Association between serum calcium and periodontal disease progression in non-institutionalized elderly

Objective: To assess the effect of baseline serum calcium on the progression of periodontal disease in non‐institutionalized elderly. Background: Although a few studies have found some evidence of the role played by dietary calcium in periodontal disease process, there is a paucity of information pertinent to longitudinal assessment of serum calcium‐periodontal relationships. Material and methods: Clinical attachment levels of 266 Japanese subjects aged 70 years were recorded at baseline and annually for six consecutive years. Progression of periodontal disease (PPD) was defined as the number of teeth that showed additional attachment loss of ≥3 mm during the 6 years. The number of PPD was calculated for each subject and categorised into four levels, namely, PPD₀, PPD₁, PPD₂ and PPD₃ where the number of teeth with additional attachment loss ranged from 0, 1–10, 11–20 and >20 respectively. The levels of serum calcium, albumin, random blood sugar, immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA and IgM), gender, smoking habits, education, gingival bleeding and the number of teeth present were obtained at baseline. Results: Serum calcium, IgA, smoking, gingival bleeding and teeth present were associated with PPD at p ≤ 0.10 and were included in a multinomial logistic regression analysis. Serum calcium was the only variable that was significantly associated with PPD with relative risks of 100 at PPD₁ and PPD₂, respectively, and 1000 at PPD₃. Conclusion: Serum calcium may be considered a risk factor for periodontal disease progression in non‐institutionalized elderly.     

Animal board invited review: Factors affecting the early growth and development of gilt progeny compared to sow progeny

Progeny born to primiparous sows farrowing their first litter, often called gilt progeny (GP), are typically characterised by their poorer overall production performance than progeny from multiparous sows (sow progeny; SP). Gilt progeny consistently grow slower, are born and weaned lighter, and have higher postweaning illness and mortality rates than SP. Collectively, their poorer performance culminates in a long time to reach market weight and, ultimately, reduced revenue. Due to the high replacement rates of sows, the primiparous sow and her progeny represent a large proportion of the herd resulting in a significant loss for the pig industry. While the reasons for poorer performance are complex and multifaceted, they may largely be attributed to the immature age at which gilts are often mated and the significant impact of this on their metabolism during gestation and lactation. As a result, this can have negative consequences on the piglet itself. To improve GP performance, it is crucial to understand the biological basis for differences between GP and SP. The purpose of this review is to summarise published literature investigating differences in growth performance and health status between GP and SP. It also examines the primiparous sow during gestation and lactation and how the young sow must support her own growth while supporting the metabolic demands of her pregnancy and the growth and development of her litter. Finally, the underlying physiology of GP is discussed in terms of growth and development in utero, the neonatal period, and the early development of the gastrointestinal tract. The present review concludes that there are a number of interplaying factors relating to the anatomy and physiology of the primiparous sow and of GP themselves. The studies presented herein strongly suggest that poor support of piglet growth in utero and reduced colostrum and milk production and consumption are largely responsible for the underperformance of GP. It is therefore recommended that future management strategies focus on supporting the primiparous sow during gestation and lactation, increasing the preweaning growth of GP to improve their ability to cope with the stressors of weaning, selection of reproductive traits such as uterine capacity to improve birth weights and ultimately GP performance, and finally, increase the longevity of sows to reduce the proportion of GP entering the herd.