Animal welfare and meat quality: the perspective of Uruguay, a "small" exporter country.

Public sensitivity towards animal welfare has risen in recent years. Uruguay is a primary meat exporter. Therefore, it is compulsory not only to provide good quality and safe meat, but also to project a welfare friendly image. Uruguayan meat production systems are mainly based on rangeland pastures but, due to international meat prices and the opening of new markets, intensive fattening systems increased. These systems include a wide range of feeding alternatives between pasture and concentrate utilization, involving differences in terms of animal welfare, carcass and meat quality, that require to be studied. Accordingly, some husbandry practices associated mainly with extensive systems must be evaluated, as well as their applicability to international recommendations related to pre-slaughter handling which may not be suitable for local conditions. In the present paper we share scientific results related to the impact of different production systems, husbandry practices and pre-slaughter procedures associated to animal welfare and meat quality in Uruguayan conditions.

Growth, carcass traits and palatability: can the influence of the feeding regimes explain the variability found on those attributes in different Uruguayan genotypes?

It is well known what genetic and nutritional factors affect growth and meat quality, but there is less information related to interactive importance of them during the productive process. These systems are mainly based on rangelands affecting animal growth in early stages of life thus producing smaller cattle and reduced retail yield comparing with well grown calves. During the last ten years, Uruguayan livestock production systems have been intensified using improved pastures, concentrates and better genetic. The main breeds in Uruguay are Hereford, Angus and their crosses. These British breeds are under genetic evaluation programs which consider carcass trait parameters. It is important for beef industry to know if interactions between genotype and nutrition during growth and fattening phases are influencing production, efficiency, carcass weight and meat quality attributes. The aim of this article is to present information obtained under different feeding strategies during the post weaning and fattening and their influence on those attributes.

Effects of feeding strategies including different proportion of pasture and concentrate, on carcass and meat quality traits in Uruguayan steers.

Eighty four steers were randomly assigned to three pasture treatments with increasing levels of grain (T1: 0%; T2: 0.6%; T3: 1.2% of live weight) and to an ad libitum concentrate treatment, T4, to study the effects on carcass and meat quality. Animals were slaughtered with 500 kg of average live weight per treatment. Average daily gain increased with increasing levels of energy, determining different slaughter dates. Intermediate treatments showed higher carcass weight than T1. T4 and T3 had a higher weight of valuable cuts than T1 and T4. Pistolas from T4 had a higher fat proportion and lower bone percentage. Increasing levels of energy in diet decreased fat yellowness. After 20 days of aging, T4 had the lowest muscle a(∗) values and shear force was higher for T4 than for T1. With pastures finishing strategy, no adverse effects on meat quality were detected and tenderness was enhanced.

[A measure to evaluate estimates from the population census]. / Avaliacao dos efeitos de reducao da fracao de amostragem no censo demografico.

"A measure of efficiency loss for the precision of estimates implied by sampling fractions reduction is described here....A study of the sampling fractions needed to guarantee a given precision level to estimate characteristics...is also performed. An application of the methodology suggested is included. The example is based on household characteristics investigated in [Brazil's]... Census of 1980, with estimates published at a county level and for the set of alternative sampling fractions for the 1990... Census." (SUMMARY IN ENG)

[Progressive extrinsic ophthalmoplegia. Report of 3 cases]. / Oftalmoplegia extrínseca progressiva. Registro de tres casos.

Three women with extrinsic oculo-muscular distrophy were studied. In two patients the symptoms were began at 25 and another one at 56 year-old. Non myogenic features were observed: in case one there was familial otosclerosis. This patient had impossibility to beget children. Her first menstruation was observed at 19 and the last at 40 year-old, like to case 2, which was the only to have electrocardiographic alterations. Romberg's signal and profound hyporeflexia was obtained in case 3, whose family had a lot of member with cataract. Biopsy of the non ocular muscles was made too, in spite of patient's symptoms had been concerning to ocular muscles only. All of non ocular muscles had myogenic features. In electromyogram examination of non ocular muscles the myogenic features were observed too. Therefore, we believe in diffuse myogenic process in spite of ocular manifestation had been the only patient's complaints.

[Neurochemical aspects of parkinsonism. Review of the literature]. / Aspectos neuroquimicos do parkinsonismo. Revisão da literatura.

The authors make a revision of literature on neurochemistry data, up to now found Parkinson's. They study the concentrations alteration of dopamine, acetylcholine, serotonin, noradrenalin, enzymes, neuroaminic acid, metals and amynoacids, concluding on the possible existence of a neurochemistry defect more generalized in the forementioned condition.

[Progressive hemifacial atrophy (Parry-Romberg disease): study of a case]. / Atrofia hemifacial progressiva (doença de Parry-Romberg): estudo de um caso.

A caracteristic case of hemifacial progressive atrophy at right is reported. The patient was a man with 45 year-old. There were epileptic crisis at left too. Alterations observed in clinical-neurological examination are referred. In computadorized tomographic axial examination there were parietotemporal atrophy at left and frontal contrast hipercaptation at right. In EEG there were lentification at right and depression at left who was in concordance with the pathological alterations of the patient: atrophy and cortical depression at left with facial atrophy at right and lentification and contrast hipercaptation at right with epileptic crisis at left. EMG showed facial velocity conduction slowed at right. The authors believe in atrophy hemifacial progressive has been a disease which injuries central and peripheral nervous system at one time.

[Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with deafness: report of a case and review of the literature]. / Esclerose lateral amiotrófica com surdez: relato de um caso e revisão da literatura.

A case of chronic bulb-pontine paralysis with deafness, with early onset, coursing along nine years is reported. There seem to be histopathologic and electromyographic evidences on which is concluded to be a variant form of juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Van Laere form).

[Virologic studies in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]. / Estudos virológicos em pacientes com esclerose lateral amiotrófica.

The effects of intracerebral inoculation of cerebrospinal fluid in mice from 9 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are reported. There were 704 animals inoculated. The results were considered positive when the animals presented difficulties in walking and equilibrating. Cases 1, 2, 6, 7 and 9 were positives in the first passage. In case 1, the positivity was reached from first to fourth passage and in case 6, to third passage. At sight of this results, the possibility of that disease to be caused by slow-virus is discussed.