Schizochytrium sp. and lactoferrin supplementation alleviates Escherichia coli K99-induced diarrhea in preweaning dairy calves.

Calf diarrhea, a common disease mainly induced by Escherichia coli infection, is one of the main reasons for nonpredator losses. Hence, an effective nonantibacterial approach to prevent calf diarrhea has become an emerging requirement. This study evaluated the microalgae Schizochytrium sp. (SZ) and lactoferrin (LF) as a nutrient intervention approach against E. coli O101:K99-induced preweaning calve diarrhea. Fifty 1-d-old male Holstein calves were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 10): (1) control, (2) blank (no supplement or challenge), (3) 1 g/d LF, (4) 20 g/d SZ, or (5) 1 g/d LF plus 20 g/d SZ (LFSZ). The experimental period lasted 14 d. On the morning of d 7, calves were challenged with 1 × 1011 cfu of E. coli O101:K99, and rectum feces were collected on 3, 12, 24, and 168 h postchallenge for the control, LF, SZ, and LFSZ groups. The rectal feces of the blank group were collected on d 14. Data were analyzed using the mixed procedure of SAS (version 9.4; SAS Institute Inc.). The E. coli K99 challenge decreased the average daily gain (ADG) and increased feed-to-gain ratio (F:G) and diarrhea frequency (control vs. blank). Compared with the control group, the LFSZ group had a higher ADG and lower F:G, and the LFSZ and SZ groups had lower diarrhea frequency compared with the control group. In addition, the LFSZ and SZ groups have no differences in diarrhea frequency compared with the blank group. Compared with the control group, the blank group had lower serum nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1, d-lactic acid (D-LA), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) concentrations, as well as serum IgG, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α levels on d 7 and 14. On d 7, compared with the control group, all treatment groups had lower serum NO level, the SZ group had a lower serum D-LA concentration, and the LF and LFSZ groups had lower serum LPS concentration. On d 14, compared with the control group, the fecal microbiota of the blank group had lower Shannon, Simpson, Chao1, and ACE indexes, the LFSZ group had lower Shannon and Simpson indexes, the SZ and LFSZ groups had a higher Chao1 index, and all treatment groups had a higher ACE index. In fecal microbiota, Bifidobacterium and Actinobacteria were negatively associated with IL-10 and d-lactate, while Akkermansia was negatively associated with endothelin-1 and positively correlated with LPS, fecal scores, and d-lactate levels. Our results indicated that LF and SZ supplements could alleviate E. coli O101:K99-induced calf diarrhea individually or in combination. Supplementing 1 g/d LF and 20 g/d SZ could be a potential nutrient intervention approach to prevent bacterial diarrhea in calves.

Multitudinous components recovery, heavy metals evolution and environmental impact of coal gasification slag: A review.

In recent years, the coal gasification industry has rapidly developed, becoming one of the most promising technologies in the advanced and clean coal chemical industry. As a result, the annual emission of coal gasification fine slag (CGFS) has continuously increased. The present situation of CGFS is regarded as a notorious waste in gasification plants and is rudely landfilled or deposited in slag yards, which leads to a large waste of land resources, the release of dangerous elements, and numerous pollution problems. Although CGFS is classified as industrial solid waste, its unique physical and chemical properties make it a valuable resource that cannot be overlooked. This paper focuses on the resource utilization technology and environmental impact of CGFS. The resource utilization of different components of CGFS has realized the evolution from waste to valuable substances. Moreover, during the disposal and utilization of CGFS, its environmental effects cannot be ignored. The main problems and future research directions are also further proposed. Efforts should be focused on the challenges of the technology, cost, and environmental protection in the application process to achieve industrial application, and ultimately committed to sustainable and green development goals, and promote the sustainable management and conservation of resources.

