Effects of dietary Clostridium butyricum and rumen protected fat on meat quality, oxidative stability, and chemical composition of finishing goats

BACKGROUND

Clostridium butyricum (CB) is a probiotic that can regulate intestinal microbial composition and improve meat quality. Rumen protected fat (RPF) has been shown to increase the dietary energy density and provide essential fatty acids. However, it is still unknown whether dietary supplementation with CB and RPF exerts beneficial effects on growth performance and nutritional value of goat meat. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary CB and RPF supplementation on growth performance, meat quality, oxidative stability, and meat nutritional value of finishing goats. Thirty-two goats (initial body weight, 20.5 ± 0.82 kg) were used in a completely randomized block design with a 2 RPF supplementation (0 vs. 30 g/d) × 2 CB supplementation (0 vs. 1.0 g/d) factorial treatment arrangement. The experiment included a 14-d adaptation and 70-d data and sample collection period. The goats were fed a diet consisted of 400 g/kg peanut seedling and 600 g/kg corn-based concentrate (dry matter basis).

RESULT

Interaction between CB and RPF was rarely observed on the variables measured, except that shear force was reduced (P < 0.05) by adding CB or RPF alone or their combination; the increased intramuscular fat (IMF) content with adding RPF was more pronounced (P < 0.05) with CB than without CB addition. The pH24h (P = 0.009), a* values (P = 0.007), total antioxidant capacity (P = 0.050), glutathione peroxidase activities (P = 0.006), concentrations of 18:3 (P < 0.001), 20:5 (P = 0.003) and total polyunsaturated fatty acids (P = 0.048) were increased, whereas the L* values (P < 0.001), shear force (P = 0.050) and malondialdehyde content (P = 0.044) were decreased by adding CB. Furthermore, CB supplementation increased essential amino acid (P = 0.027), flavor amino acid (P = 0.010) and total amino acid contents (P = 0.024) as well as upregulated the expression of lipoprotein lipase (P = 0.034) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) (P = 0.012), and downregulated the expression of stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) (P = 0.034). The RPF supplementation increased dry matter intake (P = 0.005), averaged daily gain (trend, P = 0.058), hot carcass weight (P = 0.046), backfat thickness (P = 0.006), concentrations of 16:0 (P < 0.001) and c9-18:1 (P = 0.002), and decreased the shear force (P < 0.001), isoleucine (P = 0.049) and lysine content (P = 0.003) of meat. In addition, the expressions of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (P = 0.003), fatty acid synthase (P = 0.038), SCD (P < 0.001) and PPARγ (P = 0.022) were upregulated due to RPF supplementation, resulting in higher (P < 0.001) content of IMF.

CONCLUSIONS

CB and RPF could be fed to goats for improving the growth performance, carcass traits and meat quality, and promote fat deposition by upregulating the expression of lipogenic genes of Longissimus thoracis muscle.

Effect of growing regions on morphological characteristics, protein subfractions, rumen degradation and molecular structures of various whole-plant silage corn cultivars

Little information exists on the variation in morphological characteristics, nutritional value, ruminal degradability, and molecular structural makeup of diverse whole-plant silage corn (WPSC) cultivars among different growing regions. This study investigated the between-regions (Beijing, Urumchi, Cangzhou, Liaoyuan, Tianjin) discrepancies in five widely used WPSC cultivars in China (FKBN, YQ889, YQ23, DK301 and ZD958), in terms of 1) morphological characteristics; 2) crude protein (CP) chemical profile; 3) Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) CP subfractions; 4) in situ CP degradation kinetics; and 5) CP molecular structures. Our results revealed significant growing region and WPSC cultivar interaction for all estimated morphological characteristics (P < 0.001), CP chemical profile (P < 0.001), CNCPS subfractions (P < 0.001) and CP molecular structural features (P < 0.05). Except ear weight (P = 0.18), all measured morphological characteristics varied among different growing regions (P < 0.001). Besides, WPSC cultivars planted in different areas had remarkably different CP chemical profiles and CNCPS subfractions (P < 0.001). All spectral parameters of protein primary structure of WPSC differed (P < 0.05) due to the growing regions, except amide II area (P = 0.28). Finally, the area ratio of amide I to II was negatively correlated with the contents of soluble CP (δ = -0.66; P = 0.002), CP (δ = -0.61; P = 0.006), non-protein nitrogen (δ = -0.56; P = 0.004) and acid detergent insoluble CP (δ = -0.43; P = 0.008), in conjunction with a positive correlation with moderately degradable CP (PB1; δ = 0.58; P = 0.01). In conclusion, the cultivar of DK301 exhibited high and stable CP content. The WPSC planted in Beijing showed high CP, SCP and NPN. The low rumen degradable protein of WPSC was observed in Urumchi. Meanwhile, above changes in protein profiles and digestibility were strongly connected with the ratio of amide I and amide II.

Characterization and profiling of the microRNA in small extracellular vesicles isolated from goat milk samples collected during the first week postpartum

Colostrum contains nutrients, immunoglobulins, and various bioactive compounds such as microRNA (miRNA). Less is known about the temporal changes in miRNA profiles in ruminant milk samples during the first week postpartum. In this study, we characterized and compared the profiles of miRNA in the small extracellular vesicles (sEV) isolated from colostrum (CM, collected immediately after parturition, n = 8) and transition milk (TM, collected 7 d postpartum, n = 8) from eight 1-yr-old Guanzhong dairy goats with a milk yield of approximately 500 kg/year. A total of 192 unique sEV-associated miRNA (transcripts per million >1 at least 4 samples in either CM or TM) were identified in all samples. There were 29 miRNA uniquely identified in the TM samples while no miRNA was uniquely identified in the CM samples. The abundance of the top 10 miRNA accounted for 82.4% ± 4.0% (± SD) of the total abundance, with let-7 families (e.g., let-7a/b/c-5p) being predominant in all samples. The top 10 miRNA were predicted to target 1,008 unique genes that may regulate pathways such as focal adhesion, TGF-β signaling, and axon guidance. The expression patterns of EV miRNA were similar between the 2 sample groups, although the abundance of let-7c-5p and miR-30a-3p was higher, whereas that of let-7i-5p and miR-103-3p was lower in CM than in TM. In conclusion, the core miRNAome identified in the samples from CM and TM may play an important role in cell proliferation, bone homeostasis, and neuronal network formation in newborn goat kids. The lack of differential miRNA expression between the CM and TM samples may be due to a relatively short sampling interval in which diet composition, intake and health status of ewes, and environment were relatively stable.

Effects of waste milk feeding on rumen fermentation and bacterial community of pre-weaned and post-weaned dairy calves

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of waste milk with antibiotic residue on rumen fermentation and rumen bacterial composition of dairy calves during pre-weaned and post-weaned periods. A total of 24 Holstein male calves (43.4 ± 0.93 kg body weight, mean ± standard error) were allocated into four blocks based on birth date. Dairy calves were supplied 100% milk replacer (MR, n = 8), 50% milk replacer mixed with 50% waste milk (MM, n = 8), or 100% waste milk (WM, n = 8). Ruminal samples were collected at 49 and 63 days of age and then subjected to determinations of pH value, volatile fatty acids (VFA), ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The results showed that feeding WM had no effect on the pH value, the concentrations of VFA (acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isovaleric acid, valeric acid), and NH₃-N in dairy calves compared to feeding MR. However, from 49 to 63 days of age, the pH value (p < 0.001) was significantly increased, while the levels of total VFA (p = 0.004), acetic acid (p = 0.01), propionic acid (p = 0.003) and valeric acid (p < 0.001) were significantly decreased. For rumen microorganisms, there was no differences in bacterial diversity among the treatments. But the relative abundance of Veillonellaceae was significantly lower (p = 0.05) in the calves fed WM than that from MR group at 49 days of age; however, no difference was detected at 63 days of age. Feeding WM to calves tended to reduce family Veillonellaceae and genus Olsenella in the rumen at 49 days of age (p = 0.049). Analysis of temporal changes in rumen bacteria based on alpha-diversity and beta-diversity as well as the microbial relative abundances did not exhibit any difference. In addition, relative abundances of Clostridia_UCG-014, Prevotella, Syntrophococcus, Eubacterium_nodatum_group, Pseudoramibacter and Solobacterium were correlated with rumen pH value and the concentrations of TVFA, propionic acid, isovaleric acid, valeric acid and NH₃-N. In conclusion, compare to MR, calves supplied with WM had little changes on the rumen pH value, NH₃-N or VFAs contents. Additionally, limited effects could be found on rumen microbiota in the calves fed WM. However, further studies needed to explore if there exist any long-term effects of early-life rumen microbiota modulation on dairy cows.

