Insights on the molecular mechanism of neuroprotection exerted by edible bird’s nest and its bioactive constituents

Neurodegenerative diseases are often associated with the accumulation of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation.Edible bird’s nest(EBN)is a glycoprotein(sialylated mucin glycopeptides)found to be beneficial against neurodegenerative diseases.Antioxidative,anti-inflammatory,and anti-apoptotic properties of EBN in preserving neuronal cells were widely researched using in vitro and in vivo models.Functional effects of EBN are often linked to its great number of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory glycopeptides.Bioactive compounds in EBN,especially sialic acid,add value to neurotrophic potential of EBN and contribute to neuronal repair and protection.Various studies reporting the neuroprotective effects of EBN,their molecular mechanisms,and neuroactive composition were gathered in this review to provide better insights on the neuroprotective effects of EBN.

Nest-site fidelity and breeding dispersal by Common Tailorbirds in a tropical forest

Background:Information pertaining to nest-site fidelity and breeding dispersal over successive years can help to better our understanding of how birds respond to nest predation.Methods:By using mist nets and tracking the color banded individuals,we investigated nest-site fidelity and breeding dispersal by Common Tailorbirds(Orthotomus sutorius)throughout a year and between successive years in 2017–2018.Results:The present study showed that Common Tailorbirds could produce up to four clutches per breeding season.When multiple broods were produced within a year,breeding pairs remained together,and the nest rebuilding rate was up to 92.2%,with only four cases(7.8%)in which birds reused their old nests.The dispersal distance between the nests during multiple breeding was found to be 10.0±10.5 m,and nest-site fidelity within the same year was 90.0%.By the second year of breeding,76.2%of individuals remained in the original breeding pairs,while for those that did switch partners,the females remained in the nest from the previous year and paired with new males.The dispersal distance between years was 26.5±41.9 m,and nest-site fidelity between different years was 80.1%.There was no significant difference between within-year and between-year dispersal distances.Moreover,there was no significant difference in the dispersal distance of rebuilt nests between birds that had experienced nest predation and those that had not.Conclusions:Our findings suggest that Common Tailorbirds maintain a high degree of fidelity to mates and nestsites,and nest predation had no significant effect on territorial changes or breeding dispersal distance between each breeding attempt.

Investigating how different classes of nest predators respond to the playback of the begging calls of nestling birds

Begging brings benefits and costs for nestling birds:it can indicate their needs to their parents,but it can also be a cue used by predators to find the nest.The costs,like many variables related to nest predation,can be specific to what kinds of predators are present and their auditory capabilities.These costs and benefits could also be affected by human noise,as noise could disrupt communication to parents and eavesdropping by predators,although human-produced noise might be easily ignored if predators can hear high-frequency components of the begging.We studied nest predation on a generalist bird,the Red-whiskered Bulbul(Pycnonotus jocosus),in a tropical forest in which there are many kinds of nest predators,including birds,mammals and reptiles.In 20 natural nests in which artificial eggs were placed,and subsequently in 140 artificial nests,we broadcast recordings of begging nestlings,with and without traffic noise,at two volume levels.We hypothesized that playback would increase predation relative to a silent control,and that mixing in traffic noise with the begging would decrease predation,as the begging signal was masked.However,we hypothesized that some predators,particularly small mammals with sensitive high-frequency hearing,might ignore the traffic noise.We found that predation was lowest for the control treatment,and lower for treatments mixed with traffic noise than for those without it.Small mammals,however,showed an unexpected pattern,displaying less nest predation in the treatments with traffic noise.Our results demonstrate the human-associated noise can disturb nest predators and influence which kinds of predators use begging to locate nests.

Does bird photography affect nest predation and feeding frequency?

Bird photography is a popular and growing form of ecotourism that contributes to the economic growth of local communities,but its disturbance to bird reproduction remains understudied.We worked in a tropical forest of southern China,which has experienced a sharp increase in the number of photographers in recent years.We compared nests that were photographed and those that were not,in their nest predation and parental feeding rates.Including nests of 42 species,the results demonstrate that the predation rate of nests that were not photographed(incubation stage:43.3%of 194 nests;nestling stage:34.5%of 110 nests)was significantly higher than that of photographed ones(incubation:2.4%of 83 nests;nestling:11.1%of 81 nests).Among different nest types,open cup nests in shrub and trees were most affected by photography,in both incubation and nestling stages.Of five factors investigated,including three natural factors(nest stage,structure and position),and two anthropogenic factors(photography and distance to forest edge),only photographic disturbance and nest structure had significant effects(open nests had higher predation).The feeding frequency at nests when photographers were present was not strongly different from when they were not present.Human activity therefore had no negative effects on the birds,but showed a positive effect on their nesting success,in terms of reducing nest predation rates.However,there needs to be further assessment of other aspects of nesting(e.g.,clutch size,duration of nestlings in nests),and other kinds of stress responses(e.g.,hormonal changes),before the total effect of bird photography can be understood.

