Serum Aspartate Aminotransferase Concentrations Research Articles

Perfil metabólico, zootécnico e sanitário de bezerras Girolando concebidas por fertilização in vitro

ABSTRACT: This study determined the zootechnical, metabolic, and health performance of Girolando calves born with high or low birth weight, conceived through in vitro fertilization. The study was carried out on a commercial dairy farm located in Passos, Minas Gerais, Brazil. For this, a hundred Girolando calves were divided into two groups: The Control, which consisted of calves that were born weighing ≤ 35 kg; and high birth weight (HBW) calves, which were born weighing > 35 kg. The calves were monitored for zootechnical parameters; epidemiological indices, for diseases such diarrhea and pneumonia; as well as serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, cholesterol, triglycerides, paraoxonase1, albumin, urea, and globulin. Calves from the HBW group had a higher general mortality rate, but no effects on the zootechnical performance or metabolism were observed. The results obtained allow us to conclude that Girolando calves generated by IVF and heavier at birth have a greater chance to present diseases such as omphalophlebitis, tympany, and bovine parasitic sadness, and have a higher rate of general mortality. Conversely, birth weight of the calves does not influence diarrhea or pneumonia, the zootechnical performance, or the metabolism.

Effects of dietary wheat supplementation levels on growth performance, rumen bacterial community and fermentation parameters in Chinese Tibetan Sheep.

The objective of this study was to evaluate various wheat supplementation levels on rumen microbiota and fermentation parameter in Tibetan sheep. A total of ninety ram with an average 12.37 ± 0.92 kg at the age of 2 months were randomly allocated to three treatments: 0% wheat diet (CW, N = 30), 10% wheat diet (LW, N = 30), and 15% wheat diet (HW, N = 30) on a dry matter basis. The experiment was conducted over a period of 127 days, including 7 days of adaption to the diets. Our results showed that sheep fed 10% wheat exhibited optimal average daily gain and feed gain ratio compared with HW group (p < 0.05). The serum alkaline phosphatase concentration was the lowest when fed the 10% wheat diet (p < 0.05), whereas serum aspartate aminotransferase concentration was the highest (p < 0.05). Both acetate and propionate increased with increase in dietary wheat ratio (p < 0.05), while a greater decrease in concentrations of NH3 -N was observed (p < 0.05). In rumen fluid, 3413 OTUs were obtained with 97% consistency. Phylum Firmicutes was the predominant bacteria and accounted for 49.04%. The CW groups supported significantly increased the abundance of Bacteroidetes (p < 0.05), as compared with the HW group. The abundance of Bacteroidales_UCG-001, Ruminococcus, and Mitsuokella possessed a higher relative abundance in HW group (p < 0.05). No differences in the bacterial community and fermentation parameters were observed between the sheep fed 0% and 10% wheat (p > 0.05). Ruminal bacterial community structure was significantly correlated with isobutyrite (r2 = 0.4878, p = 0.035) and valerate (r2 = 0.4878, p = 0.013). In conclusion, supplementation of 10% wheat in diet promoted the average daily gain and never altered microbial community structure and fermentation pattern, which can be effectively replace partial corn in Chinese Tibetan Sheep.

Effects of dietary corn and protein levels on physical properties of extruded feed pellets and growth performance of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss

AbstractThe dietary protein levels and source of starch are factors in the economical production of feeds, which may change the physical quality of extruded pellets and the growth performance of fish. Eight feeds contained two protein levels and four levels of wheat flour substitutions by corn, as a 2 × 4 factorial experimental design, were produced by a twin‐screw extruder machine and fed to 800 rainbow trout. The results showed corn grain reduced expansion ratio, water stability at 120 and 260 min, starch gelatinization (SG), and apparent degradability, while bulk density (BD) and oil leakage of feed pellets increased. The high protein diets displayed the most BD, lower oil leakage, SG, and elastic modulus. The high protein feeds improved the final body weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of fish. The corn grain reduced the FCR and promoted the trout's protein efficiency ratio. Lipid proportions of fish livers corresponded to hepatosomatic index and serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase. In general, corn, as the starch source in the high and low‐protein extruded feeds, can be replaced at levels of 33%–66% of wheat flour without adverse effects on the physical characteristics of feed pellets and the growth performance of rainbow trout.

