The effects on cow performance and calf birth and weaning weight of replacing grass silage with brewers grains in a barley straw diet offered to pregnant beef cows of two different breeds.

The effects on cow and calf performance of replacing grass silage with brewers grains in diets based on barley straw and fed to pregnant beef cows are reported. Using a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of breed and diet, cows pregnant by artificial insemination (n = 34) of two breeds (cross-bred Limousin, n = 19 and pure-bred Luing, n = 15) were fed diets ad libitum which consisted of either (g/kg dry matter) barley straw (664) and grass silage (325; GS) or barley straw (783) and brewers grains (206, BG) and offered as total mixed rations. From gestation day (GD) 168 until 266, individual daily feed intakes were recorded and cow body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS) measured weekly. Calving date, calf sex, birth and weaning BW, and calf age at weaning were also recorded. Between GD 168 and 266, cross-bred Limousin cows gained more weight than Luing cows (p < 0.05) and cows offered BG gained more weight than cows offered GS (p < 0.001). Luing cows lost more BCS than cross-bred Limousin cows (p < 0.05), but diet did not affect BCS. There were no differences in dry matter intake as a result of breed or diet. Calf birth BW, however, was greater for cows fed BG than GS (44 vs. 38 kg, SEM 1.0, p < 0.001) with no difference between breeds. At weaning, calves born to BG-fed cows were heavier than those born to GS-fed cows (330 vs. 286 kg, SEM 9.3, p < 0.01). In conclusion, replacement of grass silage with brewers grains improved the performance of beef cows and increased calf birth and weaning BW. Further analysis indicated that the superior performance of cows offered the BG diet was most likely due to increases in protein supply which may have improved both energy and protein supply to the foetus.

ß-Catenin-regulated ALDH1A1 is a target in ovarian cancer spheroids.

Cancer cells form three-dimensional (3D) multicellular aggregates (or spheroids) under non-adherent culture conditions. In ovarian cancer (OC), spheroids serve as a vehicle for cancer cell dissemination in the peritoneal cavity, protecting cells from environmental stress-induced anoikis. To identify new targetable molecules in OC spheroids, we investigated gene expression profiles and networks upregulated in 3D vs traditional monolayer culture conditions. We identified ALDH1A1, a cancer stem cell marker as being overexpressed in OC spheroids and directly connected to key elements of the ß-catenin pathway. ß-Catenin function and ALDH1A1 expression were increased in OC spheroids vs monolayers and in successive spheroid generations, suggesting that 3D aggregates are enriched in cells with stem cell characteristics. ß-Catenin knockdown decreased ALDH1A1 expression levels and ß-catenin co-immunoprecipitated with the ALDH1A1 promoter, suggesting that ALDH1A1 is a direct ß-catenin target. Both short interfering RNA-mediated ß-catenin knockdown and A37 ((ethyl-2-((4-oxo-3-(3-(pryrrolidin-1-yl)propyl)-3,4-dihydrobenzo [4,5]thioeno [3,2-d]pyrimidin-2-yl)thio)acetate)), a novel ALDH1A1 small-molecule enzymatic inhibitor described here for the first time, disrupted OC spheroid formation and cell viability (P<0.001). ß-Catenin knockdown blocked tumor growth and peritoneal metastasis in an OC xenograft model. These data strongly support the role of ß-catenin-regulated ALDH1A1 in the maintenance of OC spheroids and propose new ALDH1A1 inhibitors targeting this cell population.

Misinformation can influence memory for recently experienced, highly stressful events.

A large body of research has demonstrated that exposure to misinformation can lead to distortions in human memory for genuinely experienced objects or people. The current study examined whether misinformation could affect memory for a recently experienced, personally relevant, highly stressful event. In the present study we assessed the impact of misinformation on memory in over 800 military personnel confined in the stressful, mock POW camp phase of Survival School training. Misinformation introduced after the negatively affected memory for the details of the event (such as the presence of glasses or weapons), and also affected the accuracy of identification of an aggressive interrogator. In some conditions more than half of the subjects exposed to a misleading photograph falsely identified a different individual as their interrogator after the interrogation was over. These findings demonstrate that memories for stressful events are highly vulnerable to modification by exposure to misinformation, even in individuals whose level of training and experience might be thought to render them relatively immune to such influences.

Effects of dietary combination of n-3 and n-9 fatty acids on the deposition of linoleic and arachidonic acid in broiler chicken meats.

