INTRODUCTION We have reported that altered gut flora is associated with septic complications and eventual death in critically ill patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome. It is unclear how fecal pH affects these patients. We sought to determine whether fecal pH can be used as an assessment tool for the clinical course of critically ill patients. METHODS Four hundred ninety-one f...

As a result of the cost of grains, the replacement of grains by co-products (i.e. DDGS) in feedlot diets is a common practice. This change produces diets that contain a lower amount of starch and greater amount of fibre. Hypothetically, combining feed grade urea (U) with slow release urea (Optigen) in this type of diet should elicit a better synchrony between starch (high-rate of digestion) and...

The objective of this study was to assess the influence of ciliated protozoa on ruminal fermentation in cattle fed high-grain diets. Six ruminally cannulated steers fed a corn-based grain diet (85% concentrate plus 15% alfalfa hay) at 12-h intervals were assigned randomly to two groups, ciliate free and faunated, in a crossover design. Defaunation was by ruminal emptying, omasal flushing, and t...

Six crossbred, mature beef cows (609 kg) fitted with ruminal cannulas were used in a crossover design to evaluate the effects of small quantities of supplemental blood meal and feather meal combined with mineralized salt (40% NaCI, 41% CaHPO,, 7% KCI, 7% MgO, 5% trace minerals) on serum urea nitrogen, ruminal fermentation profiles, in situ organic matter disappearance and fecal output. Cows gra...

Adequate forage amounts in both physical and chemical forms are necessary for proper ruminal function in dairy cows. Under conditions in which total amounts of forage or particle size of the forage are reduced, cows spend less time ruminating and have a decreased amount of buoyant digesta in the rumen. These factors reduce saliva production and allow ruminal pH to fall, depressing activity of c...

An experiment using a 4 X 4 Latin square design was to determine effects of treating wheat straw with pH-regulated (pH = 11.5) solutions of hydrogen peroxide on site and extent of nutrient digestion in multiple-fistulated sheep. Regulating reaction pH at 11.5 prevented solubilization of some cell wall hemicelluloses, resulting in improved retention of DM. Diets fed to sheep contained 33 or 70% ...

The primary objective of this experiment was to determine whether lactating dairy cows that are at high (HR) or low (LR) risk for experiencing ruminal acidosis, because of their diet and stage of lactation, differ in their response to an acidosis challenge. A secondary objective was to determine whether the severity of acidosis changes with repeated challenges. The experiment was a completely r...

Sheep adapted to consume tannins rich feeds such as oak leaf (OL) appear to develop defensive mechanisms by their ruminal bacteria against these polyphenols. The capabilities of ruminal isolated tannins resistant bacteria from these animals to ferment a tanniniferous feed (i.e., pistachio hulls, (PH) which were incubated with rumen fluid from Holstein dairy cows was assessed. Six g positive coc...