The efficacy of dietary xylanase and phytase in broiler chickens fed expeller-extracted camelina meal.

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary phytase (PHY) and xylanase (XYL) on growth performance, nutrient utilization, and intestinal characteristics in broilers fed corn-soybean meal-based diets with added expeller-extracted camelina meal (CM). The corn-soybean meal-based diets without or with CM was formulated to contain 2.9 or 2.7 g/kg non phytate phosphorus, respectively. A total of 384 male Ross 708 broilers were allocated to 8 dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design with 6 replicates per treatment, from 7 to 21 d post hatching. The experiment consisted of a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with 2 dietary CM levels (zero or 100 g/kg), 2 dietary levels of XYL (zero or 800 unit/kg), and 2 dietary levels of PHY (zero or 4,000 unit/kg). Chromic oxide was included in the diets as an indigestible marker. Growth was measured throughout the experiment and excreta were collected on d 18 to 21 post hatching for measurement of nutrient and energy retention. On d 21 post hatching, broilers were euthanized by CO2 asphyxiation, ileal digesta was collected for nutrient and energy digestibility measurements, and the left tibia was removed for bone ash measurement. Furthermore, duodenal digesta was collected and a segment of the mid jejunum was excised for viscosity and morphology measurement, respectively. Broilers fed 100 g/kg CM diets showed lower (P < 0.001) BW gain and G:F than those fed zero g/kg CM diets for 7 to 14 d and 7 to 21 d post hatching periods, respectively. Phytase supplementation improved (P < 0.05) all the growth parameters measured regardless of CM addition. Phytase supplementation resulted in an increase (P < 0.05) in jejunum villus height but there was no impact of CM or XYL. Additionally, duodenal digesta viscosity increased (P < 0.001) with added CM. Tibia ash and weight increased (P < 0.001) with PHY supplementation. There was a CM × PHY interaction (P < 0.05) on percentage tibia ash, with greater PHY effect in zero g/kg CM diets compared with 100 g/kg CM diets. Phytase supplementation increased (P < 0.05) ileal DM, N, energy, P, and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility. In diets with 100 g/kg CM, addition of PHY had a greater effect (CM × PHY; P < 0.05) on ileal P digestibility compared with diet without CM. There was a CM × PHY interaction (P < 0.05) for ileal digestible energy (IDE) in which PHY increased the IDE in birds fed CM supplemented diets. Both ileal digestibility and retentions of DM, N, energy, and IDE, AME, and AMEn were decreased (P < 0.05) by CM supplementation. Retention of ether extract and NDF decreased (P < 0.05) with CM supplementation. Nitrogen retention, AME, and AMEn decreased (CM × XYL; P < 0.05) with XYL supplementation in zero g/kg CM diets. There were CM × XYL interactions (P < 0.01) for P and Ca retentions in which XYL increased retentions in 100 g/kg CM diets. In conclusion, PHY was efficacious at improving P digestibility and retention of birds fed low P corn-soy based diets without or with CM. However, regardless of CM addition, XYL did not improve nutrient utilization and growth performance of broiler chickens. The present data also show that the mechanism underlying the detrimental effects of CM inclusion on nutrient utilization is not mediated through gut morphology and goblet cell density. The data also show that the villus height increase occurring with PHY addition might be a contributor to the improvements in ileal DM, N, and energy digestibility obtained with PHY supplementation.

Comparison of goblet cell staining methods in jejunal mucosa of turkey poults.

This study compared the intestinal goblet cell density of turkey poults at 2 different ages using Alcian blue-periodic acid-Shiff (AB-PAS) and mucicarmine stains. Neutral mucins are stained with periodic acid-Shiff whereas acidic mucins are stained with Alcian blue. Mucicarmine and AB-PAS are specific to the mucins of epithelial origin. Mucicarmine has only been used for the assessment of goblet cells in human specimens, and it may have advantages for use in animals as a result of the methodological simplicity of staining as compared to AB-PAS. A mid-section of jejunum was taken from 80 turkey poults at 21 and 28 d, and fixed in 10% buffered formalin for 48 h. Each fixed tissue was dehydrated with ethanol, cleared with Sub-X, placed in paraffin wax, prepared on 2 slides, cleared and hydrated. The 2 slides were randomly assigned to 2 treatments which consisted of AB-PAS and mucicarmine stains in a completely randomized design. Goblet cell counts were taken from four villi per slide and the villus height was measured and averaged. There was no difference in the goblet cell density between the staining methods AB-PAS and mucicarmine at 21 or 28 d posthatch. These results show that both staining methods are viable for assessment of goblet cell density in turkey poults.

Efficacy of different commercial phytase enzymes and development of an available phosphorus release curve for Escherichia coli-derived phytases in nursery pigs.

