A novel approach for 25-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy to evaluate vitreous substitutes in rabbits

AIM:To improve the standard three-port vitrectomy for establishing and evaluating an endotamponade model in rabbits.METHODS:Three ports were prepared near the third eyelid of rabbits,and the infusion port was placed at the inferior nasal quadrant with the inserted cannula linking with a self-designed handheld rigid infusion catheter.All right eyes of rabbits underwent a modified 25-gauge vitrectomy and were subsequently filled with balanced salt solution,silicone oil,and eight-arm polyethylene glycols(8-arm PEGs)hydrogel separately for comparison.Ophthalmic examinations were performed regularly to record the changes after the surgery.RESULTS:Successful vitrectomy was achieved among 44 chinchilla rabbits.The mean operation time was 4.51±1.25min.Four eyes(9.1%)presented limited lens touch and two eyes(4.5%)showed retinal touch during surgery.Incision leakage was found in three eyes(6.8%)after surgery.There was no endophthalmitis,hemorrhage,or retinal detachment during the observation period and ophthalmic examinations after the implantation of vitreous substitutes.CONCLUSION:The modified technique of the standard vitrectomy applied in the endotamponade model in rabbits shows excellent safety and practicality.

Overall assessment of antibiotic substitutes for pigs:a set of meta-analyses

Background:Antibiotic growth promoters are widely used to improve weight gain.However,the abuse of antibiotics can have many negative effects on people.Developing alternatives to antibiotics is an urgent need in livestock production.We aimed to perform a meta-analysis and network meta-analysis(NMA)to investigate the effects of feed additives as potential antibiotic substitutes(ASs)on bacteriostasis,growth performance,intestinal morphology and immunity.Furthermore,the primary,secondary,and tertiary ASs were defined by comparing their results with the results of antibiotics.Results:Among 16,309 identified studies,37 were summarized to study the bacteriostasis effects of feed additives,and 89 were included in the meta-analysis and NMA(10,228 pigs).We summarized 268 associations of 57 interventions with 32 bacteria.The order of bacteriostasis effects was as follows:antimicrobial peptides(AMPs)≈antibiotics>organic acids>plant extracts>oligosaccharides.We detected associations of 11 feed additives and 11 outcomes.Compared with a basal diet,plant extract,AMPs,probiotics,microelements,organic acids,bacteriophages,lysozyme,zymin,and oligosaccharides significantly improved growth performance(P<0.05);organic acids,probiotics,microelements,lysozyme,and AMPs remarkably increased the villus height:crypt depth ratio(V/C)(P<0.05);and plant extracts,zymin,microelements,probiotics,and organic acids notably improved immunity(P<0.05).The optimal AMP,bacteriophage,lysozyme,microelements,oligosaccharides,organic acids,plants,plant extracts,probiotics,and zymin doses were 0.100%,0.150%,0.012%,0.010%,0.050%,0.750%,0.20%,0.040%,0.180%,and 0.100%,respectively.Compared with antibiotics,all investigated feed additives exhibited no significant difference in effects on growth performance,IgG,and diarrhoea index/rate(P>0.05);AMPs and microelements significantly increased V/C(P<0.05);and zymin significantly improved lymphocyte levels(P<0.05).Furthermore,linear weighting sum models were used to comprehensively estimate the overall impact of each feed additive on pig growth and health.Conclusions:Our findings suggest that AMPs and plant extracts can be used as primary ASs for weaned piglets and growing pigs,respectively.Bacteriophages,zymin,plants,probiotics,oligosaccharides,lysozyme,and microelements can be regarded as secondary ASs.Nucleotides and organic acids can be considered as tertiary ASs.Future studies should further assess the alternative effects of combinational feed additives.

Bone graft substitutes for spine fusion: A brief review

Bone graft substitutes are widely used in the field of orthopedics and are extensively used to promote vertebral fusion. Fusion is the most common technique in spine surgery and is used to treat morbidities and relieve discomfort. Allograft and autograft bone substitutes are currently the most commonly used bone grafts to promote fusion. These approaches pose limitations and present complications to the patient. Numerous alternative bone graft substitutes are on the market or have been developed and proposed for application. These options have attempted to promote spine fusion by enhancing osteogenic properties. In this review, we reviewed biology of spine fusion and the current advances in biomedical materials and biological strategies for application in surgical spine fusion. Our findings illustrate that, while many bone graft substitutes perform well as bone graft extenders, only osteoinductive proteins(recombinant bone morphogenetic proteins-2 and osteogenic protein-1) provide evidence for use as both bone enhancers and bone substitutes for specific types of spinal fusion. Tissue engineered hydrogels, synthetic polymer composites and viral based gene therapy also holds the potential to be used for spine fusion in future, though warrants further investigation to be used in clinical practice.

