Body composition, gastrointestinal, and reproductive differences between broiler breeders fed using everyday or skip-a-day rearing programs.

Broiler breeder feed restriction practices have intensified as broiler feed efficiency has been improved. Skip-a-day (SAD) rearing regimen has controlled breeder growth, although this practice has become questionable for the modern breeder. We compared everyday (ED) and SAD programs and evaluated their impact on pullet growth performance, body composition, gastrointestinal tract development, and reproduction. At d 0, Ross 708 (Aviagen) pullet chicks (n = 1,778) were randomly assigned to 7 floor pens. Three pens were fed using the ED and 4 pens with SAD program through wk 21 using a chain-feeder system. ED and SAD grower diets were formulated to be isonutritious, with the only difference that ED diets had more crude fiber. Pullets (n = 44 per pen) were moved to 16 hen pens by treatment at wk 21 with 3 YP males (Aviagen) in each pen. All birds were fed common laying diets. In addition to BW data, sampled pullets and hens were scanned using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) to obtain body bone density and composition. Hen performance and hatchery metrics were recorded through wk 60. ED birds were heavier with similar nutrient intake from wk 10 to 45 (P ≤ 0.013). Pullet uniformity was unaffected by feeding method (P ≥ 0.443). SAD pullets had less body fat at wk 19 (P = 0.034) compared to ED pullets, likely as a metabolic consequence of intermittent feeding. SAD birds had lower bone density at wk 7, 15, and 19 (P ≤ 0.026). At 4 wk of age, SAD pullets had less intestinal villi goblet cells compared to ED pullets (P ≤ 0.050), possibly explained by the effect that feed removal has on cell migration rates. Overall egg-specific gravity (P = 0.057) and hatch of fertile % (P = 0.088) tended to be higher in eggs from ED hens. Altogether, ED feeding increased young pullet intestinal goblet cells and increased both bone density and body fat at wk 19. ED program improved pullet feed conversion (2.6% less feed) and increased eggshell quality and hatch of fertile.

Observational study of pre-operative intravenous iron given to anaemic patients before elective cardiac surgery.

Cardiac surgical patients with anaemia experience increased morbidity and mortality. Iron deficiency is the most common cause of pre-operative anaemia in this group. We designed and implemented the Cardiff Pathway, a pre-assessment and treatment pathway to identify cardiac surgical patients with anaemia and iron deficiency. Patients identified with anaemia and/or iron deficiency (Hb < 130 g.l-1 and ferritin < 100 µg.l-1 ) were offered intravenous iron infusion 20 mg.kg-1 pre-operatively. Treatment success was defined as Hb ≥ 130g.l-1 on the day of surgery. We analysed data from 447 patients: 300 (67%) were not anaemic; 75 (17%) were anaemic and treated with intravenous iron; and 72 (16%) were anaemic and not treated. Haemoglobin concentration increased in successfully treated anaemic patients by a mean (95%CI) of 17 (13-21) g.l-1 and they received a median (IQR [range]) of 0 (0-2 [0-15]) units of blood peri-operatively. Transfusion was avoided in 54% of the successfully treated anaemic patients, which was significantly more than the unsuccessfully treated anaemic (22%, p = 0.005) and untreated anaemic (28%, p = 0.018) patients and similar to non-anaemic patients who received a median (IQR [range] of 0 (0-1 [0-16])) units of blood and, 63% avoided transfusion). Mean (95%CI) Hb fell between pre-assessment and surgery in the untreated anaemic (-2 (0 to -4) g.l-1 ) and non-anaemic groups (-2 (-1 to -3) g.l-1 ). Twenty-one (7%) of the non-anaemic group became newly anaemic waiting for surgery. The Cardiff Pathway reliably identified patients with anaemia and iron deficiency. Anaemic patients who had their Hb restored to normal after treatment required less blood peri-operatively and over half of them required no transfusion at all.

Defect trajectories and domain-wall loop dynamics during two-frequency switching in a bistable azimuthal nematic device.

