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OBJECTIVE: Non-specific low back pain is a common disorder that affects more than 80% of the world’s population. But the potential risk factors remain unclear. The aim of this study is to develop a nomogram for the risk prediction of low back pain in young population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 264 young participants (18-45 years old) were recruited and randomly divided into a training set (n=188) and a validation set (n=76) by a ratio of 7:3. The nomogram was developed based on the training set. The independent predictors of low back pain were identified by LASSO and logistic regression analysis. A nomogram was developed according to the predictors. To assess the reliability of the nomogram, the area under the curve (AUC), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were applied. The validation set was used to validate the results. RESULTS: Sixteen factors were included in the characteristics of the eligible subjects. LASSO showed that five independent predictors including working posture, exercising hours per week, Tuffier’s line, six lumbar vertebrae anomaly, and lumbar lordosis angle were the independent risk factors of low back pain in young population, which were identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis and were used to establish the nomogram. The AUC values of the nomogram were 0.867 (95% CI: 0.809-0.924) and 0.868 (95% CI: 0.775-0.961) in the training and validation set, respectively. The calibration curve revealed that the prediction model of the nomogram was greatly consistent with the actual observation. In addition, the DCA indicated that the nomogram was clinically useful. CONCLUSIONS: Working posture, exercising hours per week, Tuffier’s line, six lumbar vertebrae anomaly, and lumbar lordosis angle are identified as independent predictors of non-specific low back pain in young population. And the nomogram based on the above five predictors can accurately predict the risk of low back pain in young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SnO2 quantum dots (QDs) are potential materials for deep ultraviolet (DUV) light emitting devices. In this study, we report the temperature and excitation power-dependent exciton luminescence from SnO2 QDs. The exciton emission exhibits anomalous blue shift, accompanied with band width reduction with increasing temperature and excitation power above 300K. The anomalous temperature dependences of the peak energy and band width are well interpreted by the strongly localized carrier thermal hopping process and Gaussian shape of band tails states, respectively. The localized wells and band tails at conduction minimum are considered to be induced by the surface oxygen defects and local potential fluctuation in SnO2 QDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium tantalates, K2Ta2O6 and KTaO3, were synthesized by hydrothermal route. The crystal structural, optical, and adsorption properties of tantalates were investigated in the manuscript. The results indicate that the initial concentration of KOH is the determinate factor of crystal structure of tantalates. When the concentration of KOH is lower than 6M, the product is K2Ta2O6. While when the concentration is higher than 7M, the main product is KTaO3. Optical properties of tantalates analysis shows that the band gap of K2Ta2O6 is larger than that of KTaO3, which may be due to the different electronic band structure originating from the different overlapping way of the atomic orbital of tantalum and oxygen. The adsorption performance study shows that the adsorption property of K2Ta2O6 is higher than that of KTaO3, which would be assigned to its larger surface area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to compare the effects of different corona discharge fields on the germination rate, vigor index, impedance, and dielectric properties of paddy seed, paddy seed samples were exposed to different corona discharge fields generated with three kinds of prick electrodes (needle, sawtooth, and arc shaped) at 8750 V (RMS) and 17500 V (RMS) for 3 min. The results showed that paddy seed vigor improved to different degrees after processing with three kinds of corona discharge fields at the same voltage. The impedance and dielectric properties of the paddy seed also changed in comparison with the untreated control. From measurement of the voltage waveform and corona current (RMS) of the three kinds of prick electrodes during the experiments, it was found that the voltage waveform and corona current were both different despite the fact that the same voltage (RMS) was supplied to the different electrodes. The difference in the germination of paddy seed treated with different corona discharge fields at different voltages was perhaps caused by reorientation and disarrangement of membrane components in the dry seed. In addition, it was concluded that an optimum treatment energy should exist when treating seed with a corona discharge field, and that optimum treatment energy should be further researched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary phytate and phytase on the metabolic parameters of lipid, protein, enzyme, electrolyte in the blood or intestinal mucosa of broiler chickens. Diets containing phytate phosphorus (0.22% or 0.44%) with phytase supplementation (0, 500 or 1000 U/kg) were administrated to 504 Cobb chicks for 4 weeks. Results showed that the serum concentrations of total cholesterol (T-CHO), albumin, albumin/globulin, total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) were decreased by 9–41% in high phytate diets (p < 