[A study on diaphragm function after interscalene brachial plexus block using a fixed dose of ropivacaine with different concentrations].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of interscalene brachial plexus block (ISBPB) on the incidence of diaphragmatic paralysis, respiratory function and post-operative pain control using same dosage of local anesthetics diluted into two different volume and concentrations. METHODS: Approved by the Peking University Third Hospital ethics committee, sixty patients undergoing elective arthroscopic shoulder surgery in Peking University Third Hospital from November 2013 to April 2014 were randomly allocated into two groups according to random number table method: before induction of general anesthesia, ultrasound-guided ISBPB was performed using 0.5% ropivacaine 10 ml (Group A) or 0.25% ropivacaine 20 ml (Group B). The incidence of diaphragmatic paralysis, respiratory function and reduction of pulse oxygen saturation at 30 min post-block were recorded and analyzed.Patients were interviewed at 4, 8 and 24 h after block for numerical rating pain score, rescue analgesics requirement and sleep quality. RESULTS: There were no statistically differences between group A and group B for the incidence of diaphragmatic paralysis at 30 min after block (67% vs 70%, χ(2)=0.077, P>0.05). The change of forced vital capacity ((78±16)% vs (80±18)%, t=0.435, P>0.05), the change of forced expiratory volume in 1 second ((85±16)% vs (78±22)%, t=1.472, P>0.05) and the reduction of pulse oxygen saturation (1(0-3)% vs 2(0-3)%, Z=-0.538, P>0.05) showed no significant differences between the two groups at 30 min after block.There were no statistically differences in terms of the numerical rating pain score, rescue analgesics requirement and sleep quality at 4, 8 and 24 h after block (all P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The use of 0.5% and 0.25% ropivacaine 50 mg for interscalene block provides similar effect on the incidence of diaphragmatic paralysis, changes in respiratory function and postoperative analgesia.

Effects of prebiotics, probiotics, and their combination on growth performance, small intestine morphology, and resident Lactobacillus of male broilers.

Effects of commercial antimicrobials and the individual and combinational use of commercial prebiotics and probiotics in feed from d zero to 41 on the growth performance, small intestine size, jejunal morphology, and ileal resident bacteria population of broiler chickens were determined. A total of 1,040 one-day-old male Ross × Ross 708 broilers were randomly distributed to 80 floor pens (5 treatments, 16 replications per treatment, 13 chicks per pen). Five dietary treatments were employed: 1) a corn soybean-meal basal diet (served as a negative control diet, NC); 2) a basal diet supplemented with a commercial prebiotic product (Pre); 3) a basal diet supplemented with a probiotic product containing Bacillus subtilis spores (Pro); 4) a basal diet supplemented with both prebiotic and probiotic products (Pre + Pro); and 5) a basal diet supplemented with commercial antimicrobials (served as a positive control diet, PC). At d 14, Pre diets improved the relative level of Lactobacillus in ileal mucosa as compared to NC, Pro, or PC diets (P = 0.045) without improving broiler BW. Broilers fed PC diets exhibited the highest BW gain from d 15 to 27, the lowest duodenum, jejunum, and ileum relative weights as percentage of BW at d 27, and the highest breast weight at d 42 (P = 0.026, 0.035, 0.002, 0.025, and 0.035, respectively). Broilers fed Pro or Pre + Pro diets exhibited higher BW gain from d 28 to 41 (P = 0.005) and higher overall BW gain from d zero to 41 (P = 0.039) than those fed other diets. Dietary treatments did not affect jejunal morphology or ileal resident Escherichia coli level at any age. From our results, including spores of Bacillus subtilis in feed may stimulate growth at a later age and may facilitate broilers in reaching their target weight sooner. Therefore, probiotics are recommended as potential alternatives to antimicrobials in chicken diets, especially in grower and finisher feed.

Effects of commercial in ovo injection of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol on bone development and mineralization in male and female broilers.