Clostridium butyricum improves the intestinal health of goats by regulating the intestinal microbial community

Clostridium butyricum, as a probiotic with a variety of active products, has been widely used to improve the intestinal health of humans and animals. Previous studies had demonstrated that Clostridium butyricum exhibited potential protective and positive effects in human disease research and animal production by producing a variety of beneficial substances, such as intestinal inflammation, the intestinal epithelial barrier, metabolic diseases, and regulation of the gut microbiota. Therefore, we hypothesized that dietary Clostridium butyricum supplementation could improve gut health in fattening goats by modulating gut microbiota. However, it is unclear whether Clostridium butyricum can reach the intestine through the rumen, so 15 healthy Albas goats were selected and randomly divided into 3 treatments with 5 replicates in each group. The groups were divided as follows: control group (CON: basal diet), rumen-protected Clostridium butyricum group (RPCB: basal diet plus 1.0 × 10⁹ CFU/kg Clostridium butyricum coated with hydrogenated fat), and Clostridium butyricum group (CB: basal diet plus 1.0 × 10⁹ CFU/kg Clostridium butyricum). The experiment was slaughtered after a 70-day growth test, and the jejunal mucosa and intestinal contents of the goats were collected to determine tight junction proteins related genes expression and 16S rDNA microbial sequencing analysis to evaluate the intestine health. The results showed that dietary supplementation with Clostridium butyricum significantly increased the expression of the Claudin-4 gene of the jejunal mucosa (P < 0.05) and had a trend toward a significant increase in the Occludin gene (0.05 < P < 0.10). However, Clostridium butyricum had no significant effect on the expression of intestinal inflammatory factors (P > 0.10). In addition, the relative fractionation of Clostridium and Clostridiaceae_unclassified in the gut microbiota at the genus level decreased significantly compared with controls (P < 0.05). The results of the analysis of the level of Clostridium species showed that Clostridium butyricum only existed in the treatment group. And the correlation results showed that Occludin and Claudin-4 genes were positively correlated with Sharppea and Clostridium butyricum, and negatively correlated with Clostridium (P < 0.05). Supplementing Clostridium butyricum in the diet did not significantly affect the intestinal immune function of goats, while regulation of the intestinal microbiota was associated with improving the intestinal epithelial barrier.

Evaluation of the nutritional value of faba beans with high and low tannin content for use as feed for ruminants

BACKGROUND

Faba bean varieties with low or zero tannin content have been developed in Canada to overcome the negative effects of condensed tannins on the utilization by ruminants of crude protein (CP) and starch. However, their nutritional value has not been evaluated for incorporation in dairy rations. The objectives of this study were to investigate (i) the chemical profile; (ii) the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) protein and carbohydrate subfractions; (iii) the energy values; (iv) the ruminal, intestinal, and total digestibility of CP; (v) the metabolizable protein (MP) supply to dairy cows; and (vi) the protein-inherent molecular spectral characteristics of brown-seeded (var. Fatima) faba beans with high tannin content and yellow-seeded (var. Snowbird) faba beans with low tannin content.

RESULTS

The results revealed that Fatima beans had higher (P < 0.001) CP content than Snowbird (324 versus 295 g kg^-1 dry matter (DM)), and lower (P < 0.01) starch content than Snowbird (411 g kg^-1 DM versus 444 g kg^-1 DM). Fatima had a lower (P = 0.001) soluble subfraction (201 g kg^-1 DM versus 220 g kg^-1 DM) and higher (P < 0.05) slowly degradable fiber-bounded (24.9 g kg^-1 DM versus 14.7 g kg^-1 DM) and non-degradable (3.24 g kg^-1 DM versus 0 g kg^-1 DM) CNCPS CP subfractions than Snowbird. Fatima had higher (P = 0.03) MP content (117 g kg^-1 DM versus 111 g kg^-1 DM) and metabolizable energy content (ME) 3.12 Mcal kg^-1 versus 3.10 Mcal kg^-1 ) than Snowbird. Molecular spectral intensities of amide I and II proteins (height and area) of Fatima were higher (P < 0.05) than those of Snowbird, reflecting their higher CP content. The ratio of protein spectral intensities, the amide I : amide II height ratio, and the α-helix : β-sheet height ratio differed (P < 0.05) between the two types of bean, highlighting differences in their inherent protein molecular structures.

CONCLUSION

The (Fatima) faba beans with high condensed tannin content had higher MP and ME content. On average, both Faba beans had higher ME and MP content than barley grains, highlighting their promising nutritional value for dairy rations. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Profiles of Odd- and Branched-Chain Fatty Acids and Their Correlations With Rumen Fermentation Parameters, Microbial Protein Synthesis, and Bacterial Populations Based on Pure Carbohydrate Incubation in vitro

The objectives of this study were to evaluate changes in profiles of odd- and branched-chain fatty acids (OBCFA), including pentadecanoic acid (C15:0), 13-methyltetradecanoic acid (iso-C15:0), 12-methyltetradecanoic acid (anteiso-C15:0), 14-methylpentadecanoic acid (iso-C16:0), heptadecanoic acid (C17:0), 15-methylhexadecanoic acid (iso-C17:0), and 14-methylhexadecanoic acid (anteiso-C17:0) during in vitro fermentation of pure carbohydrates mixtures in the buffer-rumen fluid. The second objective was to correlate the changes in the OBCFA profile to the corresponding changes in ruminal fermentation parameters, microbial crude protein (MCP) synthesis, and bacterial populations. Five pure carbohydrates mixtures containing different cellulose: starch (C:S) ratios, i.e., 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, and 100:0, were incubated for 6, 12, 18, and 24 h in vitro. The results showed that there was significant interaction (P < 0.05) between C:S and incubation time for changes in all OBCFA profiles, except iso-C17:0. The highest concentration of total OBCFA (3.94 mg/g dry matter; DM) was observed in the residues after 24 h of fermentation when the C:S was 0:100, while the lowest concentration of OBCFA (1.65 mg/g DM) was produced after 6 h of incubation when the C:S was 50:50. The correlation analysis revealed that the concentration of iso-C16:0 might be a potential marker for the estimation of total volatile fatty acids (ρ = 0.78) and MCP synthesis (ρ = 0.82) in the rumen. Compared to starch degrading bacteria, cellulolytic bacteria had stronger correlations with OBCFA concentrations, and the strongest correlation was found between the population of Ruminococcus flavefaciens with C15:0 concentration (ρ = 0.70). Notably, this is the first paper reporting relationship between OBCFA with rumen fermentation products and microbial protein synthesis based on fermentation of pure carbohydrates mixtures in vitro, and thus avoid confounding interference from dietary protein and fat presence in the in vivo studies. However, more in-depth experiments are needed to substantiate the current findings.