Plant-based meat substitutes by high-moisture extrusion:Visualizing the whole process in data systematically from raw material to the products

High-moisture extrusion technology should be considered one of the best choices for producing plant-based meat substitutes with the rich fibrous structure offered by real animal meat products.Unfortunately,the extrusion process has been seen as a“black box”with limited information about what occurs inside,causing serious obstacles in developing meat substitutes.This study designed a high-moisture extrusion process and developed 10 new plant-based meat substitutes comparable to the fibrous structure of real animal meat.The study used the Feature-Augmented Principal Component Analysis(FA-PCA)method to visualize and understand the whole extrusion process in three ways systematically and accurately.It established six sets of mathematical models of the high-moisture extrusion process based on 8000 pieces of data,including five types of parameters.The FA-PCA method improved the R^(2) values significantly compared with the PCA method.The Way 3 was the best to predict product quality(Z),demonstrating that the gradually molecular conformational changes(Y^(n'))were critical in controlling the final quality of the plant-based meat substitutes.Moreover,the first visualization platform software for the high-moisture extrusion process has been established to clearly show the“black box”by combining the virtual simulation technology.Through the software,some practice work such as equipment installation,parameter adjustment,equipment disassembly,and data prediction can be easily achieved.

Does the Animal Origin Influence the Calcification of Xenograft Tissue Heart Valve Substitutes? Comparison between Bovine and Camel Pericardium in a Subcutaneous Rat Model

Objective: To validate the hypothesis that camel pericardium could be more protected than bovine pericardium against calcification process according to the huge difference in their respective lifestyle and lifetime. Methods: Glutaraldehyde (GA) fixed bovine and camel pericardium samples (BP and CP respectively) were both implanted in 30 New Zealand white rats (2 BP and 2 CP matched specimens in each animal) and explanted after 60 days. Unimplanted GA-fixed samples of both species served as control. Matched implanted samples and unimplanted samples were randomly submitted to elemental analysis by spectroscopy, phospholipid extraction, macroscopic and X-ray examination and histology. Results: At 60 days, calcium and phosphorus content were respectively 9.54% ± 3.1% and 4.79% ± 1.4% of tissue dry weight in BP, and 12.52% ± 2.7% and 6.14% ± 1.3% of tissue dry weight in CP (ns). In X-ray analysis, the calcification score was 1.28 ± 0.45 and 2.14 ± 0.98 in BP and CP samples respectively without significant difference (p < 0.08). In histology, calcifications were lower in BP than in CP: 1.37 ± 0.85 vs 2.28 ± 0.83 (ns);collagen fibers were better conserved in BP than in CP: 2.4 ± 0.48 vs 1.87 ± 0.78 (ns), and less disoriented: 25% vs 62% (ns). In unimplanted samples, there was a higher but not significant rate of extracted lipids in CP: 5.7 ± 1.8 vs 9.5 ± 3.8 nanomoles in PS fraction and 11.3 ± 3.7 vs 19 ± 7.7 nanomoles in total fatty acids, in BP and CP samples respectively. All results were in conjunction and demonstrated a higher but not significant rate of mineralization in camel pericardium after implantation, which could be related to a higher but not significant basic rate of phospholipid and fatty acids. Conclusion: This experiment study in a subcutaneous rat model has failed to valid our hypothesis. Because the differences observed between bovine and camel pericardium did not reach the significance, at the best, there is no difference between both species and at the worst, camel pericardium has a higher rate of the phosphatidylserine fraction of phospholipid, and is more sensitive and prompt to calcification.

