Effects Of Early Contact Research Articles

Effects of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis JCM5805 on colonization dynamics of gut microbiota and regulation of immunity in early ontogenetic stages of tilapia

The administration of probiotics during early ontogenetic stages can be an effective way to manipulate the gut microbiota of animals. Specifically, the administration of probiotics can enhance gut-colonization success and regulate the immune response. In this study, the effects of early contact with probiotic Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis JCM5805 on the gut microbial assembly of larvae Nile tilapia were examined. The effects of JCM5805 on IFNα expression through the TLR7 and TLR9-dependent signal transduction pathway as well as larval disease resistance were studied. Three days postfertilization, embryos were randomly allocated into nine 30 L tanks with a concentration of 20 eggs L−1. Triplicate tanks were performed for each treatment. Treatments included a control group (C), a low probiotic concentration group (T1), where JCM5805 was added to the water at 1 × 104 cfu ml−1, and a high probiotic concentration group (T2), where JCM5805 was added to the water at 1 × 108 cfu ml−1. Probiotics were administered continuously for 15 days. qPCR was used to analyze transcript levels of the TLR7, TLR9, MyD88, IRF7 and IFNα genes using RNA extracted from whole embryos on day 5 and 10, and from the intestine of larvae on day 15. Transcription of these genes was also measured in the intestine, liver and spleen of larvae one month after the cessation of probiotic administration. The results showed that MyD88 and IRF7 were significantly elevated on days 5 and 10 in the T2 group. TLR9 and IFNα were also significantly elevated on days 5, 10 and 15 during probiotic application of T2 (P < 0.05). One month after the cessation of probiotics administration, no significant difference was observed in the expression of these genes (P > 0.05). The larvae were fed probiotics for 15 days and were infused with Streptococcus agalactiae strain WC1535 at a final concentration of 1 × 106 cfu ml−1. The survival rate of T2 was significantly higher than that of the C group (P < 0.05). Microbial characterization by Illumina HiSeq sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons showed the significantly higher presence of JCM5805 in the guts of T2 after 15 days of probiotic continuous application. Although JCM5805 was below the detection level after the cessation of probiotic for 5 days, the gut microbiota of the exposed tilapia larvae in T2 remained clearly different from that of the control treatment after the cessation of probiotic administration. These data indicated that a high concentration of the probiotic strain JCM5805 upregulated the expression of IFNα via the TLR7/TLR9-Myd88 pathway and enhanced disease resistance of larvae. JCM5805 was only transiently detected and thus was not included in the stable larval microbiota. The early microbial exposure of tilapia larvae affects the gut microbiota at later life stages. However, whether the upregulation of related genes is related to the presence of JCM5805 strain in the intestine requires further verification.

Care procedures for healthy term newborn in maternity ward: The “open” nursery

0378-3782/$ – see front matter © 2011 E doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2011.01.038 Since the beginning of time, women needed and wanted their babies close to them. In their arms following birth, and while resting or sleeping, women kept their babies safe, warm, and nourished. Years ago, when birth moved from homes to hospitals, most babies did not stay with their mothers. The mother went to a hospital room, while her baby was cared for in a nursery. Mothers waited long hours to see their babies; their babies' visits were often only during feeding times. The medical community thought that babies were safer and mothers are more rested when babies were cared for in the nursery. Maternity practices focusing on care routines of mother and infant after birth have changed greatly over the last decades due, in part, to recommendations deriving from research. In recent years, studies have shown the importance for mothers and babies of early skin-to-skin contact, of breastfeeding on demand, of staying together after birth and during the early day following birth, and of adequate discharge. Interrupting, delaying, or limiting the time that amother and her baby spend together may have a harmful effect on their relationship and on breastfeeding success [1,2]. This knowledge has encouragedWHO and UNICEF to include these findings in their joint statement to maternity units worldwide to protect, promote and support breastfeeding [3]. Thus, irrespective of any harsh criticisms of the research findings supporting positive effects of early contact between the mother and the infant, maternity ward routines have been changed in many countries. So, the nursery gradually changed from a traditional form, where the newborn was totally cared for by nurse, to an innovative formwhere the fundamental elements are: “self-demand” (feeding on demand), “self-care” (role of the parents in newborn's care) and the contact mother–newborn–father. Parent–child interaction is a mutual adaptation. It is clear that parents and newborn have innate resources to live in the first intimate contact, but it is so clear that this is an extremely delicate and complex period. In this contest the role of the nurse is to create the best conditions for the start and for the maintaining of the relation between parents and newborn. Therefore the nurse don't work for newborn or for parents but works with newborn and parents.