Blood metabolomics reveals the therapeutic effect of Pueraria polysaccharide on calf diarrhea.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD) is typically treated with antibiotics, while long-term application of antibiotics induces drug resistance and antibiotic residues, ultimately decreasing feed efficiency. Pueraria polysaccharide (PPL) is a versatile antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, and antioxidative compound. This study aimed to compare the therapeutic efficacy of different doses of PPL (0.2, 0.4, 0.8 g/kg body weight (BW)) and explore the effect of plasma metabolites in diarrheal calves by the best dose of PPL. RESULTS: PPL could effectively improve the daily weight gain, fecal score, and dehydration score, and the dosage of 0.4 g/kg BW could reach curative efficacy against calf diarrhea (with effective rates 100.00%). Metabolomic analysis suggested that diarrhea mainly affect the levels of taurocholate, DL-lactate, LysoPCs, and intestinal flora-related metabolites, trimethylamine N-oxide; however, PPL improved liver function and intestinal barrier integrity by modulating the levels of DL-lactate, LysoPC (18:0/0:0) and bilirubin, which eventually attenuated neonatal calf diarrhea. It also suggested that the therapeutic effect of PPL is related to those differential metabolites in diarrheal calves. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that 0.4 g/kg BW PPL could restore the clinical score of diarrhea calves by improving the blood indexes, biochemical indexes, and blood metabolites. And it is a potential medicine for the treatment of calf diarrhea.

Enhancing docosahexaenoic acid production of Schizochytrium sp. by optimizing fermentation using central composite design.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can improve human and animal health, particularly including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, neurological, and visual functions. Schizochytrium sp. is a marine heterotrophic protist producing oil with high DHA content, which is widely used in animal and food production. However, different fermentation conditions have intensive impacts on the growth and DHA content of Schizochytrium sp. Thus, this study aimed to enhance the DHA yield and concentration of Schizochytrium sp. I-F-9 by optimizing the fermentation medium. First, a single-factor design was conducted to select a target carbon and nitrogen source from several generic sources (glucose, sucrose, glycerol, maltose, corn syrup, yeast extract, urea, peptone, and ammonium sulfate). The Plackett-Burman design and the central composite design (CCD) were utilized to optimize the fermentation mediums. Schizochytrium sp. in 50-mL fermentation broth was cultured in a 250 mL shake flask at 28 °C and 200 rpm for 120 h before collecting the cell pellet. Subsequently, the cell walls were destroyed with hydrochloric acid to extract the fatty acid using n-hexane. The DHA content was detected by gas chromatography. The single-factor test indicated that glucose and peptone, respectively, significantly improved the DHA content of Schizochytrium sp. compared to the other carbon and nitrogen sources. Glucose, sodium glutamate, and sea crystal were the key factors affecting DHA production in the Plackett-Burman test (P = 0.0247). The CCD result showed that DHA production was elevated by 34.73% compared with the initial yield (from 6.18 ± 0.063 to 8.33 ± 0.052 g/L). Therefore, the results of this study demonstrated an efficient strategy to increase the yield and content of DHA of Schizochytrium sp.

Protective Effect and Mechanism of Placenta Extract on Liver.

The placenta contains multiple biologically active substances, which exert antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and delayed aging effects. Its extract can improve hepatic morphology and function: on the one hand, it can reduce liver interstitial collagen deposition, lipogenesis, and inflammatory cell infiltration and improve fibrosis; on the other hand, it can prevent hepatocellular degeneration by scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibiting inflammatory cytokine production, further improve hepatocyte apoptosis and necrosis, and promote hepatocyte regeneration, making it a promising liver-protective agent. Current research on placenta extract (PE) mainly focuses on treating a specific type of liver injury, and there are no systematic reports. Therefore, this review comprehensively summarizes the treatment reports of PE on liver injury and analyzes its mechanism of action.

Superhydrophobic 3D-Assembled Metallic Nanoparticles for Trace Chemical Enrichment in SERS Sensing.

The performance of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is determined by the interaction between highly diluted analytes and boosted localized electromagnetic fields in nanovolumes. Although superhydrophobic surfaces are developed for analyte enrichment, i.e., to concentrate and transfer analytes toward a specific position, it is still challenging to realize reproducible, uniform, and sensitive superhydrophobic SERS substrates over large scales, representing a major barrier for practical sensing applications. To overcome this challenge, a superhydrophobic SERS chip that combines 3D-assembled gold nanoparticles on nanoporous substrates is proposed, for a strong localized field, with superhydrophobic surface treatment for analyte enrichment. Intriguingly, by concentrating droplets in the volume of 40 µL, the sensitivity of 1 nm is demonstrated using 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)-ethylene molecules. In addition, this unique chip demonstrates a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 2.2% in chip-to-chip reproducibility for detection of fentanyl at 1 µg mL-1 concentration, revealing its potential for quantitative sensing of chemicals and drugs. Furthermore, the trace analysis of fentanyl and fentanyl-heroin mixture in human saliva is realized after a simple pretreatment process. This superhydrophobic chip paves the way toward on-site and real-time drug sensing to tackle many societal issues like drug abuse and the opioid crisis.

