Partially substituting alfalfa hay with hemp forage in the diet of goats improved feed efficiency, ruminal fermentation pattern and microbial profiles.

The use of hemp as a forage source in livestock diets has been less studied because bioactive residues in animal tissues may pose a risk to consumers. This study investigated the effects of partial substitution of alfalfa hay (AH) with hemp forage (HF) in growing goat diets on growth performance, carcass traits, ruminal fermentation characteristics, rumen microbial communities, blood biochemistry, and antioxidant indices. Forty Xiangdong black goats with body weight (BW) 7.82 ± 0.57 kg (mean ± SD) were grouped by BW and randomly assigned into one of the four treatment diets (n = 10/treatment) in a completely randomized design. The goats were fed ad libitum total mixed rations containing 60% forage and 40% concentrate (DM basis). The diets included control (CON; 60% AH and 40% concentrate), 55% AH and 5% HF (HF5), 50% AH and 10% HF (HF10), and 40% AH and 20% HF (HF20). Increasing the substitution of HF for AH linearly decreased (P < 0.01) DM intake and improved feed conversion efficiency. However, final BW, average daily gain, carcass traits, meat quality, and most blood biochemistry indices did not differ among treatments. The ruminal NH3-N concentration and blood urine nitrogen linearly increased (P < 0.01) with increasing substitution rate of HF, whereas the total volatile fatty acids concentration quadratically changed (P < 0.01). Substitution of AH with HF had no effect on the diversity and richness of ruminal microbes, though it linearly decreased (P = 0.040) Prevotella_1 and linearly increased (P = 0.017) Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group. The cannabinoids and/or their metabolites were detected in both ruminal filtrates (8) and plasma (4), however, no detectable cannabinoid-related residues were observed in meat. These results indicate that the HF could be used to partially substitute AH in goat diets, whereas the effects vary between substitution rates of HF for AH. Although no cannabinoid-related residues were detected in meat, the presence of cannabinoids residues in blood warrants further study of HF feeding to confirm the cannabinoids residues are not present in the animal products.

Ambient pollen exposure and pollen allergy symptom severity in the EPOCHAL study.

BACKGROUND: Ambient pollen exposure causes nasal, ocular, and pulmonary symptoms in allergic individuals, but the shape of the exposure-response association is not well characterized. We evaluated this association and determined (1) whether symptom severity differs between subpopulations; (2) how the association changes over the course of the pollen season; and (3) which pollen exposure time lags affect symptoms. METHODS: Adult study participants (n = 396) repeatedly scored severity of nasal, ocular, and pulmonary allergic symptoms, resulting in three composite symptom scores. We calculated hourly individually relevant pollen exposure to seven allergenic plants (alder, ash, birch, hazel, grasses, mugwort, and ragweed) considering personal sensitization and exposure time lags of up to 96 h. We fitted generalized additive mixed models, with a random personal intercept, adjusting for weather and air pollution as potential time-varying confounders. RESULTS: We identified a clear nonlinear positive association between pollen exposure and ocular and nasal symptom severity in the pollen allergy group: Symptom severity increased steeply with increasing exposure initially, but attenuated beyond approximately 80 pollen/m3. We found no evidence of an exposure threshold, below which no symptoms occur. While recent pollen exposure in the last approximately 5 h affected symptoms most, associations lingered for up to 60 h. Grass pollen exposure (compared to tree pollen) and younger age (18-30 years, as opposed to 30-65 years) were both associated with higher nasal and ocular symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of a threshold and attenuated dose-response curve may have implications for pollen warning systems, which may be revised to include multiday pollen concentrations in the future.

How to successfully improve the biodiversity of city grasslands?

