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This study investigated the possibility of integrating date leaves (DL) as a partial or complete substitute for conventional forage fibre sources into the diet of dairy cows. Nine Holstein cows were assigned to a replicated 3×3 Latin square design, and offered 1 of the 3 diets containing no DL (DL-0), or finely chopped DL partially (50%, DL-50) or completely (100%, DL-100) substituted for lucerne hay and maize silage. The replacement of the forages by DL was established such that the forage NDF (24.5%) was similar across diet despite the decreased forage: concentrate ratio from 0.45:0.55 to 0.33:0.67. Diets were similar in concentration of crude protein and starch, while the indigestible forage NDF (iNDF) increased from 7.2 to 15.4% of DM. Results showed that increasing DL inclusion linearly decreased nutrient intake and digestibility. Moreover, a trend toward a linear decrease in milk yield and percentage of milk protein and lactose were observed with increasing DL proportion in the diet. However, ruminal volatile fatty acids concentration, milk fat content, and feed efficiency were similar across the treatments. A quadratic trend was observed for eating and ruminating time by feeding DL, with the highest values found for cows fed DL-50. Replacing forages with finely chopped DL was effective to meet the fibre requirement, but reduced feed intake and milk yield possibly because of increased forage iNDF. However, conventional forages can be partially replaced with DL in the diet, particularly under forage shortage, because of maintained gross milk yield efficiency and reduced feed cost.

This experiment was designed to investigate the effects of feeding diets with different fiber content and forage particle size on the performance, health, nutrient digestion, rumen fermentation, and behavioral and sorting activity of Holstein dairy calves kept under elevated environmental temperature. Sixty weaned Holstein female calves (age = 96.7 ± 7.62 days old; body weight = 82.4 ± 10.4 kg) were randomly assigned to one of 4 treatments arranged in a 2-by-2 factorial design in a 70-day experiment. Dietary forage content (moderate, 22.5%; or high, 40.0% on DM basis) and alfalfa hay particle size (short, 4.39 mm; or long, 7.22 mm as geometric mean) were the experimental factors, resulting in the following combinations: (1) high-fiber (HF) diets with forage-to-concentrate ratio of 40:60 and long particle-sized alfalfa hay (LPS; HF-LPS); (2) HF diets with short particle-sized alfalfa hay (SPS; HF-SPS); (3) moderate-fiber (MF) diets with forage-to-concentrate ratio of 22.5:77.5 with LPS (MF-LPS); and (4) MF diets with SPS (MF-SPS). The temperature–humidity index averaged 73.0 ± 1.86, indicating that weaned calves experienced a moderate extent of heat stress. Fiber level and AH particle size interacted and affected dry matter intake, with the greatest intake (4.83 kg/d) observed in MF-SPS-fed calves. Final body weight was greater in calves receiving MF vs. HF diets (164 vs. 152 kg; p < 0.01). Respiration rate decreased when SPS vs. LPS AH was included in HF but not MF diet. Lower rectal temperature was recorded in calves fed MF vs. HF diet. Digestibility of dry matter and crude protein was greater in calves fed MF than HF diets, resulting in lower ruminal pH (6.12 vs. 6.30; p = 0.03). Fiber digestibility was greater in calves fed SPS compared with those fed LPS alfalfa hay. Feeding HF compared with MF diet increased acetate but lowered propionate molar proportions. The inclusion of SPS vs. LPS alfalfa hay decreased lying time in HF diet (920 vs. 861 min; p < 0.01). Calves fed MF vs. HF diets spent less time eating but more time lying, which is likely indicative of better animal comfort. Dietary fiber level and forage particle size interacted and affected sorting against 19 mm particles, the extent of which was greater in HF-SPS diet. Overall, dietary fiber level had a stronger effect than forage particle size on the performance of weaned calves exposed to a moderate degree of heat stress as feeding MF vs. HF diet resulted in greater feed intake, final body weight, structural growth measures, nutrient digestion, as well as longer lying behavior. The inclusion of SPS alfalfa hay in MF diets increased feed consumption.

