Effects of Perch on Productivity, Welfare, and Physiological Indicators of Broiler Chickens Reared in Animal Welfare-Certificated Farms.

This study explored the impact of perches on the productivity and welfare of broilers raised on two animal welfare-certified farms (designated as Farm A and B) in South Korea. Broiler houses in each farm were provided with or without wooden square-shaped perches (2 × 2 cm) at a rate of 2 m per 1000 birds. The study aimed to assess whether perches could influence productivity measures, such as weight and uniformity, and animal welfare indicators, including corticosterone levels and physical health markers.

Effect of Dietary Crude Protein Reduction Levels on Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Nitrogen Utilization, Blood Parameters, Meat Quality, and Welfare Index of Broilers in Welfare-Friendly Environments.

We investigated the effects of feeding different levels of crude protein (CP) on broiler performance, blood characteristics, meat quality, nutrient and nitrogen (N) availability, stress levels, and welfare indicators in a welfare environment. A total of 625 eight-day-old male broilers were assigned to five dietary CP levels (control (CON) and 1-4% CP reductions) during the grower (8-21 days) and finisher (22-35 days) periods. The CON diet contained 20% CP in the grower phase and 19% in the finisher phase, while all birds received a 22% CP diet during the starter period (1-7 days).

Etch characteristics of maskless oxide/nitride/oxide/nitride (ONON) stacked structure using CHF-based gas.

Oxide/Nitride/Oxide/Nitride (ONON; SiO/SiN/SiO/SiN) stacked structure is widely used in the 3D vertical structure of semiconductor cells. Previously, to form a 3D cells, photoresist (PR) was patterned and repeatedly trimmed on the top of ONON after the etching of one ON layer. Due to the time-consuming process of etching layer-by-layer of ON layer, two-step etch processing using CF-based or CF-based gases composed of maskless ONON stack feature etching and followed one ON layer-by layer etching by PR trimming in the ONON stack feature are employed these days.

PEDF-Enriched Extracellular Vesicle for Vessel Normalization to Potentiate Immune Checkpoint Blockade Therapy.

The abnormal tumor vasculature acts as the physical and functional barrier to the infiltration and activity of effector T cells, leading to the low response rate of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Herein, antiangiogenic extracellular vesicles that enable normalization of the tumor-associated vasculature were prepared to potentiate the efficacy of ICIs. Small extracellular vesicles were exploited as the delivery platform to protect the antiangiogenic protein, pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), from proteolytic degradation.

Chondroitin sulfate-based microneedles for transdermal delivery of stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

For the non-invasive treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chondroitin sulfate C (CSC)-based dissolving microneedles (cMN) was prepared to deliver human adipose stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (hASC-EV) into inflamed joints. Owing to their anti-inflammatory function, the hASC-EV-bearing cMN (EV@cMN) significantly suppressed activated fibroblast-like synoviocytes (aFLS) and M1 macrophages (M1), which are responsible for the progression of RA. In addition, EV@cMN facilitated the chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived stem cells.

Dual Stimuli-Responsive Nanoprecursor of Ascorbic Acid and Quinone Methide Disrupting Redox Homeostasis for Cancer Treatment.

Disrupting the redox balance through reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and intracellular glutathione (GSH) depletion presents a promising strategy for cancer therapy. Megadoses of ascorbic acid (AA) can induce oxidative stress in cancer cells, leading to cell death. However, achieving enhanced oxidative stress using ultrahigh doses of AA is challenging because of the intricate delivery of high-concentration AA to the targeted sites while the cancer cells could also re-establish more robust redox homeostasis by upregulating antioxidants such as GSH.

Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicle-Bearing Injectable Hydrogel for Collagen Generation in Dermis.

Despite the remarkable advances of dermal fillers that reduce wrinkles caused by dermis thickness reduction, they still lack effective hydrogel systems that stimulate collagen generation along with injection convenience. Here, we develop a stem cell-derived extracellular vesicle (EV)-bearing thermosensitive hydrogel (EVTS-Gel) for effective in vivo collagen generation. The TS-Gel undergoes sol-gel transition at 32.

Prediction of apparent total tract digestion of crude protein in adult dogs.

To predict the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of crude protein (CP) in dogs we developed an system using an digestion method and a statistical analysis. The experimental diets used chicken meat powder as the protein source, with CP levels of 20% (22.01%, analyzed CP value as dry-based), 30% (31.

Research Note: Welfare and stress responses of broiler chickens raised in conventional and animal welfare-certified broiler farms.

