Lower Final Body Weight Research Articles

Effects of Dietary Cobalt Levels on Growth Performance, Antioxidant Capacity, and Immune Status of Juvenile Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides).

A 9-week experiment investigated the effects of dietary cobalt levels on the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and immunity of largemouth bass. Six feed groups were designed and each group received different cobalt levels, including 0.129 mg/kg (control group), 0.192 mg/kg, 0.201 mg/kg, 0.233 mg/kg, 0.277 mg/kg, and 0.316 mg/kg. The results show that the control group (0.129 mg/kg diet) had the lowest final body weight (FBW), weight gain rate (WGR), and specific growth rate (SGR), and the highest feed conversion ratio (FCR), when compared to the cobalt supplementation groups. Dietary cobalt levels of 0.192 mg/kg increased the body protein content and decreased the body moisture content. Regarding antioxidant capacity, the highest catalase (CAT) activity was found in the 0.277 mg/kg dietary cobalt group, while the malondialdehyde (MDA) content was significantly diminished; the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) content and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity exhibited the highest values in the 0.192 mg/kg and 0.233 mg/kg dietary cobalt groups, respectively. Regarding gene expression, compared with the control group, the mRNA expression of sod was upregulated in the 0.192 mg/kg, 0.233 mg/kg, and 0.277 mg/kg dietary cobalt groups, while the mRNA expression of gpx was diminished when dietary cobalt levels were below 0.233 mg/kg. In addition, the highest il-10 and tgf-β mRNA expression levels were observed in the 0.201 mg/kg and 0.233 mg/kg dietary cobalt groups, respectively. According to the quadratic regression analysis based on the SGR and FCR, the optimal requirement was 0.24 and 0.26 mg/kg of dietary cobalt, respectively.

Antioxidative and Antimycotoxigenic Efficacies of Thunbergia laurifolia Lindl. for Addressing Aflatoxicosis in Cherry Valley Ducks.

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and Thunbergia laurifolia extract (TLE) in the diets of Cherry Valley ducklings. Our investigation covered growth indicators, blood biochemical indices, meat quality, intestinal morphology, immune response, and CP450 enzyme-related gene expression. We conducted the study with 180 seven-day-old Cherry Valley ducks, randomly divided into five dietary treatments. These treatments included a basal diet without AFB1 (T1 group), TLE, or a commercial binder; the basal diet containing 0.1 mg AFB1/kg (T2 group), 0.1 mg AFB1/kg and 100 mg TLE/kg (T3 group), 0.1 mg AFB1/kg and 200 mg TLE/kg (T4 group), and 0.1 mg AFB1/kg and 0.5 g/kg of a commercial binder (T5 group), respectively. Ducklings fed with the T2 diet exhibited lower final body weight (BW), average body weight gain (ADG), and poor feed conversion ratio (FCR) during the 42-day trials. However, all ducklings in the T3, T4, and T5 groups showed significant improvements in final BW, ADG, and FCR compared to the T2 group. Increased alanine transaminase (ALT) concentration and increased expression of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 indicated hepatotoxicity in ducklings fed the T2 diet. In contrast, ducklings fed T3, T4, and T5 diets all showed a decrease in the expression of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2, but only the T4 treatment group showed improvement in ALT concentration. AFB1 toxicity considerably raised the crypt depth (CD) in both the duodenum and jejunum of the T2 group, while the administration of 200 mg TLE/kg (T4) or a commercial binder (T5) effectively reduced this toxicity. Additionally, the villus width of the jejunum in the T2 treatment group decreased significantly, while all T3, T4, and T5 groups showed improvement in this regard. In summary, T. laurifolia extract can detoxify aflatoxicosis, leading to growth reduction and hepatic toxicosis in Cherry Valley ducklings.