Exploration of biodegradation traits in dairy cows and protein spectroscopic features in microwaved and moist heated tannin and non-tannin Faba bean

The objective of this study was to explore if microwave irradiation and moist autoclaving treatments could change nutritive values, nutrients availability and protein inherent spectral structural characteristics in tannin (var. Fatima) and non-tannin (var. Snowbird) faba beans. An in situ approach with four cannulated dry Holstein dairy cows was applied in this study. The results showed that beans heated with microwave and autoclaving had increased contents of ether extract and neutral detergent insoluble CP and reduced soluble CP, sugar and tannin concentrations when compared with the raw seeds. Heating reduced degradable nutrients in the rumen and increased intestinally absorbable nutrients, but it failed to improve digestibility in total tract. All the results showed heating with moisture and pressure would be stronger and severer than microwave irradiation. The variety of faba bean interacted with thermal treatment on total truly intestinally absorbed protein value which showed to be highest in the microwaved brown faba bean and lowest in the unheated Snowbird bean. The degraded protein balance (OEB) value was significantly decreased after both kinds of heating process, suggesting that heating treatments could mitigate loss of nitrogen from the rumen to a large extent. We further collected spectral data using mid-IR spectroscopy and found heat processed beans had varied peak height and area ratios compared with raw beans. However, multivariate results implied that heating process failed to completely change the whole molecular conformation in the protein amide region. Correlations were found between ADF/ADL and spectral features, and the OEB value was negatively related to protein secondary structural α-helix. In conclusion, both faba beans were more sensitive to autoclaving treatment than microwave irradiation in terms of nutrient availability in ruminants.

Characterization of fecal branched-chain fatty acid profiles and their associations with fecal microbiota in diarrheic and healthy dairy calves

Branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA) have recently been reported to play a role in human gut health during early life. However, little information is available on the fecal BCFA profiles in young ruminants and whether they are associated with the development of neonatal calf diarrhea. The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize BCFA profiles in feces collected from young calves, (2) compare the fecal BCFA composition between diarrheic and nondiarrheic dairy calves, and (3) explore the potential relationships between BCFA and microbiota in the feces. A total of 32 male Holstein dairy calves (13 ± 3 d old) with the same diet management were grouped as diarrheic (n = 16) or healthy (n = 16) based on fecal score (determined by liquid fecal consistency with some solid particles); diarrhea cases were defined as fecal score ≥2 for at least 2 d. Fecal samples were collected on the seventh day after calf arrival, and the fecal BCFA and microbial profiles were assessed using gas chromatograph and amplicon sequencing, respectively. In total, 7 BCFA were detected in the feces of all dairy calves; however, the concentrations of fecal BCFA differed between diarrheic and nondiarrheic calves. Specifically, the concentrations of iso-C16:0, iso-C17:0, anteiso-C17:0, and total even-chain BCFA were significantly higher in the feces of diarrheic calves. When the associations between BCFA and bacteria were studied, the relative abundance of Eggerthella was positively correlated with the concentrations of iso-C16:0 (ρ = 0.67), iso-17:0 (ρ = 0.77), anteiso-C17:0 (ρ = 0.73), and iso-C18:0 (ρ = 0.65), whereas the relative abundance of Subdoligranulum was positively correlated with the concentrations of iso-C14:0 (ρ = 0.62), iso-C15:0 (ρ = 0.78), and anteiso-C15:0 (ρ = 0.63). Use of random forest algorithm showed that BCFA such as anteiso-C15:0, iso-C16:0, iso-C17:0, iso-C18:0, and total even-chain BCFA could be used as biomarkers to differentiate diarrheic calves from healthy ones. Our findings generated fundamental knowledge on the potential roles of BCFA in neonatal calf gut health. Follow-up studies with larger animal populations are warranted to validate the feasibility of using BCFA as indicators of health status in neonatal calves.

The acquisition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in village doctors in China: a prospective study

BACKGROUND: Occupational exposure-related risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection has been reported for village doctors in China. This prospective study aims to estimate the infection acquisition in this key population.METHODS: At baseline, all village doctors registered in Zhongmu County were tested by QuantiFERON^®-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT) and QuantiFERON^®-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) in parallel. Those negatives for either of the tests were retested to identify conversions at the 2-year follow-up investigation.RESULTS: A total of 367 eligible participants completed the 2-year follow-up survey with frequency of conversion of 5.0% (18/361) for QFT and 6.1% (21/343) for QFT-Plus. The agreement of follow-up results between the tests was 93.2% with a κ coefficient of 0.43 (95%CI 0.20-0.65). Among QFT-Plus convertors, the difference between TB1 and TB2 tubes (TB2-TB1) was significantly increased as compared with baseline results (P = 0.039). Participants from the villages with occurrence of microbiologically confirmed pulmonary TB showed higher frequency of QFT conversions (11.0% vs. 3.2%, P = 0.011) and QFT-Plus conversions (12.3% vs. 4.4%, P = 0.027) than those from the villages without occurrence.CONCLUSION: Our results consistently suggest that capability on occupational protection and M. tuberculosis infection control should be improved in village doctors in China.

Short communication: Odd-chain and branched-chain fatty acid concentrations in bovine colostrum and transition milk and their stability under heating and freezing treatments

Although odd-chain fatty acids (OCFA) and branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA) are found in bovine milk and have some positive influences on human and animal health, their concentrations in bovine colostrum and transition milk have not been reported. In this study, we reported the OCFA and BCFA concentrations in colostrum and transition milk and their stability after heating or freezing treatments (or both), which are processes commonly applied in dairy calf management. Milk samples were collected from 12 Holstein dairy cows (6 primiparous and 6 multiparous) at the first milking (colostrum), fifth milking (transition milk), and ninth milking (mature milk) after calving, respectively, and were used for fatty acid analysis using gas chromatography. The sum concentration of OCFA and BCFA (termed OBCFA) was 134 mg/100 g of milk in the colostrum, which was 24% and 35% lower than that in the transition milk and mature milk, respectively. Among these fatty acids detected, C15:0 and C17:0 were the top 2 abundant fatty acids in all milk types, accounting for 20 to 25% and 21 to 24% of the total concentration of OBCFA, respectively. Additionally, anteiso-C17:0 was the most abundant BCFA, followed by iso-C17:0, anteiso-C15:0, iso-C16:0, iso-C15:0, iso-C18:0, and iso-C14:0 in 3 types of milk. Significant interactions between milk type and cow parity were observed for all OCFA and BCFA concentrations. The milk samples were also treated with heating (at 65°C for 60 min), freezing (at -20°C for 30 d), and heating and freezing (at 65°C for 60 min and then at -20°C for 30 d), and milk OCFA and BCFA concentrations were similar between these treatments. In conclusion, the OBCFA concentration was lower in colostrum, compared with transition and mature milks, and it remained stable after heating and freezing treatments.

Knockdown of TRIM24 suppresses growth and induces apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia through downregulation of Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling

Tripartite motif-containing protein 24 (TRIM24) has currently emerged as a crucial cancer-related gene present in a wide range of human cancer types. However, the involvement of TRIM24 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has not been well investigated. The present study aims to investigate the significance, cellular function, and potential regulatory mechanism of TRIM24 in AML. We found that TRIM24 expression was significantly upregulated in AML compared with normal tissues. AML patients with low expression of TRIM24 had higher survival rates than those expressing TRIM24 at higher levels. High expression of TRIM24 was also detected in AML cells and its knockdown markedly restricted proliferation and promoted apoptosis in AML cells. Further investigation revealed that TRIM24 contributed to the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, which was associated with modulating the phosphorylation status of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). Inactivation of GSK-3β partially reversed the TRIM24 knockdown-mediated antitumor effects observed in AML cells. Furthermore, knockdown of TRIM24 retarded the growth of AML-derived xenograft tumors in nude mice in vivo. Overall, these findings demonstrate that knockdown of TRIM24 impedes the AML tumor growth through the modulation of Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling. These findings highlight the potential TRIM24 as an attractive anticancer target to treat AML.

Dynamic changes of interferon gamma release assay results with latent tuberculosis infection treatment

OBJECTIVES

Using QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) for monitoring tuberculosis (TB) and latent TB infection treatment effect is controversial. The present study aimed to evaluate the dynamic changes of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) levels along with latent TB infection treatment via a randomized controlled study.