Determining the best level of forage inclusion in diets for optimal performance of weaned calves will benefit the dairy industry greatly. This study evaluated the effect of feeding different forage to concentrate ratios on performance, behaviour, and metabolic responses of Holstein weaned calves. Forty-five Holstein female calves (70 d of age and 71.7 ± 4.4 kg body weight at trial initiation) were balanced for birth BW and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: (1) forage-to-concentrate ratio of 50:50, (2) forage-to-concentrate ratio of 35:65 and (3) forage-to-concentrate ratio of 20:80. Alfalfa hay was the sole dietary forage source. Calves were kept in individual pens until 120 d of age. Decreasing dietary forage concentration linearly increased dry matter and energy intake, and average daily gain. Body weight at d 95 and 120 linearly increased as alfalfa hay was replaced with concentrate. Ruminal pH at d 120 of age linearly decreased with greater inclusion of concentrate. Final heart girth, withers height and hip height linearly increased and final hip width tended to increase as concentrate was substituted for alfalfa hay. Plasma glucose concentration at d 95 of age linearly increased with greater concentrate levels, but the opposite was observed for β-hydroxybutyrate concentration. Increasing concentrate increased lying behaviour linearly, but decreased rumination behaviour. The results of this study indicated that feeding diets with a 20:80 forage to concentrate ratio enhanced feed intake, growth performance, and some skeletal growth parameters in the post-weaning period and increased lying behaviour and decreased rumination behaviour. HIGHLIGHTS Determining the best level of forage inclusion in diets for optimal performance of weaned calves will benefit the dairy industry greatly. Decreasing dietary forage concentration linearly increased dry matter intake, body weight and withers height. Feeding diets with a 20:80 forage to concentrate ratio enhanced performance in the postweaning period of dairy calves.

This study investigated the effect of diets negative in dietary cation–anion difference (DCAD) or restricted in Ca fed prepartum to dairy cows for three weeks on colostrum yield and composition, and the health and growth performance of their calves. Thirty-six pregnant non-lactating Holstein-Friesian cows were randomly assigned to three isoenergetic diets: (1) low Ca: 0.24% Ca, DCAD: +86 mEq/kg; (2) high Ca: 1.23% Ca, DCAD: +95 mEq/kg; and (3) low DCAD: 1.28% Ca, DCAD: −115 mEq/kg (all dry matter (DM) basis). While colostrum quality was not affected, low Ca supply prepartum tended to increase the colostrum yield compared to high Ca (low Ca = 8.81 vs. high Ca = 5.39 kg). However, calves from cows fed low DCAD showed higher serum concentrations of K, lower body weight (BW), starter feed intake and average daily weight gain before weaning compared to low Ca and high Ca calves (53.12 vs. 57.68 and 57.32 kg) but BW was similar postweaning (d 70). In addition, calves from dams fed low DCAD were more likely to develop diarrhea and had increased number of days with abnormal fecal scores. Consequently, calves from low DCAD dams had to be treated more frequently.

Different grain sources in the diet have shown varying effects on performance of dairy cows. Also, the variability in response to different starch sources is influenced by the type of forage used. This study investigates the combined effects of two forage (alfalfa hay vs. corn silage) and grain (barley vs. corn) sources on dry matter intake (DMI), feed efficiency, milk production and composition, apparent nutrient digestibility, blood metabolites, and ruminal metabolism of dairy cows. Eight second-parity early lactation Holstein cows (63 ± 5 d in milk) were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square with a 2 × 2 factorial design. Diets were iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous and were based on either corn (CG) or barley (BG) grains, and corn silage (CS) or alfalfa hay (AH). Diets with CS had more long (108 vs. 68 g/kg DM) and medium particles (369 vs. 331 g/kg DM), and thus, longer mean particle size (5.4 vs. 4.6 mm) compared to diets with AH. Cows fed BG had less DMI and lower actual and energy-corrected milk (ECM) yield than CG-fed cows. The total tract digestibility of starch (952 vs. 987 g/kg) and crude protein (CP) (687 vs. 743 g/kg) were lower in CG cows than cows fed BG. Additionally, cows fed CG tended to have lower ruminal propionate concentrations than those fed BG, suggesting differences in ruminal fermentability between BG and CG. Milk fat content (30.6 vs. 29.2 g/kg) and ECM production (42.6 vs. 40.7 kg/d) tended to be greater in cows fed diets containing AH rather than CS. Furthermore, despite similar nutrient digestibility and total volatile fatty acid production, AH-fed cows had a higher ruminal acetate-to-propionate ratio compared to those fed CS. Replacement of BG with CG improved performance by increasing DMI; however, the expected positive effects of substituting CS with AH in BG-based diets may be obscured by the impact of differences in forage particle size (PS). These results indicated that inclusion of CG might be an optimum choice for modulating ruminal condition and enhancing performance compared to BG during early lactation.

