Category Archives: Longevity Medicine

Breeding herd mortality and replacement rates continue to be challenging areas for commercial swine producers. Breeding sow herd lameness is a major contributor to mortality challenges, feet and leg conformation and lameness. Feet and leg structure rank right behind reproductive failure as the major identifiable reason for sow culling and reduced sow longevity.

Overgrown toes, often called digital overgrowth in scientific circles, continues to represent an increasing breeding sow herd challenge. Overgrown toes are one of the most common foot abnormalities seen and recorded on commercialized sow farms, and often lead to lameness and premature sow culling. In addition, sows with severe toe overgrowth may have impaired welfare and this in-turn could erode consumer confidence.

It has been reported that just under 10% of lactating sows had overgrown toes (KilBride et al, 2010). In another study that included 3,500-plus pregnant sows, over 25% had moderately overgrown toes, while 7% had severely overgrown toes (Boyle, 1996). Overgrown toes can negatively impact sow performance because sows spend less time eating and are quicker to lay down post farrowing when compared to sows with normal toe growth (Calderon Diaz et al., 2015). In addition, Calderon Diaz and colleagues (2015) reported that sows with overgrown toes had higher instances of slipping and weight shifted frequently. Collectively, these behaviors and postural changes indicate a sow in greater discomfort. Beyond discomfort, the actions of slipping and being quicker to lay down may be related to increased piglet crushing and greater pre-wean mortalities. Fitzgerald et al. (2012) reported that sows with overgrown toes averaged 1.5 fewer piglets born alive when compared to control sows without digital overgrowth. The overall combination of sow discomfort, lower feed intake, lower number born alive and greater piglet crushing contributes to poorer sow performance and reduced breeding herd efficiency (Lucia et al., 2000). The sows age/number of parities may also play a role with overgrown toes in the breeding herd. Knauer et al. (2012) reported that 8% of parity 1 sows had overgrown toes on their rear feet, but between parities 6 through 10 this number increased to 40%. Interestingly, sows culled with overgrown toes on the front feet were much lower, with 0% for parity 1 sows and approximately 5% between parities 6 through 10 (Knauer et al., 2012).

Sows with overgrown toes tend to have a greater risk for developing other foot problems like cracks in the toes and lesions (Lisgara et al., 2014). Furthermore, overgrown dew claws may become concave, extremely curved or extend below the heel bulb that in-turn and contribute to increased lameness. In a study evaluating sow lesions at the harvest plant, Knauer et al. (2007) observed that 86% (n=3,158) had a lesion on at least one foot. Additionally, 52% of sows had at least one lesion on their front feet and 81% had at least one lesion on their rear feet. The same study speculated that increased rear foot lesions may be attributed to the wet environment that sows are exposed to in a gestation stall.

Another factor contributing to overgrowth toes relates to weight bearing on their feet. Approximately 80% of the sows weight of the sow is born by the outside (lateral) toe and the majority of the weight on that toe being placed on the heel bulb (Webb, 1984). The uneven weight distribution on the feet as well as the difference in weight distribution between the outside (lateral) and inside (medial) toes (Sasaki et al., 2015) likely contribute to the uneven toe wear that can contribute to overgrown toes in the sow breeding herd.

As the sows toes and dewclaws become overgrown, there is an increased risk that they may getting caught in slotted flooring and break off creating lameness issues (Pluym et al., 2013b). If a sows dewclaw becomes detached, the highly innervated corium (like the nail bed in humans) is exposed and results in a very painful lameness condition (Pluym et al., 2011; Pluym et al., 2013b). The risk for this occurrence increases in group-housed sow gestation settings where the biological demand increases because sows are competing for resources and increased locomotion occurs (Anil et al., 2003; Pluym et al., 2013b; Tinkle et al., 2017).

Histologically, there are differences when comparing foot and toe structure from sows feet with overgrown toes with sows having normal appearing toes. A variety of factors including body weight, weight distribution, trauma, fighting, housing type and the interaction among two or more factors play a role in differing foot structures that contribute to overgrown toes observed among breeding herd females (Newman et al., 2014). Newman et al. (2014) evaluated 24 Landrace x Large White F1 females to study cellular and toe structure. They defined overgrowth as claws that were greater than 50mm long. Their results indicated that of the 72 claws evaluated, 39 showed digital overgrowth while the remainder showed normal appearing toe growth. Overgrown toes ranged between 51 mm and 79 mm in length. Lateral rear claws comprised 67% of all overgrown toes. Laminitis was found in several toe tissue samples when evaluated microscopically from sows presenting overgrown toes. Inflammation was observed from 14 of the sows with overgrown toes, but total numbers were insufficient to create statistical significance.