METHODS

A total of 910 participants treated with 8 weeks of once-weekly rifapentine plus isoniazid (group A), 890 treated with 6 weeks of twice-weekly rifapentine plus isoniazid (group B) and 818 untreated controls (group C) were followed for 2 years to track active TB development. QFT-GIT tests were repeated three times for all groups: before treatment (T0), at completion of treatment (T1) and 3 months after completion of treatment (T2).

RESULTS

Similar rates of persistent QFT-GIT reversion were observed in groups A (19.0%, 173/910), B (18.5%, 165/890) and C (20.7%, 169/818) (p 0.512). The dynamic changes of IFN-γ levels were not statistically significant among the three groups. In treated participants, individuals with higher baseline IFN-γ levels showed increased TB occurrence (1.0%, 9/896) compared to those with lower baseline levels (0.2%, 2/904) (p 0.037). A similar but statistically insignificant trend was also observed in untreated controls (1.8% (7/400) vs. 0.5% (2/418), p 0.100). When TB cases were matched with non-TB cases on baseline IFN-γ levels, no significant differences were found with respect to the dynamic changes in IFN-γ levels with time, regardless of whether they received treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

QFT-GIT reversion or decreased IFN-γ levels should not be used for monitoring host response to latent TB infection treatment.

The mechanisms of Ang II-induced hypertensive vascular remodeling under suppression of CD68 in macrophages

OBJECTIVE

High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases. In recent years, there were more and more studies on the function of inflammation in hypertension. CD68 mainly mediates the activation of cytokine interleukin-17 (IL-17) signaling pathway and participates in inflammatory responses. It has been studied the function of CD68 and IL-17 in hypertension, but it has not been reported whether it affected hypertension and vascular remodeling when macrophage CD68 expression inhibited. In this study, antisense-CD68 mice were used to study the effect and mechanism of angiotensin II-induced hypertensive vascular remodeling under specific suppression of macrophage CD68.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty 8-week-old male antisense-CD681 and C57 mice were divided into control and experimental group (angiotensin II group, 1000 ng•kg-1•min-1). After infusion of angiotensin II for 28 days, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemical staining were used to observe the remodel of vascular. The changes of aortic inflammatory factors were detected by Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blotting.

RESULTS

By specifically inhibiting the expression of macrophage CD68, macrophage infiltration was mitigated in Ang II-induced hypertensive vascular remodeling model mouse, which also down-regulated the expression of vascular tissue inflammatory factor and activation of vascular smooth muscle cell p65.

CONCLUSIONS

CD68 regulates the Ang II-induced hypertensive vascular remodeling through mediating macrophage inflammatory factor release.

Metagenomic Analyses of Microbial and Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes in the Rumen of Holstein Cows Fed Different Forage-to-Concentrate Ratios

The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of different forage-to-concentrate ratios and sampling times on the genetic diversity of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and the taxonomic profile of rumen microbial communities in dairy cows. Six ruminally cannulated Holstein cows were arbitrarily divided into groups fed high-forage (HF) or low-forage (LF) diets. The results showed that, for glycoside hydrolase (GH) families, there were greater differences based on dietary forage-to-concentrate ratio than sampling time. The HF treatment group at 4 h after feeding (AF4h) had the most microbial diversity. Genes that encode GHs had the highest number of CAZymes, and accounted for 57.33% and 56.48% of all CAZymes in the HF and LF treatments, respectively. The majority of GH family genes encode oligosaccharide-degrading enzymes, and GH2, GH3, and GH43 were synthesized by a variety of different genera. Notably, we found that GH3 was higher in HF than LF diet samples, and mainly produced by Prevotella, Bacteroides, and unclassified reads. Most predicted cellulase enzymes were encoded by GH5 (the BF0h group under HF treatment was highest) and GH95 (the BF0h group under LF treatment was highest), and were primarily derived from Bacteroides, Butyrivibrio, and Fibrobacter. Approximately 67.5% (GH28) and 65.5% (GH53) of the putative hemicellulases in LF and HF treatments, respectively. GH28 under LF treatment was more abundant than under HF treatment, and was mainly produced by Ruminococcus, Prevotella, and Bacteroides. This study revealed that HF-fed cows had increased microbial diversity of CAZyme producers, which encode enzymes that efficiently degrade plant cell wall polysaccharides in the cow rumen.

[Risk factors and sonographic findings associated with the type of placenta accreta spectrum disorders]

Objective: To evaluate the risk factors and sonographic findings of pregnancies complicated by placenta increta or placenta percreta. Methods: Totally, 2 219 cases were retrospectively analyzed from 20 tertiary hospitals in China from January 2011 to December 2015. The data were collected based on the original case records. All cases were divided into two groups, the placenta increta (PI) group (79.1%, 1 755/2 219) and the placenta percreta (PP) group (20.9%, 464/2 219) , according to the degree of placental implantation. The risk factors and sonographic findings of placenta increta or percreta were analyzed by uni-factor and logistic regression statistic methods. Results: The risk factors associated with the degree of placental implantation were age, gravida, previous abortion or miscarriage, previous cesarean sections, and placenta previa (all P<0.05), especially, previous cesarean sections (χ(2)=157.961) and placenta previa (χ(2)=91.759). Sonographic findings could be used to predict the degree of placental invasion especially the boundaries between placenta and uterine serosa, the boundary between placenta and myometrium, the disruption of the placental-uterine wall interface and loss of the normal retroplacental hypoechoic zone(all P<0.01). Conclusions: Previous cesarean sections and placenta previa are the main independent risk factors associated with the degree of placenta implantation. Ultrasound could be used to make a prenatal suggestive diagnosis of placenta accreta spectrum disorders.

Abstract P4-03-07: Combined genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screening with transcriptome sequencing to identify paclitaxel related drivers in triple negative breast cancer

Background. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancers, for which the only standard therapeutics is chemotherapy containing Taxol. However, quite a number of TNBC patients cannot get the expected drug response after paclitaxel treatment and the resistant mechanism has not been clear yet. Other than the traditional “genotype-to-phenotype” means, the high-throughput functional screening, such as CRISPR-CAS9 library, selects genes with the phenotype of interest. Here, we combine the novel screening model with the drug-resistant genotype to explore the decisive role in paclitaxel effect.

Methods. Breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231(231WT) was treated by paclitaxel from 1ug/ml to 5ug/ml to establish a paclitaxel-resistant cell type (231PTX) for transcriptome sequencing. Genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 sgRNA library was made into lentivirus to affect MDA-MB-231 cells expressed Cas9 protein (231cas9). Then 231cas9-sgRNA was treated by low dose of paclitaxel for 14 days and was read by next generation sequencing. RNA sequencing data was processed to TPM values and sgRNA data to gene ranking and p value. The threshold of “231PTX TPM/231WT TPM” was above 2 or below 1/2 and the gene p value was smaller than 0.05. Biological technology applied in this study includes western blot (WB), immunofluorescence (IF), real time PCR and cell proliferation assay. In vivo, 20 balb/c mouse were injected MDA-MB-231 in situ for tumor formation and were treated with paclitaxel/normal saline for six times.

Results. Crosstalk between these two sequencing data had result of 124 genes related to paclitaxel resistance (fold change&gt; 2 and p value&lt;0.05 compared Day 14 treated group to Day 14 untreated group) and 18 genes related to paclitaxel sensitivity (fold change&lt; 1/2 and p value&lt;0.05 compared Day 14 untreated group to Day 14 treated group). Considering clinical prognosis and gene information, six paclitaxel resistant candidates and four paclitaxel sensitive candidates were chosen for further research. Eight (STRA6, BIRC3, MTUS1, HDAC9, ADAM28, S1PR5, TNNC1, ZKSCAN7) of ten candidates displayed consistent phenotypes with sequencing results including mRNA expression and the cellular proliferation in paclitaxel treatment. HDAC9 is a histone deacetylation gene that is likely to be a paclitaxel resistant gene. Knockout HDAC9 (231H9 KO) contributed to nearly 2-fold decrease IC50 value (1.7nM versus 3.7nM, p value&lt;0.01). Confocal microscopy observed the formation of multiple spindle foci in the paclitaxel treated 231H9 KO cells. After treatment with paclitaxel, the mark of polymerized tubulin, acetylation tubulin and the mark of cell cycle G2/M, cyclin B1 were notably increased when HDAC9 knockout in both MD-MB1-231 and BT-100 cell lines. In vivo assays found that HDAC9 knockout induced the declined tumorigenesis and more sensitive breast tumors to paclitaxel.

