Fertilization Affects Biomass Production of Suaeda salsa and Soil Organic Carbon Pool in East Coastal Region of China

Land use practice significantly affects soil properties. Soil is a major sink for atmospheric carbon, and soil organic carbon （SOC） is considered as an essential indicator of soil quality. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of N and P applied to Suaeda salsa on biomass production, SOC concentration, labile organic carbon （LOC） concentration, SOC pool and carbon management index （CMI） as well as the effect of the land use practice on soil quality of coastal tidal lands in east coastal region of China. The study provided relevant references for coastal exploitation, tidal land management and related study in other countries and regions. The field experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design, consisting of four N-fertilization rates （0 （NO）, 60 （N1）, 120 （N2） and 180 kg ha-1 （N3））, three P-fertilization rates （0 （P0）, 70 （P1） and 105 kg ha-~ （P2）） and bare land without vegetation. N and P applied to S. salsa on coastal tidal lands significantly affected biomass production （above-ground biomass and roots）, bulk density （Pb）, available N and P, SOC, LOC, SOC pool and CMI. Using statistical analysis, significantly interactions in N and P were observed for biomass production and the dominant factor for S. salsa production was N in continuous 2-yr experiments. There were no significant interactions between N and P for SOC concentration, LOC concentration and SOC pool. However, significant interaction was obtained for CMI at the 0-20 cm depth and N played a dominant role in the variation of CMI. There were significant improvements for soil measured attributes and parameters, which suggested that increasing the rates of N and P significantly decreased Pb at the 0-20 cm depth and increased available N and P, SOC, LOC, SOC pool as well as CMI at both the 0-20 and 20-40 cm depth, respectively. By correlation analysis, there were significantly positive correlations between biomass （above- ground biomass and roots） and SOC as well as LOC in 2010 and 2011 across all soil depth, respectively. The treatment with N at 180 kg ha-~ and P at 105 kg ha-1 was superior to the other treatments. The results from the 2-yr continuous experiments indicated that, in short-term, there were a few accumulation of SOC and LOC concentrations by means of N and P application to S. salsa, whereas in the long run, S. salsa with N and P application was recommended for coastal tidal lands because of its great potential of carbon sequestration, improvements of soil nutrition status and promotion of soil quality.

Effects of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine on Immune Organ Indexes and Macrophages Phagocytic Indexes in Chickens Infected by Infectious Bronchitis Virus

[ Objective] To study the therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions on infectious bronchitis （IB） and find a novel avenue for prevention and treatment of viral diseases in poultry. [Method] A total of 160 cockerels at the age of 15 d were divided into four groups randomly, including traditional Chinese medicine group, moroxydine control group, challenge control group and healthy control group. Except the healthy control group, other groups were challenged with infectious bronchitis virus （IBV） on Day 15. After 48 h post challenge, the traditional Chinese medicine groupand moroxydine control group were respectively administrated with Chinese herbal medicine prescription and moroxydine, continuously for 5 d. The immune organ indexes and macrephage phagocytic indexes were detected on Day 18, 24 and 30, respectively. [ Result] The immune organ indexes and macrophage phagocytic indexes were not significantly different between traditional Chinese medicine group and moroxydine control group on Day 18. But all the indexes of the traditional Chinese medicine groups were increased significantly （ P 〈 0.05） on Day 24 and 30, and showed extremely significant difference （ P 〈 0.01 ） with those of challenge control group on Day 30. [ Conclusion] The traditional Chinese herbal medicine can enhance macrophage phagocytic indexes and immune organs indexes of chickens infected by IBV.

Effects of Dihydromyricetin Extracted from Ampelopsis grossedentata on Visceral Organ Indexes and Intestinal Digestive Enzyme Activities of Chickens

To provide a reference basis for reasonable development and utilization of Ampelopsis grossedentata resource and its application in production,we added 0.025%,0.05% and 0.1% dihydromyricetin（DMY）extracted from A.grossedentata into the basal diets of Yaoshan chickens,and studied the effects of DMY on visceral organ indexes and digestive enzyme activities of 40-day-old healthy Yaoshan chickens.Supplementation of DMY in basal diets influenced visceral organ weight,organ index,length and digestive enzyme activity of small intestine of chickens.Among them,0.05% DMY was the most appropriate volume for supplementation.Compared with control group（without DMY）,0.05% DMY reduced lung weight and index（P〉0.05）,significantly reduced liver weight（P〈0.05）,extremely reduced stomach weight and stomach index（P〈0.01）,increased activity of amylase in small intestine（P〉0.05）,significantly increased length of small intestine and activity of protease（P〈0.05）.Supplementation of 0.05% DMY reduced the visceral organ weight and organ index,enhanced digestion and absorption ability of gastrointestinal tract,thereby improving feed utilization rate and promoting the growth of chickens.

