Impedimetric Gram-Positive Bacteria Biosensor Using Vancomycin-Coated Silica Nanoparticles with a Gold Nanocluster-Deposited Electrode.

We introduce a swift, label-free electrochemical biosensor designed for the precise on-site detection of Gram-positive bacteria via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The biosensor was prepared by electroplating the electrode surface with gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) on the gold-interdigitated wave-shaped electrode with a printed circuit board (Au-PCB) electrode, which plays a role in cost-effective and promising lab-on-a-chip microsystems and integrated biosensing systems. This was followed by the application of silica nanoparticle-modified vancomycin (SiNPs-VAN) that binds to Gram-positive bacteria and facilitates their detection on the AuNC-coated surface. The biosensor demonstrated remarkable sensitivity and specificity. It could detect as few as 102 colony-forming units (CFU)/mL of Staphylococcus aureus, 101 CFU/mL of Bacillus cereus, and 102 CFU/mL of Micrococcus luteus within 20 min. Additionally, SiNPs-VAN is also known for its high stability, low cost, and ease of preparation. It is effective in identifying Gram-positive bacteria in water samples across a concentration range of 102-105 CFU/mL and shows selective identification of Gram-positive bacteria with minimal interference from Gram-negative bacteria like Escherichia coli. The ability of the biosensor to quantify Gram-positive bacteria aligns well with the results obtained from the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). These findings highlight the potential of electrochemical biosensors for the detection of pathogens and other biological entities, marking a significant advancement in this field.

Achyranthes japonica extract as phytogenic feed additive enhanced nutrient digestibility and growth performance in broiler.

Achyranthes japonica extract (AJE) is derived from a medicinal plant Achyranthes japonica, known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. AJE contains multiple bioactive compounds, including saponins, triterpenoids, phytoecdysteroids, 20-hydroxyecdysone, and inokosterone. The aim of this investigation was to examine the impact of AJE as a phytogenic feed additive on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, excreta microbial count, noxious gas emissions, breast meat quality in broilers. About three hundred and sixty, day-old broilers (Ross 308) were assigned into four treatments (five replication cages/treatment, and 18 birds/cage). Dietary treatments: CON, basal diet; 0.02% AJE, basal diet with 0.02%; 0.04% AJE, basal diet with 0.04% AJE, and 0.06% AJE, basal diet with 0.06% of AJE. Body weight gain increased linearly (p < 0.05) through the inclusion of AJE during days 7 to 21, 21 to 35, as well as the entire experimental period. Besides, feed intake increased (p < 0.05) linearly during days 21 to 35 and the entire experiment with the increased AJE doses in broiler diet. Dry matter digestibility was increased (p < 0.05) linearly along with increasing amounts of AJE. With increasing AJE supplementation, nitrogen and energy utilization tended to improve (p < 0.10). In summary, the addition of AJE in the corn-soybean meal diet led to higher body weight gain and increased feed intake as well as enhanced nutrient digestibility, among them the highest improvement was found in 0.06%-AJE indicating the acceptance of AJE as a phytogenic feed additive.

Bacteria-based cancer therapy: Looking forward.

The field of bacteria-based cancer therapy, which focuses on the key role played by the prevalence of bacteria, specifically in tumors, in controlling potential targets for cancer therapy, has grown enormously over the past few decades. In this review, we discuss, for the first time, the global cancer situation and the timeline for using bacteria in cancer therapy. We also explore how interdisciplinary collaboration has contributed to the evolution of bacteria-based cancer therapies. Additionally, we address the challenges that need to be overcome for bacteria-based cancer therapy to be accepted in clinical trials and the latest advancements in the field. The groundbreaking technologies developed through bacteria-based cancer therapy have opened up new therapeutic strategies for a wide range of therapeutics in cancer.

The effects of synbiotics-glyconutrients on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, gas emission, meat quality, and fatty acid profile of finishing pigs.

