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To investigate the possible protective effect of hesperidin on intestinal damage caused by high-temperature heat stress in yellow-feathered broilers, 960 broilers aged 21 days were randomly divided into four groups: HT, HT300, HT450, and HT600, with each group receiving different amounts of hesperidin supplementation (0, 300, 450, and 600 mg/kg). The dietary supplementation of hesperidin could mitigate the elevation of corticosterone (CORT) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ATCH) levels in serum from yellow-feathered broilers induced by heat stress. The supplementation of 300 mg/kg and 450 mg/kg of hesperidin reduced crypt depth and increased the V/C ratio in the small intestine compared to the HT group. The dietary supplementation of hesperidin decreased endotoxin and D-lactic acid levels in the blood, and dietary supplementation of 300 mg/kg of hesperidin increased the expression of claudin-1 and ZO-1 mRNA in the jejunum compared with the HT group. Furthermore, the dietary supplementation of 300 mg/kg of hesperidin decreased serum IL-1β and IL-6 levels. In comparison, supplementation with 300 mg/kg and 450 mg/kg of hesperidin decreased serum TNF-α levels in yellow-feathered broilers compared to the HT group. Moreover, the dietary supplementation of hesperidin decreased NF-κB mRNA levels. Overall, these data suggest that dietary supplementation with hesperidin potentially improves intestinal injury caused by heat stress in yellow-feathered broilers.

Abdominal fat, which in the past was often regarded as waste and discarded, has in recent years been used as a fat source to produce meat by-products. Yellow abdominal fat has higher economic value. Therefore, improving the color of abdominal fat plays an important role in improving the appearance of meat products. This study aimed to identify the contributors and the regulatory network involved in the formation of yellow and white color in abdominal fat. We found that four xanthophyll compounds were significantly different in yellow and white abdominal fat chicken, including zeaxanthin, lutein, canthaxanthin, and β-cryptoxanthin. There were 551 different and 8 common metabolites significantly correlated with these 4 xanthophyll compounds. Similarly, a total of 54 common genes were identified in 4 common related pathways (Complement and coagulation cascades, Metabolic pathways, PPAR signaling pathway, Carbon metabolism) of the 8 common metabolites. The high expression of HAAO in the yellow abdominal fat group leads to the degradation of tryptophan and its intermediate 5-hydroxyindole, and subsequently to the formation of the four xanthophyll compounds. This process is also regulated by tyrosine, kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO), homogentisate 1, 2-dioxygenase (HGD), etc. Together, these findings show the effect of tryptophan on abdominal fat color, as well as a negative regulatory effect of HAAO and 5-hydroxyindole on the production of xanthophyll compounds involved in abdominal fat coloration.

This study investigated the effects of an antibiotic cocktail on intestinal microbial composition, mechanical barrier structure, and immune functions in early broilers. One-day-old healthy male broiler chicks were treated with a broad-spectrum antibiotic cocktail (ABX; neomycin, ampicillin, metronidazole, vancomycin, and kanamycin, 0.5 g/L each) or not in drinking water for 7 and 14 days, respectively. Sequencing of 16S rRNA revealed that ABX treatment significantly reduced relative Firmicutes, unclassified Lachnospiraceae, unclassified Oscillospiraceae, Ruminococcus torques, and unclassified Ruminococcaceae abundance in the cecum and relative Firmicutes, Lactobacillus and Baccillus abundance in the ileum, but significantly increased richness (Chao and ACE indices) and relative Enterococcus abundance in the ileum and cecum along with relatively enriched Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Enterococcus levels in the ileum following ABX treatment for 14 days. ABX treatment for 14 days also significantly decreased intestinal weight and length, along with villus height (VH) and crypt depth (CD) of the small intestine, and remarkably increased serum LPS, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IgG levels, as well as intestinal mucosa DAO and MPO activity. Moreover, prolonged use of ABX significantly downregulated occludin, ZO-1, and mucin 2 gene expression, along with goblet cell numbers in the ileum. Additionally, chickens given ABX for 14 days had lower acetic acid, butyric acid, and isobutyric acid content in the cecum than the chickens treated with ABX for 7 days and untreated chickens. Spearman correlation analysis found that those decreased potential beneficial bacteria were positively correlated with gut health-related indices, while those increased potential pathogenic strains were positively correlated with gut inflammation and gut injury-related parameters. Taken together, prolonged ABX application increased antibiotic-resistant species abundance, induced gut microbiota dysbiosis, delayed intestinal morphological development, disrupted intestinal barrier function, and perturbed immune response in early chickens. This study provides a reliable lower-bacteria chicken model for further investigation of the function of certain beneficial bacteria in the gut by fecal microbiota transplantation into germ-free or antibiotic-treated chickens.

