Antwerpen Nieuwerck. Rapportage van een archeologische opgraving. 28 februari - 6 maart 2017

Dit rapport werd ingediend bij het agentschap samen met een aantal afzonderlijke digitale bijlagen. Een aantal van deze bijlagen zijn niet inbegrepen in dit pdf document en zijn niet online beschikbaar. Sommige bijlagen (grondplannen, fotos, spoorbeschrijvingen, enz.) kunnen van belang zijn voor een betere lezing en interpretatie van dit rapport. Indien u deze bijlagen wenst te raadplegen kan u daarvoor contact opnemen met: [email protected]

Short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides supplementation to suckling piglets : assessment of pre- and post-weaning performance and gut health

Farmers face difficulties in redeeming their investment in larger litter sizes since this comes with larger litter heterogenicity, lower litter resilience and risk of higher mortality. Dietary oligosaccharides, given to the sow, proved beneficial for the offspring's performance. However, giving oligosaccharides to the suckling piglet is poorly explored. Therefore, this field trial studied the effect of dietary short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS; 1g/day; drenched) supplementation to low (LBW, lower quartile), normal (NBW, two intermediate quartiles) and high (HBW, upper quartile) birth weight piglets from birth until 7 or 21 days of age. Performance parameters, gut microbiome and short-chain fatty acids profile of feces and digesta were assessed at birth (d 0), d 7, weaning (d 21.5) and 2 weeks post-weaning (d 36.5). Additional parameters reflecting gut health (intestinal integrity and morphology, mucosal immune system) were analysed at d 36.5. Most parameters changed with age or differed with the piglet's birth weight. Drenching with scFOS increased body weight by 1 kg in NBW suckling piglets and reduced the post-weaning mortality rate by a 100%. No clear difference in the IgG level, the microbiota composition and fermentative activity between the treatment groups was observed. Additionnally, intestinal integrity, determined by measuring intestinal permeability and regenerative capacity, was similar between the treatment groups. Also, intestinal architecture (villus lenght, crypt depth) was not affected by scFOS supplementation. The density of intra-epithelial lymphocytes and the expression profiles (real-time qPCR) for immune system-related genes (IL-10, IL-1ss, IL-6, TNF alpha and IFN gamma) were used to assess mucosal immunity. Only IFN gamma expression, was upregulated in piglets that received scFOS for 7 days. The improved body weight and the reduced post-weaning mortality seen in piglets supplemented with scFOS support the view that scFOS positively impact piglet's health and resilience. However, the modes of action for these effects are not yet fully elucidated and its potential to improve other performance parameters needs further investigation

Lactobacilli have a niche in the human nose

Although an increasing number of beneficial microbiome members are characterized for the human gut and vagina, beneficial microbes are underexplored for the human upper respiratory tract (URT). In this study, we demonstrate that taxa from the beneficial Lactobacillus genus complex are more prevalent in the healthy URT than in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Several URT-specific isolates are cultured, characterized, and further explored for their genetic and functional properties related to adaptation to the URT. Catalase genes are found in the identified lactobacilli, which is a unique feature within this mostly facultative anaerobic genus. Moreover, one of our isolated strains, Lactobacillus casei AMBR2, contains fimbriae that enable strong adherence to URT epithelium, inhibit the growth and virulence of several URT pathogens, and successfully colonize nasal epithelium of healthy volunteers. This study thus demonstrates that specific lactobacilli are adapted to the URT and could have a beneficial keystone function in this habitat

Heterozygous Loss-of-Function Mutations in DLL4 Cause Adams-Oliver Syndrome.

Adams-Oliver syndrome (AOS) is a rare developmental disorder characterized by the presence of aplasia cutis congenita (ACC) of the scalp vertex and terminal limb-reduction defects. Cardiovascular anomalies are also frequently observed. Mutations in five genes have been identified as a cause for AOS prior to this report. Mutations in EOGT and DOCK6 cause autosomal-recessive AOS, whereas mutations in ARHGAP31, RBPJ, and NOTCH1 lead to autosomal-dominant AOS. Because RBPJ, NOTCH1, and EOGT are involved in NOTCH signaling, we hypothesized that mutations in other genes involved in this pathway might also be implicated in AOS pathogenesis. Using a candidate-gene-based approach, we prioritized DLL4, a critical NOTCH ligand, due to its essential role in vascular development in the context of cardiovascular features in AOS-affected individuals. Targeted resequencing of the DLL4 gene with a custom enrichment panel in 89 independent families resulted in the identification of seven mutations. A defect in DLL4 was also detected in two families via whole-exome or genome sequencing. In total, nine heterozygous mutations in DLL4 were identified, including two nonsense and seven missense variants, the latter encompassing four mutations that replace or create cysteine residues, which are most likely critical for maintaining structural integrity of the protein. Affected individuals with DLL4 mutations present with variable clinical expression with no emerging genotype-phenotype correlations. Our findings demonstrate that DLL4 mutations are an additional cause of autosomal-dominant AOS or isolated ACC and provide further evidence for a key role of NOTCH signaling in the etiology of this disorder