To minimize the amount of n-6 fatty acids in broiler chicken meat, 120 Cobb × Ross male broilers were divided into 6 different groups and fed a basal corn-soybean meal diet containing 5% fat from 5 different lipid sources: 1) a commercial mix of animal and vegetable oil, 2) soybean oil and olive oil (2.5% each), 3) flaxseed oil and olive oil (2.5% each), 4) flaxseed oil, eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5; EPA; n-3), and olive oil (2.45, 0.05, and 2.5% respectively; FEO), 5) flaxseed oil, docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6; DHA; n-3), and olive oil (2.45, 0.05, and 2.5% respectively; FDO), and 6) fish oil and olive oil (2.5% each; FHO). At 6 and 9 wk, one bird per pen (4 pens per treatment) was processed, and liver, breast, and thigh samples were collected and used for fatty acid profiles or Δ6- and Δ9-desaturase mRNA gene expression levels. The deposition of linoleic acid (C18:2; n-6) or arachidonic acid (C20:4; n-6) was decreased in breast and thigh muscles of chickens fed n-3 fatty acids for 9 wk compared with chickens fed animal and vegetable oil and soybean oil and olive oil diets (P < 0.05). The addition of EPA to the diet (FEO; P > 0.05) did not reduce the deposition of linoleic acid and arachidonic acid as much as DHA (FDO; P < 0.05), and it suppressed the expression of Δ6- and Δ9-desaturase. When EPA and DHA were blended (FHO) and supplied to broiler chickens for 9 wk, EPA and DHA combination effects were observed on the deposition of LA and arachidonic acid in breast and thigh muscles. Thereby, the addition of a mixed EPA and DHA to a broiler chicken diet may be recommendable to reduce arachidonic acid accumulation in both broiler chicken breast and thigh meats, providing a functional broiler chicken meat to consumers.

Decreased respiratory sinus arrhythmia in individuals with deceptive intent.

In detecting deception, the Cognitive Load hypothesis states that lying requires more cognitive resources compared to truth telling. Further, increases in cognitive load are predicted to decrease respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). We evaluated the impact of cognitive tasks and the intent to deceive on RSA in 40 male, native Arabic-speaking participants quasi-randomized into truthful (n=14) or deceptive (n=26) groups. Participants donned an ambulatory physiologic recording device and completed cognitive testing after receiving translated instructions about their role in an impending mock crime. The results show that a decrease in RSA recorded during the cognitive testing was greater in individuals who were about to commit a deceptive act.

Assessing the welfare challenges to out-wintered pregnant suckler cows.

Out-wintering beef cows reduces annual housing costs and bedding requirements and there is less exposure to diseases associated with housing. However, to counter these benefits cows may be exposed to conditions that pose a significant challenge to welfare, and ways of assessing this are required. Two feeding treatments were applied to four groups of 10 cows (two groups/treatment), one to maintain condition score (H) and the other to allow a modest loss of condition score (L), which is commonly applied in farm practice. Cow groups were rotated around four paddocks in a Latin Square design of four periods each of 3 weeks, and they were weighed and condition was scored at the end of each period. Their behaviour and location was recorded at 30-min intervals with six 3-h sessions in each period. Ambient temperature, wind speed, rainfall and solar radiation were recorded every 30 min to enable calculation of cow lower critical temperature (LCT). The climatic conditions were wet at the start of the experiment with moderate wind speeds throughout (5 m/s) and relatively mild ambient temperature (5°C). Feeding treatment had no significant effect on any of the variables measured. Cows spent most of the observation sessions standing, particularly at the beginning of the experiment when the soil conditions were wettest. They sought sheltered locations when wind speeds were high and thus their calculated LCT was near or below ambient temperature. Nutritional models predicted periods of cold stress but the cows adapted their behaviour to counteract this, emphasising the need for a combined physical and behavioural approach to assessing welfare challenges.

Relation between cardiac vagal tone and performance in male military personnel exposed to high stress: three prospective studies.

Vagal tone has been proposed both as an index of emotion regulation and cognitive ability. To assess the relation between vagal tone and emotion regulation and cognitive ability, the present research prospectively measured vagal tone (measured either as high-frequency spectral power or respiratory sinus arrhythmia) in healthy participants exposed to high stress. The participants were active duty military personnel (men) enrolled in high intensity military training: Survival School (Experiments 1 and 3) and Combat Diver Qualification Course (Experiment 2). We consistently observed a significant relationship between low vagal tone and superior performance. The data suggest that vagal suppression is associated with enhanced performance under conditions of high stress and that this enhanced performance may be related to emotion regulation and cognitive functioning.

Social support and resilience to stress: from neurobiology to clinical practice.

