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Pen enrichment for broiler chickens is one of the potential strategies to stimulate locomotion and consequently contribute to better leg health and welfare. This study was designed to evaluate effects of using a plethora of pen enrichments (barrier perches, angular ramps, horizontal platforms, large distance between feed and water and providing live Black Soldier fly larvae in a dustbathing area) on tibia characteristics, locomotion, leg health and home pen behaviour of fast and slower-growing broiler chickens. The experiment was set up as a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement with a total of 840 male broiler chickens in a complete randomized design (7 pens per treatment and 30 chickens per pen) with the following treatments: 1) pen enrichment (enriched pen or non-enriched pen); 2) broiler strain (fast-growing Ross 308 or slower-growing Hubbard JA 757). Home pen behaviour and use of enrichment were observed. At approximately 1400 and 2200 g body weight, two chickens per pen were randomly selected and slaughtered, to investigate tibia morphological, biophysical and mechanical characteristics and leg health. Pen enrichment positively affected tibia biophysical characteristics, e.g., osseous volume (Δ = 1.8 cm 3 , P = 0.003), total volume (Δ = 1.4 cm 3 , P = 0.03) and volume fraction (Δ = 0.02%, P = 0.002), in both fast and slower-growing chickens, suggesting that pen enrichment particularly affects ossification and mineralization mechanisms. Accordingly, locomotion and active behaviours were positively influenced by pen enrichment. However, pen enrichment resulted in lower body weight gain in both strains, which might be due to higher activity or lower feed intake as a result of difficulties of crossing the barrier perches. Regarding the strain, slower-growing chickens showed consistently more advanced tibia characteristics and more active behaviour than fast-growing chickens. It can be concluded that pen enrichment may lead to more activity and better bone development in both fast and slower-growing chickens.

Background Dietary fibers contribute to health and physiology primarily via the fermentative actions of the host’s gut microbiome. Physicochemical properties such as solubility, fermentability, viscosity, and gel-forming ability differ among fiber types and are known to affect metabolism. However, few studies have focused on how they influence the gut microbiome and how these interactions influence host health. The aim of this study is to investigate how the gut microbiome of growing pigs responds to diets containing gel-forming alginate and fermentable resistant starch and to predict important interactions and functional changes within the microbiota. Results Nine growing pigs (3-month-old), divided into three groups, were fed with either a control, alginate-, or resistant starch-containing diet (CON, ALG, or RS), and fecal samples were collected over a 12-week period. SSU (small subunit) rDNA amplicon sequencing data was annotated to assess the gut microbiome, whereas comprehensive microarray polymer profiling (CoMPP) of digested material was employed to evaluate feed degradation. Gut microbiome structure variation was greatest in pigs fed with resistant starch, where notable changes included the decrease in alpha diversity and increase in relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae- and Ruminococcus -affiliated phylotypes. Imputed function was predicted to vary significantly in pigs fed with resistant starch and to a much lesser extent with alginate; however, the key pathways involving degradation of starch and other plant polysaccharides were predicted to be unaffected. The change in relative abundance levels of basal dietary components (plant cell wall polysaccharides and proteins) over time was also consistent irrespective of diet; however, correlations between the dietary components and phylotypes varied considerably in the different diets. Conclusions Resistant starch-containing diet exhibited the strongest structural variation compared to the alginate-containing diet. This variation gave rise to a microbiome that contains phylotypes affiliated with metabolically reputable taxonomic lineages. Despite the significant microbiome structural shifts that occurred from resistant starch-containing diet, functional redundancy is seemingly apparent with respect to the microbiome’s capacity to degrade starch and other dietary polysaccharides, one of the key stages in digestion.

