Sweet Milk Research Articles

Iodine status in Norwegian preschool children and associations with dietary iodine sources: the FINS-KIDS study

PurposeIodine is an essential trace element necessary for thyroid hormone synthesis. Iodine deficiency is a continuing public health problem despite international efforts to eliminate it. Studies on iodine status in preschoolers are scarce. Thus, the aims of the current study were to determine the iodine status and to investigate possible associations between urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and estimated 24 h iodine extraction (UIE) and iodine-rich foods.MethodsData are cross-sectional baseline data, obtained from the two-armed randomized controlled dietary trial “Fish Intervention Studies-KIDS” (FINS-KIDS) conducted in Bergen, Norway. UIC was determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry in spot urine samples. Inadequate UIC was defined as median < 100 µg/L, and low estimated 24 h UIE as < 65 µg/day. Habitual dietary intake was assessed by a short food frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to investigate possible associations between UIC and estimated 24 h UIE and iodine-rich dietary sources including seafood, dairy products and eggs. Iodine/creatinine ratio (I/Cr) was also estimated.ResultsUrinary spot samples were obtained from 220 children. The median (interquartile range) UIC and estimated 24 h UIE was 132 (96) µg/L, and 65 (55) µg/day, respectively. The majority of children had an estimated I/Cr ratio within 100–199 µg/g. Intake of sweet milk < 2 times/day versus ≥ 2 times/day was associated with UIC < 100 µg/L (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.07–4.38, p = 0.031). Intake of dairy products (OR 3.59, 95% CI 1.13–11.43, p = 0.031) and sweet milk (OR 2.77, 95% CI 1.37–5.61, p = 0.005) < 2 times/day versus ≥ 2 times day was associated with estimated 24 h UIE < 65 µg/day.ConclusionsThe preschoolers had adequate iodine status. Low intake of sweet milk and dairy products were associated with low iodine status.

Shifting Dietary Patterns Contribute to the Risk of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome among Urban Affluent Men in India

The pertinent role of diet in the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome (MS) is evident among studies from developed countries, however scarce data is available from India that has a culturally unique diet pattern. Data on socio-economic background, dietary patterns, BMI, body fat, circumferences, skin folds and blood pressure were recorded on 302 affluent men (30-60 years) in a cross-sectional study in Pune, India. Fasting blood estimations were performed for glucose, insulin and lipids. The subjects were predominantly (70%) vegetarians with daily butter consumption at 50%, high consumption (&amp;gt; 4 times / week) of milk at 60.5% and &amp;gt; 2 times / week for milk products (36%), home-made fried snacks (35%), outside snacks (25.5%) and outside meals (32.2%). High consumption of home-made fried and sweet snacks, outside snacks and milk products showed significantly higher (p once/week) as compared to consumption of once or less per month, even after adjusting for BMI. It was thus evident that consuming foods high in unhealthy fats and sugar (&amp;gt; 2 times/week) increased the risk for both abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Design of Dissolvable Milk Containers for Convenient Handling

AbstractA dissolvable capsule containing liquid milk is developed as an innovative and unique alternative to avoid plastic jars and therewith an unclean handling. This kind of sustainable product would contribute to waste reduction. As a first step, the properties of the final product are defined and set as basic claims. The second step includes the design of a process based on crystallization to form a crystalline layer encasing a certain amount of milk. Case studies of two substances are introduced. Both sucrose and erythritol were confirmed as examples for suitable substances for the encapsulation of milk: on the one hand sucrose to create products with a high level of sweetness, on the other hand erythritol to create medium sweet milk capsules. The choice of both coating substances and filling materials requires different techniques of production and, therefore, an adapted optimization process.