Bacillus velezensis has gained increasing recognition as a probiotic for improving animal growth performance and gut health. We identified six B. velezensis strains from sixty Bacillus isolates that were isolated from the cecal samples of fifteen different chicken breeds. We characterized the probiotic properties of these six B. velezensis strains. The effect of a selected strain (B. velezensis CML532) on chicken growth performance under normal feeding and Clostridium perfringens challenge conditions was also evaluated. The results revealed that the six B. velezensis strains differed in their probiotic properties, with strain CML532 exhibiting the highest bile salt and acid tolerance and high-yield enzyme and antibacterial activities. Genomic analyses showed that genes related to amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism, as well as genes related to starch and cellulose hydrolysis, were abundant in strain CML532. Dietary supplementation with strain CML532 promoted chicken growth, improved the gut barrier and absorption function, and modulated the gut microbiota. Under the C. perfringens challenge condition, strain CML532 alleviated intestinal damage, reduced ileal colonization of C. perfringens, and also improved chicken growth performance. Collectively, this study demonstrated that the newly isolated B. velezensis strain is a promising probiotic with beneficial effects on chicken growth performance and gut health.

Aiming at the problems found in grinding Jun-Cao, such as poor grinding effect and high grinding power of mill, this study proposes a blade Jun-Cao grinding hammer based on the traditional hammer mill. With dynamics model analysis, it had better performance than a traditional hammer. By simulating the operation process in the DEM, forces on Jun-Cao and their motions were analyzed. By optimizing the structural parameters of the hammer blade based on multiobjective optimization using the genetic algorithm, an optimal solution set was obtained as a reference for practical production. Meanwhile, a bench test was designed to compare the traditional rectangular hammer with the new blade hammer regarding the operation effect. The result proved the following: (1) cutting edge length, cutting edge thickness and hammer thickness had a significant influence on the grinding effect and grinding power; (2) a total of 22 optimal solution sets were obtained, based on which the blade hammer with a cutting edge length of 45 mm, a cutting edge thickness of 3 mm and a hammer thickness of 7 mm was finally selected in the bench test; (3) the bench test proved that the blade hammer was generally superior to the traditional rectangular hammer with the output per kilowatt-hour having been improved by 13.55% on average.

The zoonotic pathogens Salmonella spp. infection disrupted intestinal epithelial barrier function and induced local gastroenteritis and systemic inflammation in humans and animals. Sophy β-glucan, a water-soluble β-1,3/1,6-glucan synthesized from the black yeast Aureobasidium pullulans, was reported with immune-regulatory, anti-inflammatory, and anti-infective properties. Here, we investigated the protective role of sophy β-glucan on Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis (SE)-challenged Caco-2 cells monolayer and explored underlying action mechanisms. The results showed that pretreatment with sophy β-glucan blocked the adhesion and invasion of SE onto Caco-2 cells along with alleviating SE-induced epithelial barrier injury, as evidenced by increased trans-epithelial electrical resistance, decreased fluorescently-labeled dextran 4 flux permeability, and an enhanced Claudin-4 protein level in the SE-stimulated Caco-2 cell monolayer. Moreover, treatment with β-glucan down-regulated pro-inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-8, and TNF-α) while up-regulating anti-inflammatory factors IL-10 at mRNA and protein levels in SE-infected Caco-2 cells. Furthermore, sophy β-glucan strengthened the anti-oxidative capacity of Caco-2 monolayers cells by elevating T-AOC and SOD activity and inhibiting MDA production defending SE. Together, our data showed that sophy β-glucan could prevent intestinal epithelial injury induced by SE, possibly by exerting anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and it might be helpful for controlling SE infection.