Urban grasslands (UG) are among the most common types of urban green areas. They are usually species poor, and spontaneous plant migration, which can increase biodiversity, is limited. To improve the range of ecosystem services provided by UG, various seed mixtures are applied during the establishment and restoration of UG. These mixtures vary in content, quality, and cost. High-quality seed mixtures are expensive and are usually only available in small amounts. Meanwhile, alternative methods of seed introduction (e.g., fresh hay application, seeds harvested by brush) have not been well studied in UG restoration, and inexpensive commercial mixtures could have low quality and lead to poor restoration outcomes. Here, we tested the effectiveness of different seed sources to create high-quality UG at two study sites. Based on the results, all seed addition methods increased the species richness of restored grasslands. The outcome of seed addition was satisfactory regardless of differences in residual vegetation species composition and soil properties between the sites. The species richness on plots that received a commercial mixture of flower meadow plants dedicated to pollinators decreased after overwintering. The alternative seed sources (fresh hay and seed incidentally collected during mowing) yielded grassland quality that was comparable to that on plots that received high-quality mixtures with known seed origin (a seminatural meadow mixture and a mixture with the addition of grasses).

Comparison of the therapeutic effects of medication therapy, specific immunotherapy and anti-IgE (Omalizumab) in patients with hay fever.

Background: Hay fever, characterized by seasonal allergic reactions, poses a significant health challenge. Existing therapies encompass standard drug regimens, biological agents, and specific immunotherapy. This study aims to assess and compare the effectiveness of anti-IgE (omalizumab), medication therapy, and subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) for hay fever. Methods: Conducted as a retrospective cohort study, this research involved 98 outpatient hay fever patients who underwent routine medication, omalizumab treatment, or SCIT before the onset of the spring pollen season. A follow-up was performed one month after the start of the pollen season. The comprehensive symptoms and drug scores were used to evaluate patients with different intervention methods, facilitating a comparative analysis of therapeutic outcomes. Results: Compared with before treatment, the symptoms of patients treated with the three methods were all significantly relieved, and the medication score were significantly reduced. Patients treated with omalizumab demonstrated higher symptoms and medication scores than SCIT group before treatment, but similar scores after treatment, which were both lower than medicine treatment group. After treatment with omalizumab or SCIT, patients in both groups had significantly lower medication scores than the medication group and were close to no longer using medication for symptom relief. The mountain juniper-sIgE was significantly higher after treatment than before treatment in both medicine treatment group and omalizumab treatment group. Conclusion: Omalizumab and SCIT offer superior effects than medication therapy in hay fever patients.

Dietary carbohydrate sources differently prime the microbial ecosystem but not the epithelial gene expression profile along the complete gut of young calves.

BACKGROUND: Recent data indicated similar growth performance of young calves fed solely high-quality hay instead of a starter diet based on starchy ingredients. Yet, providing exclusively such distinct carbohydrate sources during early life might specifically prime the microbiota and gene expression along the gut of young calves, which remains to be explored. We investigated the effects of starter diets differing in carbohydrate composition, that is medium- or high-quality hay and without or with 70% concentrate supplementation (on fresh matter basis), across the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of weaned Holstein calves (100 ± 4 days of age) using 16 S rRNA gene sequencing and analyses of short-chain fatty acids and host epithelial gene expressions. RESULTS: The concentrate supplementation drastically decreased microbial diversity throughout the gut, which was also true to a much lesser extent for high-quality hay when compared to medium-quality hay in the foregut. Similarly, the factor concentrate strongly shaped the diet-associated common core microbiota, which was substantially more uniform along the gut with concentrate supplementation. The fermentation profile shifted towards less acetate but more propionate with concentrate supplementation in almost all gut sections, corresponding with higher abundances of starch-utilizing bacteria, while major fibrolytic clusters declined. Noteworthy, the n-butyrate proportion decreased in the rumen and increased in the colon with concentrate, showing an opposite, gut site-dependent effect. Both dietary factors modestly influenced the host epithelial gene expression. CONCLUSIONS: Concentrate supplementation clearly primed the microbial ecosystem on a starch-targeted fermentation with characteristic genera occupying this niche along the entire GIT of calves, whereas the microbial differentiation due to hay quality was less distinct. Overall, changes in the microbial ecosystem were only marginally reflected in the targeted transcriptional profile of the host epithelium.

Application of NIRS for hay evaluation at different degrees of sample preparation.