Machine learning to predict pediatric choledocholithiasis: A Western Pediatric Surgery Research Consortium retrospective study

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to accurately predict pediatric choledocholithiasis with clinical data using a computational machine learning algorithm. MethodsA multicenter retrospective cohort study was performed on children <18 years of age who underwent cholecystectomy between 2016 to 2019 at 10 pediatric institutions. Demographic data, clinical findings, laboratory, and ultrasound results were evaluated by bivariate analyses. An Extra-Trees machine learning algorithm using k-fold cross-validation was used to determine predictive factors for choledocholithiasis. Model performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve on a validation dataset. ResultsA cohort of 1,597 patients was included, with an average age of 13.9 ± 3.2 years. Choledocholithiasis was confirmed in 301 patients (18.8%). Obesity was the most common comorbidity in all patients. Choledocholithiasis was associated with the finding of a common bile duct stone on ultrasound, increased common bile duct diameter, and higher serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, lipase, and direct and peak total bilirubin. Nine features (age, body mass index, common bile duct stone on ultrasound, common bile duct diameter, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, lipase, direct bilirubin, and peak total bilirubin) were clinically important and included in the machine learning algorithm. Our 9-feature model deployed on new patients was found to be highly predictive for choledocholithiasis, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic score of 0.935. ConclusionThis multicenter study uses machine learning for pediatric choledocholithiasis. Nine clinical factors were highly predictive of choledocholithiasis, and a machine learning model trained using medical and laboratory data was able to identify children at the highest risk for choledocholithiasis.

Effects of bacteriophage on Salmonella Enteritidis infection in broilers

Bacteriophages (BP) are viruses that can infect bacteria. The present study evaluated the effect of BP on Salmonella infected broilers. A number of 150 day-old broilers were used in a completely randomized design with five treatments that included: (1) basal diet from day 0 to 28; (2) basal diet + 0.3 g/kg of colistin from day 0 to 28; (3) basal diet from day 1 to 13, and basal diet + 0.4 g/kg of colistin from day 14 to 28; (4) basal diet + 1 g/kg of BP from day 0 to 28; (5) basal diet + 1.5 g/kg of BP from day 0 to 28. On day 13, 15 chickens from each treatment were challenged by Salmonella Enteritidis (SE), while fifteen from each treatment were not; instead, they were kept in the same cage with the challenged chickens (exposed chickens). At 7 and 14 days post-challenge, the number of SE and coliform bacteria in the cecum and liver of colistin and BP-fed birds was lower than the control treatment. In exposed and challenged chickens, the height and surface area of villus were greater in the BP and colistin-supplemented groups. Serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine transaminase were greater, while serum albumin and triglycerides concentrations were lower in the control treatment. The liver of the challenged chickens had more pathological lesions than exposed birds. BP significantly decreased PPARγ gene expression in exposed chickens. In the challenged and exposed chickens, TLR4 gene expression was lower in BP and colistin-treated birds as compared to the control. In conclusion, adding BP to the diet from the day of age prevents the spread of Salmonella.

PREVALENCE OF ELEVATED AST, ALT, ALP IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Background:Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major public health concern affecting millions of people worldwide. The relationship between liver enzymes and T2DM has been reported in limited studies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of elevated liver enzymes in T2DM. Methods: A total of 200 individuals (100 diabetic and 100 nondiabetic) were enrolled in the study. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities were measured in serum collected from them. T2DM was dened as fasting blood glucose (FBG) ≥126 mg/dLor self-reported recent use of insulin or antidiabetic medications. Results:Among the participants, 63% in T2DM and 30% in the non-diabetic group had at least one or more elevated liver enzymes in serum. The mean concentrations of serum AST, ALT and ALP were signicantly higher in the T2DM group compared to the non-diabetes group, suggesting high prevalence of elevated liver enzymes in the T2DM. Conclusions: A high prevalence of elevated liver enzymes was observed in subjects having T2DM than in non-diabetics. More studies of this nature should be carried out in developing countries to get proper insights into the importance of assessing liver enzymes in T2DM.

