Digestive Activity Research Articles

Influence of dietary fatty acid composition on enzymatic activity and digestive histology in silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen)

Dietary fatty acids may influence the development of the digestive tract and initial activation of digestive enzymes in fish. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the diet lipid profile on ontogeny and activity of digestive enzymes in silver catfish post larvae fed practical diets. Five diets were tested, replacing broiler liver by soybean protein concentrate (SPC) or fish meal (FM): Standard, 15SPC, 30SPC, 15FM and 30FM. The enzymatic activity of fish was analyzed from 32 Hours after fertilization (Haf). Were analysed acid protease, trypsin, chymotrypsin, lipase, amylase and maltase. The development of the digestive system was analyzed from first feeding up to 28 days by histological techniques. The enzymatic activity presented peaks for the post-larvae fed with the 15SPC diet and fish fed with diet 15FM showed best growth. The development of the digestive system did not suffer damage from the diets offered. Post-larvae fed the 30SPC diet showed reduced development of the digestive tract. The diet 15FM provide good lipid profile for silver catfish post larvae.

Coexistence of Lateriporus teres (Cestoda: Dilepididae) and Polymorphus phippsi (Palaeacanthocephala: Polymorphidae) in the intestine of common eider

The purpose of the research is studying the peculiarities of parasite infection of the cestodes Lateriporus teres Krabbe, 1869 (Cestoda: Dilepididae) and acanthocephalans Polymorphus phippsi Kostylew, 1922 (Palaeacanthocephala: Polymorphidae) during coexistence in the intestine of the common eider, particularly, the localization of these parasites, the activity of protein and carbohydrate metabolism enzymes on the tegument of the worms, the degree of parasite influence on the host digestion, as well as to assess total digestive activity in the gastrointestinal tract of birds infected with these helminths.Materials and methods. Using methods of biochemical analysis, the activity of digestive enzymes (protease and glycosidase) and the intensity of a digestion with the participation of these enzymes along the intestine of the common eider were determined. The digestive activity of enzymes in the body of helminthes was measured, and the intensity of membrane digestion on the surface of their tegument was estimated.Results and discussion. During coexistence, L. teres were observed mainly in the proximal parts of the intestine of the birds, P. phippsi in the distal parts. Membrane digestion, involving the action of proteases and glycosidases, occurred on the surface of the tegument of both cestodes and acanthocephalans. The protein metabolism intensity in both helminth species was nearly the same, but the glycosidase activity was higher on the tegument of L. teres. The glycosidase activity in the body of the acanthocephalans exceeded that in the cestodes strobile six times. In the intestine parts inhabited by L. teres, both protease and glycosidase activity decreased. In the intestine parts where P. phippsi parasitized, protease activity increased in the intestinal mucosa of the common eider. The total activity of protease and glycosidase along the entire length of the intestine in common eider infected with L. teres and P. phippsi was lower compared to the uninfected birds.

Focus on The Effect of Dietary Pumpkin (Cucurbita Moschata) Seed Oil Supplementation on Productive Performance of Growing Rabbits

The present study was designed to investigate pumpkin seed oil's effect on body weight, digestive enzymes' activity, and the metabolic and antioxidant parameters of growing rabbits. This study was performed using two groups of 8-weeks old New Zealand White rabbits (NZW) (n=10/ each group). The experiment lasted for eight weeks. The animals were divided randomly to either the control group and fed on a basal diet (C) or the experimental with a basal diet supplemented with 5 g pumpkin seed oil/kg diet (P). Results revealed a significant increase in body weight, blood glucos levels, total lipids and total protein, and serum amylase activities, lipase, and protease. Significant improvements in the antioxidative parameters of rabbits were also observed. In conclusion, the benefits shown in this study support further research into the use of dietary supplementation with pumpkin oil for increasing productivity in growing rabbits.

