Impact of including growth, carcass and feed efficiency traits in the breeding goal for combined milk and beef production systems.

Improving feed efficiency in dairy cattle could result in more profitable and environmentally sustainable dairy production through lowering feed costs and emissions from dairy farming. In addition, beef production based on dairy herds generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions per unit of meat output than beef production from suckler cow systems. Different scenarios were used to assess the profitability of adding traits, excluded from the current selection index for Finnish Ayrshire, to the breeding goal for combined dairy and beef production systems. The additional breeding goal traits were growth traits (average daily gain of animals in the fattening and rearing periods), carcass traits (fat covering, fleshiness and dressing percentage), mature live weight (LW) of cows and residual feed intake (RFI) traits. A breeding scheme was modeled for Finnish Ayrshire under the current market situation in Finland using the deterministic simulation software ZPLAN+. With the economic values derived for the current production system, the inclusion of growth and carcass traits, while preventing LW increase generated the highest improvement in the discounted profit of the breeding program (3.7%), followed by the scenario where all additional traits were included simultaneously (5.1%). The use of a selection index that included growth and carcass traits excluding LW, increased the profit (0.8%), but reduced the benefits resulted from breeding for beef traits together with LW. A moderate decrease in the profit of the breeding program was obtained when adding only LW to the breeding goal (-3.1%), whereas, adding only RFI traits to the breeding goal resulted in a minor increase in the profit (1.4%). Including beef traits with LW in the breeding goal showed to be the most potential option to improve the profitability of the combined dairy and beef production systems and would also enable a higher rate of self-sufficiency in beef. When considering feed efficiency related traits, the inclusion of LW traits in the breeding goal that includes growth and carcass traits could be more profitable than the inclusion of RFI, because the marginal costs of measuring LW can be expected to be lower than for RFI and it is readily available for selection. In addition, before RFI can be implemented as a breeding objective, the genetic correlations between RFI and other breeding goal traits estimated for the studied population as well as information on the most suitable indicator traits for RFI are needed to assess more carefully the consequences of selecting for RFI.

2-Hydroxyisocaproic acid is bactericidal in human dental root canals ex vivo.

AIM: To compare the activity of 2-hydroxyisocaproic acid (HICA), calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2 ) and chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG) against Enterococcus faecalis T-75359 (root canal isolate) in the root canals of extracted human teeth. METHODOLOGY: Bacterial suspensions (108  cfu mL-1 ) were incubated in root canals with 0.9 mm diameter root blocks (n = 73) for 21 days. Bacterial penetration into dentine was analysed by the Brown and Brenn method (n = 5). Canals (n = 17/group) were medicated with 40% of HICA paste, 40% of Ca(OH)2 paste, 2% of CHG solution or 0.9% of saline solution for 7 days. Samples taken from the inner (first 0.1 mm) and deeper (second 0.1 mm) dentine, and residual roots were cultured in broth for 24 h. Bacterial growth was detected by spectrophotometry (optical density, OD) and confirmed by culture on agar. The OD data were analysed with Kruskal-Wallis and Friedman with Wilcoxon signed-rank test between and within groups, respectively, and agar culture data with Pearson chi-square with Mann-Whitney and Cochran with McNemar tests, respectively (P < 0.05). RESULTS: Bacterial invasion into dentine tubules was confirmed. In deeper dentine, HICA inhibited >90% of bacterial growth in comparison with saline. No bacterial growth was observed in 82-100% of inner and deeper dentine samples. CHG prevented the growth in 88%, Ca(OH)2 in 59-76% and saline in 65-71%, respectively. HICA was significantly more active than Ca(OH)2 (P = 0.008) in the residual roots. The viability testing on agar showed essentially the same result. CONCLUSION: HICA paste exerted superior activity against E. faecalis and could have potential for root canal medication.

Antimicrobial 2-hydroxyisocaproic acid and chlorhexidine resist inactivation by dentine.

