B Vitamins Can Reduce Body Weight Gain by Increasing Metabolism-related Enzyme Activities in Rats Fed on a High-Fat Diet

B vitamins are enzyme cofactors that play an important role in energy metabolism.The aim of this study was to elucidate whether B vitamin administration can reduce body weight(BW)gain by improving energy metabolism-related enzyme activities in rats fed on a highfat diet.Fifty rats were randomly assigned to one of the following five groups:control group(C),including rats fed on standard rat chow;four treatment groups(H0,H1,H2,and H3),in which rats were fed on a high-fat diet.Rats in the H1 group were treated daily with 100 mg/kg BW thiamine(VB1),100 mg/kg BW riboflavin(VB2),and 250 mg/kg BW niacin(VPP);rats in the H2 group were treated daily with 100 mg/kg BW pyridoxine(VB6),100 mg/kg BW cobalamin(VB12),and 5 mg/kg BW folate(FA);and rats in the H3 group were treated daily with all of the B vitamins administered to the H1 and H2 groups.After 12 weeks,the BW gains from the initial value were 154.5±58.4 g and 159.1±53.0 g in the H1 and C groups,respectively,which were significantly less than the changes in the H0 group(285.2±14.8 g,P〈0.05).In the H0 group,the plasma total cholesterol(CHO)and triglyceride(TG)levels were 1.59±0.30 mmol/L and 1.55±0.40 mmol/L,respectively,which were significantly greater than those in the H1 group(1.19±0.18 mmol/L and 0.76±0.34 mmol/L,respectively,P〈0.05).The activities of transketolase(TK),glutathione reductase,and Na^+/K^+adenosine triphosphatase were significantly increased in the B vitamin-treated groups and were significantly greater than those in the H0 group(P〈0.05).Furthermore,the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase,pyruvic acid kinase,and succinate dehydrogenase activities also were increased after treatment with B vitamins.Supplementation with B vitamins could effectively reduce BW gain and plasma levels of lipids by improving energy metabolism-related enzyme activities in rats,thus possibly providing potential benefits to humans.

The Potential of Duck Hepatitis Virus(DHV-1) Stimulating the Body Weight Gain and the Effects of Silymarin on It in Duckling

To evaluate the effects of duck hepatitis virus-1 （DHV-1） on the body weight gain in duck and the effects of silymarin on it in vivo, 100 10-d-old ducks, both male and female, were collected to be subjected to the test. The experiments were conducted in 8 groups： in group 1-3, the animals were inoculated with 1：105 diluted duck hepatitis virus （DHV-1） infected allantoic fluid and given 0, 30, and 50 mg kg^-1 BW d^-1 silymarin orally, respectively. In group 4-6, the animals were inoculated with 1：5 × 105 diluted DHV-1 infected allantoic fluid and given 0, 10, and 30 mg kg^-1 BW d^-1 silymarin orally, respectively. In group 7, the animals were given 10 mg kg^-1 BW d^-1 silymafin only. Group 8 was the control one treated by injecting sterillized saline into the leg muscles. All the silymarin was given from 0 to 4 d after inoculation of the virus. By the 5th d after inoculation, the vein blood was drawn from the dorsal foot vein and the plasma samples were collected and stored at -20℃. The body weight gain （BWG） was measured from 0 to 10 d after inoculation. The plasma IGF-I, T3, and T4 concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay （RIA）. At the virus dose of 1：5 ×105 diluted virus infected allantoic fluid, the inoculation of the virus enhanced the BWG significantly compared with that of the control （P〈 0.01）, while 10-50 mg kg^-1 BW d^-1 silymarin could counteract the effects of the virus on the BWG dose-dependently. The plasma IGF-I levels showed no correlation with the BWG, but the T3 levels showed a same tropism with the body weight gain. The present results indicated that sublethal DHV-1 enhanced the body weight gain of ducklings significantly, and the silymarin could counteract this effect in vivo.

Effects of Biomineral Liquid from Spartina alterniflora on Growth,Body Color and Nutritional Components of Ricefield Eels,Monopterus albus

[Objective]The paper was to develop new fodder additives and to strengthen comprehensive utilization of Spartina alterniflora resources.[Method]The effects of biomineral liquid from S.alterniflora on growth,nutritional components of ricefield eels were studied.[Result]（1）0.5%of biomineral liquid had significant effect on weight gain rate,which was 8.37%higher than that in control group（P〈0.01）.Further supply of biomineral liquid could not increase the weight gain rate.Furthermore,biomineral liquid had no effect on the survival rate of ricefield eels.（2）Ricefield eels had certain changes in body color in the0.5%biomineral liquid group,and some ricefield eels were yellowing.（3）The contents of Cr,Fe,Zn in body of ricefield eels in treatment group were significantly higher than that in control group,but was lower than that in wild eel group,and the content of Se in treatment group was lower than that in control group and wild group（P〈0.01）.（4）The contents of K,Mg in muscle of ricefield eels in treatment group were higher than those in control group and wild eel group.The contents of ash and Ca in treatment group were close to that in control group but were higher than that in wild eel group.The content of crude fat in treatment group was close to that in wild eel group but was lower than that in control group.The contents of Zn,Se,Ni in treatment group were higher than that in control group and wild eel group,and the contents of Cr,Fe,Cu were close to that in control group and were higher than that in wild eel group（P〈0.01）.No significant differences were observed in the contents of moisture,crude fat and P among the three groups（P〉0.05）.[Conclusion]Addition of biomineral liquid from S.alterniflora could speed up the growth of ricefield eels and significantly improve their flesh quality,but had no significant effect on survival rate of ricefield eels.

