Amelioration of Cd-induced bioaccumulation, oxidative stress and immune damage by probiotic Bacillus coagulans in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

Heavy metal cadmium contamination is a serious environmental issue affecting the food safety of aquatic products and the healthy development of aquaculture. Developing a safe and effective strategy to control cadmium levels in fish is of great importance. In this study, we attempted to isolate novel Bacillus coagulans strains from the intestinal contents of common carp and to evaluate their cadmium tolerance and removal abilities. The effect of the isolated strains on the prevention of cadmium toxicity in common carp was also investigated. A total of ten strains were isolated from the intestine of common carp, among which strain SCC-19 exhibited the highest cadmium tolerance and removal ability. Next, 270 fish were exposed to 0.5 mg/L waterborne cadmium and/or 108 cfu/g dietary Bacillus coagulans SCC-19 for 60 days, and the growth performance, bioaccumulation, oxidative stress and immune response of common carp were determined. The results indicated that dietary supplementation with Bacillus coagulans SCC-19 could restore growth performance, reduce cadmium accumulation in the liver and kidney, restore nonspecific immune and antioxidative capabilities following cadmium exposure in common carp. The results of this study imply that diet with Bacillus coagulans SCC-19 could effectively protect common carp and to combat cadmium toxicity. The results of this study may establish a foundation for further research exploring the possibility of Bacillus coagulans as a feed additive to alleviate cadmium toxicity in aquatic animals

Using In Vitro Immunomodulatory Properties of Lactic Acid Bacteria for Selection of Probiotics against Salmonella Infection in Broiler Chicks.

Poultry is known to be a major reservoir of Salmonella. The use of lactic acid bacteria has become one of successful strategies to control Salmonella in poultry. The purpose of this study was to select lactic acid bacteria strains by their in vitro immunomodulatory properties for potential use as probiotics against Salmonella infection in broiler chicks. Among 101 isolated lactic acid bacteria strains, 13 strains effectively survived under acidic (pH 2.5) and bile salt (ranging from 0.1% to 1.0%) conditions, effectively inhibited growth of 6 pathogens, and adhered to Caco-2 cells. However, their in vitro immunomodulatory activities differed significantly. Finally, three strains with higher in vitro immunomodulatory properties (Lactobacillus plantarum PZ01, Lactobacillus salivarius JM32 and Pediococcus acidilactici JH231) and three strains with lower in vitro immunomodulatory activities (Enterococcus faecium JS11, Lactobacillus salivarius JK22 and Lactobacillus salivarius JM2A1) were compared for their inhibitory effects on Salmonella adhesion and invasion to Caco-2 cells in vitro and their antimicrobial effects in vivo. The former three strains inhibited Salmonella adhesion and invasion to Caco-2 cells in vitro, reduced the number of Salmonella in intestinal content, spleen and liver, reduced the levels of lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-α factor (LITAF), IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-12 in serum and increased the level of IL-10 in serum during a challenge study in vivo more efficiently than the latter three strains. These results suggest that in vitro immunomodulatory activities could be used as additional parameters to select more effective probiotics as feed supplements for poultry

An Early Warning Method of Distribution System Fault Risk Based on Data Mining

Accurate warning information of potential fault risk in the distribution network is essential to the economic operation as well as the rational allocation of maintenance resources. In this paper, we propose a fault risk warning method for a distribution system based on an improved RelieF-Softmax algorithm. Firstly, four categories including 24 fault features of the distribution system are determined through data investigation and preprocessing. Considering the frequency of distribution system faults, and then their consequences, the risk classification method of the distribution system is presented. Secondly, the K-maxmin clustering algorithm is introduced to improve the random sampling process, and then an improved RelieF feature extraction method is proposed to determine the optimal feature subset with the strongest correlation and minimum redundancy. Finally, the loss function of Softmax is improved to cope with the influence of sample imbalance on the prediction accuracy. The optimal feature subset and Softmax classifier are applied to forewarn the fault risk in the distribution system. The 191-feeder power distribution system in south China is employed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method

Computational analysis of axially loaded thin-walled rectangular concrete-filled stainless steel tubular short columns incorporating local buckling effects

This paper investigates the structural performance of concrete-filled stainless steel tubular (CFSST) columns composed of rectangular and square sections. A fiber-based mathematical model is developed to simulate the nonlinear performance of such columns loaded concentrically accounting for the local buckling of steel tube. An accurate lateral pressure model, as well as a strength degradation parameter are proposed based on the existing test results and incorporated in the mathematical modeling developed. A large test dataset is used to validate the accuracy of the numerical prediction. The mathematical model is employed to study the sensitivities of important column parameters on their axial behavior. The accuracy of the existing confinement model of rectangular CFST columns is evaluated in predicting the performance of CFSST short columns. Furthermore, the accuracy of the existing codified design models as well as and the simplified design model proposed in this study to quantify the ultimate compressive strength of such columns is investigated. An accurate artificial neural network (ANN) model along with the GUI feature is developed for the design engineers as a tool to predict their ultimate axial strengths

Effect of Beneficial Colonization of Bacillus coagulans NRS 609 on Growth Performance, Intestinal Health, Antioxidant Capacity, and Immune Response of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

