Effect of low protein diet supplemented with or without amino acids on the production of broiler

Experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of low protein diet supplemented with or without amino acids on the performance of broiler. Hubbard 375 day-old broiler were purchased, initially weighed and randomly divided into five groups (75 broilers in each group). Group A was kept as control given commercial feed, group B further divided into two group B1 and B2 were fed low CP (15 and 16%) ratio supplemented with lysine (1.0%) and methionine (0.5%) , while group C also further divided into group C1 and C2 were fed with the same low CP(15 and 16%) ratio without lysine and methionine supplementation. The experimental ratios were start up from fourth week of the experiment. Feed intake of broiler in group A, B1, B2, C1 and C2 was 3.793, 3.781, 3.739, 3.837 and 3.852 kg/b,(P > 0.05) and water intake 11.113, 11.494, 11.850, 11.277 and 11.252 lit/b, (P > 0.05), respectively. Live body weight of broiler was higher in B1 (2.149), than A(2.091), B2(2.069), C1(1.952) and C2(1.929), kg/b (P < 0.05) and their FCR was better for B1(1.75) than B2(1.80), A(1.81), C1(1.85) and C2(1.99), respectively. Carcass weight of broiler for A (1.227), B1 (1.339), B2 (1.210), C1 (1.155) and C2 (1.200) kg/b, (P > 0.05) and their dressing percentage were A(60.46), B1 ( 62.41), B2(60.48), C1 (59.59) and C2(59.22) percent (P > 0.05), respectively. Mortality of broiler in group A (5.3), B1 (2.6), B2 (6.6), C1 (4.0) and C2 (1.3) percent (P > 0.05), respectively. The average weight of liver, heart, gizzard, spleen and intestine for various group of broiler were found non significant (P > 0.05). Net profit was better in group B1 (75.5), followed by B2 (68.3), A (62.5), C1 (51.8) and C2 (49.9) Rs/b, respectively. It was concluded that low protein diet supplemented with lysine plus methionine significantly improved live body weight of broiler.Key words: Protein, amino acid, supplemented, broiler

Bovine GDF10 gene polymorphism analysis and its association with body measurement traits in Chinese indigenous cattle

The objective of this research was to detect bovine GDF10 gene polymorphism and analyze its association with body measurement traits (BMT) of animals sampled from 6 different Chinese indigenous cattle populations. The populations included Xuelong (Xl), Luxi (Lx), Qinchuan (Qc), Jiaxian red (Jx), Xianang (Xn) and Nanyang (Ny). Blood samples were taken from a total of 417 female animals stratified into age categories of 12–36 months. Polymerase chain reaction–single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR–SSCP) was employed to find out GDF10 single polymorphism nucleotide (SNPs) and explore their possible association with BMT. Sequence analysis of GDF10 gene revealed 3 SNPs in total: 1 in exon1 (G142A) and 2 in exon3 (A11471G, and T12495C). G142A and T12495C SNPs are both synonymous mutation. They showed 2 genotypes namely respectively (GG, GA) and (PP and PB). A11471G SNP is a missense mutation leading to the change of Alanine to Threonine amino acid. It showed three genotypes namely AA, BB and AB. Analysis of association of polymorphism with body measurement traits at the three locus showed that there were significant effects on BMT in Qc, Jx and Ny cattle population. These results suggest that the GDF10 gene might have potential effects on body measurement traits in the above mentioned cattle populations and could be used for marker-assisted selection

The outcome and patterns of traumatic brain injury in the paediatric population of a developing country secondary to TV trolley tip-over