Metformin inhibits food intake and neuropeptide Y gene expression in the hypothalamus

Metformin may reduce food intake and body weight, but the anorexigenic effects of metformin are still poorly understood. In this study, Sprague-Dawley rats were administered a single intracere- broventricular dose of metformin and compound C, in a broader attempt to investigate the regula- tory effects of metformin on food intake and to explore the possible mechanism. Results showed that central administration of metformin significantly reduced food intake and body weight gain, par- ticularly after 4 hours. A reduction of neuropeptide Y expression and induction of AMP-activated protein kinase phosphorylation in the hypothalamus were also observed 4 hours after metformin administration, which could be reversed by compound C, a commonly-used antagonist of AMP-activated protein kinase. Furthermore, metformin also improved lipid metabolism by reducing plasma low-density lipoprotein. Our findings suggest that under normal physiological conditions, central regulation of appetite by metformin is related to a decrease in neuropeptide Y gene expres- sion, and that the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase may simply be a response to the anorexigenic effect of metformin.

The Effect of Quantitative Feed Restriction Duration on Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Broiler Chickens

The growth productivity of broilers is influenced by improving growth performance through improving body weight, average daily gain, and feed conversion rate. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of quantitative feed restriction duration on growth performance and carcass characteristics of broilers. A total of 144 day-old broiler chicks were reared in a deep litter system until slaughter at 42 days. Chicks were randomly allocated to three treatments which were replicated three times with 16 birds per replicate. The three treatments were the control (T1), one week of feed restriction (T2), and two weeks of feed restriction (T3). Birds were fed with starter, grower and finisher diets. The average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) were computed for each week. Carcass weight and internal organs weights were measured. The body weight gained by the birds in T1 was similar to the birds that were restricted for a week. The treatments had a significant effect on the average daily gain in weeks 4, 5, and 6. The ADG for T2 was higher (P < 0.05) at week 5 after 1 week of restriction, than T1 and T3. The feed conversion ratio was significantly higher in T3 after 2 weeks of restriction. In T2 and T3, feed intake was significantly lower than in birds fed ad libitum at week 4 at the start of the treatment. There was no significant effect on the relative weights of heart weights, liver, gizzard, feet, and heads among the treatment groups except for intestine weight which was lower (P < 0.05) in T1 than T2 and T3. It was concluded that broilers that were restricted for one week had a positive result in growth performance. Feed restriction had minimal effect on the organ weights of broiler chickens.

Cesarean Section Rate in Singleton Primiparae and Related Factors in Beijing, China

Background： The cesarean section rate （CSR） bas been a main concern worldwide. The present study aimed to investigate the CSR in Beijing, China, and to analyze the related lactors of CS delivery. Methods： An observational study was conducted in 15 medical centers in Beijing using a systemic cluster sampling naethod. In total, 15, 194 pregnancies were enrolled in the study between ,lune 20, 2013 and November 30, 2013. Independent t-tests and Pearson＇s Chi-square test were nsed to examine differences between two groups, and related factors of the CSR were examined by multivariable logistic regression. Results： The CSR was 41.9% （4471/10,671） in singleton primiparae. Women who were more than 35 years old had a 7.4-fold increased risk of CS delivery compared with women 〈25 years old （odd ratio [OR] 7.388, 95% confidence interval [Cl] = 5.561-9.816, P 〈 0.001 ）. Prepregnancy obese women had a 2-1bid increased risk of CS delivery compared with prepregnancy normal weight women （OR = 2.058. 95% CI = 1.640-2.584, P〈 0.001 ）. The excessive weight gain group had a 1.4-fold increased risk of CS delivery compared with the adequate weight gain group （OR 1.422, 95% CI = 1.289 1.568, P〈 0.001 ）. Gestational diabetes mellitus （GDM） women and DM women had an increased risk of CS delivery （ 1.2- and 1.7-fold, respectively） compared with normal blood glucose women. Women who were born in rural areas had a lower risk of CS delivery than did those who were born in urban areas （OR 0.696, 95% CI = 0.625-0.775, P 〈 0.001 ）. The risk of CS delivery gradually increased with a decreasing education level. Neonates weighing 3000-3499 g had the lowest CSR （36.2%）. Neonates weighing 〈2500 g had a 2-fold increased risk of CS delivery compared with neonates weighing 3000 3499 g （OR - 2.020, 95% CI=1.537 2.656, P 〈 0.001 ）. Neonates weighing ≥4500 g had an 8.3-fold increased risk of CS delivery compared with neonates weighing 3000-3499 g （OR = 8.313.95% CI= 4.436-15.579, P 〈 0.001）. Conclusions： Maternal age, prepregnancy body mass index, geslational weight gain, blood glncose levels, residence, education level, and singleton fetal birth weight arc all factors that might significantly affect the CSR.