Influence of the farrowing process and different sow and piglet traits on uterine involution in a free farrowing system.

An inadequate uterine involution can lead to postpartal disorders in sows and thereby negatively affects the reproductive cycle and performance of the animals. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of the farrowing process and different sow and piglet traits on the uterine involution in a free farrowing system. In total three data sets of 48 crossbred sows (Large White x Landrace) from the peripartal period were synthesised and analysed. The uterine diameter of three uterine horns per sow was measured daily during the first two weeks postpartum using ultrasonography and then the uterine regression was calculated. Furthermore, the following sow and piglet traits before and during parturition were assessed: parity, body condition score, backfat thickness, gestation length, number of live born piglets, number of stillborn piglets, farrowing duration, duration of placenta expulsion, litter weight, placenta weight, number of placenta parts, faecal score, and birth induction. In addition, the following parameters were recorded five days after farrowing: body temperature, severity and amount of vaginal discharge, pathological colour of vaginal discharge, and lack of appetite. Spearman's correlation test was used to examine the association between the parameters within the group and uterine regression. In addition, a linear multiple regression was used to model the relationship between the uterine involution and explanatory variables from the peripartal period. The mean diameter of the uterus decreased from 32.5 mm on day 2 post-partum to 11.4 mm on day 12 post-partum, which is a relative regression of 66%. In the linear multiple regression model, a significant influence of the body condition score (p = 0.046) and the presence of high body temperature (p = 0.022) on uterine involution was detected. When the BCS increases by one unit (from BCS 3 to 4), the relative regression of the uterine involution decreases by approximately 8% and when fever is present, uterine involution is almost 6% slower. Furthermore, a significant correlation between the gestation length and the uterine involution (r = 0.31; p = 0.035) was identified. However, no correlation between the farrowing process and piglets' traits on the uterine involution was detected. This study showed that the body condition score, the gestation length and fever in the first five days after farrowing had significant effects on uterine involution in sows in a free farrowing system. Therefore, these parameters should be routinely monitored in the farrowing management to assess reproductive health post-partum and warrant early intervention.

Data protection and biomedical research in Switzerland: setting the record straight.

Ensuring the protection of privacy and the compliance with data protection rules have become central issues for researchers active in the biomedical field. Data protection law is often perceived as very complex and difficult to interpret, which can hinder the efficacious planning and implementation of new research projects. Indeed, the sophisticated legal architecture that governs data processing activities in general and biomedical research in particular might feel overwhelming for both legal practitioners and researchers. The objective of this article is to review the interaction of data protection law and biomedical research with a predominant focus on the Swiss context. In order to facilitate a better understanding of this issue, we discuss three crucial nodes that shape the interplay of law and data processing in research First, we explore the meaning of “personal” data, the requirements to classify data as “personal”, “non-personal”, “pseudonymised” or “anonymised” and the implications of such classifications from a legal perspective. We then consider the relationship between sector-specific data processing regulations for research and other laws on data protection. Finally, we examine the role of consent for data processing in the research field and its significance from a data protection perspective. In conclusion, this review underlines the importance of fostering reciprocal collaboration of data protection experts and biomedical researchers to facilitate the development of new projects in the future.  .

[IT Outsourcing and Medical Secrecy]. / IT-Outsourcing und Arztgeheimnis.

IT Outsourcing and Medical Secrecy Abstract. When medical practices outsource IT work, the requirements of data protection laws and professional secrecy in particular must be taken into account. In terms of data protection laws, outsourcing to third parties requires, among other things, that an agreement is concluded, and that the outsourcing provider only processes the data in the way that the doctor himself is permitted to do. Furthermore, outsourcing must not be prohibited by a legal or contractual obligation to maintain secrecy, such as medical professional secrecy. Professional secrecy has been widely discussed in recent years in connection with the outsourcing of services by physicians. Despite other restrictive positions, however, IT outsourcing should continue to be regarded as permissible if it can be justified on objective grounds, if it remains within the scope of what is customary and necessary for physicians and if appropriate measures are taken to avoid disclosure of personal data.

Elevated CO2 influences nutrient availability in young beech-spruce communities on two soil types.