0.05) and the concentrations of blood P, K, Fe, Cu, Zn and Mg were decreased by 4–14% for birds fed high phytate diets (p < 0.05), whereas inclusion of phytase compensated these adverse influences. In the duodenum, phytate decreased the level of T-AOC by 13% (p < 0.05), whereas phytase increased the levels of T-SOD, T-AOC and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) by 9–16% (p < 0.05). Also, in the jejunum, diets with high phytate showed lower activity of T-SOD, T-AOC and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) (p < 0.05), and phytase increased T-SOD, T-AOC and ALP (p < 0.05). However, phytase decreased transaminase activity in the low phytate basal diets (p < 0.05). This study suggests that dietary phytate can adversely interfere with the metabolisms of lipid and protein, as well as the antioxidation of blood and intestinal cells, while phytase supplementation may compensate these effects for broiler chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of phytases on the performance of layers and the ileal nutrient digestibility of corn-, soy- bean-, and by-product meal-based diets were assessed with 320 Hy-Line brown layers from 23 to 28 wk of age. Layers were grouped randomly into 5 treatments, with 8 replicates per treatment and 8 layers per replicate. The 5 diets consisted of a positive control diet with adequate Ca (3.30%), total P (0.50%), and nonphytate P (NPP; 0.28%), and a negative control diet with Ca reduced by 0.12%, total P reduced by 0.14%, NPP reduced by 0.13%, and 3 phytases (phytase A derived from Aspergillus niger, and phytases B and C derived from Escherichia coli) supplemented at 300 phytase units/kg of feed, respectively. Egg production and feed intake were recorded daily, and eggshell quality and heal nutrient digestibility were measured at the end of a 6-wk feeding period. The results revealed that the reduction of Ca and P from the positive control diet significantly depressed feed intake, egg mass, eggshell hardness, and the digestibility of N, Ca, F, and amino acids (P < 0.05). Phytase supplementation in the negative control diet improved the digestibility of P and Ca by 11.08 and 9.81% (P < 0.05), respectively, whereas it improved the digestibility of amino acids by 2 to 8% (P < 0.05). However, the digestibility of most amino acids was not restored to the levels of the positive control diet by the application of phytases. Supplementing phytases in the negative control diet improved the rate of lay, egg mass, and egshell quality to the levels of birds fed the positive control diet. These results suggest that supplementing phytases can improve the digestibility not only of Ca and P. but also of amino acids in layers fed a corn-, soybean-, and by-product-based diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the effects on alfalfa preservation and chemical composition of the addition of different levels of malic acid and citric acid at ensiling as well as the utilization efficiency of these 2 organic acids after fermentation. Alfalfa was harvested at early bloom stage. After wilting to a dry matter content of approximately 40%, the alfalfa was chopped into 1- to 2-cm pieces for ensiling. Four levels (0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1% of fresh weight) of malic acid or citric acid were applied to chopped alfalfa at ensiling with 4 replicates for each treatment, and the treated alfalfa forages were ensiled for 60 d in vacuum-sealed polyethylene bags (dimensions: 200 mm × 300 mm) packed with 200 to 230 g of fresh alfalfa per mini silo and an initial density of 0.534 g/cm3. The application of malic or citric acids at ensiling for 60 d led to lower silage pH than was observed in the control silage (0% of malic or citric acids). Application of the 2 organic acids led to higher lactic acid concentration in alfalfa silage than in the control silage except with the application rate of 1% of fresh weight. Silages treated with both organic acids had lower nonprotein nitrogen concentrations than the control silages, and the nonprotein nitrogen concentrations in ensiled forages decreased with the increase in malic or citric acid application rates. The application of the 2 organic acid additives led to lower saturated fatty acid proportions and higher polyunsaturated fatty acid proportions in ensiled alfalfa than in the control silage. The amount of malic and citric acids degraded during ensiling of alfalfa was 1.45 and 0.63 g, respectively. At the application rate of 0.5% of fresh weight, residues of malic acid and citric acid in alfalfa silage were 11.1 and 13.6 g/kg of dry matter. These results indicate that including malic or citric acids at the ensiling of alfalfa effectively improved silage fermentation quality, limited proteolysis, improved fatty acid composition of the ensiled forage, and could provide animals with additional feed additives proven to promote animal performance. However, when the application rate of both organic acids reached 1%, the concentration of lactic acid in silages decreased notably. Additionally, 0.5 and 1% application rates also increased the yeast count in ensiled alfalfa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental objectives were to determine the effects of supplemental saturated fatty acids on production, body temperature indices, and some aspects of metabolism in mid-lactation dairy cows experiencing heat stress. Forty-eight heat-stressed Holstein cows were allocated into 3 groups (n = 16/group) according to a completely randomized block design. Three treatment diets consisted of supplemental saturated fatty acids (SFA) at 0 (SFA0), 1.5 (SFA1.5), or 3.0% (SFA3) of