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Graphical abstract, Highlights • Respiratory tract irritation and hepatotoxicity were not observed after inhalation exposure. • A significant decrease in mean body weight at high dose was observed. • Inhalation of 1-propanol was no harmful to rats over an exposure period of thirteen weeks., 1-Propanol is a colorless volatile liquid at room temperature and is an important industrial alcohol. Workers are potentially exposed to it through inhalation during industrial activities, including manufacturing, sampling, filling, and mixing processes, as well as during cleaning, maintenance, and repair. Consequently, further information and/or testing for inhalation-related toxicological data is required to assess occupational risk. In this study, 80 (40 male and 40 female) F344 rats were exposed to 1-propanol vapors for 13 weeks (6 h a day, 5 days per week) at target concentrations of 0, 500, 1,600, and 5200 ppm in a whole-body inhalation chamber system. Clinical signs, mean body weight changes, food consumption, hematology, blood biochemistry, necropsy, organ weight, and histopathological findings were observed. The exposure concentrations in chambers were 501.30 ± 9.54 ppm, 1605.43 ± 66.55 ppm, and 5202.19 ± 102.74 ppm for the low, middle, and high dose groups, respectively. No changes related to 1-propanol were observed, including histopathological findings, except for mean body weight changes. The significant decrease in mean body weight at a high dose was not considered to be an adverse effect. Based on these results, the no observed adverse effect concentration of 1-propanol was estimated to be 5202.19 ppm.

Hydrogels are commonly used in wound dressing, as they retain moisture, accelerate healing, and break down necrotic tissue. This process enhances patient comfort levels while simultaneously reducing pain caused by dead tissue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vivo toxicity of a dual hydrogel consisting of type I atelocollagen cross-linked with sodium hyaluronate hydrogel used for wound dressing. Porcine type I atelocollagen was cross-linked with sodium hyaluronate to form the hydrogel. For subcutaneous implantation, 0.5 ml of dual hydrogel was injected into two different sites of twenty rats per group. High density polyethylene rods were implanted subcutaneously to serve as a control material. Hematological assessment, blood biochemistry, histopathological, and histological evaluations were scored and graded after 4 weeks. A bioreactivity rating was used for evaluation of subacute toxicity. Differences observed in blood chemical analysis and hematological analysis between control and test groups were within normal variations and considered unrelated to the test article implantation. No significant implantation-related lesions were observed in any of the major organs of all test animals. The overall histopathological index of the test article implantation sites was evaluated as 0. The bioreactivity rating was evaluated as non-irritant after 4-week subcutaneous implantation. Overall, these results indicate that the dual hydrogel of type I atelocollagen and sodium hyaluronate is biologically and chemically safe for clinical application as a wound dressing.

Background Diabetes is prevalent in Kuwait. We aimed to assess the level of glycemic control in Kuwaiti adults with diabetes. Methods The World Health Organization’s STEPS non-communicable disease risk factor survey was conducted in Kuwait in 2014. Participants’ demographics, medical history, physical measurements and blood biochemistry were assessed. A total of 2561 Kuwaiti men and women aged 18–69 years completed all three survey steps. Glycemic control in 278 individuals with diabetes who were on glucose-lowering medication was determined using the US National Institutes of Health guidelines of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≤7.2 mmol/l and the American Diabetes Association guidelines of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) Results Adequate glycemic control in people with drug-treated diabetes was 34.5% when determined by HbA1c, 37.8% when determined by FPG level, and 24.5% when both criteria were met. Mean body-mass index and fasting serum triglycerides were significantly higher and serum high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol significantly lower in individuals with an inadequate glycemic control than in those with adequate control. Women with diabetes were almost twice as likely to have inadequate HbA1c levels as men with diabetes (OR, 1.9, [95% CI, 1.03, 3.5]). Conclusions Glycemic control in Kuwaiti adults with treated diabetes is low. A systemic, multi-disciplinary public health approach is needed to improve diabetes education and adherence to treatment.

Background: Hepatic lipidosis is a common condition in reptiles but is rarely reported in amphibians. Case description: A 1-year-old tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) of unknown sex, was presented with a 6-week history of anorexia. Diagnostic tests performed included an in-house hematological evaluation, blood biochemistry, radiology, coelomic ultrasound, and computed tomography (CT), which revealed hepatic lipidosis. Hospitalization for supportive medical management included enteral nutrition, antibiotic, and liver support medication. Conclusions and case relevance: The salamander responded well to medical management and started eating a week after discharge. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of diagnosis of hepatic lipidosis in a salamander by quantitative CT, which represents a noninvasive alternative to liver biopsy.

This study investigated the effects of free-range days on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, lymphoid organ indices, and blood biochemical parameters of Wannan Yellow chickens. A total of 1,000 one-day-old male Wannan Yellow chickens were reared to 56 D. At 56 D of age, 960 birds with similar body weight (BW) were randomly allocated to free-range treatment at 56, 70, 84, and 98 D of age (assigned to free-range treatment for 42, 28, 14, and 0 D, respectively); 6 replicates with 40 chickens per treatment. In the free-range system, chickens were reared in indoor floor pens with an outdoor free-range paddock measuring 4 × 7 m (28 m2, 1.5 birds/m2). Results showed that BW of birds decreased significantly in the first 2 wk after birds were assigned to free-range treatment compared with those in the conventional treatment (P < 0.05). Average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) decreased significantly (P < 0.05) for chickens assigned to free-range treatment from 56 to 70 D of age, while feed conversion ratio increased significantly (P < 0.05). Breast yield increased linearly with increasing free-range days (P < 0.05), whereas leg and foot yields decreased linearly (P < 0.05). Drip loss and L* value of thigh muscle decreased linearly with increasing free-range days (P < 0.05), while shear force improved linearly (P < 0.05). Additionally, the absolute thymus weight and thymus to BW ratio showed significant increasing and then decreasing quadratic responses to increasing free-range days (P < 0.05). Furthermore, serum glucose, total protein, cholesterol, and triglyceride content declined linearly, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) content increased linearly with increasing free-range days (P < 0.05). In conclusion, increasing free-range days had positive effects on breast yield, shear force, thymus weight, and HDL-C content, but negatively affected leg yield, foot yield, drip loss, L* value of thigh muscle, glucose, total protein, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels of Wannan Yellow chickens.

People are exposed to various magnetic fields, including the high static/steady magnetic field (SMF) of MRI, which has been increased to 9.4 T in preclinical investigations. However, relevant safety studies about high SMF are deficient. Here we examined whether 3.5-23.0 T SMF exposure for 2 h has severe long-term effects on mice using 112 C57BL/6J mice. The food/water consumption, blood glucose levels, blood routine, blood biochemistry, as well as organ weight and HE stains were all examined. The food consumption and body weight were slightly decreased for 23.0 T-exposed mice (14.6%, P 0.01, and 1.75-5.57%, P 0.05, respectively), but not the other groups. While total bilirubin (TBIL), white blood cells, platelet and lymphocyte numbers were affected by some magnetic conditions, most of them were still within normal reference range. Although 13.5 T magnetic fields with the highest gradient (117.2 T/m) caused spleen weight increase, the blood count and biochemistry results were still within the control reference range. Moreover, the highest field 23.0 T with no gradient did not cause organ weight or blood biochemistry abnormality, which indicates that field gradient is a key parameter. Collectively, these data suggest 3.5-23.0 T static magnetic field exposure for 2 h do not have severe long-term effects on mice.

