[Clinical study on application of 3D Slicer software assisted domestic frameless stereotactic robot in biopsy of intracranial lesions].

Objective: To examine the application value of 3D Slicer software assisted domestic frameless stereotactic robot in biopsy of intracranial lesions. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 80 patients who admitted consecutively and underwent intracerebral lesions biopsy with the domestic frameless stereotactic robot at Department of Neurosurgery, Aerospace Central Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021. There were 36 males and 44 females, with a mean age of (38.5±18.0) years (range: 6 to 71 years). Before surgery only enhanced T1-weighted three-dimensional magnetization prepared gradient echo sequences and diffusion tensor imaging scans were performed. Self-reconstruction of intracranial lesions, cerebral cortex and blood vessels was carried out using 3D Slicer software system after the DICOM format imaging data of 80 patients were collected. These imaging data were merged to the workstation of the domestic frameless stereotactic robot for preoperative surgical planning and the surgical puncture path was designed to avoid blood vessels in the brain functional area, cerebral cortex and sulcus. Results: All frameless stereotactic biopsy were successfully performed. Postoperative pathological diagnosis included 50 cases of diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglioma, 15 cases of lymphoma, 5 cases of metastatic tumors, 5 cases of inflammatory demyelinating disease, 2 cases of inflammatory granuloma, 1 case of hemangioma, 1 case of acute lymphoblastic leukemia intracranial invasion and 1 case of seminoma. The positive diagnosis rate was 100% (80/80). Postoperative imaging confirmed that the puncture path and target were accurately implemented according to the preoperative planning, and the target error was (1.32±0.44) mm (range: 0.55 to 1.99 mm). One case of puncture-related bleeding occurred at the target after surgery and improved after treatment. Conclusion: The three-dimensional multimodal images reconstructed by the 3D Slicer software before operation could help the surgeons make the preoperative planning and reduce the risk of stereotactic brain biopsy.

To safely reopen after a lockdown, masks are crucial: lessons from Taiwan.

Taiwan had been using many important public health management strategies to beat Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) without a lockdown. Mask wearing by the general public was thought to be the major factor for the success of Taiwan to stop the spread of COVID-19. We share our experience in Taiwan as an example for other countries to safely reopen from a lockdown.

[Analysis of pathogen monitoring results of infectious diarrhea in Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from 2016 to 2019].

Objective: to analyze the distribution characteristics of major enteropathogens in infectious diarrhea cases attending the intestinal outpatient clinic of Beijing Traditional Chinese medicine hospital, Capital Medical University. Methods: From 2016 to 2019, 588 fecal samples of patients with infectious diarrhea in Beijing Hospital of traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University were collected for microbial isolation, culture, identification and pathogen gene detection. Using VITEK 2 compact full-automatic microbial identification/drug sensitivity analysis system to identify the bacteria isolated from the culture; using serum agglutination test to classify the pure colonies; using multiple fluorescence quantitative PCR amplification technology to detect the gene amplification of the samples. Results: In 2016-2019, the total physical examination rate of pathogen was 39.796%. The top three pathogen were diarrhea Escherichia coli (21.769%, n=128), Salmonella (5.782%, n=34), Vibrio (4.762%, n=28). The difference of positive rates of different pathogens in four years was statistically significant (P=0.021), and the peak of incidence was from July to September. The positive rate of norovirus was 5.612% (n=33), and the highest incidence occurred in May. Conclusion: The pathogen of infectious diarrhea patients in Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University from April to October 2016-2019 is mainly diarrhea Escherichia coli, and the pathogen type of norovirus is GⅡ genome.

Resection of the irradiated esophagus: the impact of lymph node yield on survival.