Effect of the supplementation of N-acetylglutamate and patchouli extract on piglets fed on a low protein diet

The livestock industry faces challenges such as limited protein feed resources, suboptimal nitrogen utilization efficiency, and environmental impacts. Reducing the crude protein content in piglet diets has been shown to alleviate these issues, offering benefits to both animal welfare and environmental sustainability. However, low-protein (LP) diets can negatively affect piglet health and growth, necessitating strategies to mitigate these effects. The study aimed to explore the effects of supplementing LP diets with N-acetylglutamate (NAG) and Patchouli (PTC) on the health and growth of weaned piglets, focusing on growth metrics, antioxidant capabilities, intestinal barrier integrity, and inflammatory response. One hundred twenty healthy piglets were randomly assigned to five dietary groups, including a standard control diet (CON), an LP diet, and LP diets supplemented with NAG, PTC, or both. The trial lasted four weeks, and the piglets' growth, immune response, antioxidant status, and intestinal health were assessed. Piglets on the LP diet had lower final body weights and average daily weight gains. However, supplementation with NAG and PTC improved antioxidant defense, reduced inflammation, and enhanced intestinal health, as evidenced by increased VEGF-A expression in the small intestine epithelium (p < 0.05). The addition of NAG and PTC to LP diets can improve the health and growth of weaned piglets, suggesting a potential strategy for managing the challenges associated with LP diets. This research provides valuable insights for the livestock industry, indicating that the use of natural additives like NAG and PTC can help maintain piglet health and growth while reducing the environmental impact of high-protein diets. Further research is needed to optimize these strategies for widespread application.

Effect of high plant protein diet supplemented with Lysophospholipids-butyrate on the growth performance, liver health and intestinal morphology of Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with lysophospholipids-butyrate (LPB) in a high plant protein diet on the growth performance, liver health, and intestinal morphology of Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Three experimental diets were formulated: a positive control diet (PC) containing 15.00 % soybean meal (SBM) and 13 % chicken meal；a high-plant-protein diet (HPP) with 28.00 % SBM; a diet (LPB) supplemented LPB at 0.1 % in HPP. Largemouth bass with an average initial body weight of 9.3 g were fed for 60 days, with 4 replicates per group and 20 fish per replicate. The results demonstrated that the HPP group exhibited significantly lower final body weight (FBW), weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) compared to the PC group. Moreover, the HPP diet induced a notable increase in liver collagen fiber and liver lipid content, which was alleviated by LPB supplementation. In comparison to the HPP group, the LPB group showed significant increases in serum albumin and albumin/globulin, along with a significant decrease in alanine aminotransferase activity (P < 0.05). Compared with the PC group, the mRNA levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase-1 (ACC-1), diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT), carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (CPT-1) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in HPP group were increased significantly (P < 0.05), while adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) as well as apoptotic gene B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) were significantly down-regulated. The mRNA levels of fatty acid synthase (FAS), ACC-1, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-α (PPAR-α), ATGL, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and Bcl-2 were up-regulated (P < 0.05), while DGAT and TNF-α were down-regulated in the LPB supplemented groups than that in the HPP group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the supplementation of 0.1 % LPB can alleviate liver lipid accumulation and fibrosis caused by high level of soybean meal.

Profitability and meat quality of fast-, medium- and slow-growing meat-type chicken genotypes as affected by growth and length of rearing

The study aimed to evaluate the profitability, meat quality, and carcass parameters of fast-, medium-, and slow-growing meat-type chicken genotypes of Bangladesh. Nine hundred DOCs were randomly allocated to 6 treatments: T1 = commercial broilers, T2 = CPF-3 (central poultry farm-3), T3 = cockerel, T4 = sonali, T5 = NDD (non-descriptive desi), and T6 = hilly, having 5 replications of 30 chicks each. Birds were reared under complete confinement until their respective market ages (commercial broilers = 35 d; CPF-3 = 45 d; cockerel = 56 d, and hilly = 77 d; sonali = 63 d and NDD = 77 d) and fed commercial broiler diets. Net returns, meat quality, growth, and carcass yield were measured. NDD and hilly showed significantly the highest profitability and superior meat quality. Commercial broilers exhibited the highest final body weight (2355.59 g/b) followed by hilly (1241 g/b) and NDD (1006 g/b), while CPF-3 (860.21 g/b), cockerel (915.49 g/b), and sonali (788.43 g/b) had lower final body weights at their respective market ages. Commercial broilers had the highest carcass weight and dressing yields, followed by hilly and cockerel, and lower in sonali, CPF-3, and NDD. The study concluded that rearing slow- or medium-growing NDD and hilly is superior to fast-growing commercial broilers or CPF-3 regarding profitability, and meat quality. The results of current findings help small-scale farmers in choosing a suitable meat-type chicken that yields better profitability and also for the consumers who wish to pay a fair price for the birds, considering the meat quality specific to each chicken genotype.

