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Adding moderate levels of insoluble dietary fiber is a promising and economical method for enhancing broiler chickens' health status and performance. The current research aimed to determine the effect of corn bran (CB) as an insoluble fiber on performance parameters, digestive organs, intestinal morphology, and nutrient digestibility in broiler chickens. A total of 240 one-day-old Ross broilers were randomly divided into four treatments: a control (without CB inclusion) and three treatments with CB at 25, 50, and 75 g/kg. Dietary inclusion of 50 and 75 g/kg of CB significantly decreased daily feed intake and weight gain during the entire rearing period. However, the feed conversion ratio was not affected by the experimental treatments. Carcass yields significantly increased in birds fed control and 25 g/kg CB diets compared to those fed on 50 and 75 g/kg of CB. On the other hand, feeding 50 and 75 g/kg of CB caused a significant increase in the gastrointestinal tract and gizzard relative weights compared to the control. The groups fed 50 and 75 g/kg CB-containing diets had the heaviest ileal and cecal weights relative to the control group. The shortest compartments of the small intestine were observed in the group fed the control diet compared to the CB inclusion treatments (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in intestinal morphology and nutrient digestibility among treatments. In conclusion, supplementing CB as an insoluble fiber at 25 g/kg improved the health status of broiler chickens without impairing growth performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) play a crucial role in glycemic control. Therefore, we studied the effect of combination therapy with GABA and MgSO4 to improve insulin sensitivity in diabetes induced by streptozotocin as well as high-fat diet in a diabetic rat model. Design and Methods. Forty randomly selected rats were assigned to four groups: nondiabetic control group was fed the normal diet, insulin-resistant diabetic rat model was induced by streptozotocin and high-fat diet, GABA + MgSO4 group received GABA and MgSO4, and insulin group was treated with insulin. Body weight, abdominal fat, blood glucose, serum insulin, and glucagon concentration were measured. The glucose clamp technique, glucose tolerance test, and insulin tolerance test were performed to study insulin sensitivity. Also, the expressions of glucose 6 phosphatase, glucagon receptor, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase genes in liver were assessed for the gluconeogenesis pathway. Protein translocation and glucose transporter 4 (Glut4) genes expression in muscle were also assessed. Results. Combination of GABA + MgSO4 or insulin therapy enhanced insulin level, glycemic control, glucose and insulin tolerance test, some enzymes expression in the gluconeogenesis pathway, body fat, body weight, and glucagon receptor in diabetic rats. Moreover, an increase was observed in protein and gene expression of Glut4. Insulin sensitivity in combination therapy was more than the insulin group. Conclusions. GABA and MgSO4 enhanced insulin sensitivity via increasing Glut4 and reducing the gluconeogenesis enzyme and glucagon receptor gene expressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin resistance (IR) is mentioned to be a disorder in insulin ability in insulin-target tissues. Skeletal muscle (SkM) and liver function are more affected by IR than other insulin target cells. SkM is the main site for the consumption of ingested glucose. An effective treatment for IR has two properties: An inhibition of β-cell death and a promotion of β-cell replication. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) can improve beta-cell mass and function. Multiple studies have shown that GABA decreases IR probably via increase in glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) gene expression and prevention of gluconeogenesis pathway in the liver. This review focused on the general aspects of IR in skeletal muscle (SkM), liver; the cellular mechanism(s) lead to the development of IR in these organs, and the role of GABA to reduce insulin resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sharifi MR, Shahi Z. 2020. Assessment of wind shelter conditions of an open water storage reservoir using wind shelter index. Lake Reserv Manage. XX:XXX–XXX. Identifying the wind-affected area in a given waterbody facilitates the implementation of some evaporation control methods because the amount of evaporation is a function of the wind shelter. In this study, a method is developed to identify the wind-affected area of open water in reservoirs, using the Dez Dam in Iran. Through the wind shelter index (Sx), which is most commonly used in snowy areas, the wind shelter was calculated at different points on the open water. The points were then categorized in terms of the wind shelter index values using cluster analysis. For this purpose, Sx values were calculated and then clustered using 28,321 points of the lake's surface. Using this method, the water surface was classified into areas, with 5 parts having different wind sheltering. On average, a considerable part of the water surface of the lake (66%) was more exposed to the wind than other parts. Therefore, it can be predicted that the evaporation at these areas is higher than at other areas of the lake surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractIntroductionMethodsResultsConclusionSocial inequality conditions induce aversion and affect brain functions and mood. This study investigated the effects of chronic social equality and inequality (CSE and CSI, respectively) conditions on passive avoidance memory and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like behaviors in rats under chronic empathic stress.Rats were divided into different groups, including control, sham-observer, sham-demonstrator, observer, demonstrator, and co-demonstrator groups. Chronic stress (2 h/day) was administered to all stressed groups for 21 days. Fear learning, fear memory, memory consolidation, locomotor activity, and PTSD-like behaviors were evaluated using the passive avoidance test. Apart from the hippocampal weight, the correlations of memory and right hippocampal weight with serum corticosterone (CORT) levels were separately assessed for all experimental groups.Latency was significantly higher in the demonstrator and sham-demonstrator groups compared to the control group. It was decreased significantly in other groups compared to the control group. Latency was also decreased in the observer and co-demonstrator groups compared to the demonstrator group. Moreover, the right hippocampal weight was significantly decreased in the demonstrator and sham-demonstrator groups compared to the control group. Pearson’s correlation of memory and hippocampal weight with serum CORT levels supported the present findings.Maladaptive fear responses occurred in demonstrators and sham-demonstrators. Also, extremely high levels of psychological stress, especially under CSI conditions (causing abnormal fear learning) led to heightened fear memory and PTSD-like behaviors. Right hippocampal atrophy confirmed the potential role of CSI conditions in promoting PTSD-like behaviors. Compared to inequality conditions, the abnormal fear memory was reduced under equality conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]