An evaluation of a group program for spouses of frail elderly veterans.

We examined the effectiveness of a multicomponent group program for spouses of frail aging veterans that included support, education, problem solving, and stress reduction. Compared with caregivers who received no intervention, those in the group program showed significant increases in use of active behavioral coping strategies, knowledge of community resources, perceived independence in the marital relationship, and personal changes in the caregiving relationship. They also experienced significant decreases in subjective burden and the stress and severity of caregiving problems.

Growth performance of nursery pigs fed diets containing increasing levels of corn distiller's dried grains with solubles originating from a modern Midwestern ethanol plant.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of including distiller's dried grains with solubles in nursery diets on growth performance, and to establish maximum inclusion rates for corn distiller's dried grains with solubles originating from modern, "new-generation" ethanol plants (built since 1990). Ninety-six crossbred pigs (BW = 6.18 +/- 0.14 kg) were blocked by gender and ancestry, and pigs within each block were randomly assigned to one of six dietary treatments (four pigs/pen, four pens/dietary treatment) in each of two growth performance experiments. Dietary treatments provided 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25% distiller's dried grains with solubles during Phases 2 and 3 of a three-phase nursery feeding program for early-weaned pigs. Pigs in Exp. 1 were slightly older (19.0 vs. 16.9 d of age) and heavier (7.10 vs. 5.26 kg) at the beginning of the experiment compared to pigs in Exp. 2. All pigs in both experiments were provided a commercial pelleted Phase 1 diet for the first 4 d after weaning and were then switched to their respective experimental Phase 2 diets, which were fed for 14 d, followed by their respective Phase 3 experimental diets, which were fed for a subsequent 21-d feeding period. Experimental diets were formulated to contain equivalent apparent ileal digestible lysine (1.35 and 1.15%), apparent ileal digestible methionine + cystine (0.80 and 0.65%), ME (3,340 and 3,390 kcal/kg), calcium (0.95 and 0.80%), and total phosphorus (0.80 and 0.70%) within Phases 2 and 3, respectively. Overall growth rate, ending body weight, and feed conversion were similar among pigs regardless of dietary distiller's dried grains with solubles level for both experiments. In Exp. 1, feed intake was not affected by dietary treatment (P > 0.10). In Exp. 2, however, increasing the level of distiller's dried grains with solubles linearly decreased feed intake (P < 0.02) during Phase 2 and tended to decrease voluntary feed intake (P < 0.09) over the length of the experiment. These results suggest that the corn distiller's dried grains with solubles used in this study can be included in Phase 3 diets for nursery pigs at dietary levels of up to 25% without negatively affecting growth performance after a 2-wk acclimation period. Including high levels of corn distiller's dried grains with solubles in diets for pigs weighing less than 7 kg in BW, however, may negatively influence feed intake and growth.

Nutrient database for distiller's dried grains with solubles produced from new ethanol plants in Minnesota and South Dakota.

