Spore‐forming bacterial strains were isolated from chicken gastrointestinal tracts to develop a heat‐stable feed supplement that promotes weight gain in broilers. Seven Bacillus strains having more ...than 90% sporulation were screened from the isolates and identified to be closely related with Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis. Of the seven strains, B. subtilis CH16 was selected to develop a feed supplement for broilers, because it formed 100% heat‐stable spores, grew rapidly at 42°C and quickly formed a biofilm. In large‐scale trials in broilers (n ≥ 1150 per group), the group fed CH16 (3 × 10⁶ CFU g⁻¹ pellet) showed higher average daily gain (ADG = 61·16) and lower food conversion ratio (FCR = 1·696) than did the group fed B. licheniformis CH22 (ADG = 57·10 and FCR = 1·792), the group fed B. subtilis HU58 (ADG = 51·90 and FCR = 1·868), BioPlus group (ADG = 59·32 and FCR = 1·807) and the control group (ADG = 56·02 and FCR = 1·880). In conclusion, CH16 spores significantly increased ADG by 9·17% and reduced FCR by 9·79% in broilers. The result supports the use of B. subtilis CH16 of chicken intestinal origin as a feed supplement that promote weight gain in broilers. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study reports screening of Bacillus strains isolated from chicken gastrointestinal tracts for development of a feed supplement that promote weight gain in broilers. Of the seven Bacillus isolates with high sporulation efficiency (≥90%), Bacillus subtilis CH16 strain showed the best growth and biofilm formation at body temperature of broilers (42°C). In large‐scale trials in broilers (n ≥ 1150 per group), CH16 spores induced a 9·17% increase in daily weight gain (ADG) and a 9·79% reduction in FCR while the commercial BioPlus®YC induced only a 5·89% increase in ADG and a 3·88% reduction in FCR.
Aims
We investigated the potential cooperative effects of carotenoid‐producing Bacillus aquimaris SH6 and nonpigmented Bacillus subtilis SH23 on white‐leg shrimp growth and health.
Methods and ...Results
SH6, SH23 and a combination of both spores (1 × 106 CFU per g pellet) were administered in shrimp. The growth rate (2·36% day−1), red‐colour score (25) and astaxanthin concentration (3·5 µg g−1 shrimp) were maximum in two‐spore‐administered shrimp. Immune‐related Rho mRNA expression level and phenoloxidase and superoxidase dismutase activities were higher in two‐spore‐administered shrimp than in control shrimp, with Rho mRNA expression level being 55‐fold higher in two‐spore‐administered shrimp than in SH6‐administered shrimp and phenoloxidase activity being 1·2‐fold higher in two‐spore‐administered shrimp than in SH23‐administered shrimp. Although live SH6 count was 2·7‐fold lower, SH6 germination level was 3·5‐fold higher in the combination group than in SH6 group.
Conclusions
When both SH6 and SH23 spores were administered, SH6 spore germination was enhanced and cooperative improvement was seen in growth, astaxanthin level and red‐colour score of white‐leg shrimp; however, immune‐related parameters were induced in a noncooperative manner.
Significance and Impact of the Study
This is the first report showing the cooperative probiotic activities of Bacillus strains and their possible mechanisms in a shrimp model.
Nurses play a pivotal role in pain management. Knowing more about nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain is important as we develop multidisciplinary pain services. Therefore, this study ...aimed to assess knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management among nurses in a geriatric hospital and its associated factors.
A survey was conducted of nurses worked at the National Geriatric Hospital over a 3-month period. The Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP) was utilized to assess nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward pain management. Four domains were defined based on KASRP, included cancer-related pain, pain assessment, pharmacology and substance abuse and physical dependence. Knowledge and attitudes regarding pain were classified as poor, fair, or good (≤50%, 50% - 75%, or ≥75% of the KASRP score). Multivariate Tobit regression models were applied to identify factors associated with the knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management.