A gelatinized lipopeptide diet effectively modulates immune response, disease resistance and gut microbiome in Penaeus vannamei challenged with Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Penaeus vannamei is one of the most economically vital shrimp globally, but infectious diseases have hampered its proper production and supply. As antibiotics pose a huge threat to the environment and humankind, it is essential to seek an alternative strategy to overcome infection and ensure proper culture and production. The present study investigates the effect of an anti-infective biosurfactant derivative lipopeptide MSA31 produced by a marine bacterium on the growth performance, disease resistance, and the gut microbiome of P. vannamei when challenged with pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus SF14. The shrimp were fed with a commercial and lipopeptide formulated diet for 60 days and the growth performance was analyzed. The lipopeptide fed shrimp group showed enhanced growth performance and specific growth rate with improved weight gain than the control group. The challenge experiment showed that the survival rate was significant in the lipopeptide fed group compared to the control group. The results revealed 100% mortality in the control group at the end of 12 h of challenge, while 50% of the lipopeptide diet-fed group survived 24 h, which indicates the enhanced disease resistance in shrimp fed with a lipopeptide diet. The test group also showed higher levels of digestive and immune enzymes, which suggests that the lipopeptide diet could positively modulate the digestive and immune activity of the shrimp. The gut microbiome profiling by Illumina high-throughput sequencing revealed that the most abundant genera in the lipopeptide diet-fed group were Adhaeribacter, Acidothermus, Brevibacillus, Candidatus, Mycobacterium, Rodopila, and Streptomyces, while opportunistic pathogens such as Streptococcus, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Neisseria, Rhizobium, and Salmonella were abundant in the control diet-fed shrimp. Also, lipopeptide diet-fed shrimp were found to have a high abundance of ammonia and nitrogen oxidizing bacteria, which are essential pollutant degraders. Therefore, the study reveals that the dietary supplementation of lipopeptide in shrimp aquaculture could positively modulate the gut microbiome and enhance the shrimp's overall health and immunity in an eco-friendly manner.

Role of digestive protease enzymes and related genes in host plant adaptation of a polyphagous pest, Spodoptera frugiperda.

The evolutionary success of phytophagous insects depends on their ability to efficiently exploit plants as a source of energy for survival. Herbivorous insects largely depend on the efficiency, flexibility, and diversity of their digestive physiology and sophistication of their detoxification system to use chemically diverse host plants as food sources. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), is a polyphagous pest of many commercially important crops. To elucidate the ability of this insect pest to adapt to host plant mechanisms, we evaluated the impact of primary (corn) and alternate (rice) host plants after 11 generations on gut digestive enzymatic activity and expression profiles of related genes. Results indicated that the total protease and class-specific trypsin- and chymotrypsin-like protease activity of S. frugiperda significantly differed among host plant treatments. The class-specific protease profiles greatly differed in S. frugiperda midguts upon larval exposure to different treatments with inhibitors compared with treatments without inhibitors. Similarly, the single and cumulative effects of the enzyme-specific inhibitors TLCK, TPCK, and E-64 significantly increased larval mortality and reduced larval growth/mass across different plant treatments. Furthermore, the quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction results revealed increased transcription of two trypsin (SfTry-3, SfTry-7) and one chymotrypsin gene (Sfchym-9), which indicated that they have roles in host plant adaptation. Knockdown of these genes resulted in significantly reduced mRNA expression levels of the trypsin genes. This was related to the increased mortality observed in treatments compared with the dsRED control. This result indicates possible roles of S. frugiperda gut digestive enzymes and related genes in host plant adaptation.

Applying EEM- PARAFAC Analysis With Quantitative Real-Time PCR to Monitor Methanogenic Activity of High-Solid Anaerobic Digestion of Rice Straw.

The methanogenic activity is an important indicator to assess the efficiency of high-solid anaerobic digestion. However, it is not yet elucidated clearly how to detect the parameter rapidly and reliably in the rice straw feeding reactor. Co-inoculated with ruminal digesta and anaerobic sludge, the digestion performance was studied at three different organic loading rates (OLRs). The excitation emission matrix–parallel factor analysis (EEM–PARAFAC) was used to detect dynamic changes in the characteristic of fluorescence components. Our results revealed that CH4 productivity reached 280.90 mL/g volatile solid (VS) with a 54.39% CH4 content under the OLR of 2.26 g/(L⋅d), which amount to 80.29% of its theoretical value. At the OLR of 2.47 g/(L⋅d), the average accumulated NH4+ concentration was 1082.63 mg/L, which resulted in the hydrogenotrophic Methanobacteriales decreasing from 1.70 × 109 to 1.04 × 106 copies/g in the solid residues, whereas the acetotrophic Methanosarcinales increased from 7.89 × 106 to 9.44 × 106 copies/g. The dynamics of the methanogenic community consequently influenced the bioconversion efficiency of rice straw, and CH4 productivity was reduced to 256.54 mL/g VS. The three fluorescent components, at the excitation/emission wavelength of 420 nm/470 nm, 340 nm/430 nm, and 280 nm/340 nm, were decomposed by PARAFAC model in the digestate. Fluorescence intensities of coenzyme F420 and NADH reflected the dynamic changes of CH4-producing activity and anaerobic digestion efficiency, respectively. The coenzyme F420, unique to hydrogenotrophic methanogens, was correlated with methane yield, suggesting they played a dominant role in the anaerobic reactor. This study demonstrates that the EEM–PARAFAC combined with Q-PCR can be used to characterize methanogenic activity variation during the high-solid anaerobic digestion of rice straw with 15% total solid (TS).

