E. F. Walker

Effect of Dietary Ca and Cd Level of Pregnant Rats on Reproduction and on Dam and Progeny Tissue Mineral Concentrations

Summary Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were used to determine the effects of the addition of 200 ppm of Cd (as CdCl2) to the diet factorially with two levels of dietary Ca (0.07% and 0.96%) on reproductive performance, concentrations of Cd, Cu, Fe, Zn, Ca and Mg in dam liver and kidney and in newborn progeny. High Cd significantly increased liver and kidney Cd, Zn and Ca and decreased liver Fe. High dietary Ca partially protected against accumulation of Cd in liver and kidney but had no effect on concentration of other elements. Number of live or stillborn pups per litter was not significantly affected by diet but high Cd significantly reduced pup birth weight. No grossly abnormal pups were noted. Concentration of Cd in bodies of newborn pups was increased approximately 8.6-fold by high Cd in the diet of dams fed the 0.07 % Ca-diet and 3.8-fold by high-Cd in the diet of dams fed the 0.96% Ca diet. Pup, Zn, Cu and Fe contents were significantly decreased and Ca was significantly increased by high-Cd in the maternal diet whereas pup Mg content was unchanged. Maternal Ca intake had no effect on concentration of Zn, Cu, Fe or Ca in newborn pups. The biological importance of the alteration in maternal and fetal tissue concentrations of Zn, Cu and Fe by high-Cd maternal diets is unknown.

Age Changes in Body Weight and in Several Blood Componets of Conventional versus Miniature Pigs

Summary Two litters (11 pigs) of Pitman-Moore miniature pigs (M) and 3 litters (26 pigs) of conventional pigs (C) of Hampshire and the cross of Hampshire and Yorkshire breeding were used to compare body weight gain, blood hemoglobin, blood urea and serum alkaline phosphatase, cholesterol, and protein to 20 weeks of age. Body weight gain was similar during the first 6 weeks for M and C pigs, but the difference in mean weight gain between M and C pigs steadily increased at each subsequent time interval in favor of the latter. The mean weight at 20 weeks was 43kg and 69 kg for M and C pigs, respectively. Blood parameters were similar for M and C pigs at each time interval except that serum alkaline phosphatase dropped much more rapidly in M pigs during the first 6 weeks, serum cholesterol was lower during the suckling period in M pigs and the blood urea was lower in M pigs from weeks 10 to 20 and serum protein higher in M pigs throughout.

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.