Live yeast may be a sustainable protein source in salmonid diets while exhibiting a probiotic effect to counteract environmental stressors, such as increased water temperature that is being exacerbated by climate change. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding a high dietary inclusion of live yeast and increased water temperature on growth, haematological and intestinal physiology of rainbow trout. For six weeks, 129 g fish in 16 tanks (n = 4) were fed either a diet based on fishmeal or based on live yeast (214 g kg−1 of diet or 7.6 log CFU g−1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae) that replaced 40% of fishmeal protein while fish were reared in water temperatures of either 11 °C (cold) or 18 °C (warm). Fish weights, caudal blood and proximal and distal intestines were collected and analysed. Fish fed live yeast resulted in reduced growth (SGR and WG) and higher FCR, while growth in cold and warm water was similar despite differences in TGC. However, increased mortality, plasma cortisol, and intestinal oedema and villous damage indicated fish reared in warm water were subjected to chronic stress. Temperature had a significant effect on haematocrit and red blood cell counts that resulted in significantly higher haemoglobin levels in fish kept in warm water attributed to an elevated oxygen demand. In the proximal intestine, increased temperature resulted in reduced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, e.g. TNFα and IL8, that were further reduced in fish fed live yeast. In addition, feeding live yeast reduced gene expression of CLD6 involved in gut barrier function, which suggests that the level of yeast was too high and masked any beneficial effects on fish health. In conclusion, feeding a high inclusion of live yeast reduced fish growth and expression of intestinal genes, while increasing the temperature from 11 to 18 °C subjected fish to chronic stress that restricted growth, suppressed innate immunity and induced intestinal damage. Replacing 40% of fishmeal protein with live yeast did not counteract negative effects caused by increased temperature, thus alternative strategies need to be explored and implemented to protect the growth and health of rainbow trout from seasonal and long-term rises in water temperature.

High temperature is a powerful stressor for fish living in natural and artificial environments, especially for cold water species. Understanding the impact of thermal stress on physiological processes of fish is crucial for better cultivation and fisheries management. However, the metabolic mechanism of cold water fish to thermal stress is still not completely clear. In this study, a NMR-based metabonomic strategy in combination with high-throughput RNA-Seq was employed to investigate global metabolic changes of plasma and liver in a typical cold water fish species lenok (Brachymystax lenok) subjected to a sub-lethal high temperature. Our results showed that thermal stress caused multiple dynamic metabolic alterations of the lenok with prolonged stress, including repression of energy metabolism, shifts in lipid metabolism, alterations in amino acid metabolism, changes in choline and nucleotide metabolisms. Specifically, thermal stress induced an activation of glutamate metabolism, indicating that glutamate could be an important biomarker associated with thermal stress. Evidence from Hsp 70 gene expression, blood biochemistry and histology confirmed that high temperature exposure had negative effects on health of the lenok. These findings imply that thermal stress has a severe adverse effect on fish health and demonstrate that the integrated analyses combining NMR-based metabonomics and transcriptome strategy is a powerful approach to enhance our understanding of metabolic mechanisms of fish to thermal stress.

To provide a safe growth promoter, the present study has investigated the effects of different levels of cold-pressed clove oil (CCPO) on growth performance, carcass traits, blood biochemistry, and intestinal microbial population of growing Japanese quails. A total of 300 quails (1-wk old) were randomly divided into 3 treatment groups: control basal diet, basal diet +0.75 mL oil/kg diet, and basal diet +1.5 mL oil/kg diet. Quails fed with 1.5 mL clove oil/kg diet showed a 3.43% improvement in live body weight vs. control group. Similar trend was observed for daily body weight gain. Feed intake gradually increased (P0.01) with an increase in clove oil level. The best feed conversion rate was reported for the control group, followed by the group treated with 1.5 mL CCPO/kg diet during the whole period (1 to 6 wk of age). Total globulin differed significantly in 1.5 mL CCPO/kg diet group. Antioxidant enzyme activities, lipid profile, and reduced glutathione concentrations significantly improved in a dose-dependent manner. Blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, malondialdehyde, 8-hydroxy-2΄-deoxyguanosine, and protein carbonyl levels significantly decreased in quails supplemented with 1.5 mL CCPO/kg diet vs. control group. Serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-1, insulin, growth hormone, and thyroxine significantly increased in quails supplemented with 1.5 mL CCPO/kg diet vs. control group. The intestinal bacterial population, coliforms, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella spp. in the ileal content were lower (P0.05) in groups treated with oil (1.5 mL/kg) vs. control group. Thus, dietary supplementation with antimicrobial CCPO (1.5 mL/kg diet) could enhance growth performance, improve health status, and reduce intestinal pathogens in Japanese quails.

Anesthesia is an indispensable procedure during the handling of fish. This work evaluated the effects of menthol as anesthetic for juvenile Lophiosilurus alexandri. Menthol concentrations of 0 (control), 25, 50, 150, 300 and 450 mg L−1 were tested using 14 animals for each concentration, with each fish being a replicate. Blood was sampled from seven of the juveniles in each group shortly after anesthetic induction and from the other seven at 24 h post-anesthesia and procedures to collect biometric measures, i.e., handling and air exposure. Induction time showed a linear response plateau effect (LRP) with an inflection point of 142 mg L−1, while a dose-response relationship was observed among concentrations for recovery time. Ventilatory frequency (VF) during anesthetic induction had a LRP effect with an inflection point of 127 mg L−1, while during recovery it had a quadratic effect with a maximum point of 305.45 mg L−1. Fish anesthetized with 50 mg L−1 of menthol had the lowest hematocrit values (P

In patients with disabling symptoms caused by hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), echocardiography-guided percutaneous intramyocardial septal radiofrequency ablation (PIMSRA) could be a less invasive treatment option.This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of the PIMSRA for left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) gradient reduction in HOCM.The study enrolled 15 patients with HOCM. These patients underwent electrocardiography, imaging, and blood biochemistry examination over 6 months of follow-up.At 6 months of follow-up, patients showed significant reductions in peak LVOT gradients (resting gradient: from 88.00 [66.00] mm Hg to 11.00 [6.00] mm Hg; p = 0.001; stress-induced gradient: from 117.00 [81.00] mm Hg to 25.00 [20.00] mm Hg; p = 0.005) and interventricular septum (IVS) thickness (anterior IVS: from 25.00 [21.00] mm to 14.00 [12.00] mm; p = 0.001; posterior IVS: from 24.00 [21.00] mm to 14.00 [11.50] mm; p = 0.001). The reductions in IVS thickness and LVOT gradients were associated with improvement in New York Heart Association functional classification (from 3.00 [2.00] to 1.00 [1.00]; p 0.001), total exercise time (from 6.00 [5.50] min to 9.00 [8.00] min; p = 0.007), and pro B-type natriuretic peptide levels (from 924.00 [370.45] pg/ml to 137.45 [75.73] pg/ml; p = 0.028). No patient had bundle branch block or complete heart block.PIMSRA is a safe and effective treatment approach for severe, symptomatic HOCM and results in sustained improvement in exercise capacity, persistent reduction in LVOT gradient, and sustained improvement in cardiac function.

