Increase In Fat Thickness Research Articles

Does fat-tail docking and Zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) supplementation affect feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of finishing lambs?

The present study aimed to examine the implementation of either fat-tail docking and/or Zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) supplementation on feedlot performance, carcass characteristics and selected blood metabolites of fat-tailed Afshari lambs. In a 2 × 2 factorial design, 32 male lambs (41.0 ± 5.8 kg, 180 days of age) were allocated to two experimental groups consisting of 16 intact and 16 fat-tail docked lambs. Within each group, lambs were randomly assigned to two dietary treatment groups for 28 days as follows: G1; intact lambs with no ZH supplementation, G2; intact lambs with 10 mg ZH/day, G3; fat-tail docked with no ZH supplementation and G4; fat-tail docked with 10 mg ZH/day. ZH supplementation or fat tail docking did not change total body weight gain (P > 0.10). Dry matter intake was significantly increased by fat-tail docking (P < 0.01), but it was not affected by ZH supplementation. Fat-tail docking did not influence feed efficiency, while ZH improved feed efficiency only in intact lams with no significant effect on docked lambs (P = 0.05). ZH tended to decrease backfat thickness (P = 0.06) and tended to increase longissimus dorsi muscle depth only in intact lambs (P = 0.08). ZH supplementation, fat tail docking, or ZH × fat-tail docking interactions did not affect whole carcass weights and lengths (P > 0.10). Fat-tail docking resulted in a nearly 2-fold increase in fat thickness covering longissimus dorsi muscle in docked lambs with no ZH supplementation; however, ZH supplementation prevented this increase in longissimus dorsi muscle fat thickness (P = 0.03). In summary, fat-tail docking did not notably affect feedlot performance and carcass characteristics; however, it increased dry matter intake and subcutaneous fat thickness as well as visceral organs weights and visceral fat deposits. ZH supplementation did not influence feedlot performance but significantly improved carcass characteristics, as indicated by lower fat and higher muscle and protein content of carcass both in docked and intact lambs.

Impact of gonad shielding for AP pelvis on dose and image quality on different female sizes: A phantom study

IntroductionIn clinical practice AP pelvis standard protocols are suitable for average size patients. However, as the average body size has increased over the past decades, radiographers have had to improve their practice in order to ensure that adequate image quality with minimal radiation dose to the patient is achieved. Gonad shielding has been found to be an effective way to reduce the radiation dose to the ovaries. However, the effect of increased body size, or fat thickness, in combination with gonad shielding is unclear.The goal of the study was to investigate the impact of gonad shielding in a phantom of adult female stature with increasing fat thicknesses on SNR (as a measure for image quality) and dose for AP pelvis examination. MethodsAn adult Alderson female pelvis phantom was imaged with a variety of fat thickness categories as a representation of increasing BMI. 72 images were acquired using both AEC and manual exposure with and without gonad shielding. The radiation dose to the ovaries was measured using a MOSFET system. The relationship between fat thickness, SNR and dose when the AP pelvis was performed with and without shielding was investigated using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. P-values < 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. ResultsOvary dose and SNR remained constant despite the use of gonad shielding while introducing fat layers. ConclusionThe ovary dose did not increase with an increase of fat thickness and the image quality was not altered. Implications for practiceBased on this phantom study it can be suggested that obese patients can expect the same image quality as average patients while respecting ALARA principle when using adequate protocols.

Nutraceutical Effect of Trace Elements as Additional Injectable Doses to Modulate Oxidant and Antioxidant Status, and Improves the Quality of Lamb Meat.

