Heart failure symptom burden in outpatient cardiology: observational cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the self-reported symptom burden in patients with a diagnosis of heart failure attending an outpatient cardiology clinic through the utilisation of validated patient-reported outcome measures. METHODS: Eligible patients were invited to partake in this observational cohort study. Participant demographics and comorbidities were recorded, followed by participants recording their symptoms using the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) and Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) outcome measure tools. RESULTS: A total of 22 patients were included in the study. The majority were male (n=15). The median age was 74.5 (range 55-94) years. Atrial fibrillation and hypertension were the most common comorbidities (n=10). Dyspnoea, weakness and poor mobility were the most prevalent symptoms, affecting 15 (68%) of the 22 patients. Dyspnoea was reported as being the most troublesome symptom. The BPI was completed by 68% (n=15) of the study participants. Median average pain score was 5/10; median worst pain score in the preceding 24 hours was 6/10 and median pain score at time of BPI completion was 3/10. The impact of pain on daily living during the preceding 24 hours ranged from impacting on all activities (n=7) to not impacting on activities (n=1). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with heart failure experience a range of symptoms that vary in severity. Introduction of a symptom assessment tool in the cardiology outpatient setting could help identify patients with a high symptom burden and prompt timely referral to specialist palliative care services.

Bottom-up global biodiversity metrics needed for businesses to assess and manage their impact.

Ensuring that companies can assess and manage their impacts on biodiversity will be crucial to solving the current biodiversity crisis, and regulatory and public pressure to disclose these impacts is increasing. Top-down intactness metrics (e.g., Mean Species Abundance) can be valuable for generating high-level or first-tier assessments of impact risk but do not provide sufficient precision or guidance for companies, regulators, or third-party assessors. New metrics based on bottom-up assessments of biodiversity (e.g., the Species Threat Abatement and Restoration metric) can accommodate spatial variation of biodiversity and provide more specific guidance for actions to avoid, reduce, remediate, and compensate for impacts and to identify positive opportunities.

Cuantificación vertical de la biodiversidad mundial necesarias para que las empresas evalúen y gestionen su impacto Resumen Para resolver la actual crisis de biodiversidad, es importante asegurar que las empresas puedan evaluar y gestionar su impacto sobre la biodiversidad. Además, cada vez es mayor la presión pública y legislativa para divulgar este impacto. La cuantificación vertical de la integridad (p. ej.: Abundancia Media de Especies) puede ser valiosa para producir evaluaciones de alto nivel o primera categoría del riesgo de impacto, pero no proporcionan suficiente precisión o guía para las empresas, los reguladores o los asesores de terceros. Las nuevas medidas basadas en evaluaciones verticales (p. ej.: la medida de Abatimiento y Restauración de Amenazas de Especies) pueden acomodar la variación espacial de la biodiversidad y proporcionar una guía más específica para las acciones necesarias para evitar, reducir, remediar y compensar los impactos e identificar las oportunidades positivas.

Xerostomia in patients with advanced cancer: a scoping review of clinical features and complications.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this project was to review the literature on dry mouth / xerostomia in patients with advanced cancer, with the objectives being to determine its prevalence, clinical features, and complications. METHODS: Standard methodology was used to conduct this scoping review. Detailed searches of the Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycInfo databases were conducted to identify relevant studies: eligible studies had to include patients with advanced cancer, and to contain details of clinical features and/or complications of xerostomia. Commercial bibliographic / systematic review software was used to support the process. RESULTS: Forty-three studies were discovered from the database and hand searches. The studies included 23 generic symptom studies, eight "symptom cluster" studies, nine oral symptom / problem studies, and three xerostomia-specific studies. In depth data is described on the clinical features and complications of xerostomia, and on the "symptom clusters" including xerostomia, in this cohort of patients. CONCLUSION: This review discovered a relatively small number of focused studies (involving a similarly small number of patients). Nonetheless, it demonstrates that xerostomia is a very common problem in patients with advanced cancer and is often associated with significant morbidity (and impairment of quality of life).

