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At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Dietary supplementation with xanthophyll as an effective way of identifying low-producing broiler breeder hens.

The relationship between dietary levels of xanthophyll, the degree of pigmentation in the hen, and egg production rate was studied in commercial broiler breeders (Anak 2000). In the first study, the degree of shank and beak coloration, measured with a 15-grade Roche yolk color fan, was determined in broiler breeder pullets until 34 wk of age. Although overall body coloration decreased with age following initiation of egg production, the degree of shank coloration was two- to threefold higher than that of the beak. In the second study, Roche Carophyll-red (canthaxanthin, 10%) was supplemented at levels of 0, 10, and 20 mg/kg in a corn and soybean diet containing xanthophyll, and given to hens for a period of 4 wk beginning at 55 wk of age. Increasing dietary canthaxanthin levels increased pigmentation of beak and egg yolk in a quadratic manner, whereas pigmentation increased linearly in the shank. The production rate was inversely related to the degree of shank and beak pigmentation. In a third study, the relationship between hen pigmentation (using Carophyll-red, 30 mg/kg of diet) and production rate was examined in a commercial flock of broiler breeder hens. Hens were sampled according to shank coloration (Grades 1 to 3) and egg production was monitored. The production rate of hens with high coloration was significantly lower (by approximately 33%) than the flock average. At peak production, shank pigmentation was too low to differentiate visually between degrees of coloration. Dietary supplementation of 5% corn gluten meal increased shank pigmentation and enabled efficient identification of the nonlaying hens.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1995

Effects of supplemental ascorbic acid on the performance of broiler chickens exposed to multiple concurrent stressors.

An experiment was conducted to determine whether ascorbic acid (AA) increases resistance of female Hubbard x Hubbard broiler chicks to multiple concurrent stressors. Stressors imposed from 10 to 17 d posthatch included 2 x 2 x 2 factorial combinations of beak trimming [(B), sham-operated or beak-trimmed and cauterized], coccidiosis [(C), gavage with 0 or 3 x 10(5) sporulated Eimeria tenella oocysts], and heat stress [(H), 28 vs 33 C]. A starter diet was supplemented with AA to provide 0, 150, or 300 ppm (milligrams per kilogram). This resulted in a 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 factorial design with two six-chick replicates of each of the 24 treatment combinations. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and a level of 95% significance. Ascorbic acid increased feed intake and lowered plasma corticosterone and heterophil:lymphocyte ratios. Heat depressed weight gain and feed intake and elevated heterophil:lymphocyte ratios. Heat and AA interacted to improve weight gain and feed intake and lower heterophil:lymphocyte ratios. Coccidiosis depressed weight gain, feed efficiency, and heterophil:lymphocyte ratios. Coccidiosis and AA interacted to increase feed intake and lower plasma corticosterone and heterophil: lymphocyte ratios. Beak trimming increase heterophil:lymphocyte ratios. Beak trimming and AA interacted to increase feed intake and lower heterophil: lymphocyte ratios. Weight gain and feed efficiency decreased whereas heterophil:lymphocyte ratios increased linearly in unsupplemented birds as a function of stressor "order" (the number of stressors imposed simultaneously) indicating an additive effect of systematically increasing the number of stressors. No changes in feed efficiency or heterophil:lymphocyte ratios were detected as a function of stressor order when AA was provided. Ascorbic acid reduced the slope of the regression equation describing the relationship between weight gain and stressor order. It was concluded that AA, particularly at 150 ppm, enhanced performance of broiler chicks exposed to multiple concurrent environmental stressors.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Chorda tympani innervation of anterior mandibular taste buds in the chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus).

While the mammalian chorda tympani innervates taste buds on the anterior two-thirds of the tongue, the chorda tympani of chickens does not enter the tongue, but rather is reported to supply the oral epithelium of the lower beak subjacent to the tongue. This study in the chicken investigated whether the integrity of taste buds in the lower beak is normally dependent upon innervation by the chorda tympani. Following unilateral ligation and removal of a large section of the chorda tympani, animals were sacrificed at 11, 14, and 21 days postoperatively. Oral tissue between the lingual frenulum and beak tip was serially examined, and the presence of each bud was recorded, noting the point at which the bud opened into the oral cavity. No buds were observed on the operated side in any of the cases, while the average bud count on the unoperated side was 33 +/- 10 (SD). On the unoperated side, taste buds were generally associated with anterior mandibular salivary gland ducts that reached surface epithelium and opened into the oral cavity. On the operated side, the cellular organization adjacent to gland ducts and in duct-free epithelium appeared as in control (i.e., bud-free) epithelium. The number of salivary gland duct openings into the oral cavity was equivalent on the operated and control sides. It is concluded that the chorda tympani of chickens innervates taste buds in the anterior lower beak epithelium and that it functions to maintain the structural integrity of these buds.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Genetic analysis of signal transduction through light-induced protein phosphorylation in Neurospora crassa perithecia.

