Effects of laying breeder hens dietary ß-carotene, curcumin, allicin, and sodium butyrate supplementation on the jejunal microbiota and immune response of their offspring chicks.

Our long-term goal is to improve chick health and reduce the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry via maternal effects. To link jejunal microbes with chicks' different immune levels and growth performance in our previous research, this study investigated jejunal microbes, jejunal inflammation, and immune responses based on a comparison between different groups. Newly hatched Hy-Line chicks were allotted into 3 groups: a chick control group (cCON), a ciprofloxacin lactate treatment group (Cipro)-the chicks of the cCON and Cipro groups were hatched from laying breeder hens given a basal diet-and a 5-wk ß-carotene, curcumin, allicin, and sodium butyrate supplementation group (cCCAB), wherein chicks hatched from laying breeder hens. All groups were fed the same diet for 4 wk; the Cipro group was given ciprofloxacin lactate in drinking water continuously. At the end of the experiment, the results demonstrated that the jejunal microbes of the Cipro group showed significant changes in alpha and beta diversity, and in taxonomy at phylum and genus levels. Statistically, a total of 67 significantly enriched (P < 0.05) taxa were identified between groups by linear discriminant analysis effect size; Firmicutes was significantly enriched (P < 0.05) in the cCCAB group, 65 taxa were significantly enriched (P < 0.05) in the Cipro group, and 32 of the 65 enriched (P < 0.05) taxa were in the Proteobacteria phylum of the Cipro group. Levels of lipopolysaccharide in jejunal content, and nuclear factor kappa-B, and tumor necrosis factor-α in jejunums of the Cipro and cCCAB groups were increased (all P < 0.05) compared to those in the cCON group. There was obvious neutrophil infiltration and upregulated (all P < 0.05) IL-6 mRNA in the Cipro group jejunums compared to the cCON and cCCAB groups. The expression of PSME3 and PSME4 genes was upregulated (all P < 0.05) in the cCCAB group compared to the cCON and Cipro groups. In conclusion, ciprofloxacin lactate administration led to potential hazards in health and growth in chicks via microbial disturbances-induced jejunal inflammation, and laying breeder hens dietary supplementation with ß-carotene, curcumin, allicin, and sodium butyrate could enhance jejunal immunity of their offspring via the interaction between host innate immunity selected microbial colonization and microbiota educated adaptive immunity.

Effects of laying breeder hens dietary ß-carotene, curcumin, allicin, and sodium butyrate supplementation on the growth performance, immunity, and jejunum morphology of their offspring chicks.

This study evaluated the growth performance, immunity, and jejunum morphology of chicks hatched from laying breeder hens given dietary additive supplementation, as well as chicks receiving direct antibiotic supplementation in early life. Hy-line breeder hens were allotted to 2 groups with 3 replicates. A control group (CON) was fed a basal diet, and the treatment group (CCAB) received ß-carotene, curcumin, allicin, and sodium butyrate in addition to basal diet for 5 wk. Breeder-hen eggs were collected and hatched. The chicks hatched from the CON group were assigned to 2 treatments: a chick control group (cCON) and a chick treatment group (Cipro) given ciprofloxacin lactate into drinking water; the cCON group, Cipro group, and the chicks hatched from the CCAB group (cCCAB) were fed the same diet for 4 wk. The results demonstrated that there were significant differences between the CON and CCAB groups in the serum levels of IgA, IgG, IgM (triple P < 0.01), lysozyme (P < 0.05), and ß-defensin (P < 0.05). The body weights of the cCCAB group's chicks increased at 1, 7, and 28 D of age (P < 0.05, P < 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively), and those of the Cipro group's chicks increased at 7 and 21 D of age (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The tibial lengths of the cCCAB group's chicks increased at 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 D of age (P < 0.01, P < 0.05, triple P < 0.01), and the lengths in the Cipro group increased at 7 and 14 D of age (P < 0.01, P < 0.01). Intestinal development, including intestinal length, jejunum morphology, and IgA positive cells, helps to explain these results. The breeder eggs from the CCAB group had higher IgG (P < 0.05) and IgM (P < 0.05) levels in the egg whites and higher IgA, IgG, and IgM levels (triple P < 0.01) in the egg yolks. In conclusion, ß-carotene, curcumin, allicin, and sodium butyrate supplementation of laying breeder hen diets produced more advantages in growth performance and intestinal development in offspring than in chicks directly supplemented with antibiotics.

The role of mechanical stress in the formation of plantar melanoma: a retrospective analysis of 72 chinese patients with plantar melanomas and a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Weightbearing areas of sole were reported to be significantly more vulnerable to melanoma than non-weightbearing areas. Few studies have investigated the role that mechanical stress plays in increasing the incidence of plantar melanoma (PM). OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the potential role of mechanical stress in the formation of PM and evaluate the association of mechanical stress with certain pathological features of melanoma by using meta-analysis. METHODS: We analysed the distribution pattern of 72 PM lesions in Chinese patients and compared their incidence and demographic and clinicopathological features based on sites with different stress exposure. RESULTS: The most common region with a PM was the heel, followed by the forefoot, plantar aspect of the toes, lateral midfoot (LM) and arch. Both the heel and forefoot were significantly associated with a higher incidence of melanoma than the arch. A high density of lesions was observed in the posterior half of the heel and the lateral forefoot. Despite subtle differences in the contour maps of the density of lesions based on sex and age, different groups showed the same primary distribution tendency. The comparison between weightbearing and non-weightbearing areas revealed no significant difference in sex, age, lateralization, clinical pigmentation, Breslow depth or ulceration. However, the meta-analysis revealed that melanoma on weightbearing areas manifested as invasive melanoma at the time of diagnosis more frequently than cases on non-weightbearing areas (OR = 0.300 [95% CI, 0.092-0.977]; P = 0.046). CONCLUSION: Weightbearing areas indicating mechanical stress are correlated with a higher number of plantar melanoma compared with non-weightbearing areas and also show a tendency to be involved by invasive melanomas at the time of diagnosis more frequently than non-weightbearing areas.