Objective: A study compared the performance of the NIRS (Near-Infrared Spectroscopy) calibration models developed with different degrees of hay sample preparations. Methods: Spectral data of 1-mm ground or whole hay samples were regressed against wet chemistry results of moisture, NDF (neutral detergent fiber), ADF (acid detergent fiber), CP (crude protein), and IVDMD (in vitro dry matter digestibility). A total of 227 imported alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and another 360 timothy (Phleum pratense L.) hay samples were used to develop the calibration models. The models developed with ground hay samples were more robust and accurate than whole hay based on cross-validation's R2 (coefficient of determination), standard error, and RPD (ratio percentage deviation). Results: The R2 of cross-validation ranged from 0.61 (moisture of alfalfa) to 0.95 (CP prediction of timothy). Although R2 of calibration models was mainly greater than 0.90, the R2 of cross-validations remained marginal. Conclusion: Estimation of nutrient concentrations in imported hay can be achieved by calibrated NIRS. The NIRS calibration models must be improved by including more imported hay samples from different years and origins. Although the analysis accuracy of NIRS was substantially higher when calibration models were developed with ground samples, less sample preparation will be more advantageous for achieving rapid delivery of hay sample analysis results. Therefore, further research warrants investigating the level of sample preparation inputs compromising analysis accuracy by NIRS.

Effects of non-pelleted or pelleted low-native grass and pelleted high-native grass diets on meat quality by regulating the rumen microbiota in lambs.

Diet modulates the rumen microbiota, which in turn can impact the animal performance. The rumen microbiota is increasingly recognized for its crucial role in regulating the growth and meat quality of the host. Nevertheless, the mechanism by which the rumen microbiome influences the fatty acid and amino acid profiles of lambs in the grass feeding system remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different native grass-based diets on animal performance, meat quality, fatty acid compositions, amino acid profiles, and rumen microbiota of lamb. Seventy-two Ujumqin lambs were randomly assigned into three treatments according to the initial body weight (27.39 ± 0.51 kg) and age (6 months ± 6 days). The lambs received three diets: (i) non-pelleted native grass hay with 40% concentrate diet; the native grass and concentrate were fed individually; (ii) pelleted native grass hay with 40% concentrate diet (PHLC); (iii) pelleted native grass hay with 60% concentrate diet (PHHC). The results showed that among the three groups, the PHHC and PHLC diets had markedly (P < 0.05) higher average daily gain and pH45 min, respectively. All amino acid levels were significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in the PHHC diet than in the PHLC diet. The principal coordinate analysis of the ruminal microbiota indicated the markedly distinct separation (P = 0.001) among the three groups. In addition, the correlation analysis showed that the Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Prevotellaceae_UCG-003, Succinivibrio, and Succiniclasticum were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with most of the fatty acid and amino acid profiles. The correlation analysis of the association of microbiome with the meat quality provides us with a comprehensive understanding of the composition and function of the rumen microbial community, and these findings will contribute to the direction of future research in lamb. IMPORTANCE: Diet modulates the gut microbiome, which in turn impact the meat quality, yet few studies investigate the correlation between the rumen microbiome and the fatty acid profile of meat. Here, the current study develops an experiment to investigate the correlation of the rumen microbiome and fatty acid profile of meat: rumen microbiome responses to feed type and meat quality. The results indicated a unique microbiota in the rumen of lamb in response to diets and meat quality. Associations between utilization and production were widely identified among the affected microbiome and meat quality, and these findings will contribute to the direction of future research in lamb.

Effects of diet on the bacterial and eukaryotic microbiota across the gastrointestinal tract of healthy rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize the bacterial and eukaryotic microbiota of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in domestic rabbits and to evaluate the effect of different diet characteristics, such as pelleting, extrusion, and hay supplementation. ANIMALS: 30 New Zealand White rabbits (15 male and 15 female; 6 to 7 months old) were fed 1 of 6 diets (5 rabbits per diet) for 30 days after an initial acclimation period. At the end of the trial, samples were collected from the stomach, small intestine, cecum, large intestine, and hard feces. METHODS: The samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer 1 region-targeted amplicon sequencing. RESULTS: The bacterial microbiota was distinct between the foregut and hindgut. The most abundant bacterial genera included an unclassified genus in the Bacteroidales order and Alistipes. Candida was the most abundant genus in the eukaryotic dataset. In the bacterial dataset, diet No Hay/Pellet E was shown to have lower diversity (Shannon diversity, P < .05) compared to all diet groups except for No Hay/Pellet M. Few significant differences in alpha-diversity indexes between diet groups were detected in the eukaryotic dataset. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Our findings demonstrated that feeding hay had a significant effect on the beta diversity of the bacterial microbiota. Given the prevalence of gastrointestinal disease in the domestic rabbit population, furthering our understanding of what constitutes a healthy rabbit microbiota and the effects of different diets on the microbial community can help veterinarians implement better intervention strategies and allow pet owners to provide the best level of care.