Glyconutrients help in the body's cell communication. Glyconutrients and synbiotics are promising options for improving immune function. Therefore, we hypothesized that combining synbiotics and glyconutrients will enhance pig nutrient utilization. 150 pigs (Landrace × Yorkshire × Duroc), initially weighing 58.85 ± 3.30 kg of live body weight (BW) were utilized to determine the effects of synbiotics-glyconutrients (SGN) on the pigs' performance, feed efficiency, gas emission, pork traits, and composition of fatty acids. The pigs were matched by BW and sex and chosen at random to 1 of 3 diet treatments: control = Basal diet; TRT1 = Basal diet + SGN 0.15%; TRT2 = Basal diet + SGN 0.30%%. The trials were conducted in two phases (weeks 1-5 and weeks 5-10). The average daily gain was increased in pigs fed a basal diet with SGN (p = 0.036) in weeks 5-10. However, the apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter, nitrogen, and gross energy did not differ among the treatments (p > 0.05). Dietary treatments had no effect on NH3, H2S, methyl mercaptans, acetic acids, and CO2 emissions (p > 0.05). Improvement in drip loss on day 7 (p = 0.053) and tendency in the cooking loss were observed (p = 0.070) in a group fed basal diets and SGN at 0.30% inclusion level. The group supplemented with 0.30% of SGN had higher levels of palmitoleic acid (C16:1), margaric acid (C17:0), omega-3 fatty acid, omega-6 fatty acid, and ω-6: ω-3 ratio (p = 0.034, 0.020, 0.025, 0.007, and 0.003, respectively) in the fat of finishing pigs. Furthermore, group supplemented with 0.30% of SGN improved margaric acid (C17:0), linoleic acid (C18:2n6c), arachidic acid (C20:0), omega 6 fatty acid, omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, unsaturated fatty acid, and monounsaturated fatty acid (p = 0.037, 0.05, 0.0142, 0.036, 0.033, 0.020, and 0.045, respectively) in the lean tissues of finishing pigs compared to pigs fed with the control diets. In conclusion, the combination of probiotics, prebiotics, and glyconutrients led to higher average daily gain, improved the quality of pork, and more favorable fatty acid composition. Therefore, these results contributed to a better understanding of the potential of SGN combinations as a feed additive for pigs.

Dietary eubiotics of microbial muramidase and glycan improve intestinal villi, ileum microbiota composition and production trait of broiler.

BACKGROUND: Optimal gut health is important to maximize growth performance and feed efficiency in broiler chickens. A total of 1,365 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly divided into 5 treatments groups with 21 replicates, 13 birds per replicate. The present research investigated effects of microbial muramidase or a precision glycan alone or in combination on growth performance, apparent total tract digestibility, total blood carotenoid content, intestinal villus length, meat quality and gut microbiota in broiler chickens. Treatments included: NC: negative control (basal diet group); PC: positive control (basal diet + 0.02% probiotics); MR: basal diet + 0.035% microbial muramidase; PG: basal diet + 0.1% precision glycan; and MRPG: basal diet + 0.025% MR + 0.1% PG, respectively. RESULTS: MRPG group increased the body weight gain and feed intake (P < 0.05) compared with NC group. Moreover, it significantly increased total serum carotenoid (P < 0.05) and MRPG altered the microbial diversity in ileum contents. The MRPG treatment group increased the abundance of the phylum Firmicutes, and family Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Oscillospiraceae, Lactobacillaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae and decreased the abundance of the phylum Campilobacterota, Bacteroidota and family Bacteroidaceae. Compared with the NC group, the chickens fed MRPG showed significantly increased in duodenum villus length at end the trial. CONCLUSION: In this study, overall results showed that the synergetic effects of MR and PG showed enhancing growth performance, total serum carotenoid level and altering gut microbiota composition of broilers. The current research indicates that co-supplementation of MR and PG in broiler diets enhances intestinal health, consequently leading to an increased broiler production.

Antibody functionalized capacitance sensor for label-free and real-time detection of bacteria and antibiotic susceptibility.

The effective management of infectious diseases and the growing concern of antibiotic resistance necessitates accurate and targeted therapies, highlighting the importance of antibiotic susceptibility testing. This study aimed to develop a real-time impedimetric biosensor for identifying and monitoring bacterial growth and antibiotic susceptibility. The biosensor employed a gold 8-channel disk-shaped microelectrode array with specific antibodies as bio-recognition elements. This setup was allowed for the analysis of bacterial samples, including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Micrococcus luteus. These microorganisms were successfully cultured and detected within 1 h of incubation even with a minimal bacterial concentration of 10 CFU/ml. Overall, the developed biosensor array exhibits promising capabilities for monitoring S. aureus, B. cereus and M. luteus, showcasing an excellent linear response ranging from 10 to 104 CFU/ml with a detection limit of 0.95, 1.22 and 1.04 CFU/mL respectively. Moreover, real-time monitoring of antibiotic susceptibility was facilitated by changes in capacitance, which dropped when bacteria were exposed to antibiotic doses higher than their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), indicating suppressed bacterial growth. The capacitance measurements enabled determination of half-maximal cytotoxic concentrations (CC50) values for each bacteria-antibiotic pair. As a proof-of-concept application, the developed sensor array was employed as a sensing platform for the real time detection of bacteria in milk samples, which ensured the reliability of the sensor for in-field detection of foodborne pathogens and rapid antimicrobial susceptibility tests (ASTs).

