Effect of five-elements music therapy combined with Baduanjin qigong on patients with mild COVID-19.

Background: To investigate the physical and psychological effects of five-element music therapy combined with Baduanjin qigong treatment on inpatients with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan. Methods: A mixed-methods study was used. In the quantitative study, a randomized controlled trial was performed on 40 study participants divided into a control group (n = 20) and an intervention group (n = 20). The Self-rating Anxiety Scale, Self-rating Depression Scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were compared. For qualitative analysis, it adopted purposive sampling method, 13 patients of different ages from 18 to 60 years old and different exercise behavior were selected as the participants from the intervention group. A semi-structured interview method was used to collect data, and the content analysis method was used for data analysis. An interview outline was developed to assess the psychological condition and personal functional-exercise behavior of patients. Results: In the quantitative study, the anxiety self-scores and depression self-scores of patients in intervention group were significantly lower compared with control group after treatment (p < .05). The sleep quality of intervention group was significantly improved compared with control group (p < .001). Participants in the qualitative study responded to questions posed through semi-structured interviews. The effect of intervention was good, which has been supported and recognized by patients. Conclusion: The treatment of five-element music therapy combined with Baduanjin qigong on patients with mild COVID-19 alleviated anxiety and depression, and improved sleep quality, which was beneficial to the patients' physical and psychological recovery.

Causal effects of fatty acids on atopic dermatitis: A Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Some evidence suggests abnormalities in fatty acids in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), and benefits of supplementation with these fatty acids have been reported. However, there is still substantial controversy on the correlation between fatty acids and AD. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether fatty acid levels are causally related to AD using a Mendelian randomization approach. Methods: We evaluated the data about the fatty acids levels and AD with various methods from Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS). GWAS results were available both from European ancestry. Mendelian randomization methods were used to analysis the casual inference of fatty acids on AD. MR Egger and MR-PRESSO were used to determine pleiotropy and heterogeneity. Further analysis was conducted using instruments associated with the FADS genes to address mechanisms involved. We also used Multivariate MR (MVMR) to show the independent casual inference of omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids on AD. Results: Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis suggests that n-3 fatty acid levels are associated with a lower risk of AD (n-3 ORIVW: 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.87-0.98; p = 0.01). Moreover, docosahexaenoic acids (DHA) levels, which is a kind of long-chain, highly unsaturated omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid, and its higher level was associated with a lower risk of AD (DHA ORIVW: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.84-0.98; p = 0.02). We ran multivariable MR analysis while controlling for variables within the other types of fatty acids. The effect estimates agreed with the preliminary MR analysis indicating the effect of n-3 fatty acids levels on AD was robust. MR-egger suggest no significant pleiotropy and heterogeneity on genetic instrumental variants. Outliers-corrected MR analyses after controlling horizontal pleiotropy were still robust. The single-SNP analyses revealed that n-3 fatty acids are likely linked to a decreased risk of AD through FADS cluster, highlighting the significance of the FADS gene in the fatty acids synthesis pathway in the development of AD. Conclusion: Our studies suggest that n-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of AD. Risk prediction tools based on n-3 fatty acid levels may be valuable methods for improving AD screening and primary prevention. To reduce the risk of AD, individuals could enhance n-3 fatty acids intake through supplement or diet.

Effect of supplementation and withdrawal of selenium-enriched kale sprouts on productivity and egg selenium concentration of laying hens.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this trial was to investigate the effect of supplementation and withdrawal of selenium-enriched kale sprouts (SeKS) on productivity and egg Se concentration of laying hens. Selenium from commercial Se-enriched yeast (SeY) was used as a comparative Se source. METHODS: One-hundred and eighty 61-week-old laying hens were randomly divided into 5 treatment groups with 4 replicates (9 hens each) in a 2×2+1 Augmented Factorial Experiment in a completely randomized design. The experimental diets were basal diet, basal diet supplemented with 0.2 and 0.4 mg Se/kg from SeKS and SeY, respectively. The 8-week feeding trial was divided into 2 periods, namely the Se supplemental period (week 1 to 4) and the Se withdrawal period (week 5 to 8). RESULTS: Productive performance, egg quality and egg Se concentration of laying hens were not affected by sources of Se (SeKS and SeY) during both, the Se supplemental and withdrawal periods. Egg production and egg Se concentration increased (p<0.05) with increasing levels of Se supplementation. The egg Se concentration increased and reached a peak 1 week after Se supplementation. However, concentration of Se in eggs of hens fed Se from both sources decreased rapidly from the second week of the Se withdrawal period to reach the same egg Se concentration of hens fed the basal diet by the fourth week of the Se withdrawal period. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of Se from SeKS on productivity and egg Se concentration in laying hens was comparable to commercial SeY. Thus, SeKS can provide an alternate organic Se source for production of Se-enriched eggs.

