Effects of different triticale inclusion levels on broilers' growth parameters: A meta-analysis.

Triticale is currently used in poultry nutrition as an alternative energy source to conventional cereals like maize and wheat. Many articles emphasized controversial results regarding its inclusion levels on broiler growth parameters. This study aimed to evaluate the overall impact of triticale and its appropriate incorporation level on the growth performance of broiler chickens via a meta-analysis. In February and April 2022, papers investigating the influence of triticale on broiler's live body weight (LBW), body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were identified on Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct. Based on the eligibility criteria of PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, 19 articles were recorded and divided into 62 experiments according to the inclusion percentages of triticale. Using the random-effects models, Hedges' g effect size of dietary triticale treatment was calculated to determine the standardized means difference (SMD) at a 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI). The triticale inclusion in the diet increased the broiler's BWG, FI, and FCR but decreased the broiler's LBW. The meta-regression showed that there was a positive correlation between the inclusion of triticale from 0 to 20 % and the broiler's LBW and FI. Although the funnel plot and the Egger linear test suggested significant publication bias for the LBW factor, this study remains valuable for understanding the impact of triticale on broiler growth parameters. In conclusion, the inclusion of triticale up to 20 % in broiler diets could be recommended to obtain optimal performance.

Retrospective study using biosensor data of a milking Holstein cow with jejunal haemorrhage syndrome.

Jejunal haemorrhage syndrome (JHS) is a sporadic and fatal enterotoxaemic disease in dairy cows associated with acute development and poor prognosis despite treatment. A 5-year-old Holstein cow with no reported pregnancy, three calving numbers, and 303 days in milk presented with hypothermia, discomfort, and inappetence. Anaemia, dehydration, faeces with blood clots, and absence of rumen and bowel movements were observed. We identified the presence of neutrophilia, hyperglycaemia, hypoproteinaemia, azotaemia, hyperlactatemia, hypocalcaemia, hypermagnesemia, hypokalaemia, and hypochloraemia through blood analyses. Necropsy and histopathologic examination revealed a dilated bluish-purple jejunum, blood clots within the jejunum, neutrophil infiltration into the submucosa of the jejunum, and vascular necrosis. Retrospective examination revealed extraordinary patterns of rumination time, activity, rumen mobility, and rumen temperature using biosensors and decreased milk yield. The abnormalities in the affected cow were detected before recognition by farm workers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to examine data from biosensors in a cow with JHS. Our findings suggest that using biometric data may help understand the development of JHS.

Impact of Climate Change and Heat Stress on Milk Production in Korean Holstein Cows: A Large-Scale Data Analysis.

This study investigated the effects of heat stress on milk production in Korean Holstein cows using large-scale data. Heat stress was assessed using the temperature-humidity index (THI). Weather records (2016 to 2020) were collected from 70 regional weather stations using an installed automated surface observing system (ASOS). A dataset of 2,094,436 milk production records from 215,276 Holstein cows obtained from the Dairy Cattle Genetic Improvement Center was analyzed. Stepwise selection was used to select the input variables, including the daily maximum THI (THI_max). Least-squares means were calculated for milk yield, fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM), fat and protein yield, fat-to-protein ratio, solids not fat, and lactation persistency. Segmented linear regression analysis determined the break points (BPs) of the THI_max. Over the five years, heat stress exposure increased, particularly from May to September. This study identified BPs around THI_max of 80-82 for milk yield and FPCM. Similar patterns for other milk traits were observed, which significantly decreased beyond their respective BPs. These findings indicate that THI variations adversely affect milk yield and composition in dairy cows, highlighting the importance of appropriate feeding management strategies to ensure the optimal productivity of Holstein cows under varying climatic conditions.

Effects of heat stress on conception in Holstein and Jersey cattle and oocyte maturation in vitro.