Bistable azimuthal nematic alignment textures have been created in micrometer-scale channels for which one sidewall is smooth and straight and the other possesses a symmetric sawtooth morphology. The optical textures have been observed during dynamic switching between the two stable states in response to dual frequency ac waveform driving of a highly dispersive nematic liquid crystal. The switching processes involves collapsing of filamentlike director reorientation (tilt-wall) loops and the associated motion and annihilation of surface defects along and close to the edge at the sawtooth sidewall. The predictions from both the n-director-based Ericksen-Leslie theory and the Q-tensor theory are in good agreement with the experimental observations.

Effect of a novel penetration enhancer on the ungual permeation of two antifungal agents.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effect of a novel permeation enhancer system using two existing marketed nail lacquers and the delivery of terbinafine through human nail samples in vitro. METHODS: Initially a modified Franz cell was used, where sections of human nail serve as the barrier through which drug penetrates into an agar-filled chamber infected with dermatophytes. A second study was performed using a novel infected nail model where dermatophytes are incubated with and grow into human nail and ATP levels are used as biological marker for antimicrobial activity. KEY FINDINGS: The novel permeation enhancing system increased the permeation of both existing drugs formulated in nail lacquers and terbinafine through human nail sections mounted in a modified Franz cell. Furthermore the ATP assay confirmed that the system also enhanced the permeation of terbinafine through infected cadaver nail resulting in a decrease in ATP levels equivalent to those of uninfected negative control samples. CONCLUSIONS: This study has clearly demonstrated that the use of a novel permeation enhancing system, which fundamentally alters the chemical structure of the nail, not only enhances the efficacy of the existing topical formulations but also enables the delivery and efficacy of terbinafine when applied ungually. Such a topically applied system has the possibility of overcoming the systemic side effects when terbinafine is delivered orally.

Overcoming the nail barrier: A systematic investigation of ungual chemical penetration enhancement.

This study investigated the in vitro nail permeability of penetrants of varying lipophilicity-caffeine (CF, logP -0.07), methylparaben (MP, logP 1.96) and terbinafine (TBF, logP 3.3) and the effect of 2 novel penetration enhancers (PEs), thioglycolic acid (TA) and urea hydrogen peroxide (urea H(2)O(2)) on their permeation. Studies were conducted using full thickness human nail clippings and ChubTur((R)) diffusion cells and penetrants were applied as saturated solutions. The rank order of steady-state penetrant flux through nails without PE application (MP>CF>TBF) suggested a greater sensitivity to penetrant molecular weight rather than logP. TA increased the flux of CF and MP approximately 4- and approximately 2-fold, respectively, whilst urea H(2)O(2) proved ineffective at enhancing permeability. The sequential application of TA followed by urea H(2)O(2) increased TBF and CF flux ( approximately 19- and approximately 4-fold, respectively) but reversing the application order of the PEs was only mildly effective at increasing just MP flux ( approximately 2-fold). Both nail PEs are likely to function via disruption of keratin disulphide bonds and the associated formation of pores that provide more 'open' drug transport channels. Effects of the PEs were penetrant specific, but the use of a reducing agent (TA) followed by an oxidising agent (urea H(2)O(2)) dramatically improved human nail penetration.

Decoupling of the liquid response of a superhydrophobic quartz crystal microbalance.

