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The effects of dietary supplementation of young broiler chickens with an organic selenium (Se) formulation, B-Traxim Se, on experimental necrotic enteritis (NE) were studied. Chickens treated with three Se doses (0.25, 0.50, 1.00mg/kg) from hatch were orally challenged with Eimeria maxima at 14 days of age followed by Clostridium perfringens to induce NE. Chickens fed with 0.50 mg/kg Se showed significantly increased body weights and antibody levels against NetB, and significantly reduced gut lesions compared with non-supplemented chickens. However, there were no significant differences in Eimeria oocyst shedding between the Se-treated and non-supplemented groups. Levels ofIL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, iNOS, LITAF, TNFSF15, AvBD6, AvBD8, and AvBD13 transcripts were increased in the gut and spleen of at least one of the three Se-treated groups compared with the non-treated group. These results suggest that dietary supplementation of young broilers with Se might be beneficial to reduce the negative consequence of NE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) are important elements of the first line of defence against pathogens in animals. NK-lysin is a cationic AMP that plays a critical role in innate immunity. The chicken NK-lysin gene has been cloned and its antimicrobial and anticancer activity has been described but its location in the chicken genome remains unknown. Here, we mapped the NK-lysin gene and examined the distribution of a functionally significant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) among different chicken inbred lines and heritage breeds. Results: A 6000 rad radiation hybrid panel (ChickRH6) was used to map the NK-lysin gene to the distal end of chromosome 22. Two additional genes, the adipocyte enhancer-binding protein 1-like gene (AEBP1) and the DNA polymerase delta subunit 2-like (POLD2) gene, are located in the same NW_003779909 contig as NK-lysin, and were thus indirectly mapped to chromosome 22 as well. Previously, we reported a functionally significant SNP at position 271 of the NK-lysin coding sequence in two different chicken breeds. Here, we examined this SNP and found that the A allele appears to be more common than the G allele in these heritage breeds and inbred lines. Conclusions: The chicken NK-lysin gene mapped to the distal end of chromosome 22. Two additional genes, AEBP1 and POLD2, were indirectly mapped to chromosome 22 also. SNP analyses revealed that the A allele, which encodes a peptide with a higher antimicrobial activity, is more common than the G allele in our tested inbred lines and heritage breeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the choroidal thickness changes after intravitreal bevacizumab injection (IVB), panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) or both for diabetic retinopathy treatment. Materials and Methods: The study included 31 eyes (31 patients) in the IVB group, 35 eyes (35 patients) in the PRP group and 35 eyes (35 patients) in the IVB-PRP group. Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography(EDI-OCT) was performed before and 1 month after each treatment to measure subfoveal and extrafoveal(500 and 1000 μm) choroidal thicknesses. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) were also measured. Results: The choroidal thickness at all locations significantly decreased after treatment in all groups, but there was no significant difference in the amount of change among the three groups. The subfoveal choroidal thickness and CMT significantly decreased after treatment in the IVB and IVB-PRP groups. In the PRP group, the CMT significantly increased, while the choroidal thickness significantly decreased after treatment. The subfoveal choroidal thickness and CMT were significantly reduced after IVB, but there was no significant correlation between their changes. The BCVA was improved significantly in the IVB and IVB-PRP group, but not in the PRP group. Conclusions: The choroidal thickness decreased after all treatments, suggesting that IVB or PRP rapidly reduced choroidal vascular permeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the use of experimental model of necrotic enteritis to compare the response of clostridial toxin antibody and disease susceptibility of Eimeria maxima and Clostridium perfringens in three commercial broiler chickens. It states that the broilers were infected with bacteria and fed with high-protein diet to promote the development of disease. Results show that the Cobb chickens demonstrated increased body weight loss compared with Hubbard and Ross breeds.

