Effect of an Enzyme Blend on the Performance, Diet Metabolizability, Phosphorous Retention, and Bone Mineralization of Broilers Fed Diets Containing Defatted Rice Bran

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of an enzyme blend (EB) on the performance, diet metabolizability, phosphorus (P) retention, and bone mineralization of broilers fed diets containing 10% defatted rice bran (DRB). In total, 432 one- to 38-d-old male Cobb broilers were evaluated according to a completely randomized experimental design in 3 x 2 factorial arrangement. Three diets were tested with two nutrient reductions (NR) in the matrix (standard diet; NR I of 75 kcal/kg ME, 0.1% Ca and 0.1% available P; and NR II of 100 kcal/kg ME, 0.1% Ca and 0.1% available P) with or without the addition of an EB (200 g/t). The coefficients of total tract apparent retention (CTTAR) of the diets and P retention were determined by collecting excreta during two periods (14 to 17 and 28 to 31 d). As expected, birds fed the standard diet had higher BW, BW gain, and G:F compared to birds on the NR diets. The EB did not show any positive effects on CTTAR or on performance; however, birds fed the EB retained 6.58% more P from d 14 to 17 (p &#8804; 0.07) and 8.55% from d 28 to 31 (p < 0.05). Tibiotarsus ash percentage also increased by 2.45% (p &#8804; 0.06) on d 38. In diets containing 10% DRB, the enzyme blend showed biological activity improving P retention and tibiotarsus mineralization

A highly virulent variant of HIV-1 circulating in the Netherlands.

We discovered a highly virulent variant of subtype-B HIV-1 in the Netherlands. One hundred nine individuals with this variant had a 0.54 to 0.74 log &lt;sub&gt;10&lt;/sub&gt; increase (i.e., a ~3.5-fold to 5.5-fold increase) in viral load compared with, and exhibited CD4 cell decline twice as fast as, 6604 individuals with other subtype-B strains. Without treatment, advanced HIV-CD4 cell counts below 350 cells per cubic millimeter, with long-term clinical consequences-is expected to be reached, on average, 9 months after diagnosis for individuals in their thirties with this variant. Age, sex, suspected mode of transmission, and place of birth for the aforementioned 109 individuals were typical for HIV-positive people in the Netherlands, which suggests that the increased virulence is attributable to the viral strain. Genetic sequence analysis suggests that this variant arose in the 1990s from de novo mutation, not recombination, with increased transmissibility and an unfamiliar molecular mechanism of virulence