Replicate Groups Research Articles

Aquatic product hydrolysates increase rearing performance in red seabream (Pagrus major), fed a low fish meal diet, in both controlled and stressed conditions: From growth to stress responses

Although aquaculture industry has made great efforts to reduce the levels of fish meal (FM) in aquaculture feeds, further efforts and investigations are still needed to increase aquaculture production, which has more than tripled in the last two decades. This study was implemented to Six replicate groups of fish (24.6 ± 0.1 g) were fed one of the experimental diets to apparent satiety twice daily for 15 weeks; half of them were subjected to a daily net chasing stress for 1 min in the morning, 1 h before feeding. At the end of the feeding trial, fish were challenged with Edwarselia tarda injection. LFM diet resulted in comparable growth and feed efficiency performance to HFM group. However, significant impairments were observed in apparent digestibility coefficients, condition factor, hematocrit and serum super oxide dismutase activity. Fish fed LFM showed much lower resistance to E. tarda challenge. Both TH and SH resulted in enhanced fish nutritional and health performance with significant improvements in growth performance, feed efficiencies, digestibility, serum non-specific immunity and gut morphometric parameters. Fish fed TH and SH also exhibited the highest survival after E. tarda challenge. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed significant differences between stress and dietary groups for dimension 1 (33.3% of the variability), which was mostly characterized by growth and health variables. SH and TH coordinates were significantly higher on dimension 1 compared to HFM and LFM ones. Daily repeated stress affected most of measured performance parameters of all dietary groups with very few interactions. The stressed fish groups fed TH or SH showed lower cortisol levels compared to those fed HFM and LFM (p < 0.01). Strong correlations were observed between feed efficiency and fish gut morphometrics as quantified by villi length, enterocyte height and goblet cell density. Dietary supplementation of aquatic protein hydrolysates such as TH and SH appeared to be essential for maintaining good fish performance when they were subjected to a daily husbandry stressor or to an infectious challenge.

Appraisal of fermented wheat bran by Saccharomyces cerevisiae on growth, feed utilization, blood indices, intestinal and liver histology of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

This work is an additional attempt to increase the nutritive value of wheat bran and to provide a solution to the problem of high fiber contents in this by-product. Wheat bran (WB) was fermented by baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to figure out its impact on crude fiber (CF), crude protein (CP), and amino acids profile as well as fed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) to determine the effects on the feed utilization, growth, blood indices, and intestinal and liver histology. Yeast fermentation of wheat bran (YFWB) reduced fibers from 13.02% to 9.28%, raised WB CP to 22.35%, increased total amino acids, and reduced phytic acid from 4.31 mg g−1 to 0.08 mg g−1. By inclusion YFWB at different levels (0%, 15%, 20%, and 25%) in tilapia diets, four isonitrogenous practical diets were formed. During 70 days, each diet was fed to three replicates groups of fish weighing 6.36 ± 0.005 g at the start. Fish fed Diet 2 (20% YFWB) had the best final body weight (FBW), weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) using polynomial regression. Nonetheless, tilapia hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV, MCH, MCHC, WBCs, monocytes, lymphocytes, and neutrophils increased linearly (P = 0.023; P = 0.02; P = 0.011; P = 0.023; P = 0.042; P = 0.025; P = 0.056; P = 0.025; P = 0.012, respectively) as the level of YFWB increased in the diet. The inclusion of YFWB in tilapia diets resulted in a linear reduction in the profile of lipids, which comprises triglycerides, LDL-C, HDL-C, Non-HDL, and VLDL-cholesterol, but had no influence effect. The dry matter, ash, lipid, and protein contents did not affect either linearly or quadratically (P > 0.05) by adding YFWB in diets. It is possible to infer that fermentation of wheat bran by baker's yeast (S. cerevisiae) increases protein content while decreasing fiber content; its inclusion up to 20% in tilapia diets enhances development, feed utilization, blood indices, and intestinal and liver architecture.

