Defining the concept of animal welfare: integrating the opinion of citizens and other stakeholders

Animal welfare is a complex and multidimensional concept and there is little consensus about how it ought to be defined. This project aims to develop a definition of farm animal welfare based both on science and on consensus among citizens and stakeholders such that animal welfare becomes a more workable concept in politics and society. The study consisted of both qualitative and quantitative research. Firstly, a list of 73 aspects, considered to be important for animal welfare, was produced based on focus group discussions with citizens and on a literature review. Secondly, these aspects were condensed into a set of five mutually exclusive welfare-dimensions and the relative weight of these dimensions was quantified based on a survey among Flemish citizens. Thirdly, the list of welfare dimensions and their weights was discussed with stakeholders during focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. This study gives insight into the attitudes of the different stakeholders in society towards the welfare of farm animals. Moreover, the list of dimensions and their relative weights is believed to be invaluable for the aggregation of various welfare indicators into a comprehensive assessment of the general state of welfare

Dendritic cell vaccination as postremission treatment to prevent or delay relapse in acute myeloid leukemia

Relapse is a major problem in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and adversely impacts survival. In this phase II study, we investigated the effect of vaccination with dendritic cells (DCs) electroporated with Wilms’ tumor 1 (WT1) mRNA as post-remission treatment in 30 AML patients at very high risk of relapse. There was a demonstrable anti-leukemic response in 13 patients. Nine patients achieved molecular remission as demonstrated by normalization of WT1 transcript levels, 5 of which are sustained after a median follow-up of 109.4 months. Disease stabilization was achieved in 4 other patients. Five-year overall survival (OS) was higher in responders than in non-responders (53.8% vs. 25.0%; P=0.01). In patients receiving DCs in first complete remission (CR1), there was a vaccine-induced relapse reduction rate of 25% and the 5-year relapse-free survival was higher in responders than in non-responders (50% vs. 7.7%; P65 years who received DCs in CR1, 5-year OS was 69.2% and 30.8% respectively, as compared to 51.7% and 18% in the Swedish Acute Leukemia Registry (SALR). Long-term clinical response was correlated with increased circulating frequencies of poly-epitope WT1-specific CD8+ T-cells. Long-term OS was correlated with interferon-γ+ and tumor necrosis factor-α+ WT1-specific responses in delayed type hypersensitivity-infiltrating CD8+ T-lymphocytes. In conclusion, vaccination of AML patients with WT1 mRNA-electroporated DCs can be an effective strategy to prevent or delay relapse after standard chemotherapy, translating into improved OS rates, which are correlated with the induction of WT1-specific CD8+ T-cell response. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00965224

The concept of farm animal welfare: citizen perceptions and stakeholder opinion in Flanders, Belgium

Several attempts to conceptualize farm animal welfare have been criticized for diverging reasons, among them often the failure to incorporate the public concern and opinion. This paper's objective is to develop a conception of farm animal welfare that starts from the public's perception and integrates the opinion of different stakeholder representatives, thus following a fork-to-farm approach. Four qualitative citizen focus group discussions were used to develop a quantitative questionnaire, which has been completed by a representative sample of Flemish citizens (n = 459). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to develop a conception of farm animal welfare starting from an extended list of aspects that relate to animal production and associate with farm animal welfare in the public's perception. In depth interviews with stakeholder representatives were used to match and adapt the structure of the animal welfare conception model. The resulting conception revealed seven dimensions grouped in two different levels. Three dimensions were animal-based: "Suffering and Stress," "Ability to Engage in Natural Behavior," and "Animal Health." Four dimensions were resource-based: "Housing and Barn climate," "Transport and Slaughter," "Feed and Water," and "Human-Animal Relationship." This conception is distinct from earlier attempts since it is based on public perceptions; it addresses the opinion of different stakeholders, and it distinguishes empirically between animal-based and resource-based dimensions in the conceptualization of farm animal welfare. The relevancy of a popular definition is supported by the present demand oriented economy, in which animal welfare is a non-trade concern, and mainly left to the market where consumers still mainly act as individuals who calculate and weigh pros and cons

Sensitive detection of human papillomavirus type 16 E7-specific T cells by ELISPOT after multiple **in vitro** stimulations of <tex>CD8^{+}$</tex> T cells with peptide-pulsed autologous dendritic cells

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the second most common gynecological cancer amongst women world-wide. Despite optimized protocols, standard treatments still face several disadvantages. Therefore, research aims at the development of immune-based strategies using tumor antigen-loaded dendritic cells for the induction of cellular anti-tumor immunity. RESULTS: In this study, we used dendritic cells loaded with the HLA-A2-restricted HPV type 16 E7(11–20 )peptide in order to induce an in vitro CD8(+ )T cell response. For this purpose, peptide-pulsed dendritic cells were co-cultured with autologous CD8(+ )T cells. After 5 weekly stimulations with peptide-pulsed mature dendritic cells, cultured T cells were analyzed for antigen specificity by an IFN-γ ELISPOT assay. Using this ELISPOT assay, we were able to detect E7-specific IFN-γ-secreting CD8(+ )T cells in 5/5 healthy donors. CONCLUSION: We show that peptide-pulsed mature dendritic cells are able to stimulate a HPV type 16 E7 peptide-specific immune response in vitro. These experiments describe an efficient culture protocol for antigen-specific T cells for use in pre-clinical vaccination research and confirm the need for sensitive T cell assays for detection of tumor-specific immune responses in vitro

Suivi des populations de muscardin dans les Fourons

peer reviewedThe Hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is a habitat specialist that prefers dense shrub and tree vegetation and needs a high diversity of food plants on a limited area. Due to habitat degradation and fragmentation the Flemish distribution area of this critically endangered species has been reduced to the eastern part of the municipality of Voeren, where it forms a cross-border population with the Dutch Hazel dormice. Since 2003 the Mammal Working Group of Natuurpunt studies the remaining Flemish population to find out more about population parameters, habitat use, the influence of habitat quality and management actions. In 2007 a standardised monitoring started by counting autumnal nests along fixed transects. In 2013 an intensive capture-mark-recapture study was set up based on nest box and nest tube checks and live-trapping on custom made hanging platforms; also a first test with radiocollars took place. The information gathered from the combination of all these methods will be used to validate the monitoring method and to formulate better protection measures. First results show that late summer and autumn should not be considered as the main reproduction period, at least not in an early year like 2014 when first young were already born at the beginning of May. Hazel dormice do not only cross significant barriers like the railway during dispersal, but also do this regularly during their nightly movements within their home range. Expansion of the population on a location with sufficient connectivity seems to be hampered by a too low population density resulting from insufficient habitat quality and (in this case) a high predation pressure by house cats. On the scale of the Meuse-Rhine Euregion, genetic analyses carried out by the University of Liège reveal four genetically isolated clusters, for which a vision to interconnect these was computed in the Interreg-project ‘Habitat Euregio’

Investigation into the illegal killing of a tagged Eurasian Curlew

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