Effect of metal/dielectric substrates on photopolymerization of BITh thin films

We have studied effects of metal–dielectric substrates on photopolymerization of [2,2ʹ-Bi-1H-indene]-1,1ʹ-dione-3,3ʹ-diyl diheptanoate (BITh) monomer. We synthetized BITh and spin-coated it onto a variety of dielectric, metallic, and metal–dielectric substrates. The films were exposed to radiation of a UV–Visible Xe lamp, causing photo-polymerization of monomer molecules. The magnitude and the rate of the photo-polymerization were monitored by measuring the strength of the ~ 480 nm absorption band, which existed in the monomer but not in the polymer. Expectedly, the rate of photo-polymerization changed nearly linearly with the change of the pumping intensity. In contrast with our early study of photo-degradation of semiconducting polymer P3HT, the rate of photo-polymerization of BITh is getting modestly higher if the monomer film is deposited on top of silver separated from the monomer by a thin insulating MgF₂ layer preventing a charge transfer. This effect is partly due to a constructive interference of the incident and reflected light waves, as well as known in the literature effects of metal/dielectric substrates on a variety of spectroscopic and energy transfer parameters. At the same time, the rate of photopolymerization is getting threefold larger if monomer is deposited on Ag film directly and charge transfer is allowed. Finally, Au substrates cause modest (~ 50%) enhancement of both monomer film absorption and the rate of photo-polymerization.

Prediction using T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging-based radiomics of residual uterine myoma regrowth after high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation

OBJECTIVES

To develop and evaluate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based radiomics models for predicting residual myoma regrowth within 1 year after high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation of uterine myomas.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of residual myoma regrowth within 1 year was performed on 428 myomas in 339 patients who were diagnosed with uterine myoma and treated with HIFU ablation in two hospital centers. In total, 851 radiomics features were extracted from T2-weighted images (T2WI) obtained 1 day after HIFU ablation, and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator in the training cohort (n = 243) was employed to select radiomics features. Support vector machines were adopted to develop radiomics, clinicoradiological and combined radiomics-clinical models to predict residual myoma regrowth, defined as an increase in residual myoma volume of > 10% between that at day 1 post HIFU and that at follow-up MRI within 1 year. These models were validated in both internal (n = 81) and external (n = 104) test cohorts. The predictive performance and clinical application of these models were assessed using receiver-operating-characteristics-curve analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) and decision-curve analysis.

RESULTS

The AUCs of the T2WI-based radiomics prediction model in the internal and external test cohorts were 0.834 (95% CI, 0.747-0.920) and 0.801 (95% CI, 0.712-0.889), respectively, and those of the clinicoradiological model were 0.888 (95% CI, 0.816-0.960) and 0.912 (95% CI, 0.851-0.973), respectively. The combined model had better predictive performance than either the radiomics or the clinicoradiological model, with AUC values of 0.922 (95% CI, 0.857-0.987) and 0.930 (95% CI, 0.880-0.980) in the internal and external test cohorts, respectively. Decision-curve analysis also indicated that application of the combined model has clinical value, this model achieving more net benefits than the other two models.

CONCLUSION

T2WI-based radiomics features can predict effectively the occurrence of residual myoma regrowth within 1 year after HIFU ablation of uterine myomas, which serves as an accurate and convenient reference for clinical decision-making. © 2022 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Effects of high- and low-fiber diets on intestinal oxidative stress in growing-finishing pigs

