Evaluation of modified dried vinasse as an alternative dietary protein source for broilers.

The increase in poultry production and the high cost of soybean led to the search for alternative protein sources. One of these sources is vinasse, a by-product of the baker's yeast industry. Modified dried vinasse (MDV) can be produced for use in poultry nutrition by making some improvements in vinasse. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the effect of the usage of MDV in broiler diets. A total of 192 daily male Ross 308 chicks were randomly assigned to four groups. MDV was included at the levels of 0%, 2%, 4%, and 6% in the diets for 42-day trial. Linear significant improvements in the final weight, body weight gain, feed efficiency, and digestibility were seen with increasing MDV levels. The use of MDV caused a significant reduction in feed consumption. The relative weight percentages of abdominal fat and serum cholesterol concentration were reduced linearly with increases in MDV levels. MDV inclusion linearly decreased the malondialdehyde concentration, but increased 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity in breast meat significantly. The protein content in breast meat was increased with MDV. Cecal beneficial microorganisms and serum IgG levels were increased linearly with MDV. In conclusion, results suggested that MDV could be a feasible option for alternative protein sources for broilers.

Serum Pentraxin 3 and hs-CRP Levels in Children with Severe Pulmonary Hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension secondary to untreated left-to-right shunt defects leads to increased pulmonary blood flow, endothelial dysfunction, increased pulmonary vascular resistance, vascular remodelling, neointimal and plexiform lesions. Some recent studies have shown that inflammation has an important role in the pathophysiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension. AIMS: The aim of this study is to evaluate serum pentraxin 3 and high sensitive (hs)-C reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in children with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) secondary to untreated congenital heart defects and evaluate the role of inflammation in pulmonary hypertension. STUDY DESIGN: Cross sectional study. METHODS: After ethics committee approval and receiving consent from parents, there were 31 children were selected for the study with severe PAH, mostly with a left-to-right shunt, who had been assessed by cardiac catheterisation and were taking specific pulmonary vasodilators. The control group consisted of 39 age and gender matched healthy children. After recording data about all the patients including age, gender, weight, haemodynamic studies and vasodilator testing, a physical examination was done for all subjects. Blood was taken from patients and the control group using peripheral veins to analyse serum Pentraxin 3, N-terminal pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-ProBNP) and hs-CRP levels. Serum Pentraxin-3 levels were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and expressed as ng/mL. Serum hs-CRP levels were measured with an immunonephelometric method and expressed as mg/dL. The serum concentration of NT-proBNP was determined by a chemiluminescent immunumetric assay and expressed as pg/mL. RESULTS: Serum Pentraxin- 3 levels were determined to be 1.28±2.12 (0.12-11.43) in the PAH group (group 1) and 0.40±0.72 (0.07-3.45) in group 2. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p<0.01). Serum hs-CRP levels were measured as 2.92±2.12 (0.32-14.7) mg/dL in group 1 and 0.35±0.16 (0.07-3.45) mg/dL in group 2. The hs-CRP level was increased in the PAH group to a significant degree (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Our study showed that pentraxin 3 and hs-CRP levels were increased significantly in the PAH group. We consider that inflammation plays an important role in severe pulmonary hypertension and progressive pulmonary arterial hypertension in children with PAH.