Pediatric Traumatic Injuries Due to Agrarian Hay-Hole Falls.

Hay-holes are a design feature in many traditionally built barns that serve as a portal through which stored hay is passed to the lower level where animals are fed. Unfortunately, children sometimes fall through the hay-hole to the concrete or packed earth below. Available data on the frequency and types of hay-hole injuries is limited. The purpose of this study was to better characterize the resultant injuries and identify prognostic factors that predict outcomes from them. We performed a retrospective review of 53 children admitted to the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center with injuries due to a fall through a hay-hole over 15 years. Compared to urban trauma, hay-hole falls more frequently involve younger children and craniofacial injuries. Although they may result in significant injuries, they are rarely fatal. Greater fall height is associated with longer length of stay (LOS) but not with a greater frequency of intubation, intracranial hemorrhage, or skull fracture. A re-examination of barn design may help to reduce the frequency of this injury type.

From invasive species stand to species-rich grassland: Long-term changes in plant species composition during Solidago invaded site restoration.

Biological invasions degrade ecosystems, negatively affecting human well-being and biodiversity. Restoration of invaded agricultural ecosystems is among specific goals of European Union Biodiversity Strategy. Successful restoration of invaded lands is a long-term process that requires monitoring to assess the effects of interventions. Here, we present the results of a long-term experiment (8 years) on restoration of semi-natural grassland on abandoned arable field overgrown by invasive Solidago species (S. gigantea and S. canadensis). We examined effect of different invaders removal methods (rototilling, turf stripping, herbicide application) and seed application practices (commercial seed mixture, fresh hay) on changes in species composition and taxonomic diversity of restored vegetation. Our results showed a positive effect of grassland restoration on taxonomic diversity and species composition, manifested by a decrease in Solidago cover and an increase in cover and richness of target graminoids and forbs characteristic of grassland. The seed source had a longer lasting and still observable effect on the vegetation composition than the Solidago removal treatments, which ceased to differ significantly in their influence after the first few years. Applying fresh hay as a seed source increased the cover of grassland species such as Arrhenatherum elatius and Poa pratensis. For commercial seed mixture, we observed the high cover of Lolium perenne and Schedonorus pratensis (introduced with seed mixture) at the beginning and the slow decrease along the experiment course. The most striking effect was the fresh hay with herbicide application, which resulted in the lowest Solidago cover and the highest cover of target graminoids. Nonetheless, with years the non-chemical methods, including no treatment, gives comparable to herbicide effectiveness of restoration. Overall, during the experiment, alpha diversity increased, while beta and gamma diversity reached a species maximum in the third year, and then decreased. In conclusion, this study gives guidance to successful restoration of species-rich grasslands on sites invaded by Solidago. It should be emphasised that short-term effect differ considerably from long-term outputs, especially highlighting the importance of seed source, as well as effectiveness of environmentally friendly methods such as regular mowing to control the invader.

Comparative study of feeding and rumination behaviour of goats and sheep fed mixed grass hay of different chop length.

