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The effects of chitooligosaccharide (COS) supplementation in laying hen diets on egg production, egg quality, blood biochemistry, antioxidant capacity and immunity during the late laying period were investigated in this 10-week trial. A total of 3000 Fengda No.1 laying hens, 52 weeks of age, were randomly allocated to three treatment groups, each of which included five replicates of 200 hens. Treatments consisted of the basal diet only or the basal diet supplemented with COS at 75 or 125 mg/kg. Hens fed with both COS supplemented diets had improved hen-day egg production, egg mass and feed conversion ratio than control birds. The higher level of COS supplementation exerted positive effects on eggshell strength and eggshell thickness, but significantly decreased yolk colour. Addition of 125 mg/kg COS was also found to significantly increase serum albumin content and significantly decrease serum cholesterol level. Dietary supplementation with COS significantly decreased serum triglyceride level compared with birds fed the control diet. Moreover, COS significantly increased total antioxidative capacity and significantly decreased malondialdehyde level in serum, but had no significance on the activities of antioxidant enzymes. The only change in blood immune response compounds observed in this study was a significantly increased concentration of C3 when laying hens were fed COS supplemented diets. In conclusion, COS could improve laying performance and egg quality in hens during the late laying period. Inclusion of COS in the diet might be beneficial to hens' health by lowering serum lipids, enhancing antioxidant activity and slightly enhancing immune ability. HIGHLIGHTS COS improved laying performance and egg quality in hens during the late laying period. Inclusion of COS in the diet might be beneficial to hens' health by lowering serum lipids, enhancing the antioxidant activity and slightly enhancing immune ability. The optimum concentration of COS is 75 mg/kg in the basal diet in order to achieve an increased egg production, egg quality and health condition.

Background Insomnia affects over 850 million adults globally, representing a significant public health burden. Current treatments, including cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and pharmacological interventions, face accessibility barriers and safety concerns, respectively. Electrical vestibular nerve stimulation (VeNS) has emerged as a promising non-invasive neuromodulation technique, leveraging connections between the vestibular system and sleep-regulating brain regions. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of VeNS on insomnia severity in adults with clinically significant insomnia. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines, we systematically searched multiple databases up to July 19, 2025. Eligible studies included adults (≥ 18 years) with clinically significant insomnia (ISI ≥ 15) receiving transcutaneous VeNS versus sham stimulation. The primary outcome was the change in Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), a validated subjective measure scale. Secondary outcomes included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and quality of life measures, all assessed through self-reported instruments. Results Three randomized controlled trials encompassing 289 participants met the inclusion criteria. VeNS demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in insomnia severity compared to sham control (ISI mean difference: -3.65 [95% CI: -6.84, -0.46]). Secondary analysis revealed significant improvements in sleep quality (PSQI mean difference: -0.98 [95% CI: -1.88, -0.08]). Conclusions VeNS demonstrated statistically significant improvements in insomnia and sleep quality. However, the findings should be interpreted cautiously given the small number of available trials, reliance on subjective outcome measures, considerable heterogeneity, and limited safety data. Larger standardized trials are needed to establish its clinical utility and optimal implementation. Clinical trial number Not applicable.

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) is a member of Labiate family and its seeds are rich in phenolic compounds and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) which could enhance the performance and productivity of birds. This study was carried out to determine the effects of supplementation with cold-pressed chia oil at different concentrations on the growth performance, carcase traits, haematology, blood chemistry, immunity and antioxidant status of growing quails. A total of 240 growing quails (1 week-old) were divided equally into five groups (4 replicates with 12 birds each). The experimental groups were G 1 (basal diet), G 2 (basal diet + 0.4 g chia oil/kg diet), G 3 (basal diet + 0.8 g chia oil/kg diet), G 4 (basal diet + 1.2 g chia oil/kg diet) and G 5 (basal diet + 1.6 g chia oil/kg diet). Birds in the G 2 group exhibited the highest body weight at 3 and 5 weeks of age, and the highest body weight gain at 1-3 weeks (6.24 g) and 1-5 weeks (6.17 g). Birds fed diets enriched with 0.4% chia oil exhibited the best FCR values. Dietary supplementation with chia oil increased the red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), haemoglobin (HGB) and haematocrit (HCT) when compared to the control group (G 1 ). The antioxidant and immunity parameters were not affected by the supplementation of diet with chia oil. This study showed that quail diet supplementation with 0.4 g chia oil/kg diet improved the growth performance, certain blood parameters and lipid profile. Highlights Phytobiotics recently achieved an attention in poultry feed. Cold-pressed chia oil dietary supplementation for quail diet. G 2 possessed the heaviest bodyweight and consumed the lowest feed with the best feed conversion ratio. Quail diet supplementing with 0.4 chia oil/kg diet, improved the growth performance, some blood parameters, lipid profile and immunity.

This work was designed to evaluate the advantages of using multi-strain probiotics feed ( Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis and Clostridium butyricum ) (PRO) and alpha-monolaurin (AML) on laying performance, criteria of egg quality, blood parameters, and yolk fatty acids’ profile in laying hens. One hundred forty of Bovans brown laying hens at 45 weeks old (25 th week of egg production) were randomly allocated into four groups, with seven replicates of five birds each in a complete randomized design. The first group was fed a basal diet without feed additives (0 g/kg diet), and the second, third, and fourth groups received diets containing 1 g PRO, 1 g AML, and 1 g PRO + 1 g AML/kg diet, respectively. No significant impacts of PRO, AML, or their mixture on body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), or egg weight. Egg production, egg mass, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were enhanced by 1 g PRO/kg and /or 1 g AML/kg supplementation in laying hen diets. Furthermore, egg shape index, eggshell thickness, and yolk color were statistically higher by PRO and AML supplementation at 55 weeks. However, oviduct, infundibulum, and uterus weights were significantly decreased by 1 g PRO or/and 1 g AML. Additionally, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein (LDL), glucose, and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) levels were decreased by PRO and AML supplementation. In conclusion, it seems that dietary inclusion with 1 g PRO/kg, 1 g of AML/kg, and 1 g PRO + 1 g AML improved egg production, egg mass, FCR, and yolk fatty acids profile and lowered total cholesterol and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in laying hens.

Lohmann Brown hens (n = 420), at 28 weeks of age, were divided into five dietary treatments, and each treatment included six replicates of 14 laying hens. Dietary crude protein (14%) was presented as the control diet. Dietary L-Thr was added to the control diet for 12 weeks. Dietary Thr levels are 0.43%, 0.49%, 0.57%, 0.66%, and 0.74%, based on digestible base. From 28 to 40 weeks, hen-day egg production presented a quadratic trend to supplementing dietary Thr (R2 = 0.96, p = 0.02), and reached a maximum level at 0.58%. Serum uric acid demonstrated a quadratic trend (R2 = 0.62, p = 0.02) at 0.59%. Both serum total cholesterol and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG-CoA) reductase showed lower levels (p < 0.05) at 0.66% Thr. Serum CuZn-SOD elevated (p < 0.05) at 0.49%, 0.57%, and 0.66% Thr, as compared to the control group, and showed a quadratic trend (R2 = 0.87, p = 0.003) at 0.56%. Supplemental L-Thr decreased (p < 0.05) the expression of ileal HSP70 at 0.66% Thr. In summary, the optimal dietary Thr requirements to optimize egg production, serum uric acid, and serum CuZn-SOD were 0.58%, 0.59%, and 0.56%, respectively, by regression analysis.