La relation des porcs aux humains en élevage : bases biologiques et impact des pratiques

Synthèse.The relationship between pigs and humans is at the heart of animal husbandry and is one of the pillars of the animal welfare issue. Indeed, humans, through their behaviour and their choices of practices, housing conditions and herd management, influence the mental state of their animals. This article aims to review the work in the field of pig farming. We first describe the impact of farming practices and management systems on the relationship between pigs and humans. Experiments have shown that many practices cause pain, anxiety and subsequent reactions of fear in piglets towards humans, even unknown ones. Other practices can be stressful (sorting) or positive (feeding) for animals. “Relational” practices, in the sense of practices aimed at developing a close relationship, reduce fear. We then describe impacts of categories of human interactions (auditory, visual, tactile) on pig behaviour. Human presence, at a rate of a few minutes per day, is sufficient to get a piglet used to humans. Talking to animals is essential, and has an impact even in utero. Piglets appreciate soft tactile contacts, caresses and scratches. Human presence, combined with positive interactions, thus gains a positive value, which creates a climate of trust and stimulates positive emotions that will improve animal welfare. Finally, we discuss the importance of considering pig behaviour to create a good relationship in pig farming and to train and give advice to farmers. Stimulating a good relationship (fearless and confident) will not only promote the welfare of pigs but also secure the work of farmers and improve their job satisfaction.La relation entre les porcs et les humains est au centre de l’élevage et est aujourd’hui un des piliers de la question du bien-être animal. En effet, l’humain, par son comportement et par ses choix de pratiques, de conditions de logement et de gestion du troupeau va influencer l’état mental de ses animaux. Cette synthèse se propose de faire le bilan des travaux sur la relation humain-animal dans le domaine de l’élevage porcin. Nous décrivons tout d’abord l’impact des pratiques et des modes d’élevage sur la relation à l’humain. Des expérimentations ont montré que certaines pratiques sont source de douleur et d’angoisse pour les porcelets, et provoquent des réactions ultérieures de peur vis-à-vis des humains, même inconnus. D’autres pratiques peuvent être stressantes (tri) ou positives (alimentation) pour les animaux. Des pratiques dites relationnelles, au sens de pratiques ayant pour but de développer une relation de proximité, vont diminuer la peur des humains et favoriser une relation de confiance. Nous décrivons ensuite l’impact des différentes catégories d’interactions humaines (auditives, visuelles, tactiles) sur le comportement des porcs. La présence humaine suffit à habituer un porcelet aux humains, à raison de quelques minutes par jour. Parler aux animaux est primordial, et a un impact même in utero. Les porcelets apprécient les contacts tactiles doux, caresses ou grattages. L’humain, associé à des interactions positives, va ainsi prendre une valeur positive, ce qui permettra d’instaurer un climat de confiance et pourra susciter des émotions positives favorables au bien-être animal. Finalement, nous discutons de l’importance de prendre en compte le comportement des porcs pour créer une bonne relation en élevage, et de la prise en compte de l’impact de la relation dans la formation et le conseil aux éleveurs. Favoriser une bonne relation (sans peur et en confiance) sera bénéfique non seulement pour le bien-être des porcs, mais aussi pour la sécurité et la satisfaction au travail des éleveurs

Trace element perspective into the ca. 2.1-billion-year-old shallow-marine microbial mats from the Francevillian Group, Gabon

The sedimentary fabrics of Precambrian mat-related structures (MRS) represent some of the oldest convincing evidence for early life on Earth. The ca. 2.1 billion-year (Ga) old MRS in the FB2 Member of the Francevillian basin in Gabon has received considerable attention not only because they contain remnants of microbial mats that colonized large areas in oxygenated, shallow-marine settings, but they also contain evidence for ancient multicellular organisms that thrived on these microbial mats using them as a food source. Despite these insights, what remains lacking is a full characterization of the geochemical composition of the MRS to test whether the bulk composition of fossilized MRS is distinct from the host sediments (sandstones and shales). Here, we show that the trace element (TE) content of microbial textures belonging to pyritized MRS, poorly pyritized MRS, and “elephant-skin” textures (EST) is highly variable and differs from that of the host sediments. The poorly pyritized MRS contain a unique matrix with embedded Ti- and Zr-rich minerals and syngenetically enriched in TE. The EST, some of which are developed along the same stratigraphic horizon as the poorly pyritized MRS, display a distinct distribution of TE-bearing heavy minerals, suggesting a local difference in physical conditions during sedimentation. Similarly, high chalcophile-element (CE) content in pyritized MRS relative to the host sediments of the FB2 Member further points to local bacterially influenced enrichments with high rates of microbial sulfate reduction during early diagenesis. The geochemical relationship between the MRS and the Francevillian sediments (e.g., FB, FC, and FD formations) indicates that specific biological pathways for CE enrichments (i.e., microbially controlled accumulation) are not apparent. Our findings highlight bulk-rock TE distinction between the 2.1-billion-year-old MRS and their host sediments, but also indicate that environmental conditions, such as hydrodynamic regime and water-column redox chemistry, may simply overwhelm any potential biological signal. Our data suggest that the microbial impact may have only passively influenced TE enrichment in the studied sediments, implying that TE concentrations in MRS are a poor biosignature. Importantly, this work indicates that bulk TE geochemistry does not unveil specific microbiological processes in the rock record, which is consistent with the observed patterns in modern analogues