Rumination is reported to be more pronounced in sheep compared to goats. This study compared the feeding and rumination behaviour of small ruminants and consisted of two experiments (E1 and E2). In E1, four sheep and four goats were offered low-quality hay (NDFom: 692 g/kg dry matter [DM]), processed to two chop lengths (long hay [LH]: 35 mm; short hay [SH]: 7 mm) in a 2 × 2 factorial (2 species × 2 chop lengths), cross-over design. In E2, the same animals were offered moderate-quality hay (NDFom: 636 g/kg DM) processed as LH and SH. Hay was offered for ad libitum consumption. Feeding and rumination behaviour was evaluated using video recordings. Aspects of rumination like chewing frequency were evaluated for 30 min per day. Faecal samples were analysed for faecal-N and particle size. There was no species effect on feed intake and organic matter digestibility (faecal N as proxy); however, goats consumed more LH than SH in E1 and E2. There was an effect of species on rumination:eating duration (R:E) ratio (higher in sheep) in E1 but not in E2, where there was a tendency for a species effect on rumination duration. In E1 and E2, sheep had a higher R:E ratio for SH than for LH. For rumination behaviour, there was a species effect for number of daily boli, chewing frequency and chews per day (more in sheep) in E1 and E2. No effect of species was found for faecal particle size. Despite much concordance, feed comminution behaviour differed in some aspects between sheep and goats. In an evolutionary context, a shift of significance of rumination could be triggered by a higher amount of abrasives in natural diets of sheep, rendering a shift of chewing towards ruminally prewashed material a rewarding strategy.

The Effects of Harvest Maturity of Eragrostis tef 'Moxie' Hay and Supplemental Energy Source on Forage Utilization in Beef Heifers.

The phenological stage of maturity of grasses and supplementation program can impact forage utilization in grazing beef cattle. However, the potential interaction between harvest maturity of Eragrostis tef (teff) hay and energy supplement source was yet to be fully evaluated. Therefore, our objective was to determine the effects of harvest maturity of teff hay and supplemental energy sources on nutrient intake, apparent total-tract nutrient digestion, nitrogen (N) utilization, and ruminal fermentation characteristics in beef heifers. A split-plot design with teff hay harvest maturity as the whole plot and supplemental energy source as the subplot was administered in a three-period (21 d), three × three Latin square design. Six crossbred beef heifers (804 ± 53.6 kg of body weight; BW) were allocated to two harvest maturities (early- (EH]) or late-heading (LH)) and to two supplemental energy sources (no supplement (CON), or rolled corn grain or beet pulp pellet fed at 0.5% of BW). Data were analyzed using SAS. There was no harvest maturity × energy supplement interaction. Although harvest maturity had no impact on total dry matter intake (DMI), crude protein (CP) intake was greater (p < 0.01) for EH than LH heifers. Total intakes of dry (DM) and organic matter (OM) were also greater (p < 0.01) for supplemented than CON heifers, whereas acid detergent fiber (ADF) intake was greater for beet pulp heifers compared to heifers fed the CON diet and supplemental corn grain. Harvest maturity had no impact on ruminal pH. However, mean ruminal pH was lower (p = 0.04), duration pH < 6.2, and molar proportions of butyrate and branched-chain fatty acids were greater (p ≤ 0.049) for heifers fed corn grain compared to CON and beet pulp diets. Heifers fed EH hay had greater (p ≤ 0.02) apparent total-tract DM, OM, CP, NDF, and ADF digestibility than heifers fed LH hay. Although there was no supplemental energy effect on microbial nitrogen (N) flow, it was greater (p < 0.01) for EH than LH heifers. Apparent N retention, which did not differ, was negative across all diets. In summary, delaying the harvest of teff hay from the EH to LH stage of maturity compromised nutrient supply, which was not attenuated by feeding supplemental corn grain and beet pulp at 0.5% of diet DM. Because N retention was negative across harvest maturity, there might be a need to provide both energy and protein supplements to improve growth performance when feeding teff hay to beef cattle.

Ruminal microbiota-host crosstalks promote ruminal epithelial development in neonatal lambs with alfalfa hay introduction.

