In Vitro Growth Characteristic and Microbial Community Dynamic of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar L) Gastrointestinal Tract in Relation to the Different Diet Formulations

In order to better understand microbial changes within the salmon gastrointestinal tract as determined at the dietary level, the microbial community dynamics were assessed within a simple in vitro growth model system. In this system the growth and composition of bacteria were monitored within diet slurries held under anaerobic conditions inoculated with salmon faecal samples. This system was assessed using total viable bacteria counts (TVC), automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and 16S rRNA pair-end Illumina-based sequence analysis

Thermal H₂O emission from the Herbig-Haro flow HH 54

The first detection of thermal water emission from a Herbig-Haro object is presented. The observations were performed with the LWS (Long Wavelength Spectrograph) aboard ISO (Infrared Space Observatory). Besides H2O, rotational lines of CO are present in the spectrum of HH 54. These high-J CO lines are used to derive the physical model parameters of the FIR (far-infrared) molecular line emitting regions. This model fits simultaneously the observed OH and H2O spectra for an OH abundance X(OH)=10-6 and a water vapour abundance X(H2O)=10-5. At a distance of 250pc, the total CO, OH and H2O rotational line cooling rate is estimated to be 1.3x10-2 L⊙, which is comparable to the mechanical luminosity generated by the 10km s-1 shocks, suggesting that practically all of the cooling of the weak-shock regions is done by these three molecular species alone

Digestibility in selected rainbow trout families and modelling of growth from the specific intake of digestible protein

The experiments aimed to clarify variations in digestibility of dietary nutrients in rainbow trout. Furthermore, the objective was to study how differences in digestibility might be related to growth and feed utilisation at various growth rates. When comparing the results from the experiments it appeared that particularly protein digestibility was closely related to specific growth rate and feed conversion ratio at high growth rates. As a tool to visualise the relationship between protein digestibility and growth of rainbow trout a growth model was developed based on the specific intake of digestible protein, and general assumptions on protein content and protein retention efficiency in rainbow trout. The model indicated that increased protein digestibility only partly explained growth increase and that additional factors were important for growth increment

Detection of [O I] 63 <i>μ</i>m in absorption toward Sgr B2

A high signal-to-noise 52-90 μm spectrum is presented for the central part of the Sagittarius B2 complex. The data were obtained with the Long Wavelength Spectrometer on board the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). The [O I] 63 μm line is detected in absorption even at the grating spectral resolution of 0.29 μm. A lower limit for the column density of atomic oxygen of the order of 1019 cm-2 is derived. This implies that more than 40% of the interstellar oxygen must be in atomic form along the line of sight toward the Sgr B2 molecular cloud

Analysis of HIV disease burden by calculating the percentages of patients with CD4 counts

Background. South Africa (SA)’s Comprehensive HIV and AIDS Care, Management and Treatment (CCMT) programme has reduced new HIV infections and HIV-related deaths. In spite of progress made, 11.2% of South Africans (4.02 million) were living with HIV in 2015.Objective. The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) in SA performs CD4 testing in support of the CCMT programme and collates data through the NHLS Corporate Data Warehouse. The objective of this study was to assess the distribution of CD4 counts &lt;100 cells/μL (defining severely immunosuppressed HIV-positive patients) and &gt;500 cells/μL (as an HIV-positive ‘wellness’ indicator).Methods. CD4 data were extracted for the financial years 2010/11 and 2014/15, according to the district where the test was ordered, for predefined CD4 ranges. National and provincial averages of CD4 counts &lt;100 and &gt;500 cells/μL were calculated. Data were analysed using Stata 12 and mapping was done with ArcGIS software, reporting percentages of CD4 counts &lt;100 and &gt;500 cells/μL by district.Results. The national average percentage of patients with CD4 counts &lt;100 cells/μL showed a marked decrease (by 22%) over the 5-year study period, with a concurrent increase in CD4 counts &gt;500 cells/μL (by 57%). District-by-district analysis showed that in 2010/11, 44/52 districts had &gt;10% of CD4 samples with counts &lt;100 cells/μL, decreasing to only 17/52 districts by 2014/15. Overall, districts in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal had the lowest percentages of CD4 counts &lt;100 cells/μL, as well as the highest percentages of counts &gt;500 cells/μL. In contrast, in 2014/15, the highest percentages of CD4 counts &lt;100 cells/μL were noted in the West Rand (Gauteng), Vhembe (Limpopo) and Nelson Mandela Bay (Eastern Cape) districts, where the lowest percentages of counts &gt;500 cells/μL were also noted.Conclusions. The percentages of CD4 counts &lt;100 cells/μL highlighted here reveal districts with positive change suggestive of programmatic improvements, and also highlight districts requiring local interventions to achieve the UNAIDS/SA National Department of Health 90-90-90 HIV treatment goals. The study further underscores the value of using NHLS laboratory data, an underutilised national resource, to leverage laboratory test data to enable a more comprehensive understanding of programme-specific health indicators

Documented higher burden of advanced and very advanced HIV disease among patients, especially men, accessing healthcare in a rapidly growing economic and industrial hub in South Africa: A call to action

