Effects of dietary oregano essential oil supplementation on growth performance,intestinal antioxidative capacity,immunity, and intestinal microbiota in yellow-feathered chickens

Essential oils are plant-derived aromatic volatile oils, and they contain bioactive compounds that have been shown to improve poultry nutrition. In this study, we investigated the effects of oregano essential oil (OEO) on intestinal antioxidative capacity, immunity, and gut microbiota of young yellow-feathered chickens. A total of nine hundred and sixty 1-d-old female Qingyuan partridge chickens were randomly allocated to four treatment groups with six replicates of 40 birds each, and the feeding trial was lasted for 30 d. The controls were fed on a basal diet without in-feed antibiotics; the birds in the antibiotic group were fed the basal diet supplemented with 20 mg/kg virginiamycin; the remaining birds were fed the basal diet containing 150 or 300 mg/kg OEO, respectively. Dietary supplementation with 150 or 300 mg/kg OEO increased average daily feed intake (P = 0.057) and average daily gain (P < 0.05). The activities of glutathione peroxidase and total antioxidative capacity in plasma, jejuna, and ileal mucosa were increased by OEO supplementation (P < 0.05), with a trend of lower jejunal content of malonaldehyde (P = 0.062). Moreover, dietary OEO increased the content of secretory immunoglobulin A (P = 0.078) and the relative expression of Claudin 1, Mucin 2, and Avain beta-defensin 1 in ileum (P < 0.05). Sequencing data of 16S rRNA indicated that dietary OEO increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes phylum, and Clostridium and Lactobacillus genera, and decreasing that of Romboutsia. Functional analyses indicated that microbial amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, replication, and repair systems were higher in OEO groups than those of controls and antibiotic treatment. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with OEO enhanced growth performance, alleviated local oxidative stress in intestine, improved production of natural antibodies, and favorably modulated intestinal microbiota composition.     

Egg production,fertility, hatchability and immune responses of some chicken strains under high ambient temperatures

This experiment was designed to investigate and compare the egg production, fertility, hatchability and immune responses of some local developed Egyptian chicken strains under high ambient temperatures. A total of 108 (26 weeks old) laying hens of Matrouh, Silver Montazah, Mandarah and Inshas (9 hens × 3 replicates × 4 strains) were used to evaluate the impact of thermal stress (24-34ºC) during summer season (June, July and August) on egg production, fertility, hatchability and immune responses. The obtained results revealed that final body weight (FBW/g) and body weight change (BWC/g) among different chicken strains were not affected. The daily feed consumption (FC/g) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) for Silver Montazah and Inshas strains were significantly (p ≤ .05) higher than those of Matrouh and Mandarah strains. The mean egg production (EP/%) and egg mass (EM) for Silver Montazah and Inshas strains were significantly (p ≤ .05) higher than those of Matrouh and Mandarah strains. The highest percentages of hatchability of total eggs (HTE) and fertile eggs (HFE) were recorded in Inshas chickens, while the lowest value was recorded in Mandarah chickens. Also, the highest embryonic mortalities (p ≤ .05) and lowest chick weight at hatch (CWH/g) were recorded in Mandarah chickens compared with the other strains. The highest values for antibody titres against phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P) were recorded in Mandarah chickens, while the least values were recorded in Inshas chickens.     

Aurasperone A Inhibits SARS CoV-2 In Vitro: An Integrated In Vitro and In Silico Study

Several natural products recovered from a marine-derived Aspergillus niger were tested for their inhibitory activity against SARS CoV-2 in vitro. Aurasperone A (3) was found to inhibit SARS CoV-2 efficiently (IC₅₀ = 12.25 µM) with comparable activity with the positive control remdesivir (IC₅₀ = 10.11 µM). Aurasperone A exerted minimal cytotoxicity on Vero E6 cells (CC₅₀ = 32.36 mM, SI = 2641.5) and it was found to be much safer than remdesivir (CC₅₀ = 415.22 µM, SI = 41.07). To putatively highlight its molecular target, aurasperone A was subjected to molecular docking against several key-viral protein targets followed by a series of molecular dynamics-based in silico experiments that suggested M^pro to be its primary viral protein target. More potent anti-SARS CoV-2 M^pro inhibitors can be developed according to our findings presented in the present investigation.     

