Relative Weight Gain Research Articles

Імунологічний профіль крові ярок за використання у раціонах про- і пребіотичних добавок

Goal. To study the effect of different doses of pro- and pre-biotic preparations of domestic production, made based on baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, when they are added to feeding rations of heifers, on the immunological status of the organism and the intensity of growth and development of animals. Methods. The study was conducted on heifers of Askanian meat-wool breeds aged from 11 to 12 months in the winter-spring stall period. The diet of animals in the control group consisted of meadow hay and standard mixed fodder K 83-19-89. Animals of the experimental groups in the mixed fodder received pro- and pre-biotic additions. The studies used zootechnical (determination of gross, average daily, and relative weight gain of animals), physiological and biochemical (determination of the number of leukocytes in the blood, the content of circulating immune complexes and lysozyme and bactericidal activity), analytical (analysis of literature sources on the topic of the article), and statistical computer programs in the processing the obtained data) methods. Results. It is established that the use in mixed fodder for heifers at the age of 11–12 months in the winter-spring stall period of the pro-biotic Enzymaktyv (EA) in doses of 0.4; 0.8 and 1.2% and pre-biotic Inactivated dry glutathione yeast (IDGY) in doses of 1.0, 1.4 and 1.8% by its weight has a positive effect on the level of immunological ingredients in the blood and productive qualities of animals. The addition of pro-biotic EA and pre-biotic IDGY in the specified doses to mixed fodder of heifers increases the number of leukocytes in their blood by 1.2–6.4%, reduces the content of medium molecular circulating immune complexes (CIC) in the blood by 5.3–12.8%, activates lysozyme and bactericidal activity in serum in 1.03–1.25 times. The use of pro-biotic EA in feed in the studied doses increases the gross increase in live weight of animals by 15–35%, and relative — by 14–32%, while the use of prebiotic IDGY — by 30–55 and 27–50% respectively. Conclusions. Taking into account the results of immunological parameters of blood and intensity of growth of animals, they recommend adding 0.8% pro-biotic EA and 1.4% pre-biotic IDGY to the feed for heifers in the winter-spring stall period.

Early life feeding accelerates gut microbiome maturation and suppresses acute post‐weaning stress in piglets

SummaryEarly life microbiome perturbations can have important effects on host development, physiology and behaviour. In this longitudinal study, we evaluated the impact of early feeding on gut microbiome colonization in neonatal piglets. Early‐fed (EF) piglets had access to a customized fibrous diet from 2 days after birth until weaning in addition to mother's milk, whereas control piglets suckled mother's milk only. Rectal swabs were collected at multiple time points until 6 weeks of age to investigate microbiota development using 16S rRNA gene profiling. The dynamic pre‐weaning microbiota colonization was followed by a relatively stable post‐weaning microbiota, represented by Prevotella, Roseburia, Faecalibacterium, Ruminococcus, Megasphaera, Catenibacterium and Subdoligranulum. EF piglets showed an accelerated microbiota maturation, characterized by increased microbial diversity, pre‐weaning emergence of post‐weaning‐associated microbes and a more rapid decline of typical pre‐weaning microbes. Furthermore, the individual eating behaviour scores of piglets quantitatively correlated with their accelerated microbiome. Importantly, EF piglets displayed a smoother relative weight gain and tended to reach a higher relative weight gain, in addition to reduced diarrhoea scores in the first week post‐weaning. Overall, these findings demonstrate the beneficial impact of early feeding on microbiota development as well as pig health and performance during the weaning transition.

Childhood Abuse–Related Weight Gain: An Investigation of Potential Resilience Factors

Childhood physical, sexual, and emotional abuse are linked to adult obesity, and little is known about what protective factors might mitigate this association. Data from female (n=4,247) and male (n=1,982) participants in the longitudinal Growing Up Today cohort study from 1996 to 2013 were used to examine whether factors found to promote mental health resilience after abuse also operate as buffers (modifiers) of the abuse-weight status association. At ages 20-25 years, participants were asked about their history of child abuse before age 18 years. Potential resilience factors (modifiers) included childhood family SES, neighborhood safety, supportive relationships with adult nonfamily members, quality of maternal relationship, family structure, religious service attendance, and prayer/meditation. Associations between child abuse and BMI at ages 25-32 years were modeled using linear regression, adjusted for sociodemographic variables and baseline BMI. Potential modifiers were tested with interaction terms. Analyses were run in 2019-2020. Severe abuse was associated with 0.9 kg/m2 (95% CI=0.5, 1.2) higher adult BMI than no abuse, corresponding to a 46% increased risk of obesity (95% CI=1.28, 1.67). Less severe abuse was not significantly associated with BMI (β=0.1, 95% CI= -0.2, 0.4). There were no significant interactions between modifiers and abuse. Factors previously found to promote resilience to mental health sequelae after abuse did not modify the association of severe child abuse with higher weight status.