Soil erosion poses a global threat to arable land and its sustainability, particularly in China, where the most severe soil erosion exists worldwide. No-tillage (NT) and mulching (NTS) are considered the most effective soil management techniques for reducing erosion, but only 10% of the global area utilizes them. Therefore, in comparison to conventional tillage (CT), we conducted a comprehensive national assessment of NT and NTS to evaluate their impact on water erosion across China’s croplands for the period spanning 2000 to 2018, through using Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE); subsequently, we projected the temporal and spatial erosion distribution, and examined their effects of various underlying driving factors by using a random-forest model. Nationally, the average soil loss rates were 1085, 564, and 396 t km−2 a−1 for the CT, NT, and NTS, respectively, across the entire arable land over a span of 18 years. This represents a reduction of 48% and 64% in the NT and NTS, respectively, compared to CT. From 2000 to 2018, water erosion-induced soil loss exhibited a slightly increasing trend with a wavelike pattern in CT, NT, and NTS. The spatial distribution of water erosion in China’s arable land was primarily influenced by local precipitation, accounting for 45% to 52% of the total impact on CT, NT, and NTS. Additionally, the soil slope degree played a role, contributing 29% to 36% of the erosion patterns. Overall, NT and NTS demonstrated superior performance in mitigating the soil erosion in the southern regions of China, including the Central South, Southwest, and East China, owing to the substantial local rainfall and steep terrain. In contrast, NT and NTS exhibited a lower but still significant reduction in soil loss in the northern regions of China due to the flat topography and limited rainfall. However, considering the trade-off between economic losses (yield) and ecosystem benefits (erosion control), we recommend implementing NT and NTS primarily in the northern parts of China, such as the Northeast, North China, and Northwest.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplemental chlorogenic acid and baicalin (CAB) on the growth performance and immunity of broilers challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This study was designed as a factorial arrangement of 2 dietary CAB treatments × 2 LPS treatments. Birds challenged with or without LPS were fed with a basic diet (CON) and (LPS), the level of CAB diet containing 500 mg/kg CAB(CAB) and (CAB + LPS). The feeding trial lasted for 42 days. Results showed that there was a negative effect on average daily weight gain (ADG) and average body weight of broilers during the animal trial with LPS challenge. The levels of diamine oxidase (DAO), lysozyme (LYZ), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and IgA in the serum, the contents of IL-1β and TNF-α in the spleen were elevated with LPS treated. Additionally, LPS treatment tended to reduce the jejunal villi height (VH) and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) in the serum. Dietary supplemental 500 mg/kg CAB increased the body weight and ADG and improved the feed conversion ratio (FCR) during the trial period. In addition, dietary 500 mg/kg CAB elevated the ratio of VH to crypt depth in the jejunum and reduced the content of protein carbonyl. Beyond that, the levels of IgG and IgA in the serum and transforming growth factor (TGF-β) in the spleen were up-regulated with 500 mg/kg CAB supplementation. In conclusion, dietary CAB was beneficial for growth performance and immunity of broilers challenged with lipopolysaccharide.

Clostridium perfringens causes necrotic enteritis (NE) after proliferation in the intestine of poultry, resulting in considerable losses to the poultry industry. This study aimed to investigate the impact of tannic acid on the antioxidant, immunity, and gut health of broilers with NE. In the experiment, 630 one-day-old Cobb500 male chicks were randomly divided into six treatment groups, with seven replicate cages and with fifteen birds in each cage. The treatment groups were as follows: control group (NC), challenged group (PC), and challenged NE chickens treated with 250, 500, 750, and 1000 mg/kg tannic acid (PTA1, PTA2, PTA3, and PTA4, respectively). To induce NE, coccidia vaccine and Clostridium perfringens were administered on day 19 and days 22–28, respectively. Indexes related to antioxidant, immune, and intestinal health were measured on days 28 and 35. During the infection period, we observed significant increases in fecal water content, D-LA, TNF-α, and malondialdehyde concentrations (p < 0.05). Conversely, significant decreases were noted in chyme pH and in T-AOC, IL-4, and IL-10 concentrations (p < 0.05). The addition of tannic acid exhibited a linear decrease in fecal water content and TNF-α concentration (p < 0.05). Furthermore, tannic acid supplementation resulted in a quadratic curve decrease in D-LA concentration and linear increases in T-AOC, IL-4, and IL-10 (p < 0.05). Cecal microbiological analysis revealed that Ruminococcaceae and Butyricimona were dominant in PTA3. In conclusion, the dietary addition of tannic acid may reduce the negative effects of NE by increasing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity, improving the intestinal barrier, and regulating the intestinal flora.

Ascorbic acid (AA) is an indispensable nutrient required to sustain optimal poultry health and performance, which is commonly excluded from the diet of broilers. To investigate the synthesis and distribution of AA during broiler growth and clarify its possible turnover, 144 1 d old healthy Arbor Acres broilers with a body weight of approximately 41 g were randomly assigned to eight groups of 18 broilers each. The kidney, liver, ileum, and spleen of one bird from each group were collected every week until 42 d to detect the synthesis capacity, tissue distribution, and transporter gene expression of AA. The results showed that kidney L-gulonolactone oxidase (GLO) activity responded quadratically (p < 0.001), with maximum activity observed at 7 to 21 d old. Hepatic total AA and dehydroascrobate (DHA) concentration increased linearly (p < 0.001) with age, as did splenic total AA (p < 0.001). In the ileum, mRNA expression of sodium vitamin C transporter 1/2 (SVCT1/2) decreased with the growing age of the broilers (p < 0.05). The expression of SVCT1 in the kidney was not influenced by the growing age of the broilers. The progressive buildup of AA in the liver and spleen of broilers as they age implies an amplified demand for this nutrient. The waning synthesis capacity over time, however, raises concerns regarding the possible inadequacy of AA in the latter growth phase of broilers. The addition of AA to the broilers’ diet might have the potential to optimize their performance. However, the effectiveness of such dietary supplementation requires further investigation.

