Publications by authors named "Mingkun Gao"

Multiple factors, including genetics, nutrition, and health, influence the vertical transmission of microbiota from mothers to their offspring. Recent studies have shown that avian microbiota can be passed to the next generation via the eggshell and egg albumen. However, it remains unclear whether these microbial communities are regulated by nutrition and how they are associated with the host genotype.

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Hyperlipidemia is one of the most prevalent metabolic disorders worldwide. It is a significant risk factor for a range of cardiovascular diseases, including acute pancreatitis, fatty liver disease, atherosclerosis, and coronary heart disease. In clinical practice, the management of hyperlipidemia is hindered by numerous challenges.

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  • A study was conducted to analyze the effects of dietary methionine (Met) and HMTBA on eggshell quality in broiler breeder hens, finding significant benefits from Met supplementation.
  • Methionine enhanced the eggshell's shape, thickness, strength, and overall quality by improving calcium and phosphorus levels and increasing ATPase activity in shell gland tissue.
  • The research revealed that Met modulates gene expression related to eggshell structure and calcium transport, particularly through a signaling pathway crucial for maintaining eggshell integrity.
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Background: Research on low-protein-level diets has indicated that even though the profiles of essential amino acids (EAAs) follow the recommendation for a normal-protein-level diet, broilers fed low-protein diets failed to achieve productive performance compared to those fed normal diets. Therefore, it is imperative to reassess the optimum profile of EAAs in low-protein diets and establish a new ideal pattern for amino acid balance. Furthermore, identifying novel sensitive biomarkers for assessing amino acid balance will greatly facilitate the development of amino acid nutrition and application technology.

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This study determined the effects of two methionine (Met) sources at three total sulfur amino acids (TSAA) to lysine ratios (TSAA/Lys) on gut pH, digestive enzyme activity, amino acid transporter expression, and Met metabolism of broilers. The birds were randomly assigned to a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement with Met sources (dl-Met and dl-2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)-butanoic acid (OH-Met)) and TSAA/Lys (0.58, 0.

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Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can induce systemic inflammatory response (SIR) in animals. Understanding the regulatory mechanism of SIR and therapies to ensure healthy growth is urgently needed. Chromatin remodeling plays a crucial role in the expression of genes involved in immune diseases.

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Background: Baicalin and probiotic cocktails are promising feed additives with broad application prospects. While probiotic cocktails are known to enhance intestinal health, the potential synergistic impact of combining baicalin with probiotic cocktails on the gut health of broiler chickens remains largely unexplored. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influence of the combined administration of baicalin and probiotic cocktails on the composition of ileal and cecal microbiota in broiler chickens to elucidate the underlying mechanisms responsible for the health-promoting effects.

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  • This study focused on enhancing menaquinone-7 (MK-7) production from a natto strain (NB205) by developing a mutant strain (NBMK308) that increased MK-7 output by 117.23% through mutation breeding.
  • * Researchers identified two essential genes for MK-7 synthesis and employed a dual-sgRNA CRISPRa system to regulate them in a new strain (A3E3), resulting in a 20.02% and 201.41% increase in MK-7 production compared to traditional methods and the original strain, respectively.
  • * Moreover, the A3E3 strain's fermentation supernatant showed potential in inhibiting pathogens and was confirmed safe through cell assays,
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Creation of intrapenetrated mesopores with open highway from external surface into the interior of zeolite crystals are highly desirable that can significantly improve the molecular transport and active sites accessibility of microporous zeolites to afford enhanced catalytic properties. Here, different from traditional zeolite-seeded methods that generally produced isolated mesopores in zeolites, nanosized amorphous protozeolites with embryo structure of zeolites were used as seeds for the construction of single-crystalline hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolites with intrapenetrated mesopores (mesopore volume of 0.51 cm  g ) and highly complete framework.

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The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplemental chlorogenic acid and baicalin (CAB) on the growth performance and immunity of broilers challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This study was designed as a factorial arrangement of 2 dietary CAB treatments × 2 LPS treatments. Birds challenged with or without LPS were fed with a basic diet (CON) and (LPS), the level of CAB diet containing 500 mg/kg CAB(CAB) and (CAB + LPS).

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Recent research revealed that dietary genistein supplementation for breeder hens can improve the immune function of offspring chicks. However, it remains unknown whether this maternal effect could improve the intestinal health of offspring. This study was conducted to explore the mechanism involved in the maternal effect of genistein on the intestinal mucosa and microbial homeostasis of chicken offspring.