The availability of biochemical blood data specific for the pregnant condition are essential for the correct management of both normal pregnancies and also for the prompt recognition of every abnormality. Because of the lacking knowledge about biochemical blood analysis in the donkey along the entire pregnancy, the study was designed to provide first preliminary data about the values and possible changes of blood alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatine-kinase (CK), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CREA), uric acid (UA), amylase (AMY), gamma-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT), triglycerides (TRI), cholesterol (CHOL), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), glucose (GLU), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), occurring from the beginning of pregnancy until parturition. The study was performed on 10 Martina Franca healthy jennies with normal pregnancy course and giving birth to mature, healthy and viable foals. Blood samples were collected monthly from the 1st to the 6th month of pregnancy, then twice a month from the 6th to the 9th month and afterwards weekly until parturition. The results showed a significant slight increase of glucose and creatinine in the second quarter of pregnancy and a minor decrease of cholesterol near to parturition, while all the other parameters did not significantly change along pregnancy.

Dissolving microneedles (MNs) is a promising alternative way to traditional subcutaneous injection delivery of insulin. At present, there are numerous soluble materials have been used to fabricate dissolving MNs for insulin delivery. However, during insulin delivery of dissolving MNs, the effect of the MNs to the skin and the safety of the matrix material remained in the skin should be seriously considered, especially for the diabetes who need frequent and long-term self-administration of insulin. In this work, we investigated the long-term effects of hyaluronic acid (HA) MNs on mice after daily insertion in a period of 3 months. The general conditions, hematology and blood biochemistry of mice were examined at different time. The main organs of the mice administrated by the HA MNs were dissected at 90 days, and the organ coefficients and histological evaluation were measured and recorded. The results showed that there was no erythema and inflammation happened on the skin at the HA MNs insertion sites and no significant histopathological abnormalities were observed in the treated mice compared with the control mice in 90 days.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)VD3) instead of vitamin D3 on the quality and seminal plasma antioxidant indicators of fresh and cryopreserved semen, serum minerals, vitamin D3 status, hormone levels, blood biochemistry, antioxidant and immune function in different age of bulls. Thirty-two Holstein bulls (16 bulls aged 24–36 months and weighted 727 ± 99.0 kg; 16 bulls aged 12 months and weighted 332 ± 24.9 kg) randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with 2 sources of vitamin D3 (vitamin D3 or 25(OH)VD3) fed at 300 IU/kg dry matter intake and two different age of bull (maturity or prepuberty) through a 60 day period. Bulls were tied in individual pens without access to sunlight. Bulls fed 25(OH)VD3 had greater semen concentration (P = 0.03), sperms motility (P = 0.02), viability (P

The development of plant ingredients as an alternative to fish meal (FM) has received sustained interest in the aquaculture sector. The study investigated the replacement of FM with different percentages of dietary fermented soy pulp (FSP) to assess the growth performance, haematology, blood biochemical, liver, and gut morphology of African catfish. Five isonitrogenous (32 % crude protein) diets were prepared with FSP by replacing 0 % FSP (D1), 25 % FSP (D2), 50 % FSP (D3), 75 % FSP (D4) and 100 % FSP (D5) of FM component of the diets. The results showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) in growth parameters where the fish fed D3 diet showed the highest weight gain, specific growth rate, and condition factor compared with other diets. The mean values of Red Blood Cell (RBC) and Lymphocytosis (LYM) were significantly highest (p < 0.05) in fish fed the D3 diet. The albumin (ALB), globulin (GLOB), and total protein (TP) were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the control diet compared with the experimental diets. In addition, the D3 diet provides the highest total lactic bacteria (LAB) and total bacteria (TB) compared with other diets. FSP as a protein replacement of the FM had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on villus length, width, and crypt depth in fish's anterior and posterior gut. The histological study of the intestinal revealed that the gut of the D3 diet had an intact epithelial barrier with goblet cells arrangement and very well-organized villus structure, tunica muscularis compared with the other treatments. In conclusion, the replacement of 50 % FM with FSP could be used in the aquafeed industry for better growth and health status of African catfish and possibly for freshwater species.

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the response of feeding black cumin seed cake (BCSC) as a feed ingredient on growth, feed utilization, blood bio-chemistry, and muscle fatty acid composition for mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio var. specularis). Three diets were formulated to replace 0% (Control), 25% (BCSC25), and 50% (BCSC50) of soybean meal protein with BCSC. Carp fingerlings were distributed to nine 150-L tanks connected to a recirculating aquaculture system and fed the experimental diets twice a day for 63 days. At the end of the feeding trial, growth and feed intake were negatively correlated with dietary BCSC levels. Different dietary levels of BCSC had no significant effect on the levels of serum total protein, globulin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and glucose. However, fish fed with BCSC25 and BCSC50 exhibited a significantly lower cholesterol and triglyceride contents compared to control treatment. The palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), linolenic acid (C18:3n-3), linoleic acid (C18:2n-6), saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content of mirror carp muscle were not significantly influenced by dietary treatments. The findings of the present study indicated that BCSC and its therapeutic potential should be investigated at lower inclusion levels on the growth and health status of C. carpio.

A 10-week feeding trial was conducted to examine the effect of dietary sacha inchi meal (SIM) as a soybean meal (SBM) replacer on growth performance, feed utilization, whole-body fatty acid composition, blood biochemistry, and histological changes in red hybrid tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus × O. mossambicus. Five isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were formulated with 0 (control diet), 110, 220, 320, and 420 g/kg replacement of SBM with SIM (referred to as SIM0‒420). Each diet was randomly assigned to one of five fish groups in a 100 L indoor tank (n = 15 each, average initial weight 9.36 ± 0.02 g) with four replicates. During the last 2 weeks of the feeding trial, 5 g/kg chromic oxide (Cr2O3) was added to the diet to determine the apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC). The results showed that SIM inclusion significantly increased growth performance, feed utilization, and ADC of dry matter in a quadratic manner with the highest final weight observed in the SIM110 group. Survival rates were not significantly affected by SIM inclusion levels (P > 0.05). The amount of n-3 fatty acids in the whole-body fish, particularly that of C18:3n-3, was linearly and quadratically increased (P

Gold nanoparticles offer a great promise in clinical research. Despite various applications of the metal nanoparticles it is challenging to implement in vivo in clinical applications. This aspect is deprived of understanding the biological mechanisms that occurs in the cells. In this report we have evaluated application of AuNP on the safety profile at different doses (100, 200, and 500 μg/kg Bwt/day) on intravenous administration in rats regularly for 28 days. The study was performed based on the OECD test guideline 407. No clinical signs and mortalities were observed in any groups of rat treated with AuNP. No evidence of toxicity was observed in any of the diverse studies performed which is noteworthy. The study includes survival, behavior, animal weight, organ morphology, blood biochemistry and tissue histology. The results indicate that tissue accumulation pattern of gold nanoparticles depends on the surface, size and doses of the nanoparticle. The accumulation of the particles does not produce subacute physiological damage.