Supplementing turmeric rhizome powder in growing Andaman local pigs: a conflated approach for therapy evaluation

This paper examined the pluripotent effect of supplementation of turmeric rhizome powder (TRP) (Curcuma longa) in growing Andaman local pigs. A total of 48 pigs were randomly allotted into four groups and fed diets containing TRP at 4 concentrations, that is, 0 (control group), 0.05 (treatment 1), 0.1 (treatment 2), and 0.2% (treatment 3) for 30 days. The mean body weight of pigs supplemented with 0.1% and 0.2% TRP was significantly higher than that of the control group (41.66 ± 0.44, 42.59 ± 0.33 vs 40.38 ± 0.30 kg; p ≤ 0.05) which indicated the effect of TRP as growth enhancer. A significant (p ≤ 0.05) decrease in serum concentration of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was recorded in supplemented groups as compared to the control group. Creatinine kinase (U/l) decreased in all the treatment groups as compared to the control group. Total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased significantly after supplementation with 0.1% and 0.2% TRP in comparison to the control group. However, there was marked increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mg/dl) in all TRP-supplemented groups than the control group (27.67 ± 0.60 in T1, 32.76 ± 0.32 in T2, and 34.58 ± 0.37 in T3 vs. 23.73 ± 0.69 in control; p ≤ 0.05). Further, there was increase in antioxidant profile after TRP supplementation. Anti-inflammatory potentiality of TRP could also be appreciated since TRP supplementation downregulated (p ≤ 0.05) expression of IL-6, IL-1β, and IFN-γ. Therefore, we perceive that this conflated approach is an example of its own kind to focus on modification of health status of pigs for more productivity and augmentation of immune response.

Effects of dietary supplementation with dandelion tannins or soybean isoflavones on growth performance, antioxidant function, intestinal morphology, and microbiota composition in Wenchang chickens.

Many benefits have been found in supplementing tannins or soybean isoflavones to poultry, including increased body weight gain, antioxidant activity, and better intestinal morphology. However, few studies tested the influence of dandelion tannins or soybean isoflavones supplementation on Wenchang chickens. This study investigates the effects of dietary supplementation with dandelion tannins or soybean isoflavones on the growth performance, antioxidant function, and intestinal health of female Wenchang chickens. A total of 300 chickens were randomly divided into five groups, with six replicates per group and 10 broilers per replicate. The chickens in the control group (Con) were fed a basal diet; the four experimental groups were fed a basal diet with different supplements: 300 mg/kg of dandelion tannin (DT1), 500 mg/kg of dandelion tannin (DT2), 300 mg/kg of soybean isoflavone (SI1), or 500 mg/kg of soybean isoflavone (SI2). The experiment lasted 40 days. The results showed that the final body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG) were higher in the DT2 and SI1 groups than in the Con group (P < 0.05). In addition, dietary supplementation with dandelion tannin or soybean isoflavone increased the level of serum albumin (P <0.05); the concentrations of serum aspartate aminotransferase and glucose were significantly higher in the SI1 group (P < 0.05) than in the Con group and the concentration of triglycerides in the DT1 group (P < 0.05). The serum catalase (CAT) level was higher in the DT1 and SI1 groups than in the Con group (P < 0.05). The ileum pH value was lower in the DT2 or SI1 group than in the Con group (P < 0.05). The jejunum villus height and mucosal muscularis thickness were increased in the DT2 and SI1 groups (P < 0.05), whereas the jejunum crypt depth was decreased in the DT1 or DT2 group compared to the Con group (P < 0.05). In addition, the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression level of zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1) in the duodenum of the SI1 group and those of occludin, ZO-1, and claudin-1 in the ileum of the DT2 and SI1 groups were upregulated (P < 0.05) compared to the Con group. Moreover, the DT2 and SI1 groups exhibited reduced intestinal microbiota diversity relative to the Con group, as evidenced by decreased Simpson and Shannon indexes. Compared to the Con group, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria was lower and that of Barnesiella was higher in the DT2 group (P < 0.05). Overall, dietary supplementation with 500 mg/kg of dandelion tannin or 300 mg/kg of soybean isoflavone improved the growth performance, serum biochemical indexes, antioxidant function, and intestinal morphology and modulated the cecal microbiota composition of Wenchang chickens.

