Recent Findings on Phosphorus Digestibility of Feed Ingredients in Broilers

Accurately meeting the dietary P needs of broilers is critical to ensure optimal bird performance, health, and welfare without causing undue environmental burdens associated with excess dietary P excretion. Phosphorus is commonly supplied in broiler diets from inorganic phosphates derived from non-renewable sources, but it has been estimated that peak P production will occur between 2030-2040 and that the global supply of P could be depleted within this century (Cordell and Drangert, 2009; Nest and Cordell, 2012). To address these concerns, inorganic P use in agriculture, including use in broiler diet formulation, requires careful stewardship. To this end, the dietary inclusion of animal protein meals can help reduce or eliminate the need for inorganic phosphate use, especially when paired with phytase (van Harn et al., 2017). However, the proportion of P available to the bird within commonly used inorganic phosphate and animal protein sources is often not well-defined.With increasing adoption of ileal digestibility of P in feed formulation, additional data are needed to develop robust databases for commonly used and important sources of P. Therefore, the aim of this study was to generate values of AID and SID of P for different inorganic phosphates and meat and bone meal sources using the direct method. In addition, relative P digestibility of these sources was determined using monosodium phosphate as the reference ingredient to provide a basis for comparing quantitative digestibility results with relative values

The Lisbon patient: Exceptional longevity with HIV suggests healthy aging as an ultimate goal for HIV care

In the context of global aging, HIV infection has become a new chronic disease and requires innovative models of care. Treating isolated comorbidities represents a useless and potentially harmful practice at advanced age. Therefore, a patient-centered approach, in which the interventions are focused on the biology and function of the individual, with understanding of the importance of securing social and home environment that provides psychosocial support, better suits unmet health needs. We present a paradigmatic case of healthy aging: the first reported HIV-infected patient who achieved 100th of life - the Lisbon patient. The construct of healthy aging, recently introduced by the World Health Organization, is the best example of this comprehensive model and could represent the fourth target of UNAIDS agenda of the end of AIDS

Sensitivities of a Standard Test Method for the Determination of the pHe of Bioethanol and Suggestions for Improvement

An assessment of the sensitivities of the critical parameters in the ASTM D6423 documentary standard method for the measurement of pHe in (bio)ethanol has been undertaken. Repeatability of measurements made using the same glass electrode and reproducibility between different glass electrodes have been identified as the main contributors to the uncertainty of the values produced. Strategies to reduce the uncertainty of the measurement have been identified and tested. Both increasing the time after which the pHe measurement is made following immersion in the sample, and rinsing the glass electrode with ethanol prior to immersion in the sample, have been shown to be effective in reducing the uncertainty of the numerical value produced. However, it is acknowledged that the values produced using these modified approaches may not be directly compared with those obtained using the documentary ASTM method since pHe is defined operationally by the process used to measure it

A new interpretation of Pikaia reveals the origins of the chordate body plan.

Our understanding of the evolutionary origin of Chordata, one of the most disparate and ecologically significant animal phyla, is hindered by a lack of unambiguous stem-group relatives. Problematic Cambrian fossils that have been considered as candidate chordates include vetulicolians, Yunnanozoon, and the iconic Pikaia. However, their phylogenetic placement has remained poorly constrained, impeding reconstructions of character evolution along the chordate stem lineage. Here we reinterpret the morphology of Pikaia, providing evidence for a gut canal and, crucially, a dorsal nerve cord-a robust chordate synapomorphy. The identification of these structures underpins a new anatomical model of Pikaia that shows that this fossil was previously interpreted upside down. We reveal a myomere configuration intermediate between amphioxus and vertebrates and establish morphological links between Yunnanozoon, Pikaia, and uncontroversial chordates. In this light, we perform a new phylogenetic analysis, using a revised, comprehensive deuterostome dataset, and establish a chordate stem lineage. We resolve vetulicolians as a paraphyletic group comprising the earliest diverging stem chordates, subtending a grade of more derived stem-group chordates comprising Yunnanozoon and Pikaia. Our phylogenetic results reveal the stepwise acquisition of characters diagnostic of the chordate crown group. In addition, they chart a phase in early chordate evolution defined by the gradual integration of the pharyngeal region with a segmented axial musculature, supporting classical evolutionary-developmental hypotheses of chordate origins and revealing a "lost chapter" in the history of the phylum. [Abstract copyright: Crown Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Predictors of transitions in frailty severity and mortality among people aging with HIV.

BACKGROUND: People aging with HIV show variable health trajectories. Our objective was to identify longitudinal predictors of frailty severity and mortality among a group aging with HIV. METHODS: Exploratory analyses employing a multistate transition model, with data from the prospective Modena HIV Metabolic Clinic Cohort Study, based in Northern Italy, begun in 2004. Participants were followed over four years from their first available visit. We included all 963 participants (mean age 46.8±7.1; 29% female; 89% undetectable HIV viral load; median current CD4 count 549, IQR 405–720; nadir CD4 count 180, 81–280) with four-year data. Frailty was quantified using a 31-item frailty index. Outcomes were frailty index score or mortality at four-year follow-up. Candidate predictor variables were baseline frailty index score, demographic (age, sex), HIV-disease related (undetectable HIV viral load, current CD4+ T-cell count, nadir CD4 count, duration of HIV infection, and duration of antiretroviral therapy [ARV] exposure), and behavioral factors (smoking, injection drug use (IDU), and hepatitis C virus co-infection). RESULTS: Four-year mortality was 3.0% (n = 29). In multivariable analyses, independent predictors of frailty index at follow-up were baseline frailty index (RR 1.06, 95% CI 1.05–1.07), female sex (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87–0.98), nadir CD4 cell count (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.93–0.99), duration of HIV infection (RR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01–1.12), duration of ARV exposure (RR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02–1.14), and smoking pack-years (1.03, 1.01–1.05). Independent predictors of mortality were baseline frailty index (OR 1.19, 1.02–1.38), current CD4 count (0.34, 0.20–0.60), and IDU (2.89, 1.30–6.42). CONCLUSIONS: Demographic, HIV-disease related, and social and behavioral factors appear to confer risk for changes in frailty severity and mortality among people aging with HIV

CD4 cell count and the risk of AIDS or death in HIV-Infected adults on combination antiretroviral therapy with a suppressed viral load: a longitudinal cohort study from COHERE.

