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ABSTRACT A large amount of sequencing data is produced in microbial community ecology studies using the high-throughput sequencing technique, especially amplicon-sequencing-based community data. After conducting the initial bioinformatic analysis of amplicon sequencing data, performing the subsequent statistics and data mining based on the operational taxonomic unit and taxonomic assignment tables is still complicated and time-consuming. To address this problem, we present an integrated R package-‘microeco’ as an analysis pipeline for treating microbial community and environmental data. This package was developed based on the R6 class system and combines a series of commonly used and advanced approaches in microbial community ecology research. The package includes classes for data preprocessing, taxa abundance plotting, venn diagram, alpha diversity analysis, beta diversity analysis, differential abundance test and indicator taxon analysis, environmental data analysis, null model analysis, network analysis and functional analysis. Each class is designed to provide a set of approaches that can be easily accessible to users. Compared with other R packages in the microbial ecology field, the microeco package is fast, flexible and modularized to use and provides powerful and convenient tools for researchers. The microeco package can be installed from CRAN (The Comprehensive R Archive Network) or github (https://github.com/ChiLiubio/microeco). An integrated and powerful R package-microeco was developed for researchers to perform data mining of amplicon sequencing in microbial community ecology.

Objective: This study evaluated the effects of glutamic acid (Glu) and glutamine (Gln) on the intestinal development of layer chicks with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced damage.Methods: A total of 240 healthy 0-d-old Hy-Line Brown chicks were randomly assigned to 4 treatments, each with 6 replicates. At 8 and 11 d of age, all birds (except for the control group) received two administrations of LPS. The LPS-challenged birds were divided into three dietary treatment groups: a basal diet (without additives), a 0.05% Glu-supplemented diet, and a 0.20% Gln-supplemented diet.Results: The LPS challenge induced intestinal injury and suppressed intestinal development in layer chicks, as evidenced by reduced growth performance, poor intestinal parameters, and morphology (p<0.05). Compared to the LPS group, dietary supplementation with 0.05% Glu and 0.20% Gln enhanced average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake, body weight (BW), and intestinal development parameters (including length, weight, villus height, and villus height/crypt depth) of duodenum, jejunum and ileum (p<0.05). These results could be attributed to upregulated mRNA expression levels of Mucin-2, Ecadherin, Dclk-1, Vil-1, Lysozyme, ChgA, Lgr-5, Bmi-1, ATP5F1AZ, and β-catenin (p<0.05). Furthermore, dietary supplementation with 0.20% Gln outperformed 0.05% Glu in enhancing BW, ADG, and ileum parameters (weight, length, epithelial cell count, and energy metabolism) (p<0.05). Additionally, intestinal organoids supplemented with 10 μM Gln had higher mean area, E-cadherin gene expression, and ATP content compared with those treated with 5 μM Glu in vitro (p<0.05).Conclusion: Dietary supplementation with 0.05% Glu and 0.20% Gln could improve growth performance, intestinal development, and repair intestinal damage in layer chicks through enhanced epithelial proliferation and differentiation. Moreover, 0.20% Gln performed better than 0.05% Glu, which may be attributed to superior energy metabolism.

Polysaccharide decolorization is a key determinant of polysaccharide structure. In this study, two purified Rehmannia glutinosa polysaccharides, RGP−1−A and RGP−2−A, were obtained after decolorization using the AB-8 macroporous resin and H2O2, respectively. RGP−1−A (molecular weight (Mw) = 18,964 Da) and RGP−2−A (Mw = 3305 Da) were acidic and neutral heteropolysaccharides, respectively, and were both polycrystalline in structure. FTIR analysis revealed that RGP−1−A was a sulfate polysaccharide, while RGP−2−A had no sulfate group. Experiments on IPEC-1 cells showed that RGPs alleviated oxidative stress by regulating the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway. These findings were confirmed by the upregulation of Nrf2, NQO1, and HO-1; the subsequent increase in the levels of antioxidant indicators (SOD, LDH, CAT, and MDA); and the restoration of mitochondrial membrane potential. Overall, the antioxidant capacity of RGP−1−A was significantly higher than that of RGP−2−A. These results suggest that RGPs may be a potential natural antioxidant and could be developed into functional foods.

