Intestinal barrier function, caecal microbiota and growth performance of thermoneutral or heat stressed broiler chickens fed reduced crude protein diets supplemented with guanidinoacetic acid.

The effectiveness of guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) in reduced protein (RP) diets on performance and gut health of broilers under heat stress is largely unknown. A 35-d experiment was conducted using four dietary treatments: a standard protein diet (SP, 22.1 and 20.

Negative consequences of reduced protein diets supplemented with synthetic amino acids for performance, intestinal barrier function, and caecal microbiota composition of broiler chickens.

The consequences of feeding broiler chickens with reduced protein (RP) diets for gut health and barrier function are not well understood. This study was performed to elucidate the effect of reducing dietary protein and source of protein on gut health and performance parameters. Four experimental diets included 2 control diets with standard protein levels either containing meat and bone meal (CMBM) or an all-vegetable diet (CVEG), a medium RP diet (17.

Effects of Caffeine and Glucose Supplementation at Birth on Piglet Pre-Weaning Growth, Thermoregulation, and Survival.

Piglet pre-weaning mortality of approximately 15% represents a major economic and welfare concern to the pork industry. Supplementing neonatal piglets with glucose and/or caffeine has the potential to counteract hypoxic stress experienced during parturition and provide an energy substrate, which may improve survival to weaning. This study investigated the effects of caffeine and glucose supplementation at birth, in combination or separately, on piglet growth, thermoregulatory ability, and pre-weaning survival.

Practitioner Experiences with Domestic and Family Violence in COVID-19.

The advent of COVID-19 as a global public health crisis in 2020 was quickly followed by predictions regarding likely increases in occurrences of domestic and family violence (DFV). The aim of this study was to understand the impact of the pandemic on practitioner experiences of DFV in one service organisation in New South Wales, Australia. Qualitative focus group interviews were performed with senior practitioners at Relationships Australia (NSW), and a grounded theory approach was employed in formulation of a perspective which highlighted social isolation under public health management social distancing measures as that which distinguished practitioner experiences of DFV during COVID-19.

Review: Can early-life establishment of the piglet intestinal microbiota influence production outcomes?

The gastrointestinal tract microbiota is involved in the development and function of many body processes. Studies demonstrate that early-life microbial colonisation is the most important time for shaping intestinal and immune development, with perturbations to the microbiota during this time having long-lasting negative implications for the host. Piglets face many early-life events that shape the acquisition and development of their intestinal microbiota.