At My Mother’s Funeral, My Cousin Tells Me I Have a Sister

At My Mother’s Funeral, My Cousin Tells Me I Have a Sister Colette Tennant (bio) Sometimes I see a middle-aged woman in the shadow of a monkey puzzle tree. Sometimes I memorize the nighttime syntax of a poet reading to herself. Sometimes I dream about three kisses and the code for first night. We were given away, Sister—our brief mother handed me through the doorway to my new family. They carried me over the threshold like a tiny bride, everything sweet milk white. If I had a goddess, she would ask me to write about hunger. Even if I wasn’t her favorite—write about hunger, she’d say, a tricky-eyed goddess, strong boned, partial, a big wind over my pinot noir sea. I want to write an anthem for the right ventricle of your heart, Sister. I want to study the three creases in your left thumb. If I had a goddess, Sister, I imagine her telling me, [End Page 169] There are nine roads on any atlas, the first one named forsaken, the last one always paved in bone. The Persians sent their loved ones to the afterlife with a pearl in the palm of each hand. Oh Sister, be somewhere still, somewhere east of my imagination. [End Page 170] Colette Tennant Colette Tennant’s first book of poetry, Commotion of Wings, was published by Main Street Rag in 2010 as an Editor’s Choice. Her second poetry book, Eden and After, was published by Tebot Bach. Her poems have appeared in journals including Rattle and Southern Poetry Review, and her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She also enjoys writing music. Copyright © 2017 University of Nebraska Press

Estimates of Ethanol Exposure in Children from Food not Labeled as Alcohol-Containing.

Ethanol is widely used in herbal medicines, e.g., for children. Furthermore, alcohol is a constituent of fermented food such as bread or yogurt and “non-fermented” food such as fruit juices. At the same time, exposure to very low levels of ethanol in children is discussed as possibly having adverse effects on psychomotoric functions. Here, we have analyzed alcohol levels in different food products from the German market. It was found that orange, apple and grape juice contain substantial amounts of ethanol (up to 0.77 g/L). Furthermore, certain packed bakery products such as burger rolls or sweet milk rolls contained more than 1.2 g ethanol/100 g. We designed a scenario for average ethanol exposure by a 6-year-old child. Consumption data for the “categories” bananas, bread and bakery products and apple juice were derived from US and German surveys. An average daily exposure of 10.3 mg ethanol/kg body weight (b.w.) was estimated. If a high (acute) consumption level was assumed for one of the “categories,” exposure rose to 12.5–23.3 mg/kg b.w. This amount is almost 2-fold (average) or up to 4-fold (high) higher than the lowest exposure from herbal medicines (6 mg/kg b.w.) suggested to require warning hints for the use in children.

The use of porcine digestible peptides and their continuity effect in nursery pigs.

A total of 552 entire male and female nursery pigs were selected to be used in 2 different experiments that aimed to study if milk ingredients can be replaced by highly preferred protein sources (Exp. 1) and if pre- and postnatal exposure of those protein ingredients through the maternal diet may increase pig performance (Exp. 2). In Exp. 1, 240 pigs were separated after weaning (28 d) into 2 groups depending on the presence of lactose in their diets. Pigs ( =120) fed diets with the precence of lactose (lactose +) were given prestarter (0-14 d) and starter (15-33 d) diets with 142 and 50 g/kg of sweet milk whey, respectively; the lactose-free group ( = 120) was offered an isoenergetic diet with 20 g/kg of porcine-digestible peptides (PDP; Palbio 62SP; Bioibérica S.A., Palafolls, Spain) and wheat replacing sweet milk whey. Choice and 1-feeder tests were performed in another group of animals ( = 72) to evaluate the preference and acceptance for both diets. Pigs preferred ( = 0.039) the lactose+ over the lactose-free diet after a 30-min choice test and consumed more ( = 0.001) lactose+ than lactose-free diet in a 1-feeder test. However, no difference ( > 0.467) in performance was observed between groups for the entire nursery period. In Exp. 2, 120 animals were obtained from sows that, during late gestation (14 d) and lactation (28 d), were fed diets containing 20 g/kg of PDP and another 120 animals were obtained from sows fed an isoenergetic diet without PDP inclusion. Placenta samples were collected at farrowing to assess the volatile compounds present in the placental fluid of sows. After weaning, all pigs received a feed containing 20 g/kg of PDP in the prestarter and starter diets. A principal components analysis of the total volatile compounds showed the exclusive presence of sulfur-containing compounds and a higher presence of terpene compounds in the placental fluid of PDP-supplemented sows. In addition, pigs coming from sows fed diets supplemented with PDP tended to show a higher ADFI ( = 0.07) and ADG ( = 0.06) than did pigs coming from control sows during the 15 to 33 d after-weaning period. These results suggest that dietary incorporation of sweet milk whey may be replaced by a specific protein source without affecting performance of pigs after weaning. However, more experiments are needed to elucidate the mechanism for the sow's diets' influence over pig's performance.