Effectiveness of Grape Seed Extract in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Study

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as a metabolic disorder has a high prevalence. Increasing serum concentrations of liver enzymes, lipid profiles, and fasting blood sugar (FBS) are the most laboratory findings in NAFLD. Efforts to identify effective treatments with fewer side effects to address these impairments are increasing. Grape seed extract (GSE) is rich in antioxidants (eg, proanthocyanidins (Pas), which it has beneficial effects reported previously). Objectives: We evaluated the effect of GSE on biochemical markers in NAFLD patients. Methods: The current randomized, double-blind clinical trial was investigated the GSE effect on patients with NAFLD. The patients were assigned into 2 groups (GSE and control groups). The duration of treatment was considered 2 months. The GSE group received GSE capsules (200 mg, two times a day for 2 months), and the control group received placebo (200 mg starch). The serum concentration of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), triglyceride (TG), FBS, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and cholesterol were assessed at baseline, 1 month, and 2 months after treatment. Body mass index (BMI) and HDL/LDL ratio were assayed at different times. Results: The levels of AST, ALT, FBS, TG, HDL, LDL, and cholesterol significantly decreased, (P-value &lt; 0.05), and the level of HDL significantly increased in patients who received GSE 200 mg twice a day for 2 months (P-value &lt; 0.05) compared to control group, but BMI and weight did not change significantly (P-value &gt; 0.05). Conclusions: Grape seed extract can be effective in fatty liver patients; such results may be contributed to the antioxidant properties of GSE due to the high amount of PAs and similar constituents in GSE. However, more investigations are needed to clarify the exact involved mechanism of GSE.

Individual and mixture associations of perfluoroalkyl substances on liver function biomarkers in the Canadian Health Measures Survey

BackgroundPerfluoroalkyl substances can disrupt hepatic metabolism and may be associated with liver function biomarkers. We examined individual and mixture associations of PFAS on liver function biomarkers in a representative sample of Canadian adults. We explored the potential for effect modification by sex and body mass index, as well as by physical activity level which may attenuate the deleterious effect of PFAS on metabolic disorders.MethodsWe analyzed data from participants aged 20–74 from the Canadian Health Measures Survey. We used linear regression to examine associations between plasma concentrations of PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, PFDA, and PFUDA on serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and total bilirubin. We used quantile g-computation to estimate associations with a PFAS mixture for each simultaneous, one-quartile change in PFAS concentrations.ResultsEach doubling of PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, or PFNA concentrations was associated with higher AST, GGT, and ALP concentrations. Each doubling of PFOA concentrations was associated with 16.5% (95%CI: 10.4, 23.0) higher GGT concentrations among adults not meeting Canada’s physical activity guidelines vs. 6.6% (95%CI: -1.6, 15.5) among those meeting these guidelines. Sex and BMI also modified some associations, though to a lesser extent. We did not observe associations between ALT and PFOA (1.2% change; 95%CI: -2.5, 4.9), PFOS (2.2% change; 95%CI: -0.8, 5.3), or PFHxS (1.5% change; 95%CI: -0.4, 3.4). We also did not observe consistent associations for PFDA and PFUDA or with total bilirubin. In quantile g-computation models, each simultaneous one-quartile increase in the PFAS mixture was positively associated with AST (7.5% higher; 95%CI: 4.0, 10.4), GGT (9.7% higher; 95%CI: 1.7, 17.0), and ALP (2.8% higher; 95%CI: 0.5, 5.4).ConclusionHigher plasma concentrations of PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, and PFNA – both individually and as a mixture – were associated with higher serum concentrations of liver function biomarkers. These results contribute to emerging evidence suggesting that higher levels of physical activity appear to be protective against the hepatotoxic effects of PFOA. This work contributes to a growing body of evidence supporting the hepatotoxic effects of PFAS.