The present study was conducted to assess the animal welfare status of broiler chickens raised in conventional and welfare-certified farms. One conventional farm (30,000 birds/house, 1,488 m/house, 2 houses) and one animal welfare-certified farm (32,000 birds/house, 1,920 m/house, 2 houses) were selected to measure productivity, stress responses, and animal welfare indicators in 3 broiler flocks (2 farms/season, n = 6 flocks/farm type) during summer, autumn, and spring. Upon farm visits, body weight, uniformity, and animal welfare indicators (i.

Immunogenic Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Endoplasmic Reticulum-Stressed Tumor Cells: Implications as the Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine.

Tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (TDEs) have potential for therapeutic cancer vaccine applications since they innately possess tumor-associated antigens, mediate antigen presentation, and can incorporate immune adjuvants for enhanced vaccine efficacy. However, the original TDEs also contain immune-suppressive proteins. To address this, we proposed a simple yet powerful preconditioning method to improve the overall immunogenicity of the TDEs.

Blood transcriptomic differences in the immune response under stressful environmental according to stocking density in pigs.

The implementation of animal welfare in the pig industry is becoming a global trend, and welfare can be improved through livestock management. In modern and intensive farming systems, it has become important to find a reasonable compromise between stocking density and productivity. The simultaneous detection of behavioral and physiological parameters is helpful when considering welfare levels for stocking density.

Disease-microenvironment modulation by bare- or engineered-exosome for rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

Background: Exosomes are extracellular vesicles secreted by eukaryotic cells and have been extensively studied for their surface markers and internal cargo with unique functions. A deeper understanding of exosomes has allowed their application in various research areas, particularly in diagnostics and therapy.

Main Body: Exosomes have great potential as biomarkers and delivery vehicles for encapsulating therapeutic cargo.

Effects of resistant starch on anti-obesity status and nutrient digestibility in dogs.

This study investigated the effects of corn resistant starch (RS) on the anti-obesity properties, nutrient digestibility, and blood parameters in healthy beagles. Four spayed and six castrated beagle dogs were divided into a control group (CON) with a diet comprising rice and chicken meal and a treatment group (TRT) with a diet comprising corn with an increased RS content by heating-cooling and chicken meal. All dogs in the CON and TRT groups were fed a 1.

Soluble receptors for advanced glycation end-products prevent unilateral ureteral obstruction-induced renal fibrosis.

The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and its ligands, such as high-mobility group protein box 1 (HMGB1), play an important role in the accumulation of extracellular matrix in chronic kidney diseases with tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Blocking RAGE signaling with soluble RAGE (sRAGE) is a therapeutic candidate for renal fibrosis. NRK-52E cells were stimulated with or without HMGB1 and incubated with sRAGE .

Functionally Masked Antibody to Uncouple Immune-Related Toxicities in Checkpoint Blockade Cancer Therapy.

Of the existing immunotherapy drugs in oncology, monoclonal antibodies targeting the immune checkpoint axis are preferred because of the durable responses observed in selected patients. However, the associated immune-related adverse events (irAEs), causing uncommon fatal events, often require specialized management and medication discontinuation. The study aim was to investigate our hypothesis that masking checkpoint antibodies with tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsive polymer chains can mitigate irAEs and selectively target tumors by limiting systemic exposure to patients.

Curvature-sensing peptide inhibits tumour-derived exosomes for enhanced cancer immunotherapy.

Tumour-derived exosomes (T-EXOs) impede immune checkpoint blockade therapies, motivating pharmacological efforts to inhibit them. Inspired by how antiviral curvature-sensing peptides disrupt membrane-enveloped virus particles in the exosome size range, we devised a broadly useful strategy that repurposes an engineered antiviral peptide to disrupt membrane-enveloped T-EXOs for synergistic cancer immunotherapy. The membrane-targeting peptide inhibits T-EXOs from various cancer types and exhibits pH-enhanced membrane disruption relevant to the tumour microenvironment.

Effects of Energy and Protein Levels on Laying Performance, Egg Quality, Blood Parameters, Blood Biochemistry, and Apparent Total Tract Digestibility on Laying Hens in an Aviary System.

This study was performed to investigate the effects of apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) and protein levels on laying performance, egg quality, blood parameters, blood biochemistry, and apparent total tract digestibility of energy and nutrients in diets fed to laying hens in an aviary system. A total of 560 Hy-Line Brown laying hens (age = 30 week) were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design in 2 × 2 factorial arrangements with 2 metabolizable energy levels (2700 and 2800 kcal AMEn/kg) and 2 protein levels (16.5 and 14.