This study is aimed at exploring the effects of Bacillus coagulans NRS 609 on the growth performance, intestinal health, antioxidant activity, and immune response in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) by colonizing the intestinal tract with the beneficial strain. Gavage B. coagulans with GFP-tag at 109 CFU/mL into common carp for 7 days. Results indicated that B. coagulans were maintained in the intestine for at least 14 days. Four groups fed B. coagulans at different levels of inclusion, including 0 (CK), 1×107 (A), 1×108 (B), and 1×109 (C) CFU/g of feed for 8 weeks. Experimental groups showed significantly better growth performance than the control (P<0.05). The treatment groups had higher digestive enzyme activity, villus height, and muscle thickness than the control (P<0.05). Supplementation with B. coagulans also altered the composition of the intestinal flora. In addition, an enhancement of the antioxidant enzyme and a reduction of malondialdehyde in the liver were observed with the addition of B. coagulans (P<0.05). Moreover, the cytokines of IL-1β and IL-12, IL-10, and TGF-β, significant upregulation in experimental groups (P<0.05). Based on the results, the optimal level of B. coagulans was 107 CFU/g in diets for common carp

Phase calibration unwrapping algorithm for phase data corrupted by strong decorrelation speckle noise

International audienc

Dietary sodium acetate (SA) improves the growth performance, intestinal health, and carbohydrate metabolism of juvenile common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

This experiment investigated the effects of dietary sodium acetate (SA) on the growth performance, intestinal health, and carbohydrate metabolism of juvenile Cyprinus carpio L. Four experimental diets were evaluated, including diets supplemented with 0.5 %, 1.0 % and 1.5 % SA and a control diet without supplementation. Triplicate repetitions (n = 30) of common carp (initial weight of 17.24 ± 0.40 g) per group were fed the respective diets for 8 weeks. Dietary SA significantly improved final weight, specific growth rate (SGR), weight gain (WG) and condition factor (CF) and a lower feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared to control group (P  0.05). For intestinal health, dietary SA significantly promoted digestive enzyme activities, including amylase, lipase and protease, and increased villus length and muscle thickness. With respect to carbohydrate metabolism, dietary SA significantly decreased blood glucose levels and hepatopancreas glycogen content, downregulated sglt1 and gult2 gene expression in the intestine (P < 0.05), and increased muscle glycogen content in comparison to the control group. In addition, dietary SA increased expression of glucose-6-phosphatase (g6pase) and phosphoenolpyruvate kinase (pepck) in gluconeogenesis, pyruvate kinase (pk) and glucokinase (gk) in glycolysis, and glucose transporter gult2 in the hepatopancreas (P < 0.05) but decreased expression of glycogen phosphorylase (pygl) in glycogenolysis and glycogen synthase (gys) in glycogen synthesis (P < 0.05). Overall, these findings indicate that dietary SA improves growth performance, intestinal health and carbohydrate metabolism, and that SA may potentially be used as a feed additive for common carp. According to the results, dietary 1.0 % SA is recommended for the formulation of common carp feed

The Regulatory Role of Apelin on the Appetite and Growth of Common Carp (Cyprinus Carpio L.)

Apelin, a kind of active polypeptide, has many biological functions, such as promoting food intake, enhancing immunity, and regulating energy balance. In mammals, studies have indicated that apelin is involved in regulating food intake. However, there are relatively few studies about the regulatory effect of apelin on fish feeding, and the specific mechanism is not clear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to preliminarily investigate the regulatory effects of apelin on key genes of feeding and growth in common carp (Cyprinus Carpio L.) through in vitro and in vivo experiments. In the present study, after incubation with different concentrations of Pyr-apelin-13 (0, 10, 100, and 1000 nM) in hypothalamic fragments, the expressions of Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and Agouti related peptide (AgRP) mRNA were significantly up-regulated at 12 and 3 h, respectively, and the significant down-regulation of Cocaine and amphetamine-related transcript (CART) mRNA expression was observed at 1 and 3 h. In vivo, after Pyr-apelin-13 oral administration (0, 1, 10, and 100 pmol/g), the orexin mRNA level in the hypothalamus of common carp was significantly increased at 1, 6, and 12 h, while CART/(Proopiomelanocortin) POMC mRNA levels in the hypothalamus of common carp were significantly down-regulated. Following incubation with different concentrations of Pyr-apelin-13 (0, 10, 100, and 1000 nM) in primary hepatocytes, GHR (Growth hormone receptor), IGF2 (Insulin-like growth factor 2), IGFBP2 (Insulin like growth factor binding protein 2), and IGFBP3 (Insulin like growth factor binding protein 3) mRNA levels were significantly increased at 3 h. In vivo, the levels of IGF1 (Insulin-like growth factor 1), IGF2, IGFBP2 (Insulin like growth factor binding protein 2), and IGFBP3 mRNA were significantly increased after the oral administration of Pyr-apelin-13 in the hepatopancreas, in a time and dose-dependent manner. These results support the hypothesis that Pyr-apelin-13 might regulate the feeding and growth of common carp through mediating the expressions of appetite- and growth-related genes. Overall, apelin, which is an orexigenic peptide, improves food intake and is involved in the growth of common carp

Cytokine levels in sera of chicks gavaged with LAB strains and followed by <i>Salmonella</i> challenge.

<p>The cytokines (A) LITAF, (B) IL-1β, (C) IL-6, (D) IL-10 and (E) IL-12 were measured by the ELISA methods with specific antibodies of LITAF, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-12 in chicks prepared in our laboratory. Each vertical bar represents the mean ± SD (n = 6). Different letters above bars indicate significant differences among treatments within each sampling day (<i>P</i><0.05).</p