Comparação de sistemas de avaliação de dietas para bovinos no modelo de produção intensiva de carne. Suplementação do pasto para vacas na estação seca

Foram utilizadas 30 vacas da raça Canchim com 50 meses de idade e peso corporal médio de 471 kg, que receberam suplemento alimentar durante a estação seca de 1998, objetivando avaliar a precisão no desempenho estimado por diferentes sistemas de avaliação de dietas. Os suplementos, à base de silagem de milho, milho, polpa cítrica peletizada, farelo de algodão, farelo de soja e soja integral, seguiram as recomendações do Sistema de Proteína Metabolizável (MP); do Sistema de Proteína e Carboidratos Líquidos de Cornell (CNCPS); e do Sistema de Proteína Digestível no Intestino (PDI), para manutenção do peso corporal. A variação diária de peso corporal obtida não diferiu entre os tratamentos CNCPS, MP e PDI, com médias de 0,34; 0,33; e 0,19 kg/cab, respectivamente. Quando a produção de carne constituiu-se no objetivo único do sistema produtivo, a análise econômica revelou saldo de R$22,00; R$-44,73; e R$47,27/ha/ano, para os sistemas CNCPS, MP e PDI, respectivamente. Concluiu-se que os suplementos avaliados pelos sistemas proporcionaram resultados de desempenho animal compatíveis com os estimados.

Metabolizable energy and oil intake in brown commercial layers

With the objective to establish the best metabolizable energy (ME) intake for layers, and the best dietary vegetable oil addition level to optimize egg production, an experiment was carried out with 432 30-week-old Hisex Brown layers. Birds were distributed into nine treatments with six replicates of eight birds each according to a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement, consisting of three daily metabolizable energy intake (280, 300 or 320 kcal/bird/day) and three oil levels (0.00; 0.75 and 1.50 g/bird/day). Daily feed intake was limited to 115, 110 and 105 g/bird in order to obtain the desired energy and oil intake in each treatment. The following parameters were evaluated: initial weight, final weight, body weight change, egg production, egg mass, feed conversion ratio per dozen eggs and per egg mass and energy conversion. There was no influence of the treatments on egg production (%) or egg mass (g/bird/day). Final weight and body weight change were significantly affected by increasing energy intake. Feed conversion ratio per egg mass, feed conversion ratio per dozen eggs and energy conversion significantly worsened as a function of the increase in daily energy intake. An energy intake of 280 kcal/bird/day with no addition of dietary oil does not affect layer performance.

Antidepressants for anorexia nervosa

Background Anorexia Nervosa ( AN) is an illness characterised by extreme concern about body weight and shape, severe self-imposed weight loss, and endocrine dysfunction. In spite of its high mortality, morbidity and chronicity, there are few intervention studies on the subject.Objectives The aim of this review was to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of antidepressant drugs in the treatment of acute AN.Search strategy The strategy comprised of database searches of the Cochrane Collaboration Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Controlled Trials Register, MEDLINE (1966 to April 28th, 2005), EMBASE (1980 to week 36, 2004), PsycINFO (1969 to August week 5, 2004), handsearching the International Journal of Eating Disorders and searching the reference lists of all papers selected. Personal letters were sent to researchers in the field requesting information on unpublished or in-progress trials.Selection criteria All randomised controlled trials of antidepressant treatment for AN patients, as de fined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition (DSM-IV) or similar international criteria, were selected.Data collection and analysis Quality ratings were made giving consideration to the strong relationship between allocation concealment and potential for bias in the results; studies meeting criteria A and B were included. Trials were excluded if non-completion rates were above 50%. The standardised mean difference and relative risk were used for continuous data and dichotomous data comparisons, respectively. Whenever possible, analyses were performed according to intention- to-treat principles. Heterogeneity was tested with the I-squared statistic. Weight change was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were severity of eating disorder, depression and anxiety symptoms, and global clinical state. Acceptability of treatment was evaluated by considering non-completion rates.Main results Only seven studies were included. Major methodological limitations such as small trial size and large confidence intervals decreased the power of the studies to detect differences between treatments, and meta-analysis of data was not possible for the majority of outcomes. Four placebo-controlled trials did not find evidence that antidepressants improved weight gain, eating disorder or associated psychopathology. Isolated findings, favouring amineptine and nortriptyline, emerged from the antidepressant versus antidepressant comparisons, but cannot be conceived as evidence of efficacy of a specific drug or class of antidepressant in light of the findings from the placebo comparisons. Non-completion rates were similar between the compared groups.Authors' conclusions A lack of quality information precludes us from drawing de finite conclusions or recommendations on the use of antidepressants in acute AN. Future studies testing safer and more tolerable antidepressants in larger, well designed trials are needed to provide guidance for clinical practice.