Dietary Supplementation of a Mixture of Nucleotides, β-Glucan and Vitamins C and E Improved the Growth and Health Performance of Olive Flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus

A twelve-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of a functional immunostimulant mixture (FIM; nucleotides, β-glucan and vitamins C and E) on growth, feed utilization, innate immunity, digestive enzyme activity, hematological parameters, intestinal morphology and inflammatory gene expressions of olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. A fish meal-based basal diet (control) was formulated, and three other diets were prepared by incorporating 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% FIM into the basal diet (HB0.5, HB1.0 and HB1.5, respectively). Five replicate groups of fish (26.3 ± 0.1 g) were fed one of the experimental diets. Inclusion of 1.5% FIM in the diet significantly enhanced growth and feed utilization. Significantly higher plasma hemoglobin, hematocrit, total protein levels and lower plasma glucose level were observed in the HB1.5 group. Total immunoglobulin content, lysozyme, nitroblue tetrazolium, myeloperoxidase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities and immune-related gene expressions of toll-like receptor and perforin were significantly increased at the highest inclusion level. FIM supplementation significantly increased villus height and goblet cell counts. Anti-inflammatory gene expressions were significantly upregulated at a 1.5% level. Dietary supplementation of 1.5% of FIM could improve growth and feed utilization, immune, hematological and intestinal histomorphological parameters of olive flounder.

Compound non-starch polysaccharide enzymes improve growth performance, slaughter performance, immune function, and apparent utilization rate of nutrients in broiler chickens fed a low-metabolizable energy diet.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of compound non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) enzymes on growth performance, slaughter performance, immune function, and apparent utilization of nutrients in broiler chickens fed a low-metabolizable energy diet. A total of 240 healthy 1-day-old AA broilers (Arbor Acres, 47.2 ± 0.31 g) were randomly divided into four treatment groups, each with six replicate groups and 10 broilers per replicate. The control group was fed a basal diet; the EL-H group was fed the basal diet supplemented with 200 mg/kg compound NSP enzyme, including β-mannanase 5,000 IU/g, β-glucanase 2000 IU/g, xylanase 10,000 IU/g, and cellulase 500 IU/g. The EL-M group was fed the basal diet with 50 kcal/kg metabolizable energy removed, supplemented with 200 mg/kg compound NSP enzyme. Finally, the EL-L group was fed the basal diet with 100 kcal/kg metabolizable energy removed, supplemented with 200 mg/kg compound NSP enzyme. The results showed that feeding with a low-metabolizable energy diet supplemented with compound NSP enzymes did not significantly affect the growth performance of broilers (p > 0.05). Compared with the control group, the abdominal fat rate of broilers in the EL-L group was significantly reduced, and that of broilers in the EL-M group was significantly increased (p < 0.05). Apparent utilization of dry matter, crude protein, and energy in the diet was lower in the control group than in the EL-L group, but significantly higher in the control group than in the EL-H group (p < 0.05). In addition, apparent utilization of crude fiber was significantly increased in the EL-H, EL-M, and EL-L groups compared with the control group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, this experiment showed that the addition of 200 mg/kg compound NSP enzyme enabled maintenance of the normal growth and development of broiler chickens fed a low-metabolizable energy diet (replacing 50-100 kcal/kg metabolizable energy). This study provides a theoretical basis for the application of the compound NSP enzyme in broiler chickens.

Effects of dietary isoleucine level on growth and expression of genes related to nutritional and physiological metabolism of swimming crab (Portunus trituberculatus)

