| 1. |
- Basiouni, Shereen, et al.
(author)
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Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidative Phytogenic Substances against Secret Killers in Poultry : Current Status and Prospects
- 2023
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In: Veterinary Sciences. - : MDPI. - 2306-7381. ; 10:1
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chronic stress is recognized as a secret killer in poultry. It is associated with systemic inflammation due to cytokine release, dysbiosis, and the so-called leaky gut syndrome, which mainly results from oxidative stress reactions that damage the barrier function of the cells lining the gut wall. Poultry, especially the genetically selected broiler breeds, frequently suffer from these chronic stress symptoms when exposed to multiple stressors in their growing environments. Since oxidative stress reactions and inflammatory damages are multi-stage and long-term processes, overshooting immune reactions and their down-stream effects also negatively affect the animal’s microbiota, and finally impair its performance and commercial value. Means to counteract oxidative stress in poultry and other animals are, therefore, highly welcome. Many phytogenic substances, including flavonoids and phenolic compounds, are known to exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. In this review, firstly, the main stressors in poultry, such as heat stress, mycotoxins, dysbiosis and diets that contain oxidized lipids that trigger oxidative stress and inflammation, are discussed, along with the key transcription factors involved in the related signal transduction pathways. Secondly, the most promising phytogenic substances and their current applications to ameliorate oxidative stress and inflammation in poultry are highlighted.Simple SummaryChronic stress and inflammation, known also as “secret killers” in animals, can lead to lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation and nitration, DNA damage, and finally apoptosis. This is due to an imbalance between free radical generation and endogenous antioxidant defense, which in turn possess detrimental impacts on the health and performance of animals. In this review, we discuss the mechanistic pathways of oxidative stress and inflammation associated with the main secret killers in poultry, namely heat stress, dysbiosis, leaky gut syndrome, and mycotoxins. Additionally, we shed light on the potential use, challenges, and future prospects of phytogenic bioactive substances in mitigating oxidative stress and inflammation in poultry.
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| 2. |
- Gille, Sanna, et al.
(author)
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Dog Owners' Perceptions of Canine Body Composition and Effect of Standardized Education for Dog Owners on Body Condition Assessment of Their Own Dogs
- 2023
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In: Veterinary Sciences. - 2306-7381. ; 10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Simple Summary Overweight is a growing problem in dogs worldwide and negative health effects associated with excess body weight are common. The body condition score (BCS) scale is a time- and resource-effective method to assess if a dog is overweight, but its precision among dog owners has been found to vary. The aim of this study was to investigate dog owners' perceptions of various body compositions in dogs and evaluate if a short education on how to use the 9-point BCS scale might change these perceptions. This study included one survey and one clinical study of Swedish dog owners. In the indirect assessment based on photos, normal-weight dogs were underestimated by three-quarters of dog owners, and about half of the dog owners underestimated overweight dogs. Before receiving the standardized education, one-third of the owners underestimated the body composition of their own dogs, mainly for dogs with excess adiposity. The dog owners responded well to the practical education given and, thereafter, performed assessments comparable to veterinary health care personnel. These results indicate that perception of what an "ideal weight" dog should look like is sliding and that the ability to identify overweight dogs might be limited when owners evaluate body composition without previous education. Overweight in dogs is an increasing problem, with a prevalence of about 30% in Sweden. To prevent the negative health effects of overweight, it is important to identify and treat canine overweight. Dog owners are essential for such interventions. The aim of this study was to evaluate dog owners' perceptions of various canine body compositions via indirect assessment based on photos and direct assessment of their own dogs. A second aim was to evaluate the effect of a standardized practical education for dog owners on body condition score (BCS) assessment of their own dogs. The 9-point BCS scale was used, and two study samples were recruited: one was a survey sample where 564 dog owners assessed the BCS of dogs using photos, and one sample was a separate clinical sample where 82 dogs were assessed by their owners and by veterinary health care personnel. The initial BCS assessment by the dog owners in the clinical sample (mean & PLUSMN; SD) was significantly lower (4.6 & PLUSMN; 1.0) than the BCS assessed by the veterinary health care personnel (5.2 & PLUSMN; 1.1), but the owners improved significantly after receiving the standardized education (5.1 & PLUSMN; 1.0) (both p < 0.0001) and performed as accurately as the veterinary health care personnel (p = 0.99). The results should be verified in the broader dog owner population based on a randomized selection of participants. "Weight blindness", defined here as an underassessment of normal-weight dogs and an inability to identify overweight dogs, is likely to have a negative impact on canine overweight prevalence. Deeper knowledge about dog owners' perceptions can inform the development of new strategies to help prevent and manage canine overweight, whereof standardized practical education on BCS assessment is shown here to be one example.
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| 3. |
- Grigaleviciute, R, et al.
