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The effects of somatotropin (STH) and energy intake on serum concentrations of glucose (GLU), insulin (INS), nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), urea nitrogen (UN) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) were determined in 40 Angus heifers. At 7 mo (208 +/- 8 d) of age heifers were assigned to four treatment groups: 1) vehicle (V) + high energy (HE; 2.68 Mcal ME/kg DM), 2) recombinant DNA-derived STH (20.6 mg/d; s.c.) + HE, 3) V + low energy (LE; 2.22 Mcal ME/kg DM) or 4) STH + LE. Animals remained on treatments until an average of 15.5 mo of age. Blood samples were taken every 30 min for 4 h at 9, 11, 13 and 15 mo of age to determine circulating concentrations of metabolites and hormones. Serum IGF-I was increased (P less than .01) by STH injections, but this effect appeared to diminish with age (STH x age; P less than .01). Energy intake did not influence IGF-I levels. Somatotropin increased (P less than .01) serum GLU in heifers fed the HE diet but only tended (P = .08) to increase GLU in those fed the LE diet (STH x energy; P = .05). Although STH increased (P less than .01) serum INS in both energy groups, the response in heifers fed the HE diet was greater (P less than .02) than that in heifers fed the LE diet (STH x energy; P less than .05). Heifers fed LE had higher (P less than .01) concentrations of NEFA than heifers fed HE.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Forty-eight Angus x Hereford steers (initial BW = 336 +/- 8.3 kg) were used in a 56-d study to evaluate growth and endocrine responses to continuous or discontinuous grazing of high-endophyte-infected Kentucky-31 (K; > 57% infestation rate) or low-endophyte-infected Johnstone tall fescue (J; < 1% infestation rate) and implantation with 0 or 24 mg/steer of estradiol-17 beta (E2; Compudose). Steers were allotted by weight to eight 3-ha paddocks (four paddocks of each fescue variety) with six steers per paddock. Two paddocks of each variety were grazed continuously (KK and JJ), whereas steers on the remaining four paddocks were rotated every 14 d from K to J (KJ) or from J to K (JK). Three steers in each paddock were implanted with E2 on d 0. The study extended from May 25, 1988 to July 20, 1988 with steers exposed to potential heat-stress conditions for 52 d of the 56-d study. Body weights were obtained on d 0, 28, and 56, and blood samples were taken on d 28 and 56. Overall ADG, serum prolactin, and serum alkaline phosphatase activity were greater (P < .05) in JJ than in KK steers. Rotation from K to J did not increase overall ADG, prolactin, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), or alkaline phosphatase activity compared with the continuously grazed KK, whereas JK steers had lower (P < .10) ADG, prolactin, and alkaline phosphatase activity than JJ steers. Estradiol-17 beta increased (P < .10) IGF-I in JJ, KJ, and JK steers but not in KK steers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)