Patients with Congestive Cardiac Failure Referred to Specialist Palliative Care.

BACKGROUND: Congestive cardiac failure is a chronic, progressive condition with a significant symptom burden. There is limited data available regarding the palliative care requirements of the heart failure population. AIMS: To characterise patients with a primary diagnosis of congestive cardiac failure referred to a specialist palliative care (SPC) service in Ireland. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of patients with congestive cardiac failure admitted to the specialist palliative care unit or reviewed by the community palliative care team over 2 years was carried out, utilising a data collection template. RESULTS: 57 patient charts were included. 54% (n = 31) were female. Mean age was 81 [60 - 97] years. GP's referred 42% (n = 24), Cardiologists 39% (n = 22) and other hospital consultants 19% (n = 11). The commonest symptom reported was dyspnoea (n = 47). Time from referral to death ranged from less than one month (n =22) to greater than one year (n = 3). 14 patients were discharged from the service due to lack of SPC needs. Place of death was distributed between home, hospice, nursing home and acute hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with congestive cardiac failure experience high symptom burden. More than 50% of patients that died while receiving SPC input had been referred less than 1 month prior, while almost a quarter of all referrals resulted in patient discharge. This highlights the importance of further education regarding indication for specialist palliative care referral and the benefits of early referral in this patient cohort when appropriate.

Characteristics and general practice resource use of people with comorbid cancer and dementia in England: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Cancer and dementia are common in older people and management of the conditions as comorbidities can be challenging, yet little is known about the size or characteristics of this group. We aimed to estimate the prevalence, characteristics and general practice resource usage of people living with both conditions in England. METHODS: Anonymised electronic healthcare records from 391 National Health Service general practices across England using the TPP SystmOne general practice system were obtained from ResearchOne. Data included demographic and clinical characteristics, and general practice healthcare useage (appointments, prescriptions, referrals and secondary care contacts) for people aged 50 and over with a cancer and/or dementia diagnosis consistent with the Quality and Outcomes Framework between 2005 and 2016. Multi-level negative binomial regression was used to analyse the association between having cancer and/or dementia and the number of general practice appointments. RESULTS: Data from 162,371 people with cancer and/or dementia were analysed; 3616 (2.2%) people were identified as having comorbid cancer and dementia. Of people with cancer, 3.1% also had dementia, rising to 7.5% (1 in 13 people) in those aged 75 and over. Fewer people with both conditions were female (50.7%) compared to those with dementia alone (65.6%) and those with comorbid cancer and dementia were older than those with cancer alone [mean ages 83 (sd = 7), 69 (sd = 12) respectively]. Those with both conditions were less likely to have lung cancer than those with cancer alone (7.5% vs. 10.3%) but more likely to have prostate cancer (20.9% vs. 15.8%). Additional comorbidities were more prevalent for those with both conditions than those with cancer or dementia alone (68.4% vs. 50.2% vs. 54.0%). In the year following the first record of either condition, people with cancer and dementia had 9% more general practice appointments (IRR:1.09, 95% CI:1.01-1.17) than those with cancer alone and 37% more appointments than those with dementia alone (IRR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.28-1.47). CONCLUSIONS: A significant number of people are living with comorbid cancer and dementia in England. This group have additional comorbidity and higher general practice usage than those with cancer/dementia alone. The needs of this group should be considered in future general practice care planning and research.

Evaluation of a Novel Precision Biotic on Enterohepatic Health Markers and Growth Performance of Broiler Chickens under Enteric Challenge.