Obesity has become a major health problem in humans and companion animals. Although obesity is not common in farm animals, food restriction is often used to maintain low feeding costs and performance of, for instance, pregnant sows and fattening pigs. Food restriction may result in hunger and increased feeding motivation, which are associated with behavioural problems. Knowledge on the regulation of satiety is thus crucial to aid in the control of food intake in humans, and to improve welfare in food-restricted farm animals. Dietary fibres are believed to enhance satiety, but the effectiveness varies with the physicochemical properties of the fibre sources concerned. Therefore, the objective of this thesis was to identify whether and how dietary fibres with different physicochemical properties, such as bulkiness, viscosity, gelling and fermentability, affect satiety in the domestic pig, which was used both as a model for humans and as a target animal. In a study focusing on behavioural measures of satiety, pectin (viscous fibre) was the least satiating, whereas lignocellulose (bulking fibre) and resistant starch (fermentable fibre) were the most satiating fibres tested. In a subsequent study, increasing levels of guar gum, inulin, and resistant starch (all fermentable fibres), when replacing digestible starch, enhanced satiety throughout the day. Resistant starch was the most satiating fibre among all fibres tested, and used, in a subsequent study, to assess possible physiological and molecular mechanisms by which fermentation may affect satiety. Also in this study, resistant starch appeared to enhance satiety based on behavioural observations, i.e. reduced feeder-directed and drinking behaviours during 24 h. As expected, the satiating effects of resistant starch coincided with increased 24 h plasma short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) levels and decreased postprandial glucose and insulin plasma levels. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) plasma levels were lower in pigs fed resistant starch, whereas peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY) plasma levels were not affected by resistant starch, suggesting that these hormones do not play a role in the increased satiety induced by fermentation. Resistant starch consumption led to downregulation of genes involved in immune responses, and upregulation of genes involved in metabolic processes such as fatty acid and energy metabolism in the proximal colon. Moreover, correlation analysis inversely linked potential pathogenic microbial groups with plasma SCFA concentrations and with genes involved in fatty acid metabolism. These findings suggest that besides satiating effects, resistant starch has a beneficial effect on colonic health. In the last study, the long-term effects of a gelling fibre promoting satiation (alginate) and a fermentable fibre promoting satiety (resistant starch) on feeding patterns and growth performance were assessed. In the long-term, growing-finishing pigs compensated for a reduced dietary energy content by increasing voluntary food intake (alginate), or they became more efficient in the use of digestible energy (resistant starch). Moreover, dietary fibres increased the relative weight of the gastrointestinal tract and led to changes in body composition (less fat more muscle), which may be relevant for the maintenance of lean weight in humans. In conclusion, fermentable fibres are more satiating than viscous and bulking fibres. The satiating effects of fermentable fibres are likely mediated by an increased SCFA production, and a reduced and attenuated glucose supply. Under unrestricted feeding conditions, dietary fibres promoting satiation (alginate) and satiety (resistant starch) did not reduce long-term food intake and total body weight gain, yet, colon empty weight was increased and carcass growth was reduced. This implies that changes in body composition and intestinal weight or content, rather than body weight and body mass index (BMI) alone may be relevant to fully acknowledge the effects of fibres to aid in maintaining or promoting healthy body weight in humans.

