ABSTRACT This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of supplementing tea polyphenols (TP) in diet of laying hens on yolk cholesterol content and production performance. A total of 1800 Lohmann laying hens aged 48 weeks were randomly allocated to 6 groups. Each group consisted of 6 replicates with 50 layers. The feeding experiment was 4 weeks including one-week acclimatization. Layers fed basal diet supplemented with 0, 150, 200, 250, 300 and 350 mg TP/kg diet, respectively. The results showed that average daily feed intake (ADFI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), average egg weight (AEW), laying rate and the indicators of egg quality were not significantly affected by the diet supplemented with 300 mg/kg TP (p>0.05). However, yolk cholesterol content decreased by increasing TP concentration (p<0.01), with 18.06% reduction in layers fed diet supplemented with 300 mg TP/kg. Also, the diet supplemented with 300 mg/kg TP significantly decreased plasma triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level (p<0.05). The activity of serum glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) was enhanced by increasing TP concentration, while the content of serum methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA) was decreased by increasing TP concentration. The highest activity of GSH-Px and the lowest serum MDA content were both determined in 300 mg/kg TP group (p<0.01). In conclusion, this study suggests that the addition of 300 mg TP/kg basal diet had no negative effect on the production performance laying hens, yet decreased the egg yolk cholesterol content and enhanced the antioxidant capacity of laying hens at the same time.

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyse the incidence of long and short corrected QT (QTc) in a healthy sample of the population of Changsha in China. Methods: Standard 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) were performed on 4025 subjects in Changsha of China, whose age ranged from 6 minutes after birth to 83 years, between January 1993 and December 2012. Heart rate and QT interval were measured and recorded. Corrected QT was calculated with Bazett´s formula (QTc = QT/RR0.5). All recruited individuals had taken healthy examination, ruling out general health issue, in The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 16.0 software (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA). Results: The incidence of short QTc was 7.13% (287/4025 cases). The peak values of the incidence were in the 30–40 years group (15.71%). The low values were in the 1–3 months group and 3–6 months group (0%, 0.76%), respectively. The incidence of long QTc was 3.16% (127/4025 cases). The values diminished significantly after adulthood. The low values were in the age groups of 18–30 years (0.86%) and 30–40 years (0.71%), respectively. After the age of 50 years, the incidence of long QTc increased with age 50–60 years and 60–70 years and 70–83 years (7.89%, 9.06%, 14.06%), respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the genders (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The peak incidences of long and short QTc existed in two separate age groups in the healthy sample. The peak incidence of short QTc was in the age group of 18–40 years, and the peak incidence of long QTc was in the age group beyond the 50 years. For these two age groups, it was recommended to pay close attention to the changes in their QTc in order to prevent cardiovascular events.

ABSTRACT Background: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a common orthostatic blood pressure (BP) regulation disorder. Orthostatic hypertension (OHT), on the other hand, is not so common but has relevancy with autonomic neuropathy and diabetes. Orthostatic hypotension is prevalent in females and elderly person. But prevalence of OHT in age and gender is poorly studied. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted. Data collection was from January 2000 to August 2012. Inclusion criteria were patients referred for syncope of unknown origin, headache, dizziness, chest tightness or sighing. Comparisons were made between males and females, and those < 12 year and those ≥ 12 years of age. First outcomes included OHT frequency. Secondary outcomes included age and gender differences in head-up tilt test (HUTT) results and its reaction type, the increment of systolic pressure and diastolic pressure at three minutes of HUTT. Results: Out of a total of 2089 children, OHT was noted in 498 cases. Orthostatic hypertension frequency was higher in males (25.93% vs 21.63%, p < 0.05) and those ≥ 12 years of age (20.48% vs 28.05%, p < 0.05). In OHT children, HUTT positive rate was higher in females (48.6% vs 38.1%, p < 0.05) and those ≥ 12 years of age (51.5% vs 33.2%, p < 0.01). No significant age and gender differences were noted in systolic and diastolic BP in OHT children within three minutes during HUTT. Conclusions: Orthostatic hypotension in children was more often seen in males and in those aged ≥ 12.

RESUMEN Antecedentes: La hipotensión ortostática (HO) es un trastorno de la regulación ortostática común de la presión arterial (PA). Por otro lado, la hipertensión ortostática (HTO) no es tan común, pero tiene importancia en relación con la neuropatía y la diabetes autonómicas. La hipotensión ortostática es frecuente en mujeres y personas mayores. Pero la prevalencia de HTO con respecto a edad y género no ha sido muy estudiada. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo de corte transversal. La recogida de datos se realizó de enero de 2000 hasta agosto de 2012. Los criterios de inclusión fueron los pacientes remitidos por síncope de origen desconocido, dolor de cabeza, mareos, opresión en el pecho o suspiros. Se realizaron comparaciones entre varones y hembras, y aquellos de < 12 y ≥ 12 años de edad. Los primeros resultados incluyeron la frecuencia de HTO. Los resultados secundarios incluyeron diferencias de edad y de género en los resultados de la prueba de inclinación (PI) y sus tipos de reacción, el incremento de la presión sistólica y la presión diastólica a los tres minutos de PI. Resultados: De un total de 2089 niños, se observó HTO en 498 casos. La frecuencia de hipertensión ortostática fue mayor en los varones (25.93% vs 21.63%, p < 0.05) y aquellos con ≥ 12 años de edad (20.48% vs 28.05%, p < 0.05). En niños con HTO, la tasa de PI positivos fue mayor en las hembras (48.6% vs 38.1%, p < 0.05) y en aquellos con ≥ 12 años de edad (51.5% vs 33.2%, p < 0.01). No se observó ningún tipo de depresión cardíaca. El tipo mixto fue visto más a menudo en hembras (25.2% vs 13.2%, p < 0.05). No se observó ninguna diferencia significativa de edad y género en la PA sistólica y diastólica en niños con HTO en el plazo de tres minutos durante la PI. Conclusiones: La hipotensión ortostática en niños fue vista más a menudo en varones y en aquellos de edad ≥ 12.