Xylans are present naturally in various plants and have important uses in nutrition, food, novel material and biotechnology; however, to date, data regarding their systemic toxicity and safety evaluation is still limited. This study investigated the potential toxicity of xylan from sugarcane bagasse by a subchronic toxicity study in rats. A total of 80 male and female rats were fed with diets containing 10%, 5%, 2.5% and 0% (control) xylan for 90 days. A toxicological assessment was performed including mortality, body and organ weights, food consumption, blood biochemistry, hematology, urinalysis, gross necropsy and histopathological examinations. There were no signs of toxicity and treatment-related changes in rats treated with xylan. The no-observed-adverse-effect levels (NOAEL) of xylan were 9.0 g kg −1 bw for males and 10.6 g kg −1 bw for females of rats under this experimental condition, respectively.

The objective of this study was to evaluate if short-term high-energy diet treatments have any overstimulatory effects on ovarian function and metabolic status in Ossimi ewes synchronized with progesterone sponge. Thirteen ewes were divided into high-energy (HEG; n = 7) and normal-energy or control (NEG; n = 6) groups. Progesterone sponges were placed intravaginally for 14 days during the winter breeding season (December-February). Four days before the removal of the sponges, a high-energy diet (130% of maintenance) was fed to HEG, whereas NEG was offered maintenance diet throughout the experiment. Ovarian performance and progesterone, estradiol, and blood metabolites were assessed daily starting from the day of removal of the sponges. Estrus period was longer in HEG (P 0.05) when compared with NEG. Ovulation took place considerably longer with larger ovulatory follicles in HEG (P 0.05). A marked increase in the level of total protein, albumin, glucose, and blood urea during the first 2 days following the removal of progesterone sponge was noticed in HEG when compared with NEG ewes. Eighty-five percentage (85.7%; 6/7) and 66.6% (4/6) had ovulation for the HEG and NEG, respectively. Dietary energy had a nonsignificant effect on the number of the recruited follicles, whereas a significant effect was observed for the diameter of the ovulatory follicle and ovulation rate (HEG, 2.3 ± 0.1 vs. NEG, 1.2 ± 0.3). It is concluded that short-term energy supplementation improves estrus expression and ovarian activity in fluorgestone acetate (FGA)-synchronized Ossimi ewes.

Intensive selection of broilers for faster growth and better feed efficiency resulted in greater susceptibility to metabolic disorders such as ascites syndrome, which is one of the major causes of mortality and economic loss in broiler industry. Whereas cool temperature is one of the primary triggers for ascites, early feed restriction (FDR) significantly alleviates its incidence and mortality. However, little is known about effects of FDR, cold environmental temperature and their interaction on physiological responses in broiler chickens. For this purpose, 320 one-day-old male broilers were divided into two treatment groups of Ad libitum (Ad) and feed restricted (FR) with eight pen replicates each. Chickens in FR group underwent feed access limitation from days 7 to 14 of age. On day 21 half of the birds (four pens) in each group exposed to the cold temperature (CT) and the other half (four pens) continued at normal temperature (NT). Average daily feed intake, average daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were measured at days 7, 14, 21, 28 and 42. At 39 and 46 days of age two chicks with a BW around the pen average were selected from each pen and slaughtered after collecting blood samples. Then, relative weight of internal organs and right ventricle weight per total ventricle weight (RV : TV) ratio were calculated. Compared with NT group, CT birds had higher daily feed intake and FCR (P

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of 3 different rearing systems [free range ( FR: ), semi-intensive ( SI: ), and confinement ( CF: )] on blood biochemical profile and immune response in 4 varieties of Aseel chicken [Lakha ( LK: ), Mushki ( MS: ), Peshawari ( PW: ) and Sindhi ( SN: )] for 10 wk duration (7 to 16 wk). At the age of 6 wk, in total, 180 cockerels were assigned to 12 treatment groups, 3 (rearing system) × 4 (Aseel chicken variety) factorial arrangement in 7 randomized complete blocks, replicated 3 times with 5 birds in each replicate (45 birds of each variety; 60 birds in each rearing system; 36 total replicates). Blood samples were collected through brachial vein at the end of wk 16. After laboratory analysis, the recorded data for blood biochemical profile and immune response were analyzed by using 2-way ANOVA under factorial arrangement. The results showed higher (P 0.05) plasma glucose and total protein in birds under CF. Titer against Newcastle disease virus ( NDV: ) and infectious bronchitis virus ( IBV: ) was found to be greater (P 0.05) in SI and FR, respectively. Peshawari birds indicated higher (P 0.05) concentration of glucose, total protein, albumin, uric acid, creatinine, and titers to NDV and IBV. Birds of LK and SN varieties also indicated maximum antibody titer against NDV and IBV, respectively. Cholesterol level was found to be greater (P 0.05) in birds of LK and SN. Interaction of SN with FR revealed maximum (P 0.05) cholesterol whereas interaction of PW with SI indicated maximum antibody titer against NDV. The results highlight that CF rearing system expediently affects glucose and total protein levels in birds; SI and FR confer maximum antibody titers to NDV and IBV. Birds of PW variety indicated higher glucose, total protein, albumin, uric acid, and creatinine, the lowest cholesterol under FR and the enhanced antibody titer against NDV and IBV.