Obesity has become a major health problem in humans and companion animals. Although obesity is not common in farm animals, food restriction is often used to maintain low feeding costs and performance of, for instance, pregnant sows and fattening pigs. Food restriction may result in hunger and increased feeding motivation, which are associated with behavioural problems. Knowledge on the regulation of satiety is thus crucial to aid in the control of food intake in humans, and to improve welfare in food-restricted farm animals. Dietary fibres are believed to enhance satiety, but the effectiveness varies with the physicochemical properties of the fibre sources concerned. Therefore, the objective of this thesis was to identify whether and how dietary fibres with different physicochemical properties, such as bulkiness, viscosity, gelling and fermentability, affect satiety in the domestic pig, which was used both as a model for humans and as a target animal. In a study focusing on behavioural measures of satiety, pectin (viscous fibre) was the least satiating, whereas lignocellulose (bulking fibre) and resistant starch (fermentable fibre) were the most satiating fibres tested. In a subsequent study, increasing levels of guar gum, inulin, and resistant starch (all fermentable fibres), when replacing digestible starch, enhanced satiety throughout the day. Resistant starch was the most satiating fibre among all fibres tested, and used, in a subsequent study, to assess possible physiological and molecular mechanisms by which fermentation may affect satiety. Also in this study, resistant starch appeared to enhance satiety based on behavioural observations, i.e. reduced feeder-directed and drinking behaviours during 24 h. As expected, the satiating effects of resistant starch coincided with increased 24 h plasma short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) levels and decreased postprandial glucose and insulin plasma levels. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) plasma levels were lower in pigs fed resistant starch, whereas peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY) plasma levels were not affected by resistant starch, suggesting that these hormones do not play a role in the increased satiety induced by fermentation. Resistant starch consumption led to downregulation of genes involved in immune responses, and upregulation of genes involved in metabolic processes such as fatty acid and energy metabolism in the proximal colon. Moreover, correlation analysis inversely linked potential pathogenic microbial groups with plasma SCFA concentrations and with genes involved in fatty acid metabolism. These findings suggest that besides satiating effects, resistant starch has a beneficial effect on colonic health. In the last study, the long-term effects of a gelling fibre promoting satiation (alginate) and a fermentable fibre promoting satiety (resistant starch) on feeding patterns and growth performance were assessed. In the long-term, growing-finishing pigs compensated for a reduced dietary energy content by increasing voluntary food intake (alginate), or they became more efficient in the use of digestible energy (resistant starch). Moreover, dietary fibres increased the relative weight of the gastrointestinal tract and led to changes in body composition (less fat more muscle), which may be relevant for the maintenance of lean weight in humans. In conclusion, fermentable fibres are more satiating than viscous and bulking fibres. The satiating effects of fermentable fibres are likely mediated by an increased SCFA production, and a reduced and attenuated glucose supply. Under unrestricted feeding conditions, dietary fibres promoting satiation (alginate) and satiety (resistant starch) did not reduce long-term food intake and total body weight gain, yet, colon empty weight was increased and carcass growth was reduced. This implies that changes in body composition and intestinal weight or content, rather than body weight and body mass index (BMI) alone may be relevant to fully acknowledge the effects of fibres to aid in maintaining or promoting healthy body weight in humans.

Pen enrichment for broiler (meat-type) chickens is one of the potential strategies to stimulate locomotion and consequently contribute to leg health and welfare. This study was designed to evaluate effects of using a plethora of pen enrichments (barrier perches, angular ramps, horizontal platforms, large distance between feed and water and providing live Black Soldier fly larvae in a dustbathing area) on tibia characteristics, locomotion, leg health and home pen behaviour of fast and slower-growing broiler chickens. The experiment was set up as a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement with a total of 840 male broiler chickens in a complete randomized design (7 replicates per treatment and 30 chickens per replicate) with the following treatments: 1) pen enrichment (enriched pen or non-enriched pen); 2) broiler strain (fast-growing Ross 308 or slower-growing Hubbard JA 757). Home pen behaviour and use of enrichment were observed. At approximately 1400 and 2200 gram body weight, two chickens per pen were randomly selected and slaughtered, to investigate tibia morphological, biophysical and mechanical characteristics and leg health. Pen enrichment positively affected tibia biophysical characteristics, e.g., osseous volume (Δ=1.8 cm3, P=0.003), total volume (Δ=1.4 cm3, P=0.03) and volume fraction (Δ=0.02 %, P=0.002), in both fast and slower-growing chickens, suggesting that pen enrichment particularly affects ossification and mineralization mechanisms. Accordingly, locomotion and active behaviours were positively influenced by pen enrichment. However, pen enrichment resulted in lower body weight gain in both strains, which might be due to higher activity or lower feed intake as a result of difficulties of crossing the barrier perches. Regarding the strain, slower-growing chickens showed consistently more advanced tibia characteristics and more active behaviour than fast-growing chickens. It can be concluded that pen enrichment may lead to more activity and better bone development in both fast and slower-growing chickens.

