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Chinese sweet lily (Lilium davidii var. unicolor), the only edible lily in the world, has high nutritional value. At present, the application of preservation technology is relatively backward, resulting in a large loss of lily. Therefore, the preservation has become one of the key factors limiting the development of the edible lily bulbs industry. This paper reviews the various application of pretreatment and storage technologies for the preservation of lily bulbs. It is considered that irradiation and proper preservative can be used for pretreatment. Vacuum packaging can be used for short-term storage and transportation. Phase temperature storage could be as a long-term storage mode of lily bulbs.

Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii, which can infect warm-blooded animals and humans. The present study was performed to investigate the seroprevalence of T. gondii in horses in Xinjiang, northwestern China. A total of 637 blood samples were collected from seven regions in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang in 2011 and assayed for T. gondiiantibodies using the modified agglutination test (MAT). Risk factors (age, gender, and region) related to seroprevalence were determined by a multivariate logistic regression analysis. A total of 200 horses (31.4%, 95% CI 27.79–35.00) were seropositive for T. gondii. Age, gender, and region present no association with seroprevalence (p>0.05) in the logistic regression analysis. The results indicated that T. gondii is widely prevalent in horses in Xinjiang, northwestern China, representing a serious threat to animal and human health. Therefore, more careful measures should be performed to control and prevent T. gondii infection in horses from Xinjiang, northwestern China.

Background and purpose: Transient elastography (TE) has been shown to be a valuable tool for the prediction of large esophageal varices. However, the conclusions have not been always consistent throughout the different studies. Therefore, we performed a further meta-analysis in order to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of transient elastography for the prediction of large esophageal varices. Methods: We performed a systematic literature search in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and CENTRAL in The Cochrane Library without time restriction. The strategy we used was "(fibroscan OR transient elastography OR stiffness) AND esophageal varices". Accuracy measures such as pooled sensitivity, specificity, among others, were calculated using Meta-DiSc statistical software. Results: Twenty studies (2,994 patients) were included in our meta-analysis. The values of pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios and diagnostic odds ratio were as follows: 0.81 (95% CI, 0.79-0.84), 0.71 (95% CI, 0.69-0.73), 2.63 (95% CI, 2.15-3.23), 0.27 (95% CI, 0.22-0.34) and 10.30 (95% CI, 7.33-14.47). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.83. The Spearman correlation coefficient was 0.246 with a p-value of 0.296, indicating the absence of any significant threshold effects. In our subgroup analysis, the heterogeneity could be partially explained by the geographical origin of the study or etiology; or it could be partially explained blindingly, through the appropriate interval and cut-off value of the liver stiffness (LS). Conclusions: Transient elastography could be used as a valuable non-invasive screening tool for the prediction of large esophageal varices. However, since LS cut-off values vary throughout the different studies and significant heterogeneity also exists among them, we need more reasonable approaches or flow diagram in order to improve the operability of this technology.

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effect of transformed Lactobacillys reuteri on intestinal pH and morphology, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and serum biochemical indexes of broiler chickens. A total of 480 broilers were assigned to six treatment groups and fed a phosphorus-adequate diet, a phosphorus-deficient diet, or a phosphorus-deficient diet containing different L. reuteri recombinants. The results showed that transformed L. reuteri decreased the pH in the duodenum and jejunum of chickens at day 21, decreased drip loss and cooking loss of muscles, and improved muscle tenderness of chickens at days 21 and 42, but did not affect carcass characteristics and only slightly decreased abdominal fat. Transformed L. reuteri also significantly increased calcium, phosphorus, and glucose levels, decreased the uric acid level of serum at day 21, and significantly increased the glucose level and decreased the triglycerides of serum on day 42. L. reuteri pLEM4159-cel/phy increased the villi height in the duodenum of chickens at days 21 and 42. The transformed L. reuteri decreased the crypt depth in the duodenum and jejunum of chickens at day 21 and also decreased the crypt depth in the ileum and increased the villi height in the duodenum at day 42. L. reuteri pLEM4158 (phy) and L. reuteri pLEM4159-cel/phy improved the villi height in the ileum at day 42. Taken together, transformed L. reuteri can improve blood calcium, phosphorus, and glucose metabolism and intestinal development in broilers, but does not affect carcass characteristics.