There is debate surrounding the appropriate threshold for lymph node harvest during esophagectomy in patients with esophageal cancer, specifically for those receiving preoperative radiation. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of lymph node yield on survival in patients receiving preoperative chemoradiation for esophageal cancer. The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was utilized to identify patients with esophageal cancer that received preoperative radiation. The cohort was divided into patients undergoing minimal (<9) or extensive (≥9) lymph node yield. Demographic, operative, and postoperative outcomes were compared between the groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis with the log rank test was used to compare survival between the yield groups. Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine the association between lymph node yield and survival. In total, 886 cases were included: 349 (39%) belonging to the minimal node group and 537 (61%) to the extensive group. Unadjusted 5-year survival was similar between the minimal and extensive groups, respectively (37.3% vs. 38.8%; P > 0.05). After adjustment using Cox regression, extensive lymph node yield was associated with survival (hazard ratio 0.80, confidence interval 0.66-0.98, P = 0.03). This study suggests that extensive lymph node yield is advantageous for patients with esophageal cancer undergoing esophagectomy following induction therapy. This most likely reflects improved diagnosis and staging with extensive yield.

The changing HIV-1 genetic characteristics and transmitted drug resistance among recently infected population in Yunnan, China.

Multiple human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 genotypes in China were first discovered in Yunnan Province before disseminating throughout the country. As the HIV-1 epidemic continues to expand in Yunnan, genetic characteristics and transmitted drug resistance (TDR) should be further investigated among the recently infected population. Among 2828 HIV-positive samples newly reported in the first quarter of 2014, 347 were identified as recent infections with BED-captured enzyme immunoassay (CEIA). Of them, 291 were successfully genotyped and identified as circulating recombinant form (CRF)08_BC (47.4%), unique recombinant forms (URFs) (18.2%), CRF01_AE (15.8%), CRF07_BC (14.4%), subtype C (2.7%), CRF55_01B (0.7%), subtype B (0.3%) and CRF64_BC (0.3%). CRF08_BC and CRF01_AE were the predominant genotypes among heterosexual and homosexual infections, respectively. CRF08_BC, URFs, CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC expanded with higher prevalence in central and eastern Yunnan. The recent common ancestor of CRF01_AE, CRF07_BC and CRF08_BC dated back to 1983.1, 1992.1 and 1989.5, respectively. The effective population sizes (EPS) for CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC increased exponentially during 1991-1999 and 1994-1999, respectively. The EPS for CRF08_BC underwent two exponential growth phases in 1994-1998 and 2001-2002. Lastly, TDR-associated mutations were identified in 1.8% of individuals. These findings not only enhance our understanding of HIV-1 evolution in Yunnan but also have implications for vaccine design and patient management strategies.

Improving the nutritional quality and shelf life of broiler meat by feeding diets supplemented with fermented pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) by-products.

1. Four experimental diets containing 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0% fermented pomegranate by-products (FPB) were supplied to 320d-old broilers to evaluate the effects of FPB on growth performance, nutritional composition, fatty acid profile and oxidative stability of meat. 2. Dietary supplementation of FPB linearly increased the weight gain and feed intake of broilers with linear reduction in feed conversion ratio. 3. The crude protein, iron, magnesium, and sodium content were linearly higher, whereas cholesterol was linearly lower in the breast meat of FPB-supplemented broilers. In thigh meat, linearly lower ether extract and cholesterol with higher moisture was noted in response to increasing levels of FPB. 4. The proportion of saturated fatty acids was both linearly and quadratically lower in breast and thigh meat, whereas those of monounsaturated fatty acids of breast (linear and quadratic) and n-3 fatty acids of breast and thigh (linear) meat was higher in the FPB-supplemented broilers. The n-6/n-3 ratio of breast meat was linearly lower in response to FPB supplementation. The hypocholesterolaemic to hypercholesterolaemic ratio of thigh meat was higher in the FPB-supplemented groups. 5. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and pH value were lower in the breast and thigh meat of FPB-supplemented broilers. 6. Thus, additive supplementation of the diet with up to 2% FPB improved the nutritional quality, fatty acid profile and shelf life of broiler meat.

