Review: Nutrient and energy supply in monogastric food producing animals with reduced environmental and climatic footprint and improved gut health

With more efficient utilisation of dietary nutrients and energy, diversified production systems, modifications of diet composition with respect to feedstuffs included and the use of free amino acids, the negative impact of animal food production on the environment and climate can be reduced. Accurate requirements for nutrients and energy for animals with differing physiological needs, and the use of robust and accurate feed evaluation systems are key for more efficient feed utilisation. Data on CP and amino acid requirements in pigs and poultry indicate that it should be possible to implement indispensable amino acid-balanced diets with low- or reduced-protein content without any reduction in animal performance. Potential feed resources, not competing with human food security, can be derived from the traditional food- and agroindustry, such as various waste streams and co-products of different origins. In addition, novel feedstuffs emerging from aquaculture, biotechnology and innovative new technologies may have potential to provide the lack of indispensable amino acids in organic animal food production. High fibre content is a nutritional limitation of using waste streams and co-products as feed for monogastric animals as it is associated with decreased nutrient digestibility and reduced dietary energy values. However, minimum levels of dietary fibre are needed to maintain the normal physiological function of the gastro-intestinal tract. Moreover, there may be positive effects of fibre in the diet such as improved gut health, increased satiety, and an overall improvement of behaviour and well-being.(c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Animal Consortium. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Foderförsörjning och välfärd i ekologisk grisköttproduktion

Foder i ekologisk produktion ska till huvuddelen vara hemmaproducerat. Begränsade möjligheter att använda tillgängliga foderresurser och fodertillsatser innebär svårigheter när det gäller att tillgodose djurets behov av livsnödvändiga aminosyror. Detta kan försämra produktionen och ger ett försämrat proteinutnyttjande med förluster av kväve till miljön som följd. En viktig del i ekologisk grisproduktion är att djuren kan utföra sina naturliga beteenden. Tillgången till grovfoder ger längre ättider och bidrar till minskad förekomst av aggressioner och stress. Hälsoläget hos grisar påverkas av inhysningsform och klimat och kan därför skilja mellan utomhus- och inomhusproduktion. Projekt Eko-gris syftar bl.a. till att undersöka hur lägre innehåll av aminosyror i fodret samt hur olika inhysningssystem påverkar slaktsvinens produktion, slaktkroppsegenskaper, köttkvalitet och grisarnas beteende. Vidare studeras förekomst av parasiter och infektionssjukdomar. Produktion och beteende påverkades inte av fodrets aminosyrainnehåll, men skiljde mellan ute- och innegrisar. Lägre aminosyranivå inverkade inte negativt på grisarnas dagliga viktökning. Varken foderutnyttjande eller slaktkroppskvalitet skiljde signifikant mellan grupperna. Inte heller påverkades grisarnas beteenden av fodrets aminosyranivå. Grisarna i utomhussystemet växte snabbare än inomhusgrisarna (910 mot 821 g; p<0,001), men ingen skillnad förelåg i foderutnyttjande (34,3 mot 35,5 MJ/kg viktökning; p=0,203). Inte heller fanns någon signifikant skillnad i slaktkroppens köttinnehåll (56,8 mot 57,9 %; p=0,134). Beteendestudierna visade att utomhusgrisarna rörde sig betydligt mer än inomhusgrisarna. Det fanns även en tendens till att de bökade mer. ”Nosa”, ”nafsa”, ”knuffa” och ”bita-svans” förekom oftare inne än ute

Feeding and Management of Horses with and without Free Faecal Liquid: A Case-Control Study