Cortisol affects feed utilization, digestion and performance in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

To quantify bioenergetic consequences of chronically or acutely elevated plasma cortisol levels, growth rates, feed conversion ratios and digestive performance was investigated in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) reared at 15 °C. Plasma cortisol levels were elevated using coconut oil based implants. A sham group received coconut oil without cortisol, (S), while a low (LC) and high (HC) cortisol group received implants containing 30 or 60 μg cortisol g−1 fish. An additional group of fish was reared under moderate thermal stress (22 °C, TS), while acute increases in plasma cortisol were achieved by subjecting fish to a daily stressor by chasing (DS). An undisturbed treatment group, reared at 15 °C served as control (C). Although feed intake was not affected by treatments, cortisol treated fish showed reduced growth rate and feed conversion efficiency compared to all other treatments. This was caused, in part, by impaired digestibility of protein, lipids and nitrogen free extract in the HC treatment, leading to a decrease in available metabolizable energy. The observed decrease in lipid digestibility did not appear to be caused by a reduced digestive lipase activity in the pyloric caeca and anterior intestine as this was not significantly different between treatments 90 min after feeding. Chronically elevated cortisol levels led to atrophy of the digestive system revealed by a loss in tissue mass of the intestine and pyloric caeca in the high cortisol treatment, as well as an overall decrease in viscerosomatic index. In addition, the energetic cost of growth was higher in both cortisol treated groups compared to all other treatments. The chronic temperature elevation resulted in improved lipid digestion compared to the control treatment, while growth performance was impaired, however apparently not correlated with elevated plasma cortisol levels. A moderate random daily stress event did not result in any changes of the studied parameters. The results obtained suggest both an atrophic effect of chronically elevated plasma cortisol levels on digestive tissues resulting in impaired nutrient assimilation, less available metabolizable energy, and an increased routine energy expenditure, leading to a higher cost of growth.

Early performance, stress- and disease-sensitivity in rainbow trout fry (Oncorhynchus mykiss) after total dietary replacement of fish oil with rapeseed oil. Effects of EPA and DHA supplementation

Different vegetable oils have been investigated as potential substitutes of fish oil in aquaculture feed and several of them have proven to be successful in terms of fish growth rates, survival rates, biometric indices or feeding efficiency, even when used as the only oils in the feed. However, final fish product composition (fish whole body or fish fillet) usually reflects feed composition, and fish products from fish fed with only vegetable oils usually show a deficiency in long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The welfare and health consequences for the fish of these alterations of the fatty acid profile are not well known. In the current study, three experimental diets using supercritically defatted fish meal as well as rapeseed oil as a 100% replacement of fish oil, and differing in essential fatty acid (eicosapentaneoid acid - EPA, docosahexaenoic acid - DHA) supplementation, were tested in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. The growth performance, feed conversion ratio and digestive enzyme profiles were evaluated. Further, stress-and infection-challenge experiments were performed to assess the robustness of the fish against stress and disease. The trout fry fed the experimental diets showed a different fatty acid profile than fish fed a commercial diet, with lower EPA and DHA levels but higher linolenic acid (18:3n-3) and oleic acid (18:1n-9) levels. No significant effects were found in growth performance, feed conversion ratio or digestive enzymatic activity among diets. The fish stress responsiveness (brain and plasma stress marker response) to acute and repeated stressors was in general also similar irrespective of the diet. Infection trials, however, showed a differential ability of the fish to survive upon a controlled infection with the bacterium Flavobacterium psychrophilum. Fish fed with the experimental diets displayed higher mortalities than fish fed a commercial trout fry diet. The current results highlight the need of further research on nutritional requirements to optimize the disease resilience in farmed fish. These results also demonstrate that the adaptation of the fish to new formulated feed (in this case associated to plant oil ingredients) should not be assessed solely based on the growth performance of the fish. Other aquaculture relevant welfare indicators, as disease or stress resilience, should be part of a more complete assessment of feed adequacy for fish farming purposes.