(author)
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The Influence of Feeding with Colostrum and Colostrum Replacer on Major Blood Biomarkers and Growth Performance in Dairy Calves
- 2023
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In: Veterinary sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 2306-7381. ; 10:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bovine colostrum (BC) is the first milk produced by lactating cows after parturition. BC is rich in various amino acids, proteins, and fats essential for the nutrition of the neonate calves. Despite the evident beneficial effect of BC on calves, the effect of BC on blood biomarkers is poorly understood. Calves that received BC showed significantly higher body mass at days 7 and 30 (38.54 kg and 43.42 kg, respectively) compared to the colostrum replacer group (p = 0.0064). BC induced greater quantities of blood neutrophils (0.27 × 109/L) and monocytes (4.76 × 109/L) in comparison to the colostrum replacer (0.08 and 0.06 × 109/L, respectively) (p = 0.0001). Animals that received BC showed higher levels of total serum protein (59.16 g/L) and albumin (29.96 g/L) in comparison to the colostrum replacer group (44.34 g/L and 31.58 g/L, respectively). In addition, BC induced greater intestinal mucus production in the Wistar rat model. Collectively, these results demonstrate that BC is important for the growth of calves and that it provides a significant beneficial effect on morphological and biochemical blood parameters.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Lindqvist, Hanna
(author)
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Comparison of Fish, Krill and Flaxseed as Omega-3 Sources to Increase the Omega-3 Index in Dogs
- 2023
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In: Veterinary Sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 2306-7381. ; 10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Simple Summary For pets, as for humans, dietary inclusion of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids is recommended for disease prevention and improved health. However, many diets for dogs do not contain sufficient amounts of these fatty acids and fall short of achieving high blood omega-3 levels. This is reflected in the diagnostic health tool called Omega-3 Index (O3I). In this study, O3I levels were measured at baseline in 45 dogs fed a commercial premium diet and compared to O3I levels reached when the dogs were fed with diets containing different omega-3 sources at low inclusion levels, i.e., fish meal/oil, flaxseed cake and krill meal. After four weeks of treatment, the data showed that the highest O3I increase was observed in the 3% krill meal group, accompanied by the lowest arachidonic acid to eicosapentaenoic acid ratio as a measure for immunomodulatory effects. Hence, by using the O3I, this study provides an option for dog owners to measure the impact their pet food has on their dogs' health and if needed, how to adjust it with the right omega-3 supplement. (1) Background: it is only the longer chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3, EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, DHA) and not the shorter chain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3) that have been linked to health benefits. (2) Methods: 45 dogs divided into three groups were first given premium dry food for 38 days (baseline). The O3I was then used as a diagnostic tool to provide a measure of the sum of EPA + DHA in red blood cell membranes given as a percentage of all fatty acids. The dogs were subsequently fed with either krill meal (krill), fishmeal/oil (fish) or flaxseed cake (flax) included in raw food providing daily 416 mg EPA + DHA (971 mg ALA), 513 mg EPA + DHA (1027 mg ALA) and 1465 mg ALA (122 mg EPA + DHA), respectively. (3) Results: the average baseline O3I level of all dogs was low (1.36%), warranting n-3 supplementation. After four weeks, O3I levels were significantly increased in the krill (from 1.36 +/- 0.44 to 2.36 +/- 0.39%) and fish (from 1.35 +/- 0.22 to 1.9 +/- 0.35%) groups (p < 0.001). No significant modification of the O3I was detected in the flax animals. (4) Conclusions: only marine n-3 PUFAs resulted in a significantly increased O3I, with dietary krill meal providing the highest increase.
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| 6. |
- Penell, Johanna
(author)
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Results of a Clinical Trial Showing Changes to the Faecal Microbiome in Racing Thoroughbreds after Feeding a Nutritional Supplement
- 2023
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In: Veterinary Sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 2306-7381. ; 10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Simple Summary Bacteria within the gastrointestinal tract communicate with the immune system and the brain, have a role in energy metabolism and are responsible for gastrointestinal health and gut wall integrity. Veterinary research has reported links between gut bacteria and health. The so-called good bacteria can maintain health while proliferation of pathogenic bacteria can occur in certain conditions, causing colitis, inflammation, colic and dysbiosis. Genetic sequencing of gut bacteria can be used to provide a picture of the composition of the gut microbiome. This information can be used to manage the diet to provide an environment where the good gut bacteria can thrive. This study showed that feeding a prebiotic nutritional supplement resulted in mean and median percent decreases in Bacteroidetes, increases in Firmicutes and the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio that were significantly greater than zero for the treated horses only. Supplemented horses (8/10) were more likely than control horses (2/10) to show an increase in Firmicutes of a >= 9% with >= 24% increase in Clostridia, >= 5% decrease in Bacteroidetes, >= 16% increase in the F:B ratio and >= 2% increase in Actinobacteria (p = 0.01). This provides useful information for further investigations on long-term effects on the microbiome and on health and racing-related outcomes. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been used to evaluate the effect of various interventions on the equine microbiome. The aim of this randomised blinded clinical trial was to determine if a prebiotic nutritional supplement would result in a change from baseline in the faecal microbiome composition of racing Thoroughbred horses in training being fed a high concentrate/grain-based diet to be more similar to that found in forage fed/pasture grazed horses. Thirty-two horses on one training yard were randomised to either receive the supplement or not. Faecal samples were collected at baseline, 6 and 12 weeks for NGS of the 16S ribosomal subunit gene. Twenty-two horses completed the trial, met the inclusion criteria and were included in the intention to treat analysis; 20 horses were included in the per protocol analysis. The mean and median percent decreases in Bacteroidetes, increases in Firmicutes and the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio were significantly greater than zero for the treated horses only. Supplemented horses (8/10) were more likely than control horses (2/10) to show an increase in Firmicutes of a >= 9% with >= 24% increase in Clostridia, >= 5% decrease in Bacteroidetes, >= 16% increase in the F:B ratio and >= 2% increase in Actinobacteria (RR = 4, 95% CI: 1.1-14.4, p = 0.01). This provides useful information for further investigations on long-term effects on the microbiome and on health and racing-related outcomes.
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