Feed safety in the feed supply chain

A number of issues have weakened the public's confidence in the quality and wholesomeness of foods of animal origin. As a result farmers, nutritionists, industry and governments have been forced to pay serious attention to animal feedstuff production processes, thereby acknowledging that animal feed safety is an essential prerequisite for human food safety. Concerns about these issues have produced a number of important effects including the ban on the use of processed animal proteins, the ban on the addition of most antimicrobials to farm animals diets for growth‐promotion purposes, and the implementation of feed contaminant regulations in the EU. In this context it is essential to integrate knowledge on feed safety and feed supply. Consequently, purchase of new and more economic sources of energy and protein in animal diets, which is expected to conform to adequate quality, traceability, environmental sustainability and safety standards, is an emerging issue in livestock production system

Olfactometric techniques in feed analysis: preliminary calibration of DON in durum wheat

Approcci olfattometrici nell\u2019analisi dei mangimi: calibrazione preliminare per il rilievo di DON nel grano duro. Le analisi olfattometriche, attraverso l\u2019uso del naso elettronico, trovano sempre pi\uf9 spazio nella valutazione della qualit\ue0 e sicurezza in campo alimentare. I principali vantaggi di tale approccio risiedono nella sua flessibilit\ue0 di impiego. Una volta messi a punto adeguati protocolli d\u2019analisi e modelli statistici di tipo multivariato, infatti, il naso elettronico si pu\uf2 rivelare uno strumento adatto alle realt\ue0 di campo in quanto caratterizzato da rapidit\ue0 e basso costo d\u2019esercizio. Lo scopo di questo lavoro \ue8 stato quello di verificare, a livello preliminare, l\u2019efficienza del naso elettronico nel riconoscere la presenza di micotossina deossinivalenolo (DON) in 10 campioni di grano duro (Triticum durum) di diversa provenienza geografica. I risultati hanno dimostrato che il protocollo applicato consente di riconoscere la presenza di DON nonch\ue9 di discriminare i diversi campioni in funzione del loro livello di contaminazione

the effect of plant polyphenols on the antioxidant defence system of weaned piglets subjected to an escherichia coli challenge

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the effect of different selenium sources during the finishing phase on beef quality

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Clinical characteristics and outcomes of vaccinated patients hospitalised with SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection: Multi-IPV, a multicentre study in Northern Italy

Background: Despite the well-known efficacy of anti-COVID-19 vaccines in preventing morbidity and mortality, several vaccinated individuals are diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection, which might require hospitalisation. This multicentre, observational, and retrospective study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of vaccinated vs. non -vaccinated patients, both hospitalised with SARS-CoV-2 infection in 3 major hospitals in Northern Italy. Methods: Data collection was retrospective, and paper and electronic medical records of adult patients with a diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infection were pseudo-anonymised and analysed. Vaccinated and non -vaccinated individuals were manually paired, using a predetermined matching criterion (similar age, gender, and date of hospitalisation). Demographic, clinical, treatment, and outcome data were compared between groups differing by vaccination status using Pearson's Chi-square and Mann -Whitney tests. Moreover, multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the impact of vaccination status on ICU admission or intra-hospital mortality. Results: Data from 360 patients were collected. Vaccinated patients presented with a higher prevalence of relevant comorbidities, like kidney replacement therapy or haematological malignancy, despite a milder clinical presentation at the first evaluation. Non -vaccinated patients required intensive care more often than their vaccinated counterparts (8.8% vs. 1.7%, p = 0.002). Contrariwise, no difference in intra-hospital mortality was observed between the two groups (19% vs. 20%, p = 0.853). These results were confirmed by multivariable logistic regressions, which showed that vaccination was significantly associated with decreased risk of ICU admission (aOR=0.172, 95%CI: 0.039-0.542, p = 0.007), but not of intra-hospital mortality (aOR=0.996, 95%CI: 0.582-1.703, p = 0.987). Conclusions: This study provides real -world data on vaccinated patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Northern Italy. Our results suggest that COVID-19 vaccination has a protective role in individuals with higher risk profiles, especially regarding the need for ICU admission. These findings contribute to our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes among vaccinated individuals and emphasise the importance of vaccination in preventing severe disease, particularly in those countries with lower first -booster uptake rates

New techniques to improve oral feeding in preterm infants

In the last decades, improvement of perinatal care increased the survival of preterm infants. After acute phase stabilization, the independent oral feeding is the last task prior to discharge at home, but, as the American Academy of Paediatrics recognizes, is essential for hospital discharge. Coordination of breathing–sucking–swallowing movements, usually present until 32 to 34 gestational weeks, is essential to attend full oral feeding in preterm infants. A delay in independent oral feeding, both breast and bottle-feeding, can lead to longer hospital stay, family stress, health costs and long-term language and feeding problems. In the last years, various oral and sensorimotor stimulations have been proved being effective to improve nutritive sucking in preterm infants and to reduce the time to attain a full oral feeding