Torula yeast may improve intestinal health and immune function of weanling pigs.

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that inclusion of a conventional torula yeast or a torula yeast produced from forestry byproducts (i.e., woody torula yeast) in diets for weanling pigs instead of fish meal and plasma protein improves growth performance and intestinal health of pigs. A total of 120 weanling pigs (6.53 ± 0.78 kg) were allotted to three treatments with ten replicate pens per diet. Pigs were fed one of three diets from days 1 to 14 post-weaning (phase 1), whereas all pigs were fed a common diet in phase 2 (days 15 to 28). The three treatments in phase 1 included a control diet with 5% fish meal, 3.5% plasma protein, and no torula yeast. The second diet contained 1.5% fish meal, 14% woody torula yeast, and no plasma protein, whereas the third diet contained 1.5% fish meal, 14% conventional torula yeast, and no plasma protein. Fecal scores were assessed every other day. On day 7, one pig per pen was euthanized to collect ileal tissue and mucosa for determination of morphology and for ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing analysis. At the end of phases 1 and 2, blood samples were collected and concentrations of cytokines, plasma urea nitrogen (PUN), peptide YY, immunoglobulin G, total protein, and albumin were analyzed. Results indicated that both torula yeast sources could replace fish meal and plasma protein without affecting growth performance, intestinal morphology, or blood characteristics of pigs. Pigs fed a diet containing torula yeast had improved (P < 0.05) fecal scores during phase 1. Pigs fed the conventional torula yeast diet had greater (P < 0.05) concentration of interleukin-2 compared with pigs fed the control diet. On day 14, greater (P < 0.05) concentrations of interleukin-4 and interleukin-10 were observed in pigs fed the diet containing the woody torula yeast or conventional torula yeast compared with pigs fed the control diet. Results from the RNA sequencing indicated that 19 of 24 analyzed genes involved in digestion and absorption of protein and vitamins were downregulated in pigs fed the diet containing woody torula yeast compared with pigs fed the control diet. However, only two genes (i.e., ANKS4B and FAM54A) were downregulated in pigs fed the woody torula yeast diet compared with the conventional torula yeast diet. In conclusion, using woody or conventional torula yeast instead of fish meal and plasma protein in the phase 1 diet for weanling pigs may improve intestinal health without influencing growth performance of pigs.

A torula yeast produced using forestry byproducts (i.e., woody torula yeast) had been demonstrated to have greater concentrations of digestible amino acids and phosphorus than fish meal, which indicates that the woody torula yeast can be used as a protein source for weanling pigs. However, information about effects of the woody torula yeast and conventional torula yeast on intestinal health and immune response are limited. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that the woody torula yeast improves intestinal health of pigs to a greater extent than conventional torula yeast. Results demonstrated that both woody torula yeast and conventional torula yeast could replace fish meal and plasma protein without negatively affecting growth performance, intestinal morphology, or blood characteristics of pigs. Regardless of source, torula yeast also improved fecal scores during the first 2 wk post-weaning and increased concentrations of anti-inflammatory cytokines in plasma of pigs. Therefore, dietary inclusion of torula yeast in diets for weanling pigs may represent a strategy to improve intestinal health of weanling pigs, but no differences between woody torula yeast and conventional torula yeast were observed.

Effects of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OH-D3) and 1-hydroxycholecalciferol (1-OH-D3) on serum bone biomarkers and calcium and phosphorus balance and concentrations of energy in diets without or with microbial phytase fed to sows in late gestation.

