• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.1738-1745
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• 2007

A growth trial and a digestibility trial were conducted to examine the effect of feed particle size on the performance, nutrient digestibility, gastric ulceration and intestinal morphology in pigs fed barley-based diets. Barley was processed through a hammer mill to achieve four diets varying in particle size (average particle $size{\pm}standard $deviation): coarse ($1,100{\pm}2.19\;{\mu}m$), medium ($785{\pm}2.23\;{\mu}m$), fine ($434{\pm}1.70\;{\mu}m$) and mixed (1/3 of coarse, medium and fine) ($789{\pm}2.45\;{\mu}m$). Sixty-four entire male pigs were used in the growth trial and the diets were fed ad libitum between 31 kg and 87 kg live weight. Following slaughter, stomach and ileal tissues were scored for integrity (ulceration or damage) and histological measurements taken. Twenty-four entire male pigs were used in the digestibility trial, which involved total faecal collection. Over the entire growth phase, there were no differences (p>0.05) in average daily gain and feed conversion ratio between pigs fed diets of different particle size. Pigs fed the coarse and medium diets had lower (p<0.05) stomach ulceration scores (0.20 and 0.25, respectively, on a scale from 0 to 3) than those fed the mixed (0.69) or the fine diets (1.87). The stomachs of all animals fed the fine diet had lesions and stomach ulcerations were present only in this group. Pigs fed the fine diet had thicker (p<0.001) ileal epithelial cell layer with no differences (p>0.05) being observed for villous height or crypt depth. Faecal digestibility coefficients of neutral and acid detergent fibre were the highest (p<0.05) for the mixed diet, intermediate for the fine and coarse diets and the lowest for the medium diet. A similar numerical trend (p = 0.103) was observed for the apparent faecal energy digestibility coefficient. It is concluded that, with barley based diets, a variation in average particle size between $400{\mu}m$ and $1,100{\mu}m$ had no effect on pig performance but the fine dietary particle size affected the integrity of the stomach, as well as the structure of the small intestine, thus compromising overall gut health. Our data also demonstrate that changes in particle size distribution during the digestion process, rather than average particle size or particle size variation, are related to apparent faecal digestibility.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.227-234
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• 1998

Actin and tropomyosin of Cryptosporidium muris were localized by immunogold labeling. Two kinds of antibodies for actin labeling were used. The polyclonal antibody to skeletal muscle (chicken back muscle) actin was labeled on the pellicle and cytoplasmic vacuoles of parasites. The feeder organelle has showed a small amount of polyclonal actin antibody labeling as well. Whereas the monoclonal antibody to smooth muscle (chicken gizzard muscle) actin was chiefly labeled on the filamentous cytoplasm of parasites. The apical portion of host gastric epithelial cell cytoplasm was also labeled by smooth muscle actin together. The polyclonal antibody to tropomyosin was much more labeled at C. muris than host cells, so it could be easily identified even with low magnification (${\times}2,000$). The tropomyosin was observed along the pellicle, cytoplasmic vacuoles, and around the nucleus also. The skeletal muscle type actin seems to play a role in various celluar functions with tropomyosin in C. muris; on the other hand, the smooth muscle type actin was located mainly on the filamentous cytoplasm and supported the parasites firm attachment to host cells. Tropomyosin on the pellicle was thought to be able to stimulate the host as a major antigen through continuous shedding out by the escape of sporozoites or merozoites from their mother cells.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.642-648
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• 1999

The digestive tract of the black sea bream, Acanthopagrus schlegeli is composed of esophagus, stomach, intestine, anus and four or five pyloric caeca. Pyloric caecum is a blind sac in shape and originated from pyloric portion of the stomach. Relative length of But (RLG), that is length of digestive tract to standard length, is 1.04 (n=10). Histological layer of the digestive tract is composed of serous membrane, muscular layer, undeveloped submucosal layer and mucosal layer. The mucosal folds of the esophagus are regular branched form, Esophageal muscularis mucosae is well-developed. Mucosal epithelial layer is composed of cuboidal or columnar epithelium and mucous secretory cell. Microvilli are absent in the free surface of mucosal epithelium. The mucosal folds of the stomach are regular unbranched form. The stomach has a well-developed muscular layer and muscularis mucosae. Microvilli are present in the free surface of mucosal surface epithelium. The fundic portion of the stomach have a well-developed gastric gland and more numerous secretory granules than the other parts. The mucosal folds of the pyloric caeca and the intestine are irregular branched form, Intestine is divided into the anterior, mid and posterior intestines with length of mucosal folds and histological features, Posterior intestine has a more developed striated border and goblet cells than the other parts. Mid intestine has a more abundant absorptive cells than the other parts in the intestine and pyloric caeca.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.18-27
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• 2001

Purpose: The aims of this study are to investigate the effect of the eradication of H. pylori on histological change of gastric mucosa in children with H. pylori gastritis and to determine whether the histological grading by the Sydney system is valuable in predicting the effect of treatment. Methods: 1) Histological scores by the Sydney system and the endoscopic characteristics were assessed before and at least four weeks after anti-H. pylori therapy in 42 children with H. pylori gastritis. 2) In 32 children treated with omeprazole, amoxicillin and clarithromycin (OAC), pretreatment histological scores and endoscopic findings were compared between the eradicated and the noneradicated to evaluate their predictive value for the successful eradication. Results: 1) In the eradicated (27 cases), nodular gastritis significantly decreased from 89% to 63% (p<0.05). There was an significant improvement in the mean activity score from 2.06 before treatment to 0.24 after treatment (p<0.01). The mean inflammatory score also improved from 2.61 before treatment to 1.89 after treatment (p<0.05). Lymphoid follicles significantly decreased from 48% to 15% (p<0.05). Epithelial damage improved in all 4 cases. But in the noneradicated (15 cases), there was no significant change in the frequency of nodular gastritis, the mean activity score, the mean inflammatory score and the frequency of the lymphoid follicles. 2) In 32 children treated with OAC, there was a tendency that the higher was the pretreatment score of the bacterial density, the lower was the eradication rate of H. pylori (p=0.072). Conclusion: The loss of the polymorphonuclear cell infiltration is the most prominent histological change after successful eradication. There may be negative correlation of the grade of the bacterial density with the success rate of the anti-H. pylori therapy.