The Short-Day Cycle Induces Intestinal Epithelial Purine Metabolism Imbalance and Hepatic Disfunctions in Antibiotic-Mediated Gut Microbiota Perturbation Mice

Intestinal microbiota dysbiosis is related to many metabolic diseases in human health. Meanwhile, as an irregular environmental light–dark (LD) cycle, short day (SD) may induce host circadian rhythm disturbances and worsen the risks of gut dysbiosis. Herein, we investigated how LD cycles regulate intestinal metabolism upon the destruction of gut microbes with antibiotic treatments. The growth indices, serum parameters, concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and relative abundance of intestinal microbes were measured after euthanasia; intestinal contents, epithelial metabolomics, and hepatic transcriptome sequencing were also assessed. Compared with a normal LD cycle (NLD), SD increased the body weight, spleen weight, and serum concentration of aspartate aminotransferase, while it decreased high-density lipoprotein. Meanwhile, SD increased the relative abundance of the Bacteroidetes phylum while it decreased the Firmicutes phylum in the gut of ABX mice, thus leading to a disorder of SCFA metabolism. Metabolomics data revealed that SD exposure altered gut microbial metabolism in ABX mice, which also displayed more serious alterations in the gut epithelium. In addition, most differentially expressed metabolites were decreased, especially the purine metabolism pathway in epithelial tissue. This response was mainly due to the down-regulation of adenine, inosine, deoxyguanosine, adenylsuccinic acid, hypoxanthine, GDP, IMP, GMP, and AMP. Finally, the transcriptome data also indicated that SD has some negative effects on hepatic metabolism and endocrine, digestive, and disease processes. Overall, SD induced an epithelial and hepatic purine metabolism pathway imbalance in ABX mice, as well as the gut microbes and their metabolites, all of which could contribute to host metabolism and digestion, endocrine system disorders, and may even cause diseases in the host.

Machine learning identifies baseline clinical features that predict early hypothyroidism in patients with Graves' disease after radioiodine therapy.

Background and objective Radioiodine therapy (RAI) is one of the most common treatment solutions for Graves’ disease (GD). However, many patients will develop hypothyroidism as early as 6 months after RAI. This study aimed to implement machine learning (ML) algorithms for the early prediction of post-RAI hypothyroidism.Methods Four hundred and seventy-one GD patients who underwent RAI between January 2016 and June 2019 were retrospectively recruited and randomly split into the training set (310 patients) and the validation set (161 patients). These patients were followed for 6 months after RAI. A set of 138 clinical and lab test features from the electronic medical record (EMR) were extracted, and multiple ML algorithms were conducted to identify the features associated with the occurrence of hypothyroidism 6 months after RAI.Results An integrated multivariate model containing patients’ age, thyroid mass, 24-h radioactive iodine uptake, serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase, thyrotropin-receptor antibodies, thyroid microsomal antibodies, and blood neutrophil count demonstrated an area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC) of 0.72 (95% CI: 0.61–0.85), an F1 score of 0.74, and an MCC score of 0.63 in the training set. The model also performed well in the validation set with an AUROC of 0.74 (95% CI: 0.65–0.83), an F1 score of 0.74, and a MCC of 0.63. A user-friendly nomogram was then established to facilitate the clinical utility.Conclusion The developed multivariate model based on EMR data could be a valuable tool for predicting post-RAI hypothyroidism, allowing them to be treated differently before the therapy. Further study is needed to validate the developed prognostic model at independent sites.

Lead exposure-induced changes in hematology and biomarkers of hepatic injury: protective role of TrévoTM supplement.