Effects of early contact between non-littermate piglets and of the complexity of farrowing conditions on social behaviour and weight gain

In this study we tested if contact possibilities between non-littermate piglets and complexity of farrowing conditions affect the pre- and post-weaning behaviour, weight gain and skin lesions of piglets. Suckling sows were either kept in a group housing system (GH), in a single pen loose housing system (LH), or in conventional farrowing crates (FC). In the single pen systems a piglet door to the adjacent pen was opened on d 10 after farrowing in half of the pens so that piglets were able to enter the neighbouring pen (LH+ and FC+). For control, in the other half of single pens no piglet doors were opened (LH− and FC−). In the group housing system piglets also were allowed to freely move within the whole system on d 10 after farrowing. After weaning on d 28 piglets were kept in littered rearing pens in an open stable holding 20 piglets each. Piglets from contact pens were mixed with those they previously had contact to whereas piglets from control pens were mixed with unfamiliar litters. Data were obtained from 230 litters (113 sows with 1935 farrowed piglets). All piglets were scored for skin lesions immediately before and 4 days after opening the piglet doors, as well as immediately before and 4 days after moving into rearing pens. Behaviour (biting, fighting, drinking and laying) of piglets was recorded in the rearing pens in a 48-h period after weaning for 2 × 4 h. Treatments did not affect the level of skin lesions in the rearing period ( H = 8.72, df 4, ns) nor daily weight gain until weaning ( F 4,216 = 1.21, ns). In the 48 h after moving to rearing pens, less intensive agonistic behaviour (fighting and biting) was observed in contact piglets ( H = 53.36, df 4, P < 0.0001). Four days after weaning control piglets showed significantly higher numbers and more severe skin lesions than contact piglets and, in addition, lesion scores of piglets from the larger single farrowing pens with straw bedding were significantly lower compared to the single farrowing crate ( H = 33.86, df 4, P < 0.0001). The latency for lying in the new rearing pen was decreasing ( F 4,93 = 25.76, P < 0.001) and the latency for drinking ( F 4,81 = 3.43, P = 0.01) was increasing with decreasing complexity and space allotment of the housing system but were not related to whether the piglets have had contact to other litters before weaning. Five weeks after weaning weight gain ( F 4,204 = 7.01, P < 0.0001) and BW ( F 4,207 = 5.34, P < 0.001) were higher in treatments offering contact. Our results show that familiarising piglets from different litters 10 day post partum by establishing contact possibilities through a piglet door reduces social stress at weaning and increases weight gain after weaning. Farrowing pens with straw bedding and enlarged space as offered in the farrowing pens and the group housing system can further decrease the level of harmful agonistic interactions after mixing unacquainted litters at weaning and can improve the adaptation of piglets towards the new environment of the rearing pen.

Presidential address: Early parent-infant interaction and mental health.

The importance and meaning of early mother-infant interaction and their possible connection with developmental psychopathology and child psychiatry practice are presented. In an experimental study healthy mothers and their infants were kept together immediately after delivery instead of separating them. Correlation was found between early interactive behavior and later outcome measurements. Other effects of early contact were evaluated with the help of interviews, questionnaires, developmental screening, analyses of videotapes, and are discussed. In another study the outcome of a longitudinal, prospective 30-year follow-up on a group of former infant-patients at the Child Guidance Clinics in Stockholm was the subject of investigation. A major finding was that some 60% of this very young population suffered from a number of serious difficulties and problems later on, which is not very encouraging.