Consumer preference and acceptance of two Colombian sweet milks: results of a consumer survey

&lt;p&gt;The degree of sensory preference and acceptance of two typical Colombian sweet milk products (Arequipe and Manjar Blanco) were evaluated. Two kinds of tests - preference and acceptance - (Seven-point Hedonic Test) were applied. The judging panel consisted of 76 untrained consumers from Cali. The analyses of the data were done using two statistical tests (Friedman and Wilcoxon). We found that flavor was the sensory parameter that obtained the highest ranking and consumers preferred Arequipe more than Manjar Blanco.&lt;/p&gt;

Research and determination of process parameters of milk lactose hydrolysis

The researches of enzymatic milk lactose hydrolysis by using the β - galactosidase enzyme are given in the paper. For carrying out a lactose hydrolysis, two β-galactosidase enzyme preparations GODO-YNL2 and Neolactase are offered. For setting lactose hydrolysis parameters, the influence of a pH medium, temperature, enzyme preparation doses, the duration of hydrolyzing the milk lactose affected by the β- galactosidase enzyme preparations, was studied. In terms of effectiveness, adaptability and efficiency for the lactose hydrolysis, the GODO-YNL2 enzyme preparation was chosen.It was found that depending on the degree of lactose hydrolysis the milk sweetness increases, organoleptic indicators of hydrolyzed milk were defined, the milk sweetness index at different degrees of lactose hydrolysis was set, titratable and active acidity indicators of hydrolyzed milk were determined. The technological regimes of hydrolyzing lactose by enzymes were developed and substantiated: the temperature is 4-6 .C, the enzyme preparation dose is 0.01 and 0.02 %, the duration is 18-20 and 13-15 hours; the temperature is 43-45 .C, the enzyme preparation dose is 0.03 %, the duration is 3.5- 4 hours. For inactivating the enzyme, and producing high-quality sweet condensed milk, it was suggested carrying out milk pasteurization, after hydrolyzing lactose.In the subsequent work, it is proposed to use hydrolyzed skimmed and whole milk for manufacturing preserved sweet milk products.

Horatio’s Philosophy in Hamlet

Horatio’s Philosophy in <i>Hamlet</i>

Morphine and MK-801 administration leads to alternative N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor 1 splicing and associated changes in reward seeking behavior and nociception on an operant orofacial assay

The NMDA receptor plays a large role in opioid-induced plastic changes in the nervous system. The expression levels of its NR1 subunit are altered dramatically by morphine but no changes in its alternative splicing have been reported. Changes in the splicing of the N1, C1, C2, and C2′ cassettes can alter the pharmacology and regulation of this receptor. Western Blots run on brain tissue from rats made tolerant to morphine revealed altered splicing of the N1 cassettes in the accumbens and amygdala (AMY), and the C1 cassette in the AMY and the dorsal hippocampus (HIPP). After 3days of withdrawal C2′-containing NR1 subunits were down-regulated in each of these areas. These were not due to acute doses of morphine and may represent long-term alterations in drug-induced neuroplasticity. We also examined the effects of morphine tolerance on an operant orofacial nociception assay which forces an animal to endure an aversive heat stimulus in order to receive a sweet milk reward. Morphine decreased pain sensitivity as expected but also increased motivational reward seeking in this task. NMDAR antagonism potentiated this reward seeking behavior suggesting that instead of attenuating tolerance, MK-801 may actually alter the rewarding and/or motivational properties of morphine. When combined, MK-801 and morphine had an additive effect which led to altered splicing in the accumbens, AMY, and the HIPP. In conclusion, NR1 splicing may play a major role in the cognitive behavioral aspects especially in motivational reward-seeking behaviors.

