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BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare chronic liver disease. The mechanisms and prediction of PSC progression are unclear. Recent investigations have shown that general conditions, such as oxidative stress, affect the course of chronic diseases. We investigated the clinical course and oxidative stress-related condition of PSC to determine prognostic factors. METHODS: We recruited 58 patients with PSC (mean age; 37.4 years, mean observation period; 1382 days) who visited our department from 2003 to 2021. Clinical characteristics were investigated to define prognostic factors. Oxidative stress status was evaluated using two types of markers: an oxidative stress marker (serum reactive oxygen metabolite; dROM) and an antioxidant marker (serum OXY adsorbent test; OXY). RESULTS: The revised Mayo risk, Child-Pugh, model for end-stage liver disease-sodium (MELD-Na) scores or fibrosis-related FIB-4 index significantly predicted poor overall survival. High intestinal immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels predicted poor survival. Among patients with high and intermediate revised Mayo risk scores, those with physiologically high dROM levels showed better survival than those with lower dROM levels. In this population, dROM was negatively correlated with AST and IgA, which are both correlated with survival. CONCLUSIONS: High and intermediate revised Mayo risk score group predicted a poor clinical course in PSC. Additionally, the Child-Pugh score, MELD-Na score, FIB-4 index, and serum IgA were significantly correlated with survival. In patients with high and intermediate revised Mayo risk scores, physiologically high oxidative stress status correlated with low IgA levels and a good prognosis.

Asunto(s)

Colangitis Esclerosante , Enfermedad Hepática en Estado Terminal , Humanos , Pronóstico , Japón , Índice de Severidad de la Enfermedad , Progresión de la Enfermedad , Estrés Oxidativo , Inmunoglobulina A , Estudios Retrospectivos

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OBJECTIVE: This study was to evaluate the interaction of three different light-emitting diode (LED) light colors (white, green, and blue) and three intensities (5, 10, and 15 lx) on slaughter performance, meat quality and serum antioxidant capacity of broilers raised in three-layer cages. METHODS: A total of 648 (8-days-old) male broiler chicks (Cobb-500) were randomly assigned in 3×3 factorially arranged treatments: three light colors (specifically, white, blue, and green) and three light intensities (namely, 5, 10, and 15 lx) for 35 days. Each treatment consisted of 6 replicates of 12 chicks. The test lasted for 35 days. RESULTS: The semi-eviscerated weight percentage (SEWP) in 5 lx white was higher than that in 15 lx (p<0.01). The eviscerated weight percentage (EWP) (p<0.05) and water-loss percentage (WLP) (p<0.01) decreased in 10 lx white light than those in green light. Under blue light, the content of hypoxanthine (Hx) in muscle was lower than that under white and green light (p<0.01). The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in 15 lx blue light was higher than that in 10 lx green light (p<0.05). Light color had an extremely significant effect on thigh muscle percentage, WLP, Hx, and crude protein content (p<0.01). Light intensity had a significant effect on SEWP (p<0.05), EWP (p<0.05), lightness (L*) value (p<0.05), WLP (p<0.01), and the contents of superoxide dismutase (p<0.05), MDA (p<0.01), glutathione peroxidase (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Using white LED light with 10 lx light intensity can significantly improve the chicken quality of caged Cobb broilers, improve the content of inosine acid in chicken breast and enhance the antioxidant capacity of the body. We suggest that the broiler farm can use 10 lx white LED light source for lighting in 8 to 42 days.

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Fat-soluble vitamin malabsorption may occur due to low dietary fat content, even in the presence of an adequate supply of fat-soluble vitamins. Bile acids (BAs) have been confirmed as emulsifiers to promote fat absorption in high-fat diets. However, there are no direct evidence of exogenous BAs promoting the utilization of fat-soluble vitamins associated with fat absorption in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, we chose laying hens as model animals, as their diet usually does not contain much fat, to expand the study of BAs. BAs were investigated in vitro for emulsification, simulated intestinal digestion, and release rate of fat-soluble vitamins. Subsequently, a total of 450 healthy 45-week-old Hy-Line Gray laying hens were chosen for an 84-day feeding trial. They were divided into five treatments, feeding diets supplemented with 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 mg/kg BAs, respectively. No extra fat was added to the basic diet (crude fat was 3.23%). In vitro, BAs effectively emulsified the water-oil interface. Moreover, BAs promoted the hydrolysis of fat by lipase to release more fatty acids. Although BAs increased the release rates of vitamins A, D, and E from vegetable oils, BAs improved for the digestion of vitamin A more effectively. Dietary supplementation of 60 mg/kg BAs in laying hens markedly improved the laying performance. The total number of follicles in ovaries increased in 30 and 60 mg/kg BAs groups. Both the crude fat and total energy utilization rates of BAs groups were improved. Lipase and lipoprotein lipase activities were enhanced in the small intestine in 60, 90, and 120 mg/kg BAs groups. Furthermore, we observed an increase in vitamin A content in the liver and serum of laying hens in the 60, 90, and 120 mg/kg BAs groups. The serum IgA content in the 90 and 120 mg/kg BAs groups was significantly improved. A decrease in serum malondialdehyde levels and an increase in glutathione peroxidase activity were also observed in BAs groups. The present study concluded that BAs promoted the absorption of vitamin A by promoting the absorption of fat even under low-fat diets, thereupon improving the reproduction and health of model animals.