Myeloid AMPK signaling restricts fibrosis but is not required for metformin improvements during CDAHFD-induced NASH in mice

Metabolic programming underpins inflammation and liver macrophage activation in the setting of chronic liver disease. Here, we sought to identify the role of an important metabolic regulator, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), specifically within myeloid cells during the progression of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and whether treatment with metformin, a firstline therapy for diabetes and activator of AMPK could stem disease progression. Male and female Prkaa1fl/fl/Prkaa2fl/fl (Flox) control and Flox-LysM-Cre+ (MacKO) mice were fed a low-fat control or a choline-deficient, amino acid defined 45% Kcal high-fat diet (CDAHFD) for 8 weeks, where metformin was introduced in the drinking water (50 or 250 mg/kg/day) for the last 4 weeks. Hepatic steatosis and fibrosis were dramatically increased in response to CDAHFD-feeding compared to low-fat control. While myeloid AMPK signaling had no effect on markers of hepatic steatosis or circulating markers, fibrosis as measured by total liver collagen was significantly elevated in livers from MacKO mice, independent of sex. Although treatment with 50 mg/kg/day metformin had no effect on any parameter, intervention with 250 mg/kg/day metformin completely ameliorated hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in both male and female mice. While the protective effect of metformin was associated with lower final body weight, and decreased expression of lipogenic and Col1a1 transcripts, it was independent of myeloid AMPK signaling. These results suggest that endogenous AMPK signaling in myeloid cells, both liver-resident and infiltrating, acts to restrict fibrogenesis during CDAHFD-induced NASH progression but is not the mechanism by which metformin improves markers of NASH.

Gamma ray irradiation enhances defatted Hermetia illucens larvae meal as a dietary alternative to fishmeal for Acanthopagrus schlegelii juveniles

The current research investigated whether gamma (γ)-irradiation could improve the viability of defatted Hermetia illucens larvae (HIL) meal as a fishmeal alternative in black sea bream (Acanthopagrus schlegelii) diets. Three diets were formulated with equal protein (420 g/kg) and lipid (80 g/kg) contents. A diet containing 400 g/kg fishmeal was served as the control diet (C), and 50% of fishmeal in diet C was replaced by either defatted HIL meal or γ-irradiated defatted HIL meal to produce diet HR and diet HR10, respectively. Fish fed diet HR exhibited lower final body weight and weight gain compared to those fed diet C, while no statistically significant differences were found between fish fed diets C and HR10. Additionally, fish fed diet HR10 exhibited significantly lower feed intake, feed conversion rate, nitrogen waste, hepatic malondialdehyde content, relative usage of fishmeal and fish oil, fish-in to fish-out ratio, and economic conversion ratio, and meanwhile significantly higher nitrogen retention efficiency, hepatic total antioxidant capacity, economic profitability index and profitability, than those fed diet C. Fish fed different test diets showed statistically equal alpha diversity of intestinal microbiota, whereas the beta diversity of intestinal microbiota in group HR was far from groups C and HR10. Compared to fish fed diet C, the gut microbiota composition of fish fed diet HR showed significant alterations at both the phylum and genus levels. However, the altered composition of intestinal bacteria was partially restored in fish fed diet HR10. The above findings indicate that treating defatted HIL meal with γ-ray can reduce dietary fishmeal content for black sea bream to 200 g/kg without any adverse effects on growth, proximate composition and intestinal microbial diversity, and meanwhile ameliorates the feed utilization, hepatic antioxidant capacity, and intestinal microbiological composition of black sea bream. Furthermore, feeding γ-irradiated defatted HIL meal enhances the economic profitability, while reduces the waste output and reliance on fishery resource of black sea bream aquaculture.

Can conventional forages be replaced with cotton plant (Gossypium hirsutum) wastes in fattening lambs? Laboratory and animal studies.