AIM: To compare the antibacterial activity of 2-hydroxyisocaproic acid (HICA) with currently used root canal medicaments and to examine their interactions with potential inhibitors in nutrient-deficient and nutrient-rich conditions. METHODOLOGY: First, the antibacterial activity of single concentrations of HICA, calcium hydroxide solution or slurry, chlorhexidine digluconate or acetate was tested against Enterococcus faecalis with and without potential inhibitors: dentine powder (DP), hydroxyapatite or bovine serum albumin, in a low concentration of peptone water. Relative viable counts were determined by culture at 1, 24 and 48 h. In the second set of experiments, the activity of three concentrations of HICA was evaluated against two isolates of E. faecalis with and without potential inhibitors in nutrient-rich thioglycollate broth using a modification of a standard microdilution method. The minimum bactericidal concentration was determined by culture at 1, 24 and 48 h. RESULTS: Concentrations of ≥33 mg mL(-1) of HICA were found to be bactericidal against E. faecalis in both nutrient-deficient and nutrient-rich environments at 24- to 48-h incubation, whereas the initial activity of Ca(OH)2 slurry was lost at 48-h incubation. HICA tolerated well all tested potential inhibitors up to 19 mg mL(-1) . DP concentrations higher than this inhibited its activity in a dose-dependent manner in both environments. DP demonstrated moderate antibacterial activity, and it enhanced the otherwise limited activity of Ca(OH)2 slurry and solution. DP did not impact on the activity of chlorhexidine. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the long-term antibacterial activity of HICA and indicate its tolerance to clinically relevant concentrations of dentine and other inhibitors commonly present in the root canal system. Therefore, HICA may have potential as an interappointment medication in the treatment of root canal infections.

Economic values of production and functional traits, including residual feed intake, in Finnish milk production.

Improving the feed efficiency of dairy cattle has a substantial effect on the economic efficiency and on the reduction of harmful environmental effects of dairy production through lower feeding costs and emissions from dairy farming. To assess the economic importance of feed efficiency in the breeding goal for dairy cattle, the economic values for the current breeding goal traits and the additional feed efficiency traits for Finnish Ayrshire cattle under production circumstances in 2011 were determined. The derivation of economic values was based on a bioeconomic model in which the profit of the production system was calculated, using the generated steady state herd structure. Considering beef production from dairy farms, 2 marketing strategies for surplus calves were investigated: (A) surplus calves were sold at a young age and (B) surplus calves were fattened on dairy farms. Both marketing strategies were unprofitable when subsidies were not included in the revenues. When subsidies were taken into account, a positive profitability was observed in both marketing strategies. The marginal economic values for residual feed intake (RFI) of breeding heifers and cows were -25.5 and -55.8 €/kg of dry matter per day per cow and year, respectively. The marginal economic value for RFI of animals in fattening was -29.5 €/kg of dry matter per day per cow and year. To compare the economic importance among traits, the standardized economic weight of each trait was calculated as the product of the marginal economic value and the genetic standard deviation; the standardized economic weight expressed as a percentage of the sum of all standardized economic weights was called relative economic weight. When not accounting for subsidies, the highest relative economic weight was found for 305-d milk yield (34% in strategy A and 29% in strategy B), which was followed by protein percentage (13% in strategy A and 11% in strategy B). The third most important traits were calving interval (9%) and mature weight of cows (11%) in strategy A and B, respectively. The sums of the relative economic weights over categories for RFI were 6 and 7% in strategy A and B, respectively. Under production conditions in 2011, the relative economic weights for the studied feed efficiency traits were low. However, it is possible that the relative importance of feed efficiency traits in the breeding goal will increase in the future due to increasing requirements to mitigate the environmental impact of milk production.

2-hydroxyisocaproic acid is fungicidal for Candida and Aspergillus species.

The amino acid derivative 2-hydroxyisocaproic acid (HICA) is a nutritional additive used to increase muscle mass. Low levels can be detected in human plasma as a result of leucine metabolism. It has broad antibacterial activity but its efficacy against pathogenic fungi is not known. The aim was to test the efficacy of HICA against Candida and Aspergillus species. Efficacy of HICA against 19 clinical and reference isolates representing five Candida and three Aspergillus species with variable azole antifungal sensitivity profiles was tested using a microdilution method. The concentrations were 18, 36 and 72 mg ml(-1) . Growth was determined spectrophotometrically for Candida isolates and by visual inspection for Aspergillus isolates, viability was tested by culture and impact on morphology by microscopy. HICA of 72 mg ml(-1) was fungicidal against all Candida and Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus terreus isolates. Lower concentrations were fungistatic. Aspergillus flavus was not inhibited by HICA. HICA inhibited hyphal formation in susceptible Candida albicans and A. fumigatus isolates and affected cell wall integrity. In conclusion, HICA has broad antifungal activity against Candida and Aspergillus at concentrations relevant for topical therapy. As a fungicidal agent with broad-spectrum bactericidal activity, it may be useful in the topical treatment of multispecies superficial infections.

