Effect of dietary methionine hydroxy analogue‐free acid (MHA‐FA) supplementation levels on growth performance, blood metabolites and immune responses in broiler chickens

Abstract Background Broiler diets are commonly supplemented by liquid methionine hydroxy analogue‐free acid (MHA‐FA) containing as product with 88% of active substance to meet sulphur amino acid (SAA) requirements. Objectives Two experiments were conducted to assess the effects of different dietary MHA‐FA levels on growth performance, blood metabolites and immune responses in broilers. Methods In experiments 1 and 2, 432 and 360 male broilers were fed either a basal corn–soya bean meal diet that met the energy and nutrient requirements with the exception of SAAs or the basal diet supplemented with 5 graded levels of MHA‐FA (+0.9 and +0.8 g/kg), for 1–11 and 11–24‐day ages, respectively. Chicks were vaccinated with inactivated H9N2/Newcastle disease (ND) and live‐ND on days 5 and 11, respectively. Results Responses in both experiments had similar tendency at corresponding dietary MHA‐FA levels. By increasing dietary MHA‐FA level, weight gain (WG), feed efficiency (FE), relative breast weight (RBW) and immunity against ND and avian influenza virus inoculation improved with quadratic trend. Blood serum triglyceride, low‐density lipoprotein, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase concentration were affected in response to dietary MHA‐FA levels with quadratic trends. By using broken‐line regression analysis, the optimum dietary MHA‐FA levels for optimized WG, FE and RBW during 1–10‐day age were obtained at 2.20, 3.31 and 3.33 g/kg, respectively; based on MHA‐FA content of Met equivalent, the digestible SAA requirements were estimated 0.81%, 0.91% and 0.92%, respectively. Similarly, for the 11–24‐day age period, the optimum dietary MHA‐FA supplementation levels were obtained 1.79, 2.21, 2.41 and 2.53 g/kg, with the digestible SAA requirements estimated 0.75%, 0.79%, 0.80% and 0.81% for optimized WG, FE, RBW and immune responses, respectively. Conclusions Supplemental levels of MHA‐FA that optimize performance, breast meat and immunity in broilers fed corn–soya bean meal diet, varied from 0.18% to 0.33%, correspond to age and what traits are considered for optimization

Effect of dietary digestible sulphur amino acids level on growth performance, blood metabolites and liver functional enzymes of broilers 1–11 days of age

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary digestible sulphur amino acids (DSAAs) level on growth performance, blood metabolites, and liver functional enzymes of broilers during 1–11 days of age. Additionally, DSAAs requirement was determined from dose nutrient response data. A total of 432 1‐day‐old male Ross 308 broilers were allocated to six dietary treatments, graded levels of supplementary DL-Met (+0.8 g/kg per level) while Cys was equal across groups, led to levels of 0.62, 0.70, 0.78, 0.86, 0.94 and 10.2% DSAAs, with six replicates and 12 birds each. Increasing levels of dietary DSAAs enhanced live body weight (LBW), weight gain (WG), feed efficiency (FE), European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF), and relative breast weight (RBW), although there was no effect on feed intake. At the end of the starter period, a linear increase in blood serum total protein and albumin concentration was concomitant with decreasing in triglyceride, whole cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein, low‐density lipoprotein, creatinine, and aspartate aminotransferase concentration when dietary DSAAs level was increased. The DSAAs requirements estimated by linear broken-line (LBL) fit model to optimise LBW, WG, FE, EPEF and RBW were 0.80, 0.81, 0.93, 0.95 and 0.93%, although the estimated values by the quadratic broken line fit model were 14.32, 19.93, 16.85, 23.68 and 5.79% higher than those, respectively. It is concluded, a minimum of 0.95% DSAAs concentration in broiler starter diet is suggested to optimise growth performance. Estimation of DSAAs requirement depended on what production parameter and regression model are taken considered for optimisation.Highlights A minimum of 0.95% digestible sulphur amino acids level is suggested in the broiler starter diet to optimise growth performance