Background: Television (TV) trolley tip-over incidences are common and can cause significant morbidity and mortality in children. This study was aimed at analyzing the pattern and outcomes of head injuries resulting from TV trolley tip-over.Method: We conducted a medical chart review of children with TV trolley tip-over head injuries from January 2009 to April 2016. We collected data on demographics, the mechanism of injury, clinical and radiological features of the injury, and outcomes. Outcomes were measured by means of the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at 6 months (except in 1 case). A descriptive analysis was carried out using SPSS v19.Result: Twenty-two children were included in the study (median age 23.5 months). Sixteen children were male. Most of the children (n = 16) were aged 12-35 months. The median Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission was 15. The median Rotterdam Score for the patients was 2.0. Common symptoms upon admission were vomiting, irritability, scalp laceration, and bruises. Median length of hospital stay was 3 days. Skull bone fractures were present in 12 children. Other CT findings included contusions, extradural and subdural haematomas, intraventricular haemorrhage, and pneumocranium. Surgical intervention was required in 4 cases. Although most of the patients made a good recovery (GOS = 5), 1 patient developed a mild disability and another died in hospital.Conclusion: TV trolley tip-over is most common in toddlers and can lead to significant head injury and mortality. This can be avoided by parental supervision and adjustments in the household

Quercetin Phytosome® as a potential candidate for managing COVID-19

When looking for new antiviral compounds aimed to counteract the COVID-19, a disease caused by the recently identified novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the knowledge of the main viral proteins is fundamental. The major druggable targets of SARS-CoV-2 include 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro), papain-like protease (PLpro), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and spike (S) protein. Molecular docking studies have highlighted that quercetin, a natural polyphenol belonging to the flavonol class, inhibits 3CLpro, PLpro and S proteins. Biophysical technics have then very recently confirmed that quercetin is reasonably a potent inhibitor of 3CLpro. The likely antiviral properties of quercetin are anyway challenged by its very poor oral bioavailability profile and any attempt to overcome this limit should be welcome. A phospholipid delivery form of quercetin (Quercetin Phytosome (R)) has been recently tested in humans to evaluate a possible improvement in oral bioavailability. After hydrolysis of the conjugated form (mainly glucuronide) of quercetin found in human plasma, the pharmacokinetics results have demonstrated an increased bioavailability rate by about 20-fold for total quercetin. It has been also observed that the presence of specific glucuronidase could yield free systemic quercetin in human body. Taking also into considerations its anti-inflammatory and thrombin-inhibitory actions, a bioavailable form of quercetin, like Quercetin Phytosome (R), should be considered a possible candidate to clinically face COVID-19

Identification of novel mutations in congenital afibrinogenemia patients and molecular modeling of missense mutations in Pakistani population

BACKGROUND: Congenital afibrinogenemia (OMIM #202400) is a rare coagulation disorder that was first described in 1920. It is transmitted as an autosomal recessive trait that is characterized by absent levels of fibrinogen (factor I) in plasma. Consanguinity in Pakistan and its neighboring countries has resulted in a higher number of cases of congenital fibrinogen deficiency in their respective populations. This study focused on the detection of mutations in fibrinogen genes using DNA sequencing and molecular modeling of missense mutations in all three genes [Fibrinogen gene alpha (FGA), beta (FGB) and gamma (FGG)] in Pakistani patients. METHODS: This descriptive and cross sectional study was conducted in Karachi and Lahore and fully complied with the Declaration of Helsinki. Patients with fibrinogen deficiency were screened for mutations in the Fibrinogen alpha (FGA), beta (FGB) and gamma (FGG) genes by direct sequencing. Molecular modeling was performed to predict the putative structure functional impact of the missense mutations identified in this study. RESULTS: Ten patients had mutations in FGA followed by three mutations in FGB and three mutations in FGG, respectively. Twelve of these mutations were novel. The missense mutations were predicted to result in a loss of stability because they break ordered regions and cause clashes in the hydrophobic core of the protein. CONCLUSIONS: Congenital afibrinogenemia is a rapidly growing problem in regions where consanguinity is frequently practiced. This study illustrates that mutations in FGA are relatively more common in Pakistani patients and molecular modeling of the missense mutations has shown damaging protein structures which has profounding effect on phenotypic bleeding manifestations in these patients