Korea, located in East Asia in the northern hemisphere, is experiencing severe climate changes. Specifically, the heat stress caused by global warming is negatively affecting the dairy sector, including milk production and reproductive performance, as the major dairy cattle Holstein-Friesian is particularly susceptible to heat stress. Here, we collected artificial insemination and pregnancy data of the Holstein and the Jersey cows from a dairy farm from 2014 to 2021 and analyzed the association between the conception rate and the temperature-humidity index, calculated using the data from the closest official weather station. As the temperature-humidity index threshold increased, the conception rate gradually decreased. However, this decrease was steeper in the Holstein breed than in the Jersey one at a temperature-humidity index threshold of 75. To evaluate the effects of heat stress on the oocyte quality, we examined the nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of Holstein (n = 158, obtained from six animals) and Jersey oocytes (n = 123, obtained from six animals), obtained by ovum pick-up. There were no differences in the nuclear maturation between the different conditions (heat stress: 40.5°C, non- heat stress: 37.5°C) or breeds, although the Holstein oocytes seemed to have a lower metaphase II development (p = 0.0521) after in vitro maturation under heat stress conditions. However, we found that the Holstein metaphase II oocytes exposed to heat stress presented more reactive oxygen species and a peripheral distribution of the mitochondria, compared to those of the Jersey cattle. Here, we show that weather information from local meteorological stations can be used to calculate the temperature-humidity index threshold at which heat stress influences the conception rate, and that the Jersey cows are more tolerant to heat stress in terms of their conception rate at a temperature-humidity index over 75. The lower fertility of the Holstein cows is likely attributed to impaired cytoplasmic maturation induced by heat stress. Thus, the Jersey cows can be a good breed for the sustainability of dairy farms for addressing climate changes in South Korea, as they are more resistant to hyperthermia.

Implementation of Systematic Bioanalysis of Antibody-Drug Conjugates for Preclinical Pharmacokinetic Study of Ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine (T-DM1) in Rats.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are composed of monoclonal antibodies covalently bound to cytotoxic drugs by a linker. They are designed to selectively bind target antigens and present a promising cancer treatment without the debilitating side effects of conventional chemotherapies. Ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is an ADC that received US FDA approval for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to optimize methods for the quantification of T-DM1 in rats. We optimized four analytical methods: (1) an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to quantify the total trastuzumab levels in all drug-to-antibody ratios (DARs), including DAR 0; (2) an ELISA to quantify the conjugated trastuzumab levels in all DARs except DAR 0; (3) an LC-MS/MS analysis to quantify the levels of released DM1; and (4) a bridging ELISA to quantify the level of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) of T-DM1. We analyzed serum and plasma samples from rats injected intravenously with T-DM1 (20 mg/kg, single dose) using these optimized methods. Based on these applied analytical methods, we evaluated the quantification, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity of T-DM1. This study establishes the systematic bioanalysis of ADCs with validated assays, including drug stability in matrix and ADA assay, for future investigation on the efficacy and safety of ADC development.

Development and validation of a self-care scale for older adults undergoing hip fracture surgery: the HFS-SC.

BACKGROUND: The ability to take care of oneself after hip fracture surgery is important for older adults. Various scales have been developed for evaluation of this ability, but a scale specifically focusing on hip fracture has not been developed. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a scale (Hip Fracture Surgery Self-Care Scale, HFS-SC) to evaluate self-care for older adults undergoing hip fracture surgery. METHODS: The scale was developed according to the guidelines by DeVellis. Initial items were derived from a literature review and individual interviews with 11 older adults who underwent hip fracture surgery. To confirm the suitability of the questions, a preliminary survey was conducted on 25 older adults. Psychometric testing was performed on 300 older adults 65 years old or over living at home after surgery for hip fracture. Psychometric properties of the scale were examined by content validity, construct validity, concurrent validity, internal consistency reliability, and test-retest reliability. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the 18-item scale comprised five factors (functional independence, symptom recognition and management, positive mental health, participation and support in social activities, and a safe environment). The results of EFA showed that the factor loadings ranging from 0.51 to 0.87. The results of CFA were χ2=375.83, χ2/df=2.14, RMSEA 0.07, SRMR 0.05, GFI 0.88, TLI 0.91, and CFI 0.92 for the 18-item scale. The reliabilities of the scale were 0.91 for Cronbach's alpha and 0.82 for test-retest reliability. CONCLUSIONS: The HFS-SC has acceptable validity and reliability and is expected to be useful for evaluating the levels of self-care for older adults undergoing hip fracture surgery and adjusting at the post-fracture period at the community or out-patient department.

Preclinical immunogenicity testing using anti-drug antibody analysis of GX-G3, Fc-fused recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, in rat and monkey models.

