Plasma Metabolites and Liver Composition of Broilers in Response to Dietary Ulva lactuca with Ulvan Lyase or a Commercial Enzyme Mixture

The effect of a high incorporation level of Ulva lactuca, individually and supplemented with a Carbohydrate-Active enZyme (CAZyme) on broilers’ plasma parameters and liver composition is assessed here. Twenty one-day-old Ross 308 male broilers were randomly assigned to one of four treatments (n = 10): corn/soybean meal based-diet (Control); based-diet with 15% U. lactuca (UL); UL diet with 0.005% of commercial carbohydrase mixture; and UL diet with 0.01% of recombinant ulvan lyase. Supplementing U. lactuca with the recombinant CAZyme slightly compromised broilers’ growth by negatively affecting final body weight and average daily gain. The combination of U. lactuca with ulvan lyase also increased systemic lipemia through an increase in total lipids, triacylglycerols and VLDL-cholesterol (p < 0.001). Moreover, U. lactuca, regardless of the CAZyme supplementation, enhanced hepatic n-3 PUFA (mostly 20:5n-3) with positive decrease in n-6/n-3 ratio. However, broilers fed with U. lactuca with ulvan lyase reduced hepatic a- and -tocopherol concentrations relative to the control. Conversely, the high amount of pigments in macroalga diets led to an increase in hepatic beta-carotene, chlorophylls and total carotenoids. Furthermore, U. lactuca, alone or combined with CAZymes, enhanced hepatic total microminerals, including iron and manganese. Overall, plasma metabolites and liver composition changed favorably in broilers that were fed 15% of U. lactuca, regardless of enzyme supplementationinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tolerance of young (Ceratonia siliqua L.) carob rootstock to NaCl

One-year-old carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) rootstock was grown in fertilised substrate to evaluate the effects of NaCl salinity stress. The experiment consisted of seven treatments with different concentrations of NaCl in the irrigation water: 0 (control), 15, 30, 40, 80, 120 and 240 (mmolL-1), equivalent to electrical conductivities of 0.0, 1.5, 2.9, 3.9, 7.5, 10.9 and 20.6dSm-1, respectively. Several growth parameters were measured throughout the experimental period. At the end of the experiment, pH, extractable P and K, and the electrical conductivity of the substrate were assessed in each salinity level. On the same date, the mineral composition of the leaves was compared. The carob rootstock tolerated 13.4dSm-1 for a period of 30 days but after 60 days the limit of tolerance was only 6.8dSm-1. Salt tolerance indexes were 12.8 and 4.5 for 30 and 60 days, respectively. This tolerance to salinity resulted from the ability to function with concentrations of Cl- and Na+ in leaves up to 24.0 and 8.5gkg-1, respectively. Biomass allocation to shoots and roots was similar in all treatments, but after 40 days the number of leaves was reduced, particularly at the larger concentrations (120 and 240mmolNaClL-1). Leaves of plants irrigated with 240mmolNaClL-1 became chlorotic after 30 days exposure. However, concentrations of N, P, Mg and Zn in leaves were not affected significantly (P>0.05) by salinity. Apparently, K+ and Ca2+ were the key nutrients affected in the response of carob rootstocks to salinity. Plants grown with 80 and 120mmolL-1 of NaCl contained the greatest K+ concentration. Na+/K+ increased with salinity, due to an elevated Na+ content but K+ uptake was also enhanced, which alleviated some Na+ stress. Ca2+ concentration in leaves was not reduced under salinity. Salinization of irrigation water and subsequent impacts on agricultural soils are now common problems in the Mediterranean region. Under such conditions, carob seems to be a salt as well as a drought tolerant species.Biomass Ceratonia siliqua Leaf nutrients Models Salinity Salt tolerance index

Soluble CD59 in peritoneal dialysis: a potential biomarker for peritoneal membrane function

Introduction Various studies have reported the importance of complement regulators in preventing mesothelial damage during peritoneal dialysis (PD). Its assessment, however, is limited in clinical practice due to the lack of easy access to the peritoneal membrane. Recently, a soluble form of the complement regulatory protein CD59 (sCD59) has been described. We therefore aimed to investigate the role of sCD59 in PD.Methods Plasma sCD59 was measured in 48 PD patients, 41 hemodialysis patients, 15 non-dialysis patients with chronic kidney disease and 14 healthy controls by ELISA (Hycult; HK374-02). Additionally, sCD59 and sC5b-9 were assessed in the peritoneal dialysate.Results sCD59 and sC5b-9 were detectable in the peritoneal dialysate of all patients, and marginally correlated (r = 0.27, P = 0.06). Plasma sCD59 levels were significantly higher in PD patients than in patients with chronic kidney disease and healthy controls, but did not differ from hemodialysis patients. During follow-up, 19% of PD patients developed peritoneal membrane failure and 27% of PD patients developed loss of residual renal function. In adjusted models, increased sCD59 levels in the dialysate (HR 3.44, 95% CI 1.04-11.40, P = 0.04) and in plasma (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01-1.17, P = 0.04) were independently associated with the occurrence of peritoneal membrane failure. Higher plasma levels of sCD59 were also associated with loss of residual renal function (HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.04-1.17, P < 0.001).Conclusions Our study suggests that sCD59 has potential as a biomarker to predict peritoneal membrane function and loss of residual renal function in PD, thereby offering a tool to improve patient management.Nephrolog

Distribution of Duffy Phenotypes among Plasmodium vivax Infections in Sudan

Negative Duffy expression on the surface of human red blood cells was believed to be a barrier for Plasmodium vivax infection in most Africans. However, P. vivax has been demonstrated to infect Duffy-negative individuals in several Central and East African countries. In this study, we investigated the distribution of Duffy blood group phenotypes with regard to P. vivax infection and parasitemia in Sudan. Out of 992 microscopic-positive malaria samples, 190 were identified as P. vivax positive infections. Among them, 186 were P. vivax mono-infections and 4 were mixed P. vivax and Plasmodium falciparum infections. A subset of 77 samples was estimated with parasitemia by quantitative real-time PCR. Duffy codons were sequenced from the 190 P. vivax positive samples. We found that the Duffy Fy(a-b+) phenotype was the most prevalent, accounting for 67.9% of all P. vivax infections, while homozygous Duffy-negative Fy(a-b-) accounted for 17.9% of the P. vivax infections. The prevalence of infection in Fy(a-b+) and Fy(a+b-)were significantly higher than Fy(a-b-) phenotypes (p = 0.01 and p &lt; 0.01, respectively). A significantly low proportion of P. vivax infection was observed in Duffy negative individuals Fy(a-b-). This study highlights the prevalence of P. vivax in Duffy-negatives in Sudan and indicates low parasitemia among the Duffy-negative individuals