Standardized ileal digestibility of amino acids in soybean meal fed to non-pregnant and pregnant sows

Background Two studies were designed to determine standard ileal crude protein(CP)and amino acid(AA)digestibility of soybean meal(SBM)from different origins fed to non-pregnant and pregnant sows.Seven solvent-extracted SBMs from soybeans produced in the USA,Brazil,and China were selected.In Exp.1,eight different diets were created:a nitrogen(N)-free diet and 7 experimental diets containing SBM from different origins as the only N source.Eight non-pregnant,multiparous sows were arranged in an 8×8 Latin square design(8 periods and 8 diets).In Exp.2,the diet formula was the same as in Exp.1.Eight gestating sows(parity 3)were assigned to 4 different diets in a replicated 4×3 Youden square design(three periods and four diets)in mid-gestation and again in late-gestation stages.Results When fed to non-pregnant and late-gestating sows,the standardized ileal digestibility(SID)of CP and most AAs from different SBM were not significantly different(P>0.05).When fed to mid-gestating sows,the SID values for Arg,His,Lys,Phe,Cys,Gly,Ser,and Tyr in SBM 1 were lower than in SBM 4 and 5(P<0.05),whereas SID for Leu from SBM 5 was higher than in SBM 1 and 4(P<0.05).SID values for Ile,Ala,and Asp from SBM 4 were lower than in SBM 1 and 5(P<0.05).Sows had significantly greater SID values for Lys,Ala,and Asp during mid-gestation when compared with late-gestation stages(P<0.05).Mid-gestating sows had greater SID value for Val and lower SID value for Tyr when compared with non-pregnant and late-gestating sows(P<0.01),whereas non-pregnant sows had significantly greater SID value for Met when compared with gestating sows(P<0.01).Conclusions When fed to mid-gestating sows,the SID values for most AAs varied among SBM samples.The SID values for Lys,Met,Val,Ala,Asp,and Tyr in SBM were affected by sow gestation stages.Our findings provide a cornerstone for accurate SBM use in sow diets.

Analysis of the Status Quo and Influencing Factors of Advanced Lung Cancer Patients’ Quality of Life

Objective:To investigate the quality of life and related influencing factors of patients with advanced lung cancer.Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 51 patients with advanced lung cancer who were hospitalized in the Department of Oncology from January 2023 to December 2023,and the influencing factors of patients’quality of life were analyzed.Results:Among the five functional scales(physical,role,cognitive,emotional,and social functioning)of the QLQ-C30 scale,the social and emotional function scores were the lowest,respectively 16.7(IQR:0,33.3)points,and 16.7(IQR:8.3,25),and among the three symptom scales(fatigue,pain,nausea and vomiting),the fatigue symptom score was the highest:77.7(IQR:66.7,88.9)points.The results of Spearman correlation analysis showed that the anxiety score of patients with advanced lung cancer was positively correlated with depression score(P<0.01),while the quality of life of patients with advanced lung cancer was not correlated with anxiety and depression score(P>0.1).The self-care ability,the nature of the disease,and whether the patient was treated for chemotherapy were the independent influencing factors of the patient’s quality of life,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.001).Conclusion:Patients with advanced lung cancer have different degrees of anxiety and depression,and their quality of life is affected by many factors,which are mainly related to the patient’s self-care ability,the nature of the disease,and whether they received chemotherapy.

Dietary fiber during gestation improves lactational feed intake of sows by modulating gut microbiota