Purpose: Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is a progressive, degenerative, complex autosomal recessive disease characterized by cerebellar degeneration, immunodeficiency, premature aging, radiosensitivity, and a predisposition to cancer. Mutations in the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (atm) gene, which phosphorylates downstream effector proteins, are linked to A-T. One of the proteins phosphorylated by the ATM protein is Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome protein (NBS, p95/ nibrin), which was recently shown to be encoded by a gene mutated in the Nijmegen breakage syndrome (nbs), an autosomal recessive disease with a phenotype virtually similar to that of A-T. The similarities in the clinical and cellular features of NBS and A-T have led us to hypothesize that the two corresponding gene products may function in similar ways in the cellular signaling pathway. Thus, we sought to identify genes whose expression is mediated by the atm and nbs gene products. Material and methods: To identify genes, we performed an analysis of oligonucleotide microarrays using the appropriate cell lines, isogenic A-T (ATM-) and control cells (ATM+), and isogenic NBS (NBS-) and control cells (NBS+). Results: We examined genes regulated by ATM and NBS, respectively. To determine the effect of ATM and NBS on gene expression in detail, we classified these genes into different functional categories, including those involved in apoptosis, cell cycle/DNA replication, growth/differentiation, signal transduction, cell-cell adhesion, and metabolism. In addition, we compared the genes regulated by the ATM and NBS to determine the relationship of their signaling pathways and to better understand their functional relationship. Conclusions: We found that, while ATM and NBS regulate several genes in common, both of these proteins also have distinct patterns of gene regulation, findings consistent with the functional overlap and distinctiveness of these two conditions. Due to the role of ATM and NBS in tumor suppression and the response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, these findings may assist in the development of a more rational approach to cancer treatment, as well as a better understanding of tumorigenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Disc haemorrhage (DH) is considered a characteristic sign of glaucoma, but its causative mechanism remains to be determined. We present a case of DH that occurred in association with an enlarged peripapillary intrachoroidal cavitation in a non-glaucomatous eye.Case Presentation: A 35-year-old woman was evaluated for a DH that had been detected during a preoperative examination for myopic refractive surgery. Enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography imaging of the optic nerve revealed a peripapillary intrachoroidal cavitation adjacent to the DH. The DH was also present at the 1-year follow-up, but had been completely absorbed at the 2-year follow-up, respectively with an enlargement and shrinkage of the intrachoroidal cavitation and prelaminar tissue schisis. Glaucomatous optic nerve change was not observed during the entire follow-up.Conclusion: DH can be caused by mechanical damage to capillaries from microscopic changes in peripapillary tissues such as enlargement of the intrachoroidal cavitation, regardless of the presence of glaucoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of dietary supplementation with an organic extract of Curcuma longa on systemic and local immune responses to experimental Eimeria maxima and Eimeria tenella infections were evaluated in commercial broiler chickens. Dietary supplementation with C. loriga enhanced coccidiosis resistance as demonstrated by increased BW gains, reduced fecal oocyst shedding, and decreased gut lesions compared with infected birds fed a nonsupplemented control diet. The chickens fed C. longa-supplemented diet showed enhanced systemic humoral immunity, as assessed by greater levels of serum antibodies to an Eimeria microneme protein, MIC2, and enhanced cellular immunity, as measured by concanavalin A-induced spleen cell proliferation, compared with controls. At the intestinal level, genorne-wide gene expression profiling by microarray hybridization identified 601 differentially expressed transcripts (287 upregulated, 314 downregulated) in gut lymphocytes of C. longa-fed chickens compared with nonsupplemented controls. Based on the known functions of the corresponding mammalian genes, the C. longa-induced intestinal transcriptorne was mostly associated with genes mediating anti-inflammatory ef- fects. Taken together, these results suggest that dietary C. longa could be used to attenuate Eimeria-induced, inflammation-mediated gut damage in commercial poultry production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of anethole on in vitro and in vivo parameters of chicken immunity during experimental avian coccidiosis were evaluated. Anethole reduced the viability of invasive Eimeria acervulina sporozoites after 2 or 4 h of treatment in vitro by 45 and 