Review: Pig-based bioconversion: the use of former food products to keep nutrients in the food chain

The primary challenge of agriculture and livestock production is to face the growing competition between food, feed, fibre, and fuel, converting them from resource-intensive to resource-efficient. A circular economy approach, using agricultural by-products/co-products, in the livestock production system would allow to reduce, reuse, and redistribute the resources. Former food products (FFPs), also named ex-foods, could represent a valid option in strengthening resilience in animal nutrition. FFPs have a promising potential to be included regularly in animal diets due to their nutritive value, although their potential in animal nutrition remains understudied. A thorough investigation of the compositional and dietary features, thus, is essential to provide new and fundamental insights to effectively reuse FFPs as upgraded products for swine nutrition. Safety aspects, such as the microbial load or the presence of packaging remnants, should be considered with caution. Here, with a holistic approach, we review several aspects of FFPs and their use as feed ingredients: the nutritional and functional evaluation, the impact of the inclusion of FFPs in pigs' diet on growth performance and welfare, and further aspects related to safety and sustainability of FFPs.

POS1524-HPR HPR 2020 GRANT. AWARENESS OF NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL AND NON-SURGICAL TREATMENTS FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS: A SURVEY OF PEOPLE WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS IN SWEDEN

Background

International clinical practice guidelines for the management of osteoarthritis (OA)1 2 recommend exercise, education and diet as first-line interventions since they are safe, low cost and reported to be effective, in reducing OA pain and disability, regardless of the severity of the disease. However, these treatments require high levels of adherence, which may be difficult to achieve. One of the possible reasons that can jeopardise patients’ adherence with first-line interventions for OA is the lack of awareness of the role that these treatments play in their care.

Objectives

To investigate the level of awareness of non-pharmacological and non-surgical treatments for hip and knee OA in a cohort of people with this disease in Sweden.

Methods

A cross-sectional, online survey-based study was conducted in Sweden. People with diagnosed knee or hip OA were recruited through social media outlets and patients’ associations. The survey was divided into two sections: (i) participants’ demographic and clinical characteristics (e.g. gender, age, income, work, height, weight, level of physical activity, previous surgeries, pain, level of disability) and (ii) a set of items with 22 treatments (e.g., weight advice, physical activity, drugs, supplements etc) where participants were asked to report whether each treatment was ‘recommended’, ‘optional’, ‘not recommended’, or ‘I don’t know’ - for the management of knee or hip OA. In the analyses, we grouped the 22 proposed treatments into ‘recommended’, ‘optional’, and ‘not recommended’ according to existing international guidelines.1 2 Based on the responses, participants were categorised as “aware” if they correctly identified all the treatments, “partially aware” if they correctly identified at least one treatment, and “not aware” if they did not correctly identify any of the treatments.

Results

Participants comprised 123 people with OA of the knee, hip or both (N=65, 22%; N=27, 22% and N= 33, 26% respectively). Their mean (SD) age was 60.3 (8.8) and 108 (88%) were women. Forty-eight (39%) were “aware” of the recommended treatments, 63 (50%) “partially aware” and 14 (11%) were “not aware”. Regarding the optional treatments, 2 (2%) were “aware”, 103 (82%) “partially aware” and 20 (16%) were “not aware”. For the treatments that were not-recommended, none was “aware”, while 69 (55%) and 56 (45%) were considered “partially aware” and “not aware”, respectively. Figure 1 summarises the responses of the participants to each treatment item.

Figure 1.

Participants’ responses to each treatment

Conclusion

Survey participants seem to be more aware of the recommended treatments than the optional and not-recommended ones. A more holistic approach in the education of people with OA should be pursued, providing them with a complete overview of the possible OA treatments. This would help patients identify the most appropriate treatment option for their OA and facilitate a shared decision-making with their health professionals.

References

[1]Bannuru RR, Osani MC, Vaysbrot EE, et al. OARSI guidelines for the non-surgical management of knee, hip, and polyarticular osteoarthritis. Osteoarthr Cartil. 2019;27:1578–89.

[2]Fernandes L, Hagen KB, Bijlsma JWJ, et al. EULAR recommendations for the non-pharmacological core management of hip and knee osteoarthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2013;72:1125–35.

Acknowledgements

This work is part of the project funded by EULAR (European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology) “HPR: The EULAR health professionals research grant 2020.”

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

POS0160-HPR THE CARE PROCESS OF HIP AND KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF PATIENTS’ EXPERIENCE

Background:

The care process is often a complex and intimate process experienced by patients. Osteoarthritis (OA) care is usually characterised by multimodal interventions that consider the broader array of symptoms and functional limitations and often require a high level of patients’ compliance. Despite efforts to improve the quality of care of patients suffering from OA, and the publication of state-of-the-art clinical practice guidelines [1], the quality of the care process, as experienced by patients, seems to be suboptimal [2]. Hence, it is essential to investigate how patients experience this process to highlight potential elements that can enhance or spoil it to optimise the care quality.

