Increasing selenium concentration in milk: effects of amount of selenium from yeast and cereal grain supplements.

Two experiments were conducted to establish responses in milk Se concentrations in grazing dairy cows to different amounts of dietary Se yeast, and to determine the effects of the Se concentration of the basal diet. The hypothesis tested was that the response in milk, blood, and tissue Se concentrations to supplemental Se would not be affected by whether the Se was from the basal diet or from Se yeast. In addition, by conducting a similar experiment in either early (spring; experiment 1) or late (autumn; experiment 2) lactation, we hypothesized that different Se input-output relationships would result. Both 6-wk experiments involved 60 multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows, all of which had calved in spring. They were allocated to 1 of 10 dietary Se treatments that included 2 types of crushed triticale grain (low Se, approximately 165 microg of Se/kg of DM; or high Se, approximately 580 microg/kg of DM) fed at 4 kg of DM/d, and 1 kg of DM/d of pellets formulated to carry 5 quantities of Se yeast (0, 4, 8, 12, or 16 mg of Se). Daily total Se intakes ranged from <2 to >18 mg/cow in both experiments. Milk Se concentrations plateaued after 15 and 7 d of supplementation in experiments 1 and 2, respectively, and then remained at plateau concentrations. Average milk Se concentrations for the plateau period increased as the amount of Se yeast increased, and low- and high-Se grain treatments were different at all quantities of Se yeast, although there was a tendency for this difference to diminish at the greatest concentrations of yeast. There were significant positive, linear relationships between Se intake and the concentrations of Se in milk, which were not affected by the source of Se, and the relationships were similar for both experiments. Therefore, the output of Se in milk in experiment 1 was greater than that in experiment 2 because the milk yield of the cows in early lactation was greater. The estimated proportions of Se partitioned to destinations other than milk and feces increased with the amount of Se in the diet and were greater in experiment 2 than in experiment 1, a result that was supported by Se concentrations in whole blood and plasma and in semitendinosus muscle tissue. If high-Se products are to be produced for human nutrition, it is important to be able to develop feeding systems that produce milk with consistent and predictable Se concentrations so that products can consistently meet specifications. The results indicate that this objective is achievable.

Incorporation and effects of dietary eicosapentaenoate (20:5(n-3)) on plasma and erythrocyte lipids of the marmoset following dietary supplementation with differing levels of linoleic acid.

The effect of dietary eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5(n-3), as the ethyl ester) on plasma lipid levels and the incorporation of EPA into erythrocyte and plasma lipids were investigated in the marmoset monkey. Marmosets were fed high mixed-fat diets (14.5% total fat) supplemented with or without 0.8% EPA for 30 weeks. Markedly elevated plasma cholesterol (16.4 mmol/l) was induced by an atherogenic-type diet but with EPA supplementation, plasma cholesterol increased to only 6.6 mmol/l. Plasma triacylglycerol levels were not elevated with an atherogenic type diet. Substantial EPA incorporation was evident for plasma phospholipid, triacylglycerol and cholesterol ester fractions. The proportion of docosapentaenoic acid (22:5(n-3)) but not docosahexaenoic acid (22:6(n-3)) was also elevated in these plasma lipid fractions. Greatest incorporation of EPA occurred when it was administered with an atherogenic type diet having a P:M:S (polyunsaturated:monounsaturated:saturated) fatty acid ratio of about 0.2:0.6:1.0 in comparison to the control diet of 1.0:1.0:1.0. Incorporation of EPA and 22:5(n-3)) into erythrocyte phospholipids was also apparent and this was at the expense of linoleic acid (18:2(n-6)). These results in the marmoset highlight both the cholesterol-lowering properties of EPA and the extent of its incorporation into plasma lipids and erythrocyte membrane phospholipids with far greater incorporation occurring when the level of dietary linoleic acid was reduced.

Radionuclide angiographic study of the influence of dietary lipid supplements on cardiac function in the marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).