Feed is the most expensive facet of commercial pork production. In order to reduce feed costs, using high-fiber ingredients has become a common practice. Moderate levels of fiber can maintain intestinal physiological function and promote intestinal health. Oxidative stress is linked to impaired nutrient absorption and growth performance. This study investigated the effects of high-fiber (5.26% crude fiber) and low-fiber (2.46% crude fiber) diets on growth performance and intestinal oxidative stress parameters in growing-finishing pigs. Forty growing pigs with initial body weight (27.07 ± 1.26 kg) were randomly assigned to 2 treatment groups with 10 replicates of 2 pigs per pen. Pigs were weighed on day 35, 42, and 70. The feed intake was recorded daily to calculate growth performance parameters. On day 70, eight pigs in each treatment group were randomly selected and euthanized to obtain jejunum to measure oxidative stress status. Pigs fed a high-fiber diet were heavier than those fed a low-fiber diet on days 35, 42, and 70 (P < 0.05). During the whole feeding period, pigs fed a high-fiber diet had a higher average daily gain than those fed a low-fiber diet (P < 0.05). The low-fiber diet resulted in increased levels of malondialdehyde (P < 0.05) in the jejunum, suggesting that the low-fiber diet contributed to oxidative stress in the jejunum. The low-fiber diet also led to a significant increase in glutathione and oxidized glutathione levels (P < 0.05) in the jejunum, indicating that pigs fed a low-fiber diet needed to produce more antioxidant substances to cope with oxidative stress in the intestine. This was accompanied by a significant increase in the expression of glutathione synthesizing enzymes in the jejunum of the low-fiber group (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the high-fiber diet can improve growth performance and maintain intestinal health in growing-finishing pigs by reducing intestinal oxidative stress.

Proteome Analysis of Temporomandibular Joint with Disc Displacement

Disc displacement without reduction is a common disorder of the temporomandibular joint, causing clinical symptoms and sometimes condylar degeneration. In some cases, bone regeneration is detected following disc-repositioning procedures. Until now, however, systems-wide knowledge of the protein levels for condylar outcome with disc position is still lacking. Here, we performed comprehensive expression profiling of synovial fluid from 109 patients with disc displacement without reduction using high-resolution data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry and characterized differences in 1,714 proteins. Based on magnetic resonance imaging, samples were divided into groups with versus without condylar absorption and subgroups with versus without new bone. For the proteomic analysis, 32 proteins in groups presented with statistical significance (>2-fold, P < 0.05). Pathways such as response to inorganic substances, blood coagulation, and estrogen signaling were significantly expressed in the group with bone absorption as compared with pathways such as regulation of body fluid levels, vesicle-mediated transport, and focal adhesion, which were enriched in the group without bone absorption. In subgroup analysis, 45 proteins of significant importance (>2-fold, P < 0.05) were associated with pathways including would healing, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, and amino acid metabolism. Combined with clinical examination, molecules such as acetyl-CoA carboxylase beta (ACACB) and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFB1) were related to features such as visual analog scale and maximum interincisal opening (P < 0.05). In addition, 7 proteins were examined by Western blotting, including progesterone immunomodulatory binding factor 1 (PIBF1), histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG), and protein kinase C and casein kinase substrate in neurons 2 (PACSIN2). In conclusion, this study provides the first proteome analysis of condylar absorption at disc displacement without reduction and postoperative new bone formation after disc reposition. Integrated with clinical data, this analysis provides an important insight into the proteomics of condylar modification at disc position.

Effects of dietary protein content and crystalline amino acid supplementation patterns on growth performance, intestinal histomorphology, and immune response in weaned pigs raised under different sanitary conditions