Dietary Bacillus spp. supplementation to both sow and progenies improved post-weaning growth rate, gut function, and reduce the pro-inflammatory cytokine production in weaners challenged with Escherichia coli K88.

BACKGROUND: The use of probiotics (PRO) in late gestation sow and their impact on progenies' performance during the post-weaning stage has received more attention from the researchers recently. This study aimed to analyze the effect of probiotic mixture (Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis) on both sow and offspring's performance. METHODS: First experiment (Exp.1) was conducted from the 100th day of gestation through to post-weaning. A total of twenty sows and their litters were assigned to one of two dietary treatments, Control (CON) based diet and PRO- CON+ 0.05% probiotic mixture. Dietary treatments were arranged in a split-plot pattern with sow and weaner treatment (CON and PRO diet) as the main and sub plot. Exp.2. E. coli challenge study was carried out two weeks after weaning with 40 piglets. Dietary treatments remained same while all pigs were orally administered with a 1.5 ml suspension of 1010 CFU of K88 strain of E. coli per ml. RESULT: PRO group sow showed significantly decreased backfat thickness difference and body weight difference after farrowing and at the end of weaning d21. The nutrient digestibility of PRO group sows was significantly higher at the end of weaning. Moreover, piglets born from PRO group sow showed higher weaning weight and tend to increase average daily gain at the end of d21. The addition of mixed probiotic in sow and weaner diet had suppressed the production of TNF-α and interleukin-6 in E. coli challenged pigs. The phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in E. coli -challenged pigs were highly abundant while, the relative abundance of clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 at genus level was significantly reduced by the inclusion of probiotic in both the sow and weaner diet. Also, taxonomic distribution analysis showed significantly lower prevalence of Clostridium and Brachyspira and higher prevalence of Lactobacilli in E. coli-challenged pigs that were born from PRO group sow and fed CON and PRO weaner diet. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that the inclusion of 0.05% mixed probiotics (Bacillus spp.) to both sow and their progenies diet would be more beneficial to enhance the post-weaning growth rate, gut health, and immune status of E. coli challenged pigs.

Influences of flavonoid (quercetin) inclusion to corn-soybean-gluten meal-based diet on broiler performance.

Quercetin (a predominant flavonoid) is considered to have antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. This trial was conducted to evaluate the impact of graded doses of quercetin (QS) on growth efficiency, nutrient retention, faecal score, footpad lesion score, tibia ash and meat quality. In a 32-day feeding test, a total of 576 1-day-old Ross 308 broilers (male) were allocated arbitrarily with an average body weight of 41 ± 0.5 g. The trial had four dietary treatments with eight repetitions of 18 birds per pen and a basal diet incorporating 0%, 0.02%, 0.04% and 0.06% of QS. As the QS dosage increased, body weight gain tended to increase linearly on Days 9-21 (p = 0.069) and overall period (p = 0.079). Similarly, feed intake increased (p = 0.009) linearly with the increasing doses of QS on Days 9-21. Likewise, there was a linear improvement in dry matter (p = 0.002) and energy (p = 0.016) digestibility after QS administration. Moreover, the inclusion of QS supplement (0%-0.06%) linearly increased (p = 0.012) tibia ash in broilers. However, the faecal score and footpad lesion score showed no significant outcome (p > 0.05). By giving broilers a graded amount of QS, the relative organ weights of breast muscle (p = 0.009) and spleen (p = 0.006) improved linearly, meat colour lightness increased (p = 0.015), redness tended to improve (p = 0.065) linearly and drip loss decreased (p = 0.015) linearly. The inclusion of QS in the graded-level diet led to improvements in growth efficiency, nutrient absorption, meat quality and tibia ash, which recommended it as a beneficial feed additive for the broiler.

