Accurate prediction of nutritional value of sorghum grain using image analysis.

1. This study evaluated the application of L (lightness)*a (redness) and *b (blueness) colour analysis and chemical compositions to predict the nutritional value of sorghum grain. 2. A total of 12 varieties of sorghum grain were analysed for L*a*b colours, chemical composition, energy and total and digestible amino acid content. Regression models based on the linear, non-linear and the interaction effects of inputs were applied to predict the nutritional value of sorghum grains either using L*a*b colour or chemical composition, as the model inputs. 3. The results illustrated a significant relationship between a*b and/or chemical compositions with energy content in the samples of sorghum grain. The provided estimation equations presented high goodness of fit in terms of R2adj ranging from 0.744 to 0.999. 4. Total and digestible amino acids of sorghum grain were estimated based on a*b and chemical compositions data with the goodness of fit ranging from 0.641 to 0.999 (R2adj). 5. In conclusion, the L*a*b colour analysis may be used for developing equations to predict nutritional value of sorghum grain as an alternative approach to the conventional time-consuming and costly chemical and bioassay methods.

Effects of milk thistle meal on performance, ileal bacterial enumeration, jejunal morphology and blood lipid peroxidation in laying hens fed diets with different levels of metabolizable energy.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of milk thistle meal on performance, blood biochemical indices, ileal bacterial counts and intestinal histology in laying hens fed diets containing different levels of metabolizable energy. A total number of 200 Leghorn laying hens (Hy-Line W-36) were randomly assigned to eight experimental treatments with five cage replicates of five birds each. Dietary treatments consisted of four levels of milk thistle meal (0%, 15%, 30% and 60%) and two levels of AMEn (11.09 and 12.34 MJ/kg) fed over a period of 80 days. In vitro studies revealed that the total phenolic component of milk thistle meal was 470.64 mg gallic acid equivalent/g of the sample, and its antioxidant activity for inhibiting the 2-2-diphenyl-1-picrichydrazyl free radical and reducing ferric ions was about 21% higher than that of butylated hydroxyltoluene (p < .05). Diets containing high level of AMEn led to improved egg production (p < .05), egg weight (p < .05), egg mass (p < .01) and feed conversion ratio (p < .01). In addition, offering diets containing high energy significantly enhanced (p < .01) serum triglyceride and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations as well as jejunal villus height. Dietary supplementation of 3% milk thistle meal resulted in the best feed conversion ratio (p < .05), reduction of ileal Escherichia coli enumeration (p < .01) and an enhancement in the villus height-to-crypt depth ratio (p < .05). Furthermore, feeding incremental levels of this meal led to remarkable decrease in serum cholesterol, triglyceride and MDA (p < .01) concentrations while significant increase in blood high-density lipoprotein content and goblet cell numbers (p < .05). The present findings indicate that milk thistle meal with high antioxidant and antibacterial properties in laying hen diets may improve health indices and productive performance.

Decline in peripheral blood NKG2D+CD3+CD56+ NKT cells in metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the main causes of cancer deaths in the world. This cancer can be divided into non-metastatic and metastatic CRC stages. CD3+CD56+ NKT cell subsets are a minor T cell subset in peripheral blood and conduct the killing of tumor cells in direct manner. Little is obvious about levels and surface markers of these cells such as NKG2D in different cancers, especially in CRC. METHODS: We included 15 non-metastatic (low-grade), 11 non-metastatic (high-grade), 10 metastatic colorectal cancer patients and 18 healthy controls. The percentages of CD3+CD56+ NKT cells and NKG2D+CD56+ NKT cells from samples were analyzed by flow cytometry in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of samples. RESULTS: We found that there was a significantly lower number of NKG2D+CD3+CD56+ cells in peripheral blood of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer compared with normal controls (77.53 ± 5.79 % vs 90.74 ± 9.84 %; p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The fact that frequency of NKG2D+CD56+ NKT cells was significantly lower in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer compared to healthy controls strengthens the hypothesis that NKT cells can play a substantial role in the protection against human colorectal cancer, and this opens up avenues for novel studies about elucidating the other aspects of tumor surveillance in CRC progression and immunotherapy (Tab. 2, Fig. 2, Ref. 46).

Optimisation of broiler chicken responses from 0 to 7 d of age to dietary leucine, isoleucine and valine using Taguchi and mathematical methods.