We have previously demonstrated that blue light induces the phosphorylation of a 15-kDa protein in crude membrane fractions of Neurospora crassa mycelia. Here we report the isolation and characterization of a mutant (psp; phosphorylation of small proteins that is completely defective for phosphorylation of that protein, as assayed in both crude membrane and soluble fractions. This mutation defines a unique locus that maps to linkage group VR between al-3 and his-6. To elucidate the photobiological significance of the phosphorylation of the protein, we analyzed known photobiological phenomena and discovered that the positioning of beaks on the perithecia, defined as perithecial polarity, was light-dependent in the wild type. In the psp mutant, beaks were phototropic as in the wild type, but their position was random. In a wc-l mutant, however, beaks were positioned at random and were not phototropic. Thus light-induced perithecial polarity and phototropism of perithecial beaks are controlled differently. A psp; wc-l double mutant showed the same phenotype as that of wc-l with respect to these two photomorphogenetic characters. These results indicate that the wc-l gene is epistatic to psp in the light-signal transduction pathway that controls both phototropism and perithecial polarity.

DNA-Binding Proteins↗
PubMed2005

Transtrochanteric rotational osteotomy for osteonecrosis of the femoral head: relation between radiographic features and secondary collapse.

BACKGROUND: Secondary collapse of the femoral head after transtrochanteric rotational osteotomy (TRO) for osteonecrosis of the femoral head is a major complication leading to failure. We investigated the relation between the extent and shape of a newly established healthy weight-bearing area and the incidence of secondary collapse. METHODS: Altogether, 38 hips in 32 patients with a mean age of 33 years at the time of surgery were followed for a mean of 4 years. RESULTS: The outcome was satisfactory in 22 hips (58%) and unsatisfactory in 16 hips (42%), with 9 requiring total hip arthroplasty. The extent of the newly established healthy weight-bearing area as depicted on the immediate postoperative radiograph was significantly greater in the satisfactory group than in the unsatisfactory group. The rate of secondary collapse was significantly higher when the newly established weight-bearing area was thin, like a beak ("beak-shaped" healthy area). The incidence of a beak-shaped healthy area was significantly higher in the steroid group than in nonsteroid group. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that we should be cautious when the newly established healthy weight-bearing area exhibits this beak shape, even if its extent in the weight-bearing area is large, because of the higher risk of postoperative secondary collapse. In such cases, alteration of the after-treatment program (e.g., prolonging the non-weight-bearing period) should be considered.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Effects of caudolateral neostriatal ablations on pain-related behaviour in the chicken.

As a measure of pain-related behaviour, beak guarding was investigated by recording the pecking response of adult chickens to a visually attractive stimulus before and after bilateral suction ablation of the caudolateral neostriatum (CLN). Two control groups of birds were used: a sham-operated group and an ablated group, in which the ablation was confined to the rostral dorsolateral telencephalon. Comparing the birds that had undergone ablation with the sham-operated controls showed that the ablation did not affect pecking behaviour. Five days after ablation, all birds were subjected to partial amputation of one third of the beak. A significant reduction in pecking behaviour (beak-guarding) was observed in both control groups, but was not observed in those birds that had previously received CLN ablations. In a second experiment, where beak amputation preceeded CLN ablation by 6 days, ablation did not affect the reduced pecking. The absence of guarding or other pain-related behaviours would indicate that an intact CLN was necessary for these behaviours to develop but, once they had developed, ablation had no effect.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

The eyes have it: a perceptual investigation of eyespots.

