Swine nutrition and environment

Evidently, pathogens and swine herd health are regarded as the top risk factors that can potentially disrupt normal pork production. Since the last edition of the Sustainable Swine Nutrition edited by Chiba, unprecedented global COVID-19 pandemic challenges and disruptive cell-based new meat production technologies have emerged, which need to be touched on in the context. COVID-19 has been causing enormous damages in losses of a large number of human lives and disruption of global social and economic activities, being regarded as the most severe pandemic occurred within the past century ever since the 1918 Influenza Pandemic. Carbon is fundamental in metabolic energy-contributing ingredients, namely starch, proteins, oils and fats, and nonstarch polysaccharides, and is an essential component measured during indirect calorimetry experimentation. Gut microbiota contributes to digestion and degradation of dietary carbon nutrients in pigs. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A review of telephone consultations for head and neck cancer follow up: a patient satisfaction survey.

OBJECTIVE: To review patient satisfaction with the change in practice towards telephone consultations during and after the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic for head and neck cancer follow up. METHOD: A retrospective analysis was conducted of head and neck cancer telephone appointments during a six-month period in a tertiary referral centre. RESULTS: Patients found the telephone consultations beneficial (98 per cent), with 30 per cent stating they were relieved to not have to attend hospital. Patients who travelled further, those with lower stage disease and patients with a greater interval from initial treatment were most satisfied with the telephone consultations. Sixty-eight per cent of patients stated they would be happy to have telephone consultations as part of their regular follow up after the pandemic. CONCLUSION: Patients found the telephone consultations beneficial and 30 per cent considered them preferable to face-to-face appointments. This study demonstrates that telephone consultations can be used as an adjunct to face-to-face appointments in an effort to reduce hospital attendances whilst maintaining close follow up.

Uncomplicated diverticulitis: A proposed diagnostic algorithm

Introduction: Covid-19 has changed surgical practice. Infection risk and hospital pressures means appropriate patient ambulation is paramount. Uncomplicated diverticulitis can be managed as an outpatient. Clinical differentiation of uncomplicated and complicated diverticulitis remains challenging. This study aims to develop a diagnostic algorithm to differentiate complicated from uncomplicated disease prior to imaging. Method: A single-centre retrospective review of 177 patients referred as diverticulitis between Sept-Dec 2018, was performed. Data collected included clinical presentation, biochemistry and imaging. Complicated diverticulitis was defined as occlusion, perforation, abscess formation, fistula and/or bleeding. Inferential parametric analysis was performed to ensure predictive value. Results: Of 177 patients referred, 71 received a consultant diagnosis of diverticulitis. 60 were confirmed and differentiated on CT scan. LIF/ lower abdominal pain (P<0.01) and bowel habit change (P<0.05) was significantly higher in patients with diverticulitis compared to other pathology. In complicated diverticulitis, symptoms occurred < 4days (P<0.05), fever was present (P<0.001) and CRP was > 75. Conclusions: Once diverticulitis diagnosis is made based on pain localisation and change in bowel habit, complicated disease can be predicted by symptom duration (< 4 days), presence of fever and a CRP > 75. Plans to assess these findings prospectively in a Surgical Admissions Unit are currently in development.