Assessment, market potential and margins of improved dairy cattle welfare

This doctoral dissertation contains a multidisciplinary approach exploring the possible introduction of a Welfare Assurance Scheme (WAS) for dairy cattle in Flanders, Belgium, with added value for the animals, consumers and farmers. Research questions relate to 1) credible, implementable and cost-efficient welfare assessment, and to the existence of 2) a consumer market for animal-friendly milk and 3) a positive relationship between animal welfare and farm performance. Results show that the integrated herd welfare scores from an existing welfare assessment protocol (the Welfare Quality® protocol) do not accurately reflect dairy cattle welfare in a way that matches well with the opinions of trained users of this protocol. Therefore, an alternative welfare assessment protocol is developed, which is transparent, simple, multidimensional, discriminative, and corresponds with expert opinion. A highly heterogeneous consumer market for animal-friendly milk was identified in Flanders, for which product differentiation is a promising strategy. Dairy cattle health, access to pasture and perceived advantages of such milk are promising selling propositions. For a sample of 41 dairy farms in Flanders, we found no clear link between farm performance and animal welfare, meaning that efforts on one criterion not necessarily jeopardize the other. Besides, farmers may experience added value of a WAS from an improved level of animal welfare and access to a differentiated market. The main conclusion is that the introduction of a WAS in Flanders is possible, but that the implementation strategy is vital to achieve a balance between credibility, feasibility and costs

The Civil Savage:How Young People Living Rurally ‘Do’ Distinction at Regional Festivals in the Netherlands

Building on previous work about cultural informalisation and the growing urban–rural divide in western democracies, this article studies symbolic boundary work as performed by white youths living in rural areas in the Netherlands. We conducted a micro-sociological analysis of how these youths celebrate regional festivals in the Netherlands, and particularly the meanings they attach to their affective displays of intoxication and sexuality. We show how distinction is ‘done’ here by many of these youths taking pride in drinking too much beer, sexual directness and impropriety, which they argue are expressions of conviviality and down-to-earthness. In doing so, they appear to be finding dignity and redemption in an image of themselves as savages and reappropriating it as part of their own ‘civility’, contrasting their revelry with what they perceive to be urban, middle-class snobbery.</p

Platelet serotonin uptake, N/L ratio and (abnormal) behaviour of pigs with a low or high social breeding value in barren or enriched housing

Pigs that are kept intensively and in groups may show excessive aggressive and/or manipulative behaviour. These behaviours may cause both welfare problems for the pigs and economic problems for the farmer. These problems may be solved by adjusting the environment the animals are kept in, and by (genetic) selection of animals. A social breeding value (SBV) has been designed that is used to estimate the heritable effect of an animal on the traits of its pen mates. Selecting for high social breeding values for the growth of pen mates might be an indirect way to reduce behavioural problems related to social interactions, but so far the effects of selecting for SBV for growth on behaviour and physiology of pigs are unknown. The main aim of the current study was to examine the relation between SBV, serotonin, Neutrophil to Lymphocyte (N/L) ratio, (abnormal) behaviour and aggression in animals with a high or low SBV, housed in an enriched or barren environment. The experiment was set up as a 2x2 arrangement, with SBV (high vs. low) and housing (barren or enriched) as factors. In total, 32 groups of pigs (192 animals) divided over two batches were used, the pigs were housed barren (partially slatted) or enriched (with sawdust and straw) in groups of six (1:1 sex ratio). Animals diverged in SBV, and half of the pigs were high SBV animals, with an average estimated genetic effect of +2.72 on average daily gain (ADG) of pen mates, and the other half were low SBV animals, with on average a negative effect of -1.5 g ADG on pen mates. To study both SBV and housing, behavioural observations in the home pen were conducted, a regrouping test (i.e. mixing of individuals from the same SBV) was performed, lesion and tail bite scores were recorded, and at three times some blood was taken from the pigs to determine N/L ratios and serotonin uptake velocity by platelets. Housing was found to have a greater impact on explorative, active and manipulative behaviour during this experiment than SBV, and no interactions were found between SBV and housing. Pigs in enriched pens were more active compared to barren housed animals, showed more explorative behaviour and less oral manipulation of pen mates. Furthermore, tail damage scores were lower in enriched housing. Body lesion scores after regrouping were not affected by housing, but under stable social conditions, pigs in enriched pens showed more lesions than barren housed pigs. SBV or its interaction with housing did not affect behaviour, body lesion scores or tail damage of pigs. SBV did affect platelet serotonin uptake velocity, with a higher uptake for the low SBV than for the high SBV pigs. Also N/L ratio was affected by SBV, with a higher N/L ratio in low SBV animals than in high SBV animals. Housing did not significantly influence serotonin (5-HT) uptake or N/L ratio. In conclusion, SBV did not affect behaviour of pigs, but effects on physiological variables were found. It is possible that selection for a high SBV may genetically make the animals less prone to show damaging behaviours, but in the experimental environment or method of this study, this was not observed. Alternatively, as this study was part of a larger experiment, the sample size may have been too small to reveal potential effects of diverging SBVs on behaviour of pigs. Further research is needed to unravel which traits of pigs are changing when selecting for SBV for growth of pen mates