dry matter (DM) for 10 wk. Diets were isonitrogenous (crude protein = 16.8%) and contained 1.42, 1.46, and 1.49 Mcal of net energy for lactation/kg of DM for the SFA0, SFA1.5 and SFA3 diets, respectively. The average temperature-humidity index at 0700, 1400 and 2200 h was 72.2, 84.3, and 76.6, respectively. Rectal temperatures at 1400 h were decreased with fat supplementation. Treatment did not affect dry matter intake (20.1 ± 0.02 kg/d), body condition score (2.72 ± 0.04), body weight (627 ± 16.1 kg), or calculated energy balance (1.32 ± 0.83 Mcal/d). Saturated fatty acid supplementation increased milk yield, milk fat content, and total milk solids. Increasing fat supplementation decreased plasma nonesterified fatty acids (8%) but had no effect on other energetic metabolites or hormones. In summary, supplemental SFA improved milk yield and milk fat content and yield and reduced peak rectal temperatures in mid-lactation heat-stressed dairy cows. This demonstrates the remarkable amount of metabolic heat that is “saved” by energetically replacing fermentable carbohydrates with supplemental SFA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of phytate and phytase on broiler performance and cellular and humoral immunity was assessed by using 504 Cobb 500 female broilers fed nutritionally marginal diets. At 1 d of age, the chicks were randomly allocated to 6 treatments in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement including 2 levels of phytate P (0.22 or 0.44%) and 3 dose rates of an Escherichia coli-derived phytase [0, 500, or 1,000 phytase units (FTU)/kg of feed]. Both low- and high-phytate diets were corn and soy based with the same nutritional specifications (AME 2,900 kcal/kg, CP 21.00%, Ca 0.78%, and nonphytate P 0.28%), differing only in the concentration of phytate P. The immune status of birds was measured at 14, 21, and 28 d of age. The results revealed that phytase improved feed intake, BW, and feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05), whereas high dietary phytate depressed bird performance (P < 0.05). There was no interaction between phytate and phytase on bird performance. Feeding phytase increased the percentages of erythrocyte rosette-forming cells and erythrocyte-antibody complement cells by 3.03 and 1.83% at d 21, and by 2.76 and 2.20% at d 28, respectively (P < 0.05). The percentages of CD4+CD8+ T lymphocyte subsets were also increased by phytase (P < 0.05), without affecting the ratio of CD4+ and CD8+. The levels of intestinal secretory IgA were improved with phytase at d 14, 21, and 28 (P < 0.05). Antibodies against Newcastle disease virus vaccine were enhanced at d 21 and 28 in the high-phytate diets with phytase addition (P < 0.05). Increasing the phytase dose to 1,000 FTU/kg did not improve immune function further than 500 FTU/kg. The results suggest that application of phytase in nutritionally marginal diets could enhance lymphocyte numbers and the seral and mucosal antibodies of 1- to 28-d-old broilers, suggesting that both phytate and phytase may have a role in gastrointestinal health and immune competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The primary goal of this study is to explore the safety and effectiveness of a new modified eversion carotid endarterectomy (MECEA). Methods: This is a retrospective case series study. One hundred patients were consecutively treated with MECEA by the same operator at Department of Vascular Surgery,Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2019 to December 2023. There were 77 males and 23 females. The age was (66.0±8.6)years (range: 39 to 85 years). Twenty-four (24.0%) patients were symptomatic with the degree of carotid stenosis over 50%,76 patients (76.0%) were asymptomatic with the degree of stenosis over 70%. All these patients meet the indication of carotid endarterectomy. The main difference between MECEA and traditional eversion carotid endarterectomy was the anterior,lateral,and posterior walls of the internal carotid artery were incised obliquely from the origin of the internal carotid artery toward the common carotid artery,leaving the wall of internal carotid artery intact at the bifurcation. The surgical process,cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications and other surgical complications were recorded. The incidences of complications,restenosis of intraoperative target lesions and re-intervention were collected during follow-up. Results: All procedures were performed successfully under general anesthesia. The total operation time was (36.5±10.1)minutes (range: 22 to 65 minutes),and carotid clamping time was (15.0±6.3)minutes (range: 7 to 31 minutes). One patient (1.0%) occurred postoperative cerebrovascular accident,1 patient (1.0%) developed cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome (CHS),and another 1 patient (1.0%) suffered myocardial infarction. All these patients were recovered after medical treatment within a week. The follow-up time( M (IQR)) was 24 (28) months (range: 6 to 62 months). Two patients (2.0%) were reported to have hemodynamically significant restenosis within 2 years,with one patient requiring intervention. No patient suffered from ipsilateral ischemic stroke. Conclusions: MECEA is a safe and effective surgical method of treating carotid artery stenosis. This method can reduce carotid clamping time and lowers the risk of ischemic stroke. Meantime,it preserves the integrity of the adventitia at the bifurcation of carotid artery,reduces the chance of restenosis. Moreover,it might be helpful to prevent postoperative CHS due to reducing damage to the carotid body and carotid sinus nerve.

