Search

Fermented Spirulina platensis (FS) has recently attained attraction in human food due to its high functionality and rich content of bioactive compounds. Therefore, the current study investigated the potential roles of dietary FS on the growth performance, digestion capacity, antioxidative status, and immune response of Nile tilapia. Dietary FS at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 g/kg were fed to Nile tilapia for 60 days. All formulated diets were isonitrogenous and isocaloric with 30.48 % crude protein and 6.63 % total lipids, respectively. The results indicated that the final weight (FW, P=0.004), weight gain (P=0.023), and specific growth rate (SGR, P=0.021) were influenced by dietary FS in a significant quadratic manner. Accordingly, the regression analysis revealed that the suggested doses of FS supplementation in Nile tilapia diets to show the highest FW and SGR are 4.26 and 3.98 g/kg, respectively. Furthermore, dietary FS enhanced the amylase (P=0.035) and lipase (P=0.004) activities in a quadratic manner. The elevated doses of dietary FS instigated prominent improvement of the villous height and goblet cell and increased branching of intestinal villi in the middle segments, particularly in fish fed 4 and 8 g/kg. The red blood cells (P=0.009), hemoglobulin (P=0.004), hematocrit (P=0.034), and white blood cells (P=0.014) were increased significantly with dietary FS in a quadratic manner. No marked effects were seen on the alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, urea, creatinine, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. Meanwhile, the total protein (P=0.039), albumin (P=0.021), and globulin (P=0.002) were increased significantly by dietary FS in a quadratic manner. The superoxide dismutase (P=0.005) and catalase (P=0.022) were increased, while malondialdehyde level (P=0.028) was decreased significantly with dietary FS in a quadratic manner. The lysozyme activity was higher in fish-fed FS at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 g/kg than in fish-fed FS at 0 g/kg. The phagocytic activity was higher in fish-fed FS at 2 and 4 g/kg than in fish-fed FS at 0, 0.5, and 8 g/kg without significant differences with fish-fed FS at 1 g/kg (P˃0.05). The regression analysis revealed that the suggested doses of FS supplementation in Nile tilapia diets to show the highest lysozyme activity and catalase activity are 3.52 and 3.79 g/kg, respectively. In conclusion, dietary FS enhanced growth performance, feed utilization, digestive enzyme activity, blood health, immunity, and antioxidative response. Overall, dietary FS can be added at 3.52–4.26 g/kg to enhance the productivity and well-being of Nile tilapia.

Abstract We investigated the dietary effects of the single application of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and their combination on growth, proximate composition of whole fish body, antioxidant defense, and histoarchitecture of hapa-reared Mugil capito. Healthy fish (Fish weighed = 10.30 ± 0.10 g at first) were randomly allocated into 4 equal groups, each with three replicates. These groups were designed as follows: (1) a group fed a basal diet without probiotics (control), (2) a group fed a diet containing S. cerevisiae (4 g/kg diet), (3) a group fed a diet containing L. bulgaricus (2 g/kg diet), and (4) the last group fed a diet containing a combination of both, all for a duration of 60 days. Probiotic-treated groups showed significantly better growth and nutrition utilization than the control group. Significant differences were observed in the crude fat and crude protein contents among the groups, with the combination group exhibiting the highest levels. However, there were no significant variations in ash content across all groups. The highest hepatic antioxidant capacity (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) enzyme activities) was observed in the combination group. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) concentrations were decreased significantly in all probiotic groups, suggesting improved oxidative stress resilience in these groups. The histomorphological analysis of the hepatopancreatic tissues revealed well-arranged parenchyma, increased glycogen storage, and melanomacrophage centers in probiotic-treated groups, particularly the combined probiotics group. Furthermore, the probiotic supplementation improved the histoarchitecture of the intestinal villi compared to the control group. To put it briefly, combined dietary administration of these probiotics improved growth, body composition, antioxidant defenses, and hepatic and intestinal health in hapa-reared M. capito, highlighting their promising role in promoting welfare and productivity.