The cotton plant (Gossypium hirsutum) is a shrub native to many arid and semi-arid regions around the world, while the nutritional value of its wastes has been less scientifically investigated. Different components of whole cotton plant wastes (WCPW) including leaf blade, cotton pod, stem, root, bract, petiole, and cottonseed were evaluated for their nutritional values by standard laboratory methods. After that, we tested the WCPW for partial substitution (0, 20, 40, and 60% substitution or 0, 10, 20, and 30% of dietary dry matter (DM)) with dietary common forage in a completely randomized design with 32 feedlot male lambs for 90 days. A diverse range of chemical and mineral compositions was found among the different WCPW's components. The cottonseed had the highest crude protein (CP) and ether extract (EE) contents, while the lowest neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were observed in the leaf blade (P < 0.0001). The highest contents of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, and iron were also observed in the leaf blade (P < 0.0001). Higher potential gas production, in vitro organic matter digestibility (OMD), in vitro dry matter digestibility (DMD), and total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) were also related to the leaf blade (P < 0.0001). Bract had the highest acid-base buffering capacity (P < 0.0001). The lambs fed on 30% of dietary DM with WCPW exhibited lower final body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), CP or NDF digestibility, ruminal TVFA, propionate, plasma total protein, and higher feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared to the control group. Generally, WCPW can be substituted up to 40% of common forages (or 20% of diet DM) without any adverse effect on growth performance and blood metabolites of feedlot lambs, especially during feed shortages.

Optimizing feed utilization and reducing deterioration of African catfish feed with sodium propionate supplementation

A 56-day, two-phased experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of sodium propionate (NaP) on the growth performance of African catfish and the feed quality. One hundred juveniles with an average body weight of 50.47 g ( ± 4.60) were procured and used for the study’s first phase. Fish were randomly assigned to five groups (A, control group), B, C, D, and E) and replicated four times with five fish each. Respective groups were fed diets containing NaP at 0, 1.67, 3.33, 5.00, and 6.67 g kg−1 feed, respectively. For the second trial, the individual diets were analyzed for quality characteristics on 0-, 28- and 56-days of storage, using a mixed-model analysis of variance. Results showed significant differences in most growth performance parameters among groups except for the final body length and condition factor. Group C had lower final body weight (FW), weight gain (WG), average feed intake (AFI), specific growth rate (SGR), and higher feed conversion ratio (FCR) than the control. However, these parameters did not differ in Group D, which also showed lower AFI compared to the control. Increasing NaP decreased the sensory attribute scores of the feed and its crude protein (CP), ether, and ash levels while increasing moldiness, crude fiber, nitrogen-free extract, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs). NaP inclusion in feed resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in the feed deterioration, as seen in the lowered aggregate changes in sensory attributes, CP, moisture, and ash levels, with Group D having an optimal effect. The TBARs level (rancidity) decreased in Group B but increased in Group E during the study. The study concludes that there was a loss of fish feed quality with increasing storage time and that NaP particularly at 5.0 g kg−1 feed optimally improves feed utilization and effectively lowers feed deterioration for 56 days. Therefore, the use of NaP is recommended for improved aquaculture production.

Metabolomics Analysis Provides Novel Insights into the Difference in Meat Quality between Different Pig Breeds.

The Chuanzang black (CB) pig is a new crossbred between Chinese local breeds and modern breeds. Here, we investigated the growth performance, plasma indexes, carcass traits, and meat quality characteristics of conventional DLY (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) crossbreed and CB pigs. The LC-MS/MS-based metabolomics of pork from DLY and CB pigs, as well as the relationship between the changes in the metabolic spectrum and meat quality, were analyzed. In this study, CB pigs presented lower final body weight, average daily gain, carcass weight, and eye muscle area than DLY pigs (p ˂ 0.05). Conversely, the ratio of feed to gain, marbling score, and meat color score of longissimus dorsi (LD) were higher in CB than DLY pigs (p ˂ 0.05). Moreover, psoas major (PM) showed a higher meat color score and a lower cooking loss in CB than DLY pigs (p ˂ 0.05). Interestingly, CB pigs showed lower myofiber diameter and area but higher myofiber density than DLY pigs (p ˂ 0.05). Furthermore, the mRNA expression levels of MyHC I, PPARδ, MEF2C, NFATC1, and AMPKα1 were higher in CB than DLY pigs (p ˂ 0.05). Importantly, a total of 753 metabolites were detected in the two tissues (e.g., psoas major and longissimus dorsi) of CB and DLY pigs, of which the difference in metabolite profiles in psoas major between crossbreeds was greater than that in longissimus dorsi. Specifically, palmitic acid, stearic acid, L-aspartic acid, corticosterone, and tetrahydrocorticosterone were the most relevant metabolites of psoas major meat quality, and tetrahydrocorticosterone, L-Palmitoylcarnitine, arachidic acid, erucic acid, and 13Z,16Z-docosadienoic acid in longissimus dorsi meat were positively correlated with meat quality. The most significantly enriched KEGG pathways in psoas major and longissimus dorsi pork were galactose metabolism and purine metabolism, respectively. These results not only indicated improved meat quality in CB pigs as compared to DLY pigs but may also assist in rational target selection for nutritional intervention or genetic breeding in the swine industry.

