Meal size and feeding management strategies influence the daily rhythm of total locomotor activity in horses (Equus caballus)

Keeping and management of horses can induce changes to instinctive and innate behavioural patterns. We investigated the effect of five different management conditions in five groups of horses. All groups were housed in individual boxes under natural environmental and lighting conditions. They were fed three times a day (07:00, 12:30 and 20:00) and had free access to water. Group A was fed with 8 kg/capo/die of hay divided in the three meals. Group B was fed with 8 kg/capo/die of an unifeed divided in the three meals. Group C was fed with unifeed at 07:00 and 12:30 and with hay at 20:00. They were kept in wood-bedded boxes. Groups D and E were fed with unifeed at 07:00 and 12:30, respectively, and in the other, two meals received hay. They were kept in straw-bedded boxes. Our results showed a daily rhythm of total locomotor activity in all groups, influenced by management conditions. Group A engaged in meal patterns similar to those seen in grazing animals. Groups B and C showed the highest MESOR values due to a high searching behaviour. Group C showed a nocturnal acrophase contrary to the other groups. Groups D and E showed a total locomotor activity pattern similar to that observed in Group A probably due to an increase in straw-bedding consuming. The reduction of fibre in diet has an impact on physiology and behaviour of horses. The valuation of diet and in bedding provided to horses kept in box is useful to guarantee the maintenance of the physiological daily rhythm of total locomotor activity.     

Untersuchungen Über Pektin[sgrave]toffe als Bestandteile von Futtermitteln

An je 5 Schweinen mit End‐zu‐Seit (E.z.S.)‐ bzw. End‐zu‐End (E.z.E.)‐ Ileorektalanastomosen (IRA) unter Erhaltung der Ileozäkal‐Klappen wurden Mais und die Extraktionsschrote (ES) von Sonnenblumensaat, Baumwollsaat, Leinsaat sowie von Sojabohnen sowohl als alleinige Proteinquelle als auch in Mischungen aus Mais und jeweils einem Extraktionsschrot verabreicht, um den Einfluß der beiden IRA‐Varianten auf die präzäkale Nährstoff‐ und Aminosäuren (AS)‐ Verdaulichkeit zu prüfen.

Bei zwei der fünf Einzelproteinrationen und bei drei der vier Mischrationen traten in derE.z.S.‐IRA‐Gruppe gesichert höhere Verdaulichkeiten für die Rohkohlenhydrate auf. Bei Rohprotein und Rohfett gab es zwischen den IRA‐Varianten keine Unterschiede.

Die AS‐Resorption der Einzelkomponenten Mais, Sonnenblumen‐ES und Baumwollsaat‐ES war von der IRA‐Methode unbeeinflußt. Bei Leinsaat‐ES waren die Resorptionswerte für Isoleuzin, Leuzin und Valin in der E.z.S.‐ IRA‐Variante um ≥5 %‐Einheiten signifikant höher als in der E.Z.E.‐IRA‐ Gruppe; bei Sojaschrot betraf es 4 essentielle AS mit Unterschieden ≤5 %‐ Einheiten. Die unterschiedlichen Ileorektostomietechniken hatten demzufolge keinen praktisch bedeutsamen Einfluß auf die AS‐Resorption.     

Effect of bacterial protein meal on protein and energy metabolism in growing chickens

Abstract

This experiment investigates the effect of increasing the dietary content of bacterial protein meal (BPM) on the protein and energy metabolism, and carcass chemical composition of growing chickens. Seventy-two Ross male chickens were allocated to four diets, each in three replicates with 0% (D0), 2% (D2), 4% (D4), and 6% BPM (D6), BPM providing up to 20% of total dietary N. Five balance experiments were conducted when the chickens were 3 – 7, 10 – 14, 17 – 21, 23 – 27, and 30 – 34 days old. During the same periods, 22-h respiration experiments (indirect calorimetry) were performed with groups of 6 chickens (period 1), 5 chickens (period 2), and one chicken (periods 3 – 5). After each balance period, one chicken in each cage was killed and the carcass weight was recorded. Chemical analyses were performed on the carcasses from periods 1, 3, and 5. Weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion rate were found to be similar for all diets. Chickens on D0 retained 1.59 g N · kg^?0.75 · d^?1, significantly more than chickens on D2, D4, and D6, which retained 1.44 g, 1.52 g, and 1.50 g N · kg^?0.75 · d^?1, respectively. This was probably caused by the higher nitrogen content of D0. Neither the HE (p = 0.92) nor the retention of energy (p = 0.88) were affected by diet. Carcass composition was similar between diets, in line with the values for protein and energy retention found in the balance and respiration experiments. It was concluded that the overall protein and energy metabolism as well as carcass composition were not influenced by a dietary content of up to 6% BPM corresponding to 20% of dietary N.     