The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effects of dietary crude protein (CP) contents and crystalline amino acids (CAA) supplementation patterns on growth performance, intestinal histomorphology, and immune response in weaned pigs under clean (CSC) or unclean sanitary conditions (USC). A total of 144 weaned pigs (6.35 ± 0.63 kg body weight) were assigned to 6 treatments in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement based on CP content and sanitary conditions using a randomized complete block design, giving 8 replicates per treatment with 3 pigs per pen. Pigs were fed one of three diets for 21 d: one high CP (HCP; 22%) and two low CP (LCP; 19%) diets supplemented with 9 indispensable AA or only 6 AA (Lys, Met, Thr, Trp, Val, and Ile) as CAA. The CSC room was washed weekly, whereas the USC room had sow manure spread in the pens and was not washed throughout the experiment. Body weight and feed disappearance were recorded weekly. Blood was sampled from 1 pig per pen weekly, and the same pig was euthanized for jejunal tissues sampling on day 21. Pigs raised under USC had reduced (P < 0.05) average daily gain (ADG) and gain to feed ratio (G:F) in week 2, but contrary results that greater (P < 0.05) ADG and G:F were found in pigs under USC in week 3. Overall, there was an interaction where G:F did not differ between HCP and LCP under CSC, however, LCP decreased (P < 0.05) G:F compared to HCP under USC. Pigs fed the HCP diet had higher (P < 0.05) fecal scores than those fed the LCP diets throughout the experiment. Pigs fed the LCP had higher (P < 0.05) villus height to crypt depth ratio than those fed the HCP. An interaction was observed where goblet cell density in the jejunum was higher (P < 0.05) in pigs fed LCP than HCP under CSC, but no difference was found between HCP and LCP under USC. Different CAA supplementation patterns did not influence both growth performance and histomorphology. Pigs raised under USC had greater (P < 0.05) plasma interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-6 concentrations and reduced (P < 0.05) plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentration. Also, the LCP diets resulted in a greater (P < 0.05) plasma IL-10 concentration. In conclusion, overall growth performance did not differ between HCP and LCP under CSC, but LCP diets reduced G:F under USC. Feeding LCP diets to weaned pigs improved gut morphology under USC and ameliorated systemic inflammation induced by USC, whereas CAA supplementation patterns did not affect growth performance and gut morphology.

160 Effects of Bacillus Licheniformis PF9 on Growth, Nutrient Absorption, gut Barrier Integrity, Immunity, and Intestinal Microbiota of Weaned Piglets Challenged with Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli F4

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Bacillus licheniformis PF9 on growth performance and gut health of weaned piglets challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F4. Thirty-two weaned piglets susceptible of ETEC F4 were randomly allocated to 4 treatments 1) NNC, basal diet and non-challenged; 2) NC, basal diet; 3) PC, basal diet + 80 mg·kg-1 of Avilamycin; and 4) PF9, basal diet + 109 cfu/kg of Bacillus licheniformis PF9. ETEC F4 decreased average daily gain and increased feed conversion ratio of the NC group. An increase was found in FCR of the PC group during the post-challenge period (P &lt; 0.05). ETEC F4 induced the severity of diarrhea at 3-, 36- and 40-hours post-inoculum (hpi) in the NC group (P &lt; 0.05). Bacillus licheniformis relieved diarrhea severity at 3 hpi (P &lt; 0.05). ETEC F4 reduced the duodenal, jejunal and ileal villus height of the NC group. A decrease in duodenal villus height in the PC group (P &lt; 0.05). ETEC F4 reduced the relative mRNA level of Na+-glucose cotransporter 1 in the NC group (P &lt; 0.05). Compared to the NC and NNC groups, Bacillus licheniformis increased relative mRNA levels of Aminopeptidase N, Occludin, Zonula occludens-1, and SGLT1 (P &lt; 0.05). Bacillus licheniformis increased the relative mRNA level of excitatory amino acid transporter 1 (P &lt; 0.05). Bacillus licheniformis showed a lower relative abundance of Bacteroidetes in the colon than piglets from the NNC group (P &lt; 0.05). The non-challenged group had a higher relative abundance of Firmicutes in the ileum than the challenged piglets, meanwhile, a lower relative abundance of Proteobacteria in the ileum and colon in the NC group (P &lt; 0.05). This study provides evidence that Bacillus licheniformis can be a potential antibiotics alternative to improve the gut health of piglets.

PSX-A-5 Effects of High- and low-Fiber Diets on Growth Performance and Intestinal Oxidative Stress in Growing-Finishing Pigs

