Research Note: Effects of polysaccharide-enriched Acanthopanax senticosus extract on growth performance, immune function, antioxidation, and ileal microbial populations in broiler chickens.

Acanthopanax senticosus (AS) is a well-known, highly effective traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Polysaccharides extracted from AS (ASPS) have multiple pharmacologic and biological activities with potential use as additives in broiler chicken feed. This trial evaluated the effects of dietary ASPS on growth performance, immune function, antioxidation, and ileal microbial populations in broiler chickens. A total of 240 1-day-old Arbor Acres male broiler chicks were randomly divided into 4 groups, with 10 replicates of 6 chicks and fed a corn- and soybean-based diet supplemented with 0, 1, 2, or 4 g/kg ASPS. Compared with the control group, supplementation with 1 g/kg ASPS increased ADG and ADFI in the finisher and overall periods and decreased the feed conversion ratio in the finisher period (both P < 0.05). Serum IgA and IgM were significantly increased by supplementation with 1 and 2 g/kg of ASPS (P < 0.05). Superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were increased and malondialdehyde concentration was decreased in birds fed ASPS-supplemented diets compared with those in the control group (P < 0.05). Polysaccharides extracted from AS supplementation increased Lactobacillus and decreased Escherichia coli and Salmonella counts in the ileal contents compared with the control diet (both P < 0.05). The results show that dietary ASPS improved growth performance, immune status, and antioxidant capacity and stimulated the growth of beneficial gut bacteria in broiler chickens. In conclusion, ASPS was effective as a natural additive in broiler chicken feed; 1 g/kg can be considered as the optimum dosage.

[Clinical effect of high pressure oxygen and Butylphthalide in the recovery of cerebral metabolism after carbon monoxide poisoning].

Objective: To study the clinical effect of high pressure oxygen and Butylphthalide in the recovery of cerebral metabolism after carbon monoxide poisoning. Methods: 84 patients treated from May 2014 to May 2016 in our hospital were selected. The subjects were randomly and equally divided into two groups. The control group adopted the conventional therapy and high pressure oxygen; on the basis, the observation group also took Butylphthalide. The clinical effect, duration of coma, recovery of consciousness, incidence rate of delayed encephalopathy was observed. After 1m of treatment, the HDS point was evaluated. Results: The total effective rate of control group (76.19%, 32/42) was lower than that of observation group (95.24%, 40/42) (P<0.05) . The duration of coma for observation group was shorter than that of control group. The percentage for patients with recovery of consciousness and incidence rate of delayed encephalopathy for observation group was better than that of control group (P<0.05) . The HDS point for observation group was even higher than that of control group (P<0.05) . Conclusion: The high pressure oxygen and butylphthalide can improve the clinical effective rate, shorten the duration of coma and promote the patient's recovery of consciousness. It is worthy of clinical promotion.

Effect of dietary protein sources on the small intestine microbiome of weaned piglets based on high-throughput sequencing.

UNLABELLED: In this study, we comprehensively investigated the effect of dietary protein sources on the gut microbiome of weaned piglets with diets comprising different protein source using High-throughput 16SrRNA gene-based Illumina Miseq. A total of 48 healthy weaned piglets were allocated randomly to four treatments with 12 piglets in each group. The weaned piglets were fed with diets containing soybean meal (SBM), cottonseed meal (CSM), SBM and CSM (SC) or fish meal (FM). The intestinal content samples were taken from five segments of the small intestine. DNA was extracted from the samples and the V3-V4 regions of the 16SrRNA gene were amplified. The microbiota of the contents of the small intestine were very complex, including more than 4000 operational taxonomic units belonging to 32 different phyla. Four bacterial populations (i.e. Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Acidobacteria) were the most abundant bacterial groups. The genera Lactobacillus and Clostridium were found in slightly higher proportions in the groups with added CSM compared to the other groups. The proportion of reads assigned to the genus Escherichia/Shigella was much higher in the FM group. In conclusion, dietary protein source had significant effects on the small microbiome of weaned piglets. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Dietary protein source have the potential to affect the small intestine microbiome of weaned piglets that will have a large impact on its metabolic capabilities and intestinal health. In this study, we successfully identified the microbiomes in the contents of the small intestine in the weaned piglets that were fed different protein source diets using high-throughput sequencing. The finding provided an evidence for the option of the appropriate protein source in the actual production.

Effects of different dietary manganese levels on growth performance and N balance of growing mink (Neovision vision).

Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of dietary manganese levels on growth performance, nutrients digestibility, and N balance of minks during growing period. In experiment 1, 75 healthy male minks (60 days old) were selected and randomly divided into five groups with different types of diet. The diet was supplemented with 0 (control), 50, 100, 300, and 600 ppm of manganese as MnSO4 of dry matter (DM) in basic diet, respectively. From early July to middle September, the results showed that the final body weights of minks were significantly affected by diets (P < 0.05). Average daily gains (ADG) were significantly higher in the 300-ppm manganese group than those in other groups. The ratio of feed to body weight gain (F/G) was significantly affected by manganese level (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, 45 male minks (75 days old) with the same body weight were selected from each group of experiment 1 to carry out the nutrient digestion and N-balance tests which lasted for 4 days for the collection of the feces and urine, and the diets and treatment codes were same as in experiment 1. The results showed that no significant differences were found in DM, crude protein (CP), and crude carbohydrate (CC) digestibility among all groups (P > 0.05), but ether extract (EE) and gross energy (GE) digestibility were all the highest in the 300-ppm group. N intake and fecal N were similar among all groups (P > 0.05). Urinary N was lower in the 300-ppm group; in contrast, N retention was higher in this group (P < 0.05). In conclusion of experiment 1 and experiment 2, the diet supplemented with 300 ppm of manganese (as manganese sulfate) could improve the growth performance and increase the EE and GE digestibility of mink during the growing period and moreover reduce the nitrogen emissions to the environment, and the optimal total manganese level in mink's diet was 409.16 in DM during the growing period.

Effects of different dietary protein levels and DL-methionine supplementation on hair growth and pelt quality in mink (Neovision vision).

The effect of different dietary protein levels and DL-methionine (Met) supplementation on hair growth and the resulting pelt quality in mink was studied. Four groups of male mink were fed with four isocaloric diets containing 32% (P32), 24% (P24), 16% (P16) or P24+Met (0.8%) crude protein of dry matter (DM) from September to December. Skin biopsies were taken at the pelting. Histological techniques and computer-assisted light microscopy were used to determine the ratio of activity (ROA) of under hairs and guard hairs respectively. The results showed that when the dietary protein level reduced from 32% to 16%, body length, number and diameter of under hairs and guard hairs of minks declined, and pelt length and pelt weight of minks decreased significantly (p < 0.05). These parameters were similar between P32 and P24 with Met supplementation (p > 0.05). The hair follicle density of the winter coat was not influenced by the dietary protein levels and Met supplementation (p > 0.05). Low-protein diets content led to a reduction of hair follicle developing to next phase. It was documented that 24% crude protein of DM with Met supplementation during growing-furring period was sufficient for minks to express their genetic capacity to develop hair follicles and achieve the prime fur characteristics. Overall this study demonstrated that hair growth and hair properties in pelts are very dependent on the dietary protein and Met supply in the growing-furring period of minks.

Removal of phosphorus and nitrogen from domestic wastewater using a mineralized refuse-based bioreactor.

Municipal solid waste used for landfill becomes stabilized, or aged, some years after placement, and can be safely excavated; the term 'mineralized refuse' is used in this study. The adsorptions of phosphorus, and the nitrification of the mineralized refuse and clay, were investigated by batch incubation. The variation of phosphorus adsorption in the mineralized refuse was fitted to the Freundlich adsorption isotherm equation, giving a maximum phosphorus adsorption capacity of 2310 mg kg(-1). Based on the Langmuir isotherm equation, maximum phosphorus adsorption capacity was calculated to be 1976 mg kg(-1), almost twice that of the clay. The equations for both the mineralized refuse and clay were fitted to zero-order kinetics (R2 > 0.98, P < 0.01, n = 11), giving concentrations of phosphorus as phosphates less than 250 mg L(-1). The K value for the mineralized refuse was about 3.5 times higher than for the clay. The production of nitrogen as nitrates in both the mineralized refuse and the clay after 120 h incubation yielded a first-order reaction kinetics value of 100 mg kg(-1) NH4(+)-N from the initial concentration. The calculated net nitrification as nitrates for the mineralized refuse was 6.3 times higher than for the clay. Domestic wastewater was then treated in a mineralized refuse-based bioreactor for 30 days. The removal rates of COD(cr), total nitrogen and total phosphorus were 73.77 +/- 8.10%, 61.01 +/- 6.75%, and 69.14 +/- 9.25%, respectively. Large accumulations of nitrates occurred in the mineralized refuse-based bioreactor. For the full-scale design, a high column of mineralized refuse is recommended for the denitrification.

Spatial distributions and potential risk analysis of total soil selenium in Guangdong Province, China.

A total of 260 soil profiles were examined to investigate the spatial distribution of total soil selenium (Se) in Guangdong province, China. In the investigated area, the soil Se concentrations follow an approximately lognormal distribution. The soil Se geometric mean concentration of 0.23 mg kg(-1) is higher than that of Chinese soils; however, Se concentration varies over the study area. The baseline concentration of 0.13 to 0.41 mg kg(-1) indicates that the soil Se concentration is mostly in the range of deficiency to medium level for surface soils in Guangdong province. In A-, B-, and C-horizon, soil Se spatial distribution is correlated with the nature of the parent material, with high Se concentration mainly located in limestone and sandshale areas and low Se concentration associated with purple shale and granite areas. The spatial distribution pattern of soil Se concentrations suggests that potential Se deficiency may be an issue for human health in this province. Moreover, due to soil degradation and erosion, calculated soil Se exported into surrounding waters could reach approximately 23,000 kg yr(-1) in the study area.