Lead exposure has been linked to health challenges involving multiple organ failure. More than fifty percent of lead present in the human body is accumulated in the liver causing hepatic injury. A major mechanism of lead toxicity is oxidative stress. Trévo™ is a nutritional supplement with numerous bioactive natural products with detoxifying and antioxidant properties. This study was designed to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of Trévo™ dietary supplements against lead-hepatotoxicity in male Wistar rats. Thirty-five healthy animals were divided into five groups of seven each as follows: Group I=control; II=15 mg/kg of lead acetate (PbA); III= 2 mL/kg of Trévo™ + PbA; IV= 5 mL/kg of Trévo™ + PbA;V=5 mL/kg of Trévo™. Animals were orally treated with Trévo™ for two days before co-administration with PbA intraperitoneally for 12 consecutive days. Animals were sacrificed 24 h after the last administration and blood were collected via cardiac puncture and processed for hematological parameters and assessment of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and albumin (ALB). The liver was excised and processed for markers of oxidative stress and histopathological examination. Intraperitoneal administration of 15 mg/kg of PbA caused a significant increase in serum concentration of AST, ALT, while the concentration of ALB was significantly decreased (P<0.001). PbA caused a significant reduction in packed cell volume, hemoglobin while the total white blood cell count, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils were increased. Oxidative stress was significantly pronounced in the liver of rats exposed to PbA as observed in the high concentration of malonedialdehyde, decreased concentration of glutathione, the activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione-S-transferase. Pretreatment with Trévo™ was able to significantly prevent the anemic, oxidative damage, and hepatic injury initiated by PbA. Histological examination also corroborated the biochemical results. In conclusion, the study reveals that Trévo™ is effective in attenuating PbA-induced hepatotoxicity in male Wistar rats.

Comparison of Growth Performance, Immunity, Antioxidant Capacity, and Liver Transcriptome of Calves between Whole Milk and Plant Protein-Based Milk Replacer under the Same Energy and Protein Levels.

High-cost milk proteins necessitate cheaper, effective milk replacer alternatives, such as plant proteins. To examine plant protein-based milk replacer’s impact on growth performance, serum immune and antioxidant indicators, and liver transcriptome profiles in suckling calves. We assigned 28 newborn Holstein calves (41.60 ± 3.67 kg of body weight at birth) to milk (M) or milk replacer (MR) and starter diets pre-weaning (0–70 d of age) but with the same starter diet post-weaning (71–98 d of age). During the pre-weaning period, compared with the M group, MR group had significantly lower body weight, withers height, heart girth, average daily gain, feed efficiency, serum immunoglobulin (Ig) M concentration, superoxide dismutase concentration, and total antioxidant capacity; whereas they had significantly higher serum aspartate aminotransferase concentration. During the post-weaning period, MR group presented significantly higher average daily gain, alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, and malonaldehyde concentrations; whereas they had significantly lower serum IgA and IgM concentrations than the M group. Transcriptome analysis revealed 1, 120 and 293 differentially expressed genes (DEGs; MR vs. M group) in the calves from pre- and post-weaning periods, respectively. The DEGs related to xenobiotic and lipid metabolism and those related to energy metabolism, immune function, and mineral metabolism were up- and downregulated, respectively, during the pre-weaning period; during the post-weaning period, the DEGs related to osteoclast differentiation and metabolic pathways showed difference. In this study, compared with M group, MR group had the same growth performance during the overall experimental period; however, MR affected the hepatic metabolism, immune, and antioxidant function of calves. These observations can facilitate future studies on milk replacers.

Interleukin-34 protects against sepsis in mice by regulating CXCL1/CCL2 immune response

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Purpose: To study the protective effect of interleukin-34 (IL-34) against sepsis in mice, and the mechanism involved.&#x0D; Methods: Ninety healthy male mice were selected and assigned to sham, model and recombinant IL-34 protein groups. The activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were assayed. Moreover, histopathological changes in lung, liver and kidney were recorded, and levels of C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 1 (CXCL1) and C-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 2 (CCL2) in each group of mice were measured.&#x0D; Results: Peritoneal lavage fluid and serum concentrations of AST, ALT, LDH, CXCL1 and CCL2 were significantly elevated, relative to sham mice (p &lt; 0.05). Mice survival in the drug group was markedly increased from day 1 to day 5; also, serum ALT, LDH and AST were significantly reduced, while CXCL1 and CCL2 concentrations in serum and peritoneal lavage fluid were increased, relative to model mice (p &lt; 0.05).&#x0D; Conclusion: IL-34 improves survival of septic mice by inducing CXCL1/CCL2 immune response, resulting in a protective effect on the airway. Thus, the CXCL1/CCL2 pathway mediated by IL-34 may be useful in the development of drugs for the treatment of sepsis.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

A meta-regression study of the clinical significance of serum aminotransferases in COVID-19.