Radionuclide angiography was used to examine the influence of dietary fat on cardiac function in the common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus jacchus) under barbiturate anaesthesia. Animals were fed for 6-8 months with a low fat (4.5%) reference diet or the same diet supplemented (12%) with sunflower seed oil or sheep fat. Although there was a tendency towards increased heart rate, left ventricular ejection fraction, peak ejection rate, and peak filling rate in both fat supplemented groups, significant increases in heart rate (+50%), peak ejection rate (+71%), and peak filling rate (+84%) were found with sheep fat supplementation, whereas only the vegetable oil supplement produced a significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (+23%). There were no differences in resting blood pressure, and the main consequence of dietary fat supplementation was a major increase in apparent cardiac oxygen consumption (+58%) with the sheet fat diet, as determined by the pressure-rate index. Infusion of isoprenaline hydrochloride (0.2 microgram.kg-1.min-1) increased all indices of cardiac function towards common maxima. There were no differences in either the depth or duration of anaesthesia between dietary groups. It therefore is unlikely that this contributed to any of the observed dietary induced differences in cardiac function. It is suggested that dietary saturated animal fat increased cardiac work and oxygen consumption at rest to the extent that functional reserve to respond to stress was significantly diminished. Feeding a linoleic acid rich polyunsaturated vegetable oil supplement was, however, accompanied by evidence of some improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction.

Barley and wheat foods: influence on plasma cholesterol concentrations in hypercholesterolemic men.

Twenty-one mildly hypercholesterolemic men aged 30-59 y were provided with comparable barley and wheat foods for each of 4 wk in a crossover-designed experiment. The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of two sources of dietary fiber (nonstarch polysaccharides, NSP) on blood lipids and glucose concentrations. Barley contains beta-glucan as a source of soluble dietary fiber (DF) whereas wheat contains the largely insoluble cellulose and hemicellulose fiber. Total dietary fiber increased from a previous intake of 21-38 g/d during the period of study for the two groups. Consumption of barley relative to wheat foods was associated with a significant fall in both plasma total cholesterol (6%, P less than 0.05) and in low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (7%, P less than 0.02) whereas triglyceride and glucose concentrations did not change significantly. It is concluded that barley dietary fiber is more effective than wheat dietary fiber at lowering blood cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic men.

Effect of a high fat/cholesterol diet with or without eicosapentaenoic acid on plasma lipids, lipoproteins and lipid transfer protein activity in the marmoset.

Marmosets fed a diet supplemented with 0.2% cholesterol and 10% sheep fat (by weight) developed hypercholesterolemia with a 4-fold increase in plasma cholesterol (4.28 +/- 0.57-16.38 +/- 4.22 mmol/l, mean +/- SD, P less than 0.001). This was due mainly to a 5-fold increase in the intermediate density lipoprotein (IDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) fraction (d = 1.006-1.063 g/ml). The proportion of plasma cholesterol in high density lipoproteins (HDL) decreased from 56% to 25% although HDL cholesterol increased from 2.40 +/- 0.42 to 4.09 +/- 0.92 mmol/l (P less than 0.001), and HDL particle radius increased from 5.10 +/- 0.18 nm to 6.06 +/- 0.73 nm (P less than 0.05). Plasma lipid transfer protein (LTP) activity increased 2.5-fold in whole plasma and 2-fold in lipoprotein-deficient plasma. The atherogenic lipoprotein profile was attenuated by adding 0.8% eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 n - 3, as the ethyl ester) to the atherogenic diet. Plasma cholesterol increased only 55% to 6.64 +/- 2.55 mmol/l with only an 80% increase in lipoproteins in the d = 1.006-1.063 g/ml fraction and a more favourable proportion of plasma cholesterol in HDL (44%) than without EPA. LTP activity was reduced to 1.7-fold above control in whole plasma by addition of EPA to the atherogenic diet. There was a positive correlation between plasma cholesterol and LTP activity in whole plasma (r = 0.89, P less than 0.001) and in lipoprotein-deficient plasma (r = 0.67, P less than 0.001). EPA therefore attenuated some of the adverse effects of a 0.2% cholesterol, 10% sheep fat diet on plasma lipids and lipoproteins and induced a less atherogenic profile.

The influence of dietary fats on plasma lipids, blood pressure and coagulation indices in the rat.