Collection,curation and the use of humidification to restore nest shape in a research museum bird nest collection

Background:Bird nests are an important part of avian ecology.They are a powerful tool for studying not only the birds that built them,but a wide array of topics ranging from parasitology,urbanisation and climate change to evolu-tion.Despite this,bird nests tend to be underrepresented in natural history collections,a problem that should be redressed through renewed focus by collecting institutions.Methods:Here we outline the history and current best practice collection and curatorial methods for the nest col-lection of the Australian National Wildlife Collection(ANWC).We also describe an experiment conducted on nests in the ANWC using ultrasonic humidification to restore the shape of nests damaged by inappropriate storage.Results:The experiment showed that damaged nests can be successfully reshaped to close to their original dimen-sions.Indeed,restored nests were significantly closer to their original shape than they were prior to restoration.Thus,even nests damaged by years of neglect may be fully incorporated into active research collections.Best practice techniques include extensive note taking and photography in the field,subsampling of nests that cannot or should not be collected,appropriate field storage,metadata management,and prompt treatment upon arrival at the collec-tion facility.Conclusions:Renewed focus on nest collections should include appropriate care and restoration of current col-lections,as well as expansion to redress past underrepresentation.This could include collaboration with researchers studying or monitoring avian nesting ecology,and nest collection after use in bird species that rebuild anew each nesting attempt.Modern expansion of museum nest collections will allow researchers and natural history collections to fully realise the scientific potential of these complex and beautiful specimens.

Role of wing morphing in thrust generation

In this paper, we investigate the role of morphing on flight dynamics of two birds by simulating the flow over rigid and morphing wings that have the characteristics of two different birds, namely the Giant Petrel and Dove Prion. The simulation of a flapping rigid wing shows that the root of the wing should be placed at a specific angle of attack in order to generate enough lift to balance the weight of the bird. However, in this case the generated thrust is either very small, or even negative, depending on the wing shape. Further, results show that morphing of the wing enables a significant increase in the thrust and propulsive efficiency. This indicates that the birds actually utilize some sort of active wing twisting and bending to produce enough thrust. This study should facilitate better guidance for the design of flapping air vehicles.

Enzymatic recovery of glycopeptides from different industrial grades edible bird’s nest and its by-products:nutrient,probiotic and antioxidant activities,and physicochemical characteristics

This study was conducted to recover edible bird’s nest(EBN)hydrolysates from different grades of EBN,including the industrial by-products,using enzymatic treatment.The nutrient,physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of the recovered hydrolysates at different hydrolysis times were evaluated.Results showed that the recovery yield of enzymatic hydrolysis was above 89%for all grades of EBN and the degree of hydrolysis increased over time.Nitrite content(0.321-0.433 mg/L)was below the permissible tolerance level for all samples.Interestingly,the antioxidant activities(DPPH and ABTS scavenging activities and ferric reducing antioxidant powder(FRAP)activity)were significantly higher(P≤0.05)in hydrolysates recovered from EBN by-products(EBNhC and EBNhD)as compared to the high grade EBN hydrolysates(EBNhA and EBNhB).The in-vitro probiotic activity of EBN and its hydrolysates were examined using the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum.Evidently,EBN by-products hydrolysate(EBNhD)recorded the highest number of L.plantarum(1.1×1011 CFU/mL),indicating that low grade EBN has the potential as prebiotic material that promotes probiotic activity.This study demonstrated the concept of using EBN by-products hydrolysates for various applications,such as functional ingredients with enhanced bioactivities,to improve its economic value.

