The immediate post-weaning period is one of the most stressful phases in a pig's life, and during this period, piglets are usually exposed to environmental, social and psychological stressors which have direct or indirect effects on gut health and overall growth performance. In this review, the impact of husbandry practices on gut health outcomes and performance of piglets is discussed. Husbandry practices in the swine barn generally include nutrition and management practices, maintenance of hygienic standards and disease prevention protocols, and animal welfare considerations. Poor husbandry practices could result in reduced feed intake, stress and disease conditions, and consequently affect gut health and performance in weaned piglets. Reduced feed intake is a major risk factor for impaired gut structure and function and therefore a key goal is to maximize feed intake in newly weaned piglets. In weaned piglets, crowding stress could reduce pig performance, favor the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria resulting in diarrhea, stimulate immune responses and interfere with beneficial microbial activities in the gut. Sanitation conditions in the swine barn plays an important role for optimal piglet performance, because unclean conditions reduced growth performance, shifted nutrient requirements to support the immune system and negatively affected the gut morphology in weaned piglets. Appropriate biosecurity measures need to be designed to prevent disease entry and spread within a swine operation, which in turn helps to keep all pigs and piglets healthy. Collectively, husbandry practices relating to feeding and nutrition, animal welfare, biosecurity and disease prevention are important determinants of gut health and piglet performance. Thus, it is suggested that adopting high husbandry practices is a critical piece in strategies aimed at raising pigs without the use of in-feed antibiotics.

Introduction:Patient safety is a global concern and is the most important domains of health-care quality. Medical error is a major patient safety concern, causing increase in health-care cost due to mortality, morbidity, or prolonged hospital stay.Aim:The aim of the study was to assess the perceptions on patient safety culture among health-care providers (HCPs) at a public sector tertiary care hospital in South India.Settings and Design:A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted 1 year after patient safety initiatives were implemented.Materials and Methods:Participants were selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture was used to assess perception of patient safety culture. Responses were collected on a Likert scale and were categorized into four types as negative, neutral, positive response, and nonresponse.Statistical Analysis Used:The data were entered in EpiData Version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS Version 17. “Composite positive response rate” for the various dimensions was calculated.Results:The overall response rate in the study was 91.6%. Average composite positive response rate was 58%, and it varied among different cadres of HCPs ranged from 53% to 61%. The dimensions “teamwork within the unit,” “organizational learning and continuous improvement,” and “supervisor or officer-in-charge expectations” showed highest positive responses (80.1%, 77.8%, and 71.5%, respectively).Conclusions:This survey conducted after implementation of patient safety drive showed that, in many dimensions, the patient safety culture has taken roots. The dimensions such as “hand-off and transitions,” “frequency of events reporting,” and “communication openness” had scope for further improvement.

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality in pigs from wean to finish (Exp 1) and finishing pigs fed GAA at different time periods before slaughter (Exp 2). In Exp 1, a total of 360 weaned pigs (Duroc × [Landrace × Yorkshire]) with an average initial BW of 7.17 ± 0.03 kg were randomly distributed into 3 dietary treatments consisting of 10 replicates per treatment and 12 pigs (6 barrows and 6 gilts) per replicate. Dietary treatments were a control (CON; basal diet), a basal diet + 0.08% GAA (0.08% GAA); and a basal diet + 0.12% GAA (0.12% GAA). The duration of the experiment was 150 d. At the end of the experiment, 20 pigs (10 barrows and 10 gilts) from each treatment were slaughtered for measuring carcass characteristics and meat quality. In Exp 2, 1,440 finishing pigs [(Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire)), 56.15 ± 0.10 kg BW)] were randomly allocated to 4 treatments with 18 replicates (20 pigs per replicate). Dietary treatments were a control diet (CON; basal), a basal diet + 0.12% GAA fed 60 d before slaughter (T1), a basal diet + 0.12% GAA fed 40 d before slaughter (T2), and a basal diet + 0.12% GAA fed 25 d before slaughter (T3). Body weight was measured at the start (120 d of age) and at the end (180 d of age) of the experiment. At the end of the study, 144 pigs (72 barrows and 72 gilts) from 4 dietary treatments (36 pigs per treatment) were slaughtered for the determination of carcass and meat quality parameters. In Exp 1, 0.12 % GAA increased (P < 0.05) ADG and G:F during starter, grower, finisher, and the overall growth period (30 to 180 d of age). Pigs fed 0.12 % GAA had improved (P < 0.05) lean meat yield in comparison with CON. There was no interaction effect among GAA supplementation and sex of the pigs. Meat quality was not affected by GAA supplementation in pigs. In Exp 2, the final BW, ADG, and lean yield of the pigs fed T1 were higher (P < 0.05) than CON and those fed T3. The carcass back-fat thickness of T1 was lower (P < 0.05) than CON. In conclusion, 0.12% GAA improved the growth performance and lean meat yield in pigs from wean to finish. Finishing pigs fed diets supplemented with 0.12% GAA 60 d before slaughter improved ADG, feed efficiency, and lean meat yield and reduced back-fat thickness compared with those fed GAA unsupplemented diets.

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Subcutaneously infiltrated nitroglycerin leads to significant vasodilation of radial artery. This avoids pre-cannulation spasm of radial artery, enhances palpability of the radial pulse and thus makes the puncture of radial artery easier.