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Obesity, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is excessive fat accumulation that can pose health risks and is a disorder of the energy homeostasis system. In typical westernized diets, ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) vastly exceed the amount of ω-3 PUFAs, with ω-6/ω-3 ratios ranging from 10:1 to 25:1. ω-6 PUFAs, such as arachidonic acid, have pro-inflammatory effects and increase obesity. On the other hand, ω-3 PUFAs, including eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, have anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity effects. Linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) are synthesized in almost all higher plants, algae, and some fungi. However, in humans and animals, they are essential fatty acids and must be consumed through diet or supplementation. Therefore, balancing LA/ALA ratios is essential for obesity prevention and human health. Monogastric animals such as pigs and chickens can produce meat and eggs fortified with ω-3 PUFAs by controlling dietary fatty acid (FA). Additionally, ruminant animals such as feeder cattle and lactating dairy cows can opt for feed supplementation with ω-3 PUFAs sources and rumen-protected microencapsulated FAs or pasture finishing. This method can produce ω-3 PUFAs and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) fortified meat, milk, and cheese. A high ω-6/ω-3 ratio is associated with pro-inflammation and obesity, whereas a balanced ratio reduces inflammation and obesity. Additionally, probiotics containing lactic acid bacteria are necessary, which reduces inflammation and obesity by converting ω-6 PUFAs into functional metabolites such as 10-hydroxy-cis-12-octadecenoic acid and CLA.

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Milk fat is an important indicator for evaluating the quality of cow's milk. In this study, we used bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs) to investigate the role and molecular mechanism of KLF4 in the regulation of milk fat synthesis. The results showed that KLF4 was more highly expressed in mammary tissues of high-fat cows compared with low-fat cows. KLF4 positively regulated the expression of genes related to milk fat synthesis in BMECs, increasing intracellular triglycerides content, and KLF4 promoted milk fat synthesis by activating the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway. Furthermore, the results of animal experiments also confirmed that knockdown of KLF4 inhibited milk fat synthesis. In addition, yeast one-hybrid assays and dual-luciferase reporter gene assays confirmed that KLF4 directly targets and binds to the fatty acid synthase (FASN) promoter region to promote FASN transcription. These results demonstrate that KLF4 is a key transcription factor for milk fat synthesis in BMECs.

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BACKGROUND: Anticoagulant rodenticide (AR) poisoning was diagnosed in 3 Patagonian maras (Dolichotis patagonum) raised in the mara farm in Thailand. To date, there have been no reports of maras with diagnosed AR poisoning. CASE PRESENTATION: The first clinical sign of the sickening maras was anorexia. Fifteen from 50 maras were dead over a 3-5 day period after the clinical signs had occurred. Positive results to AR were detected in all of the maras' liver specimens by screening test using thin layer chromatography and spectrophotometry methods. Supportive therapy was selected for the treatment of the 35 surviving maras. During the follow - up observation period of 12 months, all of the surviving maras were healthy and no reproductive loss. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report on suspected AR poisoning in maras in Thailand based on history taking, clinical signs, gross pathology lesions and chemical analysis. AR poisoning in the present report is possibly from contaminated animal food. Therefore, quality control of food should be fastidious when feeding maras.

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Introduction: Radioactive contamination of the environment is one of the greatest threats after a nuclear accident due to released radionuclides. From a radiotoxicological point of view, the most important radionuclide is caesium-137. Formed mainly during nuclear explosions, caesium-137 can persist in the soil for many years, from where it constantly enters the food chain. One of the elements of ensuring food safety is the monitoring of its radioactive contamination, mainly with radioactive caesium isotopes. The aim of the study was to determine the content of caesium-137 in food of animal origin. Material and Methods: A total of 1,416 muscle samples from cattle, sheep, pigs, game and fish, as well as chicken eggs and dairy products were examined using gamma-ray spectrometry. Results: Caesium-137 activities ranged from below the minimum detectable activity concentration (MDC) to over 4,000 Bq/kg wet weight (w.w.). Most often, the values did not exceed the MDC or were in a range below 100 Bq/kg. The exception was the muscle tissue of game animals, especially wild boar, where a significant activity of caesium-137 was recorded, the highest of which was 4,136.8 ± 238 Bq/kg w.w. Committed effective doses determined for each matrix ranged from 0.01 to 0.83 µSv/kg, with the highest value determined for wild boar. Conclusion: The calculated exposure doses with values well below the accepted low radiation dose (100 mSv) did not indicate any significant amounts of ionising radiation from the food consumed.

