Effect of dietary inclusion of benzoic acid (VevoVitall®) on the microbial quality of liquid feed and the growth and carcass quality of grow-finisher pigs

peer-reviewedBenzoic acid has long been used as a food preservative due to its antibacterial and antifungal effects. Supplementation to pig diets has also been shown to inhibit microbial free amino acid degradation and to control yeast growth in fermented liquid feed. However, the effect of dietary inclusion of benzoic acid (BA) in fresh liquid feed for grow-finisher pigs on feed quality and the resultant effects on pig growth remain unclear. The objective of the current study was to compare four inclusion levels of BA (VevoVitall®) on feed microbial quality and on the growth performance of grow-finisher pigs. Two-hundred and sixteen pigs with a starting weight of 30.0kg (± 7.43 SD) were used in the experiment. The four dietary treatments were as follows: (1) Basal diet + 0kg/t BA (0kg/t BA), (2) Basal diet + 2.5kg/t BA (2.5kg/t BA), (3) Basal diet + 5kg/t BA (5kg/t BA), (4) Basal diet + 10kg/t BA (10kg/t BA). Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts in the mixing tank were similar across treatments (P>0.05) but were lower in the troughs for the feed supplemented with 10kg/t BA than for all other treatments (P0.05). In conclusion, while BA may limit the growth of LAB in liquid feed and stabilise feed pH, its inclusion in the diet did not improve the growth performance or carcass quality of grow-finisher pigs

Effect of multicarbohydrase enzymes containing α-galactosidase on the growth and apparent metabolizable energy digestibility of broiler chickens: a meta-analysis

peer-reviewedExogenous enzyme supplementation is a valid strategy to improve nutrient availability and growth performance in broilers. Traditional carbohydrases, such as xylanase and β-glucanase, are well-researched solutions to increase the nutritional value of cereal grains, whilst reducing any negative impact of associated viscous polysaccharides. The feeding value of soybean meal and other protein rich oilcakes may not be fully exploited with traditional enzymes, as structures such as galacto-oligosaccharides and pectins require specific α-galactosidase, mannanase and other hemicellulolytic enzymes. This study aimed to summarize, in a meta-analysis, the results from independently run randomized controlled studies in various global locations that evaluated the effect of two distinct multicarbohydrase formulations, in which an α-galactosidase was combined with either xylanase (AGX) or β-glucanase (AGB). Through meta-regression analysis, the mean difference effects of AGX and AGB supplementation on broiler final body weight (BW), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEN) were calculated for each relevant study. Fixed and random-effects models were used to compute the standardized mean difference (SMD) and confidence intervals, with corrective actions taken to ensure compliance with publication bias and heterogeneity by the Egger test and the Cochran Q test. Adjusted models showed that the AGX supplementation increased broiler BW (SMD=+30 g; 95 % CI: 0.08_0.48; P = 0.006) and improved FCR (SMD=−0.01 g/g; 95 % CI: -0.51_-0.11; P = 0.002). A composite evaluation of independent studies showed increased AMEN in broilers supplemented with AGX (SMD=+58 kcal/kg; 95 % CI: 0.45_1.10; P < 0.001). Furthermore, meta-analysis confirms that AGB supplementation increased BW (SMD=+56 g; 95 % CI: 0.32_0.91; P < 0.001), improved FCR (SMD=−0.04 g/g; 95 % CI: −0.76_−0.20; P = 0.006) and increased AMEN (SMD=+49 kcal/kg; 95 % CI: 0.30_1.07; P < 0.001). Overall, this meta-analysis found that dietary supplementation of broiler diets with the multicarbohydrases containing α-galactosidase considered in this evaluation, improved broiler growth during rearing periods of 35 days or more. These improvements may be supported by increases in energy utilization, as found in this study

Fornix white matter is correlated with resting-state functional connectivity of the thalamus and hippocampus in healthy aging but not in mild cognitive impairment – a preliminary study

