The health benefits of selenium in food animals:a review

Selenium is an essential trace mineral important for the maintenance of homeostasis in animals and humans.It evinces a strong antioxidant,anti-inflammatory and potential antimicrobial capacity.Selenium biological function is primarily achieved by its presence in selenoproteins as a form of selenocysteine.Selenium deficiency may result in an array of health disorders,affecting many organs and systems;to prevent this,dietary supplementation,mainly in the forms of organic(i.e.,selenomethionine and selenocysteine)inorganic(i.e.,selenate and selenite)sources is used.In pigs as well as other food animals,dietary selenium supplementation has been used for improving growth performance,immune function,and meat quality.A substantial body of knowledge demonstrates that dietary selenium supplementation is positively associated with overall animal health especially due to its immunomodulatory activity and protection from oxidative damage.Selenium also possesses potential antiviral activity and this is achieved by protecting immune cells against oxidative damage and decreasing viral replication.In this review we endeavor to combine established and novel knowledge on the beneficial effects of dietary selenium supplementation,its antioxidant and immunomodulatory actions,and the putative antimicrobial effect thereof.Furthermore,our review demonstrates the gaps in knowledge pertaining to the use of selenium as an antiviral,underscoring the need for further in vivo and in vitro studies,particularly in pigs.

虚拟现实技术在绿色基础设施健康效益评估中的应用

快速的城市化进程在不经意间将人类与自然环境割裂开来。因此所带来的日益严重的城市污染和人们进行户外活动的局限性,对人的身心健康和认知都产生了影响。城市规划师可以通过绿色基础设施营建来降低城市化带来的负面影响,如自然式公园、生态滤沟、植物墙和行道树等。然而,哪些绿色基础设施要素能否用于改善人们的健康福祉仍不十分明确。研究人员在绿色基础设施健康效益研究中引入虚拟现实技术(VR),为循证设计提供科学可靠的依据。VR技术仅需要较低的成本和专业技术。受试者佩戴仪器进入沉浸式虚拟世界,过程中同步采集心理和生理指标,用于预测不同自然场景对健康和认知功能的长期影响。通过对VR系统、内容创作、实验设计、健康指标测量和安全注意事项的方法论进行概述,使读者了解VR技术如何用于研究,并作为一种替代治疗的手段,用于改善绿色基础设施的健康福祉,为VR技术的研究应用提供理论与实践基础。