Feed is the most expensive input in commercial pork production. In order to reduce feed costs, using high-fiber ingredients has become a common practice. Moderate levels of fiber can maintain intestinal physiological function and promote intestinal health. Oxidative stress is linked to impaired nutrient absorption and growth performance. This study investigated the effects of high-fiber (HF, 6% crude fiber) and low-fiber (LF, 3% crude fiber) diets on growth performance and intestinal oxidative stress parameters in growing-finishing pigs. Forty growing pigs (27.07 ± 1.26 kg BW) were randomly assigned to 2 treatments with 10 replicates of 2 pigs per pen. Pigs were weighed on days 35, 42 and 70. The feed intake was recorded daily to calculate growth performance parameters. On day 70, eight pigs in each treatment group were randomly selected and euthanized to obtain jejunum to measure oxidative stress status. Pigs fed an HF diet were heavier than those fed an LF diet on days 35, 42 and 70 (P &lt; 0.05). During the whole feeding period, pigs fed an HF diet had higher average daily gain than those fed an LF diet (P &lt; 0.05). The LF diet resulted in increased levels of malondialdehyde (P &lt; 0.05) in the jejunum, suggesting that the LF diet contributed to oxidative stress in the jejunum. The LF diet also led to a significant increase in glutathione and oxidized glutathione levels (P &lt; 0.05) in the jejunum, indicating that pigs fed an LF diet needed to produce more antioxidant substances to cope with oxidative stress in the intestine. This was accompanied by a significant increase in glutamate-cysteine ligase in the jejunum of the LF group (P &lt; 0.05). These results suggest that the HF diet can improve growth performance and maintain intestinal health in growing-finishing pigs by reducing intestinal oxidative stress.

244 Application of the Escherichia Coli Challenge Model in Developing Strategies to Improve gut Health and Function in Weaned Pigs

Post-weaning diarrhea in piglets, caused primarily by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli is a major cause of productive and economic losses to the swine industry. Traditionally, the swine industry has managed this disease by utilizing starter diets containing highly digestible and specialized ingredients such as spray-dried porcine plasma and sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics as growth promoters. However, there has intense public pressure to discontinue the use of animal products and antibiotics in pig diets for fear that these products represent a risk to human health. This has sparked great interest in swine nutrition is to identify effective, safe, and environmentally friendly nutritional interventions that could be used in place of in-feed antibiotics. This requires that any such intervention is rigorously tested under conditions that represent those that are encountered in production settings. To this end, the Escherichia coli K88 (or F4) disease challenge model has been used to test the potential of these interventions to support gut health and function in piglets and to allow investigations into the mode of action underlying any such effects. Although this model has been applied successfully to examine the efficacy of different nutritional interventions, including diet formulation strategies and addition of various feed additives, the degree of success achieved varies due to among other factors such as dose used, age of the pigs, and study duration. Being a disease challenge model, animal care oversight, regulatory requirements for Containment Level II facilities, and trial site managements to avoid cross-contamination among treatment groups add to the complexity of protocols for running trials involving this model. Nonetheless, the enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli model has been an effective tool in our hands to test the efficacy of various nutritional interventions in protecting piglets against post-weaning diarrhea disease and to elucidate their modes of action.

PSXV-7 Nutrient Digestibility Evaluation in Finisher Pigs from Diverse Feed Efficiency Groups

Feed efficiency (FE) is a critical trait in swine production to improve the overall production efficiency and profitability and is an important goal for pig breeding companies. FE is a complex trait involving utilization and storage of dietary nutrients in different organs, and more especially in skeletal muscles. However, whether nutrient digestibility in the pig is altered by genetic selection for FE is less clear. Thus, this study investigated the variation in apparent total tract nutrient digestibility (ATTD) in finisher boars selected for high (HFE) or low (LFE) FE within a Large White dam and sire line. A total of 130 boars were selected at 23 wk of age based on their genomic-enabled breeding value for FE and fed ad libitum a corn-soybean meal-based diet using feeding stations that recorded individual feed intake and body weight. Fecal and diet samples were analyzed for dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, crude protein (CP), energy, ash, phosphorus, and calcium to determine ATTD using acid-insoluble ash as an indigestible marker. There was no difference in ATTD values between genetic lines (P &gt; 0.10). However, HFE pigs had greater (P = 0.03 ATTD of CP compared with LFE pigs. Based on the estimated protein deposition and the average feed intake one week before sampling, calculated dietary digestible lysine content diet met the requirements for the average pig. However, HFE pigs had a reduced feed intake, implying that they might have experienced a shortage of lysine in the diet. It is unclear whether the improved ATTD of CP was due to a lysine-shortage or differences in genetic merit for FE.