Polysaccharide decolorization has a major effect on polysaccharide function. In the present study, the decolorization of Rehmannia glutinosa polysaccharides (RGP) is optimized using two methods—the AB-8 macroporous resin (RGP-1) method and the H2O2 (RGP-2) method. The optimal decolorization parameters for the AB-8 macroporous resin method were as follows: temperature, 50 °C; macroporous resin addition, 8.4%; decolorization duration, 64 min; and pH, 5. Under these conditions, the overall score was 65.29 ± 3.4%. The optimal decolorization conditions for the H2O2 method were as follows: temperature, 51 °C; H2O2 addition, 9.5%; decolorization duration, 2 h; and pH, 8.6. Under these conditions, the overall score was 79.29 ± 4.8%. Two pure polysaccharides (RGP-1-A and RGP-2-A) were isolated from RGP-1 and RGP-2. Subsequently, their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms were evaluated. RGP treatment activated the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway and significantly increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes (p < 0.05). It also inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory factors and suppressed the TLR4/NF-κB pathway (p < 0.05). RGP-1-A had a significantly better protective effect than RGP-2-A, likely owing to the sulfate and uronic groups it contains. Together, the findings indicate that RGP can act as a natural agent for the prevention of oxidation and inflammation-related diseases.

Ascorbic acid (AA) is an indispensable nutrient required to sustain optimal poultry health and performance, which is commonly excluded from the diet of broilers. To investigate the synthesis and distribution of AA during broiler growth and clarify its possible turnover, 144 1 d old healthy Arbor Acres broilers with a body weight of approximately 41 g were randomly assigned to eight groups of 18 broilers each. The kidney, liver, ileum, and spleen of one bird from each group were collected every week until 42 d to detect the synthesis capacity, tissue distribution, and transporter gene expression of AA. The results showed that kidney L-gulonolactone oxidase (GLO) activity responded quadratically (p < 0.001), with maximum activity observed at 7 to 21 d old. Hepatic total AA and dehydroascrobate (DHA) concentration increased linearly (p < 0.001) with age, as did splenic total AA (p < 0.001). In the ileum, mRNA expression of sodium vitamin C transporter 1/2 (SVCT1/2) decreased with the growing age of the broilers (p < 0.05). The expression of SVCT1 in the kidney was not influenced by the growing age of the broilers. The progressive buildup of AA in the liver and spleen of broilers as they age implies an amplified demand for this nutrient. The waning synthesis capacity over time, however, raises concerns regarding the possible inadequacy of AA in the latter growth phase of broilers. The addition of AA to the broilers’ diet might have the potential to optimize their performance. However, the effectiveness of such dietary supplementation requires further investigation.

Polysaccharide decolorization is a key determinant of polysaccharide structure. In this study, two purified Rehmannia glutinosa polysaccharides, RGP−1−A and RGP−2−A, were obtained after decolorization using the AB-8 macroporous resin and H[sub.2] O[sub.2] , respectively. RGP−1−A (molecular weight (Mw) = 18,964 Da) and RGP−2−A (Mw = 3305 Da) were acidic and neutral heteropolysaccharides, respectively, and were both polycrystalline in structure. FTIR analysis revealed that RGP−1−A was a sulfate polysaccharide, while RGP−2−A had no sulfate group. Experiments on IPEC-1 cells showed that RGPs alleviated oxidative stress by regulating the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway. These findings were confirmed by the upregulation of Nrf2, NQO1, and HO-1; the subsequent increase in the levels of antioxidant indicators (SOD, LDH, CAT, and MDA); and the restoration of mitochondrial membrane potential. Overall, the antioxidant capacity of RGP−1−A was significantly higher than that of RGP−2−A. These results suggest that RGPs may be a potential natural antioxidant and could be developed into functional foods.