Improved bone development and mineralization in broilers have been attributed to the use of 25-hydroxylcholecalceiferol [25(OH)D3] as a dietary supplement. In this study, effects of the in ovo injection of 25(OH)D3 delivered in commercial diluent on 18 d of incubation (doi) on subsequent bone development and mineralization in male and female Ross × Ross 708 broilers were investigated. The variables investigated included bone mineral density and breaking strength, bone ash concentration, and calcium and phosphorus bone ash concentrations. In a single-stage incubator, with 6 treatments on each of the 10 tray levels, a total of 2,400 experimental broiler hatching eggs were evenly and randomly set. Eggs were treatment-injected and transferred to corresponding hatching baskets on 18 doi. Experimental treatment groups were those that received 0.2, 0.6, 1.8, or 5.4 µg of 25(OH)D3 that were delivered in 100 µL of commercial diluent. Noninjected and diluent-injected controls were also included. On 21 doi, chicks were pulled and placed in corresponding floor pens, and on each of d 0, 14, and 28 posthatch (poh), 2 birds of each sex from each pen were randomly selected for necropsy and extraction of both of their tibia bones. Bones from the right leg were subjected to mineral density analysis and those from the left leg were used to determine breaking strength and residual bone ash concentration. Furthermore, ash calcium and phosphorus concentrations on d 14 and 28 poh were determined. There was a treatment × sex × age interaction for bone breaking strength. Bone breaking strength in male birds on d 28 poh was higher in the 0.20, 0.60, and 1.80 µg of 25(OH)D3-injected treatment groups than in the diluent-injected control group. In conclusion, although the in ovo injection of 25(OH)D3 had no positive effect on the bone development of Ross × Ross 708 broilers through d 28 poh compared with noninjected controls, it may provide a benefit to those subjected to an injection of commercial vaccine diluent.

Protein expression in pectoral skeletal muscle of chickens as influenced by dietary methionine.

Effects of dietary methionine (Met) on pectoralis muscle development and the effect that Met as a nutritional substrate has on protein expression of skeletal muscle cells of pectoralis muscle of chickens were evaluated in this study. Broiler chickens received a common pretest diet up to 21 d of age and were subsequently fed either a low (LM) or high Met (HM) diet (0.41 vs. 0.51% of diet) from 21 to 42 d of age. Dietary deficiency was shown in vivo judging by the depression in breast meat weight and yield when broilers were fed the LM diet. Global protein expression was analyzed by quantitative high-performance liquid chromatography nanospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Up- and downregulated proteins were analyzed via Ingenuity Pathways Analysis to identify the metabolic pathways affected. Four canonical pathways related to muscle development were identified as being differentially regulated between LM- and HM-fed chickens. These pathways included the citrate cycle and calcium, actin cytoskeleton, and clathrin-mediated endocytosis signaling. The HM diet may have allowed for increased muscle growth by an increased availability of nutrients to muscle cells. Although the Met supplementation was associated with enhanced breast muscle growth, contraction fiber concentrations in muscles decreased and were associated with a lower calcium transportation rate and sensitivity and with a lower energy supply. It is further suggested that increased muscle protein deposition, that was induced by Met supplementation, may have been largely due to sarcoplasmic rather myofibrillar hypertrophy.

Effects of in ovo injection of L-carnitine on hatchability and subsequent broiler performance and slaughter yield.

Effects of in ovo injection of L-carnitine on the hatchability, grow-out performance, and slaughter yield of Ross x Ross 308 broilers from a young breeder flock were determined through 48 d of age. Fertilized eggs were injected in the amnion with L-carnitine (0.5, 2.0, or 8.0 mg dissolved in 100 microL of a commercial diluent) on d 18 of incubation using an automated egg injector. Three control groups (noninjected and injected with or without diluent) were also included. Hatchability and hatch rate of fertilized eggs were assessed. Furthermore, subsequent mortality, BW gain, feed intake per bird, and feed conversion were determined through 46 d posthatch. On d 47, live body, carcass, and abdominal fat pad weights, along with the weights of all major commercial cuts including the thigh, drumstick, wings, and breast muscles, were determined. Individual doses of supplemental L-carnitine had no significant effect on the hatchability or rate of hatch of fertilized eggs; however, significant trends were noted for increased hatchability and length of egg incubation in conjunction with increases in L-carnitine dose. Nevertheless, there were no significant treatment effects on any of the grow-out performance or slaughter yield parameters investigated. In conclusion, although increasing the levels of L-carnitine added to commercial vaccine diluent between 0.5 and 8.0 mg/100 microL for commercial in ovo injection did not significantly influence subsequent broiler grow-out performance or slaughter yield, L-carnitine dosages above those used in this study have the potential for significantly increasing incubation length and hatchability of broiler hatching eggs.

