[en] An important component of radiopharmaceuticals quality evaluation is determination of biological distribution attributes by animal study. This is subjective, time consuming, and difficult to quantify. A user friendly graphical statistical analysis software (BioDOT) was developed using Visual Basic 6.0 for repeatable, objective evaluate of biological distribution attribute of radiopharmaceuticals in animal. The software measured the organs mass, organs radioactivity, radioactivity decay correction, radioactivity per gram of organs, and calculate radioactivity target to non-target ratios. Radiopharmaceuticals quality assessment by a BioDOT was used to estimate post injected biological distribution, and organs radioactivity and uniformity ratio was calculated. The software quantified percent injected dose of radiopharmaceutical in selected organs of the animal study. Total percent injected dose was quantified and correlated with the standard value of BP Pharmacopoeia. The method objectively measured distribution quality attributes of radiopharmaceuticals and generate full report in pdf format in less than 10 min per study. (author)

[en] In this keynote address some of the basic problems of livestock production in developing countries and some policy alternatives which offer possible solutions are presented

[en] Inadequacy and poor utilization of animal feed resources are the main limiting factors on animal production in most developing countries. The bulk of ruminant foodstuffs consists of poor quality fodder, such as pasture and rangeland grass, crop residues and fibrous by-products. It is very rarely possible to use cereals as supplements, since most developing countries at present need to import cereals for human consumption. This has not prevented many development agencies from recommending that cereals and other concentrate feeds be imported to boost monogastric production, reproducing the model developed for temperate countries where there is a cereal surplus. In most cases, the types of feed available locally do not allow high levels of individual animal performance. However, this does not mean that it is impossible to improve animal production in developing countries. During the last two decades, much research on animal nutrition has been successfully conducted and the results are being applied in practice. The most significant of these concern the utilization by animals of sugar-cane and its by-products, the use of non-conventional animal feeds and the treatment of straw and other fibrous materials. In all cases, supplements are required. Livestock feeding systems could also be improved if it were possible to use more of those by-products which are at present exported. New livestock feeding strategies must be developed based on currently or potentially available local resources. It is more logical and profitable for developing countries to adapt animal production systems to available feed resources than vice versa. (author)

[en] The increasing need for well-defined, standardized experimental animals for research has led to the development of many new methods of keeping the animals free from pathogenic microorganisms. In this connection the problem of contaminated food has taken on ever greater significance. The methods most commonly used today, namely chemical treatment and heat treatment of the fodder, have many disadvantages and interest in the use of radiation sterilization has accordingly increased. The author discusses the various aspects of this method in relation to SPF animals and reports on the three years' experience of the Research Institute for Experimental Animal Breeding (University of Vienna) in Himberg with the use of exclusively radiation-treated diets in the rearing of rats and mice. The ease of handling irradiated fodder, the reliability of the method from the microbiological point of view and the excellent breeding results already obtained make this process - despite its somewhat higher cost - the best possible method of pasteurizing the feed of experimental animals. (author)

[en] Sterilization by irradiation of animal feeds is promising. The objective of experiments presented is to determine if integrated dose (44 kGy) has an influence on breeding performances and on animal behavior. Results show that not only nothing abnormal is constated but performances are better than those obtained with an autoclave in an important breeding center in conditions perfectly analyzed

[en] Small animals such as rat and mouse are commonly used in the pre-clinical experiment. Proper animal models are key factor in successful radiopharmaceutical or medicinal experiment. Biodistribution and pharmacokinetic studies are required for radiopharmaceutical as diagnostic or therapeutic agents. The aim of this presentation is to demonstrate the proper dissecting procedure using the normal and healthy Sprague-Dawley rats injected with radioactive component as following the current good pre-clinical practice with safety precautions. (author)

[en] In a region of humid tropical forest, ten boars of from 12 to 24 months of age were selected to evaluate the effect of climatic variables measured on the day of semen collection and for each of preceding 45 days. On seminal characteristics, the variability of each characteristic was separated into an intra individual component and an interindividual component, using maximum likelihood estimators (PROC VARCOMP of SAS). In order to relate the seminal characteristics with the climatic variables, morphological abnormalities were grouped according to the affected spermatic region, into head. Midsection and main section abnormalities; the other characteristics were evaluated without any modification. Possible correlations between seminal characteristics and climatic variables were evaluated. In a total of 298 ejaculates collected weekly during a period of 30 weeks, except for total volume and morphological abnormalities. The seminal characteristics presented low or moderate intra and interindividual variation and were similar to those found in other latitudes, with a tendency to present greater seminal volumes and concentrations maximum temperature minimum temperature. Range among temperatures. Relative humidity and precipitation of the day of the semen collection and on each of the preceding 45 days had low effects on the seminal characteristics. It is possible that the boars in warm humid tropical areas develop a high level of adaptation that permits an adequate testicular thermoregulation that favors the spermatogenic function of the seminiferous tubules in a way that does not perceptibly affect production the seminal quality

[en] Nuclear techniques are uniquely suited to answering certain questions which arise in problems associated with animal production and health. In some cases they are the only way of finding an answer, and in other cases they may give an answer more quickly and perhaps with greater insight into the total problem than other non-nuclear techniques. These questions, which nuclear techniques are able to answer, are relevant to both the developed and the developing countries of the world; in some cases they are even more relevant to the latter, because the need in these countries is frequently more urgent and less information is available to help solve the problem. (author)

[en] Methods are discussed of describing roughages so that potential consumption by animals is predicted. Evidence is presented showing that a high precision of predicting straw intake and animal performance is possible from information on solubility, potential degradation of insoluble materials and the degradation rate. Description of the capacity of different types of ruminants to consume and efficiently digest roughages is more difficult. Recent data from cattle experiments suggest that measurement of outflow rate of fibrous particles can provide information on this question. The data have also revealed large and consistent variation even within herds of the same breed. (author). 9 refs, 2 figs, 9 tabs

[en] A general model is presented of the relationships between animal and food characteristics which help lead to predictions of food consumption and animal performance. It is an important part of this scheme that equal weight is given to the description of food and animal characteristics. The results of some experiments are given suggesting that ruminants can select between feeds to meet their nutrient needs and that, in growing animals, the physical capacity to bite is an important determinant of grazing efficiency and ecology. Studies with growing lambs of the energetic efficiency of growth suggest that variation in the energy cost of protein accretion may be a more important determinant of overall energetic efficiency of growth than is conventionally supposed. In lactating animals that also exercise, milk protein and lactose yields fall during exercise and this effect is difficult to counteract by protein and/or starch supplementation of straw diets. Studies of forage substitution by supplements have not revealed differences in substitution rate with age in sheep. (author). 22 refs, 6 figs, 2 tabs