Ruminal microbiota is gradually established after birth, while microbiota maturation could be highly diverse because of varied solid dietary accessibility. However, how the ruminal microbiota accreted from postnatal hay diets alters rumen epithelial development, and how this affects animal health remains largely unknown. Here, neonatal lambs were introduced to starchy corn-soybean starter or corn-soybean starter + alfalfa hay (AH) to investigate the influences of early life ruminal microbiome on rumen epithelial development using integrated 16s rRNA sequencing-metagenome-transcriptome approaches. The results showed that AH introduction elevated average daily weight gain, rumen weight and volume, rumen epithelial papillae length, and rumen muscle layer thickness. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of fibrolytic bacteria (Christensenellaceae R-7 group, Prevotellaceae UCG-001, and Succinivibrio), acetate producer (Acetitomaculum and Mitsuokella), and propionate producer Succiniclasticum was increased in the rumen content by AH supplementation (P < 0.05). Moreover, AH introduction decreased the relative abundance of total CAZymes, CBM, and GH and increased the abundance of KO genes related to volatile fatty acid (VFA) generation in the rumen content. AH lambs had a higher relative abundance of Succiniclasticum, Megasphaera, Succinivibrio, and Suttonella (P < 0.05), while a lower relative abundance of Cloacibacillus, Desulfovibrio, Dialister, Intestinimonas, Parabacteroides, and Pseudoscardovia (P < 0.05) in the rumen epithelial samples. Furthermore, these alterations in ruminal microbial structure and function resulted in ruminal epithelial cell proliferation and development pathways activation. In summary, AH introduction benefited ruminal fiber degradation and VFA generation bacteria colonization and promoted ruminal epithelial development. These findings provide new insights into ruminal microbial-host interactions in the early life.IMPORTANCEWhile it is established that a fiber-rich diet promotes rumen development in lambs, further research is needed to investigate the precise response of rumen microbiota and epithelium to high-quality alfalfa hay. Here, we observed that the inclusion of alfalfa hay led to a discernible alteration in the developmental trajectory of the rumen. Notably, there was a favorable shift in the rumen's volume, morphology, and the development of rumen papillae. Furthermore, ruminal microbial structure and function resulted in ruminal epithelial cell proliferation and development pathways activation, collectively provide compelling evidence supporting the capacity of alfalfa hay to enhance rumen development and health through ruminal micrbiota-host crosstalks. Our findings elucidate the functional response of the rumen to alfalfa hay introduction, providing new insights into strategies for promoting healthy development of the rumen in young ruminants.

Impact of feed, light and access to manipulable material on tail biting in pigs with intact tails.

BACKGROUND: Tail biting (TB) is a welfare issue with economic consequences due to infections and ill-thrift. This study aimed to reduce tail injuries in a high-performing non-tail-docking pig herd. RESULTS: During eleven years preceding the trial, the annual incidence of tail injuries registered at slaughter in pigs from the herd increased from 3% (equivalent to the national mean) to 10%. It was positively correlated to a high weight gain and negatively correlated to daylight length. The overall incidence of tail injuries during the four years preceding the trial was 9.2% with significant differences between four identically structured buildings for fatteners (I < II < III < IV). The feed was enriched with amino acids, minerals and fibres. The buildings used different illumination strategies, I: standard fluorescent tubes with an invisible flickering light of 30-40% for 14 h daily, II: non-flickering led light for 14 h daily, III (control) and IV: standard fluorescent tubes for 2 h daily. IV had free access to manipulable material (hay-silage), while I-III was offered 100-200 g daily. During the adaptation period (6 months), the incidence of tail injuries decreased significantly in all buildings to a mean of 5.4%. The largest decrease (from 11.4 to 4.3%) was obtained in IV. During the trial period (12 months), the mean incidence of tail injuries decreased in all groups to a mean of 3.0%. There were no differences in treatment incidences of individual pigs due to TB between groups, but the use of enriched pellets due to TB in pens was lowest in II. The low incidence of tail injuries was retained during the post-trial period (6 months) when all buildings used artificial illumination for two hours per day. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of TB in fast growing non-tail-docked pigs in the herd was successfully reduced by supplementing the feed with amino acids, minerals, vitamins and fibres. Additional manipulable material accelerated that process and non-flickering illumination may have had an impact in preventing TB. The results obtained do not support the need for tail-docking of pigs, provided that the needs of the pigs in terms of feed ingredients, stocking density and access to manipulable materials are fulfilled.

Effects of temperature, humidity, light, and soil on drug stability in hair: a preliminary study for estimating personal profiles using micro-segmental analysis of corpse hair.