Numerous studies indicate social support is essential for maintaining physical and psychological health. The harmful consequences of poor social support and the protective effects of good social support in mental illness have been well documented. Social support may moderate genetic and environmental vulnerabilities and confer resilience to stress, possibly via its effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) system, the noradrenergic system, and central oxytocin pathways. There is a substantial need for additional research and development of specific interventions aiming to increase social support for psychiatrically ill and at-risk populations.

Preservation of micro-organisms by drying; a review.

The preservation of micro-organisms by different drying methodologies has been used for decades. Freeze drying in particular is the preferred method for transporting and storing vast culture collections of micro-organism strain types. The literature on drying and preserving micro-organisms is extensive, but is often specific to one particular strain. This review attempts to draw some similar concepts and findings together in one paper, to compare different drying techniques, with specific reference to microorganisms. The main topics covered are cell growth phases and concentration, inducing drying tolerance in microbial cells, drying methods, rehydration of dried cells and packaging and storage conditions. Also, particular attention has been paid to the use of freeze drying and the protective matrices used to improve microbial cell viability after drying.

Maintenance of body temperature in the neonatal lamb: effects of breed, birth weight, and litter size.

To survive, the newborn lamb must be able to maintain body temperature and to stand and move to the udder to suck colostrum to fuel heat production. The objective of this study was to investigate whether neonatal lambs showing slow behavioral progress to standing and sucking also have an impaired ability to maintain body temperature. The time taken to stand and suck after birth, rectal temperatures, and blood samples were collected from 115 newborn single, twin, and triplet lambs of 2 breeds, Scottish Blackface and Suffolk, which are known to show variations in their neonatal behavioral progress. Blood samples were assayed for thyroid hormones, known to be involved in heat production, and cortisol, which plays a role in tissue maturation before birth. In addition, colostrum samples were collected from the 56 ewes that gave birth to the lambs, and assayed for protein, fat, and vitamin contents. Heavy lambs (more than 1 SD above the breed mean), Blackface lambs, and singleton or twin lambs were quicker to stand and suck from their mothers than lightweight (more than 1 SD below the breed mean), Suffolk, or triplet lambs. Low birth weight lambs also had lower rectal temperatures than heavier lambs (P < 0.01), as did Suffolk compared with Blackface lambs (P < 0.001). Lambs that were slow to suck after birth had lower rectal temperatures than quick lambs, and this difference persisted for at least 3 d after birth. Within breed, heavy lambs had greater plasma triiodothyronine and thyroxine immediately after birth than light lambs. Blackface lambs had greater plasma triiodothyronine and thyroxine than Suffolk lambs but tended to have less cortisol. Colostrum produced by Blackface ewes had a greater fat content than that of Suffolk ewes (P < 0.001). Thus, lambs that are behaviorally slow at birth are also less able to maintain their body temperature after birth. Although part of their lower body temperature might be attributable to behavioral influences on thermoregulation, the data also suggest that physiological differences exist between these animals. These differences may be related to different degrees of maturity at birth.

Production of precise microbiology standards using flow cytometry and freeze drying.

BACKGROUND: Quality control standards provide a quantity of microorganisms for routine use in microbiology to demonstrate the efficacy of testing methods and culture media. Standards are normally prepared by diluting a culture of microorganisms to obtain a suspension that contains an estimated number of colony-forming units per milliliter. The variability and inaccuracy of these standards increase the potential for false results. Flow cytometry has been used extensively to prepare precise standards of Cryptosporidium and Giardia that contain exact numbers of organisms in a volume of liquid (1). However, the same levels of accuracy have yet to be obtained for bacterial quality control standards. METHODS: A modification of a Becton Dickinson FACScalibur flow cytometer enabled 30 bacterial cells to be sorted into a single droplet, mixed with a cryoprotective solution within the droplet, and frozen in liquid nitrogen. The frozen droplets were then freeze dried for stable preservation of the viable bacterial cells. RESULTS: A freeze-dried sphere 3 mm in diameter was produced, which contained 30 microorganisms. The within-batch variation for these freeze-dried spheres was no greater than two standard deviations, and the between-batch variation was less than one standard deviation. CONCLUSIONS: Bacterial reference controls can now be produced with consistent accuracy and unparalleled precision, thus enabling harmonization across the microbiological testing industry.

Centrally administered hemokinin-1 (HK-1), a neurokinin NK1 receptor agonist, produces substance P-like behavioral effects in mice and gerbils.

