Dose-dependent effects of capsaicin on intestinal morphology and microbiota composition in mice: Structural, immunohistochemical, and microbial insights.

Background And Aim: Capsaicin (CAP), the pungent component of chili peppers, possesses diverse bioactive properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects. However, its impact on gastrointestinal integrity and microbial ecology remains dose-dependent and incompletely understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of varying CAP doses on intestinal morphology, tight junction protein expression, goblet cell density, mucosal injury markers, and gut microbiota composition in mice.

Updating conservation metagenomics on the gut microbiome of threatened mammals.

During the past two decades, much work has characterized the composition and function of the gut microbiome on diverse wildlife in the framework of conservation metagenomics. While promising for conservation, translating theory into practice remains challenging and requires progress. Here, we summarize the progress of gut microbiomes of threatened mammals from ecology and evolution to conservation practice, and propose an integrative framework for future conservation metagenomics within which multi-dimension, multi-scale, multi-technology, and multi-omics can be comprehensively considered to advance our understanding of the patterns and underpinnings of wildlife gut microbiomes.

A Second-Order Fast Discharge Circuit for Transient Electromagnetic Transmitter.

To solve the problem of long turn-off times for transient electromagnetic (TEM) transmitters with inductive loads, a new second-order fast discharge circuit topology added into the original H-bridge structure for TEM transmitters is presented, which includes a capacitor, two Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs), and two resistors. Firstly, the four operating stages and principles of the second-order circuit were analyzed. Then, the mathematical models of the turn-off time of the current and the voltage stress of the Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) were established using the analytical method.

Microbial Biogeography along the Gastrointestinal Tract of a Wild Chinese Muntjac ().

The gut microbiota plays an important role in host nutrient absorption, immune function, and behavioral patterns. Much research on the gut microbiota of wildlife has focused on feces samples, so the microbial composition along the gastrointestinal tract of wildlife is not well reported. To address this gap, we performed high-throughput sequencing of 16s rRNA genes and ITs rRNA genes in the gastrointestinal contents of a wild adult male Chinese muntjac () to comparatively analyze the microbial diversity of different gastrointestinal regions.

Zinc and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: From Clinical Study to Animal Experiment.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract (GI) with a high incidence rate globally, and IBD patients are often accompanied by zinc deficiency. This review aims to summarize the potential therapeutic value of zinc supplementation in IBD clinical patients and animal models. Zinc supplementation can relieve the severity of IBD especially in patients with zinc deficiency.

Consuming Different Structural Parts of Bamboo Induce Gut Microbiome Changes in Captive Giant Pandas.

Giant pandas consume different structural parts of bamboo (shoots, leaves and culms) during different seasons. Previous research showed different bamboo parts have varying nutritional content and that a long-term diet consisting of a single part of bamboo resulted in remarkable metabolic changes within captive giant pandas. However, the effects on the gut microbiome of giant pandas, as a result of a single bamboo part diet, have not been investigated.

Chitosan supplementation reduces oxidative stress in Leiothrix lutea in acute heat stress.

In order to assess the effects of chitosan supplementation on immune function, antioxidant enzyme activities and histological changes in Leiothrix lutea exposed to acute heat stress, 80 healthy adult birds were randomly divided into five experimental groups. The normal-temperature group (NTG) was maintained at 21°C and fed the basic diet. The treatment groups were fed the basic diet supplemented with 0%, 0.

Assessing the Effectiveness of China's Panda Protection System.

Protected areas form the backbone of biodiversity conservation, yet their effectiveness is often not known nor even evaluated [1-3]. China-best known for its record of ecological degradation in the face of rapidly increasing gross domestic product and resource consumption [4]-has in recent years enacted a series of policies and programs to conserve its natural resources. Chief among them is an ambitious protected area system covering 17% of its terrestrial land mass [4, 5].

A Diet Diverse in Bamboo Parts is Important for Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) Metabolism and Health.

The aim of this study was to determine the metabolic response in giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) to the consumption of certain parts of bamboo above ground growth. Giant pandas were provisioned with three species of bamboo: Phyllostachys bissetii, of which they only consume the culm (culm group); Bashania fargesii, of which they only consume the leaves (leaf group); and Qiongzhuea opienensis, of which they only consume the shoots (shoot group). The "culm" group absorbed the highest amount of calories and fiber, but was in short energy supply (depressed tricarboxylic acid cycle activity), and high fiber level diet might reduce the digestibility of protein.

The mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum pathways involved in the apoptosis of bursa of Fabricius cells in broilers exposed to dietary aflatoxin B1.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a toxic metabolite produced by some fungi, exerts well-known hepatocarcinogenic and immunosuppressive effects, the latter can increase the apoptotic immune cells in vitro. However, it is largely unknown that which signaling pathways contribute to excessive apoptosis of immune cells which induced by AFB1. In this study, we investigated the roles of the mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and death receptor activated apoptotic pathways in the bursal of Fabricius (BF) cells in the broilers exposed to AFB1 diet.

Comparison of microhabitats and foraging strategies between the captive-born Zhangxiang and wild giant pandas: implications for future reintroduction.

The female giant panda Zhangxiang (pedigree number 826) was born on August 20, 2011 in Wolong Nature Reserve, China. On November 6, 2013, Zhangxiang was transported into the acclimatization enclosure in the Liziping Nature Reserve. Before Zhangxiang left the enclosure into the wild, we conducted the first study to compare microhabitats and foraging strategies between Zhangxiang in the enclosure and giant pandas in the wild.

The Lushan earthquake and the giant panda: impacts and conservation.

Earthquakes not only result in a great loss of human life and property, but also have profound effects on the Earth's biodiversity. The Lushan earthquake occurred on 20 Apr 2013, with a magnitude of 7.0 and an intensity of 9.

Effects of aflatoxin B1 on oxidative stress markers and apoptosis of spleens in broilers.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the oxidative damage and apoptosis induced by aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in spleen of broilers. A total of 200 one-day-old avian male broilers were randomly divided into 4 equal groups of 50 each and were fed for 21 days as follows: a control diet and three AFB1 diets containing 0.15, 0.

Effects of sodium selenite on the decreased percentage of T cell subsets, contents of serum IL-2 and IFN-γ induced by aflatoxin B₁ in broilers.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), especially inducing hepatocellular carcinoma and immunosuppression of animals, poses a serious healthy and economic hazard to both humans and livestock. Animal studies have demonstrated that selenium (Se) provides anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic effects against AFB1. However, the effects of Se against AFB1-induced immunosuppression were rarely reported.