Technical Viability Analysis for the Use of Milk Residue in the Consolidation of Taipa in Historic Constructions

The objective of the study was to analyze the composition of mortar in order to enhance the use of milk serum and its application in earth constructions. Development of the study involved, initially, a bibliographic review and identification of dairy industry producers in the Paraiba Valley, São Paulo, with milk residue storage facilities. The next stage consisted in the preparation of three adobe molds, based on technical reproductions, of the composition of historic constructions. Subsequently, the molds were submitted to laboratory tests: preservation and compression resistance. This was followed by execution of the mortar with milk serum and bacteriological tests, anchoring, and plasticity through the application of mortar. The adobe molds were observed over a period of 15 days, with even the cracked molds shown to be useful for purposes of simulating risk situations. The technical viability analysis of the sample milk serum mortar applied to a historic construction and exposed to the natural elements for a period of 1 year revealed no deformities. After a full year of research, we found the presence of acid milk residue to be a major concern among dairy producers. Further, the difference between acid and sweet milk serum gave rise to a new challenge given the different chemical properties of the two serum types, which can alter the structure of the mortar and its efficacy. To this end, the research work was extended into 2009 with implementation of a new stage aimed at adapting Brazilian technical standards through a technical evaluation of historic mortar and the applicability of acid serum to the residue process.

Gluconeogenesis in dairy cows: The secret of making sweet milk from sour dough

Gluconeogenesis is a crucial process to support glucose homeostasis when nutritional supply with glucose is insufficient. Because ingested carbohydrates are efficiently fermented to short-chain fatty acids in the rumen, ruminants are required to meet the largest part of their glucose demand by de novo genesis after weaning. The qualitative difference to nonruminant species is that propionate originating from ruminal metabolism is the major substrate for gluconeogenesis. Disposal of propionate into gluconeogenesis via propionyl-CoA carboxylase, methylmalonyl-CoA mutase, and the cytosolic form of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) has a high metabolic priority and continues even if glucose is exogenously supplied. Gluconeogenesis is regulated at the transcriptional and several posttranscriptional levels and is under hormonal control (primarily insulin, glucagon, and growth hormone). Transcriptional regulation is relevant for regulating precursor entry into gluconeogenesis (propionate, alanine and other amino acids, lactate, and glycerol). Promoters of the bovine pyruvate carboxylase (PC) and PEPCK genes are directly controlled by metabolic products. The final steps decisive for glucose release (fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase and glucose 6-phosphatase) appear to be highly dependent on posttranscriptional regulation according to actual glucose status. Glucogenic precursor entry, together with hepatic glycogen dynamics, is mostly sufficient to meet the needs for hepatic glucose output except in high-producing dairy cows during the transition from the dry period to peak lactation. Lactating cows adapt to the increased glucose requirement for lactose production by mobilization of endogenous glucogenic substrates and increased hepatic PC expression. If these adaptations fail, lipid metabolism may be altered leading to fatty liver and ketosis. Increasing feed intake and provision of glucogenic precursors from the diet are important to ameliorate these disturbances. An improved understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying gluconeogenesis may further improve our options to enhance the postpartum health status of dairy cows.

Sensory and Nutritional Evaluation of Sweet Milk Products Prepared Using Stevia Powder for Diabetics

Sensory and Nutritional Evaluation of Sweet Milk Products Prepared Using Stevia Powder for Diabetics

Sensory and Nutritional Evaluation of Sweet Milk Products Prepared Using Stevia Powder for Diabetics

ABSRACT Sweet milk products namely custard, kulfi and sandesh were prepared using stevia powder. Stevia was added at three different levels in the experimental products while sugar was added in the control product. The organoleptic evaluation of the products was done by a panel of judges to select the most acceptable level of stevia in all the products. The products with most acceptable level of stevia and with sugar were analyzed for their proximate composition. It was found that custard, kulfi and sandesh were acceptable at 25mg stevia as compared to the control recipe. The modified recipe of custard had 81.92g of moisture, 3.91g of protein, 1.35g of fat, 11.55g of carbohydrates and provided 74Kcal of energy. The modified recipe of kulfi had 58.81g of moisture, 9.37g of protein, 13.1g of fat, 15.95g of carbohydrates and provided 219 Kcal of energy. The modified recipe of sandesh had 67.40g of moisture, 18.84g of protein, 1.77g of fat, 8.37g of carbohydrates and provided 125Kcal of energy. The percent decrease in calories provided by modified recipe compared to the basic recipe was custard 23.71%, kulfi 30.03% and sandesh 21.38%. Sweet milk products using stevia powder were highly acceptable upto 25mg and and are low in calories as compared to the basic recipe which makes them suitable for consumption by diabetics.

