A Three-Year Study on the Nutritional Composition and Occurrence of Mycotoxins of Corn Varieties with Different Transgenic Events Focusing on Poultry Nutrition.

Corn is one of the most produced cereals in the world and plays a major role in poultry nutrition. As there is limited scientific information regarding the impact of transgenic technology on the quality and nutrient composition of the grains, this study investigated the effect of three major transgenic corn varieties-VT PRO3®, PowerCore® ULTRA, and Agrisure® Viptera 3-on the field traits, nutrient composition, and mycotoxin contamination of corn grains cultivated in southern Brazil during three consecutive harvests. VT PRO3®, while demonstrating superior crop yield, showed susceptibility to mycotoxins, particularly fumonisins. In contrast, PowerCore® ULTRA, with the lowest yield, consistently exhibited lower levels of fumonisins. VT PRO3® had higher AMEn than the other varieties, while PowerCore® ULTRA had the highest total and digestible amino acid contents over the three years. The study's comprehensive analysis reveals the distinct impact of transgenic corn technologies on both productivity and nutritional levels. Balancing the crops yield, mycotoxin resistance, and nutritional content of corn is crucial to meet the demands of the poultry feed industry. Such insights are essential for decision-making, ensuring sustainability and efficiency in agricultural production as well as meeting the demands of the poultry industry.

Adsorption of aflatoxin B1 by different antimycotoxin additives: bentonite, clinoptilolite, and beta-glucans extracted from yeast cell wall.

The present study aims to evaluate and compare antimycotoxin additives (AMAs) composed of bentonite (AMA 1), clinoptilolite (AMA 2), and beta-glucans extracted from yeast cell wall (AMA 3), with respect to their ability to bind Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) using the isothermal models of Freundlich, Langmuir, and BET. The additives were submitted to an in vitro adsorption experiment with AFB1 (0.05-4 mg L-1), using solutions of pH 3 and pH 6, with an inclusion rate of 0.5%, and analyzed by HPLC-MS/MS. At pH 3, for the seven concentrations evaluated, AMA 1 obtained adsorption rates (99.69 to 99.98%) higher (p < 0. 05) than the other AMAs, which were from 82.97 to 88.72% (AMA 2) and from 79.43 to 89.32% (AMA 3). At pH 6, in concentrations of 1, 2, and 4 mg L-1 of AFB1, AMA 1 obtained higher (p < 0.05) adsorption results (97.86 to 99.86%) than AMA 2 (91.98 to 96.12%) and AMA 3 (87.56 to 93.50%). The Freundlich model best fitted the AMA 1 adsorption data. For the other additives, the Langmuir model obtained the best fit, demonstrating qm of 8.6 mg g-1 at pH 3 and 2.3 mg g-1 at pH 6 for AMA 2; and for AMA 3, with qm of 3.4 mg g-1 at pH 3 and 2.3 mg g-1 at pH 6. The isotherm models work as an effective tool to describe the adsorption process whereas the AMA adsorption capacity varies as a function of product composition, pH, and mycotoxin content.

A two-year study on the occurrence and concentration of mycotoxins in corn varieties with different endosperm textures.

