The Effect of Oat Hay, Alfalfa Hay, and Their Combined Diets on the Morphology and Function of the Pancreas in Preweaning Yak Calves.

In this study, we used a combination of animal nutrition and nontargeted metabolomics to investigate the effects of feeding different sources forages rations on the morphology and function of the pancreas in preweaning yak calves, providing theoretical guidance and important references for the healthy and high-quality rearing of yak calves. At 45 days old, 21 yak calf males were divided into OP, AP, and AOP groups, with seven animals in each group, which were fed with oat hay, alfalfa hay, and mixed oat and alfalfa hay, respectively. Five calves from each group were selected randomly to slaughter after a pretest period of 21 days and the official period of 120 days, when the average daily feed intake reached 1 kg. During the test, the growth and pancreas weight of yak calves were recorded, and the morphology and function of the pancreas tissues were determined using tissue sectioning methods, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests, and nontargeted metabolomics strategies. The results showed that the body weight and pancreatic organ index of yak calves in the AOP group were significantly higher than those of the AP and OP groups. Compared to the AP and OP groups, the AOP group had considerably lower ratios of the area of the pancreatic endocrine component and overall percentage of that section of the organ, and the AOP group increased pancreatic amylase activity and a higher concentration of growth inhibitor. The AP group had significantly higher levels of the differential metabolites L-ascorbic acid, spermidine, spermine, and dopaquinone in the glutathione, ß-alanine, and tyrosine metabolic pathways than the OP group. The AOP group had significantly lower levels of the differential metabolites spermine and phenylacetylglycine in the glutathione and phenylalanine metabolic pathways than the AP group. In summary, compared to feeding oat or alfalfa hay alone, combined feeding oat hay and alfalfa hay is more beneficial to promote the morphological and functional development of the pancreas in preweaning yak calves, so as to enhance the digestion and absorption of nutrients in the diet and maintain the positive regulation of blood glucose levels. This provides an important basis for the optimized forage supply of healthy and high-quality rearing in preweaning yak calves.

The Effect of Supplemental Concentrate Feeding on the Morphological and Functional Development of the Pancreas in Early Weaned Yak Calves.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of supplemental concentrate feeding on the pancreatic development of yak calves. Twenty one-month-old yak calves with healthy body condition and similar body weight were selected as experimental animals and randomly divided into two groups, five replicates in each group. The control group yak calves were fed milk replacer and alfalfa hay, the experimental group yak calves were fed milk replacer, alfalfa hay and concentrate. The pre-feeding period of this experiment was thirty days, the trial period was one hundred days. At the end of feeding trail, five yak calves from each group were selected and slaughtered and the pancreas tissues of yak calves were collected and determined. The results showed that: (1) Dry matter and body weight of yak calves in the test group were significantly higher than those of the control group. (2) The apparent nutrient digestibility of crude protein, crude fat, calcium and phosphorus in the test group of yak calves was significantly higher than that of the control group, while the apparent nutrient digestibility of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber in the test group was significantly lower than that of the control group. (3) Pancreatic weight, organ index, total ratio of exocrine part area and total ratio of endocrine area of yak calves in the test group were significantly higher than those in the control group, while the ratio of exocrine area was significantly lower in the test group than that of the control group. (4) The activities of the main pancreatic digestive enzymes: pancreatic amylase, pancreatic lipase, pancreatic protease and chymotrypsin were significantly higher in the test group than those of the control group, as were the hormonal contents of glucagon, insulin and pancreatic polypeptide. (5) The main differential metabolites of the pancreas in the test group were significantly higher than those of the control group, such as D-proline, hypoxanthine, acetylcysteine, gamma-glutamylcysteine, thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid, piperidinic acid, ellagic acid, nicotinamide, tropolone, D-serine, ribulose-5-phosphate, (+/-)5(6)-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid(EET), 2-hydroxycinnamic acid, L-phenylalanine, creatinine, tetrahydrocorticosterone, pyridoxamine, xanthine, 5-oxoproline, asparagine, DL-tryptophan, in-dole-3-acrylic acid, thymine, trehalose, docosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids(FAHFA) (18:1/20:3), fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids(FAHFA) (18:2/20:4), adrenic acid and xanthosine. In conclusion, supplemental concentrate feeding promoted the good development of morphological and functional properties of the pancreas in early weaned yak calves to improve the digestion and absorption of feed nutrients, so as to enhance the growth and development quality of early weaned yak calves.

