• Proceedings of the KSAR Conference
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• 2002.06a
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• pp.94-94
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• 2002

Increasing competition in the livestock industry has forced producers to cut costs by adopting new technologies aimed out increasing production efficiency. Non-ruminant livestock do not express fibrolytic enzymes. The major plant cell wall components of cereals, primarily β-glucans and arabinoxylans, form gel-like structures in the small intestines that trap nutrients. The viscous polysaccharides can also cause severe gastrointestinal disorders. (omitted)

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.1288-1295
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• 2009

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of different levels of xylanase on performance, blood parameters, intestinal morphology, microflora and digestive enzyme activities of broilers. The wheat-based diets were supplemented with 0, 500, 1,000, 5,000 U/kg xylanase. Xylanase supplementation significantly (p<0.05) improved the feed:gain ratio of broilers from 1 to 21 d and 1 to 42 d. Supplementing 500 U/kg and 1,000 U/kg xylanase improved (p<0.05) the villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the small intestine. Excess supplementation of xylanase (5,000 U/kg) increased the villus height in the ileum (p<0.01) and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the duodenum and ileum (p<0.05). The microflora in the ileum and caecum, digestive enzyme activities in the small intestine and the concentrations of serum glucose, uric acid, insulin and IGF-I were not affected by the supplementation of xylanase. Excess level of xylanase (5,000 U/kg) had a tendency to induce the multiplication of E. coli and total aerobes. The results suggested that supplementing 500 U/kg and 1,000 U/kg xylanase was beneficial for broilers and excess xylanase supplementation resulted in no further improvement or negative effects.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.338-349
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• 2018

The objective of this study was to investigate comparison of physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of Hanwoo eye of round by various packaging methods [wrapped packaging (WP), modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), vacuum packaging (VP) with three different vacuum films, and vacuum skin packaging (VSP)] at a small scale. Packaged Hanwoo beef samples were stored in refrigerated conditions ($4{\pm}1^{\circ}C$) for 28 days. Packaged beef was sampled on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28. Physicochemical [pH, surface color, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) values], microbiological, and sensory analysis of packaged beef samples were performed. VP and VSP samples showed low TBARS and VBN values, and pH and surface color did not change substantially during the 28-day period. For VSP, total viable bacteria, psychrotrophic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, and coliform counts were lower than those for other packaging systems. Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli O157:H7 were not detected in any packaged beef samples. A sensory analysis showed that the scores for appearance, flavor, color, and overall acceptability did not change significantly until day 7. In total, VSP was effective with respect to significantly higher $a^*$ values, physicochemical stability, and microbial safety in Hanwoo packaging (p<0.05).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1770-1776
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• 2003

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of dietary glutamine (Gln) supplement on the performance and villus morphology of weaned pigs. In Exp. 1, 48 pigs were fed diets supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5% Gln for 28 days. Dietary Gln supplemented levels did not influence performance and plasma Gln concentration of weaned pigs. In Exp. 2, 48 weaned pigs were fed the same treatment diets of Exp. 1 for 7 or 14 days. Dietary Gln supplement reduced the ratio of small intestine weight to empty carcass weight at d 14 postweaning. However, the villus height and villus height/crypt depth ratio at the duodenum were increased. IgA and protein in the bile from d 7 and d 14 postweaning were higher in the pigs fed the diet supplemented with 0.5% Gln. Plasma IgA concentration was not influenced by dietary Gln levels. In conclusion, dietary Gln supplement might benefit the development of the small intestine and bile IgA production in weaned pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.1079-1084
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• 2006