Bacterial communities and digestive enzymatic activities of Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp fed pre-digested seaweeds as a functional ingredient

This study evaluated the use of pre-digested (PD) seaweeds Ulva lactuca and Eisenia sp. as functional ingredients in feed through their effect on growth, digestive enzymatic activity, and intestine bacterial biota of the white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. Dried U. lactuca and Eisenia sp. were processed by enzymatic digestion and anaerobic fermentation and included in shrimp feed at 10 and 20%, partially substituting fish meal and wheat, and tested during a 30-day feeding trial in L. vannamei (initial weight: 0.18 ± 0.01 g). Shrimp survival (93–100%) and growth parameters (final weight: 1.25–1.30 g, feed conversion rate 1.18–1.29) were similar among treatments. PD Eisenia sp. resulted in an efficient replacement of up to 33% of fish meal. Experimental PD diets led to higher enzymatic activity for trypsin and amylase in shrimp hepatopancreas, and PD U. lactuca resulted in higher lipase activity (p < 0.05). Finally, in shrimp intestine, the PD-seaweed supplemented diets resulted in a reduction of the relative abundance of Rhodobacterales, Vibrionales, Alteromonadales, and Pseudomonadales, and increased Bacillales, Actinomycetales, and Acidimicrobiales compared to the control diet. Particularly, 20% PD U. lactuca increased Flavobacteriales and Verrucomicrobiales and reduced the abundance of potential pathogenic bacterial genera Lucibacterium, Allomonas, Tenacibaculum, and Lutimonas. These results show the potential of PD Eisenia sp. and PD U. lactuca as effective functional ingredients, with an up to 20% inclusion in shrimp feed, high potential as partial substitute for fish meal and enhancer of digestive enzymatic activity with favourable modifications on gut microbiota in the white shrimp L. vannamei.

Characterization of digestive enzymes during early ontogeny of white Snook (Centropomus viridis).

The white snook (Centropomus viridis) is a species with great aquaculture potential, therefore, the present study aims two objectives; 1) to characterize digestive enzymatic activity during larval development and; 2) characterize the diversity and functionality of digestive enzymes in an early juvenile stage of C. viridis. On first feeding, larvae were 2.75 ± 0.09 mm total length and grew to 24.35 ± 4.35 mm after 42 days. The specific activity of acid proteases was detected with low activity from day 1 (Days after hatching, DAH) to day 21, and increased at 23 DAH, reaching maximum activity at 40 DAH. Meanwhile, digestive enzymatic activity of alkaline proteases was observed from hatching to day 40. From hatching until 40 DAH, the presence of alkaline proteases, trypsin, chymotrypsin, leucine aminopeptidase, α-amylase and lipase were detected with different activity patterns. Total and specific activity of digestive enzymes on juveniles showed higher activity of acid than alkaline proteases, while α-amylase had a higher activity than lipases. The maximum activity of acid proteases was observed at 40 °C and at pH 2.0, while digestive alkaline proteases showed maximum activity at 60 °C. α-amylases and lipases showed their maximum activities at 50 °C. The maximum alkaline protease and α-amylase activities were found at pH 7 to 9. The enzymatic activity of juvenile's acid proteases was highly inhibited by Pepstatin A (96%), however the activity of alkaline proteases incubated with PHEN, TLCK, SBTI, PMFS, and OVO showed reductions of 51.29, 30.16, 27.98, 27.26, and 24.68% respectively. Lipase activity was totally inhibited with Ebelactone B, and highly inhibited by Ebelactone A, Orlistat, 1% SDS, and PMFS (96.12, 77.16, 64.22, and 51.29%, respectively). Seven bands (102.6, 65.7, 58.9, 40.6, 27.4, 21.5, and 15.8 kDa) resolved by protein electrophoresis were detected with alkaline protease activity, identified as serine proteases and metalloproteases, and three bands (57, 43.9, and 32.6 kDa) with lipase-like activity were also identified. These results show that C. viridis ontogeny entails an indirect development of its digestive system with a functional stomach on day 23, and characterized by increases in pepsin activity. Indeed, white snook ontogeny shows a similar developmental trajectory to other carnivorous marine fish, showing a diversity of alkaline proteases that work in a wide range of pH and temperatures. Thus, the identification of these enzymes provides advantages to formulate white snook aqua-feeds.