Hemokinin-1 (HK-1) is a recently described mouse tachykinin peptide whose biological functions are not fully understood. To date, a unique receptor for HK-1 has not been identified. Recent studies suggest HK-1 may have a role in immunological functions, but there has been little characterization of HK-1's effects in the central nervous system (CNS). In the present studies, we confirm that HK-1 is an endogenous agonist at all of the known tachykinin receptors, and is selective for the NK1 receptor over the NK2 and NK3 subtypes. CHO cells transfected with the human NK1 receptor released intracellular calcium in response to HK-1. In addition, HK-1 competed with substance P (SP) for binding to mouse NK1 and human NK1 receptors. In vivo central administration of HK-1 to gerbils and mice induced foot-tapping and scratching behaviors, respectively, similar to those observed following central administration of SP or the NK1 receptor agonist, GR-73632. Furthermore, these behavioral effects were blocked by the selective NK1 receptor antagonist, MK-869. Finally, a comprehensive expression analysis of HK-1 demonstrated that HK-1 mRNA is much more broadly expressed than previously reported with expression observed in many brain regions. Together these data demonstrate that HK-1 is a functional agonist at NK1 receptors and suggest that HK-1 may function both centrally and peripherally.

Characterization of tdt genes for the degradation of tricyclic diterpenes by Pseudomonas diterpeniphila A19-6a.

Resin acids are tricyclic diterpenes that are toxic to aquatic life when released in high concentrations in pulp mill effluents. These naturally formed organic acids are readily degraded by bacteria and fungi; nevertheless, many of the mechanisms involved are still unknown. We report the localization, cloning, and sequencing of genes for abietane degradation (9.18 kb; designated tdt (tricyclic diterpene) LRSABCD) from the gamma-Proteobacterium Pseudomonas diterpeniphila A19-6a. Using gene knockout mutants, we demonstrate that tdtL, encoding a putative CoA ligase, is required for growth on abietic and dehydroabietic acids. A second gene knockout in tdtD, encoding a putative cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, reduced the growth of strain A19-6a on abietic and dehydroabietic acids as sole sources of carbon and energy, but did not eliminate growth. The degree of homology between P450TdtD and P450TerpC, the closest known P450 homologue to TdtD, identifies TdtD as a new member of the P450 superfamily. Hybridization of six of the tdt genes to genomic DNA of a related resin acid degrading bacterium Pseudomonas abietaniphila BKME-9 identified tdt homologues in this strain that utilizes aromatic ring dioxygenase genes (dit) to open the ring structure of abietic and dehydroabietic acids. These results suggest the tdt and dit genes may function in concert to allow these Pseudomonas strains to degrade resin acids. Homologues of several of the tdt genes were detected in resin acid degrading Ralstonia and Comamonas species within the beta- and gamma-Proteobacteria.

Symptoms of dissociation in humans experiencing acute, uncontrollable stress: a prospective investigation.

OBJECTIVE: Peritraumatic dissociation has been associated with subsequent development of posttraumatic stress disorder, but supporting data have been largely retrospective. The current study was designed to assess the nature and prevalence of dissociative symptoms in healthy humans experiencing acute, uncontrollable stress during U.S. Army survival training. METHOD: In study 1, 94 subjects completed the Clinician-Administered Dissociative States Scale after exposure to the stress of survival training. In study 2, 59 subjects completed the Brief Trauma Questionnaire before acute stress and the dissociative states scale before and after acute stress. A randomly selected group of subjects in study 2 completed a health problems questionnaire after acute stress. RESULTS: In study 1, 96% of subjects reported dissociative symptoms in response to acute stress. Total scores, as well as individual item scores, on the dissociation scale were significantly lower in Special Forces soldiers compared to general infantry troops. In study 2, 42% of subjects reported dissociative symptoms before stress and 96% reported them after acute stress. Dissociative symptoms before and after stress were significantly higher in individuals who reported a perceived threat to life in the past. Forty-one percent of the variance in reported health problems was accounted for by poststress dissociation scores. DISCUSSION: Symptoms of dissociation were prevalent in healthy subjects exposed to high stress. Stress-hardy individuals (Special Forces soldiers) experienced fewer symptoms of dissociation, compared to individuals who were less hardy. These data support the idea that the nature of response to previously experienced threatening events significantly determines the nature of psychological and somatic response to subsequent stress.

Relationship among plasma cortisol, catecholamines, neuropeptide Y, and human performance during exposure to uncontrollable stress.