Zootechnic and economic indicators of termination in feedlot of different genetic groups of lambs

The objective of this work was to evaluate the performance, carcass traits and economic indicators of Santa Inês lambs and their crossings finished in feedlot. Thirty whole lambs (10 Santa Inês, 10 ½ Dorper + ½ Santa Inês and 10 ¾ Dorper + ¼ Santa Inês) were used, with 115 days of age and initial live weight of 20.07 kg. The lambs were kept for 60 days receiving sorghum silage and concentrate, after which they were slaughtered. The ¾ Dorper + ¼ Santa Inês lambs and the ½ Dorper + ½ Santa Inês lambs showed higher of dry matter intake and water intake, greater daily weight gain and body score in relation to Santa Inês lambs. The carcasses of ¾ Dorper + ¼ Santa Inês lambs showed better conformation, finishing and marbling. The gross profit margin showed positive values for all genetic groups, covering the effective operating cost. Dorper crossbred lambs had a higher gross margin compared to Santa Inês lambs. The cost of the diet represented on average 61.35% of the price paid per kilo of sheep meat. In the sheep meat production system, the genetic group influences the zootechnical and economic indicators of finishing feedlot of lambs.

GROWTH CURVE AND FEED EFFICIENCY OF BOA CONSTRICTOR SUBSPECIES KEPT IN CAPTIVITY

The growth curve is an important parameter for estimating the development of an animal and assisting breeding programs and assessing welfare. However, little data is available on the growth curves of snakes, including native species such as Boa constrictors. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine the growth curve of three subspecies of Boa constrictor juveniles (B. constrictor constrictor - Bcc, B. constrictor amarali - Bca and B. constrictor occidentalis - Bco) using data from a commercial breeder located in Brazil. Thirty-seven newborn snakes were placed in individual plastic boxes and kept in a temperature-controlled room (30±2°C and 70-80% humidity) until they reached commercial size (58 days). The snakes' weight and food intake were recorded weekly. These data were used to calculate total food intake, relative weight gain, feed efficiency and growth curves for snakes, comparing animals within subspecies and sexes. There was no difference in growth between genders for Bcc (p = 0.9844) and Bco (p = 0.9845), while for Bca females presented a greater growth (p = 0.0052). There were no statistical differences in relative weight gain and feed efficiency among subspecies. The parameters and growth curves determined in this study can be used as an initial reference guide to monitor the growth of Boa constrictor newborns and contribute to the establishment of an adequate food management for snakes kept in captivity, being a possible parameter for quantifying to determine welfare during the development of newborn snakes.

Incidence and correlates of high blood pressure from childhood to adulthood: the Birth to Twenty study.

Background:There is growing evidence from high-income countries suggesting that hypertension developed in childhood and adolescence persists into adulthood. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence and risk factors of high blood pressure (BP) in urban black children.Methods:We used data from the Birth to Twenty (BT20+) cohort in Johannesburg, South Africa constituting of children born in 1990 and who had their growth, development and blood pressure measured at six follow-up periods over the course of 13 years. High BP was classified as at least 95th percentile for age, sex and height. Incidence rate of high BP was calculated using survival analysis and risk factors were determined by use of Cox proportional hazard regression.Results:Over a follow-up period of 13 years, the overall incidence rate of high BP was 57 cases per 1000 person-years (95% CI 53.2–61.1). Risk for incident high BP increased with rapid relative weight gain in early childhood (hazard ratio =1.11, 95% CI 1.00–1.22), mid-childhood (hazard ratio = 1.13, 95% CI 1.03–1.24) and adolescence (hazard ratio = 1.21, 95% CI 0.99–1.47). Maternal parity significantly increased the risk for incident high BP (hazard ratio = 1.08, 95% CI 1.01–1.15).Conclusion:Maternal parity and relative weight gain were determinants for incident high blood pressure in urban black South African children and adolescents. To reduce the high incidence and the disease burden of high BP, national programs should focus on promoting healthy lifestyle in early stages of life to prevent rapid weight gain and later cardiovascular disease risk. Further research is required to investigate whether incident high BP in childhood predict clinical outcomes in adulthood.

