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Biomedical subjects

R J Neale

Publications and source records attributed to R J Neale.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Coprophagy in iron-deficient rats.

An attempt was made to prevent coprophagy in iron-deficient rats using plastic anal cups. Considerable damage to the anal cups occurred as a result of gnawing over periods up to 4 days. Haemoglobin iron determinations in rats with and without cups suggested that the cups had been partially successful in preventing recycling of dietary iron, and that coprophagy may be a significant factor in interpretation of haemoglobin regeneration studies on rodents.

Anemia, Hypochromic↗

Nutritional effects of field bean (Vicia faba L.) proteinase inhibitors fed to rats.

1. Weanling rats were fed on purified-casein diets containing active and inactive (autoclaved) field bean (Vicia faba L.) proteinase inhibitors (PI) at levels of 1.25, 2.5, 5.0 and 10 g/kg. Diets containing raw- and autoclaved-field-bean meal (FBM) were also given. The body-weight gain, protein efficiency ratio (PER); i.e. the ratio of the live weight gain in g/g of protein consumed and apparent nitrogen digestibility were determined 7, 14 and 21 d after the start of the trial. 2. Significant growth depression (P less than 0.001) was observed in rats given diets containing 2.5 g/kg PI (27--35%). In rats fed on raw FBM growth depression was severe after 7 d (57%). 3. Food intake was depressed at PI inclusion levels of 5 g/kg and higher between 14 and 21 d. 4. PER was depressed significanlty (33-44%) in rats given diets containing the active PI at all levels after 7 d. The protein utilization of all casein diets was higher than that of the FBM diets. 5. Apparent N digestibility was depressed in rats fed on diets containing 10 g/kg PI by 9 and 7% at 14 and 21 d respectively. The N digestibility of both raw and heated FBM was similar at approximately 84%. 6. It was concluded that the PI are not the main factors responsible for the growth depression observed when raw FBM is fed to rats.

Animals↗

Iron availability from meat.

1. The distribution of radioactive iron in 59Fe-labelled rat muscle extract was determined using gel filtration. This showed that most (approximately 70%) of the radioactivity was associated with the heamatin compounds; myoglobin and haemoglobin. 2. Raw beef and freeze-dried rat muscle were digested in vitro, under simulated physiological conditions, and after centrifugation the supernatants fractionated by gel filtration. The soluble products were haematin Fe complexes of molecular weight above 10,000 and non-haematin Fe compounds of molecular weight below 6000, the major products being the non-haematin Fe complexes. The soluble compounds were also separated by dialysis and, in rat muscle, it was found that the low-molecular-weight non-haematin compounds accounted for more than 80% of the total soluble iron. 3. In vivo absorption studies with rats showed the Fe in a digested muscle dialysate to be more readily absorbed than that from an aqueous muscle extract which itself was more readily absorbed than the Fe from whole blood. 4. It may not, therefore, be the haemoproteins per se which are responsible for the high availability of Fe in meat, but rather the nature of their degradation products, formed by digestion within the meat environment.

Animals↗

Protein quality and iron availability of intermediate moisture beef stored at 38 degrees C.

The longissimus dorsi of a bull and steer were cut into cubes 1.5 cm3 and processed to a water activity (aw) 0.85 by canning in a solution of 9.5 p. 100 sodium chloride, 0.5 p. 100 potassium sorbate and a pre-determined amount of glycerol and water for sixteen hours with continuous tumbling on an end over shaker. After partial drying the intermediate moisture (i.m.) meat pieces were stored at 38 degrees C for periods up to 24 weeks and then freeze-dried before milling and incorporation into test diets fed to rats. Protein quality of fresh cooked beef and i.m. meat stored at 38 degrees C was measured in terms of net protein utilisation (NPU). There was no significant difference in NPU between cooked beef and freshly processed i.m. beef. There were no changes in NPU of i.m. meat from bull up to 9 weeks of storage. After 3 weeks of storage of the meat from the steer however, the NPU fell to 53.0, a level characteristic of cereal protein. This fall in NPU was associated with a decrease in the levels of all essential amino acids (in the protein hydrolysate). Valine and threonine being first and second limiting amino acids. Further storage of i.m. beef after 3 weeks produced a slower rate of decrease in NPU, the value at 24 weeks being 32.1 (61 p. 100 fall). Available lysine decreased by only 15 p. 100 after twenty-four weeks, this measurement under-estimating the fall in protein quality. The decrease in solubility of the meat in SDS/beta-mercaptoethanol on storage was of similar magnitude to that of NPU. Iron availability of i.m. meat, measured by haemoglobin regeneration in rats, showed improved iron availability compared to freshly cooked beef, even though marked changes had occurred in the meat heamatin complexes.

Animals↗

Endogenous loss of leucine and methionine in adult male rats.

1. The fractional rate of loss of 14C and body-weight was measured in adult male rats after giving 14C-labelled methionine or leucine and maintaining rats for 30 d on a low-protein or a specific methionine+cystine-free diet: carcasses were then analysed for protein and fat 14C radioactivity. 2. The fractional loss of 14CO2 from [14C]methionine or [14C]leucine between day 20 and day 30 was always greater than the fractional loss of body-weight. 3. Carcass protein 14C radioactivity after giving [14C]leucine was higher than after giving [14C]methionine, but fat 14C radioactivity after either 14C-labelled amino acid was only a small proportion of the total body 14C radioactivity. 4. After correction of the fractional loss of 14CO2 for urinary 14C loss, but not body-weight loss, absolute amino acid loss was calculated using published values for methionine and leucine content of rats. 5. The best estimates of endogenous amino acid loss obtained using I-14C-labelled amino acids, expressed as mg/kg body-weight 0.75 per day were leucine 79, methionine 38.

Animals↗