Simple Summary Horses with free faecal liquid defecate in one solid and one liquid phase, and the liquid phase can be a concern for the horse owner and veterinarians. The causes of free faecal liquid are unknown, but previous studies have indicated that feed ration composition may play an important role in the occurrence of the condition. A study comparing feed rations, feeding practices and management factors for horses with and without free faecal liquid was performed. Horses without free faecal liquid were reported to have a lower daily intake of starch and sugar and a higher daily intake of protein and fibre compared to horses with free faecal liquid. Horses with and without free faecal liquid were fed similar amounts of wrapped forages and were subject to the same management practices. The reported differences may be of importance for the condition, but further studies are required to establish if its occurrence is due to specific feeding regimens. Free faecal liquid (FFL) in horses is characterised by the excretion of faeces in two phases (one solid and one liquid), which may cause dermatitis on the hindlegs. The causes of FFL are not known. Results from previous studies have indicated that feed ration composition and management factors may play important roles in the occurrence of FFL. A case-control study was therefore performed in which data on feed rations, feeding practices and management factors were compared between horses with (case) and without (control) FFL on 50 private farms in Sweden and Norway. The comparisons show that case and control horses were reported to be fed similar average amounts of wrapped forage (p = 0.97) and to be subject to similar management practices, but case horses were fed higher proportions of concentrates in their diet (p < 0.001) and lower average amounts of straw and lucerne (p < 0.05) compared to control horses. Case horses were reported to be fed twice as much concentrate per 100 kg BW and day as control horses and a higher daily intake of starch and water-soluble carbohydrates (p < 0.05). Case horses also had a lower daily intake of digestible crude protein and neutral detergent fibre compared to control horses (p < 0.05). These differences were small but are of interest for further studies of factors causing FFL

V-Dem Comparisons and Contrasts with Other Measurement Projects

For policymakers, activists, academics, and citizens around the world the conceptualization and measurement of democracy matters. The needs of democracy promoters and social scientists are convergent. We all need better ways to measure democracy. In the first section of this document we critically review the field of democracy indices. It is important to emphasize that problems identified with extant indices are not easily solved, and some of the issues we raise vis-à-vis other projects might also be raised in the context of the V-Dem project. Measuring an abstract and contested concept such as democracy is hard and some problems of conceptualization and measurement may never be solved definitively. In the second section we discuss in general terms how the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project differs from extant indices and how the novel approach taken by V-Dem might assist the work of activists, professionals, and scholars.This research project was supported by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, Grant M13-0559:1, PI: Staffan I. Lindberg, V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; by Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation to Wallenberg Academy Fellow Staffan I. Lindberg, Grant 2013.0166, V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Sweden; as well as by internal grants from the Vice-Chancellor’s office, the Dean of the College of Social Sciences, and the Department of Political Science at University of Gothenburg. We performed simulations and other computational tasks using resources provided by the Notre Dame Center for Research Computing (CRC) through the High Performance Computing section and the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC) at the National Supercomputer Centre in Sweden, SNIC 2016/1-382 and 2017/1-68. We specifically acknowledge the assistance of In-Saeng Suh at CRC and Johan Raber at SNIC in facilitating our use of their respective systems

Growth and survival of reared Cambodian field crickets (Teleogryllus testaceus) fed weeds, agricultural and food industry by-products

This study evaluated survival and growth of Cambodian field crickets (Teleogryllus testaceus) during captivity when fed a set of local weed species, agricultural and food industry by-products. Wild individuals were caught at two locations in Cambodia, kept in pens and fed commercial chicken feed until the second generation off-spring hatched. First larval stage nymphs from this generation were collected and used in a 70-day feeding trial with one control treatment (chicken feed) and 12 experimental treatments (rice bran, cassava plant tops, water spinach, spent grain, residue from mungbean sprout production, and Alternanthera sessilis, Amaranthus spinosus, Commelina benghalensis, Cleome rutidosperma, Cleome viscosa, Boerhavia diffusa and Synedrela nodiflora). The crickets were kept in plastic cages and feed intake, weight and survival of crickets were recorded weekly. Overall survival did not differ between chicken feed and the experimental treatments with the exception of crickets fed B. diffusa, which had lower survival. From day 35 to day 49, survival on A. sessilis was also lower (P<0.05) than on chicken feed. There was no difference in weight between crickets fed chicken feed, cassava tops and C. rutidosperma. However, crickets fed A. sessilis, A. spinosus and B. diffusa weighed less than those fed chicken feed already at day 21. The feed conversion rate ranged from 1.6 to 3.9 and was ≤1.9 in crickets fed chicken feed, cassava plant tops and C. rutidosperma. Thus this study shows that it is possible, using simple means, to rear Cambodian field crickets. Cassava plant tops and C. rutidosperma both have great potential as cricket feed and the other weeds, with the exception of A. sessilis, A. spinosus and B. diffusa, agricultural and food industry by-products tested, also showed potential