Fruit and seed diversity of domesticated carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) in Morocco

The carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is an important economic resource for Morocco's rural populations. This species is used in reforestation actions and its cultivation in modern orchards is being undertaken to valorize marginal lands and substitute for drought sensitive species. However, little data is available on its intra-specific variability and its adaptability. Morphological characters of pods and seeds from 13 ecoregions of private-domesticated carob were used to assess phenotypic variation of this species. These stands extend from south-west to north-east and cover a wide range of Morocco's ecoregions. Pods length, width, thickness, seeds number, pulp weight, seeds yield and seeds length, width, thickness and weight were measured for 390 trees (30 trees per ecoregion). Statistically significant differences were found between ecoregions for all characters which were examined, what indicates a high phenotypic diversity. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster of all ecoregions lead to identify two major and opposite groups (the northern ecoregions; and the central and south-western ecoregions). Ecoregions of the north of Morocco exhibited the largest and the thickest pods with the highest pulp weight while other ecoregions have relatively short pods but largest proportion of seed yield. Similarly, the northern ecoregions are characterized by the heaviest seeds. A correlation matrix between morphological characters, geographic parameters and precipitation exhibits a positive and a negative correlation of pods thickness and pulp weight with the latitude and the altitude, respectively. Seed yield and weight are negatively and positively correlated to pod width, pod thickness and pulp weight, respectively. In addition, seed weight is positively correlated with the latitude. The geographic pattern of the carob tree and its variability are discussed in this paper.     

Identification and validation of cold responsive microRNAs of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hevea brasiliensis</Emphasis> using high throughput sequencing

Cold stress is one of the major abiotic factors that influence the productivity and geographical distribution of many agriculturally important crops like Hevea brasiliensis. Cultivation of H. brasiliensis in India is being extended to northeastern regions, where low temperature during winter adversely affects its survival, growth, and productivity. Developing cold-tolerant genotypes is a primary requisite to maximize the productivity under such challenging environmental conditions. However, lack of methods for early evaluation of cold tolerance in the newly developed clones and the extensive time required for assessing their tolerance in the field are major constraints for clonal selection. The present study was initiated with an objective to identify and characterize cold stress responsive miRNAs from H. brasiliensis that show stronger association with cold tolerance. Next generation sequencing using Illumina HiSeq method revealed the expression of 21 and 29 conserved miRNA (from clone RRIM 600) families in cold-stressed and control samples, respectively. Forty-two novel miRNAs were identified from this study. Upon differential expression analysis, eight conserved miRNAs were found commonly expressed in both the samples. When expression analyses were performed subsequently with six selected miRNAs in two Hevea clones (viz. RRII 105 and RRIM 600), miR169 showed a strong association with cold tolerance. miRNAs such as miR482 and miR159 also exhibited association with cold tolerance. This study suggests the possibility of employing these miRNAs as markers for cold tolerance after validation in more number of genotypes with varying levels of cold tolerance.     

Toxic Effect of Certain Metals Mixture on Some Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Freshwater Algae

