Search

Copyright of Acta Edulis Fungi is the property of Acta Edulis Fungi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This experiment aimed to compare the effects of Fe-sucrose with Fe-fumarate and Fe-Gly on blood parameters, serum biochemistry and organ index in piglets, and the theoretical basis for the application of Fe-sucrose was also provided. In this experiment, 32 healthy 35-day-old crossbred weaned male piglets were selected and randomly divided into 4 treatments each of which included 8 replicates of 1 pig. Pigs were reared in single cages to ensure that the difference in body weight between treatments was not significant (P>0.05). Treatment 1 was the control and the iron source was ferrous sulphate monohydrate, while the iron sources for treatments 2, 3 and 4 were Fe-fumarate, Fe-Gly and Fe-sucrose, respectively. The level of iron was 100 mg/kg (as iron) for all treatments. Feeding trials were conducted for 7 d adaptation period and 42 d experiment period. The results showed that: ① compared to ferrous sulphate monohydrate, Fe-sucrose significantly increased the average daily weight gain and apparent digestibility of nutrients (dry matter, organic matter and crude protein) in piglets, significantly reducing the feed-to-weight ratio (P<0.05). ② Fe-sucrose significantly decreased serum triglyceride and urea nitrogen content (P<0.05), serum total protein content was significantly increased (P<0.05) in Fe-Gly group. ③ Fe-Gly and Fesucrose significantly increased total glutathione and reduced glutathione content in serum and jejunum (P<0.05), respectively. Fe-fumarate increased the content of total glutathione, oxidized glutathione and reduced glutathione in jejunum (P<0.05), respectively. ④ Fe-sucrose significantly increased the spleen index (P<0.05), whereas Fe-Gly and Fe-sucrose significantly increased the lung and duodenal index of piglets (P<0.05). In conclusion, compared with inorganic iron, organic iron improved growth performance, apparent digestibility of nutrients, blood parameters, serum biochemistry, and organ index in piglets to some extent. Under the conditions of this study, the order of effectiveness of different iron sources was: Fe-sucrose>Fe-Gly>Fe-fumarate>ferrous sulphate monohydrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different doses of Acreosporium terreticulum culture on the growth performance and immune function of mice. A total of 80 mice with similar body weight were randomly divided into 4 groups with 4 replicates per group and 5 mice per replicate. Hens in the control group were fed a basal diet, and hens in test groups T1, T2 and T3 were fed 0.5, 1.5 g/kg and 2.5 g/kg Acreosporium terreticulum culture to the control diet for 28 days. The results showed as follows: the average daily gain in group T2 was significantly higher than that in CT control group, T1 and T3 groups (P<0.05), and the growth performance of mice in group 1.5 g/kg was the best. The spleen index and thymus index of T2 group were higher than those of control group, T1 and T3 groups, but there was no significant difference among all groups (P>0.05). The serum hemolysin content of T2 group was higher than that of control group, T1 and T3 groups, but there was no significant difference (P>0.05); the phagocytic index α1 of T2 group was higher than that in CT control group, T1 and T3 groups (P<0.05); the phagocytic percentage of macrophages of T2 group was significantly higher than that in control group, T1 and T3 groups (P<0.05); the phagocytic index α2 of macrophages in T2 group was higher than that in control group, T1 and T3 groups, but the difference was not significant (P>0.05). In conclusion, Acreosporium terreticulum culture could increase the average daily gain, immune organ index and serum hemolysin content of mice. The phagocytic function of macrophages and mononuclear phagocytic cells were improved, and the appropriate dosage of Acreosporium terreticulum culture to improve the immune function of mice was 1.5 g/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the global population growth and shortage of food, the competition between humans and animal for food will become increasingly fierce. Therefore, the development of unconventional energy feed cassava feed is of great significance. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of cassava root meal (CRM) on the growth performance, apparent digestibility, and organ and intestinal indices of broiler chickens. A total of 140 one-day-old chicks were randomly assigned to four dietary treatment groups [control diet (CT), 15% CRM (CRM15), 30% CRM (CRM30), and 45% CRM (CRM45)] with five replicates of seven birds per replicate. The results showed that the body weight of broiler chickens fed diets containing CRM were significantly lower than that in the CT group at 21 and 42 days of age, the average daily gain and average daily feed intake in the CRM group were significantly lower than those in the CT group from 1 to 21 days of age. However, from days 22 to 42, there were no significant differences between CRM15 and CT birds regarding average daily gain and average daily feed intake. but there was no difference in feed conversion rate between the CRM15 and CT groups. At 42 days of age, there were no significant differences between CRM15 and CT birds in in body measurements, the slaughter performance and the percentage of semi-eviscerated yield. The addition of CRM reduced the proportion of breast and thigh muscles during the feeding period, although we detected no significant difference between CRM15 and CT regarding the apparent digestibility of nutrients. Collectively, our findings indicate that 15% cassava was the optimal proportion for supplementing diets for broiler chicken production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the experiment was to investigate the effects of Echinacea purpurea granules on the growth performance, organ index, and serum biochemical indicators of Hy-Line Brown layer chicks. A total of 153 healthy 16-day-old Hy-Line Brown layer chicks with similar weight were randomly divided into three groups with three replicates in each group and 17 chicks in each replicate. The control group was fed with basal diet, and the experimental group 1 and group 2 were fed with 1 g/kg and 2 g/kg of Echinacea purpurea granules respectively for 14 days. The results showed that compared with the control group, the average daily gain of the experimental group 2 increased by 1.6%, the average daily feed intake decreased by 1.1%, and the feed-to-weight ratio decreased by 2.7%. Compared with the control group, the thymus weight of the experimental group 2 increased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the cardiac index of the experimental group 1 and experimental group 2 increased by 4.35% and 0.62%, respectively, the bursa index increased by 5.00% and 12.89%, respectively, and the thymus index significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the serum GLB, TP, and GLU contentrations of the experimental group 2 significantly increased (P<0.05), while the TG content significantly decreased (P<0.05). The study indicates that adding Echinacea purpurea granules to the diet can improve the growth performance, enhance the organ index, improve the serum biochemical indicators of Hy-Line Brown layer chicks, and thereby further improve the immune function, with the addition of 2 g/kg being the most effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of different levels of a Chinese herbal medicine formulation combined with JM113 (CHM-JM113) on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, organ index, and intestinal health of AA broilers. The AA broiler chicks were randomly allocated to 5 treatments as follows: a basic diet for the control group, the basic diet supplemented with 0.25% CHM-JM113, 0.5% CHM-JM113, 1% CHM-JM113 and 2% CHM-JM113 for the treatment group, respectively. The results showed that the addition of CHMJM113 to the diet significantly reduced the mortality (p < 0.01) and improved the European Broiler Index (EBI) (p < 0.05), whereas it had no significance on growth performance of AA broilers (p > 0.05). Comparing the control group, 0.5 and 1% CHM-JM113 group significantly improved the organ index of liver, spleen and bursa (p < 0.05). In terms of intestinal morphology and structure, the addition of different levels of CHM-JM113 increased VH and VH/CD ratio, decreased CD in the small intestine compared to the control group, with 1 and 2% of the additive dose being more effective (p < 0.05). Chinese herbal medicine and probiotics as natural antioxidants also significantly increased the content of SOD in serum of 21-day-old broilers (p < 0.01), and significantly decreased the content of MDA in serum (p < 0.01). At 42 days of age, the addition of 1 and 2% CHM-JM113 significantly increased the content of SOD (p < 0.01) and significantly decreased the content of MDA in the organism (p < 0.01), accompanied by a significant increase in T-AOC and CAT content. In the study of the effect of CHM-JM113 on intestinal immunity, compared with the control group, we found that 1% or 2% CHM-JM113 had a better effect on the expression of occludin and claudin-1 in the intestinal segments of broilers (p < 0.05). For the expression of GATA-3, 0.5% CHM-JM113 may have a better effect (p < 0.05). CHM-JM113 may be used as an antibiotic alternative in broiler production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aquaculture use of antibiotics can cause detrimental effects on fish organs and gut microbial dysbiosis. The impact of florfenicol (FFC) on fish intestinal histology, an approved antibiotic, remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of FFC on Oreochromis niloticus juveniles by administering FFC at 10 mg and 30 mg/kg biomass/day for 30 consecutive days to mimic long-term use. A dose-dependent reduction in feed intake, survival and biomass, with an upsurge in mortalities was observed. Even the therapeutic dose instigated mortalities on day 30 of FFC dosing (FD). Histopathological analysis revealed mild to moderate alterations, including loss of absorptive regions, epithelial degeneration, necrotized areas, intercellular enterocytic space and swollen laminar propria. Post-dosing, the observation of the detachment of lamina propria from the epithelium indicated imminent irritability. Goblet cells reduced drastically on day 30 FD, accompanied by an increase in intraepithelial lymphocytes. However, cessation of dosing for 13 days resulted in