This study evaluated the supplementation of a precision biotic (PB) on the enterohepatic health markers and growth performance of broiler chickens undergoing an enteric challenge. In the first study, three treatments were used: Unchallenged Control (UC); Challenged Control (CC; dietary challenge and 10× dose of coccidia vaccine); and a challenged group supplemented with PB (1.3 kg/ton). In the second study, three treatments were used: control diet, diet supplemented with Avilamycin (10 ppm), and a diet supplemented with PB (0.9 kg/ton). All the birds were exposed to natural challenge composed by dietary formulation and reused litter from a coccidiosis positive flock. In Trial 1, PB decreased ileal histological damage, increased villi length, and the expression of SLC5A8 in ileal tissue versus CC; it reduced ileal expression of IL-1ß compared to both UC and CC treatments. PB increased the expression of cell cycling gene markers CCNA2 and CDK2 in the ileum compared to CC. In Trial 2, PB improved the growth performance, intestinal lesion scores and intestinal morphology of broiler chickens. These results indicate that birds supplemented with PB are more resilient to enteric challenges, probably by its action in modulating microbiome metabolic pathways related to nitrogen metabolism and protein utilization.

Influence of dietary vitamin E and selenium supplementation on broilers subjected to heat stress, Part II: oxidative stress, immune response, gut integrity, and intestinal microbiota.

This study evaluated the effects of vitamin E (Vit E) and selenium (Se) supplementation on mRNA abundance of antioxidant, immune response, and tight junction genes, as well as taxonomic and functional profiles of ileal microbiota of broilers exposed to daily 4-h elevated temperature during d 28 to 35. A total of 640-day-old Cobb male broiler chicks were randomly allocated to 32 floor pens in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement that included ambient temperature (thermoneutral [TN] or heat stress [HS]) and dietary treatments (basal diet or Vit E + Se). Vit E and organic Se were added to the basal diet at the rate of 250 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg, respectively. Liver and jejunum tissue samples were taken on d 27 (1 bird/pen), d 28 and d 35 (2 birds/pen) from birds for qPCR analysis. Data were subjected to a 2-way ANOVA using the GLM procedure of JMP. Ileal contents were taken on d 27 and d 35 for microbial profiling. Microbiota data were analyzed in QIIME 2 and significance between treatments identified linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe, P < 0.05). Dietary Vit E/Se significantly downregulated the mRNA levels of HSPs in liver and jejunal tissues of the HS-challenged birds both on d 28 and d 35. Moreover, mRNA abundance of TLR2, TNFα, IFNγ, IL-1ß, IL-10, and iNOS in the liver were significantly downregulated in birds fed the Vit E/Se diet on d 35. However, dietary treatment had no significant impact on oxidative stress, immunity, and gut integrity related genes analyzed in jejunal tissues on d 28 and d 35, except downregulation of IFNγ on d 35 (P = 0.052). LEfSe analysis revealed that Lachnospiraceae FE2018 and Ruminococcaceae NK4A214 groups was enriched in the Vit E/Se birds on d 35. Moreover, PICRUSt analysis predicted significant functional differences among the treatment groups. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of Vit E/Se mitigated the negative effects of HS potentially via improving antioxidant status, regulating cytokine responses and modifying ileal microbiota and its function.

Influence of dietary vitamin E and selenium supplementation on broilers subjected to heat stress, Part I: Growth performance, body composition and intestinal nutrient transporters.

High ambient temperature is one of the most common stressors in modern poultry production, resulting in reduced feed intake, weight gain, and increased mortality. This study evaluated the effects of vitamin E (Vit E) and organic selenium (Se) supplementation on performance, body composition, core body temperatures, and mRNA abundance of nutrient transporters in the jejunum of broilers exposed to daily 4-h elevated temperature during d 28 to 35. A total of 640 Cobb male birds were randomly allocated to 32 floor pens in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement that included ambient temperature (thermoneutral, [TN]; or heat stress, [HS]) and dietary treatments (basal diet or Vit E + Se). Four rooms were used (2 TN and 2 HS) each housing half of the 8 replicate pens per group. Vit E and organic Se were added to the basal diet at the rate of 250 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg diet, respectively. Data were subjected to a 2-way ANOVA using the GLM procedure of JMP (SAS). During the HS period, birds fed the Vit E/Se diet had significantly lower mortality compared to nonsupplemented group (1.92% vs. 7.01%). Moreover, dietary Vit E/Se supplementation had a significant effect on performance by increasing BWG, FI, and European production efficiency factor (EPEF) during the entire experimental period (d 0-35). Dietary Vit E and Se supplementation significantly increased carcass, tissue, lean, and fat weights as well as bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) on d 35. Birds fed Vit E/Se supplemented diet had significantly lower (P = 0.010) core body temperature compared to birds fed the basal diet on d 30. Dietary treatment did not influence mRNA abundance of PepT1, SGLT1, or NaPi-IIb on d 28 or d 35. However, HS significantly upregulated levels of PepT1 and NaPi-IIb (P < 0.001) and downregulated that of SGLT1 (P = 0.017) on d 28. In conclusion, dietary Vit E and Se supplementation significantly improved broiler growth performance and carcass composition, and reduced heat-related mortality and core body temperature (on d 30) without influencing the mRNA abundance of intestinal nutrient transporters.

