The Nutritive Values in Different Varieties of Corn Planted in One Location Fed to Growing Pigs over Three Consecutive Years.

This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of variety and planting year on the nutritive values of corn fed to growing pigs. Four corn varieties examined in this experiment were planted in the same village located in Longhua County, Heibei Province, China, in 2012, 2013, and 2014, respectively. During each year, corn was hand-harvested in early October and sun dried to about 14% moisture content. Three batches of twenty-four barrows (33.27±4.30, 31.88±2.93, 34.21±3.81 kg body wight [BW] in 2012, 2013, and 2014, respectively) were used and allotted to a complete block design with 4 diets and 6 replicate pigs per diet. Pigs were individually placed in metabolic crates. The four experimental diets were formulated by mixing each variety of corn and vitamins and minerals, respectively. A five-day collection period followed a seven-day diet acclimation period. The results indicated that variety of corn significantly influenced the available energy content (digestible energy [DE] on dry matter basis, p<0.05; metabolizable energy (ME) on dry matter basis, p<0.05, respectively), and the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of organic matter (p<0.01), dry matter (p<0.05), gross energy (p<0.05), neutral detergent fiber (p<0.01), acid detergent fiber and ether extract (p<0.05). The planting year also significantly influenced the available energy contents (DE on dry matter basis, p<0.05; ME on dry matter basis, p<0.01, respectively) and the ATTD of neutral detergent fiber (p<0.01), acid detergent fiber (p<0.01), crude protein (p<0.01), and ether extract (p<0.01). No interaction was observed between the variety and planting year in DE and ME contents in corn. In conclusion, the variety and planting year significantly influenced the available energy and nutrient digestibility of corn fed to growing pigs.

Energy content and amino acid digestibility of flaxseed expellers fed to growing pigs.

This study was conducted to determine the DE and ME as well as the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of CP and AA in flaxseed expellers fed to growing pigs. In Exp. 1, the DE and ME were determined using 66 crossbred growing pigs (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire; 54.2 ± 2.3 kg BW) fed 1 of 11 diets in a completely randomized design. The diets included a corn-soybean meal basal diet and 10 experimental diets containing 29.16% flaxseed expellers supplemented at the expense of corn and soybean meal. In Exp. 2, 11 growing pigs (35.5 ± 3.4 kg), fitted with a T-cannula at the distal ileum, were assigned to 6 × 11 Youden square design with 6 periods and 11 diets. The diets included a N-free diet based on cornstarch and sucrose and 10 test diets containing 40% flaxseed expellers as the sole source of AA. Chromic oxide (0.3%) was used as an indigestible marker. There was considerable variation in the chemical composition among the 10 flaxseed expellers. The CV were greater than 10% for ether extract (EE), NDF, ADF, crude fiber, and Ca and ranged from 7 to 12% for the AA. On a DM basis, the DE and ME ranged from 2,786 to 3,730 and from 2,588 to 3,530 kcal/kg, respectively. The apparent total tract digestibility of GE ranged from 59.91 to 75.83% (mean = 70.92%). Ether extract, GE, and NDF were the best predictors to determine DE and ME. The best prediction equations were DE = -3,231 + (1.58 × GE) - (25.79 × % NDF) ( = 0.90) or DE = 4,189 + (56.78 × % EE) - (30.59 × % NDF) ( = 0.85) and ME = -2,968 + (1.47 × GE) - (24.82 × % NDF) ( = 0.85) or ME = 3,931 + (53.77 × % EE) - (29.31 × % NDF) ( = 0.82), respectively. In Exp. 2, there were significant differences in the AID and SID of CP and all AA with the exception of Phe ( < 0.05). The AID and SID of CP averaged 70.16 and 78.04%, respectively. For the indispensable AA, the AID and SID of Thr were the least, with average values of 70.70 and 76.68%, respectively. The digestibility of Arg and Met were the greatest, averaging over 88 and 91% for AID and SID, respectively. The AID and SID of Lys ranged from 66.10 to 81.82% (mean = 74.14%) and from 70.90 to 85.41% (mean = 78.13%), respectively. These results indicate that there is significant variability in chemical composition, energy content, and the SID and AID of CP and AA among the selected flaxseed expellers. The DE and ME of flaxseed expellers are primarily related to their EE and NDF concentrations.

Four hypotheses on mitochondria's role in the development and regulation of oxidative stress in the normal state, cell pathology and reversion of tumor cells.

The biological evolution has resulted in adaptation of both unicellular and multicellular organisms to negative effect of excessive O2 in reply to gradual increase of free oxygen (O2) contents in the earth atmosphere. This adaptation has led to formation of various antioxidant systems in the organism. Such system within the cell has hierarchic structure and is represented by at least than three levels of protection: antioxygene, antiradical and antiperoxide. The first and most effective antioxidant level is represented as mitochondrial respiration able to perform several functions. One of these functions is antioxygene since the very the mitochondria's capability to be a main O2 consumer in the cell provides for low but sufficient for respiration and energy supply levels of O2 partial pressure and dependent concentrations of active O2 forms. The latters, being signal molecules at certain values, modify regular and synthetic processes in the cells either directly or indirectly. This is the possibility for mitochondria to more extensively affect the intracellular processes than simply produce ATP. In case of defective of the cell first protection line the hyperoxia starts due to poor utilization of the incoming O2. Change in mitochondria's "capacity" (quantity, size and maturity level of mitochondria) anyway occurring in the cells are an efficient way of regulation of the oxy-peroxide condition (oxidative stress) and related signal channels. The relationship between changes in the condition of cells, i.e. from their normal state to different pathologic forms, and growing disbalance Delta(PO-AO) between its pro-oxygen (PO) and anti-oxygen (AO) components has been assumed. It is expected that during the evolution the cell could have supposedly acquired a sequence of "specialized" Delta(PO-AO) disbalances. Each sequence needs to implement a certain set of biochemical processes. The probability of Delta(PO-AO) disbalance gradation with specification of their value ranges has been determined. These ranges identify or impact certain cell state, namely proliferation of normal cell (oxidative mitogenesis), ageing, A1 apoptosis, carcinogenesis, A2 apoptosis, and oxidative cytolysis. The cited assumption allows us to: (1) explain reverse dependence of cell proliferation due to the level of their differentiation, increase in the amount and activity of mitochondria as an indispensable condition for the disbalance shift towards differentiation, (2) bring up the idea that regress of the cells, and in particular tumour cells, directly results from the Delta(PO-AO) disbalance decrease to certain levels under the influence of reverse inductors, (3) explain relatively easy and frequent embryonic and stem cells malignancy, and also their reversal normalization. These phenomena occur due to small number and/or size of mitochondria in the designated cells. To verify the above mentioned hypotheses it is primarily necessary to be able to stimulate and slow down the mitochondria biogenesis in the embryonic, stem, ageing, cancer and other cells.