the reclamation of goblet cells and absorptive regions, indicating that the intestinal tissues underwent considerable repair after lifting antibiotic pressure. These findings suggested that O. niloticus can tolerate dietary FFC but emphasize the need for responsible use of antibiotics in aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment aimed to study the effects of different egg weights on embryonic organ devel on the birth weight and organ development of chicks. Ninety fertilized chicken eggs were selected and divided into five groups according to egg weight, with eighteen eggs in each group: group Ⅰ (59-62 g), group Ⅱ (62-65 g), group Ⅲ (65-68 g), group Ⅳ (68-71 g), and group Ⅴ (71-74 g), for a 21-day incubation experiment. After hatching, the chicks were weighed, blood was collected, and they were slaughtered for data recording and analysis. The results are as follows: ① the birth weight of chicks was significantly and positively correlated with egg weight; ② the weights of the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, small intestine, and gizzard of the chicks were positively correlated with egg weight, the gizzard index of group Ⅴ was significantly lower than that of group Ⅰ(P<0.05), while the organ index of the other organs showed no significant differences among the groups (P>0.05); ③the serum triglyceride content of group Ⅴ chicks was significantly higher than that of group Ⅰ and Ⅱ, the highdensity lipoprotein content was significantly lower in group Ⅰ and Ⅱ, and the cholesterol content was significantly higher in group Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ(P< 0.05). It was concluded that egg weight is related to the health level of chicks, and larger egg weights may adversely affect the health of chicks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: With the rapid expansion of large-scale dairy goat farming in China, Saanen goats have become the preferred choice for farmers due to their strong reproductive capacity and high milk production. However, there is a lack of information on the growth and development patterns of the body and visceral organs. To our knowledge, this is the first report documenting the allometric growth of tissues and organs in Saanen dairy goats. This study not only explores developmental trajectories of dairy goats at this growing stage, helping to optimize feeding management strategies and feed formulation, but also provides a fundamental benchmark for developing comprehensive nutrient requirements for dairy goats. This study aimed to investigate the effect of feeding level on the growth and slaughter performance, and allometric growth of tissues and organs in female growing dairy goats. The trial included 10–20 and 20–30 kg weight stages with 48 female goat kids. The 24 goat kids in each stage were divided into 8 blocks based on weight, with 3 kids per block. Then, three kids from each block were randomly assigned to one of the three treatments, namely ad libitum (AL100), 70% of ad libitum (AL70), or 40% of ad libitum (AL40). The slaughter trial was conducted when the AL100 kids reached the target weight of 20 or 30 kg. The results showed that the ADG and feed conversion rate showed a linear decline as the feed level decreased (p < 0.05). Compared with the AL70 and AL100 groups, the AL40 group exhibited lower shrunk body weight, empty body weight, hot carcass weight, net meat rate, carcass meat rate, and visceral fat weight (p < 0.05) in both stages. Moreover, the AL40 group showed lower weights for skin and mohair, blood, rumen, small intestine, large intestine, mammary gland, and uterus than the AL70 and AL100 groups (p < 0.05) in both stages. However, feeding level did not affect organ indices in the two stages (p > 0.05). The bone, skin and mohair were isometric (b ≈ 1), but the muscle, visceral fat, and most internal organs were positive (b > 1) in both stages. In conclusion, feeding level affects the growth and development of dairy goats, which vary depending on the body weight stage and specific tissues and organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to investigate the impact of different levels of quercetagetin on the slaughter performance, organ index, meat quality, and meat nutrient composition in Ira rabbits. A total of 200 healthy rabbits, with an initial weight of (1 184.75±181.44) g at 35 days old, were randomly divided into five groups, with eight replicates in each group and five rabbits in each replicate. The control group was fed a basic diet, while the experimental groups were fed diets supplemented with 5, 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg of QG, respectively. The pre-trial period lasted for five days, and the formal experimental period lasted for 28 days. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the final weight of rabbits among the experimental groups compared to the control group ( P>0.05). Compared with the control group, there was a tendency to increase the half-eviscerated yield rate in the 50 mg/kg QG group ( P>0.05), and there was no differences on other indices of slaughter performance among the experimental groups ( P>0.05). Compared with the control group, the addition of 75 mg/kg QG increased the spleen index of rabbits ( P<0.05), and different doses of QG increased the kidney and thymus indices ( P<0.05). Adding 75 mg/kg QG reduced steaming loss compared to the control group ( P<0.05). Adding 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg QG increased the crude fat content in the back longissimus muscle of the rabbits ( P<0.05). The study indicates that the inclusion of QG in the diet promotes organ development, improves meat quality, and increases the crude fat content in rabbit meat. The suitable addition level of QG in the rabbit diet is 50-75 mg/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the experiment was to study the effect of Perilla seed extract on the growth performance, serum biochemical index, immune performance and organ index of Ila meat rabbits during fattening period. A total of ninety-six 35-day-old Ila meat rabbits were randomly divided into four groups, with 12 replicates per group and two rabbits per replicate. The meat rabbits in the control group were fed a basal diet, and the meat rabbits in the experimental groups were fed the experimental diets supplemented with 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg Perilla seed extract, respectively. The experiment lasted for 35 days. The results showed that compared with the control group, adding different levels of Perilla seed extract in the diet could effectively reduce the mortality of Ila meat rabbits. Dietary 300 mg/kg Perilla seed extract significantly increased the average daily gain ( P<0.05), and significantly decreased the average daily feed intake and feed to gain ratio of the Ila meat rabbits (P<0.05). Dietary 200 mg/kg Perilla seed extract could increase the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in serum, significantly decrease the content of cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), blood glucose (Glu) and urea nitrogen (BUN), and the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in the serum of the Ila meat rabbits (P<0.05). Dietary 200 mg/kg Perilla seed extract could significantly increase the content of serum immunoglobulin M (IgM), immunoglobulin A (IgA) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), significantly decrease the content of interleukin-6 (IL-6) ( P<0.05), significantly increase serum total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) (P<0.05), and significantly increase heart index of the Ila meat rabbit ( P<0.05). The experiment indicates that dietary supplementation of 300 mg/kg Perilla seed extract can improve the growth performance of the Ila meat rabbits during fattening period. Diet supplemented with 200 mg/kg Perilla seed extract can promote the immune performance and antioxidant performance of meat rabbits, and improve some serum biochemical index and organ development levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pomelo peel is a natural plant product with numerous pharmacological effects and is used in traditional Chinese medicine. In the present study, we extracted naringin from pomelo peel and aimed to decipher its therapeutic potential against hyperlipidemia. We used ultrasonic-assisted extraction to obtain naringin prior to identifying its structure, to evaluate its ability in binding sodium glycine cholate and sodium bovine cholate in vitro by simulating the gastrointestinal environment, so as to evaluate its blood lipid-lowering activity. The hyperlipidemia mouse model was established. Following the intragastric administration of naringin for 5 weeks, we measured the weight change, organ index, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), serum total cholesterol (TC), serum triglycerides (TG), liver superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level, malondialdehyde (MDA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level of mice in the normal control and high-fat diet groups in addition to the high-, medium-, and low-dose naringin groups. The pathological changes in the liver were observed under a light microscope. The total RNA of the liver was extracted, and the mRNA expression level of lipid metabolism-related factors in mouse liver was detected via a fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Naringin significantly (p < 0.01) reduced the body weight, organ index, serum TG, LDL-C, and TC levels of hyperlipidemic mice, but increased the serum HDL-C levels (p < 0.01). Furthermore, naringin increased GSH Px and SOD activity (p < 0.01), while decreasing MDA, ALT, and AST levels, as well as the liver index (p < 0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in the brain, heart, spleen, kidney, and other indicators (p > 0.05). A histopathological analysis of mouse liver showed that naringin could alleviate the degenerative damage of fatty liver cells in hyperlipidemic mice. Naringin could significantly (p < 0.01) reduce the expression of FAS and SREBP-1c mRNA, and simultaneously increase PPARα mRNA expression. This study shows that naringin has the strong effect of lowering lipids and protecting the liver in hyperlipidemic mice. Our findings underscore the anti-hyperlipidemia potential of naringin and increase the scientific understanding of its anti-hyperlipidemia effects, that may lead to its potential application as a dietary strategy for hyperlipidemia management in the future.