A study was conducted to evaluate the nutrient content and variability of distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) originating from new (less than 5 yr old) ethanol plants in Minnesota and South Dakota. Ten plants (8 MN, 2 SD) participated in the study, submitting a total of 118 samples. Samples were collected every 2 mo from ten ethanol plants in the Minnesota-South Dakota (MNSD) region from 1997 to 1999 and were analyzed for amino acid levels, DM, CP, crude fiber, crude fat, ash, ADF, NDF, Ca, P, K, Mg, S, Na, Zn, Mn, Cu, and Fe analysis. Digestible energy (DE), ME, and NFE levels were also calculated. Means (dry-matter basis) and coefficients of variation for each nutrient among all plants during 1997 to 1999 were DM (88.9%, 1.7%), CP (30.2%, 6.4%), crude fat (10.9%, 7.8%), crude fiber (8.8%, 8.7%), ash (5.8%, 14.7%), NFE (45.5%, 6.1%), ADF (16.2%, 28.4%), NDF (42.1%, 14.3%), calculated DE (3,990 kcal/kg, 3.24%), calculated ME (3,749 kcal/kg, 3.28%), Arg (1.20%, 9.1%), His (0.76%, 7.8%), Ile (1.12%, 8.7%), Leu (3.55%, 6.4%), Lys (0.85%, 17.3%), Met (0.55%, 13.6%), Phe (1.47%, 6.6%), Thr (1.13%, 6.4%), Trp (0.25%, 6.7%), Val (1.50%, 7.2%), Ca (0.06%, 57.2%), and P (0.89%, 11.7%), respectively. Among the amino acids analyzed, Lys was the most variable (CV = 17.3%), followed by Met (CV = 13.6%). Nutrient levels of MNSD DDGS were higher in crude fat, NDF, DE, ME, P, Lys, Met, and Thr and lower for DM, ADF, and Ca than NRC (1998) values. Nutrient values differed between years for ash, DE, Mn, Zn, Cys (P < 0.10), Fat, TDN, ME, Met, Ile (P < 0.05), Ca, P, K, Mg, and Cu (P < 0.01). These results suggest that gross energy; P; and total Lys, Met, and Thr levels are higher in DDGS from MNSD ethanol plants compared to published values and chemical analysis values of a DDGS sample obtained from an older Midwestern plant.

Impact of energy intake and pregnancy status on rate and efficiency of gain and backfat changes of sows postweaning.

A collaborative study was conducted to evaluate factors related to determining optimal feeding and management programs for increasing net returns from marketing cull sows. A total of 269 multiparous sows averaging 192 kg of body weight were weaned, moved to individual gestation crates, and assigned to one of eight treatment combinations in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement for a 42-d postweaning feeding experiment. Factors included limited (L) (1.8 kg/sow/d) or ad libitum (AL) access to feed during wk 1 postweaning, a corn-soybean meal (corn) or barley-sunflower meal (barley) diet, and pregnant or nonpregnant status. All sows were provided ad libitum access to feed from wk 2 to 6 postweaning. Gain and feed intake (FI) data were collected weekly for each sow and used to calculate gain:feed (G/F). Ultrasonic backfat (BF) data were collected on d 0, 21, and 42 postweaning. Sows on the AL treatment had greater FI (P < 0.05) but similar gain (P = 0.80) for the 42-d postweaning period compared to sows on the L treatment. Most of this response was due to lower sow body weight loss during wk 1 postweaning (P < 0.01) when sows were provided AL (-7.2 kg) vs L (-13.2 kg) access to feed. Sows fed the corn diet had higher gain (P < 0.01), improved G/F (P < 0.01), and increased BF (P < 0.01) over the 42-d feeding period than sows fed barley. The corn diet resulted in less sow BW loss (P < 0.01) during wk 1 (-8.8 kg) than the barley diet (-11.6 kg). Pregnant sows had higher gain, FI, G/ F, and BF (P < 0.01) than nonpregnant sows over the 42-d feeding period. Most of this advantage occurred during wk 4 postweaning when FI and gain of nonpregnant sows was lower (P < 0.01) than for pregnant sows. An economic analysis indicated that, when cull sow prices are relatively high and feed prices are moderate to low, maintaining and managing cull sows for an additional 6 wk postweaning may be economically advantageous compared to 0 or 3 wk. Pregnant sows fed the corn diet produced the greatest economic return. These results suggest that mating sows as they return to estrus postweaning and providing ad libitum access to a corn-soybean meal diet improves growth performance and feed efficiency, and may thereby provide increased returns when marketing cull sows.

Dietary effects of distillers dried grains with solubles on performance and milk composition of lactating sows.

