1. An experiment was conducted with broiler chickens to determine the effects of different early food restrictions, strain (Ross 508 and Hybro G) and sex on performance, mortality carcase composition and meat characteristics. 2. Birds were restricted to 80% or 90% of ad libitum intake for 4 d (80%-4 d-group and 90%-4 d-group, respectively) or 80% for 8 d (80%-8 d-group). All restrictions started on d 4. After the periods of restriction, all birds were fed ad libitum. 3. Only the 90%-4 d-group reached a final body weight not significantly different from, but lower than, the ad libitum group. The other restrictions were too severe to allow a sufficient 'catch-up'. 4. No significant differences in food conversion and total carcase fat content between groups were observed. Abdominal fat showed a tendency to increase due to the restrictions induced. 5. There was a slight trend towards a reduced mortality and of 'sudden death syndrome' but no clear effect of food restriction on number of chickens removed with leg problems. There was no significant decrease in uniformity of the flocks due to restriction. 6. The group 80%-8 d had a significant lower yield percentage. Cut-up parts and meat quality were not changed by restriction. Ross birds had a significantly higher proportion of breast meat than Hybro chickens. Meat of female chickens seemed to be paler than that of males, possibly because of the higher proportion of carcase fat. 7. Food restriction did not always give good results. However, a mild restriction (90% for 4 d) may offer some economic advantages over an ad libitum feeding regimen, mainly by reducing mortality.

1. An experiment was conducted with male broiler chickens to investigate the effect of different early food restriction programmes on proportional weights and allometric growth coefficients of carcase parts and on pulsatile growth hormone secretion. 2. At 4 d of age the animals were restricted to 80% or 90% of the ad libitum intake for 4 d or 80% for 8 d. When the restriction was finished, all birds received ad libitum food again. 3. On d 1, 8, 11, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42, from each group 8 birds were weighed, stunned and killed and the weights of the stomachs, liver, heart, sternum, right thigh, right drumstick, breast and abdominal fat pad were determined. On d 29, 30, 31, 32 serial blood samples of 2 birds from each group were taken to determine the plasma growth hormone (GH) content. 4. Only the most severe restriction resulted in a tendency for the stomachs to mature earlier and the thighs to mature later. No other significant effect on the allometric coefficients could be observed. 5. It is concluded that during the restriction the birds give priority to the development of the supply organs such as the stomach, which are more important during early development at the expense of the demand tissues like breast and thigh. 6. No significant differences concerning the GH secretory parameters could be observed.

Affinity purified SS‐B was characterized as a protein with immunoreactive polypeptides of 40K and 29K. A modified Farr assay and an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were 100‐ to 1,000‐fold more sensitive than immunodiffusion and showed an association with the systemic manifestations of primary sicca syndrome and Sjögren's syndrome with systemic lupus erythematosus. The ELISA was sufficiently sensitive to detect class specific antibodies in saliva and lymphocyte culture supernatants.

Dexamethasone ester treatment alters insulin-like growth factor-I, its binding proteins and thyroid status in finishing calves. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 80: 329-335. To improve carcass quality in finishing calves, some breeders use preparations containing corticoids alone or in association with other growth promoters. We have investigated the effects of dexamethasone treatment on insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), IGF-binding proteins (IGFBP-2 and -3) and thyroid hormones (T 3 , T 4 , free T 4 ). Limousine male calves were allocated to a control group (C) (n = 18) and a group (n = 18) that received dexamethasone esters (DEX). Blood and hepatic tissue samples were collected at slaughtering. Thyroid hormones and IGF-I plasma levels were measured by RIA and IGFBPs were evaluated by immunoblotting. Hepatic type I 5′deiodinase (5′D-I) activity was determined by enzyme assay and hepatic expression of mRNA for GH receptor, IGF-I, IGFBP-2, IGFBP-3 and type I deiodinase (D-I) was evaluated by dot blot analysis. Plasma IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels were reduced by the DEX treatment (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01, respectively) while IGFBP-2 was unaffected. Significant plasma changes for IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were not corroborated by hepatic mRNA levels, for which only a slight non-significant decrease was noted. Growth hormone receptor mRNA expression was increased after treatment (P < 0.01). T 3 plasma level was higher in DEX animals (P < 0.05) than in C calves. Finally, treatment increased 5′D-I activity in the hepatic tissue (P < 0.001) and seemed to also affect D-I mRNA expression (P = 0.1). In conclusion, dexamethasone ester injection in calves altered some of their endocrinological parameters; this could explain the catabolic action of corticoids in the bovine species.

The phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) mitogenic response of human blood lymphocytes demonstrated a dose-dependent inhibition by histamine (in the range 5 X 10(-7) M). Using suboptimal mitogenic doses of PHA the suppression was more pronounced. Stimulation using different doses of pokeweed mitogen (PWM) was not altered by histamine. Purified T cells and a lymphocyte population depleted of histamine-receptor-bearing cells were less sensitive to the histamine effect. In the supernatants of histamine-stimulated cultures, suppressor factor activity was found. Cimetidine could reverse the effect of histamine in a dose-dependent manner. Adding levamisole to the PHA cultures also produced some antihistaminic effect.