• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.500-508
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• 2011

Forty-four Gansu Alpine Fine-wool lambs were used to study changes in the activities of three gastric and five pancreatic enzymes under grazing conditions between 0 and 56 days of age. The lambs were slaughtered on days 0, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 42 and 56, the abomasal contents, mucosa and pancreas were immediately removed and placed into liquid nitrogen and enzyme activities were determined. Gastric enzyme (chymosin, pepsin and pregastrc esterase) activities were relatively high at birth, especially chymosin, but decreased quickly between day 0 and 21. The activity of pepsin changed insignificantly with increasing age. There was no significant change in the pancreatic enzyme activities (trypsin, chymotrypsin, ${\alpha}$-amylase, lipase and lactase). The activity of trypsin was relatively higher than that of the other pancreatic enzymes, and lactase activity was low. These ontogenic patterns might be under the control of many gut regulatory peptides, the plasma concentrations of which changed simultaneously. Some gastric and pancreatic enzymes were correlated with plasma concentrations of these gut regulatory peptides.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.145-153
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• 2022

The gut microbiota is involved in the maintenance of physiological homeostasis and is now recognized as a regulator of many diseases. Although germ-free mouse models are the standard for microbiome studies, mice with antibiotic-induced sterile intestines are often chosen as a fast and inexpensive alternative. Pathophysiological changes in the gut microbiome have been demonstrated, but there are no reports so far on how such alterations affect the bacterial composition of the uterus. Here we examined changes in uterine microbiota as a result of gut microbiome disruption in an antibiotics-based sterile-uterus mouse model. Sterility was induced in 6-week-old female mice by administration of a combination of antibiotics, and amplicons of a bacteria marker gene (16S rRNA) were sequenced to decipher bacterial community structures in the uterus. At the phylum-level, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria were found to be dominant, while Ralstonia, Escherichia, and Prauserella were the major genera. Quantitative comparisons of the microbial contents of an antibiotic-fed and a control group revealed that the treatment resulted in the reduction of bacterial population density. Although there was no significant difference in bacterial community structures between the two animal groups, β-diversity analysis showed a converged profile of uterus microbiotain the germ-free model. These findings suggest that the induction of sterility does not result in changes in the levels of specific taxa but in a reduction of individual variations in the mouse uterus microbiota, accompanied by a decrease in overall bacterial population density.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.61-65
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• 2008

Feeding apparatus, mechanism and passage of ingested prey were described for Nemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae). N. nomurai medusae without central mouths have developed complicated canal systems connecting the tip of the tentacle and oral arm to the gut cavity. The number of junctions in the canal system increases with the bell diameter. The prey is gathered by paralyzing nematocyst at the tentacles and by adhering cirri at the oral arms and scapulets. They are engulfed into the terminal pore located at the oral arms and scapulets, and entered into the gut cavity via the canal system. The estimated digestion time is 1 hour and 20 min. The diameter of terminal pore is always about 1 mm, implying that they could not eat prey larger than that pore size. On the other hand, ephyrae have central mouths and could swallow prey as large as adults could. Exploitation of the same size of food by adult and ephyra implies that N. nomurai can affect seriously the whole food web, massively ingesting micro- and mesozooplankton and cutting the energy transfer toward the higher level of carnivores.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.987-994
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of natural clinoptilolite (NCLI) and modified clinoptilolite (MCLI) on broiler performance, gut morphology, intestinal length and weight, and gut digestive enzyme activity. A total of 240 d-old male chicks were randomly assigned to 3 treatments, each of which comprised 8 pens of 10 chicks per pen. Birds in the control group were fed the basal diet, while those in the experimental groups were fed diets supplemented with NCLI at 2% (NCLI group), or MCLI at 2% (MCLI group), respectively, for 42 d. Compared with the control, supplementation with NCLI or MCLI had no significant (p>0.05) effects on productive parameters from d 1 to 42. Supplementation with NCLI or MCLI had no influence on the relative length and weight of small intestine at d 1 to 21. But supplementation with NCLI or MCLI significantly reduced the relative weight of duodenum. Supplementation with MCLI and NCLI was associated with greater (p<0.05) villus height in the jejunal and ileal mucosa compared with those areas in the controls from d 1 to 42. However, supplementation with NCLI and MCLI had no significant (p>0.05) influence on the crypt depth in the jejunal and ileal mucosa compared with those in the controls. The addition of either NCLI or MCLI to the diet improved the activities of total protease, and amylase in the small intestinal contents. In conclusion, supplementation with NCLI or MCLI in diets improved intestinal morphology, increased the intestinal length and weigh and gut digestive enzyme activity.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.265-274
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• 2014