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Background/purpose: Dyslipidemia and a high fat diet may increase the predisposition for accumulating body fat in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP). This study aimed to investigate the risk factors obesity, dietary patterns, and lipid metabolism. Materials and methods: A population-based case-control study was conducted between September 2020 and October 2021, recruiting 275 pairs of OLP cases and controls. Information on lipid profiles, diet frequency and waist circumference were gathered. Principal component and factor analysis were used to analyze the semi-quantitative dietary frequency survey data of patients to extract specific dietary patterns. Results: Univariate analysis showed that total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein were significantly higher in the OLP group than the control and other oral mucosal disease groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively). Compared with the baseline group, obese and overweight patients were more common in the OLP group. Dyslipidemia was more common in the OLP group (68%) compared to the healthy mucosa group (32%; P < 0.001, OR = 4.52, 95% CI = 2.49-8.18). Four dietary patterns were described among the subjects. The traditional prone animal food pattern (OR: 24.81, 95% CI: 6.05-101.71, P < 0.001) and animal food pattern (OR: 28.77, 95% CI: 8.10-102.15, P = 0.001) were associated with an increased risk of OLP. Conclusion: The results indicated that a high-fat diet, dyslipidemia and obesity were strongly linked to disease progression in OLP. A diet high in processed food and fat could increase the risk of OLP.

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Managing a milk zone in the dairy industry is demanding. Data necessary for efficient management are difficult to acquire because they usually must be collected in organized and standardized ways. On the other hand, software practices constantly provide new tools that can go beyond simple record-keeping practices and add value to the data. In this work, FarmDain is a novel web-based application for sheep and goat management. It aims to improve milk production and processing by digitizing the value chain in data acquisition, processing and visualization between dairy production businesses and their milk suppliers. FarmDain uses state-of-the-art software technologies to model the data collection process and provides a straightforward user interface to facilitate data processing and visualization. Using the app in a case study carried out for 12 months in a dairy sheep farm resulted in lower feeding cost per milked ewe by 5.5% when ewes were allocated into high and low milk production groups compared to the scenario of remaining in one single group. Furthermore, based on reports provided by the app, culling and genetic selection decisions were made to improve the overall farm performance. Similar practices were applied in all farms optimizing their productivity, which led to increased profitability for farms and the Dairy Factory.

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BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death globally. Besides lack of exercise, obesity, smoking, and other risk factors, poor nutrition and unhealthy/ unbalanced diets play an important role in CVD. OBJECTIVE: This review examined data on all issues of the CV-health benefits of a balanced diet, with tabulation of nutritional data and health-authority recommendations and pictorial illustration of the main features of a CV-healthy diet. METHODS: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for relevant studies and reviews on diet and CV health. RESULTS: For a long time, there has been evidence, corroborated by recent findings, that pro-vegetarian diets have a beneficial influence on serum lipid levels, markers of inflammation and endothelial function, prooxidant-antioxidant balance, and gut microbiome, all probably contributing to reduced CV risk. Worries about the nutritional adequacy of vegetarian diets are circumvented by obtaining certain nutrients lacking or found in lower amounts in plants than in animal foods, by consuming a wide variety of healthy plant foods and through intake of oral supplements or fortified foods. Well-balanced diets, such as the Mediterranean or the Dietary-Approaches-to-Stop-Hypertension diets, provide CV-health benefits. Nevertheless, a broad variety of plant-based diets with low/minimal animal food intake may allow for a personalized and culturally adjusted application of dietary recommendations contributing to the maintenance of CV health. CONCLUSION: Universal adoption of a balanced CV-healthy diet can reduce global, CV and other mortality by ~20%. This requires world-wide programs of information for and education of the public, starting with school children and expanding to all groups, sectors, and levels.