Our study aimed to evaluate whether zinc, copper, selenium, and manganese subcutaneous mineral application (trace elements) reduced mortality, improved performance, and modulated oxidant and antioxidant balance in lamb meat, thereby improving its quality. We divided the 110 newborn Lacaune lambs into two groups: non-treated (control), and treated (application of minerals) with three doses of 0.33mL/kg of body weight mineral complex on days of life 1, 30, and 60. All animals were weighed on day of life 1, 30, 60, 90, and 150. At the end of the experiment, 12 animals were slaughtered for physical and chemical analysis of meat, oxidant, and antioxidant status, and for allometric analysis. Mineral-application animals had greater live-weight (P < 0.05) on days of life 60 and 90. There was an increase in fat thickness (P = 0.004); pH levels (P = 0.002) were lower in mineral-application animal meat than in that of the control group. Meat was paler (according to lightness (L color)) in the control group (P = 0.04). Weight loss from cooking was greater in control animals (P = 0.004). Shear strength values were lower in the meat of treated lambs (P = 0.008) suggesting that mineral application was associated with increased meat tenderness. In addition, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were higher (P = 0.01) in mineral-treated animals, associated with a reduction in reactive oxygen species levels (P < 0.01), and lipid peroxidation products (P = 0.02). These data suggest that mineral application modulated oxidant and antioxidant status, reflecting better meat quality.

A comparison of female and castrate pigs slaughtered at weights above and below 120 kg on carcass traits, intramuscular fat and fatty acid composition of carcasses intended for dry-cured ham and shoulder production

The objective of this trial was to study the impact of slaughter weight (SW) class: heavy (≥120 kg) or light (&amp;lt;120 kg) on carcass fatness, development of main lean cuts and fat composition in barrows and gilts intended for dry-cured ham and shoulder elaboration. A total of 181 Duroc × (Landrace × Large White) pigs was used, being 94 barrows and 87 gilts. Carcasses from barrows had lower ham compactness but higher shoulder:ham weight ratio than those from gilts. The allometric growth coefficient of ham was higher in gilts whereas those for shoulder, loin and shoulder/ham were higher in barrows. An interaction sex × SW class was found for carcass fatness; the increase of fat thickness was higher in barrows than in gilts in light SW class but higher in gilts than in barrows in heavy SW class. In addition, the allometric growth coefficients for ham, loin and shoulder:ham ratio were higher in light than in heavy pigs. Percentage of rejected carcasses at slaughterhouse, due to lack of fat thickness, was higher for females than for barrows and for light than for heavy pigs. Sex and SW class had no effect on intramuscular fat content. However, more saturation was found in fat (intramuscular) from barrows and in that (subcutaneous) from light pigs. It can be concluded that carcasses from barrows are commercially more suitable than those from gilts and heavy SW might be more interesting when animals are intended for Teruel dry-cured ham and shoulder production.

Growth performance and safety of meat from cattle feedlot finished with monensin in the ration

Monensin is an ionophore antibiotic, the inclusion of which in the feed of beef cattle favors the best use of feed nutrients, via ruminal modulation. However, there are concerns regarding the residence of residues in the carcass from metabolism of monensin. The objective of this study was to evaluate the productive performance, carcass characteristics, serum parameters, tissue residual depletion and economic benefit of finishing of young bulls in confinement with monensin in the ration. Thirty-six animals were confined, and given 50% corn silage feed and 50% more concentrated feed. The experimental design was completely randomized, with two treatments (with or without monensin) and 10 replicates for the control group and eight for the monensin group. The use of monensin reduced the dry matter intake in relation to live weight (2.36% vs 2.55%), and improved feed conversion (8.61 vs 10.06 kg kg?1); the animals presented higher live weight (511 vs 494 kg), higher warm carcass weight (285 vs 272 kg) and an increase in fat thickness (4.97 vs 4.25 mm) compared to control animals. These increases in performance gave higher economic results, with a profit margin of R$ 122.84 per animal. A waiting period of 16 h before slaughter resulted in monensin concentrations below 0.25 µg kg?1 in edible organs and tissues, values well below those permitted by legislation. The use of monensin for young bulls in confinement promoted improvements in productive and economic performance, without leaving residues in edible tissues.

