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Biomedical subjects

N H Williams

Publications and source records attributed to N H Williams.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

The impact of ractopamine, energy intake, and dietary fat on finisher pig growth performance and carcass merit.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of ractopamine, energy intake, dietary fat level, and sex on performance and carcass composition in finishing pigs. Three hundred six barrows and gilts were used in a factorial arrangement of treatments replicated over three seasons. Treatments consisted of two ractopamine levels (0 vs 44.7 mg/d), two sexes (barrows and gilts), two levels of fat addition (0 vs 5% added fat), and four energy intake levels (8.3, 8.9, 9.5, and 10.1 Mcal of ME/d for barrows and 7.7, 8.3, 8.9, and 9.5 Mcal of ME/d for gilts). Diets were formulated to maintain an equal lysine (28.5 g/d) intake at each feeding level through cornstarch dilution of the basal (7.7 Mcal of ME/d) diets. Pigs were fed daily based on a standard feed intake curve and prior weekly body weights. At slaughter (104 kg), carcass measurements and TOBEC HA-1 scanner measurements were recorded. Dietary fat addition improved live weight and lean efficiency (grams of carcass lean gain/kilogram of feed, P < .05). Dietary fat addition did not affect growth rate or carcass composition. Increasing energy intake resulted in a linear increase in average daily gain for both barrows and gilts (P < .01). Dietary ractopamine influenced the response of lean tissue accretion, lean tissue accretion efficiency, and fat tissue accretion to energy intake. Pigs with no added ractopamine demonstrated increased lean tissue accretion and improved efficiency and decreased fat tissue accretion with increasing energy intake (up to 9.5 Mcal of ME intake for barrows and 8.9 Mcal of ME intake for gilts). In contrast, pigs with added ractopamine did not respond to increasing energy intake and demonstrated increased fat tissue accretion with increasing energy intake. The response to ractopamine for growth was greatest from d 6 to 22 on test or during the test gain period of 7 to 18 kg. After d 22, the response of ractopamine declined linearly. These results indicate that ractopamine increases growth rapidly at the onset of feeding until a plateau is reached, after which there is a linear decline in growth response.

Adipose Tissue

Reduction of oxidized cytochrome c by ascorbate ion.

The kinetics and mechanism of the reduction of oxidized cytochrome c by ascorbate has been investigated in potassium nitrate, potassium 4-morpholineethanesulfonate (KMes), potassium sulfate and potassium ascorbate media. The results are consistent with simple second order electron transfer from ascorbate dianion to cytochrome c and do not support electron transfer from an ascorbate dianion bound to the protein of the cytochrome as recently proposed by Myer and Kumar. A rate constant of 8 X 10(5) M-1 X s-1 (25 degrees C, ionic strength, 0.1) was found for the electron-transfer step. This rate constant is essentially independent of the specific ions used in controlling ionic strength.

Alkanesulfonates

Ontogeny and characterization of mitogen-reactive lymphocytes in the thymus and spleen of the amphibian, Xenopus laevis.

The ontogeny of the proliferative response of Xenopus thymocytes to the T-cell mitogens concanavalin A (Con A) and phytohaemagglutinin and to the B-cell mitogen E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is examined during the first 2 years of life. Responses after metamorphosis are compared with those occurring in the spleen. During much of larval life, mitogen-treated thymocytes display no sign of elevated [3H]TdR uptake. A low level in vitro response to Con A and LPS emerges transiently just prior to metamorphosis, the latter period being associated with a temporary disruption of thymocyte mitogen reactivity. Appreciable stimulation of both thymocytes and splenocytes with all three mitogens emerges within the first few months post-metamorphosis, and, with the exception of the thymocyte response to LPS, these induced proliferative levels are maintained or increased in toadlets aged 7-24 months. Maximal levels of LPS responsiveness in thymocyte cultures are found at 6 months of age. LPS-induced thymocyte proliferation at this time is confirmed morphologically by autoradiography; furthermore, immunofluorescence experiments, using an anti-Xenopus-mu chain antiserum, reveal that LPS induces the differentiation of cytoplasmic IgM cells in both spleen and thymus. The results indicate the presence of substantial populations of mitogen-sensitive cells in B lineage in the anuran thymus.

Aging

Time-of-day-induced priming effects on verbal and nonverbal dichotic tasks in male and female adult subjects.

Normal adults (32 males and 32 females) were tested for time-of-day related shifts in laterality and priming on two dichotic listening tasks using consonant-vowel combinations (CVs) and musical melodies. The predicted time-of-day effect on melodies was due to males showing low report in the morning, but not the afternoon, suggesting increased right hemisphere involvement in the afternoon. A time-of-day-induced priming effect on the laterality index for CVs differentiated males and females. Males tested morning-first were more lateralized than females, who in turn were more lateralized when tested afternoon-first. A time-of-day-induced priming effect on the laterality index for music indicated those tested afternoon-first showed an overall left ear advantage (LEA), whereas those tested morning-first showed an overall right ear advantage (REA). On raw music scores a sex-linked, time-of-day-induced priming effect was due to the prior presentation of CVs--that is, cognitive priming. Other priming effects on music were evident for order of stimulus presentation and order of ear attended. Implications for theory, research and pedagogy are discussed.

Adult

A quality assurance plan for an epidural analgesia program.

A midwestern community hospital established an Acute Pain Service to implement epidural analgesia on the general care units. It developed a multidisciplinary quality assurance plan using the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' 10-step monitoring and evaluation process. Quality assurance monitors provided information regarding important aspects of care. Data collected from the monitors enabled nurses and other disciplines to make decisions and changes about the growing epidural analgesia program.

Analgesia, Epidural