151 Energy Metabolism, Digestive and Absorptive Capacity, and Fecal Microbiome of Nursery Piglets Selected for Feed Efficiency

Improving feed efficiency (FE) plays an important role in the economic and environmental sustainability of the swine industry. Genetic selection based on low estimated breeding value for feed conversion ratio (EBV_FCR) can effectively improve FE. This study investigated the growth performance, nutrient and energy digestibility, activity of hydrolyses, expression of nutrient transporters and tight junction proteins, and fecal microbiome of nursery pigs selected for high and low feed efficiency. A total of 128 pigs weaned at 21 + 2 days were selected from parents of low and high EBV_FCR calculated based on phenotypes for FCR during growing-finishing stage. Pigs were fed with corn-soybean meal-based diets in a two-phase feeding program for 4 weeks under similar rearing conditions. The results revealed that there were no differences in average daily feed intake, average body weight gain, FCR, energy, and nutrient digestibility between the two groups. Moreover, enzyme activity kinetics results showed no differences in the maximal activity of alkaline phosphatase, sucrase, maltase, and maltase-glucoamylase between the two groups (p &gt; 0.05). Real-time PCR analyses showed that SGLT1, ASCT2, PepT1, EAAC1, and BoAT1 mRNA abundances were not affected by the pig groups (p &gt; 0.05). There were also no significant differences in claudin-1 and ZO-1 protein abundances on the jejunum membrane between the two pig groups. The two pig groups had similar fecal microbial taxonomic composition and function. However, the microbiota diversity results showed that the high-efficiency pig group has higher species evenness, and there is a trend (p &lt; 0.084) for beta diversity difference, which indicates that high-efficiency pigs might have a more homogenous and healthier gut environment. In conclusion, nursery pigs selected for high and low feed efficiency based on parents EBV_FCR did not differ in growth performance, nutrient digestibility and absorptive capacities, microbiota composition and function.

139 Calcium-Sensing Receptor and the Regulation of Nutrient Absorption and gut Health in Pigs

The gut has a network of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) that can recognize nutrients, other chemicals, and microbes and then initiate a cascade of signals to regulate nutrition, gut function, and metabolism. Calcium sensing receptors (CaSR) belong to the GPCR family and are expressed in various animal tissues, and CaSR plays important role in nutrient sensing and the physiology, growth, and development of animals. Our results demonstrated that pCaSR is widely expressed in different tissues including intestinal segments in weaned piglets and the ileum has a higher expression level of pCaSR. However, pCaSR is not expressed in either isolated porcine ileal enterocytes or intestinal porcine enterocyte cell lines (IPEC-J2). We also found that the activation of pCaSR showed biased agonism through multiple signaling with a dual-luciferase reporter assay system. Besides, α-casein (90-95) and L-Tryptophan (L-Trp) are type II agonists for pCaSR. We investigated the roles of pig calcium-sensing receptor (pCaSR) ligands in gut hormone secretion and mechanism and the effects of pCaSR ligands on inflammation response, nutrient absorption and barrier function in the intestinal epithelial cells co-culture system challenged with peptidoglycan (PGN). Our results demonstrated that the pCaSR ligands (L-Trp and α-casein (90-95)) to STC-1 cells could induce the secretion of gut hormones through the regulation of CaSR in STC-cells. Plus, the GLP-1 secretion triggered by L-Trp and α-casein (90-95) in STC-cells attenuated the inflammation response, improved the nutrient absorption and barrier function in the IPEC-J2 cells. Further research is still needed to elucidate the roles of L-Trp and α-casein (90-95) on nutrient absorption and barrier function in pigs under physiological challenges. Collectively, the pCaSR is widely expressed in the porcine tissues, and the activation of pCaSR has the potential to improve gut health and growth performance in swine production.