Unstable outdoor farming conditions weaken fish's health status and immunity, leading to high susceptibility to infectious diseases and low productivity. Feed additives have been applied recently to enhance the growth performance and well-being of striped catfish. This study evaluated the effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on the growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, antioxidative response, and antibacterial capacity of striped catfish. Control and three test diets were supplemented with ginger rhizomes powder at 0.5 %, 1 %, and 1.5 %. After 90 days, the growth performance of striped catfish fed dietary ginger was marginally increased, with the highest being in the group receiving 1 % (p

Environmental salinity is an important abiotic factor that directly affects the growth, metabolism, osmoregulatory processes, and physiological performance of fish. Herein, the effects of long-term salinity stress on juvenile Pangasianodon hypophthalmus have been evaluated. Fish were allotted in five triplicate groups and exposed to five different salinities (0.0, 4.0, 8.0, 12.0, and 16.0‰) for 56 days. After exposure, the final weight, weight gain percent, and specific growth rate were significantly decreased in groups reared in 8‰, 12‰, and 16‰ salinities. The feed intake was also significantly reduced in groups raised in water salinities of 12‰ and 16‰ compared with other groups. Conversely, the feed conversion ratio values were significantly increased in groups reared in water salinities between 8‰ and 16‰ compared with other groups. The lowest survival rates were observed in groups reared at salinities of 12‰ and 16‰ (91.1% and 77.8%, respectively). Body moisture (%) was significantly decreased, while crude protein and crude lipids (%) were significantly increased in groups exposed to salinities ranging from 8.0‰ to 16.0‰. Stress biomarkers (such as blood glucose, lactate, and cortisol levels) and oxidative stress indicators (such as carbonyl proteins, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX)) were significantly increased in groups exposed to different salinities compared with the control group, and their highest levels were in the group exposed to 16‰ salinity. The histoarchitectural changes were different among groups in relation to the salinity level. Moreover, the scored histopathological lesions showed a significant increase in groups exposed to different salinities compared with the control, and the highest scores were reported in groups exposed to the highest salinities (12‰ and 16‰). Based on the fitting curves, the present study suggests that P. hypophthalmus could tolerate salinities up to 8.0‰ with no mortalities; however, 4‰ salinity was more suitable with no adverse effects on the growth and little impact on histology and physiological responses.

The present study evaluated the impacts of powdered Astragalus membranaceus extract (AME) on the growth, physiological responses, and serum immunity of Pangasianodon hypophthalmus juveniles. Four test diets were formulated to include varying AME levels as 0.0 (control), 1.5 (AME1.5), 3.0 (AME3.0), and 4.5 (AME4.5) g/kg. Fish weighing approximately 11.50 g were stocked into four triplicate groups and hand-fed on the test diets three times daily for two months. At 60 days post-feeding, the growth performance, including weight gain and the specific growth rate, was increased quadratically (R2 > 0.90) with increasing AME inclusion levels. An improvement in the feed intake and feed conversion ratio were also noticed in groups fed at different AME levels. The whole-body and amino acid composition were unaffected by the test diets. A significant quadratic trend in the digestive enzymes (lipase, α-amylase, and protease) was found along with increasing AME inclusion levels. Liver enzymes associated with liver functions were improved by AME dietary inclusion levels. Meanwhile, the blood urea nitrogen, uric acid, and creatinine values were unaffected by AME dietary inclusion. On the other hand, serum immunity (lysozyme and total Igs) was elevated with a significant quadratic trend along with increasing AME dietary inclusion levels. Liver MDA levels decreased with increasing AME levels. Liver CAT, GPx, and SOD enzyme activities demonstrated a significant increasing trend along with dietary AME inclusion. The aforementioned effects of dietary AME on P. hypophthalmus health underpinned the potentiality of AME to be used as a phyto-additive to improve the functionality of aquafeed.