In aging laying hens, reproductive changes reduce egg quality. Bacillus subtilis natto (B. subtilis) is a versatile bacterium with high vitamin K2 content, providing health benefits for animals and humans. This study investigated the effect of B. subtilis natto NB205 and its mutant NBMK308 on egg quality in aging laying hens. Results showed that NB205 and NBMK308 supplementation significantly improved albumen height (p < 0.001), Haugh units (p < 0.05), and eggshell thickness (p < 0.001) compared to the control group. Supplementation also increased ovalbumin expression, regulated tight junction (TJ) proteins, reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, and improved the health and productivity of aging laying hens by regulating key apoptosis-related genes in the magnum part of the oviduct. There were differences in the expression of vitamin K-dependent proteins (VKDPs) in the magnum between NB205 and NBMK308, but no significant differences in the improvement of egg quality. Supplementation with NB205 and NBMK308 can improve egg quality in aging laying hens.

Internal egg and eggshell quality are often deteriorated in aging laying hens, which causes huge economic losses in the poultry industry. Selenium yeast (SY), as an organic food additive, is utilized to enhance laying performance and egg quality. To extend the egg production cycle, effects of selenium yeast supplementation on egg quality, plasma antioxidants and selenium deposition in aged laying hens were evaluated. In this study, five hundred and twenty-five 76-week-old Jing Hong laying hens were fed a selenium-deficient (SD) diet for 6 weeks. After Se depletion, the hens were randomly divided into seven treatments, which included an SD diet, and dietary supplementation of SY and sodium selenite (SS) at 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45 mg/kg to investigate the effect on egg quality, plasma antioxidant capacity, and selenium content in reproductive organs. After 12 weeks of feeding, dietary SY supplementation resulted in higher eggshell strength (SY0.45) (p < 0.05) and lower shell translucence. Moreover, organs Se levels and plasma antioxidant capacity (T-AOC, T-SOD, and GSH-Px activity) were significantly higher with Se supplementation (p < 0.05). Transcriptomic analysis identified some key candidate genes including cell migration inducing hyaluronidase 1 (CEMIP), ovalbumin (OVAL), solute carrier family 6 member 17 (SLC6A17), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), and proenkephalin (PENK), and potential molecular processes (eggshell mineralization, ion transport, and eggshell formation) involved in selenium yeast’s effects on eggshell formation. In conclusion, SY has beneficial functions for eggshell and we recommend the supplementation of 0.45 mg/kg SY to alleviate the decrease in eggshell quality in aged laying hens.

One of the primary challenges of our time is to feed a growing and more demanding world population with degraded soil environments under more variable and extreme climate conditions. Conservation tillage (CS) and deep tillage (DT) have received strong international support to help address these challenges but are less used in major global food production in China. Hence, we conducted a large-scale literature search of English and Chinese publications to synthesize the current scientific evidence to evaluate the effects of CS and DT on soil protection and yield maintenance in the Northeast China Plain, which has the most fertile black soil (Mollisols) and is the main agricultural production area of China. As a result, we found that CS had higher soil bulk density, strong soil penetration resistance, greater water contents, and lower soil temperature, and was well-suited for dry and wind erosion-sensitive regions i.e., the southwest areas of the Northeast. Conversely, DT had better performance in the middle belt of the Northeast China Plain, which contained a lower soil temperature and humid areas. Finally, we created an original dataset from papers [dataset 1, including soil physio-chemical parameters, such as soil water, bulk density, organic carbon, sand, silt, clay, pH, total and available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), etc., on crop biomass and yield], by collecting data directly from publications, and two predicted datasets (dataset 2 and dataset 3) of crop yield changes by developing random forest models based on our data.

Coal mine waste rocks, mainly broken gangue, can be used as filling materials to backfill into goafs. Under the overburden load, the backfill body is vulnerable to compressive deformation and particle breakage. With the increase in mining depth, the overlying strata will impose different loads on waste rock filling materials at different loading velocities, which further affect the material compressive deformation and particle breakage. In this paper, an experimental scheme and a loading device are designed to study the influence of loading stress and velocity on the compressive deformation and particle size distributions of the backfill materials before and after compression. The results show that the axial strain of the gangue filling materials increases rapidly with the axial stress and then gradually stabilizes, showing a logarithmic functional relationship. Increasing the loading velocity will destroy the contact structures among the gangue particles and cause a larger deformation to the filling materials. When the loading stress is relatively low (5 MPa), the gangue particles with a size larger than 20 mm have a stronger bearing capacity compared with particles of 16–20 mm, which are the first particles to be crushed under these conditions. Further increasing the loading velocity will increase the breakage degree of the filling materials. The breakage ratio (BM) has a logarithmic functional relationship with the loading stress and the loading velocity. When the ground stress is lower than 5 MPa, the content of coarse particles should be increased to enhance the bearing capacity of the gangue materials; when the ground stress is higher than 10 MPa, the content of fine particles should be increased to reduce the porosity ratio and the particle breakage ratio.