Comparison of the Antioxidant Activities and Polysaccharide Characterization of Fresh and Dry Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo.

It is generally believed that fresh Dendrobium officinale (FDO) has more significant pharmacological activity than dried Dendrobium officinale (DDO); however, the difference has not been clearly shown. Our study compared their antioxidant properties both in vitro and in vivo, and the molecular weight arrangement and monosaccharide composition of the fresh Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides (FDOPs) and the dried Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides (DDOPs) were analyzed by HPLC-GPC and GC-MS. The results showed that the FDO and its polysaccharides had more significant effects on scavenging DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl radicals than the DDO. In addition, both the FDO and DDO significantly reduced lipid peroxidation levels and increased the SOD, T-AOC, CAT, and GSH levels in mice with acute liver damage caused by CCl4, while the FDO and its polysaccharides were more effective. Histopathological analysis further verified the protective effect of the Dendrobium polysaccharides on CCl4-induced liver injury. The determination of the polysaccharides revealed that the polysaccharide and mannose contents of the FDO were significantly higher than their dried counterparts, and the homogeneous arrangement of the polysaccharides in the FDO was degraded into three polysaccharide fragments of different molecular weights in the DDO. Overall, our data identified differences in the antioxidant activities of the FDO and DDO, as well as the reasons for these differences.

Mulberry Ethanol Extract and Rutin Protect Alcohol-Damaged GES-1 Cells by Inhibiting the MAPK Pathway.

Mulberry extract has been proven to have the effect of resisting alcohol damage, but its mechanism is still unclear. In this study, the composition of mulberry ethanol extract (MBE) was identified by LC-MS/MS and the main components of MBE were ascertained by measuring. Gastric mucosal epithelial (GES-1) cells were used to elucidate the mechanism of MBE and rutin (the central part of MBE) helped protect against alcohol damage. The results revealed that phenolics accounted for the majority of MBE, accounting for 308.6 mg/g gallic acid equivalents and 108 substances were identified, including 37 flavonoids and 50 non-flavonoids. The treatment of 400 µg/mL MBE and 320 µM rutin reduced early cell apoptosis and the content of intracellular reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde and increased glutathione. The qPCR results indicated that the MBE inhibits the expression of genes in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, including p38, JNK, ERK and caspase-3; rutin inhibits the expression of p38 and caspase-3. Overall, MBE was able to reduce the oxidative stress of GES-1 cells and regulated apoptosis-related genes of the MAPK pathway. This study provides information for developing anti-ethanol injury drugs or functional foods.