BACKGROUND: Most adults infected with HIV achieve viral suppression within a year of starting combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). It is important to understand the risk of AIDS events or death for patients with a suppressed viral load. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Using data from the Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research Europe (2010 merger), we assessed the risk of a new AIDS-defining event or death in successfully treated patients. We accumulated episodes of viral suppression for each patient while on cART, each episode beginning with the second of two consecutive plasma viral load measurements 500 copies/µl, the first of two consecutive measurements between 50-500 copies/µl, cART interruption or administrative censoring. We used stratified multivariate Cox models to estimate the association between time updated CD4 cell count and a new AIDS event or death or death alone. 75,336 patients contributed 104,265 suppression episodes and were suppressed while on cART for a median 2.7 years. The mortality rate was 4.8 per 1,000 years of viral suppression. A higher CD4 cell count was always associated with a reduced risk of a new AIDS event or death; with a hazard ratio per 100 cells/µl (95% CI) of: 0.35 (0.30-0.40) for counts <200 cells/µl, 0.81 (0.71-0.92) for counts 200 to <350 cells/µl, 0.74 (0.66-0.83) for counts 350 to <500 cells/µl, and 0.96 (0.92-0.99) for counts ≥500 cells/µl. A higher CD4 cell count became even more beneficial over time for patients with CD4 cell counts <200 cells/µl. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the low mortality rate, the risk of a new AIDS event or death follows a CD4 cell count gradient in patients with viral suppression. A higher CD4 cell count was associated with the greatest benefit for patients with a CD4 cell count <200 cells/µl but still some slight benefit for those with a CD4 cell count ≥500 cells/µl

Changes in Inflammatory and Atherogenesis Biomarkers With the 2-Drug Regimen Dolutegravir Plus Lamivudine in Antiretroviral Therapy-Experienced, Virologically Suppressed People With HIV-1: A Systematic Literature Review

Background: The 2-drug regimen dolutegravir plus lamivudine has demonstrated long-term noninferior efficacy vs 3-/4-drug regimens (3/4DRs) in phase 3 trials. This systematic literature review summarizes clinical trial and real-world evidence evaluating impact of dolutegravir plus lamivudine on inflammatory and atherogenesis biomarkers in people with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (PWH). Methods: Using Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane library databases and conference proceedings, we searched for studies published from 1 January 2013 to 14 July 2021, reporting changes in inflammatory and atherogenesis biomarkers with dolutegravir plus lamivudine in antiretroviral therapy-experienced, virologically suppressed PWH aged 6518 years. Results: Four records representing 2 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 6 records of real-world evidence met eligibility criteria. All real-world studies evaluated CD4+/CD8+\u2005ratio, while only 1 assessed inflammatory biomarkers. Across both RCTs, no consistent pattern of change in biomarkers was observed between dolutegravir/lamivudine and 3/4DR comparators. There were significant changes in soluble CD14 favoring dolutegravir/lamivudine in TANGO at weeks 48 and 144 and SALSA at week 48, and in interleukin-6 favoring the control group in TANGO at weeks 48 and 144. In the real-world study evaluating inflammatory biomarkers, median soluble CD14 significantly decreased 48 weeks postswitch to dolutegravir plus lamivudine (P\u2005&lt;\u2005.001), while other biomarkers remained stable. In all 6 real-world studies, increases in CD4+/CD8+\u2005ratio were reported after switch to dolutegravir plus lamivudine (follow-up, 12-60 months). Conclusions: Results show that dolutegravir plus lamivudine has a comparable impact on inflammatory and atherogenesis biomarkers vs 3/4DRs, with no consistent pattern of change after switch in virologically suppressed PWH

Age of HIV Acquisition Affects the Risk of Multi-Morbidity after 25 Years of Infection Exposure

Introduction: Understanding the intersection of HIV, aging and health is crucial due to the increasing number of people aging with HIV. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of, and risk factors for individual comorbidities and multi-morbidity in people living with HIV with similar duration of HIV infection, notwithstanding a 25-year difference at the time of HIV acquisition. Methods: In a cross-sectional multicentre retrospective study, we compared three match-control age groups. The "Young" were selected from Romania and included HIV-positive patients prenatally infected and assessed at the age of 25-30 years. The "Old" and the "Geriatric" were selected from Italy. These respectively included subjects infected with HIV at the age of 25 years and assessed at the age of 50-55 years, and those infected at the age of 50 years and assessed at the age of 75-80 years. Each group was sex and age matched in a 1: 5 ratio with controls selected from the CINECA ARNO database from Italy. We described non-infectious comorbidities (NICM), including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and multi-morbidity (MM >= 3 NICM). Results: MM prevalence in the "Young" group compared to controls was 6.2% vs 0%, while in the "Geriatric" was "68.2% vs 3.6%. Using "Young" as a reference, in multivariate analyses, predictors for MM were as follows: HIV serostatus (OR=47.75, IQR 14.78-154.25, p<0.01) and "Geriatric" vs "Young" (OR=30.32, IQR 5.89-155.98, p<0.01). Conclusion: These data suggest that age at acquisition of HIV should be considered as a risk factor for NICM and MM