The effects of climate and land use change on the potential distribution and nesting habitat of the Lesser Adjutant in Nepal

Climate change and land use change pose a threat to the world’s biodiversity and have significant impacts on the geographic distribution and composition of many bird species,but little is known about how they affect threatened large-sized waterbird species that rely on agricultural landscapes.To address this gap,we investigated how climate and land use changes influence the distribution and nesting habitats of the globally vulnerable Lesser Adjutant(Leptoptilos javanicus) in Nepal.Between 2012 and 2023,we collected distribution data from 24 districts and nesting site information from 18 districts.In a nation-wide breeding survey conducted in 2020,we documented a total of 581 fledglings from 346 nests in 109 colonies.The ensemble model predicted a current potential distribution of 15%(21,637 km2) and a potential nesting habitat of 13%(19,651 km2) for the species in Nepal.The highest predicted current suitable distribution and nesting habitat was in Madhesh Province,while none was predicted in Karnali Province.The majority of this predicted distributional and nesting habitat falls on agricultural landscapes(>70%).Our model showed a likely range expansion of up to 15%(21,573 km2) for the distribution and up to 12%(17,482 km2) for the nesting habitat under SSP5-8.5 scenarios for the 2070s.The range expansion is expected to occur mainly within the current distribution and breeding range(Tarai and some regions of Siwalk),particularly in Lumbini and Sudurpashchim provinces,and extend to the northern portions(Siwalik and Mid-hill regions) in other provinces.However,the current Protected Areas and Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas are inadequate for providing optimal habitats for the species.Although the model suggests range expansion,the use of such novel habitats is primarily contingent on the availability and protection of large-sized trees(particularly Bombax ceiba,observed in 65% of colonies) in agricultural regions where nesting occurs.Therefore,our research suggests that agricultural landscapes should be prioritized in management plans for the conservation of the Lesser Adjutant in Nepal.

复杂环境下输电线路鸟巢目标图像检测模型

为了解决复杂环境下电力巡检无人机对输电线路鸟巢识别精度低、错检漏检率高、定位不准等问题,在YOLOv5s模型的基础上,提出一种用于输电线路鸟巢目标检测的改进YOLO-nc-kd模型。设计一种高效的多尺度卷积特征融合模块(MCFFM),实现不同尺度下的高效特征提取,使模型能获得更加丰富和多样化的特征表示。引入注意力机制,提升主干网络在相似环境背景下的鸟巢特征提取能力。设计改进的定位损失函数,提高边界框的定位精度和小目标检测能力。使用知识蒸馏技术,进一步提升模型精度。实验结果表明,改进YOLO-nc-kd模型的准确率、召回率以及平均精度均值(m AP)相较于YOLOv5s模型分别提升了7.3、5.6、4.9个百分点,具有较好的输电线路鸟巢目标图像检测效果。

食用燕窝和唾液酸对抗氧化影响的定性研究

背景:燕窝的食用历史悠久,具有食药两用的特征,被人们尊崇为珍馐佳肴和滋补圣品。尽管有研究表明燕窝或其有效成分唾液酸具有抗氧化的功效,目前还缺乏系统分析燕窝的抗氧化作用的相关研究。目的:系统评价燕窝和唾液酸对抗氧化的作用及其潜在机制。方法:采用关键词“燕窝”或“唾液酸”以及“抗氧化”,针对2012—2022年间相关学术文献进行全面检索,包括PubMed、Embase、中国知网、万方和中国生物医学文献数据库。严格按照纳排标准筛选所检索的相关文章。文献风险评估采用SYRCLE动物实验风险评估工具。结果:6项动物模型实验研究被最终纳入。综述结果表明:燕窝和唾液酸有促进动物机体抗氧化能力的潜在功效,并存在剂量效应。燕窝和唾液酸可能通过增加抗氧化物质来提升抗氧化能力,同时减少炎症和氧化应激水平。结论:动物模型实验结果表明燕窝和唾液酸有助于提高抗氧化能力,并且效果与摄入量成正比。然而,由于目前缺乏相关的临床实验数据,因此尚无法确定燕窝对人体抗氧能力的影响。