Protective effects of feed additives on broiler chickens exposed to aflatoxins-contaminated feed: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aflatoxin contamination in feed is a common problem in broiler chickens. The present systematic review and meta-analysis examined the impact of aflatoxin-contaminated feed and the efficacy of various feed additives on the production performance of broiler chickens fed aflatoxin-contaminated feed (AF-feed). A total of 35 studies comprising 53 AF-feed experiments were selected following PRISMA guidelines. Feed additives included in the analyses were toxins binder (TB), mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS), organic acid (OA), probiotics (PRO), protein supplementation (PROT), phytobiotics (PHY), and additive mixture (MIX). Random effects model and a frequentist network meta-analysis (NMA) were performed to rank the efficacy of feed additives, reported as standardized means difference (SMD) at 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Overall, broiler chickens fed AF-feed had significantly lower final body weight (BW) (SMD = 198; 95% CI = 198 to 238) and higher feed conversion ratio (SMD = 0.17; 95% CI = 0.13 to 0.21) than control. Treatments with TB, MOS, and PHY improved the BW of birds fed AF-feed (P < 0.05) to be comparable with non-contaminated feed or control. Predictions on final BW from the broiler-fed aflatoxin-contaminated diet were 15% lower than the control diet. Including feed additives in the aflatoxins diet could ameliorate the depressive effect. Remarkably, our network meta-analysis highlighted that TB was the highest-performing additive (P-score = 0.797) to remedy aflatoxicosis. Altogether, several additives, especially TB, are promising to ameliorate aflatoxicosis in broiler chickens, although the efficacy was low regarding the severity of the aflatoxicosis.

Ramadan fasting model exerts hepatoprotective, anti-obesity, and anti-hyperlipidemic effects in an experimentally-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver in rats.

The epidemic of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its metabolic effects present a serious public health concern. We hypothesized that the Ramadan fasting model (RFM), which involves fasting from dawn to dusk for a month, could provide potential therapeutic benefits and mitigate NAFLD. Accordingly, we aimed to validate this hypothesis using obese male rats. Rats were split into two groups (n = 24 per group), and they were given either a standard (S) or high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks. During the last four weeks of the study period, both S- and HFD-fed rats were subdivided into eight groups to assess the effect of RFM with/without training (T) or glucose administration (G) on the lipid profile, liver enzymes, and liver structure (n = 6/group). The HFD+RFM group exhibited a significantly lower final body weight than that in the HFDC group. Serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and triglyceride levels were significantly lower in the HFD+RFM, HFD+RFM+T, and HFD+RFM+G groups than those in the HFDC group. Compared with the HFDC group, all groups had improved serum high-density lipoprotein levels. Furthermore, HFD groups subjected to RFM had reduced serum levels of aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase compared with those of the HFD-fed group. Moreover, the liver histology improved in rats subjected to RFM compared with that of HFD-fed rats, which exhibited macro- and micro-fat droplet accumulation. RFM can induce positive metabolic changes and improve alterations associated with NAFLD, including weight gain, lipid profile, liver enzymes, and hepatic steatosis.

Effects of Feeding Low Protein Diets with Different Energy-to-Protein Ratios on Performance, Carcass Characteristics, and Nitrogen Excretion of Broilers.

