Search

The article presents a study that examines the effects of 4 genotypes of chicken, all suitable for extensive fattening, on carcass and meat quality using 320 chickens divided into 4 equally sized groups including indigenous chicken strains from Thailand, Black-boned and Thai native (Thai), and imported chicken breeds, Bresse and Rhode Island Red (Rhode, a layer breed).

The experiment was conducted with three groups of commercial crosses of Pekin meat ducks: SM3 Heavy, Star 53 H.Y. and AF51. Each group was divided into three subgroups, each having 10 males and 10 females. A total of 180 ducks were evaluated. Birds were kept on litter in a confinement facility in 9 pens and ad libitum fed on commercial diets. Throughout rearing, body weight (days 1 and 49) and feed consumption (daily) were recorded. At 49 days of age, 10 males and 10 females were chosen from each group for slaughter. The carcasses were chilled and dissected. The pH of muscles and colour coordinates were determined 24 h postmortem. The samples of breast and leg muscles, obtained after dissection, were analysed for the content of selected minerals. Compared to AF51 birds, SM3 Heavy and Star 53 H.Y. ducks had significantly higher body weight and daily gain, a better feed conversion ratio (kg feed/kg weight gain), higher dressing percentage and percentage of breast muscle and lower percentage of skin with subcutaneous fat and abdominal fat. Male AF51 hybrids had significantly higher body weight and dressing percentage compared to females. The genotype had no significant effect on the pH24 of breast muscle and L*, a* and b* values of leg muscles. The breast muscles of 49-day-old AF51 females, compared to the muscles of SM3 Heavy and Star 53 H.Y. birds, were characterised by significantly higher redness and yellowness, darker colour and lower copper and magnesium content, whereas leg muscles contained less sodium, magnesium and copper. In leg muscle, females had significantly more iron (in all the hybrids) and zinc (only SM3 Heavy hybrid) compared to males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conditions necessary for mechanical twin nucleation are considered. It is concluded that a high elastic strain energy accumulation must precede twin nucleation, and that twin formation provides an efficient means of excess energy accommodation. It is suggested that the significance of the resolved shear stresses present is limited to the slip deformation, which must precede, accompany, and follow twin formation in real crystals. The resultant shear deformation is not inherent in twinning itself, but originates in the associated slip. In the absence of slip, in a perfect crystal, twins can form by atom shuffles requiring no overall shear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to compare the bodyweight and body measurements, carcass composition, and characteristics of major visceral organs in male and female Pekin ducks. A total of 80 hybrid SM3 Heavy ducks were kept in a conventional building and fed complete commercial diets ad libitum. The male and female were weighed individually at one day old and their bodyweight and body measurements were determined at 21, 35 and 49 days of rearing. On day 49, 20 males and 20 females were chosen for slaughter. After slaughter, the carcasses and visceral organs were collected. No significant differences were observed between males and females in bodyweight (1 d, 58.6 vs 56.3 g to 49 d, 3518 vs 3433 g) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) (0–49 d, 2.44 vs 2.49 kg/kg gain). At 35 days old males demonstrated a significantly longer body and shanks and, at 49 days old a significantly longer body than females. The sex of ducks had no significant effect on the percentage of wings, muscles from breast and legs, skin with subcutaneous fat, abdominal fat and carcass remainder. The neck content was significantly greater in male carcasses than female ones. The contents of proventriculus, liver, and spleen in the bodies of males and females were similar. Gizzard percentage was significantly greater in males, and heart percentage was significantly greater in females. Due to their high bodyweight, good FCR, and favourable carcass composition, SM3 Heavy male ducks are more useful as broiler duck than females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation duck flocks are of significant importance to science. Over a number of years, many experiments have been carried out to gain a better understanding of individual duck populations. However, the knowledge obtained is still incomplete. The aim of the present study was to compare three duck strains maintained in Poland and included in the Genetic Resources Protection Programme in terms of the fatty acid profile, health lipid indices, and sensory traits of breast and leg meat. The experimental material consisted of 180 sexed Pekin ducks, 60 ducks each (including 30 males and 30 females) from strain P33 (Pekin of Polish origin), P8 (Pekin of Danish origin), and P9 (Pekin of French origin). During 49 days of rearing, the ducks were kept in an enclosed building with six pens on straw. The duck genotype had a significant effect on the myristic (C14:0), palmitic (C16:0), oleic (C18:1n9), linolenic (C18:2n6), arachidonic (C20:4n6), monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), PUFAn6 content, and Peroxidisability Index (PI) values of breast muscle. Ducks from the compared strains differed significantly in C16:0 content and the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), including MUFAs, Nutritive Value Index, and Health-Promoting Index in leg muscles. Ducks from the compared strains also differed significantly in the aroma and juiciness of the heat-treated breast muscles and the tenderness of the leg muscles. The sex of the birds had a significant effect on the C18:1, C22:6n3, MUFA, PUFAn6, PUFAn3, PI, and aroma and taste desirability of the breast muscles, as well as the aroma intensity of the leg muscles.

Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared.

Objective: Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a clonal non-malignant disease in which hematopoietic cell apoptosis may play an important pathophysiological role. Previous studies of the content of phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PI(3,4,5)P3) indicated the possibility of remote transmission of anti-apoptotic signals between pathological and normal hematopoietic progenitors., Methods: The study determined the plasma levels of beta chemokines and cytokines in N = 19 patients with PNH and 31 healthy controls. The research material was peripheral blood plasma (EDTA) stored at -80 °C until the test. Beta chemokine and cytokine concentrations were tested in duplicate with Bio-Plex Pro Human Cytokine Assay (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA) using a Luminex 200 flow cytometer and xPONENT software (Luminex Corporation, Austin, TX, USA). In peripheral blood CD34+ cells we tested the proportions of PI(3,4,5)P3+ and Annexin binding apoptotic phenotype using FC and phosflow., Results: Compared to the control group, the PNH group showed a significant increase in the plasma concentration of some beta chemokines and cytokines, including MIP-1alpha/CCL3, eotaxin/CCL11, MCP1/CCL2, IL4 and G-CSF. In the group of PNH patients, a significant decrease in the concentration of some cytokines was also observed: RANTES/CCL5, MIP-1beta/CCL4, PDGF-BB and IL9. At the same time, the plasma concentrations of the chemokine IP-10/CXCL10 and the cytokines IFN-gamma, TNF, IL6 and IL10 showed no significant deviations from the values for the control group. Anti-apoptotic phenotype and phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate content in PNH clone of CD34+ cells were associated with the level of CCL3 and negatively associated with CCL5, CCL4, PDGF-BB and IL9., Conclusions: This data suggest the existence of apoptotic and PI(3,4,5)P3 imbalance in PNH CD34+ cells driven by anti-apoptotic cytokine biosignature in PNH. Plasma cytokines and intracellular enzymes that regulate the phosphoinositide pathways may become a therapeutic target in PNH., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)