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The occurrence of antibiotics in the feces of elderly individuals in Shenzhen, China, was investigated by monitoring 78 compounds to understand the adverse effects and its association with antibiotic residues in animal products collected from local markets. In total, 18 compounds belonging to 5 classes of antibiotics were identified in 74 of 140 fecal samples. Furthermore, 17.9% of the fecal samples contained at least two antibiotics, and 14.3% of the samples showed antibiotic concentrations higher than 100 µg/kg. Cephalothin exhibited the highest detection frequency (22.1%), followed by azithromycin (15.7%) and tilmicosin (12.9%). Oxytetracycline, norfloxacin, and azithromycin showed extremely high concentrations (> 1000 µg/kg). Eight antibiotics were detected in the animal products, with detection frequencies ranging from 4.8 to 40.0%. Five antibiotics exhibited similar detection frequencies and strong correlations between the human fecal and animal product samples. Health risk assessment based on hazard quotients showed that ciprofloxacin in animal products and human feces posed a medium and high risk, respectively. The hazard quotients of oxytetracycline, norfloxacin, and azithromycin in the feces were greater than 1, indicating a high health risk. These findings suggest that the elderly individuals were frequently exposed to antibiotics via the food chain and faced health risks posed by these antibiotics.

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BACKGROUND & AIMS: Plant-based diets have recently risen in popularity due to their proposed health benefits. We evaluated the association of plant-based diet quality with non alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) prevalence and their interaction on risk for developing type 2 diabetes ten years later. ETHODS: A post-hoc analysis of data collected in the ATTICA study. In 2001-02, 3042 participants from the Attica region of Greece were recruited. NAFL was assessed through hepatic steatosis index (HSI). Overall, healthful (hPDI), and unhealthful (uPDI) plant-based dietary indices (PDI) were calculated through standard procedures. N = 1485 participants free of type 2 diabetes at baseline completed the follow-up evaluation ten years later (n = 191 cases). RESULTS: Unhealthy plant-based diet was significantly associated with likelihood for NAFL; the NAFL prevalence was 32.7%, 33.2% and 40.0%, respectively (p = 0.01), ranking from 1st to 3rd uPDI tertile. Multi-adjusted analysis revealed an inverse association between PDI and NAFL [OR(per 5 units increase in PDI) = 0.85 95%CI (0.76, 0.94)] and hPDI [HR(per 5 units increase in hPDI) = 0.91 95%CI (0.83, 0.99)] and a positive association in the case of uPDI [HR(per 5 units increase in uPDI) = 1.12 95%CI (1.01, 1.25)]. Multi-adjusted analysis revealed that baseline NAFL was associated with 2.95 times higher 10-year type 2 diabetes risk. No significant interaction of baseline liver steatosis with plant-based diet indices was observed (p for interaction > 0.05) in predicting type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Plant-based diet quality is of importance for NAFL and affects long-term risk for incident type 2 diabetes.

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There is conflicting evidence of the roles vitamin D and iron have in isolation and combined in relation to muscle health. The purpose of this narrative review was to examine the current literature on the roles that vitamin D and iron have on skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function and how these nutrients are associated with skeletal muscle health in specific populations. Secondary purposes include exploring if low vitamin D and iron status are interrelated with skeletal muscle health and chronic inflammation and reviewing the influence of animal-source foods rich in these nutrients on health and performance. PubMed, Scopus, SPORT Discus, EMBAE, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar databases were searched to determine eligible studies. There was a positive effect of vitamin D on muscle mass, particularly in older adults. There was a positive effect of iron on aerobic and anaerobic performance. Studies reported mixed results for both vitamin D and iron on muscle strength and function. While vitamin D and iron deficiency commonly occur in combination, few studies examined effects on skeletal muscle health and inflammation. Isolated nutrients such as iron and vitamin D may have positive outcomes; however, nutrients within food sources may be most effective in improving skeletal muscle health.

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CONTEXT: Gut microbiota-derived metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) may adversely affect bone by inducing oxidative stress. Whether this translates into increased fracture risk in older adults is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: Determine the associations of plasma TMAO with hip fracture and bone mineral density (BMD) in older adults. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cox hazard models and linear regression stratified by sex examined the associations of TMAO with hip fracture and BMD in the longitudinal cohort of the Cardiovascular Health Study. PARTICIPANTS: 5019 U.S. adults aged ≥65 years. EXPOSURE: Plasma TMAO. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incident hip fractures; total hip BMD dual x-ray absorptiometry in a subset (n = 1400). RESULTS: Six hundred sixty-six incident hip fractures occurred during up to 26 years of follow-up (67,574 person-years). After multivariable adjustment, TMAO was not significantly associated with hip fracture (women: hazard ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] of 1.00[0.92,1.09] per TMAO doubling; men: 1.12[0.95,1.33]). TMAO was also not associated with total hip BMD (women: BMD difference [95% CI] of 0.42 g/cm2*100 [-0.34,1.17] per TMAO doubling; men: 0.19[-1.04,1.42]). In exploratory analyses, we found an interaction between body mass index (BMI) and the association of TMAO with hip fracture (P < 0.01). Higher TMAO was significantly associated with risk of hip fracture in adults with overweight or obesity (BMI ≥ 25) (HR [95% CI]:1.17[1.05,1.31]), but not normal or underweight. CONCLUSIONS: Among older US men and women, TMAO was not significantly associated with risk of hip fracture or BMD overall. Exploratory analyses suggested a significant association between higher TMAO and hip fracture when BMI was elevated, which merits further study.

