Background Intrauterine growth retardation(IUGR)affects intestinal growth,morphology,and function,which leads to poor growth performance and high mortality.The present study explored whether maternal dietary methyl do...Background Intrauterine growth retardation(IUGR)affects intestinal growth,morphology,and function,which leads to poor growth performance and high mortality.The present study explored whether maternal dietary methyl donor(MET)supplementation alleviates IUGR and enhances offspring’s growth performance by improving intestinal growth,function,and DNA methylation of the ileum in a porcine IUGR model.Methods Forty multiparous sows were allocated to the control or MET diet groups from mating until delivery.After farrowing,8 pairs of IUGR and normal birth weight piglets from 8 litters were selected for sampling before suckling colostrum.Results The results showed that maternal MET supplementation tended to decrease the IUGR incidence and increased the average weaning weight of piglets.Moreover,maternal MET supplementation significantly reduced the plasma concentrations of isoleucine,cysteine,urea,and total amino acids in sows and newborn pig-lets.It also increased lactase and sucrase activity in the jejunum of newborn piglets.MET addition resulted in lower ileal methionine synthase activity and increased betaine homocysteine S-methyltransferase activity in the ileum of newborn piglets.DNA methylation analysis of the ileum showed that MET supplementation increased the methyla-tion level of DNA CpG sites in the ileum of newborn piglets.Down-regulated differentially methylated genes were enriched in folic acid binding,insulin receptor signaling pathway,and endothelial cell proliferation.In contrast,up-regulated methylated genes were enriched in growth hormone receptor signaling pathway and nitric oxide biosyn-thetic process.Conclusions Maternal MET supplementation can reduce the incidence of IUGR and increase the weaning litter weight of piglets,which may be associated with better intestinal function and methylation status.展开更多
BACKGROUND The prevalence of diabetes mellitus(DM)in China is high,and the base is broad.Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is a critical condition affecting the life and health of a nation and its economic development.DR is a c...BACKGROUND The prevalence of diabetes mellitus(DM)in China is high,and the base is broad.Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is a critical condition affecting the life and health of a nation and its economic development.DR is a common complication of DM.AIM To investigate the efficacy of laser photocoagulation combined with intravitreal injection of conbercept for treating macular edema.METHODS Overall,130 patients with diabetic macular edema(DME)hospitalized in The Third People’s Hospital of Changzhou from January 2019 to June 2022 were retrospectively included.According to the treatment plan,130 patients with DME were categorized into an observation and a control group,with 65 patients in each group.The control group received laser photocoagulation,and the observation group received laser photocoagulation with intravitreal injection of conbercept.Observe changes in vision,cytokines in the eye and so on.RESULTS The total efficacy rate in the observation group(93.85%)was higher than that in the control group(78.46%)(P<0.05).In both groups,the best corrected visual acuity correction effect improved after treatment,and the observation group was superior to the control group(P<0.05).Retinal thickness and central macular thickness improved after treatment,and the observation group was superior to the control group(P<0.05).The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor,interleukin-6,soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1,and basic fibroblast growth factor in both groups improved after treatment,and the observation group was superior to the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION In patients with macular edema,combining laser photocoagulation and intravitreal injections of conbercept for DME is a more effective and safer strategy to improve vision,and lower intraocular cytokine levels.展开更多
Background:Organic selenium supplementation during gestation improves the antioxidant status and reproduc-tive performance of sows and increases the antioxidative capacity of the intestines of their offspring.This stu...Background:Organic selenium supplementation during gestation improves the antioxidant status and reproduc-tive performance of sows and increases the antioxidative capacity of the intestines of their offspring.This study was conducted to investigate the effect of maternal basel diet(control)supplemented with an organic Se,2-hydroxy-4-methylselenobutanoic acid(HMSeBA),or inorganic sodium selenite(Na_(2)SeO_(3))during gestation on the antioxidant status and development of muscle in newborn and weaned piglets.Newborn piglets before colostrum intake and weaned piglets were selected for longissimus dorsi(LD)muscle collection and analysis.Results:The results showed that maternal HMSeBA supplementation increased the muscle area and content of Se in the LD muscle of newborn piglets,improved gene expression of selenoproteins,and decreased oxidative status in the LD muscle of both newborn and weaned piglets compared with the control.The expression of muscle development-related genes of newborn piglets in the HMSeBA group was lower than in the control group,whereas the expression of MRF4 in weaned piglets was higher in the HMSeBA group than in the control and Na_(2)SeO_(3)groups.In addition,HMSeBA supplementation decreased the mRNA expressions of myosin heavy chains(MyHC)IIx and MyHC IIb and the percentage of MyHC IIb;increased the expression of PGC-1αin the LD muscle of newborn piglets;increased the gene expression of MyHC IIa;and decreased the protein expression of slow MyHC and the activity of malate dehydrogenase in the LD muscle of weaned piglets compared with the control group.Conclusions:Maternal HMSeBA supplementation during gestation can improve the antioxidative capacity of the muscle of their offspring and promote the maturity of muscle fibres in weaned offspring.展开更多
Background Two studies were designed to determine standard ileal crude protein(CP)and amino acid(AA)digestibility of soybean meal(SBM)from different origins fed to non-pregnant and pregnant sows.Seven solvent-extracte...Background Two studies were designed to determine standard ileal crude protein(CP)and amino acid(AA)digestibility of soybean meal(SBM)from different origins fed to non-pregnant and pregnant sows.Seven solvent-extracted SBMs from soybeans produced in the USA,Brazil,and China were selected.In Exp.1,eight different diets were created:a nitrogen(N)-free diet and 7 experimental diets containing SBM from different origins as the only N source.Eight non-pregnant,multiparous sows were arranged in an 8×8 Latin square design(8 periods and 8 diets).In Exp.2,the diet formula was the same as in Exp.1.Eight gestating sows(parity 3)were assigned to 4 different diets in a replicated 4×3 Youden square design(three periods and four diets)in mid-gestation and again in late-gestation stages.Results When fed to non-pregnant and late-gestating sows,the standardized ileal digestibility(SID)of CP and most AAs from different SBM were not significantly different(P>0.05).When fed to mid-gestating sows,the SID values for Arg,His,Lys,Phe,Cys,Gly,Ser,and Tyr in SBM 1 were lower than in SBM 4 and 5(P<0.05),whereas SID for Leu from SBM 5 was higher than in SBM 1 and 4(P<0.05).SID values for Ile,Ala,and Asp from SBM 4 were lower than in SBM 1 and 5(P<0.05).Sows had significantly greater SID values for Lys,Ala,and Asp during mid-gestation when compared with late-gestation stages(P<0.05).Mid-gestating sows had greater SID value for Val and lower SID value for Tyr when compared with non-pregnant and late-gestating sows(P<0.01),whereas non-pregnant sows had significantly greater SID value for Met when compared with gestating sows(P<0.01).Conclusions When fed to mid-gestating sows,the SID values for most AAs varied among SBM samples.The SID values for Lys,Met,Val,Ala,Asp,and Tyr in SBM were affected by sow gestation stages.Our findings provide a cornerstone for accurate SBM use in sow diets.展开更多
The importance of Very Long Baseline Interferometry(VLBI)for pulsar research is becoming increasingly prominent and receiving more and more attention.We present the pathfinding pulsar observation results with the Chin...The importance of Very Long Baseline Interferometry(VLBI)for pulsar research is becoming increasingly prominent and receiving more and more attention.We present the pathfinding pulsar observation results with the Chinese VLBI Network(CVN)incorporating the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope(FAST).On MJD 60045(11th April 2023),PSRs B0919+06 and B1133+16 were observed with the phase-referencing mode in the L-band using four radio telescopes(FAST,TianMa,Haoping,and Nanshan)and correlated with the pulsar binning mode of the distributed FX-style software correlator in Shanghai.After further data processing with the NRAO Astronomical Image Processing System(AIPS),we detected these two pulsars and fitted their current positions with accuracy at the milliarcsecond level.By comparison,our results show significantly better agreement with predicted values based on historical VLBI observations than those with previous timing observations,as pulsar astrometry with the VLBI provides a more direct and model-independent method for accurately obtaining related parameters.展开更多