PURPOSE: Micro-segmental hair analysis (MSA), which enables detailed measurement of the distribution of drugs in a single hair strand, is useful for examining the day of death and drug use history of a person. However, corpses are often found in severe environments, such as soil and freezers, which affect the drug contents in hair. Therefore, we examined the effects of temperature, humidity, light, and soil on drug stability in hair as a preliminary study to estimate personal profiles using MSA of corpse hair. METHODS: Four hay-fever medicines (fexofenadine, epinastine, cetirizine, and desloratadine) were used as model drugs to evaluate drug stability in hair. Reference hair strands consistently containing the four medicines along the hair shaft were collected from patients with hay-fever who ingested the medicines daily for 4 months. The hair strands were placed in chambers with controlled temperatures (- 30 to 60 °C) and relative humidities (ca. 18 % and > 90 %), exposed to light (sunlight and artificial lights) or buried in soil (natural soil and compost). RESULTS: Sunlight and soil greatly decomposed the hair surfaces and decreased the drug contents in hair (up to 37 %). However, all analytes were successfully detected along the hair shaft, reflecting the intake history, even when the hair was exposed to sunlight for 2 weeks and buried in the soil for 2 months. CONCLUSIONS: Although the exposure to sunlight and storage in soil for long times made drug-distribution analysis difficult, MSA could be applied even to hair strands collected from corpses left in severe environments.

Replacing alfalfa hay with amaranth hay: effects on production performance, rumen fermentation, nutrient digestibility and antioxidant ability in dairy cow.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to explore the effects of dietary substitution of alfalfa hay by amaranth hay on production performance, rumen fermentation, nutrient digestibility, serum biochemical parameters and antioxidant ability in dairy cows. METHODS: A total of 45 healthy Holstein cows with same parity and similar milk yield and body weight were randomly divided into 3 groups: control diet without amaranth hay (CON) or 50% and 100% alfalfa hay replaced by an equal amount of amaranth hay (dry matter basis, AH1 and AH2, respectively). All the cows were fed regularly 3 times a day at 06:30, 14:30, and 22:30 and had free access to water. The experiment lasted for 60 d. RESULTS: The dry matter intake of CON and AH1 groups was higher (p<0.05) than that of AH2 group. Compared with AH1 group, the milk yield of AH2 group was reduced (p<0.05). Moreover, dietary substitution of alfalfa hay by amaranth hay increased (p<0.05) milk fat, ammonia nitrogen and acetate concentrations. However, the crude protein digestibility of AH2 group was lower (p<0.05) than that of CON group, while an opposite tendency of serum urea nitrogen was found between two groups. The neutral detergent fiber digestibility of AH1 group was increased (p<0.05) when compared to AH2 group. Amaranth hay treatment increased (p<0.05) the serum concentration of glutathione peroxidase in dairy cows. Compared with CON group, the malonaldehyde activity of AH1 group was decreased (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Dietary replacing alfalfa hay with amaranth hay (50% ratio) in dairy cows did not affect production performance but improved their antioxidant ability.

Establishing authenticity of hay milk: Detection of silage feeding through cyclopropane fatty acids analysis using 1H NMR spectroscopy.

Cyclopropane fatty acids (CPFAs) serve as indicators of silage feeding, verifying the authenticity of hay milk where silage feeding is forbidden. In this study, the authenticity of hay milk was determined by detecting CPFAs using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy. 245 milk samples were collected in South Tyrol (Italy), categorized as follows: 98 from grass silage-fed cows, 98 from maize silage-fed cows, and 49 authentic hay milk. The limit of detection of CPFAs was 12 µM, corresponding to 70 mg/kg of freeze-dried milk. The CPFAs were absent in all of the hay milk samples, verifying their authenticity. In contrast, 97 % of maize silage and 77 % of grass silage samples exhibited distinct CPFAs signals. These findings were further corroborated by gas chromatography-mass detector (GC-MS) analysis. The study highlights 1H NMR as a robust, and rapid technique for hay milk authentication, supporting alpine dairy production and increasing consumer trust in food authenticity.