Background The feed intake of sows during lactation is often lower than their needs.High-fiber feed is usually used during gestation to increase the voluntary feed intake of sows during lactation.However,the mechanism underlying the effect of bulky diets on the appetites of sows during lactation have not been fully clarified.The current study was conducted to determine whether a high-fiber diet during gestation improves lactational feed intake(LFI)of sows by modulating gut microbiota.Methods We selected an appropriate high-fiber diet during gestation and utilized the fecal microbial transplanta-tion(FMT)method to conduct research on the role of the gut microbiota in feed intake regulation of sows during lactation,as follows:high-fiber(HF)diet during gestation(n=23),low-fiber(LF)diet during gestation(n=23),and low-fiber diet+HF-FMT(LFM)during gestation(n=23).Results Compared with the LF,sows in the HF and LFM groups had a higher LFI,while the sows also had higher peptide tyrosine tyrosine and glucagon-like peptide 1 on d 110 of gestation(G110 d).The litter weight gain of piglets during lactation and weaning weight of piglets from LFM group were higher than LF group.Sows given a HF diet had lower Proteobacteria,especially Escherichia-Shigella,on G110 d and higher Lactobacillus,especially Lactobacil-lus_mucosae_LM1 and Lactobacillus_amylovorus,on d 7 of lactation(L7 d).The abundance of Escherichia-Shigella was reduced by HF-FMT in numerically compared with the LF.In addition,HF and HF-FMT both decreased the perinatal concentrations of proinflammatory factors,such as endotoxin(ET),lipocalin-2(LCN-2),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and interleukin-1β(IL-1β).The concentration of ET and LCN-2 and the abundance of Proteobacteria and Escheri-chia-Shigella were negatively correlated with the LFI of sows.Conclusion The high abundance of Proteobacteria,especially Escherichia-Shigella of LF sows in late gestation,led to increased endotoxin levels,which result in inflammatory responses and adverse effects on the LFI of sows.Add-ing HF during gestation reverses this process by increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus,especially Lactobacil-lus_mucosae_LM1 and Lactobacillus_amylovorus.

浅谈公猪养殖过程中的营养问题

公猪在养猪生产中的重要性日益突出,然而由于人们对公猪营养的研究相对较少,尚有许多问题困扰着行业的发展。文章就养猪生产上十分关注的一些问题进行简单的描述和分析,以为规模化养殖场种公猪营养的制定提供依据和参考。

Effects of dietary Clostridium butyricum supplementation on growth performance,intestinal development,and immune response of weaned piglets challenged with lipopolysaccharide

Background: Weanling pigs, with immature immune system and physiological function, usually experience postweaning diarrhea. This study determined the effects of dietary Clostridium butyricum supplementation on growth performance, diarrhea, and immunity of weaned pigs challenged with lipopolysaccharide(LPS).Methods: In Experiment(Exp.) 1,144 weaned piglets were weaned at 21 d and randomly assigned to six groups,with six replicates per group and four pigs per replicate, receiving a control diet(CON) or diet supplemented with antibiotics(AB) or C. butyricum(CB)(0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4%, or 0.8%), respectively. All diets in Exp. 1 were a highly digestible basal diet, with 3,000 mg/kg zinc oxide supplied in the first 2 wk only. In Exp. 2, 180 piglets were weaned at 21 d and randomly assigned to five groups, with six replicates per group and six pigs per replicate, receiving CON, AB, or CB(0.2%, 0.4%, or 0.6%) diets. The digestibility of diets was lower than those in Exp. 1, and did not include zinc oxide. At 36 d of Exp. 2, 12 piglets were selected from each of the CON and 0.4% CB groups, six piglets were intraperitoneally injected with LPS(50 μg/kg body weight) and the other six piglets with normal saline;animals were killed at 4 h after injection to collect blood, intestine, and digesta samples for biochemical analysis.Results: In Exp. 1, CB and AB diets had no effect on growth performance of piglets. In Exp. 2, 0.4% CB decreased feed-gain ratio(P < 0.1), diarrhea score(P < 0.05), and increased duodenal, jejunal, and ileal villus height and jejunal villus height/crypt depth(P < 0.05). The 0.4% CB decreased the plasma tumor necrosis factor(TNF) α(P < 0.05) but increased ileal mucosa IL-10 and TLR2 mRNA expression(P < 0.05). Furthermore, 0.4% CB altered the microbial profile, with Bacillus and Ruminococcaceae UGG-003 at genus level and Lactobacillus casei and Parasutterella secunda at species level were higher than CON in colonic content(P < 0.05).Conclusions: Dietary C. butyricum supplementation had positive effects on growth of weaned piglets with less digestible diets. There was a tendency to reduce the feed-gain ratio, which could reduce feed costs in pig production. Moreover, C. butyricum decreased post-weaning diarrhea by improving the intestinal morphology,intestinal microflora profile, and immune function.

Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 10415 administration improves the intestinal health and immunity in neonatal piglets infected by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88

Background:This study aimed to investigate the effects of oral administration of Enterococcus faecium NCIMB10415(E.faecium)on intestinal development,immunological parameters and gut microbiota of neonatal piglets challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88(ETEC).A total of 961-day-old sow-reared piglets were randomly assigned to 2 groups,with 48 piglets in each group.The piglets were from 16 litters(6 piglets each litter),and 3 piglets each litter were allocated to the E.faecium-supplemented(PRO)group,while the other 3 piglets were allocated to the control(CON)group.After colostrum intake,piglets in the PRO group were orally administrated with 3×10~9 CFU E.faecium per day for a period of one week.On day 8,one piglet per litter from each group was challenged(CON+ETEC,PRO+ETEC)or not(CON-ETEC,PRO-ETEC)with ETEC in a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments.On day 10(2 days after challenge),blood and tissue samples were obtained from piglets.Results:Before ETEC challenge,there were no significant differences for the average daily gain(ADG)and fecal score between the two groups of piglets.After ETEC challenge,the challenged piglets had greater fecal score compared to the non-challenged piglets,whereas E.faecium administration was able to decrease the fecal score.Piglets challenged with ETEC had shorter villous height,deeper crypt depth,and reduced number of goblet cells in the jejunum and decreased m RNA abundance of claudin-1 in the ileum,whereas increased the percentage of lymphocytes,concentrations of IL-1βin the plasma and TNF-αin the ileal mucosa,as well as increased the m RNA abundances of innate immunity-related genes in the ileum tissue.These deleterious effects caused by ETEC were partly alleviated by feeding E.faecium.In addition,piglets in PRO-ETEC group had decreased the percentage of CD8^+T cells of the peripheral blood when compared to those in CON-ETEC group.Moreover,E.faecium administration increased Verrucomicrobia at phylum level and decreased Bilophila at genus level.Conclusions:These results suggest that oral administration of E.faecium alleviated the intestinal injury and diarrhea severity of neonatal piglets challenged by ETEC,partly through improving the intestinal microbiota and immune response.This offers a potential strategy of dietary intervention against intestinal impairment by ETEC in neonatal piglets.

Soluble ADAM33 determines mechanical behaviors of airway smooth muscle cells

Introduction A disintegrin and metalloproteinase 33（ADAM33）has been identified as a susceptibility gene for asthma[1],In particular,ADAM33 mRNA is highly expressed in airway smooth muscle cells（ASMCs）and the level of soluble ADAM33（sADAM33）is known to inversely correlate with lung function such as bronchial hyperresponsiveness（BHR）[2]that is ultimately determined by the mechanical behaviors of ASMCs.However,few have studied how sADAM33would affect ASMC mechanics.Here,we manipulated the expression of SADAM33 in

Microbial and metabolomic mechanisms mediating the effects of dietary inulin and cellulose supplementation on porcine oocyte and uterine development

Background:Dietary fiber(DF)is often eschewed in swine diet due to its anti-nutritional effects,but DF is attracting growing attention for its reproductive benefits.The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of DF intake level on oocyte maturation and uterine development,to determine the optimal DF intake for gilts,and gain microbial and metabolomic insight into the underlying mechanisms involved.Methods:Seventy-six Landrace×Yorkshire(LY)crossbred replacement gilts of similar age(92.6±0.6 d;mean±standard deviation[SD])and body weight(BW,33.8±3.9 kg;mean±SD)were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatment groups(n=19);a basal diet without extra DF intake(DF 1.0),and 3 dietary groups ingesting an extra50%(DF 1.5),75%(DF 1.75),and 100%(DF 2.0)dietary fiber mixture consisting of inulin and cellulose(1:4).Oocyte maturation and uterine development were assessed on 19 d of the 2nd oestrous cycle.Microbial diversity of faecal samples was analysed by high-throughput pyrosequencing(16S r RNA)and blood samples were subjected to untargeted metabolomics.Results:The rates of oocytes showing first polar bodies after in vitro maturation for 44 h and uterine development increased linearly with increasing DF intake;DF 1.75 gilts had a 19.8%faster oocyte maturation rate and a 48.9 cm longer uterus than DF 1.0 gilts(P<0.05).Among the top 10 microbiota components at the phylum level,8increased linearly with increasing DF level,and the relative abundance of 30 of 53 microbiota components at the genus level(>0.1%)increased linearly or quadratically with increasing DF intake.Untargeted metabolic analysis revealed significant changes in serum metabolites that were closely associated with microbiota,including serotonin,a gut-derived signal that stimulates oocyte maturation.Conclusions:The findings provide evidence of the benefits of increased DF intake by supplementing inulin and cellulose on oocyte maturation and uterine development in gilts,and new microbial and metabolomic insight into the mechanisms mediating the effects of DF on reproductive performance of replacement gilts.

