Effects of steeped or fermented distillers dried grains with solubles on growth performance in weanling pigs.

Coproduct feeding value may be improved by enzyme and microbial inoculant treatment in liquid diets. Three experiments were conducted to assess growth performance in newly weaned 20-d-old pigs fed corn- and soybean meal-based diets with untreated, steeped, or partially fermented distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) from day of weaning. In Exp. 1, conventionally dry fed diets with untreated DDGS (DDGS) or without DDGS (Control) were fed. In Exp. 2, liquid diets (25% DM [75% moisture]) were fed with enzymes (ß-glucanase and xylanase at 67.2 and 51.4 U/g DDGS, respectively) added to dry DDGS at the time of liquid feeding (UNSTP) or steeped with DDGS and added to liquid feed from d 5 to 12 of each batch prior to liquid feeding (STP). In Exp. 1 and 2 DDGS inclusion levels were 7.5% in phase 1 (d 0 to 7) and 25% in phase 2 (d 7 to 21) and phase 3 (d 21 to 35). In Exp. 3 liquid diets were fed with the Exp. 2 enzymes and silage inoculant (360,000 combined cfu and /g DDGS) added to dry DDGS at the time of liquid feeding (UNFER) or fermented with DDGS and added to liquid feed from d 1 to 7 of each batch before liquid feeding (FER). The inclusion levels of DDGS were 7.5% in phase 1 (d 0 to 7), 16.25% in phase 2 (d 7 to 21), and 25% in phase 3 (d 21 to 42 or 48). Experiment 3 diets were fed to light (LBW; 5.8 ± 0.6 kg) or heavy (HBW; 7.6 ± 0.8 kg) BW pigs at weaning, and results were analyzed separately. Pig BW and ADFI were measured weekly in each experiment. In Exp. 1, feeding diets with DDGS depressed ( < 0.05) ADFI on d 7 to 21 (491 vs. 375 ± 21 g DM/pig) and d 0 to 35 (456 vs. 405 ± 13 g DM/pig). In Exp. 2 growth performance was not affected. In Exp. 3 ADFI of HBW pigs was not affected. The HBW pigs fed FER had lower ( < 0.05) ADG and G:F on d 7 to 21 (323 vs. 264 ± 15 g/pig and 0.86 vs. 0.72 ± 0.02 g:g, respectively) and lower ( < 0.05) BW on d 21 (12.4 vs. 11.6 ± 0.2 kg) compared with HBW pigs fed UNFER. The LBW pigs fed FER had lower ( < 0.05) ADFI on d 0 to 7 and 7 to 21 (190 vs. 168 ± 3 and 318 vs. 273 ± 13 g DM/pig, respectively) and had greater ( < 0.05) ADG on d 42 to 48 (773 vs. 941 ± 60 g/pig) and BW on d 48 (24.5 vs. 25.8 ± 0.5 kg) compared with LBW pigs fed UNFER. Results show that up to 25% DDGS inclusion in weaning pig diets did not affect overall growth performance. Liquid-fed partially fermented DDGS had an influence on the growth performance of weanling pigs, particularly during the extended nursery period of pigs of light weaning weight in this study.

Follow-up Reality for Breast Cancer Patients - Standardised Survey of Patients and Physicians and Analysis of Treatment Data.

Introduction: Currently, about 360 000 breast cancer patients who could, after completion of their primary therapy, take advantage of follow-up options are living in Germany. Up to now very little is known about the extent to which the available options are used and as to how the follow-up reality is experienced and evaluated. Thus, an explorative examination among the patients and their physicians was undertaken. Patients and Methods: All patients who underwent surgery in a certified breast centre between 2007 and 2013 received a standardised questionnaire; at the same time the physicians responsible for the follow-up were invited to answer a standardised questionnaire. Results: 920 patients (response rate: 61 %) with a median age of 65 years (32-95) could be analysed. 99 % of the participants stated that they regularly attended follow-ups. The personal contact with the physician (mean value: 4.4) and the reassurance that the cancer disease had not recurred (mean value: 4.5) were described on a scale of 0 to 5 to be two of the most important factors of the follow-up. Deficits were expressed with regard to psychosocial care (70 %) and the perception and treatment of physical complaints (55 %). In addition, 105 physicians returned completed questionnaires (response rate: 12 %). For asymptomatic patients the physicians performed the following examinations most frequently: anamnesis (92 %), physical examination (87 %) as well as laboratory tests (63 %) and tumour marker determinations (40 %). Conclusion: On the whole it became clear that the vast majority of the patients took advantage of the follow-up options. From the patient's perspective the importance of the follow-up lies in contact to the physician and the comforting assurance that the breast cancer has not relapsed. Deficits are seen in the psychosocial care and the perception and treatment of physical impairments. Not recommended examinations were employed by a significant proportion of the surveyed physicians.

Impact of nursery feeding program on subsequent growth performance, carcass quality, meat quality, and physical and chemical body composition of growing-finishing pigs.

An experiment was conducted to examine the effect of the nursery feeding program on subsequent growth performance, carcass quality, meat quality, and physical and chemical body composition of growing-finishing pigs. Four dietary treatments were used in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments based on diet complexity (Complex vs. Simple) and in-feed antibiotics (2,730 [+AB] vs. 0 [-AB] mg of chlortetracycline /kg].A total of 552 pigs, in 5 blocks, were weaned at 21 ± 2 d of age with an initial BW of 7.03 ± 0.07 kg. Each experimental block had 3 pens per treatment, with 8 pigs per pen in blocks 1 and 2, and 10 pigs per pen in the remaining 3 blocks. Nursery diets were fed in a 3-phase feeding program (Phase I, II, and III diets fed for 1, 2, and 3 wk, respectively). All pigs were fed common grower-finisher diets thereafter. Six pigs per treatment were slaughtered for chemical body composition analysis at wk 2, 8, 12, and 17 postweaning. An additional 11 pigs per treatment were slaughtered at wk 17 postweaning (approximately 115 kg BW or market weight) for analysis of carcass characteristics, chemical and physical body composition, and meat quality. During the nursery phase, ADG was lower (P < 0.05) for pigs fed the Simple diet than those fed the Complex diet (491 vs. 528 g/d). Antibiotic usage improved (P < 0.05) ADG in Phases II (408 vs. 438 g/d) and III (689 vs. 720 g/d). In Phase I and II, G:F was lower (P < 0.05) for pigs fed the Simple diet than those fed the Complex diet (0.46 vs. 0.58 and 0.75 vs. 0.78 in Phases I and II, respectively). During the grower phase, pigs previously fed -AB diets grew faster than pigs fed +AB diets (P < 0.05; 1,009 vs. 971 g/d). There were no treatment effects on overall ADG or G:F from weaning to finishing. Nursery feeding program did not affect carcass quality characteristics. However, pigs previously fed +AB diets tended (P = 0.07) to have increased LM depth. Nursery feeding program had no effect on objective or subjective meat quality measures, chemical body composition, or the weight of primal and retail carcass cuts at wk 17 postweaning, with the exception of primal belly weight. These results indicate that feeding simple nursery diets, or nursery diets without antibiotics, compromises growth performance during the nursery period but does not affect overall growth performance between weaning and market BW, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. Thus, feed costs for nursery pigs can be reduced by feeding simple diets without compromising market BW and carcass and meat quality.