Carcass traits and retail display-life of chops from different goat breed types.
(65/1958)
Four groups of goats, Boer x Spanish, straightbred Spanish, Spanish x Angora, and straightbred Angora were slaughtered at a constant age according to accepted industry procedures. At 24 h postmortem, various carcass yield and quality measurements were taken. At 48 h postmortem, one side from each carcass was fabricated into major wholesale cuts for dissection into percentage lean, bone, and fat. Rib chops from the opposite side were fabricated, packaged, and displayed in a retail case. Trained panelists evaluated the rib chops over 4 d of retail display for lean color, surface discoloration, and overall appearance; packages were opened and analyzed for off-odor on d 4. When slaughtered at constant ages, Angora goats had lighter (P < .05) live and hot carcass weights than all other breed types, and Boer x Spanish goats had heavier (P < .05) live and carcass weights than Spanish goats. Live and carcass weights for Boer x Spanish and Spanish x Angora goats did not differ (P > .05). Carcasses from Angora goats had considerably smaller (P < .05) longissimus muscle areas than all other breed types. Carcasses from Spanish goats had lower (P < .05) carcass conformation scores than carcasses from Boer x Spanish goats but did not differ (P > .05) from carcasses of the other two breed types. Carcasses from Angora goats had smaller (P < .05) leg circumferences than the carcasses from Boer x Spanish and Spanish x Angora breed types. In general, carcasses from Boer x Spanish and Spanish goats possessed higher (P < .05) percentages of lean and lower (P < .05) percentages of fat for the side than did carcasses from Spanish x Angora and Angora goats. When the Spanish x Angora carcasses were compared to the Angora carcasses, it seemed that the addition of the Spanish breeding tended to increase lean and decrease fatness for most side or primal comparisons. There were no (P > .05) breed type or breed type x day effects for lean color, surface discoloration, overall appearance or off-odor; however, day of display did influence (P < .05) these traits. Crossing Spanish with Angora goats may be an option to improve carcass characteristics over that of straightbred Angora. (+info)
Antidepressant treatment and health services utilization among HIV-infected medicaid patients diagnosed with depression.
(66/1958)
OBJECTIVE: To characterize the prevalence and predictors of diagnosed depression among persons with HIV on Medicaid and antidepressant treatment among those diagnosed, and to compare utilization and costs between depressed HIV-infected individuals treated with and without antidepressant medications. DESIGN: Merged Medicaid and surveillance data were used to compare health services utilized by depressed individuals who were or were not treated with antidepressant medications, controlling for other characteristics. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study population comprised Medicaid recipients in New Jersey who were diagnosed with HIV or AIDS by March 1996 and received Medicaid services between 1991 and 1996. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Logistic regression and ordinary least squares regressions were employed. Women were more likely and African Americans were less likely to be diagnosed with depression. Women and drug users in treatment were more likely to receive antidepressant treatment. Depressed patients treated with antidepressants were more likely to receive antiretroviral treatment than those not treated with antidepressants. Monthly total expenditures were significantly lower for individuals diagnosed with depression and receiving antidepressant therapy than for those not treated with antidepressants. After controlling for socioeconomic and clinical characteristics, treatment with antidepressant medications was associated with a 24% reduction in monthly total health care costs. CONCLUSIONS: Depressed HIV-infected patients treated with antidepressants were more likely than untreated subjects to receive appropriate care for their HIV disease. Antidepressant therapy for treatment of depression is associated with a significantly lower monthly cost of medical care services. (+info)
Evaluation of chilled and frozen-thawed canine spermatozoa using a zona pellucida binding assay.
(67/1958)
Zona pellucida binding assays provide information about the fertilizing ability of spermatozoa. A zona-binding assay for canine spermatozoa using intact, denuded homologous oocytes has not been evaluated previously. In the present study, an assay using canine oocytes derived from frozen-thawed ovaries was evaluated using three types of semen: fresh untreated; killed; and a 50:50 mixture of untreated and killed spermatozoa. The assays were performed on 3 x 20 oocytes for each sperm treatment, using semen from pooled ejaculates (0.5 x 10(6) spermatozoa in each 50 microliter droplet containing five oocytes). There was a significant difference (P < 0. 001) between all treatments. Thereafter, the same procedure was used to evaluate methods of chilling and freeze-thawing of canine semen. There was a trend (P = 0.067) for more sperm binding after 1 day of chilling compared with after 4 days of chilling. Semen samples frozen using an extender (with or without the addition of Equex STM paste) were evaluated. Equex had a significant (P = 0.034) positive effect on the capacity of the spermatozoa to bind to the zona pellucida. In conclusion, the addition of a zona pellucida binding assay to established in vitro tests should give a better estimate of the damage caused by the various procedures when developing new techniques for chilling and freeze-thawing. Furthermore, the present study showed that chilling for 4 days tended to reduce the zona-binding capacity of the spermatozoon, and that Equex STM paste had a beneficial effect on the capacity of the frozen-thawed spermatozoon to bind to the zona pellucida. (+info)
A sensitive denaturing gradient-Gel electrophoresis assay reveals a high frequency of heteroplasmy in hypervariable region 1 of the human mtDNA control region.