Although wet cupping has been a treatment for centuries, its mechanism of action is not well understood. Because the anatomical features of the wet-cupping area might play a role in its mechanism, we focus on the features of the interscapular area in which a common type of wet-cupping therapy (WCT), called Hijamat-e-Aam in Iranian medicine, is usually applied and discuss the possible relation of those features to the acupuncture meridians. We gathered and analyzed data from reliable textbooks on modern medicine with a focus on the anatomical features of the interscapular area, topics related to WTC in Iranian medicine, and acupuncture sources obtained by searching PubMed, Google-Scholar, and Science Direct. The interscapular area used for WCT was found to have special features: brown adipose tissue, immediate proximity to sympathetic ganglia, passage of the thoracic duct, two important acupuncture meridians, and proximity to the main vessel divisions carrying blood from the heart and the brain. These features indicate that the interscapular application of WCT not only discharges waste materials through a shifting of blood to the site after application of a traction force but also invigorates the body’s metabolism, increases immunity, and regulates blood biochemistry, which are desired therapeutic effects of WCT.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T01:30:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-10-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Whereas that acute ruminal lactic acidosis (ARLA) can cause secondary metabolic disorders and some degree of cardiovascular damage, the present study aimed to evaluate the hemogasometry, concentrations of the creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CKMB), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and blood variables in goats with experimental ARLA. The disease was induced in five goats through intraruminal supply of 15 g sucrose/Kg live weight. Before induction and 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 168 h post-induction (PI), clinical examination, ruminal fluid analysis, hemogasometry analysis, and measurement of AST, CK, CK-MB, cTnI, GGT, LDH, and L-lactate in the blood of these animals were performed. The experimental model used caused clinical alterations characteristic of ARLA in goats from 4 h PI. The characteristics of the ruminal fluid also changed from 4 h PI, becoming to milky appearance, acidic odor, aqueous consistency and a reduced population of protozoa. The ruminal pH decreased (P 0.05). Therefore, the evaluation of blood biochemistry aided in the monitoring of systemic changes resulting from ARLA in goats and the clinical condition induced by this experimental model did not cause cardiac injury. Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE) Garanhuns Academic Unit Postgraduate Program in Sanity and Reproduction of Ruminants, Av. Bom Pastor, s/n Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE) Postgraduate Program in Veterinary Medicine, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Campus Dois Irmãos Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) Department of Clinical Veterinary Sciences Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Campus de Botucatu, Rua Prof. Dr. Walter Maurício Correa, s/n Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE) Department of Veterinary Medicine, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Campus Dois Irmãos Garanhuns Bovine Clinic Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Av. Bom Pastor, s/n, CP 152 Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) Department of Clinical Veterinary Sciences Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Campus de Botucatu, Rua Prof. Dr. Walter Maurício Correa, s/n

(Background) Manganese (Mn) is an essential mineral, although its effects on rabbits is not clear. (Research Purpose) This study was conducted to investigate the effects of the level of supplementation of dietary manganese on growth performance, blood biochemistry, nitrogen metabolism and skeletal development of growing Rex rabbits. (Methods) Two hundred 3-month-old healthy Rex rabbits with similar body weights were randomly divided into 5 groups (A, B, C, D, E), with 40 replicates in each group. The rabbits in the 5 groups were fed a basal diet containing 0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg manganese (in the form of manganese sulfate), respectively. The trial included 7 days for adaptation and 29 days of testing. Seven days before the end of feeding, eight rabbits from each group were transferred into a metabolic cage for metabolic testing. (Results) The results showed that supplemental dietary manganese levels did not significantly influence final body weight (FBW) or average daily feed intake (ADFI) (P＞0.05). Average daily gains (ADG) were significantly higher in the 20 mg/kg manganese group than in the other groups, and the ratio of feed to body weight gain (F/G) was significantly affected by manganese level (P 0.05). No significant differences were found in the digestion coefficients among the groups (P 0.05). Regarding carcass traits, the thymus index and total fat were significantly different (P 0.05) among the groups, but there were no other significant differences (P 0.05). The addition of manganese had no significant effect on the intake of nitrogen (IN), fecal nitrogen (FN), digestible nitrogen (DN) or the apparent digestibility of nitrogen (NAD). Compared to the other groups, urinary nitrogen (UN) was lower in the 20 mg/kg group, although nitrogen deposition (RN), nitrogen utilization (NUR) and the biological potency of nitrogen (NBV) were higher in this group (P 0.05). As the amount of manganese added to the diet increased, serum triglycerides decreased (P 0.05). Serum Mn-SOD was significantly lower in the 5 mg/kg manganese group than in the other groups (P 0.05). The results of this study demonstrate that a diet with supplemented manganese can improve Rex rabbit growth performance and increase RN, NUR and NBV. There were no significant effects of different dietary levels of Mn on the ratio of bone to meat (P 0.05) or bone strength (P 0.05). (Conclusion) In conclusion, we determined that the optimal level of manganese supplementation in the diet of growing Rex rabbits was 20 mg/kg, which was also found to reduce nitrogen emissions into the environment.

The burden of chronic diseases is unquestionably a predominant challenge to global health. Chronic diseases are the long-term diseases and their intervention requires frequent monitoring of disease development, which makes the self-checkup of blood biochemistry at home highly desired. However, there is few devices that can be used at home for simultaneous test of multiple finger-prick blood biochemicals. In this study, a fully integrated microfluidic analyzer which can perform multiple blood biochemical analysis is proposed. The finger-prick blood can be directly aspirated into the chip containing diluent and lyophilized reagents, and the following processes, including serum/plasma separation and metering, diluent release and metering, quantified serum/plasma and diluent mixing, the diluted serum/plasma distribution to the reaction chambers, and the biochemical reaction and results measurement, were sequentially and automatically performed on the self-contained microfluidic chip. Using this one key operated portable analyzer, users can easily accomplish their own biochemical detection without medical training, making self-served health monitoring for chronic diseases at biochemical level possible. In the current report, fully automated detection for three blood biochemical indexes, including blood glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides, were achieved in 15 min. The finger-prick blood samples from volunteers were measured by this microfluidic analyzer, and the results were comparable to those obtained from a commercial biochemical analyzer used in hospital.

Welfare of working horses is a matter of public concern, with scarce information on their possible physiological coping mechanisms. The aim of this study was to assess changes in possible physiological welfare indicators in working horses, as a result of pulling tourism carriages under field conditions. A descriptive field study of the work performed by tourism carriage horses and their physiological, hematological, and blood biochemistry implications was performed. For this, 10 tourism carriage horses were studied under normal working conditions. For description of work, speed, distance, and force were calculated. To assess welfare, physiological variables including heart rate, respiratory rate, rectal temperature, and hematological and blood biochemistry parameters were evaluated before, during, and after work. Results show that tourism carriage horses exerted a submaximal effort in terms of speed, force, and physiological variables assessed. The heart and respiratory rate showed significant increases (P

The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of various levels and forms of α-lipoic acid (ALA) on blood biochemistry, immune and stress response, and antibody titers in broiler chickens. The four levels (7.5, 15, 75, and 150 ppm) and 2 sources (powder, P-ALA and encapsulated, E-ALA) of ALA along with negative (C-) and positive control (C+; contains antibiotics) diets consisted of 10 dietary treatments, and these treatments were allocated to 1,200 1-d-old chicks and were replicated 12 times with 10 birds per replicate. Among the blood biochemistry parameters, creatinine levels were almost 3 times lower in E-ALA-supplemented diets compared to the C- diet (0.09 vs. 0.25 mg/dL; P0.0001). Neither level nor source of ALA affected blood urea nitrogen (BUN), total protein (TP), albumin, globulin, or albumin to globulin ratio (AGR). The supplemented diets decreased serum levels of the liver enzymes aspartate-aminotransferase (AST; P0.006) and alanine-aminotransferase (ALT; P0.0003). The Newcastle disease virus (NDV) antibody response in supplemented groups was poor at day zero (P0.0001) but increased by d 14 (P0.03). Birds did not respond to infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) vaccination at any observed stage (P0.05). The concentration of cortisol was reduced in chickens fed ALA-supplemented diets as compared to the C- diet (P0.001). Results suggest that ALA-supplemented diets ameliorated blood biochemistry profiles and immune responses and reduced stress in broiler chickens. The encapsulated form of ALA was more effective than the powder form.