Beneficial effects of a decreased meal frequency on nutrient utilization,secretion of luteinizing hormones and ovarian follicular development in gilts

Background:Replacement gilts are typically fed ad libitum,whereas emerging evidence from human and rodent studies has revealed that time-restricted access to food has health benefits.The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of meal frequency on the metabolic status and ovarian follicular development in gilts.Methods:A total of 36 gilts(Landrace×Yorkshire)with an age of 150±3 d and a body weight of 77.6±3.8 kg were randomly allocated into one of three groups(n=12 in each group),and based on the group allocation,the gilts were fed at a frequency of one meal(T1),two meals(T2),or six meals per day(T6)for 14 consecutive weeks.The effects of the meal frequency on growth preference,nutrient utilization,short-chain fatty acid production by gut microbial,the post-meal dynamics in the metabolic status,reproductive hormone secretions,and ovarian follicular development in the gilts were measured.Results:The gilts in the T1 group presented a higher average daily gain(+48 g/d,P<0.05)and a higher body weight(+4.9 kg,P<0.05)than those in the T6 group.The meal frequency had no effect on the apparent digestibility of dry matter,crude protein,ether extract,ash,and gross energy,with the exception that the T1 gilts exhibited a greater NDF digestibility than the T6 gilts(P<0.05).The nitrogen balance analysis revealed that the T1 gilts presented decreased urine excretion of nitrogen(−8.17 g/d,P<0.05)and higher nitrogen retention(+9.81 g/d,P<0.05),and thus exhibited higher nitrogen utilization than the T6 gilts.The time-course dynamics of glucose,α-amino nitrogen,urea,lactate,and insulin levels in serum revealed that the T1 group exhibited higher utilization of nutrients after a meal than the T2 or T6 gilts.The T1 gilts also had a higher acetate content and SCFAs in feces than the T6 gilts(P<0.05).The age,body weight and backfat thickness of the gilts at first estrous expression were not affected by the meal frequency,but the gilts in the T1 group had higher levels of serum luteinizing hormone on the 18th day of the 3rd estrus cycle and 17β-estradiol,a larger number of growing follicles and corpora lutea,and higher mRNA expression levels of genes related to follicular development on the 19th day of the 3rd estrus cycle.Conclusions:The current findings revealed the benefits of a lower meal frequency equal feed intake on nutrient utilization and reproductive function in replacement gilts,and thus provide new insights into the nutritional strategy for replacement gilts,and the dietary pattern for other mammals,such as humans.

The effect of inhibitor peptide for ADAM8 in attenuating ovalbumin-induced murine asthma

Targeted peptides have been identified as showing great promise for treatment of various diseases including asthma.Asthma is considered of difficuIt-to-treat due to its unclear etiology,thus usually requiring life-long treatment.Current strategies for asthma therapy are hampered with undesirable side effects,poor targeting and failure in modulating airway hyperresponsiveness,leading to pressing need of developing more targeted and effective therapeutic sites for asthma.Recently,a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 8(ADAM8)have been shown to over-

OPTICALLY TRACKING THE MOTION OF MICROBEADS TO STUDY PHYSICAL BEHAVIORS OF THE LIVING CELL IN RESPONSE TO TRANSIENT STRETCH OR COMPRESSION

