Chandrayaan-3 APXS elemental abundance measurements at lunar high latitude.

The elemental composition of the lunar surface provides insights into mechanisms of the formation and evolution of the Moon1,2. The chemical composition of lunar regolith have so far been precisely measured using the samples collected by the Apollo, Luna and Chang'e 5 missions, which are from equatorial to mid-latitude regions3,4; lunar meteorites, whose location of origin on the Moon is unknown5,6; and the in situ measurement from the Chang'e 3 and Chang'e 4 missions7-9, which are from the mid-latitude regions of the Moon. Here we report the first in situ measurements of the elemental abundances in the lunar southern high-latitude regions by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) experiment10 aboard the Pragyan rover of India's Chandrayaan-3 mission. The 23 measurements in the vicinity of the Chandrayaan-3 landing site show that the local lunar terrain in this region is fairly uniform and primarily composed of ferroan anorthosite (FAN), a product of the lunar magma ocean (LMO) crystallization. However, observation of relatively higher magnesium abundance with respect to calcium in APXS measurements suggests the mixing of further mafic material. The compositional uniformity over a few tens of metres around the Chandrayaan-3 landing site provides an excellent ground truth for remote-sensing observations.

Optimization by uniform design U8 (83 ) approach for enhanced caffeine degradation in synthetic wastewater in bioreactor.

Coffee wastewater contains large amounts of caffeine which affects microflora and seed development to great extent. Although several physio-chemical methods available for caffeine degradation, they are not preferred for large-scale treatment. In this study, we optimized induced cell concentration, aeration and agitation rate for maximizing caffeine degradation rate in bioreactor using Uniform design. Maximum caffeine degradation rate of 23·59 mg L-1 h-1 was achieved. The reduction in chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand and total organic carbon removal were found to be 72, 78 and 72% respectively. Mathematical model was developed through regression analysis and predicted maximum caffeine degradation rate of 24·2 mg L-1 h-1 under optimal conditions of 0·35 g L-1 biomass, 395 rev min-1 and 1·62 vvm. Experimental validation at optimum condition resulted in 22 mg L-1 h-1 of caffeine degradation rate. This is the first-ever bioreactor study showing highest caffeine degradation rate in synthetic coffee wastewater with limited experimental runs.

Effect of dietary supplementation of zinc proteinate on performance, egg quality, blood biochemical parameters, and egg zinc content in White Leghorn layers.

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of zinc proteinate (Zn-P) on laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant indices, and egg zinc content in laying hens from 38 to 49 weeks of age. A total of 150 White Leghorn layers were randomly assigned to five treatments, each with six replicates with five birds per replication. Dietary treatments included a corn-soybean meal-based basal diet with no zinc addition and basal diet supplemented with Zn-P at 40, 80, 120, or 160 mg/kg of feed for 12 weeks. The analyzed zinc concentrations of the five diets were 29.5, 70.8, 110.2, 147.5, and 187.5 mg Zn/kg, respectively. Dietary Zn-P supplementation had no effect on feed intake and egg production. However, raising the zinc level improved egg weight (P < 0.01) and egg mass (P < 0.05) and lowered the feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05) during the later (46-49 weeks) period. The Zn-P supplementation also significantly (P < 0.05) increased Haugh units, egg shell strength, and shell thickness and had no influence on other egg quality parameters. Increasing zinc levels in the diet resulted in increase in egg zinc contents and serum zinc level. The serum triglyceride and LDL-cholesterol levels significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in Zn-P-supplemented groups. Supplementation of Zn-P significantly (P < 0.05) increased serum Cu-Zn-SOD activity and reduced MDA concentration. It could be concluded that dietary supplementation of higher levels of Zn-P, more than 80 mg/kg diet, significantly improved the egg zinc content, some egg quality traits, antioxidant activity, and serum zinc levels.

Vitamin A and its metabolic pathway play a determinant role in high-fructose-induced triglyceride accumulation of the visceral adipose depot of male Wistar rats.

