• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.1263-1276
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• 2024

Objective: Pine needles are rich in many nutrients and exhibit antibacterial and antioxidant biological activities; however, the effects of different production methods of pine needle additives on the growth performance and intestinal flora of broiler chickens are not known. Methods: Normal diets were supplemented with pine needle fermentation juice (PNF), pine needle soaking juice (PNS), or pine needle powder (PNP), and the associated effects on growth performance, relative organ weights, intestinal development, intestinal histological morphology, intestinal flora, meat quality, and serum indicators in broiler chickens were observed. Results: The results showed that PNF, PNS, and PNP all significantly improved feed utilization and promoted the growth and development of broilers. All three additives also significantly improved the structure of the intestinal flora, specifically increasing the diversity of bacteria; increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria, such as Faecalibacterium, Rikenella, and Blautia; and decreasing the abundance of harmful bacteria, such as Staphylococcus. The antioxidant properties of pine needles were also found to intensify lipid metabolic reactions in the blood, thus leading to lower triglycerides and total cholesterol. Meanwhile, high doses of PNF reduced jejunum and ileum weights and also increased meat yellowness. Lastly, none of PNF, PNS, or PNP had an effect on relative organ weights or intestinal histological morphology. Conclusion: The addition of pine needles to the diet of broiler chickens can effectively promote their growth performance as well as improve their intestinal flora and serum status without side effects; in particular, the dose of 0.2% of either PNF and PNS is expected to have the capacity to replace growth-promoting antibiotics as diet additives.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.331-336
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• 1990

In order to evaluate the adaptability of Aardi goats to arid environment, 5 Aardi bucks were deprived of water for four days during spring and summer seasons. The rise in average maximum ambient temperature from $24.8^{\circ}C$ in spring to $35.8^{\circ}C$ in summer caused a significant rise in rectal temperature ($0.3^{\circ}C$), respiratory rate (62%), serum osmolaity (8%) and serum sodium concentration (17%). While, it resulted in a significant decline in dry matter intake (50%), urine volume (74%) and fecal water excretion (60%) compared with their values in spring, but had no significant effect on the volume of drinking water. At the end of the 4-days deprivation period during spring, respiratory rate, dry matter intake and urine volume were reduced by 18, 77 and 91% relative to their average in control goats. The corresponding reduction in summer were 58, 100 and 100%. Serum osmolaity was risen by 15% in spring deprived goats and 29% in summer deprived goats. Rectal temperature rose by a mean value of $1.3^{\circ}C$ only in goats deprived of water in summer. Percent of moisture in the feces declined from 64 in control goats, to 24% in water deprived goats during spring season. The corresponding values in summer were 25 and 6%. These responses of Aardi goats deprived of water in summer indicate that they possess a water economy mechanism enable them to tolerate infrequent drinking in hot-arid environment.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1464-1469
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• 2016

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of red ginseng by-product (RGB) on the laying performance, blood biochemistry, and microbial population in laying hens. A total of 120 Hy-Line Brown laying hens (75 weeks old) were randomly allotted to 1 of 3 dietary treatments with 4 replicates per treatment. A commercial-type basal diet was prepared, and 2 additional diets were prepared by supplementing 5.0 or 10.0 g/kg of RGB to the basal diet at the expense of corn. The diets were fed to hens on an ad libitum basis for 4 weeks. There were no differences in feed intake, egg weight, and feed conversion ratio during 4 weeks of the feeding trial. However, hen-day egg production was significantly greater (p<0.05) for the RGB treatment groups than that for the basal treatment group. There were no differences in triglyceride, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase during the 4-week feeding trial. However, RGB supplementation increased (p<0.05) the serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM content compared with basal treatment group. The total cholesterol was lower (p<0.05) in the RGB treatments groups than that in the basal treatment group. The intestinal Lactobacillus population was greater (p<0.05) for the RGB treatments groups than that for the basal treatment group. However, the numbers of Salmonella and Escherichia coli were not different among dietary treatments. During the entire experiment, there was no significant difference in egg quality among all the treatments. In conclusion, in addition to improving hen-day production, there were positive effects of dietary RGB supplementation on serum immunoglobulin and cholesterol levels in laying hens.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.200-206
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• 2015