Background: Weanling pigs, with immature immune system and physiological function, usually experience postweaning diarrhea. This study determined the effects of dietary Clostridium butyricum supplementation on growth ...Background: Weanling pigs, with immature immune system and physiological function, usually experience postweaning diarrhea. This study determined the effects of dietary Clostridium butyricum supplementation on growth performance, diarrhea, and immunity of weaned pigs challenged with lipopolysaccharide(LPS).Methods: In Experiment(Exp.) 1,144 weaned piglets were weaned at 21 d and randomly assigned to six groups,with six replicates per group and four pigs per replicate, receiving a control diet(CON) or diet supplemented with antibiotics(AB) or C. butyricum(CB)(0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4%, or 0.8%), respectively. All diets in Exp. 1 were a highly digestible basal diet, with 3,000 mg/kg zinc oxide supplied in the first 2 wk only. In Exp. 2, 180 piglets were weaned at 21 d and randomly assigned to five groups, with six replicates per group and six pigs per replicate, receiving CON, AB, or CB(0.2%, 0.4%, or 0.6%) diets. The digestibility of diets was lower than those in Exp. 1, and did not include zinc oxide. At 36 d of Exp. 2, 12 piglets were selected from each of the CON and 0.4% CB groups, six piglets were intraperitoneally injected with LPS(50 μg/kg body weight) and the other six piglets with normal saline;animals were killed at 4 h after injection to collect blood, intestine, and digesta samples for biochemical analysis.Results: In Exp. 1, CB and AB diets had no effect on growth performance of piglets. In Exp. 2, 0.4% CB decreased feed-gain ratio(P < 0.1), diarrhea score(P < 0.05), and increased duodenal, jejunal, and ileal villus height and jejunal villus height/crypt depth(P < 0.05). The 0.4% CB decreased the plasma tumor necrosis factor(TNF) α(P < 0.05) but increased ileal mucosa IL-10 and TLR2 mRNA expression(P < 0.05). Furthermore, 0.4% CB altered the microbial profile, with Bacillus and Ruminococcaceae UGG-003 at genus level and Lactobacillus casei and Parasutterella secunda at species level were higher than CON in colonic content(P < 0.05).Conclusions: Dietary C. butyricum supplementation had positive effects on growth of weaned piglets with less digestible diets. There was a tendency to reduce the feed-gain ratio, which could reduce feed costs in pig production. Moreover, C. butyricum decreased post-weaning diarrhea by improving the intestinal morphology,intestinal microflora profile, and immune function.展开更多
Background:Spermatogenesis is an intricate developmental process during which undifferentiated spermatogonia,containing spermatogonial stem cells(SSCs),undergo self-renewal and differentiation to generate eventually m...Background:Spermatogenesis is an intricate developmental process during which undifferentiated spermatogonia,containing spermatogonial stem cells(SSCs),undergo self-renewal and differentiation to generate eventually mature spermatozoa.Spermatogenesis occurs in seminiferous tubules within the testis,and the seminiferous tubules harbor Sertoli and germ cells.Sertoli cells are an essential somatic cell type within the microenvironment that support and steer male germ cell development,whereas spermatogonia are the primitive male germ cells at the onset of spermatogenesis.While the developmental progression of Sertoli cells and spermatogonia has been well established in mice,much less is known in other mammalian species including pigs.Results:To acquire knowledge of Sertoli cell and spermatogonial development in pigs,here we collected as many as nine ages of Duroc porcine testes from the neonate to sexual maturity,i.e.,testes from 7-,30-,50-,70-,90-,110-,130-,150-and 210-day-old boars,and performed histological and immunohistochemical analyses on testis sections.We first examined the development of spermatogenic cells and seminiferous tubules in porcine testes.Then,by immunofluorescence staining for marker proteins(AMH,SOX9,DBA,UCHL1,VASA,KIT,Ki67 and/or PCNA),we delved into the proliferative activity and development of Sertoli cells and of spermatogonial subtypes(pro-,undifferentiated and differentiating spermatogonia).Besides,by immunostaining forβ-catenin and ZO-1,we studied the establishment of the blood-testis barrier in porcine testes.Conclusions:In this longitudinal study,we have systematically investigated the elaborate Sertoli cell and spermatogonial developmental patterns in pigs from the neonate to sexual maturity that have so far remained largely unknown.The findings not only extend the knowledge about spermatogenesis and testicular development in pigs,but also lay the theoretical groundwork for porcine breeding and rearing.展开更多
Background:The objective of this study was to evaluate the replacement effects of milk powder(MK)and fish meal(FM)by enzymatic soybean(ESB)in diets on growth performance,immunological parameters,SCFAs production and g...Background:The objective of this study was to evaluate the replacement effects of milk powder(MK)and fish meal(FM)by enzymatic soybean(ESB)in diets on growth performance,immunological parameters,SCFAs production and gut microbiome of weaned piglets.Methods:A total of 128 piglets with initial body weight at 6.95±0.46 kg,were randomly assigned into 4 dietary treatments with 8 replicates per treatment and 4 piglets per replicate for a period of 14 d.Piglets were offered isonitrogenous and iso-energetic diets as follows:CON diet with MK and FM as high quality protein sources,ESB plus FM diet with ESB replacing MK,ESB plus MK diet with ESB replacing FM,and ESB diet with ESB replacing both MK and FM.Results:No significant differences were observed in growth performance among all treatments(P>0.05).However,piglets fed ESB plus FM or ESB diet had increased diarrhea index(P<0.01),and lower digestibility of dry matter(DM),gross energy(GE)or crude protein(CP),relative to piglets fed CON diet(P<0.01).Moreover,the inclusion of ESB in diet markedly decreased the plasma concentration of HPT and fecal concentration of butyric acid(BA)(P<0.01).The High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene V3−V4 region of gut microbiome revealed that the inclusion of ESB in diet increased the alpha diversity,and the linear discriminant analysis effect size(LEfSe)showed that piglets fed with ESB plus FM or ESB diet contained more gut pathogenic bacteria,such as g_Peptococcus,g_Veillonella and g_Helicobacter.Conclusion:The inclusion of ESB in diet did not markedly affect growth performance of piglets,but the replacement of MK or both MK and FM by ESB increased diarrhea index,which could be associated with lower nutrients digestibility and more gut pathogenic bacteria.However,piglets fed diet using ESB to replace FM did not markedly affect gut health-related parameters,indicating the potential for replacing FM with ESB in weaning diet.展开更多
Background:Dietary fiber(DF)is often eschewed in swine diet due to its anti-nutritional effects,but DF is attracting growing attention for its reproductive benefits.The objective of this study was to investigate the e...Background:Dietary fiber(DF)is often eschewed in swine diet due to its anti-nutritional effects,but DF is attracting growing attention for its reproductive benefits.The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of DF intake level on oocyte maturation and uterine development,to determine the optimal DF intake for gilts,and gain microbial and metabolomic insight into the underlying mechanisms involved.Methods:Seventy-six Landrace×Yorkshire(LY)crossbred replacement gilts of similar age(92.6±0.6 d;mean±standard deviation[SD])and body weight(BW,33.8±3.9 kg;mean±SD)were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatment groups(n=19);a basal diet without extra DF intake(DF 1.0),and 3 dietary groups ingesting an extra50%(DF 1.5),75%(DF 1.75),and 100%(DF 2.0)dietary fiber mixture consisting of inulin and cellulose(1:4).Oocyte maturation and uterine development were assessed on 19 d of the 2nd oestrous cycle.Microbial diversity of faecal samples was analysed by high-throughput pyrosequencing(16S r RNA)and blood samples were subjected to untargeted metabolomics.Results:The rates of oocytes showing first polar bodies after in vitro maturation for 44 h and uterine development increased linearly with increasing DF intake;DF 1.75 gilts had a 19.8%faster oocyte maturation rate and a 48.9 cm longer uterus than DF 1.0 gilts(P<0.05).Among the top 10 microbiota components at the phylum level,8increased linearly with increasing DF level,and the relative abundance of 30 of 53 microbiota components at the genus level(>0.1%)increased linearly or quadratically with increasing DF intake.Untargeted metabolic analysis revealed significant changes in serum metabolites that were closely associated with microbiota,including serotonin,a gut-derived signal that stimulates oocyte maturation.Conclusions:The findings provide evidence of the benefits of increased DF intake by supplementing inulin and cellulose on oocyte maturation and uterine development in gilts,and new microbial and metabolomic insight into the mechanisms mediating the effects of DF on reproductive performance of replacement gilts.展开更多
Background:Replacement gilts are typically fed ad libitum,whereas emerging evidence from human and rodent studies has revealed that time-restricted access to food has health benefits.The objective of this study was to...Background:Replacement gilts are typically fed ad libitum,whereas emerging evidence from human and rodent studies has revealed that time-restricted access to food has health benefits.The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of meal frequency on the metabolic status and ovarian follicular development in gilts.Methods:A total of 36 gilts(Landrace×Yorkshire)with an age of 150±3 d and a body weight of 77.6±3.8 kg were randomly allocated into one of three groups(n=12 in each group),and based on the group allocation,the gilts were fed at a frequency of one meal(T1),two meals(T2),or six meals per day(T6)for 14 consecutive weeks.The effects of the meal frequency on growth preference,nutrient utilization,short-chain fatty acid production by gut microbial,the post-meal dynamics in the metabolic status,reproductive hormone secretions,and ovarian follicular development in the gilts were measured.Results:The gilts in the T1 group presented a higher average daily gain(+48 g/d,P<0.05)and a higher body weight(+4.9 kg,P<0.05)than those in the T6 group.The meal frequency had no effect on the apparent digestibility of dry matter,crude protein,ether extract,ash,and gross energy,with the exception that the T1 gilts exhibited a greater NDF digestibility than the T6 gilts(P<0.05).The nitrogen balance analysis revealed that the T1 gilts presented decreased urine excretion of nitrogen(−8.17 g/d,P<0.05)and higher nitrogen retention(+9.81 g/d,P<0.05),and thus exhibited higher nitrogen utilization than the T6 gilts.The time-course dynamics of glucose,α-amino nitrogen,urea,lactate,and insulin levels in serum revealed that the T1 group exhibited higher utilization of nutrients after a meal than the T2 or T6 gilts.The T1 gilts also had a higher acetate content and SCFAs in feces than the T6 gilts(P<0.05).The age,body weight and backfat thickness of the gilts at first estrous expression were not affected by the meal frequency,but the gilts in the T1 group had higher levels of serum luteinizing hormone on the 18th day of the 3rd estrus cycle and 17β-estradiol,a larger number of growing follicles and corpora lutea,and higher mRNA expression levels of genes related to follicular development on the 19th day of the 3rd estrus cycle.Conclusions:The current findings revealed the benefits of a lower meal frequency equal feed intake on nutrient utilization and reproductive function in replacement gilts,and thus provide new insights into the nutritional strategy for replacement gilts,and the dietary pattern for other mammals,such as humans.展开更多