Effects of offering free-choice hay for the first 5 days postpartum on productivity, serum inflammatory markers, gut permeability, and colon gene expression in fresh dairy cows.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of offering free-choice hay to cows during the first 5 d immediately after calving on feed intake, milk yield, plasma metabolites, serum inflammatory markers, rumination, gut permeability, and colon gene expression. It was hypothesized that cows offered free-choice hay would have lower gut permeability, lower inflammation, and higher milk production, compared with cows not offered hay. Thirty-two multiparous cows were fed a closeup total mixed ration (TMR; 21.5% starch, 32.1% forage neutral detergent fiber [NDF] on a dry matter basis) until calving. In the postpartum period, all cows were fed a fresh cow TMR (26.8% starch and 23.4% forage NDF) from calving until 21 DIM, and were assigned randomly to receive 1 of 2 treatments as follows: (1) free-choice timothy hay (61.6% NDF; 9.6% crude protein), offered outside of the TMR in a separate manger, for the first 5 d postpartum (FCH; n = 20), or 2) no free-choice hay (NH; n = 12). The FCH cows tended to have lower serum haptoglobin concentration on d 3, compared with NH (0.95 vs. 1.52 mg/mL). Within the FCH group, cows with greater hay intake had a smaller increase in serum amyloid A from d 1 to 3 after calving (r = 0.37), and tended to have a smaller increase in serum haptoglobin concentration (r = 0.36). Cows in the FCH group had a lower ratio of starch intake (kg) to forage NDF intake (kg) on d 1 and 2, compared with NH (0.91 vs. 1.14 ± 0.03), and cows that had a lower starch:forage NDF ratio tended to have a smaller increase in serum haptoglobin concentration from d 1 to 3 after calving (r = 0.32). Cows in the FCH group had lower TMR dry matter intake (DMI; 15.0 vs. 17.1 ± 0.93 kg/d) and lower total DMI (TMR + hay DMI; 15.9 vs. 17.1 ± 0.87 kg/d), from d 1 to 5 when free-choice hay was offered, compared with NH. However, the hay treatment did not affect plasma energy metabolite concentration, gut permeability, colon gene expression, milk yield, rumination time, or change in body weight or body condition score. Overall, these findings suggest that offering free-choice hay for the first 5 d after calving may reduce serum inflammatory marker concentration, but milk yield may not increase, due to lower intake.

Wheat silage partially replacing oaten hay exhibited greater feed efficiency and fibre digestion despite low feed intake by feedlot lambs.

This study aimed to investigate the feeding effect of wheat silage on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation, and microbiota composition in feedlot lambs. Sixty-four male crossbred Chinese Han lambs (BW = 27.8 ± 0.67 kg, 3 months of age) were randomly assigned to four ration groups with wheat silage replacing 0% (WS0), 36% (WS36), 64% (WS64), and 100% (WS100) of oaten hay on forage dry matter basis. The concentrate-to-forage ratio was 80:20 and the feeding trial lasted 52 d. Increasing wheat silage inclusion linearly decreased dry matter intake by 4% to 27% (P < 0.01). However, increasing the wheat silage replacement of oaten hay by no more than 64% improved the feed efficiency by 14% as noted by the feed-to-gain ratio (P = 0.04). Apparent digestibility of organic matter (P < 0.01), neutral detergent fibre (P = 0.04) and acid detergent fibre (P < 0.01) quadratically increased. Ammonia nitrogen (P = 0.01) decreased while microbial protein production (P < 0.01) increased with the increase of wheat silage inclusion. Total volatile fatty acids concentration increased quadratically with the increase of wheat silage inclusion (P < 0.01), and the highest occurred in WS64. The molar proportion of acetate (P < 0.01) and acetate-to-propionate ratio (P = 0.04) decreased while butyrate (P < 0.01) and isovalerate (P = 0.04) increased. Increasing wheat silage inclusion increased the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidota ratio by 226% to 357%, resulting in Firmicutes instead of Bacteroidota being the most abundant phylum. The relative abundance of cellulolytic Ruminococcus numerically increased but that of amylolytic Prevotella (P < 0.01) decreased as increasing wheat silage inclusion. Taken together, increasing wheat silage replacement of oaten hay by no more than 64% exhibited greater feed efficiency and fibre digestion despite low feed intake by feedlot lambs due to the change of Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidota ratio in the rumen.