The aim of the study was to appraise the capacity of serum aminotransferases to discriminate between hepatic and other extra-pulmonary COVID-19-related manifestations and, potentially, to serve as predictors of poor clinical outcomes. Ninety-eight studies were identified (79% from China), including 43,554 patients (57% males), 9,983 (62% males) with poor outcomes and 33,571 (50% males) with favorable outcomes. After splitting studies depending on whether serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) concentrations were statistically different between patients with poor vs. favorable outcomes, the 35 'hepatic involvement' articles (p<0.05) included 28,510 patients (51% males), 5,279 (66% males) and 23,231 subjects (48% males) with poor and favorable outcomes, respectively. The 63 'extra-hepatic involvement' studies (p>0.05) included 15,044 patients (54% males), 4,704 (60% males) with poor outcomes and 10,340 (51% males) with favorable outcomes. The meta-analysis shows that serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) concentrations were significantly higher in patients with poor outcomes than those with favorable outcomes (WMD 12.5 UI/L, 95% CI 10.9 to 14.1 p<0.001). Similarly, AST concentrations were significantly higher in the 'hepatic involvement' studies (WMD 16.3 UI/L, 95% CI 13.4 to 19.2 p<0.001) and in the 'extra-hepatic involvement' studies (WMD 10.3 UI/L, 95% CI 8.6 to 12.0 p<0.001). The different association of serum AST concentrations with some clinical, demographic, and biochemical factors in the two clusters suggests that in COVID-19 patients, serum AST elevation is not necessarily linked to real liver damage.

Efficacy of a commercial supplement added to drinking water in broilers fed aflatoxin-contaminated diets

The objective of the experiment was to evaluate effects of water supplementation with a commercial supplement (VitalSea®) on growth performance, mortality and serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in broilers fed diets with aflatoxin (AF) contamination. A total of 960 day-old mixed-sex chicks (Ross 308, initial BW: 46.28 ± 0.25 g/chick) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments. The treatments included (1) basal diet without AF contamination and supplementation (negative control, NC), (2) AF-contaminated diet without supplementation (positive control, PC), (3) AF-contaminated diet + water supplementation with 0.5 mL VitalSea®/10 kg BW (VitalSea 1) and (4) AF-contaminated diet + water supplementation with 1.0 mL VitalSea®/10 kg BW (VitalSea 2). Each treatment was replicated with 8 pens of 30 birds (50% male, 50% female) each. Contaminated diets containing 30 μg AF/kg were fed to birds for Phase 1 (d 1-21) only. Water supplemented with VitalSea® was administered to birds for 5 days (d 22-26). In Phase 1 (d 1-21), there were no differences in ADG and ADFI among treatments (P &gt; 0.05). In Phase 2 (d 22-35), there was a trend that the ADG of VitalSea 1 (68.66 g/d) and VitalSea 2 (68.56 g/d) was higher (P &lt; 0.06) than that of the PC (62.61 g/d). Water supplemented with VitalSea® improved the FCR of broilers compared with the PC (P &lt; 0.01). Over a 5-week study, broilers of the PC had a worse FCR than those of the other treatments (P &lt; 0.01). At d 21, the serum LDH concentration of the PC was higher than that of the NC (P = 0.026). Briefly, addition of VitalSea® to drinking water for 5 days improved growth rate and feed efficiency of broilers fed AF-contaminated diets.

Zootechnical and health performance of Holstein x Gir crossbred calves.