Here, we tested a hypothesis that vitamin A and/or its metabolic pathways are involved in the high-fructose-mediated alteration in adipose tissue biology. For this purpose, weanling male Wistar rats were provided with one of the following diets: control (C), control with vitamin A deficiency (C-VAD), high fructose (HFr), and HFr with VAD (HFr-VAD) for 16 weeks, except that half of the C-VAD diet-fed rats were shifted to HFr diet (C-VAD(s)HFr), after 8-week period. Compared with control, feeding of HFr diet significantly increased the triglyceride content (P ≤ .01) and thus adipocyte size (hypertrophy) (P ≤ .001) in visceral adipose depot; retroperitoneal white adipose tissue (RPWAT) and these changes were corroborated with de novo lipogenesis, as evidenced by the increased glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity (P ≤ .01) and up-regulation of lipogenic pathway transcripts, fructose transporter, and aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 A1. On the contrary, the absence of vitamin A in the HFr diet (HFr-VAD) failed to exert these changes; however, it induced adipocyte hyperplasia. Further, vitamin A deficiency-mediated changes were reversed by replenishment, as evident from the group that was shifted from C-VAD to HFr diet. In conclusion, vitamin A and its metabolic pathway play a key determinant role in the high-fructose-induced triglyceride accumulation and adipocyte hypertrophy of visceral white adipose depot. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: Here, we report the metabolic impact of high-fructose feeding under vitamin A-sufficient and vitamin A-deficient conditions. Feeding of high-fructose diet induced triglyceride accumulation and adipocyte hypertrophy of the visceral white adipose depots. These changes corroborated with augmented expression of vitamin A and lipid metabolic pathway genes. Contrarily, absence of vitamin A in the high-fructose diet did not elicit such responses, while vitamin A replenishment reversed the changes exerted by vitamin A deficiency. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the role of vitamin A and its metabolic pathway in the high-fructose-induced triglyceride synthesis and its accumulation in visceral adipose depot and thus provide a new insight and scope to understand these nutrients interaction in clinical conditions.

High-Fat Diet Elevates Liver Docosahexaenoic Acid Possibly through Over-Expression of Very Long-Chain Fatty Acid Elongase 2 in C57BL/6J Mice.

The liver is the main site of lipid metabolism and vitamin A storage. Dietary factors are known to affect liver function, thereby leading to metabolic abnormalities. Here, we assessed the impact of long-term feeding of a high-fat diet on hepatic vitamin A status and lipid metabolism. For this purpose, 14 male and 14 female 35-day-old mice (strain C57BL/6J) were each divided into 2 groups of 7 animals and fed either a stock diet or a high-fat (HF) diet for 26 weeks. In addition to increased body weight/weight gain, the HF diet induced hypertriglyceridemia in both (p < 0.01). However, liver triglyceride levels were comparable among groups, which could be partly explained by unaltered expression of various lipogenic pathway proteins such as sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP1), fatty acid synthase (FAS), microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTTP), and glycerol 3-phosphate acyl transferase (GPAT). On the other hand, hepatic retinol stores increased significantly in both sexes, whereas males displayed elevated circulatory retinol levels. Notably, long-term feeding of a HF diet elevated n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6) levels in the liver (p ≤ 0.001), which is in line with the over-expression of very long-chain fatty acid elongase 2 (ELOVL2) protein in both sexes of mice (p < 0.01). In conclusion, very long-term feeding of a HF diet increased hepatic retinol stores and induced hypertriglyceridemia. However, it had no effect on hepatic triglyceride accumulation, possibly due to increased DHA levels arising from the ELOVL2-mediated elongation pathway.

Effect of supplementing vitamin E analogues on post-thaw semen parameters and fertility in chicken.

1. The effect of supplementing water-soluble vitamin E analogues 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchromane-2-carboxylic acid (trolox) and butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) was studied in two separate experiments. 2. In the first experiment, trolox was supplemented at 0.2 mM, 0.4 mM and 0.8 mM concentrations along with N-methylacetamide (MA; 12% final concentration) and semen was cryopreserved in 0.5 ml French straws. Different semen parameters and fertility were assessed from post-thaw samples. 3. Sperm motility, live sperm, and mitochondrial activity were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in cryopreserved semen. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in cryopreserved semen that was reduced by trolox supplementation. The treatment containing trolox at 0.2 mM concentration produced significantly higher (P < 0.05) fertility compared to unsupplemented cryopreservation treatment. 4. In the second experiment, BHT was supplemented at 0.25 mM, 0.5 mM, and 1 mM concentrations along with MA during semen cryopreservation. 5. Sperm motility, live sperm and MTT dye reduction test were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in cryopreserved semen. These parameters declined with increasing BHT concentration. Abnormal sperm was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the BHT supplemented treatments. The sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) test was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in cryopreserved samples and was highest in samples supplemented with 0.5 mM and 1 mM BHT. The percentage fertility was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in cryopreserved semen and BHT supplementation did not improve fertility. 6. In conclusion, trolox supplementation at 0.2 mM concentration during semen cryopreservation improved fertility, whereas BHT supplementation resulted in a decline in post-thaw semen parameters.