Evaluation of a Precision Biotic on the Growth Performance, Welfare Indicators, Ammonia Output, and Litter Quality of Broiler Chickens.

A dietary glycan-based precision biotic (Glycan PB) was evaluated on the performance, welfare indicators, and litter characteristics of broiler chickens. In Trial 1, the main effects of Glycan PB dose (0, 250 and 500 g/metric ton (MT)) and xylanase supplementation (0 or 100 g/MT) were tested, as was their interaction. In Trial 2, pens located inside a commercial house were used to test the effect of Glycan PB supplementation (500 g/MT) versus a control diet. In Trial 1, Glycan PB supplementation at 250 and 500 g/MT improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) by 7 and 11 points when compared to diets without Glycan PB (p < 0.001). At 35 d, Glycan PB reduced the pH and ammonia concentration in diets with xylanase. In Trial 1, the supplementation with 500 g of Glycan PB/MT of feed reduced litter scores (p < 0.05). In both trials, 500 g of Glycan PB/MT of feed increased the proportions of birds without footpad lesions (Trial 1: 72.2% vs. 82.7%; p < 0.001; Trial 2: 14 to 27.3% (p = 0.05) or gait defects (Trial 1: 96.1% vs. 98.4%; p < 0.001) and decreased the proportion of birds with footpad lesions (Trial 2: 86% vs. 72.7%; p = 0.05).

Prevotella-rich enterotype may benefit gut health in finishing pigs fed diet with a high amylose-to-amylopectin ratio.

To investigate the influence of baseline enterotypes and dietary starch type on the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), numbers of butyrate producing bacteria and the expression of genes related to intestinal barrier and inflammatory response in the colon of finishing pigs, a 60-d in vivo trial was conducted. A 2-wk pre-trial with 102 crossbred (Duroc × [Landrace × Yorkshire]) finishing barrows (90 d old) was conducted to screen enterotypes. Then, a total of 32 pigs (87.40 ± 2.76 kg) with high (HPBR, ≥ 14) and low (LPBR, ≤ 2) Prevotella-to-Bacteroides ratios (PBR) in equal measure were selected and randomly divided into 4 groups with 8 replicates per group and 1 pig per replicate. The trial was designed following a 2 (PBR) × 2 (amylose-to-amylopectin ratio, AMR) factorial arrangement. Pigs with different PBR were fed diets based on corn-soybean meal with high AMR (HAMR, 1.24) or low AMR (LAMR, 0.23), respectively. Results showed that neither PBR nor AMR influenced the growth performance of pigs. HPBR pigs fed HAMR diet had a higher number of colonic Clostridium cluster XIVa and higher gene expression of butyrate kinase compared to the LPBR pigs (P < 0.05). The HPBR pigs fed HAMR diets also had increased colonic concentrations of total SCFA and propionate compared to the LPBR pigs (P < 0.05). Comparing with other pigs, HPBR pigs fed HAMR diets showed a lower (P < 0.05) expression of histone deacetylases (HDAC) gene and higher (P < 0.05) expression of G protein-coupled receptor 43 gene (GPR 43) in the colonic mucosa. The interaction (P < 0.05) of HPBR and HAMR was also found to decrease the gene expression of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12, IL-1ß and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in colonic mucosa. These findings show that HAMR diet increased the abundance and activity of butyrate-producing bacteria and the concentration and absorption of SCFA, which may be associated with the decreased gene expression of inflammatory cytokines in the colonic mucosa of pigs with Prevotella-rich enterotype. All these alterations are likely to have a positive effect on the intestinal health of finishing pigs.