Of 154 participants completed the survey, 72.2% (111 participants) had poor knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management. The participants had a correct mean score of 45.2% (SD = 2.2). Nurses' knowledge of pain assessment was poor, with the proportion of correct answers to nine questions ranging from 2.6% to 50%. 44.8% of nurses reported never or rarely using pain assessment tools. Nurses who had previous training regarding pain at medical universities had significantly higher scores of knowledge and attitudes compared to those without training. Nurses who often use pain assessment tools had a significantly higher level of knowledge and attitudes than those who never or rarely use them.
This study highlights significant deficits of knowledge and negative attitudes regarding pain management among nurses. The subject of pain management should be applied and enhanced in the nursing undergraduate curriculum. Nurses' active participation in pain management should be encouraged by healthcare providers for older patients.
•Ability of AWBs for heavy metal detoxification was evaluated.•Influential factors on heavy metal biosorption were presented.•Insights of binding mechanism were revealed and essential tools were ...introduced.•Merits and demerits of pretreatment methods for better biosorbents were highlighted.•Recommendation to use AWBs as green and cost-effective biosorbents was made.
This critical review discusses the potential use of agricultural waste based biosorbents (AWBs) for sequestering heavy metals in terms of their adsorption capacities, binding mechanisms, operating factors and pretreatment methods. The literature survey indicates that AWBs have shown equal or even greater adsorption capacities compared to conventional adsorbents. Thanks to modern molecular biotechnologies, the roles of functional groups in biosorption process are better understood. Of process factors, pH appears to be the most influential. In most cases, chemical pretreatments bring about an obvious improvement in metal uptake capacity. However, there are still several gaps, which require further investigation, such as (i) searching for novel, multi-function AWBs, (ii) developing cost-effective modification methods and (iii) assessing AWBs under multi-metal and real wastewater systems. Once these challenges are settled, the replacement of traditional adsorbents by AWBs in decontaminating heavy metals from wastewater can be expected in the future.
Antimicrobial resistance has emerged as a major concern in developing countries. The present study sought to define the pattern of antimicrobial resistance in ICU patients with ventilator-associated ...pneumonia.
Between November 2014 and September 2015, we enrolled 220 patients (average age ~ 71 yr) who were admitted to ICU in a major tertiary hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Data concerning demographic characteristics and clinical history were collected from each patient. The Bauer-Kirby disk diffusion method was used to detect the antimicrobial susceptibility.
Antimicrobial resistance was commonly found in ceftriaxone (88%), ceftazidime (80%), ciprofloxacin (77%), cefepime (75%), levofloxacin (72%). Overall, the rate of antimicrobial resistance to any drug was 93% (n = 153/164), with the majority (87%) being resistant to at least 2 drugs. The three commonly isolated microorganisms were Acinetobacter (n = 75), Klebsiella (n = 39), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 29). Acinetobacter baumannii were virtually resistant to ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, piperacilin, imipenem, meropenem, ertapenem, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin. High rates (>70%) of ceftriaxone and ceftazidime-resistant Klebsiella were also observed.
These data indicated that critically ill patients on ventilator in Vietnam were at disturbingly high risk of antimicrobial resistance. The data also imply that these Acinetobacter, Klebsiella, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and multidrug resistance pose serious therapeutic problems in ICU patients. A concerted and systematic effort is required to rapidly identify high risk patients and to reduce the burden of antimicrobial resistance in developing countries.
•Ultrasonication of whole milk caused substantial homogenization of the fat globules.•Acid gel firmness was dependent on the temperature and duration of ultrasonication.•Acid gels from ultrasonicated ...milk had similar firmness to those from heated milk.•Separated heat and ultrasonication steps had an additive effect on acid gels properties.•Separated heat and ultrasonication steps produced gels with unique textural properties.
Ultrasonication (US) of whole milk at 22.5kHz and 50W homogenized fat globules. Extended US without temperature control (attaining >90°C at longest times), or with control at temperatures ⩾60°C caused denaturation of the whey proteins and aggregation of the fat globules and proteins. Acidification of US milk produced gels with increased firmness and reduced gelation times compared to untreated milk. Below 60°C, US of milk produced acid gels with very high firmness without whey protein denaturation; the firmness was similar to gels from heated whole milk. Extensive US without temperature control or with control at ⩾60°C decreased acid gel firmness compared to shorter times or lower temperatures. Higher acid gel firmness could be achieved by subjecting the milk to separate heat (80°C/30min) and US treatment (at 20°C) before acidification when compared with either heating or US alone. This was independent of the order of heating and US treatment.