Effect of Alfalfa Hay and Starter Feeding Intervention on Gastrointestinal Microbial Community, Growth and Immune Performance of Yak Calves.

The present study aims to evaluate the effects of different early weaning paradigms, which supplied with extra alfalfa hay, or starter feeding, or both alfalfa hay and starter feeding, along with the milk replacer, on the gastrointestinal microbial community, growth, and immune performance of yak calves. Twenty 30-day-old male yak calves were randomly assigned to four groups, including the control (CON), alfalfa hay (A), starter feeding (S), and starter plus alfalfa hay (SA) groups. The gastrointestinal microbial colonization, the gastrointestinal development and function, and the growth and immune performance of all the yak calves were separately measured. Supplementation with alfalfa and starter feeding during the pre-weaning period significantly increased body weight, body height, body length, and chest girth. The significantly improved rumen fermentation and promoted intestinal digestion-absorption function in alfalfa and starter feeding groups, including the identified significantly increased concentrations of ruminal total volatile fatty acid (VFA); the significantly increased concentrations and proportions of acetate, butyrate, and isovalerate; the increased α-amylase activities in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum; the increased papillae length and width of rumen epithelium and rumen wall thickness; and the increased villus height and crypt depth of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, could all contribute to promote the growth of calves. These significant improvements on rumen fermentation and intestinal digestion-absorption function could be further attributed to the increased proliferation of starch-decomposing, and cellulose- or hemicellulose-decomposing bacteria identified in the rumen, jejunum, and ileum. Furthermore, based on the expression of intestinal inflammatory cytokines and the rumen epithelial RNA sequencing results, alfalfa supplementation reduced the occurrence of ruminal and intestinal inflammation, whereas starter feeding supplementation was mainly beneficial to the differentiation of immune cells and the improved immune function. Meanwhile, the significantly altered relative abundances of genera in the SA group, including increased relative abundance of Limnobacter, Escherichia/Shigella, and Aquabacterium in the rumen and increased relative abundance of Coprococcus, Pseudobutyrivibrio, Flavonifractor, Synergistes, and Sutterella in jejunum, were able to reduce gastrointestinal inflammation and enhance the immune function, which enhanced the immune function of the yak calves fed with alfalfa and starter feeding. Overall, milk replacer supplemented with alfalfa and starter feeding during the pre-weaning period could alter gastrointestinal microbiota and then benefit the gastrointestinal development, digestion-absorption function, growth, and immune performance of the yak calves.

Synergistic Effect of Sodium Chlorite and Edible Coating on Quality Maintenance of Minimally Processed Citrus grandis under Passive and Active MAP.

Edible coating has been an innovation within the bioactive packaging concept. The comparative analysis upon the effect of edible coating, sodium chlorite (SC) and their combined application on quality maintenance of minimally processed pomelo (Citrus grandis) fruits during storage at 4 °C was conducted. Results showed that the combination of edible coating and SC dipping delayed the microbial development whereas the sole coating or dipping treatment was less efficient. The synergetic application of edible coating and SC treatment under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP, 10% O2 , 10% CO2 ) was able to maintain the total soluble solids level and ascorbic acid content, while reduce the weight loss as well as development of mesophiles and psychrotrophs. Nonetheless, the N, O-carboxymethyl chitosan solely coated samples showed significantly higher level of weight loss during storage with comparison to the untreated sample. Furthermore, the combined application of edible coating and SC dipping under active MAP best maintained the sensory quality of minimally processed pomelo fruit during storage.

CuI-catalyzed suzuki-miyaura and sonogashira cross-coupling reactions using DABCO as ligand.

In the presence of TBAB, CuI-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of vinyl halides and aryl halides with arylboronic acids was conducted smoothly to afford the corresponding diarylethenes and polyaryls in moderate to good yields using DABCO (1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane) as the ligand. We also found that the inexpensive CuI/DABCO catalytic system was effective for Sonogashira cross-couplings of aryl halides and vinyl halides. A variety of aryl halides and vinyl halides including activated aryl chlorides underwent the coupling with terminal alkynes in moderate to excellent yields.