Optical magnetic twisting cytometry and traction force microscopy are two advanced cell mechanics research tools that employ optical methods to track the motion of microbeads that are either bound to the surface or embedded in the substrate underneath the cell.The former measures rheological properties of the cell such as cell stiffness,and the latter measures cell traction force dynamics.Here we describe the principles of these two cell mechanics research tools and an example of using them to study physical behaviors of the living cell in response to transient stretch or compression.We demonstrate that,when subjected to a stretch
unstretch manipulation,both the stiffness and traction force of adherent cells promptly reduced,and then gradually recover up to the level prior to the stretch.Immunofluorescent staining and Western blotting results indicate that the actin cytoskeleton of the cells underwent a corresponding disruption and reassembly process almost in step with the changes of cell mechanics.Interestingly,when subjected to compression,the cells did not show such particular behaviors.Taken together,we conclude that adherent cells are very sensitive to the transient stretch but not transient compression,and the stretch-induced cell response is due to the dynamics of actin polymerization.

Right Ventricular Myxoma Causing Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction: A Case Report

A 63-year-old patient presented with dyspnea and chest distress. A computerized tomography and echocardiogram showed a cardiac mass in the right ventricle, which caused obstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract. Coronary angiography revealed a dense meshwork of the abnomorly capillary vessels originating from right coronary artery. The mass was completely excised under cardiopulmonary bypass. The mass attached right ventricle lateral wall and posterior triscupid leaflet. Histology was typical myomatous tissue.

Effects of dietary supplementation with essential oils and protease on growth performance,antioxidation,inflammation and intestinal function of weaned pigs

This experiment evaluated the impacts of essential oils(EO)and protease(PRO),independently or in combination,on growth performance,antioxidation,inflammation and intestinal function of weaned pigs.One hundred and sixty weaned pigs(21 d of age,BW of 6.74±0.20 kg)were randomly divided into 4 treatments with 8 replicate pens of 5 pigs per pen.Dietary treatments included the following:1)control diet(CON),2)CON with 300 mg/kg essential oils(EO),3)CON with 500 mg/kg protease(PRO),4)CON with 300 mg/kg essential oil and 500 mg/kg protease(EO + PRO).On d 8,one pig from each penwas selected for sampling.The remaining pigs were fed for an additional week and growth performance was monitored during this period.Dietary treatments had no marked effects(P>0.05)on the growth performance of pigs.However,pigs receiving EO diet had higher(P<0.05)serumglutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px)activity,and tended to decrease(P=0.063)serum concentration of tumor necrosis factor-a(TNF-a).In addition,pigs receiving EO diet had higher(P<0.05)abundances of phylum Actinobacteria,and genera Bifidobacterium,and lower(P<0.05)phylum Bacteroidetes and genera Alloprevotella in colonic digesta.Pigs receiving PRO diet decreased(P<0.05)the serum concentration of malondialdehyde(MDA)and diamine oxidase activity,increased(P<0.05)the villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in duodenum,increased sucrase activity in jejunal mucosa,and also increased the abundance of phylum Actinobacteria in colonic digesta.Furthermore,the synergistic effects of EO and PROwas observed(P<0.05)for pigs with decreasing serum TNF-a concentration and increasing serum GSH-Px activity.Collectively,the results indicated that dietary supplementation of EO and PRO had no significant effects on growth performance of weaned pigs.EO diet appeared to improve antioxidant activity and intestinal microbiota,while PRO diet improved intestinal morphology and digestive enzyme activity,and there was a synergistic effect of EO and PRO on reducing inflammatory parameters in weaned pigs.

