[Efficacy of non-surgical comprehensive treatment for locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma with cervical esophagus invasion].

Objective: To analyze the treatment effects and side effects of non-surgical comprehensive treatment for locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma invading cervical esophagus. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on sixty-six patients with locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma invade the esophagus. These patients were treated in the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery of Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital between January 2011 and May 2022, including sixty-five males and one female, aged 43-71 years. Treatment regimen consisted of induction chemotherapy and concurrent chemoradiothrapy and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapy, three of these cases were treated with programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) immunotherapy. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. Side effects were evaluated with the established CTCAE (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) 5.0 criteria. The factors affecting prognosis were analyzed by Cox multivariate regression analysis. Results: Sixty-four (97.0%, 64/66) patients completed the radiotherapy and chemotherapy plan. The most common grade three side effects were radioactive oropharyngeal mucositis (89.1%, 57/64) and leukopenia (23.4%, 15/64). Five (7.8%, 5/64) patients showed grade three hoarseness; two patients (3.1%, 2/64) suffered from grade three swallowing dysfunction and required feeding tube and intravenous nutrition; the remaining patients(89.1%) retained good vocal and swallowing functions. The overall survival (OS) of all patients was 81.5% after one year, 54.0% after three years, and 39.9% after five years; the progression-free survival (PFS) was 78.3% after one year, 54.9% after three years, and 42.6% after five years; local control rate (LCR) was 80.9% after one year, 62.5% after three years, and 52.0% after five years. T4a patients showed better OS, PFS and LCR than T4b patients, with statistically significant differences (χ2=8.10, 8.27, and 6.64, respectively, all P<0.05). Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that lymph node metastasis was an independent factor affecting prognosis (χ2=10.21, P<0.05). Conclusion: Non-surgical comprehensive treatment can provide with another option of radical treatment for locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma with cervical esophagus invasion, offering the patients higher rate of larynx and esophageal preservation with tolerable side effects.

[Association between platelet parameters and risk for stroke in people with different blood pressure levels: Dongfeng-Tongji cohort].

Objective: To explore the associations of platelet parameters platelet count (PLT), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW) and plateletcrit (PCT) with the risk for stroke in people with different blood pressure levels. Methods: All the participants were from Dongfeng-Tongji cohort, including 38 295 retired employees from Dongfeng Motor Corporation at the first follow-up survey. After excluding participants with coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, history of platelet influential drug use and those with missed data of platelet parameters or blood pressure or lost to follow-up, finally a total of 21 294 participants were included in this study. All the participants completed baseline questionnaires, physical examinations, clinical biochemical tests, and blood sample collection. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and the corresponding 95% confident intervals (CIs) for the associations between platelet parameters and risk for stroke in people with different blood pressure levels. Results: After a mean follow-up of 8.0 years, 1 578 participants developed incident stroke [1 266 ischemic stroke (IS) cases and 312 hemorrhagic stroke (HS) cases]. Compared with the participants with PLT<188×109/L, those with PLT≥188×109/L among hypertension cases were significantly associated with higher risks for stroke and IS (stroke: HR=1.27, 95%CI: 1.12-1.44; IS: HR=1.39, 95%CI: 1.21-1.60). Among hypertension group, compared with participants with PCT<0.165%, PCT≥0.165% were significantly associated with higher risk for stroke (HR=1.15, 95%CI: 1.01-1.30) and lower risk for HS (HR=0.70, 95%CI: 0.53-0.93); Among non-hypertension and hypertension group, PCT ≥0.165% were significantly associated with higher risks of IS (HR=1.27, 95%CI: 1.05-1.54; HR=1.31, 95%CI: 1.14-1.50). MPV and PDW were not significantly associated with risk for stroke. Risk for stroke increased significantly in hypertension cases with different platelet parameters levels compared with non-hypertension cases with lower levels of each platelet parameters. Conclusion: Higher levels of PLT and PCT could increase the risks for stroke and IS in middle-aged and elderly hypertension patients, and lower levels of PCT could decrease the risk for HS in hypertension patients.

Characterisation of the complete mitochondrial genome, genetic diversity and maternal origin of Huainan Partridge chicken.

1. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the complete mitochondrial genome, genetic diversity and maternal origin of Huainan Partridge chicken (HPC).2. One complete mitochondrial genome and 37 complete D-loop regions of HPC were sequenced. Moreover, 400 mitochondrial genome D-loop sequences of Chinese native chicken were downloaded from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information database.3. The complete HPC genome was 16,785 bp in size, including 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes and one non-coding control region. The haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity of HPC were 0.964, and 0.00615, respectively. Twenty-three variable sites defining 22 haplotypes were identified, and the 22 haplotypes were distributed into three haplogroups (A, B, and C).4. In conclusion, HPC has a typical vertebrate mitochondrial genome, relatively high haplotype diversity, relatively low nucleotide diversity, and potentially three maternal lineages. HPC showed considerable genetic information exchange with Southwest Chinese chicken populations and had not admixed with European commercial breeds in the course of domestication.

[Clinical outcomes of vocal fold immobility after tracheal intubation].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence of postoperative vocal cord immobility in patients following endotracheal intubation underwent general anesthesia. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled patients who underwent surgical procedures with endotracheal intubation under general anesthesia from January 2014 to December 2018 in Peking University First Hospital. Demographic and treatment data were obtained for patients with hoarseness and vocal cord fixation. The incidence of postoperative hoarseness and vocal cord fixation were presented and clinical outcomes were further analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 85 998 patients following tracheal intubation and general anesthesia were enrolled in this study. Hoarseness was observed in 222 (0.26%) patients postoperatively. Sixteen patients (73%) were accomplished with symptoms of choking on water, dysphonia and sore throat. Twenty-nine patients with persistent hoarseness on the third postoperative day needed further treatment by otolaryngologists. Among them, seven patients had pharyngolaryngitis and twenty-two patients (0.026%) were demonstrated postoperative vocal cord immobility. There were seventeen patients (77%) with left-side vocal cord fixation and five patients (23%) with right-side vocal cord fixation. Nine patients were identified with arytenoid dislocation. Seven patients had left vocal cord fixation and two patients had right-side vocal cord fixation. Seven patients were intubated under the guidance of visual laryngoscope. One patient was confirmed difficult airway and intubated with light wand. One patient was inserted with laryngeal mask airway. One patient was suspected to have hoarseness caused by gastric tube before anesthesia. One patient showed simultaneously left recurrent laryngeal nerve abnormality on laryngeal electromyography result. The symptom of hoarseness ranged between 6 and 31 days. Three patients underwent closed reduction under local anesthesia and one patient demonstrated spontaneous recovery. Among the remaining thirteen patients with vocal cord immobility, two patients were demonstrated vocal cord paralysis. Eleven patients underwent neck surgery, thyroid surgery and cardiothoracic surgery and further examinations including laryn-geal electromyography and computed tomography help to determine the diagnosis were not performed. All patients were treated with inhaled corticosteroid conservatively. Five patients had significant improvement of symptom and almost regained normal voice. One patient had slight improvement and sixteen patients were not relieved before discharge. CONCLUSION: Patients with hoarseness and vocal fold immobility after endotracheal intubation should be treated properly and immediately.

L-theanine attenuates transport stress-induced impairment of meat quality of broilers through improving muscle antioxidant status.

This study was to investigate the effect of dietary L-theanine (THE) supplementation (0, 600 mg/kg) on growth performance, carcass traits, immune organ indexes, meat quality, and muscle antioxidant status of transported broilers. A total of 180 one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were randomly allotted to 2 treatment groups including a THE-free group with 12 replicates of 10 birds each and a THE group with 6 replicates of 10 birds each. On the morning of day 42, after a 9-h fast, the birds of THE-free group were divided into 2 equal groups, and then all birds in the 3 groups were placed into 18 crates and were transported according to the following protocols: 0-h transport of birds in the THE-free group (control group), 3-h transport of birds in the THE-free group (T group), and 3-h transport of birds in the THE group (T + THE group). Results showed that dietary THE supplementation improved feed conversion ratio and birds' final body weight (P < 0.05), while transport and dietary THE supplementation did not affect carcass traits of broilers (P > 0.05). Transport increased bird live weight loss, drip loss, L*24 h, muscle malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PC) and lactate contents, while it decreased thymus, spleen, and bursa of Fabricius indexes, pH24h, a*, and muscle total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activities and glycogen content (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, compared with birds in the T group, birds in the T + THE group exhibited increased thymus, spleen, and bursa of Fabricius indexes, pH24h, a*24 h, and muscle T-AOC, CAT, and GSH-PX activities and glycogen content, and decreased drip loss, L*24 h, and muscle MDA, PC, and lactate contents (P < 0.05). This study provided the first evidence that dietary THE supplementation prevented transport-stress-impaired immune organ indexes and meat quality of broilers, and the reason for maintenance of meat quality by supplementation of THE may be partly ascribed to the changed muscle glycolysis metabolism and antioxidant status.