The effect of lysine restriction during grower period on productive performance, serum metabolites and fatness of heavy barrows and gilts

A total of 200 Duroc cross (Landrace×Large White) pigs, 50% barrows and 50% gilts, of 26.3±0.55kg body weight (BW) were used to study the effect of Lysine (Lys) restriction in the grower period on subsequent performance, serum metabolites and fatness. Four diets with Lys contents of 11.0, 9.1, 7.8 and 5.2g/kg were offered to animals during the grower phase (45d) in a two (sex)×four (diet) randomized block factorial design with five pens (replicates) per treatment and five pigs each. At the end of the restricted period, one pig per pen (five pigs per treatment) was slaughtered and the rest were fed a common finishing diet with 9.1g/kg Lys until slaughter at 123kg±2.35kg BW. During the grower phase, Lys restriction reduced average daily gain (ADG) (P<0.001), average daily feed intake (ADFI) (P=0.008) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) (P=0.003). The responses were quadratic and similar for both sexes. At the end of this period, restricted pigs showed lower backfat thickness (P<0.001) because they were lighter (47 vs. 64±0.7kg BW) but had higher serum concentrations of triglycerides (linear; P=0.001) and cholesterol (quadratic; P=0.039). Also, serum albumin decreased quadratically (P=0.004) with Lys restriction while urea increased with the highest level of restriction. During the finisher phase, ADG increased linearly (P<0.001) in response to previous Lys restriction which was related with a trend to higher ADFI (P=0.0.97), resulting in a linear increase of FCR (P=0.002). However, the compensatory growth was incomplete and, during the overall period, there was a reduction of ADG (quadratic; P=0.041) and of FCR (linear; P=0.001) as dietary Lys content decreased, whereas fat depth at the gluteus medius (GM) muscle increased linearly (P=0.004). This entailed a delay to reach the slaughter BW of 1.8±0.43d per g Lys restriction/kg of diet which was related to worse FCR by 0.034±0.0095 and to an increase of fat thickness at GM muscle of 0.51±0.168mm. At the end of the trial, barrows grew faster, ate more feed and were fatter than gilts (P<0.001). These results confirm that the Lys restriction during the grower period promoted an incomplete compensatory growth and might be a useful strategy to increase the fatness albeit with a cost in terms of FCR in production systems of heavy barrows and gilts intended for dry-cured products.

Regulation of Adipogenesis by Lymphatic Fluid Stasis

Although fat deposition is a defining clinical characteristic of lymphedema, the cellular mechanisms that regulate this response remain unknown. The goals of this two-part study were to determine the effect of lymphatic fluid stasis on adipogenesis and inflammation (part I) and how these changes regulate the temporal and spatial expression of fat differentiation genes (part II). Adult female mice underwent tail lymphatic ablation and were euthanized 6 weeks after surgery (n = 20). Fat deposition, fibrosis, and inflammation were then analyzed in the regions of the tail exposed to lymphatic fluid stasis as compared with normal lymphatic flow. Lymphatic fluid stasis in the tail resulted in significant subcutaneous fat deposition, with a 2-fold increase in fat thickness (p < 0.01). In addition, lymphatic stasis was associated with subcutaneous fat fibrosis and collagen deposition. Adipogenesis in response to lymphatic fluid stasis was associated with a marked mononuclear cell inflammatory response (5-fold increase in CD45 cells; p < 0.001). In addition, the authors noted a significant increase in the number of monocytes/macrophages as identified by F4/80 immunohistochemistry (p < 0.001). The mouse-tail model has pathologic findings that are similar to clinical lymphedema, including fat deposition, fibrosis, and inflammation. Adipogenesis in response to lymphatic fluid stasis closely resembles this process in obesity. This model therefore provides an excellent means with which to study the molecular mechanisms that regulate the pathophysiology of lymphedema.