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PURPOSE: We prospectively evaluated the association between quality of plant-based diets and 10-year first fatal/non-fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence. METHODS: ATTICA study was conducted in the greater metropolitan Athens area, Greece, during 2001-2002 studying men and women (aged > 18 years old) free of CVD at baseline. Follow-up CVD assessment (2011-2012) was achieved in n = 2,020 participants (n = 317 cases). Dietary assessment was based on a validated semi-quantitative paper-based food frequency questionnaire. Overall, healthful, and unhealthful plant-based dietary indices (PDI, hPDI and uPDI) were calculated through a standard published procedure. The association between plant-based indices and CVD outcome has been evaluated via Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: The CVD event rate was 15.7% (n = 317) with a median follow-up time of 8.41 years. The highest (3rd PDI tertile) vs. lowest (1st tertile) adherence to plant-based pattern-irrespective to healthfulness of food products consumed-was inversely associated with CVD (hazard ratio (HR) 0.56; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.14, 2.25) yet the CI was wide. Ranking from 1st to 2nd and 3rd hPDI tertile the CVD event rate was 6.4%, 10.5% and 16.2%, respectively (p = 0.003). Multi-variable adjusted analysis revealed that participants assigned in 2nd and 3rd hPDI tertile had 47% (HR 0.53; 95% CI 0.25-1.08) and 68% (HR 0.32; 95% CI 0.16-0.63) lower risk to develop CVD compared with their 1st tertile counterparts. Conversely, a positive association between uPDI and CVD risk was revealed in dose-response analysis (HR(per 5 units increase in uPDI) 1.34; 95% CI 0.95-2.37)). CONCLUSIONS: Quality of plant-based diets is important and needs to be considered, as not all plant-source foods have beneficial cardiovascular effects.

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Cnidarians diverged very early in animal evolution; therefore, investigations of the morphology and trophic levels of early fossil cnidarians may provide critical insights into the evolution of metazoans and the origin of modern marine food webs. However, there has been a lack of unambiguous anthozoan cnidarians from Ediacaran assemblages, and undoubted anthozoans from the Cambrian radiation of metazoans are very rare and lacking in ecological evidence. Here, we report a new polypoid cnidarian, Nailiana elegans gen. et sp. nov., represented by multiple solitary specimens from the early Cambrian Chengjiang biota (∼520 Ma) of South China. These specimens show eight unbranched tentacles surrounding a single opening into the gastric cavity, which may have born multiple mesenteries. Thus, N. elegans displays a level of organization similar to that of extant cnidarians. Phylogenetic analyses place N. elegans in the stem lineage of Anthozoa and suggest that the ancestral anthozoan was a soft-bodied, solitary polyp showing octoradial symmetry. Moreover, one specimen of the new polyp preserves evidence of predation on an epifaunal lingulid brachiopod. This case provides the oldest direct evidence of macrophagous predation, the advent of which may have triggered the emergence of complex trophic/ecological relationships in Cambrian marine communities and spurred the explosive radiation of animal body plans.

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Lipids are one of the major macronutrients essential for adequate growth and maintenance of human health. Their structure is not only complex but also diverse, which makes systematic and holistic analyses challenging; consequently, little is known regarding the relationship between phenotype and mechanism of action. In recent years, rapid advancements have been made in the fields of lipidomics and bioinformatics. In comparison with traditional approaches, mass spectrometry-based lipidomics can rapidly identify as well as quantify >1,000 lipid species at the same time, facilitating comprehensive, robust analyses of lipids in tissues, cells, and body fluids. Accordingly, lipidomics is now being widely applied in various fields, particularly food and nutrition science. In this review, we discuss lipid classification, extraction techniques, and detection and analysis using lipidomics. We also cover how lipidomics is being used to assess food obtained from livestock and poultry. The information included herein should serve as a reference to determine how to characterize lipids in animal food samples, enhancing our understanding of the application of lipidomics in the field in animal husbandry.