Effect of l-theanine on the growth performance, immune function, and jejunum morphology and antioxidant status of ducks.

l-theanine is a unique nonproteinogenic amino acid found in tea, and has recently received considerable attention because of its various biological activities. However, there is no available research report on the use of l-theanine as a feed additive in ducks. This study was conducted to investigate the potential benefits and appropriate dosages of l-theanine on the growth performance, immune function, serum biochemical parameters, and jejunum morphology and antioxidant capacity of ducks. A total of 600 1-day-old Chaohu ducks were randomly allocated into five dietary treatment groups supplemented with 0 (control group), 300, 600, 900 and 1500 mg/kg of l-theanine. Each group included five replicates of 24 birds each. Body weight at day 28 was increased (P<0.05) by l-theanine. From days 15 to 28, l-theanine elevated cumulative BW gain (BWG) and cumulative feed intake (FI), and decreased feed to gain ratio. From days 1 to 28, l-theanine elevated (P<0.05) cumulative BWG and cumulative FI. l-theanine elevated (P<0.05) the relative weight of bursa of Fabricus (day 14), thymus (day 14), spleen (day 28) and liver (day 28). On day 28, l-theanine decreased (P<0.05) serum glucose, uric acid, triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, insulin, interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-6 contents, and elevated (P<0.05) serum total protein, globulin (GLB), immune globulin A (IgA) and IgG contents, but only serum insulin, interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α and IL-6 contents was decreased (P<0.05) and serum GLB and IgM content was elevated (P<0.05) by l-theanine on day 14. On day 14, l-theanine decreased (P<0.05) jejunum crypt depth, and elevated (P<0.05) jejunum villus height, villus height to crypt depth ratio (V/C), goblet cell number and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity. On day 28, l-theanine decreased (P<0.05) jejunum malondialdehyde content, and elevated (P<0.05) jejunum villus height, V/C, goblet cell number, and T-SOD, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities. l-theanine levels caused quadratic effect on the growth performance, relative organ weight, serum parameters, jejunum morphology and antioxidant capacity. In conclusion, l-theanine can be used as a promising feed additive for ducks, and its optimal supplementation level was 600 to 900 mg/kg based on the current experimental condition.

Resveratrol alleviates heat stress-induced impairment of intestinal morphology, microflora, and barrier integrity in broilers.

This study was to investigate the effect of resveratrol on intestinal morphology, microfloras, and barrier integrity of broilers subjected to heat stress. Two-hundred-seventy 21-day-old Cobb male broilers were randomly allocated to 3 treatment groups, each of which included 6 replicates with 15 birds per replicate. The 3 treatment groups were as follows: the control group, in which birds were exposed to thermoneutral condition (22 ± 1°C), and the heat stress group and heat stress + resveratrol (400 mg/kg) group, in which birds were exposed to cyclic heat stress (33 ± 1°C for 10 h/d from 0800 to 1800 h and 22 ± 1°C for the remaining time. Compared with birds in the control group, birds in the heat stress group exhibited decreased (P < 0.05) final body weight, average daily gain, average daily feed intake, villus height, villus height to crypt depth ratio, goblet cells numbers, populations of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, and mRNA levels of mucin-2, claudin-1, occludin, zona occludens-1, and E-cadherin, and increased (P < 0.05) crypt depth, serum D-lactic acid and fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran contents and diamine oxidase activity, and populations of Salmonella, Escherichia coli, and Clostridium. Compared with birds in the heat stress group, birds in the heat stress + resveratrol group exhibited decreased (P < 0.05) crypt depth, serum D-lactic acid and fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran contents, and populations of Escherichia coli, and increased (P < 0.05) final body weight, villus height, villus height to crypt depth ratio, goblet cells numbers, populations of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, and mRNA levels of mucin-2, claudin-1, occludin, and E-cadherin. Taken together, these results indicated for the first time that dietary addition of resveratrol was effective in partially ameliorating the adverse effects of heat stress on intestinal barrier function in broilers by restoring the impaired villus-crypt structure, modifying the profiles of intestinal microfloras, and altering the mRNA expression of intestinal tight junctions- and adherence junctions-related genes.