Dietary methionine requirement of Jing Brown layer hens from 9 to 17 weeks of age.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary methionine (Met) supplementation in growth performance and reproductive performance of Jing Brown layer hens. A total of 375 9-week-old Jing Brown layer hens were allocated equally to five treatments consisting of 5 replicates with 15 hens. Hens were fed with a diet of corn and soya bean meal supplemented with 0.23%, 0.27%, 0.31%, 0.35% and 0.39% Met respectively. Different Met levels did not significantly affect average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG) and feed/gain ratio (F/G) (p > 0.05), whereas flock uniformity (FU) and jejunum index were significantly different (p < 0.05), and the largest FU was observed in 0.31% Met. Dietary supplementation of Met significantly affected reproductive system development (p < 0.05), and 0.27-0.31% Met obtained optimal reproductive system development. Different Met levels significantly affected serum uric acid and alkaline phosphatase. Moreover, the relatively higher reproductive hormones in serum were observed in 0.27% Met. Analysis of quadratic curve estimation of flock uniformity, the total number of follicles, the primary follicles and the secondary follicles showed that the optimal Met levels were 0.293%, 0.286%, 0.286% and 0.288%, which could be averaged to 0.288%. These results suggested that the optimal Met requirement for Jing Brown layer hens from 9 to 17 weeks old is 0.29%.

Bioinformatic analyses of GRAS genes in Betula kirghisorum based on transcriptome data.

The transcriptomes of salt-stressed and unstressed Betula kirghisorum plants were analyzed using high throughput sequencing technology. A total of 52,239,804 and 51,772,998 clean reads were obtained from the two libraries, respectively, and de novo assembled into 60,545 all-unigenes. A total of 39,997 unigenes were annotated using public databases. Overall, 7206 genes were differentially expressed in unigenes and were involved in 127 pathways. Thirteen transcription factor families were identified in B. kirghisorum, including GRAS proteins, which are plant-specific transcription factors. By using bioinformatic methods to predict and analyze physicochemical properties, structural data were obtained on the 19 potential GRAS proteins. The results revealed that these proteins are hydrophilic, with significant differences in their length and molecular weight. The main secondary structures were alpha helices and random coils. BkGRAS proteins possess typical GRAS domains: LHR I; VHIID motif; LHR II; PFYRE motif; and SAW motif. In the majority of BkGRAS proteins, AGG, AGA, UCU, GCU, GGG, CCA, GUU, GUG, AUU, GAU, and AAG codons were used preferentially. Aside from the BkGRAS17 gene (relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) = 1.20), usage of the UUA codon by other BkGRAS genes was low (RSCU < 1.0). The effective number of codons showed that BkGRAS genes have low codon bias. Subcellular localization analysis that predicted these proteins are found in the nucleus, cytoplasm, or chloroplast. BkGRAS proteins were divided into six subfamilies: SCR, LISCL, SCL3, DELLA, HAM, and PAT1. These results provide important information for the further functional study of GRAS genes in B. kirghisorum.

Quantitative analysis of gains and catch-up saccades of video-head-impulse testing by age in normal subjects.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate video-head-impulse test (vHIT) results in normal subjects, to determine the normative values of vHIT for the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) and to characterise the catch-up saccades (CSs). DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary care academic referral centre. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty healthy subjects with no history of vestibular impairment, ten each in their 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's, underwent vHITs in the lateral semicircular canal plane. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: vHIT gains and the incidence and amplitudes of covert and overt CSs. RESULTS: The mean vHIT gain was 1.02 ± 0.07, and the mean gain asymmetry was 2.39 ± 1.96%, with no significant differences among age groups. CSs were observed during 22.6% of the trials and in 49% of the ears. The incidence of CSs was not associated with age. The mean velocity of CSs was 55.5 ± 16.9°/s, and its mean interaural difference was 11.8 ± 10.7°/s. CONCLUSIONS: vHIT gains were consistently equal to 1.0 in all age groups (20's to 60's), suggesting that abnormal criteria for vHIT gain (e.g. 0.8) and gain asymmetry (e.g. 8%) can be used, regardless of age. CSs were observed in about half of normal ears, suggesting that VOR is a hypometric system. The amplitudes and interaural difference of CSs were also similar in all age groups, suggesting that abnormal criteria for CS amplitude (e.g. 100°/s) and interaural difference (e.g. 40°/s) can be used, regardless of age.

