No abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a 16L:8D photoperiod during incubation, either during the whole incubation period (Inc(0-21d)) or the last week of incubation (Inc(14-21d)), on embryo growth, incubation performance, and light:dark rhythm of plasma melatonin and corticosterone in relation to early stress responses of newly hatched chicks to the posthatching environment. A dark incubation condition (Inc(Dark)) served as control. Three batches of eggs (n = 1,080, 1,320, 720) from Ross 308 broiler breeders were used in the experiment. Embryos from Inc(0-21d) presented a daily rhythm of melatonin at internal pipping and hatching, but Inc(Dark) embryos did not. The Inc(14-21d) group had rhythmic plasma melatonin at hatching only. A L:D rhythm of corticosterone was apparent at hatching. A significant incubation × sampling time interaction suggested that a lower increment in blood corticosterone level in Inc(0-21d) at 8 h posthatching (light period), as compared with hatching (dark period) values, might be associated with probable changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in Inc(0-21d) through incubation lighting. This finding may also suggest improved adaptation to the posthatching environment. Incubation lighting did not consistently affect brain malondialdehyde concentration; the only difference between groups was higher concentrations at hatching in Inc(14-21d), whereas incubation groups at the internal pipping stage had similar values. Mean relative asymmetry (RA) did not differ with incubation lighting. The malondialdehyde and RA results indicate that neither lighting nor darkness during the overall incubation exacerbated embryo oxidative and developmental stress. An increased breast muscle weight was observed at hatching only in Inc(14-21d). The Inc(0-21d) group had increased embryo weights relative to egg weight and decreased residual yolk but had no effect on chick weight, relative heart and liver (% of embryo weight), hatchability, embryo mortality, incubation time, oxidative stress, or mean RA. In conclusion, these results provide further evidence that photoperiodic lighting during incubation (Inc(0-21d)) may improve adaptation of chicks to a novel environment at hatching, possibly giving birds a better start for early posthatching development.

Adiponectin concentrations in GDM patients' circulation were regulated by changes in glucose and insulin metabolism. A reduction in serum adiponectin levels seems to play a role in GDM patients' insulin resistance.

1. This study aimed to evaluate a stress model induced by corticosterone (CORT) supplementation in the diet of broiler breeder hens. 2. A total of 60 Ross broiler breeder hens at 29 weeks of age were randomly divided into 4 groups with 15 hens each. The first group served as the control. The rest of the hens were given 1, 1.5 or 2 mg of CORT/hen/d (CORT1, CORT1.5 and CORT2, respectively) for 7 d. Concentrations of yolk CORT, plasma uric acid, glucose, cholesterol, creatine kinase, heterophil (H):lymphocyte (L) ratio and duration of tonic immobility (TI) were measured at d 3, 5 and 7 of CORT supplementation. The same measurements were repeated at 3, 5 and 7 d after CORT was withdrawn from the diet. 3. There were no significant CORT dose effect on yolk CORT and plasma glucose concentrations. Higher plasma uric acid and H:L ratio was obtained for CORT1.5 and CORT2 than for CORT1. From 3 to 7 d of dietary CORT supplementation, yolk CORT and plasma uric acid concentrations and H:L ratio increased whereas plasma glucose concentration decreased. After CORT was withdrawn from the diet, the H:L ratio remained elevated. The duration of TI and plasma creatine kinase concentration did not change during and after CORT supplementation. 4. Yolk CORT concentration was correlated with plasma uric acid concentration during CORT supplementation. 5. The results suggest that dietary CORT supplementation could be used as a stress model and to evaluate hormone-mediated maternal effects in broiler breeder hens.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between penile color Doppler sonography (CDS) findings and sonographic endothelial parameters in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED), including intima-media thickness (IMT) of common carotid arteries (CCA) and flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of brachial artery. Fifty-six ED patients were included in the study. Penile CDS, IMT of CCA and FMD of brachial artery were performed in all patients. According to penile CDS findings, 27 (48%) patients had non-vasculogenic and 29 (52%) patients had vasculogenic ED. Among 29 patients, 17 (30%) patients had cavernous veno-occlusive disease (CVOD) and 12 (22%) patients had arterial/combined insufficiency (AI). Median (interquartile range) FMD values of nonvasculogenic ED, CVOD and AI were 12.50 (6.54)%, 12.82 (7.41)% and 6.25 (7.17)%, respectively. FMD was found to be impaired significantly in AI group when compared to the other groups. FMD values of CVOD group were lower when compared to non-vasculogenic group, but the difference was not statistically significant. IMT values of vasculogenic ED patients were higher than nonvasculogenic ED patients (Po0.05). Although IMT values were higher in AI group when compared to CVOD, the difference was not statistically significant. The combined use of IMT and FMD established the diagnosis of vasculogenic ED with 100% sensitivity and 59.2% specificity. The positive predictive value was 72%, negative predictive value 100% and accuracy 80%. The combined use of brachial artery FMD and carotid arteries IMT measurements may be suggested as an alternative method to evaluate vasculogenic ED.