Level of Bacteriological and Physicochemical Pollution of Surface Waters in Rural Area: The Case of Mbankomo Municipality (Center Region, Cameroon)

A study aimed at evaluating the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of surface water was therefore carried out in a few watercourses in the municipality of Mbankomo, located in the Center Region (Cameroon). The physico-chemical parameters were measured according to the standard method. The organic pollution index (OPI) was determined from the contents of nitrates, phosphates, and ammoniacal nitrogen to characterize the level of organic pollution of the water. The microorganisms sought were total flora, indicators of faecal contamination like total coliforms, faecal coliforms, feacal streptococci and Escherichia coli, as well as the species Clostridium perfringens. The organic pollution index indicates a high-level organic pollution level during the small rainy season and high to moderate during the small dry season. High concentrations of the total and fecal coliforms, streptococci fecal, Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens respectively of 1712 × 105 CFU/100mL;82 × 105 CFU/100mL;10 × 105 CFU/100mL;27 × 105 and 40 × 103 CFU/100mL, all higher than WHO standards, indicate that the waterways of Mbankomo are subject to feacal pollution and harbor pathogenic microflora. The cell densities of main bacteria were significantly correlated with main abiotic parameters, such as Escherichia coli, which was significantly correlated with the pH of the water (r = 0.35;p < 0.05). The variation of organic pollution index category means correspond to a high level of organic pollution during the small rainy season and a high to moderate level during the small dry season. The deterioration of the quality of these waters is favored by their proximity to sources of pollution (toilets, plantation), the runoff of the waters contaminated, the use of detergents and wrong maintenance. These waters without any treatment are not recommendable for human consumption according to standards of the World Health Organization.

Effect of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch polysaccharide on growth performance and immunologic function in mice in Ural City,Xinjiang

Objective:To discuss the effect of Glycyrrhiza uralensis(G.uralensis) Fisch polysaccharide on growth performance and immunologic function in mice in Ural City,Xinjiang and to provide important data supporting the application of Glycyrrhiza polysaccharide.Methods:A total of100 Kunming mice aged 3 weeks old were randomly divided into 5 groups with 20 mice in each group(10 were females and 10 were males).About 0.5 mL normal saline was given to the mice of control group every day and 0.5 mL G.uralensis Fisch polysaccharide was given to the mice of other groups at the concentration of 1,20,50 and 100 mg/mL respectively.The growth performance(average body weight,average daily feed intake and feed efficiency),immune organ indexes(spleen index and thymus index) and immunologic function(serum IL-2,CD4^+/CD8^+ and the activity of NK cells) of mice in each group were detected continuously.Results:The average body weight,feed efficiency,serum IL-2,CD4^+/CD8^+ and the activity of NK cells of mice were increased with the increase of administrated time after administrating G.uralensis Fisch polysaccharide and were reached up the largest level on Day 28.At the same time,each index was proportional to the given dose and was significantly higher than those of control group and reached up the largest level at the administrated dose of 100 mg/mL.After administrating G.uralensis Fisch polysaccharide,the spleen index and thymus index of mice were increased with the increase of administrated dose and the spleen index and thymus index of mice administrated with the dose of 100 mg/mL were maximum which was more than 1.51 times and 1.43 times of that in control group respectively and the comparative differences showed statistical significance(P<0.05).The average daily feed intake of mice in each group was increased with the passage of lime and at the same time,the comparison of average daily feed intake of mice in each group was not significantly different(P>0.05).Conclusions:G.uralensis Fisch polysaccharide can significantly improve the growth performance and immunologic function of mice and laid a research basis for the clinical application of G.uralensis Fisch polysaccharide.

Acrylamide neurotoxicity on the cerebrum of weaning rats

The mechanism underlying acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity remains controversial. Previous studies have focused on acrylamide-induced toxicity in adult rodents, but neurotoxicity in weaning rats has not been investigated. To explore the neurotoxic effect of acrylamide on the developing brain, weaning rats were gavaged with 0, 5, 15, and 30 mg/kg acrylamide for 4 consecutive weeks. No obvious neurotoxicity was observed in weaning rats in the low-dose acrylamide group （5 mg/kg）. However, rats from the moderateand high-dose acrylamide groups （15 and 30 mg/kg） had an abnormal gait. Furthermore, biochemical tests in these rats demonstrated that glutamate concentration was significantly reduced, and ^-aminobutyric acid content was significantly increased and was dependent on acrylamide dose. Immunohis- tochemical staining showed that in the cerebral cortex, γ-aminobutyric acid, glutamic acid decarboxylase and glial fibrillary acidic protein expression increased remarkably in the moderate- and high-dose acrylamide groups. These results indicate that in weaning rats, acrylamide is positively associated with neurotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner, which may correlate with upregulation of γ-aminobutyric acid and subsequent neuronal degeneration after the initial acrylamide exposure.