The aim of this study was to compare the performance of hens (feed intake, rate of lay, egg weight, and BW gain), egg quality and blood biochemistry (enzymes, electrolytes, proteins, and other plasma constituents) of laying hens fed diets containing hemp products. Forty-eight Lohmann LSL-Classic (white-egg layers; 19 wk of age) were individually caged and fed 1 of 6 wheat-barley-soybean-based diets for a period of 12 wk. The diets consisted of hempseed (HS; 10, 20, or 30%), hempseed oil (HO; 4.5 or 9.0%), or a control diet (corn oil-based). All diets were formulated to contain similar levels of crude fat (11%), energy (2,800 kcal/kg), and CP (17%). Data were analyzed as a completely randomized design using the repeated measure analysis of the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS. The results indicated that the inclusion of up to 30 and 9.0% HS and HO, respectively, to diets of laying hens had no significant effects on hen performance, egg quality, or plasma level of metabolites (proteins, glucose, uric acid, and cholesterol) and electrolytes (Na, K, Cl, P, and Ca). Overall plasma enzyme concentrations, particularly gamma-glutamyl transferase, were significantly (P0.01) lowest at the 10 and 20% levels of HS inclusion, or at the 4.5% HO level of inclusion of the hempseed products compared with the higher levels or control fed hens. Similar effects were also observed for plasma aspartate aminotransferase levels but with the HS enriched diets only (P0.05), particularly being lowest at the inclusion levels of 10 and 20% HS compared with the control. The results may imply a possible protective effect of HS- and HO-containing diets, particularly at 10% HS, 20% HS, and 4.5% HO levels, on liver damage/injury. In summary, both HO and HS appear to be well tolerated by laying hens as judged by markers of plasma clinical chemistry supporting the safety and efficacy of hemp products for use in laying hen rations.

The study evaluated the effect of a novel commercial preparation of natural blend of essential oils from basil, caraway, laurel, lemon, oregano, sage, tea, and thyme (Tecnaroma Herbal Mix PL) on growth performance, blood biochemistry, cecal morphology, and carcass quality of broilers. Six nutritionally adequate wheat and soybean-based diets were generated by the addition of Tecnaroma Herbal Mix PL at 0, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 g/t of feed. The diets were fed as crumbs in the starter phase (d 0–10) and as pellets during the grower (d 10–24) and finisher (d 24–42) phases. Nine hundred sixty 1-d-old chicks were allocated to the 6 dietary treatments each having 8 replicate pens with 20 birds per pen. The data obtained were analyzed using ANOVA with a P < 0.05 level of significance. Birds fed diets supplemented with Tecnaroma Herbal Mix PL had significantly heavier BW and higher (P < 0.05) weight gain and had improved (P < 0.05) feed to gain ratio compared with the control group during grower phase and overall performance. The blood biochemistry results showed no differences (P > 0.05) between treatments. The carcass weight, breast weight, and relative percentage of breast meat increased (P < 0.05) when diets were supplemented with Tecnaroma Herbal Mix PL compared with that from birds fed the control diet. The inclusion level of 300 g of Tecnaroma Herbal Mix PL/t of feed was optimum for enhancing breast meat yield and nutrient utilization as indicated by increased (P < 0.05) cecal villus surface area.

Introduction The biological process of aging is characterized by molecular and physiological processes that lead to alterations in the organism. There is still a lack of a consensus about the measurement of biological aging, but physical activity (PA) could be a potential marker of an aging phenotype. Methods Measurements of body composition, muscle quality (MQ), blood biochemistry, and neurodegeneration were assessed over three years. Physical activity levels were measured using a self-reported questionnaire. Results Three-year progression of PA levels showed that those who maintained low levels of PA was significantly associated with the evolution of brain and hippocampal volume, compared to inactive individuals. Similar results were found always active individuals, but also had better cognition. Conclusion PA levels are associated with some elements of biological aging, but more studies with objective-based PA measurements could provide a more in-depth knowledge on biological aging.

TetraSOD® is a powder of the lyophilized biomass of Tetraselmis chuii strain CCFM03, a marine microalga with a history of use as feed in the aquaculture industry. Recently, algae including T. chuii have been investigated for their potential use in human food. However, published toxicology studies addressing the safety of T. chuii as a food ingredient are not available. To address this issue, the toxicity of TetraSOD® was evaluated using a 90-day oral toxicology study in rats following the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) test guideline 408. No treatment-related mortality or clinical signs were noted with TetraSOD® at doses of 625, 1667, or 2500 mg/kg/day. Additionally, no adverse effects on haematology, blood biochemistry, organ weights, gross or histopathology were observed. The Non Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) for TetraSOD® is greater than the highest tested dose of 2500 mg/kg/day.

This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of dietary astaxanthin supplementation on hematology, blood biochemistry and innate immunity of Asian seabass Lates calcarifer, with special reference to dose-response associations and variations over different phases of feeding (short-term, medium-term and long-term). Triplicate groups of fish (n = 30) with an average weight of 28 g were fed astaxanthin-incorporated diets (AX50, 50 mg kg−1 diet; AX100, 100 mg kg−1 diet; AX150, 150 mg kg−1 diet) for 90 days. A diet without astaxanthin supplement (CD) served as the control. Our findings demonstrated that fish displayed significant enhancements (P

The effects of supplementing transition dairy cows with Acremonium terricola culture (ATC) in the transition period were investigated. Ten dairy cows received a dietary supplement of 30 g/cow/d ATC from 14 d prior to their estimated calving date to 21 d postpartum, and 10 did not. The cows that receiving ATC showed greater milk production, energy-corrected milk yield, and feed efficiency, and had a lower somatic milk cell count and body mass change than the non-supplemented cows (P

The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of long-term dietary supplementation of amino acid-complexed manganese (Mn) on production performance, egg quality, blood biochemistry and organ histopathology in laying hens. A total of 756 Hy-Line Brown layers were randomly assigned into 7 dietary groups with 6 replicates. Each replicate contained 18 birds. Layers were fed a basal diet (Mn, 21.95 mg/kg) or the basal diet supplemented with 20, 40, 80, 120, 400 or 800 mg/kg Mn in amino acid-complexed form, respectively. The feeding trial lasted for 24 wks. Compared with the basal diet (control), dietary supplementation with 80 mg/kg Mn increased egg production and decreased feed conversion ratio (FCR) during 1–12 and 1–24 wk (P