This study shows the effects of feeding low protein (LP) diets with different energy-to-protein ratios were evaluated on the production parameters, carcass composition, meat quality, nitrogen retention, and excreta composition of broilers. A total of 576-day-old Ross 308 broilers were fed a control diet (C) and three LP diets containing 1.5% less crude protein than diet C for 41 days. The LP1 treatment was isocaloric with diet C, while the dietary apparent metabolizable energy corrected by nitrogen (AMEn) levels in the case of the LP2 and LP3 treatments were reduced by 1.5% and 3%, respectively. The LP diets were supplemented with six crystalline essential amino acids (AA) to meet the standardized ileal digestible AA requirements of broilers. The LP1 treatment did not affect the performance parameters of broilers and increased the breast meat yield, the nitrogen retention and decreased drip loss of breast meat and the total-N and uric acid-N nitrogen excretion of birds in comparison with the C group. Although the energy-reduced LP2 and LP3 diets resulted in lower final body weight, they did not affect the carcass composition, breast meat quality, nitrogen retention, and excreta composition of birds compared with the control treatment.

The Influence of Wheat Germ Expeller on Performance and Selected Parameters of Carbohydrate, Lipid, and Protein Metabolism in Blood Serum for Broilers

The effect of replacing (5, 10, and 15%) wheat middlings in the feed of broiler chickens (EX5, EX10, EX15) with wheat germ expeller (WGE) on their parameters of carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism was examined. Thirty-two randomly chosen broilers on day 43 were slaughtered, and their blood and liver were sampled. The concentration of glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and protein and their fractions were tested in the blood serum. In livers, total protein and fat contents were analyzed. It has been found that replacing wheat middlings with 10% and 15% of expeller results in (p ≤ 0.05) a lower final body weight than CT. A higher feed, fat, protein, and methionine intake was noted in groups EX5-EX15 compared to CT. No alterations were found in the protein and fat content in the livers and the blood lipid profile of chickens. Changes in the protein metabolism of broilers indicate the need to research. WGE does not interfere with the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. However, WGE did not contribute to obtaining production benefits.

Effects of dietary synbiotics and biofloc meal on the growth, tissue histomorphology, whole-body composition and intestinal microbiota profile of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) cultured at different salinities

In this study, the effects of synbiotic and biofloc meal on the growth performance, gastrointestinal microbiota diversification, proximate body composition, total gut bacterial counts, liver and intestinal histomorphology of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) reared under different salinity levels were examined. Fishes with an initial weight of 21.52 ± 2.21 g were divided into three main groups (freshwater 0 ppt, brackish water 6 ppt, and marine water 18 ppt), each with triplicates of control and synbiotic groups. While the control groups were not supplemented with any feed additives, a single dose of combined dietary synbiotic and biofloc meal (probiotic mixture for 1 kg of feed: Lactobacillus Plantarum 10 ml 1.5 × 109 cob g−1, Saccharomyces boulardii 250 mg 5 × 109 cob g−1 and Lactobacillus acidophilus 25 mg 5 × 109 cob g−1, mannan oligosaccharides as prebiotic: 2 g kg−1 feed, and biofloc meal: 3 g kg−1 feed) has been added to the feeds of all the experimental groups. At the end of this trial, the highest final body weight (FBW) (42.70 ± 3.25 g) and weight gain (WG) (21.79 ± 5.07 g) were found in the freshwater group fed with synbiotic and biofloc meal-added feeds, while the lowest FBW (37.13 ± 5.79 g) and WG (15.65 ± 6.00 g) were recorded in the marine water control group (p < 0.003). Similarly, the lowest and highest FCR (1.17 and 2.00) were obtained in freshwater synbiotic and marine control groups, respectively (p < 0.05). In terms of survival rate, no significant difference (p > 0.05) was noted among the groups. Unlike the growth performance, which decreased with the increase of water salinity, the increase in salinity significantly improved the whole-body composition. Further, the supplementation of synbiotic and biofloc meal enhanced both gut bacterial count and whole-body composition. Brackish and marine water did not cause significant adverse effects on the digestive tract microbiota profile and tissue histomorphology. Based on this study's findings, adding synbiotics and biofloc meal to Nile tilapia diets is an effective strategy that can mitigate the potential adverse effects of salinity on growth and also improve gut microbiota, body composition and tissue histomorphology.