Effect of Supplemental Trace Minerals on Hsp-70 mRNA Expression in Commercial Broiler Chicken.

The effects of supplementing the organic forms of selenium (Se), chromium (Cr), and zinc (Zn) on Hsp-70 mRNA expression and body weight in broiler chickens were evaluated. 200 chicks were equally distributed into stainless steel battery brooders at the rate of 5 birds per pen and reared under heat stress condition up to 42nd day. The chicks were fed with three experimental diets supplemented with organic forms of Se (0.30 mg/kg), Cr (2 mg/kg), and Zn (40 mg/kg) during the starter and finisher phases and a control diet without any supplementation. On the 21st and 42nd day, 20 birds from each period were sacrificed and samples were collected for analysis. Organic Se, Cr, and Zn supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the expression of Hsp-70 mRNA levels. The Hsp-70 mRNA expression levels were significantly (P < 0.05) different between the tissues studied with spleen having the lowest expression level. Hsp-70 mRNA expression level was not affected by age of the birds. The study concluded that organic trace mineral (oTM) supplementation resulted in low Hsp-70 mRNA expression, indicating reduced heat stress in broilers.

Vitamin A deficiency suppresses high fructose-induced triglyceride synthesis and elevates resolvin D1 levels.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Vitamin A and its metabolites are known to regulate lipid metabolism. However so far, no study has assessed, whether vitamin A deficiency per se aggravates or attenuates the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Therefore, here, we tested the impact of vitamin A deficiency on the development of NAFLD. METHODS: Male weanling Wistar rats were fed one of the following diets; control, vitamin A-deficient (VAD), high fructose (HFr) and VAD with HFr (VADHFr) of AIN93G composition, for 16weeks, except half of the VAD diet-fed rats were shifted to HFr diet (VAD(s)HFr), at the end of 8(th) week. RESULTS: Animals fed on VAD diet with HFr displayed hypotriglyceridemia (33.5mg/dL) with attenuated hepatic triglyceride accumulation (8.2mg/g), compared with HFr diet (89.5mg/dL and 20.6mg/g respectively). These changes could be partly explained by the decreased activity of glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) and the down-regulation of stearoyl CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1), both at gene and protein levels, the key determinants of triglyceride biosynthesis. On the other hand, n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid and its active metabolite; resolvin D1 (RvD1) levels were elevated in the liver and plasma of VAD diet-fed groups, which was negatively associated with triglyceride levels. All these factors confer vitamin A deficiency-mediated protection against the development of hepatic steatosis, which was also evident from the group shifted from VAD to HFr diet. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin A deficiency attenuates high fructose-induced hepatic steatosis, by regulating triglyceride synthesis, possibly through GPDH, SCD1 and RvD1.

Carrot juice ingestion attenuates high fructose-induced circulatory pro-inflammatory mediators in weanling Wistar rats.