Background The feed intake of sows during lactation is often lower than their needs.High-fiber feed is usually used during gestation to increase the voluntary feed intake of sows during lactation.However,the mechanism...Background The feed intake of sows during lactation is often lower than their needs.High-fiber feed is usually used during gestation to increase the voluntary feed intake of sows during lactation.However,the mechanism underlying the effect of bulky diets on the appetites of sows during lactation have not been fully clarified.The current study was conducted to determine whether a high-fiber diet during gestation improves lactational feed intake(LFI)of sows by modulating gut microbiota.Methods We selected an appropriate high-fiber diet during gestation and utilized the fecal microbial transplanta-tion(FMT)method to conduct research on the role of the gut microbiota in feed intake regulation of sows during lactation,as follows:high-fiber(HF)diet during gestation(n=23),low-fiber(LF)diet during gestation(n=23),and low-fiber diet+HF-FMT(LFM)during gestation(n=23).Results Compared with the LF,sows in the HF and LFM groups had a higher LFI,while the sows also had higher peptide tyrosine tyrosine and glucagon-like peptide 1 on d 110 of gestation(G110 d).The litter weight gain of piglets during lactation and weaning weight of piglets from LFM group were higher than LF group.Sows given a HF diet had lower Proteobacteria,especially Escherichia-Shigella,on G110 d and higher Lactobacillus,especially Lactobacil-lus_mucosae_LM1 and Lactobacillus_amylovorus,on d 7 of lactation(L7 d).The abundance of Escherichia-Shigella was reduced by HF-FMT in numerically compared with the LF.In addition,HF and HF-FMT both decreased the perinatal concentrations of proinflammatory factors,such as endotoxin(ET),lipocalin-2(LCN-2),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and interleukin-1β(IL-1β).The concentration of ET and LCN-2 and the abundance of Proteobacteria and Escheri-chia-Shigella were negatively correlated with the LFI of sows.Conclusion The high abundance of Proteobacteria,especially Escherichia-Shigella of LF sows in late gestation,led to increased endotoxin levels,which result in inflammatory responses and adverse effects on the LFI of sows.Add-ing HF during gestation reverses this process by increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus,especially Lactobacil-lus_mucosae_LM1 and Lactobacillus_amylovorus.展开更多
Fertility is the most crucial step in the development process,which is controlled by many fertility-related proteins,including spermatogenesis-,oogenesis-and embryogenesis-related proteins.The identification of fertil...Fertility is the most crucial step in the development process,which is controlled by many fertility-related proteins,including spermatogenesis-,oogenesis-and embryogenesis-related proteins.The identification of fertility-related proteins can provide important clues for studying the role of these proteins in development.Therefore,in this study,we constructed a two-layer classifier to identify fertility-related proteins.In this classifier,we first used the composition of amino acids(AA)and their physical and chemical properties to code these three fertility-related proteins.Then,the feature set is optimized by analysis of variance(ANOVA)and incremental feature selection(IFS)to obtain the optimal feature subset.Through five-fold cross-validation(CV)and independent data tests,the performance of models constructed by different machine learning(ML)methods is evaluated and compared.Finally,based on support vector machine(SVM),we obtained a two-layer model to classify three fertility-related proteins.On the independent test data set,the accuracy(ACC)and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC)of the first layer classifier are 81.95%and 0.89,respectively,and them of the second layer classifier are 84.74%and 0.90,respectively.These results show that the proposed model has stable performance and satisfactory prediction accuracy,and can become a powerful model to identify more fertility related proteins.展开更多
What is already known about this topic?Echinococcosis exhibits a global distribution.In China,the primary endemic area is the northwest region.In December 2023,we documented a case of echinococcosis in an individual l...What is already known about this topic?Echinococcosis exhibits a global distribution.In China,the primary endemic area is the northwest region.In December 2023,we documented a case of echinococcosis in an individual lacking any travel or residential history in endemic regions.What is added by this report?This is the first laboratory-confirmed case of hepatic echinococcosis reported in Guangdong Province,associated with the G7 genotype of Echinococcus granulosus(E.granulosus).The most probable mode of transmission is a local infection resulting from E.granulosus introduced from endemic regions.What are the implications for public health practice?As the circulation of agricultural products increases,it is essential to enhance the quarantine and management of livestock from epidemic areas to prevent and control the spread of echinococcosis to non-epidemic regions.展开更多
Background:This study aimed to investigate the effects of oral administration of Enterococcus faecium NCIMB10415(E.faecium)on intestinal development,immunological parameters and gut microbiota of neonatal piglets chal...Background:This study aimed to investigate the effects of oral administration of Enterococcus faecium NCIMB10415(E.faecium)on intestinal development,immunological parameters and gut microbiota of neonatal piglets challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88(ETEC).A total of 961-day-old sow-reared piglets were randomly assigned to 2 groups,with 48 piglets in each group.The piglets were from 16 litters(6 piglets each litter),and 3 piglets each litter were allocated to the E.faecium-supplemented(PRO)group,while the other 3 piglets were allocated to the control(CON)group.After colostrum intake,piglets in the PRO group were orally administrated with 3×10~9 CFU E.faecium per day for a period of one week.On day 8,one piglet per litter from each group was challenged(CON+ETEC,PRO+ETEC)or not(CON-ETEC,PRO-ETEC)with ETEC in a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments.On day 10(2 days after challenge),blood and tissue samples were obtained from piglets.Results:Before ETEC challenge,there were no significant differences for the average daily gain(ADG)and fecal score between the two groups of piglets.After ETEC challenge,the challenged piglets had greater fecal score compared to the non-challenged piglets,whereas E.faecium administration was able to decrease the fecal score.Piglets challenged with ETEC had shorter villous height,deeper crypt depth,and reduced number of goblet cells in the jejunum and decreased m RNA abundance of claudin-1 in the ileum,whereas increased the percentage of lymphocytes,concentrations of IL-1βin the plasma and TNF-αin the ileal mucosa,as well as increased the m RNA abundances of innate immunity-related genes in the ileum tissue.These deleterious effects caused by ETEC were partly alleviated by feeding E.faecium.In addition,piglets in PRO-ETEC group had decreased the percentage of CD8^+T cells of the peripheral blood when compared to those in CON-ETEC group.Moreover,E.faecium administration increased Verrucomicrobia at phylum level and decreased Bilophila at genus level.Conclusions:These results suggest that oral administration of E.faecium alleviated the intestinal injury and diarrhea severity of neonatal piglets challenged by ETEC,partly through improving the intestinal microbiota and immune response.This offers a potential strategy of dietary intervention against intestinal impairment by ETEC in neonatal piglets.展开更多
Background: This study aimed to investigate the impacts of guar gum and cellulose as the source of dietary fiber during gestation on the reproductive performance of sows.Methods: A total of 210 sows(parities 3–6) wer...Background: This study aimed to investigate the impacts of guar gum and cellulose as the source of dietary fiber during gestation on the reproductive performance of sows.Methods: A total of 210 sows(parities 3–6) were randomly allocated into six diets(n = 35) throughout gestation to feed graded levels of dietary fiber(DF), including a corn-soybean meal-based control diet with no wheat bran inclusion(CON, 12.5% DF), a wheat bran-rich diet(DF1, 17.4% DF), and another 4 diets(DF2, 17.7% DF;DF3, 18.1%DF;DF4, 18.4% DF;DF5, 18.8% DF) in which wheat bran were equally substituted by 1%, 2%, 3% and 4% purified FIBER MIX(guar gum and cellulose, 1:4). All sows received similar DE and other nutrients throughout gestation.Results: DF treatment during gestation resulted in normal fecal score(1 to 5 with 1 = dry and 5 = watery) in sows compared with those received the CON diet(P < 0.05). The number of total born piglets had a tendency to be affected by dietary treatment(P = 0.07), and correlation analysis revealed a linear response of total born to dietary fiber levels during gestation(P < 0.01). Sows received the DF2, DF3, and DF5 diets during gestation had a greater ADFI during lactation compared with those in the CON group(P < 0.05) without affecting the daily body weight gain of suckling piglets. Gut microbiota compositions were dramatically changed by the gestation stage and some of those were changed by DF inclusion. Fecal acetate, propionate, and butyrate of sows were markedly increased in late gestation, and butyrate contents in feces of gestating sows were significantly affected by DF levels(P < 0.01).Serum concentrations of pro-inflammatory TNF-α were decreased and anti-inflammatory IL-10 was increased on day30 of gestation by DF levels(P < 0.05).Conclusions: In summary, increasing dietary fiber levels by guar gum and cellulose during gestation improved the reproductive performance of sows, which might be related to changes in immunity and gut microbiota of sows.展开更多