UTILIZAÇÃO DO SORO DE LEITE BOVINO COMO REVESTIMENTO PROTETOR EM MORANGOS

Este trabalho teve como objetivo aproveitar o soro de leite bovino como revestimento protetor em morangos, cultivar Dover, avaliando-se aspectos biológicos e sensoriais dos frutos durante o armazenamento a 10ºC e 20ºC. Os morangos foram pré-selecionados, lavados em água corrente, sanificados com cloro e secos. Utilizaram-se 10 caixas de morangos para cada tratamento contendo oito frutos cada. A aplicação do soro ocorreu pela imersão dos frutos em recipiente contendo soro a 100%, 50% e 0% (controle). A perda de peso nos frutos armazenados a 20ºC e tratados com soro a 50% e 100% foi de 1,2% e 1,3%, respectivamente, tendo o controle apresentado perda de 2,5%. Nos frutos armazenados a 10ºC, a perda de peso foi de 1,8% nos frutos tratados com soro a 50% e 100% e de 3,2% para o controle. A menor contaminação por bolores e leveduras ocorreu no tratamento com soro 100%/10ºC. O soro conferiu aspecto brilhante aos frutos, menor ressecamento e sépalas mais verdes, especialmente no tratamento a 100%. Concluiu-se que a aplicação do soro diminuiu a incidência de fungos e preservou características importantes dos frutos, mantendo seu aspecto visual original.

In this issue: Proteomics 13/2008

AbstractIn this issue of Proteomics you will find the following highlighted articles:Mini pig kidney pie? A lot of antigens to chew onMiniature pigs have been of interest as potential organ xeno‐transplant donors for a number of years but mostly without success. A galactosyl transferase gene knock‐out heart lasted for 6 months, but then succumbed to vascular rejection, indicating previously unrecognized antigens. Kim, et al. applied current glycome analysis techniques to mini‐pig kidney surface antigens. They found an abundance of new ones–over 100 N‐glycans total, some sialylated, some neutral, some never reported before. The structures of many were determined and relatively quantitated. What was sauce for the kidney was not necessarily sauce for the heart. The information gathered and the questions raised will keep transplanters chewing for a long time.Y.‐G. Kim et al., Proteomics 2008, 8, 2596–2610.PACE‐ing along with the DUKX that are really hamstersTurning a marching band or moving it through a bottleneck requires different speeds at different points across the ranks. So does maximal production of biologically produced pharmaceuticals. Here Meleady, et al. use 2‐D DIGE technology to look at the required proteins and the levels of expression required for optimal production of human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP‐2) in Chinese hamster ovary‐derived cell lines (CHO DUKX and engineered derivatives). Maturation of BMP‐2 requires the action of PACE (paired basic amino acid cleaving enzyme) and PACE levels are improved by co‐transfection with a soluble PACE gene. With high levels of PACE activity, yields of BMP‐2 improved 4‐fold. PACEsol enhances production of a variety of other proteins as well. Comparison of DUKX‐BMP‐2 cells expressing vs. not expressing PACEsol showed ∼180 differentially expressed proteins, 60 identified, that were assigned to a number of functional categories.P. Meleady et al., Proteomics 2008, 8, 2611–2624.Ever deeper into cheesy secretomeKluyveromyces lactis, a budding yeast related to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is of genetic and industrial interest. Its name comes from its ability to convert sweet milk to sour by fermentation of lactose to lactic acid, not quite the same as glucose to ethanol, but useful nonetheless. Industrially, it has been engineered to produce a vegetarian rennet for cheese‐making as well as other secreted protein products. Swaim, et al. compared the proteins in spent fermentation broth of the industrial expression strain K. lactis GG799 to the predicted secretion products based on genome sequence information and to predicted secretions from Candida albicans and S. cerevisiae. Using multidimensional LC‐MS/MS to analyze tryptic digests, they found 81 secreted products out of 178 predicted. Twenty‐six of those did not exhibit an N‐terminal secretion signal, suggesting that there are alternative pathways to the cell surface. An intracellular nano‐Swiss, perhaps?C. L. Swaim et al., Proteomics 2008, 8, 2714–2723.

