Short-term responses of meat ewes facing an acute nutritional challenge in early-mid lactation.

Simulating a consequence of a climate change event on feed availability, responses of Mediterranean meat ewes facing an acute undernutritional challenge (; i.e., fed only low nutritional value cereal straw) were evaluated at a sensitive physiological stage (i.

Comparing growth of pork- and venison-reared Phormia regina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) for the application of forensic entomology to wildlife poaching.

Laboratory rearing of Phormia regina Meigen larvae on pork and venison was conducted as part of a study to determine whether forensic entomology approaches can be used in wildlife poaching investigations. Larvae were reared at 30 degrees C, 75% relative humidity, and a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h on pork or venison diets, and samples were collected every 8 h until >90% of the maggots reached the third-instar wandering or prepupal stage. Significant differences were found in the distribution of lengths of the third instar and combined instars for maggots reared on the two different meat sources.

Surveillance of parapoxvirus among ruminants in Virginia and Connecticut.

In 2008, two deer hunters in Virginia and Connecticut were infected with a unique strain of pseudocowpox virus, a parapoxvirus. To estimate the prevalence of this virus, and in an attempt to define the reservoir, Parapoxvirus surveillance was undertaken between November 2009 and January 2010. 125 samples from four ruminant species (cows, goat, sheep and white-tailed deer) were collected in Virginia, and nine samples from white-tailed deer were collected in Connecticut.

Relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms in leptin, IL6 and adiponectin genes and their circulating product in morbidly obese subjects before and after gastric banding surgery.

Background: Certain adipose-produced signals are secreted in proportion to body fat mass and are involved in regulation of the energy metabolism of the whole body. Leptin, IL6 and adiponectin can be considered as adiposity signals. Several Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes encoding for these molecules are known to influence their concentration in situations of stable weight.

Effect of tannins on galliform cecal partitioning.

Winter diets of ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) and other galliformes are high in tannins. We fed quebracho, a condensed tannin, to ruffed grouse and found no effect on dry matter intake or body mass at levels up to 6% of the diet. However, a high-fiber diet with 8% quebracho resulted in reduced dry matter intake and body mass loss.