Nutrient Intake, Feed Digestibility, and Growth Performance of Thin-Tailed Sheep Fed Complete Feed Containing Fermented Sargassum sp.

The aim of this research was to identify the effect of feeding fermented Sargassum sp. as complete feed ingredient up to 20% of total feed on nutrient consumption and digestibility, and growth performance of thin-tailed sheep. Twelve female thin-tailed sheep aged 6 to 8 months with an average initial body weight of 14.13 ± 2.08 kg were divided into three groups. The treatments were control without fermented Sargassum sp. (S0), 10% fermented Sargassum sp. (S1), and 20% fermented Sargassum sp. (S2). Complete feed was formulated by isoprotein and isoenergy formulation, containing 16% of crude protein and 61% of total digestible nutrients. Complete feed was given at 3.5% of body weight (% dry matter) and drinking water was provided ad libitum. This research was done in 6 weeks with 14 days adaptation period and seven days of collection period. Growth performance was measured for 4 weeks after the adaptation period. The variables observed were dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), crude fiber (CF), nitrogen-free extract (NFE), and total digestible nutrients (TDN) consumption. The data obtained were subjected to one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance) and the difference existed (P value <0.05) between means were analyzed with Duncan’s multiple range test. The results showed that there was no significant effect of feeding fermented Sargassum sp. on nutrient intake, and digestibility of nutrients (P>0.05), however, S0 treatment appeared to have CP, CF, and EE intake, as well as digestibility of DM, CP, CF, and NFE higher than S1 and S2 treatment. The results showed that there was no significant effect of feeding fermented Sargassum sp. on nutrient intake, digested and digestibility of nutrient, absolute and relative weight gain as well as feed conversion.

Physical growth and neurodevelopment during the first year of life: a cohort study of the Japan Environment and Children\u2019s Study

BackgroundThe association between a slower physical growth and poorer neurodevelopment has been established in infants born preterm or small for gestational age. However, this association is inconsistent in term-born infants, and detailed investigations in infancy, when intervention is most beneficial for improving outcomes, are lacking. We therefore examined this association separately by sex during the first year of life in term-born infants.MethodsUsing data collected until children reached 12 months old in an ongoing prospective cohort of the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, we analyzed 44,264 boys and 42,541 girls with singleton term-birth. The exposure variables were conditional variables that disentangle linear growth from weight gain relative to linear growth, calculated from the length and weight at birth and 4, 7 and 10 months old. Neurodevelopmental delay was identified using the Japanese-translated version of Ages & Stages Questionnaires, third edition.ResultsA reduced risk of neurodevelopmental delay at 6 months old was observed in children with a higher birth weight (adjusted relative risks [aRRs]: 0.91 and 0.93, 95 % confidence intervals [95 % CIs]: 0.87–0.96 and 0.88–0.98 in boys and girls, respectively) and increased linear growth between 0 and 4 months old (aRRs: 0.85 and 0.87, 95 % CIs: 0.82–0.88 and 0.83–0.91 in boys and girls, respectively). A reduced risk at 12 months was found in children with an increased linear growth between 0 and 4 months (aRRs: 0.92 and 0.90, 95 % CIs: 0.87–0.98 and 0.84–0.96 in boys and girls, respectively), boys with an increased relative weight gain between 0 and 4 months (aRR: 0.90, 95 % CI: 0.84–0.97), and girls with a higher birth weight (aRR: 0.89, 95 % CI: 0.83–0.96).ConclusionsThese results suggest that a slow physical growth by four months old may be a predictor of neurodevelopmental delay during infancy.