BACKGROUND: Mycotoxin monitoring in cereal grains has great importance in the food and feed industries. This study evaluated mycotoxin contamination in corns with different endosperm textures in 2 years of cultivation. Samples of dent, semi-dent, flint and semi-flint corns from field experiments were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). RESULTS: Occurrences of fumonisins B1 (FB1 ) and B2 (FB2 ) in 2020 were 45.72% (mean 270 µg kg-1 ) and 35.89% (94.97 µg kg-1 ), respectively, and 68.98% (446 µg kg-1 ) and 45.83% (152 µg kg-1 ) in 2021. Occurrence of aflatoxin B1 was 11.96% (0.16 µg kg-1 ) in 2020 and 11.11% (0.13 µg kg-1 ) in 2021. In 2020, deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenona (ZEA) presented occurrences of 1.28% and 1.70%, with means of 4.08 and 2.45 µg kg-1 , respectively. In 2021, results were 8.33% (31.00 µg kg-1 ) for DON and 8.79% (4.38 µg kg-1 ) for ZEA. Citrinin, diacetoxyscirpenol and fusarenon-X did not occur in 2020 but presented 1.66%, 0.83%, and 2.50% positive rates in 2021, respectively. In 2020, flint corn presented the lowest concentration of FB1 whereas dent corn presented the highest concentration of FB1 and FB2 (P < 0.05). In 2021, dent corn presented the highest means of FB1 , FB2 and diacetoxyscirpenol (P < 0.05). Dent and semi-dent presented the highest concentration of nivalenol (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The endosperm texture influenced mycotoxin contamination in corn grains, especially FB1 and FB2 , which had the highest concentration in dent corn in the 2 years of this study. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Research Note: Corn energy and nutrient utilization by broilers as affected by geographic areas and carbohydrases.

Two experiments (Exp.) were conducted to evaluate the effects of exogenous carbohydrases on nutrient and energy utilization of corn with different compositions by broilers. In Exp. 1, a total of 448 Cobb 500 male chicks were distributed in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement (corn from regions geographically located in the North or South of Brazil × 4 carbohydrases supplementation), with 8 replicate cages of 7 birds each. In Exp. 2, 672 Cobb 500 male chicks were fed 12 experimental feeds, in a 3 × 4 factorial arrangement [3 corn endosperm compositions (waxy, semi-dent, or semi-flint) × 4 carbohydrases], with 8 replicate cages of 7 birds. Birds were fed semi-purified test diets with 95.9% corn from d 14 to 24 in both studies. In Exp. 1, α-amylase, ß-xylanase, or carbohydrase complex (cellulase, glucanase, and xylanase) were added to the diet. In Exp. 2, α-amylase, ß-xylanase, or α-amylase + ß-xylanase were supplemented. Digestibility of DM, N, ether extract (EE), Ca, and P as well as AME, AMEn, and IDE were determined. In Exp. 2, jejunal starch digestibility was determined on d 24. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and means were compared by Tukey test (P ≤ 0.05). Corn from the North origin had higher AME, AMEn, and digestibility of DM and N compared to the South (P ≤ 0.05). Amylase supplementation led to increases of 3% in AME and 2% in N digestibility when compared to the non-supplemented feeds (P ≤ 0.01). In Exp. 2, the highest ME values and EE digestibility were observed in the semi-flint corn compared to the waxy, whereas the semi-dent presented the highest digestibility of N and starch. Corn diets supplemented with amylase + xylanase had improvements of 2.5% AMEn and 3% starch digestibility. In conclusion, energy and nutrient utilization of corn by broilers depend on the region where it was grown. Corn genetics, expressed by the endosperm composition, and carbohydrase supplementation influenced energy and nutrient utilization by broilers.

Prediction of fumonisins B1 and B2 in corn distiller's dried grains with solubles through near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND: Distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) are coproducts of the biofuel industries that use corn as raw material. This cereal is commonly contaminated by mycotoxins, including fumonisins (FBs), which can pose a serious health threat to humans and animals. Corn DDGS are typically used as a protein-rich animal feed. As mycotoxins from the original cereal grains become concentrated in DDGS, mycotoxicological monitoring is highly required before their use as ingredient in the industry. RESULTS: This work aimed to develop a methodology for predicting fumonisins B1 (FB1 ) and B2 (FB2 ) in corn DDGS using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) technology associated with chemometric methods. One hundred and ninety corn DDGS samples originating from Brazilian ethanol plants and feed mills were included in this assessment. Two datasets were created: one for calibration (132 samples) and another for external validation (58 samples). Partial least squares regression and a cross-validation approach were applied to build the models. Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry was used as the reference methodology. Calibration results of correlation coefficient and residual prediction deviation for FB1 and FB2 were, respectively, 0.90 and 0.88; and 2.16 and 2.06. CONCLUSION: Values of the external validation dataset were compared and no statistical difference was found between groups, indicating a satisfactory predictive ability and confirming the potential of NIRS to predict fumonisins in corn DDGS. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Development and validation of an extraction method using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to determine patulin in apple juice.