BACKGROUND: Adipose tissue, an endocrine organ, plays a vital role not only in energy homeostasis, but also in the development and/or progression of various metabolic diseases, such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), via several factors and mechanisms, including inflammation. This study tested, whether carrot juice administration affected the adipose tissue development and its inflammatory status in a high fructose diet-induced rat model. For this purpose, male weanling Wistar rats were divided into four groups and fed either control or high fructose diet of AIN-93G composition with or without carrot juice ingestion for an 8 week period. RESULTS: Administration of carrot juice did not affect the adiposity and cell size of visceral fat depot; retroperitoneal white adipose tissue (RPWAT), which was corroborated with unaltered expression of genes involved in adipogenic and lipogenic pathways. However, it significantly reduced the high fructose diet-induced elevation of plasma free fatty acid (FFA) (P ≤ 0.05), macrophage chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1) (P ≤ 0.01) and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) (P ≤ 0.05) levels. CONCLUSION: Carrot juice administration attenuated the high fructose diet-induced elevation of levels of circulatory FFA and pro-inflammatory mediators; MCP1 and hsCRP without affecting the adiposity and cell size of visceral fat depot; RPWAT. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Chronic vitamin A-enriched diet feeding regulates hypercholesterolaemia through transcriptional regulation of reverse cholesterol transport pathway genes in obese rat model of WNIN/GR-Ob strain.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Hepatic scavenger receptor class B1 (SR-B1), a high-density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor, is involved in the selective uptake of HDL-associated esterified cholesterol (EC), thereby regulates cholesterol homoeostasis and improves reverse cholesterol transport. Previously, we reported in euglycaemic obese rats (WNIN/Ob strain) that feeding of vitamin A-enriched diet normalized hypercholesterolaemia, possibly through hepatic SR-B1-mediated pathway. This study was aimed to test whether it would be possible to normalize hypercholesterolaemia in glucose-intolerant obese rat model (WNIN/GR/Ob) through similar mechanism by feeding identical vitamin A-enriched diet. METHODS: In this study, 30 wk old male lean and obese rats of WNIN/GR-Ob strain were divided into two groups and received either stock diet or vitamin A-enriched diet (2.6 mg or 129 mg vitamin A/kg diet) for 14 wk. Blood and other tissues were collected for various biochemical analyses. RESULTS: Chronic vitamin A-enriched diet feeding decreased hypercholesterolaemia and normalized abnormally elevated plasma HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in obese rats as compared to stock diet-fed obese groups. Further, decreased free cholesterol (FC) and increased esterified cholesterol (EC) contents of plasma cholesterol were observed, which were reflected in higher EC to FC ratio of vitamin A-enriched diet-fed obese rats. However, neither lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity of plasma nor its expression (both gene and protein) in the liver were altered. On the contrary, hepatic cholesterol levels significantly increased in vitamin A-enriched diet fed obese rats. Hepatic SR-B1 expression (both mRNA and protein) remained unaltered among groups. Vitamin A-enriched diet fed obese rats showed a significant increase in hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptor mRNA levels, while the expression of genes involved in HDL synthesis, namely, ATP-binding cassette protein 1 (ABCA1) and apolipoprotein A-I, were downregulated. No such response was seen in vitamin A-supplemented lean rats as compared with their stock diet-fed lean counterparts. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: Chronic vitamin A-enriched diet feeding decreased hypercholesterolaemia and normalized HDL-C levels, possibly by regulating pathways involved in HDL synthesis and degradation, independent of hepatic SR-B1 in this glucose-intolerant obese rat model.

Report from a symposium on catalyzing primary and secondary prevention of cancer in India.

PURPOSE: Oral, breast, and cervical cancers are amenable to early detection and account for a third of India's cancer burden. We convened a symposium of diverse stakeholders to identify gaps in evidence, policy, and advocacy for the primary and secondary prevention of these cancers and recommendations to accelerate these efforts. METHODS: Indian and global experts from government, academia, private sector (health care, media), donor organizations, and civil society (including cancer survivors and patient advocates) presented and discussed challenges and solutions related to strategic communication and implementation of prevention, early detection, and treatment linkages. RESULTS: Innovative approaches to implementing and scaling up primary and secondary prevention were discussed using examples from India and elsewhere in the world. Participants also reflected on existing global guidelines and national cancer prevention policies and experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Symposium participants proposed implementation-focused research, advocacy, and policy/program priorities to strengthen primary and secondary prevention efforts in India to address the burden of oral, breast, and cervical cancers and improve survival.

Chronic vitamin A-enriched diet feeding induces body weight gain and adiposity in lean and glucose-intolerant obese rats of WNIN/GR-Ob strain.

NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Previously, we reported that chronic feeding of a vitamin A-enriched diet to euglycaemic obese rats (WNIN/Ob) ameliorated obesity. Does this diet exert similar effects even with a different genetic background, i.e. obese rats of the WNIN/GR-Ob strain with impaired glucose tolerance? What is the main finding and its importance? Vitamin A-enriched diet aggravated weight gain and adiposity/obesity in both lean and glucose-intolerant obese rats of the WNIN/GR-Ob strain. Therefore, the role of genetic factors and their regulation by nutrients in determining health and disease conditions assumes greater significance in experimental and clinical research. Vitamin A and its metabolites are key regulators of the development of adipose tissue and its associated metabolic complications. Here, we tested, in a glucose-intolerant obese rat model (the WNIN/GR-Ob stain), whether feeding a vitamin A-enriched diet alters adiposity and its associated changes. For this purpose, 30-week-old male lean and obese rats were divided into two groups and received either stock diet or vitamin A-enriched diet [2.6 or 129 mg vitamin A (kg diet)(-1) , respectively] for 14 weeks. At the end, feeding of the vitamin A-enriched diet resulted in increased body weight gain/obesity and retroperitoneal white adipose tissue (RPWAT) in both lean and obese rats of the WNIN/GR-Ob strain, when compared with their respective control animals receiving stock diet, without affecting food intake. An improvement in hypertriglyceridaemia and circulatory non-esterified fatty acid levels and unaltered hepatic fatty acid oxidative and triglyceride secretory pathway proteins with vitamin A-enriched diet feeding are suggestive of enhanced hepatic clearance of circulatory lipids, resulting in increased hepatic triglyceride accumulation. Transcriptional analysis of RPWAT showed that feeding the vitamin A-enriched diet augmented the expression of adipogenic/adipose tissue-specific genes; peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ, stearoyl CoA desaturase 1, retinol saturase, leptin and lipoprotein lipase and vitamin A metabolic pathway genes; retinoic acid receptors, retinoid X receptors and cytochrome P450 26B1. Besides, RPWAT-lipoprotein lipase-mediated clearance of triglyceride could also have contributed to increased adiposity and improved hypertriglyceridaemia. In conclusion, chronic feeding of vitamin A-enriched diet induces weight gain and adiposity in both lean and obese rats of the WNIN/GR-Ob strain, possibly through transcriptional regulation of key adipogenic pathway genes of RPWAT, but improves dyslipidaemia.

Vitamin A as a key regulator of obesity & its associated disorders: Evidences from an obese rat model.

During the last century, vitamin A has evolved from its classical role as a fat-soluble vitamin and attained the status of para-/autocrine hormone. Besides its well-established role in embryogenesis, growth and development, reproduction and vision, vitamin A has also been implicated in several other physiological processes. Emerging experimental evidences emphasize adipose tissue as an active endocrine organ with great propensity to continuous growth (throughout life). Due to various genetic and lifestyle factors, excess energy accumulates in adipose tissue as fat, resulting in obesity and other complications such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Recent in vitro and in vivo studies have shed light on vitamin A metabolites; retinaldehyde and retinoic acid and participation of their pathway proteins in the regulation of adipose tissue metabolism and thus, obesity. In this context, we discuss here some of our important findings, which establish the role of vitamin A (supplementation) in obesity and its associated disorders by employing an obese rat model; WNIN/Ob strain.

Differential Toll-like receptor (TLR) mRNA expression patterns during chicken embryological development.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs), important components of innate immune response, play a pivotal role in early recognition of pathogen as well as in the initiation of robust and specific adaptive immune response. In the present study, the expression profile of chicken TLRs (TLR2A, TLR3, TLR4, TLR5, TLR7, TLR15, and TLR21) in various chicken embryonic tissues during embryo development was examined by real-time PCR assay. All the TLR mRNAs were expressed in whole embryonic tissue as early as 3rd embryonic day (ED). Four of the seven TLRs (TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, and TLR7) mRNA expressions were significantly (P < 0.01) higher at 12ED relative to expression at 3 ED, whereas TLR15 mRNA expression was significantly (P < 0.01) higher on 7ED and TLR5 and 21 were highly expressed on 18 ED. Among all the TLRs investigated TLR4 mRNA was the highest expressed and TLR15 mRNA expression was the lowest in all tissues during chicken embryo development. Tissue wise analysis of mRNA expression of TLRs showed that liver expressed significantly (P < 0.01) higher levels of most of the genes (TLR2, TLR4, and TLR21). However no significant difference was found in TLR15 mRNA expression among the tissues during development. Our results suggest the innate preparedness of chicken embryos and also a possible role for TLRs in the regulation of chicken embryo development that needs to be further evaluated.

Effect of Embryonic Thermal Exposure on Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) Gene Expression and Serum T3 Concentration in Two Broiler Populations.