The Addition of Nature Identical Flavorings Accelerated the Virucidal Effect of Pure Benzoic Acid against African Swine Fever Viral Contamination of Complete Feed.

African swine fever virus is one of the most highly contagious and lethal viruses for the global swine industry. Strengthening biosecurity is the only effective measure for preventing the spread of this viral disease. The virus can be transmitted through contaminated feedstuffs and, therefore, research has been conducted to explore corresponding mitigating measures. The purpose of the current study was to test a combination of pure benzoic acid and a blend of nature identical flavorings for their ability to reduce African swine fever viral survival in feed. This virus was inoculated to feed with or without the supplementation of the test compounds, and the viral presence and load were measured by a hemadsorption test and quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. The main finding was that the combination of pure benzoic acid and nature identical flavorings could expedite the reduction in both viral load and survival in a swine feed. Therefore, this solution could be adopted as a preventive measure for mitigating the risk of contaminated feed by African swine fever virus.

Understanding and identifying ways to improve hospital-based cancer care and treatment for people with dementia: an ethnographic study.

BACKGROUND: Providing cancer care and treatment for ageing populations with complicating comorbidities like dementia is a growing global challenge. This study aimed to examine the hospital-based cancer care and treatment challenges and support needs of people with dementia, and identify potential ways to address these. METHODS: A two-site ethnographic study in England involving semi-structured interviews, observations and accompanying conversations, and medical record review. Participants (N = 58) were people with dementia and comorbid cancer (n = 17), informal caregivers (n = 22) and hospital staff (n = 19). Ethnographically informed thematic analysis was conducted. RESULTS: There was an accumulated complexity of living with both illnesses simultaneously. People with dementia and families could feel confused and uninformed due to difficulties understanding, retaining and using cancer information, which impacted their informed treatment decision-making. Dementia increased the complexity and burden of travelling to and navigating unfamiliar hospital environments, frequent lengthy periods of waiting in hospital, and self-managing symptoms and side-effects at home. Oncology staff were often working without the full picture, due to variable documenting of dementia in medical records, dementia training was limited, and time and resource pressures impeded the highly individualised, flexible cancer care required by people with dementia. Supportive family carers were crucial in enabling people with dementia to access, navigate and undergo cancer treatment and care. CONCLUSIONS: Dementia complicates cancer care in a range of ways accumulating across the cancer pathway. Our findings suggest there are several strategies and interventions, which we list here, with potential to improve cancer care and treatment for people with dementia and their families.

Safety and efficacy evaluation of a novel dietary muramidase for swine.

The safety of a novel microbial muramidase (Muramidase 007) as a feed additive for swine was evaluated in a target animal safety study (Experiment 1). Forty weanling pigs were allotted to 4 dietary treatments: T1 control group, and 3 groups receiving Muramidase 007 in increasing doses: T2 65,000 (1X), T3 325,000 (5X) and T4 650,000 (10X) LSU(F)/kg feed. The efficacy of Muramidase 007 on growth performance was evaluated in a feeding experiment (Experiment 2). A total of 288 piglets were allotted to two groups: T1 control group and T2 receiving Muramidase 007 at 50,000 (LSU(F)/kg feed. In Experiment 1, no growth depression of pigs was observed. No adverse effects of Muramidase 007 were observed for any of the hematology and serum chemistry parameters measured or on pig health status. Post-mortem evaluation showed no adverse effects due to Muramidase 007 supplementation in the gross pathology or in the histological examination. In Experiment 2, Muramidase 007 significantly increased overall (d 0-42) average daily gain (ADG) and tended to improve overall average daily feed intake (ADFI) and day 42 body weight of nursery pigs and had no effect on feed conversion ratio (FCR). Overall, results of these studies show that there were no adverse effects of Muramidase 007 compared to the control group.