Objectives:

To explore the patients’ experience of the received OA care process.

Methods:

Qualitative study, 10 semi-structured interviews were performed. The interview guide was created by a pool of healthcare professionals (physiotherapists, psychologists, nurses) and expert patients. It investigated the emotional experience, beliefs, expectations, perceived barriers and facilitators towards conservative treatments perceived by patients suffering from OA. The interviews lasted approximately one hour, were transcribed verbatim and analysed independently by two authors, who labelled their core parts to find categories and subcategories. A theme-based analysis was performed following an ecological paradigm, naturalistic epistemology, philosophy of phenomenological research.

Results:

Our analysis revealed 7 main categories with several subcategories (Fig. 1). 1) Uncertainty as some patients perceived treatment choice not to be based on medical evidence “there is an almost religious way of thinking on how to deal with the pathology. It is not an exact science when you choose the physicians you choose the treatment”. 2) Relationship with the self and the others as some patients did not feel understood or even shameful and hopeless about their condition. 3) Patients’ and Health Professionals’ beliefs about the pathology management where common thoughts were the perceived (ab)use of passive therapies, the movement as something dangerous and that OA is “something that you try to resist to, but (surgery) is your destiny”. 4) facilitators and 5) barriers of the adherence to therapeutic exercise that revolve around the cost of the therapy, the time needed and the willingness to change life habits. 6) Patients’ attitudes towards pathology in which the oldest patients perceive OA as “something I have to accept since I am getting old” and the youngest as “Something I have to fight”. 7) Relationship with food in which diet is seen as something that “you force yourself to follow” which is useful only to lose weight and not to preserve a high health status and where overeating is used “to eat your feelings”.

Figure 1.

Categories and Subcategories stemmed from the analysis of the patients’ interviews

Conclusion:

Patients suffering from hip and knee OA seem to experience an uncertain care process. The lack of clear explanations and the attitude towards conservative treatment, which is considered as “a pastime while waiting for surgery,” fosters the importance of providing patients with adequate information about the treatment, to shift their beliefs and improve their awareness. This will enhance a patient-centred and shared decision-making treatments.

References:

[1]Fernandes L, Hagen KB, Bijlsma JWJ, et al. EULAR recommendations for the non-pharmacological core management of hip and knee osteoarthritis. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 2013;72:1125–35.

[2]Basedow M, Esterman A. Assessing appropriateness of osteoarthritis care using quality indicators: a systematic review. J Eval Clin Pract 2015;21:782–9.

Acknowledgements:

This work is part of the project funded by EULAR Health Professionals Research Grant 2020.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

Cytokine gene expression and production by human LPS-stimulated mononuclear cells are inhibited by sulfated heparin-like semi-synthetic derivatives

BACKGROUND

The K5 polysaccharide obtained from Escherichia coli strain 010:K5:H4 is a polymer of the disaccharidic unit formed by D-glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine. This structure is akin to N-acetylheparosan, the precursory polymer of heparin and of heparan sulfate. This structural affinity with N-acetylated heparin and with de-sulfated heparin makes the K5 polysaccharide extremely useful for the preparation of sulfated heparin-like semi-synthetic derivatives. It has been demonstrated that heparins are able to inhibit tissue factor and cytokine production and expression by human monocytes.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of four different heparin-like semi-synthetic derivatives on inflammatory cytokine production and expression by human mononuclear cells.

RESULTS

The simultaneous addition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 0.2 and 10 micro g mL(-1)) and the K5 polysaccharide did not inhibit interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6 or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha production by stimulated mononuclear cells. IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha concentrations in supernatants of LPS-stimulated mononuclear cells were not influenced by the addition of N,O-sulfated K5 polysaccharide (K5-N, OS) and epimerized N-sulfated K5 polysaccharide (K5 NS epi) at 5 and 10 microg mL(-1), whereas the addition of epimerized N,O-sulfated K5 polysaccharide (K5-N, OS epi) (5 and 10 microg mL(-1)) and O-sulfated K5 polysaccharide (K5-OS) (5 and 10 microg mL(-1)) to LPS-stimulated cells caused a significant dose-dependent inhibition of IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha. All sulfated heparin-like semi-synthetic derivatives did not influence the IL-10 production by LPS-stimulated mononuclear cells. In LPS-stimulated cells (0.2 and 10 microg mL(-1)), K5-OS or K5-N, OS epi at 5 and 10 microg mL(-1) markedly decreased TNF-alpha mRNA expression.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that the sulfated heparin-like semi-synthetic derivatives K5-OS and K5-N, OS epi are able to inhibit both expression and production of inflammatory cytokines, whereas they do not influence the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, suggesting a potential role for these products as modulators of inflammatory reactions.