Male Hooded Wistar rats were fed a commercial rat diet supplemented 12% by weight with sheep fat, sunflower seed oil and fish oil (tuna) over a period of 8 months. The influence of these diets on plasma fatty acids, triglycerides and cholesterol, blood pressure, body weight and coagulation indices was assessed. The sheep fat (SF)-fed rats showed a significant increase in body weight over the reference group (C) of 18%, and systolic blood pressure increased by 9.4%, whereas other dietary groups were not significantly affected. The fish oil (TFO)-fed rats showed a significant lowering of plasma cholesterol (-16.6%) and triglyceride (-47%) relative to the reference group, while the sunflower seed oil (SSO) group showed only a lowered plasma triglyceride (-32%). Plasma fatty acids in general reflected closely the dietary fatty acids, with some exceptions. Coagulation indices provided a consistent picture of an increased tendency to thrombosis in SF-fed rats and a significantly reduced tendency in the TFO-fed rats relative to reference rats. Fish oil rich in 20:5 and 22:6 omega 3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and low in cholesterol appears to have advantages in terms of reducing those parameters identified as risk factors for coronary heart disease in man. Sheep fat supplements rich in saturated fatty acids produce the opposite trend.

Gated blood-pool studies of cardiac function in the rat and marmoset.

To develop a sensitive, relatively noninvasive method for monitoring cardiac function in small laboratory animals, equilibrium gated blood-pool imaging (with Tc-99m RBC) was adapted for use in an inbred strain of laboratory rats of 400-470 g body weight and in marmosets of 320-400 g body weight. A 2-mm pinhole collimator was fitted to the gamma camera to produce a distinct image of the left ventricle following intravenous injection of 5 mCi of pertechnetate. Reproducible and consistent data for heart rate, left-ventricular ejection fraction, and peak ejection rate were obtained from studies on 13 male rats and five marmosets maintained on constant diets. An intravenous injection of 0.4 microgram of isoprenaline led to predictable increases in heart rate, left-ventricular ejection fraction, and peak ejection rate, and provided evidence of the sensitivity of the method in monitoring heart function in small laboratory animals.

Measurement of aspirin concentrations in portal and systemic blood in pigs: effect on platelet aggregation, thromboxane and prostacyclin production.

Low doses of enteric-coated aspirin were administered orally to pigs. Plasma aspirin concentrations measured in blood obtained simultaneously from permanent catheters in a systemic artery and portal vein for 6 hours after dosage showed a large variation in the plasma aspirin concentration: time profile between pigs. After 50 mg single dose the ratio of the arterial: portal area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC) was 0.63 +/- 0.08 (mean +/- SE, n = 6). In three pigs which received all three dosage regimens, the arterial: portal AUC ratios were 0.48 +/- 0.05 after 50 mg single dose, 0.52 +/- 0.02 after 100 mg single dose and 0.47 +/- 0.02 after 100 mg daily for 1 week. Platelet aggregation in response to sodium arachidonate (1.65 mM) was completely abolished after chronic aspirin administration of 100 mg daily. Thromboxane production (pg/10(6) platelets) induced by this stimulus decreased from 536 +/- 117 before aspirin to 57 +/- 14 after aspirin (mean +/- SE, n = 4; p = 0.03). Aortic prostacyclin synthesis, measured as 6-keto PGF1 alpha (ng/disc after 10 min incubation), was 1.66 +/- 0.28 (mean +/- SE, n = 4) in untreated pigs and 0.95 +/- 0.25 (n = 5) in treated pigs (p = 0.07). Results from this study support the idea that a difference between aspirin concentrations in the portal and systemic circulations can be achieved. Whether this can be translated into a clinically useful differential effect on the vessel wall compared to the platelet remains to be determined.

Whey proteins protect more than red meat against azoxymethane induced ACF in Wistar rats.

