Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Their Importance in Animal Nutrition

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) formed as a result of incomplete combustion of organic compounds. It contains compounds that cause toxic, teratogenic, mutagenic and carcinogenic damage, such as heterocyclic aromatic amines, benzene and formaldehyde. PAHs can be found in industrial wastes, garbage, cigarette smoke, pesticides and flue gases and can contaminate air, water, soil and food. Although more than 100 PAH compounds are detected in nature, it is accepted that 16 PAH compounds have more harmful effects. It is important to determine the PAH exposure levels of feeds used in animal nutrition, since the contamination of feed plants and factory feeds with PAH compounds will indirectly affect human health. In this study, the physical and chemical properties of PAHs and their effects on animal production and indirectly on human health were compiled

The effect of ferula communis l. on body-relative organ weight, serum and tissue oxidative status, biochemical and pathological changes in rats exposed to continuous light

The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of Ferula communis L. on growth performance, relative organ weights, tissue and serum oxidative status, and biochemical and histopathological changes in rats exposed to continuous light. Rats exposed to continuous light for 10 days were given F. communis orally. Daily body weight was recorded, and rats were euthanized by cervical dislocation. Blood was collected to determine relative organ weights, followed by immediate biochemical and histopathological analysis of the organs. Serum and tissue oxidative status were measured. Continuous light exposure in rats resulted in weight loss, decreased ovary, uterus, and kidney weights, diminished total antioxidant status (TAS) along with increased cortisol, total oxidant status, and oxidative stress index. However, F. communis treatment reduced serum cortisol concentration and alleviated oxidative stress by increasing TAS even under prolonged light exposure conditions. Neither continuous light exposure nor F. communis treatment caused significant changes in malondialdehyde and glutathione in organ tissues. Although continuous light caused an increase in the number of cystic follicles, F. communis treatment did not seem to have a positive effect on cystic follicle formation. In conclusion, continuous light exposure stressed the rats and increased cortisol, as well as stimulated oxidative stress and cystic follicle formation. F. communis treatment can help alleviate the harmful effects of constant light exposure

Effect of SOD-Rich Melon Supplement on Performance, Serum Biochemical, Antioxidant and Meat Quality Characteristics of Tuj Lambs

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of SOD (superoxide dismutase)-rich melon feed supplement on some performance parameters, serum biochemical and antioxidant indexes, and meat quality characteristics of weaned Tuj lambs. An independent measures design (between groups) was used to determine these effects of treatment. After one week of the adaptation period, twenty-four weaned lambs at the age of 60 ± 5.0 days with a body weight of 23.14 ± 0.5 kg were divided into two groups, i.e., the control group (CON) fed basal diet and experimental group (EXP) fed with basal diet + SOD-rich melon (n = 12 per group). The results revealed a decrement in the (p < 0.05) feed efficiency ratio (5.88 ± 0.40 vs. 6.59 ± 0.86 kg weight gain/kg feed) and higher carcass yield (61.76 ± 0.80 vs. 60.11 ± 1.07%) in the EXP group as compared to the CON group. Additionally, the EXP group showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in serum glucose and high-density lipoprotein levels, while there was a reduction in cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein levels when compared to the CON group. The serum malondialdehyde was lowered (5.53 ± 0.47 vs. 5.98 ± 0.79 mmol/L) significantly (p < 0.05), while glutathione concentration was higher (p < 0.05) in the EXP group (17.82 ± 1.51 mmol/L) when compared to the CON group (16.54 ± 1.59 mmol/L). The cooking loss was also significantly (p < 0.05) lower in the EXP group when compared to the CON group. In conclusion, the results indicate that SOD-rich melon supplement (30 g/ton of the concentrate feed) can considerably improve carcass yield, some serum biochemical parameters, and meat quality characteristics in Tuj lambs. Thus, the supplementation of lamb diets with a SOD-rich melon additive may be used as an effective nutritional approach to improve their performance and health

Emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum)-based intervention in Japanese quail's diet and its impact on performance, carcass yield, meat fatty acids, and fecal volatile fatty acids