Semi-continuous co-digestion of sludge, fallen leaves, and grass performance

The aim of this study is to improve the management of different types of wastes using an anaerobic digestion process and CH4 production from the semi-continuous co-digestion of multi-substrates of fallen leaves (FL), grass (GR) and primary sludge (PS). As a first step, the co-digestion of FL, GR and PS was carried out using the BMP test based on C/N ratios. The results showed that the best CH4 production was at a C/N ratio of 13. Kinetic analysis of the methane produced showed no adaptation phase was needed for the methanogenic bacteria to stimulate their anaerobic digestion activity. The inflection point in the cumulative methane production curve is identified as the biological hydrolysis phase of the substrates by endogenous microorganisms. In the second step, semi-continuous co-digestion of FL, GR and PS was carried out. The performance of the reactor was monitored in particular for biodegradability of the feedstock and biogas production rate under different OLRs. The highest biogas production rate of 35 L/d was recorded at an OLR of 1 g VS/L·d. However, partial overloading occurred at an OLR of 1.5 g VS/L·d. The highest CH4 content of biogas produced was achieved at an OLR of 1.0 g VS/L·d.

Ribonuclease1 contributes to the antibacterial response and immune defense in blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala)

Ribonuclease 1 (RNase1) is a vertebrate-specific enzyme that mainly performs digestive activity in herbivorous mammals. Here we used bacterial viability assays to explore its antimicrobial activity in blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala). The results showed that Ma-RNase1 rapidly killed Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria at micromolar concentrations. Ma-RNase1 increased the permeability of bacterial outer and inner membranes, thus reducing the integrity of bacterial cell wall and membrane. Moreover, Ma-RNase1 effectively counteracted the tissue damage and apoptosis caused by Aeromonas hydrophila infection. Quantitative real-time PCR and immunoblot analysis indicated that RNase1 mRNA and protein were up-regulated in the kidney and gut during infection. Furthermore, A. hydrophila infection significantly induced Tnf-α and Il-1β mRNA expression in liver, but not in the RNase1 pre-treatment group. In addition, a significant increase in the expression of immune-related genes (Nf-κb and Tlr4) was found in liver, kidney and gut of A. hydrophila-infected fish, while a decrease in Myd88 and Tlr4 levels was found in liver, spleen, kidney and gut in the group pre-treated with RNase1. Collectively, these data suggest that Ma-RNase1 has antimicrobial function both in vitro and in vivo, and contributes to the protective effect and immune defense of blunt snout bream.

Medicinal Mushrooms: Bioactive Compounds, Use, and Clinical Trials.

Medicinal mushrooms have important health benefits and exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, including antiallergic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antiviral, cytotoxic, immunomodulating, antidepressive, antihyperlipidemic, antidiabetic, digestive, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, osteoprotective, and hypotensive activities. The growing interest in mycotherapy requires a strong commitment from the scientific community to expand clinical trials and to propose supplements of safe origin and genetic purity. Bioactive compounds of selected medicinal mushrooms and their effects and mechanisms in in vitro and in vivo clinical studies are reported in this review. Besides, we analyzed the therapeutic use and pharmacological activities of mushrooms.