The objectives of this study were to investigate how different soil types and elevated N deposition (0.7 vs 7 g N m-2a-1) influence the effects of elevated CO2 (370 vs 570 µmol CO2 mol-1) on soil nutrients and net accumulation of N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, and Zn in spruce (Picea abies) and beech (Fagus sylvatica). Model ecosystems were established in large open-top chambers on two different forest soils: a nutrient-poor acidic loam and a nutrient-rich calcareous sand. The response of net nutrient accumulation to elevated atmospheric CO2 depended upon soil type (interaction soil × CO2, P<0.05 for N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Zn) and differed between spruce and beech. On the acidic loam, CO2 enrichment suppressed net accumulation of all nutrients in beech (P<0.05 for P, S, Zn), but stimulated it for spruce (P<0.05 for Fe, Zn) On the nutrient-rich calcareous sand, increased atmospheric CO2 enhanced nutrient accumulation in both species significantly. Increasing the N deposition did not influence the CO2 effects on net nutrient accumulation with either soil. Under elevated atmospheric CO2, the accumulation of N declined relative to other nutrients, as indicated by decreasing ratios of N to other nutrients in tree biomass (all ratios: P<0.001, except the N to S ratio). In both the soil and soil solution, elevated CO2 did not influence concentrations of base cations and available P. Under CO2 enrichment, concentrations of exchangeable NH4+ decreased by 22% in the acidic loam and increased by 50% in the calcareous sand (soil × CO2, P<0.001). NO3- concentrations decreased by 10-70% at elevated CO2 in both soils (P<0.01).

Response of a root hemiparasite to elevated CO2 depends on host type and soil nutrients.

Although elevated CO2 may affect various forms of ecological interactions, the effect of elevated CO2 on interactions between parasitic plants and their hosts has received little attention. We examined the effect of elevated CO2 (590 µl l-1) at two nutrient (NPK) levels on the interactions of the facultative root hemiparasite Rhinanthus alectorolophus with two of its hosts, the grass Lolium perenne and the legume Medicago sativa. To study possible effects on parasite mediation of competition between hosts, the parasite was grown with each host separately and with both hosts simultaneously. In addition, all combinations of hosts were grown without the parasite. Both the parasite and the host plants responded to elevated CO2 with increased growth, but only at high nutrient levels. The CO2 response of the hemiparasite was stronger than that of the hosts, but depended on the host species available. With L. perenne and M. sativa simultaneously available as hosts, the biomass of the parasite grown at elevated CO2 was 5.7 times that of parasites grown at ambient CO2. Nitrogen concentration in the parasites was not influenced by the treatments and was not related to parasite biomass. The presence of the parasite strongly reduced both the biomass of the hosts and total productivity of the system. This effect was much stronger at low than at high nutrient levels, but was not influenced by CO2 level. Elevated CO2 did not influence the competitive balance between the two different hosts grown in mixture. The results of this study support the hypothesis that hemiparasites may influence community structure and suggest that these effects are robust to changes in CO2 concentration.

Effects of elevated CO2 and soil quality on leaf gas exchange and above-ground growth in beech-spruce model ecosystems.

Responses of leaf gas exchange and above-ground growth of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) to atmospheric CO2 enrichment (374 µl l-1 vs. 590 µl l-1 ) and increased wet deposition of N (5 vs. 50 kg N ha-1 a-1 ) in combination with two natural forest soil types ('acidic' and 'calcareous') were studied in large open-top chambers. Eight juvenile beech and spruce trees from different provenances, together with a ground cover composed of five understorey species, were established in each of 32 model ecosystems. Both beech and spruce showed sustained enhancement of photosynthesis in response to atmospheric CO2 enrichment during the first 2 yr of treatment. Nevertheless, switching measurement CO2 concentrations revealed partial downward adjustment of photosynthesis in trees grown in elevated CO2 , beech generally showing more pronounced downward adjustment than spruce. The responsiveness of photosynthesis to CO2 enrichment did not vary significantly among trees from different provenances. Stomatal conductance was reduced under elevated CO2 in both tree species. In spruce, the radial growth of the main stem and the annual production of wood (shoot-wood dry mass of current-year lateral shoots), needle dry mass, and assimilation area per tree were stimulated both by CO2 enrichment and increased N deposition, but were not significantly affected by soil type by year 2. In contrast, in beech, the radial growth of the stem and the total leaf number, foliage dry mass, and assimilation area per tree were all not significantly affected by elevated CO2 and increased N deposition when responses of the two soil types were pooled, but were greater on calcareous than on acidic soil by year 2. However, CO2 interacted with soil type in beech: irrespective of the N deposition rate, saplings showed growth stimulation on the calcareous soil but responded negatively to CO2 enrichment on the acidic soil (where growth was slower). Our results suggest that complex interactions between CO2 , species and soil quality need to be accounted for when attempting to predict forest development in a future CO2 -rich world.