A six-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary isoleucine level on growth, myofiber histology, and mRNA levels of genes related to amino acid, glucose and lipid metabolism in swimming crab (Portunus trituberculatus). Six isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets (45% protein and 8% lipid) were formulated to contain graded levels of isoleucine (Ile), with the analyzed levels of isoleucine being 0.69%, 1.06%, 1.32%, 1.78%, 2.03% and 2.38%, respectively. A total of 180 crabs (initial weight 16.30 ± 0.01 g) were housed individually in 180 plastic baskets with 30 crabs assigned to each diet, divided randomly into three replicates of 10 crabs. Each crab was fed twice at 08:00 and 18:00 with a daily feeding ration of 6–8% of crab body weight. Eight crabs from each replicate group were sampled and dissected after the feeding trial to provide hemolymph for biochemical analysis, hepatopancreas for proximate composition, amino acid profile enzyme activity, and gene expression, and muscle for proximate composition, amino acid profile and histology. The results indicated that final weight, percent weight gain and specific growth rate increased significantly as dietary isoleucine level increased from 0.69% to 1.78%, and then decreased with further increased dietary isoleucine. Crabs fed the diets with 1.78%, 2.03% and 2.38% isoleucine showed significantly higher muscle protein contents (17.80%, 17.99% and 17.65% of wet mass) than crabs fed lower levels of isoleucine. The highest concentrations of IGF1R and CHH in hemolymph (187.95 and 529.42 pg ml−1, respectively) and hepatopancreas (24.18 and 38.69 pg ml−1, respectively) were observed in crabs fed the diet with 1.32% isoleucine. Hepatopancreas expression levels of genes related to amino acid metabolism, including s6k1, bcat, alt and ast, were up-regulated in crabs fed 1.32% isoleucine compared to the other groups, whereas the expression level of tor decreased as dietary isoleucine increased. Expression levels of genes related to glucose intake, such as pi3k, igf1r and glut1, were significantly higher in crabs fed 1.32% isoleucine compared to crabs fed 0.69% isoleucine. Expression levels of genes related to gluconeogenesis (pepck and g6pase) were significantly higher in crabs fed 0.69% isoleucine than in crabs fed the diets with 1.32% and 1.78% isoleucine. In contrast, expression levels of genes related to glycolysis, including hk, gk and pk, were up-regulated in crabs fed 1.32% isoleucine compared to crabs fed 0.69% isoleucine. Gene expression levels of regulatory factors related to lipid metabolism (foxo, sirt1 and sirt3) were significantly higher in crabs fed 1.32% isoleucine compared to crabs fed the other treatments, while expression levels of genes related to lipolysis (hsl and cpt2) were significantly up-regulated in crabs fed the diets with 1.32% and 1.78% isoleucine. Expression levels of key lipogenesis genes (fas and acc) were down-regulated in crabs fed the diets with 1.32% and 1.78% isoleucine compared to those fed 0.69% isoleucine. Muscle histology indicated that crabs fed the diets with 1.32% and 1.78% isoleucine had significantly lower densities of myofibers (21.67 and 17.33 N/ mm2) compared to crabs fed 0.69% isoleucine. In conclusion, based on percent weight gain, the optimal isoleucine requirement of juvenile swimming crab was calculated to be 1.57% of diet (3.49% dietary protein) by quadratic curve model. Thus, appropriate dietary isoleucine levels (1.32–1.78%) promoted amino acid metabolism and protein synthesis, increased protein deposition, and altered myofiber structure of muscle and, in addition, promoted lipolysis and glycolysis, and reduced lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis in juvenile swimming crab.

The impact of small groups on pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection in polyandrous populations.

Sexual selection is a key evolutionary force but varies widely between populations. Two key factors that influence sexual selection are the extent to which females copulate with multiple males (polyandry) and variation in the social environment. Increasing research demonstrates populations are structured by complex socio-sexual networks, and the structure of these networks can influence sexual selection by shaping the relationship between male precopulatory mating success and the intensity of postcopulatory competition. However, comparatively less attention has been dedicated to the influence of group structure on sexual selection and how differences in the size of groups may impact on the relative force of pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection in polyandrous populations. The presence of groups (i.e., group structure) and the size of groups varies widely in nature and forms an implicit part of much experimental sexual selection research under laboratory conditions. Here I use simulations of mating competition within populations that vary in the size of groups they contain, to show that variation in group size, and in particular small groups, can influence sexual selection. Specifically, I show that null expectations for the operation of pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection is governed by the size of groups within populations because smaller group sizes constrain the structure of sexual networks leading to reinforcing episodes of pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection. Given broad variation in group structure in nature and the tendency for experimental sexual selection research to study replicate small groups, these effects have implications for our understanding of the operation of sexual selection in polyandrous populations.

Effects of dietary arachidonic acid supplementation in high plant protein diets on growth, feed utilization, and immunity of olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of graded levels of arachidonic acid (ARA) in low fish meal diets (30% fish meal, 30% plant protein blends) on growth, feed utilization, and immunity of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). The control diet was formulated with 3% fish oil and 5.1% soybean oil (ARA0.0). Five other diets were formulated incorporating different levels of ARA into the ARA0.0 diet at the expense of soybean oil; that is, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, 1.2, and 1.5% ARA (ARA0.3, ARA0.6, ARA0.9, ARA1.2, and ARA1.5), respectively. Three replicate groups of fish (88.24 ± 0.06 g) were placed into 18 polyvinyl circular tanks (215 L), with 24 fish each and fed an experimental diet twice a day for nine weeks. Overall, significantly improved growth performance was observed in the ARA0.6 group. Liver C18:2n-6 was significantly reduced, and liver ARA content was significantly increased with the increase in dietary ARA levels. Nitroblue tetrazolium activity was significantly higher in the ARA0.6 group, and significantly higher superoxide dismutase and myeloperoxidase activities were observed in the ARA0.9 group. Further, immunoglobulin level and lysozyme activity were significantly improved in the ARA0.3 group, antiprotease activity was increased in the ARA0.6 and ARA0.9 groups, and the ARA0.3 group showed lower liver lipid content than the ARA0.0 group. Serum prostaglandin E2 level was significantly increased with 1.5% ARA inclusion. Pro-inflammatory gene expressions of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, perforin, and tumor necrosis factor in the intestine were significantly downregulated, and anti-inflammatory gene expression of transforming growth factor-β2 gene expression was significantly upregulated with higher dietary ARA supplementation (0.9–1.5%). These results indicate that 0.3–0.9% supplemented ARA may improve the growth, immune, and hematological parameters of olive flounder.