It is clear that overgrown toes can be a challenge for commercial sow breeding herds. We know that overgrown toes can contribute to increased locomotion challenges and reduced sow performance in the breeding herd. Additionally, overgrown toes can be a welfare issues when toe overgrowth is excessive and/or when toes breakoff. This may cause injury or lameness. To date, identifying the cause for overgrown toes within commercial sow herds is challenging and is an area our research group is focusing on in the coming months.

Sources:Derek Henningsen, Grace Moeller, Anna Johnson, Locke Karriker, and Ken Stalder, Iowa State University,who aresolely responsible for the information provided, and wholly own the information. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.

References

Anil, L., K. M. G. Bhend, S. K. Baidoo, R. Morrison, and J. Deen. 2003. Comparison of injuries in sows housed in gestation stalls versus group pens with electronic sow feeders. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 223:13341338. doi:10.2460/javma.2003.223.1334.

Boyle, L., MSc. thesis 1996. Skin Lesions, Overgrown Hooves and Culling Reasons in Individually Housed Sows. University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.

Caldern Daz, J.A., Stienezena, I.M.J., Leonard, F.C., Boyle, L.A., 2015. The effect of overgrown claws on behaviour and claw abnormalities of sows in farrowing crates. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 166, 44-51.

Fitzgerald, R.F., Stalder, K.J., Karriker, L.A., Sadler, L.J., Hill, H.T., Kaisand, J., Johnson, A.K., 2012. The effect of hoof abnormalities on sow behavior and performance. Livestock Science 145, 230238.

KilBride, A.L., Gillman, C.E., Green, L.E., 2010. A cross-sectional study of prevalence and risk factors for foot lesions and abnormal posture in lactating sows on commercial farms in England. Anim. Welf. 19, 473480.

Knauer, M., K. J. Stalder, L. Karriker, T. J. Baas, C. Johnson, T. Serenius, L. Layman, and J. D. McKean. 2007. A descriptive survey of lesions from cull sows harvested at two Midwestern U.S. facilities. Prev. Vet. Med. 82:198212. doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2007.05.017.

Knauer, M., Stalder, K., Baas, T., Johnson, C., Karriker, L., 2012. Physical conditions of cull sows associated with on-farm production records. Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 2012, 2, 137-150.

Lisgara, M., Skampardonis, V., Kouroupides, S., Leontides, L., 2014. Hoof lesions and lameness in sows in three Greek swine herds. Journal of Swine Health and Production. 23, 5, 244-251.

Lucia, T., Dial, G.D., Marsh, W.E., 2000. Lifetime reproductive and financial performance of female swine. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 216, 18021809.

Newman, S.J., Rohrbach, B.W., Wilson, M.E., Torrison, J., Van Amstel, S., 2014. Characterization of histopathological lesions among pigs with overgrown claws. Journal of Swine Health and Production. 23, 2, 91-96.

Pluym, L., A. Van Nuffel, J. Dewulf, A. Cools, F. Vangroenweghe, S. Van Hoorebeke, and D. Maes. 2011. Prevalence and risk factors of claw lesions and lameness in pregnant sows in two types of group housing. Vet. Med. (Praha). 56:101109. doi:10.17221/3159-VETMED.

Pluym, L., A. Van Nuffel, and D. Maes. 2013b. Treatment and prevention of lameness with special emphasis on claw disorders in group-housed sows. Livest. Sci. 156:3643. doi:10.1016/j.livsci.2013.06.008.

Sasaki, Y., R. Ushijima, and M. Sueyoshi. 2015. Field study of hind limb claw lesions and claw measures in sows. Anim. Sci. J. 86:351357. doi:10.1111/asj.12299.

Tinkle, A. K., K. J. Duberstein, M. E. Wilson, M. A. Parsley, M. K. Beckman, J. Torrison, M. J. Azain, and C. R. Dove. 2017. Functional claw trimming improves the gait and locomotion of sows. Livest. Sci. 195:5357. doi:10.1016/j.livsci.2016.10.013.

Webb, N. G. 1984. Compressive stresses on, and the strength of the inner and outer digits of pigs feet, and the implications for injury and floor design. J. Agric. Eng. Res. 30:7180. doi:10.1016/S0021-8634(84)80008-6

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Characterization of overgrown toes in sow breeding herds - National Hog Farmer

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge (MnTC) is preparing for a leadership transition in 2022. Pastor Rich Scherber, who has served as the organizations CEO for the past 30 years, announced that he will step down from his role as CEO sometime next year. Scherber and the board have been preparing for this transition for several years; the organization expects to name its future CEO by the end of 2021.