Pinecone oil supplemented to multiparous sows from 107 days prenatal to 21 days postpartum improves reproductive performance and milk composition and affects serum parameters.

Pinecone oil (PO) of Pinus koraiensis mainly contains α-pinene, ß-pinene, and limonene that may ameliorate animal well-being and growth performance. This study evaluated its effects on feed intake, milk composition and yield, serum parameters, and litter growth of sows. Twenty-seven pregnant sows (parity 2-4) were distributed to three dietary treatments. The trial started on Day 107 of gestation and ended on Day 21 of lactation. Sows were given either a basal diet or the basal diet + 200 or 400 mg/kg PO. Each treatment contained nine sows and each sow was considered an experimental unit. Results showed that the average daily gain and weaned body weight of piglets from the sows fed 400 mg/kg PO supplements were higher (p < 0.05) than the piglets from the control sows. Lactose content in colostrum samples and fat content in milk samples were higher (p < 0.05) in 400 mg/kg PO-treated sows, respectively, than those from the sows fed basal diet. Additionally, cortisol concentration and aspartate aminotransferase concentration in sow serum was lowered (p < 0.05) by 400 mg/kg PO on Day 21 of lactation. In conclusion, supplementation of 400 mg/kg PO during late gestation and lactation contributed to greater offspring growth performance, possibly by enhanced milk quality and alleviated maternal stress.

A study on the fabrication of metal microneedle array electrodes for ECG detection based on low melting point Bi-In-Sn alloys.

This study describes the fabrication and characteristics of microneedle array electrodes (MAEs) using Bismuth-Indium-Tin (Bi-In-Sn) alloys. The MAEs consist of 57 pyramid-shaped needles measuring 340 µm wide and 800 µm high. The fabrication process involved micromolding the alloys in a vacuum environment. Physical tests demonstrated that Bi-In-Sn MAEs have good mechanical strength, indicating their suitability for successful skin penetration. The electrode-skin interface impedance test confirmed that Bi-In-Sn MAEs successfully penetrated the skin. Impedance measurements revealed the importance of insulating the microneedle electrodes for optimal electrical performance, and a UV-curable Polyurethane Acrylate coating was applied to enhance insulation. Electrocardiogram measurements using the Bi-In-Sn MAEs demonstrated performance comparable to that of traditional Ag/AgCl electrodes, which shows promise for accurate data collection. Overall, the study demonstrates successful, minimally-invasive skin insertion, improved electrical insulation, and potential applications of Bi-In-Sn microneedle array. These findings contribute to advancements in microneedle technology for biomedical applications.

Alzheimer's Disease Biomarker Detection Using Field Effect Transistor-Based Biosensor.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is closely related to neurodegeneration, leading to dementia and cognitive impairment, especially in people aged > 65 years old. The detection of biomarkers plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis and treatment of AD, particularly at the onset stage. Field-effect transistor (FET)-based sensors are emerging devices that have drawn considerable attention due to their crucial ability to recognize various biomarkers at ultra-low concentrations. Thus, FET is broadly manipulated for AD biomarker detection. In this review, an overview of typical FET features and their operational mechanisms is described in detail. In addition, a summary of AD biomarker detection and the applicability of FET biosensors in this research field are outlined and discussed. Furthermore, the trends and future prospects of FET devices in AD diagnostic applications are also discussed.

A Review of Electroactive Nanomaterials in the Detection of Nitrogen-Containing Organic Compounds and Future Applications.

Electrochemical and impedimetric detection of nitrogen-containing organic compounds (NOCs) in blood, urine, sweat, and saliva is widely used in clinical diagnosis. NOC detection is used to identify illnesses such as chronic kidney disease (CKD), end-stage renal disease (ESRD), cardiovascular complications, diabetes, cancer, and others. In recent years, nanomaterials have shown significant potential in the detection of NOCs using electrochemical and impedimetric sensors. This potential is due to the higher surface area, porous nature, and functional groups of nanomaterials, which can aid in improving the sensing performance with inexpensive, direct, and quick-time processing methods. In this review, we discuss nanomaterials, such as metal oxides, graphene nanostructures, and their nanocomposites, for the detection of NOCs. Notably, researchers have considered nanocomposite-based devices, such as a field effect transistor (FET) and printed electrodes, for the detection of NOCs. In this review, we emphasize the significant importance of electrochemical and impedimetric methods in the detection of NOCs, which typically show higher sensitivity and selectivity. So, these methods will open a new way to make embeddable electrodes for point-of-detection (POD) devices. These devices could be used in the next generation of non-invasive analysis for biomedical and clinical applications. This review also summarizes recent state-of-the-art technology for the development of sensors for on-site monitoring and disease diagnosis at an earlier stage.