A study was conducted to evaluate the dietary effect of adding increasing concentrations of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to corn- and soybean meal-based sow lactation diets on sow and litter performance, energy and N digestibility, plasma urea N (PUN), and milk fat and protein concentrations. Mixed-parity sows [n = 307; 221 ± 15 kg of BW, 4.54 parities, litter size of 10.6, and litter weight at birth (alive) of 15.14 kg] were assigned randomly to 1 of 5 dietary treatments: control (CON; corn-soybean meal); 10, 20, and 30% DDGS; and 30% DDGS high-protein (HP) diets. Sows were moved to farrowing rooms on d 109 of gestation and were fed the dietary treatments until weaning. Within each treatment group, feces and urine for energy and N digestibility analysis (from d 10 to 12 of lactation) and blood for PUN analysis and milk fat and protein concentrations (on d 0 and 19 of lactation) were collected from 6 randomly chosen parity 3 to 5 sows. There were no dietary effects (P = 0.10) of DDGS on ADFI of sows and sow backfat change. However, sows fed 30% DDGS HP lost more BW compared with sows fed CON (P < 0.05). There were no dietary effects (P = 0.71) of DDGS on preweaning mortality of piglets, litter weight gain, and piglet ADG. Dietary treatments did not affect (P > 0.05) DE, ME, N retention, or N digestibility of the diets. There were no differences in the concentrations of fat and protein in milk at weaning (d 19) among dietary treatments. Sows fed 20 and 30% DDGS had less (P < 0.05) PUN at weaning (d 19) than sows fed CON and 30% DDGS HP. Inclusion of up to 30% DDGS in a lactation diet did not affect (P > 0.05) sow and litter performance, DE and ME contents of the diets, N retention and digestibility, and milk composition compared with sows fed a corn-soybean meal CON diet. It was concluded that addition of up to 30% DDGS in a lactation diet will support satisfactory sow and litter performance.

Comparative sulfur analysis using thermal combustion or inductively coupled plasma methodology and mineral composition of common livestock feedstuffs.

The objective of this study was to compare the use of thermal combustion (CNS) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) to measure the total S content in plant-, animal-, and mineral-based feedstuffs, and to provide concentrations of other macro- and micro-minerals contained in these feedstuffs. Forty-five feedstuffs (464 total samples) were obtained from suppliers as well as swine feed and pet food manufacturers throughout the United States. Mineral data from IPC analysis were summarized on a DM basis using sample mean and SD, whereas the comparison of total S content between CNS and ICP was examined by bivariate plot and correspondence correlation. Analyses of a wide range of feedstuffs by CNS and ICP for total S were comparable for all but a few feedstuffs. For potassium iodide and tribasic copper chloride, ICP estimated total S to be lower than when analyzed by CNS (bias = 2.51 +/- 0.15 SE, P < 0.01). In contrast, for defluorinated phosphate and limestone, ICP estimated total S to be greater than when analyzed by CNS (bias = -1.46 +/- 0.51 SE, P < 0.01). All other samples had similar estimates of total S, whether analyzed by CNS or ICP. As expected, S composition varied greatly among feedstuffs. For total S, plant-based feedstuffs generally had lower total S compared with animal-based feedstuffs, whereas minerals supplied in sulfate form had the greatest concentration of total S. In addition to total S, mineral composition data are provided for all feedstuffs as obtained by ICP analysis. Within specific feedstuffs, mineral composition was quite variable, potentially due to low concentrations in the feed-stuff causing high mathematical variation or due to the source of feedstock obtained. In general, analyzed values of P were similar to previous tabular values. These data provide feed formulators a database from which modifications in dietary minerals can be accomplished and from which mineral requirements can be met more precisely to reduce losses of minerals into the environment.

Effect of dietary inclusion of distillers dried grains with solubles on the ability of growing pigs to resist a Lawsonia intracellularis challenge.