This experiment aimed to explore the zymogram of endo-xylanase (EX) and debranching enzymes (arabinofuranosidase [EA] and ferulic acid esterase [EF]) supplemented in the corn–soybean meal-based diet of broilers. An in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion model was adopted. According to single-factor, completely random design, the optimal supplemental levels of individual carbohydrase were determined by reducing sugars (RS) and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD). Response surface method (RSM) was used to predict the proper compound ratio of three carbohydrases. Results showed that shifts were different for feedstuffs such as corn–soybean meal–distillers dried grains with solubles, corn hull, and wheat bran, revealing that the net increase of RS or IVDMD distinctly dropped when degrading corn and related by-products by EX (p < 0.05). There was a significant quadratic relationship between the above response metrics and addition levels of each enzyme (p < 0.05). The determined dosage was 54 U/g EX, 5.0 U/g EA, and 0.4 U/g of EF, respectively. The optimistic zymogram of carbohydrases in corn basal substrates was judged by the IVDMD screening (R2 = 0.9089, p < 0.001). Conclusively, the in vitro assay and RSM were convenient and rapid methods for the optimization of xylan-degrading zymogram, and also testified asthenic hydrolysis of corn arabinoxylan by EX, thus highlighting the synergistic combinations with debranching enzymes.

There is little research on how long-term exposure to independent and multiple air pollutants changes cardiometabolic risk in adults. In addition, previous studies focused on only the effect of one or two lifestyles on cardiometabolic risk. The evidence on the interactive effects of the lifestyle score and exposure to independent and mixtures of air pollutants on cardiometabolic risk is lacking. A total of 33,638 rural residents were included in the cross-sectional study. The three-year average concentrations of air pollutants for participants were predicted by using a satellite-based prediction. The air pollution score was created to assess the combined exposure of four air pollutants (PM1, PM2.5, PM10, and NO2). A gender−age-specific cardiometabolic risk score was calculated. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression and quantile g-computation were used to investigate the associations between air pollutants and cardiometabolic risk. Interaction plots were applied to describe the interactive effects of air pollution and the healthy lifestyle score on cardiometabolic risk. Per interquartile range (IQR) unit increases in PM1, PM2.5, PM10, or NO2 were associated with 0.162 (95% CI: 0.091, 0.233), 0.473 (95% CI: 0.388, 0.559), 0.718 (95% CI: 0.627, 0.810), and 0.795 (95% CI: 0.691, 0.898) unit increases in cardiometabolic risk score (all p < 0.05), respectively. A 0.854 (95% CI: 0.768, 0.940) unit increase in cardiometabolic risk was associated with each IQR increase in air pollution score. Furthermore, the strengths of associations of PM1, PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and the air pollution score on cardiometabolic risk score were attenuated with the healthy lifestyle score increase. In addition, there was no statistical significance after the lifestyle score equal to four scores for the effect of PM1 on the cardiometabolic risk score. In conclusions, individual or joint air pollutants were associated with an increased cardiometabolic risk. Improving the healthy lifestyle may be an effective method to improve cardiometabolic health in highly polluted rural regions.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with different levels of calcium propionate on the lactation performance, blood energy metabolite parameters, and milk metabolites of dairy cows in early lactation. Thirty-two multiparous Holstein cows were randomly divided into 4 groups, which were orally drenched with 0, 200, 350, and 500 g/d calcium propionate per cow supplemented to a basal diet for 5 weeks from calving. The milk and blood of the dairy cows were sampled and measured every week. The milk samples from the last week were used for the metabolomic analysis via liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The results showed that the calcium propionate supplementation quadratically increased the dry matter intake, energy-corrected milk yield, and 4% fat-corrected milk yield; linearly reduced the milk protein and milk lactose concentrations; and quadratically decreased the somatic cell count in the milk. With the increase in calcium propionate, the serum glucose content showed a linear increase, while the serum insulin content showed a quadratic increase. The diets supplemented with calcium propionate quadratically decreased the β-hydroxybutyric acid and linearly decreased the non-esterified fatty acid content in the serum. The metabolomic analysis revealed that eighteen different metabolites were identified in the milk samples of the dairy cows supplemented with calcium propionate at 350 g/d, which decreased the abundance of genistein and uridine 5-monophosphate and increased the abundance of adenosine, uracil, protoporphyrin IX, and sphingomyelin (d 18:1/18:0) compared with the control group. The milk metabolic analysis indicated that the calcium propionate effectively improved the milk synthesis and alleviated the mobilization of adipose tissue and bone calcium. In summary, the calcium propionate could improve the lactation performance and energy status and promote the milk metabolic profile of dairy cows in early lactation. Calcium propionate (350 g/d) is a well-recommended supplement for dairy cows for alleviating negative energy balance and hypocalcemia in early lactation.