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This study explores interconnections between food consumption and production of animal (by-)products in different food system scenarios within the scope of Dutch Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG). For this scenario study, a Microsoft Excel model was created that include seven scenarios with different quantities of eggs, milk, cheese, beef cattle, broilers, and pigs as input. Number of animals, intake of energy, animal protein, saturated fatty acids (SFAs), trans-fatty acids (TFAs), salt, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs), and land use (LU) were calculated and compared with current consumption and reference values. Based on the concept of eating the whole animal, every recommended lean, unprocessed portion of beef comes along with a non-recommended portion of beef (two portions for pork, 0.5 portion for broilers). The reference values for SFAs, TFAs, and salt were not exceeded if the intake of meat is limited to 410 g/week. The scenarios with recommended 450 mL semi-skimmed milk and 40 g/day low-fat cheese results in 36 g/day of butter as by-product, exceeding its acceptable intake three times. The near-vegetarian scenario with recommended amounts of eggs, milk, and cheese, includes only a portion of beef/calf per 6 days and a portion of chicken per 9 weeks as by-products. This scenario more than halves the GHGE and LU. Finally, the scenario that included the maximum recommended amounts of animal products is reachable with half the current size of Dutch livestock. This conceptual framework may be useful in the discussion on how future sustainable FBDG can incorporate a more food system-based approach.

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Animal proteins are good sources of protein for human, due to the composition of necessary amino acids. The quality of food depends significantly on the properties of protein inside, especially the gelation, transportation, and antimicrobial properties. Interestingly, various kinds of molecules co-exist with proteins in foodstuff, and the interactions between these can significantly affect the food quality. In food processing, these interactions have been used to improve the texture, color, taste, and shelf-life of animal food by affecting the gelation, antioxidation, and antimicrobial properties of proteins. Meanwhile, the binding properties of proteins contributed to the nutritional properties of food. In this review, proteins in meat, milk, eggs, and fishery products have been summarized, and polysaccharides, polyphenols, and other functional molecules have been applied during food processing to improve the nutritional and sensory quality of food. Specific interactions between functional molecules and proteins based on the crystal structures will be highlighted with an aim to improve the food quality in the future.

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Background Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a gut microbiota-dependent metabolite of dietary choline, L-carnitine, and phosphatidylcholine-rich foods. On the basis of experimental studies and patients with prevalent disease, elevated plasma TMAO may increase risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). TMAO is also renally cleared and may interact with and causally contribute to renal dysfunction. Yet, how serial TMAO levels relate to incident and recurrent ASCVD in community-based populations and the potential mediating or modifying role of renal function are not established. Methods and Results We investigated associations of serial measures of plasma TMAO, assessed at baseline and 7 years, with incident and recurrent ASCVD in a community-based cohort of 4131 (incident) and 1449 (recurrent) older US adults. TMAO was measured using stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (laboratory coefficient of variation, <6%). Incident ASCVD (myocardial infarction, fatal coronary heart disease, stroke, sudden cardiac death, or other atherosclerotic death) was centrally adjudicated using medical records. Risk was assessed by multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression, including time-varying demographics, lifestyle factors, medical history, laboratory measures, and dietary habits. Potential mediating effects and interaction by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were assessed. During prospective follow-up, 1766 incident and 897 recurrent ASCVD events occurred. After multivariable adjustment, higher levels of TMAO were associated with a higher risk of incident ASCVD, with extreme quintile hazard ratio (HR) compared with the lowest quintile=1.21 (95% CI, 1.02-1.42; P-trend=0.029). This relationship appeared mediated or confounded by eGFR (eGFR-adjusted HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.90-1.27), as well as modified by eGFR (P-interaction <0.001). High levels of TMAO were associated with higher incidence of ASCVD in the presence of impaired renal function (eGFR <60 mL/min per 1.73 m2: HR, 1.56 [95% CI, 1.13-2.14]; P-trend=0.007), but not normal or mildly reduced renal function (eGFR ≥60 mL/min per 1.73 m2: HR, 1.03 [95% CI, 0.85-1.25]; P-trend=0.668). Among individuals with prior ASCVD, TMAO associated with higher risk of recurrent ASCVD (HR, 1.25 [95% CI, 1.01-1.56]; P-trend=0.009), without significant modification by eGFR. Conclusions In this large community-based cohort of older US adults, serial measures of TMAO were associated with higher risk of incident ASCVD, with apparent modification by presence of impaired renal function and with higher risk of recurrent ASCVD.