Current shark fishery management regulations in the US Atlantic, as well as other regions worldwide, mandate the release of sand tigers (Carcharias taurus) captured in recreational fisheries. To examine the efficacy of this strategy as a conservation tool, the physical and physiological effects of capture stress and post-release survivorship were examined in juvenile sand tigers angled on conventional rod and reel tackle with offset circle hooks. Analysis of blood samples obtained immediately after capture (n = 84) indicated that, relative to minimally stressed captive individuals, juvenile sand tiger blood biochemistry is disturbed after brief (

article i nfo Generalized linear models were fitted to evaluate the relationship between 17β-estradiol (E2), testosterone (T) and thyroxine (T4) levels in immature East Pacific green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) and their body condition, size, mass, blood biochemistry parameters, handling time, year, season and site of capture. According to external (tail size) and morphological (b77.3 straight carapace length) characteristics, 95% of the individuals were juve- niles. Hormone levels, assessed on sea turtles subjected to a capture stress protocol, were b34.7 nmol T L −1 , b532.3 pmol E2 L −1 and b43.8 nmol T4 L −1 . The statistical model explained biologically plausible metabolic relationships between hormone concentrations and blood biochemistry parameters (e.g. glucose, cholesterol) and the potential effect of environmental variables (season and study site). The variables handling time and year did not contribute significantly to explain hormone levels. Differences in sex steroids between season and study sites found by the models coincided with specific nutritional, physiological and body condition differences related to the specific habitat conditions. The models correctly predicted the median levels of the measured hor- mones in green sea turtles, which confirms the fitted model's utility. It is suggested that quantitative predictions could be possible when the model is tested with additional data.

The study was carried out to evaluate the subchronic toxicity of meat derived from human lactoferrin gene-modified cattle in male and female Wistar rats. Rats were fed 5% or 10% transgenic meat diet, 5% or 10% conventional meat diet, or AIN93G diet for 90 days. During the study, body weight and food consumption were weighed weekly and clinical observations were conducted daily. At the end of the study, urinary examination, hematology and blood biochemistry examination, macroscopic and microscopic examinations were performed. There were no biologically significant differences in these factors between the rat groups fed transgenic meat diet and conventional meat diet. Therefore, the present 90-day rodent feeding study suggests that meat derived from the transgenic cattle is equivalent to meat from conventional cattle in use as dietary supplements.

Elasmobranchs (sharks, rays, and skates) are currently facing substantial anthropogenic threats, which expose them to acute and chronic stressors that may exceed in severity and/or duration those typically imposed by natural events. To date, the number of directed studies on the response of elasmobranch fishes to acute and chronic stress are greatly exceeded by those related to teleosts. Of the limited number of studies conducted to date, most have centered on sharks; batoids are poorly represented. Like teleosts, sharks exhibit primary and secondary responses to stress that are manifested in their blood biochemistry. The former is characterized by immediate and profound increases in circulating catecholamines and corticosteroids, which are thought to mobilize energy reserves and maintain oxygen supply and osmotic balance. Mediated by these primary responses, the secondary effects of stress in elasmobranchs include hyperglycemia, acidemia resulting from metabolic and respiratory acidoses, and profound disturbances to ionic, osmotic, and fluid volume homeostasis. The nature and magnitude of these secondary effects are species-specific and may be tightly linked to metabolic scope and thermal physiology as well as the type and duration of the stressor. In fishes, acute and chronic stressors can incite a tertiary response, which involves physiological changes at the organismal level, thereby impacting growth rates, reproductive outputs or investments, and disease resistance. Virtually no studies to date have been conducted on the tertiary stress response in elasmobranchs. Given the diversity of elasmobranchs, additional studies that characterize the nature, magnitude, and consequences of physiological stress over a broad spectrum of stressors are essential for the development of conservation measures. Additional studies on the primary, secondary, and tertiary stress response in elasmobranchs are warranted, with particular emphasis on expanding the range of species and stressors examined. Future studies should move beyond simply studying the effects of known stressors and focus on the underlying physiological mechanisms. Such studies should include the coupling of stress indicators with quantifiable aspects of the stressor, which will allow researchers to test hypotheses on survivorship and, ultimately, derive models that effectively link physiology to mortality. Studies of this nature are essential for decision-making that will result in the effective management and conservation of these species.

Seeds of faba and soybeans were treated with dichlorvos (12 mg/kg) and fenitrothion (5 mg/kg) insecticides and stored for 30 weeks. The total internal residues of dichlorvos and fenitrothion amounted to about 69%, 73% and 67%, 74% in the applied doses in faba and soybeans, respectively. The pathological potential of dichlorvos and fenitrothion residues was studied by feeding mice for 90 days with the treated seeds. Parallel studies were conducted in two control groups. Liver and kidney were taken for histological examinations. The results of blood biochemistry are supported by the histopathological changes observed in the liver and kidney of treated mice. Dichlorvos and fenitrothion insecticides caused degenerative changes in the liver and kidney of mice. Changes were more intense in mice which were given beans treated with dichlorvos than in mice fed on beans treated with fenitrothion. The livers of both treated groups showed an abnormal size and shape of hepatic cells. The kidneys of treated mice showed tubular vascular degeneration and lumen dilatation in both groups as compared with the control group.

The effects of terbutryn at concentrations of 0.02 (reported concentration in Czech rivers), 0.2, and 2.0 μg l−1 were assessed in one-year-old common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) exposed for 90 days. Influence on biometric parameters, hematology, biochemistry, histology, and oxidative stress was investigated. Exposure to 0.02, 0.2 and 2.0 μg l−1 showed significant differences oxidative stress biomarkers compared to controls but exposure to 0.2 and 2.0 μg l−1 significantly affected biochemical and hematological profiles. Long-term exposure of terbutryn in carp resulted in slight alterations in internal organs and increased reactive oxygen species formation, resulting in oxidative damage to lipids and proteins and inhibition of antioxidant capacities.

Background Detailed information on the expected physiologic changes after smoking cessation is practically useful to encourage people to stop smoking. Furthermore, weight increase after cessation may affect such physiologic changes. Purpose This article aims to evaluate the effect of smoking cessation on annual changes in body weight, blood pressure, and blood biochemistry. Methods This study analyzed the results of annual health examinations from 1991 to 2005 in male Japanese workers in 2009. Subjects classified as stopping smoking ( n =445) responded initially as smokers in a self-administered questionnaire (baseline year) and then answered consistently as nonsmokers for 3 subsequent years. Of the 2672 smokers identified in the study, 2403 subjects who had data available for at least 4 successive years were selected as controls. The time course of physiologic and laboratory data was analyzed using a linear mixed model. Results Data adjusted for age, type of job schedule, drinking and physical activity showed that subjects who stopped smoking had significantly greater increases in weight, BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and uric acid and a greater decrease in hemoglobin in the 3 years following smoking cessation than continuing smokers. Additional adjustment for change in BMI from baseline negated the significant deterioration in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and total cholesterol that occurred following smoking cessation. Conclusions Increase in body weight, blood pressure, and blood biochemistry can continue for at least 3 years after smoking cessation. This study also indicated that these increases were related to the weight increase that occurred after smoking cessation.

