Daily feed intake, energy intake, growth rate and measures of dietary energy efficiency of pigs from four sire lines fed diets with high or low metabolizable and net energy concentrations

A trial was conducted to: i) evaluate the BW growth, energy intakes and energetic efficiency of pigs fed high and low density diets from 27 to 141 kg BW, ii) evaluate sire line and sex differences when fed both diets, and iii) to compare ME to NE as predictor of pig performance. The experiment had a replicated factorial arrangement of treatments including four sire lines, two sexes (2,192 barrows and 2,280 gilts), two dietary energy densities and a light or heavy target BW, 118 and 131.5 kg in replicates 1 to 6 and 127 and 140.6 kg in replicates 7 to 10. Pigs were allocated to a series of low energy (LE, 3.27 Mcal ME/kg) corn-soybean meal based diets with 16% wheat midds or high energy diets (HE, 3.53 to 3.55 Mcal ME/kg) with 4.5 to 4.95% choice white grease. All diets contained 6% DDGS. The HE and LE diets of each of the four phases were formulated to have equal lysine:Mcal ME ratios. Pigs were weighed and pen feed intake (11 or 12 pigs/pen) recorded at 28-d intervals. The barrow and gilt daily feed (DFI), ME (MEI) and NE (NEI) intake data were fitted to a Bridges function of BW. The BW data of each sex were fitted to a generalized Michaelis-Menten function of days of age. ME and NE required for maintenance (Mcal/d) were predicted using functions of BW (0.255 and 0.179 BW^0.60 respectively). Pigs fed LE diets had decreased ADG (915 vs. 945 g/d, p<0.001) than pigs fed HE diets. Overall, DFI was greater (p<0.001) for pigs fed the LE diets (2.62 vs. 2.45 kg/d). However, no diet differences were observed for MEI (8.76 vs. 8.78 Mcal/d, p = 0.49) or NEI (6.39 vs. 6.44 Mcal/d, p = 0.13), thereby indicating that the pigs compensated for the decreased energy content of the diet. Overall ADG:DFI (0.362 vs. 0.377) and ADG:Mcal MEI (0.109 vs. 0.113) was less (p<0.001) for pigs fed LE compared to HE diets. Pigs fed HE diets had 3.6% greater ADG:Mcal MEI above maintenance and only 1.3% greater ADG:Mcal NEI (0.152 versus 0.150), therefore NEI is a more accurate predictor of growth and G:F than MEI. Pigs fed HE diets had 3.4% greater ADG:Mcal MEI and 0.11% greater ADG:NEI above maintenance than pigs fed LE diets, again demonstrating that NEI is a better predictor of pig performance than MEI. Pigs fed LE diets had similar daily NEI and MEI but grew slower and less efficiently on both ME and NE basis than pigs fed HE diets. The data suggest that the midds NE value (2.132 Mcal/kg) was too high for this source or that maintenance was increased for pigs fed LE diets.

Is pre-trial quality assurance necessary? Experiences of the CONVERT Phase III randomized trial for good performance status patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE

This study is an analysis of the pre-trial quality assurance (QA) exercises submitted by clinicians from radiotherapy (RT) centres across Europe and Canada to qualify for participation in the CONVERT trial.

METHODS

QA exercises submitted by 64 clinicians at 64 RT centres were included in this analysis. The exercises included the completion of a trial-specific questionnaire and submission of a treatment plan, for both trial arms, for a patient fitting the eligibility criteria of the trial. This article describes the QA programme set up for the CONVERT trial and identifies deviations from the trial protocol. Patient eligibility, disease and critical structure outlining and treatment planning technique were assessed.

RESULTS

Results from QA trial-specific questionnaires received between February 2008 and September 2011, returned as part of the QA exercise, indicated that the majority of centres (70.3%) were using 6-MV photons and type B treatment planning system algorithms (57.8%). 90.6% of clinicians assessed submitted data for patients who fitted the eligibility criteria for the trial. There were inconsistencies in outlining of gross tumour volume (GTV) and organs at risk, mainly heart and oesophagus, and in the use of margins around the GTV.

CONCLUSION

Such a QA programme helps to ensure that centres conform to trial protocol and should reduce inconsistencies in RT planning that may confound the results of the CONVERT trial.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

Few studies reporting pre-trial QA have been published to date. This article outlines the importance of such a QA programme in the context of multicentre Phase III studies.

