The Efficiency of Bacteriophages Against Salmonella Typhimurium Infection in Native Noi Broilers

Though recently considered a therapeutic treatment for commercial broilers, little is known about the effects of bacteriophages on native, slow-growing birds. This study evaluated their efficacy against Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium infected Noi chicken, a native Vietnamese broiler breed. In total, 420 birds were used in a completely randomized design consisting of seven treatments and four replicates of 15 birds. The treatments were NC (negative control), PC (positive control, S. Typhimurium challenged); NC+B1 and NC+B2 (negative control plus B1 or B2 bacteriophage, respectively); PC+B1, PC+B2 (positive control plus B1 or B2 bacteriophage, respectively) and PC+B1B2 (positive control plus both B1 and B2 bacteriophages). After four weeks of infection, the mortality rate in the PC group was 51.1% compared with 11.1% in the PC+B1B2 treatment. Bacteriophage administration had resulted in increased weight gain and decreased feed conversion ratio, particularly when both phages were included in the treatment (p<0.001). Moreover, the relative percentage of carcass weight was lowest in the PC treatment (66.9%) (p<0.001), whereas the other treatments registered similar carcass weight values. Regarding the internal organs, liver weight percentage was higher in the non-treated Salmonella group, and enlarged spleens were also noted in infected chickens even when treated with bacteriophages. The correlation between phage administration and blood parameters was unclear. Although the use of two bacteriophages for therapy was determined to be preferable for the majority of the criteria examined, further genetic characterization of the phages will be required before they can be widely used in chicken farms.(AU)

Response and legislative changes after the Kiss nightclub tragedy in Santa Maria/RS/Brazil: Learning from a large-scale burn disaster.

PURPOSE: A major fire occurred on January 27, 2013, at 02:30 at Kiss nightclub in the city of Santa Maria, State of Rio Grande do Sul, in Southern Brazil. In this retrospective report, we aimed to describe the nightclub fire event, its immediate consequences, and evaluated its impact on legislation. Our objective was to disseminate the lessons we learned from this large-scale nightclub fire disaster. METHODS: We conducted a literature review in PubMed and Lilacs database from 2013 to 2015 related to the nightclub Kiss, Santa Maria, fire, burns, and similar events worldwide over the past 15 years. We searched in the general press and online media information sites, and seeking legislation about this topic at the federal level in Brazil. We reported on the legislation changes that resulted from this nightclub fire. RESULTS: Current federal legislation on fire prevention and the scope of public safety, including night clubs and discos, states is the duty of the state and everyone's responsibility, pursuant to Article 144 of the Federal Constitution of Brazil. Thus, the federal union, individual states and municipalities have the power to legislate on fire prevention, and especially to ensure the security of the population. A state law called "Law Kiss", was passed in 2014, establishing standards on safety, prevention and protection against fire in buildings and areas of fire risk in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. On a national level, a law of prevention and fire fighting in Brazil was also drafted after the Santa Maria disaster (Law project no. 4923, 2013). Currently, this bill is still awaiting sanction before it can take effect. CONCLUSION: As we push for enactment of the national law of prevention and fire fighting in Brazil, we will continue emphasizing fire prevention, fire protection, fire fighting, means of escape and proper management. All similar events in this and other countries remind us that similar tragedies may occur anywhere, and that the analysis of facts, previous mistakes, during and after the incident are crucial to our understanding, and will help us lessen the chance of future occurrences.

Genetic structure of the threatened Dipterocarpus costatus populations in lowland tropical rainforests of southern Vietnam.

Dipterocarpus costatus is an endangered species restricted to the lowland forests of southern Vietnam. Habitat loss and over-exploitation of D. costatus wood are the major threats to this species. We investigated the level of genetic variability within and among populations of D. costatus in order to provide guidelines for the conservation, management, and restoration of this species to the Forest Protection Department, Vietnam. Nine microsatellite markers were used to analyze 114 samples from four populations representing the natural range of D. costatus in southeast Vietnam. We indicated the low allelic diversity (NA = 2.3) and low genetic diversities with an average observed and expected heterozygosity of 0.130 and 0.151, respectively, in the lowland forests of southeast Vietnam. The low genetic diversity might be a consequence of inbreeding within the small and isolated populations of D. costatus owing to its habitat loss and over-exploitation. All populations deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium showing reduced heterozygosity. Alleles were lost from the populations by genetic drift. Genetic differentiation among populations was high (average pairwise FST = 0.405), indicating low gene flow (<1) and isolated populations due to its destructed habitat and large geographical distances (P < 0.05) among populations. Heterozygosity excess tests (except of Bu Gia Map only under infinite allele model) were negative. The high genetic variation (62.7%) was found within populations. The STRUCTURE and neighbor joining tree results suggest strong differentiation among D. costatus populations, with the three genetic clusters, Phu Quoc, Tan Phu and Bu Gia Map, and Lo Go-Xa Mat due to habitat fragmentation and isolation. The threatened status of D. costatus was related to a lack of genetic diversity, with all its populations isolated in small forest patches. We recommend the establishment of an ex situ conservation site for D. costatus with a new big population comprising all genetic groups in order to enhance its survival under different environmental stresses.

Genetic variation in and spatial structure of natural populations of Dipterocarpus alatus (Dipterocarpaceae) determined using single sequence repeat markers.

Dipterocarpus alatus (Dipterocarpaceae) is widely distributed in lowland forests in central and southern Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and India. Due to over-exploitation and habitat destruction, the species is now threatened. The genetic variation within and among populations of D. alatus was investigated on the basis of 9 microsatellite (single sequence repeat, SSR) loci. In all, 268 sampled trees from 10 populations in central and southern Vietnam were analyzed in this study. The SSR data showed a high genetic variability within populations with an average of HO = 0.209 and HE = 0.239. Genetic differentiation among populations was high (FST = 0.266), indicating limited gene flow (Nm = 0.69). Analysis of molecular variance showed that most genetic variation was within populations (74.96%). This study highlights the importance of conserving the genetic resources of D. alatus species.

Differences in ground contact time explain the less efficient running economy in north african runners.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between biomechanical variables and running economy in North African and European runners. Eight North African and 13 European male runners of the same athletic level ran 4-minute stages on a treadmill at varying set velocities. During the test, biomechanical variables such as ground contact time, swing time, stride length, stride frequency, stride angle and the different sub-phases of ground contact were recorded using an optical measurement system. Additionally, oxygen uptake was measured to calculate running economy. The European runners were more economical than the North African runners at 19.5 km · h(-1), presented lower ground contact time at 18 km · h(-1) and 19.5 km · h(-1) and experienced later propulsion sub-phase at 10.5 km · h(-1),12 km · h(-1), 15 km · h(-1), 16.5 km · h(-1) and 19.5 km · h(-1) than the European runners (P < 0.05). Running economy at 19.5 km · h(-1) was negatively correlated with swing time (r = -0.53) and stride angle (r = -0.52), whereas it was positively correlated with ground contact time (r = 0.53). Within the constraints of extrapolating these findings, the less efficient running economy in North African runners may imply that their outstanding performance at international athletic events appears not to be linked to running efficiency. Further, the differences in metabolic demand seem to be associated with differing biomechanical characteristics during ground contact, including longer contact times.