[The prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health metrics in Southeast Chinese middle-aged men].

Objective: To observe the prevalence and distribution of ideal cardiovascular health metrics in middle-aged men living in Su-Xi-Chang region and explore the relationship between health behavior and health factors. Methods: A total of 27 824 middle-aged men, who took part in health examination in the Center for Healthcare Management, Taihu Rehabilitation Hospital of Jiangsu Province from January 2014 to June 2015, were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The ideal cardiovascular health metrics were defined by the American Heart Association criteria with minor modification in that the amount of vegetable intake was replaced by salt intake. The prevalence and distribution of ideal cardiovascular health metrics as well as the association between ideal cardiovascular health metrics and health factors were analyzed in this cohort. Results: The body mass index in the whole cohort was (25.1±3.0) kg/m2, waist circumference was (87.3±8.42) cm; the percent of subjects with all seven ideal cardiovascular health metrics was only 0.5% (n=133). The highest proportion of ideal metric was total cholesterol (68.5%, n=19 056), followed by fasting glucose (66.9%, n=18 616), body mass index (50.2%, n=13 963), physical exercise (45.6%, n=12 697), smoking (40.3%, n=11 216), blood pressure (22.5%, n=6 257) and salt intake (15.6%, n=4 351). The proportion of ideal cardiovascular health metrics reduced gradually and the proportion of poor cardiovascular health metrics status increased gradually with aging(χ2=106.746, P=0.000). The total cholesterol level of non-smokers was significantly lower than that of smokers(F=8.571, P=0.000); total cholesterol, blood pressure and fasting glucose levels increased in proportion with increasing body mass index(all P<0.01); total cholesterol and fasting blood glucose of subjects with regular active physical exercise were significantly lower than those with inactive physical exercise(all P<0.01); total cholesterol and blood pressure of subjects with high salt intake were significantly higher than those with low salt intake(all P<0.01). Conclusions: The proportion of subjects with ideal cardiovascular health metrics is very low in middle-aged men living in Su-Xi-Chang region, and the downtrend with poor cardiovascular health metrics increases with aging. Overweight or obese, smoking, high salt diet and poor control of blood pressure are the major cardiovascular risk factors in this cohort.

Discrimination and characterization of different intensities of goaty flavor in goat milk by means of an electronic nose.

An electronic nose based on metal oxide sensors was used to measure goaty flavor in goat milk samples. To study the relationships between electronic nose data, sensory data, and levels of free fatty acids (FFA), multivariate partial least square regression (PLS) was carried out. The electronic nose system evaluation correlated well with sensory evaluation. The coefficients of determination (R(2)) of the PLS models reached 90.0%. The electronic nose, combined with principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis, can discern among goat milk samples with different goaty flavor intensities. In addition, Fisher discriminant analysis and back-propagation neural network were carried out to evaluate goaty flavor intensity, and the prediction accuracies were 98.2 and 100.0%, respectively. The electronic nose is a potentially useful tool to evaluate goaty flavor intensity in goat milk samples.

α-SMA-Cre-mediated excision of PDK1 reveals an essential role of PDK1 in regulating morphology of cardiomyocyte and tumor progression in tissue microenvironment.

The phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) - phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1)-Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) cascade plays a critical role in cardiovascular development and tumor genesis. But the role of PDK1 in the microenvironment of heart and tumor remains unknown. To clarify the effects of PDK1 on tissue microenvironment in vivo, here, we created α-SMA-Cre-mediated excision of PDK1 mice. And the mice were injected subcutaneously with Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells. We found PDK1-deficient mice had post-natal praecox dilated cardiomyopathy, decelerated tumor growth and severe tumor metastasis. Histopathological analysis revealed abnormality of vascular microenvironment in heart and primary tumor. In conclusion, PDK1 plays a pivotal role in regulating cardiac function and tumor metastasis by interfering with microenvironment.

Cloning and expression pattern analysis of BkGRAS2 from Betula kirghisorum.

