Effect of in ovo administration of different synbiotics on carcass and meat quality traits in broiler chickens.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of in ovo synbiotic administration on slaughter performance and meat quality traits of broiler chickens. On day 12 of incubation, 5,850 eggs (Cobb 500 FF) were randomly divided into 3 experimental groups and automatically injected in ovo with physiological saline (control, C) and 2 different synbiotic formulations (SYN1: Lactobacillus salivarius + galactooligosaccharides; SYN2: Lactobacillus plantarum + raffinose family oligosaccharides). After hatching, 240 males were randomly chosen (80 chicks per group) and split into 8 replicate pens (10 birds per pen). At 42 d of age, 15 birds per treatment were weighed and slaughtered. In ovo synbiotic administration had a low effect on investigated traits, but depends on the kind of synbiotic administered. Both synbiotic formulations did not affect final BW, weight, and yield of carcass and pectoral muscle (PM); likewise, physicochemical properties (pH, color, water holding capacity), intramuscular collagen properties, and cholesterol content of PM were not affected by treatment. Synbiotic administration reduced (P = 0.061) the lipid content compared with C group, markedly (P < 0.05) with synbiotic SYN2. Meat from SYN1 birds displayed a higher (P < 0.01) content of saturated fatty acids (SFA), lower monounsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.05 compared only to SYN2), and lower (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), n-6 PUFA and n-3 PUFA compared to C and SYN2 groups. The ratio of n-6 to n-3 PUFA was affected by the synbiotic administration (P = 0.039). Meat from C and SYN2 groups displayed a higher (P < 0.01) ratio of PUFA to SFA and lower (P < 0.01) atherogenic and thrombogenic indices compared to SYN1. In conclusion, this study has shown that in ovo administration of synbiotics did not negatively affect slaughter performance and physicochemical properties of meat. However, meat from C and SYN2 birds showed a preferable fatty acid profile, with a positive effect on nutritional properties of chicken meat.

Prebiotics offered to broiler chicken exert positive effect on meat quality traits irrespective of delivery route.

Elimination of antibiotic growth promoters from poultry production has encouraged intensive search for relevant alternatives. Prebiotics are proposed as efficient replacements to stimulate colonization/expansion of beneficial microflora in chickens. The aim of this study was to deepen the knowledge on the effect of prebiotic administration on slaughter performance and meat quality traits of broiler chickens by evaluating different routes of their delivery (in ovo vs. in-water vs. in ovo + in-water). At d 12 of incubation, 1,500 eggs (Ross 308) containing viable embryos were randomly allotted into 4 groups and injected in ovo with 0.2 mL solution containing: 3.5 mg/embryo BI (Bi2tos, trans-galactooligosaccharides); 0.88 mg/embryo DN (DiNovo, extract of Laminaria spp.); 1.9 mg/embryo RFO (raffinose family oligosaccharides) and 0.2 mL physiological saline (C). All prebiotics increased final BW compared to C group (P < 0.01), irrespective of delivery route. The prebiotics injected in ovo (T1) or in ovo combined with in-water supplementation (T2) increased carcass weight as compared with in-water group (T3), while T3 had the lowest carcass yield compared to the other groups. All prebiotics increased breast muscle weight and yield (P < 0.01), as well as fiber diameter (P < 0.05). Ultimate meat pH was lower (P < 0.01) in T3 than in T2 group. Meat from chickens treated with prebiotics showed a lower redness index, while lightness and yellowness were not affected by the treatments. Saturated fatty acid (SFA), polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and n-3 fatty acids contents were higher (P < 0.01), and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) level was lower (P < 0.01) in prebiotic groups compared with C group. Nutritional indexes (n-6/n-3, PUFA/SFA ratio and thrombogenic index) displayed favorable human health-promoting values in the meat of chickens which were treated with prebiotics, irrespective of delivery route. Muscle cholesterol content was not affected by prebiotics. In conclusion, this study has shown that prebiotics can exert positive effects on growth of broiler chickens, carcass and meat quality traits, irrespective of delivery route.

The power-velocity integral at the vena contracta: A new method for direct quantification of regurgitant volume flow.