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  • Zeolites are crystalline materials made of silica and alumina that have unique properties, making them useful in industries as catalysts, adsorbents, and ion-exchangers.
  • The performance of zeolites is significantly influenced by their silicon-to-aluminum (Si/Al) ratios and the arrangement of aluminum within their structure.
  • The review covers methods for adjusting these ratios and distributions, various characterization techniques to analyze them, and discusses their effects on zeolite performance, along with future challenges in refining their properties.
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At present, nano-carrier materials with antibacterial activity are of great significance. Due to the widespread resistance of many pathogenic microorganisms, it has seriously threatened human health. The natural antimicrobial substances extracted from fruits and vegetables can significantly improve their stability combined with nano-carrier materials.

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The objective of this study was to establish a low-bacteria intestinal model in chickens, and then to investigate the characteristics involving in immune function and intestinal environment of this model. A total of 180 twenty-one-week-old Hy-line gray layers were randomly allocated into 2 treatment groups. Hens were fed with a basic diet (Control), or an antibiotic combination diet (ABS) for 5 weeks.

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Background: With rapid development in agriculture and industry, water polluted with heavy metallic ions has come to be a serious problem. Adsorption-based methods are simple, efficient, and broadly used to eliminate heavy metals. Conventional adsorption materials have the problems of secondary environmental contamination.

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The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dietary soy saponin (SS) on the antioxidant and immune functions of laying hens. Two hundred seventy 22-week-old Hy-line gray layers were randomly allocated into three treatment groups: a control group (Control) fed a basal diet with low soybean meal and groups supplemented with 50 and 500 mg/kg SS (50 SS and 500 SS). After ten weeks, eight chickens from each treatment group were anesthetized and sacrificed to collect tissue samples.

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The interactions between myofibrillar proteins (MPs) and furan derivatives were researched by spectroscopic and molecular docking approaches. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry results showed that the binding capacity of MPs to the furan derivatives decreased in the order 5-methyl furfural > furfural > 2-acetylfuran > furfuryl alcohol. It largely depended on molecular polarity and the position of the branched chain of the furan derivatives.

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  • Researchers are examining the relationship between intestinal microbiota and bird physiology, as existing studies on this are limited.
  • The study used antibiotic-treated birds to create an intestinal bacteria-free (IBF) model and compared various physiological functions with those of normal bacteria-bearing birds.
  • Findings revealed that IBF birds had poorer health indicators, but fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) significantly improved these functions, highlighting the importance of gut flora in intestinal health.
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This study aimed to compare the immune function and gut microbiota between double-layer caged and litter floor pen-raised broiler chickens. Eighty meaty male chicks were selected and divided into cage group and litter floor group, with 20 replicates in each group. The broilers were raised in the same chicken house.

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Soya saponin (SS) helps to improve antioxidant and immune function of body, and intestinal bacteria might play an important role here. In the present study, the co-occurring network of the ileal flora was analyzed with 50 mg/kg SS supplemented to the diet, and Romboutsia was found to have evolved into a dominant flora. In addition, the co-occurring network of the flora was changed with the combined antibiotic treated, and the unidentified-cyanobacteria developed into the dominant flora, whereas the relative abundance of Romboutsia was dropped.

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Cruciferous vegetables are rich in glucosinolates, which can be metabolized to produce the antitumor compound indole-3-carbinol (I3C). The conventional solvent extraction method for I3C is inefficient. To improve the extraction efficiency of I3C from cruciferous vegetables, we prepared a metal-organic framework (MOF) material (FeO@Zn-Al-LDH@B-D-MIL-100).

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The demand for Chinese chives is growing as they are also rich in vitamins, fiber, and sulfur nutrients. Chinese chives should be sprayed with imidacloprid to control pests and diseases to safeguard their yield and to meet the demands of East Asian consumers for Chinese chives. Overspraying of imidacloprid can lead to residues in Chinese chives, posing a severe risk to human health.

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  • - The study examined how dietary astragalus polysaccharide (APS) affects the immune system, gut bacteria, and metabolism in broiler chickens suffering from necrotic enteritis (NE) by using two groups with different APS levels and NE challenges.
  • - Results showed NE infection worsened chicken health by increasing mortality, inflammatory responses, and negatively impacting weight and immune cell activity, while dietary APS improved weight, immune cell proportions, and reduced inflammatory markers.
  • - APS supplementation also enhanced gut microbiota diversity and certain beneficial metabolites, indicating its potential to counteract the negative effects of NE and promote better health in broiler chickens.
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Soya saponin (SS) is a natural active substance of leguminous plant, which could improve lipid metabolism and regulate immune function. Intestinal flora might play a key role in the biological functions of SS. The objective of this study was to measure the effects of dietary SS on immune function, lipid metabolism, and intestinal flora of laying hens with or without antibiotic treated.

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Background: Soya saponin (SS), an active compound in soybean meals, has been widely studied in the medical field. However, it was considered as an anti-nutritional factor in poultry diets. The objective of this experiment was to measure the effects of dietary SS using three dietary treatments on egg-laying performance and immune function of laying hens.

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