A snapshot of management practices and nutritional recommendations used by feedlot nutritionists in Brazil

Feedlot consulting nutritionists were invited to participate in a survey of feedlot nutritional and management practices in Brazil. Thirty-one nutritionists completed the survey on a Web site that was designed for collection of survey data. The survey consisted of 94 questions that included general information (n = 10); commodity information (n = 12); and questions about the use of coproducts (n = 5), roughage source and levels (n = 5), finishing diet adaptation methods (n = 7), supplements and micronutrients (n = 8), feed mixers (n = 6), feeding management (n = 3), cattle management and type of cattle fed (n = 16), formulation practices (n = 17), information resources used for nutritional recommendations (n = 2), and 2 additional questions. One final question addressed the primary challenges associated with applying nutritional recommendations in practice. The number of animals serviced yearly by each nutritionist averaged 121,682 (minimum = 2,000; maximum = 1,500,000; mode = 120,000; total = 3,163,750). Twenty-two respondents (71%) worked with feedlots that feed less than 5,000 animals/yr. Labor, along with availability and precision of equipment, seemed to be the main challenges for the nutritionists surveyed. Most of the nutritionists surveyed used TDN as the primary energy unit for formulation. More than 50% of the clients serviced by the 31 nutritionists did not manage feed bunks to control the quantity of feed offered per pen, and 36.6% fed cattle more than 4 times daily. The NRC (1996) and Journal of Animal Science were the most used sources of information by these nutritionists. Overall, general practices and nutritional recommendations provided by the 31 nutritionists surveyed were fairly consistent. Present data should aid in development of new research, future National Research Council models, and recommendations for Brazilian feeding systems in which Bos indicus cattle predominate.

Cholesterol levels and nutritional composition of commercial layers eggs fed diets with different vegetable oils

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effects of intravenous glucose infusion and nutritional balance on serum concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids, glucose, insulin, and progesterone in nonlactating dairy cows

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Femur Mineral Density of Broilers with Femoral Degeneration Fed High Nutritional Density Diets

A study was carried out in the experimental facilities of FMVZ/UNESP-Botucatu, with the aim of following-up the development and the incidence of femoral degeneration (FD). A total of 305 one-day-old male broilers were housed in six pens of 5m(2) each. A completely randomized experimental design, with 3 treatments (T1-traditional nutritional density diet; T2-high nutritional density diet) of 3 replicates each was applied. Femoral head of the broilers were submitted to gross examination at 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 days of aged. At 42 days of age, 60 birds (30 per treatment) were submitted to the Veterinary Hospital of FMVZ to determine bone mineral density by radiography. Birds were then sacrificed for gross examination of the legs, and FD scoring. Five legs per treatment within each FD score were submitted to computed tomography for femur head integrity and bone mineral density. Treatments did not influence FD incidence, and the first gross FD lesions appeared when birds were 28 days old. It was concluded that radiographic optical densitometry and computed tomography are efficient methods to evaluate femoral degeneration, and both techniques expressed the same profile. In addition, using radiographic optical densitometry and computed tomography, these results also allowed us to establish bone mineral density value ranges within each gross FD score. These finding may provide an excellent non-invasive tool to describe femoral degeneration.

Níveis de lisina para leitões na fase inicial-1 do crescimento pós-desmame: composição corporal aos 11,9 e 19,0 kg

Quarenta e oito leitões híbridos comerciais, machos castrados e fêmeas, com 5,5 ± 0,21 kg foram distribuídos em blocos ao acaso, com quatro tratamentos e seis repetições, para determinar a melhor concentração de lisina até os 11,9 ± 0,35 kg (fase inicial-1) e os efeitos subseqüentes até os 19,0 kg (fase inicial-2). A composição química das frações corporais e a deposição de tecido muscular na carcaça e no corpo vazio foram determinadas. As concentrações de lisina total utilizadas na primeira fase pós-desmame foram 1,16 a 1,46%. Não foi observado efeito na composição química do sangue e das vísceras, caracterizando a independência das concentrações de lisina. As respostas para acúmulo protéico e água da carcaça e do corpo vazio foram ascendentes com o aumento de lisina, caracterizando a maior eficiência na utilização e direcionamento do nutriente para a síntese protéica da musculatura esquelética. Na segunda fase, não foram observados efeitos, mas os animais que, anteriormente, receberam menores níveis de lisina tenderam acumular mais proteína e água na carcaça e no corpo vazio. Possivelmente, encontrando-se em déficit de lisina, fisiologicamente tolerável, a nova dieta supriu parte da demanda anterior, porém pode não ter atendido à demanda para síntese protéica dos animais que se encontravam em maior ascensão de síntese e acúmulo protéico na fase inicial-1. As respostas favoráveis ao aumento da concentração de lisina na dieta de leitões entre 5,5 e 11,9 kg de peso vivo recomendam novos estudos utilizando níveis de lisina superiores aos empregados, combinados com maiores níveis de energia metabolizável, a fim de estabelecer a eficiência máxima de deposição protéica. Estudos nas fases subseqüentes devem complementar informações de melhor aporte nutricional para o suíno.