(68/1958)
A population study of heteroplasmy in the hypervariable region 1 (HV1) portion of the human mtDNA control region was performed. Blood samples from 253 randomly chosen individuals were examined using a sensitive denaturing gradient-gel electrophoresis (DGGE) system. This method is capable of detecting heteroplasmic proportions as low as 1% and virtually all heteroplasmy where the minor component is > or = 5%. Heteroplasmy was observed in 35 individuals (13.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 9.6-18.0). Of these individuals, 33 were heteroplasmic at one nucleotide position, whereas 2 were heteroplasmic at two different positions (a condition known as "triplasmy"). Although heteroplasmy occurred at a total of 16 different positions throughout HV1, it was most frequently observed at positions 16093 (n=13) and 16129 (n=6). In addition, the majority of heteroplasmic variants occurred at low proportions and could not be detected by direct sequencing of PCR products. This study indicates that low-level heteroplasmy in HV1 is relatively common and that it occurs at a broad spectrum of sites. Our results corroborate those of other recent reports indicating that heteroplasmy in the control region is more common than was previously believed-a finding that is of potential importance to evolutionary studies and forensic applications that are based on mtDNA variation. (+info)
Digesta kinetics, energy intake, grazing behavior, and body temperature of grazing beef cattle differing in adaptation to heat.
(69/1958)
The objective of this study was to determine whether digesta kinetics, energy intake (EI, kcal ME intake x kg(-.75) x d(-1)), grazing behavior, or body temperature differed by breed, lactational state, or season of the year among cattle presumed to vary in adaptability to the subtropics. Two-year-old lactating and nonlactating Brahman x Angus (BA; n = 5, n = 5), Tuli x Angus (TA; n = 5, n = 4), and Angus (A; n = 4, n = 4) cows were used. During both early (ES) and late summer (LS), lactating cattle vs nonlactating cattle had greater gastrointestinal tract load (CM2) and EI (P < .01), although passage rate did not differ (P > .48). During LS, lactating cattle had decreased early morning rectal temperatures (P < .05) and spent more time grazing during the day compared with nonlactating cattle (P < .001). Among breeds, A had the largest CM2 (P < .01 compared with BA and P = .068 compared with TA) and accumulated the greatest heat during the day (P < .05). Due to greater daytime shading (P < .01) and less daytime grazing (P < .05), A had lower (P < .05) early morning and comparable (P > .26) late afternoon rectal temperatures compared with BA and TA. With data pooled over both grazing trials, BA cattle had the smallest CM2 (P < .01), and in ES they spent the least amount of time in the shade (P < .001). The TA spent more time in the shade than did BA (P < .001) during ES and less during LS (P < .001) and had similar (P > .28) early morning rectal temperatures compared with BA during ES and LS. During LS, TA spent more time in the sun and less time in the shade than did either A or BA (P < .001). During ES, EI did not differ among breeds (P > .50). During LS, EI for lactating A was greater than for BA and TA (P < .05), and EI for nonlactating BA was less than for A and TA (P < .05). Bite rate per minute for lactating cattle during ES was reduced (P < .03) by increased body condition score. Tuli x Angus cattle appear to be comparable to BA with respect to heat adaptation. It appears that EI demands are greater in a hot environment. (+info)
Effect of subcutaneous vs intramuscular administration of P.G. 600 on estrual and ovulatory responses of prepubertal gilts.
(70/1958)
The effects of s.c. and i.m. administration of P.G. 600 on estrual and ovulatory responses of prepubertal gilts were investigated. One hundred eighty-four crossbred gilts between 159 and 174 d of age were assigned to receive P.G. 600 s.c. (s.c. P.G. 600) in the flank, P.G. 600 i.m. in the neck (i.m. P.G. 600), or no treatment (control). At the beginning of the study (d 0), animals were selected from a modified, open-front barn, regrouped, relocated to new pens, and exposed once daily to a mature boar to check for estrus. On d 17, ovaries were collected from all gilts and analyzed for the presence of corpora lutea (CL), cystic follicles, and cystic CL. A higher proportion of gilts expressed estrus with s.c. P.G. 600 (76%) than with i.m. P.G. 600 (52%, P < .01) or controls (15%, P < .01). The interval from initiation of treatment on d 0 to estrus was reduced (P < .01) by P.G. 600 (4.6 d) compared to controls (5.9 d), but there was no significant difference between P.G. 600 treatments. Both s.c. P.G. 600 (86%) and i.m. P.G. 600 (77%) induced more gilts to ovulate (P < .01) than controls (18%), but there was no significant difference between P.G. 600 treatments. No significant effect of treatment was detected on number of CL (17.9), number of cystic follicles (1.5), or number of cystic CL (2.1). Proportions of gilts that developed cystic follicles or cystic CL were not influenced by treatment. Results of this study indicated that s.c. administration of P.G. 600 significantly improved the induction of estrus in prepubertal gilts compared to i.m. administration. (+info)
Frequency of the Rendement Napole RN- allele in a population of American Hampshire pigs.