Free Amino Acids Can Replace Protein-Bound Amino Acids in Test Diets for Studies in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Effects of reducing dietary concentration of protein-bound amino acids on growth, feed intake and composition of gain in rainbow trout were studied in four experiments. Average initial body weights ranged between 29 ± 0.7 and 55 ± 0.5 g per trout. Diets contained ∼20 MJ digestible energy/kg dry matter. Each diet was fed to satiation to four replicate groups of 20 trout. Feed intake and growth rates were recorded for each group. Body composition was analyzed in representative groups at the start of each experiment and in all experimental groups at the end of each experiment. Reduction of dietary protein concentration to <380 g/kg dry matter caused significantly lower growth rates and reduced protein concentrations of gain, but these reductions in growth could be offset by the addition of 10 crystalline essential amino acids. Fish meal was completely replaced by a mixture of wheat gluten and crystalline amino acids without negative influences on growth. In the absence of fish meal, almost half the wheat gluten could be replaced by crystalline amino acids in diets containing about 32 g N × 6.25/kg dry matter without significant influences on growth. In such diets, concentrations of individual amino acids may be varied widely with no variation in other amino acids or nutrients.

Vitamin E supplementation in diet ameliorates growth of Nile tilapia by upgrading muscle health

Vitamin E (VE), an important lipid-soluble antioxidant, has great influence on growth and maintenance in animal. The effects of VE supplemented diet on growth and feed usage in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was investigated in this study. Three formulated diets containing VE (0, 50 and 100 mg/kg) were fed to Nile tilapia (3.56 ± 0.16 g) in glass aquaria maintaining three replicate groups for 56 days (8 weeks). Survival, growth performance including weight gain, percent weight gain, and specific growth rate (WG, % WG, and SGR), and feed utilization comprising protein efficiency ratio and feed conversion ratio (PER and FCR) were calculated. Hemato-biochemical indices including hemoglobin level (Hb), white blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC) and glucose level were analyzed. In addition, muscle morphology was examined after completion of the experiment. At the end of the trial, WG, %WG, SGR, FCR and PER increased significantly which had dietary VE supplimentation. However, no distinct changes were observed in Hb level, RBC count, WBC count and glucose level among these different dietary groups. Dietary VE treatments significantly upgraded the muscle fiber diameter and lowered the intra-muscle gap. Moreover, quantity of hyperplastic muscle fiber as well as nucleus also significantly enhanced by VE. Morphological structure of muscle characterized by a huge proportion of hyperplastic muscle that may be supposed to contribute the enhanced growth of Nile tilapia receiving VE supplemented diet. Therefore these results suggested that VE incorporation into the feed can be effective to improve the feed efficiency and maximize the growth of O. niloticus.

Multi-model order spatially constrained ICA reveals highly replicable group differences and consistent predictive results from resting data: A large N fMRI schizophrenia study

Brain functional networks identified from resting functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data have the potential to reveal biomarkers for brain disorders, but studies of complex mental illnesses such as schizophrenia (SZ) often yield mixed results across replication studies. This is likely due in part to the complexity of the disorder, the short data acquisition time, and the limited ability of the approaches for brain imaging data mining. Therefore, the use of analytic approaches which can both capture individual variability while offering comparability across analyses is highly preferred. Fully blind data-driven approaches such as independent component analysis (ICA) are hard to compare across studies, and approaches that use fixed atlas-based regions can have limited sensitivity to individual sensitivity. By contrast, spatially constrained ICA (scICA) provides a hybrid, fully automated solution that can incorporate spatial network priors while also adapting to new subjects. However, scICA has thus far only been used with a single spatial scale (ICA dimensionality, i.e., ICA model order). In this work, we present an approach using multi-objective optimization scICA with reference algorithm (MOO-ICAR) to extract subject-specific intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) from fMRI data at multiple spatial scales, which also enables us to study interactions across spatial scales. We evaluate this approach using a large N (N > 1,600) study of schizophrenia divided into separate validation and replication sets. A multi-scale ICN template was estimated and labeled, then used as input into scICA which was computed on an individual subject level. We then performed a subsequent analysis of multiscale functional network connectivity (msFNC) to evaluate the patient data, including group differences and classification. Results showed highly consistent group differences in msFNC in regions including cerebellum, thalamus, and motor/auditory networks. Importantly, multiple msFNC pairs linking different spatial scales were implicated. The classification model built on the msFNC features obtained up to 85% F1 score, 83% precision, and 88% recall, indicating the strength of the proposed framework in detecting group differences between schizophrenia and the control group. Finally, we evaluated the relationship of the identified patterns to positive symptoms and found consistent results across datasets. The results verified the robustness of our framework in evaluating brain functional connectivity of schizophrenia at multiple spatial scales, implicated consistent and replicable brain networks, and highlighted a promising approach for leveraging resting fMRI data for brain biomarker development.