Recent reports using particle image velocimetry and cone-and-plate rheometers have suggested that a simple Newtonian liquid flowing across a superhydrophobic surface demonstrates a finite slip length. Slippage on a superhydrophobic surface indicates that the combination of topography and hydrophobicity may have consequences for the coupling at the solid--liquid interface observed using the high-frequency shear-mode oscillation of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). In this work, we report on the response of a 5 MHz QCM possessing a superhydrophobic surface to immersion in water--glycerol mixtures. QCM surfaces were prepared with a layer of SU-8 photoresist and lithographically patterned to produce square arrays of 5 mum diameter circular cross-section posts spaced 10 microm center-to-center and with heights of 5, 10, 15, and 18 microm. Non-patterned layers were also created for comparison, and both non-hydrophobized and chemically hydrophobized surfaces were investigated. Contact angle measurements confirmed that the hydrophobized post surfaces were superhydrophobic. QCM measurements in water before and after applying pressure to force a Cassie-Baxter (non-penetrating) to Wenzel (penetrating) conversion of state showed a larger frequency decrease and higher dissipation in the Wenzel state. QCM resonance spectra were fitted to a Butterworth-van Dyke model for the full range of water-glycerol mixtures from pure water to (nominally) pure glycerol, thus providing data on both energy storage and dissipation. The data obtained for the post surfaces show a variety of types of behavior, indicating the importance of the surface chemistry in determining the response of the quartz crystal resonance, particularly on topographically structured surfaces; data for hydrophobized post surfaces imply a decoupling of the surface oscillation from the mixtures. In the case of the 15 microm tall hydrophobized post surfaces, crystal resonance spectra become narrower as the viscosity-density product increases, which is contrary to the usual behavior. In the most extreme case of the 18 microm tall hydrophobized post surfaces, both the frequency decrease and bandwidth increase of the resonance spectra are significantly lower than that predicted by the Kanazawa and Gordon model, thus implying a decoupling of the oscillating surface from the liquid, which can be interpreted as interfacial slip.

Intraoperative red blood-cell salvage in revision hip surgery. A case-matched study.

BACKGROUND: Revision hip arthroplasty is commonly associated with substantial blood loss and the subsequent need for transfusion. This leads to an increased risk of blood-borne infection and hemolytic reactions. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate whether the use of intraoperative red blood-cell salvage in revision hip arthroplasty reduces the overall rate of allogeneic transfusion. METHODS: Forty-seven patients who had undergone revision hip arthroplasty with the use of intraoperative cell salvage were identified. A computer database was used to individually match these patients, for age, sex, and eleven operative variables, to control patients who had undergone revision hip arthroplasty in the same unit without intraoperative cell salvage. Data gathered included the total allogeneic transfusion requirement for each patient, preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin levels, and operative time. RESULTS: The total allogeneic transfusion requirement was significantly lower in the group that had intraoperative cell salvage than in the control group (median, 2 compared with 6 U of packed red blood cells, p = 0.0006), with a median reduction in allogeneic transfusion of 4 U. There was no significant difference in preoperative or postoperative hemoglobin levels between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The use of intraoperative cell salvage significantly lowered the allogeneic transfusion requirement, which can lead to substantial cost savings. To our knowledge, this is the first study in which the use of intraoperative red blood-cell salvage in revision hip arthroplasty was evaluated by matching patients on the basis of age, sex, and operative variables.

Layer guided-acoustic plate mode biosensors for monitoring MHC-peptide interactions.

The transduction signals from the immobilisation of a class I heavy chain, HLA-A2, on a layer guided acoustic plate mode device, followed by binding of beta(2)-microglobulin and subsequent selective binding of a target peptide are reported.

A photometric redshift of z = 6.39 +/- 0.12 for GRB 050904.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and their afterglows are the most brilliant transient events in the Universe. Both the bursts themselves and their afterglows have been predicted to be visible out to redshifts of z approximately 20, and therefore to be powerful probes of the early Universe. The burst GRB 000131, at z = 4.50, was hitherto the most distant such event identified. Here we report the discovery of the bright near-infrared afterglow of GRB 050904 (ref. 4). From our measurements of the near-infrared afterglow, and our failure to detect the optical afterglow, we determine the photometric redshift of the burst to be z = 6.39 - 0.12 + 0.11 (refs 5-7). Subsequently, it was measured spectroscopically to be z = 6.29 +/- 0.01, in agreement with our photometric estimate. These results demonstrate that GRBs can be used to trace the star formation, metallicity, and reionization histories of the early Universe.

Is there a role for extended antibiotic therapy in a two-stage revision of the infected knee arthroplasty?