The high nutritional and nutraceutical qualities of emmer wheat make it a valuable cereal grain. The present study was designed to quantify the contribution of emmer wheat inclusion into Japanese quail's rations in terms of their productive responses, alterations in the fatty acid profile of their meat, and changes in the composition of volatile fatty acids in their feces. For this purpose, a total of 160, 1-day-old Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments (4 replicates and 10 quails/replicate) with different levels of emmer wheat including 0% (control), 5% (T5), 10% (T10), and 15% (T15). These dietary treatments were administered for a period of 35 days. The results obtained from the study showed that dietary changes led by incorporation of increasing levels of emmer wheat into quail rations had no negative impact on quail's health and production. Moreover, supplemental emmer could promote better feed conversion ratio and higher carcass yield, while it did not affect the relative weights of internal organs including liver, gizzard, and heart. In addition, the incorporation of increasing levels of emmer wheat into quail rations was characterized by a reduction in total saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, whereas an increase was observed in the levels of total unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in breast meat. Emmer wheat inclusion also increased the levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in breast meat. Regarding volatile fatty acid profile, a lower percentage of propionic acid while a higher percentage of acetic acid were recorded in feces of quails fed emmer wheat-based diets when compared to those fed control diets. Overall, as confirmed by the present findings, the incorporation of emmer wheat into quail diets could be proposed as a valuable strategy for the promotion of animal health and performance. More research is needed to further investigate the promising roles of using emmer wheat in poultry nutrition

Growth performance, carcass characteristics, and fatty acid composition of breast and thigh meat of broiler chickens fed gradually increasing levels of supplemental blueberry extract

© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. part of Springer Nature.The effect of gradually increasing supplemental levels of blueberry extract on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and fatty acid composition of breast and thigh muscles of broiler chickens was investigated. One hundred ninety-two 7-day-old chickens were randomly distributed into four groups having four replicates with 12 birds in each replicate. Basal diets were prepared for starter (days 8 to 21) and finisher (days 22 to 42). Basal diets were offered to the control group only, whereas other treatments received basal diets fortified with 0.5, 1, and 2% blueberry extract (BB0.5, BB1, and BB2 groups, respectively). The duration of experiment was 35 days (days 8 to 42). During finisher and overall growth phases, broilers in the BB2 group had greater body weight gain than those in the BB0.5 and control groups, whereas the BB1 group had higher body weight gain than the control group (P < 0.001). Body weight gain remained unaffected during the starter phase. Feed intake was greater in the BB2 group than in the control group at days 8 to 21, 22 to 42, and 8 to 42 (P = 0.002, P = 0.035, and P = 0.001, respectively). The control group had poor FCR than the BB2 group in the starter phase (P = 0.034). At days 22 to 42, feeding blueberry extract (BB0.5, BB1, and BB2) improved the FCR of broilers compared with the control group, whereas the BB2 group had better FCR than the BB0.5 group (P < 0.001). At 8 to 42 days, broilers in the control group had poor FCR compared with the BB1 and BB2 groups, whereas the BB0.5 group had poor FCR than the BB2 group (P < 0.001). Slaughter weight was lower in the control group than in the blueberry extract groups, whereas the BB2 group had greater slaughter weight than the BB0.5 group (P < 0.001). Dressing percentage of broilers in the control and BB0.5 groups was lower than that in other groups (P < 0.001). Gizzard yield was higher in the BB0.5 and BB2 groups than in the control group (P = 0.021). In addition, feeding 2% blueberry extract increased the concentration of different fatty acids in breast and thigh meat of broiler chickens. Findings suggest that feeding 2% blueberry extract may improve growth performance, carcass characteristics, and fatty acid composition of breast and thigh muscles of broilers

The efficacy and safety of crizotinib in patients with ROS1 positive advanced stage NSCLC: The real-world experience from Turkey

43rd ESMO Congress (ESMO) -- OCT 19-23, 2018 -- Munich, GERMANYWOS: 000459277303171…European Society for Medical Oncology, Japanese Society of Medical Oncolog

Crizotinib efficacy in alk-positive advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer patients: A real-world experience from Turkey

WOS: 000454014501235Background: Increasing evidence leads to a ratiocination that genetic heterogeneity of the lung adenocarcinoma patients with sensitive EGFR mutations may impact clinical responses and outcomes to EGFR-TKIs. Method: We performed targeted NGS with a gene panel covering 416 cancer-related genes to profile genetic characteristics of 69 lung adenocarcinoma patients with activating EGFR mutations and assessed the contribution of targeted NGS to exploration of genetic heterogeneity of such cohort. Result: We detected total 200 actionable genetic alterations (mean 2.9 variations per patient, range: 1-7 variations) in tumor DNA and 140 actionable genetic alterations (mean 2.0 variations per patient, range: 0-5 variations) in matched plasma ctDNA, respectively. The concurrent genes with the highest mutation rate were TP53 (observed in 72.5% patients), other uncommon EGFR mutations (observed in 21.7% patients), EGFR amplification (observed in 20.3% patients), RB1 (observed in 10.1% patients), PIK3CA (observed in 7.2% patients), and MYC (observed in 5.8% patients). NGS provides EGFR mutation detection in plasma with a test sensitivity of 88.2% and specificity of 100.0%