Effects of Lactobacillus johnsonii and Lactobacillus reuteri on gut barrier function and heat shock proteins in intestinal porcine epithelial cells

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a set of highly conserved proteins that can serve as intestinal gate keepers in gut homeostasis. Here, effects of a probiotic, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), and two novel porcine isolates, Lactobacillus johnsonii strain P47-HY and Lactobacillus reuteri strain P43-HUV, on cytoprotective HSP expression and gut barrier function, were investigated in a porcine IPEC-J2 intestinal epithelial cell line model. The IPEC-J2 cells polarized on a permeable filter exhibited villus-like cell phenotype with development of apical microvilli. Western blot analysis detected HSP expression in IPEC-J2 and revealed that L. johnsonii and L. reuteri strains were able to significantly induce HSP27, despite high basal expression in IPEC-J2, whereas LGG did not. For HSP72, only the supernatant of L. reuteri induced the expression, which was comparable to the heat shock treatment, which indicated that HSP72 expression was more stimulus-specific. The protective effect of lactobacilli was further studied in IPEC-J2 under an enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) challenge. ETEC caused intestinal barrier destruction, as reflected by loss of cell-cell contact, reduced IPEC-J2 cell viability and transepithelial electrical resistance, and disruption of tight junction protein zonula occludens-1. In contrast, the L. reuteri treatment substantially counteracted these detrimental effects and preserved the barrier function. L. johnsonii and LGG also achieved barrier protection, partly by directly inhibiting ETEC attachment. Together, the results indicate that specific strains of Lactobacillus can enhance gut barrier function through cytoprotective HSP induction and fortify the cell protection against ETEC challenge through tight junction protein modulation and direct interaction with pathogens

Effects of reducing dietary content of crude protein and indispensable amino acids on performance and carcass traits of single-phase- and 2-phase-fed growing-finishing pigs

Effects of reducing dietary content of crude protein (CP) and Lys on performance and carcass traits of growing-finishing pigs were studied in 690 crossbred (Swedish Yorkshire dams x Hampshire sires) female and vaccinated entire male pigs with an average initial live weight (LW) of 32.3 kg. The pigs were raised in pens with mixed sexes and were fed restrictedly using 2 different feeding plans, single-phase and 2-phase. Within each feeding plan, 3 CP contents were investigated: 13.5 (low), 14.5 (medium), and 15.5 (high) g standardized ileal digestible(SID) CP/g SID Lys. Each CP comprised 2 Lys contents. For single-phase-fed pigs this implied either 0.76 or0.85 g SID Lys/MJ net energy (NE). For 2-phase-fed pigs, the contents were either 0.89 in phase 1 and 0.71 in phase 2 or 0.98 in phase 1 and 0.79 in phase 2 g SID Lys/MJ NE. In low and high Lys, the expected total consumption of digestible Lys from start to slaughter was calculated to be equal for single-phase- and 2-phase-fedpigs. The change of diet in the 2-phase feeding plan was at an average LW of 60.8 kg and slaughter was performed at 117.3 kg. Irrespective of dietary CP and Lys content, 2-phase-fed pigs had higher daily weight gain(DWG) and better feed conversion in phase 1 than single-phase-fed pigs. In phase 2, single-phase-fed pigs fully compensated, so that overall DWG and feed conversion did not differ between single-phase- and 2-phase-fed pigs(1014 vs. 1013 g/d; 24.5 vs. 24.5 MJ NE/kg DWG). Dietary CP content had no effect on DWG and feed conversion in phase 1. However, pigs grew faster and had better feed conversion in phase 2 (P= 0.002 and P= 0.018, respectively) and during the entire raising period with the high CP content (P= 0.003 and P= 0.006, respectively). For both single-phase- and 2-phase-fed pigs, high dietary Lys content improved DWG and feed conversion in phase 1 compared with the low content (1002 vs. 968 g/d;P= 0.001 and 20.7 vs.21.5 MJ NE/kg DWG;P= 0.004), whereas no difference was observed in phase 2. Overall, Lys content did not affect DWG, while feed conversion was better for pigs fed the high Lys content (P= 0.035). Carcass traits were unaffected by feeding plan, CP, and Lys content. Reducing dietary CP content from high to low diminished the N output by approximately 20%. The conclusions are that growing-finishing pigs had the capacity for compensatory growth and can therefore be single-phase-fed, and that the current recommendations of CP and Lys could be reduced