Effects of stocking density on juvenile Amphioctopus fangsiao (Mollusca: Cephalopodasca: Cephalopoda): Survival, growth, behavior, stress tolerance and biochemical response

Stocking density determines the welfare, growth performance, and even survival of aquatic organisms in aquaculture. However, how stocking density affects cephalopods are still unclear. Here we selected Amphioctopus fangsiao, a promising cephalopod for mariculture, to examine the effect of stocking density on survival, growth, physiology and behavior. Juvenile A. fangsiao (≈ two months post-hatch, 2.41 g ± 0.03) were reared for 21 days under different stocking density groups: 30, 45, 60 and 75 individual/m2 (ind./m2) (G1, G2, G3 and G4, respectively). Subsequently, the growth performance, aggressive acts, survival rate, stress response, oxidative stress and glucolipid metabolism were analyzed. This study showed that the high stocking density had a negative impact on growth performance. A. fangsiao reared in G3 and G4 had a significantly lower final body weight, weight gain and specific growth rate than those reared in G1 and G2 (p < .05), and hepatosomatic index in different treatment groups have a similar trend of difference (p < .05). Increased stocking density also caused more fights of A. fangsiao, resulting in a high mortality rate for farmed individuals. The individual numbers of released ink after touch and the recovery time of the breathing rate after air emersion showed that the low stocking density lowered the basal stress level and reduced the recovery time after acute stress of juvenile A. fangsiao. In addition, this study demonstrated that high stocking density has caused oxidative stress and lipid disturbance of A. fangsiao. There were significant differences in reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation's level (MDA content), the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), pyruvic acid level (Pyr), total cholesterol level (T-CHO) and triglyceride (TG) between the highest density group (G4) and the lowest density group (G1). Overall, high stocking density (G3 and G4) had a negative effect on reared A. fangsiao. However, there were no significant differences between G1 and G2. Therefore, to improve the welfare of reared A. fangsiao and maximize the economic benefits for producers, juveniles are recommended to rear at a medium density (about 45 ind./m2).

Vonoprazan-amoxicillin dual therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Vonoprazan-amoxicillin (VA) dual therapy has recently been proposed to eradicate Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) with controversial results. We, therefore, conducted a meta-analysis to assess the effect of this therapy for H. pylori eradication. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science database from inception until November 2022, collecting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing VA dual therapy with other regimens for H. pylori eradication. Pooled relative risks (RRs) were calculated using random effects model. Five RCTs were ultimately included. Compared with the vonoprazan-amoxicillin-clarithromycin (VAC) triple therapy, the eradication rate of VA dual therapy was lower in intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis (n = 3 RCTs, RR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.88-0.99, P = 0.03), but there was no significant difference between them in the per-protocol (PP) analysis (RR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.91-1.01, P = 0.11). For clarithromycin-resistant H. pylori strains, the eradication rate of VA dual therapy was significantly higher than that of the VAC triple therapy (n = 2 RCTs, RR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.03-1.39, P = 0.02). Compared with the PPI-based triple therapy (PAC), VA dual therapy had a superior eradication rate (n = 2 RCTs, ITT analysis: RR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.04-1.23, P = 0.003; PP analysis: pooled RR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.06-1.22, P = 0.0004). Compared with VAC or PAC triple therapy, VA dual therapy has a similar incidence of total adverse events and compliance. VA dual therapy had a similar effect compared to VAC triple therapy and was superior to PAC triple therapy. Future RCTs are needed to ascertain the optimal dosage and duration of vonoprazan and amoxicillin, and the effect of VA dual therapy compared with the mainstream regimens recommended by current guidelines.

Symbiotic effect of Bacillus clausii and Galacto-oligosaccharide on growth and survival rates in red cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi)