Applications of CEDA (catch effort data analysis) computer software in estimation of Maximum Sustainable Yieldof the Black Pomfret <i>Parastromateus niger</i>Fishery from Pakistani Waters

576-581The surplus production models of Fox, Schaefer and Pell-Tomlinson with three error assumptions of normal, log-normal and gamma were used to analyze the catch and effort data of Black PomfretParastromateus niger fishery from Pakistani waters using the computer software package CEDA (catch effort data analysis).When using initial proportion of 0.4 (because the initial catch was roughly 40% of the maximum catch) the estimated maximum sustainable yield (MSY) were about 2000-2300t, the coefficient determinationR2 were about 0.20-0.31. Gamma error assumption often showed minimization failure. The estimated MSY from CEDA is smaller than most recent catch of the fishery which indicates that the fishery of P.niger in Pakistani waters may not be in a sustainable condition

Identification of novel mutations in congenital afibrinogenemia patients and molecular modeling of missense mutations in Pakistani population

Abstract Background Congenital afibrinogenemia (OMIM #202400) is a rare coagulation disorder that was first described in 1920. It is transmitted as an autosomal recessive trait that is characterized by absent levels of fibrinogen (factor I) in plasma. Consanguinity in Pakistan and its neighboring countries has resulted in a higher number of cases of congenital fibrinogen deficiency in their respective populations. This study focused on the detection of mutations in fibrinogen genes using DNA sequencing and molecular modeling of missense mutations in all three genes [Fibrinogen gene alpha (FGA), beta (FGB) and gamma (FGG)] in Pakistani patients. Methods This descriptive and cross sectional study was conducted in Karachi and Lahore and fully complied with the Declaration of Helsinki. Patients with fibrinogen deficiency were screened for mutations in the Fibrinogen alpha (FGA), beta (FGB) and gamma (FGG) genes by direct sequencing. Molecular modeling was performed to predict the putative structure functional impact of the missense mutations identified in this study. Results Ten patients had mutations in FGA followed by three mutations in FGB and three mutations in FGG, respectively. Twelve of these mutations were novel. The missense mutations were predicted to result in a loss of stability because they break ordered regions and cause clashes in the hydrophobic core of the protein. Conclusions Congenital afibrinogenemia is a rapidly growing problem in regions where consanguinity is frequently practiced. This study illustrates that mutations in FGA are relatively more common in Pakistani patients and molecular modeling of the missense mutations has shown damaging protein structures which has profounding effect on phenotypic bleeding manifestations in these patients

Correction to: Identification of novel mutations in congenital afibrinogenemia patients and molecular modeling of missense mutations in Pakistani population

Following the publication of this article [1], the authors noted the following typographical errors

Prostaglandin D2 acts through the Dp2 receptor to influence male germ cell differentiation in the foetal mouse testis

International audienceThrough intercellular signalling, the somatic compartment of the foetal testis is able to program primordial germ cells to undergo spermatogenesis.Fibroblastgrowthfactor9 and several members of the transforming growth factorβ superfamily are involved in this process in the foetal testis, counteracting the induction of meiosis byretinoic acid and activating germinal mitotic arrest. Here, using in vitro and in vivo approaches, we show that prostaglandin D2(PGD2), which is produced through both L-Pgds and H-Pgds enzymatic activities in the somatic and germ cell compartments of the foetal testis, plays a role in mitotic arrest in male germ cells by activating the expression and nuclear localization of the CDK inhibitor p21 Cip1 and by repressing pluripotency markers. We show that PGD2 acts through its Dp2 receptor, at least in part through direct effects in germ cells, and contributes to the proper differentiation of male germ cells through the upregulation of the master gene Nanos2. Our data identify PGD2 signalling as an early pathway that acts in both paracrine and autocrine manners, and contributes to thedifferentiation of germ cells in the foetal testis