Traditional Chinese medicine treatment for COVID-19: An overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly spreading disease that has caused an extensive burden to the world. Consequently, a large number of clinical trials have examined the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treating and preventing COVID-19, with coinciding proliferation of reviews summarizing these studies. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the methodological quality and evidence quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the efficacy of TCM. SEARCH STRATEGY: Seven electronic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chongqing VIP, Wanfang Data and SinoMed, were searched for systematic reviews and meta-analyses in October 2021. Search terms such as "Chinese medicine," "Lianhua Qingwen" and "COVID-19" were used. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials that evaluated the efficacy of TCM treatment of COVID-19 were included. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews Version 2.0 (AMSTAR 2) was used to evaluate the methodological quality. The quality of evidence was graded using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Data extraction and analysis were performed by two reviewers independently. RESULTS: There were 17 meta-analyses included in our overview. The intervention group was defined as TCM combined with Western medicine, while the control group was Western medicine alone. The methodological quality of all the included studies was moderate to poor. A total of 89 outcome indicators were evaluated, of which, 8 were rated as moderate quality, 39 as low quality, and 41 as very low quality. Only one outcome measure was graded as being of high quality. The moderate quality of evidence indicated that, for the treatment of COVID-19, the clinical efficacy of TCM in combination with Western medicine was better, in terms of lung recovery, rate of conversion to severe/critical cases, symptom scores, duration of symptoms, mortality, and length of hospital stay. CONCLUSION: Evidence from the included studies shows that, compared with conventional Western medical therapy alone, the addition of TCM to COVID-19 treatment may improve clinical outcomes. Overall, the quality of evidence of TCM for COVID-19 was moderate to poor. Meta-analyses of the use of TCM in the treatment of COVID-19 can be used for clinical decision making by accounting for the experiences of clinical experts, medical policies, and other factors.

Analysis of the Characteristics of Dominant Diseases in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Based on 95 Diseases.

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used all over the world and has shown its superiority in some diseases. However, there are no clear evaluation criteria for TCM. In 2019, a list of TCM dominant diseases was published by the Chinese National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This study aimed to systematically summarize the characteristics of 95 TCM dominant diseases and provide a reference for the establishment of evaluation criteria for TCM dominant diseases. Methods: The diagnosis and treatment protocols of all the 95 TCM dominant diseases were screened. The data of disease classification, diseases' code of TCM, length of hospital stay, treatment protocols, and clinical pathways were reviewed and summarized. Results: The diseases of the genitourinary and nervous systems accounted for 14.74% and 12.73% of the TCM dominant diseases, respectively. The length of hospital stay for 55 (57.89%) diseases was no more than less than 14 days. Each disease had its specific Chinese herbal decoction pieces and Chinese patent drugs. Chinese medical injections were not widely used. TCM external treatments for these diseases are abundant, with hundreds optional. Conclusion: Some potentially promising TCM dominant diseases remain to be identified and deserve further research to establish the evaluation criteria of TCM dominant diseases.

Sodium butyrate reduces ammonia emissions through glutamate metabolic pathways in cecal microorganisms of laying hens.

Ammonia emission is an important problem that needs to be solved in laying hen industries. Sodium butyrate (SB) is considered to have potential for reducing ammonia production because of its ability to improve nitrogen metabolism. In this in vitro fermentation study, we presented a correlation analysis of the metatranscriptome and metaproteome of lay hen cecal microorganisms, in order to identify important proteins and pathways involved in ammonia production reduction due to sodium butyrate supplementation. The results showed that sodium butyrate supplement decreased the production of ammonia by 26.22% as compared with the non-sodium butyrate supplementation (CK) group. The SB group exhibited a lower concentration of ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) and a decreased pH. Sodium butyrate promoted the uric acid concentration and lowered the uricase activity in the fermentation broth of laying hens cecal content. Notably, the 'alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism' category was more abundant in the SB group. The addition of sodium butyrate increased the expression of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) gene in cecal microbiota (e.g., Ruminococcus sp. and Bacteroides sp.) in vitro. The metaproteome analysis results showed that the expression of GDH with NADPH as coenzyme (NADPH-GDH) was up-regulated in cecal microbiota by sodium butyrate supplement. Our results indicate that sodium butyrate can affect glutamate metabolism through regulating the expression of glutamate dehydrogenase in cecal microorganisms, thereby reducing ammonia production. This study reveals that glutamate dehydrogenase-mediated glutamate metabolism play a key role in ammonia emission reduction in laying hen and provide theoretical basis for further developing ammonia production reduction approach.

