Salivary alpha-amylase and noradrenaline responses to corticotropin-releasing hormone administration in humans

Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) is a digestive enzyme mainly responsible for the hydrolysis of starch and glycogen in the oral cavity. Since the secretion of sAA is largely under the control of the sympathetic nervous system, sAA activity is also considered to be a non-invasive marker of sympathetic activation. However, the direct association between sAA activity and other sympathetic parameters remains questionable. Therefore, we employed the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation test to pharmacologically activate the sympathetic nervous system and to analyze plasma noradrenaline response together with sAA activity. Thirty-one healthy male volunteers (mean age of 25.2±3.1years) were randomized into two groups and received injections with either CRH (100μg, N=17) or placebo (0.9% NaCl, N=14). Blood samples were taken at baseline and 15, 30, 60, 120min after injection. Results showed that CRH administration increased plasma noradrenaline and cortisol concentrations, sAA activity, heart rate, as well as self-reported side effects (i.e. flushing in the facial area, heart rate changes, giddiness, malaise and restlessness) and stress perception, while plasma adrenaline levels remained unaffected. In the CRH group, the total increase of sAA activity significantly correlated with noradrenaline release, indicating that sAA activity reflects pharmacologically induced sympathetic activation.

Effects of quarter individual and conventional milking systems on teat condition

An on-farm experiment was performed to investigate the effects of two milking systems on teat condition. An auto-tandem milking parlor made by GEA(®) with a conventional milking cluster (CON) and a single tube milking system called MultiLactor(®) (MULTI) from Siliconform GmbH were tested. For both milking system, in total 73 animals were milked over a period of seven months. To assess the effect of milking on teat condition, each teat was scored according to teat-condition evaluation systems. To evaluate teat condition, the teat color, ring formation at the teat base and formation of teat hyperkeratosis were assessed. The evaluation was conducted once a month after milking. The collected data were then statistically analyzed with generalized linear mixed models. The only differences found between the two milking systems occurred with respect to their effect on teat color. MULTI showed significantly better scores compared to CON. There were no significant differences between the milking systems with regard to teat-end hyperkeratosis and ring formation at the teat base.