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The study investigated the effects of violin note B7 (Violin), double bass note E1 (Bass) and Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448 (Mozart), on laying hens in terms of the production performance, egg quality and physiological characteristics. One hundred and sixty 600-day-old laying hens (ISA Brown) were randomly categorised into four groups with four replicates (10 hens/ replicate), and exposed to specific sound frequency for 12 weeks. The results indicated that Violin group presented significantly higher thick albumin height, Haugh unit and yolk index compared to the control group (p <.05). The treatment groups exhibited higher level of glutathione peroxidase in the jejunum–ileum and serum compared to the control group (p <.05). The Violin and Bass groups displayed lower levels of interleukin (IL)-1β in the jejunum–ileum, while the levels of IL-6 were lower in treatment groups compared to the control group (p <.05). The expression of the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) gene was lower in the treatment groups than the control group (p <.05). Bass and Mozart groups exhibited lower messenger RNA (mRNA) level of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) compared to those in the control group. The number of ASVs (amplicon sequence variants) in the jejunum–ileum of the Violin group was three times higher than that in the control group. These observations suggest that specific sound frequency stimulation can enhance the egg quality and also aid in regulating oxidative stress of laying hens. Highlights: Specific sound frequency stimulation has the potential to improve egg quality. Targeted sound frequency stimulation can assist in the regulation of oxidative stress in laying hens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effects of triiodothyronine (T3)- or dopamine (Dp)-supplemented diets on oxygen consumption by Na+, K+-ATPase activity in broiler chicks. Five groups, each with twenty-four 6-day-old chicks, randomly received one of the five dietary treatments: (1) Basal diet (commercial broiler rations with 23.0% crude protein and 3,133 kcal metabolizable energy/kg) or CON, (2) basal diet plus 0.7 μmol Dp/kg diet or Dp0.7, (3) basal diet plus 2.4 μmol Dp/kg diet or Dp2.4, (4) basal diet plus 1.9 μmol T3/kg diet or T1.9, and (5) basal diet plus 3.8 μmol T3/kg diet or T3.8 from 6 to 14 days of age. There were four replicates per treatment and 120 birds in total. At 14 days of age, three chicks from each replicate of each treatment were pooled into a flock and fed commercial broiler diets until 7 weeks of age. Compared to CON group, birds fed with T3-supplemented diets had lower thyroid, abdominal fat pad, gizzard and pancreas weight, and heavier heart weight adjusted for fasted body weight. Chicks with T1.9 had lower ileal densities at 14 day old compared with those in Dp groups or CON. Chicks with T3.8 exhibited greater duodenal and jejunal O2 consumptions as well as ouabain-sensitive O2 consumptions of jejunum and small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) by 46.5%, 58.3%, 40.6%, and 26.4% increases, than those in CON. Partial correlation analysis revealed that the weight and length of the small intestine were negatively correlated with body weight gain. Oxygen consumption in the various small intestinal segments was negatively correlated with their respective densities (mg/mm2). In conclusion, a greater oxygen requirement for maintaining ouabain-sensitive respiration (Na+-K+-ATPase) in the intestine limits energy availability to support gastrointestinal tract growth and, thereby, may result in lower body weight gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in protein expression in the testes of ganders at various breeding stages. A total of nine 3-year-old male White Roman ganders were used. The blood and testis samples were collected at the nonbreeding, sexual reactivation, and breeding stages for sex hormone analysis and proteomic analysis, respectively. The testicular weight and serum testosterone observed for ganders at the breeding stage were higher than those for ganders at nonbreeding and sexual reactivation stages (P < 0.05). There were 124 protein spots differentially expressed in the testes of ganders at various reproductive stages. A total of 107 protein spots of 74 proteins was identified through mass spectrometry. Most of the differentially expressed proteins were responsible for the molecular functions of protein binding (24%) and catalytic activity (16%). A functional pathway analysis suggested that proteins involved in steroidogenesis, metabolism, and spermatogenesis pathways changed in the White Roman geese at various reproductive stages. In conclusion, ganders at various reproductive stages exhibited different levels of testosterone and protein expression in the testes. The varied levels of the proteins might be essential and unique key factors in seasonal reproduction in ganders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effects of T-2 toxin and antioxidants on the incidence and severity of angel wing in White Roman geese. Twelve pens were used in this study, and half of them received dietary supplementation of T-2 toxin (10 ppm) and antioxidants (vitamin C 1000 ppm plus Se 0.3 ppm). Each pen contained birds from the normal wing line (NL), the selected angel wing line (AL), and a controlled commercial line (CL). The results showed that there was no significant difference in the body weight, body weight gain, and feed intake of goslings that were supplemented from birth to 6 weeks of age with T-2 toxin and antioxidants. The alkaline phosphatase level in the T-2 toxin group was lower than that in the control group at 4 and 6 weeks. The haemoglobin level in the T-2 toxin group was lower than that in the control group at 6 weeks. There was a significant interaction between T-2 toxin and antioxidants in the severity score of angel wing (SSAW) and incidence of angel wing (IAW) at 6 weeks. In conclusion, the results suggest that a diet supplemented with T-2 toxin does reduce alkaline phosphatase levels. When the diet contained T-2 toxin and antioxidants, the SSAW and IAW increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toona sinensis(TS) leaf is a well-known traditional oriental medicine herb. The purpose of this study was to evaluatein vitroantioxidant capability and performance assessment of White Roman goose supplemented with dried TS leaves (TSL). The TSL extracts contained 22.23 ± 1.13 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry weight (DW) and 1.38 ± 0.06 mg quercetin equivalent/g DW of total phenolics and flavonoid contents. The scavenging action of 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical and superoxide anion was as good as that of the butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and ascorbic acid, respectively. Inhibition of lipid peroxidation of TSL extracts at 2.5 mg/mL reached nearly 40% compared with the BHT. One hundred and eight White Roman geese aged 6 weeks were distributed to six pens randomly, and fed a grower dietad libitumduring the growing period, with each pen containing nine males and nine females following completely randomized design. Diets were supplemented with the following levels of dried TSL: 0% (control), 0.1% or 0.2% groups for 6 weeks, respectively. The results revealed no significant effects among treatments in the growth performance, blood biochemical parameters and muscle fibre of the grower geese. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) content of the serum in the 0.2% TSL group was significantly higher than that of the control group. In conclusion, dried TSL powder has antioxidative effectsin vitroand could serve as a promising natural feed additive to improve the serum SOD content of grower geese. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]