Neural efficiency and proficiency adaptation of effective connectivity corresponding to early and advanced skill levels in athletes of racket sports

This study explored how the neural efficiency and proficiency worked in athletes with different skill levels from the perspective of effective connectivity brain network in resting state. The deconvolved conditioned Granger causality (GC) analysis was applied to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data of 35 elite athletes (EAs) and 42 student-athletes (SAs) of racket sports as well as 39 normal controls (NCs), to obtain the voxel-wised hemodynamic response function (HRF) parameters representing the functional segregation and effective connectivity representing the functional integration. The results showed decreased time-to-peak of HRF in the visual attention brain regions in the two athlete groups compared with NC and decreased response height in the advanced motor control brain regions in EA comparing to the nonelite groups, suggesting the neural efficiency represented by the regional HRF was different in early and advanced skill levels. GC analysis demonstrated that the GC values within the middle occipital gyrus had a linear trend from negative to positive, suggesting a stepwise "neural proficiency" of the effective connectivity from NC to SA then to EA. The GC values of the inter-lobe circuits in EA had the trend to regress to NC levels, in agreement with the neural efficiency of these circuits in EA. Further feature selection approach suggested the important role of the cerebral-brainstem GC circuit for discriminating EA. Our findings gave new insight into the complementary neural mechanisms in brain functional segregation and integration, which was associated with early and advanced skill levels in athletes of racket sports.

Long-term exposure to air pollution increases hip fracture incidence rate and related mortality: analysis of National Hip Fracture Database

To explore the association of air pollution and hip fracture and related mortality in the UK. The average levels of PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 exhibited a positive association with hip fracture and short-term mortality while O₃ did not. Our study highlights the association of air pollution and hip fracture.

INTRODUCTION

Until now, the influence of air pollution on bone mineral density and associated fractures has drawn little attention, and the consequences are controversial. To investigate the association between air pollution and hip fracture incidence and related short-term mortality.

METHODS

We constructed a cohort of all the National Hip Fracture Database beneficiaries (513,540 patients) in the UK from 2013 to 2018. Per year averages of PM_2.5, PM₁₀, O₃, NO₂, and SO₂ were estimated according to the person's residence. The incidence rate ratio with 95% confidence interval and all-cause mortality within 30-day post-fracture (ACM30D) rate ratios were estimated using generalized additive models.

RESULTS

The average levels of PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and NO₂ exhibited a positive association with the incidence rate of hip fracture (IHF) and ACM30D. Whereas, this association was negative for O₃ levels. Each increase of 5 μg per cubic meter in PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and NO₂ leads to 9.5%, 9.2%, and 4.1% higher hip fracture rate, respectively, and also 9.3%, 8.3%, and 2.9% higher ACM30D, respectively. When we restricted the analysis to low-level exposure of air pollutants, similar results were obtained.

CONCLUSION

Our study found a moderate, positive association between IHF, ACM30D, and the levels of specific air pollutants in the entire National Hip Fracture Database population. A reduction in the levels of PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and NO₂ may decrease the hip fracture incidence rate and associated short-term mortality in older adults. Our study highlights the influence of air pollution on hip fracture.

Effects of l-Tryptophan and 1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol on Proliferation and Osteogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Isolated from the Compact Bones of Broilers and Layers