We have been preparing for this transition for quite some time, says Eric Vagle, president of Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge. Pastor Rich has certainly been the face of our organization for many years, but its never been about just one person; our mission encompasses all of us working together and our mission will continue unchanged. Vagle notes that Scherber, along with the board and leadership team, have always focused on ensuring the organizations longevity. According to Vagle, While we will have a new CEO next year, there is significant continuity within our senior leadership team and board; we will continue serving clients and operating as weve always done.

Since taking on the CEO role in 1991, Rich Scherber has led MnTC to provide treatment and recovery services to tens of thousands of people, filling them with hope, and helping them find freedom from addiction. When Scherber took over the organization, it was more than $25,000 in debt, had no assets, and was on the verge of closing due to a lack of support. Scherber led the organizations transformation, turning it into one of the states largest and most well-respected addiction treatment and recovery organizations. Today MnTC helps more than 3,100 people each year with a full range of outpatient and residential services for those struggling with substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health disorders; it has received Charity Navigators highest rating (four stars) for eight consecutive years; it has been recognized as a top 150 employer by the Star Tribune for three consecutive years; and it was rated as a Best Addiction Treatment center in 2020 by Newsweek/Statista.

While he will no longer serve as CEO, Pastor Rich will remain involved with the organization and help oversee the transition to his successor. Going forward, he will take on roles that allow for greater flexibility and work life balance. MnTC is planning to name Scherbers successor in November 2021. That successor will work closely with Pastor Rich to ensure a smooth transition over the next year.

About Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge

Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge (MnTC) is a substance use disorder treatment and recovery organization that has been in operation since 1983. With 14 residential locations throughout the state, MnTC offers a full range of services including: licensed treatment (14- to 90-day residential; outpatient; telehealth); a long-term residential recovery program (13 months); co-occurring mental health services; addiction medicine services; peer support services; transitional housing; and aftercare. In addition, the organization supports prevention education and community peer support. Learn more at http://www.mntc.org.

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Leadership Transition Coming to Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge - Business Wire

Fruits and vegetables diet for long healthy life and heart health  |  Photo Credit: iStock Images

One thing that the COVID-19 pandemic did was bring the focus right back on good health and the importance of a fit and able body. Also, while mankind chases the dream of extreme longevity, the aspect of having a fit body cannot be done away with.

Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter writes online that as we often talk about how diets rich in fruits and vegetables are good for your health, very few people are clued into how much (quantity of fruits and veggies) do we need to average per day to reap real rewards?

The answer that she gives for that is based on an analysis from Harvard researchers and it is: A total of five servings per day of fruits and vegetables offers the strongest health benefits.

The Harvard Study on Longevity:Godman cites the research, published online March 1, 2021, by the journal Circulation. It was not a short term study, but involving data pooled from self-reported health and diet information collected from dozens of studies from around the world. The sample size was not small either. A whopping two million people had been followed up to 30 years to collect this data.

Though practically not everyone can afford to (in terms of time, availability, price etc) have a vegetable and fruit-heavy diet, there are untold benefits from this "Saatvik" aahar or back to nature simple diet.

Godman cites that as compared with people who said they ate just two servings of fruits or vegetables each day, people who ate five servings per day had:

"Fruits and vegetables are major sources of several nutrients that are strongly linked to good health, particularly the health of the heart and blood vessels: potassium, magnesium, fibre, and polyphenols (antioxidant plant compounds)," explains Dr Daniel Wang, lead author on the study and a member of the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Womens Hospital.

Set your own menu, plan the combo:The most effective combination of fruits and vegetables among study participants was two servings of fruits plus three servings of vegetables per day, for a total of five servings daily, states the Harvard Health Letter.

Dr Wang says leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach) and fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C and beta carotene (citrus, berries, carrots) are primary sources of antioxidants that may play a role in preventing cancer and including them in your diet will bring great benefits.

So should you be eating more than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in a day if you have the facility or access? Research says that would be such a waste. It turns out that eating more than five servings of fruits or vegetables per day didnt seem to provide additional benefit in lowering the risk of death. Neither did eating starchy vegetables like peas, corn, or potatoes, or drinking fruit juices.

What if I miss eating this fruit+veggie diet on certain days?Godman's article says that if during any particular day you have no fruit and vegetables, thats fine, that is not the end of your resolve to eat sensibly.