Gut microbiota is a group of microorganisms that resides in the intestine and serves many important functions in human health. Using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing analysis, a wide variety of bacteria in human gastrointestinal tract has been identified along with intriguing findings that there is a different bacterial composition among individuals. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a procedure of stool transplantation from healthy donors to patients suffering from various diseases. Specifically, FMT is able to alter the composition of gut microbiota of recipients and therefore could be an effective treatment for the patients with gastrointestinal diseases including recurrent Clostridium difficile infection, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. Here we review a list of human diseases related to gut microbiota disturbance and the case studies of FMT. We also summarize medicines and diagnostic tools that are under development. Therefore, gut microbiota can be a next generation's biotherapy for promotion of health and treatment of chronic diseases.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.99-115
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• 2023

Purpose: Exclusive breastfeeding promotes gut microbial compositions associated with lower rates of metabolic and autoimmune diseases. Its cessation is implicated in increased microbiome-metabolome discordance, suggesting a vulnerability to dietary changes. Formula supplementation is common within our low-income, ethnic-minority community. We studied exclusively breastfed (EBF) neonates' early microbiome-metabolome coupling in efforts to build foundational knowledge needed to target this inequality. Methods: Maternal surveys and stool samples from seven EBF neonates at first transitional stool (0-24 hours), discharge (30-48 hours), and at first appointment (days 3-5) were collected. Survey included demographics, feeding method, medications, medical history and tobacco and alcohol use. Stool samples were processed for 16S rRNA gene sequencing and lipid analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Alpha and beta diversity analyses and Procrustes randomization for associations were carried out. Results: Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria were the most abundant taxa. Variation in microbiome composition was greater between individuals than within (p=0.001). Palmitic, oleic, stearic, and linoleic acids were the most abundant lipids. Variation in lipid composition was greater between individuals than within (p=0.040). Multivariate composition of the metabolome, but not microbiome, correlated with time (p=0.030). Total lipids, saturated lipids, and unsaturated lipids concentrations increased over time (p=0.012, p=0.008, p=0.023). Alpha diversity did not correlate with time (p=0.403). Microbiome composition was not associated with each samples' metabolome (p=0.450). Conclusion: Neonate gut microbiomes were unique to each neonate; respective metabolome profiles demonstrated generalizable temporal developments. The overall variability suggests potential interplay between influences including maternal breastmilk composition, amount consumed and living environment.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.1345-1352
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• 2016

The hindgut of horses is an anaerobic fermentative chamber for a complex and dynamic microbial population, which plays a critical role in health and energy requirements. Research on the gut microbiota of Mongolian horses has not been reported until now as far as we know. Mongolian horse is a major local breed in China. We performed high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes V4 hypervariable regions from gut fecal material to characterize the gut microbiota of Mongolian horses and compare them to the microbiota in Thoroughbred horses. Fourteen Mongolian and 19 Thoroughbred horses were used in the study. A total of 593,678 sequence reads were obtained from 33 samples analyzed, which were found to belong to 16 phyla and 75 genera. The bacterial community compositions were similar for the two breeds. Firmicutes (56% in Mongolian horses and 53% in Thoroughbred horses) and Bacteroidetes (33% and 32% respectively) were the most abundant and predominant phyla followed by Spirochaete, Verrucomicrobia, Proteobacteria, and Fibrobacteres. Of these 16 phyla, five (Synergistetes, Planctomycetes, Proteobacteria, TM7, and Chloroflexi) were significantly different (p<0.05) between the two breeds. At the genus level, Treponema was the most abundant genus (43% in Mongolian horses vs 29% in Thoroughbred horses), followed by Ruminococcus, Roseburia, Pseudobutyrivibrio, and Anaeroplasma, which were detected in higher distribution proportion in Mongolian horses than in Thoroughbred horses. In contrast, Oscillibacter, Fibrobacter, Methanocorpusculum, and Succinivibrio levels were lower in Mongolian horses. Among 75 genera, 30 genera were significantly different (p<0.05) between the two breeds. We found that the environment was one of very important factors that influenced horse gut microbiota. These findings provide novel information about the gut microbiota of Mongolian horses and a foundation for future investigations of gut bacterial factors that may influence the development and progression of gastrointestinal disease in horses.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1195-1204
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• 2015

