Characterization of fillets and skins from two varieties of genetically improved farmed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) is a strain of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) developed for improved production and commercial parameters. Skin color, one of the characteristics distinguishing tilapia varieties, is an important phenotypic trait associated with qualitative and productive performance. This study aimed to assess fillet and skin characteristics in GIFT Nile tilapia with black and red skin phenotypes.

Growth of breast muscles in European and Japanese quail raised in meat production system: a morphological analysis.

Growth curves have been described in the quail but with no attention to the muscle composing of the breast. The description of the characteristics of growth curves to body weight and to breast muscle was the aim of this study. Morphological development of Musculus supracoracoideus and Musculus pectoralis in European and Japanese quail was assessed from the final incubation of to 35 days.

Effects of different levels of inosine-5'-monophosphate (5'-IMP) supplementation on the growth performance and meat quality of finishing pigs (75 to 100 kg).

This study aimed to assess the effects of dietary supplementation of inosine-5'-monophosphate (5'-IMP) on energy efficiency, growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, oxidative status, and biochemical profile of blood plasma in finishing pigs. Fifty-four crossbred castrated male pigs were distributed in a randomized block design consisting of nine blocks, with six treatments per block and one animal per treatment per block. Experimental diets were as follows: positive control diet (PC, 3300 kcal ME/kg), negative control diet (NC, 3200 kcal ME/kg), and four diets prepared by supplementing the NC diet with 0.

Colonic neuronal loss and delayed motility induced by high-fat diet occur independently of changes in the major groups of microbiota in Swiss mice.

Background: Obesity has been linked to gastrointestinal disorders, and the loss of myenteric neurons in the intestine caused by high-fat diets (HFD) has been attributed to changes in microbiota and lipotoxicity. We investigated whether the prebiotic inulin modulates bacterial populations and alleviates neuronal loss in mice fed HFD.

Methods: Swiss mice were fed purified rodent diet or HFD (59% kcal fat), or both diets supplemented with inulin for 17 weeks.

Dietary supplementation with free methionine or methionine dipeptide improves environment intestinal of broilers challenged with Eimeria spp.

This study examined the influence of a diet enriched with free methionine (dl-Met) or methionine dipeptide (dl-MMet) on the intestinal health of Eimeria-challenged (EC) and unchallenged (UC) broilers. A non-supplemented, methionine-deficient diet (NS) was used as control. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial completely randomized design with eight replications.

Whey protein sweetened with Bertoni (Bert.) increases mitochondrial biogenesis markers in the skeletal muscle of resistance-trained rats.

Background: A combination of resistance training and whey protein supplementation is a common practice among athletes and recreational exercisers to enhance muscle growth and strength. Although their safety as food additives is controversial, artificial sweeteners are present in whey protein supplements. Thus, natural sweeteners extracted from the leaves of are a potential alternative, due to their safety and health benefits.

The effect of encapsulated active principles (eugenol, thymol and vanillin) and clove and rosemary essential oils on the structure, collagen content, chemical composition and fatty acid profile of Nellore heifers muscle.

The objective of the present experiment was to evaluate the effects of encapsuled active principles (eugenol, thymol and vanillin blend), and clove and rosemary essential oils inclusion into the finishing diets of Nellore heifers on chemical composition, collagen content, fatty acid profile and structural traits (fibers types, type I and III collagen and sarcomere length) of longissimus muscle. Treatments had no effect (P > .05) on type of fiber, the meat chemical composition or in the muscle fatty acid profile.

Fibrillar collagen genes are not coordinately upregulated with TGF β1 expression in finasteride-treated prostate.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common cause of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in older men. In this regard, recent studies have attempted to define the relationships between prostatic fibrosis, LUTS, and increased expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF β1) in BHP. Therapeutic approaches for BPH such as 5-α-reductase inhibitors and alpha-adrenergic blocking agents increase TGF β1 expression in the prostatic tissue.

Training improves the oxidative phenotype of muscle during the transition from cardiac hypertrophy to heart failure without altering MyoD and myogenin.