Abstract The present study determined the effect of supplementing palmitic acid (PA) and stearic acid (SA) on the nutrient intake, digestibility, and serum metabolites of dairy cows fed two different starch levels during the postpartum period. Forty-four multiparous Holstein cows were used in a completed randomized block based on their parity and previous milk yield. Dietary treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 arrangement with two dietary starch levels (HS: 260 g/kg of diet dry matter (DM) vs LS: 210 g/kg of diet DM) and two fat supplements rich in PA or SA at 15 g/kg of diet DM. Increasing the starch concentration of the postpartum diet improved organic matter (OM), ether extract (EE), crude protein (CP), and starch intake. Moreover, HS diets resulted in higher apparent digestibility of OM and CP but lower starch digestibility than LS diets. Feeding HS diets increased fecal starch output compared with LS diets. There was starch levels and FA supplements interaction for serum albumin and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), with higher concentrations in HSSA and LSPA compared to HSPA and LSSA. Significant correlations between performance and blood metabolites were observed in weeks 3 and 4. In week 3, a negative correlation was observed between serum TAC with milk protein (r =  − 0.51) and lactose percentage (r =  − 0.49) in the HS diet. However, non-esterified FA was correlated with the fat to protein ratio in the LS diet (r = 0.54). Moreover, in week 4, serum TAC was negatively related to the body condition score of the cows fed LS diet (r = 0.50), while there was no relationship for cows fed HS diets. In conclusion, feeding HS diets to postpartum cows increased nutrient intake and the digestibility of OM and CP compared with LS diets. The addition of SA to the HS diet may be more beneficial than PA in improving the oxidative status of dairy cows in the postpartum period.

A three-factor, three-level, face-centred cubic design was adopted to investigate the effect of three pre-treatment parameters, namely sodium hydroxide-to-dry biomass ratio [0.00, 0.05, and 0.10 (w/w)], lime-to-dry biomass ratio [0.00, 0.05, and 0.10 (w/w)] and residence reaction time (24, 96, and 168 h), at moderate temperature (21°C) on 24-h cumulative gas production (GP24) and delignification, as the response variables. Under the optimal pre-treatment conditions of NaOH-to-dry biomass ratio of 0.09 (w/w), lime-to-dry biomass ratio of 0.09 (w/w) and residence time of 160.3 h, the model predicted 151.6 mL gas/g organic matter (OM) versus the experimental value of 147.2 mL gas/g OM. Under the optimal conditions of NaOH-to-dry biomass ratio of 0.10 (w/w), lime-to-dry biomass ratio of 0.08 (w/w) and residence time of 156.8 h, sugarcane bagasse (SCB) was maximally delignified by 41.2%, whereas the model predicted 43.6% delignification. Under the optimal conditions determined for GP24, the neutral detergent fibre degradability of the pre-treated biomass after 24 and 48 h was 37.2 and 56.3%, respectively, a 1.90-fold and 1.58-fold over the untreated biomass, respectively. Overall, it was found that combined alkali treatment at optimal conditions effectively enhanced the ruminal degradability of SCB.

