Intensive hog farming operations and self-reported health among nearby rural residents in Ottawa, Canada

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In 2004, hog farming operations were introduced in the village of Sarsfield in the eastern part of Ottawa, Canada. This study evaluates the health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and the prevalence of respiratory conditions among adults and children who lived in proximity to this farm.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional survey was administered to a random sample of residents from seven rural communities in the eastern part of Ottawa, Canada. We analyzed self-reported questionnaire data obtained from 723 adults and 285 children/adolescents. HRQOL was assessed using the SF-36 survey instrument, while data were also collected for sociodemographic characteristics, the prevalence of selected health conditions, and lifestyle related behaviours (e.g., smoking) of participants. Variations in self-reported health according to the residential distance to the hog farm were evaluated using logistic regression and analysis of variance methods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For the most part, the prevalence of selected health conditions among adults and children was not associated with how far they lived from the farm. No associations were observed with migraines, respiratory conditions (asthma, rhinitis, sinusitis, and chronic bronchitis), and allergies. However, a higher prevalence of depression was noted among those who lived within 3 km of the farm relative to those who lived more than 9 km away (odds ratio = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.11, 3.65). Furthermore, individuals who lived closer to the IHF were more likely to worry about environmental issues such as water quality, outdoor and indoor smells, and air pollution. This level of worry also contributed to lower HRQOL scores for individuals who lived closer to the farm. It was also observed that the prevalence of depression was much higher among those who indicated a concern about environmental issues (18.2%) when compared to those who did not (8.0%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>While our findings suggest that living in close proximity to an IHF may adversely affect HRQOL these should be interpreted cautiously due to a lack of direct measures of environmental exposures, and possible biases inherent in the use of self-reported health measures.</p

Gljivice kao sastavni dio bioaerosola u nastambama za muzne krave i nesilice konzumnih jaja

The air of animal dwellings can contain great amounts of bioaerosol composed of dust, bacteria, fungi, and endotoxins. The composition may depend on animal species, building construction, animal accommodation, and microclimate parameters, to name just a few factors. Pathogens contained may be a serious threat to animal and human health. The aim of our study was to analyse the fungi aerosol content in a stable housing dairy cows and in a coop for laying hens over the three autumn months of 2007. The air was sampled on Petri dishes with Sabouraud glucose agar. After laboratory treatment, we identifi ed the most common fungi. Their count in the stable ranged from 3.98x103 CFU m-3 to 5.11x104 CFU m-3 and in the coop from 6.89 x104 CFU m-3 to 1.13x105 CFU m-3. The difference between the two animal dwellings was statistically different at the level of p<0.05. In both dwellings, the most common were the fungi Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., and yeasts, followed by Cladosporium sp., Fusarium sp., Mucor sp., Scopulariopsis sp., Alternaria sp., and Rhizopus sp. Our results are entirely in line with values reported in literature and are at the lower end of the range. They call for further investigation that would eventually lead to setting air quality standards for animal dwellings and to developing reliable monitoring systems in order to ensure safe food and safe environment.U zraku nastambi za držanje životinja stvaraju se znatne količine bioaerosola. Njega čine prašina, bakterije, gljivice, endotoksini i plinovi. Brojnost im ovisi o građevinsko-tehničkim značajkama nastambi, naseljenosti životinjama, načinu držanja, temperaturno-vlažnim odnosima u staji i aktivnostima oko hranjenja, mužnje, skupljanja jaja i drugih poslova. Ove čestice, ako su patogene, mogu biti ozbiljna prijetnja za zdravlje ljudi. Mjerenja su obavljana u staji muznih krava te u objektu za nesilice, 2007. godine, tijekom tri jesenja mjeseca. Zrak je uzorkovan na Petrijeve zdjelice sa Sabouraudovim glukoznim agarom, uređajem MAS 100. Nakon obrade u laboratoriju, prema osnovnim i mikromorfološkim osobinama poraslih kolonija identifi cirani su najčešće zastupljeni rodovi gljivica. Srednja vrijednost broja gljivica u zraku staje za muzne krave kretala se od 3,98x103 CFU m-3 do 5,11x104 CFU m-3. Broj gljivica u zraku objekta za nesilice kretao se od 6,89x104 CFU m-3 do 1,13x105 CFU m-3. Ove vrijednosti statistički su se značajno razlikovale na razini p<0,05. U obje pretraživane nastambe najčešće su bili zastupljeni rodovi Aspergillus, Penicillium i kvasnice. U manjem postotku utvrđene su gljivice iz rodova Cladosporium sp., Fusarium sp., Mucor sp., Scopulariopsis sp., Alternaria sp. i Rhizopus sp. Rezultati ovih istraživanja o kvantitativnom i kvalitativnom sastavu gljivica u zraku pretraženih nastambi potpuno su u skladu s vrijednostima zabilježenim u literaturi te se nalaze na donjim granicama opisanih raspona. Utvrđeni broj i rodovi gljivica ukazuju na nužnost daljnjih istraživanja te potrebu postavljanja standardnih vrijednosti glede kvalitete zraka u nastambama za životinje, kao i razvoj vjerodostojnog sustava praćenja navedenih čimbenika, s ciljem stvaranja sigurne hrane i sigurnog okoliša