Effects of Different Antibiotics Substitutes on Production Performance of Fattening Pigs

[ Objective ] The aim was to discuss effects of different antibiotics substitutes on production performance of fattening pigs, and to lay a foundation for development and application of antibiotics-free pig feed. [ Method ] By adding 100 mg/kg compound probiotics, 100 mg/kg compound enzyme preparation, 500 and 1 000 mg/kg eu-commin in the basal diet, binary hybrid pigs weighing about 15 kg were reared for 102 d, and the feed added with 300 mg/kg colistin sul- fate was used as control. [ Result] Using compound prebiotics and compound enzyme preparation to substitute antibiotics had no adverse effects on daily weight gain, daily feed intake and feed gain ratio of 15 -90 kg fattening pigs; using eu-commin to substitute antibiotics had no adverse effect on daily weight gain, daily feed intake and feed gain ratio of 15 - 30 kg fattening pigs, but had significant influence on daily weight gain of 30 - 90 kg fattening pigs （ P 〈 0.05 ）. [ Conclusion] It is feasible to develop antibiotics-free pig feed by using new type of green environmental-friendly additive instead of antibiotics.

Current Concepts in Bone Graft Substitutes

Purpose: Bone grafting is still requested to fill bone defects in traumatology, or after tumor removal, but also in orthopedic surgery for spine, arthroplasty revisions, and osteotomies. Due to the limitations of autografts and allografts, and the progress of biomaterial research, a large number of nonhuman bony scaffolds have been developed including synthetic calcium phosphates and highly processed xenografts. The most important parameters for bone ingrowth are the macroporosity of the scaffold with the suitable biological autologous cells and factors, optimal osteoinductive, osteointegrative and osteoconductive properties can be achieved. Methods and Results: The important factors regulating these properties are discussed in this paper, which also reports preclinical and clinical results obtained with such bone graft substitutes. Conclusions: Among different bone graft substitutes available, the porosity, the accessibility of pores, the internal surface exposed to the biological components of bone repair, are present in highly processed bovine hydroxyapatites. Compared to autografts, allografts and synthetic substitutes, they associate an initial conductivity, and a long term stability suitable for some orthopedic indications.

Evaluation of 4 different bone graft substitutes and autogenous bone grafting in root-end resection osteotomies after retrograde root-filling with Intermediate Restorative Material(IRM):An experimental study in dogs

Purpose: To investigate the periapical tissue response after root end filling with intermediate restorative material (IRM) and filling of the root-end resection bone defects with autogenous bone or a bone graft substitute in comparison to empty controls. Materials and Methods: Vital roots of the second, third and fourth mandibular premolars in six healthy mongrel dogs were apectomized. The root canals were prepared and sealed with IRM following a standardized surgical procedure. The resection bone defects were either filled with autogenous bone (PB) or one of the bone graft substitutes;CERAMENTTM|BONE VOID FILLER, ChronOS?, TigranTM PTG, Easygraft? CLASSIC or left empty. After 120 days the animals were sacrificed and the specimens were analyzed radiologically and histologically. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were performed for statistical evaluation. Results: 34 sections were analyzed histologically. The evaluation revealed a variation in the outcome amongst the tested options, regarding reestablishment of the periapical bone healing and inflammatory infiltration in the sections. According to the tested variables, there was no statistical significant difference between the materials when comparing all groups as a whole. When comparing individual materials to each other there was statistical differences among some of the tested materials. Conclusion: The healing outcome after periapical surgery of a five-wall resection defect could not be increased by infill with autogenous bone or bone graft substitutes. The most important factor for the healing outcome in periapical surgery is the quality of the root-end sealing. The healing outcome after some of the tested bone substitutes, might be improved by longer healing time.

Vitreous substitutes: challenges and directions

The natural vitreous body has a fine structure and complex functions. The imitation of the natural vitreous body by vitreous substitutes is a challenging work for both researchers and ophthalmologists. Gases, silicone oil, heavy silicone oil and hydrogels, particularly the former two vitreous substitutes are clinically widely used with certain complications. Those, however, are not real artificial vitreous due to lack of structure and function like the natural vitreous body. This article reviews the situations, challenges, and future directions in the development of vitreous substitutes, particularly the experimental and clinical use of a new artificial foldable capsular vitreous body.

A Study on the Meat and Bone Meal or Poultry By-product Meal as Protein Substitutes of Fishmeal in Concentrated Diets for Paralichthys olivaceus

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of meat and bone meal （MBM） and poultry by-product meal （PBM） as the replacement of fishmeal in the diets on the growth performance, survival and apparent digestibility coefficient （ADC） of Japanese flounder （Paralichthys olivaceus）. The experimental diets included 0%, 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% MBM or PBM replacement of total fishmeal respectively. All diets were iso-nitrogenous and isocaloric. The results showed that there are no significant differences （P 〉0.05） in growth performance among the treatments fed with 0% -60% MBM replacement of fishmeal, while the percent weight gain （WG, % ）, body length gain （BLG, % ） and ADC significantly decrease when fishmeal is replaced by 80% MBM. The result showed also that there are no significant differences （P 〉0.05） in growth performance and ADC among all treatments fed with the diets with 0% -80% replacements of fishmeal with PBM.

