The vascular supply of the dove adrenal gland was examined by scanning electron microscopy. There were three vascular structures in the dove adrenal gland; arteries, veins and the adrenal portal vein. The left adrenal artery was a branch of the descending aorta and the right adrenal artery was a branch of the anterior mesenteric artery. The capillaries in the adrenal gland coursed in a central direction into the gland to connect with the adrenal veins. The right adrenal veins drained into the caudal vena cava, and the left adrenal veins drained into the common illiac vein or caudal vena cava.
The adrenal portal vein had a connection with veins from the internal vertebral sinus and with veins from the flank muscles. The adrenal portal vein fanned out to enclose the adrenal gland. From the surface of the gland, it coursed into the parenchyma and branched to form a dense capillary plexus.
The structure of the adrenal portal vein suggests that it may act as a functional blood system, like the hepatic portal vein, and may play an important role in the hypophysio-adrenal control system.

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To clarify catecholaminergic systems on the regulation of food intake in the neonatal chick, we examined the effects of intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of prazosin (α₁-adrenoceptor antagonist), yohimbine (α₂-adrenoceptor antagonist) and benserazide (an inhibitor of L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase). We found that food intake was significantly suppressed by ICV injection of yohimbine (25 and 50μg) over 60min (P<0.05). Any doses of prazosin (1.25, 2.5 and 5.0μg) did not alter food intake of chicks (P>0.05). ICV administration of benserazide induced a hypophagia after 60min postinjection (P<0.05). It is suggested that catecholaminergic systems play an important role in the neural regulation of food intake in chicks, especially through α₂-adrenoceptor.

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Injection of immature hens with estrogen increases the population of antigen-presenting cells, T cells and Ig-containing cells in the ovary and oviduct. The aim of this study was to determine the organ-specificity of estrogen effects on the localization of immunocompetent cells in the chicken. Immature hens were injected with or without diethylstilbestrol, which is an estrogenic compound, for 3 or 6 days and their vagina, ovary, liver, duodenum and lung were collected. Paraffin or frozen sections of them were immunostained for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II, CD3 (T cell antigen), Bu-1 (premature B cell antigen) and IgG, respectively. All four types of immunocompetent cells, namely MHC class II⁺, CD3⁺, Bu-1⁺ and IgG⁺ cells, were observed in the sections of each tissue. Treatment with diethylstilbestrol increased the population of these immunocompetent cells in the vagina, ovary and liver that are estrogen target organs, but not in the duodenum and lung. We suggest that estrogen increases immunocompetent cells in an organ-specific manner in the chicken.

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Responses of broiler to dietary Japanese green tea powder (GTP) were investigated using 30 broiler chicks reared from 18 to 52 days of age. Five rations were formulated by addition of 0, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0 and 1.5% of GTP to starter and finisher diets, and each ration was fed ad libitum to appropriate group each consisting of 6 birds. Supplemental GTP tended to decrease feed intake and body weight gain with a higher dose, but tended to improve feed conversion ratio. Dressing percentage was not affected by GTP, though proportions of some parts of the carcass were influenced. Proportion of thigh meat was increased by 1.5% GTP feeding while that of wing meat was decreased in all GTP-fed groups. The quantity and percentage of abdominal fat were decreased significantly (P<0.05) by GTP supplementation. Levels of liver cholesterol, liver fat and blood serum cholesterol were significantly reduced (P<0.05) by GTP feeding. Thiobarbituric acid content of meat remained significantly lower (P<0.05) in GTP fed broilers. GTP is likely to produce broilers with less fat, cholesterol and oxidative profiles without serious adverse effects on general performance.

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In order to trace the donor blastodermal cell movement in the recipient embryos, stage X blastodermal cells derived from the central disc (CD), marginal zone (MZ) and area opaca (AO) were transfected in vitro by lipofection using green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene as a marker and transferred them into recipient blastoderms. Expression of the GFP gene in the whole blastoderm was observed in all the embryos manipulated at day 1 of incubation. After that, the GFP gene expression decreased with the incubation period and at day 3 of incubation the GFP gene expression was detected only in the extra-embryonic membranes. The frequency of the GFP gene expression at day 3 of incubation was lower when the donor blastodermal cells were derived from the CD compared with the MZ or AO, probably due to the active cell proliferation in the recipient embryos. The GFP gene is very useful as a marker to trace cell movement for short-term, but stable incorporation into the donor cell chromosomes is necessary for long-term tracing.

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Using the fluorescent polarization (P) it is shown that the avian cell membranes change their fluidity in some circumstances like the mammalian cells. The cells from a liver tumor (myelocytoblastoma) were compared to normal leukocytes, macrophages and bone-marrow cells in turkeys. It turned out that the cancer cells really showed increased fluidity. The bone-marrow cells could not adsorb the fluorescent probe and the viscosity remained undistinguished.

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In view of the increasing world population, the supply of sufficient food for human consumption is an issue now and will become more so in the future. With chicken meats now accounting for almost 30% of the worldwide demand for meat, the major issue for consumers to contend with in their choice of meat is that of quality. The present paper describes mainly the contribution to the present time of dietary management in the expanded production of poultry, and the possible role of nutritional or dietary modifications in meeting future demands for efficient meat production while keeping with consumer expectations of meat quality. Further developments must be made in our understanding of nutrition and the underlying physiology of chickens, as well as the nutritional and physiological roles of macro- and micro-nutrients. These, together with exploitation of new feeding technologies under a shortened feeding duration up to market, while aiming for better meat quality, will promise a balanced growth of the broiler industry. The introduction of newly-developed gene modification technology may also be anticipated to add further to the improvement of meat production and meat quality, while at the same time the merits and/or disadvantages of the technology and consumers' acceptance must be taken into consideration. Future developments in nutritional and genetic modifications should be harmonized with the aim to produce better quality meat for human consumption.

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Basic situation of poultry genetic resources and poultry production in China was briefly introduced. The strategy on conservation and utilization were to breed new breeds or lines, to use heterosis and to develop new poultry products. Methods of selection, breeding procedure of quality meat yellow chickens, functional eggs with green shell, breeding systems of pure and cross breeds were also introduced.

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Asia accounted for 87% of the world's duck population in 1999. In last two decades, duck meat and duck egg production has increased more than 4 times in Asia. This increment came from the growing duck population of local breeds, as well as the expansion of imported breeds from foreign breeding companies. Future aspects of duck production in Asia will be discussed in this paper. These include the improvement of production efficiency, the influence from joint venture, the utilization of locally available feedstuffs, duck-cum-rice and duck-cum-fish integrated systems, genetic resource conservation, low-fat duck production, the development of value-added duck products, product biosecurity and disease control, and pollution control of duck-raising.

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