Effect of microencapsulation of egg yolk immunoglobulin Y by sodium alginate/chitosan/sodium alginate on the growth performance, serum parameters, and intestinal health of broiler chickens

Objective Egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) is an antibiotic alternative to prevent and fight intestinal pathogenic infections. This study aimed to investigate the effects of sodium alginate/chitosan/sodium alginate IgY microcapsules on the growth performance, serum parameters, and intestinal health of broiler chickens. Methods One-day-old broilers (Ross 308) were divided into five treatments, each with 10 replicates of five chickens. The dietary treatments were maintained for 28 days and consisted of a basal diet (NC), basal diet + 500 mg chlortetracycline/kg diet (CH), basal diet + 50 mg non-microencapsulated IgY/kg diet (NM), basal diet + 600 mg low levels microencapsulated IgY/kg diet (LM), and basal diet + 700 mg high levels microencapsulated IgY/kg diet (HM). Results Throughout the 28-day trial period, the NM, LM, HM, and CH groups increased average daily gain compared with the NC group (p<0.05), and the HM group reduced feed conversion ratio compared with the CH group (p<0.05). The LM and HM groups increased relative organ weights of thymus and spleen compared with the CH and NM groups (p< 0.05). The HM group improved the duodenal, jejunal and ileum villi height (VH) and villus height to crypt depth ratio (VH:CD) compared with the CH and NM groups (p<0.05). Compared with the CH group, the HM group increased serum immunoglobulin (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), superoxide dismutase, total antioxidant capacity, and glutathione peroxidase levels (p<0.05), and decreased serum malondialdehyde levels (p<0.05). Compared with the NC group, the NM, LM, HM, and CH groups reduced colonic Escherichia coli and Salmonella levels (p<0.05). and the HM group promoted the levels of lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria compared with the CH group (p<0.05). Conclusion Microencapsulation could be considered as a way to improve the efficiency of IgY. The 700 mg high levels microencapsulated IgY/kg diet could potentially be used as an alternative to antibiotics to improve the immune performance and intestinal health, leading to better performance of broiler chickens

Matriks Jordan Dan Aplikasinya Pada Sistem Linier Waktu Diskrit

Matrix is diagonalizable (similar with matrix diagonal) if and only if the sum of geometric multiplicities of its eigenvalues is n.If we search for an upper triangular form that is nearly diagonal as possible but is still attainable by similarity for every matrix, especially the sum of geometric multiplicities of its eigenvalues is less than n, the result is the Jordan canonical form, which is denoted by , and . In this paper, will be described how to get matrix S(in order to get matrix ) by using generalized eigenvector. In addition, it will also describe the Jordan canonical form and its properties, and some observation and application on discrete time linear system

A Multi-Center Study to Evaluate the Performance of Phage Amplified Biologically Assay for Detecting TB in Sputum in the Pulmonary TB Patients

Objective: To evaluate the performance of phage amplified biologically assay (PhaB) for detecting tuberculosis (TB) in sputum in the pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients. Methods: Shanghai Tuberculosis Key Laboratory of Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital participated in the project in collaboration with the laboratories of six hospitals and a total of 1660 eligible participants (1351 PTB patients and 309 non-TB patients) were included in the study. The sputum samples from the participants were detected by smear microscopy, PhaB, and Löwenstein-Jensen (L-J) culture method, respectively. Results: The overall sensitivity of PhaB were higher than that of L-J culture and smear microscopy (p,0.05). The sensitivity of PhaB for detecting smear-negative specimens was obviously higher than that of L-J culture (p,0.05). Compared with L-J culture, the overall sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, ACC and Kappa value of PhaB were 98.4 (95 % Cl: 96.9–99.3), 71.6 (95% Cl: 68.4–74.6), 67.7, 98.7, 81.7 % and 0.643, respectively. The detection median time of PhaB only needed 48 hours, which was significantly less than that (31 days) of L-J culture method. Conclusion: PhaB method is a rapid and sensitive method for detecting TB in sputum in PTB patients; especially for th

Evaluation of a Novel Biphasic Culture Medium for Recovery of Mycobacteria: A Multi-Center Study

on L-J slants. Automated liquid culture systems are expensive. A low-cost culturing medium capable of rapidly indicating the presence of mycobacteria is needed. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a novel biphasic culture medium for the recovery of mycobacteria from clinical sputum specimens from suspected pulmonary tuberculosis patients.<0.001).