Male Infertility and Its Impact on Women’s Sexual Behaviors: Need Attention to Psychological Problem as A Psychological Rehabilitation

Objectives: Those men who have long been suffering from infertility and failed to get any treatment experience higher levels of depression, are less satisfied with their sex lives, and are far less healthy. Sexual dysfunction is a problem among infertile couples that can affect marital relationship and satisfaction. This study aimed to examine male infertility and its influence on women’s sexual behaviors. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study in which people attending a Fertility Center in Yazd between 1 September 2013 and 10 March 2014 were included via convenience sampling. The subjects were women with infertile husbands without associated physical and mental diseases such as sexual function disorder, diabetes, cardiovascular and psychotic or mood disorder, or non-consumption of certain drugs and women with fertile husbands who were matched for age, education, and occupation. The data were gathered using three questionnaires: the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness, Sexual Dysfunctional Beliefs Questionnaire (SDBQ), and Couple Burnout Measure (CBM). The results were then compared between the groups. Results: The findings showed that the mean two subscales of emotional burnout (P=0.01) and psychological burnout (P=0.001) from the CBM were statistically significant in both the groups of women. There were differences between the mean scores of two groups in SDBQ subcategories with respect to sexual self-thought (P=0.002) and sexual dysfunctional beliefs (P=0.04). Sexual assertiveness in women with fertile husbands was higher than in the other one. Sexual burnout and SDBQ subcategories were higher in women with infertile husbands than in women with fertile husbands. Discussion: Male infertility may be associated with sexual disorders in the partner. Attention to psychological need and rehabilitation in infertile couples may be helping them to increase mental health and quality of life in these people

Investigation of the Effects of Maternal Nutrition during Pregnancy on Cognitive Functions of Toddlers: A Systematic Review

Background: Growing the human brain requires all necessary nutrients to form and maintain, so the development of cognitive functions of infants and children depends on adequate nutrition. Children whose mothers had inadequate nutrition are at high risk for cognitive dysfunction. The objective of the present study was to review the studies conducted on “the relationship between nutrient intake during pregnancy and the development of cognitive functions in toddlers”. The present study was conducted by systematic review method using PRISMA checklist items. Methods: To conduct this study, the keywords “maternal nutrition”, “pregnancy diet”, “pregnancy supplement”, “IQ”, “intelligence quotient”, “neurodevelopment”, “cognitive function”, “toddler”, “early years” and “infant” were searched based on the Mesh database in scientific databases including Scopus, SID, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct to find articles related to the effect of nutrition during pregnancy on the development of the cognitive function of toddlers and its components in Persian and English. Finally, 17 articles were selected for review in this study. Results: The results showed that taking a supplement of iron, saturated fatty acids, vitamins B and D, and folic acid improved the cognitive functions of toddlers. On the other hand, taking supplements containing iodine and zinc had no significant effect on the development of cognitive functions. Diets containing seafood during pregnancy had a beneficial effect on the cognitive functions of children. Conclusions: The study results highlighted the importance of adequate nutrition during pregnancy and showed that maternal nutrition played an important role in the development of cognitive functions of toddlers

Effect of hydro-alcoholic extract of Rosa damascena on cardiovascular responses in normotensive rat

Objective: Rosa damascena mill L. (R. damascena) is a well-known plant with fragrant effects. Several therapeutic effects of this plant on respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems have been reported. It is also suggested to have beneficial effect on cardiovascular system especially blood pressure regulation. The present study was carried out to evaluate acute cardiovascular effect of hydro-alcoholic extract of R. damascena. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (n= 8 for each group). After anesthesia, a catheter was inserted into the femoral artery and blood pressure and heart rate (HR) were continuously recorded by a power lab system. Animals received three doses of hydro-alcoholic extract (250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg) via peritoneal (i.p). After 30 min, systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and HR were recorded and maximal changes were compared to control group. Results: Injection of all doses of the extract did not significantly change HR compare to control group. The SBP, dose dependently, was decreased by all doses of the extract and the maximal response was significant compared to saline group (p Conclusion: This study provides evidence of a hypotensive effect of hydro-alcoholic extract of R. damascena with no significant effect on HR. Therefore, R. damascena is suggested to have beneficial effect to control blood pressure. However, it needs to be more investigated