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The production efficiency of dairy cows is affected by altitude, with lower efficiency reported at higher altitudes. However, only a few studies have investigated the digestion performance, serum antioxidative characteristics, rumen fermentation performance, and rumen bacteria of Sanhe heifers at different altitudes. Therefore, in this study, we explored the effects of altitude on these aspects of Sanhe heifers. We evaluated the effects of altitude on the apparent digestibility of nutrients, serum antioxidative characteristics, rumen fermentation parameters, and rumen bacteria in Sanhe heifers. Twenty Sanhe heifers from the same herd and managed with the same practice were used. However, the heifers were from two regions in China: 10 were fed in Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (119°57'E, 47°17'N; approximately 700 m altitude, named LA) and 10 were fed in Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region (91°06'E, 29°36'N; approximately 3,750 m altitude, named HA). The dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), and DMI/ADG ratio were higher (p < 0.05) in LA than in HA heifers, whereas the apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter, ether extract, and crude proteins were higher (p < 0.05) in the HA group. Compared with LA heifers, the HA heifers showed decreased (p < 0.05) serum concentrations of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase and increased serum concentration of hydrogen peroxide (p < 0.05). Altitude did not significantly affect the volatile fatty acid concentration in the rumen, but HA presented a lower acetate-to-propionate ratio than LA. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing data showed that altitude significantly affected the rumen microbial composition. At the phylum level, the HA heifers presented a lower relative abundance of Actinobacteria (p < 0.05) and higher relative abundance of Spirochaetae (p < 0.05) than the LA heifers. The correlation analysis revealed that the operational taxonomic units belonging to the genus Prevotella_1 were correlated (p < 0.05) with altitude and DMI. The results indicate that altitude can influence the apparent digestibility of nutrients, serum antioxidant capacity, rumen fermentation, and rumen bacteria composition of Sanhe heifers. The study provides insights into the adaptation mechanism of Sanhe heifers to high-altitude areas.

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Introduction: Obesity is the most common nutritional disease in dogs, and is generally managed by caloric restriction. Gut microbiota alteration could represent a predisposing factor for obesity development, which has been associated with a low-grade inflammatory condition and an impaired antioxidant status. Besides, weight loss has been shown to influence the gut microbiota composition and reduce the inflammatory response and oxidative stress. Method: However, these insights in canine obesity have not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to assess the differences in serum and inflammatory parameters, antioxidant status, fecal microbiota and bacterial metabolites in 16 obese and 15 lean client-owned dogs and how these parameters in obese may be influenced by caloric restriction. First, for 30 days, all dogs received a high-protein, high-fiber diet in amounts to maintain their body weight; later, obese dogs were fed for 180 days the same diet in restricted amounts to promote weight loss. Results: Before the introduction of the experimental diet (T0), small differences in fecal microbial populations were detected between obese and lean dogs, but bacterial diversity and main bacterial metabolites did not differ. The fecal Dysbiosis Index (DI) was within the reference range (< 0) in most of dogs of both groups. Compared to lean dogs, obese dogs showed higher serum concentrations of acute-phase proteins, total thyroxine (TT4), and antioxidant capacity. Compared to T0, dietary treatment affected the fecal microbiota of obese dogs, decreasing the abundance of Firmicutes and increasing Bacteroides spp. However, these changes did not significantly affect the DI. The caloric restriction failed to exert significative changes on a large scale on bacterial populations. Consequently, the DI, bacterial diversity indices and metabolites were unaffected in obese dogs. Caloric restriction was not associated with a reduction of inflammatory markers or an improvement of the antioxidant status, while an increase of TT4 has been observed. Discussion: In summary, the present results underline that canine obesity is associated with chronic inflammation. This study highlights that changes on fecal microbiota of obese dogs induced by the characteristics of the diet should be differentiated from those that are the consequence of the reduced energy intake.

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This study investigated the dietary supplementation of tea residue fermented by Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus niger, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to explore its effects on growth performance, digestion performance, meat quality, serum antioxidant capacity, and intestinal morphology in pigs bred for rapid growth, also known as fatteners. One hundred and ninety-two healthy "Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire" ternary hybrid pigs (body weight 70 ± 1.0 kg) were randomly divided into four groups according to the feeding test requirements, with four replicates in each group, and 12 fatteners per replicate. The control group (CG) was fed the basal diet. Treatments 1 (T1), 2 (T2), and 3 (T3), comprising ratios of 10%, 15%, and 20% of tea residue were added to the basal diet. The test period was 60 days. The results showed that supplementation of FTR in fatteners' diets increased final body weight (FBW), average daily gain (ADG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in the T1 and T2 groups (p < 0.05). Compared with the other groups, the lightness (L*) and pH were significantly affected in the T2 group (p < 0.05). Compared with the CG, dietary supplementation of FTR significantly increased the nutrient digestibility of crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P), improved the lipase and trypsin activities, and reduced drip loss and the shear force of fatteners (p < 0.05). Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were significantly increased in the T2 and T3 groups compared with the other groups (p < 0.05). Supplementation of FTR in the jejunum significantly increased the villi height of the T2 group and the ratio of villi height to crypt depth of the FTR groups. Compared with the other two groups, the T2 and T3 groups significantly reduced the ratio of the villous height to crypt depth in the duodenum (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the tea residue after fermentation was shown to have beneficial effects on the fattening performance, digestion performance, meat quality, serum antioxidant capacity, and intestinal morphology of fatteners.