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of intraruminal infusion of propionate on ruminal fermentation characteristics and blood hormones and metabolites in Hanwoo (Korean cattle) steers. Four Hanwoo steers (average body wt. 270 kg, 13 month of age) equipped with rumen cannula were infused into rumens with 0.0 M (Water, C), 0.5 M (37 g/L, T1), 1.0 M (74 g/L, T2) and 1.5 M (111 g/L, T3) of propionate for 1 hour per day and allotted by $4{\times}4$ Latin square design. On the 5th day of infusion, samples of rumen and blood were collected at 0, 60, 120, 180, and 300 min after intraruminal infusion of propionate. The concentrations of serum glucose and plasma glucagon were not affected (p>0.05) by intraruminal infusion of propionate. The serum insulin concentration at 60 min after infusion was significantly (p<0.05) higher in T3 than in C, while the concentration of non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) at 60 and 180 min after infusion was significantly (p<0.05) lower in the propionate treatments than in C. Hence, intraruminal infusion of propionate stimulates the secretion of insulin, and decreases serum NEFA concentration rather than the change of serum glucose concentration.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.743-749
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• 2004

The gene encoding human serum albumin (HSA) was cloned from human liver cDNA library by PCR. The HSA cDNA in size of 2,176 bp, including 1,830 bp of open reading frame, was cloned into the plasmid carried with the 5'flanking sequence of goat $\beta$-casein gene (-4,044 to +2,025 bp) to get a tissue specific expression vector in mammary gland named pGB562/HSA (12.5 kb). A 9.6 kb DNA fragment in which the sequence is in order of goat $\beta$-casein gene regulatory sequence, HSA cDNA and SV40 polyadenylation signals was isolated from the pGB562/HSA by SacI and DraIII cutting, and used to microinject into the pronuclei of mouse fertilized eggs to produce transgenic mice. Three transgenic mice (2 female and 1 male) were identified by PCR and dot Southern blot analysis. The copy numbers of integrated transgene were more than 10 copies in line #21 and #26 as well as over 50 copies in line #31 of transgenic mice. HSA protein collected from the milk of lactating transgenic mice was confirmed by immuno-detection of Western and slot blot. The concentrations of HSA in the milk were from 0.05 to 0.4 mg/ml. An obvious antigen and antibody conjugate could be observed in immunohistochemical stain of mammary gland tissue from lactating day 11 of HSA transgenic mice. The transmission of transgene and its expression was recognized according to the results of RT-PCR and sequences analyses of their progeny.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.1880-1886
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• 2007

This study was conducted to examine the effects of different soy-oil and soy-lecithin levels on growth performance, nutrient utilization and serum parameters in broiler chickens. Two hundred and forty 1-day-old Arbor Acres chicks were randomly divided into 4 groups and treated as follows: basal diet with 2% soy-oil (SO); soy-oil and soy-lecithin mixture in proportion of 75/25 (SOL1), 50/50 (SOL2) and 2% lecithin (SL). At the end of the trial (42 d), birds in SOL1 group grew faster (p<0.05) and had better feed conversion efficiency (p<0.05) than other groups while SL group had the lowest performance (p<0.05). The utilization of ether extract was improved in SOL1 group (p<0.05) but apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and utilization of other nutrients decreased in SOL2 and SL group from 19 to 21 d. No significant effects were observed in apparent metabolizable energy, dry matter, crude protein and ether extract but the utilization of calcium and phosphorus was significantly improved in SL group (p<0.05) during 39 to 42 d. The birds fed with lecithin had lower serum total cholesterol and triglyceride than the control group (SO). Broilers fed with 2% lecithin (SL) had the highest insulin level (p<0.05). The results implied that soy-lecithin and soy-oil in a proportion of 25:75 had the highest growth performance and that soy-lecithin had cholesterol lowering capacity.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.393-398
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• 2007

The present study was carried out to investigate the serum minerals profile in buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) suffering from parturient haemoglobinuria (PHU) along with minerals profile of soils and fodders from the disease prone areas and their interrelationships. Serum samples were collected from 60 each of healthy and PHU affected buffaloes randomly selected from field cases. Serum samples were collected from each animal. Fifty composite soil samples were collected where PHU was prevalent. Fifty samples of fodders including leaves and stems being fed to the diseased buffaloes were collected. The difference in the levels of calcium and potassium between upper and lower soil surface of disease prone areas under study were statistically non-significant. The mean values of phosphorous, copper, iron, selenium and molybdenum in upper soil surface were significantly (p<0.05) higher than in lower soil surface. None of the fodders offered to the diseased animals met the dietary requirements of phosphorus and copper whereas none of the fodders was deficient in potassium, iron and selenium rather were having excess of potassium, iron and selenium. The concentration of calcium was adequate in lucerne, berseem, sarson and sorghum, while maize, sugarcane and wheat straw did not meet the required levels for dairy animals. Molybdenum contents in all fodders were adequate to meet the dietary requirements of the dairy buffaloes. Serum phosphorus, copper and selenium were significantly (p<0.001) lower whereas potassium, iron and molybdenum in buffaloes suffering from PHU were significantly (p<0.001) higher than in healthy buffaloes. It was concluded that phosphorous deficient soils play a major role by transferring this deficiency to plants and ultimately reaching to animals where hypophosphataemia is a consistent finding.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.951-956
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• 2010