The experiment was to study the effect of Echinops latifolius Tausch flavonoids on immune and antioxidant indexes of mice. A total of 80 Kunming mice were randomly divided into four groups, with 20 replicates in each group and one mouse in each replicate. The mice in low dose group, middle dose group, and high dose group were gavaged with 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg Echinops latifolius Tausch flavonoids, respectively, and the mice in the blank control group were treated with the same amount of distilled water. The experiment lasted for 30 d. The results showed that compared with control group, the thymus and spleen indexes of the mice in each dose group were increased (P>0.05), and the thymus index of high-dose group was significantly higher than that of control group (P<0.05). The serum levels of IgG and IgA in high-dose group were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05), and the serum level of IgM was slightly higher than that in control group (P>0.05). The serum IgA level in medium-dose group was significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05). Compared with control group, the serum levels of IL-1β in high-dose group and medium-dose group were extremely decreased (P<0.01), and the serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in high-dose group were significantly decreased (P<0.05). The serum IL-6 of mice in medium dose group was significantly rdecreased (P<0.05). The activity of SOD in serum of mice in high, medium and low dose groups were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05), and GSH-Px activity was extremely higher than control group (P<0.01). The serum T-AOC of mice in high and low dose group was extremely higher than that in control group (P<0.01), and the serum MDA content of mice in high dose group was extremely lower than that in control group (P<0.01). The study indicates that the Echinops latifolius Tausch flavonoids can promote the development of immune organs in mice, enhance the antioxidant capacity of mice, and improve the immune function of mice, and adding 400 mg/kg flavonoid solution has the best effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effect of feeding level on the growth and slaughter performance, and allometric growth of tissues and organs in female growing dairy goats. The trial included 10–20 and 20–30 kg weight stages with 48 female goat kids. The 24 goat kids in each stage were divided into 8 blocks based on weight, with 3 kids per block. Then, three kids from each block were randomly assigned to one of the three treatments, namely ad libitum (AL100), 70% of ad libitum (AL70), or 40% of ad libitum (AL40). The slaughter trial was conducted when the AL100 kids reached the target weight of 20 or 30 kg. The results showed that the ADG and feed conversion rate showed a linear decline as the feed level decreased (p < 0.05). Compared with the AL70 and AL100 groups, the AL40 group exhibited lower shrunk body weight, empty body weight, hot carcass weight, net meat rate, carcass meat rate, and visceral fat weight (p < 0.05) in both stages. Moreover, the AL40 group showed lower weights for skin and mohair, blood, rumen, small intestine, large intestine, mammary gland, and uterus than the AL70 and AL100 groups (p < 0.05) in both stages. However, feeding level did not affect organ indices in the two stages (p > 0.05). The bone, skin and mohair were isometric (b ≈ 1), but the muscle, visceral fat, and most internal organs were positive (b > 1) in both stages. In conclusion, feeding level affects the growth and development of dairy goats, which vary depending on the body weight stage and specific tissues and organs.