Dietary resveratrol supplementation prevents transport-stress-impaired meat quality of broilers through maintaining muscle energy metabolism and antioxidant status.

This experiment was to evaluate the effect of dietary resveratrol (Res) supplementation (0, 400 mg/kg) on growth performance, meat quality, and muscle anaerobic glycolysis and antioxidant capacity of transported broilers. A total of 360 21-day-old male Cobb broilers was randomly allotted to 2 dietary treatments (Res-free group and Res group) with 12 replicates of 15 birds each. On the morning of d 42, after a 9-hour fast, 24 birds (2 birds of each replicate) were selected from the Res-free group and then equally placed into 2 crates, and the other 12 birds (one bird of each replicate) were selected from the Res group and then placed into the other crate. All birds in the 3 crates were transported according to the following protocols: 0-hour transport of birds in the Res-free group (control group), 3-hour transport of birds in the Res-free group (T group), and 3-hour transport of birds in the Res group (T + Res group). The results showed that Res not only improved feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05) but also tended to improve birds' final body weight (P < 0.10). In the Res-free group, a 3-hour transport increased serum corticosterone concentration, muscle malondialdehyde (MDA) and lactate contents, and muscle lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, while it decreased muscle glycogen content, total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activities (P < 0.05), which induced decreased breast meat quality (lower pH24h and higher drip loss and L*24 h, P < 0.05). Nevertheless, compared with the T group, Res increased muscle glycogen content and T-SOD and GSH-PX activities (P < 0.05 or P < 0.10), while it decreased muscle MDA content and LDH activity (P < 0.05), which is beneficial to the meat quality maintenance of transported broilers (lower drip loss, L*24 h, and higher pH24h, P < 0.05 or P < 0.10). This study provides the first evidence that dietary resveratrol supplementation prevents transport-stress-impaired meat quality of broilers, possibly through decreasing the muscle anaerobic glycolysis metabolism and improving the muscle antioxidant capacity.

[Advances in treatment of locally advanced hypopharyngeal cancer].

Hypopharyngeal cancer is a common malignant tumor of otorhinolaryngology,which is considered to be one of the head and neck tumor with poor prognosis.Hypopharyngeal cancer is insidious in its onset and progresses rapidly,leading to significant delay in diagnosis; Most patients are in late stage at diagnosis. Surgery combined with chemoradiotherapy is the main treatment of locally advanced hypopharyngeal cancer. Biological treatment has drawn more and more attentions. In this paper,we summarize the progress in the treatment of locally advanced hypopharyngeal cancer.