42%, respectively, and stimulated 6.0-fold greater chicken spleen cell proliferation compared with controls. Broiler chickens continuously fed from hatch with an anethole-supplemented diet and orally challenged with live E. acervulina oocysts showed enhanced BW gain, decreased fecal oocyst excretion, and greater E. acervulina profihin antibody responses compared with infected chickens given an unsupplemented standard diet. The levels of transcripts encoding the immune mediators 1L6, IL8, IL 10, and tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 15 (TNFSF15) in intestinal lymphocytes were increased in E. acervulina-infected chick- ens fed the anethole-containing diet compared with untreated controls. Global gene expression analysis by microarray hybridization identified 1,810 transcripts (677 upregulated, 1,133 downregulated) whose levels were significantly altered in intestinal lymphocytes of anetholefed birds compared with unsupplemented controls. From this transcriptome, 576 corresponding genes were identified. The most significant biological function associated with these genes was "Inflammatory Response" in the "Disease and Disorders" category. This new information documents the immunologic and genomic changes that occur in chickens following anethole dietary supplementation that may be relevant to host protective immune response to avian coccidiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE:To determine the factors associated with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) loss in eyes with acute primary angle-closure (APAC), particularly focusing on the influence of the change in the anterior lamina cribrosa surface depth (LCD). METHODS:After the initial presentation, 30 eyes with unilateral APAC were followed up at the following specific time points over a 12-month period: 1 week, 1~2 months, 2~3 months, 5~6 months, and 11~12 months. These follow-ups involved intraocular pressure measurements, enhanced depth-imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scanning of the optic disc, and measurements of the circumpapillary RNFL thickness. The prelaminar tissue thickness (PLT) and LCD were determined in the SD-OCT images obtained at each follow-up visit. RESULTS:Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant pattern of decrease in the global RNFL thickness, PLT, and LCD (all p

The present study was undertaken to compare the effect of salinomycin and Bacillus subtilis on growth performance, serum antibody levels against Clostridium spp. and Eimeria spp., and cytokine mRNA expression levels in broiler chickens raised in the used litter. Broiler chickens fed a diet containing salinomycin showed lower (P < 0.05) body weights compared with the control diet-fed counterparts. Serum nitric oxide levels were significantly (P < 0.05) elevated in chickens fed the B.?subtilis-enriched diet compared with those on either the salinomycin-fed or control diet-fed chickens. None of the dietary treatments affected (P > 0.05) serum antibody levels against Clostridium perfringens toxins. Both salinomycin and B. subtilis significantly lowered (P < 0.05) the serum levels of Eimeria-specific antibodies compared with the control group. Salinomycin, but not B. subtilis, significantly modulated (P < 0.05) the expression of cytokines encoding interferon-ɣ (IFN-ɣ), interleukin10 (IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor superfamily 15 (TNFSF15) compared with the control group. In conclusion, dietary salinomycin and B. subtilis affected serum anticoccidial antibody and intestinal cytokine expression, but failed to improve growth performance in broiler chickens. Further study is warranted to investigate the mode of action of salinomycin on host immune response and growth performance in broiler chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coccidiosis vaccines and anticoccidial drugs are commonly used to control Eimeria infection during commercial poultry production. The present study was conducted to compare the relative effectiveness of these two disease control strategies in broiler chickens in an experimental research facility. Birds were orally vaccinated with a live, attenuated vaccine (Inovocox), or were provided with in-feed salinomycin (Bio-Cox), and body weights, serum levels of nitric oxide (NO) and antibodies against Eimeria profilin and Clostridium perfringens PFO proteins, and intestinal levels of cytokine gene transcripts were measured. Vaccinated chickens had increased body weights, greater NO levels, and higher profilin and PFO antibody levels compared with salinomycin-fed birds. Transcripts for interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor superfamily 15, and interferon-γ were increased, while mRNAs for IL-4 and IL-10 were decreased, in immunized chickens compared with salinomycin-treated chickens. In conclusion, vaccination against avian coccidiosis may be more effective compared with dietary salinomycin for increasing body weight and augmenting pro-inflammatory immune status during commercial poultry production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]