Working with folk arts may produce benefits to rheumatic patients: the case of Grandma Moses

Anna Mary Moses, the most popular painter in the United States, took up painting when she was in her 70s when painful arthritis forced her to give up her short journey dedicated to embroidery and needlework craft. Her art is considered primitive art, or Naive Art, and portrays mostly rural and bucolic American landscapes. Before the Rennaissance period there was no distinction between folk and classical art and this terminology derives from the absence of a better formal and technical classification of such arts. During its first century, the United States did not have institutions to provide formation in arts. It was necessary to cross the Atlantic and go to Europe in order to receive a proper artistic education. That is why so many American artists were associated with folk art in the 19th century [1]. Unlike other folk artists of her time like John Kane, Horace Pippin and Morris Hirshfield, Grandma Moses became famous through radio, television and press, probably due to her elderly figure, her tenderness, high morals and strong personality. Her paintings on wood display a very simple texture; however, the content is complex. She first painted a white background and then the sky, the mountains, the land and finally the people. The colours she used always caught the viewer’s attention for their extraordinary brilliance. She spent her childhood dealing with the simple things associated with the farm lifestyle. By the time of her birth, many of the modern inventions such as television, refrigerators and airplanes did not even exist. Living her life on remote farms, Moses was physically and intellectually away from the cultural vanguard of her time [1]. Moses was in her 70s when her illness began, the painful arthritis that harmed her hands mostly and made her needlework impossible. At her sister Celestia’s urging, she started dabbling in painting. She had always been interested in painting and her first documented work was dated 1918 [1]. Says Grandma: ‘I used to wrap my hands up in scarves and lay them on a chair beside the bed at night. I couldn’t sleep on account of the aching, just like a toothache. Then, one night I got desperate, so I got up and hunted the doctor book, the ‘Family Adviser, Philosophy of Diseases’. The best recipe was: 3 cups of sweet milk every day, and from 3 to 5 drops of turpentine in it. I took it for about three months, and all of a sudden there were no pains any more, but the hardness of the joints stayed’ [2]. Her paintings were discovered by Louis J. Caldor, a Manhattan collector and engineer, when they were exposed in a store window in the village of Hoosick Falls near her house. Three of her paintings were included in a 1939 exhibit of folk contemporary art at theMuseum ofModernArt [3]. There was nomajor repercussion of this exhibit, but in 1940, Caldor arranged an exhibit of 35 works ofMoses at the Galerie St. Etienne in New York City owned by the art dealer Otto Kallir, and called the exhibit ‘What a Farmwife Painting’. The opening was on 9 October 1940 [3]. At the age of 100 she illustrated an edition of the book ‘Night Before Christmas’ by Clement Moore, which was published only after her death at the incredible 101 yrs of age on 13 December 1961. During her last year of life, Moses painted 25 pictures proving to be active even at such an old age. Grandma Moses produced over 1600 works. The work of Grandma Moses presented very few changes during her life and her last paintings do not show any essential differences as compared with the first ones [4]. Some specially developed programmes for aged rheumatic patients were inspired by Grandma Moses’ example. It is widely believed that such programmes, besides helping improve the selfesteem of the elderly people, also foster the communication skills providing a beneficial therapeutic effect. However, it is important that the team conducting such therapies take special care because the focus should not be around a useful or specific item based on an artistic production market rules; instead the goal should be oriented to the production process itself. To work with folk art in an environment that does not demand a complete mastering of artistic techniques may produce a beneficial effect in rheumatic and depressed elderly people [4, 5].

Effects of GABAB receptor agents on cocaine priming, discrete contextual cue and food induced relapses