Heatwaves are associated with increased mortality and are exacerbated by the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Thus, to inform climate change mitigation and adaptation, we quantified the mortality burden of historical heatwave days in Sydney, Australia, assessed the contribution of the UHI effect and used climate change projection data to estimate future health impacts. We also assessed the potential for tree cover to mitigate against the UHI effect. Mortality (2006–2018) records were linked with census population data, weather observations (1997–2016) and climate change projections to 2100. Heatwave-attributable excess deaths were calculated based on risk estimates from a published heatwave study of Sydney. High resolution satellite observations of UHI air temperature excesses and green cover were used to determine associated effects on heat-related mortality. These data show that >90% of heatwave days would not breach heatwave thresholds in Sydney if there were no UHI effect and that numbers of heatwave days could increase fourfold under the most extreme climate change scenario. We found that tree canopy reduces urban heat, and that widespread tree planting could offset the increases in heat-attributable deaths as climate warming progresses.

Fasting-induced autophagy in the intestine is beneficial for body health. This study was designed to explore the relationship between the host metabolism and intestinal autophagy. Broilers were randomly assigned into 48 cages. At 0 (CT), 12 (FH12), 24 (FH24), 36 (FH36), 48(FH48), and 72 h (FH72) before 09:00 a.m. on day 25, eight cages of birds were randomly allotted to each fasting time point using completely random design, and their food was removed. At 09:00 a.m. on day 25, the blood and jejunum were sampled for serum metabolome and autophagy gene analyses, respectively. The results showed that the autophagy gene Atg7 has a good quadratic fit with fasting duration (R2 = 0.432, p < 0.001). Serum phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and lyso-PE were decreased in the birds that were fasted for 24 h or longer. Conversely, the serum phosphatidylcholine (PC) and lyso-PC were increased in the birds that were fasted for 36 h or longer. Metabolism pathway analysis showed that the serum glycerophospholipid, phenylalanine, and GnRH signaling pathways were downregulated with the extended fasting duration. The serum metabolites involved in glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor biosynthesis, autophagy, and ferroptosis were upregulated in all of the fasted groups. Correlation analysis showed that serum PE (18:3(9Z,12Z,15Z)/P-18:0) was a potential biomarker for intestinal autophagy. Our findings provide a potential biomarker related to intestinal autophagy.

Spraying roads with water on a large scale in Chinese cities is one of the supplementary precaution or mitigation actions implemented to control severe air pollution events or heavy haze-fog events in which the mechanisms causing them are not yet fully understood. These air pollution events were usually characterized by higher air humidity. Therefore, there may be a link between this action and air pollution. In the present study, the impact of water spraying on the PM2.5 concentration and humidity in air was assessed by measuring chemical composition of the water, undertaking a simulated water spraying experiment, measuring residues and analyzing relevant data. We discovered that spraying large quantities of tap or river water on the roads leads to increased PM2.5 concentration and humidity, and that daily continuous spraying produces a cumulative effect on air pollution. Spraying the same amount of water produces greater increases in humidity and PM2.5 concentration during cool autumn and winter than during hot summer. Our results demonstrate that spraying roads with water increases, rather than decreases, the concentration of PM2.5 and thus is a new source of anthropogenic aerosol and air pollution. The higher vapor content and resultant humidity most likely create unfavorable meteorological conditions for the dispersion of air pollution in autumn and winter with low temperature.