Ability of bone graft substitutes to support the osteoprogenitor cells: An in-vitro study

AIM: To compare seven commercially available bone graft substitutes(BGS) in terms of these properties and without using any additional biological growth factors.METHODS: Porcine osteoprogenitor cells were loaded on seven commercially available BGS and allowed to proliferate for one week followed by osteogenic induction. Staining for live/dead cells as well as scanning electron microscopy(SEM) was carried out to determine viability and cellular binding. Further outcome measures included alkaline phosphatase(ALP) assays with normalisation for DNA content to quantify osteogenic potential. Negative and positive control experiments were carried out in parallel to validate the results.RESULTS: Live/dead and SEM imaging showed higher viability and attachment with β-tricalcium phosphate(β-TCP) than with other BGS(P < 0.05). The average ALP activity in nmol/mL(normalised value for DNA content in nmol/μg DNA) per sample was 657.58(132.03) for β-TCP, 36.22(unable to normalise) for calcium sulphate, 19.93(11.39) for the Hydroxyapatite/Tricalcium Phosphate composite, 14.79(18.53) for polygraft, 13.98(8.15) for the highly porous β-Tricalcium Phosphate, 5.56(10.0) for polymers, and 3.82(3.8) for Hydroxyapatite.CONCLUSION: Under the above experimental conditions, β-TCP was able to maintain better the viability of osteoprogenitor cells and allow proliferation and differentiation(P < 0.05).

A Study on the Meat and Bone Meal and Poultry By-product Meal as Protein Substitutes of Fish Meal in Practical Diets for Litopenaeus vannamei Juveniles

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of meat and bone meal (MBM) and poultry by-product meal (PBM) as the replacement of fish meal in the diets on the growth performance, survival and apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of Litopenaeus vannamei. The basal diets were formulated with 22% fish meal and other ingredients which provided about 40% protein and 9% lipid in the diet. The experimental diets included MBM or PBM to replace 0, 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% of total fish meal respectively. All diets were iso-nitrogenous and isocaloric in gross terms. The results showed that there were no significant differences (P>0.05) in growth performance and ADC among the treatments fed with the diets in which 0-60% fish meal had been replaced with MBM, while the percent weight gain (WG, %), body length gain (BLG, %) and ADC significantly decreased when the MBM was up to 80% of the fish meal. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) in growth performance and ADC among all the treatments fed with the diets in which 0-80% fish meal had been replaced with PBM.

Creep-Recovery and Relaxation Behavior of High Density Polyethylene/Hydroxyapatite Nano Particles for Bone Substitutes: Effects of Gamma Radiation

The following article has been retracted due to the fact that it cannot be accepted by the author as a journal publication. The Editorial Board takes a very strong respect to the author’s situation on this matter. This paper published in Journal of Biosciences and Medicines Vol.2 No.2, April 2014, has been removed from this site.

Strategic Thinking on Developing Petroleum Substitutes in China

The continual growth of Chinese economy indicates that the oil demand in China will maintain a strongly rising tendency in the future. With increasing oil consumption, the contradiction between supply and demand will become more and more serious, which can be resolved by developing petroleum substitutes. This paper analyzes different influence factors, displays the development trend and probes into the strategy in developing petroleum substitutes in China.

Minimally Invasive Subpericranial Model: Can It Be Used to Study Bone Substitutes?