燕窝及其提取物对皮肤状态的定性循证研究

目的:系统评价食用燕窝及其提取物对皮肤状态的影响。方法:在中国知网、万方、中国生物医学文献服务系统、PubMed和Embase数据库中检索自2012年1月—2022年9月国内外发表的相关文献,并根据纳入排除标准对文献进行筛选,参照世界卫生组织(WHO)推荐的证据评价方法和标准、SYRCLE动物实验风险评估工具对人群研究、动物实验进行综合评价,并根据体外实验探讨可能作用机制。结果:共纳入10项研究,其中3篇为随机对照试验、3篇为动物实验、4篇为体外实验。综合分析结果显示,食用燕窝有助于提高皮肤含水量,减轻皮肤光老化和炎症水平,其提取物有助于促进角质形成细胞的增殖以及皮肤美白等。结论:目前研究结果提示,食用燕窝及其提取物有助于改善皮肤在紫外线暴露下的损伤,还能抑制黑色素的产生,促进皮肤美白,有助于促进表皮角质形成细胞的增殖,减少皮肤损伤。因此,适当摄入燕窝有助于皮肤状态的改善。但目前人群研究较少,还有待进一步的研究验证。

食用燕窝对促进认知影响的定性研究

目的:系统评价燕窝对认知的影响。方法:在中国知网、万方、中国生物医学文献数据库、PubMed和Embase数据库中检索自2012年9月1日—2022年9月1日国内外发表的相关研究文献,并根据纳入排除标准对文献进行筛选。参照SYRCLE动物实验风险评估工具,对相关文献进行综合评价。结果:共纳入5项研究,均为动物模型实验。无论燕窝的来源、给药途径、治疗时间、治疗目的(营养、治疗或预防)是否一致,综述结果都表明,燕窝可以改善实验动物的认知功能,用于诱导性认知功能障碍的治疗,作为子代的认知营养增强剂,对动物暴露于脑毒性物质后续产生的认知损伤具有预防保护作用,且呈现出剂量依赖效应。并且,燕窝的促进认知作用可能与燕窝或其有效成分可以增强抗氧化能力,降低神经炎症和氧化应激反应有关。结论:动物实验表明,燕窝具有促进认知的潜在功效,但因缺乏人群实验,尙无法确定燕窝对人群认知的影响。

基于YOLO的输电线路鸟巢检测网络结构改进研究

为提高电力系统的安全运行水平,针对输电线路上的鸟巢识别问题,提出基于YOLO的输电线路鸟巢检测网络。首先通过构建GhostNet模块搭建骨干网络,并优化了特征层提取方式;随后通过改进特征金字塔连接层,并结合PANet结构构建了瓶颈网络的特征金字塔,最终搭建了YOLO-NEST网络。构建并扩充数据集进行训练,将提出的网络与其他目标检测算法进行对比,结果表明所提网络在进行输电线路的鸟巢检测时效率更高。

基于YOLOv5s的轻量化架空输电线路鸟巢检测网络

架空输电线路上的鸟巢侵占会对铁塔上的电力设备造成安全隐患,间接可能影响整个电力系统的稳定运行。针对目前架空输电线路鸟巢检测模型在复杂场景以及小目标场景下检测精度不高,检测效率低,模型复杂等问题。本研究提出一种基于YOLOv5s框架的轻量化架空输电线路鸟巢检测网络。首先在主干部分采用Fasternet重构YOLOv5s特征提取网络,降低模型复杂度,提高运行速度;然后在特征融合网络部分嵌入ConvMixer层,ConvMixer层的结构设计有助于在特征信息中更好的捕捉空间和通道的关系,提升模型对于小目标的检测能力;最后在特征融合网络部分引入ODConv模块,令送入检测头的特征图包含更多有效特征,提高模型对复杂场景和小目标的检测性能。实验结果表明,本文与基线模型YOLOv5s相比,计算量和模型体积分别减少了86%和72%,平均精度均值达到96.4%,检测速度达到104.2帧/s,验证了本文改进模型的有效性和可行性。

不同类型燕窝营养检测现状及营养成分分析

目的:旨在总结不同类型燕窝中营养成分的检测现状,并分析其营养成分组成和差异,便于进一步开展燕窝营养相关科学研究。方法:在PubMed、Embase、Web ofScience、中国知网、万方数据库、维普检索自建库至2022年8月国内外公开发表的相关研究文献。纳入测定燕窝中营养成分组成与含量的定性与定量研究,包括一手研究数据、综述、系统综述等非一手研究数据,语言限定为中英文;排除与主题无关、重复、数据不完整、无法获得全文的文章。结果:共检索出文献1 237篇,本文共纳入8篇文献作为本次综述的主要证据。研究显示,燕窝中蛋白质含量范围为56.34%~69.5%,脂肪含量范围为0.03%~1.28%,碳水化合物含量范围为17.12%~31.68%,水分含量范围为12%~24.3%,唾液酸含量范围为7.64%~12.52%,不同类型燕窝中营养成分的种类及含量可能存在差异。结论:燕窝中蛋白质含量高,氨基酸种类丰富且必需氨基酸比例较大,脂肪含量极低,富含矿物质且含有多种必需微量元素,维生素与唾液酸含量均较高。不同类型燕窝中营养成分的种类及含量存在一定差异,不同类型燕窝中碳水化合物含量差异较大。

