Effects of Selenium Yeast on Egg Quality, Plasma Antioxidants, Selenium Deposition and Eggshell Formation in Aged Laying Hens.

Internal egg and eggshell quality are often deteriorated in aging laying hens, which causes huge economic losses in the poultry industry. Selenium yeast (SY), as an organic food additive, is utilized to enhance laying performance and egg quality. To extend the egg production cycle, effects of selenium yeast supplementation on egg quality, plasma antioxidants and selenium deposition in aged laying hens were evaluated. In this study, five hundred and twenty-five 76-week-old Jing Hong laying hens were fed a selenium-deficient (SD) diet for 6 weeks. After Se depletion, the hens were randomly divided into seven treatments, which included an SD diet, and dietary supplementation of SY and sodium selenite (SS) at 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45 mg/kg to investigate the effect on egg quality, plasma antioxidant capacity, and selenium content in reproductive organs. After 12 weeks of feeding, dietary SY supplementation resulted in higher eggshell strength (SY0.45) (p < 0.05) and lower shell translucence. Moreover, organs Se levels and plasma antioxidant capacity (T-AOC, T-SOD, and GSH-Px activity) were significantly higher with Se supplementation (p < 0.05). Transcriptomic analysis identified some key candidate genes including cell migration inducing hyaluronidase 1 (CEMIP), ovalbumin (OVAL), solute carrier family 6 member 17 (SLC6A17), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), and proenkephalin (PENK), and potential molecular processes (eggshell mineralization, ion transport, and eggshell formation) involved in selenium yeast's effects on eggshell formation. In conclusion, SY has beneficial functions for eggshell and we recommend the supplementation of 0.45 mg/kg SY to alleviate the decrease in eggshell quality in aged laying hens.

Microbiome and ileum transcriptome revealed the boosting effects of selenium yeast on egg production in aged laying hens.

The declines in laying performance during the late production period have adverse effects on the length of the production cycle. Improving the nutrition of laying hens is a crucial measure to reverse this declination. This study investigated the effect of selenium yeast (SY) on egg production, ileal gene expression and microbiota, as well as elucidating their associations in aged laying hens. A total of 375 Jinghong laying hens at 76 weeks old were randomly assigned into 5 dietary treatments, which included a selenium-deficient basal diet based on corn-soybean meal, and dietary supplementation of SY at 0.15, 0.30 and 0.45 mg/kg, and sodium selenite at 0.45 mg/kg. The results showed that SY ameliorated the depression in aged laying performance in the 0.30 mg/kg group (P < 0.01). Selenium yeast significantly increased ileum selenium concentration (P < 0.05), and SY groups had higher selenium deposition efficiency than the sodium selenite group. Functional enrichment and Short Time-series Expression Miner (STEM) analysis indicated that SY activated metabolic progress (e.g., glycerolipid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism), immune response and oxidative stress response. Four hub genes including thioredoxin reductase 1 (TXNRD1), dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLD), integrin linked kinase (ILK) and leucine zipper tumor suppressor 2 (LZTS2) were involved in intestinal metabolism which was closely associated with selenium deposition/status. Moreover, the relative abundance of Veillonella, Turicibacter and Lactobacillus was significantly increased, but the relative abundance of Stenotrophomonas was significantly decreased by SY supplementation. Multi-omics data integration and Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that both the ileum selenium content and the laying rate were highly correlated with pathways and bacteria enriched in metabolism and immune response. Meanwhile, the "switched on" gene prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) had a positive relationship with Veillonella and a negative relationship with the opportunistic pathogens Stenotrophomonas. Overall, our study offered insight for the further exploration of the role of SY on boosting egg production and balancing ileum intestinal flora in aged laying hens.

Effect of 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio) butanoic acid and acidifier on the performance, chyme pH, and microbiota of broilers.