Disparate Changes in the Mechanical Properties of Murine Carotid Arteries and Aorta in Response to Chronic Infusion of Angiotensin-II

Chronic infusion of angiotensin-II has proved useful for generating dissecting aortic aneurysms in atheroprone mice. These lesions preferentially form in the suprarenal abdominal aorta and sometimes in the ascending aorta, but reasons for such localization remain unknown. This study focused on why these lesions do not form in other large (central) arteries. Toward this end, we quantified and compared the geometry, composition, and biaxial material behavior (using a nonlinear constitutive relation) of common carotid arteries from three groups of mice: non-treated controls as well as mice receiving a subcutaneous infusion of angiotensin-II for 28 days that either did or did not lead to the development of a dissecting aortic aneurysm. Consistent with the mild hypertension induced by the angiotensin-II, the carotid wall thickened as expected and remodeled modestly. There was no evidence, however, of a marked loss of elastic fibers or smooth muscle cells, each of which appear to be initiating events for the development of aneurysms, and there was no evidence of intramural discontinuities that might give rise to dissections.

Differential orientation of 10T1/2 mesenchymal cells on non-uniform stretch environments

Non-uniform stress and strain fields are prevalent in many tissues in vivo, and often exacerbated by disease or injury. These mechanical gradients potentially play a role in contributing to pathological conditions, presenting a need for experimental tools to allow investigation of cell behavior within non-uniformly stimulated environments. Herein, we employ two in vitro cell-stretching devices (one previously published; one newly presented) capable of subjecting cells to cyclic, non-uniform stretches upon the surface of either a circular elastomeric membrane or a cylindrical PDMS tube. After 24 hours of cyclic stretch, 10T1/2 cells on both devices showed marked changes in long-axis orientation, with tendencies to align parallel to the direction of minimal deformation. The degree of this response varied depending on location within the stretch gradients. These results demonstrated the feasibility of conducting cell mechanobiology investigations with the two novel devices, while also highlighting the experimental capabilities of non-uniform mechanical environments for these types of studies. Such capabilities include robust data collection for developing mechanobiological dose-response curves, signal threshold identification, and potential spatial targeting for drug delivery.

Adaptation of mesenteric lymphatic vessels to prolonged changes in transmural pressure

In vitro studies have revealed that acute increases in transmural pressure increase lymphatic vessel contractile function. However, adaptive responses to prolonged changes in transmural pressure in vivo have not been reported. Therefore, we developed a novel bovine mesenteric lymphatic partial constriction model to test the hypothesis that lymphatic vessels exposed to higher transmural pressures adapt functionally to become stronger pumps than vessels exposed to lower transmural pressures. Postnodal mesenteric lymphatic vessels were partially constricted for 3 days. On postoperative day 3, constricted vessels were isolated, and divided into upstream (UP) and downstream (DN) segment groups, and instrumented in an isolated bath. Although there were no differences between the passive diameters of the two groups, both diastolic diameter and systolic diameter were significantly larger in the UP group than in the DN group. The pump index of the UP group was also higher than that in the DN group. In conclusion, this is the first work to report how lymphatic vessels adapt to prolonged changes in transmural pressure in vivo. Our results suggest that vessel segments upstream of the constriction adapt to become both better fluid conduits and lymphatic pumps than downstream segments.

Altered phenotypic gene expression of 10T1/2 mesenchymal cells in nonuniformly stretched PEGDA hydrogels

Disease-related phenotype modulation of many cell types has been shown to be closely related to mechanical loading conditions; for example, vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotype shift from a mature, contractile state to a proliferative, synthetic state contributes to the formation of neointimal tissue during atherosclerosis and restenosis development and is related to SMC mechanical loading in vivo. The majority of past in vitro cell-stretching experiments have employed simplistic (uniform, uniaxial or biaxial) stretching environments to elucidate mechanobiological pathways involved in phenotypic shifts. However, the in vivo mechanics of the vascular wall consists of highly nonuniform stretch. Here we subjected 10T1/2 murine mesenchymal cells (an SMC precursor) to two- and three-dimensional nonuniform stretch environments. After 24 h of stretch, cells on an elastomeric membrane demonstrated varied proliferation [assessed by 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation] depending on location upon the membrane, with maximal proliferation occurring in a region of high, uniaxial stretch. Cells subjected to a nonuniform stretching regimen within three-dimensional polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel constructs demonstrated marked changes in mRNA expression of several phenotype-related proteins, indicating a sort of "hybrid" phenotype with contractile and synthetic markers being both upregulated and downregulated. Furthermore, expression levels of mRNAs were significantly different between various locations within the stretched gel. With the proliferation results, these data exhibit the capability of nonuniform stretching devices to induce heterogeneous cell responses, potentially indicative of spatial distributions of disease-related behaviors in vivo.

