Influence of non starch polysaccharide-degrading enzymes on the meat yield and viscosity of jejunal digesta in broilers fed wheat/barley-based diet

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of four commercial multi-enzymes on the performance, meat yield, water intake, litter moisture and jejunal digesta viscosity of chicks fed wheat/barley based diet. A total of 195 1-d-old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were allocated to 5 treatment groups, with 3 replicates per treatment group and 13 birds per replicate pen and all data were analyzed in a randomized complete block design. During the starter period, feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased by only enzymes A, B and D. Moreover, FCR was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased by all enzymes in grower and entire periods. The relative weight of the breast as proportion of live weight was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased by only enzyme A. The relative weight of the abdominal fat as proportion of live weight was also significantly (P < 0.05) increased by enzyme D. Enzyme supplementation decreased viscosity of jejunal contents of chicks at day 28, but only enzymes A and D reduced significantly (P < 0.05) the viscosity of jejunum compared to control diet. In conclusion, there were similar improvements on FCR of birds fed diets with enzyme supplementation and choice preference of enzyme supplementation has to be base on its economic value

Study of possible reduction or withdrawal of vitamin premix during finisher period in floor and battery cage broiler raising systems

The effect of dietary vitamin premix withdrawal or reduction between 29 and 35, 36 and 42, and 29 and 42 days of age on broiler chicken performance and immunocompetence was evaluated. The diets were formulated based on wheat and barley, and the experiment was conducted in floor pens (experiment 1) and battery cage (experiment 2) rearing systems in 7 treatments and 4 replicates for each treatment. The results of experiment 1 showed that vitamin premix reduction and withdrawal at 29 days of age did not impair performance during the final period of broiler chicken (29 to 42 days). The results of experiment 2 showed that there were no significant differences in performance with reduction or withdrawal of vitamin premix from diets in 29 to 35 days, but in 36 to 42 days of age, performance of birds fed with a diet that has no vitamin premix (T1) was significantly lower than other treatments (P < 0.05). The results of the two experiments demonstrated that immunocompetence response was not affected by treatments in the finisher period (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the results of this study indicated that in the battery cage system, it is possible to reduce dietary vitamin premix during finisher period, but withdrawal can negatively affect performance of broiler chickens, while in the floor system, it is possible to withdraw vitamin supplements in broilers’ finisher diets.Key words: Vitamin premix, reduction, broiler, wheat, immunocompetence

Potential probiotic of Lactobacillus johnsonii LT171 for chicken nutrition

The objective of this research was to investigate the potential probiotic of Lactobacillus johnsonii LT171. It had aggregation (60 min) and antibacterial effects against Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O78:K80. It showed amylase and protease activity and high clear zone in culture medium containing calcium phytate; cell surface hydrophobicity, 85.21 ± 7.27%; resistance to acidic condition (pH 3 for 90 min) and bile salts (in culture medium containing 0.075% ox gall). Also it had resistance to nalidixic acid and neomycine. This research showed appropriate probiotic properties of L. johnsonii LT171 for chicken nutrition. Hence this strain can complement the characteristics of other strains in multistrain probiotics because of its high clear zone in culture medium containing calcium phytate

The distribution of corneal thickness in rural population

To determine the distribution of corneal thickness and its associated factors in the over 5-year-old population in the north and south rural areas in Iran. In this study, samples were selected using multi -stage cluster sampling. After vision and refraction tests and the slit lamp exam, the central corneal thickness (CCT), apical corneal thickness (ACT), and the thickness at four peripheral areas of the cornea were measured using Pentacam. Of the 3851 selected samples, after applying the exclusion criteria, the analysis was done on data from 2681 people. The mean age of the participants was 36.03±18.51 years, ranging from 6 to 90 years, and 58.1 of them were female. Mean CCT and ACT were 533.87 μm (95CI: 532.05 -535.69) and 536.72 μm (95CI: 534.9 -538.54), respectively. Mean peripheral corneal thickness was 637.46 μm (95CI: 635.09 -639.83) in the superior quadrant, and 594.34 μm (95CI: 592.2 -596.47), 620.81 μm (95CI: 618.66 -622.97), and 584.55 μm (95CI: 582.18 -586.93) in the inferior, nasal, and temporal quadrants, respectively. Linear regression analysis showed significant associations between CCT and gender (P=0.001), age (P<0.001), geographical location of residence (P<0.001), the radius of corneal curvature (P<0.001), anterior chamber depth (P<0.001), and corneal volume (P<0.001). This study is one of the few studies describing the distribution of the corneal thickness in a population of over 5-year-olds using Pentacam. Gender, anterior chamber depth, and corneal radius of curvature are some of the factors associated with CCT. © 2018 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Experimental monitoring of nonlinear wave interactions in crab orchard sandstone under uniaxial load

When two waves interact within a rock sample, the interaction strength depends strongly on the sample’s microstructural properties, including the orientation of the sample layering. The study that established this dependence on layering speculated that the differences were caused by cracks aligned with the layers in the sample. To test this, we applied a uniaxial load to similar samples of Crab Orchard Sandstone and measured the nonlinear interaction as a function of the applied load and layer orientation. We show that the dependence of the nonlinear signal changes on applied load is exponential, with a characteristic load of 11.4–12.5 MPa that is independent of sample orientation and probe wavetype (P or S); this value agrees with results from the literature, but does not support the cracks hypothesis

A structurally distinct TGF-β mimic from an intestinal helminth parasite potently induces regulatory T cells.

Helminth parasites defy immune exclusion through sophisticated evasion mechanisms, including activation of host immunosuppressive regulatory T (Treg) cells. The mouse parasite Heligmosomoides polygyrus can expand the host Treg population by secreting products that activate TGF-β signalling, but the identity of the active molecule is unknown. Here we identify an H. polygyrus TGF-β mimic (Hp-TGM) that replicates the biological and functional properties of TGF-β, including binding to mammalian TGF-β receptors and inducing mouse and human Foxp3+ Treg cells. Hp-TGM has no homology with mammalian TGF-β or other members of the TGF-β family, but is a member of the complement control protein superfamily. Thus, our data indicate that through convergent evolution, the parasite has acquired a protein with cytokine-like function that is able to exploit an endogenous pathway of immunoregulation in the host