Preparation of reductive polypeptides from fresh placentas of dairy cows.

In order to prepare reductive polypeptides from the placenta of dairy cows' fresh placentas from healthy Chinese Holstein cows were obtained and homogenized. Response surface model was established to optimize the hydrolysis condition for the extraction of the placental polypeptides. Specifically, the placental tissue homogenate was treated with both trypsin and pepsin for 348 min and 329 min; at 35.00% and 35.75% of substrate concentration; with an enzyme-substrate ratio of 3.33% and 3.92%, respectively, based on the models. The treated samples were then demineralized and freeze-dried to obtain the hydrolyzed polypeptides. In order to identify the molecular mass distribution and reducibility of polypeptides, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) and Prussian blue methods were used. The concentrations of placental polypeptides after hydrolysis by trypsin or pepsin were 5.52% and 5.97%, respectively; the vitamin C (Vit C) equivalents were 36.26 µg mg-1 or 61.15 µg mg-1, respectively. Both groups showed intensity peaks of MALDI patterns in the range of 300 - 400 Da, and polypeptides hydrolyzed by pepsin had higher Vit C equivalent anti-oxidant activity than trypsin hydrolyzed polypeptide, suggesting that the proteins in the placental tissues were hydrolyzed to di-peptides and tri-peptides completely. In conclusion, both trypsin and pepsin hydrolysis performed well in preparation of reductive polypeptides from the fresh placentas of dairy cows; while, pepsin is more effective than trypsin. The primary reductive ingredients may be the oligopeptides with molecular mass less than 1000 Da.

Integration of Multiplied Omics, a Step Forward in Systematic Dairy Research.

Due to their unique multi-gastric digestion system highly adapted for rumination, dairy livestock has complicated physiology different from monogastric animals. However, the microbiome-based mechanism of the digestion system is congenial for biology approaches. Different omics and their integration have been widely applied in the dairy sciences since the previous decade for investigating their physiology, pathology, and the development of feed and management protocols. The rumen microbiome can digest dietary components into utilizable sugars, proteins, and volatile fatty acids, contributing to the energy intake and feed efficiency of dairy animals, which has become one target of the basis for omics applications in dairy science. Rumen, liver, and mammary gland are also frequently targeted in omics because of their crucial impact on dairy animals' energy metabolism, production performance, and health status. The application of omics has made outstanding contributions to a more profound understanding of the physiology, etiology, and optimizing the management strategy of dairy animals, while the multi-omics method could draw information of different levels and organs together, providing an unprecedented broad scope on traits of dairy animals. This article reviewed recent omics and multi-omics researches on physiology, feeding, and pathology on dairy animals and also performed the potential of multi-omics on systematic dairy research.

Pueraria lobata polysaccharides alleviate neonatal calf diarrhea by modulating gut microbiota and metabolites.

Introduction: Neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD) is still one of the most critical diseases in calf rearing. Studies have shown that Pueraria lobata polysaccharides (PLP) have intense antioxidant and immunomodulatory activity and modulate gut microbiota. This randomized clinical trial aimed to determine the effect of PLP on the neonatal calf with diarrhea. Methods: In this study, we recorded the fecal score of experimental calves, and calves with fecal scores ≥ 2 were determined as diarrhea and assessed their serum concentrations of inflammatory cytokines and oxidative damage-related indices. Fecal microbiota and metabolomics of diarrheal calves were further investigated. Results: Results showed that treatment with PLP decreased the fecal score of diarrheal calves, serum concentrations of IL-1ß, TNF-γ, and malondialdehyde, and also elevated the level of superoxide dismutase. In addition, PLP treatment altered the gut microbiota, significantly increased the relative abundances of beneficial bacteria, including the phyla Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria, the genus Collinsella, Megamonas, and Bifidobacterium; decreased the relative abundances of pathogenetic or diarrhea related bacteria, such as Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, and Escherichia_Shigella. Moreover, PLP can increase the fecal concentrations of isobutyric acid, propionic acid, and pantothenate; lower the levels of PC [18:0/18:1(9Z)], arachidonic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. Discussion: Thus, the results suggested that the PLP may perform the therapeutic activity via alleviating intestinal inflammation and regulating gut microbiota, avoiding further dysbiosis to restore the metabolism of gut microbiota, and finally promoting the recovery of diarrhea. The change further mitigated intestinal inflammation and oxidative damage in diarrheal calves. This indicated that PLP might be a promising treatment to attenuate diarrhea in neonatal calves.