Dust yourself, get back onto the fitness bandwagon and add a little more than usual on other days to raise your average for the week. It's ultimately about how much you eat on average.

How to include fruits and vegetables in your daily meals?Make minor changes to your menu.

For breakfast, it could be a bowl of Dalia, poha, upma, or cereal with some blueberries, or perhaps eggs and sauted tomatoes, onions, and spinach.

For lunch, you could toss up a salad with your favourite fruits and vegetables (how about chunks of banana and apple in a bowl of milk - instead of crushing the fruits to a pulp? Let the fibre stay intact, eat your fruits). Or take a bowl and make kale and spinach salad with grapefruit chunks, red peppers, carrots, and pine nuts, a cup of yoghurt with strawberries, or a smoothie with kale and mango.

What about dinner? The cucumber raita or Maharashtrian Koshimbir (Dahi and chopped cucumber+tomato+onion with a dash of seasoning) or the onion+lemon juice+carrot pieces+cucumber+tomato salad will quite you a plethora of fruits and vegetables. Or else, as the Harvard newsletter suggests, you can include a side salad or a large side of vegetables such as steamed broccoli or yellow squash and zucchini. If you havent had a chance to eat enough vegetables throughout the day, make your main meal a large salad with lots of colourful vegetables and some chunks of protein, such as grilled chicken or fish.

Nursing a sweet tooth?For dessert: fresh or frozen fruit is a delicious and healthful treat, especially with a dab of frozen yoghurt. Or add some milk and a wee bit of honey.

Now the toughest part: How to measure a serving?Fantastic, the report of the now very famous study says "Squeeze in five servings per day". We are stuck on how much, exactly, is a serving?

Check the Harvard Newsletter list that spells out just that out for a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in the table below (see "Fruit and vegetable servings").

This can guide you in maintaining a change and variation when planning meals. You can choose from the list any of your favourites. Aim for a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to get the best mix of vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial nutrients in your personalized five-a-day plan.

Fruit and vegetable servingsFruit (and serving size)

(Source: Harvard magazine Circulation, March 14, 2021)

Bon appetit! And may you live a long, healthy, and fulfilling life along with your near and dear ones for the company.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a professional healthcare provider if you have any specific questions about any medical matter.

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Eating fruits and vegetables vital for longevity BUT exactly how much of it should one consume in a day? - Times Now

1. Excess deaths disproportionally occurred among Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Latino males and females during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M21-2134

URL goes live when the embargo lifts

A large study of surveillance data found that excess deaths during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately occurred among Black, American Indian (AI)/Alaskan Native (AN), and Latino males and females in the U.S., compared to White and Asian males and females. According to the authors, these overwhelming disparities highlight the urgent need to address long-standing structural inequities affecting health and longevity. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, used data from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics to estimate deaths by month, year, sex, age group, race/ethnicity, and cause from March 1, 2020 (the first full month of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.) to December 31, 2020. They found that compared with the number expected, based on 2019 data, 477,200 excess deaths occurred during the study period: 74% from COVID-19. The remaining fraction were attributed to causes including diabetes, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and Alzheimer disease. Black, AI/AN, and Latino males and females had more than double the number of excess deaths than White and Asian males and females, after standardizing by population size.

According to the authors, differences in COVID-19 risk, hospitalization, and death by race/ethnicity can be attributed to structural and social determinants of health with established and deep roots in structural racism. Studies have shown that Black and Latino persons are more likely to have occupational exposure to COVID-19, live in multigenerational households and/or more densely populated neighborhoods, and have less access to health care and private transportation, compared to White persons. Prior to a successful mass-vaccination program, AI/AN reservationbased communities were at further risk for infection due to a lack of infrastructure and chronically underfunded health care facilities.

The authors suggest that equitable vaccine distribution is needed to prevent further exacerbation of racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 risk and mortality. Inequities need to be addressed with urgency and cultural competence, as has been done by tribal communities.

Annals of Internal Medicine

People

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Excess Deaths During the COVID-19 Pandemic, March to December 2020

5-Oct-2021

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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Excess deaths disproportionally occurred among Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Latino males and females during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic -...

As medical and social advances mitigate diseases of old age and prolong life, the number of exceptionally long-lived people is increasing sharply. The United Nations estimates that there were about 95,000 centenarians in 1990 and more than 450,000 in 2015. By 2100, there will be 25 million. Although the proportion of people who live beyond their 110th birthday is far smaller, this once-fabled milestone is also increasingly common in many wealthy nations. The first validated cases of such supercentenarians emerged in the 1960s. Since then, their global numbers have multiplied by a factor of at least 10, though no one knows precisely how many there are. In Japan alone, the population of supercentenarians grew to 146 from 22 between 2005 and 2015, a nearly sevenfold increase.

