Search

Polyamines are essential for the proliferation and differentiation of the rapidly renewing intestinal mucosa. The object of this study was to investigate polyamine metabolic profiles in the intestinal mucosa of piglets during the suckling and postweaning periods and under treatment with proline. Intestinal mucosa samples were obtained from 1-, 7-, 14-, and 21-d-old suckling piglets and piglets on Days 1, 3, 5, and 7 postweaning at 14 d of age, as well as from piglets that received the oral administration of proline from Day 1 to 14. During the suckling period from Day 1 to 21, higher concentrations of spermine and tyramine in the jejunal mucosa and putrescine, spermidine, and tyramine in the colonic mucosa were observed on postnatal Day 1 compared with other days (P < 0.05). Weaning at age 14 d induced an increase in the contents of tyramine in the jejunal mucosa and of spermine in the colonic mucosa but a decrease in 1,7-hepthyl diamine in the colonic mucosa on Days 1, 3, and 5 postweaning (P < 0.05). The mRNA and protein expression of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in three segments of the intestine were increased from Day 1 to 21, and a sharp increase was observed on Day 3 postweaning (P < 0.05). Oral administration of proline increased the concentrations of spermidine and spermine in the ileal mucosa and ODC protein expression in the three segments of the intestine (P < 0.05). These findings indicated that polyamine metabolism and ODC expression were altered by weaning and proline administration and may be useful as a marker of intestinal growth and restitution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), including leucine (Leu), isoleucine (Ile), and valine (Val), play key roles in protein metabolism. This study was conducted to investigate whether the dietary ratio of BCAA influences the growth performance and serum amino acid pool of the growing pigs. A total of 40 crossbred pigs (Large White x Landrace; 9.85 ± 0.35 kg) were chosen and fed one of the five isocaloric diets varying in Leu:Ile:Val. The positive control diet contained 20% crude protein (CP) with a Leu:Ile:Val ratio of 1:0.51:0.63 according to the recommendation; for the other diets, the CP level was reduced to 17%, and the Leu:Ile:Val ratios were 1:1:1, 1:0.75:0.75, 1:0.51:0.63, and 1:0.25:0.25, respectively. The total BCAA amount was equal in all treatments, and the content of Leu, Ile, and Val was altered according to the setting ratios. No significant difference was observed in the growth performance between the pigs fed 20% CP and 17% CP diets supplemented with BCAA (P > 0.05). However, different Leu:Ile:Val ratios could affect the final weight (P < 0.05), average daily gain (ADG; P < 0.05), and feed:gain ratio (P = 0.06) of the pigs fed 17% CP diet. The final weight and ADG of the pigs in the 1:0.75:0.75 (17% CP), 1:0.51:0.63 (17% CP), and 1:0.51:0.63 (20% CP) groups were higher than those in the 1:0.25:0.25 (17% CP) group. The feed:gain ratio of the pigs fed the 1:0.75:0.75 (17% CP) diet was lower than that of those fed the 1:1:1 (17% CP) diet. There was no difference in the average feed intake among the treatments. Moreover, the diets supplemented with varied BCAA ratios influenced certain serum amino acid concentrations (P < 0.05), including Ile, Val, cysteine, and α-amino-adipic acid. These results indicated that a low CP diet (17%) supplemented with BCAA could keep up with the growth performance of growing pigs receiving adequate dietary protein (20%). The optimal Leu:Ile:Val within the range from 1:0.25:0.25 to 1:0.75:0.75 could improve the growth performance and serum amino acid profile of growing pigs fed the low CP diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cottonseed meal (CM) and rapeseed meal (RM) have been used as alternative protein sources in porcine feed, but their exact digestive regulation remains unclear. This study was conducted to determine the dynamic profiles of AA released from different nitrogen composited diets in the jejunum of pigs. Seventy-two pigs (19.3 kg BW) were randomly assigned into 4 groups (18 pigs per group) and fed diets containing corn and either fish meal (FM), soybean meal (SBM), CM, or RM with equivalent AA for 7 d. The digesta of the jejunum were collected at 1, 4, and 8 h after feeding. The hydrolysate AA of undigested protein (HAA), free AA (FAA), and peptide-bound AA (PAA) in the digesta