Influence of Potential Hydrogen (pH) on the Growth of Bacillus cereus IMB-11 during Hydrocarbon Degradation in vitro

This study aims to determine the pH variation of the growth of Bacillus cereus strain IMB-11 in degrading diesel fuel. The research was conducted in the Laboratory of PMIPA, FKIP, Universitas Riau while total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) was measured in the solid residue in the Laboratory of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, ITB. This research was conducted in November 2019 – March 2020. The study was designed in a completely randomized design with 3 treatments and 3 replication groups. The media used are SMSS media with the addition of pH 6.5; pH 7.0; and pH 7.5, which was added with diesel fuel as much as 5% and bacterial isolates of Bacillus cereus strain IMB-11. The test parameter was the optical density (OD) of bacterial growth of Bacillus cereus Strain IMB-11 which was monitored using a spectrophotometer for 6 days and the measurement on the level of degradation or TPH diesel fuel using the Gravimetric method. Based on the research, the moderate pH of 7.0 was the best condition for strain growth with an OD of 5.8 with 26.95% of degradation rate of diesel fuel in vitro.

Pengaruh Penambahan Jahe Merah (Zingiber officinale var. rubrum) Terhadap Mutu Organoleptik dan Biokimia Ikan Bandeng (Chanos chanos) Presto Selama Penyimpanan Dingin

Red ginger is a spice that can extend the shelf life of fish because it contains an antibacterial compound. This study was aimed to determine the effect of red ginger on the organoleptic and biochemical quality of presto milkfish during cold storage. The method used in this research was an experimental method, which was processing milkfish presto with the addition of red ginger with different concentrations (0% (J0), 60% (J1), 70% (J2), and 80% (J3)) during cold temperature storage using a non-factorial randomized block design with the length of storage (0, 3, 6, and 9 days) as replication group. The parameters observed were organoleptic analysis (appearance, odor, taste, and texture), microbiological analysis (total plate count and viability of Staphylococcus aureus) and chemical analysis (moisture content, water activity, and pH). Based on the result, the addition of 70% of the red ginger extract was the best treatment (J2) with the characteristics of hedonic quality are appearance 7,3 (neat, clean, and have a luminous golden yellow color), odor 7,5 (very fresh and fragrant odor of red ginger), taste 7,2 (tasty, savory, soft spines), texture 7,6 (flexible texture, dense, and compact). Meanwhile, the total plate count was 3,7 x 105 colonies/gram and there were no Staphylococcus aureus bacteria during 6 days storage. Moreover, it had 58,72% of moisture content, 0.70 of water activity and 6.15 of pH.

Nutritional evaluation of frass from black soldier fly larvae as potential feed ingredient for Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

Frass is a by-product of the larval meal industry and is currently readily available and competitively priced relative to larva meal. In addition to generally high protein and fat content (21.6% and 6%, respectively), frass contains abundant nutrients, chitin, and beneficial microbes. This study evaluates the effect of various levels of frass derived from the larvae of black solder flies fed dried distillers’ grains (DDG) with solubles on growth performance, whole body and fillet proximate compositions and selected hemolymph parameters of Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Five isocaloric diets containing frass at levels of 0%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 30% as partial replacement of a combination of soybean meal (SBM), cottonseed meal (CSM), wheat short (WS) and corn meal (CM) on an equal protein basis were offered four times daily to Pacific white shrimp. Four replicate groups of 15 shrimp per tank (initial weight 4.06 ± 0.05 g) were offered experimental diets at 4% total body weight daily for 12 weeks. Shrimp in each aquarium were group-weighed and counted at 2-week intervals and feed inputs were adjusted based on observed survival and weight gain. Although no significant differences were observed in final weight gain, survival, and whole-body composition of shrimp among treatments, there appeared to be quadratic trend of growth with increasing dietary levels of frass. Shrimp fed diets with 5% frass, and 30% frass, showed the highest and lowest weight gain, respectively. Percent lipid content of fillet is linearly decreased with increasing dietary levels of frass and shrimp fed 20% and higher dietary frass level had significantly lower level of fillet lipid. Serum from shrimp fed 20% dietary frass significantly increased inhibition of Vibrio parahaemolyticus growth when compared to that of the control group. However, other hemolymph parameters (total hemocyte count, hemocyanin, serum protein and serum cholesterol) were not significantly affected by dietary treatments. Frass can be incorporated in shrimp diets up to 30% as a substitute for a combination of SBM, CSM, WS and CM without affecting their growth performance, body composition, hemolymph parameters.