Protein type and density have been shown to influence colon cancer risk using a carcinogen-induced rat model. It is suggested that red meat may promote colon cancer risk more than whey proteins. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of red meat, whey protein and their density in the diet on the number of aberrant crypt foci (ACF), preneoplastic markers in Wistar rats. The sources of protein, red meat as barbecued kangaroo muscle meat, and whey protein concentrate were fed to rats to provide 8, 16 and 32% protein by weight in a modified AIN-93 diet with low fiber, low calcium and high polyunsaturated fat. Adult Wistar rats (13 weeks of age) were fed these diets for 4 weeks and then two s.c. injections of azoxymethane, 15 mg/kg BW, were administered 1 week apart. Diets were fed for a further 8 weeks, rats were then killed, their colons fixed in formalin saline and stained with methylene blue to quantify ACF number. Fecal samples were collected and the fecal water was isolated for quantification of heme and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. Increasing red meat density correlated positively, while increasing dairy protein density correlated negatively with rate of weight gain (p<0.05). Dietary intake was not significantly affected by protein type or density. The 32% whey protein group had significantly less ACF in the proximal colon in comparison to the 16 and 32% red meat groups (p<0.05). This reduction in ACF number in the whey protein group may be caused by hormones associated with the reduction in weight gain, and/or by components of whey protein concentrate such as cysteine, lactose and conjugated linoleic acid which have been shown to have anti-cancer effects. Using ACF number as an index, whey protein appeared to be more protective than red meat.

A physiologic role for the esterified cholesterol transfer protein: in vivo studies in rabbits and pigs.

The observation that pig plasma is deficient in esterified cholesterol transfer activity has been exploited in an attempt to establish an in vivo role for the esterified cholesterol transfer protein. The plasma high density lipoproteins (HDL) of pigs and also of rabbits (a species known to possess an active esterified cholesterol transfer protein) were labeled with 3H in the esterified cholesterol moiety and with 125I in the apoprotein moieties and reinjected into the respective species. In both rabbits and pigs, the removal of 125I from the recipient HDL fraction was parallel to that from the whole plasma, with negligible 125I appearing in other plasma lipoprotein fractions. In the pig, the removal of esterified 3H-cholesterol from the recipient HLD was very similar to that of 125I; there was only minimal appearance in other lipoproteins. In the rabbit, however, there was a major in vivo transfer of esterified 3H-cholesterol from HDL to other fractions. It has been concluded that an active esterified cholesterol transfer protein is probably necessary to achieve the in vivo transfer of esterified cholesterol from HDL to other plasma lipoproteins.

Malnutrition in aboriginal children at Yalata, South Australia.

Comparative studies of body weight, height, intracellular water representing cell mass, and age, and plasma concentrations of albumin, vitamins, trace elements and iron stores in Aboriginal children aged 6 to 13.5 years, from two rural Aboriginal settlements and one rural Caucasian school (Hawker) provided evidence of significant deficits in one of the Aboriginal settlements (Yalata). Yalata Aboriginal children had lower body weights and heights for age and lower intracellular water values. Plasma albumin, zinc, iron, alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene and retinol concentrations were lower relative to the normally grown Aboriginal children at Nepabunna. The latter children did not differ from rural Caucasian children for the parameters studied. The reasons for this poorer growth at Yalata may reside in poor nutrition, or repeated bowel infection in postnatal life leading to malabsorption, or both. Limited observational evidence suggests that Giardiasis has a high prevalence at Yalata, and it has been shown elsewhere that Giardiasis is capable of inducing malabsorption with resulting nutritional deficiencies.

Alterations in the dopaminergic system and behaviour in rats reared on iodine-deficient diets.

Male rats raised on an iodine-deficient diet were found to be retarded in growth rate, to have lowered body temperature, and to have poorer memory retention of a passive avoidance task than rats raised on a similar diet but with adequate iodine concentration. In addition, the iodine deficient rats showed increased locomotor activity and sniffing frequency after the dopamine agonist, apomorphine; while their operant performance was inhibited to a greater degree after apomorphine. However, the hypothermic effects of apomorphine were comparable in both iodine-deficient and normal rats. At sacrifice the iodine-deficient rats were found to have significantly depressed thyroxine levels (less than 10% of normal), significantly elevated TSH levels (greater than 700% of normal), and a significantly greater concentration of dopamine receptors in the striatum (28% increase). Thus, rats raised on iodine-deficient diets have considerable behavioural and physiological alterations, including an increased concentration of dopamine receptors.

Mitochondrial membrane fatty acid composition in the marmoset monkey following dietary lipid supplementation.