[Effect of dexmedetomidine infusion on postoperative recovery for patients undergoing major spinal surgery during propofol anesthesia].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of intraoperative dexmedetomidine (DEX) infusion during propofol intravenous anesthesia on postoperative recovery after major spinal surgery. METHODS: Sixty patients aged 18 to 65 (American Society of Anesthesiologists, ASA I-II), scheduled for spinal surgery from January 2014 to May 2014 were randomized into two groups. The DEX group (n=30) received 0.5 µg/kg of DEX ten minutes before anesthesic induction, followed by an infusion of DEX at 0.2 µg/(kg×h) intraoperatively and the control group (n=30) was given identical amounts of normal saline. At the end of surgery, the patients of both groups received patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) with morphine 0.5 mg/h (1 mg demand dose and 8 min lockout). Heart rate and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were continually monitored during operation and in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). The propofol and sufentanil consumptions during operation and the morphine consumption 48 h after surgery were recorded. The time for recovery and extubation were recorded. The followed-up evaluations were performed to assess Ramsay scores, visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores as well as side effects in PACU and 48 h after surgery. RESULTS: Heart rate of DEX group was lower than that of control group after intubation and extubation and in PACU 10 min (P<0.05). MAP was lower in DEX group than that in control group after extubation and in PACU (P<0.05). Compared with control group, the propofol consumption during anesthesic induction, the sufentanil consumption during operation and the cumulative consumption of morphine 2 h and 6 h after surgery were decreased (P<0.05). There were no differences between the two groups as to the time for recovery or extubation. Compared with control group, the VAS pain scores were significantly decreased (P<0.01), the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting in DEX group were significantly decreased (P<0.05) 48 h after surgery. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative infusion of DEX improved quality of recovery, provided good analgesia, and decreased morphine use and the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting after major spinal surgery.

Sequence and phylogenetic analyses of the M and N genes of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) strains in Anhui Province, China.

To assess the homology and phylogenetic relationship between porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) Anhui strains and other PEDV strains, molecular homology and phylogenetic analyses of Anhui PEDV field strains were compared with those of reference strains. The results revealed that the M and N genes of PEDV were 681 and 1326 bp long, respectively. The nucleotide sequences of the N genes of Anhui PEDV strains were 95.9-99.9% homologous with each other, and the deduced amino acid sequences were 92.5-99.8% homologous. Compared with the PEDV reference strains, the Anhui PEDV field strains had 94.1-99.5% nucleotide sequence homology in the N gene and 91.2-97.5% amino acid mutation homology in the N protein. The nucleotide sequences of the M genes of Anhui PEDV were 98.3-100% homologous, and the deduced amino acid sequences were 96.5-99.6% homologous. Compared with the PEDV reference strains, the Anhui PEDV field strains had 96.9-100% nucleotide sequence homology in the M gene and 96.5-99.6% amino acid homology in the M protein. The Anhui strains were genetically similar to USA strains (USA/Iowa/16465/2013 and USA/Indiana/17846/2013) but different from European (CV777;Br1/7), Korean (Chinju99), and Japanese (83p-5) strains.

Cold stress initiates the Nrf2/UGT1A1/L-FABP signaling pathway in chickens.

Cold stress triggers an anti-oxidative response in animals regulated by Nrf2 (nuclear factor 2-like, NFE2L2) binding to deoxyribonucleic acid-regulatory sequences near stress-responsive genes. To identify chicken Nrf2-regulated genes, 3 genetically related experimental groups (EG) with 40 Huainan partridge chickens in each group were chosen. The chickens were maintained at 20°C environmental temperature from 5 wk of age. At 6 wk of age, 10 chickens from each EG were still maintained at 20°C as control, and the other 30 chickens from each EG were exposed to 6 ± 2°C. Liver samples were collected from the control and from chickens exposed to 6 ± 2°C for 12, 24, and 72 h for co-immuno-precipitation (CoIP) analysis. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-sequencing experiment in liver cells treated with Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) were carried out. A de novo motif was discovered which closely matched the core Nrf2 consensus binding motif. Genes involved in de novo motif discovery were further analyzed for their enrichment in the anti-oxidative response pathway and the lipid anabolism pathway. There were 14 genes found which are related to oxidative stress. To examine the downstream factors of the 14 responsive genes, one of them, UGT1A1 (UDP glucuronosyltransferase), was further analyzed by CoIP experiment and nano LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis. It was detected that fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP, 127 AA) might be the potential UGT1A1 downstream interaction proteins. In conclusion, it is proposed that chickens under cold stress generate anti-oxidative stress and thus trigger the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway, which further up-regulates the expression of L-FABP to inactivate lipid peroxidation of the cell membrane and promote fatty acid storage against the cold environment.

Identification of differentially expressed genes in hypothalamus of chicken during cold stress.

