Fecal transplant success for diabetes might depend on the recipient's gut microbes.

Fecal transplant success for diabetes might depend on the recipient's gut microbes.A small clinical trial in the Netherlands found that a fecal transplant from a lean donor can temporarily improve insulin resistance in obese men -- but only half of the recipients responded. Upon further investigation, the researchers discovered that they could predict the success of the treatment by analyzing each patient's fecal gut-bacterial makeup. This understanding could help shape the development of personalized fecal transplant for diabetes. Six weeks after participants received fecal material from a lean donor, half of them saw an improvement in insulin sensitivity, whereas the other half saw no change. "The fifty-fifty responder-to-non-responder rate surprised me," says Nieuwdorp. "I thought we would have fewer people respond to the transplant." The researchers then compared the pre-treatment microbiota of both groups and found that the non-responders were the ones who started off with less bacterial diversity. more

Gut bacteria metabolism may factor into hypertension.

Gut bacteria metabolism may factor into hypertension.One in three American adults suffers from high blood pressure, or hypertension. The disease can be passed down in families, and certain lifestyle factors such as smoking, high-sodium diets, and stress can increase the risk. In recent years, scientists have discovered that certain gut bacteria may contribute to hypertension, as well. In a few studies, when gut bacteria were killed off with antibiotics, patients with hypertension saw a drop in blood pressure. And when gut bacteria were transplanted from hypertensive people into normal mice, they developed high blood pressure. The evidence is compelling, but until now, scientists have not identified a mechanism to explain how bacteria increase blood pressure. more

How tuberculosis hides in the body.

How tuberculosis hides in the body.The tuberculosis vaccine only works for children. BCG (bacille Calmette-Guerin) doesn't protect you as an adult. Now we know more about how the bacterium avoids being detected. Tuberculosis bacteria hide in the very cells that would normally kill them. Now we know more about how they evade recognition. Tuberculosis affects millions of people worldwide. Treatment for it is often prolonged, from six months to two years. We thus have a lot to gain -- and save -- by finding better treatment methods. Improving our understanding about how the bacterium works is key to achieving this. Tuberculosis.

Beak Size always limits water consumption, regardless of environmental conditions.

Beak Size always limits water consumption, regardless of environmental conditions. The amount of water usage (WU) being recorded reflects two things going on in the bird house: water consumption (WC) and water spillage (WS). We noted this to emphasize that discharging more water at each drinker by increasing the water pressure doesn’t mean the birds will drink more, as they can only capture so much water in their beaks with each peck of the trigger pin. Drinkers discharging more water than bird beaks can hold simply results in more spillage. If the spillage reaches the point where the litter gets too wet, it creates an environment that can harm the bird (increased ammonia, pododermatitis, more disease challenges, among other things). The solution is to pay close attention to litter conditions and manage the water pressure in small increments until the litter has a less threatening moisture content (about 25 percent), which means less water is being spilled while the birds drink their fill. However, looking at this process a little closer, we can identify situations where excessive spillage may not always end up wetting the litter. Heat and different litter materials can be factors in keeping litter drier. But it is especially when ventilation fans are working hard in the summertime that any spillage can quickly evaporate, leaving the litter acceptably dry. Beak Size always limits water consumption, regardless of environmental conditions.

Understanding and preventing respiratory disease in poultry.

Understanding and preventing respiratory disease in poultry. Respiratory disease is a serious threat to the poultry industry. Each year, it determines for many producers the difference between making a profit and suffering a loss. If the birds are showing signs of infection, a producer may respond with medication. But all too often, the birds with respiratory disease exhibit no signs of infection other than underperformance. Respiratory disease is not a single virus or bacteria; it generally is a complex of both, making prevention and treatment more complicated. Even though farmers are vaccinating most flocks, respiratory lesions still turn up at slaughter on a regular basis; and these defects hurt weight gain and carcass quality.#respiratory The primary culprit in respiratory disease is ammonia, which is a result of moisture reacting with poultry droppings in the litter. Ammonia destroys the cilia (hair like projects that trap dust and other particles) in the chicken’s trachea. This leads to erosion of the tracheal lining. The irritated tracheal lining is more susceptible to infection by viruses or bacteria, and this can cause additional destruction of the trachea. Finally, E. coli bacteria from the litter can get into the trachea and result in air sacculitis. #poultry The basic way to control ammonia is keep the litter dry and remove ammonia with ventilation.Understanding and preventing respiratory disease in poultry.

How to use tea bags to increase yield on farms.

How to use tea bags to increase yield on farms.Tea adds nutrients to the soil: Tea leaves contain tannic acid and nutrients that are natural fertilizers for a garden. The bag itself is made from fiber of abaca leaf stalks. As the tea leaves decompose, they release nutrients into the soil, creating a healthier growing environment Tea bags keep pests at bay: Used tea bags and coffee grounds will help keep bugs away from your plants. The odor deters the pests from chewing on your flowers and veggies. Tea increases the decomposition of other items: If you are using teabags in your soil or compost pile, the acid in the tea can speed up the decomposition process of other items in the compost bin, which means you can use the compost faster.

Water usage versus water consumption in poultry.

Water Usage = Water Consumption + Water Spillage (WU=WC+WS). Water usage is the total amount of water going into a poultry facility’s drinker lines. Once in the drinker lines, two things happen to the water. During the drinking process, a certain percentage of the water is consumed or ingested by the birds. This can be truly categorized as water consumption. At the same time, a certain percentage of this water is spilled — it is not consumed or ingested by the birds. When a bird pecks the drinker’s trigger pin, water discharges from the drinker. If the discharged water is equal to or less than the volume that can be retained in the bird’s beak, little or no water is spilled. However, if the water discharged is greater than what can be retained in the bird’s beak, this oversupply results in water spillage. So when a poultry producer measures the amount of water going through the water meter, he or she is measuring water usage — the water going into the poultry facility that includes both water consumption and water spillage. Poultry producers know that the more water birds consume the more they eat and, as a consequence, the faster and bigger the birds grow. If the producer equates water meter readings as water consumed by the birds, then he may increase watering line column pressure in order to increase water discharge from the drinkers (confirmed by meter readings) so bird weights will increase. The problem is that, unless the birds’ beaks have grown dramatically in size and can retain all the increased water discharge, all the producer really achieves is an increase in spillage, not in water consumption. In other words, water consumption (WC) has likely remained the same, but water spillage (WS) and water usage (WU) have increased. see