Effect of ß-1,3/1,6-glucan on gut microbiota of yellow-feathered broilers.

ß-1,3/1,6-glucan as a prebiotic improves immune performance in animals. These functions are closely related to the effect of ß-1,3/1,6-glucan on gut microbiota structure. However, the effect of ß-1,3/1,6-glucan on the gut microbiota structure of broilers is unclear. The aim of this study was to confirm the effects of ß-1,3/1,6-glucan on the cecal microflora structure of yellow-feathered broilers. This study monitored the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) level of Escherichia coli in feces of yellow-feathered broilers by standard broth dilution method and mastered the AMR level of chickens selected. The effects of ß-1,3/1,6-glucan on gut microbiota were investigated by 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed that the number of isolated multidrug-resistant E. coli strains accounted for 98.41%. At 14, 21, and 28 days of age, supplemented of 0.2%, 0.1%, and 0.1% ß-1,3/1,6-glucan in yellow-feathered broiler diets significantly altered gut microbial composition, and beneficial bacteria Alistipes, Bacteroides and Faecalibacterium were significantly increased. These findings provide guidance and recommendations for ß-1,3/1,6-glucan as a broiler feed additive to improve the growth of broilers.

The effect of bile salt diet supplementation on genes related to fat metabolism in yellow-feathered broilers.

Background and Aim: As a new feed additive, bile acid (BA) can promote the absorption and transport of lipids and fat-soluble vitamins. In recent years, BAs have been widely used in animal feed to promote fat absorption. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of bile salt supplementation in the diet of yellow-feathered broilers on messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBF1), fatty acid synthase (FAS), acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC), and fatty acid transport protein 4 (FATP4). Materials and Methods: Four hundred and twenty commercial male chicks were randomly divided into seven groups (with four replicates per group and 15 chickens per replicate). They were fed diets supplemented with bile salts at 0, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5 mg/kg, and 2 mg/kg tylosin for 30 days. Changes in SREBF1, fatty acid transporter 4, FAS, and acetyl-CoA carboxylase genes in intestinal mucosa and liver of yellow-feathered broilers were determined using a quantitative fluorescence polymerase chain reaction. Results: mRNA expression of SREBF1, FAS, ACC, and FATP4 in the small intestine decreased in chicks fed diets supplemented with 3.5 and 4.5 mg/kg bile salts (p<0.05) compared with the control group on 7 days and 14 d. The mRNA expressions of SREBF1, FAS, ACC, and FATP4 in liver tissue decreased in chicks fed diets supplemented with 4.5 and 5.5 mg/kg bile salts (p<0.05) compared to the control group on 7 days. The mRNA expression of SREBF1, FAS, ACC, and FATP4 in the liver at 14 days and the small intestine on 21 days also decreased in chicks fed diets supplemented with 4.5 mg/kg bile salts (p<0.05) compared to the control group. When contrasted with the control group on day 21, the mRNA expression of SRWBF1, FAS, ACC, and FATP4 detected in the liver was lower in chicks fed diets supplemented with bile salts (p<0.05). Conclusion: The dietary supplementation of bile salts at 4.5 mg/kg effectively regulates the expression of fat metabolism genes, such as SREBF1, FAS, ACC, and FATP4 mRNA. At this concentration, bile salts promote fat catabolism, inhibit fat synthesis, and play an essential role in improving the fat deposition of broilers.

The effect of Aspergillus niger as a dietary supplement on blood parameters, intestinal morphology, and gut microflora in Haidong chicks reared in a high altitude environment.

AIM: The effects of the inclusion of Aspergillus niger in the diet of Haidong chicks reared in the Qing-Zang high altitude area (China) under hypoxic conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 720 Haidong chicks were randomly divided into six groups and fed diets supplemented with 0%, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1.0%, 1.25%, and 1.5% of A. niger to determine blood parameters, intestinal morphology, and gut microflora in Haidong chicks reared in a high altitude environment. RESULTS: Packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell (RBC) count, white blood cell count, and hemoglobin concentration increased in the groups fed diets containing A. niger. The administration of A. niger in 1.0% and 1.25% significantly decreased the concentration of Escherichia coli in the cecum, while the concentration of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in the cecum and ileum was increased in the treated groups. When compared to the control groups, villi height, crypt depth, and goblet cell density in the intestine was raised, in general, in the groups treated with A. niger. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that 1.25% A. niger as dietary supplement may improve the resistance to ascites among birds reared under hypoxic conditions.

Low-complexity probabilistic shaping based on bit-weighted distribution matching in DMT-WDM-PON.

We introduce a novel probabilistic shaping (PS) scheme based on bit-weighted distribution matching (BWDM) into a discrete multi-tone wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network (DMT-WDM-PON) employing low-density parity-check-coded 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM). Unlike the prevailing arithmetic coding-class PS schemes with target symbol probability, such as arithmetic distribution matching and constant composition distribution matching, the proposed one realizes Gaussian-like symbol probability distribution emulation merely based on simple bit-class processing, having the advantage of much lower computational complexity. As the key operation in BWDM, the bit weight intervention is implemented in the process of PS-16QAM generation for elevated transmission probability of binary data '0' by cascaded operations of weight bit labelling and bit reconstruction. The experimental results show that, compared with uniformly-distributed signal with the same net rate, significantly-improved receiver power sensitivity and system tolerance to optical fiber nonlinear effect can be obtained in the DMT-WDM-PON system. The proposed PS scheme can be considered as one of promising practical solutions for more available optical network units due to enlarged system power loss budget for the optical distribution network.