皮下脂肪厚と血清脂質との関連 山村地域住民の追跡調査

Obesity is the most prevalent, chronic condition in the Japanese population, and is directly or indirectly associated with a wide variety of diseases . Although the term generally refers to an excess of body fat, it is difficult to determine the definition and classification of obesity. Therefore, we must rely upon only a few arbitrary standards . In order to resolve this health need, it is necessary to establish reasonable obesity indexes, which should be free from the aesthetic standard of looking good. For this purpose, the authors studied ultrasonic measurement of the thickness of subcutaneous adiposal tissue layer, and conducted medical examinations of serum lipid twice, in 1988 and in 1990, in a rural population living in Hase, Kami-Ina, Nagano prefecture. The points of measurement were biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac and thigh anterior. Using the obtained data, the relationships between the thickness of the subcutaneous adiposal tissue layer and data of medical examinations, including blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol, were clarified. The results obtained were as follow: 1. There were no consistent relationships found between thickness of subcutaneous fat layer and the results of each medical examination by year, sex and age in this follow-up study, although the authors reported positive correlation coefficients between them in a cross-sectional study, 1988. 2. In analyses using the multiple logistic model, there were positive, but weak, correlations between increase of fat thickness and Hata's Severity Grading of Hyperlipidemia, especially between the increase of fat thickness at both suprailiac and thigh anterior and increase of severity grade of TC, TG, and HDLC in males . Positive correlations were also found between the increase of fat thickness at both triceps and suprailiac and increase of the severity grade of TG. These results support the need to continue such follow-up studies. 3.In cross-sectional studies, such as etiological and/or health administrative studies, reproducibility and reliability in the relationship between medical examination and health-related phenomenon are difficult to obtain. For this reason, studies on etiology should be carefully conducted and followed up repeatedly.

The effects of fat thickness and sex on pig meat quality with special reference to the problems associated with overleanness 2. Laboratory and trained taste panel results

ABSTRACTEvaluations of meat quality were made of 300 carcasses, of average weight 58 kg, falling into three fatness groups, 8, 12 and 16 mm for P2 fat thickness. There were equal numbers of entire males and gilts. An increase in fat thickness was associated with an increase in the firmness of loin and shoulder backfat, a reduced incidence of fat separation and changes in the composition of both muscle and backfat: the concentration of lipid increased and that of water decreased, more markedly in backfat. In addition, the concentration of collagen in backfat decreased. The loin joint was visually most attractive when P2 was 11 mm, attractiveness decreasing below and particularly above this value. Eating quality of grilled chops was assessed in a representative subsample of 96 pigs falling into the 8-mm and 16-mm P2 categories. The only statistically significant difference observed between these extremes of fat thickness was in juiciness which was lower in the leaner pigs; the correlation between juiciness score and m. longissimus lipid concentration (‘marbling fat’) was 0·31. Juiciness did not influence the assessment of overall eating quality which showed no association with fatness. Entire males of similar backfat thickness to gilts (12 mm P2) had a higher concentration of water and lower concentration of lipid in backfat and slightly softer backfat. There were no differences in eating quality, or in the presence of abnormal odours or flavours, between entire males and gilts. These results confirm those obtained in butcher and consumer panel tests in the same carcasses.

A comparative study of Hereford and Friesian steers. 1. Growth, feed conversion and body dimensions

Two trials were carried out to investigate the beef producing potential of Hereford and Friesian steers, representatives of the traditional 'beef' and 'dairy' types respectively. Four Hereford and four Friesian steers were individually fed on a high grain ration to achieve an average liveweight gain of 0.68 kg/day. A similar group of steers were given the same ration ad libitum to enable a study of the growth rate potential of the two breeds to be made. Amongst the ad libitum fed animals the Friesians exhibited a significantly greater average daily gain than the Herefords. The Herefords, exhibiting their early-maturing capabilities, began a period of accelerated subcutaneous fat deposition at about 11 months of age, while the Friesians showed only a slight and constant increase in fat thickness up to slaughter at 12.5 months of age. No significant between-breed differences in feed conversion ratio were detected in either the controlled fed or ad libitum fed steers. At 15 months of age, marked differences in body size were recorded, the Friesian being taller and longer than the Hereford. The Hereford displayed the more desirable 'beef type' conformation, as measured objectively by the Muscle/Skeletal Index.