Dioxins in organic eggs: a review

Eggs contribute for about 4% to the daily dioxin intake of humans. Research among layer farms in the Netherlands and other EU countries has shown that organic eggs contain more dioxin than conventional ones and that a significant number of organic farms produce eggs with a dioxin content that exceeds the EU standard. The hens’ intake of dioxins from various sources leads to an increase in the dioxin content of organic eggs. These sources include plants, feed, soil, worms and insects, and compared with hens on conventional and free-range farms, organic hens make more use of these sources due to better access to the outdoor run. Plants appear to be relatively unimportant as a source of dioxins. Also commercial organic feed generally has very low dioxin contents, but not much is known about non-commercial feed. Consumption of worms and insects and particularly ingestion of soil are important causes of high dioxin levels in eggs. Management interventions, like a reduction of the time the hens spend outside, may decrease the dioxin levels in organic eggs but at the same time may interfere with the image of the organic production system

Maximum Dietary Content of Corn Dried Distiller’s Grains with Solubles in Diets for Laying Hens. Effects on Nitrogen Balance, Manure Excretion, Egg production, and Egg Quality

An experiment was conducted with 48 laying hens to determine the effects of high dietary contents of corn dried distiller’s grains with solubles (DDGS) on nitrogen and dry matter manure excretion as well as egg production and egg quality. Diets containing 0, 23, 46, and 69% corn DDGS were fed to laying hens for 8 weeks after an initial 4-weeklong transition period during which the dietary contents of corn DDGS were gradually increased. Egg production, egg weight, and feed consumption were measured weekly, whereas manure excretion and egg quality was measured after feeding the treatment diets for 6 weeks. Nitrogen consumption and excretion increased with increasing dietary corn DDGS contents. Egg production decreased linearly, whereas egg weight increased linearly, resulting in no significant change in overall egg output. Feed consumption increased linearly with increasing dietary corn DDGS content, causing an increase in manure dry matter excretion. It appears from this experiment that high dietary inclusion levels of corn DDGS can be fed to laying hens without adversely affecting egg production or egg quality. However, nutrient and manure dry matter excretion will increase

Impact of donor lung quality on post-transplant recipient outcome in the Lung Allocation Score era in Eurotransplant - a historical prospective study

The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is an impact of donation rates on the quality of lungs used for transplantation and whether donor lung quality affects post-transplant outcome in the current LAS era. All consecutive adult LTx performed in Eurotransplant (ET) between January 2012 and December 2016 were included (N=3053). Donors used for LTx in countries with high donation rate were younger (42% vs. 33% ≤ 45 years, p<0.0001), were less often smokers (35% vs. 46%, p<0.0001), had more often clear chest X-rays (82% vs. 72%, p<0.0001), had better donor oxygenation ratio's (20% vs. 26% with PaO /FiO ≤ 300 mmHg, p<0.0001) and had better lung donor score values (LDS) (28% vs. 17% with LDS=6, p<0.0001) compared to donors used for LTx in countries with low donation rate. Survival rates for the groups LDS =6 and ≥7 at 5 years were 69.7% and 60.9% (p=0.007). Lung donor quality significantly impacts on long-term patient survival. Countries with a low donation rate are more oriented to using donor lungs with a lesser quality compared to countries with a high donation rate. Instead of further stretching donor eligibility criteria, the full potential of the donor pool should be realized

Impact of donor lung quality on post-transplant recipient outcome in the Lung Allocation Score era in Eurotransplant – a historical prospective study

The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is an impact of donation rates on the quality of lungs used for transplantation and whether donor lung quality affects post-transplant outcome in the current Lung Allocation Score era. All consecutive adult LTx performed in Eurotransplant (ET) between January 2012 and December 2016 were included (N = 3053). Donors used for LTx in countries with high donation rate were younger (42% vs. 33% ≤45 years, P < 0.0001), were less often smokers (35% vs. 46%, P < 0.0001), had more often clear chest X-rays (82% vs. 72%, P < 0.0001), had better donor oxygenation ratios (20% vs. 26% with PaO2/FiO2 ≤ 300 mmHg, P < 0.0001), and had better lung donor score values (LDS; 28% vs. 17% with LDS = 6, P < 0.0001) compared with donors used for LTx in countries with low donation rate. Survival rates for the groups LDS = 6 and ≥7 at 5 years were 69.7% and 60.9% (P = 0.007). Lung donor quality significantly impacts on long-term patient survival. Countries with a low donation rate are more oriented to using donor lungs with a lesser quality compared to countries with a high donation rate. Instead of further stretching donor eligibility criteria, the full potential of the donor pool should be realized