Weight Training, Aerobic Physical Activities, and Long-Term Waist Circumference Change in Men

ObjectiveFindings on weight training and waist circumference (WC) change are controversial. This study examined prospectively whether weight training, moderate to vigorous aerobic activity (MVAA), and replacement of one activity for another were associated with favorable changes in WC and body weight (BW).MethodsPhysical activity, WC, and BW were reported in 1996 and 2008 in a cohort of 10,500 healthy U.S. men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Multiple linear regression models (partition/substitution) to assess these associations were used.ResultsAfter adjusting for potential confounders, a significant inverse dose-response relationship between weight training and WC change (P-trend<0.001) was observed. Less age-associated WC increase was seen with a 20-min/day activity increase; this benefit was significantly stronger for weight training (-0.67 cm, 95% CI -0.93, -0.41) than for MVAA (-0.33 cm, 95% CI -0.40, -0.27), other activities (-0.16 cm, 95% CI -0.28, -0.03), or TV watching (0.08 cm, 95% CI 0.05, 0.12). Substituting 20 min/day of weight training for any other discretionary activity had the strongest inverse association with WC change. MVAA had the strongest inverse association with BW change (-0.23 kg, 95% CI -0.29, -0.17).ConclusionsAmong various activities, weight training had the strongest association with less WC increase. Studies on frequency/volume of weight training and WC change are warranted.

The increase of dairy intake is the main dietary factor associated with reduction of body weight in overweight adults after lifestyle change program

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

WITHDRAWN: The increase of dairy intake is the main dietary factor associated with reduction of body weight in overweight adults after lifestyle change program

This article has been withdrawn at the request of the author(s) and editor. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy.

Genetic associations between weight at maturity and maturation rate with ages and weights at first and second calving in Canchim beef cattle

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Central leptin replacement enhances chemorespiratory responses in leptin-deficient mice independent of changes in body weight

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

Growth of Chrysanthemum x grandiflorum in Different Peats and Change of Peat Properties during Cultivation

Marketable chrysanthemums were produced in several different peat types. Only the plants in one of the dredged frozen black peats and one of the milled white peats had a significant lower shoot dry weight than those in one of the sod and milled white peats, respectively. As the N-contents of the fertilized peats show neither deficiency nor excess in nutrient supply, possibly they are not the reason for the differences in shoot dry weight. The air capacity, which is extremely low in both dredged frozen black peats and dropped further during the cultivation period due to decomposition, also cannot explain the differences in shoot dry weight sufficiently (R-2=0.44*; n=12). A close linear negative correlation (R-2=0.77**; n=12) was found between the CAT (VDLUFA) soluble Fe and the shoot dry weight. Therefore, the Fe-contents might be a quality factor of peat to be used as a growing medium.

Nutritional management and weight changes during hospitalization of Brazilian infants with diarrhoea: Primary reliance on oral feeding or continuous nasogastric drip with locally made, modulated minced chicken formula

The nutritional management of infants admitted with diarrhoea to the University Hospital of Botucatu includes a change from bolus feeding of a modulated minced-chicken formula to a continuous nasogastric drip (NGD) feeding, whenever the required calorie intake is not achieved or the diarrhoea does not subside. To evaluate this approach, the clinical course and weight changes of 63 children, aged 1-20 months, were reviewed; most (81 per cent) were below the third percentile for weight at admission and 76 per cent had a total duration of diarrhoea ≥10 days. Associated infections, mainly systemic, were present at or after admission in 70 per cent of them. Twenty-five survivors needed nutritional support (NS), predominantly NGD, for a median duration of 30 per cent of their admission time, and were compared to 31 survivors managed without NS. Those who necessitated NS lost weight for a significantly longer median time (12x4 days, p<0.005), but their total weight loss was similar (5x4 per cent) as well as diarrhoea's duration (8x7 days). There was a tendency for a longer hospitalization (21x16 days 0.05weight gain after diarrhoea's end for the group with NS (p<0.05), but subsequent growth quotient and daily weight gain during admission were similar for both groups. Both groups of survivors received similar amounts of energy, although the initial increase was delayed for those who needed the NGD. Seven infants (11 per cent) died, most of overwhelming infection, and presented a high total weight loss, albeit receiving NS for 71 per cent of their admission's time. It was concluded that feeding diarrhoeic infants with a NGD when necessary, possibly prevented a greater nutritional insult for the survivors. The NGD can be safely employed and should be valued, provided weight losses are carefully monitored in order to detect infants at highest risk.