This study was aimed to explore the comparative acidifying properties of 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio) butanoic acid (HMTBA) and a combination of DL-methionine (DLM) and acidifier in male broiler production. A total of 480 1-day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided into four treatments: A (low HMTBA, 0.057% HMTBA); B (low acidifier, 0.05% DLM + 0.057% acidifier); C (high HMTBA, 0.284% HMTBA); and D (high acidifier, 0.25% DLM + 0.284% acidifier). At 21 d, growth performance, chyme pH, digestive enzyme activities, and intestinal microflora were measured. The pH of crop, gizzard, and ileum contents was higher in the HMTBA treatment group than in DLM + acidifier treatment group. Furthermore, acidifier supplementation promoted growth of butyrate-producing bacteria such as Faecalibacterium, whereas high HMTBA (0.284%) inhibited the proliferation of acid-producing bacteria including Roseburia and Collinsella. The chymotrypsin activity was lower in the HMTBA group than in the DLM + acidifier group. In contrast, high-level HMTBA group showed higher average daily gain and average daily feed intake than the DLM + acidifier group. These results suggested that HMTBA work through different pathways with DLM plus acidifier.

Comparative Effectiveness of Neoadjuvant Treatments for Resectable Gastroesophageal Cancer: A Network Meta-Analysis.

Background: Several neoadjuvant treatments are available for patients with resectable gastroesophageal cancer. We did a Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare available treatments, summarizing the direct and indirect evidence. Method: We searched relevant databases for randomized controlled trials of neoadjuvant treatments for resectable gastroesophageal cancer which compared two or more of the following treatments: surgery alone, perioperative docetaxel, oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and fluorouracil (FLOT), and neoadjuvant treatments listed in National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline. Then we performed a NMA to summarize the direct and indirect evidence to estimate the relative efficacy for outcomes including overall survival (OS), progression-free survival and R0 resection rate. We calculated odds ratio (OR) and hazard ratio (HR) with 95% credible intervals (CrI) for dichotomous data and time-to-event data, respectively. We also calculated the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) value of each intervention to obtain a hierarchy of treatments. Result: Eight eligible trials (2434 patients) were included in our NMA. The treatment with the highest probability of benefit on OS as compared with surgery alone was perioperative FLOT [HR = 0.58 with 95% CrI: (0.43, 0.78), SUCRA = 93%], followed by preoperative radiotherapy, paclitaxel, and carboplatin (RT/PC) [HR = 0.68 with 95% CrI: (0.53, 0.87), SUCRA = 72%], perioperative cisplatin with fluorouracil (CF) [HR = 0.70 with 95% CrI: (0.51, 0.95), SUCRA = 68%], and perioperative epirubicin, cisplatin, and fluorouracil or capecitabine (ECF/ECX) [HR = 0.75 with 95% CrI: (0.60, 0.94), SUCRA = 56%]. Conclusion: Compared with surgery alone, perioperative CF, perioperative ECF/ECX, perioperative FLOT, and preoperative RT/PC significantly improved survival. Perioperative FLOT is likely to be the most effective neoadjuvant treatment for the disease. Further clinical studies are needed and justified.

Comparative effectiveness of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for gastric cancer: A systematic review and network meta-analysis protocol.

BACKGROUND: Comparative efficacy and safety of different hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapies (HIPEC) in patients with advanced gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy is unclear. To investigate this question, we conduct a systematic review and network meta-analysis. METHODS: The protocol followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols. PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library will be searched systematically for eligible randomized controlled trials without language restriction. The primary outcome is overall survival. The second outcomes are postoperative complications. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve value will be calculated to establish a hierarchy of the treatments. RESULTS: The results will provide useful information about the effectiveness and safety of HIPEC regimens in patients with resected gastric cancer. CONCLUSION: The findings of the study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal.