BackgroundThe WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist (SCC) has been implemented in diverse settings to improve the quality and safety of intrapartum care, but implementation strategies and their relationship with adoption and fidelity remain heterogeneous and incompletely described.ObjectivesTo describe the landscape of SCC implementation, map the implementation strategies used and explore how these strategies were reported in relation to adoption and fidelity.Eligibility criteriaWe included primary studies reporting SCC implementation in healthcare settings that described at least one implementation strategy, with no restrictions on country or language. Studies that did not report implementation strategies or did not involve SCC use in real-world care settings were excluded.Sources of evidenceWe searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Global Health and Global Index Medicus (June 2024), screened reference lists and consulted grey literature for the period 2009–2024.Charting methodsThis scoping review followed JBI methodology (Peters et al) and was reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. We extracted study characteristics and implementation findings, coded strategies using the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) taxonomy and grouped them by clusters. Adoption (initial uptake) and fidelity (adherence to core components) were categorised following Proctor’s implementation outcomes. We created a descriptive implementation intensity score and conducted exploratory analyses (tertiles, boxplot).Results34 studies described 19 SCC implementation projects across 16 countries. We identified 24 distinct ERIC strategies, with most projects using 5–11 strategies. Frequently reported strategies included educational meetings, audit and feedback, supervision, contextual adaptation and leadership or champions. Exploratory analyses did not show consistent associations between implementation intensity and adoption or fidelity. ‘Change infrastructure’ strategies (such as record system or equipment changes) were variably defined and warrant cautious interpretation. Adaptations (eg, translation and alignment with national guidelines) were common and aimed at improving local fit, but heterogeneous reporting limited cross-study comparability.ConclusionsSCC implementation has relied on diverse, multicomponent strategies, yet reporting—especially of strategy content and adaptations—remains insufficient, constraining comparison and synthesis across settings. As a pragmatic bundle, implementers may prioritise brief team training, unit-level champions and leadership signals, point-of-care audit and feedback, light-touch SCC adaptation that preserves core content and structured supervision or peer coaching, combined with systematic inclusion of women and families through codesign and companion-mediated prompting. Using theory-informed frameworks (such as Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment and Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research [CFIR]) and standardised reporting tools (eg, Proctor’s outcomes; Template for Intervention Description and Replication / Standards for Reporting Implementation Studies [TIDieR/StaRI]) can make SCC implementation strategies more transparent, comparable and scalable.RegistrationOpen Science Framework: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/RWY27.

Maternal protein restriction and physical activity can affect the interaction mother–placenta–fetus. This study quantified the gene expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurothrophin 4, tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB/NTRK2), insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), and insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1r) in the different areas of mother’s brain (hypothalamus, hippocampus, and cortex), placenta, and fetus’ brain of rats. Female Wistar rats (n = 20) were housed in cages containing a running wheel for 4 weeks before gestation. According to the distance spontaneously traveled daily, rats were classified as inactive or active. During gestation, on continued access to the running wheel, active and inactive groups were randomized to receive normoprotein diet (18% protein) or a low-protein (LP) diet (8% protein). At day 20 of gestation, gene expression of neurotrophic factors was analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in different brain areas and the placenta. Dams submitted to a LP diet during gestation showed upregulation of IGF-1r and BDNF messenger RNA in the hypothalamus, IGF-1r and NTRK2 in the hippocampus, and BDNF, NTRK2, IGF-1 and IGF-1r in the cortex. In the placenta, there was a downregulation of IGF-1. In the brain of pups from mothers on LP diet, IGF-1r and NTRK2 were downregulated. Voluntary physical activity attenuated the effects of LP diet on IGF-1r in the hypothalamus, IGF-1r and NTRK2 in the hippocampus, IGF-1 in the placenta, and NTRK2 in the fetus’ brain. In conclusion, both maternal protein restriction and spontaneous physical activity influence the gene expression of BDNF, NTRK2, IGF-1, and IGF-1r, with spontaneous physical activity being able to normalize in part the defects caused by protein restriction during pregnancy.