Patulin (PAT) is a potent mycotoxin commonly found in apples and apple-based products such as juice, thus affecting global food safety. Therefore, development of fast and simple analytical methods to effectively control its contamination is of great importance. This study developed and validated a technique for the analysis of PAT in samples of industrialized apple juice based on liquid-liquid extraction and using acetonitrile as the extraction solvent. Detection via mass spectrometry was performed after Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization (APCI). Mean recoveries of 97.5, 92.49 and 96.92% were reached for 4, 8 and 20 µg/L of PAT, respectively. The analyte was monitored with an APCI source in negative ion mode to identify its fragments. The 24 analyzed samples presented PAT levels below the limit of quantification. It may be concluded that the method fulfilled all of the validation criteria, thus being appropriate for routine surveillance of PAT in apple juice.

Impact of deoxynivalenol on intestinal explants of broiler chickens: An ex vivo model to assess antimycotoxins additives.

The impact of deoxynivalenol (DON) upon intestinal tissue of broilers was assessed by using jejunal explants in Ussing chambers and analyzing histopathological and immunohistochemical parameters; this system was also applied to evaluate the efficacy of an antimycotoxins additive (AMA). The explants were subjected to the following treatments within each experiment for 120 min: Experiment 1) T1 (control) - buffer solution, and T2 - 10 mg/L DON; and Experiment 2) T1 (control) - buffer solution, T2 - 10 mg/L DON, T3 - AMA (0.5%), and T4 - 10 mg/L DON + 0.5% AMA. In Experiment 1, DON triggered a reduction in the size of enterocytes as well as of their nuclei, an increase in cytoplasmic vacuolization and apical denudation of villi. Apoptotic cells count was also greater in DON-exposed explants. In Experiment 2, the AMA mitigated DON harmful effects; cytoplasmic vacuolization of enterocytes was reduced and the size of their nuclei was preserved. The additive also promoted a partial decrease in microvillus integrity, in size of enterocytes and in apoptotic cells count. The tested ex vivo model demonstrated the impact of DON upon the intestine as well as the efficacy of the AMA against its damaging effects.

Iron requirements of broiler breeder hens.

A study was conducted to investigate Fe requirements of broiler breeders. One-hundred-fifty-six Cobb 500 broiler breeder hens were individually placed in electrostatically painted cages at 22 weeks. The study was composed of an adaptation phase, in which hens were fed corn-soy-wheat bran diets until 35 wks. An Fe deficient mash diet (24.6 ppm Fe) was provided from 35 to 46 wk in order to induce a partial body Fe depletion. A production phase followed from 47 to 70 wk when hens were fed 6 diets with increasing Fe sulfate supplementation, which, upon analyses had 24.6, 48.6, 74.3, 99.6, 125.6, and 148.2 ppm Fe. Thirty hatching eggs from each treatment were randomly collected in the last wk of each production period and incubated. Hemoglobin and hematocrit were analyzed from 6 hens as well as all hatched chicks per treatment. Analyses of production and hatching data were conducted using quadratic polynomial (QP), broken-line (BL), and exponential asymptotic (EA) models. Effects of dietary Fe were observed for total eggs and total hatching eggs, egg yolk Fe content, and hen and chick hematocrit and hemoglobin (P < 0.05). These responses to added Fe were optimized when dietary Fe were 96.8, 97.1, 130.6, 122.6, 120.0, and 125.0 ppm (QP) and 76.4, 89.3, 135.0, 128.4, 133.8, and 95.0 ppm (BL) for total hatching eggs, egg yolk Fe content, and hen and chick hematocrit and hemoglobin, respectively. Optimization with the EA model was obtained for total hatching eggs, egg yolk Fe, and hen and chick hemoglobin at 97.9, 111.0, 77.9, and 96.3 ppm Fe for total hatching eggs, egg yolk Fe, and hen and chick hemoglobin, respectively. Adequate Fe levels are needed to maintain egg production as well as hatching chicks' indexes. Fe concentration in the yolk and diet are positively influenced. The average of all Fe requirement estimates obtained in the present study was 106 ppm total Fe, whereas averaged values for BL, QP, and EA models were 107, 113, and 97 ppm Fe, respectively.