Context: Egg production rate (EPR) is the main criteria for egg producers and egg quality is important for consumers. Exposed to music, layers kept at appropriate stocking density could display optimal production performance without compromising egg quality. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the possibility of employing instrumental music stimulus and regulating stocking density to maximise egg production performance and improve egg quality in Xiandao green-shell layers. Methods: In total, 378 30-week-old layers were randomly distributed into nine treatments across three types of sound sources (natural sound, instrumental music, or mixed road noise) × three different stocking densities (4, 7 and 10 birds/cage corresponding to low, medium, and high density respectively), with six replicates per treatment. The 24-day experimental period was equally divided into four phases. EPR, average egg weight, and serum IgG concentration were determined at the end of each phase. Egg quality and organ indices were determined at the end of experiment. Results: Hens exposed to music had a significantly higher EPR and laid eggs of better quality than did hens subjected to mixed road noise. Across all parameters, hens exposed to music did not significantly differ from hens exposed to natural sound. Stocking density had significant impacts on EPR, relative eggshell weight, and serum IgG concentration, with hens kept at high stocking density (357 cm2/hen) exhibiting the lowest values. Hens kept at medium density (510 cm2/hen) and low density (892 cm2/hen) showed no significant differences in tested parameters except that the former produced eggs with a significantly higher relative eggshell weight. Significant interactions between sound and density were observed in EPR, relative yolk weight, and spleen index, with hens exposed to music and kept at low density displaying the highest values. Conclusions: Music and low stocking density had favourable effects on improving egg production and egg quality, while road noise and high stocking density exerted negative influences on them. Implications: Xiandao green-shell layers are recommended to be kept at medium density to maximise the production benefits. The integration of music playback into management practices will not compromise layers' production potential displayed under natural sound exposure. Improving the production performance of animals and the quality of their end products are key issues for farmers and consumers respectively. In Xiandao green-shell layers, we confirmed the favourable effects of instrumental music and low stocking density on improving egg production and egg quality. Our results suggest that Xiandao green-shell layers be kept at medium density to maximise the production benefits. Integration of instrumental music playback into management practices will not compromise layers' production potential displayed under natural sound exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was to create a LPS immune stress model, to study the effect of CDN on organ indexes, serum biochemical indexes, inflammatory variables and antioxidant capacity in immune-stressed piglets. Twenty-four healthy weaned piglets were randomly assigned into four groups, with six replicates in each group and one pig in each replicate. piglets in CON group were fed with basal diet, piglets in LPS group were intraperitoneally injected with 100 μg/kg BW LPS, piglets in LCDN group were intraperitoneally injected with 3 mg/kg CDN+ 100 μg/kg BW LPS, and piglets in LCDN group were intraperitoneally injected with 100 μg/kg BW LPS. Piglets in HCDN group were intraperitoneally injected with 6 mg/kg CDN+ injected with 100 μg/kg BW LPS. Piglets in CDN groups were given CDN once a day starting on 8 d of experiment, while the other two groups received the same quantity of sterile normal saline. On 15 d of experiment, all piglets except CON group received an intraperitoneal injection of 100 μg/kg BW LPS, where as CON group received the same quantity of normal saline. Piglets were murdered after 6 h. The results showed that compared with CON group, the renal index of HCDN group was significantly increased (P<0.05), the activity of ALT and ALP, the content of CREA, MDA and TNF- α in the serum of LPS group was significantly increased (P<0.05), the activity of T-SOD, CAT and the content of IL-10 were significantly reduced (P<0.05). Compared with LPS group, the activity of AST and ALP, the content of CREA and IL-6 in LCDN group were significantly decreased (P<0.05), while the content of IL-10 and the activity of T-SOD were significantly increased (P<0.05). The content of IL-10 and the activity of T-SOD and CAT in HCDN group were significantly increased (P<0.05), while the activity of ALT, AST and ALP and the content of MDA, IL-1β and TNF- α were significantly decreased (P<0.05). The experiment indicates that cardamom intraperitoneal injection can improve antioxidant capacity, reduce LPSinduced immunological stress and inflammation in weaned piglets, and the injection dose of 6 mg/kg has a better effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 240 geese (28 days old; 120 ganders and 120 gooses) with an average initial body weight of 1068.19 ± 6.59 g were used to evaluate the effects of increasing dietary methionine (Met) levels on growth performance, blood hematology, organ indexes, and myofiber traits. The experimental period was 42 days. All birds were randomly assigned to four treatment groups based on the initial body weight. There were six replicate cages per treatment, and 10 geese per cage (5 ganders and 5 gooses). Dietary treatments were based on a basal diet containing 0.25% Met, and extra supplied 0.25%, 0.50%, and 0.75% Met to form different dietary groups (0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75%, and 1.00% Met, as-fed basis). The results of this study indicated that final body weight, body weight gain, and feed efficiency increased quadratically, relative weight of breast muscle and myofiber diameter increased cubically, serum total protein and uric acid concentrations, relative weight of liver and abdominal fat, and myofiber diameter increased linearly, whereas myofiber density decreased linearly, with the level of Met increased. The maximized growth performance and breast muscle parameters were observed in 0.75% Met-containing group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of different proportions of Moringa oleifera leaf powder (MOLP) and mulberry leaf powder (MLP) on the performance of laying hens. The use of MOLP and MLP as animal feed can meet the nutritional requirements of livestock and improve antioxidant status. Combinations of different feeds could produce a synergistic effect in animals. Two hundred and ten birds were randomly divided into three groups. The control group was fed a basal diet and the treatment groups received a basal diet supplemented with 2.5% MOLP + 2.5% MLP and 5% MOLP + 2.5% MLP, respectively. The results showed that the supplementation of 5% MOLP + 2.5% MLP significantly decreased the laying rate, albumen height and Haugh unit. Yolk colours were significantly more intense after MOLP and MLP supplementation. Significant decreases in abdominal fat index were observed in the 5% MOLP + 2.5% MLP group. The levels of superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) mRNA expression were significantly increased, while those of apolipoprotein B (APOB) were significantly reduced, as determined by qRT-PCR analysis. The combined administration of MOLP and MLP could have regulated the antioxidant status and lipid metabolism by affecting SOD2 and APOB gene expression. A supplementation level of 2.5% MOLP + 2.5% MLP was recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is usually added to diets to meet the Na and Cl requirements of broilers in the Chinese poultry industry, but the optimal dietary NaCl supplemental level was not well-established. The present study was conducted to estimate the optimal dietary NaCl supplemental level of broilers fed a corn-soybean meal diet from 1 to 21 days of age. A total of 490, 1-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers were fed a NaCl-unsupplemented corn-soybean meal basal diet (control) and the basal diet supplemented with 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, 0.40, 0.50 or 0.60% NaCl for 21 days. Regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the optimal dietary NaCl level using the best fitted broken-line or asymptotic models. As dietary supplemental NaCl levels increased, average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), blood partial pressure of CO2, total CO2, base excess and anion gap, blood concentrations of HCO3, Na and Cl, serum Na concentration, jejunal villus height (VH) and tibia ash content increased linearly and quadratically (P < 0.05), while feed/gain ratio, relative weights of heart, liver and kidney, blood K concentration, serum concentrations of K, uric acid and glucose, and osmotic pressure decreased linearly and quadratically (P < 0.05). The estimates of optimal dietary NaCl levels were 0.20−0.22% based on the best fitted broken-line or asymptotic models (P < 0.0001) of ADG, ADFI and feed/gain ratio, and 0.08−0.24% based on the best fitted broken-line or asymptotic models (P < 0.0001) of blood gas indices, serum parameters, jejunal VH, tibia ash content and organ indices. These results suggested that the optimal dietary NaCl supplemental level would be 0.24% for broilers fed the corn-soybean meal diet from 1 to 21 days of age, which is lower than the current dietary NaCl supplemental level (0.30%) in the Chinese broiler production.

The experiment was conducted to study the effects of adding different proportions of grape seed compound diets on growth performance and organ index of Dorang sheep. The experiment adopted a completely randomized experimental design, and 25 Duolang lambs (uncastrated) with an average weight of (18.26±2.65) kg were randomly divided into five groups according to the principle of similar body weight, with five sheep in each group, and each sheep was one repetition. The sheep in each group were fed diets with grape seed supplemental levels of 0 (group A1), 4% (group A2), 8% (group A3), 12% (group A4) and 16% (group A5), respectively. The experiment lasted for 75 d, including 15 d of pre-test and 60 d of formal test. The results showed that adding different proportions of grapeseed compound diets had no significant effects on growth performance of Dorang sheep (P>0.05). The slaughter rate of sheep in group A2 was significantly higher than that in other groups (P<0.05). The bone weight of group A4 was significantly higher than that of group A1 (P<0.05). The ratio of mutton bone in group A4 and group A5 was significantly lower than that in group A1 (P<0.05). The experiment indicates that the most suitable proportion of grape seeds in Dorang sheep diet is 8%~12%, which can significantly reduce the meat ratio, promote bone development and improve slaughter performance of Dorang sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research was to evaluate the effect of fermented Chinese herbal medicine on growth performance, slaughter performance, organ index, serum biochemical index and immunity in finishing pigs. 72 'Duroc×Landrace× Yorkshire' finishing pigs of 130-day-old were selected and randomly divided into three groups, with four replicates in each group and six pigs in each replicate. The pigs in control group were fed with basal diet, and the pigs in experimental group 1 and group 2 were fed with a basal diet adding 0.5% fermented Chinese herbal medicine, respectively (adding Buzhongyiqi decoction and Sijunzi decoction). The experiment lasted for 50 d. The results showed that the average daily gain of pigs in experimental group 1 was significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05). Compared with control group, the serum albumin content and alkaline phosphatase activity of pigs in experimental group 1 and group 2 were significantly increased (P<0.05), and the urea nitrogen content was significantly decreased (P<0.05). The content of IgA, IgM and complement C4 in experimental group 1 were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05). The content of IgM and complement C4 in experimental group 2 were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05). The experiment indicates that adding fermented Buzhongyiqi decoction and Sijunzi decoction to diet can improve growth performance and immunity in finishing pigs, which can be popularized and applied in pig production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Food Research & Development is the property of Food Research & Development Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis is the property of Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis is the property of Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