The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the Hsp-70, 27 and Ubiquitin mRNA expressions and serum T3 concentration in synthetic colored broiler female lines, Punjab Broiler-2 (PB-2), and Naked neck (NN) broiler chicken whose eggs were exposed to 2°C increased incubation temperature for 3 hours each on the 16th, 17 th, and 18th day of incubation. Another set of eggs were incubated at normal conditions that were utilized as the control. A total of 432 chicks, 216 from each breed (PB-2; NN) and treatment (Heat exposed: HE; normal: N), were randomly distributed and reared at high ambient temperatures (32°C-45°C) during the summer season in battery brooders. Birds were sacrificed at 0 and the 28th day post hatch and different tissues (heart, liver, muscle, spleen, and bursa) were collected to study Hsps and ubiquitin mRNA expression. There was no difference between the breeds and age of slaughter in Hsp-70 mRNA expression. The Hsp(70, 27, and ubiquitin) mRNA expression was significantly (P≤0.001) lower in HE birds than that of N birds in PB-2 chickens. Nonsignificant variation was observed in NN chicken. The Hsp-70 mRNA expression was highest in bursa and lowest in muscle and liver. Serum T3 concentration was similar in both HE and N birds. The study concludes that exposure to increased temperature during incubation results in reduced expressions of Hsp mRNA in almost all tissues indicating better thermotolerance of the HE birds.

Effect of thermal manipulation during embryogenesis on liver heat shock protein expression in chronic heat stressed colored broiler chickens.

Thermal manipulation during embryogenesis has been shown to improve thermo tolerance in broilers. Heat shock proteins are a family of proteins produced in response to variety of stress and protect cells from damage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of thermal manipulation (TM) during embryogenesis on HSP gene and protein expression in the embryos and in chronic heat stressed 42nd day old chicks. On 15th day of incubation, fertile eggs from two breeds-Naked neck (NN) and Punjab Broiler-2 (PB-2) were randomly divided in to two groups, namely Control (C) eggs were incubated under standard incubation conditions and Thermal Conditioning (TC) eggs were exposed to higher incubation temperature (40.5°C) for 3h on 15th, 16th and 17th day of incubation. The chicks so obtained from each group were further subdivided and reared from 15th-42nd day as normal (N; 25±1°C, 70% RH) and heat exposed (HE; 35±1°C, 50% RH) resulting in four treatment groups (CN, CHE, TCN and TCHE). Embryos of two groups (C and TC) on 17th day and birds from four treatment groups on 42nd day were sacrificed. Liver was collected for analysis of gene expression by real-time PCR and protein expression by Western blot of Heat Shock Proteins (HSP 90 alpha, HSP 90 beta, HSP 70, HSP 60, HSP 27 and ubiquitin). The plasma collected on 42nd day was analyzed for biochemical parameters. Thermal challenging of embryos of both the breeds caused significant (P≤0.05) increase in all the HSPs gene and protein expression. The TCHE chicks had significantly (P≤0.05) lower HSPs gene and protein expressions and oxidative stress compared to CHE groups in both NN and PB-2. Based on these findings it can be concluded that TM during incubation provides adaptation to broiler chicks during chronic heat stress.

Polymorphism and expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) gene and its association with growth traits in chicken.

1. The objectives of the study were to detect polymorphism in the coding region of the IGF1 gene, explore the expression profile and estimate association with growth traits in indigenous and exotic chickens. 2. A total of 12 haplotypes were found in Cornish, control layer and Aseel breeds of chicken in which the h1 haplotype was most frequent. 3. Nucleotide substitutions among haplotypes were found at 21 positions in the IGF1 gene in which 4 substitutions resulted in non-synonymous mutations in the receptor binding domain of the IGF1 protein. 4. The haplogroup showed a significant effect on body weight at 24 and 42 d of age in the control layer line, body weight at 42 d and daily weight gain between 29 and 42 d in the control broiler line, daily weight gain between 29 and 42 d in Cornish, and body weights at 42 d as well as daily weight gain between 29 and 42 d in Aseel birds. 5. IGF1 expression varied among the breeds during embryonic and post-hatch periods. The expression among the haplogroups varied in different chicken tissues. The effect of haplogroup on myofibre number in pectoral muscle was non-significant, although there was significant variation in numbers between d 1 and d 42, and between broiler and layer lines. 6. It was concluded that the coding region of the IGF1 gene was polymorphic, expressed differentially during the pre-hatch and post-hatch periods, and haplogroups showed significant association with growth traits in chicken.