Quinine and artesunate inhibit feeding in the African malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae: the role of gustatory organs within the mouthparts

A membrane feeding assay in which the effects of the antimalarial drugs quinine and artesunate are tested on Anopheles gambiae Giles sensu stricto is described. In the present study, 87% of female A. gambiae are shown to feed on whole defibrinated bovine blood alone, whereas only 47% and 43.5% feed on saline and on saline + bovine serum albumin (BSA) solutions, respectively, suggesting that additional components in the blood stimulate mosquito feeding. The addition of 1 mm quinine or artesunate to the BSA solution results in a significant reduction in percentage engorgement to 16.2% and 14.1%, respectively. However, the feeding rate is higher when 1 mm artesunate and quinine are mixed in the blood because 67.8% and 78.4% of females engorge on these solutions respectively. Artesunate (10 mm ) in the blood reduces percentage engorgement to 20%. Because circulating doses of quinine and artesunate affecting Plasmodium in humans are much lower than those affecting feeding by A. gambiae in the in vitro assay, these two antimalarial drugs should have no effect, or only a minor effect, on the infection rate of mosquitoes feeding on treated patients. Because only the stylets penetrate the membrane and not the labellar lobes, the results of the present study suggest that both blood phagostimulants and feeding deterrents are detected by internal gustatory organs in A. gambiae, namely sensory cells in the apical and subapical labral pegs, in sensilla on the inner face of the labellar lobes, or by cibarial receptor cells. The neuroanatomy of gustatory sensilla on the apical and subapical labral pegs and on the inner face of the labellar lobes of female A. gambiae is described in the present study.     

Interacting effects of photophase and scotophase on the diapause response of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella

The diapause-programming response to photoperiod in Plodia interpunctella was analyzed by exposing larvae to various 24-h and non-24-h regimes of light and darkness. The response to 24-h regimes indicated three photoperiodic parameters—a critical scotophase, a minimal photophase, and a minimal scotophase for a full expression of the response. The critical response was based on dark-time measurement, because disruption of the scotophase abolished the response and the diapause incidence varied as a function of scotophase in non-24-h regimes. The critical scotophase varied with the duration of the preceding photophase. Prevention of diapause by single or double-night interruptions of long scotophases could be explained by resetting of the dark-time measurement. The effect of a light pulse was modified by the quantitative interaction of light and dark reactions. The sensitivity to resetting by a light pulse seemed to be decreased in the early scotophase with an increasing duration of the preceding light period. Therefore, the significance of light in the photoperiodic response was something more than delimiting scotophase for the time measurement.     

New perspectives on chrononutrition

Chrononutrition proposes that nutrients or meal timing per se could affect the circadian clock system, and that the desynchronization of biological rhythms could negatively influence timing and food choices. Research in this area has suggested that mealtime, energy distribution throughout the day, nocturnal eating and food ingestion frequency may influence nutrient metabolism, being associated with metabolic and nutritional diseases. Given the growing amount of evidence linking the circadian clock system to metabolic and nutritional health, circadian organization seems to be clinically important in the understanding of diseases such as obesity and, maybe, in the nutritional treatment of them. Thus, chrononutrition emerges as an important tool to enhance the metabolic and nutritional health of particular population groups (e.g. shift workers) and in the treatment of diseases such as obesity. For this reason, the area needs to be further explored.     