To determine whether a link exists between reproductive seasonality and the structure of the melatonin receptor 1A (MTNR1A) gene, the latter was studied in nonseasonal estrous breeds (Small Tail Han and Hu ewes) and seasonal estrous breeds (Dorset, Suffolk and German Mutton Merino ewes). A large fragment of the exon 2 of the MTNR1A gene was amplified and a uniform fragment of 824 bp was obtained in 239 ewes of five breeds. The 824 bp PCR product was digested with restriction endonucleases Mnl I and Rsa I, and checked for the presence of restriction sites. The presence (allele M) or absence (allele m) of an Mnl I site at base position 605 led to three genotypes MM (236 bp/236 bp), Mm (236 bp/303 bp) and mm (303 bp/303 bp) in five sheep breeds. The presence (allele R) or absence (allele r) of a Rsa I site at base position 604 led to three genotypes RR (267 bp/267 bp), Rr (267 bp/290 bp) and rr (290 bp/290 bp) in five sheep breeds. Frequencies of MM and RR genotypes were obviously higher, and frequencies of mm and rr genotypes were obviously lower in nonseasonal estrous sheep breeds than in seasonal estrous sheep breeds. Sequencing revealed four mutations (G453T, G612A, G706A, C891T) in mm genotype compared to MM genotype and one mutation (C606T) in rr genotype compared to RR genotype. For polymorphic Mnl I and Rsa I cleavage sites, the differences of genotype distributions were very highly significant (p<0.01) between Small Tail Han ewes and seasonal estrous sheep breeds. In each group, no significant difference (p>0.05) was detected. These results preliminarily showed an association between MM, RR genotypes and nonseasonal estrus in ewes and an association between mm, rr genotypes and seasonal estrus in ewes.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.353-360
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• 2002

Although successful pronuclear formation and apposition were seen in porcine oocytes following mouse sperm injection, little is known on the morphology of male and female pronuclei following sperm injection. The objective of this study is to describe the ultrastructure of porcine zygote following murine sperm injection in relation to the chronology of pronuclear S phase. At 40h ~ 44h following in vitro maturation, Cumulus cells were removed in TCM-HEPES with 0.1% hyaluronidase. Then, spermatozoa was injected into the cytoplasm of oocytes. After. injection, all oocytes were transferred to NCSU23 medium and cultured at 39$^{\circ}C$ under 5% $CO_2$ in air. Oocytes were fixed in 2% glutaraldehyde in Dulbeccos phosphate-buffered saline and observed by Transmission Electron Microscopy. Nuclear precursor bodies were observed in each pronucleus. A cluster of large and small granules was attached in the nucleolus precursor body. After the apposition of male and female chromatin, chromatin condensation was observed throughout the nucleoplasm and nucleolus precursor bodies and condensed chromatin in contact with clusters of small and large granules and the nuclear envelope were found in apposed pronuclear regions. These results suggest that non-species specific nuclear cytoplasmic interactions take place during pronuclear formation and apposition following sperm injection.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.1115-1122
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• 2021

Rotavirus (RV), as the main cause of diarrhea in children under 5 years, contributes to various childhood diseases. Valeriana jatamansi Jones is a traditional Chinese herb and possesses antiviral effects. In this study we investigated the potential mechanisms of V. jatamansi Jones in RV-induced diarrhea. MTT assay was performed to evaluate cell proliferation and the diarrhea mice model was constructed using SA11 infection. Mice were administered V. jatamansi Jones and ribavirin. Diarrhea score was used to evaluate the treatment effect. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to detect the level of cytokines. Western blot and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR were used to determine protein and mRNA levels, respectively. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was applied to detect the pathological change of the small intestine. TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling was conducted to determine the apoptosis rate. The results showed V. jatamansi Jones promoted MA104 proliferation. V. jatamansi Jones downregulated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (AKT) in protein level, which was consistent with the immunohistochemistry results. Moreover, V. jatamansi Jones combined with ribavirin regulated interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interferon γ, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor α, and IL-10, and suppressed secretory immunoglobulin A secretion to remove viruses and inhibit dehydration. V. jatamansi Jones + ribavirin facilitated the apoptosis of small intestine cells. In conclusion, V. jatamansi Jones may inhibit RV-induced diarrhea through PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, and could therefore be a potential therapy for diarrhea.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.8
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• pp.1129-1140
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• 2022