Polysaccharide decolorization has a major effect on polysaccharide function. In the present study, the decolorization of Rehmannia glutinosa polysaccharides (RGP) is optimized using two methods-the AB-8 macroporous resin (RGP-1) method and the H[sub.2] O[sub.2] (RGP-2) method. The optimal decolorization parameters for the AB-8 macroporous resin method were as follows: temperature, 50 °C; macroporous resin addition, 8.4%; decolorization duration, 64 min; and pH, 5. Under these conditions, the overall score was 65.29 ± 3.4%. The optimal decolorization conditions for the H[sub.2] O[sub.2] method were as follows: temperature, 51 °C; H[sub.2] O[sub.2] addition, 9.5%; decolorization duration, 2 h; and pH, 8.6. Under these conditions, the overall score was 79.29 ± 4.8%. Two pure polysaccharides (RGP-1-A and RGP-2-A) were isolated from RGP-1 and RGP-2. Subsequently, their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms were evaluated. RGP treatment activated the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway and significantly increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes (p < 0.05). It also inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory factors and suppressed the TLR4/NF-κB pathway (p < 0.05). RGP-1-A had a significantly better protective effect than RGP-2-A, likely owing to the sulfate and uronic groups it contains. Together, the findings indicate that RGP can act as a natural agent for the prevention of oxidation and inflammation-related diseases.

Objective: This study evaluated the effects of glutamic acid (Glu) and glutamine (Gln) on the intestinal development of layer chicks with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced damage. Methods: A total of 240 healthy 0-d-old Hy-Line Brown chicks were randomly assigned to 4 treatments, each with 6 replicates. At 8 and 11 d of age, all birds (except for the control group) received two administrations of LPS. The LPS-challenged birds were divided into three dietary treatment groups: a basal diet (without additives), a 0.05% Glu-supplemented diet, and a 0.20% Gln-supplemented diet. Results: The LPS challenge induced intestinal injury and suppressed intestinal development in layer chicks, as evidenced by reduced growth performance, poor intestinal parameters, and morphology (p<0.05). Compared to the LPS group, dietary supplementation with 0.05% Glu and 0.20% Gln enhanced average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake, body weight (BW), and intestinal development parameters (including length, weight, villus height, and villus height/crypt depth) of duodenum, jejunum and ileum (p<0.05). These results could be attributed to upregulated mRNA expression levels of Mucin-2, E-cadherin, Dclk-1, Vil-1, Lysozyme, ChgA, Lgr-5, Bmi-1, ATP5F1AZ, and -catenin (p<0.05). Furthermore, dietary supplementation with 0.20% Gln outperformed 0.05% Glu in enhancing BW, ADG, and ileum parameters (weight, length, epithelial cell count, and energy metabolism) (p<0.05). Additionally, intestinal organoids supplemented with 10 µM Gln had higher mean area, E-cadherin gene expression, and ATP content compared with those treated with 5 µM Glu in vitro (p<0.05). Conclusion: Dietary supplementation with 0.05% Glu and 0.20% Gln could improve growth performance, intestinal development, and repair intestinal damage in layer chicks through enhanced epithelial proliferation and differentiation. Moreover, 0.20% Gln performed better than 0.05% Glu, which may be attributed to superior energy metabolism.

This research explores two novel geometric concepts—nearly convex points and locally nearly uniformly convex points within the frameworks of Banach spaces and Orlicz spaces equipped with the Luxemburg norm. First, we establish the general characterization criteria for nearly convex points in Banach spaces. Then, we analyze the intrinsic connection between locally nearly uniformly convex points and nearly extreme points in Banach spaces. Additionally, we provide comprehensive characterizations of locally nearly uniformly convex points in both Orlicz function spaces and Orlicz sequence spaces under the Luxemburg norm. These findings enrich the geometric theory system of Banach and Orlicz spaces, offering new theoretical support for related research directions.

In this paper, locally nearly uniformly convex (LNUC) is studied in Banach space. Furthermore, the implication relationship between (LNUC) and the Kadec–Klee property (KK), the fixed–point property (FPP) are investigated in Banach space. Finally, the relationship between the uniform Kadec−Klee property (UKK), the coordinate-wise uniform Kadec–Klee property (UKKC), the coordinate-wise Kadec–Klee property (Hc) and δ2 conditions are investigated in Orlicz sequence spaces equipped with the Orlicz norm, meanwhile we get a criteria that Orlicz sequence spaces equipped with the Orlicz norm are (LNUC).