Self-immolative nanosensitizer for glutathione depletion- assisted sonodynamic therapy.

Despite remarkable advances in sonodynamic therapy (SDT) of cancer, the low reactive oxygen species (ROS) quantum yield of the sonosensitizer remains a critical concern in glutathione (GSH)-overexpressing cancer cells. For enhanced SDT, we report hydrophilized self-immolative polymer (SIP)-decorated TiO nanoparticles (HSIPT-NPs) to achieve on-demand GSH depletion and ROS generation. Upon intracellular delivery of HSIPT-NPs into hydrogen peroxide-rich cancer cells, SIP is degraded through electron transfer to produce GSH-depleting quinone methide, reprogramming GSH cancer cells into GSH phenotype.

Influence of Bile Salts and Pancreatin on Dog Food during Static In Vitro Simulation to Mimic In Vivo Digestion.

The addition of pancreatin and bile salts in different concentrations during in vitro digestion causes changes in the digestibility of crude protein (CP), fat, and dry matter (DM). The effects of bile salts and pancreatin on the digestibility of ether extract (EE), CP, and DM in developing a static in vitro digestion model for dogs were assessed using different concentrations of pancreatin (0, 1, 2.5, 5, and 10 g/L digestive solution) and bile salts (0, 2.

Gut microbiota profiling in aged dogs after feeding pet food contained .

Health concern of dogs is the most important issue for pet owners. People who have companied the dogs long-term provide the utmost cares for their well-being and healthy life. Recently, it was revealed that the population and types of gut microbiota affect the metabolism and immunity of the host.

Effect of Organic or Inorganic Mineral Premix in the Diet on Laying Performance of Aged Laying Hens and Eggshell Quality.

In this study, we examined the effect of diets supplemented with organic and inorganic mineral premixes on the laying performance and eggshell quality of aged laying hens. A total of 600 68-week-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 dietary treatments, repeated 5 times: Mash type basal diet, basal diet supplemented with an inorganic mineral premix (1.0 g/kg), and basal diet supplemented with an organic mineral premix (1.

Self-Assembled 4-Aminopyridine Monolayer as a Nucleation-Inducing Layer for Transparent Silver Electrodes.

The role of a self-assembled monolayer obtained by vacuum deposition of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), a small organic molecule having amine and pyridine groups, as a metal nucleation inducer and adhesion promoter was verified, and the applicability was evaluated. 4-AP deposited to an extremely thin thickness effectively changed the substrate surface properties, increasing the nucleation density of silver (Ag) more than 3 times and eventually forming a more transparent, low-resistance Ag thin film. The optical transmittance of the Ag thin film, which was less than 60% when 4-AP was not applied, could be increased to about 77% by simply applying 4-AP, and the electrical resistance could be lowered from 37 to 14 Ω/square at the same time.

Dissolving microneedles for long-term storage and transdermal delivery of extracellular vesicles.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have shown great potential in disease diagnosis and treatment; however, their clinical applications remain challenging due to their unsatisfactory long-term stability and the lack of effective delivery strategies. In this study, we prepared human adipose stem cell-derived EV (hASC-EV)-loaded hyaluronic acid dissolving microneedles (EV@MN) to investigate the feasibility of EVs for their clinical applications. The biological activities of the EVs in this formulation were maintained for more than six months under mild storage conditions, especially at temperatures lower than 4 °C.

Effect of alternative farrowing pens with temporary crating on the performance of lactating sows and their litters.

This study was performed to development the alternative farrowing pen (AFP) and to investigate performance and behavior of lactating sows and their litter. A total of 64 multiparous sows were randomly divided into two groups and were allocated to farrowing crates (FCs) and AFPs. The AFPs contained a crate and support bars that could be folded to provide the sows with extra space on day 5 postpartum.

Effects of Dietary Thraustochytrid sp. and Other Omega-3 Sources on Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, and Meat Quality of Broilers.

Background: Looking for alternative omega-3 sources in broiler nutrition, microalgae began to get attention. We suspected that might play a similar role as other omega-3 sources that have been used before.

Methods: 20 g/kg s powder (SP), salmon oil (SO), and flaxseed oil (FO) in each of the three treatment groups were supplemented in the basal diet (CON), and productive performance, carcass traits, and thigh meat quality of broilers were evaluated.