An experiment was conducted to determine if including distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) in the diet of growing pigs reduces the incidence or severity of infection after a Lawsonia intracellularis challenge. Eighty 17-d-old weaned pigs were blocked by sex, ancestry, and BW and randomly allotted to 1 of 4 treatment groups: negative control (NC), unchallenged, corn-soy diet; positive control (PC), challenged, corn-soy diet; 10% DDGS diet (10D), challenged; and 20% DDGS diet (20D), challenged. Challenged pigs were orally inoculated with 1.5 x 10(9) L. intracellularis organisms after a 4-wk prechallenge feeding period. On d 21 postchallenge, pigs were euthanized, lesions of intestinal mucosa were evaluated, and ileal tissue samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry to determine the presence and proliferation rate of L. intracellularis. Compared with unchallenged pigs, challenging pigs with L. intracellularis reduced growth rate, feed intake, and efficiency of gain (P < 0.01) and increased gauntness (P < 0.05) and diarrhea (P < 0.01). Diet did not affect growth performance postchallenge (P > 0.40). Feeding 10 or 20% DDGS diets did not reduce lesion length, prevalence, proliferation of L. intracellularis, or severity of lesions (P > 0.10). Thus, dietary inclusion of DDGS did not reduce the incidence or severity of lesions under the conditions of a severe L. intracellularis challenge used in this study.

Effect of including distillers dried grains with solubles in the diet, with or without antimicrobial regimen, on the ability of growing pigs to resist a Lawsonia intracellularis challenge.

A disease challenge experiment was conducted to determine if including 10% dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) in the diet, with or without antimicrobial supplementation, reduces the incidence or severity, or both, of intestinal lesions in growing pigs after an Lawsonia intracellularis challenge. One hundred 17-d-old weaned pigs were blocked by sex, ancestry, and BW and randomly allotted to 1 of 5 treatment groups: negative control, unchallenged, corn-soy diet; positive control, challenged, corn-soy diet; 10% DDGS diet, challenged; positive control with antimicrobial regimen, challenged; and 10% DDGS diet with antimicrobial regimen, challenged. For antimicrobial-supplemented treatments, diets contained 33 ppm bacitracin methylene disalicylate throughout the experiment, with chlortetracycline (Aureomycin) pulsed at 550 ppm from d 3 prechallenge to d 11 postchallenge. Challenged pigs were orally inoculated with 8.0 x 10(8) L. intracellularis organisms after a 4-wk prechallenge period. On d 21 postchallenge, pigs were euthanized, lesions of intestinal mucosa were evaluated, and ileal tissue samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry to determine the presence and proliferation rate of L. intracellularis. Compared with other dietary treatments, feeding a diet containing 10% DDGS reduced ileum and colon lesion length and prevalence (P < 0.05) and reduced severity of lesions in the ileum (P < 0.05) and colon (P < 0.10) in challenged pigs. Compared with other challenged pigs, those fed the diet containing the antimicrobial regimen had a lower prevalence and severity of lesions in the jejunum (P < 0.05) and tended to have reduced total tract lesion length (P = 0.11). Compared with other challenged pigs, pigs on the 10% DDGS diet with antimicrobial regimen exhibited no differences in length, severity, or prevalence of lesions (P > 0.15), but fecal shedding of L. intracellularis was reduced on d 14 postchallenge (P < 0.05). No dietary effects on fecal shedding were observed by d 20 postchallenge (P > 0.10). The proportion of cells infected with L. intracellularis was reduced when DDGS (P = 0.05) or antimicrobial (P = 0.10) diets were fed. Under the conditions of this experiment, dietary inclusion of 10% DDGS appears to provide some benefit to growing pigs subjected to a moderate L. intracellularis challenge, similar to those of a currently approved antimicrobial regimen.

Effect of dietary inclusion of distillers dried grains with solubles, soybean hulls, or a polyclonal antibody product on the ability of growing pigs to resist a Lawsonia intracellularis challenge.