Untersuchungen mit markiertem Harnstoff an laktierenden Wiederkäuern

The present study evaluated two previously developed methods for amplification of bovine mtDNA segments of 109 and 271 base pairs (bp) by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Beef samples were sterilised experimentally at different temperatures (126°C, 129°C, 132°C and 135°C). These experimentally sterilised beef samples and nine commercial meat and bone meals (MBM) were mixed to a reference plant concentrate in strengths of 50%, 10%, 5%, and 1%. The results of the following PCR showed that the Bos-109 real-time PCR assay was able to detect all the experimental beef samples with exception of the mixtures of beef heated experimentally to 135°C. In mixtures of industrial MBM bovine DNA were always found. Comparatively, the beef sterilised at 135°C and 132°C (and their respective mixtures) and the mixture containing 1% of beef sterilised at 129°C were not detectable with the PCR assay amplifying a target of 271 bp. Using this PCR mixtures of industrial MBM were only weakly detected. The low concentrated mixtures of the extremely processed MBM-1 and MBM-2 even reported negative. These results indicate that the detectability of bovine DNA is strongly influenced by the degree of the thermal treatment. Only the PCR assay amplifying relatively short fragments of a multi-copy mitochondrial target was reliable for the detection of correctly heated MBM in mixed feed.     

Meal-stimulated and atropine-inhibited secretion of pancreatic polypeptide in healthy subjects, members of MEA I families and patients with malignant endocrine tumours of the gastrointestinal tract

Pancreatic polypeptide has been suggested as a marker for endocrine malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract. However, the secretion of PP shows great intra- and inter-individual variation, causing both false negative and positive results. In order to reduce these risks, we have evaluated a new combined stimulatory and inhibitory test of PP secretion. Six healthy subjects, 23 members of three MEA I families, seven patients with malignant pancreatic endocrine tumours and four patients with carcinoid tumours of the gastrointestinal tract were subjected to a standardized test meal, followed by intravenous atropine 60 min after the start of the meal. Serum PP was monitored during 2 h. In healthy subjects the meal caused a rapid increase in serum PP within 20 min and intravenous atropine caused a significant (P less than 0.05) decrease of serum PP within 15 min. Patients with malignant endocrine pancreatic tumours or carcinoids had a delayed response after the test meal, with maximum levels at 45 min, but still with a significant inhibition by atropine. Even tumour patients with initially normal or slightly increased basal PP levels showed this secretion pattern. Healthy members of MEA I families displayed identical PP curves to healthy subjects, whereas members with elevated basal PP levels who had been previously affected by hyperparathyroidism and/or prolactinomas showed similar secretion patterns to pancreatic tumour patients. We think that a meal stimulatory test is of great value in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal endocrine tumours and also in the identification of subjects with the MEA I trait, who are at high risk of having pancreatic endocrine tumours.     

Influence of caloric intake on gastric inhibitory polypeptide,VIP and gastrin release in man

Blood glucose, gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and gastrin secretions were measured over a three-hour period following the ingestion by normal subjects of a mixed meal with two different caloric levels (1055 Kcal and 1192 Kcal). No VIP secretion was observed after either meal. Gastrin release was not modified by the increase of caloric intake (mainly carbohydrates and lipids), whereas GIP secretion was significantly more important after the meal with the highest caloric value (peak at 30 mn: $\text{499.5±250.4}$ vs. $\text{273.4±128.7}\text{pg/ml}$ and integrated response $\text{53.3±20.5}$ vs. $\text{28.2±9.9}\text{ng}\text{×}\text{ml}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}\text{×180}\text{min}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}\text{?p<0.05}$). This difference could not be attributed to glucose since the blood glucose levels were not significantly different. It is more probably related to the total amount of ingested food. This suggests the existence of rapid mechanisms of adaptation to the incoming load of the GIP-producing cells.     

Transmission of visceral leishmaniasis in a previously non‐endemic region of Tunisia: Detection of Leishmania DNA in Phlebotomus perniciosus

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has been endemic in northern Tunisia and has occurred sporadically in the center of Tunisia. Recently, there have been several cases from areas known to be free of VL. We report in this work all human and canine cases of VL recorded between 2003 and 2011 and an entomological study of phlebotomine fauna in a previously non‐endemic region. Sixty‐three cases of VL were diagnosed and identified as L. infantum using several different methods. Eight species of 179 sand flies were caught and identified by both morphological and molecular methods. Two genera were present, Phlebotomus and Sergentomya, with an abundance of the subgenus Phlebotomus (Larrousius) spp., a classic vector of VL in Tunisia. Moreover, Leishmania DNA was detected in seven unfed Phlebotomus pernicousus and L. infantum was identified in three of them. This result confirms the establishment of a transmission cycle of VL in the studied region by the coexistence of infected vectors with infected hosts.