The Tayside insulin management course: an effective education programme in type 1 diabetes

AIMS

The Tayside insulin management (TIM) course is an intensive insulin management programme for adults with type 1 diabetes. The aim was to assess its effectiveness.

METHODS

Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and body mass index (BMI) from individuals with type 1 diabetes were collected 3 months before, and 6 and 24 months after the programme. The programme involved a full day of education per week for 4 weeks in a row. Quality of life was assessed using the standardised Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life (ADDQoL) questionnaire completed both before and 3 months after the course. Subjects were also asked to complete a pre- and postcourse questionnaire gathering information about aspects of their diabetes management. In addition, individual satisfaction with course content and delivery was recorded.

RESULTS

Participants had a median reduction in haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 4 mmol/mol (0.4%) after 6 months and 5 mmol/mol (0.5%) 2 years after the course (p < 0.001). Mean daily dose of short-acting insulin decreased from 31.5 (1.9) units to 27.3 (1.9, p < 0.001). There was no significant change in BMI. There was an improvement in all 18 domains of the ADDQoL questionnaire. There was a decrease in hypoglycaemia unawareness from 34.3 ± 47.8% of patients to 8.6 ± 28% (p < 0.001), and a decrease in self-reported lipohypertrophy from 27.8% to 11.1% (p = 0.001). There was a significant reduction in the mean number of diabetic ketoacidosis and severe hypoglycaemic episodes. The number of blood glucose checks changed from 2.8 ± 2.1 to 3.2 ± 1.1 (p = 0.058) per day. Participant satisfaction with all aspects of course content and delivery was high.

CONCLUSIONS

TIM is an effective intensive education programme for patients with type 1 diabetes.

Evaluation of safety profile of black shilajit after 91 days repeated administration in rats

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the safety of shilajit by 91 days repeated administration in different dose levels in rats.

METHODS

In this study the albino rats were divided into four groups. Group I received vehicle and group II, III and IV received 500, 2 500 and 5 000 mg/kg of shilajit, respectively. Finally animals were sacrificed and subjected to histopathology and iron was estimated by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy and graphite furnace.

RESULTS

The result showed that there were no significant changes in iron level of treated groups when compared with control except liver (5 000 mg/kg) and histological slides of all organs revealed normal except negligible changes in liver and intestine with the highest dose of shilajit. The weight of all organs was normal when compared with control.

CONCLUSIONS

The result suggests that black shilajit, an Ayurvedic formulation, is safe for long term use as a dietary supplement for a number of disorders like iron deficiency anaemia.

HIV diagnosis and testing: what every healthcare professional can do (and why they should)

Over the last thirty years, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic has matured. In the United States, HIV has changed from an explosive outbreak to an endemic disease; currently, an estimated 1.1 million people are infected with HIV, including a substantial number who are unaware of their status. With recent findings demonstrating the high transmissibility of HIV early in infection, and the potential benefit of early initiation of treatment, it is essential to identify as many infected individuals as possible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has expanded HIV testing to include any healthcare setting, including dental offices. Testing advances, including oral testing, have reduced the window period of HIV infection. Dental care represents a key, reliable, independent, and confidential link between the healthcare system and the general population that has been under-utilized in the effort to control the HIV epidemic. HIV testing is straightforward, and knowledge of the types of testing will afford dentists an important opportunity to help advance and preserve the health of their patients and to promote the public health of their community. Here, we review the basics of HIV testing and discuss new changes in the approach to HIV diagnostics.

Differential progressive remodeling of coronary and cerebral arteries and arterioles in an aortic coarctation model of hypertension