Diets supplemented with high levels of saturated fatty acids derived from sheep kidney (perirenal) fat or unsaturated fatty acids derived from sunflowerseed oil were fed to marmoset monkeys for 22 wk. The effect of such diets on plasma, red blood cell phospholipids, and liver, heart, kidney and brain mitochondrial phospholipid fatty acids was determined. Despite large differences in the level and type of lipid present in the experimental diets, there was little effect on the proportion of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in the phospholipids of the membranes examined. The diets did, however, alter the proportion of the various classes of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the membrane phospholipids, with the sunflowerseed oil diet elevating and the sheep kidney fat diet reducing the n-6/n-3 unsaturated fatty acid ratio, relative to a low (mixed fat) reference diet. This change occurred in all membranes except brain, in which only a small response to altered dietary lipid intake was observed. Elevation of dietary linoleic acid led to an increase in membrane linoleic acid and a marked decrease in membrane arachidonic acid, such that the membranes from animals fed the sunflowerseed oil diet exhibited the lowest proportion of arachidonic acid. In this latter respect, the response of the marmoset monkey to dietary lipid supplementation differs markedly from the rat. Our inability to alter significantly membrane lipid saturation/unsaturation supports the notion that a homeostatic mechanism is in some way responsible for buffering membranes from the effects of significant changes in the nature of the dietary lipid intake.

Haematological characteristics of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus jacchus).

Blood cell indices and parameters of haemostasis were studied in the common marmoset. The majority of the results were similar to those found in man. Differences from man were that the prothrombin time was shorter in the marmoset, higher concentrations of aggregating stimuli were required to cause platelet aggregation, and marmoset platelets did not aggregate under the influence of adrenalin. There was sexual dimorphism evident in the data for fibrinogen concentration and for platelet count, both of which were higher in females than in males. Marmoset platelets were very similar in ultrastructure to those of man.

Thermotropic interaction of vitamin E with dimyristoyl and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine liposomes.

The effect of vitamin E on the thermal behavior of two saturated phosphatidylcholines was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. For dimyristoyl and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholines, the addition of vitamin E at concentrations of 1, 5 and 10 mol% vitamin E, resulted in a lowering of the phase transition temperature and a broadening of the temperature range of the phase transition indicating an increase in the fluidity of the phospholipids. Taken together with other physical studies on the effect of vitamin E on (unsaturated) phospholipids, these results indicate that vitamin E could influence the physical properties of membrane phospholipids in addition to its known antioxidant role. The likelihood of this interaction would be enhanced if vitamin E was not randomly distributed in biological membranes but rather was located in domains where its local concentration, relative to phospholipids, was elevated.

The occurrence of cardiac lipidosis and necrotic lesions in the hearts of rats following long-term feeding of different lipid supplemented diets.

The effects of "long-term" feeding of different lipid supplemented diets (12% added fat, w/w) on the incidence of lipidosis or the severity of necrosis was examined in the cardiac muscle of male Hooded Wistar rats, after at least 12 months on the diets. The effects of supplementation with either n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA's) added as sunflower seed oil (the SSO diet), or one enriched with n-3 PUFA's added as a low cholesterol, low vitamin (A & D) fish oil preparation obtained from eviscerated Southern Bluefin Tuna (the TFO diet) were compared to those found in the hearts of rats fed either a relatively low fat commercially available stock diet (REF) which contained 4% (w/w) of mixed fats of animal, vegetable and marine origin, or after this stock diet had been supplemented to the same extent by the addition of 12% (i.e. 12:88 g) sheep kidney (perirenal) fat, the SF diet. Extensive cardiac lipidosis was seen after feeding either the TFO or the SF diets, but was not observed in the hearts of experimental rats from either the SSO or REF fed groups. Conversely, in these mature animals, grade 1 necrotic lesions were uniformally found in the cardiac muscles of all rats examined, but neither their incidence nor severity could be attributed to any dietary effect. These necrotic lesions are therefore more probably a reflection of the age of the animals at the time of sacrifice, rather than to any of the dietary supplements employed. Some evidence of "Yellow Fat" disease was found by the presence of lipofuscin pigmentation in the storage fat of rats receiving n-3 PUFA's (the TFO diet) but was not observed in any other dietary group nor in the livers or kidneys of any animals. This extent of storage fat pigmentation was not associated with any retardation of growth in this dietary group.