Childhood growth and development and DNA methylation age in mid-life

BackgroundIn the first study of its kind, we examine the association between growth and development in early life and DNAm age biomarkers in mid-life.MethodsParticipants were from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development (n = 1376). Four DNAm age acceleration (AgeAccel) biomarkers were measured when participants were aged 53 years: AgeAccelHannum; AgeAccelHorvath; AgeAccelLevine; and AgeAccelGrim. Exposure variables included: relative weight gain (standardised residuals from models of current weight z-score on current height, and previous weight and height z-scores); and linear growth (standardised residuals from models of current height z-score on previous height and weight z-scores) during infancy (0–2 years, weight gain only), early childhood (2–4 years), middle childhood (4–7 years) and late childhood to adolescence (7–15 years); age at menarche; and pubertal stage for men at 14–15 years. The relationship between relative weight gain and linear growth and AgeAccel was investigated using conditional growth models. We replicated analyses from the late childhood to adolescence period and pubertal timing among 240 participants from The National Child and Development Study (NCDS).ResultsA 1SD increase in relative weight gain in late childhood to adolescence was associated with 0.50 years (95% CI 0.20, 0.79) higher AgeAccelGrim. Although the CI includes the null, the estimate was similar in NCDS [0.57 years (95% CI − 0.01, 1.16)] There was no strong evidence that relative weight gain and linear growth in childhood was associated with any other AgeAccel biomarker. There was no relationship between pubertal timing in men and AgeAccel biomarkers. Women who reached menarche ≥ 12 years had 1.20 years (95% CI 0.15, 2.24) higher AgeAccelGrim on average than women who reached menarche < 12 years; however, this was not replicated in NCDS and was not statistically significant after Bonferroni correction.ConclusionsOur findings generally do not support an association between growth and AgeAccel biomarkers in mid-life. However, we found rapid weight gain during pubertal development, previously related to higher cardiovascular disease risk, to be associated with older AgeAccelGrim. Given this is an exploratory study, this finding requires replication.

Evaluation of models for predicting the preweaning body weight in Holstein calves

This study compared six non-linear equations [Exponential growth (4 parameters), Exponential growth (Stirling), Polynomial (Cubic), Quadratic, Brody, and Sinusoidal] for prediction of pre-weaning body weights at different ages in Holstein calves. Thirty-two calves (16 males and 16 females) were randomly divided into two treatment groups and fed with starter diets containing either corn or barley as the grain source. Starter feeding began on the third day of life, and high quality alfalfa hay and fresh cow milk were fed according to the farm schedule. The calves were weighed at birth and weekly thereafter until weaning. In this manner, ten weight records, including the birth and weaning weights, constituted the data set. The results of experiment revealed the fact that all functions mentioned earlier showed good fitness to predict weight gain in relation to age in all groups of calves. However, based on the goodness of the fit of various criteria and the statistical performance, the polynomial (cubic) function was considerably superior to other functions for predicting the calf live weight. The flexible growth functions (more parameters) very often give a closer fit to data points and a smaller residual sum of square (RSS) value than the simpler functions such as the Brody functions.

Morphological characterization of spleen and bursa of Fabricius of Pekin ducks in selenium-deficient area

The study was aimed at examination of age-related morphology of spleen and bursa of Fabricius of Pekin ducks with a dietary selenium deficiency and its correction with an organic selenium additive. The experimental study was carried out in 85 day-old ducks divided into two groups, control group and test group, 40 ducks per group, the experiment lasted for 120 days. Control group was fed with standard mixed feed for meat-type poultry. The test group of ducks was fed with the feed supplemented with DAFS-25k organic selenium additive, 1.3 mg/kg of feed, that fully compensated selenium deficiency. The study showed that the dynamics of absolute body weights and relative weight gains in control and test groups correlated to the general biological pattern – increase in absolute parameters and decrease in relative parameters were dependent on age. Therewith, maximum relative weight gain intensity was reported at the age of 15 days and maximum increase in relative spleen and bursa of Fabricius weights was reported in at the age of 30 days. Weight gain parameter drastically decreased on day 75 and remained low up to the age of 120 days. Changes in the relative spleen and bursa of Fabricius weights were non-linear throughout the study. Therewith, in ducks of all ages tested spleen parameters remained approximately at the same level but bursa of Fabricius parameters changed – relative weight of bursa of Fabricius decreased by the age of 45 days and then increased again by the age of 75 days. Relative weight gains and relative spleen weights of ducklings in test group were higher than that ones of ducklings in control group during the examined ontogenesis periods. The opposite pattern was observed for bursa of Fabricius: the above-mentioned parameters in test group were lower than that ones in control group. It was concluded that organic selenium additive had a positive effect on development of the immune system organs and reduced the stress factor impact on duckling organism.