Effects of alfalfa levels on carcass traits, meat quality, fatty acid composition, amino acid profile, and gut microflora composition of Heigai pigs.

Recent years have witnessed a dramatic increase in the demand for healthy and high-quality pork. Alfalfa, one of the most popular perennial forages, is considered a rich source of highly nutritional forage for livestock feed, as it contains over 90% insoluble dietary fiber. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of data confirming the effects of adding alfalfa on pork quality, amino acid composition, and intestinal microbiota composition. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different dietary levels of alfalfa on carcass traits, meat quality, amino acid and fatty acid composition, and the intestinal microbiota of Heigai pigs. A total of 72 finishing Heigai pigs were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 36), with six replicate groups and six pigs per replication. The two experimental diets were formulated to include graded levels of alfalfa, 20% (AM20) and 30% (AM30). The results showed that adding 30% alfalfa meal did not affect the growth performance of Heigai pigs but significantly reduced backfat thickness (P < 0.05), pH (P < 0.05), increased the a* value, b* value, and flavor amino acid and essential amino acid contents in longissimus dorsi muscle (LDM). In addition, AM30 didn't affect colonic microbiota abundance but significantly reduced the relative abundances of three phyla, such as Verrucomicrobia, and 43 genera, such as Akkermansia, and significantly increased the relative abundances of 47 genera, such as Prevotella-2. Overall, these results advocate for a diet containing 30% alfalfa to improve meat quality by changing the intestinal microflora composition without affecting the growth performance of Heigai pigs, which provides compelling evidence for the use of alfalfa to relieve the pressure on corn and soybean meal demand and produce high-quality pork.

TGFβ superfamily signaling regulates the state of human stem cell pluripotency and capacity to create well-structured telencephalic organoids.

SummaryTelencephalic organoids generated from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are a promising system for studying the distinct features of the developing human brain and the underlying causes of many neurological disorders. While organoid technology is steadily advancing, many challenges remain, including potential batch-to-batch and cell-line-to-cell-line variability, and structural inconsistency. Here, we demonstrate that a major contributor to cortical organoid quality is the way hPSCs are maintained prior to differentiation. Optimal results were achieved using particular fibroblast-feeder-supported hPSCs rather than feeder-independent cells, differences that were reflected in their transcriptomic states at the outset. Feeder-supported hPSCs displayed activation of diverse transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) superfamily signaling pathways and increased expression of genes connected to naive pluripotency. We further identified combinations of TGFβ-related growth factors that are necessary and together sufficient to impart broad telencephalic organoid competency to feeder-free hPSCs and enhance the formation of well-structured brain tissues suitable for disease modeling.

Improvement in the Immunity- and Vitamin D3-Activity-Related Gene Expression of Coccidiosis-Challenged Ross 708 Broilers in Response to the In Ovo Injection of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3

Simple SummaryCoccidiosis is still considered one of the main diseases affecting the performance and health of poultry reared under intensive production systems. Vitamin D3 sources have been shown to reduce the negative effects of a coccidiosis infection with a subsequent improvement in live performance and intestinal immunity. Therefore, the aim of the current research was to explore molecular mechanisms that may play role in an improvement in immunity and vitamin D activity in response to the in ovo injection of vitamin D3 (D3) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3) alone or in combination in broilers subjected to a coccidiosis infection. In this study, it was shown that the expression of genes linked to an anti-inflammatory response increased and a pro-inflammatory response decreased in the jejunum of 28-day-old broilers (2 weeks after coccidiosis infection) after an in ovo injection of 2.4 μg of 25OHD3. Additionally, the in ovo administration of 2.4 μg of 25OHD3 increased the expression of genes linked to D3 function. In conclusion, the in ovo administration of 2.4 μg of 25OHD3 at 18 days of incubation can improve the immunity as well as the D3 activity of broilers challenged with coccidiosis.Effects of the in ovo administration of two vitamin D3 sources (vitamin D3 (D3) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3)) on the expression of D3 activity- and immunity-related genes in broilers subjected to a coccidiosis infection were investigated. At 18 d of incubation (doi), five in ovo injection treatments were administrated to live embryonated Ross 708 broiler hatching eggs: non-injected (1) and diluent-injected (2) controls, or diluent injection containing 2.4 μg of D3 (3) or 2.4 μg of 25OHD3 (4), or their combination (5). Birds in the in ovo-injected treatments were challenged at 14 d of age (doa) with a 20× dosage of a live coccidial vaccine. At 14 and 28 doa, the expression of eight immunity-related genes (IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, TLR-4, TLR-15, MyD88, TGF-β4, and IFN-γ) and four D3 activity-related genes (1α-hydroxylase, 25-hydroxylase, 24-hydroxylase, and VDR) in the jejunum of one bird in each treatment–replicate group were evaluated. No significant treatment effects were observed for any of the genes before challenge. However, at 2 weeks post-challenge, the expression of 1α-hydroxylase, TGF-β4, and IL-10 increased in birds that received 25OHD3 alone in comparison to all the other in ovo-injected treatment groups. Additionally, the expression of 24-hydroxylase and IL-6 decreased in birds that received 25OHD3 in comparison to those injected with diluent or D3 alone. It was concluded that the in ovo injection of 2.4 μg of 25OHD3 may improve the intestinal immunity as well as the activity of D3 in Ross 708 broilers subjected to a coccidiosis challenge.