The effect of male and female supplementation of L-carnitine on reproductive traits of white leghorns.

Previous work in our laboratory showed that including 125 ppm of l-carnitine in the diets of roosters increased sperm concentration. The objective of this experiment was to determine whether reproductive efficiency could be improved by feeding l-carnitine to both parents over that of feeding l-carnitine to only the male or female. Diets formulated to contain 0 or 125 ppm of l-carnitine were fed to male and female birds from hatch until 37 wk of age. Eighty-four roosters were used, with the semen of 2 roosters constituting an experimental unit. Pools of semen from either l-carnitine-supplemented or control roosters were artificially inseminated into each of 288 hens with 23.5 muL of semen at weekly intervals, in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement, resulting in a mean insemination dose of 1.2 and 1.1 x 10(8) sperm/hen for l-carnitine and control hens, respectively. Dietary l-carnitine, as compared with the control diet, increased egg yolk l-carnitine concentration (P = 0.001), decreased hatchling yolk sac weights (P = 0.0001), decreased yolk sac lipid content at hatch (P = 0.01), and culminated in compositional changes of yolk fatty acids, but it did not affect hatch rate, egg production, and egg traits. Although supplementing diets with l-carnitine improved sperm concentration, it did not result in a subsequent improvement in hatch rate, most likely because of the high numbers of sperm that were inseminated artificially in both the control and l-carnitine-supplemented hens. The higher concentrations of l-carnitine in the yolk of hatching eggs obtained from hens consuming l-carnitine as compared with controls may have encouraged the utilization of fat by developing embryos, as indicated by the decreased hatchling yolk sac weights and yolk sac lipid content, perhaps leading to the selective utilization of linoleic (C18:2n-6) and alpha-linolenic (C18:3n-3) acids for growth and development over myristic (C14:0) and oleic (C18:1n-9) acids.

The effect of dietary L-carnitine on semen traits of White Leghorns.

A previous study conducted in our laboratory showed that feeding 500 ppm of dietary L-carnitine to young and aging White Leghorns for 5 wk improved sperm concentration and reduced sperm lipid peroxidation during the last half of supplementation. The current study examined the effect of feeding dosimetric as well as lower levels of L-carnitine for longer durations on semen traits of White Leghorns. In experiments 1 and 2, White Leghorns consumed diets supplemented with 0, 125, 250, or 500 mg of L-carnitine/kg of feed. For experiment 1, an 8-wk trial was conducted with 48 White Leghorns from 46 to 54 wk of age. For experiment 2, a 17-wk trial was conducted with 96 White Leghorn roosters from 46 to 63 wk of age. For experiment 3, 84 roosters were provided for ad libitum consumption a diet formulated to contain 0 or 125 ppm of L-carnitine beginning at hatch until 37 wk of age. Long-term consumption of 125 ppm of L-carnitine beginning at hatch was the only dietary treatment that sustained a persistent increase in sperm concentration. These results suggest that L-carnitine's antioxidant influence on sperm production begins before the onset of sexual maturity.

[HPLC fingerprints identification of Panax ginseng C. A. Mey., P. quinquefolin L. and P. notoginseng (Burk. F. H. Chen)].

OBJECTIVE: The method was established to identify Panax ginseng, P. quinquefolium and P. notoginseng. METHOD: Polaris C18-A analytical column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microns); acetonitrile-water as gradient eluent, flow rate 1.5 ml.min-1, detective wavelength at 203 nm. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: The fingerprints of P. ginseng, P. quinquefolium and P. notoginseng were obtained, and all ginsenosides were analyzed perfectly. The peak height ratio of ginsenoside Rg1 and ginsenoside Re was a suitable character to differentiate the three species from each other.

[Development of healthy beverage from Eucommla ulmoides foliage].

Effective compositions of Eucommla ulmoides foliage, sampled from the south side west section of the Qinling Mountain area, are analyzed qualiatively and quantitatively. It is shown that the foliage contains plenty of mineral elements, seventeen amino acids, proteins, sugars, alkaloids, flavonoids, aucubin, chlorogenic acid, pinoresinol diglucoside, coffeic acid juice and Jingniping glucoside. Based on the analysis and the main material of Eucommla ulmoides foliage, a healthy beverage functioning especially on resisting tire actions is formulated and produced. This work has provided a dependable new idea for further exploitation and utilization of the natural resources.