In this paper, a mathematical model was used to evaluate a dynamical hybrid system for optimizing and controlling the efficacy of plant-based protein in aquafeeds. Fishmeal (FM), raw rapeseed meal (RM), and a fermented meal with yeast (RM-Yeast) and fungi (Aspergillus oryzae RM-Koji) were used as test ingredients for the determination of apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of dry matter, crude protein, crude lipid, energy, and essential amino acids (EAA) for olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus, 7 ± 0.02 g) using diets containing 0.5% Cr2O3 as an inert indicator. Among all ingredients tested, FM had the maximum ADC of dry matter (P0.05), and energy (P>0.05). Fermented meals (RM-Yeast and RM-Koji) showed higher ADC (P0.05). Amino acid digestibility reflects protein digestibility in most cases. Interestingly, protease, lipase, and amylase activities were better expressed in RM-Koji, RM-Yeast, and FM over RM, respectively. The current results deliver important information on nutrients and energy bioavailability in raw and fermented RM, which can be implemented to accurately formulate applied feeds for olive flounder. Compared with other applicable systems, the complexity of the approach implemented has been considerably reduced.

The study aimed at evaluating the possible feeding strategies of selenium (Se) nanoparticles on the performances of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). The first group fed the basal diet continuously (control) while the second group offered Se (1 mg/kg diet) every day (R1). The third group fed the basal diet one day then Se diet every other day (R2), and the fourth group basal diet for two days then fed Se diet every two days (R3). The FBW, WG, and SGR were significantly improved in the R1 group than fish in the other groups (P

The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of ethanolic extracts of Hypericum perforatum (HP), Origanum vulgare (ORG), and Melissa officinalis (MOF) on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) juveniles. Fish (16.92 ± 0.28 g) were randomly divided into seven groups fed on diets with 0 % (CTR), and two levels (0.2 % and 0.5 %) from each plant extract for 60 days. Final body weight, weight gain %, specific growth rate, and feed conversion ratio were significantly improved in the groups fed with ORG and MOF at 0.5 % (P < 0.05). Moreover, ORG 0.5 % and MOF 0.5 % groups showed a significant increase in RBCs and WBCs counts as well as the hematocrit and hemoglobin values (P < 0.05). Besides, significant enhancement was noticed in the levels of intestinal digestive enzymes in the MOF 0.5 % group (P < 0.05). Activities of hepatic superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase were significantly improved, meanwhile, the hepatic malondialdehyde levels were significantly decreased in all groups fed on phytogenic diets compared to the CTR group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, ORG 0.5 % and MOF 0.5 % groups showed a significant increase in serum total protein, and alternative complement activity (ACH50) (P < 0.05). Attractively, serum lysozyme levels were significantly increased while serum endotoxin values decreased in all groups fed on phytogenic diets. Furthermore, the MOF 0.5 % group showed the highest activities of skin mucus lysozyme, ACH50, and protease (P < 0.05), meanwhile mucosal total immunoglobulins were the highest in ORG 0.5 % and both levels of MOF. ORG 0.5 % and MOF 0.5 % groups showed the highest protection levels of fish following challenge with pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophila. Conclusively, this comparative study showed that both ORG and MOF extract at a 0.5 % level can effectively improve the growth, health, and immune status of Nile tilapia juveniles.

Varied levels of Saccharomyces cerevisiae-fermented date palm seed meal (DSM) were included in Nile tilapia (26.95 ± 0.01 g) diets. Five diets were prepared to include fermented DSM at 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 % and fed for fish for 8 weeks. The obtained results revealed that yeast fermented DSM significantly affected the final body weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, and feed conversion ratio in a dose dependent manner (P = 0.001, P = 0.002, P = 0.004, P = 0.01, respectively). Dietary yeast fermented DSM significantly increased the lipase, amylase, and protease activities (P = 0.011, P = 0.02, P = 0.031, respectively). In the anterior segment of the intestine, villus length and the number of goblet cells were significantly affected by the inclusion of yeast fermented DSM (P = 0.001 and P = 0.008). In the middle area, only the villus length, internal villi distance, and goblet cells number were affected significantly by the inclusion of yeast fermented DSM (P = 0.001, P = 0.02, P = 0.047, respectively). Posterior intestinal morphometry showed significantly increased villus length and number of goblet cells when fish fed yeast fermented DSM in a dose dependent manner (P = 0.028 and P = 0.04). Most of the measured blood parameters showed insignificant (P > 0.05) differences except for total blood protein, globulin, albumin, RBCs, and WBCs which were significantly affected by the inclusion of yeast fermented DSM (P = 0.001, P = 0.001, P = 0.007, P = 0.042, P = 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, dietary yeast fermented DSM significantly altered the lysozyme and phagocytic activities (P = 0.03 and P = 0.005). Based on the polynomial regression analysis the inclusion of yeast fermented DSM at 11.44–17.44 % can be used effectively in tilapia’ diets for improving the growth, digestion activity, and immune response.