Clinical significance and expression of serum Golgi protein 73 in primary hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Golgi protein 73 (GP73) is a potential serum marker for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the diagnostic value of GP73 for HCC remains controversy, and little is known about the relationship between serum GP73 concentration and clinical characteristics of HCC. This study was designed to analyze the clinical values of GP73 in diagnosing HCC and the relationship between GP73 level and clinical characteristics in HCC patients. Materials and Methods: In this study, a total of 443 serum samples including 180 patients with HCC, 61 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), 99 chronic hepatitis patients, and 103 healthy individuals were enrolled from November 2011 to April 2013. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and chemiluminescent immunoassay were used to detect the serum level of GP73 and other biomarkers. Results: GP73 level in HCC group was significantly higher than LC group, chronic hepatitis B group, and healthy control group. In HCC group, GP73 level significantly increased in patients with lymphatic metastasis; moreover, GP73 level in Child–Pugh Class B and C groups was statistically significantly higher than that in Child–Pugh Class A group (P < 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve of GP73 and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was 0.840 and 0.718, respectively, when diagnosing HCC. Moreover, the AUROC curve by use of the combination of GP73 and AFP was 0.903. The differences among these three aspects were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: GP73 was better than AFP for the diagnosis of HCC, and the expression of serum GP73 is related with the clinical characteristics of HCC patients

Inositol Hexaphosphate and Inositol Inhibit Colorectal Cancer Metastasis to the Liver in BALB/c Mice

Inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) and inositol (Ins), naturally occurring carbohydrates present in most mammals and plants, inhibit the growth of numerous cancers both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we first examined the anti-metastatic effects of IP6 and Ins using a liver metastasis model of colorectal cancer (CRC) in BALB/c mice. CT-26 cells were injected into the splenic capsule of 48 BALB/c mice. The mice were then randomly divided into four groups: IP6, Ins, IP6 + Ins and normal saline control (n = 12 per group). IP6 and/or Ins (80 mg/kg each, 0.2 mL/day) were injected into the gastrointestinal tracts of the mice on the second day after surgery. All mice were sacrificed after 20 days, and the tumor inhibition rates were determined. The results demonstrated that the tumor weights of liver metastases and the tumor inhibition rates were reduced in the experimental groups compared to the control group and that treatment with the combination of IP6 and Ins resulted in greater inhibition of tumor growth than treatment with either compound alone. These findings suggest that IP6 and Ins prevent the development and metastatic progression of colorectal cancer to the liver in mice by altering expression of the extracellular matrix proteins collagen IV, fibronectin and laminin; the adhesion factor receptor integrin-β1; the proteolytic enzyme matrix metalloproteinase 9; and the angiogenic factors vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and transforming growth factor beta in the tumor metastasis microenvironment. In conclusion, IP6 and Ins inhibited the development and metastatic progression of colorectal cancer to the liver in BALB/c mice, and the effect of their combined application was significantly greater than the effect of either compound alone. This evidence supports further testing of the combined application of IP6 and Ins for the prevention of colorectal cancer metastasis to the liver in clinical studies

Formation and “sweet area” evaluation of liquid-rich hydrocarbons in shale strata

Liquid-rich hydrocarbons in shale strata include two kinds of resources, i.e. tight oil and shale oil. Based on the exploration and research progress of liquid-rich hydrocarbons in shale at home and abroad, their formation condition, accumulation mechanism, classification, and differences between lacustrine and marine shale systems are examined, and “sweet areas” are evaluated further. Analysis on the geological characteristics of the liquid-rich hydrocarbons in the shale strata in North America and China shows the liquid-rich hydrocarbons have two basic features: large-scale continuous distribution and no stable industrial production. The massive accumulation of the liquid-rich hydrocarbons needs four fundamental formation conditions: stable tectonic background, widespread high quality source rocks, large-scale tight reservoirs with massive reservoir space, and co-existence of source and reservoir. The study reveals the formation mechanisms of the liquid-rich hydrocarbons: source-reservoir coupling and porosity decrease during the diagenetic tightness; and identifies 24 kinds in 6 categories of the liquid-rich hydrocarbons. It is concluded that the geological conditions of the lacustrine shales in China are characterized by lower thermal gradient and stronger heterogeneity than those of North America, so large scale “sweet areas” have to be picked out to push up industrial production steadily. “Sweet areas” evaluation should consider the three aspects of geology, engineering and economics comprehensively, and the maturity of source rocks is first and foremost factor controlling the “sweet area” distribution. In China, prospective shale areas should meet the following conditions: the Ro between 0.8% and 1.3%, TOC higher than 2%, laminated shales or tight porous reservoirs, higher porosity (more than 8% for tight oil, and more than 3% for shale oil), higher content of brittle minerals (more than 70% for tight oil, and more than 40% for shale oil), oil saturation of 50%−90%, lower crude oil viscosity or higher formation pressure, and rich natural fractures. Liquid-rich hydrocarbons in shale strata are huge in resource scale, so deepening the geological understanding on the formation and distribution of liquid-rich hydrocarbons in marine and lacustrine shales constantly is of great significance for exploration and development of this important field. Key words: tight oil, shale oil, sweet area evaluation, unconventional oil and gas, fine grain sediment, tight reservoi