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The effect of dietary organic salt, sodium diformate (NDF), supplementation on growth performance and health status of European seabass (ESB, Dicentrarchus labrax ) was investigated. Twelve groups of fish (IBW, 4.75 ± 0.04 g) were fed 4 diets supplemented with: 0, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5% NDF (assigned as: CTRL, NDF3, NDF4 and NDF5 respectively) for 13 weeks. Results showed a prominent growth promoting effect for the 0.3% NDF diet, which resulted in the highest gain in weight, specific growth rate and feed utilization indices ( P < .05) among all treatments. Growth and feed utilization of NDF3 and NDF4 fish groups were significantly improved, whilst those of NDF5 fish were not lower than the respective of control fish. NDF3-fed fish showed significant ( P < .05) elevation in leucocytes count, lymphocyte and monocyte percentages, leucocytes phagocytosis (by >3 folds), serum proteins (by 31%) and lysozyme activity (by 13%) in comparison to the controls. Major nutrients and amino acids composition were not significantly (P > .05) altered by diet. These findings suggest the supplementation of 3 g NDF/kg diet as a potent growth and a basal health-promoter for European seabass juveniles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the Chilean rodeo exercise on some blood constituents, classically used to assess welfare, during rest; training with and without steer; and before and after official competitions. During the training season, 13 horses were assessed at their farms of origins, and samples were taken at rest and after training with and without a steer; then during the competition season, 16 horses were assessed at four different times, one before and three after the competition. The blood constituents assessed were packed cell volume (PCV), total proteins, fibrinogen, cortisol, neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio, creatine phosphokinase, aspartate transaminase, glutathione peroxidase, and serum amyloid A. Analysis of variance for repeated measures was applied using the Statistix 8.0 software, and a significance level of P < .05 was applied. For horses assessed during exercise with and without a steer, significant differences were observed for PCV, which were significantly lower at rest than after both exercises, and total proteins, which showed a significant increase only after exercise with steer. In the case of official competitions, PCV was significantly higher immediately after rodeo, and the lowest value for cortisol was observed the evening after competition (P < .05); among the enzymes assessed, creatine phosphokinase plasma concentrations immediately after rodeo and the evening after competition were significantly higher than concentrations the next morning. The use of physiological indicators did not seem to be sufficient to assess the overall effect of rodeo on the welfare of these horses, and other types of indicators should be considered in future studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses a study undertaken involving different carting loads and ploughing and planking operations to estimate the work stress of ploughing and planking on carting load scale in working bullocks. Twelve bullocks were used in the 192 carting trials and 48 trials each of ploughing and planking and were subjected to carting loads. It suggests that the ploughing and planking as work type and stress point of view could be equated on average respectively as total cart load 216.40 and 123.8% of bullock's weight.