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a new approach for craniofacial augmentation by a minimally-invasive subpericranial injection. Three commercially available semi-liquid bioceramic bone-grafting materials were examined for this application in a rat model. Material and Methods: Twenty-four adult male rats were randomly assigned to undergo onlay calvarial grafting by subpericranial injection of three semi-liquid bone void fillers: Norian SRS(calcium phosphate), ChronOs InjectTM (porous beta-tricalcium phosphate), or BonePlastharvested after 24 hours to serve as controls. The rest were studied after 16 weeks. The volume fraction of the following parameters was morphometrically measured: new bone, blood vessels, residual bone filler and inflammation. Results: In all study groups (including controls), histological examination demonstrated that bone fillers were successfully delivered to the desired subpericranial space by the percutaneous injection method. New bone formation was evidenced adjacent to the cranial bone in all the study groups. The Norian filler material survived in a significantly higher volume fraction (38.4% ± 6.5%) than the ChronOs filler (18.8% ± 1.6%;P 0.0001) and the BonePlast filler (17.8% ± 1.5%;P 0.0001). New bone was formed in all groups, particularly adjacent to the interface of graft material with native bone but only to minimal extent. Conclusion: This new approach for craniomaxillofacial augmentation was successfully demonstrated in a rat model. The Norian filler (calcium phosphate) demonstrated superior space preservation abilities. This model may be further applied to test new injectable bone substitutes in the craniomaxillofacial area.

A Research on the Quality Features of Ice Cream Produced Using Some Fat Substitutes

The aim of this study was to determine some quality properties of fat-reduced ice creams produced using some fat substitutes:10%fat ice cream was considered as the control group;6%Simplesse®100 or 2%Maltrin040 was added as fat substitute to 7.5%,5%and 2.5%fat ice cream.The organoleptic(firmness,melting resistance,structure,gumminess,melting in mouth,feeling in mouth,icy structure,smoothness,flavor,cream taste,milk powder taste,foreign taste,vanilla taste and general acceptability),physical(viscosity,overrun,melting rate and first drip time)and chemical(dry matter,fat,fat in dry matter,protein,pH,titration acidity and ash)properties of ice cream samples were investigated on the 1st,7th,15th,30th,60th and 90th days of the storage.According to results of the research,the viscosity of 7.5%fat ice cream Maltrin040 or Simplesse®100 added was higher than the control group.Moreover,decrease in fat adversely affected organoleptic properties of the ice cream.As a result of the findings,7.5%fat ice creams 6%Simplesse®100 added can be recommended for ice creams to be produced by reducing fat ratio.In the near future,the production of ice-creams with fat substitutes at an industrial level will be of great importance for low-energy and vegetable fat dieters.

In vitro comparison of human plasma-based and self-assembled tissue-engineered skin substitutes:two different manufacturing processes for the treatment of deep and difficult to heal injuries

Background:The aim of this in vitro study was to compare side-by-side two models of human bilayered tissue-engineered skin substitutes(hbTESSs)designed for the treatment of severely burned patients.These are the scaffold-free self-assembled skin substitute(SASS)and the human plasma-based skin substitute(HPSS).Methods:Fibroblasts and keratinocytes from three humans were extracted from skin biopsies(N=3)and cells from the same donor were used to produce both hbTESS models.For SASS manu-facture,keratinocytes were seeded over three self-assembled dermal sheets comprising fibroblasts and the extracellular matrix they produced(n=12),while for HPSS production,keratinocytes were cultured over hydrogels composed of fibroblasts embedded in either plasma as unique biomaterial(Fibrin),plasma combined with hyaluronic acid(Fibrin-HA)or plasma combined with collagen(Fibrin-Col)(n/biomaterial=9).The production time was 46-55 days for SASSs and 32-39 days for HPSSs.Substitutes were characterized by histology,mechanical testing,PrestoBlue™-assay,immunofluorescence(Ki67,Keratin(K)10,K15,K19,Loricrin,type IV collagen)and Western blot(type I and IV collagens).Results:The SASSs were more resistant to tensile forces(p-value<0.01)but less elastic(p-value<0.001)compared to HPSSs.A higher number of proliferative Ki67+cells were found in SASSs although their metabolic activity was lower.After epidermal differentiation,no significant difference was observed in the expression of K10,K15,K19 and Loricrin.Overall,the production of type I and type IV collagens and the adhesive strength of the dermal-epidermal junction was higher in SASSs.Conclusions:This study demonstrates,for the first time,that both hbTESS models present similar in vitro biological characteristics.However,mechanical properties differ and future in vivo experiments will aim to compare their wound healing potential.

Demineralized Bone Matrix Fibers plus Allograft Bone for Multilevel Posterolateral Spine Fusion: A Game Changer?