Lung allocation score: The Eurotransplant model versus the revised US model - a cross-sectional study

Both Eurotransplant (ET) and the US use the lung allocation score (LAS) to allocate donor lungs. In 2015, the US implemented a new algorithm for calculating the score while ET has fine-tuned the original model using business rules. A comparison of both models in a contemporary patient cohort was performed. The rank positions and the correlation between both scores were calculated for all patients on the active waiting list in ET. On February 6th 2017, 581 patients were actively listed on the lung transplant waiting list. The median LAS values were 32.56 and 32.70 in ET and the US, respectively. The overall correlation coefficient between both scores was 0.71. Forty-three per cent of the patients had a < 2 point change in their LAS. US LAS was more than two points lower for 41% and more than two points higher for 16% of the patients. Median ranks and the 90th percentiles for all diagnosis groups did not differ between both scores. Implementing the 2015 US LAS model would not significantly alter the current waiting list in ET

Maximum Dietary Content of Corn Dried Distiller’s Grains with Solubles in Diets for Laying Hens. Effects on Nitrogen Balance, Manure Excretion, Egg production, and Egg Quality

An experiment was conducted with 48 laying hens to determine the effects of high dietary contents of corn dried distiller’s grains with solubles (DDGS) on nitrogen and dry matter manure excretion as well as egg production and egg quality. Diets containing 0, 23, 46, and 69% corn DDGS were fed to laying hens for 8 weeks after an initial 4-weeklong transition period during which the dietary contents of corn DDGS were gradually increased. Egg production, egg weight, and feed consumption were measured weekly, whereas manure excretion and egg quality was measured after feeding the treatment diets for 6 weeks. Nitrogen consumption and excretion increased with increasing dietary corn DDGS contents. Egg production decreased linearly, whereas egg weight increased linearly, resulting in no significant change in overall egg output. Feed consumption increased linearly with increasing dietary corn DDGS content, causing an increase in manure dry matter excretion. It appears from this experiment that high dietary inclusion levels of corn DDGS can be fed to laying hens without adversely affecting egg production or egg quality. However, nutrient and manure dry matter excretion will increase.</p

Cyclic heat stress in combination with a challenge diet reduces broiler performance and modifies animal physiology

International audienceHeat stress (HS) is a major concern in poultry production. Cyclic HS (cHS) impairs performance, welfare and behavior, increases risks of leaky gut, oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of cHS in combination with a challenging diet on broilers performance and welfare parameters. A total of 2,112 day-old Ross 308 male broilers were distributed in a randomized block design with 2 temperature conditions x 2 diets (24 pen replicates per treatment combination). Temperature conditions were thermoneutrality (TN) or cHS from d 22 to d 42. TN was set at 22°C with relative humidity (RH) of 60-75 %. cHS was set at 35°C for 10 h and 28°C for 14 h with RH of 50-60 %. Diets D1 and D2 were iso-metabolizable energy and iso-digestible amino acids and fed from d 0. The challenging diet (D2) was higher than the control diet (D1) in soluble fiber (0-21 d: +96 %; 22-42 d: +112 %) and total protein (0-21 d: +11 %; 22-42 d: +10 %). Results were analyzed by ANOVA and linear regression. At d 21, body weight (BW) and feed intake (FI) were reduced by D2, whereas feed conversion ratio (FCR) was increased (p<0.05). From 21 to 42 d, cHS vs TN and D2 vs D1 increased FCR by 10.2 % and 4.6 % respectively (p<0.05). Final BWs were 3,539 g, 2,992 g, 3,190 g, and 2,851 g for TND1, cHSD1, TND2 and cHSD2, respectively, and were significantly different for main effects and the interaction. Broilers fed D2 had a lower cHS-induced reduction of BW than broilers fed D1 (p0.40). Broiler BW was negatively correlated with their sensitivity to cHS. At 22 d, cHS significantly increased rectal temperature (RT) by 0.99°C (n=12). Later, at d 29, 36 and 42, RT remained higher in cHS group with +0.65°C on average (p<0.05), showing an adaptation of broilers subjected to cHS after d 22. Accordingly, HS increased blood glucose (6.9 %) and pH (0.94 %) at d 22 (p<0.05) but at d 36 measurements of glucose stress response and blood alkalosis were not significant (n=6). More biomarkers (blood gases, hematology, OS and inflammation) will be analyzed and presented at the congress. In conclusion, the cHS model reduced broiler performance and modified their growth and thermoregulatory response. However, the challenging diet have alleviated broiler sensitivity to HS, by lowering BW gain and FI, a result that will have to be compared with welfare parameters. Finally, heavier broilers were more sensitive to cHS