The current study evaluated the effects of dietary mannanoligosaccharide (MOS) on red sea bream (Pagrus major) performances. Fish fed five dietary levels of MOS at 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 or 2 g/kg for 60 days. The results showed that MOS supplementation significantly increased the final body weight, weight gain, and specific growth rate with decreased feed conversion ratio especially in fish fed 1.5 g per kg diet (P

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of dietary inclusion of fermented poultry by-product meal (FPBM) on growth performance, digestive enzymes activity, innate immunity, and antioxidant capacity in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). A basal diet containing fish meal and soybean meal was considered as a control (Con), and four other diets were produced by inclusion of 10, 20, 30, or 40% FPBM (FPBM10, FPBM20, FPBM30, and FPBM40 diets). The experiment was done in triplicates (20 fish per replicate) and the fish were fed the test diets to visual satiety twice daily for 8 weeks. The groups of fish fed the FPBM10 and FPBM20 diets showed significantly (P < 0.05) higher weight gain and specific growth rate, and lower feed conversion ratio than those fed the Con and FPBM40 diets. Moreover, inclusion of 40% FPBM led to significant reduction of feed intake compared to the other treatments. FPBM at all the tested levels improved intestinal protease activity and lipase activity was enhanced at 10–30% inclusion levels. Furthermore, the FPBM10 and FPBM20 groups revealed significantly higher amylase activity than the other treatments. The FPBM10 group exhibited significantly higher phagocytic activity than the control group and phagocytic index was enhanced by dietary inclusion of 10–30% FPBM. However, inclusion of over 30% FPBM led to significant reduction of lysozyme, phagocytic, and bactericidal activities compared to the control group. Further, FPBM10 and FPBM20 diets increased the serum IgM levels, while NBT was significantly increased by feeding FPBM10 diet compared with FPBM30 and FPBM40 groups (P < 0.05). The group fed the FPBM30 diet showed significantly higher glutathione peroxidase activity than the control group. According to the analysis of the data by the polynomial regression, the inclusion of FPBM at 11.17–25.14% can be applied effectively in the diets of tilapia for better growth performance and health condition.

Balanced aquafeed is the key factor for enhancing the productivity of aquatic animals. In this context, aquatic animals require optimal amounts of lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. The original plant and animals’ ingredients in the basal diets are insufficient to provide aquafeed with suitable amounts of minerals. Concurrently, elements should be incorporated in aquafeed in optimal doses, which differ based on the basal diets’ species, age, size, and composition. Selenium is one of the essential trace elements involved in various metabolic, biological, and physiological functions. Se acts as a precursor for antioxidative enzyme synthesis leading to high total antioxidative capacity. Further, Se can enhance the immune response and the tolerance of aquatic animals to infectious diseases. Several metabolic mechanisms, such as thyroid hormone production, cytokine formation, fecundity, and DNA synthesis, require sufficient Se addition. The recent progress in the nanotechnology industry is also applied in the production of Se nanoparticles. Indeed, Se nanoparticles are elaborated as more soluble and bioavailable than the organic and non-organic forms. In aquaculture, multiple investigations have elaborated the role of Se nanoparticles on the performances and wellbeing of aquatic animals. In this review, the outputs of recent studies associated with the role of Se nanoparticles on aquatic animals’ performances were simplified and presented for more research and development.