In the present study we investigated the effects of the GABA(B) receptor antagonist (2S)-(+)-5,5-dimethyl-2-morpholineacetic acid (SCH 50911), the agonists baclofen and 3-aminopropyl(methyl)phosphinic acid (SKF 97541), and the allosteric positive modulator 3,5-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-hydroxy-beta,beta-dimethylbenzenepropanol (CGP 7930) on cocaine seeking behavior. The effects of the above drugs on the reinstatement of responding induced by natural reinforcer (food) were also studied. Male Wistar rats were trained to self-administer either cocaine (0.5 mg/kg/infusion) or food (sweet milk) and responding on the reinforcer-paired lever was extinguished. Reinstatement of responding was induced by a noncontingent presentation of the self-administered reinforcer (10 mg/kg cocaine, i.p.), a discrete contextual cue, or a contingent presentation of food. SCH 50911 (3-10 mg/kg) dose-dependently attenuated responding on the previously cocaine-paired lever during both reinstatement conditions, with slightly greater efficacy at reducing conditioned cue reinstatement. At the same time, it failed to alter reinstatement of food-seeking behavior. Baclofen (1.25-5 mg/kg) and SKF 97541 (0.03-0.3 mg/kg) attenuated cocaine- or food-seeking behavior; the effect of the drug appeared more effective for cocaine-seeking than food-seeking. CGP 7930 (10-30 mg/kg) reduced cocaine seeking without affecting food-induced reinstatement on reward seeking. Our results indicate that tonic activation of GABA(B) receptors is required for cocaine seeking behavior in rats. Moreover, the GABA(B) receptor antagonist SCH 50911 was effective in reducing relapse to cocaine at doses that failed to alter reinstatement of food-seeking behavior (present study), basal locomotor activity, cocaine and food self-administration (Filip et al., submitted for publication), suggesting its selective effects on motivated drug-seeking behavior. The potent inhibitory responses on cocaine seeking behavior were also seen following the GABA(B) receptor agonists or the allosteric positive modulator, however, doses of baclofen and SKF 97541 that inhibited cocaine-seeking were only threefold lower of those that inhibited food-seeking. In addition, the direct GABA(B) receptor agonists and the allosteric positive modulator cause decreases in cocaine or food self-administration (Filip et al., submitted for publication), indicating their nonspecific effects on relapse to drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior. In conclusion, the GABA(B) receptor antagonist SCH 50911 seems to be viable treatment for reducing cocaine craving and preventing relapse, while the GABA(B) receptor allosteric positive modulator CGP 7930 may hold the highest promise for attenuating cue-evoked relapses to cocaine as well as the direct rewarding properties of cocaine.

Growth performance, health and behavioural characteristics of Brown Swiss calves fed a limited amount of acidified whole milk

The purpose of this study was to compare performances of 27 Brown Swiss calves (13 male, 14 female) fed acidified whole milk (AM) or sweet whole milk (SM) at 8% of birth weight during 35 days. Daily body weight gains of calves that consumed AM were similar to those for calves fed SM. Overall feed efficiency ratio of AM-fed calves was also similar to those of SM-fed calves. Calf faecal consistency score and percent days with scours (P<0.01) of calves that consumed AM were significantly lower than those offered SM. Some of the behavioural traits such as frequency of daily meals of milk and total time spent consuming milk of calves consuming AM were significantly (P<0.05) higher than those of calves fed SM. On the other hand, number of days that assistance was needed to drink milk from open pail for AM-fed calves was higher (P<0.01) than that of calves that consumed SM. The results obtained in this study suggested that feeding AM decreased incidence of scours in young Brown Swiss calves without decreasing growth and feed efficiency.

The nociceptive response of stressed and lithium-treated rats is differently modulated by different flavors

Pleasant and unpleasant flavors and odors can modulate pain perception, and the efficacy of sweet flavors in reducing pain seems to be related to its hedonic value. Chronic variate stress paradigm is a model of depression, and is suggested to induce anhedonia. We observed previously that lithium may prevent behavioral and neurochemical alterations induced by chronic stress; so we hypothesized that chronically stressed animals may present different nociceptive response to pleasant and unpleasant tastes that could be prevented by lithium treatment. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into four groups, control and stressed, treated or not with lithium. A Chronic Variate Stress paradigm was used, and lithium was added to the chow. After 40 days of treatment, the tail flick latency of the animals was evaluated, and rats were immediately placed in a box with access to a 5% acetic acid solution (acid flavor). After 5 min, tail flick latency was measured again. On the following day, animals were submitted to the same procedure, with the substitution of acetic acid by condensed sweet milk (sweet flavor). The stressed group was the only group who did not present analgesia after sweet taste exposition. All groups, except the control group, presented increased tail flick latency after exposition to the acid flavor. These results indicate that pleasant and unpleasant flavors present different relevance for the induction of antinociception in stressed animals, and the absence of sweet flavor-induced analgesia may represent an anhedonic effect of the chronic variate stress paradigm. On the other hand, perception of different flavors may be more prominent in animals treated with lithium.