Exceptional LAS Requests in Eurotransplant: Analysis of an 8-year Effort to Improve Lung Allocation for Precarious Patients

PURPOSE: Following introduction of the lung allocation score (LAS) in 2011, Eurotransplant member centers can apply for an exceptional LAS (eLAS) if the calculated LAS insufficiently reflects the perceived transplant benefit for a patient, specifically in case of primary pulmonary hypertension group 1 and 4; combined lung+non-renal transplantation; rare diseases; or extracorporeal support. Each eLAS proposal is evaluated by a LAS Review Board, consisting of ≥3 lung transplant experts, which subsequently declines or approves the eLAS request in consensus of ≥3 votes. In case of a lower than accepted score, predefined business rules to assign LAS percentiles are used. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all eLAS requests in Eurotransplant from December 2011 until September 2019. RESULTS: Overall, 5183 lung transplants (deceased donors) were performed and 420 eLAS requests were made (Germany 52%, Netherlands 18%, Austria 18%, Belgium 13%), of which 116 (28%) were approved. Most eLAS requests concerned group B/Pulmonary vascular disease (44%), followed by group C/Cystic fibrosis or immunodeficiency disorder (28%), then group D/Restrictive lung disease (15%) and finally group A/Obstructive lung disease (11%); whereas 10 patients (2%) were not classified. The proportion of accepted eLAS requests significantly differed between countries (Germany 25%, Netherlands 37%, Austria 20%, Belgium 36%) (p=0.042). eLAS requests decreased in the Netherlands following its LAS introduction in 2014 (2011-2014 mean 13/yr vs. 2015-2019 mean 4.6/yr; p=0.060). However, since 2015 an overall annual increasing number of eLAS requests is seen, with doubling of the eLAS requests in 2018 vs. 2015, but no difference in acceptance rate (2015-2018: 22.4%) (Figure). Acceptance rates were 38% for Group B, 21% for Group C, 20% for Group D and 11% for Group A. CONCLUSION: The observed variations require further investigation to optimize lung allocation for specific patient populations in Eurotransplant.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Moving exercise research in Multiple Sclerosis Forward (the MoXFo initiative): developing consensus statements for research

Exercise as a subset of physical activity is a cornerstone in the management of multiple sclerosis (MS) based on its pleotropic effects. There is an exponential increase in the quantity of research on exercise in MS, yet a number of barriers associated with study content and quality hamper rapid progress in the field. To address these barriers and accelerate discovery, a new international partnership of MS-related experts in exercise has emerged with the goal of advancing the research agenda. As a first step, the expert panel met in May 2018 and identified the most urgent areas for moving the field forward, and discussed the framework for such a process. This led to identification of five themes, namely “Definitions and terminology,” “Study methodology,” “Reporting and outcomes,” “Adherence to exercise,” and “Mechanisms of action.” Based on the identified themes, five expert groups have been formed, that will further (a) outline the challenges per theme and (b) provide recommendations for moving forward. We aim to involve and collaborate with people with MS/MS organizations (e.g. Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) and European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP)) in all of these five themes. The generation of this thematic framework with multi-expert perspectives can bolster the quality and scope of exercise studies in MS that may ultimately improve the daily lives of people with MS