Conclusions.Combined Genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screening with transcriptome sequencing is efficient to investigate potent drug targets. In vitro assays suggest that HDAC9 is conductive to paclitaxel resistance in TNBC cells. In vivo results imply inhibition HDAC9 may beneficial to paclitaxel therapeutic response.

Citation Format: Lian B, Xin H, Zhimin S. Combined genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screening with transcriptome sequencing to identify paclitaxel related drivers in triple negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-03-07.

Real-Time Elucidation of Catalytic Pathways in CO Hydrogenation on Ru

The direct elucidation of the reaction pathways in heterogeneous catalysis has been challenging due to the short-lived nature of reaction intermediates. Here, we directly measured on ultrafast time scales the initial hydrogenation steps of adsorbed CO on a Ru catalyst surface, which is known as the bottleneck reaction in syngas and CO₂ reforming processes. We initiated the hydrogenation of CO with an ultrafast laser temperature jump and probed transient changes in the electronic structure using real-time X-ray spectroscopy. In combination with theoretical simulations, we verified the formation of CHO during CO hydrogenation.

The relationship between odd- and branched-chain fatty acids and microbial nucleic acid bases in rumen

Objective

This study aims to identify the relationship between odd- and branched-chain fatty acids (OBCFAs) and microbial nucleic acid bases in the rumen, and to establish a model to accurately predict microbial protein flow by using OBCFA.

Methods

To develop the regression equations, data on the rumen contents of individual cows were obtained from 2 feeding experiments. In the first experiment, 3 rumen-fistulated dry dairy cows arranged in a 3×3 Latin square were fed diets of differing forage to concentration ratios (F:C). The second experiment consisted of 9 lactating Holstein dairy cows of similar body weights at the same stage of pregnancy. For each lactation stage, 3 cows with similar milk production were selected. The rumen contents were sampled at 4 time points of every two hours after morning feeding 6 h, and then to analyse the concentrations of OBCFA and microbial nucleic acid bases in the rumen samples.

Results

The ruminal bacteria nucleic acid bases were significantly influenced by feeding diets of differing forge to concentration ratios and lactation stages of dairy cows (p<0.05). The concentrations of OBCFAs, especially odd-chain fatty acids and C15:0 isomers, strongly correlated with the microbial nucleic acid bases in the rumen (p<0.05). The equations of ruminal microbial nucleic acid bases established by ruminal OBCFAs contents showed a good predictive capacity, as indicated by reasonably low standard errors and high R-squared values.

Conclusion

This finding suggests that the rumen OBCFA composition could be used as an internal marker of rumen microbial matter.

Investigation of the Spectroscopic Information on Functional Groups Related to Carbohydrates in Different Morphological Fractions of Corn Stover and Their Relationship to Nutrient Supply and Biodegradation Characteristics

The objectives of this study were to investigate (1) nutritive values and biodegradation characteristics and (2) mid-IR spectroscopic features within the regions associated with carbohydrate functional groups (including cellulosic component (CELC), structural carbohydrate (STCHO), and total carbohydrate (CHO)) in different morphological fractions of corn stover. Furthermore, correlation and regression analyses were also applied to determine the relationship between nutritional values and spectroscopic parameters. The results showed that different morphological sections of corn stover had different nutrient supplies, in situ biodegradation characteristics, and spectral structural features within carbohydrate regions. The stem rind and ear husk were both high in fibrous content, which led to the lowest effective degradabilities (ED) among these stalk fractions. The ED values of NDF were ranked ear husk > stem pith > leaf blade > leaf sheath > whole plant > stem rind. Intensities of peak height and area within carbohydrate regions were relatively more stable compared with spectral ratio profiles. Significant difference was found only in peak area intensity of CELC, which was at the highest level for stem rind, followed by stem pith, leaf sheath, whole plant, leaf blade, and ear husk. Correlation results showed that changes in some carbohydrate spectral ratios were highly associated with carbohydrate chemical profiles and in situ rumen degradation kinetics. Among the various carbohydrate molecular spectral parameters that were tested in multiple regression analysis, CHO height ratios, and area ratios of CELC:CHO and CELC:STCHO as well as CELC area were mostly sensitive to nutrient supply and biodegradation characteristics in different morphological fractions of corn stover.

The relationships between odd- and branched-chain fatty acids to ruminal fermentation parameters and bacterial populations with different dietary ratios of forage and concentrate

The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of different dietary ratios of forage and concentrate (F:C) on ruminal odd- and branched-chain fatty acids (OBCFAs) contents and to evaluate the relationships between OBCFA and ruminal fermentation parameters as well as bacterial populations tested by real-time PCR technique. The experimental design was a 3 × 3 Latin square. Three rumen-fistulated dry Holstein cows were fed three rations with different dietary F:C ratios (F:C; 30:70, 50:50 and 70:30). The rumen samples were collected every two hours (0600, 0800, 1000, 1200, 1400, 1600, 1800, 2000, 2200, 2400, 0200 and 0400 h) over three consecutive days in each sampling period. The results showed that rumen OBCFA profiles are significantly (p < 0.05) affected by the dietary F:C ratios. The concentrations of C11:0, C13:0, iso-C15:0, iso-C16:0, iso-C17:0 and C17:0 were higher in the cows fed dietary F:C ratio of 70:30 than those fed with other two rations. However, the concentrations of anteiso-C15:0, C15:0 and total OBCFA were on the lowest level in the high forage diet. Correlation and regression analysis showed that ruminal OBCFAs had strong relationships with ruminal fermentation parameters and bacterial populations. In particular, the iso-fatty acids had potential power to predict butyrate and isoacids metabolized in the rumen, whereas the fatty acids with 17 carbon atoms correlated with ruminal NH₃ -N content. The OBCFA contents have different relationships with fibrolytic and starch bacteria in the rumen. C17:0 and its isomers might be used to predict populations of fibrolytic bacteria.

Univariate and multi-variate comparisons of protein and carbohydrate molecular structural conformations and their associations with nutritive factors in typical by-products

BACKGROUND

Little attention has been paid on the inherent molecular structural effects among agricultural by-products. In this study, soybean meal (SM), wheat bran (WB), corn distillers dried grains with soluble (DDGS), dry brewer's grain (DBG), wet brewer's grain (WBG), and apple pomace (AP), which are widely used in the animal industry were selected to explore protein and carbohydrate molecular structural conformations.

RESULTS

All the protein peak heights (including α-helix and β-sheet) and areas were exhibited highest values in SM and lowest in AP. The SM had the highest peak area intensity of cellulosic compounds (CELC), while the remaining varieties showed the lowest absorbance level. The TSCHO (sum of structural carbohydrate (SCHO) and CELC area exhibited variations among the samples. Multivariate comparisons showed AP had no molecular structural association with other by-products within the protein amide region. Protein amides I, II and (I+II) areas, α-helix, β-sheet and area ratio of protein amide and (TSCHO + TCHO) had strong relationships with CP, NDF, ADF, ADL, SCP, starch, PC, CA, CC and TDN contents.