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the applicability of the Taguchi method (TM) and optimisation algorithms to optimise the branch chain amino acids (BCAA) requirements in 0 to 7 d broiler chicks. In the first experiment, the standardised digestible (SID) amino acids and apparent metabolisable energy (AME) values of maize, wheat and soya bean meal were evaluated. In the second experiment, three factors including leucine (Leu), isoleucine (Ile) and valine (Val), each at 4 levels, were selected, and an orthogonal array layout of L16 (4(3)) using TM was performed. After data collection, optimisation of average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were obtained using TM. The multiobjective genetic algorithm (MOGA) and random search algorithm (RSA) were also applied to predict the optimal combination of BCAA for broiler performance. In the third experiment, a growth study was conducted to evaluate the applicability of obtained optimum BCAA requirements data by TM, MOGA and RSA, and results were compared with those of birds fed with a diet formulated according to Ross 308 recommendations. In the second experiment, the TM resulted in 13.45 g/kg SID Leu, 8.5 g/kg SID Ile and 10.45 g/kg SID Val as optimum level for maximum ADG (21.57 g/bird/d) and minimum FCR (1.11 g feed/g gain) in 0- to 7-d-old broiler chickens. MOGA predicted the following combinations: SID Leu = 14.8, SID Ile = 9.1 and SID Val = 10.3 for maximum ADG (22.05) and minimum FCR (1.11). The optimisation using RSA predicted Leu = 16.0, Ile = 9.5 and Val = 10.2 for maximum ADG (22.67), and Leu = 15.5, Ile = 9.0 and Val = 10.4 to achieve minimum FCR (1.08). The validation experiment confirmed that TM, MOGA and RSA yielded optimum determination of dietary amino acid requirements and improved ADG and FCR as compared to Aviagen recommendations. However, based on the live animal validation trial, MOGA and RSA overpredicted the optimum requirement as compared to TM. In general, the results of these studies showed that the TM may be used to optimise nutrient requirements for poultry.

[Significant association between nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate and IRF6rs2235371 polymorphism in Iranian familiar population].

According to previous studies the IRF6rs2235371 polymorphism is a risk factor for NSCL/P in different populations. However our recent study revealed no correlation between IRF6rs642961 and NSCL/P in our population. In the present study we have investigated the relationship between IRF6rs2235371 and NSCL/P in same group to determine whether IRF6rs2235371 is a risk factor in our population as well. We analyzed the IRF6rs2235371 genotype in a subset of the Iranian population using the Polymerase Chain Reaction technique. The PCR products were digested with DpnII. Chi-square test was applied to analyze the obtained result. The patients were supplied by the Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic of the Isfahan University of Medical Science. A clinician ascertained the non-syndromic status of all patients and that no clefting drugs, ethanol or smoking were abused during pregnancy. The control group was selected from unaffected subjects with no history of NSCL/P in their families. 107 patients from 107 Iranian unrelated families and 100 controls were screened. There was a significant association between the IRF6rs2235371 genotype sand an increased NSCL/P risk. Our data indicates that the IRF6rs2235371 variation can increase the risk of NSCL/P in the Iranian population. This result is in contrast with the results of our recent study on the correlation between the IRF6rs642961 polymorphism and NSCL/P in the same group.

Application of the Taguchi method in poultry science: estimation of the in vitro optimum intrinsic phytase activity of rye, wheat and barley.

1. In poultry investigations, the main interest is often to study the effects of many factors simultaneously. Two or three level factorial designs are the most commonly used for this type of investigation. However, it is often too costly to perform when number of factors increase. So a fractional factorial design, which is a subset or a fraction of a full factorial design, is an alternative. The Taguchi method has been proposed for simplifying and standardising fractional factorial designs. 2. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the applicability of the Taguchi method to optimise in vitro intrinsic phytase activity (IPA) of rye, wheat and barley under different culture conditions. 3. In order to have a solid base for judging the suitability of the Taguchi method, the results of the Taguchi method were compared with those of an experiment that was conducted as a 3(4) full factorial arrangement with three feed ingredients (rye, wheat and barley), three temperatures (20°C, 38°C and 55°C), three pH values (3.0, 5.5 and 8.0) and three incubation times (30, 60 and 120 min), with two replicates per treatment. 4. After data collection, a Taguchi L 9 (3(4)) orthogonal array was used to estimate the effects of different factors on the IPA, based on a subset of only 9 instead of 81 treatments. The data were analysed with both Taguchi and full factorial methods and the main effects and the optimal combinations of these 4 factors were obtained for each method. 5. The results indicated that according to both the full factorial experimental design and the Taguchi method, the optimal culture conditions were obtained with the following combination: rye, pH = 3, temperature = 20 °C and time of incubation = 30 min. The comparison between the Taguchi and full factorial results showed that the Taguchi method is a sufficient and resource saving alternative to the full factorial design in poultry science.