[ Objective] This experiment was conducted to study the effects of different NFC/NDF diets on growth performance, slaughter performance, organ index, body size and blood biochemical indexes of Plateau Tibetan sheep. [Method] Thirty 4-month-old Tibetan sheep with good body condition and similar body weight ( 26. 38 ± 0. 43) kg were selected and divided into three groups ( R1, R2, R3) according to gender and three groups ( El, E2, E3) of ewes. Five sheep in each group were fed basic diets with NFC / NDF of 2. 20 ( Rl and El), 1. 39 ( R2 and E2) and 0. 92 ( R3 and E3),respectively. The experimental period was 105 days, in which the pre-test period was 15 days and the main test period was 90 days. [ Result] ( i) On the 30'1 day of the trial, the body weight and average daily gain of rams in group Rl were significantly higher than those in groups R2 and R3 ( The average daily gain of ewes in group El was significantly higher than that in groups E2 and E3 ( P < 0. 05) ; On the 60'1 day of the trial, the weight and average daily gain of rams in group Rl were significantly higher than those in groups R2 and R3 ( P < 0. 05), the weight and average daily gain of ewes in group El were significantly higher than those in group E3 ( P < 0. 05) ; On the 90'1 day of the trial, the weight and average daily gain of rams in group R 1 were significantly higher than those in groups R2 and R3 ( P < 0. 05), the body weight and average daily gain of group El were significantly higher than those of group E3 ( P < 0. 05). (ii) On the 30'h day of the trial, the chest circumference and body oblique length of rams in group Rl were significantly higher than those in group R3 ( P < 0. 05), and the body height, chest circumference and body oblique length of ewes in group El were significantly higher than those in group E3 ( P < 0. OS) ; On the 60"' day of the trial, the body height, chest circumference and body oblique length of rams in group Rl were significantly higher than those in group R3 (P <0. OS),and the chest circumference of ewes in group El was significantly higher than that in group E3 ( P < 0. 05) ; On the 90"' day of the trial, the chest circumference of rams in groups Rl and R2 were significantly higher than those in group R3 group ( P < 0. 05). ( iii) The pre slaughter live weight, carcass weight, slaughter rate and eye muscle area of rams in group R 1 were significantly higher than those in group R3 ( P < 0. 05), and the pre slaughter live weight, carcass weight, slaughter rate and eye muscle area of ewes in group El were significantly higher than those in group E3 ( P < 0. 05). ( iv) The weight of liver and kidney in group Rl was significantly higher than that in group R3 (P <0. OS),and the weight of heart,liver and kidney in group El was significantly higher than that in group E3 ( P < 0. OS). ( v) On the 60"' day of the trial, the content of high density cholesterol in group Rl was significantly higher than that in group R3 (P <0. OS); On the 90"' day of the trial,the content of glucose in group Rl was significantly higher than that in group R3 (P <0. OS),while the activity of alanine aminotransferase was on the contrary (P <0. OS). [ Conclusion]The best growth and development can be obtained by feeding Tibetan sheep with NFC/NDF of 2. 20, and the blood biochemical indexes are within the normal range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pomelo peel is a natural plant product with numerous pharmacological effects and is used in traditional Chinese medicine. In the present study, we extracted naringin from pomelo peel and aimed to decipher its therapeutic potential against hyperlipidemia. We used ultrasonic-assisted extraction to obtain naringin prior to identifying its structure, to evaluate its ability in binding sodium glycine cholate and sodium bovine cholate in vitro by simulating the gastrointestinal environment, so as to evaluate its blood lipid-lowering activity. The hyperlipidemia mouse model was established. Following the intragastric administration of naringin for 5 weeks, we measured the weight change, organ index, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), serum total cholesterol (TC), serum triglycerides (TG), liver superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level, malondialdehyde (MDA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level of mice in the normal control and high-fat diet groups in addition to the high-, medium-, and low-dose naringin groups. The pathological changes in the liver were observed under a light microscope. The total RNA of the liver was extracted, and the mRNA expression level of lipid metabolism-related factors in mouse liver was detected via a fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Naringin significantly (p < 0.01) reduced the body weight, organ index, serum TG, LDL-C, and TC levels of hyperlipidemic mice, but increased the serum HDL-C levels (p < 0.01). Furthermore, naringin increased GSH Px and SOD activity (p < 0.01), while decreasing MDA, ALT, and AST levels, as well as the liver index (p < 0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in the brain, heart, spleen, kidney, and other indicators (p > 0.05). A histopathological analysis of mouse liver showed that naringin could alleviate the degenerative damage of fatty liver cells in hyperlipidemic mice. Naringin could significantly (p < 0.01) reduce the expression of FAS and SREBP-1c mRNA, and simultaneously increase PPARα mRNA expression. This study shows that naringin has the strong effect of lowering lipids and protecting the liver in hyperlipidemic mice. Our findings underscore the anti-hyperlipidemia potential of naringin and increase the scientific understanding of its anti-hyperlipidemia effects, that may lead to its potential application as a dietary strategy for hyperlipidemia management in the future.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of different levels of a Chinese herbal medicine formulation combined with JM113 (CHM-JM113) on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, organ index, and intestinal health of AA broilers. The AA broiler chicks were randomly allocated to 5 treatments as follows: a basic diet for the control group, the basic diet supplemented with 0.25% CHM-JM113, 0.5% CHM-JM113, 1% CHM-JM113 and 2% CHM-JM113 for the treatment group, respectively. The results showed that the addition of CHM-JM113 to the diet significantly reduced the mortality ( p  < 0.01) and improved the European Broiler Index (EBI) ( p  < 0.05), whereas it had no significance on growth performance of AA broilers ( p  > 0.05). Comparing the control group, 0.5 and 1% CHM-JM113 group significantly improved the organ index of liver, spleen and bursa ( p  < 0.05). In terms of intestinal morphology and structure, the addition of different levels of CHM-JM113 increased VH and VH/CD ratio, decreased CD in the small intestine compared to the control group, with 1 and 2% of the additive dose being more effective ( p  < 0.05). Chinese herbal medicine and probiotics as natural antioxidants also significantly increased the content of SOD in serum of 21-day-old broilers ( p  < 0.01), and significantly decreased the content of MDA in serum ( p  < 0.01). At 42 days of age, the addition of 1 and 2% CHM-JM113 significantly increased the content of SOD ( p  < 0.01) and significantly decreased the content of MDA in the organism ( p  < 0.01), accompanied by a significant increase in T-AOC and CAT content. In the study of the effect of CHM-JM113 on intestinal immunity, compared with the control group, we found that 1% or 2% CHM-JM113 had a better effect on the expression of occludin and claudin-1 in the intestinal segments of broilers ( p  < 0.05). For the expression of GATA-3, 0.5% CHM-JM113 may have a better effect ( p  < 0.05). CHM-JM113 may be used as an antibiotic alternative in broiler production., Competing Interests: YuaH was employed by Muyuan Foods Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Fu, Zhang, Huang, Han, Qi, Yin, Zhao, Huang, Ma and Wang.)

