Characterisation of the microbiome along the gastrointestinal tract of growing turkeys

The turkey microbiome is largely understudied, despite its relationship with bird health and growth, and the prevalence of human pathogens such as Campylobacter spp. In this study we investigated the microbiome within the small intestine (SI), caeca (C), large intestine (LI) and cloaca (CL) of turkeys at 6, 10 and 16 weeks of age. Eight turkeys were dissected within each age category and the contents of the SI, C, LI and CL were harvested. 16S rDNA based QPCR was performed on all samples and samples for the 4 locations within 3 birds/age group were sequenced using ion torrent-based sequencing of the 16S rDNA. Sequencing data showed on a genus level, an abundance of Lactobacillus, Streptococcus and Clostridium XI (38.2, 28.1 and 13.0% respectively) irrespective of location and age. The caeca exhibited the greatest microbiome diversity throughout the development of the turkey. PICRUSt data predicted an array of bacterial function, with most differences being apparent in the caeca of the turkeys as they matured. QPCR revealed that the caeca within 10 week old birds, contained the most Campylobacter spp. Understanding the microbial ecology of the turkey gastrointestinal tract is essential in terms of understanding production efficiency and in order to develop novel strategies for targeting Campylobacter spppublishersversionPeer reviewe

Sport, War and Democracy in Classical Athens

This article concerns the paradox of athletics in classical Athens. Democracy may have opened up politics to every class of Athenian but it had little impact on sporting participation. The city’s athletes continued to drawn predominantly from the upper class. It comes as a surprise then that lower-class Athenians actually esteemed athletes above every other group in the public eye, honoured them very generously when they won, and directed a great deal of public and private money to sporting competitions and facilities. In addition athletics escaped the otherwise persistent criticism of upper-class activities in the popular culture of the democracy. The research of social scientists on sport and aggression suggests this paradox may have been due to the cultural overlap between athletics and war under the Athenian democracy. The article concludes that the practical and ideological democratization of war by classical Athens legitimized and supported upper-class sport

Subcritical Water Processing of Proteins: An Alternative to Enzymatic Digestion?

Subcritical water is an emerging tool in the processing of bioorganic waste. Subcritical water is an environmentally benign solvent which has the potential to provide an alternative to traditional methods of protein hydrolysis without the inclusion of expensive acids or enzymes. To date, most studies on the subcritical water mediated hydrolysis of proteins have focused on the production of amino acids, rather than the intermediate peptides. Here, we investigate the specificity of subcritical water with respect to the production of peptides from three model proteins, hemoglobin, bovine serum albumin, and β-casein, and compare the results with enzymatic digestion of proteins by trypsin. In addition, the effect of subcritical water (SCW) treatment on two protein post-translational modifications, disulfide bonds and phosphorylation, was investigated. The results show that high protein sequence coverages (>80%) can be obtained following subcritical water hydrolysis. These are comparable to those obtained following treatment with tryspin. Under mild subcritical water conditions (160 °C), all proteins showed favored cleavage of the Asp-X bond. The results for β-casein revealed favored cleavage of the Glu-X bond at subcritical water temperatures of 160 and 207 °C. That was similarly observed for bovine serum albumin at a subcritical water temperature of 207 °C. Subcritical water treatment results in very limited cleavage of disulfide bonds. Reduction and alkylation of proteins either prior to or post subcritical water treatment improve reported protein sequence coverages. The results for phosphoprotein β-casein show that, under mild subcritical water conditions, phosphorylation may be retained on the peptide hydrolysis products

Relationship between Trendelenburg tilt and internal jugular vein diameter

Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between Trendelenburg tilt and internal jugular vein (IJV) diameter, and to examine any cumulative effects of tilt on the IJV diameter. Methods: Using a tilt table, healthy volunteers were randomised to Trendelenburg tilts of 10°, 15°, 20°, 25°, and 30°. Ultrasound was used to measure and record the lateral diameter of the right IJV at the level of the cricoid cartilage. Following each reading the table was returned to the supine position. Balanced randomisation was used to assess cumulative tilt effects. Results: A total of 20 healthy volunteers were recruited (10 men, 10 women). Mean supine IJV diameter was 13.5 mm (95% CI 12.8 to 14.1) and was significantly greater at 10° (15.5 mm, 95% CI 14.9 to 16.1). There was no significant difference between 10° and greater angles of tilt. The effect of the previous angle of tilt did not prove to be statistically significant. Conclusion: Increasing the degree of Trendelenburg tilt increases the lateral diameter of the IJV. Even a 10° tilt is effective. The cumulative effect of tilt (that is, the effect of the previous angle) is not significant. Ultrasound guided cannulation is ideal, but in its absence Trendelenburg tilt will increase IJV diameter and improve the chance of successful cannulation. While 25° achieved optimum distension, this may not be practical and may be detrimental (for example, risk of raised intracranial pressure)

Emergency department ultrasound (EDU): clinical adjunct or plaything?

Background: Emergency department ultrasound (EDU) is a physician performed ultrasound service aimed at improving patient flow and diagnosis in the emergency department. Methods: This paper describes the initial phase of the introduction of EDU with three illustrative case reports and a discussion on the pitfalls and benefits of EDU. Results and discussion: In three cases discussed here, the use of EDU facilitated treatment and reduced the need for formal radiological scanning. While there are drawbacks to EDU, we believe these are far outweighed by the advantages, and in a recent survey of emergency medicine consultants throughout Ireland, the vast majority were in favour of its introduction. Conclusion: EDU has become a routine part of our clinical practice, and although we are still on a learning curve with regard to its use, we have experienced significant benefits in patient care. With technological advances (such as improved image resolution and teleradiology) the potential for EDU will continue to expand, but training, practice, accreditation, and audit are essential