Fermented liquid feed for pigs

Since the announcement of the ban on the use of antibiotics as antimicrobial growth promoters in the feed of pigs in 2006 the investigation towards alternative feed additives has augmented considerably. Although fermented liquid feed is not an additive, but a feeding strategy, the experimental work examining its possible advantages also saw a rise. The use of fermented liquid feed (FLF) has two main advantages, namely that the simultaneous provision of feed and water may result in an alleviation of the transition from the sow milk to solid feed and may also reduce the time spent to find both sources of nutrients, and secondly, that offering FLF with a low pH may strengthen the potential of the stomach as a first line of defence against possible pathogenic infections. Because of these two advantages, FLF is often stated as an ideal feed for weaned piglets. The results obtained so far are rather variable, but in general they show a better body weight gain and worse feed/gain ratio for the piglets. However, for growing-finishing pigs on average a better feed/gain ratio is found compared to pigs fed dry feed. This better performance is mostly associated with less harmful microbiota and better gut morphology. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge of FLF for pigs, dealing with the FLF itself as well as its effect on the gastrointestinal tract and animal performance

Influence of sow dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid source on the immunoglobulin profile of piglets

To examine the effect of different n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) sources in sow diets on piglets’ immunoglobulin (Ig) profile, two groups of twelve sows each were fed different diets from day 45 of pregnancy and during lactation on two commercial farms. On farm I, a palm oil diet (25 g/kg; PALM) and a linseed oil containing diet (20 g/kg; LIN) were fed. On farm II, the same PALM diet and a fish oil containing diet (20 g/kg; FISH) were fed. All diets contained equal amounts of C18:2n-6 (13 g/kg). One day before parturition, blood (for serum) was taken and shortly after parturition, colostrum was taken from the sows (not from sows on farm I) for determination of Ig levels. On day 5 post partum and the day before weaning, blood (for serum) was taken from 4 piglets of six sows per group (24 piglets in total per group; for 5-d old piglets on farm II, only 6 piglets of the FISH group were sampled). In all samples total IgG, IgA, IgM concentration and specific F4-IgG, -IgA and -IgM titer (Log2 titer) against E. coli were determined. On farm I, the sows of the LIN group showed a trend towards lower IgG titers compared to the PALM group around farrowing (P<0.1). On farm II, the sows on the FISH diet showed a significantly (P<0.05) lower F4-IgG titer compared to the sows fed PALM. The colostrum samples on farm II showed no differences between both groups. On farm I, the 5-d old piglets from the LIN group had significantly higher IgA and IgM concentrations and higher F4-IgA and F4-IgM titers (P<0.05). F4-IgA and F4-IgG titers were also significantly higher at weaning in the LIN group compared to the PALM group. On farm II, the piglets of the FISH group had a significantly higher IgG concentration and F4-IgA titer (P<0.05) and a trend towards a higher IgM concentration (P<0.1) around weaning compared to the PALM group. It seems that fish oil in the maternal diet increases total IgG concentration, while linseed oil reduces total IgG and increases total IgA compared to a palm fat containing diet. Both fish and linseed oil seem to have a positive effect on total IgM concentration compared to the palm diet

Analysis of load displacement in grape harvesters and corresponding effect on dynamic weighing system under laboratory conditions

Harvester bin dynamic weighing systems are affected by a number of sources of variation such as field slopes and load displacement. In grape harvesters, the nature of the material (wine grapes and wine grape juice) and its relative composition can vary significantly. Laboratory tests were carried out using hydrogel spheres and water to simulate field dynamic conditions during harvest. This paper quantifies the sources of variation, submitting an instrumented grape harvester to graduated inclination under shaking conditions. Load displacement is characterized using image analysis from recorded movies on four different pitch axis motions of the machine: front to horizontal, horizontal to rear, rear to horizontal and horizontal to front. Differences in the displacement of the load in relation to the machine inclination and to the load composition have been addressed

Ageism and its clinical impact in oncogeriatry: state of knowledge and therapeutic leads

peer reviewedCancer is a major health problem that is widespread in elderly people. Paradoxically, older people suffering from cancer are often excluded from clinical trials and are undertreated when compared to younger patients. One explanation for these observations is age stigma (ie, stereotypes linked to age, and thus ageism). These stigmas can result in deleterious consequences for elderly people’s mental and physical health in “normal” aging. What, then, is the impact in a pathological context, such as oncology? Moreover, health care professionals’ attitudes can be tainted with ageism, thus leading to undesirable consequences for patients. To counter these stigmas, we can apply some possible interventions emerging from research on normal aging and from social psychology, such as intergenerational contact, activation of positive stereotypes, self-affirmation, and so on; these tools can improve opinions of aging among the elderly people themselves, as well as health care professionals, thus affecting patients’ mental and physical health

Angiogenesis and screening in uveal melanoma

This thesis describes several topics on angiogenesis and screening in uveal melanoma, the most frequent eye tumour in adults. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and other angiostimulating factors in this tumour are described. In a second part, the use of different screening tests in screening for metastases of uveal melanoma is investigated.Leids Universitair Medisch CentrumThe Netherlands Cancer Institute (Koningin Wilhelmina Kanker Fonds)Vasculair en neoplastisch oogheelkundig onderzoe