In vitro digestive activity and stability study of Rhus chinensis Mill. fruit and its value-added products

Rhus chinensis Mill. belonging to the family Anacardiaceae is a highly acidic fruit-bearing tree abundantly grown in the North-Eastern part of India. Due to its high medicinal values, the local medical practitioners of this region have widely used the fruit in various treatments like indigestion, dysentery, and gastrointestinal disturbances since ancient times. However, because of its ‘underutilized status’, there is an acute shortage of scientific literature thereby undermining its high potential use in developing many commercial functional foods or food ingredients. Therefore, this study was undertaken to address the same by formulating natural digestive tablets, R. chinensis tablets and R. chinensis candy from the fruit with minimal expenses. R. chinensis fruit and its products’ efficacy for the digestive property was determined in vitro by amylolytic, proteolytic and lipolytic activity and compared other commercial samples of the herbal digestive, Gasex and allopathic digestive, Unienzyme. The formulation was evaluated for a period of zero to 90 days. Physical parameters viz. extractive values, total titratable acidity, total soluble solids, pH, and reducing sugar were determined. The fruit and its products showed significant amylolytic, proteolytic, and lipolytic activities in comparison with other commercial samples. Interestingly in all the samples, no significant changes in digestive activities were observed during the storage period. The formulations were found to possess the property of breaking down starch, protein, lipid into simpler units hence, substantiating the traditional practice of digestive activity. This is the first scientific record in terms of in vitro digestive property of R. chinensis fruit.

Phenolic compounds from an Algerian medicinal plant (Pallenis spinosa): simulated gastrointestinal digestion, characterization, and biological and enzymatic activities.

Pallenis spinosa is a medicinal plant which is used in folk medicine as curative or preventive remedies for various diseases. Individual phenolic compounds from the methanolic extracts of its flowers, leaves and stem were determined by the high performance liquid chromatography method (HPLC) and total phenolic contents (TPC) were evaluated by Folin-Ciocalteu assay. The stability and bioactivity (antioxidant activity, micellar cholesterol solubility, α-amylase, and angiotensin converting enzymes (ACE) inhibitory effects) of these extracts in the gastrointestinal environment was determined before and after their protection in hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) capsules. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of thirteen phenolic compounds with nine flavonoids and four phenolic acids. Except for kaempferol, the twelve other compounds have not been previously detected in the aerial part of the studied plant. Quantification of phenolics by HPLC and Folin Ciocalteu methods revealed that the highest TPC was detected in the flower extracts (104.31 ± 0.80 and 145.73 ± 0.48 mg EGA per g of extract, respectively). Leaf extracts displayed the best antioxidant capacity against the two tested radicals DPPH and ABTS (IC50 = 1.24 ± 0.03 and 0.94 ± 0.02 mg mL-1, respectively), FRAP assay (IC50 = 0.50 ± 0.02 mg mL-1), α-amylase inhibitory (IC50 = 1.25 ± 0.00 mg mL-1) and angiotensin activity with an inhibitory percent of 30.10 ± 0.12%. The best activity shown by stem extracts was against micellar cholesterol solubility (67.57 ± 0.00%). A strong decrease in TPC and their bioactivity was observed after the gastrointestinal digestion (GID) in non encapsulated extracts. These results showed that P. spinosa is a good source of phenolic compounds and GID affects significantly their composition, content and bioactivity.

Screening of &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Kasahara Dasemani&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; with Special Reference to Anti Tussive Property

Cough is a protective reflex that prevents the foreign materials, secretions from bronchi and bronchioles. It is triggered by an inflammation in respiratory tract and hyper sensitivity. The use of cough suppressants is not preferred in treatment as it gives symptomatic relief with various un-wanted effects. It is also observed that recurrence of all the symptoms is very common if patient stops taking medicines. To cure cough a combination or a drug must have mucolytic, expectorant, immune-stimulant, strengthening, digestive, carminative and styptic activities are much needed. Ayurveda is science of life, provides a complete cure by adapting a holistic approach. Acharya charaka introduced ten ayurvedic drugs and titled as kasahara dasemani used in the treatment of cough. Screening of these ten drugs by compiling information from ayurvedic texts is the main aim of this study. After evaluating these drugs, it has been found that they are potent mucolytic, expectorants, bronchodilators, in addition they prevent frequent attacks, by their immune-modulator effect. These drugs also correct the digestive fire too hence it is concluded that selection of the kasahara dasemani drugs is the best of choice in treatment of cough.

Replacement of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) by extruded feeds with different proximate compositions: effects on growth, nutritional condition and digestive capacity of juvenile European lobsters (Homarus gammarus, L.).