187 Body Performance of Beef Steers Swathgrazing oat Monoculture or Forage-Blends During Winter Months

Abstract Extended grazing strategies have the potential to reduce beef winter-feeding costs. Beef producers can incorporate monoculture cereal crops in their winter swathgrazing programs, but recently, the use of polycrops (also known as intercrops or cover crops) is growing. There is little information about beef cattle body performance when swathgrazing forage blends during winter months. This study evaluated animal performance when swathgrazing oat monoculture or a polycrop blend (oat, turnip,canola and forage pea). Forage systems (treatment) were seeded on a 12-hectare site, further separated into 2-hectare paddocks. The paddocks were seeded in June and swathed in August at the hard dough stage for the oats. Forty-two crossbred steers were randomly allocated to one of two replicated (n=3) systems while balancing for body weight and breed composition. Body weights (BW) were determined over two consecutive days at the start and end of grazing, and at 2-wk intervals throughout the 86 d grazing period. Ultrasound backfat, rumpfat and intramuscular fat were collected at the start and end of the trial. At the start of the trial, two steers in each replicate group were fitted with rumen pH/temperature boluses. The biomass yield of the oat and polycrop were 6,225±651 and 4,867±471 kg DM ha-1, respectively, while mean regrowth for oat and polycrop were 177 and 1409 kg DM ha-1, respectively. Start-of-test BW (246, 247kg; P = 0.92), end-of-test BW (304, 303.5; P = 0.97), average daily gain (0.68, 0.74 kg d-1; P = 0.61), backfat change (0.53, 0.69 mm; P =0.65), rumpfat change (0.84,1.30 mm; P=0.14) and intramuscular fat change (-0.12, 0.14%; P=0.66) did not differ for steers assigned to oat and polycrop systems, respectively. Other measures were mean rumen temperatures (39.13oC, 38.96oC; P=0.03) and pH (6.76, 6.70; P=0.10) for the oat and polycrop respectively. These results suggest that polycrops may be an alternative in a swath grazing system during the winter months.

Does the timing of pasture allocation affect rumen and plasma metabolites and ghrelin, insulin and cortisol profile in dairy ewes?

A study was undertaken to assess the impact of the timing of grazing on rumen and plasma metabolites and some metabolic hormones in lactating dairy sheep allocated to an Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam) pasture in spring for 4 h/d. Twenty-four mid lactation Sarda ewes stratified for milk yield, body weight, and body condition score, were divided into four homogeneous groups randomly allocated to the treatments (2 replicate groups per treatment). Treatments were morning (AM, from 08:00 to 12:00) and afternoon pasture allocation (PM, from 15:30 to 19:30). Samples of rumen liquor (day 39) and blood plasma (days 17 and 34 of the experimental period) were collected before and after the grazing sessions. Moreover, on days 11 and 35, grazing time was assessed by direct observation and herbage intake measured by the double weighing procedure. Grazing time was longer in PM than AM ewes (P < 0.001) but herbage intake was undifferentiated between groups. The intake of water-soluble carbohydrates at pasture was higher in PM than AM ewes (P < 0.05). The post-grazing propionic and butyric acid concentration, as measured on day 39, were higher in PM than AM ewes (P < 0.05). The basal level of glucose on day 34 and insulin (on both sampling days) were higher in PM than AM (P < 0.05). The opposite trend was detected for non-esterified fatty acids (P < 0.05, day 34) and urea (both days). Pasture allocation in the afternoon rather than in the morning decreased plasma concentration of ghrelin (P < 0.001) and cortisol (P < 0.001), with a smoothed trend on day 34 in the latter variable. To conclude, postponing the pasture allocation to afternoon increased the intake of WSC, favoring a glucogenic pattern of rumen fermentation and a rise of glucose and insulin levels in blood, although these effects were not consistent across the whole experimental period. Moreover, the afternoon grazing decreased the level of cortisol and ghrelin, suggesting a higher satiation-relaxing effect.