To achieve early warning of dengue fever from multiple sources and improve the ability to detect and identify dengue fever outbreaks timely, we took Hangzhou as an example and proposed the possibility of early warning of dengue fever. This study divided early warning of dengue fever into three stages: early warning of epidemic source, epidemic symptom, and epidemic. The early warning of epidemic source and epidemic symptom were emphasized to provide reference for other similar studies. Our findings showed that the staged warning of dengue fever was meaningful. Combining the source early warning with the symptom early warning could improve the sensitivity of the warning. Monthly warning can be used as a supplement to weekly warning.

Sorting behaviour is a common phenomenon observed in ruminants when they are provided with a total mixed ration, which contributes to variations in the severity of subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA). Pelleted total mixed ration (PTMR) reduces sorting, but high-grain content increases acidosis risk. However, whether the variability in the severity of SARA exists in sheep fed the same high-grain PTMR is less understood. This study aimed to investigate SARA variability among individual sheep offered a high-grain PTMR, considering chewing activity, ruminal fermentation, bacterial communities and nutrient digestibility. Twenty ruminally cannulated male Hu sheep were individually housed in cages and fed a PTMR comprising 80% concentrate mix and 20% roughage. A 14-day adaptation period to the diet and facilities was provided before a 10-day sample collection period. Continuous monitoring of ruminal pH was conducted for 48 h, during which time chewing activity was also recorded. Ruminal fluid samples were collected for analysis of volatile fatty acid and microbial DNA extraction. Faecal samples were collected to measure nutrient digestibility. Based on their acidosis index, the sheep were classified into two groups: SARA-susceptible group (n = 6) and SARA-tolerant group (n = 6). The SARA-susceptible sheep exhibited a lower ruminal mean pH and minimum pH than the SARA-tolerant sheep (P < 0.05). Additionally, the SARA-susceptible group increased the acidosis index, duration and areas of pH below 5.8 and 5.6 compared to the SARA-tolerant group (P < 0.05). The SARA-susceptible group also exhibited a longer ruminating time than the SARA-tolerant group (P < 0.05). The SARA-susceptible group exhibited a tendency to increase the relative abundance of Firmicutes (P = 0.089), while simultaneously decreasing the copy number of Fibrobacter succinogenes in the rumen, as well as the digestibility of NDF and ADF compared to the SARA-tolerant group (P < 0.05). The acidosis index was found to be positively correlated with ruminating time (min/kg DM intake (DMI)) and total chewing time (min/kg DMI), but negatively correlated with the copy number of Fibrobacter succinogenes and Ruminococcus albus in the rumen. These findings indicate that there exists variability in the SARA severity among sheep when fed a high-grain PTMR, as evidenced by varied chewing activity, bacterial communities and nutrient digestibility. Ruminating time, total chewing time per kilogram of DMI as well as the copy number of Fibrobacter succinogenes and Ruminococcus albus in the rumen hold potential as indicators for assessing the severity of SARA., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Flavour precursors are the basis of meat flavour, and their metabolism is regulated by a variety of enzymes. Thus, it is of great significance to identify the key genes related to meat flavour precursors. In this study, the difference in flavour precursors and transcriptome between Hu sheep and Dorper with different intramuscular fat (IMF) content were investigated using widely targeted metabolomics and RNA-sequencing technologies. Then, the key genes regulating the metabolism of vital precursors were explored by integrating transcriptome and metabolome. Consequently, 594 metabolites were detected in sheep longissimus dorsi, and 76 differentially abundant metabolites (DAMs) were identified between Hu sheep and Dorper. No DAMs were observed between distinct IMF content groups within each breed. A total of 10 lysophospholipids (LPs), including four lysophospholipid ethanolamines and six lysophospholipid cholines, were identified as the main differential precursors between Hu sheep and Dorper. Furthermore, the weighted gene coexpression network analysis uncovered three differentially coexpression modules that were significantly associated with the content of differential LPs in Dorper. From the