Extruded feeds are widely used for major aquatic animal production, particularly for finfish. However, the transition from fresh/frozen to extruded/pelleted feeds remains a major obstacle to progressing sustainable farming of European lobster (Homarus gammarus). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of using extruded feeds with different protein levels and lipid/carbohydrate ratios on growth, feed utilisation, nucleic acid derived indices (sRD) and digestive enzymatic activity of H. gammarus juveniles. Six extruded feeds were formulated to contain two protein levels (400 and 500 g/kg), with three lipid/carbohydrate ratios (LOW - 1:3; MEDium - 1:2; HIGH - 1:1). The extruded feeds were tested against Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) used as control (CTRL). Overall, the CTRL and 500MED feed supported the highest growth and nutritional condition estimated by means of sRD, while the poorest results were observed for the 400HIGH and 400MED groups. The FCR was significantly lower in the CTRL than all extruded feeds, among which the most efficient, i.e., lower FCR, was the 500MED. The highest activity of trypsin and amylase in lobsters fed the 400MED and 400HIGH feeds points to the activation of a mechanism to maximise nutrients assimilation. The highest lipase activity observed for the 500LOW and 500MED groups indicates a higher capacity to metabolise and store lipids. Overall, the results suggest that the 500MED feed (500 g/kg protein, 237 g/kg carbohydrates and 119 g/kg lipids) is a suitable extruded feed candidate to replace Antarctic krill, commonly used to grow lobster juveniles.

The impact of COVID-19 on elective and urgent digestive endoscopic procedures: a report on a year of pandemic in a gastroenterology centre in Italy.

The COVID-19 pandemic (COVID-19) affected digestive endoscopic activity worldwide. Resumption and maintenance of elective endoscopic activity are crucial to containing the impact of COVID-19 on mortality and prognosis of gastrointestinal disorders, primarily cancers. To assess the impact of COVID-19 during and after the lockdown period on endoscopic activity. The endoscopic activity undertaken during the COVID-19-related lockdown (March 2020-May 2020) and in the post-lockdown period (June 2020-March 2021) was compared with that in the corresponding periods of the year before COVID-19 in a gastroenterology centre in Italy. During the lockdown period, there was a reduction in esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), colonoscopy (CSPY), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), and endoscopic-retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) of 75.8%, 74.8%, 60%, and 42%, respectively, compared with the corresponding period of the year before COVID-19. During the post-lockdown period to date, EGD, CSPY, EUS, and ERCP increased as compared to the lockdown period (30.6%, 50.6%, 33.6%, and 65.4%, respectively), but only ERCP showed a full recovery when compared with the corresponding period of the year before COVID-19. Endoscopic activity decreased significantly during the COVID-19 lockdown, and only ERCP had a full recovery in the post-lockdown period. The pandemic-related limitations and the backlog of endoscopic procedures represent important reasons for the increased risk or delayed diagnosis of GI cancers.

Digestive Tract Diseases and Infection: Intestinal Microbiology

Human digestive tract is one of the most important and vulnerable organ of the human functions. The digestive tract is formed of several anatomic sites which cooperate during digestive activities: those multiple anatomic sites possess microbiologic characteristics and each is capable to undergo pathologic conditions. In normal conditions, a natural bacterial flora is present in the digestive tract and constitutes a source of maturation of immune systems: Lactobacilli, Bifidobacterium lactis, Enterobacteriaceae, Esherichia coli, Proteus spp, anaerobes, are normal inhabitants of the gut.

Effect of Cooking on Protein Digestion and Antioxidant Activity of Different Legume Pastes.

Legumes are protein-rich foods that can be used to prepare pastes or pureed foods suitable for babies and the elderly. The aims of this study were the characterization of different legume pastes (from soybean, lentil, and pea) subjected to three processing methods (ordinary cooking, pressure cooking, and microwave) and the evaluation of protein digestion and antioxidant activity during simulated gastrointestinal digestion (GID). The different cooking methods of legumes led to differences in the physicochemical properties of the pastes, as well as on the textural and viscoelastic characteristics, except for soybean samples, despite all the pastes presenting elastic properties and weak gel behavior. Cooking followed by GID improved the protein digestibility and antioxidant activity of the legumes, which was attributed to released peptides and amino acids more than free phenolics. However, the fate and extent at each digestion stage was different according to the legume type and cooking method, as it would be influenced by the matrix structure and interaction between components. This work has expanded knowledge about the properties, digestibility, and antioxidant activity of different cooked legumes for a future design of pastes.