In 2 experiments, a total of 184 pigs (PIC, initial BW of 10.3 and 9.7 kg for Exp. 1 and 2, respectively) were used to develop an available P (aP) release curve for commercially available Escherichia coli-derived phytases. In both experiments, pigs were fed a corn-soybean meal basal diet (0.06% aP) and 2 diets with added inorganic P (iP) from monocalcium phosphate (Exp. 1: 0.075 and 0.15% aP; Exp. 2: 0.07 and 0.14% aP) to develop a standard curve. In Exp. 1, 100, 175, 250, or 500 phytase units (FTU)/kg of OptiPhos 2000 or 200, 350, 500, or 1,000 FTU/kg of Phyzyme XP were added to the basal diet. In Exp. 2, 250, 500, 750, or 1,000 FTU/kg of OptiPhos 2000; 500, 1,000, or 1,500 FTU/kg of Phyzyme XP; or 1,850 or 3,700 FTU/kg of Ronozyme P were added to the basal diet. One FTU was defined as the amount of enzyme required to release 1 µmol of iP per minute from sodium phytate at 37°C. For all phytase products, the manufacturer-guaranteed phytase activities were used in diet formulation. All diets were analyzed for phytase activity using both the Phytex and AOAC methods. Pigs were blocked by sex and BW and allotted to individual pens with 8 pens per treatment. Pigs were killed on d 21, and fibulas were collected and analyzed for bone ash. In both experiments, increasing iP improved (linear, P < 0.01) G:F and percentage bone ash. Pigs fed increasing OptiPhos had improved (Exp. 1: linear, P < 0.001; Exp. 2: quadratic, P < 0.001) percentage bone ash, as did pigs fed increasing Phyzyme XP (linear, P < 0.001). In Exp. 2, increasing Ronozyme P improved (quadratic, P < 0.01) percentage bone ash. Using analyzed values from the AOAC method and percentage bone ash as the response variable, an aP release curve was developed for up to 1,000 FTU/kg of E. coli-derived phytases (OptiPhos 2000 and Phyzyme XP) in P-deficient diets. The prediction equation was Y = -0.000000125X(2) + 0.000236X + 0.016, where Y = aP release (%) and X = analyzed phytase (FTU/kg) in the diet.

Intestinal mucin dynamics: response of broiler chicks and White Pekin ducklings to dietary threonine.

Mucin dynamics may be particularly sensitive to a Thr deficiency due to the high concentration and structural importance of Thr in the mucin protein backbone. Intestinal mucin secretion, expression of mucin gene (MUC2), and histological characteristics were investigated in male broilers and White Pekin ducklings offered diets containing 3.3, 5.8, or 8.2 g of Thr/kg in 4 studies. Seventy-two birds of each species were fed a standard broiler starter diet from 1 to 14 d of age followed by assignment to 3 dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design for a 7-d feeding trial in experiment 1 (broilers) and experiment 2 (ducklings). The dietary treatments consisted of an isonitrogenous corn-soybean meal-based diet with the addition of crystalline amino acids and graded levels of Thr. Dietary treatments contained 3.3, 5.8, or 8.2 g of Thr/kg. Dietary formulation and experimental design for experiments 3 (broilers) and 4 (ducklings) were similar to experiments 1 and 2 except that birds were fed 3.3 or 8.2 g of Thr/kg for durations of 7 or 14 d. For chicks, increased dietary Thr resulted in higher levels of intestinal crude mucin excretion in experiment 1 (P=0.04) but not in experiment 3, whereas intestinal sialic acid excretion increased in experiment 3 (P=0.02) but not in experiment 1. Furthermore, there was no effect of Thr on intestinal goblet cell density or MUC2 mRNA abundance for broilers. For ducklings, there was an increase in intestinal crude mucin excretion in both experiments (P<0.05) as dietary Thr increased, although there was no effect of Thr on intestinal sialic acid excretion. There was a tendency for an increase in intestinal goblet cell density (cells/microm of villus length; P=0.09) as dietary Thr increased in experiment 2. For experiment 4, intestinal MUC2 mRNA abundance increased (P=0.03) as dietary Thr increased for the 14-d feeding trial but not for the 7-d feeding trial. The data establish a link between dietary Thr and intestinal crude mucin dynamics in chicks for experiment 1 and ducklings for both experiments.

Evaluation of aplastic anemia with indium chloride In 111 scanning.

Twenty-one patients (12 male, nine female) with diverse causes of aplastic anemia underwent indium chloride in 111 bone marrow scintigraphy. Good correlation of the scan interpretation with other clinical values, including the peripheral blood counts and bone marrow biopsy, was found in 25 of the 26 studies. These encouraging results with a noninvasive procedure that permits evaluatin of the entire bone marrow organ suggest a broader use for indium bone marrow scintigraphy in aplastic anemia.

Gallium-67 citrate scanning in Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Gallium-67 citrate scintigraphy was performed in 33 patients with Hodgkin's disease and 25 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Three hundred twenty-eight sites of potential involvement were investigated. Confirmation of involvement was made by physical examination, roentgenographic evaluation and histopathologic examination of tissue obtained at diagnostic laparotomy. The results of scintigraphy correlated with all other clinicopathologic data in only 35% of patients, the true-positive rate being significantly higher above the diaphragm (61%) than below (40%). The overall true-positive and true-negative rates were 53 and 90%, respectively. A significant correlation existed between tumor histology and scanning accuracy; the true-positive rate in Hodgkin's disease was 74% compared to only 13% in patients with lymphocytic lymphoma. A similar variation of 67Ga concentration with tumor histology was also noted in 70 tissue specimens obtained from 28 patients at the time of diagnostic laparotomy or biopsy. The routine use of 67Ga-citrate to detect splenic involvement with tumor appeared to be precluded by the low true-positive and high false-negative rates of 57 and 27%, respectively. Gallium-67-citrate scintigraphy may be useful as an adjunct to established clinical staging procedures in untreated patients and in the detection of recurrent disease in treated patients. Our data indicate it is not sifficiently reliable to replace established methods presently used for clinical staging.