Increasing evidence suggests that gut microbiota underpin the development of health and longevity. However, our understanding of what influences the composition of this community of the longevous has not been adequately described. Therefore, illumina sequencing analysis was performed on the gut microbiota of centenarians (aged 100-108 years; RC) and younger elderlies (aged 85-99 years; RE) living in Bama County, Guangxi, China and the elderlies (aged 80-92 years; CE) living in Nanning City, Guangxi, China. In addition, their diet was monitored using a semiquantitative dietary questionary (FFQ 23). The results revealed the abundance of Roseburia and Escherichia was significantly greater, whereas that of Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium, Parabacteroides, Butyricimonas, Coprococcus, Megamonas, Mitsuokella, Sutterella, and Akkermansia was significantly less in centenarians at the genus level. Both clustering analysis and UniFraq distance analysis showed structural segregation with age and diet among the three populations. Using partial least square discriminate analysis and redundancy analysis, we identified 33 and 34 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) as key OTUs that were significantly associated with age and diet, respectively. Age-related OTUs were characterized as Ruminococcaceae, Clostridiaceae, and Lachnospiraceae, and the former two were increased in the centenarians; diet-related OTUs were classified as Bacteroidales, Lachnospiraceae, and Ruminococcaceae. The former two were deceased, whereas the later one was increased, in the high-fiber diet. The age and high-fiber diet were concomitant with changes in the gut microbiota of centenarians, suggesting that age and high-fiber diet can establish a new structurally balanced architecture of gut microbiota that may benefit the health of centenarians.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.1084-1091
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• 2007

Different levels of dietary mannanoligosaccharide (Bio-MOS, Alltech Inc.) were evaluated for their efficacy on performance and gut development of broiler chickens during a 6-week experimental period. Experimental diets contained (g MOS/kg diet) a low (0.5 g during the entire period), medium (1 g during the entire period), high (2 g during the entire period), or step down (2 g in the first week; 1 g in the second and third week; 0.5 g in the last three weeks) level of MOS. Control diets included a negative and a positive control (zinc bacitracin, ZnB, 50 ppm and 30 ppm in the first and last three weeks, respectively). MOS supplementation improved the growth performance of young birds and the effects became less when the birds got older. The growth response of birds was more obvious at the high dosage level of MOS treatment than the other MOS treatments and the growth performance of birds fed on the high MOS diet was comparable to that of birds fed on the ZnB diet. Depending on the dosage level and the age of birds, MOS seemed to reduce the size of the liver and the relative length of the small intestine but did not affect the relative weight of the other visceral organs (proventriculus, gizzard, pancreas, bursa and spleen) and that of the small intestine. A numerical increase in the small intestine digestibility of nutrients was noticed in the young birds fed on the MOS diet(s), but not in the older ones. Medium and/or high MOS treatment also increased the villus height of the small intestine of birds at different ages. Similar results were observed on the ZnB treatment. However, MOS and ZnB affected caecal VFA profile in different ways. MOS increased, or tended to increase, whereas ZnB reduced individual VFA concentrations in the caeca.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.541-551
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• 2012

The effects of dietary additives and holding time on resistance and resilience of broiler chickens to Clostridium perfringens challenge were investigated by offering four dietary treatments. These were a negative control (basal), a positive control (Zn-bacitracin) and two dietary additives, mannanoligosaccharides (MOS), and acidifier. Two holding times included (a) immediate access to feed and water post hatch (FED) and (b) access to both feed and water 48 h post hatch (HELD). Chicks fed Zn-bacitracin had no intestinal lesions attributed to necrotic enteritis (NE), whereas chicks fed both MOS or acidifier showed signs of NE related lesions. All dietary treatments were effective in reducing the numbers of C. perfringens in the ileum post challenge. The FED chicks had heavier body weight and numerically lower mortality. The FED chicks also showed stronger immune responses to NE challenge, showing enhanced (p<0.05) proliferation of T-cells. Early feeding of the MOS supplemented diet increased (p<0.05) IL-6 production. The relative bursa weight of the FED chicks was heavier at d 21 (p<0.05). All the additives increased the relative spleen weight of the HELD chicks at d 14 (p<0.05). The FED chicks had increased villus height and reduced crypt depth, and hence an increased villus/crypt ratio, especially in the jejunum at d 14 (p<0.05). The same was true for the HELD chicks given dietary additives (p<0.05). It may be concluded that the chicks with early access to dietary additives showed enhanced immune response and gut development, under C. perfringens challenge. The findings of this study shed light on managerial and nutritional strategies that could be used to prevent NE in the broiler industry without the use of in-feed antibiotics.