Fermented liquid feed for pigs : an ancient technique for the future

Fermented liquid feed is feed that has been mixed with water at a ratio ranging from 1:1.5 to 1:4. By mixing with water, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts naturally occurring in the feed proliferate and produce lactic acid, acetic acid and ethanol which reduces the pH of the mixture. This reduction in pH inhibits pathogenic organisms from developing in the feed. In addition, when this low pH mixture is fed, it reduces the pH in the stomach of pigs and prevents the proliferation of pathogens such as coliforms and Salmonella in the gastrointestinal tract. For piglets, the use of fermented liquid feed offers the possibility of simultaneously providing feed and water, which may facilitate an easier transition from sow's milk to solid feed. Secondly, offering properly produced fermented liquid feed may strengthen the role of the stomach as the first line of defense against possible pathogenic infections by lowering the pH in the gastrointestinal tract thereby helping to exclude enteropathogens. Finally, feeding fermented liquid feed to pigs has been shown to improve the performance of suckling pigs, weaner pigs and growing-finishing pigs. In this review, current knowledge about the use of fermented liquid feed in pig diets will be discussed. This will include a discussion of the desirable properties of fermented liquid feed and factors affecting fermentation. In addition, advantages and disadvantages of fermented liquid feed will be discussed including its effects on gastrointestinal health, intestinal pH and the types of bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract as well as the effects of fermented liquid feeds on pig performance

Quality of life in children with cancer history and parental adaptation : an exploratory study

peer reviewedCette étude envisage la qualité de vie (QV) de l’enfant avec antécédents oncologiques et celle de ses parents ainsi que la relation entre l’adaptation parentale et la QV de l’enfant. Deux groupes ont été créés : un groupe expérimental composé d’enfants avec antécédents oncologiques et leurs parents et un groupe contrôle composé d’enfants tout-venant appariés et de leurs parents. Les enfants ont rempli un questionnaire de QV; les parents ont complété des questionnaires évaluant les stratégies de coping, les représentations de la maladie, le stress parental et la QV. Les résultats montrent que la QV du groupe expérimental est satisfaisante et similaire à celle observée au sein du groupe contrôle. Les représentations des parents (menace et contrôle personnel), ainsi que les stratégies qu’ils mettent en place pour maintenir l’intégration familiale sont significativement liées à la QV de leur enfant. Cette étude met en évidence le besoin d’évaluer l’adaptation des parents d’enfant avec antécédents oncologiques et de développer des interventions ciblant leurs représentations et leurs stratégies de coping

La question de l’âgisme dans le contexte de la crise sanitaire liée à la Covid-19

Programme First Spin-of

Development and validation of a fast ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction procedure combined with LC-MS/MS analysis for the quantification of benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-like hypnotics in whole blood

To date, thorough clean-up of complex biological samples remains an essential part of the analytical process. The solid phase extraction (SPE) technique is the well-known standard, however, its main weaknesses are the labor-intensive and time-consuming protocols. In this respect, dispersive liquid-liquid microextractions (DLLME) seem to offer less complex and more efficient extraction procedures. Furthermore, ionic liquids (ILs) - liquid salts - are emerging as new promising extraction solvents, thanks to their non-flammable nature, negligible vapor pressure and easily adaptable physiochemical properties. In this study, we investigated whether ILs can be used as an extraction solvent in a DLLME procedure for the extraction of a broad range of benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-like hypnotics in whole blood samples. 1.0mL whole blood was extracted using an optimized 30-min IL-based DLLME procedure, followed by LC-ESI(+)-MS/MS analysis in scheduled MRM scan mode. The optimized analytical method was successfully validated for 7-aminoflunitrazepam, alprazolam, bromazepam, clobazam, clonazepam, clotiazepam, diazepam, estazolam, ethyl loflazepate, etizolam, flurazepam, lormetazepam, midazolam, oxazepam, prazepam, temazepam, triazolam, zolpidem and zopiclone. The method showed good selectivity for endogenous interferences based on 12 sources of blank whole blood. No benzodiazepine interferences were observed, except for clorazepate and nordiazepam, which were excluded from the quantitative method. Matrix-matched calibration curves were constructed covering the whole therapeutic range, including low toxic plasma concentrations. Accuracy and precision results met the proposed acceptance criteria for the vast majority of compounds, except for brotizolam, chlordiazepoxide, cloxazolam, flunitrazepam, loprazolam, lorazepam and nitrazepam, which can only be determined in a semi-quantitative way. Recoveries were within the range of 24.7%-127.2% and matrix effects were within 20.0%-92.6%. Both parameters were tested using 5 sources of whole blood and coefficients of variance were below 20%. Overall, the applicability of ILs as promising solvents for the extraction of benzodiazepines in whole blood samples has been proven. Moreover, a fast and easy IL-based DLLME procedure was developed for the quantification of 19 benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-like hypnotics.</p