(71/1958)
A total of 204 purebred Hampshire pigs were obtained from 23 breeders. These animals were the progeny of 41 sires and 123 dams. A sample of purebred Yorkshire (n = 24) pigs were also used in the study. Animals were classified by glycolytic potential determined on a live-animal longissimus muscle biopsy sample. Hampshire pigs (n = 176) with glycolytic potential greater than 185 micromol/g (x = 238.8 micromol/g; SD = 29.54) were classified as heterozygous or homozygous for the dominant RN- allele (RN-rn+ or RN-RN-, respectively), whereas cohorts (n = 28) with glycolytic potential less than 185 micromol/g (x = 141.3 micromol/g; SD = 24.48) were considered as homozygous normal (rn+rn+). All Yorkshire pigs (n = 24) had a mean glycolytic potential level of 146.1 micromol/g (SD = 20.18) and were considered as homozygous normal (rn+rn+). The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium yielded frequencies of .630 and .370 for the dominant RN- allele and normal rn+ alleles in the Hampshire population, respectively, and genotypic frequencies of .397 (RN-RN-), .466 (RN-rn+), and .137 (rn+rn+). Hampshires with glycolytic potential > or = 185 micromol/g had significantly lower longissimus muscle ultimate pH, intramuscular fat, subjective marbling scores, and percentage of protein (P < .001) and had greater longissimus muscle percentage of moisture (P < .001), drip loss (P < .01), and cooking loss (P < .001) than rn+rn+ Hampshires and Yorkshires. These data suggest the RN- allele exists at a high frequency within the American Hampshire breed. Higher glycolytic potential levels, which accompany the allele, may cause decreased meat quality. (+info)
Implant strategies during feeding: impact on carcass grades and consumer acceptability.
(72/1958)
Anabolic growth promotants influence beef grade factors and Warner-Bratzler shear force of steaks. No study has assessed the consumer acceptability of beef derived from implanted cattle. This study determined beef carcass grades and consumer acceptability for cooked beef from unimplanted (control) cattle and from cattle implanted with one of seven different implant strategies (initial implant/implant at 59 d = Encore & Component T-S/no implant, Ralgro/Synovex Plus, Ralgro/Revalor-S, Revalor-S/Revalor-S, Revalor-S/no implant, no implant/Synovex Plus, and Synovex Plus/no implant). British crossbred steers (n = 448) were allocated randomly into one of eight pens for each of the control and seven treatment groups. Carcass quality and yield grade (n = 403) and Warner-Bratzler shear force (n = 298) data were collected by trained personnel. Twenty steaks per control or treatment group were selected randomly for use in consumer sensory evaluation. Steaks were evaluated by consumers for overall like, tenderness like, tenderness level, flavor like, flavor intensity, and juiciness level using 9-point, end-anchored hedonic scales. Control carcasses had smaller (P < .05) longissimus muscle areas than carcasses in all treatment groups except those receiving Encore & Component T S/no implant, Ralgro/Synovex Plus, or Revalor S/no implant. Control carcasses had higher (P < .05) marbling scores than carcasses in all treatment groups except those receiving Ralgro/Revalor-S or Encore & Component T-S/no implant. Steaks from control steers had lower (P < .05) Warner-Bratzler shear force values than steaks from steers given Revalor-S/no implant. Consumer ratings for tenderness like and tenderness level were influenced (P < .05) by implant strategy. Effects of implant strategy on overall like, flavor like, and flavor intensity approached significance (P = .07 to .09). Consumers rated steaks from unimplanted steers as more tender (tenderness level; P < .05) than steaks from all treatment groups except that involving Encore & Component T-S/no implant. Consumers rated steaks from unimplanted steers as more desirable (P < .05) for tenderness like than steaks from all treatments except those involving Encore & Component T-S/no implant or Revalor-S/no implant. Although use of implants in this study resulted in heavier hot carcass weights and larger ribeyes, some of the implant strategies reduced consumer preference of tenderness of steaks. (+info)