Metabolizable energy and digestible amino acid prediction of wheat using mathematical models.

Wheat is a common raw material used to provide most of the energy and a great portion of amino acids in poultry diets. The routine investigation of metabolizable energy (ME) and digestible amino acid content determination are costly and time consuming for wheat grains. Therefore, it would be helpful if the energy and digestible amino acid content of wheat grain samples could be predicted from their chemical composition. Three studies were conducted to evaluate the probability of AMEn, AME, and apparent ileal digestible amino acid (AIDAA) prediction in wheat samples based on chemical compositions. Multiple linear regression (MLR), partial least square (PLS), and Artificial neural network (ANN) methods were developed to estimate the AME values of wheat grain samples based on total and soluble nonstarch polysaccharides (study 1) and the AMEn based on DM, CP, and ash (study 2). Furthermore, MLR and ANN models were used to estimate the AIDAA via CP content of wheat samples (study 3). The fitness of the models in each study was tested using R2 values, RMS error, mean absolute deviation, mean absolute percentage error, and bias parameters. The results of studies 1 and 2 showed that AME can be predicted from the chemical composition. The prediction of AME of wheat through the ANN-based model showed higher accuracy and lower error parameters as compared with MLR and PLS models in both studies (1 and 2). The results of the third study indicated that CP can be used as a single model input to predict AIDAA in wheat samples. Furthermore, the ANN model may be used to improve model performance to estimate AIDAA as affected by CP content. The results demonstrated that the ANN model may be used to accurately estimate the ME and AIDAA values of wheat grain from its corresponding chemical compositions. As a result, this method provides an opportunity to reduce the risk of an unbalanced level of energy and amino acid in feed formulation for poultry.

Estimation and modeling true metabolizable energy of sorghum grain for poultry.

Sorghum grain is an important ingredient in poultry diets. The TMEn content of sorghum grain is a measure of its quality. As for the other feed ingredients, the biological procedure used to determine the TMEn value of sorghum grain is costly and time consuming. Therefore, it is necessary to find an alternative method to accurately estimate the TMEn content. In this study, 2 methods of regression and artificial neural network (ANN) were developed to describe the TMEn value of sorghum grain based on chemical composition of ash, crude fiber, CP, ether extract, and total phenols. A total of 144 sorghum samples were used to determine chemical composition and TMEn content using chemical analyses and bioassay technique, respectively. The values were consequently subjected to regression and ANN analysis. The fitness of the models was tested using R(2) values, MS error, and bias. The developed regression and ANN models could accurately predict the TMEn of sorghum samples from their chemical composition. The goodness of fit in terms of R(2) values corresponding to testing and training of the ANN model showed a higher accuracy of prediction than the equation established by regression method. In terms of MS error, the ANN model showed lower residuals distribution than the regression model. The results suggest that the ANN model may be used to accurately estimate the TMEn value of sorghum grain from its corresponding chemical composition.

Prediction of the true digestible amino acid contents from the chemical composition of sorghum grain for poultry.

Accurate knowledge of true digestible amino acid (TDAA) contents of feedstuffs is necessary to accurately formulate poultry diets for profitable production. Several experimental approaches that are highly expensive and time consuming have been used to determine available amino acids. Prediction of the nutritive value of a feed ingredient from its chemical composition via regression methodology has been attempted for many years. The artificial neural network (ANN) model is a powerful method that may describe the relationship between digestible amino acid contents and chemical composition. Therefore, multiple linear regressions (MLR) and ANN models were developed for predicting the TDAA contents of sorghum grain based on chemical composition. A precision-fed assay trial using cecectomized roosters was performed to determine the TDAA contents in 48 sorghum samples from 12 sorghum varieties differing in chemical composition. The input variables for both MLR and ANN models were CP, ash, crude fiber, ether extract, and total phenols whereas the output variable was each individual TDAA for every sample. The results of this study revealed that it is possible to satisfactorily estimate the TDAA of sorghum grain through its chemical composition. The chemical composition of sorghum grain seems to highly influence the TDAA contents when considering components such as CP, crude fiber, ether extract, ash and total phenols. It is also possible to estimate the TDAA contents through multiple regression equations with reasonable accuracy depending on composition. However, a more satisfactory prediction may be achieved via ANN for all amino acids. The R(2) values for the ANN model corresponding to testing and training parameters showed a higher accuracy of prediction than equations established by the MLR method. In addition, the current data confirmed that chemical composition, often considered in total amino acid prediction, could be also a useful predictor of true digestible values of selected amino acids for poultry.

