Performance Evaluation of a Novel Combination of Four- and Five-Carbon [Butyric and Valeric] Short-Chain Fatty Acid Glyceride Esters in Broilers

A novel combination of Butyric and Valeric acid glycerol esters with oregano oil in a dry powder form was evaluated for performance improvements in broilers. The dosing regimen (500 g/Ton feed in starter and grower; 250 g/Ton in finisher feed) was considered low compared to conventional practices using non-esterified Butyric and Valeric short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Six trials were conducted at various trial facilities in Italy, United Kingdom, Spain, and Poland. Supplemented broilers weighed significantly more than the control birds at 28 days of age (+3.4%; 1459 g vs. 1412 g; p = 0.0006) and at 42 days of age (+2.5%; 2834 g vs. 2763 g; p = 0.0030). Supplementation significantly reduced mortality from 1.9% to 0.8% during the finisher phase (from 29 to 42 days of age); however, average mortality was 3.2% for the whole 42-day growth period and was not affected. Further, supplemented broilers grew more (66.4 vs. 64.5 g/day; p = 0.0005), ate more feed (104.7 vs. 103.1 g/day; p = 0.0473), converted feed significantly more efficiently (1.58 vs. 1.60; p = 0.0072), leading to better EPEF value (410 vs. 389; p = 0.0006) than the control broilers. Meta-analysed trial performance data for novel SCFA formulations such as these are not commonly available, and serve to facilitate efficacy determination from an end-user perspective. The use of short- and medium-chain fatty acid esters in optimal low-dose combinations to reliably augment gut health and performance appears promising in commercial broiler production, and may lead to further improvements in industry practices and reduced antibiotic use.

131 Dietary Valerate Glycerides: Effects on Growth, Diarrhea, and Fecal Culture of Weanling Piglets Infected with Escherichia coli F18

The present experiment aimed to investigate the effects of dietary valerate glycerides on performance and diarrhea of weanling piglets infected with F18+ Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). Sixty weaned piglets (6.97 ± 0.75 kg body weight; 21 d old) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments: nursery basal diet (control), 0.075% or 0.1% monovalerin, or 0.1% trivalerin added to control. After 7-d adaptation, all piglets were orally inoculated with F18+ ETEC (1010 CFU/3 mL) on d 0, d 1, and d 2 post-inoculation (PI). Daily diarrhea scores (scale range of 1 to 5) were recorded and body weight data were collected throughout the experiment. Bacteria were cultured from fecal swabs throughout the experiment to monitor the frequency of β-hemolytic coliforms. All data were analyzed by the Proc Mixed of SAS with randomized complete block design and pig as an experimental unit. Seven replicate pigs per treatment present throughout the entire trial period were used to analyze growth performance. Piglets fed 0.075% or 0.1% monovalerin had greater (P < 0.05) body weight on d 0 and tended (P < 0.10) to have greater body weight on d 21 PI, compared with control pigs. The average daily gain was higher (P < 0.05) in pigs supplemented with 0.075% monovalerin compared with control (662.69 and 559.41 g/d, respectively) between d 7 and d 21 PI. Supplementation of 0.1% trivalerin reduced (P < 0.05) the frequency of diarrhea throughout the trial and reduced (P < 0.05) the percentage of β-hemolytic coliforms in fecal cultures on d 7 PI, compared with control pigs. Current results indicate dietary supplementation of monovalerin improved growth performance regardless of doses, and inclusion of 0.1% trivalerin reduced the incidence of diarrhea and shedding of β-hemolytic coliforms in piglets challenged with F18+ ETEC infection.

Consensus Coding as a Tool in Visual Appearance Research

A common problem in visual appearance research is how to quantitatively characterise the visual appearance of a region of an image which is categorised by human observers in the same way. An example of this is scarring in medical images (Ayoub et al, 2010, The Cleft-Palate Craniofacial Journal, in press). We have argued that “scarriness” is itself a visual appearance descriptor which summarises the distinctive combination of colour, texture and shape information which allows us to distinguish scarred from non-scarred tissue (Simmons et al, ECVP 2009). Other potential descriptors for other image classes would be “metallic”, “natural”, or “liquid”. Having developed an automatic algorithm to locate scars in medical images, we then tested “ground truth” by asking untrained observers to draw around the region of scarring. The shape and size of the scar on the image was defined by building a contour plot of the agreement between observers' outlines and thresholding at the point above which 50% of the observers agreed: a consensus coding scheme. Based on the variability in the amount of overlap between the scar as defined by the algorithm, and the consensus scar of the observers, we have concluded that the algorithm does not completely capture the putative appearance descriptor “scarriness”. A simultaneous analysis of qualitative descriptions of the scarring by the observers revealed that other image features than those encoded by the algorithm (colour and texture) might be important, such as scar boundary shape. This approach to visual appearance research in medical imaging has potential applications in other application areas, such as botany, geology and archaeology.

