A Machine Learning Framework Based on Extreme Gradient Boosting to Predict the Occurrence and Development of Infectious Diseases in Laying Hen Farms, Taking H9N2 as an Example.

The H9N2 avian influenza virus has become one of the dominant subtypes of avian influenza virus in poultry and has been significantly harmful to chickens in China, with great economic losses in terms of reduced egg production or high mortality by co-infection with other pathogens. A prediction of H9N2 status based on easily available production data with high accuracy would be important and essential to prevent and control H9N2 outbreaks in advance. This study developed a machine learning framework based on the XGBoost classification algorithm using 3 months' laying rates and mortalities collected from three H9N2-infected laying hen houses with complete onset cycles. A framework was developed to automatically predict the H9N2 status of individual house for future 3 days (H9N2 status + 0, H9N2 status + 1, H9N2 status + 2) with five time frames (day + 0, day - 1, day - 2, day - 3, day - 4). It had been proven that a high accuracy rate > 90%, a recall rate > 90%, a precision rate of >80%, and an area under the curve of the receiver operator characteristic ≥ 0.85 could be achieved with the prediction models. Models with day + 0 and day - 1 were highly recommended to predict H9N2 status + 0 and H9N2 status + 1 for the direct or auxiliary monitoring of its occurrence and development. Such a framework could provide new insights into predicting H9N2 outbreaks, and other practical potential applications to assist in disease monitor were also considerable.

Traditional herbal medicine in the treatment of patients infected with new coronavirus

The purposes of this review was in the direction of epidemiology, causative agents, symptoms, vaccine research probabilities and COVID-19 infection novel Corona viruses that was investigated in China. The COVID-19 has surrounded viruses along with a practical sensation one stranded RNA genome and a nucleocapsid of helical uniformity. The COVID-19 is an enormous family of viruses that are prevalent in a public and large number of species of animals including hens, camels, bats, cat, and cattle. Human corona viruses can cause gentle disorder identical to a common cough, cold, while others reason more acute disease MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Thus spreading the COVID-19 should be closely investigated to recognize the growth of particularly virulent strains in society at an early stage and to simplify the evolution of enough preventive and therapeutic measurements.Copyright © 2021, Health Biotechnology and Biopharma. All rights reserved.

Impact of lycopene and astaxanthin on hematological and immunological parameters of laying hens

The aim of this study was to determine the hematological profile and specific immunity of laying hens with the addition of oil extracts of lycopene or astaxanthin to the diet. The study used High Line W36 chickens that were vaccinated against Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis, avian rhinotracheitis and egg drop syndrome. It was found that the addition of lycopene (20 mg/kg) and astaxanthin (10 mg/kg) for 30 days did not affect the hematological profile of laying hens. Increasing the content of lycopene to 40 and 60 mg/kg or astaxanthin to 20 or 30 mg/kg of feed for 30 days reduced the number of leukocytes and hemoglobin in the blood compared to the control, which received an equivalent amount of refined sunflower oil in the diet. Lycopene and astaxanthin supplements, regardless of dose and duration of administration, did not affect the titer of antibodies to Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis, avian rhinotracheitis, and egg drop syndrome in serum of vaccinated laying hens. The obtained data can be used to justify the optimal dose and term of feeding of lycopene or astaxanthin supplements in the development of a model of carotenoid enrichment of chicken egg yolks.

IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN IN LATVIA: EVIDENCE OF THE EGG PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING SECTOR

COVID-19 has imposed shocks on all segments of food supply chains, simultaneously affecting farm production, food processing, transport and logistics and final demand. It is therefore important to assess the risks, the probability of their occurrence and their impacts in order to develop risk mitigation recommendations. In Latvia, poultry farming as an agricultural industry has centuries-old traditions. Poultry in Latvia are produced both on large poultry farms and on small and backyard farms. There are 21 large and medium laying hen egg producers in Latvia;however, 96% of the total poultry are concentrated on four farms. There are six producers of processed eggs and egg products in Latvia. Therefore, the aim of the present research is to examine the egg production and processing sector and analyze the risks caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in the sector and develop recommendations for their reduction in Latvia. The research identified 40 risks in the egg production and processing sector based on the methodology developed: 26 internal and 14 external risks, assessed the probability and impacts of their occurrence and, based on interviews with entrepreneurs involved in the sector, developed different level recommendations for stabilizing the situation in similar occasions as well as strengthen the resilience of the sector after the crisis. © 2021 International Multidisciplinary Scientific Geoconference. All rights reserved.

Influence of Dietary Supplementation with Boswellia serrata and Salix alba on Performance and Blood Biochemistry in Free-Range Leghorn Laying Hens.