Sexuality, rights and personhood: tensions in a transnational world

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This article discusses what happens when normative ‘global’ discourses of rights and individuated sexual identity confront the messiness of ‘local’ realities. It considers the tensions that emerge when the relationship between sexual and social identities is not obvious and the implications of such tensions for public health and sexual rights activism. These questions are addressed through debates over the naming of male-to-male sexualities and desires in the context of globalization and the growth of a large NGO (non-governmental organization) sector in urban Bangladesh.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The material in the paper draws on a research project undertaken in 2008-9 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A fundamental objective was to produce a contextualized understanding of sexuality in Dhaka city. Methods used included structured interviews, focus group discussions and informal conversations with a range of participants (students, factory workers, public health professionals and sexual minorities). The aim was to generate a conceptual and analytical framework around sexuality and rights rather than to undertake an empirical survey of any one population.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>As descriptors, globalized identity categories such as Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), used by public health providers, the state and donors; and gay/lesbian, invoked by human rights activists and transnational NGOs, are too narrow to capture the fluid and highly context-specific ways in which gender and sexually nonconforming persons understand themselves in Bangladesh. Further, class position mediates to a significant degree the reception, appropriation or rejection of transnational categories such as MSM and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT). The tension is reflected in the sometimes fraught relations between service providers to MSM, the people they serve and an emerging group who identify as LGBT.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A simple politics of recognition will be inadequate to the task of promoting health and human rights for all; such a strategy would effectively exclude individuals who do not necessarily connect their sexual practices with a specific sexual or social identity.</p

Nitrogen Excretion and Ammonia Emissions from Pigs Fed Modified Diets

Two swine feeding trials were conducted (initial body weight = 47 ± 2 and 41 ± 3 kg for Trials 1 and 2, respectively) to evaluate reduced crude protein (CP) and yucca (Yucca schidigera Roezl ex Ortgies) extract–supplemented diets on NH3 emissions. In Trial 1, nine pigs were offered a corn–soybean meal diet (C, 174 g kg−1 CP), a Lys-supplemented diet (L, 170 g kg−1 CP), or a 145 g kg−1 CP diet supplemented with Lys, Met, Thr, and Trp (LMTT). In Trial 2, nine pigs were fed diet L supplemented with 0, 62.5, or 125 mg of yucca extract per kg diet. Each feeding period consisted of a 4-d dietary adjustment followed by 72 h of continuous NH3 measurement. Urine and fecal samples were collected each period. Feeding the LMTT diet reduced (P \u3c 0.05) average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (G:F) compared to diet L. Fecal N concentration decreased with a reduction in dietary CP, but urinary ammonium increased from pigs fed diet LMTT (2.0 g kg−1, wet basis) compared to those fed diet C (1.1 g kg−1) or L (1.0 g kg−1). When pigs were fed reduced CP diets NH3emission rates decreased (2.46, 2.16, and 1.05 mg min−1 for diets C, L, and LMTT). Yucca had no effect on feed intake, ADG, or G:F. Ammonium and N concentrations of manure and NH3 emission rates did not differ with yucca content. Caution must be executed to maintain animal performance when strategies are implemented to reduce NH3 emissions

Bill color, not badge size, indicates testosterone-related information in house sparrows

The honesty of ornamental signals of quality is often argued to be enforced via costs associated with testosterone. It is still poorly understood, however, how seasonal variation of testosterone within individuals is related to the timing and extent of ornament development. Here, we studied inter- and intra-individual variability of plasma testosterone levels in a population of 150 captive male house sparrows (Passer domesticus) through the course of a full year. We further analyzed the relationship between plasma testosterone levels and two sexually dimorphic ornaments: badge size and bill coloration. Also, because of a known negative relation between molt and circulating testosterone levels, we analyzed the relationship between ornamentation and molt status during the fall. We found that testosterone levels increased towards the breeding season and decreased before the onset of annual molt. However, within individuals, relative testosterone titers demonstrated low repeatability between seasons. Plasma testosterone levels were not correlated with badge size in any season but were correlated strongly with bill coloration during all periods, except the breeding season when variation in bill color was low. Finally, we found that bill coloration strongly correlated with molt status during fall. Our results indicate that bill coloration, not badge size, is the best ornamental indicator of a “running average” of male testosterone in house sparrows and therefore the best potential indicator of qualities and/or behavioral strategies associated with testosterone