Given these statistics, you might expect that the record for longest life span would be increasing, too. Yet nearly a quarter-century after Calments death, no one is known to have matched, let alone surpassed, her 122 years. The closest was an American named Sarah Knauss, who died at age 119, two years after Calment. The oldest living person is Kane Tanaka, 118, who resides in Fukuoka, Japan. Very few people make it past 115. (A few researchers have even questioned whether Calment really lived as long as she claimed, though most accept her record as legitimate based on the weight of biographical evidence.)

As the global population approaches eight billion, and science discovers increasingly promising ways to slow or reverse aging in the lab, the question of human longevitys potential limits is more urgent than ever. When their work is examined closely, its clear that longevity scientists hold a wide range of nuanced perspectives on the future of humanity. Historically, however and somewhat flippantly, according to many researchers their outlooks have been divided into two broad camps, which some journalists and researchers call the pessimists and the optimists. Those in the first group view life span as a candle wick that can burn for only so long. They generally think that we are rapidly approaching, or have already reached, a ceiling on life span, and that we will not witness anyone older than Calment anytime soon.

In contrast, the optimists see life span as a supremely, maybe even infinitely elastic band. They anticipate considerable gains in life expectancy around the world, increasing numbers of extraordinarily long-lived people and eventually, supercentenarians who outlive Calment, pushing the record to 125, 150, 200 and beyond. Though unresolved, the long-running debate has already inspired a much deeper understanding of what defines and constrains life span and of the interventions that may one day significantly extend it.

The theoretical limits on the length of a human life have vexed scientists and philosophers for thousands of years, but for most of history their discussions were largely based on musings and personal observations. In 1825, however, the British actuary Benjamin Gompertz published a new mathematical model of mortality, which demonstrated that the risk of death increased exponentially with age. Were that risk to continue accelerating throughout life, people would eventually reach a point at which they had essentially no chance of surviving to the next year. In other words, they would hit an effective limit on life span.

Instead, Gompertz observed that as people entered old age, the risk of death plateaued. The limit to the possible duration of life is a subject not likely ever to be determined, he wrote, even should it exist. Since then, using new data and more sophisticated mathematics, other scientists around the world have uncovered further evidence of accelerating death rates followed by mortality plateaus not only in humans but also in numerous other species, including rats, mice, shrimp, nematodes, fruit flies and beetles.

In 2016, an especially provocative study in the prestigious research journal Nature strongly implied that the authors had found the limit to the human life span. Jan Vijg, a geneticist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and two colleagues analyzed decades worth of mortality data from several countries and concluded that although the highest reported age at death in these countries increased rapidly between the 1970s and 1990s, it had failed to rise since then, stagnating at an average of 114.9 years. Human life span, it seemed, had arrived at its limit. Although some individuals, like Jeanne Calment, might reach staggering ages, they were outliers, not indicators of a continual lengthening of life.

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How Long Can We Live? - The New York Times

A curious side-effect of sentience is the awareness of death. Medicine, wellness, meditation, philosophy, neural transfers, even literature and the arts a great deal of human endeavour is tasked with either trying to prolong life, or deal with the reality of its end. It turns out that even the best efforts at least those that aim at corporeal immortality and longevity are bound to be futile.

According to a study published in the journal Nature Communications, the human body cannot survive beyond the age of 150 years, eating right and exercising notwithstanding. Researchers used a combination of data from blood tests from over five lakh people as well as mathematical modelling to conclude what we all know already: Everyone is going to die. The body will deteriorate to such an extent that it will not be able to fight disease or recover from even minor injuries. Despite the obviousness of the finding, its implications are serious. Prolonged old age already, human beings are, on average, living longer than ever before means that the burden on the working population is bound to increase, and that retirement will have to wait for many. After all, if youre going to live to 150, its hardly possible to stop earning at 60. And, to make matters worse, there is no guarantee that the quality of life at 150 will really be something worth living for.

The fear of death, and the futility of life, is of particular resonance now the pandemic has made people confront their own mortality on a scale not seen since World War II. In the aftermath of that war, the absurdity of social norms and ambition was articulated by the existentialists. This time, perhaps, the lessons that are drawn will be a little more hopeful: At the end of it all, people may simply give up the race against death and see that theres more in the moment than planning for a future that can be robbed by a microbe.

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The limits of life - The Indian Express