Nutritional characteristics and in vitro digestibility of silages from different corn cultivars harvested at two cutting heights

Objetivou-se neste estudo avaliar as características nutricionais e a digestibilidade in vitro de silagens de diferentes cultivares de milho colhidas em duas alturas de corte. Foram avaliadas 11 cultivares (Dina 766, Dina 657, Dina 1000, P 3021, P 3041, C 805, C 333, AG 5011, FO 01, Dina co 9621 e BR 205) colhidas 5 cm acima do solo (baixa) e 5 cm abaixo da inserção da primeira espiga (alta). O experimento foi delineado em blocos casualizados (três blocos), arranjados em esquema fatorial 11 × 2. As silagens das plantas colhidas na altura de corte alta apresentaram teor médio de matéria seca significativamente superior às silagens das plantas colhidas na altura de corte baixa. As cultivares FO 01, AG 5011, Dina co 9621 e Dina 766 apresentaram maior teor de proteína bruta, que as cultivares C 805, P 3041 e P 3021, as quais apresentaram os menores teores deste nutriente. A elevação da altura de corte aumentou os coeficientes de digestibilidade verdadeira in vitro da matéria seca e digestibilidade in vitro da matéria seca das silagens avaliadas. O aumento da altura de corte melhorou o valor nutritivo das silagens, diminuindo as concentrações das frações fibrosas e aumentando a digestibilidade in vitro da matéria seca.

Nutritional stress enhances cell viability of odontoblast-like cells subjected to low level laser irradiation

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Differential nutritional, endocrine, and cardiovascular effects in obesity-prone and obesity-resistant rats fed standard and hypercaloric diets

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Nutritional assessment of hospitalized HIV-infected patients by the phase angle z-score measurement

Background: This study analyzed the phase-angle (PA) values of hospitalized HVI-infected patients by comparing them with those reported for a healthy population and investigated their relation with nutritional parameters.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study including 101 hospitalized patients diagnosed with HIV infection and evaluated by bioimpedance, anthropometry and biochemical tests. The phase angle values, weight loss percentage (%WL), body mass index (BMI), arm muscle circumference (AMC), tricipital skinfold (TSF), body fat percentage (%BF) and albumin were considered. In order to compare with values for the healthy population, the PA z-score of the patients under study was calculated. Spearman's correlation and the multiple linear regression model were used to identify nutritional parameters associated with the PA z-score.Results: The patients showed a mean PA z-score of -2.6 +/- 1.5, and only 6.6% of them with a positive value. The PA z-score values correlated with %WL (r = -0.51; p < 0.0001), albumin (r = 0.49; p < 0.0001), BMI (r = 0.58; p < 0.0001), AMC (r = 0.41; p < 0.0001), TSF (r = 0.47; p < 0.001) and %BF (r = 0.48, p < 0.0001). In multiple analysis %WL (p = 0.008), albumin (p = 0.01), AMC (p < 0.0001) and %BF (p = 0.0003) remained associated with the score.Conclusions: Low PA z-score values were observed, suggesting a worse clinical prognosis for the patients. The inclusion of the PA z-score as a nutritional indicator during care provision to HIV-infected patients is recommended. (Nutr Hosp. 2012;27:771-774) DOI:10.3305/nh.2012.27.3.5684

Female preferences based on male nutritional chemical traits

Selection favors females that attend to reliable information about male genetic quality and fitness. Male nutritional condition can be a significant sign of mate quality since poor nutrition can be related to reduced sperm quality, low sperm quantity, sexually transmitted diseases, and parasites. We tested whether female Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, preferred the chemical cues of males that were well fed with high-protein diet over those fed with low-protein diet. Females do not only discriminate between males but also show a preference for well-fed males, discriminating between the odors with respect to nutritional state, suggesting that they were responding to a food-specific chemical cue. It is therefore likely that nutritional condition is related to the production of pheromones in males. Our results suggest that information about male nutritional state can be conveyed in chemical cues and that females attend to these cues during mate choice.

Nutritional composition, phenolic compounds, nitrate content in eatable vegetables obtained by conventional and certified organic grown culture subject to thermal treatment

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Comparative growth of trichoderma strains in different nutritional sources, using bioscreen c automated system

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Artificial neural networks: A novel approach to analysing the nutritional ecology of a blowfly species, Chrysomya megacephala

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The rating of perceived exertion predicts intermittent vertical jump demand and performance

The aims of this study were (a) to assess the ability of the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) to predict performance (i.e. number of vertical jumps performed to a fixed jump height) of an intermittent vertical jump exercise, and (b) to determine the ability of RPE to describe the physiological demand of such exercise. Eight healthy men performed intermittent vertical jumps with rest periods of 4, 5, and 6s until fatigue. Heart rate and RPE were recorded every five jumps throughout the sessions. The number of vertical jumps performed was also recorded. Random coefficient growth curve analysis identified relationships between the number of vertical jumps and both RPE and heart rate for which there were similar slopes. In addition, there were no differences between individual slopes and the mean slope for either RPE or heart rate. Moreover, RPE and number of jumps were highly correlated throughout all sessions (r=0.97-0.99; P0.001), as were RPE and heart rate (r=0.93-0.97; P0.001). The findings suggest that RPE can both predict the performance of intermittent vertical jump exercise and describe the physiological demands of such exercise.

Nutritional ecology of blowflies (Diptera, Calliphoridae): estimates of critical larval weight for pupation on two different diets

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)