Human recombinant antibody fragments specific for a rye-grass pollen allergen: characterization and potential applications

One of the major allergens from the pollen of perennial rye grass (Lolium perenne), Lol pII, was used to isolate specific antibody fragments from a random combinatorial library displaying a large repertoire of human Fab on filamentous phages. After five panning cycles on recombinant Lol pII immunotubes, phage binders were isolated and the antibody fragments expressed as soluble Fab molecules in the Escherichia coli periplasm. The DNA sequencing of the clones producing antibodies with the highest binding activity showed three of them to be identical, while one differed by two amino acid substitutions in the heavy chain. The antibody fragments were produced in milligram amounts, affinity-purified and further characterized. They bound the natural allergen as well as the recombinant one, with no cross-reactivity with other allergens contained in the pollen extract of L. perenne. One antibody bound the allergen with Kd = 2.63 x 10(-9) M, as demonstrated by the surface plasmon resonance technique, and was able to compete with a fraction of serum IgE. Epitope mapping using synthetic peptides revealed that antigenic domains, located between amino acids 39 and 51 of Lol pII, are recognized by Fab and polyclonal IgE from sera of allergic donors. The Fab fragments inhibited the binding of serum IgE to the allergen. In vitro experiments on whole blood from allergic subjects showed that recombinant Fab fragments had a blocking activity on histamine release from cells challenged with recombinant Lol pII allergen. Thus, serum IgE and recombinant Fab fragments recognize common epitopes, although they represent the outcome of different maturation and/or selection processes. Our molecular and functional findings altogether indicate that allergen-specific human antibodies may be useful for the characterization of the antigenic structure of allergens. We conclude that a phage library is a powerful source of anti-allergen human antibodies with high affinity and high specificity. Moreover, these molecules may be potentially innovative reagents for the treatment of atopic allergy.

Detection of human chromosomes in somatic cell hybrids by PCR analysis

The detection of human chromosomes in somatic cell hybrids is usually made by chromosomal analysis, Southern blot analysis with human probes, and starch-gel electrophoresis of isoenzymes. We describe here a new, quick, and very efficient method to detect human chromosomes in somatic cell hybrids between human and rodent (rat and mouse) cells. The method is based on the polymerase chain reaction to promote amplification of human DNA, using primers derived from localized genes or DNA fragments from each human chromosome.

A more stringent choice of primers can improve the performance of fluorescent automated DNA sequencers

Some primers frequently used in the double-stranded dideoxy DNA sequencing technique with radioactive markers are not suited for fluorescent detection. In fact oligonucleotides have a different annealing efficiency related to their base sequence, and this is reflected in nonequivalent results, particularly in fluorescent automated DNA sequencing. We present a method for the evaluation of primer performance in automated DNA sequencers and show its application to the search for a better set of primers for pBluescript vector.

Dideoxy linear PCR on a commercial fluorescent automated DNA sequencer

The use of automated fluorescent DNA sequencer systems and PCR-based DNA sequencing methods play an important role in the actual effort to improve the efficiency of large-scale DNA analysis. Here we show the application of the linear PCR using a single fluorescent primer and dideoxynucleotide terminators in four separate sequencing reactions on the EMBL/Pharmacia's fluorescent automated DNA sequencer. We have used dideoxy/deoxynucleoside triphosphate ratios and linear amplification cycle conditions to obtain an accurate sequencing response of up to, and over, 500 bases from just 400 ng of double-stranded DNA template without chemical denaturation. The sequencing protocol described in this paper is effectively suited for enhancement of sensitivity and performance of the automated DNA sequencing system.

Cloning and transcriptional analysis of the ADE6 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene, ADE6, encoding 5'-phosphoribosylformyl glycinamidine synthetase (EC 6.3.5.3) has been cloned by complementation of an ade6 auxotroph. Transformation of ade6 mutants with ADE6-carrying centromeric plasmids restored normal, adenine-independent growth behavior in the recipients. Strains containing a disrupted ade6 allele were constructed and behaved as stable adenine auxotrophs. Southern transfer and genetic analyses of strains carrying a disrupted ade6 allele demonstrated that the cloned gene was ADE6 and not a suppressor. The cloned ADE6 DNA was mapped on the RAD2-proximal fragment of chromosome VII by hybridization on yeast chromosomes separated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Northern-blot hybridization experiments show that the ADE6 region produces two different mRNA species of approx. 5 and 2 kb. Disappearance of the larger, but not the smaller, transcript is associated with ade6 mutations. A threefold repression in the amount of the 5-kb ADE6 mRNA is observed when growth medium is supplemented with exogenous adenine.

The nucleotide sequence of a CpG island demonstrates the presence of the first exon of the gene encoding the human lysosomal membrane protein lamp2 and assigns the gene to Xq24

An EagI-EcoRI clone of human genomic DNA, p2-7, mapped to Xq24 has been sequenced. This analysis has confirmed the presence of a CpG island and has identified the first exon of the human LAMP2 gene, encoding a glycoprotein of the lysosomal membrane. Since the p2-7 clone corresponds to single-copy DNA, we can assign the human LAMP2 gene to Xq24.