The objective was to test the hypothesis that supplementation of diets for gestating sows with 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OH-D3) or 1-hydroxycholecalciferol (1-OH-D3) affects serum biomarkers for bone and increases Ca and P balance and the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy (GE), and the concentrations of digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) in diets without or with microbial phytase. Sixty multiparous sows were allotted to 1 of 6 diets. Diets were formulated using a 3 × 2 factorial with 3 inclusions of supplemental vitamin D metabolite (no metabolite, 25-OH-D3, or 1-OH-D3) and 2 inclusion levels of microbial phytase (0 or 1,000 units). Sows were housed individually in metabolism crates and feces and urine were collected quantitatively. Results indicated that there was no difference in the ATTD of dry matter (DM) and GE and concentration of DE among the 3 diets containing microbial phytase, but the ATTD of DM and GE and concentration of DE was greater (P < 0.05) in diets containing 1-OH-D3 compared with the diet without a vitamin D metabolite if phytase was not used (interaction; P < 0.05). In diets without microbial phytase, ME was greater in diets containing either one of the 2 vitamin D metabolites than in the diet without a vitamin D metabolite, but among diets with microbial phytase, the ME of the 1-OH-D3 diet was less than of the 25-OH-D3 diet (interaction; P < 0.05). No effect of microbial phytase on concentrations of DE and ME was observed. There was no interaction between supplementation of microbial phytase and vitamin D metabolites for Ca and P balances, and regardless of metabolite supplementation, use of microbial phytase increased (P < 0.05) the ATTD and retention of Ca and P. Regardless of dietary phytase, the ATTD and retention of Ca and P increased (P < 0.05) for sows fed a diet containing one of the vitamin D metabolites compared with sows fed the diet without a vitamin D metabolite. Serum biomarkers for bone resorption or bone tissue synthesis were not affected by experimental diets. In conclusion, the ATTD of DM and GE, concentrations of DE and ME, and Ca and P balance in phytase-free diets fed to sows in late gestation were increased by supplementation with 1-OH-D3 or 25-OH-D3, but no differences between the 2 vitamin D metabolites were observed. Supplementation of diets with microbial phytase increased Ca and P balance, but did not affect DE and ME of diets.

The role of vitamin D is to increase absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the gastrointestinal tract and maintain serum concentrations of calcium, but dietary vitamin D needs to be converted to an active form by 2-hydroxylation steps that take place in the liver and the kidneys. The conversion efficiency to active vitamin D may be increased if pre-hydroxylated metabolites rather than vitamin D are provided, which also increases calcium and phosphorus utilization. In a previous experiment it was also demonstrated that a vitamin D metabolite increases energy absorption in gestating sows. It is possible that use of a vitamin D metabolite and phytase have additive effects and the hypothesis, therefore, was that supplementation of a vitamin D metabolite increases calcium and phosphorus balance and energy digestibility in diets fed to gestating sows without or with microbial phytase. Results indicated that in diets without phytase, the 2 vitamin D metabolites increased energy concentration in diets by increasing apparent energy digestibility. There was no interaction between supplementation of phytase and vitamin D metabolites for calcium and phosphorus balances. Use of phytase and vitamin D metabolites increased calcium and phosphorus digestibility and retention.

Benefit, risk and cost of new oral anticoagulants and warfarin in atrial fibrillation; A multicriteria decision analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Warfarin and new oral anticoagulants are effective in reducing stroke in atrial fibrillation; however, the benefits and risks rates in clinical trials show heterogeneity for each anticoagulant, and is unknown the cost influence on a model considering most of the treatment consequences. We designed a benefit-risk and cost assessment of oral anticoagulants. DESIGN: We followed the roadmap proposed by IMI-PROTECT and the considerations of emerged good practice to perform Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). The roadmap defines the following steps: (1) planning, (2) evidence gathering and data preparation, (3) analyses, (4) explorations, and (5) conclusions. We defined two reference points (0-100) to allocate numerical values for scores and weights, and used an analogue numeric scale to assess physicians' preferences. As benefits of the anticoagulant therapy, we included reductions in stroke and all-cause mortality; intracranial haemorrhage, gastrointestinal haemorrhage, minor bleeding and myocardial infarction were considered risks. We also made an estimation of the annual drug cost per person. MAIN RESULTS: The scores were: Apixaban 33, Dabigatrán 25, warfarin 18 and Rivaroxaban 14 this score reveals the most preferred up to the less preferred option, considering the benefit-risk ratio and drug costs altogether. The relative model weights were: 51.1% for risks, 40.4% for benefits and 8.5% for cost. The sensitivity analysis confirms the model robustness. CONCLUSIONS: From this analysis, apixaban should be considered as the preferred anticoagulant option -due to a better benefit-risk balance and a minor cost influence- followed by dabigatran, warfarin and rivaroxaban.