Sperm are specialized cells that require adenosine triphosphate(ATP) to support their function.Maintaining sperm energy homeostasis in vitro is vitally important to improve the efficacy of boar sperm preservation. Met...Sperm are specialized cells that require adenosine triphosphate(ATP) to support their function.Maintaining sperm energy homeostasis in vitro is vitally important to improve the efficacy of boar sperm preservation. Metformin can activate 5′-AMPactivated protein kinase(AMPK) to improve metabolic flexibility and maintain energy homeostasis. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether metformin can improve boar sperm quality through AMPK mediation of energy metabolism. Sperm motility parameters, membrane integrity,acrosomeintegrity,mitochondrial membrane potential(ΔΨm), ATP content, glucose uptake,and lactate efflux were analyzed.Localization and expression levels of AMPK and phospho-Thr172-AMPK(p-AMPK) were also detected by immunofluorescence and western blotting. We found that metformin treatment significantly increased sperm motility parameters, ΔΨm, and ATP content during storage at 17 ℃. Moreover, results showed that AMPK was localized at the acrosomal region, connecting piece, and midpiece of sperm and p-AMPK was distributed at the post-acrosomal region, connecting piece, and midpiece. When sperm were incubated with metformin for 4 h at 37 ℃, sperm motility parameters, ΔΨm, ATP content,p-AMPK, glucose uptake, and lactate efflux all significantly increased, whereas the addition of Compound C treatment, an inhibitor of AMPK,counteracted these positive effects. Together, our results suggest that metformin promotes AMPK activation, which contributes to the maintenance of energy hemostasis and mitochondrial activity,thereby maintaining boar sperm functionality and improving the efficacy of semen preservation.展开更多
Background:Determination of nutrient requirements in the late gestating and lactating sows is essential to optimize sow productivity.The objectives of the present study were to quantify amino acid(AA)fluxes and heat p...Background:Determination of nutrient requirements in the late gestating and lactating sows is essential to optimize sow productivity.The objectives of the present study were to quantify amino acid(AA)fluxes and heat production across portal-drained viscera(PDV)and liver in multiparous sows during transition and lactation.Methods:Eight second parity sows were fitted with indwelling catheters in the femoral artery and in the mesenteric,portal and hepatic veins.Eight hourly sets of blood samples were taken starting 0.5 h before feeding at−10,−3,+3,and+17 d in milk(DIM).Blood gases,plasma metabolites and apparent total tract digestibility(ATTD)of nutrients were measured.Results:Feed intake,the ATTD of DM,energy,nitrogen,fat and crude fiber changed with DIM(P<0.001).Except for Glu,O2,and urea,all net portal fluxes were positive,and all were affected by DIM(P<0.05)and by sampling time(P<0.01).Compared with pre partum levels,net portal uptake of AA was 3-63%lower at+3 DIM but 40-100%higher at+17 DIM.Net portal fluxes of AA peaked at 1.5 to 2.5 h after feeding except for Glu,and they were positively correlated with changes in sow feed intake across DIM.The net portal recovery was low for Met(49%),Thr(54%),and His(54%)and high for the remaining essential AA(63-69%)and none of them differed across DIM.Net hepatic uptake(i.e.hepatic oxidation)of Lys,Thr,Ile,Leu and Phe peaked at 0.5 to 2.5 h after feeding,whereas uptake of Trp,Val,and His was constant,while that of Met was close to zero.Conclusion:The net portal recovery was substantially lower for Met,Thr,and His than the remaining essential AA.Hepatic AA oxidation peaks 0.5 to 2.5 h after feeding.The heat production in PDV and liver was approximately two-fold higher at peak lactation compared to other stages.The study suggests that lysine was the limiting AA in peak lactation but not in early lactation.展开更多
Background： Previous studies suggested that supplementation of lactating sows with β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate（HMB） could improve the performance of weaning pigs, but there were little information in the muscle fi...Background： Previous studies suggested that supplementation of lactating sows with β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate（HMB） could improve the performance of weaning pigs, but there were little information in the muscle fiber type transformation of the offspring and the subsequent performance in pigs from weaning through finishing in response to maternal HMB consumption. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of supplementing lactating sows with HMB on skeletal muscle fiber type transformation and growth of the offspring during d 28 and180 after birth. A total of 20 sows according to their body weight were divided into the control（CON, n = 10） or HMB groups（HMB, n = 10）. Sows in the HMB group were supplemented with β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate calcium（HMB-Ca） 2 g/kg feed during d 1 to 27 of lactation. After weaning, 48 mixed sex piglets were blocked by sow treatment and fed standard diets for post-weaning, growing, finishing periods. Growth performance was recorded during d 28 to 180 after birth. Pigs were slaughtered on d 28（n = 6/treatment） and 180（n = 6/treatment） postnatal and the longissimus dorsi（LD） was collected, respectively.Results： The HMB-fed sows during lactation showed increased HMB concentration（P ＆lt; 0.05） in milk and LD of weaning piglets（P ＆lt; 0.05）. In addition, offsprings in HMB group had a higher finishing BW and lean percentage than did pigs in CON group（P ＆lt; 0.05）, meanwhile, compared with pigs from sows fed the CON diet, pigs from sows fed HMB diet showed higher type Ⅱ muscle fiber cross-sectional area（CSA）, elevated myosin heavy chain（MyHC） Ⅱb and Sox6 mRNA, and fast-MyHC protein levels in LD（P ＆lt; 0.05）.Conclusions： HMB supplemented to sow diets throughout lactation increases the levels of HMB in maternal milk and skeletal muscle of pigs during d 28 after birth and promotes subsequent performance of pigs between d 28 and 180 of age by enhancing glycolytic muscle fiber transformation.展开更多
Background: Persistent lactation,as the result of mammary cellular anabolism and secreting function,is dependent on substantial mobilization or catabolism of body reserves under nutritional deficiency.However,little i...Background: Persistent lactation,as the result of mammary cellular anabolism and secreting function,is dependent on substantial mobilization or catabolism of body reserves under nutritional deficiency.However,little is known about the biochemical mechanisms for nutrition-restricted lactating animals to simultaneously maintain the anabolism of mammary cells while catabolism of body reserves.In present study,lactating sows with restricted feed allowance(RFA)(n = 6),24% feed restriction compared with the control(CON) group(n = 6),were used as the nutrition-restricted model.Microdialysis and mammary venous cannulas methods were used to monitor postprandial dynamic changes of metabolites in adipose and mammary tissues.Results: At lactation d 28,the RFA group showed higher(P < 0.05) loss of body weight and backfat than the CON group.Compared with the CON group,the adipose tissue of the RFA group had higher(P < 0.05) extracellular glutamate and insulin levels,increased(P < 0.05) lipolysis related genes(HSL and ATGL) expression,and decreased(P < 0.05) glucose transport and metabolism related genes(VAMP8,PKLR and LDHB) expression.These results indicated that under nutritional restriction,reduced insulin-mediated glucose uptake and metabolism and increased lipolysis in adipose tissues was related to extracellular high glutamate concentration.As for mammary glands,compared with the CON group,the RFA group had up-regulated(P < 0.05) expression of Notch signaling ligand(DLL3) and receptors(NOTCH2 and NOTCH4),higher(P < 0.05) extracellular glutamate concentration,while expression of cell proliferation related genes and concentrations of most metabolites in mammary veins were not different(P > 0.05) between groups.Accordingly,piglet performance and milk yield did not differ(P > 0.05) between groups.It would appear that activation of Notch signaling and adequate supply of glutamate might assist mammogenesis.Conclusions: Mammary cell proliferation and catabolism of adipose tissues in nutrition-restricted lactating sows were associated with extracellular high glutamate levels.展开更多
Background： To determine responses of neonatal intestine to maternal increased consumption of DL-methionine（DLM） or DL-2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid（HMTBA）, eighteen primiparous sows（Landrace × Yorksh...Background： To determine responses of neonatal intestine to maternal increased consumption of DL-methionine（DLM） or DL-2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid（HMTBA）, eighteen primiparous sows（Landrace × Yorkshire） were allocated based on body weight and backfat thickness to the control, DLM and HMTBA groups（n = 6）, with the nutritional treatments introduced from postpartum d0 to d14.Results： The DLM-fed sows showed negative energy balance manifested by lost bodyweight, lower plasma glucose, subdued tricarboxylic acid cycle, and increased plasma lipid metabolites levels. Both villus height and ratio of villus height to crypt depth averaged across the small intestine of piglets were higher in the DLM and HMTBA groups than in the control group. Piglet jejunal oxidized glutathione concentration and ratio of oxidized to reduced glutathione were lower in the HMTBA group than in the DLM and control groups. However, piglet jejunal aminopeptidase A, carnitine transporter 2 and IGF-II precursor m RNA abundances were higher in the DLM group than in the HMTBA and control groups.Conclusion： Increasing maternal consumption of methionine as DLM and HMTBA promoted neonatal intestinal growth by increasing morphological development or up-regulating expression of genes responsible for nutrient metabolism. And increasing maternal consumption of HMTBA promoted neonatal intestinal antioxidant capacity without compromising maternal energy homeostasis during early lactation.展开更多
基金This work was supported by Sichuan Provincial Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars(Grant No.2020JDJQ0041)CARS-35 and Sichuan Key Science and Technology Project(NO.2021ZDZX0009).