Autism Spectrum Disorder and Obesity: A Unique Challenge

Obesity is a significant problem in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Understanding that individuals with autism spectrum disorder may have different predisposing factors to weight gain compared to their neurotypical peers is important for those involved in their care and treatment. These factors include medication related weight gain, behaviour management using food to re-enforce positive behaviours, restrictive eating patterns and sensory processing differences. Effectively addressing weight gain in individuals with autism spectrum disorder requires a person specific approach and significant involvement of parents and carers. Parents, carers, and clinicians need to be willing to examine and potentially change their practice to overcome autism specific drivers of obesity.

Effect of Dietary Counseling on Chemotherapy Induced Weight Gain in Patients with Hematologic and Oncologic Malignancies

Background: Few studies have been performed addressing nutritional interventions & mitigation strategies to address weight gain in patients undergoing chemotherapy. We aim to study the effect of nutritional counseling on body mass index (BMI) in patients undergoing systemic chemotherapy. Methods: Prospective randomized study of 50 pts into two groups (A & B). Group A was randomized to standard of care: oncologist visits once per month x 3 months, routine physician counseling & dietary recommendations. Group B: standard of care + nutritionist intervention which included 3 visits x 30 mins each. Nutritionists performed an initial assessment of pts at the first session (template provided in poster) then tailored dietary counseling monthly x3 months which includes dietary strategies to mitigate side effects, pt & caregiver education, recipes, & handouts (provided in poster). Inclusions: medically insured male & female adults with active malignancies (hematologic & oncologic) on chemotherapy (adjuvant, palliative). Exclusions: pts with head & neck, stomach, esophagus, pancreatic tumors & pts with pre-existing cachexia. Data collected: pt gender, age, ethnicity, cancer subtype, TNM staging, chemotherapy regimen. Primary objective: compare change in BMI at visit 1, 2, &3. Mean change in BMI was compared using students T-test with ANOVA using SAS software version 8.0 & minitab version 17. Results: Patient demographics: No differences between group A&B baseline age, weight, height, BMI. Ethnicity: 94% pts Hispanic vs. 6% non-Hispanic. Pt cancer subtypes: 40% colon cancer, 34% breast cancer, 12% lung cancer, 6% non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 6% multiple myeloma, 2% chronic leukemia. Intervention results: Group A initial BMI = 28.85 vs. group B initial BMI = 27.34 (p = 0.05). Change in BMI group A vs. B at visit 1 (0.4 vs. 0.09, p = 0.002), visit 2 (4.6 vs. -0.52, p = 0.001), visit 3 (6.5 vs. 0.46, p = 0.003). Conclusions: We found dietary counseling in addition to standard of care was associated with significant mitigation of weight gain in patients on systemic chemotherapy. Dietary counseling is a relatively simple, inexpensive, individualized, & reproducible method to mitigate chemotherapy related weight gain. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

The Preferences of Different Cultivars of Lettuce Seedlings (Lactuca sativa L.) for the Spectral Composition of Light

The spectrum of light significantly influences the growth of plants cultivated in closed systems. Five lettuce cultivars with different leaf colours were grown under white light (W, 170 μmol m−2 s−1) and under white light with the addition of red (W + R) or blue light (W + B) (230 μmol m−2 s−1). The plants were grown until they reached the seedling phase (30 days). Each cultivar reacted differently to the light spectrum applied. The red-leaved cultivar exhibited the strongest plasticity in response to the spectrum. The blue light stimulated the growth of the leaf surface in all the plants. The red light negatively influenced the length of leaves in the cultivars, but it positively affected their number in red and dark-green lettuce. It also increased the relative chlorophyll content and fresh weight gain in the cultivars containing anthocyanins. When the cultivars were grown under white light, they had longer leaves and higher value of the leaf shape index. The light-green cultivars had a greater fresh weight. Both the addition of blue and red light significantly increased the relative chlorophyll content in the dark-green cultivar. The spectrum enhanced with blue light had positive influence on most of the parameters under analysis in butter lettuce cultivars. These cultivars were also characterised by the highest absorbance of blue light.