Ability of endogenous folate from soy protein isolate to maintain plasma homocysteine and hepatic DNA methylation during methyl group depletion in rats.

We investigated different means of achieving methyl depletion by feeding weanling rats modified AIN diets depleted of folate (FD), folate + choline (FCD), and folate + choline + methionine (FCMD), and examined the consequent effects on folate status, homocysteine levels, and methylation status. Control rats were fed a 12% protein diet consisting of either casein or soy protein isolate (SPI) and containing 2 mg/kg folate, 0.2% choline, and 0.4% methionine. After the rats had been on the diets for 4 and 8 weeks, whole blood folate concentration was measured and found to be significantly depleted in the folate deficient treatments compared with controls at 4 weeks (p < 0.001), this reduction being significantly greater (p < 0.03) in casein-fed rats (60%) than in SPI-fed rats (32%). The omission of choline and methionine from the diet had no further influence on whole blood folate. A significant inverse correlation was observed in the casein-fed rats after 8 weeks between mean plasma homocysteine concentration and decreasing methyl content of the diet (r2 = 0.978, p < 0.002), an effect not seen in the corresponding SPI-fed rats. Hypomethylation of hepatic DNA evidenced by a reduction in 5-methylcytosine content was present in the casein rats fed FCD and FCMD relative to control (p < 0.05). No hepatic DNA methylation changes were observed in the SPI-fed rats. The results obtained in the present work demonstrate that a soy-based diet can compensate against methyl group depletion by maintaining plasma homocysteine levels and an adequate level of DNA methylation, a result we attribute to endogenous folate content.

The influence of linoleate and vitamin E from sunflower seed oil on platelet function and prostaglandin production in the common marmoset monkey.

Vitamin E and linoleate, both of which are found in high concentrations in sunflower seed oil, were examined independently for their influence on general and blood-vascular parameters in vitamin E-deficient common marmosets. A vitamin E-deficient diet (-E, 4 micrograms/g) was supplemented with either 40 micrograms/g vitamin E (+E), vitamin E stripped sunflower oil (+10% SSO-E), or SSO (+10% SSO w/w) in a 2 x 2 factorial designed experiment, and the diets fed for 9 months to 4 even groups of common marmosets. Vitamin E deficiency was associated in marmosets with a loss of skeletal muscle mass and of body weight, enhanced peroxidative haemolysis of erythrocytes, increased white blood cell counts, and in the SSO-E group a relative neutrophilia. Platelet reactivity was increased with vitamin E deficiency, and to a greater degree with the SSO-E group. Aortic prostacyclin production was significantly increased by the addition of vitamin E, linoleate and both as SSO to the deficient diet, the effects being additive. Fatty acid changes associated with the different treatments reflected the influence of high linoleate and vitamin E treatments. The platelet and aortic arachidonate value in the SSO-E group showed the lowest and most variable value, and this was associated with greatest platelet aggregability. An adequate vitamin E intake is essential for stabilising high PUFA diets and biomembranes and enhancing the protective role of prostacyclin in blood vessels against thrombogenesis.

Urolithiasis in animals.

Urolithiasis is a disease of multifactorial origin. Prominent amongst the causes of disease outbreaks are nutritional factors. Alteration of diet is probably one of the most effective means of prevention, depending of course on the nature of the uroliths formed. In this regard analysis of the stones formed is an essential prelude to understanding, adequately treating the disease and preventing its recurrence.

The Kangaroo Island strain of pig in biomedical research.

The feral pig from Kangaroo Island, South Australia, has descended from British breeds released onto the Island by early explorers approximately 180 years ago. It has developed into a smaller pig than the modern commercial equivalent, with distinctive and reproducible physical characteristics and a physiology which appears to bestow on it some advantages in terms of fitness and vigour. It has adapted easily to laboratory and intensive piggery conditions where it has reproduced satisfactorily. It has a higher erythrocyte count and PCV than the equivalent Large White and a lower white blood cell count. Plasma Na, K and glucose were significantly higher and HCO3 urea and creatinine lower in the Kangaroo Island strain. It represents a useful strain of pig for biomedical research, approaching in size the miniature pigs used overseas. A useful approach to routine bleeding of pigs is described.