Carotenoid deposition in yolks of laying hens fed with corn diets differing in grain hardness and supplemented with rapeseed oil and emulsifier.

This study investigated the effects of supplementing diets consisting of two dent corn hybrids (soft- and hard-type) with different amounts of rapeseed oil (2, 3, and 4%) and with (0.05%) or without emulsifier (Lysoforte Extended, Kemin) on the content and deposition of carotenoids in egg yolk. The feeding trial was conducted with 216 Lohmann Brown laying hens which were by 3 located in 72 cages.

Carotenoid content and deposition efficiency in yolks of laying hens fed with dent corn hybrids differing in grain hardness and processing.

Yolk carotenoid profile reflects the hen diet when corn grain is the only source of carotenoids, but corn origin and processing may affect carotenoid utilization. In the present study, 2 commercial dent corn hybrids differing in grain hardness (soft- and hard-type) were dried at low (40°C) and high (85°C) temperature and ground through a 5- and 9-mm sieve to investigate their effects on carotenoid bioavailability in laying hens. With 3 hens per cage, 168 Lohmann Brown laying hens were allocated to 8 dietary treatments (2 hybrids × 2 drying temperatures × 2 grinding sieves) in a completely randomized design (8 treatments × 7 cages).

Carotenoid degradation rate in milled grain of dent maize hybrids and its relationship with the grain physicochemical properties.

Carotenoids in maize grain degrade during storage, but the relationship between their stability and the physicochemical properties of the grain is unclear. Therefore, the carotenoid degradation rate in milled grain of three dent hybrids differing in grain hardness was evaluated at various temperatures (-20, 4 and 22 °C). The carotenoid degradation rate was calculated using first-order kinetics based on the content in the samples after 7, 14, 21, 28, 42, 56, 70 and 90 days of storage and related to the physicochemical properties of the grain.

Kernel properties related to carotenoid release during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion in commercial dent maize hybrids.

The objective of study was to investigate the relationships between maize kernel properties and carotenoid release during simulated gastrointestinal digestion of 103 hybrids of dent type. Commercial maize hybrids significantly differed in kernel hardness, chemical composition and carotenoid profile. Across all hybrids, the amount of digestible individual carotenoids increased as follows: β-carotene < α-cryptoxanthin < β-cryptoxanthin < lutein < zeaxanthin.

Bioaccessibility of Tocols in Commercial Maize Hybrids Determined by an In Vitro Digestion Model for Poultry.

Despite the high proportion of maize grain in animal diets, the contribution made by maize phytochemicals is neglected. Tocols and their contribution to the vitamin E content of animal diets are one example, exacerbated by sparse information on the tocol bioaccessibility of commercial hybrids. In this study, the contents of individual and total tocols and their bioaccessibility were determined in the grain samples of 103 commercial hybrids using a standardized INFOGEST digestion procedure.

Diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants preceded the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Croatia.

We developed a next-generation SARS-CoV-2 sequencing platform and obtained the first SARS-CoV-2 sequences from patients in Croatia at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in the spring of 2020. Integrating the sequencing and the epidemiological data, we show that patients were infected with different SARS-CoV-2 variants belonging to different clades (mostly G and GH). This result confirms that there was widespread virus transmission early in 2020.

Effect of starch properties and zein content of commercial maize hybrids on kinetics of starch digestibility in an in vitro poultry model.

Background: The kinetics of starch digestion is a key determinant of poultry performance. Research so far has shown that starch digestibility kinetics depends on the molecular structure of starch but also on the properties of the complex matrix in which starch granules are embedded in most feedstuffs. However, the manner in which genotype differences in the same plant affect starch digestibility kinetics has not yet been addressed.

Carotenoid content and antioxidant activity of hexane extracts from selected Croatian corn hybrids.

Carotenoids, which occur naturally in corn grains, have been associated with reduced risk of degenerative diseases. The aim of this research was to measure the carotenoid content of hexane extracts of six commercial high-yield corn hybrids and determine the relationship between carotenoid content and antioxidant activity. Levels of lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene in hexane extracts were determined using HPLC, and antioxidant activity was assayed using the TEAC system based on the 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical cation (ABTS(+)), and the TBARS system based on a linoleic acid emulsion.

Glycosylation pattern and axin expression in normal and IUGR placentae.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the protein glycosylation pattern and AXIN1 protein expression in human placentae of normal pregnancies and compare them with placentae of pregnancies complicated with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).

Methods: A total of 38 placentae (17 placentae of IUGR fetuses from singleton pregnancies and gestational age-matched 21 control placentae from normal singleton pregnancies) were collected from the Clinical Hospital Sveti Duh, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Zagreb, Croatia. Gestational age was determined according to the last menstrual period (LMP) and by ultrasound measurements.

Pathophysiology of osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients treated with bisphosphonate.

Apart from the well-known mechanism of bisphosphonates' cellular effect, embryonic development and the specific features of alveolar bone homeostasis have been discussed. The unique ethiopathogenic mechanism which relates osteonecrosis of the jaw and bisphosphonates treatment has not been explained. The emphasis lies on the toxicological effects of bisphosphonates on the physiology of the alveolar bone and on the lasting effect of tooth extraction followed by an infection of the extraction wound and consequent progression into deeper layers of osseous tissue.