Efficacy and Safety of Chinese Medicine for COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine for COVID-19 treatment with a focus on the benefits of symptomatic relief and time-related indexes. Seven electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chongqing VIP, Wanfang Data, and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry) were systematically searched from their beginning to April 2021. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing patients using Western therapy (WT) alone and those using additional Chinese medicine (WT [Formula: see text] CM) were included. Primary outcomes included overall efficacy, lung recovery, and time to viral assay conversion. Secondary outcomes included time and rate of individual symptom recovery, laboratory indicators, and adverse events. Overall, 15 RCTs, including 1469 participants, were included in this review. WT [Formula: see text] CM significantly improved overall efficacy (risk ratio, RR [Formula: see text] 1.21; 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.30; [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] 0.01) and lung recovery (RR [Formula: see text] 1.30; 95% CI:1.19 to 1.42; [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] 0.01) and shortened the time to viral assay conversion (weighted mean differences, WMD [Formula: see text]1.38; 95% CI: -1.98 to -0.78; [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] 0.01) and duration of chest distress (WMD [Formula: see text] 2.41; 95% CI: -2.99 to -1.83; [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] 0.01) compared to WT alone. There was no difference in safety between the WT [Formula: see text] CM and WT groups (RR [Formula: see text] 0.94; 95% CI: 0.64 to 1.39; [Formula: see text] 0.76). In conclusion, the synthesized evidence from 15 RCTs showed that additional Chinese medication may improve treatment efficacy, relieve symptoms, promote lung recovery, and reduce the inflammatory response against COVID-19, while not increasing the risk of adverse events compared with conventional Western medication alone.

Liver and urine metabolomics reveal the protective effect of Gandou decoction in copper-laden Hepatolenticular degeneration model rats.

Hepatolenticular degeneration (HLD) is an inherited disorder associated with human copper metabolism. Gandou decoction (GDD), a traditional Chinese medicinal formula, has been used as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of HLD in China for decades. Recent pharmacological evaluation in our laboratory has demonstrated that GDD exerts positive and beneficial effects on HLD model rats. However, its underlying therapeutic mechanisms are not yet well understood. To explore the potential therapeutic effects of GDD against HLD, liver and urine metabolomics approach combined with histopathological examination were performed to reveal the underlying mechanisms. Changes in metabolic profiles were estimated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) coupled with multivariate statistical analyses. The results indicated that GDD could significantly improve liver pathological variations. Moreover, 19 and 11 significantly altered metabolites were found in the liver and urine between the normal and model groups, respectively. After GDD treatment, the levels of all these disordered metabolites showed different degrees of improvement compared with the model group, including lysoPC(18:2), lysoPE(20:2/0:0), PC(18:1/14:1), alpha-linolenic acid, sphinganine, taurochenodesoxycholic acid, tetracosahexaenoic acid, 13-OxoODE, and 13-L-hydroperoxyl inoleic acid. Metabolic pathway enrichment suggested that lipid and oxidative stress metabolism were the two main pathways that participated in copper-laden rat models with GDD administration. This work indicates that GDD could achieve a therapeutic effect on HLD by ameliorating the associated metabolic disturbances.

The Protective Effect of Different Polar Solvent Extracts of Er Miao San on Rats with Adjuvant Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiarthritic effects of different polar solvent extracts of Er Miao San (EMS) on model rats with adjuvant arthritis (AA) and screen the effective pats of EMS in the treatment of arthritis. METHODS: Four different polar solvent extracts of EMS such as petroleum ether (PE), methylene chloride (CH2Cl2), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), and n-butanol (n-butanol (. RESULTS: Administration of EtOAc and CH2Cl2 parts remarkably inhibited the paw swelling, decreased the index of arthritis, decreased the body weight loss, and improved the changes of histopathology. Furthermore, the concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6) were significantly lower, while the anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) was remarkably higher compared with that in the model group. And the result of UHPLC analysis indicated that the effective parts of EMS contain berberine and atractylodin. CONCLUSIONS: EtOAc and CH2Cl2 are the effective parts of EMS that can improve arthritis. In particular, berberine and atractylodin may be responsible for the antiarthritic activity of EMS. This research provided pharmacological and chemical foundation for the application of EMS in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Er Miao San, a traditional Chinese herbal formula, attenuates complete Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats by regulating Th17/Treg cells.