Effect of Antimicrobial Peptides on the Growth and Immunity of Swamp Eels

This study aimed to investigate the effect of different levels of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) supplementation in the diet feed on growth performance, survival rate, biochemical parameters in swamp eels. Healthy fishes were randomly assigned to five groups feeding with different supplementation of AMPs (0, 200, 400, 600, or 800 mg/kg) in diets for 68 days. Results showed that relative weight gain, feed coefficient and survival rate were significantly (p&lt;0.05) increased by supplementation of AMPs in feed. Level of protein (TP), triglyceride TG, alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphate (ALP), acid phosphate (ACP), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT) in the serum were significantly (p&lt;0.05) improved in all AMPs treatments, while no significant difference was found between the control and AMPs 200 mg/kg. AMPs supplementation significantly enhanced (p&lt;0.05) the survival rate and immune protection in swamp eels after challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila compared to the control group and eels fed with AMPs 800 mg/kg had the highest survival rate and immune protection (32.50 and 85.71%, respectively). The diets containing AMPs enhanced the survival rate, immune ability, and antioxidant capacity in swamp eels, indicate that an appropriate dosage of AMPs can be used as a potential alternative to antibiotics in swamp eels.

The combined use of Bacillus subtilis-based probiotic and anticoccidial herb had a better anti-Eimeria tenella efficiency

The objective of this work is to investigate the feed supplementation with Bacillus subtilis- based probiotic and methanol extraction of anticoccidial herbs (leaves of Artemisia annua Linn., Dichroa febrifuga Lour., and peel of Punica granatum L. ) individually or in combination as alternatives during chicken E. tenella infection. A total of 264 chickens were divided into 11 groups (n = 8 × 3). They were control group (G1), E. tenella infected group (G2), E. tenella infected with diclazuril treated group (G3). G4 to G6 were E. tenella infected and treated with 300 mg/kg body weight of methanol extract of herb in feed (3 different kinds of herbs: leaves of Artemisia annua Linn., Dichroa febrifuga Lour., and peel of Punica granatum L. ), respectively. G7 to G9 were infected and probiotic-herb combined groups: 5 × 10 8 cfu/kg B. subtilis was added to feed on the basis of G4 to G6, respectively. The remaining groups are both feed with B. subtilis at 5 × 10 8 cfu/kg in feed but infected (G10) and uninfected (G11). The anticoccidial efficacy was assessed by: bloody feces scores, lesion scores, relative weight gain rate, oocysts excretion, and mRNA expression levels ( occludin, ZO-1, IL-17A and IL-2 ) in ceca. All the interventions reduced all the indexes, as compared to that of G2. The use of B. subtilis combined with herb significantly reduced the oocysts excretion and IL-17A mRNA level as compared to herb only groups. In summary, we conclude that the combination of B. subtilis and anticoccidial herb have potential development value.

EFFECT OF DIETARY TOASTED LEUCAENA LEUCOCEPHALA SEED MEAL ON THE GROWTH AND FEED UTILIZATION OF CLARIID CATFISH CLARIAS GARIEPINUS FINGERLINGS

An experiment was designed and carried out to assess the growth performance and feed utilization (weight gain, feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio, specific growth rate, feed intake and survival) of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings fed graded levels of toasted Leucaena leucocephala seed meal based diets with the aim of establishing the best inclusion level of Leucaena seed meal. One hundred and eight (108) fingerlings with an initial mean weight of 2.10g were allotted at random to six treatments in triplicate groups with each treatment tank having six fingerlings and were fed with isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets containing 40% crude protein (CP). The toasted seed meal was used to replace soybean meal in the diets in the following proportions: diets I (0%), diets II (10%), diets III (20%), diets IV (30%), diets V (40%) and diets VI (50%). At the end of the feeding trials that lasted for 6 weeks, the mean weight gains of fish, relative weight gain, specific growth rate, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency was highest in treatment I while mean weight gain of fish, relative weight gain, specific growth rate and feed conversion ratio was lowest in treatment V. Feed intake was lowest in treatment VI and protein efficiency was lowest in treatment II. Survival among treatments slightly varied significantly but was not as a result of the feed consumed. At the end of the experiment, the recommended inclusion level of Leucaena seed meal was 20%.