Market opportunities for animal-friendly milk in different consumer segments

Consumers have increasing, but highly variable, interest in sustainability attributes of food, including ethical aspects, such as animal welfare. We explored market opportunities for animal-friendly cow’s milk based on segmentation (cluster) analysis. Flemish survey participants (n = 787) were clustered (n = 6) based on their intention to purchase (IP) animal-friendly milk, and their evaluation of cows’ welfare state (EV). Three market opportunity segments were derived from clusters and labelled as “high”, “moderate” and “limited”. Only 8% of the participants belong to the “high market opportunities” segment, characterized by a high IP and a low EV. The “limited” segment (44%) indicated a neutral to low IP and a positive EV. The “moderate” segment (48%) had a moderately positive IP and positive/negative EV. Reported willingness to pay, interest in information about the state of animal welfare and importance of the product attribute “animal welfare” differed among segments and were strongly related to IP. Most promising selling propositions about animal-friendly milk were related to pasture access. The high degree of differentiation within the Flemish milk market reveals market opportunities for animal-friendly milk, but for an effective market share increase supply of animal-friendly products needs to get more aligned with the heterogeneous demand

Mitochondrial Oxygen Monitoring During Surgical Repair of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia or Esophageal Atresia: A Feasibility Study

Current monitoring techniques in neonates lack sensitivity for hypoxia at cellular level. The recent introduction of the non-invasive Cellular Oxygen METabolism (COMET) monitor enables measuring in vivo mitochondrial oxygen tension (mitoPO2), based on oxygen-dependent quenching of delayed fluorescence of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-enhanced protoporphyri

Effects of chewing on appetite, food intake and gut hormones: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim: To conduct a systematic review of the effects of chewing on appetite, food intake and gut hormones, and a meta-analysis of the effects of chewing on self-reported hunger. Objectives: To seek insights into the relationship between chewing, appetite, food intake and gut hormones, and to consider potentially useful recommendations to promote benefits of chewing for weight management. Materials and methods: Papers were obtained from two electronic databases (Medline and Cochrane), from searches of reference lists, and from raw data collected from the figures in the articles. A total of 15 papers were identified that detailed 17 trials. All 15 papers were included in the systematic review; however, a further five studies were excluded from the meta-analysis because appropriate information on hunger ratings was not available. The meta-analysis was conducted on a total of 10 papers that detailed 13 trials. Results: Five of 16 experiments found a significant effect of chewing on satiation or satiety using self-report measures (visual analogue scales, VASs). Ten of 16 experiments found that chewing reduced food intake. Three of five studies showed that increasing the number of chews per bite increased relevant gut hormones and two linked this to subjective satiety. The meta-analysis found evidence of both publication bias and between study heterogeneity (IA2=93.4%, tau2=6.52, p<0.001) which decreased, but remained, when covariates were considered. Analysis of the heterogeneity found a substantial effect of the fasting period where the duration of fasting influenced the decrease in hunger due to chewing. Prolonged mastication significantly reduces self-reported hunger levels (hunger: -2.31 VAS point, 95% CI [-4.67, -1.38], p<0.001). Conclusions: Evidence currently suggests that chewing may decrease self-reported hunger and food intake, possibly through alterations in gut hormone responses related to satiety. Although preliminary, the results identify a need for additional research in the area. Focused, uniform, experimental designs are required to clearly understand the relationships that exist between mastication, appetite, satiety, food intake and, ultimately, body weight

Health-related quality of life after isolated limb perfusion compared to extended resection, or amputation for locally advanced extremity sarcoma:Is a limb salvage strategy worth the effort?

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare long-term patient reported outcomes (PROs) in patients with locally advanced extremity soft tissue sarcoma (eSTS) after isolated limb perfusion followed by resection (IR), compared to extended resection (ER), primary amputation (A) or secondary amputation after IR (IR-A). Methods: Patients were selected from the respondents of a multi-institutional cross-sectional cohort survivorship study (SURVSARC) conducted among sarcoma survivors registered in the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR), 2–10 years after diagnosis. Used PROs were the EORTC QLQ-C30, the Cancer worry scale (CWS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS). Results: We identified 97 eSTS survivors: IR = 20, ER = 49, A = 20, IR-A = 8. While there were no differences in PROs between IR and ER, results showed better functioning and functionality in both groups versus the amputation groups. The amputation groups scored significantly lower on physical functioning (A = 62.7, IR-A = 65.7 versus IR = 78.0, ER = 82.7, p = 0.001) and role functioning (A = 67.5, IR-A = 52.8 versus IR = 79.2, ER = 80.6, p = 0.039), both EORTC QLQ-C30 scales. Also for the TESS, the scores were significantly lower for the amputation groups compared to the limb sparing groups (upper extremity p = 0.007 with A = 68.9, IR-A = 71.6 versus IR = 93.3, ER = 91.1; lower extremity p < 0.001 with A = 72.2, IR-A50.9 versus IR = 84.5 and ER = 85.5). There were no significant differences between the groups on cancer worry, anxiety and depression. Conclusion: HRQoL in eSTS survivors treated with IR or ER is equal; for maintenance of physical functioning and functionality IR and ER outperform an amputation