GRAS proteins are plant-specific transcription factors that are involved in the regulation of root and shoot growth. Here, we cloned BkGRAS2 from Betula kirghisorum (abbreviated to Bk) and analyzed the physicochemical properties and expression pattern of the encoded protein. BkGRAS2 had an open reading frame of 1614 bp encoding 537 amino acid residues. The deduced BkGRAS2 protein was hydrophilic, and it contained highly conserved VHIID and SAW motifs. BkGRAS1 and BkGRAS2 showed considerable sequence similarities. An expression analysis indicated that BkGRAS2 was expressed in root, stem, and leaf, with the highest level in the leaf. Expression of BkGRAS2 was increased following stress treatment with 0.6% NaHCO3. Transient expression analysis of GFP-BkGRAS2 in onion epidermal cells revealed that the BkGRAS2 protein was localized in the cytoplasm, but could also be detected in the nucleus. Our study provides the basis for future research on the role of the GRAS gene family in B. kirghisorum.

Effects of supplementation with green tea by-products on growth performance, meat quality, blood metabolites and immune cell proliferation in goats.

Forty-eight castrated male goats were used to determine the effects of feeding green tea by-products (GTB) on growth performance, meat quality, blood metabolites and immune cell proliferation. Experimental treatments consisted of basal diets supplemented with four levels of GTB (0%, 0.5%, 1.0% or 2.0%). Four replicate pens were assigned to each treatment with three goats per replicate. Increasing dietary GTB tended to linearly increase the overall average weight gain and feed intake (p = 0.09). Water holding capacity, pH and sensory attributes of meat were not affected by GTB supplementation, while cooking loss was reduced both linearly and quadratically (p < 0.01). The redness (linear; p = 0.02, quadratic; p < 0.01) and yellowness (quadratic; p < 0.01) values of goat meat were improved by GTB supplementation. Increasing dietary GTB quadratically increased protein and decreased crude fat (p < 0.05), while linearly decreased cholesterol (p = 0.03) content of goat meat. The proportions of monounsaturated fatty acid, polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and n-6 PUFA increased linearly (p < 0.01) and n-3 PUFA increased quadratically (p < 0.05) as GTB increased in diets. Increasing dietary GTB linearly increased the PUFA/SFA (saturated fatty acid) and tended to linearly and quadratically increase (p ≤ 0.10) the n-6/n-3 ratio. The thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances values of meat were lower in the 2.0% GTB-supplemented group in all storage periods (p < 0.05). Dietary GTB linearly decreased plasma glucose and cholesterol (p < 0.01) and quadratically decreased urea nitrogen concentrations (p = 0.001). The growth of spleen cells incubated in concanavalin A and lipopolysaccharides medium increased significantly (p < 0.05) in response to GTB supplementation. Our results suggest that GTB may positively affect the growth performance, meat quality, blood metabolites and immune cell proliferation when supplemented as a feed additive in goat diet.

Effects of fermented corni fructus and fermented kelp on growth performance, meat quality, and emission of ammonia and hydrogen sulphide from broiler chicken droppings.

1. Corni fructus is the fruit of Cornus officinalis, a dogwood species. This study was conducted to prepare fermented corni fructus preparation (FCFP) and fermented kelp (FK) from corni fructus and by-products of Laminaria japonica fermented with Bacillus subtilis and Aspergillus oryzae. 2. The effects of dietary FCFP and FK as replacer of oxytetracycline (OTC) on growth performance, meat composition, meat oxidative stability, and emissions of ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) from broiler chicken droppings were investigated. 3. A total of 140 d-old broiler chicks were randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments including control, OTC (0.05 g/kg), FCFP (5 g/kg), and FK (5 g/kg). 4. Overall, inclusion of FCFP resulted in lower weight gain and feed intake during the overall experimental period. Broilers fed FCFP diets tended to have lower crude fat and higher crude ash content in the carcasses. 5. In the fresh state, the malondialdehyde (MDA) value of broiler meat was lower in the FK supplemented group. At one week, meat from broilers fed antibiotic and FK diets had lower MDA values, whereas at 2 weeks broiler meat from all dietary treatment groups had lower MDA values than the control. 6. Dietary supplementation with FK significantly reduced faecal NH3 emissions throughout the experimental period, whereas dietary OTC and FCFP supplementation increased NH3 emissions at 2 and 4 weeks. There were no significant effects of dietary treatments on H2S emissions throughout the experimental period, except during week one, when FCFP supplementation reduced the emission. 7. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 5 g/kg FK improved the oxidative stability of broiler meat and reduce faecal NH3 emissions without affecting growth performance.

