D. E. Hogue

Toxicologic studies with male sheep grazing on municipal sludge‐amended soil

Growing sheep were grazed for 152 d on grass-legume forage growing on soil that had been amended with municipal sewage sludge from Syracuse, N.Y., at 224 metric tons per hectare. Cadmium was higher, but not significantly (p greater than 0.05), in tissues of sheep fed the sludge-grown forage as compared to controls. No significant differences between the sludge or control treatments were found in weight of the complete or cauda epididymis or in percent progressive motility of cauda epididymal sperm. The sludge-treatment group had significantly larger testes (p less than 0.025) when expressed as a percentage of body weight, and higher blood uric acid values (p less than 0.05). There were no observable changes in tissue ultrastructure of liver, kidney, muscle, or testes as examined by electron microscopy in either of the treatment groups. There were no significant differences for rate of animal weight gain, carcass weight, dressing percentage, or quality or yield grade of the carcases between the treatment groups.

Toxicologic studies in growing sheep fed silage corn cultured on municipal sludge‐amended acid subsoil

Field corn was grown on subsoil, pH 5.5, that had been amended with 100 dry tons per acre (224 metric tons per hectare) of municipal sewage sludge from Syracuse, New York. The corn plants containing 3.88 ppm dry weight of cadmium were field-chopped and ensiled, and the silage was fed to growing sheep for 225 d. The sheep fed the sludge-grown corn silage showed a significantly (10 higher feed efficiency, (2) higher hepatic microsomal p-nitroanisole O-demethylase activity, and (3) higher concentrations of cadmium in liver and kidney and nickel in kidney as compared to the control animals. No significant treatment effects were observed in mutagenic responses for animal feed or feces samples. No consistent treatment effects were noted during histopathologic examination of sheep tissues.

Effect of Kidney Beans, Weight Gains and Unsaturated Fat on Incidence of Liver Necrosis in Rats

Summary Rats fed torula yeast diets containing 30% raw kidney beans had shorter survival times and a higher incidence of liver necrosis than rats fed comparable diets without beans when body weight gains were similar. Food restriction increased survival time and decreased the incidence of liver necrosis, whereas increasing the level of cod liver oil had the opposite effect. It was concluded that when incidence of liver necrosis or survival time is used as a criterion of vitamin E nutrition the rate of gain and unsaturated fat content of diet must be considered.

Effect of kidney beans and taurocholate on serum tocopherol and nutritional muscular dystrophy in chicks.

Summary Two trials were conducted with 370 chicks to study dystrophogenic action of raw kidney beans. The addition of 40% raw kidney beans to the basal diet decreased plasma tocopherol levels and induced NMD in chicks fed 30 ppm of vitamin E and decreased plasma tocopherol levels in chicks fed 200 ppm of vitamin E but NMD was induced in the latter chicks. The beans did not significantly affect the selenium content of the carcass. The addition of sodium taurocholate alleviated the dystrophogenic action. Therefore, it is suggested that at least some of the dystrophogenic effect of raw beans in chicks is due to decreased absorption of vitamin E.

The synthesis of glucose and ammonia by kidney tubules isolated from suckling and early-weaned lambs

Glucose and ammonia production were examined in kidney tubules isolated from suckling and early-weaned lambs, on days 10-30 after birth, with abrupt weaning occurring at day 14. There were no differences in the rates of glucose or ammonia production for a given substrate by tubules isolated from any of the lambs, regardless of age or stage of weaning. The preferred substrates for gluconeogenesis were glycerol = lactate greater than propionate = pyruvate = fructose = proline greater than alanine greater than glutamate greater than glutamine greater than aspartate greater than glycine greater than serine, and for ammoniagenesis were glutamine much greater than alanine greater than aspartate much greater than serine greater than glycine = glutamate = proline.