文摘Background Intrauterine growth retardation(IUGR)affects intestinal growth,morphology,and function,which leads to poor growth performance and high mortality.The present study explored whether maternal dietary methyl donor(MET)supplementation alleviates IUGR and enhances offspring’s growth performance by improving intestinal growth,function,and DNA methylation of the ileum in a porcine IUGR model.Methods Forty multiparous sows were allocated to the control or MET diet groups from mating until delivery.After farrowing,8 pairs of IUGR and normal birth weight piglets from 8 litters were selected for sampling before suckling colostrum.Results The results showed that maternal MET supplementation tended to decrease the IUGR incidence and increased the average weaning weight of piglets.Moreover,maternal MET supplementation significantly reduced the plasma concentrations of isoleucine,cysteine,urea,and total amino acids in sows and newborn pig-lets.It also increased lactase and sucrase activity in the jejunum of newborn piglets.MET addition resulted in lower ileal methionine synthase activity and increased betaine homocysteine S-methyltransferase activity in the ileum of newborn piglets.DNA methylation analysis of the ileum showed that MET supplementation increased the methyla-tion level of DNA CpG sites in the ileum of newborn piglets.Down-regulated differentially methylated genes were enriched in folic acid binding,insulin receptor signaling pathway,and endothelial cell proliferation.In contrast,up-regulated methylated genes were enriched in growth hormone receptor signaling pathway and nitric oxide biosyn-thetic process.Conclusions Maternal MET supplementation can reduce the incidence of IUGR and increase the weaning litter weight of piglets,which may be associated with better intestinal function and methylation status.
基金the Youth Project of Changzhou Health Commission,No.QN202129.
文摘BACKGROUND The prevalence of diabetes mellitus(DM)in China is high,and the base is broad.Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is a critical condition affecting the life and health of a nation and its economic development.DR is a common complication of DM.AIM To investigate the efficacy of laser photocoagulation combined with intravitreal injection of conbercept for treating macular edema.METHODS Overall,130 patients with diabetic macular edema(DME)hospitalized in The Third People’s Hospital of Changzhou from January 2019 to June 2022 were retrospectively included.According to the treatment plan,130 patients with DME were categorized into an observation and a control group,with 65 patients in each group.The control group received laser photocoagulation,and the observation group received laser photocoagulation with intravitreal injection of conbercept.Observe changes in vision,cytokines in the eye and so on.RESULTS The total efficacy rate in the observation group(93.85%)was higher than that in the control group(78.46%)(P<0.05).In both groups,the best corrected visual acuity correction effect improved after treatment,and the observation group was superior to the control group(P<0.05).Retinal thickness and central macular thickness improved after treatment,and the observation group was superior to the control group(P<0.05).The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor,interleukin-6,soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1,and basic fibroblast growth factor in both groups improved after treatment,and the observation group was superior to the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION In patients with macular edema,combining laser photocoagulation and intravitreal injections of conbercept for DME is a more effective and safer strategy to improve vision,and lower intraocular cytokine levels.
基金supported by Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation(171019)Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province(2021NZZJ0016)the 111 project(D17015).
文摘Background:Organic selenium supplementation during gestation improves the antioxidant status and reproduc-tive performance of sows and increases the antioxidative capacity of the intestines of their offspring.This study was conducted to investigate the effect of maternal basel diet(control)supplemented with an organic Se,2-hydroxy-4-methylselenobutanoic acid(HMSeBA),or inorganic sodium selenite(Na_(2)SeO_(3))during gestation on the antioxidant status and development of muscle in newborn and weaned piglets.Newborn piglets before colostrum intake and weaned piglets were selected for longissimus dorsi(LD)muscle collection and analysis.Results:The results showed that maternal HMSeBA supplementation increased the muscle area and content of Se in the LD muscle of newborn piglets,improved gene expression of selenoproteins,and decreased oxidative status in the LD muscle of both newborn and weaned piglets compared with the control.The expression of muscle development-related genes of newborn piglets in the HMSeBA group was lower than in the control group,whereas the expression of MRF4 in weaned piglets was higher in the HMSeBA group than in the control and Na_(2)SeO_(3)groups.In addition,HMSeBA supplementation decreased the mRNA expressions of myosin heavy chains(MyHC)IIx and MyHC IIb and the percentage of MyHC IIb;increased the expression of PGC-1αin the LD muscle of newborn piglets;increased the gene expression of MyHC IIa;and decreased the protein expression of slow MyHC and the activity of malate dehydrogenase in the LD muscle of weaned piglets compared with the control group.Conclusions:Maternal HMSeBA supplementation during gestation can improve the antioxidative capacity of the muscle of their offspring and promote the maturity of muscle fibres in weaned offspring.
基金funded by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2021YFD1300202)the nutritional value evaluation and parameter establishment of protein feedstuffs for sowsthe Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China(125D0203-16190295)the Major Scientific and Technological Special Project of Sichuan Province(No.2021ZDZX0009)。
文摘Background Two studies were designed to determine standard ileal crude protein(CP)and amino acid(AA)digestibility of soybean meal(SBM)from different origins fed to non-pregnant and pregnant sows.Seven solvent-extracted SBMs from soybeans produced in the USA,Brazil,and China were selected.In Exp.1,eight different diets were created:a nitrogen(N)-free diet and 7 experimental diets containing SBM from different origins as the only N source.Eight non-pregnant,multiparous sows were arranged in an 8×8 Latin square design(8 periods and 8 diets).In Exp.2,the diet formula was the same as in Exp.1.Eight gestating sows(parity 3)were assigned to 4 different diets in a replicated 4×3 Youden square design(three periods and four diets)in mid-gestation and again in late-gestation stages.Results When fed to non-pregnant and late-gestating sows,the standardized ileal digestibility(SID)of CP and most AAs from different SBM were not significantly different(P>0.05).When fed to mid-gestating sows,the SID values for Arg,His,Lys,Phe,Cys,Gly,Ser,and Tyr in SBM 1 were lower than in SBM 4 and 5(P<0.05),whereas SID for Leu from SBM 5 was higher than in SBM 1 and 4(P<0.05).SID values for Ile,Ala,and Asp from SBM 4 were lower than in SBM 1 and 5(P<0.05).Sows had significantly greater SID values for Lys,Ala,and Asp during mid-gestation when compared with late-gestation stages(P<0.05).Mid-gestating sows had greater SID value for Val and lower SID value for Tyr when compared with non-pregnant and late-gestating sows(P<0.01),whereas non-pregnant sows had significantly greater SID value for Met when compared with gestating sows(P<0.01).Conclusions When fed to mid-gestating sows,the SID values for most AAs varied among SBM samples.The SID values for Lys,Met,Val,Ala,Asp,and Tyr in SBM were affected by sow gestation stages.Our findings provide a cornerstone for accurate SBM use in sow diets.
基金supported by the National SKA Program of China(Grant Nos.2020SKA0120104 and 2020SKA0120200)the National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2022YFA1603104)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.12041301)。
文摘The importance of Very Long Baseline Interferometry(VLBI)for pulsar research is becoming increasingly prominent and receiving more and more attention.We present the pathfinding pulsar observation results with the Chinese VLBI Network(CVN)incorporating the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope(FAST).On MJD 60045(11th April 2023),PSRs B0919+06 and B1133+16 were observed with the phase-referencing mode in the L-band using four radio telescopes(FAST,TianMa,Haoping,and Nanshan)and correlated with the pulsar binning mode of the distributed FX-style software correlator in Shanghai.After further data processing with the NRAO Astronomical Image Processing System(AIPS),we detected these two pulsars and fitted their current positions with accuracy at the milliarcsecond level.By comparison,our results show significantly better agreement with predicted values based on historical VLBI observations than those with previous timing observations,as pulsar astrometry with the VLBI provides a more direct and model-independent method for accurately obtaining related parameters.