Effects of Citrus junos by-products fermented with multistrain probiotics on growth performance, immunity, caecal microbiology and meat oxidative stability in broilers.

1. The present study was conducted to develop Citrus junos probiotics (CJP), using by-products of Citrus junos fermented with multispecies probiotic bacteria including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis. The effects of dietary CJP on the growth performance, immune status, caecal microbiology and meat oxidative stability of broiler were investigated. 2. A total of 240 one-day-old Ross broiler chicks were used in a 35-d experiment in which the chicks were randomly allotted to one of the 4 dietary treatments (0, 5, 10 and 20 g CJP/kg diet) in a completely randomised design. 3. Dietary supplementation of 5 g/kg CJP significantly increased body weight, average daily gain and average daily feed intake of broiler during the overall experimental period. 4. Serum immunoglobulin (Ig)M concentration was significantly increased by 10 and 20 g/kg CJP, whereas the IgG and IgA concentration remained unaffected. In addition, 20 g/kg CJP significantly inhibited proliferation of Escherichia coli without affecting the concentration of Lactobacillus or Bacillus spp. 5. A significant reduction in the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances values of breast and thigh meat was observed in response to increasing concentration of dietary CJP. 6. Thus, the results suggest that CJP up to a concentration of 20 g/kg can be used in the diet of broilers to improve immunity and to reduce caecal E. coli and TBARS values of breast and thigh meat without any adverse effects on growth performance.

Comparison of single and blend acidifiers as alternative to antibiotics on growth performance, fecal microflora, and humoral immunity in weaned piglets.

The banning of the use of antibiotics as feed additive has accelerated investigations of alternative feed additives in animal production. This experiment investigated the effect of pure citric acid or acidifier blend supplementation as substitute for antibiotic growth promoters on growth performance, fecal microbial count, and humoral immunity in weaned piglets challenged with Salmonella enterica serover Typhimurium and Escherichia coli KCTC 2571. A total of 60 newly weaned piglets (crossbred, 28-d-old; average 8 kg initial weight) were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments in a completely randomized design. Dietary treatments included NC (negative control; basal diet), PC (positive control; basal diet+0.002% apramycin), T1 (basal diet+0.5% pure citric acid), and T2 (basal diet+0.4% acidifier blend). All piglets were orally challenged with 5 mL of culture fluid containing 2.3×10(8) cfu/mL of E. coli KCTC 2571 and 5.9×10(8) cfu/mL of S. typhimurium at the beginning of the experiment. The PC group showed the highest ADG and ADFI, whereas gain:feed was improved in the PC and T1 group (p<0.05). All dietary treatments showed significant reduction in fecal counts of Salmonella and E. coli, compared to NC (p<0.05), with PC being better than T1 and T2. Significant elevation in fecal Lactobacillus spp. counts was shown by treatments with T1, T2, and PC, whereas Bacillus spp. counts were increased by treatment with T1 and T2 compared to NC and PC diet (p<0.05). Serum IgG concentration was increased by T1 diet (p<0.05), whereas IgM and IgA were not significantly affected by any of the dietary treatments (p>0.05). From these above results, it can be concluded that, as alternatives to antibiotics dietary acidification with pure citric acid or acidifiers blend did not fully ameliorate the negative effects of microbial challenges in respect of growth performance and microbial environment, however improved immunity suggested further research with different dose levels.

Seamustard (Undaria pinnatifida) Improves Growth, Immunity, Fatty Acid Profile and Reduces Cholesterol in Hanwoo Steers.