Dietary supplementation of Bacillus subtilis PB6 improves sow reproductive performance and reduces piglet birth intervals

We investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with Bacillus subtilis PB6(B.subtilis PB6)during late gestation and lactation on sow reproductive performance,antioxidant indices,and gut microbiota.A total of 32 healthy Landrace×Yorkshire sows on d 90 of gestation were randomly assigned to 2 groups,with 16 replicates per group,receiving basal diet(CON)or the basal diet+0.2%B.subtilis PB6,containing 4.0×10^8 CFU/kg of feed(BS).The litter sizes(total born)and numbers of piglets born alive were larger in the BS group(P<0.01),whereas the weights of piglets born alive and the piglet birth intervals were lower in the BS group(P<0.05).Although the litter weights and piglet bodyweights(after crossfostering)were lower after BS treatment(P<0.05),the litter sizes,litter weights,lactation survival rate,and litter weight gains at weaning were higher in BS group(P<0.05).The concentrations of malondialdehyde(MDA)in the sow sera at parturition were lower in the BS group(P<0.01).The serum total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC)at parturition and the serum catalase(CAT)concentrations on d 21 of lactation were higher in the BS group(P<0.05).Dietary supplementation with B.subtilis PB6(P<0.05)reduced the serum endotoxin concentrations in the sows and the serum cortisol concentrations of the piglets at d 14 of lactation.Theα-diversity indices of microbial were higher in the CON group(P<0.05).At the phylum level,B.subtilis PB6 supplementation increased the relative abundances of Gemmatimonadete and Acidobacteria(both P<0.01)and reduced those of Proteobacteria,and Actinobacteria(both P<0.05).At the genus level,B.subtilis PB6 supplementation increased the relative abundance of RuminococcaceaeUCG-013 cc(P<0.05)and reduced that of Streptococcus(P<0.05).This study demonstrated that adding 4.0×10^8 CFU/kg B.subtilis PB6 to sows’feed during late gestation and lactation could shorten piglet birth intervals,enhance the growth performance of suckling piglets,and improve the gut health of sows during late gestation.

Differential responses of weaned piglets to supplemental porcine or chicken plasma in diets without inclusion of antibiotics and zinc oxide

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of spray-dried porcine plasma protein(SDPP)or spray-dried chicken plasma protein(SDCP)supplementation in diets without the inclusion of antibiotics and zinc oxide(ZnO)on growth performance,fecal score,and fecal microbiota in early-weaned piglets.A total of 192 healthy weaning piglets(Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire,21 d old)were blocked by BW(6.53±0.60 kg)and randomly assigned to 4 dietary treatments:negative control(NC,basal diet),positive control(PC),basal diet+ZnO at 2 g/kg and antibiotics at 0.8 g/kg,SDPP(containing 5%SDPP),and SDCP(containing 5%SDCP).The experiment lasted 14 d.The SDPP group had higher(P<0.05)final BW,average daily gain and average daily feed intake than the NC and SDCP groups.The percentage of piglets with fecal scores at 2 or≥2 was higher(P<0.05)in the NC and SDCP groups than in the PC group.A decreased(P<0.05)bacterial alpha diversity and Bacteroidetes abundance,but increased(P<0.05)Firmicutes abundance were observed in the PC and SDPP groups when compared to the NC group.The relative abundance of Lactobacillus was higher(P<0.05)in the SDPP than in the SDCP group,and that of Streptococcus was higher(P<0.01)in the PC and SDPP groups than in the NC group.The PC group also had higher(P<0.01)Faecalibacterium abundance than the NC and SDCP groups.Additionally,the SDCP group had higher(P<0.05)serum urea nitrogen than those fed other diets,and lower(P<0.10)shortchain fatty acids to branched-chain fatty acids ratio than the PC and SDPP groups.Overall,SDPP was a promising animal protein for piglets in increasing feed intake,modifying gut microbiota profile,reducing gut protein fermentation and alleviating diarrhea frequency,thus promoting growth performance,under the conditions with limited in-feed utilization of antibiotics and ZnO.

Tuberculosis Infection Control Project Management Experience and Its Application in COVID-19 Response

The outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in many infections,including patients in health care settings(1).Although the main mode of transmission of COVID-19 is by droplets,both tuberculosis(TB)and COVID-19 are respiratory infections that can be spread by airborne transmission.Therefore,a set of systematic and comprehensive nosocomial infection control policies is necessary to control infectious sources,block transmission,and protect people at risk in health care settings.