Type 3 secretion system 1 of Salmonella typhimurium and its inhibitors: a novel strategy to combat salmonellosis.

Unsuccessful vaccination against Salmonella due to a large number of serovars, and antibiotic resistance, necessitates the development of novel therapeutics to treat salmonellosis. The development of anti-virulence agents against multi-drug-resistant bacteria is a novel strategy because of its non-bacterial feature. Hence, a thorough study of the type three secretion system (T3SS) of Salmonella would help us better understand its role in bacterial pathogenesis and development of anti-virulence agents. However, T3SS can be inhibited by different chemicals at different stages of infection and sequenced delivery of effectors can be blocked to restrict the progression of disease. This review highlights the role of T3SS-1 in the internalization, survival, and replication of Salmonella within the intestinal epithelium and T3SS inhibitors. We concluded that the better we understand the structures and functions of T3SS, the more we have chances to develop anti-virulence agents. Furthermore, greater insights into the T3SS inhibitors of Salmonella would help in the mitigation of the antibiotic resistance problem and would lead us to the era of new therapeutics against salmonellosis.

Serum adipokines play different roles in type I and II ketosis.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to investigate the differences in several serum adipokines in perinatal dairy cows with type I and II ketosis, and the correlations between these adipokines and the two types of ketosis. METHODS: Serum adiponectin (ADP), leptin (LEP), resistin, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, and energy balance indicators related to ketosis were measured. Type I and II ketosis were distinguished by serum glucose (Glu) and Y values and the correlations between adipokines in the two types of ketosis were analyzed. RESULTS: ß-Hydroxybutyric acid of type I ketosis cows was significantly negatively correlated with insulin (INS) and LEP and had a significant positive correlation with serum ADP. In type II ketosis cows, ADP and LEP were significantly negatively correlated, and INS and resistin were significantly positively correlated. Revised quantitative INS sensitivity check index (RQUICKI) values had a significantly positive correlation with ADP and had a very significant and significant negative correlation with resistin, TNF-α, and IL-6. ADP was significantly negatively correlated with resistin and TNF-α, LEP had a significantly positive correlation with TNF-α, and a significantly positive correlation was shown among resistin, IL-6, and TNF-α. There was also a significant positive correlation between IL-6 and TNF-α. CONCLUSION: INS, ADP, and LEP might exert biological influences to help the body recover from negative energy balance, whereas resistin, TNF-α, and IL-6 in type II ketosis cows exacerbated INS resistance and inhibited the production and secretion of ADP, weakened INS sensitivity, and liver protection function, and aggravated ketosis.

Relationships between placental adiponectin, leptin, visfatin and resistin and birthweight in cattle.

Adipokines can affect intrauterine development while calf birthweight (CBW) is a breeding standard of calves, which reflects the status of fetal intrauterine development. To explore the correlation between placental adipokines and CBW, 54 healthy Chinese Holstein cows were used in the present study. The cows were grouped according to the CBW of their calves. Placentas were collected immediately after delivery and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were used to detect the placental expression levels of adiponectin, leptin, visfatin and resistin. Our results show that the mRNA transcription and blood placental content of adiponectin, leptin, visfatin and resistin increased with increasing CBW. The analysis showed that the mRNA transcription levels of placental adiponectin, leptin and resistin were positively correlated with CBW. The mRNA and protein expression levels of adiponectin, leptin and visfatin between the three groups were significantly correlated. Placental resistin mRNA levels correlated positively with adiponectin mRNA, but not leptin or visfatin. The protein expression levels of resistin were significantly positively correlated with those of adiponectin, leptin and visfatin. These results suggest that placental adipokines play important roles in regulating calf intrauterine growth.