OBJECTIVE: Although many people are exposed to trauma, only some individuals develop posttraumatic stress disorder; most do not. It is possible that humans differ in the degree to which stress induces neurobiological perturbations of their threat response systems, which may result in a differential capacity to cope with aversive experiences. This study explored the idea that differences in the neurobiological responses of individuals exposed to threat are significantly related to psychological and behavioral indices. METHODS: Individual differences in neurohormonal, psychological, and performance indices among 44 healthy subjects enrolled in US Army survival school were investigated. Subjects were examined before, during, and after exposure to uncontrollable stress. RESULTS: Stress-induced release of cortisol, neuropeptide Y, and norepinephrine were positively correlated; cortisol release during stress accounted for 42% of the variance in neuropeptide Y release during stress. Cortisol also accounted for 22% of the variance in psychological symptoms of dissociation and 31% of the variance in military performance during stress. CONCLUSIONS: Because dissociation, abnormalities in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis, and catecholamine functioning have all been implicated in the development of stress disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, these data suggest that some biological differences may exist before index trauma exposure and before the development of stress-related illness. The data also imply a relationship among specific neurobiological factors and psychological dissociation. In addition, the data provide clues about the way in which individuals' psychobiological responses to threat differ from one another.

Methadone patients exhibit increased startle and cortisol response after intravenous yohimbine.

Brain noradrenergic systems have been shown to be altered in opioid dependence and to mediate aspects of opioid withdrawal. Pre-clinical and clinical studies by others have shown that yohimbine, which increases noradrenergic activity, also increases both baseline and fear enhancement of the magnitude of the acoustic startle response (ASR). In a separate report from this experiment, it was shown that yohimbine produced opioid withdrawal-like symptoms, including anxiety, in clinically stable methadone-maintained patients and also produced elevations in the norepinepherine (NE) metabolite, 3-methoxy-4 hydroxyphenethyleneglycol (MHPG), and cortisol serum levels. The current study reports the effects of intravenous yohimbine hydrochloride, 0.4 mg/kg versus saline (double-blind), on ASR magnitude, plasma MHPG, and cortisol levels in eight methadone-maintained patients and 13 healthy subjects in a double-blind fashion. Yohimbine increased startle magnitude in both groups. There was no basal (placebo day) difference between the startle response of the two groups, but methadone patients had a larger startle magnitude increase in response to yohimbine than healthy controls. Methadone-maintained patients had lower baseline plasma levels of MHPG and similar baseline plasma cortisol levels compared with normal subjects. Yohimbine caused significant elevation in cortisol and MHPG in both groups. Methadone-maintained subjects had higher elevations in cortisol levels and MHPG (methadone main effect) levels in response to yohimbine. However, when MHPG levels were corrected for baseline differences by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), the yohimbine effect, but not the methadone effect remained statistically significant. These results are consistent with the previous report and support the hypothesis that abnormalities of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and of noradrenergic mechanisms of stress response persist in opioid-agonist maintenance. The ASR effect extends the previous report and provides an additional objective measure for perturbation of noradrenergic and stress responses in these patients.

Social sharing of Gulf War experiences: association with trauma-related psychological symptoms.

It commonly is believed that talking with family and friends (social sharing) about stressful or traumatic experiences can be therapeutic with regard to stress-related psychological symptoms. Two years after serving in the Gulf War, 58 National Guard Reservists completed the Mississippi Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale (PTSD), the Brief Symptom Inventory, and a measure of social sharing that asked how much they had talked to family and friends about their experiences in the Gulf during the 2-year period since returning from the war. Subjects had a broad range of Mississippi PTSD scores. Six subjects met Mississippi criteria for PTSD. Degree of talking to family and friends about Gulf War experiences did not account for a significant portion of the variance in the prediction of PTSD symptoms but did significantly contribute to prediction of scores for interpersonal sensitivity, depression, and psychoticism. Thus, degree of talking with family and friends was not found to be related to PTSD symptoms, although it may have influenced some symptoms of general psychopathology, such as depression, that are not specific to PTSD.

The way in which the data are combined affects the interpretation of short-term feeding behavior.

Short-term feeding behavior of pigs has been analyzed using random process models and log-normal models. Both were successful despite very different underlying assumptions relating to the theory of control. Feeder visits of growing pigs, housed individually from 17 to 52 kg live weight, were recorded electronically over a continuous period of 35 days. For the combined data, intervals between visits to the feeder greater than 30 min could be described well by the negative exponential model. The starting probability of a visit was constant at around 0.3, suggesting randomness. Disaggregating the data for individual pigs or for individual weeks did not change this conclusion. Intervals in the day were of a different nature to those at night, and disaggregation of the data into these two periods revealed that the negative exponential model was not satisfactory for either period. The starting probability for both periods increased with time since the last visit. This is consistent with the idea of satiety. Therefore, the apparent randomness in the data pooled across the day and night is an artefact caused by pooling itself, and is not in conflict with the satiety concept. The implications of data handling are discussed with reference to studies of the physiological control of food intake.