基金supported by the Program for Changjiang Scholars,Sichuan Province "135" Breeding Tackle Project(Project No.2016NYZ0052)
文摘Background: Weanling pigs, with immature immune system and physiological function, usually experience postweaning diarrhea. This study determined the effects of dietary Clostridium butyricum supplementation on growth performance, diarrhea, and immunity of weaned pigs challenged with lipopolysaccharide(LPS).Methods: In Experiment(Exp.) 1,144 weaned piglets were weaned at 21 d and randomly assigned to six groups,with six replicates per group and four pigs per replicate, receiving a control diet(CON) or diet supplemented with antibiotics(AB) or C. butyricum(CB)(0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4%, or 0.8%), respectively. All diets in Exp. 1 were a highly digestible basal diet, with 3,000 mg/kg zinc oxide supplied in the first 2 wk only. In Exp. 2, 180 piglets were weaned at 21 d and randomly assigned to five groups, with six replicates per group and six pigs per replicate, receiving CON, AB, or CB(0.2%, 0.4%, or 0.6%) diets. The digestibility of diets was lower than those in Exp. 1, and did not include zinc oxide. At 36 d of Exp. 2, 12 piglets were selected from each of the CON and 0.4% CB groups, six piglets were intraperitoneally injected with LPS(50 μg/kg body weight) and the other six piglets with normal saline;animals were killed at 4 h after injection to collect blood, intestine, and digesta samples for biochemical analysis.Results: In Exp. 1, CB and AB diets had no effect on growth performance of piglets. In Exp. 2, 0.4% CB decreased feed-gain ratio(P < 0.1), diarrhea score(P < 0.05), and increased duodenal, jejunal, and ileal villus height and jejunal villus height/crypt depth(P < 0.05). The 0.4% CB decreased the plasma tumor necrosis factor(TNF) α(P < 0.05) but increased ileal mucosa IL-10 and TLR2 mRNA expression(P < 0.05). Furthermore, 0.4% CB altered the microbial profile, with Bacillus and Ruminococcaceae UGG-003 at genus level and Lactobacillus casei and Parasutterella secunda at species level were higher than CON in colonic content(P < 0.05).Conclusions: Dietary C. butyricum supplementation had positive effects on growth of weaned piglets with less digestible diets. There was a tendency to reduce the feed-gain ratio, which could reduce feed costs in pig production. Moreover, C. butyricum decreased post-weaning diarrhea by improving the intestinal morphology,intestinal microflora profile, and immune function.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.32002178 and 31772605)the Undergraduate Training Program for Innovation and Entrepreneurship(X202110712185).
文摘Background:Spermatogenesis is an intricate developmental process during which undifferentiated spermatogonia,containing spermatogonial stem cells(SSCs),undergo self-renewal and differentiation to generate eventually mature spermatozoa.Spermatogenesis occurs in seminiferous tubules within the testis,and the seminiferous tubules harbor Sertoli and germ cells.Sertoli cells are an essential somatic cell type within the microenvironment that support and steer male germ cell development,whereas spermatogonia are the primitive male germ cells at the onset of spermatogenesis.While the developmental progression of Sertoli cells and spermatogonia has been well established in mice,much less is known in other mammalian species including pigs.Results:To acquire knowledge of Sertoli cell and spermatogonial development in pigs,here we collected as many as nine ages of Duroc porcine testes from the neonate to sexual maturity,i.e.,testes from 7-,30-,50-,70-,90-,110-,130-,150-and 210-day-old boars,and performed histological and immunohistochemical analyses on testis sections.We first examined the development of spermatogenic cells and seminiferous tubules in porcine testes.Then,by immunofluorescence staining for marker proteins(AMH,SOX9,DBA,UCHL1,VASA,KIT,Ki67 and/or PCNA),we delved into the proliferative activity and development of Sertoli cells and of spermatogonial subtypes(pro-,undifferentiated and differentiating spermatogonia).Besides,by immunostaining forβ-catenin and ZO-1,we studied the establishment of the blood-testis barrier in porcine testes.Conclusions:In this longitudinal study,we have systematically investigated the elaborate Sertoli cell and spermatogonial developmental patterns in pigs from the neonate to sexual maturity that have so far remained largely unknown.The findings not only extend the knowledge about spermatogenesis and testicular development in pigs,but also lay the theoretical groundwork for porcine breeding and rearing.
基金This work was supported by overseas Expertise Introduction Project for Discipline Innovation(111 Project)Sichuan Agricultural University Shuangzhi plan for discipline construction project。
文摘Background:The objective of this study was to evaluate the replacement effects of milk powder(MK)and fish meal(FM)by enzymatic soybean(ESB)in diets on growth performance,immunological parameters,SCFAs production and gut microbiome of weaned piglets.Methods:A total of 128 piglets with initial body weight at 6.95±0.46 kg,were randomly assigned into 4 dietary treatments with 8 replicates per treatment and 4 piglets per replicate for a period of 14 d.Piglets were offered isonitrogenous and iso-energetic diets as follows:CON diet with MK and FM as high quality protein sources,ESB plus FM diet with ESB replacing MK,ESB plus MK diet with ESB replacing FM,and ESB diet with ESB replacing both MK and FM.Results:No significant differences were observed in growth performance among all treatments(P>0.05).However,piglets fed ESB plus FM or ESB diet had increased diarrhea index(P<0.01),and lower digestibility of dry matter(DM),gross energy(GE)or crude protein(CP),relative to piglets fed CON diet(P<0.01).Moreover,the inclusion of ESB in diet markedly decreased the plasma concentration of HPT and fecal concentration of butyric acid(BA)(P<0.01).The High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene V3−V4 region of gut microbiome revealed that the inclusion of ESB in diet increased the alpha diversity,and the linear discriminant analysis effect size(LEfSe)showed that piglets fed with ESB plus FM or ESB diet contained more gut pathogenic bacteria,such as g_Peptococcus,g_Veillonella and g_Helicobacter.Conclusion:The inclusion of ESB in diet did not markedly affect growth performance of piglets,but the replacement of MK or both MK and FM by ESB increased diarrhea index,which could be associated with lower nutrients digestibility and more gut pathogenic bacteria.However,piglets fed diet using ESB to replace FM did not markedly affect gut health-related parameters,indicating the potential for replacing FM with ESB in weaning diet.
基金supported by the Sichuan Science and Technology Program(2021YJ0287)National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaPR China(31772616)。
文摘Background:Dietary fiber(DF)is often eschewed in swine diet due to its anti-nutritional effects,but DF is attracting growing attention for its reproductive benefits.The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of DF intake level on oocyte maturation and uterine development,to determine the optimal DF intake for gilts,and gain microbial and metabolomic insight into the underlying mechanisms involved.Methods:Seventy-six Landrace×Yorkshire(LY)crossbred replacement gilts of similar age(92.6±0.6 d;mean±standard deviation[SD])and body weight(BW,33.8±3.9 kg;mean±SD)were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatment groups(n=19);a basal diet without extra DF intake(DF 1.0),and 3 dietary groups ingesting an extra50%(DF 1.5),75%(DF 1.75),and 100%(DF 2.0)dietary fiber mixture consisting of inulin and cellulose(1:4).Oocyte maturation and uterine development were assessed on 19 d of the 2nd oestrous cycle.Microbial diversity of faecal samples was analysed by high-throughput pyrosequencing(16S r RNA)and blood samples were subjected to untargeted metabolomics.Results:The rates of oocytes showing first polar bodies after in vitro maturation for 44 h and uterine development increased linearly with increasing DF intake;DF 1.75 gilts had a 19.8%faster oocyte maturation rate and a 48.9 cm longer uterus than DF 1.0 gilts(P<0.05).Among the top 10 microbiota components at the phylum level,8increased linearly with increasing DF level,and the relative abundance of 30 of 53 microbiota components at the genus level(>0.1%)increased linearly or quadratically with increasing DF intake.Untargeted metabolic analysis revealed significant changes in serum metabolites that were closely associated with microbiota,including serotonin,a gut-derived signal that stimulates oocyte maturation.Conclusions:The findings provide evidence of the benefits of increased DF intake by supplementing inulin and cellulose on oocyte maturation and uterine development in gilts,and new microbial and metabolomic insight into the mechanisms mediating the effects of DF on reproductive performance of replacement gilts.
基金This study was supported by National Key R&D Program of China(2018YFD0501005)National Natural Science Foundation of China,PR China(31772616).
文摘Background:Replacement gilts are typically fed ad libitum,whereas emerging evidence from human and rodent studies has revealed that time-restricted access to food has health benefits.The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of meal frequency on the metabolic status and ovarian follicular development in gilts.Methods:A total of 36 gilts(Landrace×Yorkshire)with an age of 150±3 d and a body weight of 77.6±3.8 kg were randomly allocated into one of three groups(n=12 in each group),and based on the group allocation,the gilts were fed at a frequency of one meal(T1),two meals(T2),or six meals per day(T6)for 14 consecutive weeks.The effects of the meal frequency on growth preference,nutrient utilization,short-chain fatty acid production by gut microbial,the post-meal dynamics in the metabolic status,reproductive hormone secretions,and ovarian follicular development in the gilts were measured.Results:The gilts in the T1 group presented a higher average daily gain(+48 g/d,P<0.05)and a higher body weight(+4.9 kg,P<0.05)than those in the T6 group.The meal frequency had no effect on the apparent digestibility of dry matter,crude protein,ether extract,ash,and gross energy,with the exception that the T1 gilts exhibited a greater NDF digestibility than the T6 gilts(P<0.05).The nitrogen balance analysis revealed that the T1 gilts presented decreased urine excretion of nitrogen(−8.17 g/d,P<0.05)and higher nitrogen retention(+9.81 g/d,P<0.05),and thus exhibited higher nitrogen utilization than the T6 gilts.The time-course dynamics of glucose,α-amino nitrogen,urea,lactate,and insulin levels in serum revealed that the T1 group exhibited higher utilization of nutrients after a meal than the T2 or T6 gilts.The T1 gilts also had a higher acetate content and SCFAs in feces than the T6 gilts(P<0.05).The age,body weight and backfat thickness of the gilts at first estrous expression were not affected by the meal frequency,but the gilts in the T1 group had higher levels of serum luteinizing hormone on the 18th day of the 3rd estrus cycle and 17β-estradiol,a larger number of growing follicles and corpora lutea,and higher mRNA expression levels of genes related to follicular development on the 19th day of the 3rd estrus cycle.Conclusions:The current findings revealed the benefits of a lower meal frequency equal feed intake on nutrient utilization and reproductive function in replacement gilts,and thus provide new insights into the nutritional strategy for replacement gilts,and the dietary pattern for other mammals,such as humans.