燕窝和唾液酸对糖脂代谢影响的定性循证研究

目的:对补充燕窝及唾液酸对糖脂代谢的健康效应进行系统综述。方法:以“燕窝OR唾液酸”“糖代谢”“脂代谢”等作为关键词,检索于2012年1月—2023年2月期间公开发表的中文和英文文献,最终纳入符合标准的文献8篇作为本次综述的主要证据,其中有关唾液酸对糖脂代谢影响的文献5篇,有关燕窝对糖脂代谢影响的文献3篇,均为随机对照的动物实验。结果:5项唾液酸的研究和3项燕窝的研究显示,补充燕窝或唾液酸能够降低高脂膳食实验动物的血清胆固醇水平、动脉粥样肝硬化斑块面积、HOMA-IR值、OGTT曲线下面积等(P值均小于0.05),有益于糖脂代谢,具有一定的可信度;然而基于动物实验结果的证据评价等级较差,未检索到证据强度高的人群研究。结论:燕窝和唾液酸对改善实验动物的糖脂代谢有益,然而尚不清楚其对于人类糖脂代谢是否有调节作用,需要进一步研究验证。

鸟巢式护理在新生儿护理中的应用效果分析

目的 分析鸟巢式护理在新生儿护理中的应用效果。方法 本次研究开始时间为2021年1月至2022年9月,选择新生儿一共100例,将以上新生儿平均分为两组,命名为观察组和对照组。对照组予以临床常规护理干预,观察组实施鸟巢式护理,分析新生儿经皮黄疸指数、首次胎便时间、胎便转黄时间、家长满意度、哭闹情况、新生儿睡眠时间、出暖箱时间、并发症情况。结果 观察组新生儿经皮黄疸指数、首次胎便时间、胎便转黄数据低于对照组,P<0.05;观察组家长满意度分数高于对照组(P<0.05);与对照组相比,观察组在干预过程中哭闹人数较少,且观察组新生儿睡眠时间较长,出暖箱时间较短(P<0.05);观察组并发症发生率低于对照组,P<0.05。结论 鸟巢式护理是一种非常有效的新生儿护理方法,可以提高新生儿安全性、舒适感,并降低疾病和感染的风险,确保新生儿的健康。

燕窝及唾液酸对免疫功能影响的定性循证研究

目的:系统评价燕窝及唾液酸对免疫功能的影响及作用。方法:在中国知网、万方数据库、中国生物医学文献数据库、PubMed、Embase数据库中检索自2012年1月—2023年6月国内外发表的相关研究文献,并根据纳入排除标准对文献进行筛选,并参照SYRCLE动物实验风险评估工具,对相关文献进行综合评价。结果:共纳入11项研究,其中7篇为动物实验、4篇为体外实验。无论燕窝及唾液酸的来源、给药途径、干预时间和干预剂量是否一致,本系统综述的结果均表明,燕窝及唾液酸可以提高健康动物的免疫功能,并具有抗病毒作用,且呈现出剂量依赖效应。结论:燕窝及唾液酸对动物具有提高免疫及抗病毒的作用。

鸟巢式护理在新生儿护理中的应用效果

目的 探讨鸟巢式护理在新生儿护理中的应用效果。方法 选取2022年1月至2023年1月在淄博市桓台县妇幼保健院出生的74例新生儿作为研究对象,按照随机数字表法分为参照组和试验组,每组各37例。参照组采用常规护理,试验组在参照组基础上采用鸟巢式护理。比较两组生长发育情况、临床指标、神经心理发育情况及护理满意度。结果 护理后,试验组体重、身高、头围均高于参照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。试验组体温变化幅度低于参照组,进奶增加量、排便次数及睡眠时间均高于参照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。试验组儿心量表评分高于参照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。试验组护理总满意率高于参照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论 在新生儿护理中应用鸟巢式护理可促进其生长发育和神经心理发育,提高家属护理满意度。