The Epidemiology of Aggression and Associated Factors among Iranian Adult Population: A National survey

Background: This survey was conducted to determine the level of aggression among the Iranian adult population and underlying predisposing factors. Study design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 10,957 participants, involving 23 out of the 31 provinces of Iran in 2019. The outcome of interest was aggression, evaluated by the Buss & Perry aggression questionnaire. The association between aggression and 34 demographic, behavioral, social, and cultural characteristics was assessed using simple and multiple linear regression. Results: The overall mean (SD) score of aggression was 77.10 (22.53). Based on the severity of aggression, the participants were categorized into four groups as follows: 2,464 (23.1%) nonaggressive, 4,692 (43.9%) mild, 3,071 (28.8%) moderate, and 454 (4.2%) severe aggressive. Aggression was more likely to occur in people with the following characteristics: younger ages, having several siblings, lower ranks of birth, having an intimate friend of the opposite sex, having an aggressive father/mother, history of parental divorce, interest in watching action/porn movies, listening to music, history of escape from home/school, using neuropsychiatric drugs, using illicit drugs, history of suicidal thoughts/attempt, and family conflict and hostility. Aggression was less likely to occur with the following characteristics: reading, regular physical exercise, the ability to control anger, regular prayer, adherence to avoid lying, respect to other people's rights, sexual satisfaction, and attachment to parents. Conclusions: A majority of the population has some degree of aggression. Aggression is a multifactorial behavior corresponding with several demographical, social, cultural, and religious factors, some of which back to early childhood events

A single three-dimensional chromatin compartment in amphioxus indicates a stepwise evolution of vertebrate Hox bimodal regulation

The HoxA and HoxD gene clusters of jawed vertebrates are organized into bipartite 3D chromatin structures that separate long-range regulatory inputs coming from the anterior and posterior Hox neighboring regions. This architecture is instrumental in allowing vertebrate Hox genes to pattern disparate parts of the body, including limbs. Almost nothing is known about how these 3D topologies originated. Here, we perform an extensive 4C-seq profiling of the Hox cluster in embryos of amphioxus, an invertebrate chordate. We find that, in contrast to vertebrates, the amphioxus Hox cluster is organized into a single chromatin interaction domain that includes long-range contacts mostly from the anterior side, bringing distant cis-regulatory elements into contact with Hox genes. We infer that the vertebrate Hox bipartite regulatory system is an evolutionary novelty built by combining ancient long-range regulatory contacts from DNA in the anterior Hox neighborhood with new regulatory inputs from the posterior side

Tissue-specific analysis of chromatin state identifies temporal signatures of enhancer activity during embryonic development

Chromatin modifications are associated with many aspects of gene expression, yet their role in cellular transitions during development remains elusive. Here, we use a new approach to obtain cell type-specific information on chromatin state and RNA polymerase II (Pol II) occupancy within the multicellular Drosophila melanogaster embryo. We directly assessed the relationship between chromatin modifications and the spatio-temporal activity of enhancers. Rather than having a unique chromatin state, active developmental enhancers show heterogeneous histone modifications and Pol II occupancy. Despite this complexity, combined chromatin signatures and Pol II presence are sufficient to predict enhancer activity de novo. Pol II recruitment is highly predictive of the timing of enhancer activity and seems dependent on the timing and location of transcription factor binding. Chromatin modifications typically demarcate large regulatory regions encompassing multiple enhancers, whereas local changes in nucleosome positioning and Pol II occupancy delineate single active enhancers. This cell type-specific view identifies dynamic enhancer usage, an essential step in deciphering developmental networks