Antacids in the initial management of metallic zinc ingestion in dogs

Zinc poisoning in dogs, following ingestion of post-1982 U.S. one cent coins is an increasingly common toxicological syndrome causing gastrointestinal abnormalities, hemolytic anemia, pancreatitis and renal failure. Thermodynamic laws predict that the rate of the chemical reaction between HCl and metallic zinc, which releases absorbable zinc anions, is dependent on pH. The significance of the relation between pH and dissolution is, however, apparently contradicted by the fact that recent veterinary toxicology texts are silent on the use of antacids in the early management of zinc ingestion in dogs. A series of experiments were conducted to test the hypotheses that the degree to which zinc dissolution is pH dependent is likely to be of clinical importance and that the use of antacids will be of benefit in preventing zinc poisoning in dogs that had ingested metallic zinc. Zinc dissolution was strongly dependent on pH in an exponential manner, indicating that clinically achievable upward adjustment of gastric pH using antacids is likely to have significant effects on the rate of zinc absorption in dogs. These data clearly support the use of antacids during the initial treatment of metallic zinc ingestion in dogs.

Outcome of acute myeloid leukaemia in adults: a retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND

There are little data from India on the management of acute myeloid leukaemia. With better understanding of the biology of the disease, and routine use of high-dose cytarabine as post-remission therapy with or without haematopoietic blood stem cell transplantation (HSCT), the results have improved in the past two decades. We analysed our results in a cohort of recently treated patients.

METHODS

A total of 166 newly diagnosed patients with AML (excluding acute promyelocytic leukaemia), 15-60 years of age were treated with daunorubicin (60 mg/m2/day x3 days) or idarubicin (12 mg/m2/day x3 days) with cytarabine (100 mg/m2/day continuous i.v. infusion x7 days) induction chemotherapy. Post-remission therapy included 2 cycles of high-dose cytarabine (15-18 g/m2) followed by monthly cycles of outpatient maintenance chemotherapy x4 cycles, consisting of daunorubicin (45 mg/m2 i.v. x1 day and cytarabine 100 mg/ m2 s.c. twice daily x5 days). Six patients in remission received sibling donor allogeneic HSCT.

RESULTS

Morphological complete remission was achieved in 69.9% of the patients. Resistant disease after induction chemotherapy was seen in 14.6% and early mortality occurred in 16%. Relapse-free survival and event-free survival at a median of 36 months was 34% and 22%, respectively. Relapse occurred in 43.9%. The median duration of remission was 12 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results conform to the published literature from larger cooperative studies from the West. Currently available cytotoxic drugs are unlikely to improve the results any further.

Allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation in chronic myeloid leukaemia-chronic phase following conditioning with busulphan and cyclophosphamide: a follow up report

BACKGROUND

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation remains the only modality of treatment that can eradicate a leukaemia clone in the majority of patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). However, the advent of the targeted molecule imatinib mesylate (formerly STI-571) against the bcr-abl chimeric protein in the disease has brought the issue of managing newly diagnosed CML patients, especially those with available donors, to the crossroads. Although the curative potential of this agent remains unknown, it can produce complete cytogenetic response in > 60% of newly diagnosed patients.

METHODS

From May 1991 to October 2002, a total of 55 Ph+ CML-chronic phase patients received oral busulphan 16 mg/kg and cyclophosphamide 120 mg/kg i.v. as a conditioning regimen. All patients received human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-identical sibling donor haematopoletic stem cells--bone marrow in 41 patients (74.5%) and peripheral blood stem cells in 14 (25.4%). Post-transplant prophylaxis for graft-versus-host disease included a short course of methotrexate (on days +1, +3, +6 and +11) and cyclosporin till day +180 in 38 patients (69.1%), while a combination of cyclosporin and methylprednisolone was used in the remaining 17 (29%).

RESULTS

At a median follow up of 48 months (10-144 months), 26 patients (47.3%) are alive. Early mortality (100-day) occurred in 17 patients (30.9%). Acute graft-versus-host disease developed in 37 patients (67.3%), and was grade IV in 6 of them. Chronic graft-versus-host disease developed in 17 patients (30.9%). Relapse occurred in only 2 patients (3.6%) till date. The leukaemia-free survival is 64.3% in the peripheral stem cell group, whereas it is 41.5% in the bone marrow recipient group.

CONCLUSION

Allogeneic BMT appears to result in eradication of CML and ensure disease-free survival in about half the patients. However, efforts should be made to prevent graft-versus-host disease and minimize early mortality.

Use of a reduced-intensity conditioning regimen for allogeneic transplantation in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia

Reduced-intensity conditioning that harnesses the potential of a graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect has been proposed as an alternative to conventional myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The primary aim is engraftment and this can be achieved with minimal immunosuppression. In this report, we describe the use of such regimens for CML in 17 patients who received human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched sibling allografts. Conditioning was with fludarabine, antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and busulfan for the first 11 patients, whereas fludarabine, busulfan and TBI were used for the remaining six patients. Engraftment was prompt in most of the cases. Complications and need for supportive therapy in the immediate post-transplant period were reduced drastically. Only two patients (both in the TBI group) died within the first 100 days. Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) grade II-IV was seen in seven patients. Complications occurred later on. Chronic GVHD was observed in 11/17 patients. Lung infection and GVHD were the major killers. In surviving patients, after a median follow-up of 30 months (range 37-21 months), 6/17 (35.3%) are alive. Five are disease free and one patient is still in relapse even after a second donor lymphocyte infusion. Total treatment time and cost were more than with conventional transplants. We conclude that reduced-intensity transplantation still requires further refinement.