Comparative effectiveness of adjuvant treatments for resected gastric cancer: a network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Different adjuvant treatments are available for patients with gastric cancer, but conventional meta-analyses performing direct comparisons between two alternative treatments did not have enough power to compare all the adjuvant treatments. Thus, we did a network meta-analysis summarizing the direct and indirect comparisons to identify the optimum treatment. METHODS: We systematically searched for RCTs of adjuvant treatments for gastric cancer comparing two or more of the following treatments: surgery alone, radiotherapy with fluoropyrimidine, S-1-based regimens, and XELOX. The treatments offering available indirect evidence to investigate the comparative effectiveness of adjuvant treatments mentioned above were also included. Then we performed a Bayesian network meta-analysis to summarize the direct and indirect comparisons. We estimated hazard ratios with 95% credible intervals (CrI) for OS and DFS. RESULTS: 11 eligible RCTs (5620 patients) were included in the network meta-analysis. Radiotherapy with fluorouracil (5-FU/RT), S-1-based regimens, and XELOX significantly improved OS as compared with surgery alone [(HR = 0.75 with 95% CrI: 0.63-0.89), (HR = 0.63 with 95% CrI: 0.52-0.76), and (HR = 0.66 with 95% CrI: 0.51-0.85), respectively]. No treatment was clearly superior to others; however, S-1-based regimes and XELOX showed a statistically non-significant trend to better survival as compared with 5-FU/RT. CONCLUSIONS: S-1-based chemotherapy and XELOX are likely to be the most effective adjuvant treatments for patients with resected gastric cancer. 5-FU alone provided little survival benefits as compared with surgery alone. Further clinical trials may be required to investigate S-1-based and XELOX-based adjuvant treatment strategies.

Effect of different amylases on the utilization of cornstarch in broiler chickens.

This study compared the effect of different amylases on the utilization of cornstarch in broiler chickens fed a corn-based diet. Three-day-old Arbor Acres plus male chickens were randomly divided into 7 treatments and fed a diet supplemented with different sources and concentrations of amylase: 1,500 U/kg and 3,000 U/kg α-1,4 amylase from Aspergillus oryzae (α-amylase A); 480 U/kg and 960 U/kg α-1,4 amylase from Bacillus subtilis (α-amylase B); 200 U/kg and 400 U/kg α-1,6 isoamylase from B. subtilis; and the control. The experimental period comprised 11 d, during which performance, nutrient digestibility, digestive enzyme activity, intestinal morphology, and glucose transporter transcription of the chickens were evaluated. The results indicated that 1,500 U/kg α-amylase improved the digestibility of energy and decreased the feed conversion rate compared to α-1,6 isoamylase (P < 0.05). Supplemental 400 U/kg α-1,6 isoamylase decreased ileal digestibility of amylopectin and total starch (P < 0.05) compared to 200 U/kg α-1,6 isoamylase, α-amylase A, α-amylase B, and the control (P < 0.05). Supplemental α-1,6 isoamylase decreased (P < 0.05) insulin content. Supplemental 3,000 U/kg α-amylase A and α-1,6 isoamylase increased (P < 0.05) the relative weight of the liver. In addition, 3,000 U/kg α-amylase A, 480 U/kg α-amylase B, and α-1,6 isoamylase decreased the V:C in the duodenum and ileum. α-amylase A increased sucrase activity in the jejunum (P < 0.05), whereas 400 U/kg α-1,6 isoamylase reduced maltase activity in the duodenum (P < 0.05). Furthermore, 3,000 U/kg α-amylase A and α-amylase B decreased (P < 0.05) sodium/glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1) mRNA expression in the duodenum and jejunum. However, 200 U/kg α-1,6 isoamylase increased glucose transporter 2 (GLUCT2) in the duodenum (P < 0.05). These results suggest that exogenous amylase affects the digestibility of starch by affecting disaccharidase activity in the intestine, nutrient requirements for intestinal maintenance by the V:C, and nutrient absorption and metabolism via GLU transporter mRNA expression. Different sources and concentrations of amylases had varying effects on broilers.

New diagnostic ratios based on phenanthrenes and anthracenes for effective distinguishing heavy fuel oils from crude oils.

The heavy fuel oils (HFOs) and crude oils are the main oil types in the marine oil spill accidents in China. It is usually a challenge to distinguish the HFOs from crude oils due to the highly similar physicochemical characteristics. In this paper, the distributions of phenanthrene (Phe), anthracene (Ant), methyl-phenanthrene (MP) and methyl-anthracene (MA) in hundreds of HFOs and crude oils samples which were collected from all over the world were characterized. Nine new diagnostic indexes, such as Ant/(Ant+Phe) and other eight diagnostic ratios based on the MP isomers and MA, were developed for effective distinguishing HFOs from crude oils. The histogram with normal fit plots, the double ratio plots and Bayes discriminant analysis (BDA) method were employed to illustrate the effectiveness of the new diagnostic indexes. BDA model based on nine new diagnostic indexes demonstrated high precision with discriminant ratio which lay between 93.92% and 99.32%.