CONCLUSION

Inherent molecular structures varied among the selected by-product types and they might be used as potential predictors of nutritive factors, especially for protein structural information. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of different levels of corn steep liquor addition on fermentation characteristics and aerobic stability of fresh rice straw silage

The object of this study was to determine the proper mixing ratio of fresh rice straw to corn steep liquor (CSL) to obtain a high protein content silage feed. The following experimental silages were generated: the control (C1), composed of fresh rice straw without CSL additive, mixed with CSL in the ratios of 4:1 (C4), 3:1 (C3) and 2:1 (C2). Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculant was applied at the rate of 50 mL/kg (fresh basis) of forage to achieve a final application rate of 1 × 10⁶ cfu/g of fresh matter (FM). Duplicate silos for each treatment were opened after 0, 3, 7, 10, 20, 30, 45 and 60 d for microbiological and chemical analysis. The results showed that the addition of CSL significantly increased crude protein (CP) contents, and decreased neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of treatments after 60 d of ensiling (P < 0.05). The lactic acid contents in C4 and C3 were significantly higher than that in C1 (P < 0.05). In summary, mixing fresh rice straw with CSL at addition levels of 4:1 (C4) and 3:1 (C3) can improve the fermentation quality and nutrient composition of fresh rice straw silage. However, a large proportion of CSL (C3) had a negative impact on the aerobic stability of fresh rice straw.

Effect of light-emitting diode (LED) vs. fluorescent (FL) lighting on laying hens in aviary hen houses: Part 2 - Egg quality, shelf-life and lipid composition

In this 60-wk study, egg quality, egg shelf-life, egg cholesterol content, total yolk lipids, and yolk fatty acid composition of eggs produced by Dekalb white laying hens in commercial aviary houses with either light-emitting diode (LED) or fluorescent (FL) lighting were compared. All parameters were measured at 27, 40, and 60 wk of age, except for egg shelf-life, which was compared at 50 wk of age. The results showed that, compared to the FL regimen, the LED regimen resulted in higher egg weight, albumen height, and albumen weight at 27 wk of age, thicker shells at 40 wk of age, but lower egg weight at 60 wk of age. Egg quality change was similar between the lighting regimens during the 62-d egg storage study, indicating that LED lighting did not influence egg shelf-life. Eggs from both lighting regimens had similar cholesterol content. However, cholesterol concentration of the yolk (15.9 to 21.0 mg cholesterol/g wet weight yolk) observed in this study was higher than that of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) database (10.85 mg/g). No significant differences in total lipids or fatty acid composition of the yolks were detected between the two lighting regimens.

Environmental assessment of three egg production systems--Part II. Ammonia, greenhouse gas, and particulate matter emissions

As an integral part of the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply (CSES) Project, this study simultaneously monitored air emissions of 3 commercially operated egg production systems at the house level and associated manure storage over 2 single-cycle flocks (18 to 78 wk of age). The 3 housing systems were 1) a conventional cage house (CC) with a 200,000-hen capacity (6 hens in a cage at a stocking density of 516 cm²/hen), 2) an enriched colony house (EC) with a 50,000-hen capacity (60 hens per colony at a stocking density of 752 cm²/hen), and 3) an aviary house (AV) with a 50,000-hen capacity (at a stocking density of 1253 to 1257 cm²/hen). The 3 hen houses were located on the same farm and were populated with Lohmann white hens of the same age. Indoor environment and house-level gaseous (ammonia [NH₃] and greenhouse gasses [GHG], including carbon dioxide [CO₂], methane [CH₄], and nitrous oxide [N₂O]) and particulate matter (PM₁₀, PM_2.5) emissions were monitored continually. Gaseous emissions from the respective manure storage of each housing system were also monitored. Emission rates (ERs) are expressed as emission quantities per hen, per animal unit (AU, 500 kg live BW), and per kilogram of egg output. House-level NH₃ ER (g/hen/d) of EC (0.054) was significantly lower than that of CC (0.082) or AV (0.112) (P < 0.05). The house-level CO₂ ER (g/hen/d) was lower for CC (68.3) than for EC and AV (74.4 and 74.0, respectively), and the CH₄ ER (g/hen/d) was similar for all 3 houses (0.07 to 0.08). The house-level PM ER (mg/hen/d), essentially representing the farm-level PM ER, was significantly higher for AV (PM₁₀ 100.3 and PM_2.5 8.8) than for CC (PM₁₀ 15.7 and PM_2.5 0.9) or EC (PM₁₀ 15.6 and PM_2.5 1.7) (P < 0.05). The farm-level (house plus manure storage) NH₃ ER (g/hen/d) was significantly lower for EC (0.16) than for CC (0.29) or AV (0.30) (P < 0.05). As expected, the magnitudes of GHG emissions were rather small for all 3 production systems. Data from this study enable comparative assessment of conventional vs. alternative hen housing systems regarding air emissions and enhance the U.S. national air emissions inventory for farm animal operations.

Comparative evaluation of three egg production systems: Housing characteristics and management practices

This paper is an integral part of the special publication series that arose from the multidisciplinary and multi-institutional project of the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply (CSES). The CSES project involves 3 housing systems for egg production at the same research farm site in the Midwest, USA, namely, a conventional cage (CC) house, an aviary (AV) house, and an enriched colony (EC) house. The CC house (141.4 m L × 26.6 m W × 6.1 m H) had a nominal capacity of 200,000 hens (6 hens in a cage at a stocking density of 516 cm²/hen), and the cages were arranged in 10 rows, 8 tiers per cage row, with a perforated aisle walkway at 4-tier height. The AV house (154.2 m L × 21.3 m W × 3.0 m H) and the EC house (154.2 m L × 13.7 m W × 4.0 m H) each had a nominal capacity of 50,000 hens. The AV house had 6 rows of aviary colonies, and the EC house had 5 rows of 4-tier enriched colonies containing perches, nestbox, and scratch pads (60 hens per colony at a stocking density of 752 cm²/hen). The overarching goal of the CSES project, as stated in the opening article of this series, was to comprehensively evaluate the 3 egg production systems from the standpoints of animal behavior and well-being, environmental impact, egg safety and quality, food affordability, and worker health. So that all the area-specific papers would not have to repeat a detailed description of the production systems and the management practices, this paper is written to provide such a description and to be used as a common reference for the companion papers.

Measurement of the Intestinal Digestibility of Rumen Undegraded Protein Using Different Methods and Correlation Analysis

Four methods were adopted, including the mobile nylon bag (MNB) method, modified three-step in vitro (MTS) method, original three-step in vitro (OTS) method, and acid detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN) estimating method, to evaluate the intestinal digestibility of rumen undegradable protein (DRUP) of 10 types of concentrates and 7 types of roughages. After correlation analysis to determine the DRUP values using the MNB, MTS, OTS, and ADIN methods, the study aimed to find out appropriate methods to replace the MNB method due to its disadvantages such as high price, long time period, and use of a duodenal T-fistula. Three dairy cows with a permanent ruminal fistula and duodenal T-fistula were used in a single-factor experimental design. The results showed that the determined DRUP values using the MNB method for soybean meal, cottonseed meal, rapeseed meal, sunflower meal, corn germ meal, corn, rice bran, barley, wheat bran, corn fiber feed, Alfalfa (Zhao dong), Alfalfa (Long mu 801), Alfalfa (Long mu 803), grass (North), Grass (Inner Mongolia), corn silage and corn straw were 98.13%, 87.37%, 88.47%, 82.60%, 75.40%, 93.23%, 69.27%, 91.27%, 72.37%, 79.03%, 66.72%, 68.64%, 73.57%, 50.47%, 51.52%, 54.05%, and 43.84%, respectively. The coefficient of determination (R² = 0.964) of the results between the MTS method and the MNB method was higher than that (R² = 0.942) between the OTS method and the MNB method. The coefficient of determination of the DRUP values of the concentrates among the in vitro method (including the MTS and OTS methods) and the MNB method was higher than that of the roughage. There was a weak correlation between the determined DRUP values in concentrates obtained from the ADIN method and those from the MNB method, and there was a significant correlation (p<0.01) between the determined DRUP values of the roughage obtained from the MNB method and those obtained from ADIN method. The DRUP values were significantly correlated with the nutritional ingredients of the feeds. The regression equation was DRUP =100.5566+0.4169CP − 0.4344SP − 0.7102NDF − 0.7950EE (R² = 0.8668, p<0.01; CP, crude protein; SP, soluble protein; NDF, neutral detergent fiber; EE, ether extract). It was concluded that both the MTS method and the OTS may suitable to replace the MNB method for determining the DRUP values and the former method was more effective. Only the ADIN method could be used to predict the values of the roughages but conventional nutritional ingredients were available for all of the samples’ DRUP.