Interactive effects of dietary fibre and lipid types modulate gastrointestinal flows and apparent digestibility of fatty acids in growing pigs.

A total of eight ileal and caecal cannulated Yorkshire barrows were used to determine the interactions of dietary fibre (DF) and lipid types on apparent digestibility of DM and fatty acids (FA) and FA flows in gastrointestinal segments. Pigs were offered four diets that contained either pectin or cellulose with or without beef tallow or maize oil in two Youden square designs (n 6). Each period lasted 15 d. Faeces, ileal and caecal contents were collected to determine apparent ileal digestibility (AID), apparent caecal digestibility and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dietary components. The interactions between DF and lipid types influenced (P <0·05) the digestibility of DM and FA flows. The addition of maize oil decreased (P <0·05) AID of DM in pectin diets, and the addition of beef tallow depressed (P <0·001) ATTD of DM in cellulose diets. Dietary supplementation with beef tallow decreased (P <0·05) the AID of FA in pectin-containing diets but had no effects in cellulose-containing diets. Dietary supplementation with beef tallow increased (P <0·05) AID of SFA and PUFA and the flow of ileal oleic, vaccenic, linolenic and eicosadienoic acids and reduced the flow of faecal lauric, docosatetraenoic and docosapentaenoic acids in pectin- and cellulose-containing diets. In conclusion, the interaction between DF type and lipid saturation modulates digestibility of DM and lipids and FA flows but differs for soluble and insoluble fibre sources, SFA and unsaturated fatty acids and varies in different gastrointestinal segments.

Dietary D-xylose effects on growth performance, portal nutrient fluxes, and energy expenditure in growing pigs.

Xylanase is commonly added to pig diets rich in arabinoxylans to promote nutrient utilization and growth. However, high doses of xylanase could release high amounts of xylose in the upper gut, which could have negative nutritional and metabolic implications. However, the amount of xylose to elicit such adverse effects is not clear. Thus, two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of dietary xylose on the growth performance and portal-drained viscera (PDV) fluxes of glucose (GLU), urea-N (BUN), insulin production, and O2 consumption in growing pigs. In Exp. 1, 64 pigs (21.4 ± 0.1 kg BW), housed as either two barrows or gilts per pen (eight pens per diet) were used to determine the effects of increasing levels of D-xylose (0, 5, 15, and 25%) in a corn-soybean meal-cornstarch-based diet on pig growth performance in a 28-d trial. Cornstarch was substituted for D-xylose (wt/wt) in the control diet. BW and feed intake were monitored weekly. D-xylose linearly reduced (P < 0.05) final BW, ADG, and G:F but not ADFI. However, final BW, ADG, and G:F of pigs fed 15% D-xylose did not differ from pigs fed 0% D-xylose. Thus, the results suggested that pigs could tolerate up to 15% dietary D-xylose. In Exp. 2, six gilts (22.8 ± 1.6 kg BW), fitted with permanent catheters in the portal vein, ileal vein, and carotid artery, were fed the 0% and 15% D-xylose diets at 4% of their BW once daily at 0900 h for 7 d in a cross-over design (six pigs per diet). On d 7, pigs were placed in indirect calorimeters to measure whole-animal O2 consumption and sample blood simultaneously for 6 h from the portal vein and carotid artery after feeding to assay GLU, O2, BUN, and insulin concentrations. Net portal nutrients and insulin production were calculated as porto-arterial concentration differences × portal blood flow (PBF) rate, whereas PDV O2 consumption was calculated as arterial-portal O2 differences × PBF. Diet had no effect on postprandial PBF, insulin production, and portal BUN flux and O2 consumption. Pigs fed 0% D-xylose had greater (P < 0.05) postprandial portal and arterial BUN concentrations, and portal GLU concentration and flux than pigs fed 15% D-xylose diet. In conclusion, feeding growing pigs a diet containing 15% D-xylose did not reduce pig performance or affect PDV energetic demand but reduced GLU fluxes.