Investigating the Chemical Composition of Lepidium sativum Seeds and Their Ability to Safeguard against Monosodium Glutamate-Induced Hepatic Dysfunction.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is one of the most frequently used food additives that endanger public health. The antioxidant, hyperlipidemic, and cytoprotective properties of Lepidium sativum seeds (LSS) as a natural remedy can minimize the harmful effects of MSG. This study investigated the potential protective effect of LSS against MSG-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Male albino Sprague Dawley rats (n = 24) were equally divided into four groups for 30 days: the control group (G1) received a basal diet without supplement, group (G2) was fed a basal diet + MSG (30 g/kg b.w.) as a model group, group (G3) was fed a basal diet + MSG (30 g/kg b.w.) + LSS (30 g/kg b.w.), and group (G4) was fed a basal diet + MSG (30 g/kg b.w.) + LSS (60 g/kg b.w.). LSS enhanced serum alkaline phosphatase activity as well as total cholesterol, triglyceride, and glucose levels. It can decrease peroxide content in serum lipids and inhibit glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase in hepatic cells. The dietary supplementation with LSS provided cytoprotection by enhancing the histoarchitecture of the liver and decreasing the number of apoptotic cells. Due to their antioxidant and anti-apoptotic properties, LSS effectively protect against the hepatotoxicity of MSG. These findings are of the highest significance for drawing attention to incorporating LSS in our food industry and as a health treatment in traditional medicine to combat MSG-induced hepatic abnormalities.

Improving productive performance, immunity, and health status of growing rabbits by using honey bee venom (Apis mellifera).

To investigate the effect of bee venom (BV) as a natural growth promotor on growing rabbits as an alternative to antibiotics, sixty 35-day-old Californian male rabbits with an average body weight of 584 ± 9 gm were randomly divided into five equal groups as follows: The 2nd group received drinking water supplied with 10 mg Oxytetracycline (OXT), while the 3rd, 4th, and 5th groups received 2, 4 and 8 mg bee venom (BV)/kg body weight/day in drinking water, and the first group was served as a control group. The growth performance features were positively impacted by adding BV (p ≤ 0.01) compared to the control, whereas LBW and BWG increased and FI reduced. Significantly improved carcass characteristics (p ≤ 0.01) as a result of the BV supplementation. Blood characteristics showed a significant reduction (p ≤ 0.01) in liver enzyme activities and Cholesterol, Triglycerides, and Low-density lipoproteins Cholesterol (LDL) as affected by BV treatment; inversely, total protein and globulin were significantly increased (p ≤ 0.01). Similarly, BV had a positive effect (p ≤ 0.01) on anti-oxidant status (Total anti-oxidant capacity (TAC), Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)). In contrast, the lipid peroxidation biomarker (Malondialdehyde (MDA)) was significantly decreased. The immunoglobulin (IgG and IgM) was significantly increased (p ≤ 0.01) by BV treatment. There was a positive effect of low BV levels on decreasing both cecum TBC and pathogenic bacterial count (Salmonella spp., E.coli spp., Proteus spp., and Clostridia spp.) that was significant (p ≤ 0.01). In conclusion, BV can be a natural growth promoter to enhance growth performance traits, immunological and anti-oxidative responses, and reduce pathogenic bacteria in the hindgut of growing rabbits.

Multi-Enzyme Supplementation to Diets Containing 2 Protein Levels Affects Intramuscular Fat Content in Muscle and Modulates Cecal Microflora Without Affecting the Growth Performance of Finishing Pigs.