Effect of Fuzheng Jiedu granule on immunological function and level of immune-related cytokines in immune-suppressed mice

Fuzheng Jiedu granule exhibits a number of health benefits and it is thought that the mechanisms involved in these effects are due to the modulation of immunity. In this article, we studied the effect of Fuzheng Jiedu granule on immunological function and the expression of immune-related cytokines in immune-suppressed mice. 72 mice were randomly divided into six groups, with 12 in each group. The control groups included an untreated group, a negative control group（Cyclophosphamide） and a positive control group（Astragalus polysaccharide）. There were three treated groups, which were given different doses of Fuzheng Jiedu granule： a low dose（100 mg kg^（–1））, a medium dose（400 mg kg^（–1）） and a high dose（600 mg kg^（–1））. With the exception of the untreated control animals, each group received an intraperitoneal injection of Cyclophosphamide（100 mg kg^（–1）） for 3 days to establish the immune-suppressed model. Mice were then treated for 19 consecutive days and, 24 h after the last treatment, blood was taken for the eyeballs and serum separation was performed. Analysis was made of the levels of related cytokines（IgA, IgG, IgM, IL-6, IFN-γ, C3, C4 and TNF-α）, the transformation of lymphocytes and the immune organ indexes. The results showed that Fuzheng Jiedu granule can improve the levels of cytokines, the rate of proliferation of lymphocytes and the immune organ indexes of immune-suppressed mice.

Enhancement of Humoral Immune Response of Newcastle Disease Vaccine by ATRA

[ Objective] The paper was to study the immune enhancement of ATRA on Newcastle Disease （ND） vaccine. [ Method ] The 1-day-old AA broilers were treated with ATRA at the doses of I and 5 p.mol/kg, respectively. At 7 and 28 days of age, broilers in drug control group, low dose group and high dose group were immunized with ND vaccine by intranasal and eye immunization approach. At 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 and 49 clays of age, seven chickens were randomly se- lected from each group and weighed. The thymus, spleen, bursa of fabrieius and serum were collected for calculating immune organ index of thymus, spleen and bursa of fabricius. The ND specific antibody titers in serum were determined with HI test. [Result] ATRA promoted the growth of thymus, spleen and bursa of fabricius, and improved the immune organ index and ND specific antibody titers of chicks. [ Conclusion] ATRA enhanced the humoral immune response of chicks, and ATRT at the dose of 5 μmol/kg presented more prominent immune enhancement effect on ND vaccine.

Effect of Shuanghuanglian Propolis Oral Liquid on Immune Function of Broilers

The effects on immune function of broilers was studied by adding different doses of Shuanghuanglian propolis oral liquid in drinking water, to provide a theoretical basis for application and promotion of Shuanghuanglian propolis oral liquid. Ninety one-day-old broilers were randomly divided into three groups ： group I was designed as control; groups Ⅱ and Ⅲ were added with 0.5 and 1.0 mL/L Shuanghuanglian propolis oral liquid in drinking water, respectively. Compared with group I, all tested indicators in groups Ⅱ and Ⅲ were increased at varying degrees as follows ： bursa of fabricius index increased by 5.74% （P 〈 0.05 ） and 7.66% （P 〈 0.05 ） ; thymus index increased by 1.47% （P 〉 0.05 ） and 2.06% （P 〈 0.05 ） ; spleen index increased by 5.88% （P 〉 0.05 ） and 7.84% （ P 〈 0.05 ） ; Newcastle disease virus （NDV） antibody titer increased by 11.99% （P 〈 0.05 ） and 16.94% （P 〈 0.05 ） ; IL-2 content increased by 2.71% （P 〉 0.05） and 4.52% （P 〈 0.05 ） ; IL -6 content increased by 4.04% （P 〉 0.05 ） and 7.26% （ P 〈 0.05 ）, respectively. The results showed that adding 0.5 and 1.0 mL/L Shuanghuangllan propolis oral liquid in drinking water could improve the immune function of broiler and immune effect of ND vaccine.

Effects of All-trans Retinoic Acid (ATRA) against Bacterial Infection in Chickens

In order to investigate the effects of all-trans retinoic acid （ATRA） against bacterial infection in chickens, 35 3-day-old AA broiler chickens were fed adaptively for two days and randomly divided into five groups, including Escherichia coli experimental group （ group 1 ）, Escherichia coli control group （group 2）, blank control group （ group 3 ）, PasteureUa experimental group （ group 4）, and PasteureUa control group （ group 5 ）. At 5 days of age, the chickens in group 1 and group 4 were drenched with 5 p.mol/kg ATRA for seven consecutive days according to their weight; the chickens in group 2, group 3 and group 5 were drenched with an equal volume of dimethyl sulfoxlde （DMSO）. The clinical symptoms and weight changes in each group were observed and recorded. Seven days later, the chickens were euthanized and dissected to determine the immune organ indexes. The results showed that there were significant differences in body weight between ATRA-administrated chickens and non-administrated chickens after bacterial infection （P 〈 0.05 ） ; moreover, the immune organ indexes of ATRA-administrated chickens exhibited significant differences compared with control group （P 〈 0.05 ）, indicating that ATRA could promote the development of immune organs of poultry, thereby enhancing the body immunity against bacterial infection.