were determined. The lowest HAA contents were observed in the FM and SBM groups at 4 h. High levels of FAA were released from the SBM diet, whereas low levels of FAA were released from the RM diet at 1 and 4 h after feeding. The concentration of PAA in the CM group was lower than those in the FM and SBM groups. These results showed that the SBM diet could be easily degraded to FAA and peptide, and the FM diet tended to be degraded to peptide in the jejunum. There were less FAA and PAA released from the CM and RM diets although dietary AA were balanced, but the RM diet released more FAA and PAA than the CM diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to determine the profiles of AA in different segments of the gastrointestinal tract of pigs fed with different nitrogen composited diets. Twenty-four pigs (19.5 kg BW) were randomly assigned into 4 groups (6 pigs per group) and fed diets containing corn and fish meal (FM), soybean meal (SBM), cottonseed meal (CM), or rapeseed meal (RM) with equivalent AA compositions for 7 d. The contents of the stomach, proximal jejunum, distal jejunum, and ileum were collected at 4 h after feeding. The hydrolysate AA of undigested protein, free AA (FAA), and peptide-bound AA (PAA) in the contents were determined. There were more FAA in the proximal jejunum of SBM protein diets treatment, whereas more peptides were obtained from FM protein diets in the stomach and ileum as well as from SBM protein diets in the distal jejunum. The concentrations of FAA in the proximal jejunum and ileum as well as PAA in the jejunum with RM were higher than those with CM. When all 4 treatments were considered together, whereas few FAA were in the stomach and then increased in the jejunum and ileum, PAA were distributed uniformly in the 4 segments. These results showed that the RM protein diet gave a relatively continuous release of hydrolysis products in the stomach and small intestine. And FM and SBM protein diets were superior to CM for the release of peptides and FAA in the proximal gastrointestinal tract. These results regarding the AA profiles in different segments of the gastrointestinal tract should help to provide some information for the application of CM and RM in pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine the clinical manifestations, intensity of oral anticoagulation and outcomes in the prevention of recurrent thromboses in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) in a tertiary rheumatology centre in Singapore. Retrospective case review of consecutive patients with APS attending a rheumatology clinic from 1st January 2004 to 31st December 2005. There were 59 (44%) patients with definite APS and 75 (56%) with probable APS. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was the most common cause of secondary APS. Hypertension and hyperlipidaemia were the most common cardiovascular comorbidities. The most common manifestations were haematological (thrombocytopaenia and haemolytic anaemia), neurological (seizure, headache) and pulmonary hypertension. Among those with definite APS, there were similar proportions with arterial and venous thromboses. Recurrent thromboses occurred in 14 (23.7%) patient with definite APS receiving warfarin, comprising 14 (73.7%) episodes of arterial and 5 (26.3%) episodes of venous thromboses. Recurrent arterial thromboses occurred at international normalized ratio (INR) of <2 in 5 (35.7%), INR 2-3 in 6 (42.9%), INR > 3 in 3 (21.4%) episodes, respectively. Recurrent venous thromboses occurred at INR < 2 in 4 (80.0%) and INR > 3 in 1 (20.0%) episode, respectively. Twenty-eight episodes of bleeding occurred in 21 (35.6%) patients, the majority (78.6%) being minor bleeding. Two-thirds of all major bleeds occurred at INR = 3. Venous and arterial thromboses were equally common in our patients with definite APS, although recurrent thromboses were more common in the arterial circulation. Target INR > 3 was associated with lower rates of recurrent arterial thromboses but higher rates of major and recurrent bleeding. Target INR ≥ 2 appeared to be sufficient to prevent recurrent venous thromboses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early weaning-induced stress precipitates diarrhoea, significantly curtailing the growth performance of piglets. A pivotal contributor to this postweaning affliction is the emergence of gut bacterial dysbiosis. Enterococcus hirae, a promising probiotic, has indicated unclear effects and mechanisms on intestinal health. In this study, we investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of oral supplementation with Ningxiang pig-derived Enterococcus hirae HNAU0516 orally supplementation on the gut bacterial community, immune response and gut barrier function in piglets. 