Efficacy of syringe irrigation, RinsEndo and passive ultrasonic irrigation in removing debris from irregularities in root canals with different apical sizes.

AIM: To compare of the efficacy of syringe irrigation, RinsEndo (Dürr Dental, Bietigheim, Germany) and passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI) in the removal of dentinal debris from simulated irregularities in root canals with different apical sizes. METHODOLOGY: Thirty extracted human pre-molars were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10) followed by root canal preparation with rotary FlexMaster NiTi instruments (VDW, Munich, Germany) to size 30, 0.02 taper (group 1), size 40, 0.02 taper (group 2) or size 50, 0.02 taper (group 3). The teeth were split longitudinally, and a standard groove and three hemispherical-shaped cavities were cut into the root canal halves. Grooves and cavities were filled with dentinal debris before each irrigation procedure and the root halves were reassembled. In all groups three different irrigation procedures were performed with 30 mL NaOCl (1%) and (i) syringe, (ii) RinsEndo and (iii) PUI. The amount of remaining debris was evaluated under a microscope with 30x magnification and a four score system. The data were analysed with a non-parametric analysis of covariance and multiple comparisons using the Tukey adjustment (P = 0.05). Results Passive ultrasonic irrigation removed debris significantly better from the artificial canal irregularities than RinsEndo and syringe irrigation irrespective of the root canal diameter. Only in group 1 (30, 0.02 taper) the difference between PUI and RinsEndo was not statistically significant (P = 0.99). RinsEndo demonstrated significantly better results than syringe irrigation in all groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonic irrigation is more effective than syringe irrigation or RinsEndo in removing debris from artificial extensions in straight root canals.

Novel KIAA0753 mutations extend the phenotype of skeletal ciliopathies.

The skeletal ciliopathies are a heterogeneous group of disorders with a significant clinical and genetic variability and the main clinical features are thoracic hypoplasia and short tubular bones. To date, 25 genes have been identified in association with skeletal ciliopathies. Mutations in the KIAA0753 gene have recently been associated with Joubert syndrome (JBTS) and orofaciodigital (OFD) syndrome. We report biallelic pathogenic variants in KIAA0753 in four patients with short-rib type skeletal dysplasia. The manifestations in our patients are variable and ranging from fetal lethal to viable and moderate skeletal dysplasia with narrow thorax and abnormal metaphyses. We demonstrate that KIAA0753 is expressed in normal fetal human growth plate and show that the affected fetus, with a compound heterozygous frameshift and a nonsense mutation in KIAA0753, has an abnormal proliferative zone and a broad hypertrophic zone. The importance of KIAA0753 for normal skeletal development is further confirmed by our findings that zebrafish embryos homozygous for a nonsense mutation in kiaa0753 display altered cartilage patterning.

Practical methods for increasing light interception efficiency and root growth in soybean.

Determining the effect of different sources of nitrogen and weeds on two varieties of soybean, an experiment was conducted out at research station of Tabriz University, Iran. Treatments were two varieties (Williams and Harcor), four nitrogen levels (two levels of symbiotic bacteria and two levels of urea) and weeds (with and without control). Results showed that three various factors can significantly change the Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) amount at different layers of canopy. Solar radiation decreased in a vertical profile of canopy because of increasing Leaf Area Index (LAI). At the bottom level of canopy only 6% of total arrived PAR was recorded. Increasing LAI caused a sharp decrease in Light Interception Efficiency (LIE) in the canopy. Weeds significantly affected root nodules in dry and fresh weights. So, in weedy condition of soybean canopy, accumulation of dry matter decreases due to decline in LIE. On the other hand, weeds can strongly affect on nodules activity and decrease potential of nitrogen fixation by symbiosis bacteria.