Copyright of Acta Edulis Fungi is the property of Acta Edulis Fungi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this experiment was to study the effects of dietary addition of high‐dose Moringa extract (10 g/kg Moringa extract) on laying performance, haematological parameters, organ index and organ histopathology of Hailan brown laying hens in order to determine the safety limit of Moringa extract in laying hens diet. 270 Hailan brown commercial laying hens with similar body weight were randomly divided into three treatments, 6 replicates per treatment and 15 chickens per replicate. Corn–soybean meal‐based diet was used in the experiment, and 0, 0.75 and 10 g/kg extracts of Moringa oleifera were added to the basic diet in the experimental group. The experiment lasted 24 weeks. The results showed that the treatment group given 10 g/kg of dietary Moringa extract had no significant difference in egg‐laying performance from the control group (p >.05). Adding 0.75 g/kg Moringa extract had no significant effect on the production performance during the early stage of the experiment (p >.05), but during the later stage, F/E was significantly lower than in the control group (p <.05), and no significantly difference compared with 10 g/kg treatment group (p >.05). The addition of Moringa oleifera extract had no significant effect on serum biochemical indices of laying hens except ALB and UREA (p >.05). The addition of Moringa oleifera extract had no significant effect on blood routine indexes of laying hens except for PLT, MON and HCT (p >.05). The digestive and immune organ indexes of laying hens at the later stage of the experiment (24 weeks) were not significantly affected by the addition of Moringa extract (p >.05) except ceca. There were no obvious abnormalities in histological structure. On the whole, we find it is safe to add Moringa oleifera extract to the diet of laying hens at a dosage of less than 10 g/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of South China Agricultural University is the property of Gai Kan Bian Wei Hui and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The acute and sub chronic toxicity effects of 25.16 nm intraperitoneally- injected zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were evaluated. Albino male mice were exposed to three different doses (25, 50 ,and 100 mg/kg ), depending on the value of calculated LD50, for 2 and 4 weeks . Considerable changes in organ indexes were shown with a good relevance to the illustrated histopathological effects which ranged from multiple hemorrhagic foci in liver, mild swelling and dilatation in kidney tubules, thickening of intestinal villi, moderate interstitial pneumonia, especially with the high dose , and sever necrosis of seminiferous tubules in testes of all studied groups. Significant changes in both hematological and biochemical parameters as well as thyroid hormones were observed with a considerable increase in the levels of antioxidant enzymes, in dose and exposure time dependent manner. The highest accumulated Zn mean values were recorded in the small intestine, kidney, liver, and spleen, respectively, followed by testes , heart , lung , and brain. These values followed the same order of the dose dependent manner, which explains the adverse effects that were recorded. This study proved the ability of using organ indexes as good tools side by side with the biochemical indicators to explain the histopathological changes. This study also revealed some histopathological effects that were not previously recorded as a toxicological effect of ZnO NPs in animal models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of body size and seasonal variation on organ indexes, digestive enzymes and plasma biochemistry parameters of triploid rainbow trout. Results in experiment 1 showed that compared with small fish, large fish had significantly (P < 0.05) higher values of organ indexes, higher plasma nutrient contents as well as higher specific activities of lipase in pyloric caeca and amylase in the intestine. Results in experiment 2 showed that fish in spring or winter had greater intestine length as well as lower specific activities of protease and lipase in pyloric caeca (P < 0.05). Fish in autumn had the highest specific activities of acid protease in the stomach and alkaline protease in pyloric caeca, lipase in pyloric caeca as well as nutrient contents in plasma, while fish in summer had the lowest liver and viscera weight as well as plasma nutrient contents. Based on data of organ indexes, digestive enzymes and plasma biochemistry parameters, the physiological status of triploid rainbow trout were affected by fish size and seasonal variation. Normal reference ranges of organ indexes and plasma biochemical parameters of triploid rainbow trout were preliminarily established, which are partly different from diploid trout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The paper was to investigate the effects of dietary crude fiber level on production performance, organ index and serum biochemical parameters of Dingan geese aged from 1 to 28 days.[Method] A total of 144 1-day-old Dingan geese with the same genetic background and similar initial weight (88.75±0.21 g) were randomly assigned into 3 groups with 4 replicates per group and 12 geese per replicate, and fed with the diets containing 2.56%, 3.52% and 4.48% crude fiber, respectively. The trial lasted 28 d. [Result] 1) The final weight and daily gain of 3.52% CF group were significantly higher than those of 2.56% CF group (P<0.05); the fccd/gain ratio was markedly lower than that of 2.56% CF group (P<0.05). 2) The slaughter rate, semi-eviscerated rate and leg muscle rate of 3.52% CF group were higher than those of 2.56% and 4.48% CF groups (P>0.05). 3) As the dietary crude fiber levels rose, the abdominal fat rate showed a downward trend (P>0.05). 4) The liver index of 3.52% CF group was significantly higher than that of 2.56% CF group (P<0.05). 4) Compared with 2.5% and 4.48% CF groups, the serum albumin concentrations of 3.52 % CF group markedly increased (P<0.05), the serum total protein and globin contents were higher (P>0.05), but the serum uric acid level was lower (P>0.05). [Conclusion] When the cnide fiber level was 3.52 %, the production performances of Dingan geese aged from 1 to 28 days were better, and the liver index and serum albumin level could be obviously improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Subcellular alterations in R cells were observed at 0.0065 mg L−1 GBH. • Low GBH concentrations caused hepatopancreas tissue commitment. • GBH increased hepatopancreas vacuolization and dilatation of cell organelles. • Organ and Cell indices are useful tools for the cytotoxic assessment of GBH. • Integrated Biomarker Response (IBR) shows that 3 biomarkers are useful for GBH risk assessment. Abstract Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH), including Roundup, are the most widely used pesticides in the world. Glyphosate residues have been detected in surface and groundwater, in food, and in human blood and urine. The effects of this herbicide on different levels of biological organization are an important concern that needs to be investigated. In general, the toxicity of GBH in invertebrates is poorly understood, and it is the motivation of this study. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate cellular responses of the hepatopancreas, an organ involved in the detoxification process in invertebrates, after exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of GBH, using prawn Macrobrachium potiuna as a model. Prawns were exposed to three concentrations of GBH (0.0065, 0.065 and 0.28 mg L−1) for 7 or 14 days. Alterations in the morphology of the hepatopancreas and in subcellular components of R cells, which are responsible for the detoxification process, were analyzed, and an index for subcellular alterations was standardized. GBH exposure induced tissue commitments on the hepatopancreas, as well as important impairments of R cells that could compromise the normal functioning of the cells, especially in the detoxification processes. The major cellular impairments were intense vacuolization, dilatation of the cisterns of the rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi bodies, increase of perinuclear space, necrosis, concentric membrane formation and mitochondria crest loss. Our data contribute to the knowledge of the cytotoxic effects of low GBH concentrations on aquatic invertebrates, specifically their effects on the hepatopancreas, an important organ for the metabolism of crustaceans. These results also indicate that concentrations considered safe by regulatory agencies should be reviewed to minimize the effects on non-target organisms. This study also contributes to the standardization of an ultrastructure index for the assessment of GBH in palaemonids, which could be used for the assessment of contaminants in crustaceans and other species with hepatopancreas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Therapeutic strategies for neurological deficits and for promoting nerve regeneration after peripheral nerve injuries have received much focus in clinical research. Advances in basic research in recent years have increased our understanding of the anatomy of peripheral nerves and the importance of the microenvironment. Various new intervention methods have been developed, but with varying effectiveness. In the present study, we selected 911 papers on different repair methods for peripheral nerve injury from the Web of Science and indexed in the Science Citation Index from 2010 to 2014. We quantitatively examine new repair methods and strategies using bibliometrics, and we discuss the present state of knowledge and the problems and prospects of various repair methods, including nerve transfer, neural transplantation, tissue engineering and genetic engineering. Our findings should help in the study and development of repair methods for peripheral nerve injury.