Background. Lephalale Municipality in Limpopo Province, South Africa, has seen significant economic and industrial development owing to expansion of the coal mining and power generation sectors. This development has coincided with substantial population growth of 65% between 2001 and 2016, attributable to largely (migrant) males living in the area who, overall, outnumbered females by ~121:100. The local HIV prevalence is reported to be higher than national rates.Objectives. Anonymised National Health Laboratory Service CD4+ data were used to document increasing laboratory services workload and to establish the burden of advanced (CD4+ count &lt;200 cells/µL) and very advanced (&lt;100 cells/µL) HIV disease among adult patients accessing public healthcare in Lephalale between 2006 and 2015.Methods. A cross-sectional design was used to analyse CD4+ laboratory data. CD4+ outcomes were categorised by volumes of tests, year, health facility type, age categories (15 - 19, 20 - 24, 25 - 29, 30 - 34, 35 - 39, 40 - 44, 45 - 49 and &gt;49 years), CD4+ test range (≤50, 51 - 100, 101 - 200, 201 - 350, 351 - 500 and ≥501 cells/µL) and gender. Median CD4+ counts were calculated.Results. Extracted Lephalale data comprised 57 490 CD4+ results, with a mean patient age of 34 years. Considerably fewer male than female patients had CD4+ counts reported (male/female ratio 0.45:1). CD4+ test volumes showed a five-fold escalation over the study period, increasing from 1 458 tests in 2006 to 8 239 in 2015. A considerable burden of advanced and very advanced HIV disease (exceeding 50% of all cases) was noted in 2006/2007; by 2015 the proportion had fallen, but was still high at 27%. The overall median CD4+ count in 2006 (192 cells/µL) confirmed a high burden of advanced disease, with modest improvement to 289 cells/µL by 2015. Between 2006 and 2015, the median CD4+ count for females increased from 204 to 405 cells/µL, while that for males increased from 126 to 285 cells/µL. Age analysis further revealed that men aged &lt;20 years or &gt;25 years, and specifically those aged 30 - 45 years, had up to 44% more advanced HIV disease.Conclusions. Lower median CD4+ counts and a dramatic increase in volumes of CD4+ tests performed from 2007 onwards revealed a high burden of advanced and very advanced HIV disease in patients accessing care in Lephalale. Viewed together with Statistics South Africa census documentation of a disproportionately high number of males compared with females living in the area, these figures suggest that improved systems are urgently needed to encourage and accommodate access to HIV care for male (migrant worker) patients living and working in emerging industrial centres

Piloting a national laboratory electronic programme status reporting system in Ekurhuleni health district, South Africa

Background. The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) performs ~4 million CD4 tests per annum for the public health sector at 61 CD4 testing laboratories across South Africa. Currently, CD4 laboratory data captured do not differentiate between antiretroviral treatment (ART) and pre-ART care.Methods. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to evaluate a redesigned Comprehensive Care, Management and Treatment of HIV and AIDS (CCMT) request form, incorporating a two-tick collection procedure linking the CD4 test request to patient CCMT programme status. Field testing was undertaken at three health facilities, where healthcare personnel were required to capture whether the CD4 count requested was a ‘first-ever CD4’, ‘CD4 taken previously, not yet in ART care’ or ‘in ART care’. All data were extracted from the NHLS Corporate Data Warehouse and analysed using Microsoft Excel and Stata-12.Results. A substantial increase in the number of request forms with a CCMT programme status (28.1% v. 84.4%) was reported pre- and post-implementation. Post-implementation data (N=1 004) revealed that 30.8% patients were ART naive (‘first-ever CD4’), with 7.4% ‘not yet on ART’ (median CD4 counts of 150 and 328 cells/μL, respectively). Patients on ART comprised 61.9% of the study group (median CD4 count ~346 cells/μL). Sixty percent of patients were aged between 30 and 44 years, and females predominated (male/ female ratio 0.7:1).Conclusions. A simple modification to the CCMT request form can successfully facilitate collection of programme status. For national implementation, it would be advantageous to have a unique patient identifier to further enhance laboratory-based programmatic monitoring and evaluation

A feed is still only as good as its ingredients: An update on the nutritional research strategies for the optimal evaluation of ingredients for aquaculture feeds

The choice of strategies used to assess ingredients can have a strong impact on the interpretation of their quality. In an attempt to standardize the assessment process, a structured approach using five steps for assessing the quality of ingredients was proposed over a decade ago. Since then, there has been considerable progress in the science of ingredient evaluation, and expectations from the users of those ingredients have also evolved. Two additional steps have emerged that formulators require to make appropriate decisions in the use of ingredients. Accordingly, a series of seven steps (and the order in which they should be done) to develop a comprehensive data set on ingredient quality is proposed; Step 1 Characterization, Step 2 Palatability, Step 3 Digestibility, Step 4 Utilization, Step 5 Immunological, Step 6 Processing Effects and Step 7 Product Quality Influences. Once these seven steps had been achieved, a formulator can make the appropriate choice as to whether to use any particular ingredient, and with what constraints to impose on their use. Without any one of these steps, the risk exposure substantially increases as the formulator needs to make assumptions, and this increases the risk of a feed failing in one or more specifications