Background: Limited evidence is available on the health effects of particulate matter (PM including PM2.5 with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm; PM10, ≤ 10 μm; PM2.5–10, 2.5–10 μm) during the pandemic of COVID-19 in Italy. The aims of the study were to examine the associations between all-cause mortality and PM in the pandemic period and compare them to the normal periods (2015–2019). Methods: We collected daily data regarding all-cause mortality (stratified by age and gender), and PM concentrations for 107 Italian provinces from 1 January 2015 to 31 May 2020. A time-stratified case-cross design with the distributed lag non-linear model was used to examine the association between PM and all-cause mortality. We also compared the counts and fractions of death attributable to PM in two periods. Results: Italy saw an increase in daily death counts while slight decreases in PM concentrations in pandemic period. Each 10 µg/m3 increase in PM was associated with much higher increase in daily all-cause mortality during the pandemic period compared to the same months during 2015–2019 (increased mortality rate: 7.24% (95%CI: 4.84%, 9.70%) versus 1.69% (95%CI: 1.12%, 2.25%) for PM2.5; 3.45% (95%CI: 2.58%, 4.34%) versus 1.11% (95%CI: 0.79%, 1.42%) for PM10; 4.25% (95%CI: 2.99%, 5.52%) versus 1.76% (95%CI: 1.14%, 2.38%) for PM2.5–10). The counts and fractions of deaths attributable to PM were higher in 2020 for PM2.5 (attributable death counts: 20,062 versus 3927 per year in 2015–2019; attributable fractions: 10.2% versus 2.4%), PM10 (15,112 versus 3999; 7.7% versus 2.5%), and PM2.5–10 (7193 versus 2303; 3.7% versus 1.4%). Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic increased the vulnerability and excess cases of all-cause mortality associated with short-term exposure to PM2.5, PM2.5–10, and PM10 in Italy, despite a decline in air pollution level.

Rice yield is not only influenced by factors of varieties and managements, but also by environmental factors. In this study, agronomic trait data of rice and climate data in eastern China were collected, and rice yields were predicted using a variety of algorithms, including the non-linear tool of feed-forward backpropagation neural networks (FFBN) and the linear model of partial least squares regression (PLSR). The results showed that both the agronomic traits and the climate data were significantly related with rice yield. The PLSR model showed that covariates occurred among the parameters, and modifications should be considered for climate data-based modelling. The FFBN model demonstrated better prediction performance than that of PLSR, in which the relation coefficient (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE) were 0.611 vs. 0.374 and 0.578 vs. 0.865 ton/ha using climate data, respectively; and 0.742 vs. 0.689 and 0.556 vs. 0.608 using agronomic trait data, respectively. When using fused data the R2 and RMSE improved to 0.843 vs. 0.746 and 0.440 vs. 0.549, respectively. The optimum architecture of the FFBN consisted of one hidden layer with 29 neurons. Therefore, the FFBN algorithm is an effective option for the prediction of rice yield in complex systems of rice production.

Evidence on the health benefits of green space in residential environments is still limited, and few studies have investigated the potential association between blue space and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) prevalence. This study included 39,019 participants who had completed the baseline survey from the Henan Rural Cohort Study, 2015–2017. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) were employed to characterize the residential green space, and the distance from the participant’s residential address to the nearest water body was considered to represent the residential blue space. Mixed effect models were applied to evaluate the associations of the residential environment with T2DM and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels. An interquartile range (IQR) increase in NDVI and EVI was significantly associated with a 13.4% (odds ratio (OR): 0.866, 95% Confidence interval (CI): 0.830,0.903) and 14.2% (OR: 0.858, 95% CI: 0.817,0.901) decreased risk of T2DM, respectively. The residential green space was associated with lower fasting blood glucose levels in men (%change, −2.060 in men vs. −0.972 in women) and the elderly (%change, −1.696 in elderly vs. −1.268 in young people). Additionally, people who lived more than 5 km from the water body had a 15.7% lower risk of T2DM (OR: 0.843, 95% CI: 0.770,0.923) and 1.829% lower fasting blood glucose levels (95% CI: −2.335%,−1.320%) than those who lived closer to the blue space. Our findings suggest that residential green space was beneficially associated with T2DM and fasting blood glucose levels. However, further research is needed to explore more comprehensively the relationship between residential blue space and public health.