With advances in biomedical methods, tissue-engineered materials have developed rapidly as an alternative to nerve autografts for the repair of peripheral nerve injuries. However, the materials selected for use in the repair of peripheral nerve injuries, in particular multiple injuries and large-gap defects, must be chosen carefully. Various methods and materials for protecting the healthy tissue and repairing peripheral nerve injuries have been described, and each method or material has advantages and disadvantages. Recently, a large amount of research has been focused on tissue-engineered materials for the repair of peripheral nerve injuries. Using the keywords "pe-ripheral nerve injury", "autotransplant", "nerve graft", and "biomaterial", we retrieved publications using tissue-engineered materials for the repair of peripheral nerve injuries appearing in the Web of Science from 2010 to 2014. The country with the most total publications was the USA. The institutions that were the most productive in this field include Hannover Medical School (Germany), Washington University (USA), and Nantong University (China). The total number of publications using tissue-engineered materials for the repair of peripheral nerve injuries grad-ually increased over time, as did the number of Chinese publications, suggesting that China has made many scientific contributions to this field of research.

Increasing evidence indicates that sialic acid plays an important role during nerve regeneration. Sialic acids can be modified in vitro as well as in vivo using metabolic oligosaccharide engineering of the N-acyl side chain. N-Propionylmannosamine (ManNProp) increases neurite outgrowth and accelerates the reestablishment of functional synapses in vitro. We investigated the influence of systemic ManNProp application using a specific in vivo mouse model. Using mice expressing axonal fluorescent proteins, we quantified the extension of regenerating axons, the number of regenerating axons, the number of arborising axons and the number of branches per axon 5 days after injury. Sciatic nerves from non-expressing mice were grafted into those expressing yellow fluorescent protein. We began a twice-daily intraperitoneal application of either peracetylated ManNProp (200 mg/kg) or saline solution 5 days before injury, and continued it until nerve harvest (5 days after transection). ManNProp significantly increased the mean distance of axonal regeneration (2.49 mm vs. 1.53 mm; P < 0.005) and the number of arborizing axons (21% vs. 16% P = 0.008) 5 days after sciatic nerve grafting. ManNProp did not affect the number of regenerating axons or the number of branches per arborizing axon. The biochemical glycoengineering of the N-acyl side chain of sialic acid might be a promising approach for improving peripheral nerve regeneration.

The transplantation of polylactic glycolic acid conduits combining bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and extracellular matrix gel for the repair of sciatic nerve injury is effective in some respects, but few data comparing the biomechanical factors related to the sciatic nerve are available. In the present study, rabbit models of 10-mm sciatic nerve defects were prepared. The rabbit models were repaired with autologous nerve, a polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, or a polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells + extracellular matrix gel. After 24 weeks, mechanical testing was performed to determine the stress relaxation and creep parameters. Following sciatic nerve injury, the magnitudes of the stress decrease and strain increase at 7,200 seconds were largest in the polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells + extracellular matrix gel group, followed by the polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells group, and then the autologous nerve group. Hematoxylin-eosin staining demonstrated that compared with the polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells group and the autologous nerve group, a more complete sciatic nerve regeneration was found, including good myelination, regularly arranged nerve fibers, and a completely degraded and resorbed conduit, in the polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells + extracellular matrix gel group. These results indicate that bridging 10-mm sciatic nerve defects with a polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells + extracellular matrix gel construct increases the stress relaxation under a constant strain, reducing anastomotic tension. Large elongations under a constant physiological load can limit the anastomotic opening and shift, which is beneficial for the regeneration and functional reconstruction of sciatic nerve. Better regeneration was found with the polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells + extracellular matrix gel grafts than with the polylactic glycolic acid conduit + bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells grafts and the autologous nerve grafts.

Peripheral nerve injury has been shown to result in ectopic spontaneous discharges on soma and injured sites of sensory neurons, thereby inducing neuropathic pain. With the increase of membrane proteins on soma and injured site neurons, the negatively charged sialic acids bind to the external domains of membrane proteins, resulting in an increase of this charge. We therefore speculate that the electrophoretic velocity of injured neurons may be faster than non-injured neurons. The present study established rat models of neuropathic pain via chronic constriction injury. Results of the cell electrophoresis test revealed that the electrophoretic velocity of injured neuronal cells was faster than that of non-injured (control) cells. We then treated cells with divalent cations of Ca 2+ and organic compounds with positive charges, polylysine to counteract the negatively charged sialic acids, or neuraminidase to specifically remove sialic acids from the membrane surface of injured neurons. All three treatments significantly reduced the electrophoretic velocity of injured neuronal cells. These findings suggest that enhanced sialic acids on injured neurons may accelerate the electrophoretic velocity of injured neurons.

Hydrogen can relieve tissue-damaging oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis. Injection of hydrogen-rich saline is an effective method for transporting molecular hydrogen. We hypothesized that hydrogen-rich saline would promote the repair of spinal cord injury induced by Allen′s method in rats. At 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours after injury, then once daily for 2 weeks, 0.25 mL/kg hydrogen-rich saline was infused into the subarachnoid space through a catheter. Results at 24 hours, 48 hours, 1 week and 2 weeks after injury showed that hydrogen-rich saline markedly reduced cell death, inflammatory cell infiltration, serum malondialdehyde content, and caspase-3 immunoreactivity, elevated serum superoxide dismutase activity and calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactivity, and improved motor function in the hindlimb. The present study confirms that hydrogen-rich saline injected within 2 weeks of injury effectively contributes to the repair of spinal cord injury in the acute stage.

The tumor suppressor p63 is one of p53 family members and plays a vital role as a regulator of neuronal apoptosis in the development of the nervous system. However, the role of p63 in mature neuronal death has not been addressed yet. In this study, we first compared ischemia-induced effects on p63 expression in the hippocampal regions (CA1- 3) between the young and adult gerbils subjected to 5 minutes of transient global cerebral ischemia. Neuronal death in the hippocampal CA1 region of young gerbils was significantly slow compared with that in the adult gerbils after transient global cerebral ischemia. p63 immunoreactivity in the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in the sham-operated young group was significantly low compared with that in the sham-operated adult group. p63 immunoreactivity was apparently changed in ischemic hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in both ischemia-operated young and adult groups. In the ischemia-operated adult groups, p63 immunoreactivity in the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons was significantly decreased at 4 days post-ischemia; however, p63 immunoreactivity in the ischemia-operated young group was significantly higher than that in the ischemia-operated adult group. At 7 days post-ischemia, p63 immunoreactivity was decreased in the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in both ischemia-operated young and adult groups. Change patterns of p63 level in the hippocampal CA1 region of adult and young gerbils after ischemic damage were similar to those observed in the immunohistochemical results. These findings indicate that higher and longer-term expression of p63 in the hippocampal CA1 region of the young gerbils after ischemia/reperfusion may be related to more delayed neuronal death compared to that in the adults.

