Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Pomegranate Peel with Xylanase on Egg Quality and Antioxidant Parameters in Laying Hens.

Pomegranate contains bioactive compounds in all its parts. In this study, two levels of pomegranate peel byproduct (PPB) with or without the inclusion of xylanase enzyme were used to supplement laying hens' diet, in a 2 × 2 full factorial design. A total of 48 Isa brown laying hens were fed the following experimental diets for 8 weeks: T1 (2.5% PPB); T2 (2.5% PPB and xylanase); T3 (5% PPB); T4 (5% PPB and xylanase). Eggs collected were analyzed for egg quality parameters. Moreover, egg yolks were analyzed for Malondialdehyde content (MDA), fatty acid profile and total phenolic content. The T2 eggs showed enhanced yolk coloration and greater yolk total phenolic content. The T3 and T4 egg yolks showed lower MDA levels compared with T1, T2. Overall, results have shown that (a) xylanase inclusion affected egg yolk coloration and total phenolic content when combined with 2.5% PPB dietary supplementation; (b) dietary supplementation of 5% PPB resulted in eggs with reduced MDA levels.

Point-of-Care and Label-Free Detection of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome and Swine Influenza Viruses Using a Microfluidic Device with Photonic Integrated Circuits.

Swine viral diseases challenge the sector's sustainability by affecting productivity and the health and welfare of the animals. The lack of antiviral drugs and/or effective vaccines renders early and reliable diagnosis the basis of viral disease management, underlining the importance of point-of-care (POC) diagnostics. A novel POC diagnostic device utilizing photonic integrated circuits (PICs), microfluidics, and information and communication technologies for the detection of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and swine influenza A (SIV) was validated using spiked and clinical oral fluid samples. Metrics including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, precision, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated to assess the performance of the device. For PRRSV, the device achieved a sensitivity of 83.5%, specificity of 77.8%, and DOR values of 17.66, whereas the values for SIV were 81.8%, 82.2%, and 20.81, respectively. The POC device and PICs can be used for the detection of PRRSV and SIV in the field, paving the way for the introduction of novel technologies in the field of animal POC diagnostics to further optimize livestock biosecurity.

Design of base metal extractants. Part 1. Inter-ligand hydrogen bonding in the assembly of pseudo-macrocyclic bis(aminosulfonamidato)M(II) complexes.

Monosulfonyl derivatives of simple 1,2- and 1,3-diamines (R2HN-R-NHSO2R1 = L) have been shown to be easily deprotonated to give neutral 2:1 complexes, [M(L - H)(2)], with Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) or Zn(II). The Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes with deprotonated N-tosyl-1,2-diaminoethane have a planar N4(2-) donor set and a 14-membered pseudo-macrocyclic structure based on head-to-tail S=O...H-N((amine)) bonding between the two bidentate ligands. In the related tetrahedral Zn(II) complex the ends of the mutually perpendicular bidentate N2- units are too far apart to form a cyclic H-bonded system. X-Ray structure determinations on five free ligands provide evidence for extensive inter-molecular H-bonding, which in the case of N-tosyl-1,3-diaminopropane and its N'-tert-butyl derivative involves formation of dimeric 16-membered pseudo-macrocycles. Despite favourable inter-ligand H-bonding in the neutral 2:1 complexes, these ligands are relatively weak extractants, showing >50% loading of Cu(II) in "pH-swing" equilibria, 2L(org)+ M2+ = [M(L - H)2](org)+ 2 H+, only when the pH of the aqueous phase is raised above 4.