Production potential of the first generation of selected Pitalah and Bayang ducks as a community economic resource in West Sumatra.

Objectives: This study aimed to measure the production potential of selected Pitalah and Bayang male ducks and their first generation. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 Pitalah and 100 Bayang 1-day-old ducks (40 males, 60 females) were obtained from local farmers and reared for 32-34 weeks. Twenty male ducks were selected as parental ducks based on their body weight (BW) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) at weeks 8 and 12. Forty female layer ducks were selected as parental ducks based on their blood cholesterol levels. Selected parental ducks were allowed to reproduce, and the ducklings were reared for 8 weeks before their BW, BW gain (BWG), feed intake, FCR, carcass weight percentage, abdominal fat percentage, and income over feed and duck cost (IOFC) ratio were measured. The data were subjected to a t-test. Results: Pitalah parental and first-generation ducks had better production performance and blood lipid profiles than Bayang ducks (p < 0.05). Based on the IOFC ratio, rearing Pitalah ducks for 8 weeks for meat production was more profitable and beneficial as a community economic resource. Conclusion: The selection of Pitalah and Bayang ducks was worth pursuing, as the G1 of both Pitalah and Bayang ducks had better production performance in terms of their BW, BWG, and FCR. Based on the IOFC values, raising Pitalah ducks for 8 weeks for meat production would be more economically beneficial.

Effectiveness of Evidence Based Physical Therapy Management Approaches in Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction: A Meta-analysis.

Worldwide the prevalence of sacroiliac joint dysfunction (SIJD) lies within a range of 13% to 30%. In approximately 10% to 25% of patients, SIJD is a cause of mechanical low back and leg pain. A total of 498 subjects included in 10 studies conducted from 2018 to 2022 were included in this analysis. The guidelines of PRISMA were followed for study identifications and analysis in which pain and disability were monitored as an outcome measure. The results revealed statistically significant findings of physical therapy-based management approaches in decreasing pain (SMD -1.068, p=0.0001, I2=95.11%) and lowering the levels of disability (SMD -0.997, p=0.0001, I2=95.76%) among patients with SIJD as estimated using a random effect model. It was concluded that physical therapy-based management approaches ranging from combined exercise therapy to MET and K-taping are significantly more effective than traditional approaches. Key Words: Exercise, Sacroiliac joint, Pain, Disability, Physical therapy, Muscle energy technique, Kinesiotaping.

Silver deposited carboxymethyl chitosan-grafted magnetic nanoparticles as dual action deliverable antimicrobial materials.

Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) was known to have a much better antimicrobial activity than chitosan due to the increased cationic -NH3+ groups resulted from the intra- and intermolecular interactions between the carboxyl and amino groups. CMCS was grafted onto the surface of silica coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to obtain magnetically retrievable and deliverable antimicrobial nanoparticles (MNPs@CMCS). The presence of carboxylate groups in CMCS not only enhanced antimicrobial activity but also enabled Ag ions chelating ability to induce the in situ formation of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs). The deposition of AgNPs on the surface of MNPs@CMCS could significantly increase its antimicrobial activity against planktonic cells due to the dual action of CMCS and AgNPs. Due to its high magnetism, the as-prepared MNPs@CMCS-Ag could be efficiently delivered into an existing biofilm under the guidance of an applied magnetic field. Without direct contact, the Ag ions and/or radical oxygen species (ROS) released from the deposited Ag nanoparticles could effectively kill the bacteria embedded in the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) matrix of biofilm.

Constitutive expression of recombinant human hyaluronidase PH20 by Pichia pastoris.

PH20 is known as sperm adhesion molecule 1 (SPAM1) and also has hyaluronidase function to preferentially hydrolyze the glycosidic linkage of hyaluronic acid (HA). A DNA fragment containing core domain of human PH20 gene was cloned into a constitutive expression plasmid (pGAPZαC) of Pichia pastoris to produce a fusion protein with α factor signal in the N-terminus and 6 × His as well as c-Myc tags in the C-terminus. The resulting plasmid pGAPZαC-PH20 was integrated into the genome of P. pastoris strain GS115. Functional recombinant human PH20 (rHuPH20) was successfully expressed and secreted by the recombinant P. pastoris transformant. Highest hyaluronidase activity of 2 mU/mL could be obtained at 3 day in an YPD culture. After purified by phenylboronic acid resin adsorption, rHuPH20 with a specific activity of 230 mU/mg was obtained. Via periodic acid-Schiff staining and zymogram analysis, the partially purified rHuPH20 was determined to be highly glycosylated to various extents with molecular mass in the range of 100-300 kDa. The enzyme showed a maximal activity at pH 5.0 but no appreciable activity at pH ≤3 and pH ≥8. The hyaluronidase activity could be stably maintained at 4°C but lost 40% after incubating at 30°C for 4 h. Both N-acetyl cysteine and glutathione showed a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 8 mM against rHuPH20.