The mechanism underlying acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity remains controversial. Previous studies have focused on acrylamide-induced toxicity in adult rodents, but neurotoxicity in weaning rats has not been investigated. To explore the neurotoxic effect of acrylamide on the developing brain, weaning rats were gavaged with 0, 5, 15, and 30 mg/kg acrylamide for 4 consecutive weeks. No obvious neurotoxicity was observed in weaning rats in the low-dose acrylamide group (5 mg/kg). However, rats from the moderate- and high-dose acrylamide groups (15 and 30 mg/kg) had an abnormal gait. Furthermore, biochemical tests in these rats demonstrated that glutamate concentration was significantly reduced, and γ-aminobutyric acid content was significantly increased and was dependent on acrylamide dose. Immunohistochemical staining showed that in the cerebral cortex, γ-aminobutyric acid, glutamic acid decarboxylase and glial fibrillary acidic protein expression increased remarkably in the moderate- and high-dose acrylamide groups. These results indicate that in weaning rats, acrylamide is positively associated with neurotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner, which may correlate with upregulation of γ-aminobutyric acid and subsequent neuronal degeneration after the initial acrylamide exposure.

The morphological changes that occur in the taste buds after denervation are not well understood in rats, especially in the contralateral tongue epithelium. In this study, we investigated the time course of morphological changes in the taste buds following unilateral nerve transection. The role of the trigeminal component of the lingual nerve in maintaining the structural integrity of the taste buds was also examined. Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: control, unilateral chorda tympani nerve transection and unilateral chorda tympani nerve transection + lingual nerve transection. Rats were allowed up to 42 days of recovery before being euthanized. The taste buds were visualized using a cytokeratin 8 antibody. Taste bud counts, volumes and taste receptor cell numbers were quantified and compared among groups. No significant difference was detected between the chorda tympani nerve transection and chorda tympani nerve transection + lingual nerve transection groups. Taste bud counts, volumes and taste receptor cell numbers on the ipsilateral side all decreased significantly compared with control. On the contralateral side, the number of taste buds remained unchanged over time, but they were larger, and taste receptor cells were more numerous postoperatively. There was no evidence for a role of the trigeminal branch of the lingual nerve in maintaining the structural integrity of the anterior taste buds.

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays a crucial role in neural development, axonal guidance, neuropathic pain remission and neuronal survival. In this study, we initially examined the effect of rapamycin on the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway after spinal cord injury, by intraperitoneally injecting spinal cord injured rats with rapamycin over 2 days. Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence staining were used to detect the expression levels of β-catenin protein, ca-spase-3 protein and brain-derived neurotrophic factor protein, components of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Rapamycin increased the levels of β-catenin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the injured spinal cord, improved the pathological morphology at the injury site, reduced the loss of motor neurons, and promoted motor functional recovery in rats after spinal cord injury. Our experimental findings suggest that the neuroprotective effect of rapamycin intervention is mediated through activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway after spinal cord injury.

In this report, we present the results of a single patient with optic neuropathy treated within the Stem Cell Ophthalmology Treatment Study (SCOTS). SCOTS is an Institutional Review Board approved clinical trial and is the largest ophthalmology stem cell study registered at the National Institutes of Health to date- www.clinicaltrials.gov Identifier NCT 01920867. SCOTS utilizes autologous bone marrow-derived stem cells in the treatment of optic nerve and retinal diseases. Pre- and post-treatment comprehensive eye exams were independently performed at the Wilmer Eye Institute at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, USA. A 27 year old female patient had lost vision approximately 5 years prior to enrollment in SCOTS. Pre-treatment best-corrected visual acuity at the Wilmer Eye Institute was 20/800 Right Eye (OD) and 20/4,000 Left Eye (OS). Four months following treatment in SCOTS, the central visual acuity had improved to 20/100 OD and 20/40 OS.

Objective To observe the effect of spleen deficiency syndrome induced by rhubard solution combined with lung fibrosis induced by bleomycin on lung function of rats, so as to discuss the relationship between spleen deficiency syndrome (SDS) and pulmonary fibrosis. Methods SD rats were randomly divided into normal group, SDS group, model group, SDS + lung fibrosis group. The rat SDS model was induced by intragastrical administration of rheum officinale with fasting every other day for 30 days. Then the rats were infused bleomycin(5 mg/kg)through tracheal intubation to simulate the lung fibrosis disease with SDS. Four weeks after injection of bleomycin, rats’ lung function was detected, lung index and spleen index were calculated, and the pathological changes of lung tissue and aiway were observed by using HE staining and Masson staining. Results Compared with the normal group, weight of lung, lung index, FEV0.4/FVC% were increased in the model group(P<0.05), and the lung dynamic compliance (Cdyn), forced vital capacity (FVC), FVC /lung weight decreased, peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) as well as maximal mid-expiratory flow rate (MMF) decreased in model group(P＜0.05). What bleomycin caused was characterized by airway centered interstitial fibrosis. In the small airway, the shed epithelial cells and mucus plugs could been seen. The lung function of rats of SDS group had no difference with that of the healthy cats. Compared with the model group, FEV0.4/FVC% significantly increased (P＜0.05) and the area ratio of interstitial fibrosis increased in the SDS+ lung fibrosis group. Conclusion Spleen deficiency syndrome is a potential adverse factor to aggravate restriction of ventilation function due to bleomycin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is usually added to diets to meet the Na and Cl requirements of broilers in the Chinese poultry industry, but the optimal dietary NaCl supplemental level was not well-established. The present study was conducted to estimate the optimal dietary NaCl supplemental level of broilers fed a corn-soybean meal diet from 1 to 21 days of age. A total of 490, 1-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers were fed a NaCl-unsupplemented corn-soybean meal basal diet (control) and the basal diet supplemented with 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, 0.40, 0.50 or 0.60% NaCl for 21 days. Regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the optimal dietary NaCl level using the best fitted broken-line or asymptotic models. As dietary supplemental NaCl levels increased, average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), blood partial pressure of CO 2 , total CO 2 , base excess and anion gap, blood concentrations of HCO 3 , Na and Cl, serum Na concentration, jejunal villus height (VH) and tibia ash content increased linearly and quadratically ( P < 0.05), while feed/gain ratio, relative weights of heart, liver and kidney, blood K concentration, serum concentrations of K, uric acid and glucose, and osmotic pressure decreased linearly and quadratically ( P < 0.05). The estimates of optimal dietary NaCl levels were 0.20-0.22% based on the best fitted broken-line or asymptotic models ( P < 0.0001) of ADG, ADFI and feed/gain ratio, and 0.08-0.24% based on the best fitted broken-line or asymptotic models ( P < 0.0001) of blood gas indices, serum parameters, jejunal VH, tibia ash content and organ indices. These results suggested that the optimal dietary NaCl supplemental level would be 0.24% for broilers fed the corn-soybean meal diet from 1 to 21 days of age, which is lower than the current dietary NaCl supplemental level (0.30%) in the Chinese broiler production., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhang, Wu, Wu, Cui, Li, Gao, Li, Zhu, Geng, Zhang, Hu and Luo.)