This study was conducted to evaluate the safety and the beneficial effects of dietary supplementation with Boswellia serrata (Bs) and Salix alba (Sa) in Leghorn hens during the critical pre-laying and laying phases. A total of 120 pullets, 17 weeks of age, were assigned to two groups (Control-C; Treated-T, n = 60 each). For 12 weeks, the T group received a diet supplemented with 0.3% of dry extracts of Bs (5%) and Sa (5%). The study lasted 19 weeks. Productive performance, serum analytes, H/L ratio, IgA and anti-IBV antibodies were investigated. Water intake was significantly higher, while body and egg weight was significantly lower for the T group (p < 0.05). No other differences were detected in performance parameters, serum analytes, IgA and H/L ratio excluding t0, with a significantly (p < 0.05) higher H/R ratio and higher titers of anti-IBV antibody for the T group. Overall, the data obtained in this study show that the supplementation with Bs and Sa was safe and resulted in an increase in water consumption, a decrease in egg weight, and a sedative effect in the hens. In the future, it would be interesting to test this supplement in hens reared on intensive farms.

POSB222 Can Gene Therapy Prices Remain the Same? What We Have Learned from the COVID-19 Vaccines

Objectives: Gene therapies (GTs) have been progressively reaching the market in the past years, despite the often high per-patient costs associated. This high cost has in part been justified by the small target patient population and the high research and development cost associated with GTs. However, in the light of newly approved, low-cost gene therapies, with a vast addressable market, such as the Moderna Covid-19 mRNA vaccine, the question becomes, what impact will this have on the future of GT pricing. The objective of this study was to analyse the pricing of marketed gene therapies, and if there is a link between their price and their addressable market. Methods: We identified all EMA approved GTs in the United Kingdom up to the year 2021. We analysed the addressable market for each treatment, and where possible, found their list prices as cited by the NHS and/or NICE. Then we analysed the correlation between the prices and the addressable market. Results: We found a clear tendency for the prices of gene therapies to rise when the addressable market became smaller. We hypothesise whether new GTs arriving to the market can be priced according to the same price-volume correlation line, as it has been shown that the innovation can be provided at a small cost. Considering monogenic diseases, one could regard that providing and delivering genetic material is a ´me-too´ intervention now that mRNA vaccines have been effectively rolled out on a large scale and at an affordable cost. Conclusion: Novel mRNA vaccines have set a new standard for the pricing of GTs, and it could be that the willingness to pay for the replication of that innovation is low, thus killing the ‘hen of the golden eggs’.

Implications of Vitamin D Research in Chickens can Advance Human Nutrition and Perspectives for the Future.

The risk of vitamin D insufficiency in humans is a global problem that requires improving ways to increase vitamin D intake. Supplements are a primary means for increasing vitamin D intake, but without a clear consensus on what constitutes vitamin D sufficiency, there is toxicity risk with taking supplements. Chickens have been used in many vitamin-D-related research studies, especially studies involving vitamin D supplementation. Our state-of-the-art review evaluates vitamin D metabolism and how the different hydroxylated forms are synthesized. We provide an overview of how vitamin D is absorbed, transported, excreted, and what tissues in the body store vitamin D metabolites. We also discuss a number of studies involving vitamin D supplementation with broilers and laying hens. Vitamin D deficiency and toxicity are also described and how they can be caused. The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is important for vitamin D metabolism; however, there is much more to understand about VDR in chickens. Potential research aims involving vitamin D and chickens should explore VDR mechanisms that could lead to newer insights into VDR. Utilizing chickens in future research to help elucidate vitamin D mechanisms has great potential to advance human nutrition. Finding ways to increase vitamin D intake will be necessary because the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is leading to increased risk of vitamin D deficiency in many populations. Chickens can provide a dual purpose with addressing pandemic-caused vitamin D deficiency: 1) vitamin D supplementation gives chickens added-value with the possibility of leading to vitamin-D-enriched meat and egg products; and 2) using chickens in research provides data for translational research. We believe expanding vitamin-D-related research in chickens to include more nutritional aims in vitamin D status has great implications for developing better strategies to improve human health.

Home medical nutrition during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic - A position paper.

BACKGROUND: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of a worldwide rapidly spreading illness, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Patients fed enterally and parenterally at home are exposed to the same risk of infection as the general population, but more prone to complications than others. Therefore the guidance for care-givers and care-takers of these patients is needed. METHODS: The literature search identified no relevant systematic reviews or studies on the subject. Therefore a panel of 21 experts from 13 home medical nutrition (HMN) centres in Poland was formed. Twenty-three key issues relevant to the management of SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 in the HMN settings were identified and discussed. Some statements diverge from the available nutrition, surgical or ICU guidelines, some are based on the best available experience. Each topic was discussed and assessed during two Delphi rounds subsequently. Statements were graded strong or weak based on the balance between benefit and harm, resource and cost implications, equity, and feasibility. RESULTS: the panel issued 23 statements, all of them were graded strong. Two scored 85.71% agreement, eleven 95.23%, and ten 100%. The topics were: infection control, enrolment to HMN, logistics and patient information. CONCLUSIONS: the position paper present pragmatic statements for HMN to be implemented in places without existing protocols for SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. They represent the state of knowledge available at the moment and may change should new evidence occurs.