Using expert elicitation to abridge the Welfare Quality® protocol for monitoring the most adverse dairy cattle welfare impairments

The Welfare Quality® consortium has developed and proposed standard protocols for monitoring farm animal welfare. The uptake of the dairy cattle protocol has been below expectation, however, and it has been criticized for the variable quality of the welfare measures and for a limited number of measures having a disproportionally large effect on the integrated welfare categorization. Aiming for a wide uptake by the milk industry, we revised and simplified the Welfare Quality® protocol into a user-friendly tool for cost- and time-efficient on-farm monitoring of dairy cattle welfare with a minimal number of key animal-based measures that are aggregated into a continuous (and thus discriminative) welfare index (WI). The inevitable subjective decisions were based upon expert opinion, as considerable expertise about cattle welfare issues and about the interpretation, importance, and validity of the welfare measures was deemed essential. The WI is calculated as the sum of the severity score (i.e., how severely a welfare problem affects cow welfare) multiplied with the herd prevalence for each measure. The selection of measures (lameness, leanness, mortality, hairless patches, lesions/swellings, somatic cell count) and their severity scores were based on expert surveys (14–17 trained users of the Welfare Quality® cattle protocol). The prevalence of these welfare measures was assessed in 491 European herds. Experts allocated a welfare score (from 0 to 100) to 12 focus herds for which the prevalence of each welfare measure was benchmarked against all 491 herds. Quadratic models indicated a high correspondence between these subjective scores and the WI (R(2) = 0.91). The WI allows both numerical (0–100) as a qualitative (“not classified” to “excellent”) evaluation of welfare. Although it is sensitive to those welfare issues that most adversely affect cattle welfare (as identified by EFSA), the WI should be accompanied with a disclaimer that lists adverse or favorable effects that cannot be detected adequately by the current selection of measures

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Can Reliably Differentiate Optic Nerve Inflammation from Tumor Invasion in Retinoblastoma with Orbital Cellulitis

PURPOSE To investigate the prevalence and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) phenotype of retinoblastoma-associated orbital cellulitis. Additionally, this study aimed to identify postlaminar optic nerve enhancement (PLONE) patterns differentiating between inflammation and tumor invasion. DESIGN A monocenter cohort study assessed the prevalence of orbital cellulitis features on MRI in retinoblastoma patients. A multicenter case-control study compared MRI features of the retinoblastoma-associated orbital cellulitis cases with retinoblastoma controls. PARTICIPANTS A consecutive retinoblastoma patient cohort of 236 patients (311 eyes) was retrospectively investigated. Subsequently, 30 retinoblastoma cases with orbital cellulitis were compared with 30 matched retinoblastoma controls without cellulitis. METHODS In the cohort study, retinoblastoma MRI scans were scored on presence of inflammatory features. In the case-control study, MRI scans were scored on intraocular features and PLONE patterns. Postlaminar enhancement patterns were compared with histopathologic assessment of postlaminar tumor invasion. Interreader agreement was assessed, and exact tests with Bonferroni correction were adopted for statistical comparisons. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Prevalence of retinoblastoma-associated orbital cellulitis on MRI was calculated. Frequency of intraocular MRI features was compared between cases and controls. Sensitivity and specificity of postlaminar optic nerve patterns for detection of postlaminar tumor invasion were assessed. RESULTS The MRI prevalence of retinoblastoma-associated orbital cellulitis was 6.8% (16/236). Retinoblastoma with orbital cellulitis showed significantly more tumor necrosis, uveal abnormalities (inflammation, hemorrhage, and necrosis), lens luxation (all P &lt; 0.001), and a larger eye size (P = 0.012). The inflammatory pattern of optic nerve enhancement (strong enhancement similar to adjacent choroid) was solely found in orbital cellulitis cases, of which none (0/16) showed tumor invasion on histopathology. Invasive pattern enhancement was found in both cases and controls, of which 50% (5/10) showed tumor invasion on histopathology. Considering these different enhancement patterns suggestive for either inflammation or tumor invasion increased specificity for detection of postlaminar tumor invasion in orbital cellulitis cases from 32% (95% confidence interval [CI], 16-52) to 89% (95% CI, 72-98). CONCLUSIONS Retinoblastoma cases presenting with orbital cellulitis show MRI findings of a larger eye size, extensive tumor necrosis, uveal abnormalities, and lens luxation. Magnetic resonance imaging contrast-enhancement patterns within the postlaminar optic nerve can differentiate between tumor invasion and inflammatory changes