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Sulphonamides (SAs) are widely used in animal husbandry. In our work, based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes, a novel residue method was developed for highly sensitive and determination trace levels of sulfamethoxazole, acetyl sulfamethoxazole and aditoprim in edible swine tissues by LC-MS/MS with magnetic solid-phase extraction. The samples were extracted using 2% ammoniated acetonitrile and purified by magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE). Under the optimal conditions, good linearity was obtained ranging from 5 to 160 µg kg-1. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 2 µg kg-1 and 5 µg kg-1 respectively. The average recoveries were 73.9-94.8% at different spiking levels. The inter-day RSDs were 6.2-10.7% and the intra-day RSDs were 2.4-5.4%. MSPE based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes was a simple and efficient method to enrich and separate the analyses and could be successfully applied for extraction of sulfamethoxazole, acetyl sulfamethoxazole and aditoprim residues in swine tissues.

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Several methods have been conducted for embryo sex preselection, which includes X- and Y- sperm separation, changing the pH of the female reproductive tract, time of mating before or after ovulation, and feeding formula, such as altering the presence of minerals in diet content before breeding may affect the embryo sex preselection ratio. In this study, three food formulas to feed female sheep were created with the cooperation of the Arabian Agricultural Services Company (Arasco). Ewes were fed with modified food formulas for one month before mating with males. The first group (A) (30 ewes), modified for male embryo gender preselection, were fed a diet with an increased percentage of the minerals Na+, K+, and P-. The second group (B) (30 ewes), modified for female sex preselection, were fed a diet with an increased percentage of the minerals Ca++ and Mg++. The third (control) group (C) (30 ewes) were fed the regular (Wafi) food formula. Our results showed no significant differences were in mean body weights between the three groups at the end of the feeding period. The results of different feeding formulas on mineral serum blood samples of ewes showed an increase in Na+, K+, and Cl- ions in the serum of group (A) compared to the other groups (B and C). The concentration of Na+ in the serum of group (A) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than group (C). The concentration of Cl- ions in serum samples of ewes in group (A) was significantly higher than group (C) and group (B) (P < 0.05). The role of maternal feeding on embryo sex preselection shows that the pregnancy rate of animals in group (A) was 73.33%. Group (A) birthed 17 males and 5 females (77.27% and 22.72%, respectively). The pregnancy rate in group (B) was 70%. Group (B) birthed 6 males (27.27%) and 16 females (72.72%). Finally, the control group (C) had a pregnancy rate of 76.66%. They birthed 13 males (54.41%) and 11 females (44.83%). The results of our study confirm that altering the percentage of minerals in the maternal diet plays a role in sex preselection in sheep, which agree with other mammalian studies in rats and mice. Thus, the result of this study can help farmers to manage their breeding. We recommend that more studies on the relationship between minerals in the diet should be conducted for other spices and human sex preselection.

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OBJECTIVE: To establish an analytical method for determination of 6 kinds of α_2-agonists in animal foods by ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS). METHODS: The samples of animal food were enzymatic hydrolysis by ß-glucosidase/arylsulfatase, purified by MCX column. The separation was performed on a Dikma leapsil C_(18) column(2. 1 mm×100 mm, 2. 7 µm), then the target compound were detected by ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with electron spray ionization(ESI) positive ion scan in mode of multiple reaction monitoring(MRM) and quantified by matrix matched external standard method. RESULTS: At the spiked level of 1, 2 and 4 µg/kg, the recoveries of each compound were in the range of 70. 4%-111. 2% with the relative standard deviations of 2. 3%-18. 8%. The qualitative limits of detections were 0. 06-0. 3 µg/kg and the quantitative limits were 0. 2-1. 0 µg/kg for the 6 targets compounds. By using the established method, the target compound in 30 samples including pork, pig liver, pig kidney, beef and mutton were detected, and no excessive veterinary drug residue were detected. CONCLUSION: The established method is simple, rapid, high sensitivity and good stability, with a wide variety and a certain development. It can provide more convenient and fast detection method support for the daily monitoring of veterinary drug residues in animal food.

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