1,721,124 research outputs found

    Animal board invited review: The effect of diet on rumen microbial composition in dairy cows

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    Ruminants play an important part in the food supply chain, and manipulating rumen microbiota is important to maximising ruminants’ production. Rumen microbiota through rumen fermentation produces as major end products volatile fatty acids that provide animal’s energy requirements, and microbial CP. Diet is a key factor that can manipulate rumen microbiota, and each variation of the physical and chemical composition creates a specific niche that selects specific microbes. Alteration in the chemical composition of forage, the addition of concentrates in the diet, or the inclusion of plant extract and probiotics, can induce a change in rumen microbiota. High-throughput sequencing technologies are the approaches utilised to investigate the microbial system. Also, the application of omics technologies allows us to understand rumen microbiota composition and these approaches are useful to improve selection programmes. The aim of this review was to summarise the knowledge about rumen microbiota, its role in nutrient metabolism, and how diet can influence its compositio

    Effects of chromium yeast supplementation on growth performances and meat quality in rabbits

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    [EN] The aim of the trial was to estimate the effect of dietary Cr-yeast addition to growing rabbit diet on growth performance, meat composition, muscle fatty acid profile and Cr content of meat and edible organs. Ninety-six male rabbits were weaned at 35 days and divided into 4 groups (T1, T2, T3 and T4) of 24 each. The animals were fed ad libitum for the whole trial (44 days) with pelletted diets differing in the presence of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), grown or not on Cr-enriched medium. The control diet (T1) did not contain yeast, the T2 diet was supplemented with non-enriched yeast, while the T3 and T4 diets were supplemented with Cr(III)-enriched yeast to increase the concentration of Cr by 0.400 mg/kg and 0.800 mg/kg, respectively. Control diet (T1) contained 0.830 mg/kg Cr due to the presence of the trace element in raw materials. The dietary treatment did not affect either the mortality, or the growing and slaughtering performance, or the incidence of kidneys, scapular and perirenal fat on carcass weight. A reduction in the liver incidence on the carcass was observed in the T3 group compared to the T4 (4.36% vs 5.67%; P<0.01). Hind leg proportion on carcass weight and its muscle to bone ratio, as well as chemical, physical and organoleptic characteristics of meat did not differ among groups. The presence of Cr(III) in the feed did not alter the fatty acid profile of muscular fat or the chemical composition, pH and colour of the meat. The Cr concentration in meat and edible organs (liver and kidneys) was not affected by treatment. In conclusion, Cr-yeast supplementation had no positive effects on the rabbit growth performance and carcass and meat quality and did not increase the Cr(III) content of meat for human consumption.Lambertini, L.; Vignola, G.; Beone, G.; Zaghini, G.; Formigoni, A. (2004). Effects of chromium yeast supplementation on growth performances and meat quality in rabbits. World Rabbit Science. 12(1):33-47. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2004.582SWORD334712

    The effect of journey time and stocking density during transport on carcass and meat quality in rabbit

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    Four hundred and fifty hybrid commercial rabbits (half males and half females) at the end of their productive cycle (82 days old) were transported in cages (98 × 52 × 24 cm, length × width × height) at high or low density (75.5 or 49.0 kg/m2 – 15 or 10 animals per cage) on an uncovered truck for 1, 2 or 4 h. Live weight before and after transport as well as slaughter data were recorded for each rabbit. A subset of 180 carcasses were evaluated for meat quality on the basis of meat pH, colour (CIELab system), cooking loss, drip loss and shear force. As a representative of the whole carcass muscle/bone ratio, the left hind leg was separated, dissected and its meat analysed in order to determine its water, protein, ash and lipid content. It was found that a longer journey significantly increases the live weight losses (3.3% vs. 2.0% vs. 1.6% for 4, 2 or 1 h, respectively; P < 0.001), as a result not only of urine and fecal losses, but also of a decrease in carcass weight (P < 0.01) during transport. Ultimate pH (pHu) was higher and pH drop lower in rabbits transported for 4 h compared to those transported for 2 h (P < 0.05). Moreover, the meat from animals that had undergone the longest journey was more purple-red (P < 0.05), darker (P < 0.0001), and firmer when raw and showed less cooking loss than meat from those that underwent shorter journeys. Transport density did not influence any of the considered parameters and there was no interaction between transport time and density[...

    From posts to practice: Instagram's role in veterinary dairy cow nutrition education—How does the audience interact and apply knowledge? A survey study

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    This study evaluates Instagram's efficacy as an educational tool in veterinary sciences, focusing on dairy cow nutrition and management. Using the Instagram account "Stalla Didattica Unibo," established in December 2020, a survey was conducted with 102 respondents, primarily consisting of university students (44.12%). The respondents were divided into 2 major groups: students and the general population, with the latter comprising professionals and others not currently in educational programs. In the overall population, the age group of 25 to 34 yr accounted for 51%, but among students, it was 73.3%. In terms of gender distribution, there was a female majority in the general population (59.8%) and a male majority among students (73.3%). Most responders were from Italy, with Emilia-Romagna contributing significantly. Engagement was measured not only by the length of time participants followed the account but also by active interactions such as likes, comments, and shares. Among the total population, 47.1% had followed the page for over a year, compared with 37.8% of students. Importantly, engagement metrics showed active participation, with a majority reporting improved knowledge (75.6% of the total population and 74.5% of students) and practical application of content (64.4% of the total population and 67.6% of students). Content preferences varied, with the general population favoring quizzes (33.3%) and stories (17.8%), whereas students showed a stronger preference for standard posts (36.3%). Impact was defined as the perceived influence of the Instagram content on the respondents' learning and professional practices, with 46.7% of the total population and 52.9% of students agreeing or strongly agreeing that the page had a positive impact on their knowledge and practical skills. Furthermore, 84.3% of students and 77.8% of the total population stated they would recommend the page to others, underscoring the account's effectiveness as a digital educational tool. The study highlights Instagram's potential to enhance veterinary education and suggests further research to explore the broader application of these strategies across different educational contexts and platforms

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Relative bioavailability of microgranulated sulfamethazine in veal calves

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    The kinetics of free and microgranulated sulfadimidine were compared in milk-fed calves dosed orally (180 mg/kg) in a crossover study. Microgranulation results in delayed absorption of sulfadimidine and poor bioavailability, with the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC(0-infinity)) reduced from 7400 to 3781 micrograms.h/mL, and maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) reduced from 188.1 +/- 39.0 to 84.41 +/- 22.6 micrograms/mL. It is concluded that sulfadimidine microgranulated with long chain fatty acids is not suitable for use in milk-fed calves; the gastrointestinal transit time is too rapid to allow full release of the drug, markedly limiting its bioavailability. In adult animals, or in the young of other animal species in which digesta transit time is slower than in calves, the bioavailability of microgranulated sulfadimidine may be much greater
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