The effect of propolis addition to the laying-hen diet on performance, serum lipid profile and liver fat rate

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of propolis (P) on performance, egg quality parameters, serum lipid profile, some liver enzymes and liver fat ratio. One-hundred-and-twenty Lohmann (LSL) laying hens were divided into five groups, and each group consisted of six subgroups. The control group was fed basal diet. The other groups were fed high-energy (HE) diets to induce fatty liver syndrome, and 0, 100, 200 and 300 mg kg−1 of propolis were supplemented with high-energy feeds. During the 8-week trial, feed and water were given ad libitum. It was determined that egg production and feed conversion ratio were decreased in the high-energy feed group without the addition of propolis. The highest egg production was found in HE + 100 and HE + 200 mg kg−1 of P groups. It was found that liver fat ratios were higher in the group fed with HE + 0 mg kg−1 of P feed (P&lt;0.01) than other groups. But the addition of P decreased the liver fat rate significantly. The highest very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) values were found for the HE + 0 mg kg−1 of P group. The addition of 200 mg kg−1 of P to high-energy feed increased glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) values. In conclusion, high-energy feed adversely affected egg production and liver fat ratio, but the addition of 100 or 200 mg kg−1 of propolis improved egg production and decreased liver fat ratio.</p

Editorial of Special Issue of National Identities: Alevism as an ethno-religious identity: Contested boundaries

No abstract for editorial but this is the opening paragraph: This special issue on Alevism and trans/national Alevi identity critically engages with the relationship between religion, ethnicity and national identity. The core issues are as follows: • how ethnicity and religion are conceptualised for a relatively invisible ethnic group in different national contexts; • how religion and ethnicity intersect when Alevism is both a faith and an ethnic identity, especially when conceptions of that identity are contested; • how identity is shaped through state policies within different national policy contexts and how etic definitions of minority communities are constructed by the state or other agencies with the power to impose them on the community in contrast to the emic or self-definitions of Aleviness from within the Alevi community; • how despite the fragmented, heterogeneous nature of Alevi communities, there is also a sense of a single, transnational imaginary community, at least for the purposes of political assimilation/integration and activism; • how education and other arenas of political, religious and cultural engagement at local, national and transnational levels create the possibilities, both positively and negatively, for future action/policy to situate minority ethnic communities

Effect of cold-press carrot seed oil on the performance, carcass characteristics, and shelf life of broiler chickens

Present study aims to assess the effects of cold-press carrot seed oil (CSO) on performance, gut microflora, some serum biochemical parameters, meat color and meat shelf life of broiler chickens by experimenting with young broiler chicks. Accordingly, hundred fifty day-old Ross PM 308 broiler chicks were randomly given three different dietary treatments supplemented with 0 (control), 100mL/kg or 200 mL/kg (CSO). Five replicates of 10 birds each. It was observed that the supplementation of CSO led to an increase in weight gain, hot carcass and carcass yield on day 42. Addition of CSO supplement in the basal diet had no effect on serumbiochemical parameters. The number of lactic acid bacteria was higher in the group of chicks fed on the diet supplemented with 200 ml/kg CSO than in the other groups. Compared to the control group, dietary CSO supplement reduced the MDA values in leg muscles. L* (lightness) and b* (yellowness) values of the breast muscles increased in the chicks fed with 200 ml/kg CSO. Dietary 100 ml/kg CSO supplementation decreased a* (redness) values of the breast and leg muscles.In conclusion, supplementation of CSO had resulted in positive changes on weight gain,carcas yield, lactic acid bacteria count and breast tissue shelf life. As a result, this study suggests that cold-press carrot seed oil can be used as a dietary source of natural antioxidant for broilers. © 2018, Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum. All rights reserved

Long-term effects of dietary supplementation with an essential oil mixture on the growth and laying performance of two layer strains

<p>One thousand two hundred 1-day-old Lohmann LSL white and Lohmann Brown layer chickens were fed diets supplemented with either an antibiotic growth promoter (AGP) or an herbal essential oil mixture (EOM) till 58 wk of age to reveal the long-term effects of those additives on growth, performance and wholesome egg quality parameters. The study was arranged in a 2x3 factorial design with two layer strains and three feed additive regimens. Thus, the layer birds of both strains were randomly assigned to the three dietary treatments, i.e., standard basal diet (control), control with AGP (specifically, avilamycin, 10 mg/kg diet) and control with EOM (24 mg/kg diet). The data regarding egg production were recorded between 22 to 58 weeks of age. Neither the dietary treatments nor the bird strain influenced the body weight and mortality of the birds in both the growing and laying period. AGP or EOM supplementation to the laying hen diet significantly increased the egg production rate and egg weight as compared to the control  diet alone, but egg mass output, feed consumption, and feed conversion ratio were not effected  by the dietary treatments. Neither dietary treatment created any statistically significantly differences in egg quality parameters with the exception of Haugh unit. The research findings have confirmed the beneficial effects of supplementation with feed-grade EOM on the laying rate and egg weight of both white and brown layers. Indeed, EOM, being a novel feed additive natural origin, proved to be as efficacious as AGP in promoting egg yield. <strong></strong></p

Titanium Element Level in Peri-Implant Mucosa

Although titanium is a highly inert material, it may corrode when in contact with the oral cavity This study aimed to examine the titanium presence and levels in gingiva samples that had been in contact with a dental implant cover screw for 3 months. Twenty two-staged dental implants were included in the study as a test group. Gingiva samples were taken over the implant sites. Ten control samples were obtained from oral mucosa during gingivoplasty. All samples were analyzed by Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry

Healing capacity of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells versus platelet-rich fibrin in tibial bone defects of albino rats: an in vivo study

Background: Various techniques for tissue engineering have been introduced to aid the regeneration of defective or lost bone tissue. The aim of this study was to compare the in vivo bone-forming potential of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) on induced bone defects in rats’ tibiae.Methods: In total, one defect of 3-mm diameter was created in each tibia of 36 Wistar male rats. There were two groups: group A, left tibia bone defects that received PRF; and group B, right tibia bone defects of the same animal that received BM-MSCs loaded on a chitosan scaffold. Subsequently, Scanning electron microscope/energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDX) analyses was performed at 3 and 10 days, and 3 weeks postimplantation and following euthanasia; (n=12).Results: The EDX analysis performed for each group and time point revealed a significant increase in the mean calcium and phosphorous weight percentage in the BM-MSC-treated group relative to the PRF-treated group at all-time intervals (P < 0.05). Moreover, the mean calcium and phosphorus weight percentage increased as time progressed since the surgical intervention in the PRF-treated and BM-MSCs groups (P < 0.05).Conclusions: In the present study, both BM-MSCs and PRF were capable of healing osseous defects induced in a rat tibial model. Yet, BM-MSCs promoted more adequate healing, with higher mean calcium and phosphorous weight percentages than PRF at all-time points, and showed greater integration into the surrounding tissues than PRF

Uncertainty and ratification failure

Game theory, Bargaining, Signaling games, Linkage politics, International cooperation, Incomplete information,