The toxic effect of multi metals mixture which exist simultaneously in aquatic ecosystem on natural phytoplankton assemblages (green algae, blue-green algae and diatoms) was studied. For this purpose a laboratory scale unit was designed to evaluate the effect of continuous flow metals mixture in forms if triple and penta metals in Nile water algae. Clear changes in algal biomass in terms of chlorophyll a (chl a) took place when subjected to metals combination. The rise or decline in chl a was in relation with other algal pigments (chl b, chl c, carotenoides and phenophytin), protein and carbohydrate content of algal cells. Substantial changes in phytoplankton community structure was detected and the most tolerant group was blue-green algae followed by green algae while diatoms was the most sensitive group. The most dominant species in all cases were blue-green alga Oscillatoria mougeotii and green alga Scenedesmus quadricauda. In addition clear changes in morphological shape was observed for tolerant species belonging to the three algal groups. Nile water algae has ability to remove and accumulate metals in the following order therefore Zn > Cd > Ni > Cu > Cr. In addition, phytoplankton has ability to recovered from the stress of metals when eliminated from the media and the recovered biomass was nearly equivalent to that before exposing to metals stress. The overall effect of metals mixture depending on the type and number of metals, the algal community structure and ratio between different morphological forms of algae (unicellular, colonial and filamentous).     

Phenolic composition of champagnes from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vintages

Nineteen phenolic compounds including hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonoids, phenolic alcohols, and phenolic aldehydes have been identified and quantified in two monovarietal champagnes, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, by using a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system coupled with diode array detection. The identification of four hydroxycinnamic tartaric esters (caftaric, coutaric, fertaric, and 2-S-glutathionylcaftaric acids), two flavanonols (astilbin and engeletin), and some other compounds was confirmed by HPLC coupled with mass spectrometry. Caftaric acid and tyrosol were the major phenols. Hydroxybenzoic acids and flavonoids were present at low concentrations. The phenolic compositions of 2000 and 2001 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vary quantitatively according to the year and the variety, but the chemical natures of the molecules are the same. The total phenolic content determined by colorimetric measurement ranges from 176 to 195 mg/L of gallic acid equivalent and is similar to that described in white wines.     

Response of soil Olsen-P to P budget under different long-term fertilization treatments in a fluvo-aquic soil

The concentration of soil Olsen-P is rapidly increasing in many parts of China, where P budget(P input minus P output) is the main factor influencing soil Olsen-P. Understanding the relationship between soil Olsen-P and P budget is useful in estimating soil Olsen-P content and conducting P management strategies. To address this, a long-term experiment(1991–2011) was performed on a fluvo-aquic soil in Beijing, China, where seven fertilization treatments were used to study the response of soil Olsen-P to P budget. The results showed that the relationship between the decrease in soil Olsen-P and P deficit could be simulated by a simple linear model. In treatments without P fertilization(CK, N, and NK), soil Olsen-P decreased by 2.4, 1.9, and 1.4 mg kg~(–1) for every 100 kg ha~(–1) of P deficit, respectively. Under conditions of P addition, the relationship between the increase in soil Olsen-P and P surplus could be divided into two stages. When P surplus was lower than the range of 729–884 kg ha~(–1), soil Olsen-P fluctuated over the course of the experimental period with chemical fertilizers(NP and NPK), and increased by 5.0 and 2.0 mg kg~(–1), respectively, when treated with chemical fertilizers combined with manure(NPKM and 1.5 NPKM) for every 100 kg ha~(–1) of P surplus. When P surplus was higher than the range of 729–884 kg ha~(–1), soil Olsen-P increased by 49.0 and 37.0 mg kg~(–1) in NPKM and 1.5 NPKM treatments, respectively, for every 100 kg ha~(–1) P surplus. The relationship between the increase in soil Olsen-P and P surplus could be simulated by two-segment linear models. The cumulative P budget at the turning point was defined as the "storage threshold" of a fluvo-aquic soil in Beijing, and the storage thresholds under NPKM and 1.5 NPKM were 729 and 884 kg ha~(–1)P for more adsorption sites. According to the critical soil P values(CPVs) and the relationship between soil Olsen-P and P budget, the quantity of P fertilizers for winter wheat could be increased and that of summer maize could be decreased based on the results of treatments in chemical fertilization. Additionally, when chemical fertilizers are combined with manures(NPKM and 1.5 NPKM), it could take approximately 9–11 years for soil Olsen-P to decrease to the critical soil P values of crops grown in the absence of P fertilizer.