Temporomandibular joint development and functional disorders related to clinical otologic symptomatology.

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are a form of musculoskeletal pain of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and/or masticatory muscles of nonspecific etiology. In this study, the relationship between embryonic and anatomic-topographic similarities of the TMJ and the ear was analyzed, i.e.

Assaying Total Carotenoids in Flours of Corn and Sweetpotato by Laser Photoacoustic Spectroscopy.

This study describes the application of the laser photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) for quantification of total carotenoids (TC) in corn flours and sweetpotato flours. Overall, thirty-three different corn flours and nine sweetpotato flours were investigated. All PAS measurements were performed at room temperature using 488-nm argon laser radiation for excitation and mechanical modulation of 9 and 30 Hz.

Quantitative research of capillaries in terminal villi of mature placentae.

Advanced maternal age is known to be a risk factor for placental dysfunctions. The most common obstetric complications among older women would be considered as follows: gestational diabetes; pre-eclampsia; placenta praevia; preterm premature rupture of membranes and the risk of preterm delivery. The aims of research were to determine the impact of maternal age on the structure of terminal villi.

Craniofacial characteristics of Croatian and Syrian populations.

Craniofacial area is apart of the human body which undergoes the greatest changes during development and is characterized by uneven growth. External and internal factors affect the growth and development of craniofacial structures. They are responsible for the occurrence of specific craniofacial characteristics in different races or populations within the same race.

[Morphological research of fibrinoid and intervillous space of human term placenta in relation to the age of pregnant woman].

Fibrinoid and intervillous spaces of the mature human placenta were morphologically and quantitatively examined in pregnant women of different ages. The aim of this research was to compare the results and to confirm if there is some quantitative difference between fibrinoid and intervillous spaces of placenta related to the age of pregnant women. The examined group of women were of age between 20 and 45 years, and they were divided into two groups: 1) pregnant women 20-35 year old; 2) pregnant women over 35 years old.

Do parathyroid glands from individuals of different age and gender contain lymph vessels?

Whereas lymph vessels in some endocrine glands have been thoroughly investigated, data on these vessels in human parathyroid glands are often contradictory and deficient in available literature. Therefore, the aim of this study was to histomorphologically investigate whether lymph vessels could be found in human parathyroid glands postnatally and, if so, whether their presence was age- and gender-dependent. A total of 44 parathyroid glands from subjects of both genders, aged 4-90 years, were studied.

Embryogenesis of the rat telencephalon--a morphologic and stereologic analysis.

Comparative researches of borderline between telencephalon neuroepithelium and its surrounding mesenchyme in successive early developing stages lack in literature. The aim of this investigation was to carry out systematic morphologic and stereologic analyses of rat telencephalon in early developmental stages. We analysed semithin (1 microm) serial sections of rat embryonic brain from the 12th (E12) to the 15th (E15) day of gestation.

Development of the rat telencephalon--volumetric analysis.

With regard to intensive morphometric changes, morphometry as a method is mainly used for histogenetic studies of brain development in normal and experimental conditions. The aim of our study was to quantitatively analyse morphological parameters of the rat telencephalon during embryonic development. The investigation was carried out on semithin serial sections of rat brain from embryonic days 12 to 15.

Influence of rapeseed meal on productivity and health of broiler chicks.

Research was focussed on investigating the influence of different quantities (0, 10, 20 and 30%) of rapeseed meal (RM), 00-cultivar Silvia on production results, as well as on the morphological and pathohistological changes in the internal organs of chicks during the course of the experiment, measured on the 21st and 42nd days of the 42-day experiment. The experiment involved 120 chicks divided into four groups: a control group (C) and three experimental groups (E1-3). It was found that chicks in Groups C, E1 and E2 realised significantly (P < 0.

The development of blood and lymph vessels of human parathyroid glands in embryonal, fetal and postnatal period.

The aim of the article is to investigate the development of blood and lymph systems in human parathyroid glands in prenatal and postnatal periods. The first capillaries are observed in these glands already in the lunar month 2. At the middle of pregnancy blood supply is increased, being extremely abundant in lunar months 9 and 10, as well as during the first year of life.

Anthropological measurements of the skeleton and parathyroid glands growth during fetal development.

The article presents the investigation of histomorphological differentiation and growth of parathyroid glands in human fetus from the second to the ninth lunar month. The longer and the shorter diameter of these glands were measured. The obtained values are compared with the development and the growth intensity of the skeleton (biparietal head diameter and femoral length of a fetus from lunar months 3 to 9) and with the role of the placenta in the mentioned processes.

Conflicting data on intervillous circulation in early pregnancy.

According to classic embryological textbooks intervillous circulation is established early in the first trimester. This process starts with trophoblastic invasion of the decidua in which proteolytic enzymes facilitate the penetration and erosion of the adjacent maternal capillaries with formation of the lacunae. After the lacunar or previllous stage trophoblast invades deeper portions of endometrium with belonging spiral arteries.

Neonatal and placental factors in relation to the mode of umbilical cord insertion. Stereological analysis of chorionic villi.

Neonatal and placental factors and compartment volumes of placental parenchyma in relation to variations of cord insertions in normal human placentae were examined. The results of our investigation suggest that the mode of umbilical cord insertion has no significant effect on examined components. Stated differences are probably the effect of biological variations during normal placental and fetal development.