The effect of different storage conditions on the chemical stability, laxative effect and acute toxicity of sennoside solutions.

This paper investigates the effect of different storage conditions on the chemical stability, laxative effect and acute toxicity of sennoside solutions. The variables in storage conditions were pH, time and temperature (room temperature or 100 degrees). The chemical stability of sennosides in aqueous solutions was found to be pH-dependent, with the best stability at pH 6.5 (t90. = 8.4 months) and the poorest at pH 8.0 (t90. = 2.5 months). Two years of storage at room temperature did not reduce the laxative potency in mice, regardless of the pH. After 4.25 years of storage the potency declined in alkaline solutions only. The degradation products with laxative potencies are chemically unknown. The acute toxicity of sennoside solutions increased with time during storage, the acid solution being more toxic than either the neutral or alkaline ones.

New aspects on the metabolism of the sennosides.

Pure sennoside B was administered to rats. On appearance of the first wet faeces, sennoside B and its metabolites were determined in different parts of the alimentary tract, in faeces and in the urine. The total recovery of unchanged sennoside B and its metabolites was determined by alkali fusion followed by colorimetry and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Alkali fusion in 1 N sodium hydroxide solution formed red solutions with sennosides and sennoside derivatives. The molar absorbance of sennosides A and B, sennidin B monoglucoside, sennidins, rhein, danthron, dithranol, rhein-8-glucoside and rhein anthrone at wavelengths of 505-530 nm related approximately to the number of ionizable hydroxy groups in the molecule. Brown polymerized products were isolated from the senna drug. The colour intensity of these products was approximately the same by weight as that of the sennosides themselves, although sennidins could no longer be freed from these by acid hydrolysis. After administration of sennoside B, the average sum of unchanged glucoside and known metabolites in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract and faeces of rats was 61.6% according to HPLC and 92.8% according to the alkali fusion procedure. This difference is indicative of the presence of substances which are no longer identifiable as sennoside derivatives, either by HPLC or by other classical chromatographic methods. Sennosides seem to be partly present in the alimentary tract in polymerized or bound form. The alkali fusion method may be useful in connection with the isolation of as yet unknown metabolites of the sennosides in the gastrointestinal tract.

Laxative potency and acute toxicity of some anthraquinone derivatives, senna extracts and fractions of senna extracts.

This paper investigates the laxative effect and acute toxicity of certain fractions of senna extracts in mice. The same tests were also carried out with several pure anthraquinone derivatives common in senna pods. The results show that the laxative and toxic components of senna pods and senna extracts can be separated. The most potent laxative components, sennosides A + B and Fraction V (relative potencies 1 and 0.9 respectively), have the lowest toxicity (relative intravenous toxicities 1 and less than 1). Fractions with very low laxative activity (rhein-8-glucoside and Fraction IV, relative potencies 0.56 and 0.05) have the highest acute toxicity (relative toxicities 10 and 32 respectively).

The effect of simultaneous administration of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylpyruvic acid and L-dopa on the bioavailability of L-dopa in rat and mouse.

In the rat, administration of 3-(3,4-dihydroxy)-L-phenylalanine (L-dopa) simultaneously with the corresponding alpha-keto acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylpyruvic acid (DHPPA), gives significantly higher concentrations of L-dopa in the serum and of dopamine and homovanillic acid in the brain than the same dose of L-dopa alone. Correspondingly, DHPPA potentiates the effect of L-dopa on the locomotor activity in reserpine-treated mice. DHPPA is postulated to increase the absorption of intact L-dopa from the gut by preventing the transamination reaction between L-dopa and the physiological alpha-keto acids.

Identification of antimicrobial alpha-hydroxyacids in Lactobacillus plantarum-fermented animal protein.

During the fermentation of animal protein by Lactobacillus plantarum, highly volatile and less volatile antimicrobial substances are formed. The antimicrobial effect of the latter fraction depends on the content of alpha-hydroxyacids in the fermentation product. These acids were isolated from the fermentation mixture and identified by chemical methods. The main components are racemic forms of lactic, alpha-hydroxyisovaleric and alpha-hydroxyisocaproic acids.