Effects of combined use of compound acidifiers and plant essential oils in feed on the reproductive performance and physiological status of Xianjv chickens.

This study investigates the effects of combined compound acidifiers and plant essential oils on the production performance, egg quality, and health parameters of Xianjv chickens. A total of 240 healthy 34-week-old Xianjv chickens were randomly divided into 5 groups and given 5 different feed additives: a control group with a basal diet, and four experimental groups with varying doses of compound acidifiers (CA) and essential oils (EO). The results revealed that the addition of compound acidifiers and essential oils did not significantly affect average daily feed intake, egg production rate, or feed-to-egg ratio.

Identification of new antibacterial targets in RNA polymerase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by detecting positive selection sites.

Bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) is an effective target for antibacterial treatment. In order to search new potential targets in RNAP of Mycobacterium, we detected adaptive selections of RNAP related genes in 13 strains of Mycobacterium by phylogenetic analysis. We first collected sequences of 17 genes including rpoA, rpoB, rpoC, rpoZ, and sigma factor A-M.

Enrichment analysis of Alu elements with different spatial chromatin proximity in the human genome.

Transposable elements (TEs) have no longer been totally considered as "junk DNA" for quite a time since the continual discoveries of their multifunctional roles in eukaryote genomes. As one of the most important and abundant TEs that still active in human genome, Alu, a SINE family, has demonstrated its indispensable regulatory functions at sequence level, but its spatial roles are still unclear. Technologies based on 3C (chromosome conformation capture) have revealed the mysterious three-dimensional structure of chromatin, and make it possible to study the distal chromatin interaction in the genome.

Evolution of the mir-181 microRNA family.

Mir-181 is an ancient microRNA (miRNA) gene family that originated in urochordata. Although their functions were subjected to extensive studies in recent years, their evolutionary process remains largely unknown. Here we systematically investigated the homologous genes of the mir-181 family by a sequence similarity search.

Genetic polymorphisms of the TYMS gene are not associated with congenital cardiac septal defects in a Han Chinese population.

Background: Clinical research indicates that periconceptional administration of folic acid can reduce the occurrence of congenital cardiac septal defects (CCSDs). The vital roles of folate exhibits in three ways: the unique methyl donor for DNA expression regulation, the de novo biosynthesis of purine and pyrimidine for DNA construction, and the serum homocysteine removal. Thymidylate synthase (TYMS) is the solo catalysis enzyme for the de novo synthesis of dTMP, which is the essential precursor of DNA biosynthesis and repair process.

Functional variant in methionine synthase reductase intron-1 significantly increases the risk of congenital heart disease in the Han Chinese population.

Background: Homocysteine is known to be an independent risk factor for congenital heart disease (CHD). Methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) is essential for the adequate remethylation of homocysteine, which is the dominant pathway for homocysteine removal during early embryonic development.

Methods And Results: Here, we report that the c.