Context: Er Miao San (EMS) is a traditional Chinese medicine composed of Atractylodis Rhizoma and Phellodendri Cortex in a 1:1 weight ratio. EMS has been used to treat rheumatism in China for many years.Objective: To evaluate the anti-arthritic activity of EMS extract on adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) in Sprague-Dawley rats and to clarify its mechanisms of action.Materials and methods: EMS (0.75, 1.5 and 3 g/kg, once daily) was orally administered from day 18 after immunization to day 31. The effects of EMS on AA rats were evaluated by histopathological examination, paw swelling and polyarthritis index. The proliferation of fibroblast-like synoviocyte (FLS) and T cells was detected by CCK-8. The percentages of Th17 cells and Treg cells in splenocytes were determined by flow cytometry. Levels of cytokines in serum were detected by ELISA.Results: EMS treatment significantly decreased the paw volume (from 1.20 to 0.81), polyarthritis index (from 9.56 to 4.46) and alleviated ankle joint histopathology in AA rats. EMS inhibited the proliferation of FLS and T cells. Furthermore, EMS treatment decreased Th17 cells (from 4.62 to 2.08%) and increased Treg cells (from 2.77 to 4.75%) in splenocytes. The levels of IL-17A, TNF-α and IL-6 were remarkably decreased in the serum of EMS-treated rats, whereas the levels of IL-10 and TGF-ß1 were significantly increased.Conclusions: EMS exhibits anti-arthritic activity in the AA model by regulating the balance of cytokines and the ratio of Th17 and Treg cells. These insights may provide an experimental basis for the clinical treatment of RA.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Different Elution Fractions of Er-Miao-San on Acute Inflammation Induced by Carrageenan in Rat Paw Tissue.

BACKGROUND Er-Miao-San (EMS) is used in traditional Chinese medicine. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different elution fractions of EMS on acute inflammation induced by carrageenan in the rat paw and the possible mechanisms of action. MATERIAL AND METHODS Different aqueous fractions of EMS added to an AB-8 macroporous resin column and eluted with 0, 30%, 60%, and 90% ethanol. The content of berberine was evaluated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). Following injection of carrageenan and elution fractions of EMS into the rat paw, the volume of edema, levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-10 in the rat tissue were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and nitric oxide (NO) levels were measured by spectrophotometry. RESULTS The 60% and 90% ethanol elution fractions of EMS contained berberine, and both inhibited edema after carrageenan injection, with inhibitory rates of 31.04-40.86% and 48.84-52.18%, respectively, and with a significant reduction in MPO activity and NO production. The 60% ethanol elution fraction of EMS significantly decreased IL-1ß levels and increased IL-10 levels, and the 30%, 60%, and 90% ethanol EMS elution fractions considerably reduced the levels of TNF-alpha. The 60% and 90% ethanol EMS elution fractions significantly reduced PGE2 levels in the rat paw. CONCLUSIONS The 60% and 90% ethanol elution fractions of EMS had an anti-inflammatory effect following injection of carrageenan in the rat paw.

Effects of naturally-produced lovastatin on feed digestibility, rumen fermentation, microbiota and methane emissions in goats over a 12-week treatment period.