Introduction: Physical training induces iron status impairment in athletic females in the short term and over prolonged periods. Nevertheless, the existing literature lacks a comprehensive evaluation of the differential impacts of aerobic vs. anaerobic training on hematological indices and iron status among adolescent female athletes. The aim of this study was to assess the hematological factors and iron status in aerobic vs. anaerobic training in athletic females. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study recruited twenty-five adolescent athletic females; thirteen of them participated in an aerobic sport (long-distance running), while twelve of them participated in an anaerobic sport (broad jumping). Hematological factors were assessed by analyzing blood concentrations of hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), red blood cell (RBC) count, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), while the iron status assessment was conducted through evaluating levels of serum transferrin and serum ferritin. Results: Athletic females who participated in the aerobic sport showed significantly lower Hb (MD −0.84; 95% CI −1.63: −0.04; p = 0.041), Hct (MD −5.49; 95% CI −7.86: −3.12; p = 0.0001), RBC count (MD −0.37; 95% CI −0.57: −0.17; p = 0.001), and MCV (MD −5.15; 95% CI −9.41: −0.89; p = 0.020), as well as significantly higher MCHC (MD 2.99; 95% CI 2.18: 3.79; p = 0.0001) and serum transferrin (MD 46.77; 95% CI 10.95: 82.59; p = 0.013) than athletic females who participated in the anaerobic sport. However, there was an insignificant difference in serum ferritin levels (MD −3.18; 95% CI −11.49: 5.13; p = 0.437) between both groups. Conclusion: Except for the ferritin level that exhibited an insignificant difference between aerobic and anaerobic training, aerobic training was associated with a worse impact on the hematological factors and iron status than anaerobic training in adolescent athletic females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ankle instability is a common injury in athletes, affecting the quality of life, functional limitation, as well as static and dynamic balance. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of virtual reality and Biodex balance training in the treatment of ankle instability in adolescent athletes. Material and methods: Ninety football players were enrolled in this study after the assessment of their eligibility. Their age ranged from 12 to 16 years. They were randomly allocated to three groups of equal numbers. Group 1 received a guideline protocol, group 2 received the same guideline protocol in addition to Wii Sport Training, and group 3 received the same guideline protocol in addition to Biodex balance training. All groups received treatment protocols three times a week for 3 months. Outcome measures included the stability indices (overall stability, anteroposterior stability, and mediolateral) measured by the Biodex Balance System as well as ankle instability measured by the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool. Measurements were collected at the baseline and after 3 months of treatment. Results: Post-treatment findings revealed a statistically significant decrease in the overall, anteroposterior, and mediolateral stability indices, as well as significant increase in Cumberland Ankle Instability outcomes of all groups (p < 0.05). On the other hand, there were no statistically significant differences between the virtual reality and Biodex balance training groups. Conclusions: Virtual reality training has a significant effect which appears to be similar to the Biodex balance training in adolescent athletes with chronic ankle instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of 448 kHz monopolar capacitive resistive radiofrequency (MCRR) in the treatment of females with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Materials and methods: Forty females with SUI complaints were separated randomly into two equal groups. Group A with 20 females received the MCRR therapy for 20 min and performed pelvic floor exercises for 20 min. Group B with 20 females received placebo treatment by applying the same application as in Group A without emitting any waves for 20 min, three times a week, for 4 weeks. The patients in both groups were instructed to pause the treatment during their menstruation; the patients were instructed to maintain home pelvic floor exercises. Both groups were assessed by a perineometer that was used to assess the strength of the pelvic floor muscles (PFM), the visual analogue scale (VAS), and the Incontinence Symptom Severity Index to assess the frequency of urinary incontinence symptoms as described by each patient before treatment and after 4 weeks of treatment. Results: There was a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in VAS and the Incontinence Symptom Severity Index and a significant increase in the strength of the PFM in both groups post-treatment compared with the pre-treatment. Regarding between-subject effects, there was a significant difference in VAS, the Incontinence Symptom Severity Index, and the perineometer between both groups (p < 0.05), and this significant improvement favored Group A. Conclusion: MCRR and pelvic floor exercises are more effective methods for the treatment of SUI than just pelvic floor exercises of females with SUI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]