The study was designed to evaluate the effect of 2% seamustard (Undaria pinnatifida) by-product (SW) on growth performance, immunity, carcass characteristics, cholesterol content and fatty acid profile in Hanwoo steers. A total of 20 Hanwoo steers (ave. 22 months old; 619 kg body weight) were randomly assigned to control (basal diet) and 2% SW supplemented diet. Dietary SW supplementation significantly (p<0.05) improved average daily gain and gain:feed ratio as well as serum immunoglobulin G concentration. Chemical composition and quality grade of meat and carcass yield grades evaluated at the end of the trial were found to be unaffected by SW supplementation. Dietary SW significantly reduced meat cholesterol concentration (p<0.05). Dietary SW supplementation significantly reduced the myristic acid (C14:0) and palmitoleic acid (C16:ln-7) concentration, while SW increased the concentration of stearic acid (C18:0) and linolenic acid (C18:3n-3) compared to control (p<0.05). Dietary SW supplementation had no effect on saturated fatty acids (SFA), unsaturated fatty acids, poly unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) or mono unsaturated fatty acid content in muscles. A reduced ratio of PUFA/SFA and n-6/n-3 were found in SW supplemented group (p<0.05). In conclusion, 2% SW supplementation was found to improve growth, immunity and fatty acid profile with significantly reduced cholesterol of beef.

Effect of Sea Tangle (Laminaria japonica) and Charcoal Supplementation as Alternatives to Antibiotics on Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Ducks.

A total of 150 growing ducks were assigned to five dietary treatments to study the effect of sea tangle and charcoal (STC) supplementation on growth performance and meat characteristics in a completely randomized design. There were six replicates and five ducklings in each replication. The five dietary treatments were control, antibiotic, and 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% STC supplemented diets. No significant differences were found on ADG, ADFI, and gain:feed among treatments in different weeks. The overall (0 to 3 weeks) ADFI decreased in antibiotic treatment (p<0.05) whereas the gain:feed increased significantly upon 1.0% STC supplementation compared to control (p<0.05). No significant variation was found in meat chemical composition except crude fat content which was high in 1.0% STC dietary group (p<0.05). Meat cholesterol was reduced in 0.1% STC group (p<0.05) compared to other dose levels while serum cholesterol was unaffected. High density lipoprotein (HDL) content was high in 1.0% STC (p<0.05) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) was low in 0.1% and 1.0% STC dietary groups (p = 0.06). No significant effect was found on the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) of fresh meat, whereas the TBARS value of meat preserved for 1 week was reduced significantly in STC dietary groups (p<0.05). The 0.1% STC dietary group showed an increased myristic acid (p = 0.07) content whereas, the content of eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids increased in STC supplementation than antibiotic group (p<0.05). An increased concentration of omega-3 fatty acids and a reduced ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio was found upon 1.0% STC supplementation compared to antibiotic dietary group (p<0.05). Therefore, 1.0% STC dietary supplementation can be used as alternatives to antibiotics in duck production.

Update on diversity and distribution of HIV-1 subtypes in Yunnan province.

The aim of this study was to characterize updated HIV subtypes in Yunnan to determine their origins and distribution within the population. RT-PCR of both the gag and env genes were sequenced from Yunnan province inhabitants newly diagnosed with HIV-1. Sequence data from 290 samples were used for statistical analysis of subtype distribution and phylogenetic tree construction. Distribution data were adjusted to account for different geographical distributions of HIV-1 subtypes in the population. Phylogenetic analysis revealed six HIV-1 subtypes in Yunnan, including eight types of unique recombination forms (URFs). The most prevalent subtypes in this province, CRF07_BC (18·9%), CRF08_BC (39·1%), CRF01_AE (22·4%), and URFs (subtype C, 5·9% and subtype B, 4·5%), were all recombinants. We found significant differences in the distribution of these HIV-1 subtypes not only geographically, but also between various ethnic groups and with respect to transmission routes. Our findings indicate a complex population of HIV-1 subtypes, URFs, and recombinant subtypes in Yunnan province. This diversity could make the prevention and control of HIV infection in Yunnan more difficult due to the possibility of virus recombination or infection by multiple subtypes.