In this 30-day experiment, the effect of probiotics (Bacillus clausii, commercial probiotics: Enterogermina) and prebiotics (Galactooligosaccharides, GOS) on the growth of red cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) has been investigated for 30 days. The trial was conducted with 270 red cherry shrimps (initial weight: 0.24±0.03 g) in 27 plastic tanks (volume 0.01 m3 and area of 0.05 m2) representing 9 groups. Except for the control group, diets were supplemented with either GOS or synbiotics per kg of feed as G1 (1g GOS), G2 (2g GOS), G3 (3g GOS), G4 (4g GOS), G1P (1g GOS+ 1 ml probiotic), G2P (2 g GOS+ 1 ml probiotic), G3P (3 g GOS+ 1 ml probiotic) and G4P (4 g GOS+ 1 ml probiotic). This study showed significantly (P&lt; 0.05) higher growth rate indices of male and female shrimps fed with feed additives groups compared to the control group. The highest final body weight, weight gain, and specific growth rate in male shrimps were recorded from the 2 g GOS+ 1 ml probiotic and 3 g GOS+ 1 ml probiotic groups. Similarly, the highest final body weight, weight gain, and specific growth rate in the female shrimps were found in the G1P and G2P synbiotic groups. Conversely, the lowest final body weight, weight gain, and specific growth rate of both the female and male groups were noted in the control groups. Regarding feed conversion ratio and survival rates of both female and male shrimps, G2P and G3P groups showed significant improvements. Regarding our study's findings, 2 g GOS and 1 ml of Bacillus clausii (commercial probiotic: Enterogermina) dietary synbiotics can be used to improve red cherry shrimp growth rates.

Different responses of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) and black carp (Mylopharngodon piceus) to low-protein diets and subsequent recovery

An 8-week growth trial was designed to evaluate the effects of low-protein diets and subsequent recovery on grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) and black carp (Mylopharngodon piceus) in order to compare the compensatory growth of the two species with different feeding habits. During the restricted period (weeks 1–4), grass carp were fed three kinds of isoenergetic and isolipid diets containing 32% (C, Control), 27% (LEP), and 22% (LP) protein individually, and black carp were fed diets containing 37% (C, Control), 32% (LEP) and 27% (LP) protein individually. In the recovery period (weeks 5–8), all fish were fed the control diets individually. The results showed that the protein restriction led to significantly lower feed conversion efficiency (FCE) and specific growth rate (SGR) for two species. In the recovery period, test group grass carp had similar protein retention efficiency (PRE) and FCE to the control group and had significantly lower final body weights (FBW), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), significantly higher lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) than the control group. The test group black carp had significantly higher PRE and FCE than the control group, and the LEP group had similar FBW, LDH, AST, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) to the control group and had significantly lower pyruvate kinase (PK) and SDH. The study reveals that grass carp increase gluconeogenesis and fail to increase feed utilization efficiency significantly, thus failing to obtain compensatory growth. Black carp decrease the carbohydrate catabolism and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, increase feed utilization efficiency significantly and get compensatory growth in the LEP group. Black carp have better compensatory growth capacity than grass carp, and the different capacities may be related to the different nutrient utilization strategies of the two species.

Lactoferrin Attenuates Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction and Inflammation by Modulating the MAPK Pathway and Gut Microbes in Mice

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a major mycotoxin present in staple foods (particularly in cereal products) that induces intestinal inflammation and disrupts intestinal integrity. Lactoferrin (LF) is a multifunctional protein that contributes to maintaining intestinal homeostasis and improving host health. However, the protective effects of LF on DON-induced intestinal dysfunction remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of LF on DON-induced intestinal dysfunction in mice, and its underlying protective mechanism. Male BALB/c mice (5 wk old) with similar body weights were divided into 4 groups (n = 6/group) and treated as follows for 5 wk: Veh [peroral vehicle daily, commercial (C) diet]; LF (peroral 10 mg LF/d, C diet); DON (Veh, C diet containing 12 mg DON/kg); and LF + DON (peroral 10 mg LF/d, DON diet). Intestinal morphology, tight junction proteins, cytokines, and microbial community were determined. Data were analyzed by 2-factor ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test. The DON group exhibited lower final body weight (-12%), jejunal villus height (VH; -41%), and jejunal occludin expression (-36%), and higher plasma IL-1β concentration (+85%) and jejunal Il1b mRNA expression (+98%) compared with the Veh group (P < 0.05). In contrast, final body weight (+19%), jejunal VH (+49%), jejunal occludin (+53%), and intelectin 1 protein expression (+159%) were greater in LF + DON compared with DON (P < 0.05). Additionally, jejunal Il1b mRNA expression (-31%) and phosphorylation of p38 and extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (-40% and - 38%) were lower in LF + DON compared with DON (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the relative abundance of Clostridium XIVa (+181%) and colonic butyrate concentration (+53%) were greater in LF + DON compared with DON (P < 0.05). Our study highlights a promising antimycotoxin approach using LF to alleviate DON-induced intestinal dysfunction by modulating the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway and gut microbial community in mice.