Performance and Diagnostic Value of Genome-Wide Noninvasive Prenatal Testing in Multiple Gestations.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy and diagnostic value of genome-wide noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for the detection of fetal aneuploidies in multiple gestations, with a focus on dichorionic-diamniotic twin pregnancies. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study including data from pregnant women with a twin or higher-order gestation who underwent genome-wide NIPT at one of the eight Belgian genetic centers between November 1, 2013, and March 1, 2020. Chorionicity and amnionicity were determined by ultrasonography. Follow-up invasive testing was carried out in the event of positive NIPT results. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for the detection of trisomy 21, 18, and 13 in the dichorionic-diamniotic twin cohort. RESULTS: Unique NIPT analyses were performed for 4,150 pregnant women with a multiple gestation and an additional 767 with vanishing gestations. The failure rate in multiple gestations excluding vanishing gestations ranged from 0% to 11.7% among the different genetic centers. Overall, the failure rate was 4.8%, which could be reduced to 1.2% after single resampling. There were no common fetal trisomies detected among the 86 monochorionic-monoamniotic and 25 triplet cases. Two monochorionic-diamniotic twins had an NIPT result indicative of a trisomy 21, which was confirmed in both fetuses. Among 2,716 dichorionic-diamniotic twin gestations, a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI 74.12-100%) and a specificity of 100% (95% CI 99.86-100%) was reached for trisomy 21 (n=12). For trisomy 18 (n=3), the respective values were 75% (95% CI 30.06-95.44%) sensitivity and 100% (95% CI 99.86-100%) specificity, and for trisomy 13 (n=2), 100% (95% CI 20.65-100%) sensitivity and 99.96% (95% CI 99.79-99.99%) specificity. In the vanishing gestation group, 28 NIPT results were positive for trisomy 21, 18, or 13, with only five confirmed trisomies. CONCLUSION: Genome-wide NIPT performed accurately for detection of aneuploidy in dichorionic-diamniotic twin gestations

Standards for Libraries in Higher Education

The Standards for Libraries in Higher Education are designed to guide academic libraries in advancing and sustaining their role as partners in educating students, achieving their institutions’ missions, and positioning libraries as leaders in assessment and continuous improvement on their campuses. Libraries must demonstrate their value and document their contributions to overall institutional effectiveness and be prepared to address changes in higher education. These Standards were developed through study and consideration of new and emerging issues and trends in libraries, higher education, and accrediting practices. These Standards differ from previous versions by articulating expectations for library contributions to institutional effectiveness. These Standards differ structurally by providing a comprehensive framework using an outcomes-based approach, with evidence collected in ways most appropriate for each institution

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Rearing entire pigs in barren or enriched housing: consequences on the human-animal relationship

Session 31 : Free communications in animal management and healthInternational audienc

Conséquences de l'élevage de porcs mâles entiers sur la relation homme-animal en environnement conventionnel et enrichi

Castration is notably used to reduce pigs’ aggressiveness towards humans and facilitate handling. However, there are no scientific data to confirm this. We compared entire and castrated male pigs reared in a conventional or an enriched environment.Eighty males (groups of 10) were studied: 40 surgically castrated at 5‐6 days of age and 40 left entire. Half of each type was reared in a conventional environment (1 m²/animal, slatted floor) and the other half in an enriched environment (2.5 m²/animal, strawand outdoor run). We evaluated the pigs’ manageability during weighing and interactions with humans at 80 and 140 days of age in a testing pen. Animals from the enriched environment required less pushing to enter the weighing cage than those from theconventional environment. During the experiment, no entire male expressed any aggressive behaviour towards the human present. At 80 days of age, entire males stayed closer to the human for longer periods of time than castrates, and they reacted tothe human’s departure with an increase in locomotor activity. Regardless of age, pigs from the enriched environment were less likely to stand next to the human than those from the conventional environment, and they vocalized more in the human’spresence and after his departure.These results do not support the bad reputation of entire males (aggressive, difficult to handle). Enriching the environment did not change the effects of non‐castration on the human‐animal relationship but did lead to less interest in the human involved in theexperiment

Behavioural, endocrine and immune consequences of mixing in weaned piglets

International audienc

The stress response in pigs is stressor-specific: comparison of the responses to social and inflammatory challenges in piglets

National audienc

Behavioural, endocrine and immune consequences of mixing in weaned piglets

International audienc