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This study established a method for preserving chicken primordial germ cells (PGC) that enables long-term storage in liquid N. Gonads were harvested from stage 27 chick embryos and pooled in groups of 5, 10 (10E), or 20 embryos, contributing gonads to the cell suspension. The gonadal cells, including PGC, were then frozen in 1 of the following cryoprotectant treatments: 2.5% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), 5% DMSO, 10% DMSO, 2.5% ethylene glycol (EG), 5% EG, 10% EG, and 0% cryo-protectant as a control. The cells were liberated and frozen in a biosecure cryopreservation straw at a rate of -1°C/ mm until reaching -85°C and were then plunged into liquid N (-196°C), in which they were stored until analysis. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the PGC post-thaw. The PGC marker stage-specific embryonic antigen-1, which was detected with goat antimouse 1gM fluorescein isothiocyanate, was used to label all PGC, and propidium iodide was used to detect cells with compromised cell membranes. There was an interaction effect for the number of viable PGC per individual embryo (P ≤ 0.05). The highest level (183.6 ± 28.4) of viable PGC per individual embryo was observed for 10% EG with 10E and was significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) than cryopreservation in 2.5% DMSO with 10E and 20 embryos, 2.5% EG with 10E, 5% EG with 10E, and all 0% cryoprotectant treatments. No statistical interaction (P > 0.05) was observed for the percentage of viable PGC. However, the highest percentage (80.6%) was observed at 10% EG with 10E. It was demonstrated that PGC were successfully frozen, and the most effective treatment was 10% EC with 10 embryos/straw. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early posthatch satellite cell mitotic activity is an important aspect of muscle development. An understanding of the interplay between nutrition and satellite cell mitotic activity will lead to more efficient meat production. The objective of this study was to test the influence of the leucine metabolite, β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate (HMB), and feed deprivation on muscle development in the early posthatch poult. Male Nicholas poults were placed on I of 4 treatments: immediately fed a starter diet with 0.1% HMB (IF-HMB), immediately fed a starter diet containing 0.1% Solka-Floc for a control (IF-No HMB), feed and water withheld for 48 h immediately posthatch and then fed the HMB diet (WF-HMB), and feed and water withheld for 48 h immediately posthatch and then fed the control starter diet (WF-No HMB). 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was injected intra-abdominally into all poults to label mitotically active satellite cells. The pectoralis thoracicus was harvested 2 h after the BrdU injection. Immunohistochemistry for BrdU, Pax7, and laminin along with computer-based image analysis was used to study muscle development. IF-HMB poults had higher body weights (P < 0.01) at 48 h and 1 wk of age and had higher satellite cell mitotic activity at 48 h of age (P < 0.01) compared with the IF-No HMB and WF poults. Therefore, dietary supplementation of HMB may have an anabolic effect on early posthatch muscle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 37-d laying hen experiment was performed to determine the effect of Diamond V XPCLS (XPCLS, Diamond V Mills, Cedar Rapids, IA) during a subclinical Eimeria maxima infection on intestinal health and productivity. Two hundred and sixteen 18-wk-old Brown Nick laying hens were allocated to 24 litter pens based on a weight class system (9 hens/ pen). The trial was carried out as a 2 x 2 factorial design with XPCLS and E. maxima challenge as main factors. Birds were fed a corn/wheat-based mash pre-layer diet from wk 18 to 20 (10.9 MJ/kg of AME and 13.7% CP) and a standard phase I layer diet from wk 20 to 24 (11.7 MJ/kg of AME and 15.3% CP) that were supplemented with XPCLS at the rate of 0 or 0.75 g/kg. Hens were orally inoculated on d 23 (22 wk of age) with either 1 mL of saline (not infected) or 10,000 sporulated E. maxima oocysts/bird in 1 mL of saline (infected). Effects of XPCLS oii intestinal health were determined by E. maxima lesion scoring. Results of E. maxima lesions were analyzed by Fisher exact, whereas severity of lesions and production parameters were analyzed by ANOVA. Supplementation of XPCLS significantly reduced severity of E. maxima lesions {P < 0.05) from 1.1 to 0.8 in challenged hens. An overall significant effect of XPCLS supplementation was demonstrated on d 34 by decreasing the severity of lesions from 0.3 to 0.1. The E. maxima challenge decreased (P < 0.05) production performance between 7 and 14 d postchallenge by lowering egg weight from 50 to 47 g/egg and laying rate from 84 to 70% and increasing feed per dozen eggs (P < 0.01) from 1.60 to 2.06 kg. Results indicate that Diamond V XPCLS supplementation reduced intestinal damage caused by an E. maxima infection in laying hens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various products and prototypes were added to poultry diets during an aflatoxin challenge on growth and histological parameters. Male broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 8 treatment groups with 8 replicates/treatment and 3 birds/replicate. Treatments were as follows: 1) negative control containing no aflatoxin (NC); 2) positive control containing aflatoxin (PC); 3) 0.1% glucomannan mycotoxin standard industry ameliorator (STD); 4) 0.1% prototype A, a proprietary mixture of a Saccharornyces cerevisiae product and diatomaceous clay; 5) 0.2% prototype A; 6) 0.15% prototype B, a proprietary mixture of a S. cerevisiae product and diatomaceous clay (PB); 7) 0.0625% XPC (S. cerevisiae fermentation product); and 8) 0.125% XPC (XPC2). All treatments except NC contained 2,280 ± 102 ng/g of aflatoxin and were fed for 28 d. Body weight and feed intake were measured weekly. Livers were collected on d 28, weighed, and used for histopathological evaluation. Beginning weights were similar across treatments, but BW were lower (P ≤ 0.05) than NC for all treatments except PB and XPC2. Total feed intake was lower (P ≤ 0.05) only for PC and STD compared with all other groups. Feed efficiency was not significantly (P ≥ 0.05) different among the treatment groups. Liver weights relative to BW were higher (P ≤ 0.05) for all treatments compared with NC. Liver vacuolar lesions were significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) than NC for the PC, STD, 0.1% prototype A, and 0.0625% XPC groups. However, vacuolar lesions in the 0.15% prototype B, PB, and XPC2 treatments were not significantly different (P ≥ 0.05) compared with NC. Overall, BW gain in treatment groups PB and XPC2 was not different from NC and that corresponded to protective effects against liver lesions. Benefits observed during an aflatoxin challenge when broilers were supplemented with XPC, a fermentation product that does not contain any adsorbents, may be attributed to something other than adsorption as a primary mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an abstract of the research paper "Evaluation of XPC™ and prototypes on aflatoxin challenged broilers," by G.D. Osweiler and colleagues.