Previous work with non-human species has shown that eyespots function as sign stimuli for defensive behaviour. But it is unknown to what extent eyespots are a dominant feature of objects for human perceptual responses. We examined whether young children perceive eyespots as a dominant object feature. One hundred and nineteen children from the first, second, and third grades were presented with small manikins, called "Joopes" that varied in the number, type, and arrangement of facial features. Four kinds of Joope heads were used: single element (eyes, mouth, or beak only), monovalent (spatially concordant eyes and mouth, or eyes and beak), ambivalent (asymmetrical eyes and beak, or eyes and mouth), and cyclopean (single eye with orthogonal beak). Two task groups (Peepers and Gobs) 'helped' the Joopes to either 'see' their food or 'eat' it, by placing food in one of 24 feeding dishes. Results indicated that responses made to the ambivalent Joopes differed, with greater 'drift' shown by the 'eating' group towards the 'seeing' responses than by the 'seeing' group towards the 'eating' responses. The dominant role of eyespots was thus confirmed for children in the second and third grades, but response inconsistencies in the youngest group suggested difficulties in handling incongruent stimuli. The implications of these results for understanding basic perceptual processes are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

CT analysis of intestinal obstruction due to adhesions: early detection of strangulation.

We evaluated the CT of intestinal obstruction due to adhesions in 20 postoperative patients, with emphasis on early detection of strangulation. Ten patients with surgically proven strangulated obstruction (strangulation group) were compared with another ten patients (nonstrangulation group) in whom seven improved with conservative management and three had confirmed simple obstruction on surgical exploration. Beak-like luminal narrowing ("beak") was the most common CT finding at the obstructed site in both groups. The CT findings that suggested strangulated obstruction were serrated beaks, mesenteric edema or vascular engorgement, and moderate to severe bowel wall thickening. In contrast, simple obstruction could be assumed when the beak was smooth, there were no mesenteric changes, and the bowel wall was normal or mildly thickened. Computed tomography is a useful tool for detecting strangulation in patients with postoperative adhesive intestinal obstruction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Surgical outcome of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) of the thoracic spine: implication of the type of ossification and surgical options.

OBJECTIVE: Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) in the thoracic spine produces myelopathy through anterior spinal cord compression that is usually progressive and unaffected by conservative treatment. Therefore, early decompressive surgery is imperative. However, decompression surgery of thoracic myelopathy is difficult, and the outcome is often poor. A retrospective study was conducted to investigate the surgical outcome of 21 patients with thoracic OPLL to evaluate which type of surgical approach is better and which type of thoracic OPLL results in a better surgical outcome. METHODS: A total of 21 patients with thoracic OPLL (10 men and 11 women; mean age 54 years), who underwent surgical treatment at our department from March 1985 to October 2000, were included in the study. Seven patients exhibited the flat-type OPLL and underwent either anterior decompression and fusion (one patient), anterior decompression via a posterior approach (three patients), or expansive laminoplasty (three patients). Fourteen patients exhibited the beak-type OPLL and also underwent either anterior decompression and fusion (two patients), anterior decompression via a posterior approach (six patients), or expansive laminoplasty (six patients). RESULTS: Regarding of operative time and blood loss, there were no marked differences between the two types of OPLL, regardless of the type of surgical procedure; anterior decompression and fusion and anterior decompression via a posterior approach yielded longer operative times and larger blood loss volumes than expansive laminoplasty. Concerning clinical outcome, there were five cases of neurologic deterioration. All of the five deteriorated cases were of the beak-type OPLL treated by a posterior approach. Two of these patients were treated with expansive laminoplasty. CONCLUSIONS: There were five instances of neurologic deterioration in our thoracic OPLL series, and all of them exhibited beak-type OPLL. In the beak-type OPLL, a subtle alteration in the spinal alignment during posterior decompression procedures may increase spinal cord compression, leading to the deterioration of symptoms. A potential increase in kyphosis following laminectomy should be avoided by fixation with a temporary rod. If intraoperative monitoring suggests spinal cord dysfunction, an anterior decompression procedure should be attempted as soon as possible.

Decompression, Surgical↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Development of a flexible inflow cannula with titanium inflow tip for the NEDO biventricular assist device.

A newly designed flexible inflow cannula has been developed for a biventricular assist device (BVAD). The inflow tip was designed for long-term ventricle drainage. Considering the anatomic differences between the right and left ventricles, a flexible inflow cannula, as a mass production model with a titanium tip, was developed and investigated in chronic BVAD animal experiments using the NEDO permanently implantable centrifugal blood pump. These flexible inflow cannulae consist of flexible plastic tubing with wire supported, titanium left and right tips. The right titanium inflow tip was designed with inner and outer stoppers to be inserted into the right ventricle wall and a beak shape to avoid sucking. The left tip was designed to be inserted into the left ventricle cavity. Five chronic BVAD bovine studies were performed to investigate the new beak shaped titanium tip. In these studies, the new beak shaped titanium tip and cannula prevented stenosis by a proliferation of pseudoneointimal, and supplied adequate blood flow to the pump without sucking. This newly designed inflow cannula with the beak shaped titanium tip was successfully implanted for 90 days.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Injuries caused by garfish in Papua New Guinea.

