Effects of fulvic acid on broiler performance, blood biochemistry, and intestinal microflora.

To study the effects of mineral fulvic acid (FuA) on broiler performance, slaughter performance, blood biochemistry index, antioxidant function, immune performance, and intestinal microflora, 360 Arbor Acres (AA) broiler chickens with similar body weights were randomly divided into 5 groups with 6 replicates in each group and 12 chickens in each replicate in the current study. Chickens in the control group (C) were fed with the basal diet, and chickens in the test groups (I, II, III, and IV) were fed with the diet supplemented with 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% mineral FuA, respectively. The indicators were measured on the hatching day, d 21 and d 35. From the whole experimental period, FuA supplement significantly increased average body weight (ABW) (P < 0.05), average daily gain (ADG) of broilers (P < 0.05), and thymus weight (P < 0.05) in II and IV groups, but bascially reduced the pH value of thigh meat. FuA supplement significantly improved aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity in the group III on d 35 (P < 0.05) and the serum levels of IgA and IgG on d 21 and d 35 (P < 0.05), but reduced glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) level on d 21 (P < 0.05) and malondialdehyde (MDA) level in serum on d 35 (P < 0.05). FuA supplement significantly affected the abundance of Barnesiella, Lachnospiraceae, Alistipes, Lactobacillus, and Christensenellaceae on genus level. Differences between group III and other groups were significant in the genera microflora composition on d 21 and d 35. Functional analysis showed that the cecum microbiota were mainly enriched in carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and energy metabolism. In conclusion, FuA may potentially have significant positive effects on the growth performance and immune function of AA chickens through the modulation of the gut microbiota, and the 0.1% FuA was the best in broiler diet based on the present study.

Synthesis of di/trifluoromethyl cyclopropane-dicarbonitriles via [2+1] annulation of fluoro-based diazoethanes with (alkylidene)malononitriles.

Herein, we describe a [2+1] annulation reaction of di/trifluorodiazoethane with (alkylidene)malononitriles. This protocol offers a streamlined synthesis of a wide range of stereospecific and densely functionalized difluoromethyl and trifluoromethyl cyclopropane-1,1-dicarbonitriles. Further functional group interconversions or skeletal elaborations afford structurally distinct cyclopropyl variants.

Zinc-Enabled Annulation of Trifluorodiazoethane with 2H-Azirines to Construct Trifluoromethyl Pyrazolines, Pyrazoles, and Pyridazines.

A diethylzinc-promoted unconventional annulation reaction of 2,2,2-trifluorodiazoethane with 2H-azirines is described. This transformation involves two [3 + 2] cycloaddition steps and one dinitrogen extrusion process in one pot, thus giving a broad array of 3-trifluoromethyl pyrazolines in good yields with excellent diastereoselectivities. Further transformations provide facile access to 3-trifluoromethyl pyrazoles and 3,5-ditrifluoromethyl pyridazines with good efficiency.

Synthesis of 3-(tri/difluoromethyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5(4H)-ones via the cyclization of hydrazinecarboxamides with tri/difluoroacetic anhydride.

An efficient method for the synthesis of structurally diverse 4-aryl-3-(tri/difluoromethyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5(4H)-ones through the cyclization of hydrazinecarboxamides with tri/difluoroacetic anhydride is presented. The method is simple and environmentally benign, providing tri/difluoromethylated 1,2,4-triazol-5(4H)-ones in moderate-to-good yields. A mechanism is proposed to proceed via a tandem reaction of tri/difluoroacetylation, nucleophilic addition and water elimination. Some of these compounds exhibit promising insecticidal activities.

Streptomyces fukangensis sp. nov., a novel alkaliphilic actinomycete isolated from a saline-alkaline soil.

An alkaliphilic actinobacterium, designated EGI 80050(T), was isolated from a desert soil sample of Xinjiang, north-west China, and characterized by a polyphasic approach. The isolate was observed to produce purple orange-yellow aerial mycelium and dark orange-yellow substrate mycelium on yeast extract-malt extract agar medium. Whole-cell hydrolysates of strain EGI 80050(T) were found to contain LL-diaminopimelic acid as the diagnostic diamino acid, and galactose, glucose, rhamnose and mannose as the main sugars. The major fatty acids identified were C16:0-iso (36.8 %), C15:0-anteiso (17.3 %), 15:0-iso (13.2 %) and 14:0-iso (10.5 %). The predominant menaquinones detected were MK-9(H6) and MK-9(H8), while the characteristic polar lipids were identified as diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol mannosides, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine and three unknown phospholipids. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was determined to be 67.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences affiliated the strain EGI 80050(T) to the genus Streptomyces. Levels of 16 rRNA gene sequence similarities between strain EGI 80050(T) and Streptomyces candidus NRRL ISP-5141(T), Streptomyces cremeus NBRC 12760(T), Streptomyces spiroverticillatus NBRC 12821(T), Streptomyces violaceorectus NBRC 13102(T), Streptomyces cinereoruber subsp. cinereoruber NBRC 12756(T) were 96.7, 96.6, 96.6, 96.6 and 96.6 %, respectively. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic data, strain EGI 80050(T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces fukangensis sp. nov. (type strain EGI 80050(T) = BCRC 16945(T) = JCM 19127(T)) is proposed.