The immense problem of missing satellite aerosol retrievals (Aerosol Optical Depth, (AOD)) detrimentally affects the prediction ability of ground-level PM2.5 concentrations and may lead to unavoidable biases. An appropriate missing-imputation method has not been well developed to date. This study developed a two-stage approach (AOD-imputation stage and PM2.5-prediction stage) to predict short-term PM2.5 exposure in mainland China from 2013–2018. At the AOD-imputation stage, geostatistical methods and machine learning (ML) algorithms were examined to interpolate 1 km satellite aerosol retrievals. At the PM2.5-prediction stage, the daily levels of PM2.5 were predicted at a resolution of 1 km, based on interpolated AOD and meteorological data. The statistical performances of the different interpolation methods were comprehensively compared at each stage. The original coverage of retrieved AOD was 15.46% on average. For the AOD-imputation stage, ML methods produced a higher coverage (98.64%) of AOD than geostatistical methods (21.43–87.31%). Among ML algorithms, random forest (RF) or extreme gradient boosted (XG-interpolated) AOD produced better interpolated quality (CV R2 = 0.89 and 0.85) than other algorithms (0.49–0.78), but XGBoost required only 15% of the computing time of RF. For the PM2.5 predicted stage, neither RF-AOD nor XG-AOD could guarantee higher accuracy in PM2.5 estimations (CV R2 = 0.88 (RF or XG-AOD) compared to 0.85 (original)), or more stable spatial and temporal extrapolation (spatial, (temporal) CV R2 = 0.83 (0.83), 0.82 (0.82), and 0.65 (0.61) for RF, XG, and original). For the AOD-imputation stage, the missing-filled efficiency depended more on external information, while the missing-filled accuracy relied more on model structure. For the PM2.5 predicted stage, efficient AOD interpolation (or the ability to eliminate the missing data) was a precondition for the stable spatial and temporal extrapolation, while the quality of interpolated AOD showed less significant improvements. It was found that XG-AOD is a better choice to estimate daily PM2.5 exposure in health assessments.

Calcium propionate is a safe and reliable food and feed additive. It can be metabolized and absorbed by humans and animals as a precursor for glucose synthesis. In addition, calcium propionate provides essential calcium to mammals. In the perinatal period of dairy cows, many cows cannot adjust to the tremendous metabolic, endocrine, and physiological changes, resulting in ketosis and fatty liver due to a negative energy balance (NEB) or milk fever induced by hypocalcemia. On hot weather days, cow feed (TMR or silage) is susceptible to mildew, which produces mycotoxins. These two issues are closely related to dairy health and performance. Perinatal period metabolic disease significantly reduces cow production and increases the elimination rate because it causes major glucose and calcium deficiencies. Feeding a diet contaminated with mycotoxin leads to rumen metabolic disorders, a reduced reproductive rate (increased abortion rate), an increased number of milk somatic cells, and decreased milk production, as well as an increased occurrence of mastitis and hoof disease. Propionic acid is the primary gluconeogenic precursor in dairy cows and one of the safest mold inhibitors. Therefore, calcium propionate, which can be hydrolyzed into propionic acid and Ca2+ in the rumen, may be a good feed additive for alleviating NEB and milk fever in the perinatal period of dairy cows. It can also be used to inhibit TMR or silage deterioration in hot weather and regulate rumen development in calves. This paper reviews the application of calcium propionate in dairy cows.

With the improvement in the intense genetic selection of dairy cows, advanced management strategies, and improved feed quality and disease control, milk production level has been greatly improved. However, the negative energy balance (NEB) is increasingly serious at the postpartum stage because the intake of nutrients cannot meet the demand of quickly improved milk production. The NEB leads to a large amount of body fat mobilization and consequently the elevated production of ketones, which causes metabolic diseases such as ketosis and fatty liver. The high milk production of dairy cows in early lactation aggravates NEB. The metabolic diseases lead to metabolic disorders, a decrease in reproductive performance, and lactation performance decline, seriously affecting the health and production of cows. Propylene glycol (PG) can alleviate NEB through gluconeogenesis and inhibit the synthesis of ketone bodies. In addition, PG improves milk yield, reproduction, and immune performance by improving plasma glucose and liver function in ketosis cows, and reduces milk fat percentage. However, a large dose of PG (above 500 g/d) has toxic and side effects in cows. The feeding method used was an oral drench. The combination of PG with some other additives can improve the effects in preventing ketosis. Overall, the present review summarizes the recent research progress in the impacts of NEB in dairy cows and the properties of PG in alleviating NEB and reducing the risk of ketosis.

Unlike other breast cancer subtypes, patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) have poor outcomes and no effective targeted therapies, leaving an unmet need for therapeutic targets. Efforts to profile these tumors have revealed the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway as a potential target. Activation of this pathway also contributes to resistance to anti-cancer agents, including microtubule-targeting agents. Eribulin is one such microtubule-targeting agent that is beneficial in treating taxane and anthracycline refractory breast cancer. In this study, we compared the effect of eribulin on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway with other microtubule-targeting agents in TNBC. We found that the phosphorylation of AKT was suppressed by eribulin, a microtubule depolymerizing agent, but activated by paclitaxel, a microtubule stabilizing agent. The combination of eribulin and everolimus, an mTOR inhibitor, resulted in an increased reduction of p-S6K1 and p-S6, a synergistic inhibition of cell survival in vitro, and an enhanced suppression of tumor growth in two orthotopic mouse models. These findings provide a preclinical foundation for targeting both the microtubule cytoskeleton and the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in the treatment of refractory TNBC.