Effects of Dangguibuxue Decoction on Immune Organs and Erythrocyte Immune in Broilers

[ Objective] To study the effects of Dangguibuxue decoction on immune organ and erythrocyte immune in broilers. [ Method] One hun- dred 1 -day-old healthy Sanhuang chickens were randomly divided into five groups, 20 in each group. They were immunized with Newcastle disease vaccine via intranasal inoculation at 7 days old. The chickens in group I, II and III drank water added the Danggguibuxue decoction at proportion of 2%, 5% and 10% （ V/V）, respectively. The chickens in the group IV drank water added Astragalus polysaccharide at proportion of 2% （V/V）. And those in the group V drank water without addition of any drug. Blood was collected via jugular vein at 14, 21 and 28 days old, respectively, and then they were dissected. The immune organ indexes, erythrocyte C3b receptor rosette rate （E-C3b RR） and erythrocyte immune complex rosette rate （E-ICRR） were measured. [ Result] The Dangguibuxue decoction had no significant effect on thymus index but significantly increased spleen index and bursa of Fabricius index. The best peripheral and humoral immunity was observed in the broilers drinking water added the Dangguibuxue decoction at proportion of 10% （ V/ V）, and its immune enhancement was better than that of Astragalus polysaccharide added at proportion of 2% （V/V）. [ Coaclusion] Dangguibuxue decoction can promote maturation of immune organs and enhance erythrocyte immune functions; thus, it can be used as immunolootentiator.

Study on Anti-infection Effect of Polysaccharide from Agaricus blazei Murrill on Chickens

In order to study the anti-bacterial infection effect of polysaccharide from Agaricus blazei Murrill on chickens, the experimental groups were orally administrated A. blazei polysaccharide at low dose and high dose, respectively, for 14 d continuously, and then, the chickens in various groups were infected with Escherichia coli or Pasteurella pneumotropica , so as to observe the clinical symptoms of chickens and record the change in body weight. Anatomy was performed 14 d later, and the organ indices were determined, so as to study the anti-bacterial infection effect of A. blazei polysaccharide on chickens. The results showed that after bacterial infection, the high-dose A. blazei polysaccharide group was significantly differed from other groups in changes of body weight and organ indices. It indicates that oral administration of high concentration of A. blazei polysaccharide could promote the development of poultry organs, thereby improving the immunity of organisms.

Effects of dynamic segmentation of nutrient supply on growth performance and intestinal development of broilers

This experiment was to investigate the effects of dynamic segmentation of interval nutrient supply phase feeding on the growth performance, carcass characteristics, immune organs indexes and intestinal morphology of broilers. A total of 320 one-day-old broilers were randomly assigned into 4 feeding treatments, which included 4 interval nutrient supply phases as follows. Treatment A: a nutrient supply standard was used for every 14 d. Treatment B: a nutrient supply standard was used for every 7 d. Treatment C: a nutrient supply standard was used for every 3.5 d except that one nutrient supply standard was used for d 1 to 7. Treatment D: a nutrient supply standard was used for every 3.5 d including d 1 to 7. Each treatment was represented by 8 replicates with 10 broilers per replicate. The trial lasted for 42 days. Throughout the 42 d trial period, treatment A showed significantly higher average daily gain than treatments B and C(P < 0.05). The feed:gain ratio of treatment A was significantly lower than those of treatments C and D(P < 0.05). On d 28 and 42, body weight of broilers in treatment A was much higher than those of treatments B and C(P < 0.05). The slaughter rate of treatment A was significantly higher than that of treatment B(P < 0.05). Eviscerated percentage of treatment A was significantly higher than those of treatment B and D(P < 0.05). There were no significant differences among 4 treatments in immune organs indexes(P > 0.05). The crypt depth of duodenum was significantly greater in treatments A and B than in treatment C on day 42(P < 0.05).Meanwhile, the ratio of villus height to crypt depth(V:C ratio) of treatment D was significantly higher than that of treatment A(P < 0.05). No significant differences were found between treatments C and D in growth performance, carcass performance, immune organs indexes and intestinal structure(P> 0.05). In conclusion, this study revealed that the growth and carcass performance of broilers is the best for 14 days segmentation phase feeding, and 3.5 days segmentation interval phase feeding can promote small intestinal development of broilers. Dynamic segmentation of dietary supply fails to affect the immune function of broilers.