What is the central question of this study? We investigated the effects of physical training on phenotypic (fibre-type content) and myogenic features (MyoD and myogenin expression) in skeletal muscle during the transition from cardiac hypertrophy to heart failure. What is the main finding and its importance? We provide new insight into skeletal muscle adaptations by showing that physical training increases the type I fibre content during the transition from cardiac hypertrophy to heart failure, without altering MyoD and myogenin expression. These results have important clinical implications for patients with heart failure, because this population has reduced muscle oxidative capacity.

Brazilian Federal Police drug chemical profiling - the PeQui project.

Over the past six years the Brazilian Federal Police has undertaken major efforts in order to implement and to develop its own drug chemical profiling program. This paper aims to provide a broad perspective regarding the managerial strategies and some examples of subsequent technical issues involved in the implementation of such a project. Close collaboration with local drug enforcement and investigation teams, establishment of proper worldwide partnerships with well recognized institutions in the field of drug analysis and the attainment of suitable funding and human resources are shown to be key success factors.

Rearing temperature induces changes in muscle growth and gene expression in juvenile pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus).

Pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) is a fast-growing fish that is extensively used in Brazilian aquaculture programs and shows a wide range of thermal tolerance. Because temperature is an environmental factor that influences the growth rate of fish and is directly related to muscle plasticity and growth, we hypothesized that different rearing temperatures in juvenile pacu, which exhibits intense muscle growth by hyperplasia, can potentially alter the muscle growth patterns of this species. The aim of this study was to analyze the muscle growth characteristics together with the expression of the myogenic regulatory factors MyoD and myogenin and the growth factor myostatin in juvenile pacu that were submitted to different rearing temperatures.

Short periods of fasting followed by refeeding change the expression of muscle growth-related genes in juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Muscle growth mechanisms are controlled by molecular pathways that can be affected by fasting and refeeding. In this study, we hypothesized that short period of fasting followed by refeeding would change the expression of muscle growth-related genes in juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of MyoD, myogenin and myostatin and the muscle growth characteristics in the white muscle of juvenile Nile tilapia during short period of fasting followed by refeeding.

Fibrosis-related gene expression in the prostate is modulated by doxazosin treatment.

Aims: To gain new insights into the molecular mechanisms of action of doxazosin, we investigated the prostatic stroma ultrastructure and the expression of genes involved with fibrosis, such as collagen type I and III (COL1A1 and COL3A1, respectively) and TGF-beta 1, in the rat ventral prostate.

Main Methods: Adult Wistar rats were treated with doxazosin (25mg/kg/day), and the ventral prostates were excised at 7 and 30days after treatment. Untreated rats were controls.

Heart failure increases atrogin-1 and MuRF1 gene expression in skeletal muscle with fiber type-specific atrophy.

Heart failure (HF) is characterized by a reduced tolerance to exercise due to early fatigue and dyspnea; this may be due in part to skeletal muscle myopathy with a shift from slow to fast fibers and loss of muscle mass. Muscle wasting does not occur similarly in all types of muscle fiber, thus we tested the hypothesis that HF induces skeletal muscle atrophy in a fiber type-specific manner altering the expression of atrogin-1 and MuRF1 in a fast muscle of rats with monocrotaline-induced heart failure. We studied extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle from both HF and control Wistar rats.

Growth hormone attenuates skeletal muscle changes in experimental chronic heart failure.

Objective: This study evaluated the effects of growth hormone (GH) on morphology and myogenic regulatory factors (MRF) gene expression in skeletal muscle of rats with ascending aortic stenosis (AAS) induced chronic heart failure.

Design: Male 90-100g Wistar rats were subjected to thoracotomy. AAS was created by placing a stainless-steel clip on the ascending aorta.

Differential expression of myogenic regulatory factor MyoD in pacu skeletal muscle (Piaractus mesopotamicus Holmberg 1887: Serrasalminae, Characidae, Teleostei) during juvenile and adult growth phases.

Skeletal muscle is the edible part of the fish. It grows by hypertrophy and hyperplasia, events regulated by differential expression of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs). The study of muscle growth mechanisms in fish is very important in fish farming development.