Search Results (3)

This experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementing miMCFA, lignocellulose, and HKL137 on lactating sow performance and nutritional composition and immunity in colostrum. Fifty 3–4 parity sows (Large White × Landrace) were randomly assigned to one of five treatments: (1) control (CON) without supplementation, (2) miMCFA (S1), (3) miMCFA + lignocellulose (S2), (4) miMCFA + HKL137 (S3), and (5) miMCFA + lignocellulose + HKL137 (S4). Supplements were daily added to the morning meal for 21 days (day 100 of gestation to day 7 post-farrowing). Compared with CON, the S1 and S4 groups had improvements (p < 0.01) in live-born piglet numbers, and colostrum yield. Fat content in colostrum was significantly increased (p < 0.01) in the S3 and S4 groups than those of CON group. Additionally, IgG levels were significantly greatest (p < 0.05) in the S3 and S4 groups. Likewise, IgM levels were notably highest (p < 0.05) in the S2 and S4 groups. These results indicated that the synergistic administration of miMCFA, lignocellulose, and HKL137 resulted in significant enhancements in both sow performance indices and colostrum metrics, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative parameters. Full article

In the present study, the effects of dietary heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum L-137 (HK L-137) on the productive performance, intestinal morphology, and cytokine gene expression of suckling-to-fattening pigs were investigated. A total of 100 suckling pigs [(Large White × Landrace) × Duroc; 4.5 ± 0.54 kg initial body weight (BW)] were used and assigned to each of the four dietary treatments as follows: (1) a control diet with antibiotics as a growth promoter (AGP) from the suckling phase to the grower phase and no supplement in the finisher phases; (2) a control diet without antibiotics as a growth promoter (NAGP); (3) a control diet with HK L-137 at 20 mg/kg from the suckling phase to the starter phase and no supplement from the grower phase to the finisher phases (HKL1); and (4) a control diet with HK L-137 at 20 mg/kg from the suckling phase to the weaner phase, at 4 mg/kg from the starter phase to the finisher 1 phase, and no supplement in the finisher 2 phase (HKL2). During the weaner–starter period, the pigs fed on the AGP and HKL2 diets showed significantly higher weight gain and average daily gain (ADG) than those in the NAGP group (p < 0.05). The pigs in the AGP, HKL1, and HKL2 groups showed greater ADG than those in the NAGP groups (p < 0.05) throughout the grower–finisher period. The suckling pigs in the HKL1 and HKL2 groups showed a higher platelet count (484,500 and 575,750) than in the others (p < 0.05); however, there were no significant differences in the other hematological parameters among the treatment groups. The relative mRNA expression level of IFN- ß of the suckling and starter pigs were significantly higher in the HKL1 and HKL2 groups than in the others (p < 0.05), while the IFN-γ showed the highest level in the HKL2 suckling pigs (p < 0.05). These results demonstrate that a HK L-137 supplementation could stimulate the immune response in suckling and starter pigs and promote the growth performance in finishing pigs. Full article

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a poor prognosis because of frequent recurrence. Androgen receptor (AR) is involved in the pathogenesis of breast cancer, but its role is not clearly defined. The aim of this study was to explore the expression of AR and its relationship with clinicopathologic features in TNBC. Methods: This study investigated 1036 cases of sporadic invasive breast carcinoma. Immunohistochemical assays were performed to determine the expression of AR in 190 TNBC samples. The relationships between AR expression and clinicopathologic data and prognosis were analyzed. Results: In 190 TNBC cases, the prognosis of AR-positive patients was significantly better (p = 0.019, log-rank) than AR-negative patients, and in multivariate analysis, AR expression was an independent indicator of good prognosis (p = 0.039, hazard ratio = 0.36). In patients with disease relapse, AR positivity was significantly correlated with better prognosis (p = 0.034, log-rank). Conclusions: AR expression may be useful as a subclassification marker for prognosis in TNBC. Full article