We investigated the effects of crude protein (CP) levels and exogenous enzymes on growth performance, meat quality, toxic gas emissions, and colonic microbiota community in 200 finishing pigs. Four groups corresponded to 4 diets: 16.74% CP (high-protein level, HP) and 14.73% CP (medium protein level, MP) diet supplemented with or without 1-g/kg multi-enzymes (ENZs, including 1000-U/kg protease, 2500-U/kg α-amylase, and 10,000-U/kg ß-glucanase), using a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. After 7 weeks of trial, ENZs supplementation increased (P < 0.05) the average daily gain (ADG) of finishing pigs during weeks 4 to 7 and in the overall period and improved gross energy utilization. Dietary HP improved (P < 0.05) ADG during the overall period. The MP diet-treated pigs had higher intramuscular fat (IMF) content in the longissimus dorsi muscle (P < 0.01). ENZs supplementation to the MP diets lowered muscle IMF content (P < 0.01). Additionally, pigs fed the HP diet released (P < 0.05) more NH3 and H2S in excrement. The HP diet enhanced (P < 0.05) intestinal microbial richness, represented by higher observed_ amplicon sequence variants and Chao1. Administration of ENZs to the HP diet increased (P < 0.05) the Shannon and Pielou's evenness. Dietary MP promoted Firmicutes proliferation. Supplementary HP diet increased the relative abundances of Spirochaetota, Verrucomicrobiota, Desulfobacterota, and Fibrobacterota (P < 0.05). Supplemental ENZ elevated (P < 0.05) Actinobacteriota and Desulfobacterota abundances. ENZ supplementation to the HP diet increased the abundances of Bacteroidota, Desulfobacterota, and Proteobacteria but lowered their abundances in the MP diet. Taken together, the HP diet or ENZs' supplements improved growth performance. Although the interaction between CP levels and ENZs had no effect on growth performance, it modulated colonic flora and muscle IMF content.

Enhancement of protective vaccine-induced antibody titer to swine diseases and growth performance by Amino-Zn, yucca extract, and ß-mannanase feed additive in wean-finishing pigs.

The primary purpose of this research is to determine the effect of Amino-Zn (AZn), Yucca schidigera extract (YE), and ß-mannanase enzyme supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal gas emission, and immune response in pigs. A total of 180 crossbred pigs (6.57 ± 1 kg) were randomly assigned to one of three dietary treatments: CON-corn soybean meal (basal diet); TRT1-CON +1,000 ppm AZn + 0.07% yucca extract (YE) + 0.05% ß-mannanase; and TRT2-CON +2,000 ppm AZn + 0.07% YE+ 0.05% ß-mannanase for 22 weeks. Each treatment had 12 replicates with 5 pigs per pen. Pigs fed a diet supplemented with AZn, YE, and ß-mannanase linearly increased (p < 0.05) BW and average daily gain at weeks 6, 12, 17, and 18. In contrast, the gain-to-feed ratio showed a linear increase (p < 0.05) from weeks 6 to 17 and the overall trial period. Moreover, the inclusion of experimental diets linearly decreased (p > 0.05) noxious gas emissions such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, acetic acid, carbon dioxide, and methyl mercaptans. The dietary inclusion of AZn, YE, and ß-mannanase significantly increased the serological immune responses to Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (MH) and foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV-O type) at the end of week 6 and porcine circovirus-2 (PCV-2) at week 19. Based on this result, we infer that the combination of AZn, YE, and ß-mannanase supplement would serve as a novel in-feed additive to enhance growth performance and act as a boosting agent and immune stimulatory to increase the efficacy of swine vaccinations.

Effect of dietary supplementation of betaine and organic minerals on growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, nutrients digestibility, and growth-related genes in broilers under heat stress.