Validation of the Portuguese version of the Personal Outcomes Scale / Validación de la versión Portuguesa de la Escala de Resultados Personales

Background/Objective: Quality of life (QOL) is actually helpful to organizations for guiding personalized support plans and enhance personal outcomes. However, there is a lack of consensus about the QOL construct in the field of intellectual disability (ID). This study aims (a) to analyze the first-order factor structure (i.e., eight domains) of the Portuguese version of the Personal Outcomes Scale (POS), and (b) to compare two alternative models of the higher factor structure of the QOL construct (i.e., Salamanca and Schalock). Method: Both aims were investigated by examining self-report and report-of-others measures. Data were collected from 1,264 adults with mild or moderate levels of ID and respective proxies. Results: Results from confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed evidence of suitable psychometric properties of the QOL dimensions. Findings also highlighted that the first-order model was more robust than either of the two second-order models. Nevertheless, the Schalock structure was stronger than the Salamanca structure. Conclusions: Although further research is needed, the results reveal that the Portuguese POS may be a valid and reliable instrument to measure QOL of adults with ID. The implication of these results are discussed highlighting the scale as a useful tool to serve as the basis for planning and evaluating personalized supports (AU)

Antecedentes/Objetivo: La calidad de vida (CV) es útil a las organizaciones, permitiendo mejorar los resultados personales. Sin embargo, hay una falta de consenso sobre la construcción de la CV en personas con discapacidad intelectual (DI). Este estudio tiene como objetivo (a) analizar los factores de primer orden de la versión portuguesa de la Personal Outcomes Scale (POS), y (b) comparar dos modelos alternativos de segundo orden (Salamanca y Schalock). Método: Estos dos objetivos fueron investigados a través de medidas del autoinforme y del informe de los otros. Los datos fueron recogidos de 1.264 personas con DI leve o moderada y sus respectivos cuidadores. Resultados: Los resultados de la análisis factorial confirmatorio (AFC) indicaron valores psicométricos apropiados de las dimensiones de la CV. Los resultados mostraron que el modelo de primer orden era más robusto que cualquier uno de los dos modelos de segundo orden. No obstante, la estructura de Schalock fue más fuerte que la estructura de Salamanca. Conclusiones: Aunque sea necesario más investigación, la POS portuguesa es un instrumento válido y fiable para medir la CV de personas con DI. La implicación de esta escala se discute como una herramienta útil para servir como base para la planificación y evaluación de apoyos personalizados (AU)

Antimycobacterial activity of pyrazinoate prodrugs in replicating and non-replicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an important infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and responsible for thousands of deaths every year. Although there are antimycobacterial drugs available in therapeutics, just few new chemical entities have reached clinical trials, and in fact, since introduction of rifampin only two important drugs had reached the market. Pyrazinoic acid (POA), the active agent of pyrazinamide, has been explored through prodrug approach to achieve novel molecules with anti-Mtb activity, however, there is no activity evaluation of these molecules against non-replicating Mtb until the present. Additionally, pharmacokinetic must be preliminary evaluated to avoid future problems during clinical trials. In this paper, we have presented six POA esters as prodrugs in order to evaluate their anti-Mtb activity in replicating and non-replicating Mtb, and these showed activity highly influenced by medium composition (especially by albumin). Lipophilicity seems to play the main role in the activity, possibly due to controlling membrane passage. Novel duplicated prodrugs of POA were also described, presenting interesting activity. Cytotoxicity of these prodrugs set was also evaluated, and these showed no important cytotoxic profile.