Objective: With improvements in living standards and increase in global population, the demand for meat products has been increasing; improved meat production from livestock could effectively meet this demand. In this study, we examined the differences in the muscle traits of different male crossbred sheep and attempted to identify key genes that regulate these traits. Methods: Dubo sheep×small-tailed Han sheep (DP×STH) and Suffolk×small-tailed Han sheep (SFK×STH) were selected to determine meat quality and production performance by Masson staining. Transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatic analysis were performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to meat quality. The presence of DEGs was confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: The production performance of SFK×STH sheep was better than that of DP×STH sheep, but the meat quality of DP×STH sheep was better than that of SFK×STH sheep. The muscle fiber diameter of DP×STH sheep was smaller than that of SFK×STH sheep. Twenty-two DEGs were identified. Among them, four gene ontology terms were related to muscle traits, and three DEGs were related to muscle or muscle fibers. There were no significant differences in the number of single nucleotide mutations and mutation sites in the different male parent cross combinations. Conclusion: This study provides genetic resources for future sheep muscle development and cross-breeding research.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.17
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• pp.15-20
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• 1999

To investigate the function of the chloroplast small heat shock protein (small HSP), transgenic tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L., cv. SRI) that show constitutive expression of the chloroplast small HSP were generated. Effects of constitutive expression of the introduced gene on thermotolerance were first probed with the chlorophyll fluorescence. After a 5-min incubation of leaf discs at high temperatures, an increase in the Fo level and a decrease in the Fv level, indications of separation of LHCII from PSII and inactivation of electron transport reactions in PSII, were mitigated by constitutive expression of the small HSP. When tobacco plantlets grown in Petri dishes were incubated at $52^{\circ}C$ for 45 min and subsequently incubated at $25^{\circ}C$, leaf color of nontransformants was gradually became white and all plantlets finally were died. Under conditions in which all nontransformants were dying, more than 80% of the transformants remained green and survived. These results suggest that the chloroplast small HSP plays an important role in protecting photosynthetic machinery during heat stress.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.1483-1496
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• 2001

Small ruminants form an important economic and ecological niche in small farm systems and agriculture. Their current low level of contribution is dismal, and is not commensurate with the potential capacity for higher levels of production. The context for productivity enhancement and increased socio-economic contribution relates to large sizes of small ruminant populations; wide distribution across various agro-ecological zones and production systems; and diversity of breeds, where 66% of all goat and 57% of sheep breeds in Asia are found in China, India and Pakistan. The advantages and disadvantages of small ruminants over larger ruminants are enumerated with reference to adaptation and environment, small size, production systems and products and interactions with the environment. Discussion focuses especially on efficiency of meat production and niche markets for higher-priced goat meat, and inefficient marketing systems given an estimated 40-45% loss of income to farmers presently. Increasing the quantity of meat produced is related to live weight and the total number of animals at Slaughter, which in turn, depend on the total number of offsprings weaned and lifetime productivity. At the national level, priority attention is essential to build up numbers in concerted breeding programmes, selection for efficiency of reproduction and meat production, and improvements to make traditional markets and marketing systems to respond to the changing environmental and consumer preferences. Post-production systems are neglected and improvements are associated with collection, handling, marketing, slaughter facilities and consumer requirements. Potential opportunities to expand and benefit from integrating small ruminants into annual and perennial cropping systems remain largely unexplored. Important development imperatives include choice of species and better use of available breeds, appropriate production systems that match available feed resources, and linkages between production, products and by-products to markets. Affirmative action is necessary, backed by official policy support, institutional commitment and increased resource use, that can target poverty and directly benefit the poor, and shift subsistence production to a more market-oriented opportunity. These efforts together constitute the challenges for both the owners and producers of small ruminants in the immediate future, as also the will to accelerate increased productivity, improve their livelihoods and promote rural growth.