The effect of the experimental chronic hyperglycemia on the kidney and myocardium

Abstract. The number of patients with diabetes increases annually. Modern forecasts predict that diabetes will be the seventh leading cause of death in 2030. Despite many significant advances in the research of diabetes and the use of new modern treatments, the disease is still progressing, and it is necessary to continue to study the effects of diabetes on human systems and organs: kidney and myocardium.&#x0D; Methods. A total of 24 rats of reproductive age (6 months old) were involved in this experimental study. Experimental rats were injected with alloxan intraperitoneally once at a dose of 20 mg/100 g on an empty stomach. In addition, they received a 10% glucose solution 24 hours after alloxan injection and a 5% glucose solution during the experiment. We measured glucose level with Accu-Chek Advantage (Boehringer, Germany) after 2, 12, and 24 hours after alloxan injection, and then weekly. The subjects of the investigation were kidney and heart of the experimental (n=12) and control (n=12) animals for correct comparative analysis.&#x0D; Results. The average blood glucose level remained at 11 mmol/L ± 2 mmol/L. During the experimental period, the rats' weight gain, dilation of both ventricles and relative renal weight gain were determined. By the histological examination of the myocardium, we revealed polymorphic nuclei, perinuclear cytolysis, fragmentation, wavy-like deformation of cardiomyocytes, stromal and perivascular edema, uneven filling of blood vessels, and local fibrosis. Thinning of fibrous capsule and cortical layer, destruction of nephrons, and hemorrhages were detected in the kidney.&#x0D; Conclusions. Our study confirms the robustness of alloxan-induced hyperglycemia in rats. We came to this conclusion because the early changes in the kidneys and heart are explained by the development of microangiopathies, which is a typical feature of the pathogenesis of diabetes. With prolonged exposure to chronic hyperglycemia, structural disorders of vital organs are worsened. This experimental model could be used for conducting comprehensive research aimed to study the mechanisms of diabetes mellitus, the effects of hyperglycemia on organs and tissues, and correct the complications.

EFFECT OF DIETARY METHIONINE ON GROWTH AND UTILIZATION OF CLARIAS GARIEPENIUS FINGERLINGS

The growth response and feed utilization of Clarias gariepinus fed with diet containing different level of dietary synthetic methionine was investigated to determine the effect of diet on their growth rate and its utilization by fish. (108) fingerlings of Calrias gariepinus (2.1+0.5g) obtained from a private fish farm in Benin City were stocked in eighteen (18) 25L plastic tank. 6 diet (40%) crude protein consisting of a control (0% methionine supplementation) and five DIT other diet (3.2%, 4.23%, 7.30%, 8.70% and 9.79% synthetic methionine supplementation) were compounded and fed to the fish till satiation. Each diet was fed to the fish twice daily (9.00hrs and 17.00hrs). Data on the weight gain and feed consumed were taken on weekly basis. There was no significant difference in term of relative weight gain (RWG), specific growth rate (SGR), total weight gain (TWG) and weekly weight gain (WWG). The control with (0% methionine) showed a higher weight gain with diet 5 (8.76% methionine) having a lower weight gain. However, the feed intake (FI) was significantly different (P&lt;0.005) with the control midway the highest feed intake but diet 2 (4.25%) with a step downward showed lowest feed intake. The protein efficiency ratio (per) value were significantly different with diet 1 having the highest value which was different from all other which with diet 4 having a lowest per. In terms of survival there was significant difference (P&lt;0.05) with diet 3(0% methionine). Supplementation has the highest and a reduced survival at diet 2 synthetic methionine. In this study synthetic methionine had not been sufficiently utilized by Clarias gariepinus fingerling since the control did perform better than those supplemented with various level of methionine.

Equimolar AlCuFeMn: A novel oxidation resistant alloy

High-temperature oxidation behavior of an equimolar AlCuFeMn multicomponent alloy was investigated at 500 °C and 1000 °C for 50 h of exposure in ambiance. Relative weight gain after oxidation was 0.5 mg cm−2 and 0.3 mg cm−2 at 500 °C and 1000 °C, respectively. At 500 °C, the oxidized surface comprised of a manganese-rich oxide layer with an aluminum oxide sublayer, while only an aluminum-rich oxide layer was observed at 1000 °C. The alloy microstructure was temperature stable and consisted of an FCC, BCC, and a minor Al11Mn4 phase. The alloy's oxidation resistance compared well with 9% Cr steel and nickel-based superalloys suitable for high-temperature applications.