In this study, changes in the chemical composition, pH, cell wall and degradability of ensiled rice straw were investigated when treated with alkali, acid, oxidant agents (1–11 %, w / w ) and a combination of an oxidant with either an alkali (ALHP) or an acid (ACHP). The findings of the study revealed that ALHP had a lower efficiency in enhancing fibre degradability compared to alkali alone. Oxidant treatment showed no detectable changes in pH, dry matter (DM) and phenolic compound (PC) solubility, or in silica and fibre content, but led to increased esterified groups formed within the cell wall constituents (hemicellulose and lignin). Increasing acid concentration led to an exponential change in both pH and solubility of DM and hemicelluloses while it quadratically increased PC and silica solubility. Moreover, crystallinity, hydrogen bonding and esterification were enhanced under high acid concentrations (11 %), but decreased under mild acid conditions (5 %). Increased alkalinity led to the linear enhancement of DM and PC solubility. Solubility of silica and hemicellulose did not exhibit any significant changes with alkali concentration above 7 %. A gradual enhancement (29 %) was observed in ruminal DM degradability with increasing oxidant concentration, whereas exponential (91 %) and quadratic (23 %) enhancements were observed with alkaline and acid treatments, respectively. Treatment with acid showed observable reductions in the degradability of both cellulose and hemicellulose, whereas oxidant treatment reduced only that of hemicellulose. Treatment with 7 % alkali (pH ∼ 12) followed by ensiling appeared to be a promising process for improving rice straw quality.

IntroductionAlthough there are some drugs to control Parkinson’s disease (PD), they have several side effects and cannot control the inflammation and oxidative stress, the leading causes of PD progression. On the other hand, there is a growing interest in herbal medicine as a safe and cheap adjunctive therapy to prevent PD progression. In this regard, limited human studies investigated the effect of saffron, a rich source of antioxidants, on PD. Nevertheless, due to low sample size, saffron dosage and study duration, they could not completely affirm the efficacy of saffron on PD. Therefore, this triple-blind randomised controlled clinical trial aimed to investigate this subject in human patients with a proper sample size, saffron dosage and duration study.Methods and analysisIn this parallel, randomised, triple-blind controlled clinical trial, 92 patients with PD will be randomised into two groups to receive either (1) a daily tablet containing 100 mg/d saffron for 12 weeks or (2) placebo tablets for the same duration. The following variables will be assessed before and after the intervention, as the outcomes of interest: serum values of C-reactive protein, total antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde, glutathione, zonulin, the activity of catalase enzyme, PD stage, symptoms of PD (motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms), quality of life, mental health, sleep quality, cognitive status, anthropometric indices, blood pressure, gastrointestinal symptoms, appetite and fatigue. The intention-to-treat approach will be used for patients who were lost to follow-up. Additionally, to adjust for the potential confounders, a one-way analysis of covariance will be performed.Ethics and disseminationThis study was confirmed by the Ethics Committee of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences with the code of IR.MUI.PHANUT.REC.1402.072. Written informed consent to participate will be obtained from all participants. Final findings will be presented in future publications and scientific congresses.Trial registrationIRCT20121216011763N61; Pre-results.

Background COVID-19 pandemic has made the disease a major global problem by creating a significant burden on health, economic, and social status. To date, there are no effective and approved medications for this disease. Curcumin as an anti-inflammatory agent can have a positive effect on the control of COVID-19 complications. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of curcumin-piperine supplementation on clinical symptoms, duration, severity, and inflammatory factors in patients with COVID-19. Methods Forty-six outpatients with COVID-19 disease were randomly allocated to receive two capsules of curcumin-piperine; each capsule contained 500 mg curcumin plus 5 mg piperine or placebo for 14 days. Results Mean changes in complete blood count, liver enzymes, blood glucose levels, lipid parameters, kidney function, and c-reactive protein (CRP) were not significantly different between the two groups. There was a significant improvement in health status, including dry cough, sputum cough, ague, sore throat, weakness, muscular pain, headache, and dyspnea at week 2 in both curcumin-piperine and placebo groups ( P value < 0.05); however, the improvement in weakness was more in the curcumin-piperine group than with placebo group ( P value 025). Conclusion The present study results showed that curcumin-piperine co-supplementation in outpatients with COVID-19 could significantly reduce weakness. However, in this study, curcumin-piperine co-supplementation could not significantly affect the other indices, including biochemical and clinical indices. Trial registration Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT20121216011763N46 . 2020-10-31