Growth and survival of reared Cambodian field crickets (Teleogryllus testaceus) fed weeds, agricultural and food industry by-products

This study evaluated survival and growth of Cambodian field crickets (Teleogryllus testaceus) during captivity when fed a set of local weed species, agricultural and food industry by-products. Wild individuals were caught at two locations in Cambodia, kept in pens and fed commercial chicken feed until the second generation off-spring hatched. First larval stage nymphs from this generation were collected and used in a 70-day feeding trial with one control treatment (chicken feed) and 12 experimental treatments (rice bran, cassava plant tops, water spinach, spent grain, residue from mungbean sprout production, and Alternanthera sessilis, Amaranthus spinosus, Commelina benghalensis, Cleome rutidosperma, Cleome viscosa, Boerhavia diffusa and Synedrela nodiflora). The crickets were kept in plastic cages and feed intake, weight and survival of crickets were recorded weekly. Overall survival did not differ between chicken feed and the experimental treatments with the exception of crickets fed B. diffusa, which had lower survival. From day 35 to day 49, survival on A. sessilis was also lower (P<0.05) than on chicken feed. There was no difference in weight between crickets fed chicken feed, cassava tops and C. rutidosperma. However, crickets fed A. sessilis, A. spinosus and B. diffusa weighed less than those fed chicken feed already at day 21. The feed conversion rate ranged from 1.6 to 3.9 and was ≤1.9 in crickets fed chicken feed, cassava plant tops and C. rutidosperma. Thus this study shows that it is possible, using simple means, to rear Cambodian field crickets. Cassava plant tops and C. rutidosperma both have great potential as cricket feed and the other weeds, with the exception of A. sessilis, A. spinosus and B. diffusa, agricultural and food industry by-products tested, also showed potential

The use of antibiotic-loaded bone cement and systemic antibiotic prophylactic use in 2,971,357 primary total knee arthroplasties from 2010 to 2020: an international register-based observational study among countries in Africa, Europe, North America, and Oceania.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC) and systemic antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) have been used to reduce periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) rates. We investigated the use of ALBC and SAP in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). PATIENTS AND METHODS This observational study is based on 2,971,357 primary TKAs reported in 2010-2020 to national/regional joint arthroplasty registries in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the USA. Aggregate-level data on trends and types of bone cement, antibiotic agents, and doses and duration of SAP used was extracted from participating registries. RESULTS ALBC was used in 77% of the TKAs with variation ranging from 100% in Norway to 31% in the USA. Palacos R+G was the most common (62%) ALBC type used. The primary antibiotic used in ALBC was gentamicin (94%). Use of ALBC in combination with SAP was common practice (77%). Cefazolin was the most common (32%) SAP agent. The doses and duration of SAP used varied from one single preoperative dosage as standard practice in Bolzano, Italy (98%) to 1-day 4 doses in Norway (83% of the 40,709 TKAs reported to the Norwegian arthroplasty register). CONCLUSION The proportion of ALBC usage in primary TKA varies internationally, with gentamicin being the most common antibiotic. ALBC in combination with SAP was common practice, with cefazolin the most common SAP agent. The type of ALBC and type, dose, and duration of SAP varied among participating countries