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of duck-meat consumption on adult disease risk factors, including body compositions, hematological variables, and serum metabolic and lipid profiles in adult human males. To obtain results, 20 adult males aged 20 to 25 were subjected to a diet of 600 g/day of duck-meat for 4 wk, after which body composition, hematological variables, and serum metabolic and lipid profiles were investigated to determine if there was a relationship between duck-meat consumption and adult disease risk factors. The results revealed that high amounts of duck-meat intake did not negatively alter body indices such as body weight, fat mass, body mass index (BMI), % body fat or waste-to-hip ratio (WHR). Furthermore, there were statistically insignificant changes in the number of blood cells, although this number did increase significantly following intake of duck-meat. Moreover, general decreases in serum metabolic parameters were observed, but none of these changes were significant with the exception of the concentration of blood urea nitrogen (BUN). The serum concentrations of LDL-cholesterol also showed a statistically significant decrease by 5.86%. Therefore, this study suggests that the ingestion of duck-meat not only significantly increased the RBC count but also decreased BUN and LDL-cholesterol concentrations in adult males.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.1308-1322
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• 2023

Minerals is required small amounts among various nutrients, but it has a significant impact on sow longevity and reproduction performance. This study was carried out to see the beneficial effects of marine-derived Ca-Mg complex on the reproductive performance of sows during four-parity periods. Seventy-two gilts ([Yorkshire × Landrace] × Duroc), with an average body weight of 181 kg, were randomly allocated to three groups; CON (basal diet), 0.3LC (CON - MgO - 0.3% limestone + 0.4% Ca-Mg complex), and 0.7LC (CON - MgO - 0.7% limestone + 0.4% Ca-Mg complex). During parity 3 and 4, the expression level of SCD gene was lower in the umbilical cord of piglets born to 0.3LC and 0.7LC sows compared with the CON sows. During parity 2, 3 and 4, SLC2A2 and FABP4 gene expressions were higher in the umbilical cord of piglets born to 0.7LC sows and the placenta of sows from 0.3LC groups, respectively. Ca-Mg complex increased (p < 0.05) Ca and Mg concentrations in sows and their piglets' serum as well as in colostrum regardless of parities. The serum vitamin D concentration was higher (p < 0.05) in their first parity, whereas serum prolactin and estrogen concentrations were higher (p < 0.05) during the fourth and third parity, respectively. The growth hormone concentrations were higher (p < 0.05) in the piglets born to sows during the first and second parity. The fat and immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations in colostrum were higher (p < 0.05) during the third and fourth parity, respectively. A reduction (p < 0.05) in salivary cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine concentrations was observed in 0.3LC and 0.7LC sow groups compared with CON after farrowing regardless of parity, however before farrowing, a reduction in norepinephrine was observed. Before farrowing, the epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations were higher (p < 0.05) during the first and second parity. After farrowing, the concentration of these hormones was higher during the second parity. Taken together, sows' parity and dietary Ca-Mg complex supplementation influenced serum metabolites, colostrum nutrients, stress hormones as well as the gene expressions related to lipid and glucose metabolism.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.381-387
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• 1997

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of fetal bovine serum(FBS), calf serum(CS) and human serum(HS) on in vitro maturation of porcine follicular oocytes. The results obtained were summarized as follows : 1. The maturation rates of oocytes cultured in medium containing FBS 5, 10, 20 and 30% were 47.0, 63.5, 48.4 and 43.2%, respectively. There were significantly higher than those of non-treated group(25.3%). And the highest maturation rate was the 10% treatment. 2. The maturation rates of oocytes cultured in medium containing CS 5, 10, 20 and 30% were 55.2, 56.6, 59.4 and 46.5%, respectively. There were significantly higher than those of non-treated group(25.3%). And the highest maturation rate was the 20% treatment. 3. The maturation rates of oocytes cultured in medium containing HS 5, 10, 20 and 30% were 74.5, 78.2, 73.1 and 68.6%, respectively. There were significantly higher than those of non-treated group(29.6%). And the highest maturation rate was the 10% treatment.