Twenty male Saanen goats were randomly assigned to four levels of lovastatin supplementation and used to determine the optimal dosage and sustainability of naturally produced lovastatin from fermentation of palm kernel cake (PKC) with Aspergillus terreus on enteric methane (CH4) mitigation. The effects on ruminal microbiota, rumen fermentation, feed digestibility and health of animal were determined over three measuring periods (4-, 8- and 12-weeks) and the accumulation of lovastatin in tissues was determined at the end of the experiment. The diets contained 50% rice straw, 22.8% concentrates and 27.2% of various proportions of untreated or treated PKC to achieve the target daily intake level of 0 (Control), 2, 4 or 6 mg lovastatin/kg body weight (BW). Enteric CH4 emissions per dry matter intake (DMI), decreased significantly (P<0.05) and equivalent to 11% and 20.4%, respectively, for the 2 and 4 mg/kg BW groups as compared to the Control. No further decrease in CH4 emission thereafter with higher lovastatin supplementation. Lovastatin had no effect on feed digestibility and minor effect on rumen microbiota, and specifically did not reduce the populations of total methanogens and Methanobacteriales (responsible for CH4 production). Similarly, lovastatin had little effect on rumen fermentation characteristics except that the proportion of propionate increased, which led to a decreasing trend (P<0.08) in acetic: propionate ratio with increasing dosage of lovastatin. This suggests a shift in rumen fermentation pathway to favor propionate production which serves as H+ sink, partly explaining the observed CH4 reduction. No adverse physiological effects were noted in the animals except that treated PKC (containing lovastatin) was less palatable at the highest inclusion level. Lovastatin residues were detected in tissues of goats fed 6 mg lovastatin/kg BW at between 0.01 to 0.03 µg/g, which are very low.

Incidence of congenital hypothyroidism in China: data from the national newborn screening program, 2013-2015.

BACKGROUND: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is one of the most frequent, preventable causes of mental retardation. Little has been reported on the epidemiological characteristics of CH in China. We aimed to estimate the incidence of CH in China and investigate its geographical variation. METHODS: We analyzed data from the nationwide newborn screening program for CH between 2013 and 2015. Poisson regression was used to generate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) between the rates of CH and selected demographic characteristics and assess the potential association between CH incidence and geographical locations. RESULTS: A total of 18,666 patients with CH were identified from 45.2 million newborns, yielding an overall incidence rate of 4.13 per 10,000 live births. Compared with those in the remote area, regardless of infant sex, a higher incidence risk for CH was present in newborns in coastal areas and inland areas (females: OR=2.00, 95% CI: 1.86-2.16 and OR=1.74, 95% CI: 1.61-1.87, respectively; males: OR=1.70, 95% CI: 1.59-1.83 and OR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.42-1.63, respectively). Additionally, the highest risk of CH for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) screening values <40 mU/L was observed among neonates in the coastal areas, while TSH screening values of 70-100 mU/L were observed among those in the inland areas. CONCLUSIONS: The overall incidence of CH is high in China. The significant geographical variations of CH incidence are presented in this study.

Chinese Herbal Medicines as Potential Agents for Alleviation of Heat Stress in Poultry.

Heat stress negatively affects the productivity of chickens in commercial poultry farms in humid tropics. In this study, the concentrations and types of the antioxidant compounds of eight Chinese herbal medicines, which have previously demonstrated promising effects on suppressing heat stress as a mixture, were investigated using reversed-phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography, spectrophotometry, Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry, and Gas-Liquid Chromatography. Our results provided the levels of phenolic compounds, total amounts of sugars, and total unsaturated fatty acids in the herbal extracts. Apart from the detection and quantification of the active ingredients of herbs that have the potential to mitigate heat stress in poultry, results of this study also provide useful data for developing an efficient and accurate formulation of the herbs' mixtures in order to induce positive effects against heat stress in in vivo studies.

Probiotics: From Isolation to Application.

Probiotics have become highly recognized as supplements for humans and animals because of their beneficial effects on health and well-being. The present review aims to provide an overview of different steps through which microbial strains become applicable probiotics in food and/or feed industries. Isolation of potential probiotic strains is the first step. Lactic acid bacteria are the most frequently used microorganisms as probiotics, which can be isolated from human, animal, plant, and environment. The next steps are identification of the isolates and characterization of them based on the main selection criteria for any potential probiotic microorganism, including resistance to gastric acidity and bile salt, adherence to mucus and/or intestinal epithelial cells and cell lines, and antimicrobial and antagonism activity against potentially pathogenic microbes. There are additional probiotic properties that may be considered for selection of probiotic strains with specific effects, such as cholesterol reduction ability, antioxidant activity, or cytotoxic effect against cancer cells. However, a potential probiotic does not need to fulfill all such selection criteria. As the last step, safety status of probiotics for humans is verified by taxonomy clarification, in vitro and in vivo tests, human trials, and genome sequencing.