Aims
To develop a novel feed supplement for shrimp using pigmented spore‐forming bacterial strains isolated from their gastrointestinal tracts.
Methods and Results
Eight pigmented Bacillus strains ...were selected from the isolates based on high production of heat‐stable spores, typical UV‐Vis spectra of produced carotenoids (400–550 nm), and free radical scavenging activity of their extracts. Of the eight strains, the red‐orange pigmented Bacillus aquimaris SH6 was selected because it showed the highest abundance in shrimp guts (70% population). Whiteleg shrimp (n = 30 per group) fed with SH6 spores, at >3 × 106 CFU g−1 pellet for 4 weeks had redder colour (score of 21–23 vs 20–22), 2·7‐fold higher astaxanthin level (0·69 vs 0·25 μg g−1 shrimp), 34% higher weight gain (7·18 vs 5·32 g shrimp−1), and 85% higher phenoloxidase activity (OD490 = 0·265 vs 0·143) than shrimp in the control group.
Conclusions
The result supports the potential use of B. aquimaris SH6 as a feed supplement for promoting the colourization and weight gain, and for enhancing innate immunity of whiteleg shrimp.
Significance and Impact of the Study
This study demonstrates that carotenoids produced by B. aquimaris SH6 can be successfully absorbed and converted to astaxanthin in whiteleg shrimp.
Integration of renewable energy resources in microgrids has been increasing in recent decades. Due to the randomness in renewable resources such as solar and wind, the power generated can deviate ...from forecasted values. This variation may cause increased operating costs for committing costly reserve units or penalty costs for shedding load. In addition, it is often desired to charge/discharge and coordinate the energy storage units in an efficient and economical way. To address these problems, a novel battery operation cost model is proposed which considers a battery as an equivalent fuel-run generator to enable it to be incorporated into a unit commitment problem. A probabilistic constrained approach is used to incorporate the uncertainties of the renewable sources and load demands into the unit commitment (UC) and economic dispatch problems.
Breast cancer (BC) incidence in Australian women aged 45 to 64 years ('middle-aged') has tripled in the past 50 years, along with increasing alcohol consumption and obesity in middle-age women. ...Alcohol and obesity have been individually associated with BC but little is known about how these factors might interact. Chronic psychological stress has been associated with, but not causally linked to, BC. Here, alcohol could represent the 'missing link' - reflecting self-medication. Using an exploratory cross-sectional design, we investigated inter-correlations of alcohol intake and overweight/obesity and their association with BC incidence in middle-aged women. We also explored the role of stress and various lifestyle factors in these relationships.
We analysed population data on BC incidence, alcohol consumption, overweight/obesity, and psychological stress. A case control study was conducted using an online survey. Cases (n = 80) were diagnosed with BC and controls (n = 235) were women in the same age range with no BC history. Participants reported lifestyle data (including alcohol consumption, weight history) over consecutive 10-year life periods. Data were analysed using a range of bivariate and multivariate techniques including correlation matrices, multivariate binomial regressions and multilevel logistic regression.
Ecological inter-correlations were found between BC and alcohol consumption and between BC and obesity but not between other variables in the matrix. Strong pairwise correlations were found between stress and alcohol and between stress and obesity. BMI tended to be higher in cases relative to controls across reported life history. Alcohol consumption was not associated with case-control status. Few correlations were found between lifestyle factors and stress, although smoking and alcohol consumption were correlated in some periods. Obesity occurring during the ages of 31 to 40 years emerged as an independent predictor of BC (OR 3.5 95% CI: 1.3-9.4).
This study provides ecological evidence correlating obesity and alcohol consumption with BC incidence. Case-control findings suggest lifetime BMI may be important with particular risk associated with obesity prior to 40 years of age. Stress was ecologically linked to alcohol and obesity but not to BC incidence and was differentially correlated with alcohol and smoking among cases and controls. Our findings support prevention efforts targeting weight in women below 40 years of age and, potentially, lifelong alcohol consumption to reduce BC risk in middle-aged women.
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