Objectives: Effects of hypertension on arteries and arterioles often manifest first as a thickened wall, with associated changes in passive material properties (e.g., stiffness) or function (e.g., cellular phenotype, synthesis and removal rates, and vasomotor responsiveness). Less is known, however, regarding the relative evolution of such changes in vessels from different vascular beds. Methods: We used an aortic coarctation model of hypertension in the mini-pig to elucidate spatiotemporal changes in geometry and wall composition (including layer-specific thicknesses as well as presence of collagen, elastin, smooth muscle, endothelial, macrophage, and hematopoietic cells) in three different arterial beds, specifically aortic, cerebral, and coronary, and vasodilator function in two different arteriolar beds, the cerebral and coronary. Results: Marked geometric and structural changes occurred in the thoracic aorta and left anterior descending coronary artery within 2 weeks of the establishment of hypertension and continued to increase over the 8-week study period. In contrast, no significant changes were observed in the middle cerebral arteries from the same animals. Consistent with these differential findings at the arterial level, we also found a diminished nitric oxide-mediated dilation to adenosine at 8 weeks of hypertension in coronary arterioles, but not cerebral arterioles. Conclusion: These findings, coupled with the observation that temporal changes in wall constituents and the presence of macrophages differed significantly between the thoracic aorta and coronary arteries, confirm a strong differential progressive remodeling within different vascular beds. Taken together, these results suggest a spatiotemporal progression of vascular remodeling, beginning first in large elastic arteries and delayed in distal vessels.

Maternal obesity and venous thromboembolism

The incidence of obesity in pregnancy has increased rapidly in the last decade. Obesity is a risk factor for venous thromboembolism outside of pregnancy and previous studies of maternal death in the UK have identified obesity as a risk factor in pregnancy. As a result the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have targeted obesity as a risk factor in evaluation of the need for thromboprophylaxis in pregnancy. This article highlights the evidence that obesity increases the risk of venous thromboembolism in pregnancy and the puerperium, discusses thromboprophylaxis and appropriate dosing in obese parturients and details the anaesthetic implications of the 2009 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' guidelines. More clinical studies are required to clarify the appropriate dose of low-molecular-weight heparin in an obese parturient.

The impact of feeding diets of high or low energy concentration on carcass measurements and the weight of primal and subprimal lean cuts

Pigs from four sire lines were allocated to a series of low energy (LE, 3.15 to 3.21 Mcal ME/kg) corn-soybean meal-based diets with 16% wheat midds or high energy diets (HE, 3.41 to 3.45 Mcal ME/kg) with 4.5 to 4.95% choice white grease. All diets contained 6% DDGS. The HE and LE diets of each of the four phases were formulated to have equal lysine:Mcal ME ratios. Barrows (N = 2,178) and gilts (N = 2,274) were fed either high energy (HE) or low energy (LE) diets from 27 kg BW to target BWs of 118, 127, 131.5 and 140.6 kg. Carcass primal and subprimal cut weights were collected. The cut weights and carcass measurements were fitted to allometric functions (Y = A CW(B)) of carcass weight. The significance of diet, sex or sire line with A and B was evaluated by linearizing the equations by log to log transformation. The effect of diet on A and B did not interact with sex or sire line. Thus, the final model was (B)) where Diet = -0.5 for the LE and 0.5 for HE diets and A and B are sire line-sex specific parameters. cut weight = (1+bD(Diet)) A(CW Diet had no affect on loin, Boston butt, picnic, baby back rib, or sparerib weights (p>0.10, bD = -0.003, -0.0029, 0.0002, 0.0047, -0.0025, respectively). Diet affected ham weight (bD = -0.0046, p = 0.01), belly weight (bD = 0.0188, p = 0.001) three-muscle ham weight (bD = -0.014, p = 0.001), boneless loin weight (bD = -0.010, p = 0.001), tenderloin weight (bD = -0.023, p = 0.001), sirloin weight (bD = -0.009, p = 0.034), and fat-free lean mass (bD = -0.0145, p = 0.001). Overall, feeding the LE diets had little impact on primal cut weight except to decrease belly weight. Feeding LE diets increased the weight of lean trimmed cuts by 1 to 2 percent at the same carcass weight.

Acute mechanical effects of elastase on the infrarenal mouse aorta: implications for models of aneurysms

Intraluminal exposure of the infrarenal aorta to porcine pancreatic elastase represents one of the most commonly used experimental models of the development and progression of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Morphological and histological effects of elastase on the aortic wall have been well documented in multiple rodent models, but there has been little attention to the associated effects on mechanical properties. In this paper, we present the first biaxial mechanical data on, and associated nonlinear constitutive descriptors of, the effects of elastase on the infrarenal aorta in mice. Quantification of the dramatic, acute effects of elastase on wall behavior in vitro is an essential first step toward understanding the growth and remodeling of aneurysms in vivo, which depends on both the initial changes in the mechanics and the subsequent inflammation-mediated turnover of cells and extracellular matrix that contributes to the evolving mechanics.