Global warming and climate changes have a detrimental impact on poultry production, causing substantial economic losses. This study investigated the effects of incorporating dietary betaine (BT) and organic minerals (OMs) on broilers' performance as well as their potential to mitigate the negative impacts of heat stress (HS). Six hundred 1-day-old Ross 308 chicks were randomly allocated to 12 experimental treatments with 5 replicates of 10 birds each (5 male + 5 female). The birds were provided with diets containing BT (0 and 2,000 ppm) and OMs (0, 250, and 500 ppm), either individually or in combination, under both thermoneutral and HS-inducing temperatures. The HS conditions involved exposing the birds to cyclic periods of elevated temperature (35°C ± 2°C) for 6 h daily, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, starting from d 10 and continuing until d 35. The exposure to HS deteriorated birds' growth performance; however, dietary BT and OMs inclusion improved the growth performance parameters bringing them close to normal levels. Carcass traits were not affected by dietary supplementation of BT, OMs, HS, or their interaction. Interestingly, while HS led to increased (P < 0.05) levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), these adverse effects were mitigated (P < 0.05) by the addition of BT and OMs. Moreover, dietary BT supplementation led to elevated serum total protein and globulin concentrations. Cyclic HS did not alter Mn, Zn, and Cu contents in the pectoral muscle. However, the incorporation of OMs at both levels increased concentrations of these minerals. Notably, the combination of 500 ppm OMs and 2,000 ppm BT improved Mn, Zn, Cu, and Fe digestibility, which has been compromised under HS conditions. Cyclic HS upregulated gene expression of interleukin-1ß, heat shock protein 70, and Toll-like receptor-4 while downregulated the expression of claudin-1, uncoupling protein, growth hormone receptor, superoxide dismutase 1, glutathione peroxidase 1 and insulin-like growth factor 1. The aforementioned gene expressions were reversed by the combination of higher dietary levels of BT and OMs. In conclusion, the dietary supplementation of 500 ppm OMs along with 2,000 ppm BT yielded significant improvements in growth performance and mineral digestibility among broiler chickens, regardless of thermal conditions. Moreover, this combination effectively restored the expression of growth-related genes even under heat-stress conditions.

SAM-Support-Based Electrochemical Sensor for Aß Biomarker Detection of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease has taken the spotlight as a neurodegenerative disease which has caused crucial issues to both society and the economy. Specifically, aging populations in developed countries face an increasingly serious problem due to the increasing budget for patient care and an inadequate labor force, and therefore a solution is urgently needed. Recently, diverse techniques for the detection of Alzheimer's biomarkers have been researched and developed to support early diagnosis and treatment. Among them, electrochemical biosensors and electrode modification proved their effectiveness in the detection of the Aß biomarker at appropriately low concentrations for practice and point-of-care application. This review discusses the production and detection ability of amyloid beta, an Alzheimer's biomarker, by electrochemical biosensors with SAM support for antibody conjugation. In addition, future perspectives on SAM for the improvement of electrochemical biosensors are also proposed and discussed.

Electrochemical impedance-based biosensor for label-free determination of plasma P-tau181 levels for clinically accurate diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

Plasma phosphorylated-tau threonine 181 (p-tau181) is a promising biomarker for predicting Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is the symptomatic pre-dementia stage of AD. To date, there are limitations in the current diagnosis and classification of the two stages of MCI and AD in clinical practice remain a dilemma. In this study, we aimed to discriminate and diagnose patients with MCI, AD, and healthy participants based on the accurate, label-free, and ultrasensitive detection of p-tau181 levels in human clinical plasma samples using our developed electrochemical impedance-based biosensor, which allows to detect p-tau181 at a very low concentration of 0.92 fg mL-1. Human plasma samples were collected from 20 patients with AD, 20 patients with MCI, and 20 individuals with healthy control. The change in charge-transfer resistance of the developed impedance-based biosensor caused by capturing p-tau181 in plasma samples was recorded to evaluate the determination of plasma p-tau181 levels in human clinical samples for discrimination and diagnosis of AD, MCI, and healthy control individuals, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, a standard analysis to judge the clinically diagnostic capability of our biosensor platform based on the estimated levels of plasma p-tau181, resulted a sensitivity of 95%, a specificity of 85%, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) value of 0.94 of the accuracy for discriminating AD patients from healthy controls; a sensitivity of 70%, a specificity of 70%, the AUC of 0.75 to discriminate MCI patients from healthy controls. Statistical analysis (one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)) was used to compare the estimated plasma p-tau181 levels in clinical samples, indicated significantly higher for AD patients with healthy controls (***p ≤ 0.001), AD with MCI patients (***p ≤ 0.001), and MCI patients with healthy controls (*p ≤ 0.05), respectively. In addition, we compared our sensor to the global cognitive function scales and discovered that it performed noticeably improvement in diagnosing the stages of AD. These results demonstrated the good application of our developed electrochemical impedance-based biosensor in the identification of clinical disease stages. Moreover, in this study, a small dissociation constant (KD) of 0.533 pM was first determined to evaluate the high binding affinity between the p-tau181 biomarker and its antibody, providing a reference parameter for future studies of the p-tau181 biomarker and AD.