three modules, GLB1, PLD3, LPCAT2, DGKE, ACOT7, and CH25H genes were identified as key genes regulating the metabolism of LPs. This work provides an insight into understanding the difference in flavour between different sheep breeds, as well as a basis for further exploring the regulatory mechanism of key genes on LPs., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 caused by 2019-nCoV Delta variant in Shangyu district, Shaoxing of Zhejiang province in 2021, and provide evidence for the improvement of COVID-19 control and prevention measures. Methods: The incidence data of COVID-19 in Shangyu from December 7 to 21, 2021 was obtained from Shangyu District Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The epidemiological characteristics of the cases, i.e. the population, time and space distributions, were analyzed, and the incubation period and time-varying reproduction numbers ( R t ) were calculated. Results: From December 7 to 21, 2021, a total of 380 COVID-19 cases caused by 2019-nCoV Delta variant were detected in Shangyu, the median age of the cases was 52 years, M ( Q 1 ，Q 3 : 38, 61). The male to female ratio of the cases was 1∶1.25, and the cases were mainly workers (36.58%) and farmers (27.63%). The epidemic affected 9 townships (or community) of Shangyu, especially Caoe and Baiguan communities with the cases accounting for 57.10% and 31.53% respectively. The median incubation period of cases was 4.00 days, M ( Q 1 ，Q 3 : 3.00, 5.75). The basic reproduction number ( R 0 ) was 4.06, and the R t was 5.62 in early phase of the outbreak (the highest) and continuously decreased to less than 1.00 within 10 days after the detection of the outbreak. The number of COVID-19 cases decreased to 0 within 14 days after the outbreak (December 7-21), and the main detection methods were screening in centralized isolation (55.53%) and home isolation (40.00%). The infection rates of close contacts and secondary close contacts were 2.06% and 0.46% respectively. Conclusion: The epidemic of COVID-19 in Shangyu characterized by short incubation period, large number of infected people, and case clustering, suggesting the strong transmission of Delta variant (B.1.617.2). Comprehensive prevention and control measures, such as management of close contacts and secondary close contacts, and high-risk area, are essential for the rapid control of the epidemic.

In view of the application prospect of the hindwing of Anomala Corpulenta Motschulsky in the field of foldable Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs), this paper investigated the morphology, macro/microstructure of the hindwing, and the nanomechanical properties of the wing veins and the wing membrane. It revealed the variation of nanohardness and elastic modulus between different veins and different positions of the same wing veins. This paper established a 3D coupling model of the hindwing based on the principle of coupling bionics. This paper presents a simulation analysis of the structural statics (uniform load distribution) and aerodynamics (under different attack angles, flight velocities, and flapping frequencies). Two 3D coupling models (HW-I and HW-II) of the hindwing were discussed the deformation and flight aerodynamic performance of Workbenches and Fluent. On that basis, the bionic wing was generatively designed, and a 3D bionic wing (BioW) model was established using the generative design method. Simulation analyses were performed through structural statics and aerodynamics. The results showed that the stress distribution was relatively uniform and that the overall displacement deformation was minimal for the BioW model. Moreover, the BioW model had better flight efficiency and aerodynamic performance., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Feed efficiency is a highly important economic trait in sheep production and has a significant impact on the economic benefits of sheep farming. Microbial fermentation of the rumen has a vital role in the host's nutrition; the rumen microbiota might affect host feed efficiency. However, the relationship between the rumen microbiota and feed efficiency in sheep is unclear. In the present study, the microbiota of 195 Hu sheep was investigated and their residual feed intake (RFI), a commonly used measure of feed efficiency, was determined. From birth, all sheep were subjected to the same management practices. At slaughter, samples of liquid rumen contents were collected and subjected to amplicon sequencing for the 16S rDNA gene on the IonS5™XL platform. To identify the bacterial taxa differentially represented at the genus or higher taxonomy levels, we used linear