An experiment was conducted to determine if dietary inclusion of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), soybean hulls, or soybean hulls sprayed with an egg-based, polyclonal antibody product would reduce the incidence or severity of infection, or both, in growing pigs after a Lawsonia intracellularis challenge. One hundred 17-d-old weaned pigs were blocked by sex, ancestry, and BW, and randomly allotted to 1 of 5 treatment groups: negative control, unchallenged, corn-soy diet; positive control, challenged, corn-soy diet; 20% DDGS diet (D), challenged; 5% soybean hulls diet (SH), challenged; and SH sprayed with a polyclonal antibody product diet, challenged. Challenged pigs were orally inoculated with 6.4 x 10(8) L. intracellularis organisms after a 4-wk prechallenge feeding period. On d 21 postchallenge, pigs were euthanized, lesions of intestinal mucosa were evaluated, and ileal tissue samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry to determine the presence and proliferation rate of L. intracellularis. Challenging pigs with L. intracellularis reduced growth rate, feed intake, and efficiency of gain (P < 0.02) and increased the proportion of internal organ weights relative to BW (P < 0.01). Dietary treatment did not affect growth performance pre- or postchallenge (P > 0.10). Heart, empty stomach, and liver weights were similar among dietary treatments (P > 0.10). Weight of the large intestine as a percentage of BW was increased in D and SH pigs compared with positive control pigs (P < 0.05). Lesion length, prevalence, and severity, and fecal shedding of L. intracellularis were primarily unaffected by dietary treatment (P > 0.10), although ileal lesion length and severity observed tended to be greater in the SH sprayed with polyclonal antibody product diet vs. the D pigs (P < 0.10). Results from a previous study indicated that diet composition may affect length, severity, and prevalence of lesions caused by L. intracellularis in growing pigs subjected to a moderate challenge. However, beneficial results were not observed by feeding the dietary treatments used in this study.

Growth performance and carcass characteristics of grower-finisher pigs fed high-quality corn distillers dried grain with solubles originating from a modern Midwestern ethanol plant.

A growth performance and carcass evaluation study was conducted to determine the maximal inclusion rate of corn distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) in grower-finisher pig diets when formulated on a total AA basis. A total of 240 (28.4 +/- 0.8 kg of BW) crossbred pigs [(Yorkshire x Landrace) x Duroc] were allotted randomly within sex and weight outcome groups to 1 of 24 pens. Pens were assigned randomly within the initial BW groups to 1 of 4 dietary treatment sequences in a 5-phase grower-finisher feeding program in a 4 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. The inclusion level of DDGS (0, 10, 20, or 30%) in the diet and the initial BW class [low (23.2 kg), medium (28.1 kg), or high (33.8 kg)] served as the main factors for the grower-finisher performance study. All diets were formulated to contain similar concentrations of total Lys, ME, calcium, and phosphorus within each phase. Pigs were slaughtered and carcass data were collected when the average BW of pigs in a pen reached 114 +/- 2.25 kg. Dietary treatment and initial weight groups did not interact for any response variables, and only the main effects of dietary treatment are presented. Pigs fed the 20 or 30% DDGS diets had reduced ADG (P < 0.05) compared with that of the 0 or 10% DDGS groups, but ADFI was unaffected by dietary treatment. Gain:feed decreased when pigs were fed 30% DDGS (P < 0.05) compared with the 0, 10, and 20% DDGS dietary inclusion levels. Loin depth was lower in pigs fed the 30% DDGS diets (P < 0.05), but backfat depth and percentage of carcass lean did not differ among treatments. Iodine number of carcass fat increased linearly (P < 0.01) with increasing dietary DDGS concentration, and belly firmness adjusted for belly thickness was reduced (P < 0.05) for pigs fed the 30% DDGS diets compared with pigs fed the 0 or 20% DDGS diets. Color measurements, ultimate pH, and visual evaluations (color, firmness, and marbling scores) of the LM did not differ among treatments. Cooking loss, 24-h drip loss, and total moisture loss were not affected by DDGS in the diets. However, differences were detected between 0 and 20% DDGS treatments for 11-d purge loss (P < 0.05). Dietary treatment did not affect Warner-Bratzler shear force of cooked loin chops. Results from this study indicate that when diets for grower-finisher pigs are formulated on a total AA basis, less than 20% DDGS should be included in the diet for optimal performance and carcass composition. Feeding DDGS in swine finishing diets did not have any detrimental effects on pork muscle quality.