基金supported by National Science Foundation of Sichuan Province[2023NSFSC0010]National Natural Science Foundation of China[32230102]+1 种基金the Major Scientific and Technological Special Project of Sichuan Province[No.2021ZDZX0009]National Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System Sichuan Pig innovation team[scsztd-2023-08-03].
文摘Background The feed intake of sows during lactation is often lower than their needs.High-fiber feed is usually used during gestation to increase the voluntary feed intake of sows during lactation.However,the mechanism underlying the effect of bulky diets on the appetites of sows during lactation have not been fully clarified.The current study was conducted to determine whether a high-fiber diet during gestation improves lactational feed intake(LFI)of sows by modulating gut microbiota.Methods We selected an appropriate high-fiber diet during gestation and utilized the fecal microbial transplanta-tion(FMT)method to conduct research on the role of the gut microbiota in feed intake regulation of sows during lactation,as follows:high-fiber(HF)diet during gestation(n=23),low-fiber(LF)diet during gestation(n=23),and low-fiber diet+HF-FMT(LFM)during gestation(n=23).Results Compared with the LF,sows in the HF and LFM groups had a higher LFI,while the sows also had higher peptide tyrosine tyrosine and glucagon-like peptide 1 on d 110 of gestation(G110 d).The litter weight gain of piglets during lactation and weaning weight of piglets from LFM group were higher than LF group.Sows given a HF diet had lower Proteobacteria,especially Escherichia-Shigella,on G110 d and higher Lactobacillus,especially Lactobacil-lus_mucosae_LM1 and Lactobacillus_amylovorus,on d 7 of lactation(L7 d).The abundance of Escherichia-Shigella was reduced by HF-FMT in numerically compared with the LF.In addition,HF and HF-FMT both decreased the perinatal concentrations of proinflammatory factors,such as endotoxin(ET),lipocalin-2(LCN-2),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and interleukin-1β(IL-1β).The concentration of ET and LCN-2 and the abundance of Proteobacteria and Escheri-chia-Shigella were negatively correlated with the LFI of sows.Conclusion The high abundance of Proteobacteria,especially Escherichia-Shigella of LF sows in late gestation,led to increased endotoxin levels,which result in inflammatory responses and adverse effects on the LFI of sows.Add-ing HF during gestation reverses this process by increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus,especially Lactobacil-lus_mucosae_LM1 and Lactobacillus_amylovorus.
基金funded by the Sichuan Major Science and Technology Project(2021ZDZX0009)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.035Z2060).
文摘Fertility is the most crucial step in the development process,which is controlled by many fertility-related proteins,including spermatogenesis-,oogenesis-and embryogenesis-related proteins.The identification of fertility-related proteins can provide important clues for studying the role of these proteins in development.Therefore,in this study,we constructed a two-layer classifier to identify fertility-related proteins.In this classifier,we first used the composition of amino acids(AA)and their physical and chemical properties to code these three fertility-related proteins.Then,the feature set is optimized by analysis of variance(ANOVA)and incremental feature selection(IFS)to obtain the optimal feature subset.Through five-fold cross-validation(CV)and independent data tests,the performance of models constructed by different machine learning(ML)methods is evaluated and compared.Finally,based on support vector machine(SVM),we obtained a two-layer model to classify three fertility-related proteins.On the independent test data set,the accuracy(ACC)and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC)of the first layer classifier are 81.95%and 0.89,respectively,and them of the second layer classifier are 84.74%and 0.90,respectively.These results show that the proposed model has stable performance and satisfactory prediction accuracy,and can become a powerful model to identify more fertility related proteins.
基金Supported by the Key Laboratory of Emergency Detection Technology for Emerging Infectious Diseases in Guangdong Province,approval number 2023B112010010(2023).
文摘What is already known about this topic?Echinococcosis exhibits a global distribution.In China,the primary endemic area is the northwest region.In December 2023,we documented a case of echinococcosis in an individual lacking any travel or residential history in endemic regions.What is added by this report?This is the first laboratory-confirmed case of hepatic echinococcosis reported in Guangdong Province,associated with the G7 genotype of Echinococcus granulosus(E.granulosus).The most probable mode of transmission is a local infection resulting from E.granulosus introduced from endemic regions.What are the implications for public health practice?As the circulation of agricultural products increases,it is essential to enhance the quarantine and management of livestock from epidemic areas to prevent and control the spread of echinococcosis to non-epidemic regions.
基金supported by the Projects of The National Key Research and Development Program of China(grant number 2016YFD0501204)Sichuan provincial project on S&T application and demonstration(grant number2016CC0070)the project on commercialization of research findings under funding of government of Sichuan province(grant number16ZHSF0385).
文摘Background:This study aimed to investigate the effects of oral administration of Enterococcus faecium NCIMB10415(E.faecium)on intestinal development,immunological parameters and gut microbiota of neonatal piglets challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88(ETEC).A total of 961-day-old sow-reared piglets were randomly assigned to 2 groups,with 48 piglets in each group.The piglets were from 16 litters(6 piglets each litter),and 3 piglets each litter were allocated to the E.faecium-supplemented(PRO)group,while the other 3 piglets were allocated to the control(CON)group.After colostrum intake,piglets in the PRO group were orally administrated with 3×10~9 CFU E.faecium per day for a period of one week.On day 8,one piglet per litter from each group was challenged(CON+ETEC,PRO+ETEC)or not(CON-ETEC,PRO-ETEC)with ETEC in a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments.On day 10(2 days after challenge),blood and tissue samples were obtained from piglets.Results:Before ETEC challenge,there were no significant differences for the average daily gain(ADG)and fecal score between the two groups of piglets.After ETEC challenge,the challenged piglets had greater fecal score compared to the non-challenged piglets,whereas E.faecium administration was able to decrease the fecal score.Piglets challenged with ETEC had shorter villous height,deeper crypt depth,and reduced number of goblet cells in the jejunum and decreased m RNA abundance of claudin-1 in the ileum,whereas increased the percentage of lymphocytes,concentrations of IL-1βin the plasma and TNF-αin the ileal mucosa,as well as increased the m RNA abundances of innate immunity-related genes in the ileum tissue.These deleterious effects caused by ETEC were partly alleviated by feeding E.faecium.In addition,piglets in PRO-ETEC group had decreased the percentage of CD8^+T cells of the peripheral blood when compared to those in CON-ETEC group.Moreover,E.faecium administration increased Verrucomicrobia at phylum level and decreased Bilophila at genus level.Conclusions:These results suggest that oral administration of E.faecium alleviated the intestinal injury and diarrhea severity of neonatal piglets challenged by ETEC,partly through improving the intestinal microbiota and immune response.This offers a potential strategy of dietary intervention against intestinal impairment by ETEC in neonatal piglets.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(NO.2018YFD0501005)National Natural Science Fund (NO. 31772616)Sichuan Province “135” Breeding Tackle Project (NO. 2016NYZ0052)。
文摘Background: This study aimed to investigate the impacts of guar gum and cellulose as the source of dietary fiber during gestation on the reproductive performance of sows.Methods: A total of 210 sows(parities 3–6) were randomly allocated into six diets(n = 35) throughout gestation to feed graded levels of dietary fiber(DF), including a corn-soybean meal-based control diet with no wheat bran inclusion(CON, 12.5% DF), a wheat bran-rich diet(DF1, 17.4% DF), and another 4 diets(DF2, 17.7% DF;DF3, 18.1%DF;DF4, 18.4% DF;DF5, 18.8% DF) in which wheat bran were equally substituted by 1%, 2%, 3% and 4% purified FIBER MIX(guar gum and cellulose, 1:4). All sows received similar DE and other nutrients throughout gestation.Results: DF treatment during gestation resulted in normal fecal score(1 to 5 with 1 = dry and 5 = watery) in sows compared with those received the CON diet(P < 0.05). The number of total born piglets had a tendency to be affected by dietary treatment(P = 0.07), and correlation analysis revealed a linear response of total born to dietary fiber levels during gestation(P < 0.01). Sows received the DF2, DF3, and DF5 diets during gestation had a greater ADFI during lactation compared with those in the CON group(P < 0.05) without affecting the daily body weight gain of suckling piglets. Gut microbiota compositions were dramatically changed by the gestation stage and some of those were changed by DF inclusion. Fecal acetate, propionate, and butyrate of sows were markedly increased in late gestation, and butyrate contents in feces of gestating sows were significantly affected by DF levels(P < 0.01).Serum concentrations of pro-inflammatory TNF-α were decreased and anti-inflammatory IL-10 was increased on day30 of gestation by DF levels(P < 0.05).Conclusions: In summary, increasing dietary fiber levels by guar gum and cellulose during gestation improved the reproductive performance of sows, which might be related to changes in immunity and gut microbiota of sows.
