Search

Rapeseed is the most widely used oil crop in Europe and it is an ideal raw material for the production of biodiesel. Because of a high nutritional value and a relatively high omega-3 fatty acids content, rapeseed cake can be used in poultry nutrition for the enrichment of meat and eggs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the possibility of using rapeseed cake in diets for turkeys for the purpose of enriching turkey meat with omega-3 fatty acids. In the study, 120 male day-old Nicholas 700 turkeys were used and randomly divided into 3 groups, each group with 4 replications (n= 10). The control groups of turkeys were fed on compound feed without rapeseed cake and the experimental groups were fed with 5 or 10% share of rapeseed cake in compound feed. Based on the results obtained, we can conclude that the share of rapeseed cake of 5 or 10% in the compound feed did not cause any adverse impact on the performance of turkeys. Also, we established that there was an increase of the amount of omega-3 fatty acids with increased share of rapeseed cake and there was a positive trend of a decrease of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Positive financial effect of fattening can be expected, because rapeseed cake is a cheaper source of protein in comparison with the commonly used soybean meal. Therefore, rapeseed cake can be recommended in fattening of hybrid turkeys, with a share up to 10% in the compound feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decreased intake of n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and loss of balance of n-6/n-3 PUFA in the diet of people in the past 100-150 years may partly explain the occurrence and permanent increase of typical diseases of modern civilization such as cardiovascular, heart disease, allergies and various malignant diseases. The increase input of long chain PUFAn3 in the human diet can be achieved by enriching animal foods (meat, milk and eggs) with long chain PUFAn3 by feeding animals with feed rich in PUFAn3. Therefore the aim of our study was to determine the possibility of increasing the content of PUFAn3 and decreasing the ratio of PUFAn6/PUFAn3 in broiler meat using rapeseed cake in their nutrition. Three hundred sixty male day-old Cobb hybrid chickens were randomly divided into 12 groups of 30 individuals. Control groups of broilers were fed with mixture that did not contain any rapeseed cake (T-0) and experimental groups were fed with mixtures that contained rapeseed cake in the amount of 5 and 10% (T-5 and T-10). Each feeding treatment had four replicates. At the end of the study, 42 days old broilers were weighed and sacrificed immediately thereafter. Samples of breast muscle of 5 animals from each treatment were taken for the purpose of determining the composition of fatty acids. As a result we got that content of PUFAn3 increased significantly in breast muscle of T-10 group (1,62; 1,60; 2,20). In accordance with this, relationship of PUFAn6/PUFAn3 significantly decreased in breast muscle that treatment (20,94; 21,73; 16,15). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: On the basis of numerous studies that have described interactions between the dopaminergic and opioidergic systems, we have investigated whether genetic deletion of dopamine D2 receptors (D2R) might influence the expression of central opioid receptors. The levels of mu, delta, kappa and nociceptin opioid peptide receptors were determined in the brains and spinal cords of D2R knockout mice using quantitative autoradiography. The significant changes in opioid receptor binding found in the brains of heterozygous and homozygous mice were mainly restricted to the basal ganglia. In homozygous mice, a down-regulation of mu and delta receptors was observed in the striatal and pallidal areas. This alteration may be an adaptive response to the increase in enkephalin levels previously described in the striatum of these mutant mice. On the contrary, an up-regulation of kappa receptors was found in the striatal and nigral regions and might be related to a change in dynorphin levels. Significant increases in nociceptin receptor binding were also observed in homozygous mice in brain areas involved in motor behavior. At the spinal level, only kappa and nociceptin receptor binding showed significant overall differences between genotypes. The functional consequences of these adaptive changes are discussed in relation to the findings of behavioral and neurochemical studies reported to date in D2R knockout mice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization is a complex phenomenon involving a number of neuromodulator and neurotransmitter systems. To specifically investigate the role of the μ opioid receptor (MOR) in cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization in mice, both genetic and pharmacological approaches were undertaken. MOR-1 deficient mice of varying backgrounds (C57BL/6J, 129S6, F1 hybrid 129S6×C57BL/6J and 129S6×C57BL/6J) and wild-type C57BL/6J mice exposed continuously to naltrexone, an opioid receptor antagonist, received single daily