Crossbreeding is used to increase production and disease resistance in adult animals, and there is no research to assess the performance of animals in the early stages. The aim of this study was to evaluate the zootechnical and health performance of Holstein x Gir calves (½ HG: ½ Dutch ½ Gir and ¾ HG: ¾ Dutch ¼ Gir), from birth to 80 days of age, and compare metabolic parameters between groups. In this sense, calves were monitored for zootechnical parameters; epidemiological indexes such as morbidity, mortality, recurrence of diarrhea, pneumonia, and other diseases; as well as serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, total proteins, cholesterol, triglycerides, albumin, urea, and paraoxonase1 (PON1). ¾ HG calves showed higher morbidity for diarrhea and remained with diarrhea for longer compared to ½ HG calves, and this was reflected in the average daily weight gain until the 42nd day, with ½ HG calves performing better. There were no differences regarding passive immune transfer between groups, as well as no differences in morbidity and mortality from pneumonia. Regarding biochemical analyses, a difference was found only in the concentrations of PON1, which were higher in ¾ HG calves. The findings show that blood degree influences the occurrence and duration of diarrhea, negatively impacting the zootechnical performance of the animals. Crossbreeding bulls with zebu cattle can be an alternative to increase calf resistance and reduce diarrhea, thus lowering economic losses and improving animal performance.

Protective effects of Bacillus subtilis ASAG 216 on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, gut microbiota and tissues residues of weaned piglets fed deoxynivalenol contaminated diets

Deoxynivalenol (DON) poses a serious health threat to animals and humans consuming DON-contaminated food and feed. Biological means of detoxification of DON are considered as one of the effective strategies. The aim of the work was to study ameliorative effects of Bacillus subtilis ASAG 216 on DON-induced toxicosis in piglets. A decrease in average daily gain and average daily feed intake was observed in piglets fed DON-contaminated feed. In addition, DON exposure increased the serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase, immunoglobulin A, diamine oxidase, endotoxin, and peptide YY. Moreover, DON exposure caused oxidative stress in the serum, liver and jejunum, induced intestinal inflammation, impaired the intestinal barrier, and disturbed the gut microbiota homeostasis. Supplementation of B. subtilis ASAG 216 effectively attenuated the aforementioned effects of DON on piglets. Moreover, DON and de-epoxy-DON (DOM-1) in the serum, liver and kidney were significantly decreased when B. subtilis ASAG 216 was added to DON-contaminated diet. Our results imply that B. subtilis ASAG 216 can protect against DON-induced toxicosis in piglets, and thus this strain has a potential to be used as an animal feed ingredient to counteract harmful effects of DON in animals.

Cardiac, Hepatic and Renal Dysfunction and IL-18 Polymorphism in Breast, Colorectal, and Prostate Cancer Patients.

Introduction:The present study aimed to determine the alterations in the serum levels of tumor markers used to evaluate cardiac, renal and liver function, and detect the interleukin (IL)-18 rs1946518 polymorphism in breast (BC), colorectal (CRC) and prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Methods:Blood samples were collected from 65 female BC, 116 CRC, 79 PCa and 88 myocardial infarction (MI) patients, and 110 healthy individuals to determine the concentration of tumor and cardiac markers. Furthermore, the IL-18 rs1946518 polymorphism was assessed using amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR. Results:The serum levels of the tumor markers cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and total prostate-specific antigen (TPSA) were significantly increased in cancer patients compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, the activity of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and creatine kinasemyocardial band (CK-MB) was enhanced in MI patients, however, their activity was unchanged in cancer patients. The activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and the serum concentration of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and urea were markedly elevated in CRC and PCa patients, respectively, compared with the control group. Although, no significant differences were observed in the -607 C/A polymorphism and allele frequency of IL-18 among BC, CRC patients and healthy individuals, the odds ratio (OR) was 1.75 for both C and A allele in BC patients. Therefore, the -607 C/A polymorphism could be considered as a risk factor for BC. Conclusion:The aforementioned results suggested that tumor markers could be considered as excellent biomarkers for the early detection of BC, CRC and PCa, whereas the concentration of liver enzymes could serve as an alternative indicator for the diagnosis of CRC and PCa. Additionally, the rs1946518 polymorphism in the IL-18 gene could be considered as a risk factor for the occurrence of BC, CRC and PCa.