AIDS-related disseminated histoplasmosis (DH) can cause septic shock and multiorgan dysfunction with mortality rates of up to 80%. A 41-year-old male presented with fever, fatigue, weight loss, disseminated skin lesions, low urine output, and mental confusion. Three weeks before admission, the patient was diagnosed with HIV infection, but antiretroviral therapy (ART) was not initiated. On day 1 of admission, sepsis with multiorgan dysfunction (acute renal failure, metabolic acidosis, hepatic failure, and coagulopathy) was identified. A chest computed tomography showed unspecific findings. Yeasts suggestive of Histoplasma spp. were observed in a routine peripheral blood smear. On day 2, the patient was transferred to the ICU, where his clinical condition progressed with reduced level of consciousness, hyperferritinemia, and refractory septic shock, requiring high doses of vasopressors, corticosteroids, mechanical ventilation, and hemodialysis. Amphotericin B deoxycholate was initiated. On day 3, yeasts suggestive of Histoplasma spp. were observed in the bone marrow. On day 10, ART was initiated. On day 28, samples of peripheral blood and bone marrow cultures revealed Histoplasma spp. The patient stayed in the ICU for 32 days, completing three weeks of intravenous antifungal therapy. After progressive clinical and laboratory improvement, the patient was discharged from the hospital on oral itraconazole, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and ART. This case highlights the inclusion of DH in the differential diagnosis of patients with advanced HIV disease, septic shock and multiorgan dysfunction but without respiratory failure. In addition, it provides early in-hospital diagnosis and treatment and comprehensive management in the ICU as determining factors for a good outcome.

The main goal of the present study was to evaluate the long-term effects of a perinatal palatable high-fat diet on the food intake and cholesterol profile of adult rats. Male Wistar rats (aged 22 days) were divided into two groups according to their mother’s diet during gestation and lactation (C p, n = 10; pups from control mothers; and HLp n = 10; pups from mothers fed a palatable high-fat diet). At the 76th day, pups were housed individually for 14 days, and daily food consumption was determined during a period of 6 days. Blood from 100-day-old rats was sampled by cardiac puncture. Fasting (12 h) serum glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides (TG), and VLDL-C levels were determined. The measurement of food intake was higher in the animals submitted to a hyperlipidic diet during the perinatal period. Serum total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, TG, VLDL-C and glycemia were increased in the HLp group compared to the control group. Our findings show that an early life environment with a high-fat diet can contribute to metabolic disease in later life.

Background Guarana, a fruit native to the Amazon, is known for its rich composition nutritional and phytochemical, which plays a fundamental role in intestinal health and metabolic regulation. Objectives Investigate the effect of daily supplementation with guarana powder on the concentration of SCFA and serum metabolic parameters in rats. Methods Sixteen young Wistar rats were divided into two groups: control and guarana (300 mg/kg). Guarana supplementation occurred for 7 days, during which the animals received a standard diet. By the end, the animals were euthanized, and the colonic content was collected for SCFA analysis, using the HPLC technique. Blood samples were collected to evaluate glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-c, and triglycerides. Results Guarana presented 20.42 g of total fiber and 4.134.74 mg EAG of total polyphenols in 100 g. Rats supplemented with guarana showed a significant increase ( p  < 0.05) in the concentrations of acetate (16.2%) and total SCFA (17.9%), but not of butyrate and propionate. Furthermore, a reduction ( p  < 0.05) in serum glucose (21.5%) and total cholesterol (16.2%) concentrations was observed, suggesting positive metabolic effects of supplementation. Conclusion Daily supplementation with guarana increased SCFA concentration in the colon and improved the biochemical parameters of rats. These effects may be related to its bioactive and nutritional composition, reinforcing its potential in modulating the intestinal microbiota and metabolic health. However, future studies are needed to investigate, for example, the interaction of acetate with the GPR43 receptor, deepening the understanding of the mechanisms involved.