Validation of the Portuguese version of the Personal Outcomes Scale.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Quality of life (QOL) is actually helpful to organizations for guiding personalized support plans and enhance personal outcomes. However, there is a lack of consensus about the QOL construct in the field of intellectual disability (ID). This study aims (a) to analyze the first-order factor structure (i.e., eight domains) of the Portuguese version of the Personal Outcomes Scale (POS), and (b) to compare two alternative models of the higher factor structure of the QOL construct (i.e., Salamanca and Schalock). METHOD: Both aims were investigated by examining self-report and report-of-others measures. Data were collected from 1,264 adults with mild or moderate levels of ID and respective proxies. RESULTS: Results from confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed evidence of suitable psychometric properties of the QOL dimensions. Findings also highlighted that the first-order model was more robust than either of the two second-order models. Nevertheless, the Schalock structure was stronger than the Salamanca structure. CONCLUSIONS: Although further research is needed, the results reveal that the Portuguese POS may be a valid and reliable instrument to measure QOL of adults with ID. The implication of these results are discussed highlighting the scale as a useful tool to serve as the basis for planning and evaluating personalized supports.

ANTECEDENTES/OBJETIVO: La calidad de vida (CV) es útil a las organizaciones, permitiendo mejorar los resultados personales. Sin embargo, hay una falta de consenso sobre la construcción de la CV en personas con discapacidad intelectual (DI). Este estudio tiene como objetivo (a) analizar los factores de primer orden de la versión portuguesa de la Personal Outcomes Scale (POS), y (b) comparar dos modelos alternativos de segundo orden (Salamanca y Schalock). MÉTODO: Estos dos objetivos fueron investigados a través de medidas del autoinforme y del informe de los otros. Los datos fueron recogidos de 1.264 personas con DI leve o moderada y sus respectivos cuidadores. RESULTADOS: Los resultados de la análisis factorial confirmatorio (AFC) indicaron valores psicométricos apropiados de las dimensiones de la CV. Los resultados mostraron que el modelo de primer orden era más robusto que cualquier uno de los dos modelos de segundo orden. No obstante, la estructura de Schalock fue más fuerte que la estructura de Salamanca. CONCLUSIONES: Aunque sea necesario más investigación, la POS portuguesa es un instrumento válido y fiable para medir la CV de personas con DI. La implicación de esta escala se discute como una herramienta útil para servir como base para la planificación y evaluación de apoyos personalizados.

The Portuguese version of personal outcomes scale: a psychometric validity and reliability study.

This article presents the results of a pilot study to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Escala Pessoal de Resultados (EPR), the Portuguese version of the Personal Outcomes Scale (POS), to assess quality of life (QOL) in people with intellectual disability (ID) in Portugal. We present the adaptation and validation processes of the EPR. Data were collected from 1,264 adults with intermittent and limited levels of support needs and respective proxies. Results of the research are discussed in requisites of the validity and reliability. The different coefficients illustrate that this scale may be a useful addition to the QOL assessment in Portuguese people with ID.

Quality of life assessment in intellectual disabilities: the Escala Pessoal de Resultados versus the World Health Quality of Life-BREF.

The aim of this study is to compare the applications of the Escala Pessoal de Resultados (EPR) and the World Health Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) in quality of life (QOL) assessment of people with intellectual disabilities (ID). A total of 216 adults with ID were assessed (age ranging from 18 to 64 years; 128 people were diagnosed with mild, and 88 with moderate ID). The two scales were administered to each person to obtain their perception about their QOL. Statistically significant correlations (weak to moderate) were observed between both scales. The EPR and the WHOQOL-BREF demonstrated adequate reliability, construct, and discriminant validity in our sample. However, the group of adults with moderate ID scored higher on the WHOQOL-BREF than on the EPR. Results indicated that the two assessment instruments aim to evaluate different measures, and seem to be not interchangeable.