基金This study was supported in part by the National Key R&D Program of China(2018YFD0501000)to W.X.Z.
文摘Sperm are specialized cells that require adenosine triphosphate(ATP) to support their function.Maintaining sperm energy homeostasis in vitro is vitally important to improve the efficacy of boar sperm preservation. Metformin can activate 5′-AMPactivated protein kinase(AMPK) to improve metabolic flexibility and maintain energy homeostasis. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether metformin can improve boar sperm quality through AMPK mediation of energy metabolism. Sperm motility parameters, membrane integrity,acrosomeintegrity,mitochondrial membrane potential(ΔΨm), ATP content, glucose uptake,and lactate efflux were analyzed.Localization and expression levels of AMPK and phospho-Thr172-AMPK(p-AMPK) were also detected by immunofluorescence and western blotting. We found that metformin treatment significantly increased sperm motility parameters, ΔΨm, and ATP content during storage at 17 ℃. Moreover, results showed that AMPK was localized at the acrosomal region, connecting piece, and midpiece of sperm and p-AMPK was distributed at the post-acrosomal region, connecting piece, and midpiece. When sperm were incubated with metformin for 4 h at 37 ℃, sperm motility parameters, ΔΨm, ATP content,p-AMPK, glucose uptake, and lactate efflux all significantly increased, whereas the addition of Compound C treatment, an inhibitor of AMPK,counteracted these positive effects. Together, our results suggest that metformin promotes AMPK activation, which contributes to the maintenance of energy hemostasis and mitochondrial activity,thereby maintaining boar sperm functionality and improving the efficacy of semen preservation.
基金supported by the Danish Pig Levy Fund(Project“Rasp”)and Aarhus University.Liang Hu received a scholarship provided by China Scholarship Council.
文摘Background:Determination of nutrient requirements in the late gestating and lactating sows is essential to optimize sow productivity.The objectives of the present study were to quantify amino acid(AA)fluxes and heat production across portal-drained viscera(PDV)and liver in multiparous sows during transition and lactation.Methods:Eight second parity sows were fitted with indwelling catheters in the femoral artery and in the mesenteric,portal and hepatic veins.Eight hourly sets of blood samples were taken starting 0.5 h before feeding at−10,−3,+3,and+17 d in milk(DIM).Blood gases,plasma metabolites and apparent total tract digestibility(ATTD)of nutrients were measured.Results:Feed intake,the ATTD of DM,energy,nitrogen,fat and crude fiber changed with DIM(P<0.001).Except for Glu,O2,and urea,all net portal fluxes were positive,and all were affected by DIM(P<0.05)and by sampling time(P<0.01).Compared with pre partum levels,net portal uptake of AA was 3-63%lower at+3 DIM but 40-100%higher at+17 DIM.Net portal fluxes of AA peaked at 1.5 to 2.5 h after feeding except for Glu,and they were positively correlated with changes in sow feed intake across DIM.The net portal recovery was low for Met(49%),Thr(54%),and His(54%)and high for the remaining essential AA(63-69%)and none of them differed across DIM.Net hepatic uptake(i.e.hepatic oxidation)of Lys,Thr,Ile,Leu and Phe peaked at 0.5 to 2.5 h after feeding,whereas uptake of Trp,Val,and His was constant,while that of Met was close to zero.Conclusion:The net portal recovery was substantially lower for Met,Thr,and His than the remaining essential AA.Hepatic AA oxidation peaks 0.5 to 2.5 h after feeding.The heat production in PDV and liver was approximately two-fold higher at peak lactation compared to other stages.The study suggests that lysine was the limiting AA in peak lactation but not in early lactation.
基金supported by the National Special Research Fund for Non-Profit Sector(Agriculture)(No.201203015)Academy of Kechuang Feed Industry in Sichuan(2013NZ0056)+1 种基金Research Team of Youth Scientific and Technical Innovation of Sichuan(13CXTD0004)the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University(IRT13083)
文摘Background： Previous studies suggested that supplementation of lactating sows with β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate（HMB） could improve the performance of weaning pigs, but there were little information in the muscle fiber type transformation of the offspring and the subsequent performance in pigs from weaning through finishing in response to maternal HMB consumption. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of supplementing lactating sows with HMB on skeletal muscle fiber type transformation and growth of the offspring during d 28 and180 after birth. A total of 20 sows according to their body weight were divided into the control（CON, n = 10） or HMB groups（HMB, n = 10）. Sows in the HMB group were supplemented with β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate calcium（HMB-Ca） 2 g/kg feed during d 1 to 27 of lactation. After weaning, 48 mixed sex piglets were blocked by sow treatment and fed standard diets for post-weaning, growing, finishing periods. Growth performance was recorded during d 28 to 180 after birth. Pigs were slaughtered on d 28（n = 6/treatment） and 180（n = 6/treatment） postnatal and the longissimus dorsi（LD） was collected, respectively.Results： The HMB-fed sows during lactation showed increased HMB concentration（P ＆lt; 0.05） in milk and LD of weaning piglets（P ＆lt; 0.05）. In addition, offsprings in HMB group had a higher finishing BW and lean percentage than did pigs in CON group（P ＆lt; 0.05）, meanwhile, compared with pigs from sows fed the CON diet, pigs from sows fed HMB diet showed higher type Ⅱ muscle fiber cross-sectional area（CSA）, elevated myosin heavy chain（MyHC） Ⅱb and Sox6 mRNA, and fast-MyHC protein levels in LD（P ＆lt; 0.05）.Conclusions： HMB supplemented to sow diets throughout lactation increases the levels of HMB in maternal milk and skeletal muscle of pigs during d 28 after birth and promotes subsequent performance of pigs between d 28 and 180 of age by enhancing glycolytic muscle fiber transformation.
基金support from the National Natural Science Fundation of China(31472109)
文摘Background: Persistent lactation,as the result of mammary cellular anabolism and secreting function,is dependent on substantial mobilization or catabolism of body reserves under nutritional deficiency.However,little is known about the biochemical mechanisms for nutrition-restricted lactating animals to simultaneously maintain the anabolism of mammary cells while catabolism of body reserves.In present study,lactating sows with restricted feed allowance(RFA)(n = 6),24% feed restriction compared with the control(CON) group(n = 6),were used as the nutrition-restricted model.Microdialysis and mammary venous cannulas methods were used to monitor postprandial dynamic changes of metabolites in adipose and mammary tissues.Results: At lactation d 28,the RFA group showed higher(P < 0.05) loss of body weight and backfat than the CON group.Compared with the CON group,the adipose tissue of the RFA group had higher(P < 0.05) extracellular glutamate and insulin levels,increased(P < 0.05) lipolysis related genes(HSL and ATGL) expression,and decreased(P < 0.05) glucose transport and metabolism related genes(VAMP8,PKLR and LDHB) expression.These results indicated that under nutritional restriction,reduced insulin-mediated glucose uptake and metabolism and increased lipolysis in adipose tissues was related to extracellular high glutamate concentration.As for mammary glands,compared with the CON group,the RFA group had up-regulated(P < 0.05) expression of Notch signaling ligand(DLL3) and receptors(NOTCH2 and NOTCH4),higher(P < 0.05) extracellular glutamate concentration,while expression of cell proliferation related genes and concentrations of most metabolites in mammary veins were not different(P > 0.05) between groups.Accordingly,piglet performance and milk yield did not differ(P > 0.05) between groups.It would appear that activation of Notch signaling and adequate supply of glutamate might assist mammogenesis.Conclusions: Mammary cell proliferation and catabolism of adipose tissues in nutrition-restricted lactating sows were associated with extracellular high glutamate levels.
基金financially support from the Rhodimet Research Grant from Adisseo France S.A.S.,Briand,Antony Cedex,Francethe National Natural Science Fundation of China(31472109)+2 种基金Sichuan Province Science Foundation for Fostering Youths Talents(2011JQ0015)Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University(IRT13083)All sources of funding were involved in the design of the study and collection,analysis,and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript
文摘Background： To determine responses of neonatal intestine to maternal increased consumption of DL-methionine（DLM） or DL-2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid（HMTBA）, eighteen primiparous sows（Landrace × Yorkshire） were allocated based on body weight and backfat thickness to the control, DLM and HMTBA groups（n = 6）, with the nutritional treatments introduced from postpartum d0 to d14.Results： The DLM-fed sows showed negative energy balance manifested by lost bodyweight, lower plasma glucose, subdued tricarboxylic acid cycle, and increased plasma lipid metabolites levels. Both villus height and ratio of villus height to crypt depth averaged across the small intestine of piglets were higher in the DLM and HMTBA groups than in the control group. Piglet jejunal oxidized glutathione concentration and ratio of oxidized to reduced glutathione were lower in the HMTBA group than in the DLM and control groups. However, piglet jejunal aminopeptidase A, carnitine transporter 2 and IGF-II precursor m RNA abundances were higher in the DLM group than in the HMTBA and control groups.Conclusion： Increasing maternal consumption of methionine as DLM and HMTBA promoted neonatal intestinal growth by increasing morphological development or up-regulating expression of genes responsible for nutrient metabolism. And increasing maternal consumption of HMTBA promoted neonatal intestinal antioxidant capacity without compromising maternal energy homeostasis during early lactation.
