The effects of dietary supplementation of a commercial probiotic (BioPlus 2B) on daily feed consumption, egg yield, egg weight, specific gravity, body weight, feed conversion ratio, serum and egg yolk cholesterol, and serum trigylceride in layer hens were investigated. In 12 replicates, 480 27-week-old Brown-Nick layers were fed with diets containing 0, 250, 500 or 750 mg kg(-1) probiotic for 90 days. When compared with the controls, supplementation of 250, 500 and 750 mg kg(-1) probiotic increased egg production, but decreased the damaged egg ratio (p < 0.05), egg yolk cholesterol and serum cholesterol (p < 0.001) levels. In addition, serum triglyceride levels were reduced by using 500 and 750 mg kg(-1) probiotic supplementation (p < 0.001). Feed conversion ratios were positively affected by supplementation of 250 and 500 mg kg(-1) probiotic compared with controls (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the control and all treatment groups on feed consumption, egg weight, specific gravity, body weight, and egg yolk weight.

(1) The effects of 5 and 25 mg/kg boron supplementation of diets with inadequate (6.25 microg/kg) or adequate (50 microg/kg) cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) content on some biochemical parameters, tibia characteristics, peripheral blood lymphocyte and splenic plasma cell counts of broilers were investigated. (2) Supplementation of the diet with boron affected plasma concentrations of boron, iron, copper and zinc and also tibia boron, zinc and calcium concentrations but did not have any effect on tibia iron or copper concentrations or tibia ash and tibia weight values. (3) Boron supplementation caused significant increases in splenic plasma cell count but decreased the proximal and distal tibia growth plate widths. There was no effect of boron supplementation on peripheral blood alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase (ANAE) content. Whole blood haematocrit and haemoglobin counts were significantly increased by boron supplementation but there were no effects on leucocyte ratios such as eosinophil, basophil, monocyte, lymphocyte and thrombocyte. (4) In general, the findings of the present study support the hypothesis that boron has an important biological role that affects the mineral metabolism of animals by influencing both biochemical and haematological mechanisms.

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This research, which was designed and carried out as two consecutive experiments, investigated the effects of four different levels (0, 4,000, 12,000, and 24,000 IU/kg) of vitamin A supplementation on egg yield, plasma vitamin A levels, and immune responses of laying hens. Transmission of maternal immunity to their descendants was also studied. In the first experiment, egg yield, blood vitamin A levels, and various parameters of the immune system such as T lymphocyte levels in the peripheral blood, plasma cell counts in the spleen, and antibody titers against Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) in the sera were investigated for a 1-yr period. A total of 864 Hisex-brown laying hens were used in this experiment. The chicks were reared as commercial flocks until the 18th wk of age. No significant differences occurred among the parameters of the different diet groups. In the second experiment, maternal immunity was assessed in the chickens, supplied by hatching the eggs from hens in the first experiment. Maternal immunity was assayed by using the parameters as in Experiment 1. For this purpose, both blood and tissue samples were taken on the 2nd, 7th, and 10th d posthatch. Vitamin A supplementation had no significant effects on maternally, derived antibody titers or histologic structure of the lymphoid organs.

Lipid peroxidation (LPO) has been identified as an important component of atherosclerosis. In this study, the effects of supplementation with cholesterol (0.5%), olive oil (5%) and vitamin E (0.05%) on erythrocyte glutathione (GSH), plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), total cholesterol, HDL-LDL cholesterol and triacylglycerol, brain and liver MDA and GSH concentrations of rats were investigated. A total of 50 Sprague-Dawley male rats aged 6 months, and of equal body weight were used and fed a standard ration ad libitum. Animals were housed in the University of Selcuk, Veterinary Faculty Experimental Animals Unit. The experiment lasted 60 days and there were five experimental groups as follows: 1. Control, 2. Cholesterol (0.5%), 3. Olive oil (5%), 4. Cholesterol plus vitamin E (0.05%), 5. Olive oil plus vitamin E (0.05%). At the end of the experiment, blood samples were taken by cardiac puncture and erythrocyte GSH, plasma MDA, cholesterol, HDL-LDL cholesterol, triacylglycerol and also GSH and MDA concentrations in brain and liver tissue of rats were spectrophotometrically determined. Supplementation of olive oil and cholesterol into rat diets (groups 2 and 3) caused significant differences in lipid parameters; HDL cholesterol concentrations were increased in the olive oil group and LDL cholesterol was lower than in the cholesterol fed group. Moreover, these decreases in LDL and triacylglycerol concentrations were more significant with vitamin E supplementation. The high plasma MDA concentrations showed that lipid peroxidation occurred in the olive oil group and the highest brain MDA concentrations were determined also in the olive oil group. These findings suggest that vitamin E addition may decrease the sensitivities of several oils to oxidation and that monounsaturated fatty acids in olive oil may decrease the incidence of atherosclerosis by regulating blood lipid profiles.