Effect of light-emitting diode vs. fluorescent lighting on laying hens in aviary hen houses: Part 1 - Operational characteristics of lights and production traits of hens

Light-emitting diode (LED) lights are becoming more affordable for agricultural applications. Despite many lab-scale studies concerning impact of LED on poultry, little research has been documented under field production conditions, especially for laying hens. This 15-month field study was carried out to evaluate the effects of LED vs. fluorescent (FL) lights on laying hens (Dekalb white breed) using 4 (2 pairs) aviary hen houses each at a nominal capacity of 50,000 hens. The evaluation was done regarding operational characteristics of the lights and hen production traits. The results show that spatial distribution of the LED light was less uniform than that of the FL light. Light intensity of the LED light decreased by 27% after 3,360 h use but remained quite steady from 3,360 to 5,760 h use. Eleven out of 762 (1.44%) LED lamps (new at onset of the study) in the 2 houses failed during the 15-month experiment period. The neck area of the LED lamp was hottest, presumably the primary reason for the lamp failure as cracks were noticed in the neck region of all failed LED lamps. No differences were observed in egg weight, hen-day egg production, feed use, and mortality rate between LED and FL regimens. However, hens under the FL had higher eggs per hen housed and better feed conversion than those under the LED during 20 to 70 wk production (P < 0.05). Hens under the LED tended to have less feather uniformity and insulation than those under the FL (P < 0.05). Moreover, hens under the LED showed a larger median avoidance distance than those under the FL at 36 wk age (P < 0.05), indicating that hens under the LED were more alert; but no difference at 60 wk age. More comparative research to quantify behavioral and production responses of different breeds of hens to LED vs. FL lighting seems warranted.

Strong Influence of Coadsorbate Interaction on CO Desorption Dynamics on Ru(0001) Probed by Ultrafast X-Ray Spectroscopy and Ab Initio Simulations

We show that coadsorbed oxygen atoms have a dramatic influence on the CO desorption dynamics from Ru(0001). In contrast to the precursor-mediated desorption mechanism on Ru(0001), the presence of surface oxygen modifies the electronic structure of Ru atoms such that CO desorption occurs predominantly via the direct pathway. This phenomenon is directly observed in an ultrafast pump-probe experiment using a soft x-ray free-electron laser to monitor the dynamic evolution of the valence electronic structure of the surface species. This is supported with the potential of mean force along the CO desorption path obtained from density-functional theory calculations. Charge density distribution and frozen-orbital analysis suggest that the oxygen-induced reduction of the Pauli repulsion, and consequent increase of the dative interaction between the CO 5σ and the charged Ru atom, is the electronic origin of the distinct desorption dynamics. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of CO desorption from Ru(0001) and oxygen-coadsorbed Ru(0001) provide further insights into the surface bond-breaking process.

Magnitude differences in agronomic, chemical, nutritional, and structural features among different varieties of forage corn grown on dry land and irrigated land

In this study, eight varieties of corn forage grown in semiarid western Canada (including Pioneer P2501, Pioneer P39m26, Pioneer P7443, Hyland HL3085, Hyland HLBaxxos, Hyland HLR219, Hyland HLSR22, and Pickseed Silex BT) were selected to explore the effect of irrigation implementation in comparison with nonirrigation on (1) agronomic characteristics, (2) basic chemical profiles explored by using a near-infrared reflectance (NIR) system, and (3) protein and carbohydrate internal structural parameters revealed by using an attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) system. Also, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on spectroscopic data for clarification of differences in molecular structural makeup among the varieties. The results showed that irrigation treatment significantly increased (P < 0.05) contents of dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) but decreased crude protein (CP) of corn forages. Significant interactions of irrigation treatment and corn variety were observed on most agronomic characteristics (DM yield, T/ha, days to tasseling, days to silking) and crude fiber (CF) and ether extract (EE) contents as well as some spectral data such as cellulosic compounds (CELC) peak intensity, peak ratios of CHO third peak to CELC, α-helix to β-sheet, and CHO third peak to amide I. Additionally, the spectral ratios of chemical functional groups that related to structural and nonstructural carbohydrates and protein polymers in forages did not remain constant over corn varieties cultivated with and without water treatment. Moreover, different cultivars had different growth, structure, and nutrition performances in this study. Although significant differences could be found in peak intensities, PCA results indicated some structural similarities existed between two treated corn forages with the exception of HL3085 and HLBaxxos. In conclusion, irrigation and corn variety had interaction effects on agronomic, chemical, nutritional, and structural features. Further study on the optimum level of irrigation for corn forage cultivation might be helpful in semiarid regions such as western Canada.

Environmental assessment of three egg production systems--Part I: Monitoring system and indoor air quality

To comprehensively assess conventional vs. some alternative laying-hen housing systems under U.S. production conditions, a multi-institute and multi-disciplinary project, known as the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply (CSES) study, was carried out at a commercial egg production farm in the Midwestern United States over two single-cycle production flocks. The housing systems studied include a conventional cage house (200,000 hen capacity), an aviary house (50,000 hen capacity), and an enriched colony house (50,000 hen capacity). As an integral part of the CSES project, continual environmental monitoring over a 27-month period described in this paper quantifies indoor gaseous and particulate matter concentrations, thermal environment, and building ventilation rate of each house. Results showed that similar indoor thermal environments in all three houses were maintained through ventilation management and environmental control. Gaseous and particulate matter concentrations of the enriched colony house were comparable with those of the conventional cage house. In comparison, the aviary house had poorer indoor air quality, especially in wintertime, resulting from the presence of floor litter (higher ammonia levels) and hens' activities (higher particulate matter levels) in it. Specifically, daily mean indoor ammonia concentrations had the 95% confidence interval values of 3.8 to 4.2 (overall mean of 4.0) ppm for the conventional cage house; 6.2 to 7.2 (overall mean of 6.7) ppm for the aviary house; and 2.7 to 3.0 (overall mean of 2.8) ppm for the enriched colony house. The 95% confidence interval (overall mean) values of daily mean indoor carbon dioxide concentrations were 1997 to 2170 (2083) ppm for the conventional cage house, 2367 to 2582 (2475) ppm for the aviary house, and 2124 to 2309 (2216) ppm for the enriched colony house. Daily mean indoor methane concentrations were similar for all three houses, with 95% confidence interval values of 11.1 to 11.9 (overall mean of 11.5) ppm. The 95% confidence interval values (overall mean) of daily mean PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations, in mg/m3, were, respectively, 0.57 to 0.61 (0.59) and 0.033 to 0.037 (0.035) for the conventional cage house, 3.61 to 4.29 (3.95) and 0.374 to 0.446 (0.410) for the aviary house, and 0.42 to 0.46 (0.44) and 0.054 to 0.059 (0.056) for the enriched colony house. Investigation of mitigation practices to improve indoor air quality of the litter-floor aviary housing system is warranted.

Suggestive value of predilection site and imaging features of pediatric brainstem ganglioglioma including a case report

Brainstem ganglioglioma is rarely reported. Due to its low incidence and atypical site, a brainstem ganglioglioma could easily be misdiagnosed as occurs with other pathological neoplasms radiologically. Here, we report an 8-year-old girl with a brainstem tumor confirmed as a ganglioglioma based on postoperative pathology results. We suggest that when a tumor located in the lower brainstem with benign radiological characteristics occurs in a child with a long-term history, the possibility of brainstem ganglioglioma should be considered in the preoperative diagnosis in addition to other low-grade neoplasms. Early stage diagnosis of brainstem ganglioglioma based on the clinical and imaging features is valuable for clinicians in order to perform effective treatment and achieve a good prognosis.