Garfish, which are found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean areas, have a long, spear-like beak with two marrow jaws and small pointed teeth. They often make sudden leaps while swimming, particularly when attracted by bright lights. In Papua New Guinea people often fish from canoes using a light at night, and serious injuries may be caused by a fish jumping and its beak piercing part of the body. The surface wound may appear deceptively small and innocent, but if the wound is on the chest or abdomen the beak may have penetrated sufficiently deeply to cause internal injuries, and death may result. Patients may have to be admitted to hospital for removal of the beak, which may remain embedded in a limb.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in the development of chick facial primordia and the target of retinoid action.

The development of the chick face involves outgrowth of buds of tissue, accompanied by the differentiation of cartilage and bone in spatially defined patterns. To investigate the role of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in facial morphogenesis, small fragments of facial tissue have been grafted to host chick wing buds to continue their development in isolation. Fragments of the frontonasal mass give rise to typical upper-beak-like structures: a long central rod of cartilage, the prenasal cartilage and an egg tooth. Meckel's cartilage, characteristic of the lower beak, develops from fragments of the mandible. Removal of the ectoderm prior to grafting leads to truncated development. In fragments of frontonasal mass mesenchyme only a small spur of cartilage differentiates and there is no outgrowth. The mandible is less affected; a rod of cartilage still forms but the amount of outgrowth is reduced. Retinoid treatment of chick embryos specifically affects the development of the upper beak and outgrowth and cartilage differentiation in the frontonasal mass are inhibited. The mandibles, however, are unaffected and develop normally. In order to investigate whether the epithelium or the mesenchyme of the frontonasal mass is the target of retinoid action, recombinations of retinoid-treated and untreated facial tissue have been grafted to host wing buds. Recombinations of retinoid-treated frontonasal mass ectoderm with untreated mesenchyme develop normally whereas recombinations of untreated ectoderm with retinoid-treated mesenchyme lead to truncations. The amount of outgrowth in fragments of mandibular tissue is slightly reduced when either the ectoderm or the mesenchyme has been treated with retinoids. These recombination experiments demonstrate that the mesenchyme of the frontonasal mass is the target of retinoid action. This suggests that retinoids interfere with the reciprocal epithelial-mesenchymal interactions necessary for outgrowth and normal upper beak development.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

[Genetic analysis of a specially long pod character in artificially resythesized Brassica napus L].

Two hybrid combinations were made with a resynthesized specially-long pod line in H218 Brassica napus L., namely H218 x Zhongyou 821, H218 x MSP334 and their six generations F(1), F(2), backcrosses B(1) and B(2) and their parents P(1) and P(2) were used to study the inheritance of 3 pod related traits, namely the full pod length, the pod body length and the pod beak length. The results were the followings: the three traits in the F(2) population of the two combinations had a continuous normal distribution, indicating that these traits were quantitative in nature and controlled by polygenes. The broad-sense heritabilities of the full pod length, pod body length and pod beak length of the two combinations were 65.89%-70.77%, 60.14%-63.38% and 26.36%-46.44%, respectively. The narrow-sense heritabilities were 44.01%-46.78%, 46.89%-47.38% and 18.08%-37.87%, respectively. The results from the two combinations consistently showed that full pod length, pod body length and pod beak length were controlled by 5, 6 and 2 genes respectively. The preliminary study on the gene effect demonstrated that the three traits in the two combinations all fit the additive-dominant model and the epistatic effect was significant. The additive effects and the dominant effects of the three traits in the two combinations were both significant. Of the full pod length and the pod body length, the dominant effect was more significant than the additive effect; and it is the same case for the pod beak length.

Brassica napus↗
PubMed1983

Gastroesophageal reflux in children: results of a standardized fluoroscopic approach.