Bioavailability of the anti-clostridial bacteriocin thuricin CD in gastrointestinal tract.

Thuricin CD is a two component narrow spectrum bacteriocin comprising two peptides with targeted activity against Clostridium difficile. This study examined the bioavailability of thuricin with a view to developing it as an effective antimicrobial against intestinal infection. One of the peptides, Trn-ß, was found to be degraded by the gastric enzymes pepsin and α-chymotrypsin both in vitro and in vivo, whereas Trn-α was resistant to digestion by these enzymes and hence was detected in the intestinal porcine digesta following oral ingestion by pigs. In order to determine if spores of the producing organism Bacillus thuringiensis DPC 6431 could be used to deliver the bacteriocin to the gut, spores were fed to 30 mice (approx. 10(8)-2×10(8) per animal) and their germination, growth and production of thuricin in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of the animals was monitored. Almost 99 % of the spores delivered to the GIT were excreted in the first 24 h and neither Trn-α nor Trn-ß was detected in the gut or faecal samples of the test mice, indicating that ingestion of B. thuringiensis spores may not be a suitable vehicle for the delivery of thuricin CD. When thuricin CD was delivered rectally to mice (n = 40) and C. difficile shedding monitored at 1, 6, 12 and 24 h post-treatment, there was a >95 % (>1.5 log units) reduction of C. difficile 027 in the colon contents of infected mice (n = 10) 1 h post-treatment compared with the control group (n = 10; P<0.001). Furthermore, 6 h post-treatment there was a further 1.5 log reduction in C. difficile numbers (n = 10) relative to the control group (n = 10; P<0.05). These results would suggest that rectal administration of thuricin may be a promising mode of delivery of thuricin CD to the colon.

Sequence-based analysis of the intestinal Microbiota of sows and their offspring fed genetically modified maize expressing a truncated form of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab protein (Bt Maize).

The aim was to investigate transgenerational effects of feeding genetically modified (GM) maize expressing a truncated form of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab protein (Bt maize) to sows and their offspring on maternal and offspring intestinal microbiota. Sows were assigned to either non-GM or GM maize dietary treatments during gestation and lactation. At weaning, offspring were assigned within sow treatment to non-GM or GM maize diets for 115 days, as follows: (i) non-GM maize-fed sow/non-GM maize-fed offspring (non-GM/non-GM), (ii) non-GM maize-fed sow/GM maize-fed offspring (non-GM/GM), (iii) GM maize-fed sow/non-GM maize-fed offspring (GM/non-GM), and (iv) GM maize-fed sow/GM maize-fed offspring (GM/GM). Offspring of GM maize-fed sows had higher counts of fecal total anaerobes and Enterobacteriaceae at days 70 and 100 postweaning, respectively. At day 115 postweaning, GM/non-GM offspring had lower ileal Enterobacteriaceae counts than non-GM/non-GM or GM/GM offspring and lower ileal total anaerobes than pigs on the other treatments. GM maize-fed offspring also had higher ileal total anaerobe counts than non-GM maize-fed offspring, and cecal total anaerobes were lower in non-GM/GM and GM/non-GM offspring than in those from the non-GM/non-GM treatment. The only differences observed for major bacterial phyla using 16S rRNA gene sequencing were that fecal Proteobacteria were less abundant in GM maize-fed sows prior to farrowing and in offspring at weaning, with fecal Firmicutes more abundant in offspring. While other differences occurred, they were not observed consistently in offspring, were mostly encountered for low-abundance, low-frequency bacterial taxa, and were not associated with pathology. Therefore, their biological relevance is questionable. This confirms the lack of adverse effects of GM maize on the intestinal microbiota of pigs, even following transgenerational consumption.