Impact of commercial housing systems and nutrient and energy intake on laying hen performance and egg quality parameters

The US egg industry is exploring alternative housing systems for laying hens. However, limited published research related to cage-free aviary systems and enriched colony cages exists related to production, egg quality, and hen nutrition. The laying hen's nutritional requirements and resulting productivity are well established with the conventional cage system, but diminutive research is available in regards to alternative housing systems. The restrictions exist with limited availability of alternative housing systems in research settings and the considerable expense for increased bird numbers in a replicate due to alternative housing system design. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the impact of nutrient and energy intake on production and egg quality parameters from laying hens housed at a commercial facility. Lohmann LSL laying hens were housed in three systems: enriched colony cage, cage-free aviary, and conventional cage at a single commercial facility. Daily production records were collected along with dietary changes during 15 production periods (28-d each). Eggs were analyzed for shell strength, shell thickness, Haugh unit, vitelline membrane properties, and egg solids each period. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) coupled with a principal components analysis (PCA) approach was utilized to assess the impact of nutritional changes on production parameters and monitored egg quality factors. The traits of hen-day production and mortality had a response only in the PCA 2 direction. This finds that as house temperature and Met intake increases, there is an inflection point at which hen-day egg production is negatively effected. Dietary changes more directly influenced shell parameters, vitelline membrane parameters, and egg total solids as opposed to laying hen housing system. Therefore, further research needs to be conducted in controlled research settings on laying hen nutrient and energy intake in the alternative housing systems and resulting impact on egg quality measures.

Lithium-doping inverts the nanoscale electric field at the grain boundaries in Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 and increases photovoltaic efficiency

Lithium doping changes the electric field at the GBs and improves DMSO solution processed Cu₂ZnSn(S,Se)₄ solar cell efficiency to 11.8%.

The histological analysis of the anterior cruciate ligament of canine after radiofrequency shrinkage

OBJECTIVE

Radiofrequency (RF) shrinkage has been widely conducted in clinical practice and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) laxity is regarded as one of the indications. However, basic researches regarding the postoperative histological changes were still insufficient. The study aimed to investigate postoperative histological changes of different areas of ACL for further identifying the optimal area for RF shrinkage.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 29 healthy canine (16.5 ± 2.2 kg, 4.1 ± 0.7 years) were recruited, 24 of which were randomly divided into group A and group B. The epiphyseal arrest was confirmed by X-ray examination in all animals. On one canine, an ACL's vascular perfusion model was established by the ink-perfusion method to observe the blood supply of the ACL. The mid-portion of ACL was conducted by RF in group A while the amph-portions of ACL were conducted in group B. Two legs of each canine were sub-divided into fixation group (group A1 and B1) and non-fixation group (group A2 and B2). 8 ACLs were separated from the rest 4 canine. 2 ACLs were sent for the histological examination after RF shrinkage and the rest 6 ACLs were served as blank controls. Masson staining and hematoxylin-eosin (H-E) staining were applied to observe the features of inner fibrous changes of ACL, cell count and vascular density.

RESULTS

According to the Masson staining, collagenous tissues were observed in area after RF shrinkage, which was more evident among group B1 than the others. The cellar density in both group A and B was found lower at 12 weeks postoperatively than that at 6 weeks postoperatively (p < 0.05). In addition, the cellar density in B1 group was found higher than that in A1 group at both 6 and 12 weeks postoperatively (p < 0.05). The density of subsynovial vessel in B1 group was found higher than that in A1 group at 6 weeks postoperatively (p < 0.05) and the density of subsynovial vessel in both A1 and B1 groups was found lower at 12 postoperatively weeks than that at 6 weeks postoperatively (p < 0.05). In both A2 and B2 groups, all ACLs were found ruptured at 12 weeks postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS

The postoperative revascularization pattern of RF-treated ACL was permeating from the synovium to the RF-treated areas, and the best area for the RF shrinkage treatment was the amph-portions of the ACL. Moreover, the application of postoperative external fixation to restrict the movement of injured limb was necessary.

Vibrational spectroscopic investigation of heat-induced changes in functional groups related to protein structural conformation in camelina seeds and their relationship to digestion in dairy cows

The objective of this study was to use Fourier transform/infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FT/IR-ATR) molecular spectroscopy to quantify the heat-induced changes in feed protein molecular structures in relation to protein digestion in dairy cows. Camelina seeds were evaluated in this study as a model for feed protein. The seeds were either heated in air-draft oven (dry heating) or in autoclave (moist heating) at 120°C for 60 min or kept as raw (control). The parameters evaluated were Cornell net protein and carbohydrate system (CNCPS) subfractions, in situ ruminal degradation kinetics, intestinal digestibility of rumen undegraded protein (RUP) and protein molecular structures. Moist heating decreased (P < 0.05) the content of total rumen degradable (RDP) crude protein (CP) subfractions and increased the content of total RUP subfractions compared with raw seeds, indicating a significant shift at the site of protein digestion from rumen to post-ruminal tract. The decrease in RDP was mainly related to the marked decrease in rapidly solubilised (PA) and degradable (PB1) fractions, whereas the moderately degradable (PB2) and slowly degradable (PB3) fractions increased, suggesting a decrease in degradation rate of RDP. The in situ rumen incubation study revealed that moist heating decreased (P < 0.05) RDP and increased (P < 0.05) RUP and its intestinal digestibility. The molecular spectroscopy study revealed that moist heating altered protein molecular structures. Except PA and lag time, dry heating did not significantly alter any of the CNCPS CP subfraction, in situ ruminal CP degradation parameters, intestinal digestibility of RUP, and protein molecular structures. The correlation analysis showed that the heat-induced changes in protein secondary structures, α-helix-to-β-sheet ratio, were positively correlated (P < 0.05) with the contents PA (r = 0.90), PB1 (r = 0.89), RDP (r = 0.72) and intestinal digestibility (r = 0.91) of RUP, and negatively correlated (P < 0.05) with PB2 (r = –0.90), PB3 (r = –0.85) and RUP (–0.87). These results showed that compared with dry heating, moist heating significantly changed protein subfractions, rumen degradability and intestinal digestibility, and these changes were strongly associated with changes in protein molecular structures.

Detect changes in lipid-related structure of brown- and yellow-seeded Brassica Carinata seed during rumen fermentation in relation to basic chemical profile using ATR-FT/IR molecular spectroscopy with chemometrics

In this experiment, brown- and yellow-seeded Brassica carinata were selected to use as a model to investigate whether there were any changes in lipid-related structure make-up (including CH3 and CH2 asymmetric and symmetric stretching bands ca. 3010-2765cm(-1), unsaturated lipid band ca. 3043-2987cm(-1) and carbonyl CO ester band ca. 1789-1701cm(-1)) of oilseed tissue during rumen in situ incubation using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FT/IR). Correlations of lipid spectral characteristics with basic chemical profile and multivariate analyses for clarifying structural differences within lipid regions between two carinata seeds were also measured. The results showed that most spectral parameters in both carinata seeds were reduced as incubation time increased. However, the extent of changes in peak intensity of carbonyl CO ester group of brown-seeded carinata was not in fully accordance with that of yellow-seeded carinata. Additionally, these lipid structure features were highly correlated with the concentrations of OM (positively), CP (positively), NDF (negatively) and EE (positively) in carinata seeds after 0, 12, 24 and 48h of incubation. Based on the results from multivariate analyses, neither AHCA nor PCA could produce any distinctions in rumen residues between brown- and yellow-seeded carinata in spectra at lipid regions. It was concluded that besides for original feed samples, spectroscopic technique of ATR-FT/IR could also be used for rumen degradation residues in detecting changes in lipid-related molecular structure make-up. Further studies are needed to explore more details in lipid metabolism during ruminal fermentation with the combined consideration on both metabolic basis and molecular structural basis.