discriminant analysis coupled with effect size and curve fitting. In the sheep rumen, the four most abundant phyla were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Fibrobacteres, and Proteobacteria; and the dominant genera were unidentified Prevotellaceae, Fibrobacter, unidentified Lachnospiraceae, Saccharofermentans, and Succinivibrio. Pathway analysis of the 16S rDNA sequencing data from the rumen microbiota identified that carbohydrate metabolism was enriched. Using α-diversity analysis, we further identified that Observed species, ACE, Good's coverage, and Chao1 are more abundant (P < 0.01) in the low-RFI (L-RFI) group compared to the high-RFI (H-RFI) group. High-RFI sheep had a higher abundance of three bacterial taxa (Prevotellaceae, Negativicutes, and Selenomonadales), and one taxa was overrepresented in the L-RFI sheep (Succinivibrio), respectively. Furthermore, model fitting showed that Veillonellaceae, Sphaerochaeta, Negativibacillus, Saccharofermentans, and members of the Tenericutes, Kiritimatiellaeota, Deltaproteobacteria, and Campylobacterales were correlated with the sheep RFI classification and thus were indicative of a role in animal efficiency. Tax4Fun analysis revealed that metabolic pathways such as "energy metabolism," "metabolism of cofactors and vitamins," "poorly characterized," and "replication recombination and repair proteins" were enriched in the rumen from H-RFI sheep, and "genetic information processing" and "lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis" were overrepresented in L-RFI sheep rumen. In addition, six Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes orthology pathways were identified as different between H-RFI and L-RFI groups. In conclusion, the low RFI phenotype (efficient animals) consistently (or characteristically) exhibited a more abundant and diverse microbiome in sheep., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential for mammalian testis development and sperm function. However, PUFAs that are contained in linseed oil are easily oxidized in the diet and biohydrogenated in the rumen. In this study, we investigated the effect of linseed as a source of PUFAs on the antioxidant capacity and testis development in Hu lamb. Seventy-five 3-month-old lambs were randomly assigned to three groups. Within each treatment group, 25 lambs were allocated to five pens (five lambs per pen). The lambs in the control group were fed a control diet without linseed for 42 days from D22 to D63. Group I (BS28) was fed a control diet from D22 to D35 and 8% linseed diet from D36 to D63. Group II (BS42) was fed an 8% linseed diet for 42 days from D22 to D63. After 63-day feeding trial, all lambs except the heaviest and lightest in each pen were humanely slaughtered and investigated. Results revealed that feeding linseed did not affect the body weight, scrotal circumference, and testis weight, whereas feeding linseed for 42 days increased the epididymis weight (37.85 ± 1.61 g vs. 32.09 ± 1.06 g, P < 0.05) compared with the control group. Feeding lambs with linseed for 42 days also significantly upregulated the expression of antioxidative (glutathione peroxidase 4 and copper-zinc superoxide dismutase), steroidogenesis (3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and steroid acute regulatory protein), and PUFA metabolism-related genes (fatty acid desaturase 2 and elongation of very long-chain fatty acid protein 2) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen mRNA (P < 0.05). It also increased the relative expression of mitochondrial DNA (P < 0.05), total antioxidant capacity (0.230 ± 0.019 mmol/mgprot vs. 0.175 ± 0.011 mmol/mgprot, P < 0.05), and superoxide dismutase (1661.467 ± 147.117 U/mgprot vs. 1158.891 ± 98.850 U/mgprot, P < 0.05) in testicular tissue but decreased the cholesterol concentration (0.331 ± 0.073 mmol/mgprot vs. 0.671 ± 0.092 mmol/mgprot, P < 0.05) compared with the control group. Therefore, feeding lambs with linseed for 42 days stimulated seminiferous tubule development and increased the number of Sertoli cells (20.71 ± 0.89 vs. 17.6 ± 0.73, P < 0.05), epididymal cauda lumina diameter (638.26 ± 22.32 μm vs. 444.41 ± 34.80 μm, P < 0.05), and the number of sperm in the epididymal cauda (68.91 ± 7.06 × 10 8 /g vs. 36.61 ± 7.50 × 10 8 /g). All these results suggested that feeding linseed in the early reproductive development stage of lambs upregulated the expression of antioxidative, steroidogenesis, and PUFA metabolism-related genes; increased the antioxidant capacity in lamb's testis; and contributed to testis development and spermatogenesis., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)