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive quantification of regurgitation is limited because Doppler measures velocity, not flow. Because backscattered Doppler power is proportional to sonified blood volume, power times velocity should be proportional to flow rate. Early studies, however, suggested that this held only for laminar flow, not for regurgitant jets, in which turbulence and fluid entrainment augment scatter. We therefore hypothesized that this Doppler power principle can be applied at the proximal vena contracta, where flow is laminar before entrainment, so that the power-times-velocity integral should vary linearly with flow rate and its time integral with stroke volume (SV). METHODS AND RESULTS: This was tested in vitro with steady and pulsatile flow through 0.07- to 0.8-cm(2) orifices and in 36 hemodynamic stages in vivo, replacing the left atrium with a rigid chamber and column for direct visual recording of mitral regurgitant SV (MRSV). In 12 patients, MRSV was compared with MRI mitral inflow minus aortic outflow and in 11 patients with 3D echo left ventricular ejection volume-Doppler aortic forward SV. Vena contracta power in the narrow high-velocity spectrum from a broad measuring beam was calibrated against that from a narrow reference beam of known area. Calculated and actual flow rates and SV correlated well in vitro (r=0.99, 0.99; error=-1.6+/-2.5 mL/s, -2. 4+/-2.9 mL), in vivo (MRSV: r=0.98, error=0.04+/-0.87 mL), and in patients (MRSV: r=0.98, error=-2.8+/-4.5 mL). CONCLUSIONS: The power-velocity integral at the vena contracta provides an accurate direct measurement of regurgitant flow, overcoming the limitations of existing Doppler techniques.

The obsessive compulsive spectrum: a survey of 800 practitioners.

The obsessive-compulsive (OC) spectrum is a group of related disorders that appear to share symptomatology, neurobiology, and treatment response with obsessive-compulsive disorder. To collect data on the appreciation of the OC spectrum concept among clinicians, 800 participants completed a questionnaire to help determine their understanding and appreciation of this concept, at a workshop on the OC spectrum.

Patterns of bone strain in the zygomatic arch.

BACKGROUND: The transmission of force through the skull is complicated by the irregular form of the bones, the interposed sutures, and the multiplicity of loads from the teeth, muscles, and environment. The in vivo relationship between bone strain and muscle function in the mammalian skull is best investigated empirically. METHODS: We studied the zygomatic arch of pigs (Sus scrofa) by simultaneous strain gauge recording and electromyography. Seventeen juvenile animals were used, employing multiple strain gauges arranged either in rosettes or strips. Strain was recorded during mastication and muscle stimulations. Bony architecture was examined on sectioned specimens. RESULTS: Strain patterns were complex even in this beamlike structure. During masseteric contraction, the more anterior zygomatic bone showed in-plane bending such that its lower border became more convex, and the major principal strain axis (tension) was parallel to the masseter muscle. The posterior squamosal bone was slightly bent in the opposite direction, and the major principal strain was rotated 45-60 degrees from the masseteric line of action. Strain magnitudes in the squamosal were larger than those in the zygomatic. Woven bone composing the surface of the arch appeared denser in the zygomatic bone, where its predominant orientation corresponded with compressive strain. In the squamosal bone trabeculae were more regularly arranged, but their orientation did not correspond with strain axes. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude differences are probably related to the different architecture of the zygomatic and squamosal bones, whereas the different strain patterns primarily reflect the influence of the sutures in selectively damping or transmitting loads. In particular, the zygomatic bone may be loaded by three-point, distributed-load bending, whereas the squamosal, loaded at only two points, may be sheared. We conclude that each cranial bone functions in a unique strain environment, with the sutures serving to redirect loading.

In vivo strain in cranial sutures: the zygomatic arch.

Although cranial sutures presumably play a role in absorbing and/or transmitting loads applied to the skull, loading patterns on facial sutures are poorly understood. The zygomatic arch provides a comparatively isolated mechanical part of the skull containing a single suture, the zygomatico-squamosal. In pigs the zygomatico-squamosal suture has a short vertical segment located within the postorbital process and a longer horizontal segment which extends posteriorly. In anesthetized pigs single-element high-elongation strain gages were bonded over both segments of the suture. Strain was recorded during stimulation of the masseter muscles and while the lightly anesthetized animals masticated food pellets. The predominant strain patterns differed in the two segments of the suture. During mastication compressive strains predominated in the vertical segment, but tensile strains predominated in the horizontal segment. The same patterns were also produced by stimulation of the ipsilateral masseter muscle. Contraction of the contralateral masseter reversed the strain pattern, but strain levels were low and during mastication such reversals occurred only transiently. The two segments of the suture have contrasting morphologies. The vertical segment has broad, interdigitating contacts with fibers arranged in a compression-resisting orientation. The horizontal segment has a simple tongue and groove structure with fibers arranged to resist tension. Thus, the structure of the suture reflects the predominant strain pattern.

Atherosclerosis obliterans in healthy young adults.

A healthy young man developed unilateral claudication due to an isolated lesion of his external iliac artery, At operation, this was found to be obliterated by atherosclerotic change of long standing. No evidence of systemic disease was noted. A vascular reconstruction has allowed the patient to return to an active life style.