In order to discover the mechanism of cold stress and identify differentially expressed genes in hypothalamus during cold stress, 4 weeks of age Huainan partridge chickens, Chinese indigenous breed, were chosen for 24 h cold stress and then hypothalamus were isolated and labeled by reverse transcription reaction for cDNA. Labeled cDNA were hybridized with cDNA microarray. After scanning and image processing, the different gene expression profiling of hypothalamus and normal control was investigated. The differentially expressed genes included 334 down-regulated genes and 543 up-regulated genes. In these differentially regulated genes, myosin heavy chain polypeptide 11 (MYH11), light chain polypeptide 9 (MYL9) and tenascin-Y (TNXB), etc., which involved in muscle activity were significantly down-regulated. Genes like cholecystokinin (CCK), neuropeptide Y (NPY), neuropeptide Y receptor 5 (NPY5R), hypocretin receptor 2 (HCRTR2) and hypocretin neuropeptide precursor (HCRT) which responsible for regulation of feeding behavior were significantly up-regulated. In addition, genes responsible for lipid synthesis, like apolipoprotein (APOB) and agouti related protein homolog (AGRP), were also up-regulated. Through pathway analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomics, during 24 h cold stress, the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction was firstly initiated in chickens for stimulation of central nervus for feed intake. Adipocytokine signaling pathway was in high activation for supplementation of body energy. Jak-STAT, Ca(2+) signaling pathway and other biological reactions were also initiated in response to cold stress. The biological pathways participated in cold stress would provide important information for clarify the mechanism of cold stress and the differentially expressed genes would give much help for screening of candidate genes in breeding of cold stress resistant lines.

A single nucleotide polymorphism in the parathyroid hormone gene and effects on eggshell quality in chickens.

Parathyroid hormone (PTH), released by the parathyroid gland of animals, plays an important role in regulating the metabolism of calcium and phosphate. As a candidate gene for eggshell quality traits, the SNP was screened and its genetic effects on eggshell qualities and levels of serum calcium, phosphate, and PTH were analyzed in this study. Three hundred Houdan hens, an indigenous breed of chicken in France, were used for genotyping and data recording. Of the 3 sets of primers used to amplify the exons, exon 3 was polymorphic and 3 genotypes were identified. Sequencing revealed a nucleotide transition, A2205G (GenBank accession no. NC_006092), which was a synonymous mutation and caused a codon for lysine to change from AAA to AAG. Eggshell percentage and breaking strength for genotypes GG and AG were greater (P<0.05) than for AA, respectively; the total serum calcium for genotype GG was higher than for genotypes AA and AG by 11.8 and 10.1%, respectively; the serum phosphate for genotype GG was greater than genotype AA and AG by 16.7 and 12%, respectively. All genotypes shared the same calcium:phosphate ratio. For serum PTH, genotype GG was approximately 30% higher than genotype AA. Therefore, the SNP A2205G in PTH affected the eggshell percentage and breaking strength, and it may be associated with the variation of serum calcium and PTH level, indicating that the SNP in PTH has the potential for utilization in a MAS program for eggshell quality in chicken.

Broodiness, egg production, and correlations between broody traits in an indigenous chicken breed.

The influence of broodiness on egg production was evaluated, and correlations between the age of the first broody cycle (AFB), duration of first broody cycle, and interval between the end of the first broody cycle and the re-laying of eggs were calculated in Chinese Qingyuan (Q line) chicken. In addition, age at first egg and individual egg production were recorded. From a single hatch, hens were randomly divided into 2 groups, group A (n=576) and group B (n=576). Group A hens were allowed to go through the entire broody cycle, whereas group B hens were treated so as to interrupt the cycle. Mean incidence of broodiness was approximately 15%, with the average AFB at approximately 40 wk (i.e., about 20 wk after the onset of lay). Nonbroody hens produced more eggs than broody and treated hens. However, a higher laying rate during the nonbroody period partially compensated the egg loss from broodiness. Negative correlations (P<0.01) were found between AFB and duration of first broody cycle or interval between the end of the first broody cycle and the re-laying of eggs, indicating that the age of the first broody cycle can be regarded as a phenotypic marker for intensity of broodiness in hens.