The influences of four types of soil on the growth, physiological and biochemical characteristics of Lycoris aurea (L' Her.) Herb.

Based on the characteristics of Lycoris aurea (L. aurea) natural distribution and local soil types, we selected four representative types of soil, including humus soil, sandy soil, garden soil and yellow-brown soil, for conducting the cultivation experiments to investigate key soil factors influencing its growth and development and to select the soil types suitable for cultivating it. We found that there existed significant differences in the contents of mineral elements and the activities of soil enzymes (urease, phosphatase, sucrase and catalase) etc. Among which, the contents of organic matters, alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen, Ca and Mg as well as the activities of soil enzymes in humus soil were the highest ones. In yellow-brown soil, except for Fe, the values of all the other items were the lowest ones. Net photosynthetic rate (Pn), biomass and lycorine content in humus soil were all the highest ones, which were increased by 31.02, 69.39 and 55.79%, respectively, as compared to those of yellow-brown soil. Stepwise multiple regression analysis and path analysis indicated that alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen, and Ca etc. were key soil factors influencing Pn, biomass and lycorine content of L. aurea. Thus, humus soil can be used as medium suitable for artificial cultivation of L. aurea.

Modulation of Immune Function in Rats Using Oligosaccharides Extracted from Palm Kernel Cake.

To investigate the prebiotic and immunomodulatory effects of PKC extract (OligoPKC) a total of 24 male rats were randomly assigned to three treatment groups receiving basal diet (control), basal diet containing 0.5% OligoPKC, or basal diet containing 1% OligoPKC for four weeks. We found that OligoPKC had no significant effect on the tested growth parameters. However, it increased the size of the total and beneficial bacterial populations while reducing pathogen populations. OligoPKC increased the concentration of immunoglobulins in the serum and cecal contents of rats. It also enhanced the antioxidant capacity of the liver while reducing lipid peroxidation in liver tissue. OligoPKC affected the expression of genes involved in immune system function in the intestine. Therefore, OligoPKC could be considered a potential mannan-based prebiotic for humans and animals due to its beneficial effects on the health and well-being of the model rats.

Efficacy and role of inulin in mitigation of enteric sulfur-containing odor in pigs.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy and role of inulin in the mitigation of enteric sulfur-containing odor gases hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) and methyl mercaptan (CH3 SH) in pigs were examined in this study. Twelve Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire male finisher pigs (60.7 ± 1.9 kg), housed individually in open-circuit respiration chambers, were randomly assigned to two dietary groups, namely basal diet (control) and basal diet supplemented with 1% (w/w) inulin. At the end of the 45 day experiment, pigs were slaughtered and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration, sulfate radical (SO42- ) concentration, population of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and expression of methionine gamma-lyase (MGL) gene were determined in contents from the caecum, colon (two segments) and rectum. Metabonomic analysis was used to compare differences in biochemical composition, and the Illumina MiSeq procedure to investigate differences in bacterial components, in the different parts of the large intestine between inulin-supplemented and inulin-free (control) groups. RESULTS: Inulin decreased (P < 0.05) the average daily enteric H2 S and CH3 SH production by 12.4 and 12.1% respectively. The concentrations of acetate, propionate and butyrate in the large intestinal content were significantly increased (P < 0.05) with inulin treatment, whereas valerate concentration and MGL mRNA expression decreased (P < 0.05). The growth of Lactobacillus, Butyrivibrio, Pseudobutyrivibrio, Bifidobacterium and Clostridium butyricum was stimulated, while that of Desulfovibrio, the dominant SRB, was inhibited, and there was an accumulation of SO42- in the large intestinal content of the inulin-supplemented pigs, suggesting that inulin mitigates H2 S generation from the SO42- reduction pathway by reducing the growth of SRB. CONCLUSION: The results showed that inulin mitigates CH3 SH generation via three methionine degradation metabolic pathways and H2 S generation from two cysteine degradation metabolic pathways, thus resulting in increased synthesis of these two sulfur-containing amino acids in the pig large intestine. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.