Introduction: While autograft bone is the gold standard for multilevel posterolateral lumbar fusion, bone substitutes and graft extenders such as allograft bone, ceramics and demineralized bone matrix (DBM) have been used to avoid the morbidity and insufficient quantity associated with harvesting autologous bone. The primary objective of this retrospective study was to determine whether, in patients with increased risk of operative nonunion related to multilevel fusion, adding DBM fibers to mineralized bone allograft resulted in better fusion than using allograft alone. The secondary objectives were to evaluate how adding DBM fibers affects functional disability, low back pain, intraoperative blood loss and the nonunion rate. Methods: This retrospective study involved a chart review of consecutive patients who underwent multilevel lumbar spinal fusion and were operated on by a single surgeon. The patients were divided into two groups: 14 patients received mineralized bone allograft (control group) and 14 patients received a combination of mineralized bone allograft and DBM (experimental group). Patients were reviewed at a mean of 16.4 ± 2.2 months after surgery at which point CT scans were analyzed to determine whether fusion had occurred;Oswestry disability index (ODI) and pain were also evaluated. Results: A mean of 5 levels [min 2, max 13] were fused in these patients. Posterolateral fusion as defined by the Lenke classification was not significantly different between groups. The experimental DBM group had a significantly better composite fusion score than the control group (P Discussion: Adding DBM fibers to allograft bone during multilevel posterolateral spinal fusion was safe and produced better composite fusion than using allograft only as an autograft extender.

Manure substitution improves maize yield by promoting soil fertility and mediating the microbial community in lime concretion black soil

Synthetic nitrogen(N)fertilizer has made a great contribution to the improvement of soil fertility and productivity,but excessive application of synthetic N fertilizer may cause agroecosystem risks,such as soil acidification,groundwater contamination and biodiversity reduction.Meanwhile,organic substitution has received increasing attention for its ecologically and environmentally friendly and productivity benefits.However,the linkages between manure substitution,crop yield and the underlying microbial mechanisms remain uncertain.To bridge this gap,a three-year field experiment was conducted with five fertilization regimes:i)Control,non-fertilization;CF,conventional synthetic fertilizer application;CF_(1/2)M_(1/2),1/2 N input via synthetic fertilizer and 1/2 N input via manure;CF_(1/4)M_(3/4),1/4 N input synthetic fertilizer and 3/4 N input via manure;M,manure application.All fertilization treatments were designed to have equal N input.Our results showed that all manure substituted treatments achieved high soil fertility indexes(SFI)and productivities by increasing the soil organic carbon(SOC),total N(TN)and available phosphorus(AP)concentrations,and by altering the bacterial community diversity and composition compared with CF.SOC,AP,and the soil C:N ratio were mainly responsible for microbial community variations.The co-occurrence network revealed that SOC and AP had strong positive associations with Rhodospirillales and Burkholderiales,while TN and C:N ratio had positive and negative associations with Micromonosporaceae,respectively.These specific taxa are implicated in soil macroelement turnover.Random Forest analysis predicted that both biotic(bacterial composition and Micromonosporaceae)and abiotic(AP,SOC,SFI,and TN)factors had significant effects on crop yield.The present work strengthens our understanding of the effects of manure substitution on crop yield and provides theoretical support for optimizing fertilization strategies.

Off-farm employment,agriculture production activities,and household dietary diversity in environmentally and economically vulnerable areas of Asia

Access to off-farm employment has been expected to be a critical approach to ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition,two important targets of achieving Zero Hunger.This study aims to investigate the role of off-farm employment in improving dietary diversity through substitution effect and complementary effect with agricultural production activities and income effect.This study adopts Poisson/Tobit/Probit/OLS regressions and the instrument variable method based on the primary survey data collected among 1,282 households at 12 sites in environmentally and economically vulnerable areas of China,Nepal,Cambodia,Thailand,and Myanmar in 2019.The results show that off-farm employment is positively associated with household dietary diversity and the consumption of flesh meat,fish and other aquatic animals,fruits,and milk and dairy products,which are rich in protein and micronutrients.The results of mechanism analysis show that off-farm employment contributes to household dietary diversity by improving crop diversity,especially for poor households,boosting the probability of livestock raising for households with the middle one-third disposal income,and increasing household income.The positive association between off-farm employment and household dietary diversity is much higher for households with the bottom one-third disposal income,low illiteracy,and from upper-middle income countries.These findings imply that off-farm employment does play a vital role in achieving multiple benefits of poverty alleviation,malnutrition reduction,and agrobiodiversity conservation in environmentally and economically vulnerable areas.However,it may enlarge the gaps in dietary diversity between households with low human capital and from low and lower-middle income countries and those with high human capital and from middle-high countries.