21 d age Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) piglets with a similar BW were randomly allocated to two groups. The Enterococcus hirae HNAU0516 administration group was inoculated orally with Ningxiang pig-derived Enterococcus hirae HNAU0516 throughout the trial period. Conversely, the control group received the same volume of physiological saline. Our findings revealed that Enterococcus hirae HNAU0516 supplementation effectively reduced diarrhoea rates of piglets (P = 0.010). Notably, this probiotic promoted intestinal development and enhanced intestinal barrier function. It also showed potential anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, Enterococcus hirae HNAU0516 supplementation significantly remodelled the colonic microbiota and increased the production of acetate (P = 0.007). In conclusion, our study highlights that Ningxiang pig-derived Enterococcus hirae HNAU0516 improves postweaning diarrhoea by promoting intestinal development, enhancing intestinal barrier function, decreasing intestinal permeability, modulating intestinal microbiota, and increasing short-chain fatty acids production., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and may be due to the disease itself, side-effects of medications, or non-SLE causes. However, GI manifestations of lupus attract far less attention than the other major organ involvements, are infrequently reviewed and rarely documented in published lupus databases or cohort studies including those from countries in Asia. According to three reports from two countries in Asia, the cumulative prevalence of SLE GI manifestations range from 3.8% to 18%. In this review, we focus on three major GI manifestations in patients from Asian countries: lupus enteritis, intestinal pseudo-obstruction, and protein-losing gastroenteropathy, for which early recognition improves outcome and reduces morbidity and mortality.

The objectives of this study were to determine true phosphorus (P) digestibility, degradability of phytate-P complex and the endogenous P outputs associated with brown rice feeding in weanling pigs by using the simple linear regression analysis technique. Six barrows with an average initial body weight of 12.5 kg were fitted with a T-cannula and fed six diets according to a 6 × 6 Latin-square design. Six maize starch-based diets, containing six levels of P at 0.80, 1.36, 1.93, 2.49, 3.04, and 3.61 g/kg per kg dry-matter (DM) intake (DMI), were formulated with brown rice. Each experimental period lasted 10 days. After a 7-day adaptation, all faecal samples were collected on days 8 and 9. Ileal digesta samples were collected for a total of 24 h on day 10. The apparent ileal and faecal P digestibility values of brown rice were affected ( P < 0.01) by the P contents in the assay diets. The apparent ileal and faecal P digestibility values increased from - 48.0 to 36.7% and from - 35.6 to 40.0%, respectively, as P content increased from 0.80 to 3.61 g/kg DMI. Linear relationships ( P < 0.05), expressed as g/kg DMI, between the apparent ileal and faecal digestible P and dietary levels of P, suggested that true P digestibility and the endogenous P outputs associated with brown rice feeding could be determined by using the simple regression analysis technique. There were no differences ( P>0.05) in true P digestibility values (57.7 ± 5.4 v. 58.2 ± 5.9%), phytate P degradability (76.4 ± 6.7 v. 79.0 ± 4.4%) and the endogenous P outputs (0.812 ± 0..096 v. 0.725 ± 0.083 g/kg DMI) between the ileal and the faecal levels. The endogenous faecal P output represented 14 and 25% of the National Research Council (1998) recommended daily total and available P requirements in the weanling pig, respectively. About 58% of the total P in brown rice could be digested and absorbed by the weanling pig. Our results suggest that the large intestine of the weanling pigs does not play a significant role in the digestion of P in brown rice. Diet formulation on the basis of total or apparent P digestibility with brown rice may lead to P overfeeding and excessive P excretion in pigs.