Digested soybean protein and taurine influence bile acid level, lipase activity, lipid digestibility, and growth performance of pompano (Trachinotus blochii).

This study aimed to examine the effects of dietary digested soybean protein (DSP) and taurine on bile acid (BA) level, lipase activity, lipid apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC), and growth performance of pompano (Trachinotus blochii). Five diets were formulated with fish meal (FM), defatted soybean meal (SBM), and the DSP as main dietary protein sources. The diets were denoted as follows: FMD (FM-based diet), SBMD (SBM-based diet), SBM+TD (SBM-based diet plus taurine), DSPD (DSP-based diet), and DSP+TD (DSP-based diet plus taurine). Fingerling pompano with an initial body weight (BW) of 21.4 g were stocked in 500-L tanks, with triplicate tanks per dietary treatment. For 8 weeks, the fish were hand-fed the experimental diets to apparent satiation twice daily. The results showed that the DSPD and DSP+TD groups had significantly higher final BW, weight gain, and specific growth rate, but lower feed conversion ratio, than the SBMD and SBM+TD groups, respectively (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in growth and feed performances between fish fed DSP+TD and FMD. The gallbladder and anterior intestinal BA levels, anterior intestinal lipase activity, and lipid and protein ADCs were markedly increased in fish fed DSPD and DSP+TD compared to those fed SBMD (P < 0.05), and no significant differences were detected between the DSP+TD and FMD groups. The findings of the present study suggested that dietary DSP inclusion with taurine supplementation might effectively improve lipid digestion and this contributed to growth enhancement in pompano fed a soybean protein-based diet.

Ethanol-soluble components in soybean meal influence the digestive physiology, hepatic and intestinal morphologies, and growth performance of the marine fish pompano (Trachinotus blochii).

This study aimed to examine the effects of ethanol-soluble components (Es) in soybean meal (SBM) on gut content transit, bile acid (BA) and pancreatic digestive enzyme secretions, nutrient apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC), liver and intestinal morphologies, and growth performance of pompano (Trachinotus blochii). The SBM was extracted with aqueous ethanol, then the supernatant and residue were separated and dried to produce ethanol-extracted SBM (ESBM) and the Es. Four experimental diets were formulated with fish meal (FM), ESBM and SBM as main dietary protein sources. The diets were denoted as follows: FMD (FM diet), SBMD (SBM diet), ESBMD (ESBM diet) and ESBM + EsD (ESBM plus Es diet). Thirty-five fingerling pompano with an initial body weight (BW) of 18.3 g were allocated to each of 12 polyvinyl chloride tanks (1000-L holding capacity), resulting in triplicate tanks per dietary treatment. For 10 weeks, the fish were hand-fed the experimental diets to apparent satiation twice daily. The results showed that the final BW, weight gain and specific growth rate were significantly lower, while the feed conversion ratio was higher in the SBMD and ESBM + EsD groups than in the ESBMD and FMD groups (p < 0.05). Fish fed SBMD and ESBM + EsD showed accelerated gastric transit, slowed intestinal mobility, and lowered secretions of BAs and pancreatic digestive enzymes as compared to those fed ESBMD and FMD. Morphological abnormalities in mucosal folds of the posterior intestine, but not the liver, were clearly observed in the SBMD and ESBM + EsD groups. These results indicated that the Es in SBM inhibited the digestive system, leading to decreased nutrient digestibility and growth performance in pompano. The findings of the present study suggested that removal of the Es would effectively improve the nutritional quality of SBM and enhance growth performance of pompano fed a SBM-based diet.

Dietary replacement of fish meal by defatted and fermented soybean meals with taurine supplementation for pompano fish: effects on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and biological parameters in a long-term feeding period.

A 16-wk growth trial was conducted to examine the effects of dietary replacement of fish meal by defatted soybean meal (SBM) and fermented soybean meal (FSBM) with taurine supplementation on growth performance, nutrient apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) and biological parameters of pompano fish. The FSBM was produced by fermenting SBM with Lactobacillus spp. Seven isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated to replace 35% or 50% of fish meal by SBM or FSBM with taurine supplementation. The diets are denoted as follows: FM, SBM35, SBM35T, FSBM35T, SBM50, SBM50T, and FSBM50T. The FM (the basal diet) contained fish meal as a main source of dietary protein. Taurine was supplemented to SBM35T, FSBM35T, SBM50T, and FSBM50T at the level of 15 g/kg diet. Pompano juveniles with an initial body weight (BW) of 80 g reared in floating net cages were fed the experimental diets twice daily for 16 wk. Results showed that the final BW, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio of fish fed SBM35 and SBM50 were significantly lower than those of fish fed FM (P < 0.05), indicating that the replacement of fish meal by SBM at the rate of 35% in the diet is excessive for pompano. Supplementation of taurine to the SBM-included diets significantly increased growth performance and feed utilization (P < 0.05); however, these diets did not restore the performance back to a level equivalent to that of fish offered the basal diet. Meanwhile, fish fed FSBM35T had comparable growth and feed performances to those fed FM. Hematocrit values, total biliary bile acid levels, whole body lipid contents, and tissue taurine concentrations of fish fed SBM35 and SBM50 were the lowest among the treatments, but these parameters were improved by taurine supplementation and FSBM inclusion in the diet. Taurine supplementation increased lipid ADC, and SBM fermentation slightly enhanced both lipid and protein ADCs of the fish. These findings suggest that the combination of FSBM and taurine supplementation is an effective way to improve growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and biological parameters, and that FSBM with taurine supplementation can replace 35% of fish meal in pompano diets without any negative effects on growth and feed performances in a long-term feeding period.

Cranio-Caudal Kinematic Turn Signature Assessed with Inertial Systems As a Marker of Mobility Deficits in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Turning is a challenging mobility task requiring proper planning, coordination, and postural stability to be executed efficiently. Turn deficits can impair mobility and lead to falls in patients with neurodegenerative disease, such as Parkinson's disease (PD). It was previously shown that the cranio-caudal sequence involved during a turn (i.e., motion is initiated by the head, followed by the trunk) exhibits a signature that can be captured using an inertial system and analyzed through the Kinematics Theory. The so-called cranio-caudal kinematic turn signature (CCKS) metrics derived from this approach could, therefore, be a promising avenue to develop and track markers to measure early mobility deficits. OBJECTIVE: The current study aims at exploring the discriminative validity and sensitivity of CCKS metrics extracted during turning tasks performed by patients with PD. METHODS: Thirty-one participants (16 asymptomatic older adults (OA): mean age = 69.1 ± 7.5 years old; 15 OA diagnosed with early PD ON and OFF medication, mean age = 65.8 ± 8.4 years old) performed repeated timed up-and-go (TUG) tasks while wearing a portable inertial system. CCKS metrics (maximum head to trunk angle reached and commanded amplitudes of the head to trunk neuromuscular system, estimated from a sigma-lognormal model) were extracted from kinematic data recorded during the turn phase of the TUG tasks. For comparison purposes, common metrics used to analyze the quality of a turn using inertial systems were also calculated over the same trials (i.e., the number of steps required to complete the turn and the turn mean and maximum velocities). RESULTS: All CCKS metrics discriminated between OA and patients (p ≤ 0.041) and were sensitive to change in PD medication state (p ≤ 0.033). Common metrics were also able to discriminate between OA and patients (p < 0.014), but they were unable to capture the change in medication state this early in the disease (p ≥ 0.173). CONCLUSION: The enhanced sensitivity to change of the proposed CCKS metrics suggests a potential use of these metrics for mobility impairments identification and fluctuation assessment, even in the early stages of the disease.