The contribution of vitamin A to autocrine regulation of fat depots.

Morbidity and mortality associated with increased white fat accumulation in visceral fat depots have focused attention on the pathways regulating the development of this tissue during embryogenesis, in adulthood, and while under the influence of obesogenic diets. Adipocytes undergo clonal expansion, differentiation (adipogenesis) and maturation through a complex network of transcriptional factors, most of which are expressed at similar levels in visceral and subcutaneous fat. Rigorous research attempts to unfold the pathways regulating expression and activity of adipogenic transcription factors that act in a fat-depot-specific manner. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) is the master regulator of adipogenesis, and is expressed at higher levels in subcutaneous than in visceral depots. PPARγ expression in adipogenesis is mediated by CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins (C/EBPs) and several transcription factors acting in conjunction with C/EBPs, although alternative pathways through zinc-finger protein-423 (ZFP423) transcription factor are sufficient to induce PPARγ expression and adipogenesis. Vitamin A and its metabolites, retinaldehyde and retinoic acid, are transcriptionally-active molecules. Retinoic acid is generated from retinaldehyde in adipose tissue by the aldehyde dehydrogenase-1 family of enzymes (Aldh1). In this review, we discuss the role of Aldh1 enzymes in the generation of retinoic acid during adipogenesis, in the regulation of the transcriptional network of PPARγ in a fat-depot-specific manner, and the important contribution of this autocrine pathway in the development of visceral obesity. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Retinoid and Lipid Metabolism.

A nomadic multi-agent based privacy metrics for e-health care: a deep learning approach.

In recent years, there has been a surge in the use of deep learning systems for e-healthcare applications. While these systems can provide significant benefits regarding improved diagnosis and treatment, they also pose substantial privacy risks to patients' sensitive data. Privacy is a crucial issue in e-healthcare, and it is essential to keep patient information secure. A new approach based on multi-agent-based privacy metrics for e-healthcare deep learning systems has been proposed to address this issue. This approach uses a combination of deep learning and multi-agent systems to provide a more robust and secure method for e-healthcare applications. The multi-agent system is designed to monitor and control the access to patients' data by different agents in the system. Each agent is assigned a specific role and has specific data access permissions. The system employs a set of privacy metrics to a substantial privacy level of the data accessed by each agent. These metrics include confidentiality, integrity, and availability, evaluated in real-time and used to identify potential privacy violations. In addition to the multi-agent system, the deep learning component is also integrated into the system to improve the accuracy of diagnoses and treatment plans. The deep learning model is trained on a large dataset of medical records and can accurately predict the diagnosis and treatment plan based on the patient's symptoms and medical history. The multi-agent-based privacy metrics for the e-healthcare deep learning system approach have several advantages. It provides a more secure system for e-healthcare applications by ensuring only authorized agents can access patients' data. Privacy metrics enable the system to identify potential privacy violations in real-time, thereby reducing the risk of data breaches. Finally, integrating deep learning improves the accuracy of diagnoses and treatment plans, leading to better patient outcomes.

Silencing acetyl-CoA carboxylase A and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 genes through RNAi reduce serum and egg cholesterol in chicken.

Cholesterol is synthesized in chicken through de novo lipid biosynthetic pathway where two most important genes viz. SREBP1 and ACACA play immense role. To minimize cholesterol synthesis, RNAi approach was adopted and accordingly, we developed transgenic chicken possessing ACACA and SREBP1 shRNA constructs, which showed lower level of ACACA and SREBP1 in serum. The serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL cholesterol was significantly lower by 23.8, 35.6, 26.6 and 20.9%, respectively in SREBP1 transgenic birds compared to the control. The egg total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol content was numerically lower in both ACACA and SREBP1 transgenic birds by 14.3 and 13.2%, and 10.4 and 13.7%, respectively compared to the control. It is concluded that the protocol was perfected to develop transgenic chicken through RNAi for knocking down the expression of ACACA and SREBP1 proteins, which minimized the cholesterol and triglycerides contents in serum and eggs.