These novel piglet models of short bowel syndrome are the first to represent the full clinical spectrum of intestinal failure as observed in human neonates. By considering the impact of different short bowel anatomy on potential for adaptation and growth, these animal models are a significant advance. They permit evaluation of new therapies to promote intestinal adaptation and reduce complications, such as cholestasis.

Amino acid requirements of broiler breeder chickens are not well known. The indicator amino acid oxidation (IAAO) technique was adapted for use in broiler breeders as a rapid and sensitive method to determine amino acid requirements. During IAAO, phenylalanine oxidation decreases, inversely to the changes in protein synthesis, as the intake of the limiting test amino acid increases from deficient to adequate. Above the adequate level, phenylalanine oxidation remains constant. Before IAAO can be employed, the optimum priming and constant infusion doses of phenylalanine must be determined. Prelaying catheterized birds aged 20 to 24 wk were placed in closed oxidation chambers attached to a breath collection apparatus. A constant L-[1-(14)C]phenylalanine dose of 3.5 microCi/kg BW/h and priming doses of 4.5, 5.5, and 7.0 microCi/kg BW were used to determine optimal prime:constant dose ratios, minimum time taken for breath 14CO2 excretion to become constant (plateau), and adequate percentage of phenylalanine oxidized. At this constant infusion rate, the optimal priming dose of L-[1-(14)C]phenylalanine was 5.5 microCi/kg BW, resulting in a prime:constant dose ratio of 1.6:1. By using this ratio, the average time taken for breath 14CO2 to reach plateau was 60 min. Average phenylalanine oxidation at plateau, corrected for bicarbonate retention, was 5.5 +/- 1.4% (mean +/- SD), which is adequate for IAAO studies using deficient-to-excess levels of test amino acids. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first in chickens to establish a primed, constant infusion technique using L-[1-(14)C]phenylalanine. The IAAO technique will be used in future studies to determine amino acid requirements in chickens.

GLP-2 therapy improves clinical, morphological, and histological outcomes of intestinal adaptation in a distal-intestinal resection model of SBS. Since this anatomical subtype represents the majority of clinical cases of neonatal SBS, these results support a potential role for GLP-2 therapy in pediatric SBS.

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. Enhanced attraction to blood by pigs with inadequate dietary protein supplementation. Can. J. Anim. In two experiments, 60 individually penned growing pigs were exposed daily to two sections of cotton cord, one of which had been soaked with pigs' blood and subsequently dried, while the other was plain. The animals' preference for chewing-on the blood-impregnated cord was quantified by direct observation. When fed a standard "control" diet of corn, birley, and soybean meal with mineral and vitamin supplements, the pigs had a clear but modest preference for chewing the blood-impregnated cord. Omission of the proiein supplement ( Or, I'omission du compl6ment prot6ique (tourteau de soja) dans la ration pendant quatre semaines augmente nettement I'atiraction pour le sang et donne lieu d une r6duction significative du gain de poids corporel. Dans la deuxibme exp6rience, la compl6mentation de cette ration "n6gative" )r la (a) lysine rynihetiqu", ou (b) lysine synth6tique et d'autres acides amin6s synth6tiques, entraine des gains de poids interm6diaires entre ceux obtenus ir mdme les rations t6moins et n6gatives. L'attraction pour le sang est 6galement interm6diaire en moyenne, bien que non signficativement inf6rieure ) celle obtenue avec la raiion n6gative. Les porcs nourris des rations compl6ment6s aux acides amin6s affichent des gains de poids trds variables. Ceux qui ont affich6 un gain de poids aussi rapide que les t6moins ont montr6 relitivement peu d'attraction pour le sang, alors que ceux qui ont affich6 une nette baisse de gain de poids ont eu tendance (mais pas toujours) ir etre davantage attir6s par le sang-. Les auteurs pensent qu'une i6duction de la croissance provoqu6e par une nutrition carenc6e en prot6ine pr6dispose les animaux d une attraction accrue pour le sang et qu'un rapport de ce genre pourrait aider ir expliquer le lien maintes fois signal6 entre les carences alimentaires et le syndrome du mordillement de la queue.