Short-term (approximately 600 ms) prediction of perturbation dynamics for 10- and 20-Hz MEG rhythms in human primary sensorimotor hand cortices.

The pericentral primary sensorimotor cortices generate the "mu rhythm" with a distinct spectral signature exhibiting two peaks, generated predominantly anterior (20 Hz) or posterior (10 Hz) to the central sulcus; it defines a "background" network state upon which somatosensory inputs will impinge. We used the high spatiotemporal resolution of magnetoencephalography to analyze the perturbation dynamics of these cortical rhythms in response to a series of paired electric median nerve stimuli: single trials were sorted off-line according to increasing power of the 10- or 20-Hz rebounds which occurred 300-600 ms after the first stimulus; using subaverages formed from the upper and lower 20% of this distribution, we analyzed somatosensory evoked fields (SEF) and power modifications caused by the second stimulus in the pair. We report three key findings: (1) the power level of rhythm rebounds triggered by the first stimulus predicted the rebound strength after the second stimulus applied 600 ms later; yet, it was uncorrelated across the 2.4-s interval separating subsequent stimulus pairs. (2) Conventional averaging camouflages substantial trial-to-trial variations of rhythm dynamics including, for example, even non-occurrences of rhythm rebounds. (3) For six of the seven subjects, the background rhythm power did not affect any SEF component; for the subject with the strongest rhythms only intracortically generated deflections (peaking after the thalamocortical input component N20m) varied as function of pre-stimulus 10- or 20-Hz power. Thus, the perturbation dynamics of the pericentral mu rhythm exhibits a significant intertrial variance, which becomes effective mainly at a time scale larger than 600 ms.

Phase locking between human primary and secondary somatosensory cortices.

Unilateral stimulation of human peripheral nerves activates the primary somatosensory cortex (SI) contralaterally and the secondary somatosensory cortex (SII) bilaterally. We aimed at characterizing phase locking between SI and SII in response to electric stimuli applied once every 3 s to the right median nerve at the wrist; phase locking between brain regions has been proposed to either reflect joined processing or information exchange. Ongoing neuromagnetic activity of healthy volunteers was recorded with 204 planar gradiometers covering the whole scalp. After selecting a sensor maximally sensitive to activity in the left (contralateral) SI, phase locking between this sensor and the other 203 sensors was examined from single trial data. Statistically significant phase locking was found at approximately 20 Hz, 80-90 ms after the stimuli between the left SI and the right SII in 9 of 10 subjects. Sensors with high phase-locking values over the left SI and right SII were separated by sensors with no phase-locked activity over the scalp midline, indicating that the phase locking was not caused by the sensors seeing activity from the same sources. The observed SI-SII phase locking would not be reflected in the evoked responses because a considerable part of it was not time-locked to the stimuli. Thus, our finding reveals a unique interaction in the sensorimotor system.

Left-hemisphere-dominant SII activation after bilateral median nerve stimulation.

We used bilateral median nerve stimuli to find out possible hemispheric dominance in the activation of the second somatosensory cortex, SII. Somatosensory evoked fields (SEFs) were recorded from 14 healthy adults (7 right-handed, 7 left-handed) with a 306-channel neuromagnetometer. Electrical stimuli were applied once every 3 s simultaneously either to the left and right median nerves at the wrists or to the palmar skin of both thumbs. Sources of SEFs were modeled with four current dipoles, located in the SI and SII cortices of both hemispheres. The SI activation strengths did not differ between the hemispheres, whereas the SII responses were significantly stronger in the left than in the right hemisphere. In right-handers, the left/right SII ratios were 1.9 and 1.8 for wrist and thumb stimuli, respectively. The corresponding values were 1.5 and 1.7 in left-handers. The results indicate handedness-independent functional specialization of the human SII cortices.