Influence of protein intake on weight loss in obese cats

The effects of two hypocaloric diets were evaluated, one with 29% and the other with 42% crude protein, on the body composition, nitrogen balance (NB), and some biochemical parameters of obese cats. A total of 16 castrated adult cats were used and divided into two groups of eight animals each. Body composition, determined by dual-energy x-ray absortiometry scanning, and biochemical examinations, were performed at the onset of the experiment (M0), at 10% of weight loss (M10), and at 20% of weight loss (M20) for each cat. The weekly weight loss (0.98 ± 0.37% for group 1; 0.94 ± 0.31% for group 2) and the ingestion of metabolizable energy (33.7 ±3.3 kcal/kg/day for group 1; 35.1 ±3.20 kcal/kg/day for group 2) did not differ between the groups. The NB was different at M0 (-70 ±110 mg/kg/day for group 1 ; 340 ±110 mg/kg/day for group 2) but roughly similar at M20 (140 ±170 mg/kg/day for group 1; 330 ± 410 mg/kg/day for group 2). The lean body mass (LM) loss was significant for group 1 (P < .05) in that it decreased from 2.789 ±198 g at M0 to 2.563 ±188 g at M20; for group 2, the changes in LM were not significant (P > .05). Reduction in body fat was significant between M0 and M20 for both diets (P < .05), without differences between treatments. The ingestion of digestible protein was greater (P < .05) for group 2 (3.20 ±0.29 g/kg/day) than for group 1 (2.21 ± 0.22 g/kg/day). There was a significant correlation between NB and ingestion of digestible protein at M0 (P < .05; r = 0.65), but this correlation was not observed at M20 (P > .05; r = 0.31). A significant reduction in plasma urea was observed for group 1 and in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol for group 2, but the other biochemical parameters did not change. The diet with higher protein content prevented LM loss. However, the lower-protein diet seems to maintain animal health and improve the cats' NB after weight loss.

Growth of Chrysanthemum grandiflorum in different peats and change of peat properties during cultivation

Marketable chrysanthemums were produced in several different peat types. Only the plants in one of the dredged frozen black peats and one of the milled white peats had a significant lower shoot dry weight than those in one of the sod and milled white peats, respectively. As the N-contents of the fertilized peats show neither deficiency nor excess in nutrient supply, possibly they are not the reason for the differences in shoot dry weight. The air capacity, which is extremely low in both dredged frozen black peats and dropped further during the cultivation period due to decomposition, also cannot explain the differences in shoot dry weight sufficiently (R2=0.44*; n=12). A close linear negative correlation (R2=0.77** n=12) was found between the CAT (VDLUFA) soluble Fe and the shoot dry weight. Therefore, the Fecontents might be a quality factor of peat to be used as a growing medium.

Genetic correlations between mature cow weight and productive and reproductive traits in Nellore cattle

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

Short periods of fasting followed by refeeding change the expression of muscle growth-related genes in juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Muscle growth mechanisms are controlled by molecular pathways that can be affected by fasting and refeeding. In this study, we hypothesized that short period of fasting followed by refeeding would change the expression of muscle growth-related genes in juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of MyoD, myogenin and myostatin and the muscle growth characteristics in the white muscle of juvenile Nile tilapia during short period of fasting followed by refeeding. Juvenile fish were divided into three groups: (FC) control, feeding continuously for 42. days, (F5) 5. days of fasting and 37. days of refeeding, and (F10) 10. days of fasting and 32. days of refeeding. At days 5 (D5), 10 (D10), 20 (D20) and 42 (D42), fish (n = 14 per group) were anesthetized and euthanized for morphological, morphometric and gene expression analyses. During the refeeding, fasted fish gained weight continuously and, at the end of the experiment (D42), F5 showed total compensatory mass gain. After 5 and 10. days of fasting, a significant increase in the muscle fiber frequency (class 20) occurred in F5 and F10 compared to FC that showed a high muscle fiber frequency in class 40. At D42, the muscle fiber frequency in class 20 was higher in F5. After 5. days of fasting, MyoD and myogenin gene expressions were lower and myostatin expression levels were higher in F5 and F10 compared to FC; at D42, MyoD, myogenin and myostatin gene expression was similar among all groups. In conclusion, this study showed that short periods of fasting promoted muscle fiber atrophy in the juvenile Nile tilapia and the refeeding caused compensatory mass gain and changed the expression of muscle growth-related genes that promote muscle growth. These fasting and refeeding protocols have proven useful for understanding the effects of alternative warm fish feeding strategies on muscle growth-related genes. © 2013.