In this study we wished to examine the relationship between the structural connectivity of the fornix, a white matter (WM) tract in the limbic system which is affected in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and the resting state functional connectivity (FC) of two key related subcortical structures, the thalamus and hippocampus. Twenty-two older healthy controls (HC) and 18 older adults with aMCI underwent multi-modal MRI scanning. The fornix was reconstructed using constrained-spherical deconvolution (CSD)-based tractography. The FC between the thalamus and hippocampus was calculated using a region-of-interest approach from which the mean time series were exacted and correlated. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures of the white matter microstructure of the fornix were correlated against the Fisher Z correlation values from the FC analysis. There was no difference between the groups in the fornix white matter measures, nor in the resting state FC of the thalamus and hippocampus. We did however find that the relationship between functional and structural connectivity differed significantly between the groups. In the HCs there was a significant positive association between linear diffusion (CL) in the fornix and the FC of the thalamus and hippocampus, however there was no relationship between these measures in the aMCI group. These preliminary findings suggest that in aMCI, the relationship between the functional and structural connectivity of regions of the limbic system may be significantly altered compared to healthy ageing. The combined use of DWI and fMRI may advance our understanding of neural network changes in aMCI, and elucidate subtle changes in the relationship between structural and functional brain networks

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

APOE ɛ4 exacerbates age-dependent deficits in cortical microstructure

The apolipoprotein E ɛ4 allele is the primary genetic risk factor for the sporadic type of Alzheimer’s disease. However, the mechanisms by which apolipoprotein E ɛ4 are associated with neurodegeneration are still poorly understood. We applied the Neurite Orientation Dispersion Model to characterize the effects of apolipoprotein ɛ4 and its interactions with age and education on cortical microstructure in cognitively normal individuals. Data from 1954 participants were included from the PREVENT-Dementia and ALFA (ALzheimer and FAmilies) studies (mean age = 57, 1197 non-carriers and 757 apolipoprotein E ɛ4 carriers). Structural MRI datasets were processed with FreeSurfer v7.2. The Microstructure Diffusion Toolbox was used to derive Orientation Dispersion Index maps from diffusion MRI datasets. Primary analyses were focused on (i) the main effects of apolipoprotein E ɛ4, and (ii) the interactions of apolipoprotein E ɛ4 with age and education on lobar and vertex-wise Orientation Dispersion Index and implemented using Permutation Analysis of Linear Models. There were apolipoprotein E ɛ4 × age interactions in the temporo-parietal and frontal lobes, indicating steeper age-dependent Orientation Dispersion Index changes in apolipoprotein E ɛ4 carriers. Steeper age-related Orientation Dispersion Index declines were observed among apolipoprotein E ɛ4 carriers with lower years of education. We demonstrated that apolipoprotein E ɛ4 worsened age-related Orientation Dispersion Index decreases in brain regions typically associated with atrophy patterns of Alzheimer’s disease. This finding also suggests that apolipoprotein E ɛ4 may hasten the onset age of dementia by accelerating age-dependent reductions in cortical Orientation Dispersion Index

Search for flavour-changing neutral currents in processes with one top quark and a photon using 81 fb⁻¹ of pp collisions at \sqrts = 13 TeV with the ATLAS experiment

A search for flavour-changing neutral current (FCNC) events via the coupling of a top quark, a photon, and an up or charm quark is presented using 81 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data taken at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events with a photon, an electron or muon, a b-tagged jet, and missing transverse momentum are selected. A neural network based on kinematic variables differentiates between events from signal and background processes. The data are consistent with the background-only hypothesis, and limits are set on the strength of the tqγ coupling in an effective field theory. These are also interpreted as 95% CL upper limits on the cross section for FCNC tγ production via a left-handed (right-handed) tuγ coupling of 36 fb (78 fb) and on the branching ratio for t→γu of 2.8×10−5 (6.1×10−5). In addition, they are interpreted as 95% CL upper limits on the cross section for FCNC tγ production via a left-handed (right-handed) tcγ coupling of 40 fb (33 fb) and on the branching ratio for t→γc of 22×10−5 (18×10−5). © 2019 The Author(s

Search for heavy resonances decaying into a Z or W boson and a Higgs boson in final states with leptons and b-jets in 139 fb−1 of pp collisions at s√ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This article presents a search for new resonances decaying into a Z or W boson and a 125 GeV Higgs boson h, and it targets the νν¯¯¯bb¯¯, ℓ+ℓ−bb¯¯, or ℓ±νbb¯¯ final states, where ℓ = e or μ, in proton-proton collisions at s√ = 13 TeV. The data used correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1 collected by the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the LHC at CERN. The search is conducted by examining the reconstructed invariant or transverse mass distributions of Zh or Wh candidates for evidence of a localised excess in the mass range from 220 GeV to 5 TeV. No significant excess is observed and 95% confidence-level upper limits between 1.3 pb and 0.3 fb are placed on the production cross section times branching fraction of neutral and charged spin-1 resonances and CP-odd scalar bosons. These limits are converted into constraints on the parameter space of the Heavy Vector Triplet model and the two-Higgs-doublet model