time that bulls spent adjacent to the heifer in diestrus. In Exp. 2, five bulls were used and were evaluated using the same method as in Exp. 1. In addition, the number of flehmen reactions were recorded for each bull. Six heifers were ovariectomized and each heifer was induced into estrus with one of three doses of estradiol 17 beta (5, 10, and 20 mg) over the 5-wk treatment period. Estradiol 17 beta-treated heifers were always paired with a non-estradiol-treated (control) heifer. The goal of Exp. 2 was to determine whether heifers treated with pharmacological doses of estradiol 17 beta would be preferentially selected from non-estradiol-treated (control) heifers by bulls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)