Impact of Cytomegalovirus Replication in Patients with Aggressive B Cell Lymphoma Treated with Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy

Data are scarce on cytomegalovirus (CMV) replication in patients receiving CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell treatment. Here we describe the incidence, severity, and management of CMV infection in patients with aggressive B cell lymphoma treated with CAR T cell therapy. In this retrospective observational study, we analyzed CMV viral load and its clinical impact in patients with aggressive B cell lymphoma receiving CAR T cell therapy between July 2018 and December 2021 at a single center. Patients with a negative baseline CMV IgG or a previous allogeneic stem cell transplantation were excluded. CMV replication was determined in whole blood. Overall, 105 patients met the study's inclusion criteria. Ten patients presented with CMV replication before CAR T cell infusion and were analyzed separately. Forty-two of the remaining 95 patients (44%) had at least 1 positive CMV determination, with a viral load ≥1000 IU/mL in 21 patients (22%). Four patients in the main cohort (N=95) and 4 patients in the preinfusion replication group (N=10) achieved a viral load >10,000 IU/mL. Only 7 patients received preemptive antiviral treatment. No CMV end-organ disease was reported. The sole independent risk factor associated with CMV viremia ≥1000 IU/mL was dexamethasone treatment (odds ratio, 8.4; 95% confidence interval, 2.4 to 36.6; P=.002). Based on our findings, we designed an algorithm for CMV management in this setting. CMV replication is relatively frequent in patients with aggressive B cell lymphoma receiving CAR T cell therapy. It is usually self-limited and not associated with end-organ disease. Patients receiving dexamethasone or harboring CMV replication before infusion might benefit from active surveillance and preemptive treatment strategies.

Oregano Oil Combined with Macleaya Cordata Oral Solution Improves the Growth Performance and Immune Response of Broilers.

Simple SummaryDeveloping safe and effective antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) substitutes is particularly important to improve animal health and production performance. As an essential plant oil, the oregano oil's main bioactive substance is carvacrol, which has been proven to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. The sanguinarine from macleaya cordata is the primary bioactive substance. Sanguinarine has anti-tumor, immune-enhancing, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, it has not been reported whether the compatibility of oregano oil and macleaya cordata extract could produce better results. This study is the first to report the effect of oregano oil combined with macleaya cordata oral solution on the growth of broilers. The oregano oil combined with macleaya cordata oral solution significantly improved the growth performance of broilers. At the same time, serum biochemical indices, serum antioxidant indices, serum immune indices, serum cytokines, and intestinal morphology were significantly improved. In summary, our results demonstrated that the mixed solution of oregano oil and macleaya cordata has substantial potential to be an alternative to AGPs for broilers to reduce costs and improve benefits. This study provides basic data and technical support for further research.The abuse of AGPs in animal husbandry has led to severe problems such as drug resistance and ecological, and environmental destruction, which seriously threaten human health and public health security. In recent years, extracts of oregano oil and macleaya cordata have become a hot spot in the research and application of AGP substitutes for their safety and high efficiency. This study is the first to report the effect of oregano oil combined with macleaya cordata oral solution on broiler growth performance. A total of 960 one-day-old broiler chickens were randomly divided into four treatment groups (240 chickens per group). Each treatment group was divided into six replicate groups (40 birds per replicate group). There were four groups in this study: the solvent control group, the oregano essential oil combined with macleaya cordata extract oral solution group (OS group), the oregano essential oil oral solution group (OEO group), and the macleaya cordata extract oral solution group (MCE group). Two chickens from each replicate group were collected and mixed into a composite sample. Six composite samples were obtained for each treatment group. The results showed that the oregano oil combined with macleaya cordata oral solution significantly improved the growth performance of broiler chickens. At the same time, serum biochemical indices, serum antioxidant indices, serum immune indices, serum cytokines, and intestinal morphology were significantly improved by the OS group. This study shows that oregano oil combined with macleaya cordata oral solution has substantial potential to be an alternative to AGPs for broilers.