Human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF, this study used Fc-fused recombinant G-CSF; GX-G3) is an important glycoprotein that stimulates the proliferation of granulocytes and white blood cells. Thus, G-CSF treatment has been considered as a crucial regimen to accelerate recovery from chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in cancer patients suffering from non-myeloid malignancy or acute myeloid leukemia. Despite the therapeutic advantages of G-CSF treatment, an assessment of its immunogenicity must be performed to determine whether the production of anti-G-CSF antibodies causes immune-related disorders. We optimized and validated analytical tools by adopting validation parameters for immunogenicity assessment. Using these validated tools, we analyzed serum samples from rats and monkeys injected subcutaneously with GX-G3 (1, 3 or 10 mg/kg once a week for 4 weeks followed by a 4-week recovery period) to determine immunogenicity response and toxicokinetic parameters with serum concentration of GX-G3. Several rats and monkeys were determined to be positive for anti-GX-G3 antibodies. Moreover, the immunogenicity response of GX-G3 was lower in monkeys than in rats, which was relevant to show less inhibition of toxicokinetic profiles in monkeys, at least 1 mg/kg administrated group, compared to rats. These results suggested the establishment and validation for analyzing anti-GX-G3 antibodies and measurement of serum levels of GX-G3 and anti-GX-G3 antibodies, which was related with toxicokinetic profiles. Taken together, this study provides immunogenicity assessment which is closely implicated with toxicokinetic study of GX-G3 in 4-week repeated administrated toxicological studies.

Movement-Related Sensorimotor High-Gamma Activity Mainly Represents Somatosensory Feedback.

Somatosensation plays pivotal roles in the everyday motor control of humans. During active movement, there exists a prominent high-gamma (HG >50 Hz) power increase in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), and this provides an important feature in relation to the decoding of movement in a brain-machine interface (BMI). However, one concern of BMI researchers is the inflation of the decoding performance due to the activation of somatosensory feedback, which is not elicited in patients who have lost their sensorimotor function. In fact, it is unclear as to how much the HG component activated in S1 contributes to the overall sensorimotor HG power during voluntary movement. With regard to other functional roles of HG in S1, recent findings have reported that these HG power levels increase before the onset of actual movement, which implies neural activation for top-down movement preparation or sensorimotor interaction, i.e., an efference copy. These results are promising for BMI applications but remain inconclusive. Here, we found using electrocorticography (ECoG) from eight patients that HG activation in S1 is stronger and more informative than it is in the primary motor cortex (M1) regardless of the type of movement. We also demonstrate by means of electromyography (EMG) that the onset timing of the HG power in S1 is later (49 ms) than that of the actual movement. Interestingly, we show that the HG power fluctuations in S1 are closely related to subtle muscle contractions, even during the pre-movement period. These results suggest the following: (1) movement-related HG activity in S1 strongly affects the overall sensorimotor HG power, and (2) HG activity in S1 during voluntary movement mainly represents cortical neural processing for somatosensory feedback.

Development, validation, and application of ELISA for detection of anti-HD105 antibodies in pre-clinical safety evaluation using monkeys.

Unwanted immunogenicity of protein therapeutics can result in severe side effects and should be assessed in animals before applying the treatment to humans. Monkeys are the most relevant choice for pre-clinical toxicity testing of antibody-based therapeutics. To assess the immunogenicity of HD105, a novel antibody therapeutic that targets both vascular endothelial growth factor and Delta-like-ligand 4, a bridging enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed as an anti-drug antibody (ADA) assay and validated for use in pre-clinical studies using non-human primates. This method was found to have suitable assay sensitivity, intra- and inter-assay precision, confirmation, drug tolerance, recovery, and sample stability for measuring ADA in monkey serum samples. The results showed that ADA elevation occurred following repeated doses of HD105, and that ADA production was negatively associated with serum HD105 concentration. These results suggest that intravenous administration of HD105 induces production of ADA in monkeys and that the detection of ADA may be negatively influenced by free HD105 in serum.

Characterization of food waste-recycling wastewater as biogas feedstock.

A set of experiments was carried out to characterize food waste-recycling wastewater (FRW) and to investigate annual and seasonal variations in composition, which is related to the process operation in different seasons. Year-round samplings (n=31) showed that FRW contained high chemical oxygen demand (COD; 148.7±30.5g/L) with carbohydrate (15.6%), protein (19.9%), lipid (41.6%), ethanol (14.0%), and volatile fatty acids (VFAs; 4.2%) as major constituents. FRW was partly (62%) solubilized, possibly due to partial fermentation of organics including carbohydrate. Biodegradable portions of carbohydrate and protein were estimated from acidogenesis test by first-order kinetics: 72.9±4.6% and 37.7±0.3%, respectively. A maximum of 50% of the initial organics were converted to three major VFAs, which were acetate, propionate, and butyrate. The methane potential was estimated as 0.562L CH4/g VSfeed, accounting for 90.0% of the theoretical maximum estimated by elemental analysis.