Poultry is vulnerable to bone problems throughout their lives or production period due to rapid growth in broilers and the active laying cycle in layers. The calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is important in calcium and bone metabolism. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the CaSR ligand (l-Trp) and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25OHD₃) on the regulation of proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of chicken mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from the compact bones of 14-day-old Ross 308 chickens and Dekalb pullets, which can provide cell-based evidence for the prevention or alleviation of skeletal disorders in the poultry industry. First, the dose- (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, and 15 mM) and time-effects (0, 7, and 14 days) of l-Trp on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation in chicken MSCs were investigated. The 5 mM l-Trp had a balanced effect between proliferation and osteogenic differentiation in broiler and layer MSCs when differentiated for 7 days. The broiler and layer MSCs were then treated with (1) osteogenic medium, osteogenic medium supplemented with (2) 1 nM 1,25OHD₃, (3) 2.5 mM Ca²⁺, (4) 2.5 mM Ca²⁺ + 5 mM l-Trp and (5) 2.5 mM Ca²⁺ + 5 mM l-Trp + 1 μM NPS-2143, separately for 7 days. Results showed that the 5 mM l-Trp significantly inhibited the proliferation of broiler and layer MSCs on day 7 (P < 0.05), but 1 nM 1,25OHD₃ significantly promoted the proliferation of layer MSCs (P < 0.05). Only the 2.5 mM Ca²⁺ + 5 mM l-Trp group significantly increased the mineralization process during osteogenic differentiation (P < 0.05), and this treatment also significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of the vitamin D receptor (VDR), β-catenin, and osteogenesis genes in broiler MSCs (P < 0.05). The osteogenic differentiation process in layer MSCs was faster than that in broiler MSCs. In layer MSCs, Ca²⁺ alone significantly facilitated mineralization and ALP activity after 7-day osteogenic differentiation (P < 0.05). However, the 5 mM l-Trp significantly inhibited the differentiation and mineralization process by downregulating the mRNA expression of CaSR, VDR, β-catenin, and osteogenic genes (P < 0.05) in layer MSCs. Taken together, l-Trp and 1,25OHD₃ can regulate proliferation and osteogenic differentiation in both broiler and layer MSCs depending on the dose, treatment time, and cell proliferation and differentiation stages.

Evidence for Nonlinear Gluon Effects in QCD and Their Mass Number Dependence at STAR

The STAR Collaboration reports measurements of back-to-back azimuthal correlations of di-π^{0}s produced at forward pseudorapidities (2.6<η<4.0) in p+p, p+Al, and p+Au collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV. We observe a clear suppression of the correlated yields of back-to-back π^{0} pairs in p+Al and p+Au collisions compared to the p+p data. The observed suppression of back-to-back pairs as a function of transverse momentum suggests nonlinear gluon dynamics arising at high parton densities. The larger suppression found in p+Au relative to p+Al collisions exhibits a dependence of the saturation scale Q_{s}^{2} on the mass number A. A linear scaling of the suppression with A^{1/3} is observed with a slope of -0.09±0.01.

Safety and tolerance of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei N1115 in caesarean-born young children: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial

The administration of probiotics may help to improve dysbiosis and related health problems in children delivered by caesarean section. However, the effects are strain specific, and safety combined tolerance are considered a priority. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and tolerance of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei N1115 in caesarean-born children aged 6-24 months via a randomised, placebo-controlled intervention study. In total, 101 children were included and randomised to receive either a sachet of L. paracasei N1115 (2×1010 cfu/g, 2 g/day) or placebo (maltodextrin, 2 g/day) per day for 12 weeks. Anthropometric parameters were measured by trained nurses, and defecation characteristics, gastrointestinal symptoms, (serious) adverse events ((s)AEs), crying patterns and lifestyle behaviours were recorded by parents or guardians. Neurocognitive development was assessed by the Ages and Stages Questionnaires-3 (ASQ-3) before and after the intervention. The only difference between groups regarding defecation characteristics was a significant treatment × time effect on stool frequency (P=0.007), as the number of defecations was significantly higher in the probiotic group (around 1.2-1.3 times/day) than in the placebo group (around 1.0 times/day) in the later intervention period (P=0.035 at week 9; P=0.048 at week 10; P=0.026 at week 12). The use of L. paracasei N1115 also reduced the incidence rate of constipation (Incidence rate ratio (IRR): 0.120; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.015, 0.967; P=0.046) and abdominal pain (IRR: 0.562; 95% CI: 0.358, 0.882; P=0.012). Changes in anthropometric parameters, including weight, height and head circumference, did not differ significantly between groups, nor did measures of crying, sleep, outdoor activity, temper, appetite or the ASQ-3 scores. No adverse events associated with consumption of the probiotic were reported. Thus, the administration of L. paracasei N1115 is safe and well-tolerated in caesarean-born children aged 6-24 months. Furthermore, it may ameliorate gastrointestinal function to some extent.