The effects of early contact with humans on the subsequent level of fear of humans in pigs

This study examined the influence of early handling at various ages on the subsequent behavioural responses of pigs to humans. Piglets in handling treatments were handled daily at either 0–3 weeks, 3–6 weeks, 6–9 weeks or 9–12 weeks of age. Handling in these treatments involved individual introduction for 2 min to an experimenter in a small arena. The experimenter squatted during the introduction and attempted to gently pat or stroke the pig whenever it approached closely. Piglets in a fifth treatment received no human contact other than that received during routine husbandry. Piglets in the 0–3 week and 9–12 week handling treatments displayed reduced levels of fear of humans at 18 weeks of age in comparison with those in the non-handling treatment. For example, pigs handled from 0–3 weeks and 9–12 weeks were quicker ( P<0.05) to enter within 0.5 m of the experimenter and were quicker ( P<0.01) to physically interact with the experimenter in a standard test at 18 weeks than pigs in the non-handled treatment. In the behavioural tests conducted at 20, 22 and 24 weeks of age there were no significant ( P>0.05) treatment effects on the behavioural responses of pigs to humans. As previously found, the results indicate that handling early in life may influence the subsequent behavioural responses of pigs to humans. In the present study, the periods 0–3 weeks and 9–12 weeks were the ones in which handling had the most pronounced effects on behaviour at 18 weeks of age. It is possible that the 0–3 week period was effective since it may represent a sensitive period for socialization in which social contact may influence subsequent social relationships, while the 9–12 week period was effective because it involved the most recent intense handling. However, in contrast to earlier results, those of the present study indicate that the effects of early handling may dissipate or be overriden by the effects of handling later in life.

The effect of early contact with mature boars on reproductive efficiency in the gilt

The effect of first contact of gilts with a mature boar at 23 or 28 weeks of age on their subsequent reproductive efficiency was studied over a 12-month period at a large intensive piggery in southern Australia. Following this contact, the gilts entered the mating shed at 29 weeks of age and were checked daily for oestrus, as assessed by the back-pressure test in the presence of the boar. Gilts that showed moderate or high responses were taken to a boar for mating. Sexual receptivity was then assessed by the time taken to “stand” after the first mount by the boar. Gilts that remained unmated at 35 weeks of age were culled, and their ovaries were examined. Of the 2660 gilts in the study, 2349 were mated and they had a farrowing rate of 88.2% with a mean litter size of 9.5 piglets, of which 0.7 piglets (7.4%) were born dead. The reproductive efficiency of the gilts following earlier contact with the boar was consistently higher than that of gilts exposed later. The mating rate of the week 23 gilts was greater than that of the week 28 gilts (70.1 vs 66.0%, P < 0.01), more appeared to show a high level of sexual receptivity (97.0 and 94.6%, N.S.) and fewer failed to mate when put to a boar (6.1 vs 9.5%, P < 0.01). The percentage of prepubertal gilts at 35 weeks of age was also lower (1.46 vs 3.03%, P < 0.01). The improved reproductive performance was estimated to be equivalent to 0.24 extra piglets born per gilt.

The effect of early contact on maternal perception of infant behavior

The effect of extra maternal-infant contact during the first postpartum hour on maternal perception of infant behavior one month after delivery was measured by the Broussard Neonatal Perception Inventories and the attachment questions of Klaus and colleagues. All mothers were indigent primiparas who vaginally delivered normal, term infants. 60 mother-infant dyads were randomly assigned to either an extra contact or routine contact group. 49 mothers were available 1 month later for home visits. Scores on the Neonatal Perception Inventories were not significantly affected by either degree of contact or the sex of the child. There was also no difference between contact groups in the maternal response to the attachment questions. Infant behaviors recorded by 24 mothers during the 4 days following home visits were similar in the 2 contact groups. Mothers reported significantly more negative behaviors for female than for male infants. Any effects of extra contact during the first hour after birth on maternal-infant interaction are unlikely to result from changes in maternal perception of infant behavior.