This retrospective study of 470 children undergoing barium upper gastrointestinal examinations was performed with three goals in mind: (1) to document the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux discovered during standardized upper gastrointestinal examination; (2) to compare the amount of gastroesophageal reflux detected in patients with symptoms suggestive of reflux as opposed to those who had no such symptoms; and (3) to ascertain the effect on reflux of the presence of a lower esophageal "beak." About 65% of the children studied had gastroesophageal reflux. Reflux was seen more commonly when symptoms of reflux were present (75.9%) than when not (36.8%). The amount of reflux seen over 5 min was greater if symptoms were present (mean incidence 2.72 bouts) than when not (mean incidence 0.76 bouts). Most importantly, there was a significant decrease in the amount of reflux seen with increase in patient age; age-related criteria for "acceptable" gastroesophageal reflux are presented. The presence of an esophageal "beak" is associated with an increased amount of reflux (94.4%) as opposed to no such "beak" (67.8%). The data suggest that gastroesophageal reflux is present in a large percentage of pediatric patients, whether there are symptoms to suggest reflux or not. Since reflux diminishes with increasing age, age-related criteria for an "acceptable" amount of reflux should be used rather than a universal judgment based on three episodes. Reflux to the cervical esophagus occurs frequently, both with and without symptoms of reflux, and may not be a reliable solitary indication for therapy. An esophageal "beak" is associated with an increase in reflux and may have important prognostic implications.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of retinoids on chick face development.

Local application of retinoic acid to chick embryos produces severe bilateral clefting of the primary palate but does not affect the lower beak. This paper reviews what is known about the basis and specificity of this retinoid-induced defect by examining three major developmental processes: morphogenesis, cell differentiation, and pattern formation. The conclusion reached is that neither cytotoxicity nor cartilage inhibition is the basis of the specific retinoid-induced defect. Retinoid treatment interferes with reciprocal epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in the upper beak. These interactions are involved in linking pattern formation--the spatial ordering of cell differentiation--to morphogenesis and outgrowth. These results suggest that retinoids are interfering with the process of pattern formation in the upper beak, a conclusion that is supported by the similarities between retinoid effects on face and limb development. Thus, it appears that retinoids may be acting as general signaling molecules throughout the developing embryo. In the lower beak, pattern-forming cues may occur earlier in development. Alternatively, the cells may be unresponsive to retinoids. The molecular basis for the specificity of the facial defect--as well as for the action of retinoids on developing systems--is discussed with reference to recent advances in molecular biology.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Injuries caused by garfish in New Caledonia and its dependencies].

Garfish, which are found in the Indo-Pacific ocean areas, have a long spear-like beak with two narrow jaws and small pointed teeth. They often make sudden leaps while swimming, particularly when attracted by bright lights or when frightened by boats or by one of their predators, mainly in warm seasons. Serious injuries may be caused by a fish jumping and its beak piercing part of the body. The surface wound may appear deceptively small and innocent but if the wound is on the chest or abdomen the beak may have penetrated sufficiently deep to cause internal injuries and death may result. Patients may have to be admitted to the hospital for removal of the beak which may remain embedded in a limb.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Surgical treatment of the accessory navicular.

Surgical management of the accessory navicular or navicular beak using the Kidner procedure was indicated in 29 feet. Pain was present in all feet; difficulty with shoe fit and flat feet were other complaints. The patients were followed up for two to ten years (mean, 4.5 years) after operation. Eleven results were excellent, 15 good, and 3 poor, all in boys with a navicular beak. Only one complication occurred. Excision of the accessory navicular or navicular beak, together with suturing the fibers of the posterior tibial tendon (inserting on the accessory navicular or navicular beak) to the inferior surface of the navicular, is effective treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Neuronal development in the trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus of the duck under normal and hypothyroid states: I. A light microscopic morphometric analysis.

Light microscopic morphometric procedures were used in order to examine the effects of propylthiouracil (PTU) on the development of the mesencephalic nucleus of the trigeminal nerve in the duck. A single vascular injection of a 0.2% solution of PTU was administered at a dosage of 2 microliter/gm embryo weight on embryonic day nine (E9). Control embryos received a similar dose of Ringer's solution. The following parameters of cytodifferentiation of cells of the mesencephalic nucleus of V were studied: somal area profiles, nuclear area, and nuclear cytoplasmic ratios. In addition, the frequency of beak clapping was recorded from E16. Significant differences were observed in somal area profiles in the experimental group at E16 and E18 and in nuclear area profiles from E16 through hatching. Beak activity in the experimental embryos was drastically reduced. It is concluded that PTU induces a retardation in the differentiation of cells of the mesencephalic nucleus of V which may lead to behavior deficits as evidenced by reduction of beak activity. These observations provide a basis for the study of interactions between thyroid hormone and specific neuronal systems in the emergence of an adaptive function.

Animals↗