Ovarian follicular growth and steroidogenesis are controlled by the interaction of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and gonadotropins. The objective was to determine the temporal and spatial relationships for gonadotropin receptor, steroidogenic enzyme, and IGF system gene expression during the development of preovulatory porcine follicles. Sows (n = 18) were weaned and follicles were monitored by transrectal ultrasonography. Ovaries were collected from sows when the mean diameter of the preovulatory follicular cohort was approximately 2, 4, 6, or 8 mm. mRNA were measured by in situ hybridization for individual follicles within the preovulatory cohort (3 to 5 follicles per sow). Patterns of gene expression detected by in situ hybridization were confirmed by RNase protection analyses of pooled RNA samples. The amount of LH receptor mRNA and steroidogenic enzyme mRNA (17alpha-hydroxylase and aromatase) increased as the mean diameter of the follicular cohort increased from 2 to 6 mm, but then decreased abruptly for 8-mm follicles. Estradiol concentrations in follicular fluid closely followed the expression patterns of steroidogenic enzymes and LH receptor mRNA. FSH receptor mRNA was present in cohorts of 2-mm follicles but declined in 4-mm follicles and was undetectable in 6- and 8-mm follicles. The expression of IGF-I and type I IGF receptor mRNA were similar for follicles of 2, 4, 6, and 8 mm. In contrast, IGF-II mRNA progressively increased in follicles collected from 2-, 4-, and 6-mm cohorts, and then decreased slightly at 8 mm. Type II IGF receptor mRNA was greatest in 8-mm follicles. IGF binding protein-2 (BP-2) mRNA decreased as follicles achieved progressively larger sizes during the preovulatory period (2 to 8 mm), whereas the IGFBP-4 mRNA remained relatively low for follicles in 2- to 6-mm cohorts but then increased markedly in 8-mm follicles. In summary, temporal and spatial patterns of gene expression for gonadotropin receptor, steroidogenic enzyme, and IGF system genes were characterized in preovulatory porcine follicles by using in situ hybridization and RNase protection analyses. The unique patterns of gene expression suggest interdependence among specific genes that may be essential for preovulatory follicular development.

An in vitro procedure was developed to simulate the digestive system of growing swine for the purpose of predicting phosphorus release from corn−soybean meal diets. The procedure consisted of separate peptic and pancreatic digestion periods. Peptic digestion was carried out by incubating 1.0 g of feed sample with 3000 units of pepsin at pH 2.5 for 75 min. Pancreatic digestion was conducted in a pH 6.0 dialyzing medium for 1−5 h after the pepsin digesta were mixed with 2.4 mg of pancreatin. The in vitro P release responded linearly and quadratically (p < 0.0001) to increasing concentrations of added P and microbial phytase, respectively. The recovery rate of added inorganic P averaged 98%. The in vitro P release correlated (r = 0.999) with in vivo P digestibility and growth performance. In conclusion, this in vitro procedure is a valid, simple, and economical method for predicting the enzymatic dephosphorylation of phytate in corn−soybean meal diets fed to growing swine. Keywords: In vitro procedure; phosphorus; phytase; swine

The percentage of phosphorus (P) dialyzability was determined in 10 plant-origin and 4 animal-origin feed ingredients using an in vitro procedure that simulates the digestive system of growing swine. The test feed ingredients included alfalfa meal, barley, canola meal, corn, grain sorghum, oats, rice bran, soybean meal, wheat, wheat bran, menhaden fish meal, meat and bone meal, spray-dried blood meal, and dry whey. Repeatability of the in vitro procedure was tested for each ingredient using quadruplicate samples. The in vitro P dialyzability percentages were correlated with published in vivo P availability values for swine. Results showed that P dialyzability with the in vitro procedure was highly repeatable (>96%). For the 10 plant-origin feed ingredients, significant correlations (r = 0.72−0.88) were found among the in vitro P dialyzability percentages and the published in vivo P availability values. For the four animal feed ingredients, however, the in vitro dialyzability percentages obtained were poorly correlated (r = −0.26 to 0.70, p > 0.3−0.7) with published in vivo P availability values. In conclusion, the in vitro P dialyzability procedure presented here is a valid alternative to conducting in vivo studies for ranking plant-origin feed ingredients in P availability. Fine grinding of the ingredients and the addition of acid phosphatase increased the validity of this in vitro procedure. Keywords: In vitro dialyzability; phosphorus; feed ingredients; swine

Background A selection of haematological and serum biochemical profile was first presented from the 81 samples of Chinese water deer (Hydropotes inermis). The deer health assessment database was initially established, especially in relation to determining potential effects associated with diseases diagnosis. Results Blood samples were analyzed for different haematological parameters viz. white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), haemoglobin (HGB), packed-cell volume (PCV), platelet count (PLT), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean red blood cells distribution width coefficient of variation (RDW) and different hematological parameters viz. total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), globulin (GLB), albumin to globulin ratio (A/G), total bilirubin (TBIL), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), AST/ALT, creatinine, urea (BUN), uric acid, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride, creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and cortisol. The adult females had higher values than adult males in albumin, mean corpuscular volume, packed-cell volume, and hemoglobin content values. The deer from Shanghai had higher urea nitrogen values than those from Zhoushan. Conclusion To our knowledge this is the first report about the haematological and serum biochemical parameters in Chinese water deer. We had initially established a profile of Chinese water deer on haematological and serum biochemical parameters based on 81 samples we had collected. The findings can serve as a primary reference for health monitoring and disease prevention in this species.

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