injections of saline or cocaine for 10 days. All mice received a single cocaine challenge 7 days following the last saline or cocaine injection to test for the expression of sensitization. The locomotor-stimulating and sensitizing effects of cocaine observed in MOR-1 wild-type mice were absent in MOR-1 knockout mice maintained on the mixed 129S6×C57BL/6J background. In contrast, MOR-1 deficient mice developed on a C57BL/6J background showed an accentuated sensitivity to cocaine-induced locomotion. Cocaine''s psychomotor activating effects were more pronounced in the MOR-1 C57BL/6J knockouts injected daily with cocaine than in the MOR-1 wild-type mice. Similar locomotor-stimulating and sensitizing effects were found in both F1 hybrid 129S6×C57BL/6J MOR-1 wild-type and MOR-1 knockout mice, while the 129S6 strain showed an overall indifference to cocaine. That is, both the locomotor-stimulating and sensitizing effects of cocaine were absent in both MOR-1 wild-type and MOR-1 knockout mice maintained on the 129S6 background. Lastly, the locomotor-stimulating and sensitizing effects of cocaine were attenuated in C57BL/6J wild-type mice exposed continuously to naltrexone. Collectively, these data support a role for opioidergic involvement in cocaine-influenced behavior in mice. Moreover, MORs appear to differentially modulate a sensitized response to cocaine in different strains of mice as delineated by MOR-1 gene deletion and pharmacological antagonism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background The prevalence of concurrent disease in hyperthyroid cats is unknown. Objectives To identify the prevalence of concurrent intra-abdominal disease using abdominal ultrasound examination ( AUS) in hyperthyroid cats referred for radioactive iodine treatment ( RIT) and to determine whether the requirement for pretreatment AUS is justified. Animals Five hundred and thirty-four client-owned cats diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and referred for RIT. Methods Retrospective study. Age, breed, sex, body weight, clinical signs, total serum T4 concentration, blood urea nitrogen ( BUN) concentration, serum creatinine concentration, urine specific gravity ( USG), AUS results, and biopsy or cytology results, or both (if obtained) were collected from the medical records. Results The prevalence of concurrent disease identified using AUS in hyperthyroid cats referred for RIT was 36.1%; 22.8% of the cats in the study had renal disease and 2.4% had confirmed neoplasia. Significant differences in median USG ( P value 0.032) and median BUN ( P value 0.028) were found between cats that had abnormal kidneys on AUS compared to those with normal-appearing kidneys. Only 2.2% of the cats were not treated with RIT as a result of changes identified on AUS and subsequently obtained cytology or biopsy results. Conclusions and Clinical Importance The results indicate that pretreatment AUS in hyperthyroid cats referred for RIT is unnecessary in most patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines whether ovariectomized female transgenic preproenkephalin-knockout mice and their wild-type and heterozygous controls displayed alterations in fear and anxiety paradigms, sucrose intake and lordotic behavior. Involvement of endogenous opioid systems in fear-related behaviors; Fear conditioning; Open-field assay.

Abstract: Prodynorphin, a multifunctional precursor of several important opioid peptides, is expressed widely in the CNS. It is processed at specific single and paired basic sites to generate various biologically active products. Among the prohormone convertases (PCs), PC1 and PC2 are expressed widely in neuroendocrine tissues and have been proposed to be the major convertases involved in the biosynthesis of hormonal and neural peptides. In this study we have examined the physiological involvement of PC2 in the generation of dynorphin (Dyn) peptides in mice lacking active PC2 as a result of gene disruption. Enzymological and immunological assays were used to confirm the absence of active PC2 in these mice. The processing profiles of Dyn peptides extracted from brains of these mice reveal a complete lack of Dyn A-8 and a substantial reduction in the levels of Dyn A-17 and Dyn B-13. Thus, PC2 appears to be involved in monobasic processing, leading to the generation of Dyn A-8, Dyn A-17, and Dyn B-13 from prodynorphin under physiological conditions. Brains of heterozygous mice exhibit only half the PC2 activity of wild-type mice; however, the levels of Dyn peptides in these mice are similar to those of wild-type mice, suggesting that a 50% reduction in PC2 activity is not sufficient to significantly reduce prodynorphin processing. The disruption of the PC2 gene does not lead to compensatory up-regulation in the levels of other convertases with similar substrate specificity because we find no significant changes in the levels of PC1, PC5/PC6, or furin in these mice as compared with wild-type mice. Taken together, these results support a critical role for PC2 in the generation of Dyn peptides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]