Objective To evaluate the effect of smoking initiation on annual changes in body weight, blood pressure, and blood biochemistry. Methods This study analyzed the results of annual health examinations from 1991 to 2005 in male Japanese workers. Subjects who started smoking (n = 214) initially responded as non-smokers in a self-administered questionnaire (baseline year) and then answered consistently as smokers for 3 subsequent years. Out of 2547 non-smokers, we selected 1589 controls who had data available for at least four successive years. The time course of physiological and laboratory data was analyzed using a linear mixed model. Results A significant temporal decrease from baseline in body mass index (first year, − 0.1 kg/m2), diastolic blood pressure (second year, − 1.5 mm Hg) and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (second year, − 3.5 IU/L) was observed for subjects who started smoking. An opposite pattern was observed in non-smokers. On average, those who started smoking had significantly lower body mass index (first year, − 0.2 kg/m2; second year, − 0.2 kg/m2), systolic blood pressure (second year, − 2.1 mm Hg), diastolic blood pressure (second year, − 2.0 mm Hg), and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (second year, − 4.5 IU/L) than non-smokers. Conclusion In this study, smoking initiation did not yield clinically significant long-term benefits with respect to physiological or biochemical outcomes. These results are important because few studies have tracked these types of changes longitudinally from initiation through 3 years of follow-up.

Rumen impaction in sheep with indigestible foreign bodies (IFB) was studied in Maiduguri, a town in the semi-arid region of Nigeria. Twenty-seven refuse dumps around the town were visited by 405 sheep consisting of Yankasa (40.3%), Uda (26.4%) and cross (33.3%) breeds. Rumen IFB were found in 19.3% of the 540 sheep slaughtered at the Maiduguri abattoir. A greater proportion of Yankasa (25.3%) had rumen IFB than Uda (14.5%) and cross (14.6%) breeds. More females (28.3%) were affected than males (8.5%). The IFB were polythene/cellophane materials, ropes, dry seeds, caked sand, metallic objects, paper, fiber and hair balls. The polythene/cellophane materials occurred in 81.6% of the sheep. The other types of IFB occurred in 7.4–47.1% of the sheep, usually impacted with or without polythene/cellophane. Clinical rumen IFB impaction was characterized by emaciation, abdominal distension and asymmetry, lack of feces in the rectum, foamy salivation, recumbency and inappetence. Hyperglycaemia, alkalosis, hyponatraemia, hypochloridaemia, hypocalcaemia, hypoproteinaemia and hypoalbuminaemia occurred in some of the clinical cases. It was concluded that the rumen impaction with IFB was related to the sheep scavenging on refuse dumps and that the blood biochemical changes, along with the clinical signs, might be of some diagnostic assistance.

The purpose of this study was to describe haematological and blood biochemistry findings of farmed guanacos in central Chile, in order to establish reference values for this species in captivity. Haematological and clinical biochemical measurements were performed on blood and plasma respectively, from 40 clinically healthy guanacos (20 females and 20 castrated males), aged between 2 and 3 years. The effects of gender and seasons of the year were studied. Gender affected the number of lymphocytes and the ratio of neutrophils:lymphocytes (N/L), with castrated males having a lower number of lymphocytes and higher N/L ratio than females. Seasons of the year affected most variables, presenting greater packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb), total protein (TP) and albumin values in winter than the rest of the seasons. White blood cells (WBCs) were not affected by season. Glucose decreased significantly over the year and creatine kinase (CK) activity, like glucose, had a tendency to decrease over the year, which may be related to habituation to sampling and handling. Haematological and clinical biochemistry values given in this study can serve as reference values for juvenile farmed guanacos in central Chile.

Studies were done on blood biochemical constituents and rumen fermentation pattern of growing buffalo calves fed ammoniated wheat straw (UAS)-based rations supplemented with three different protein supplements. Eighteen buffalo calves (140 kg) were divided into three groups of six calves each and were fed on UAS supplemented with a concentrate mixture (roughage:concentrate ratio 58:42) containing 8% (or 3.5% of total ration) untreated groundnut cake (GNC) (group I), 8% formaldehyde treated GNC (group II) and 8% fish meal (group III), respectively, for 19 weeks. During this growth study, blood biochemistry was studied. Rumen fermentation study was done on three fistulated growing buffalo calves using a 3×3 Latin square switch over design. Blood glucose and ammonia-N did not differ significantly among the treatments. However, blood urea-N of calves in group III was higher (P

The effect of a novel lairage environment on the ability of sheep to recover from 16 h of transport was investigated. Sheep were transported from grass paddocks to either novel outside paddocks or inside pens, and housed groups were transported to either familiar or novel inside pens. During transport, sheep from outside paddocks lay down less than those from inside pens. In sheep transported to inside pens, those from outside paddocks spent more time lying and spent less time eating; hay and water intakes during the first 12 h post-transport were lower than those previously kept inside. There was no obvious effect of a novel environment post-transport on blood biochemistry, suggesting that the lower post-transport feed and water intakes in a novel environment did not have a significant effect on the ability of the sheep to recover from the feed and water deprivation associated with transport.

The growth, behavior, and protein status of 59 healthy preterm (mean gestational age 30 wk) infants fed either human milk or one of three infant formulas were studied post-discharge from the hospital. Formula-fed infants received either a standard term formula, a standard preterm formula, or an experimental preterm formula from discharge to 8 wk of age. From 8 to 16 wk, all formula-fed infants received the standard term formula. At 2, 8, and 16 wk, anthropometric, dietary intake, blood biochemistry, amino acid, and Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment measurements were evaluated. Weights, lengths, and head circumferences were similar for all feeding groups at discharge. After discharge all formula-fed infants were heavier than human milk-fed infants. Length and head circumference values and plasma urea nitrogen and retinol-binding protein concentrations were not different among dietary groups. Formula-fed infants had higher plasma concentrations of numerous amino acids compared with those of human milk-fed infants during the first 8 wk but not at 16 wk. There were no differences among the feeding groups in the Brazelton assessment. This study found little effect on the growth or behavioral or protein status of preterm infants discharged from the hospital who were fed either human milk or formulas designed for term or preterm infants.

Published reference ranges for blood biochemistry in swine generally do not relate to sows in modern breeding units, and results were often obtained by methods that are now outdated. The ranges widely used in clinical practice reflect these inappropriate sources. The data presented here were obtained using modern methods of analysis on blood samples from healthy, conventionally managed sows from six breeding herds of known disease status in eastern England, and thus represent appropriate ranges for this class of swine. The values differ from earlier reports principally in higher values for total bilirubin, creatine kinase, and more particularly of total plasma and serum proteins. The latter are shown to be due to higher immunoglobulin concentrations than those previously reported.