All major studies have incorporated the use of prolonged courses of parenteral or oral antibiotic therapy in the management of two-stage revision of an infected total knee arthroplasty. We present a series of 59 consecutive patients, all with microbiologically-proven deep infection of a total knee arthroplasty, in whom a prolonged course of antibiotic therapy was not routinely used. The mean follow-up was 56.4 months (24 to 114). Of the 38 patients who underwent a staged exchange, infection was successfully eradicated in 34 (89%) but recurrent or persistent infection was present in four (11%). Our rate of cure for infection is similar to that reported elsewhere. We conclude that a prolonged course of antibiotic therapy seems not to alter the incidence of recurrent or persistent infection. The costs of the administration of antibiotics are high and such a regime may be unnecessary.

Using and misusing factor analysis to explore group cohesion.

Group cohesion is an important construct in understanding the behavior of different types of groups. However, controversy exists about how to conceptualize and measure cohesion, and a central issue is its dimensionality. Consequently, researchers have used factor analysis to examine the structure of the construct of cohesion and measures of it. Our goals in writing this article were to review critically how factor analysis has been used to understand group cohesion, make some recommendations for future factor analytic work, and point out some weaknesses and strengths in using factor analysis to explore cohesion.

A pilot study of SPINE test scores and measures of tongue deviancy in speakers with severe-to-profound hearing loss.

Two developments show promise in the assessment and remediation of defective speech production in persons with hearing loss. A perceptual speech-intelligibility test, the SPINE (for Speech Intelligibility Evaluation), is a simple, clinician-administered instrument which is valid, reliable, and clinically efficient. In addition, the development of acoustic measures of tongue deviancy, computed from formant frequencies, makes possible a direct lateral visualization of tongue placement in relation to standard vowel placement. In this study, SPINE test scores of 28 persons with severe-to-profound hearing loss were correlated with two measures of tongue deviancy during production of the vowels /i/, /a/, and /u/. For both measures of tongue deviancy, correlations with the SPINE were significant for the three vowels combined and for the isolated vowel /i/. These findings suggest that clinicians may ultimately have two different but complementary means of assessing speech production in persons with hearing loss.

Assay of residual organic solvents in topiramate drug substance by capillary gas chromatography.

The analysis of residual organic solvents (methanol, ethanol and toluene) in topiramate drug substance was investigated. Topiramate is a potent anticonvulsant drug under clinical evaluation. The drug is recrystallized from ethanol denatured by either methanol or toluene, and each residual solvent is controlled at 0.1% (w/w) level. A capillary gas chromatography (GC) method described in this manuscript utilizes a DB-WAX, 1 micron thick, 30 m x 0.53 mm i.d., column. Since topiramate is a thermally labile compound, the selection of the proper injector temperature is critical to the success of the analysis. The injector temperature was set at 120 degrees C to prevent degradation. The initial oven temperature was set at 55 degrees C for 8 min and programmed at a rate of 30 degrees C min-1 to a final temperature of 160 degrees C for 11 min. Helium was used as a carrier gas. The sample solvent selected was dimethylformamide pretreated with molecular sieves to remove trace amounts of alcohols that may interfere with the assay. The method was validated to be specific, linear, precise, sensitive, rugged and showed excellent recovery.

A comparison of ibuprofen and dihydrocodeine in relieving pain following wisdom teeth removal.

Although dihydrocodeine (DF118) is widely prescribed by general dental practitioners, there is little evidence that it is successful in controlling post-operative dental pain. Ibuprofen is known to be effective in this situation. A single dose, double-blind study was carried out in 148 patients to compare 400 mg ibuprofen with 30 mg dihydrocodeine and placebo for treating moderate to severe pain following the removal of unilateral, impacted mandibular third molar teeth under local anaesthesia. An additional dose of either ibuprofen or dihydrocodeine was available after 2 hours. The post-operative ibuprofen reduced pain and produced more pain relief than dihydrocodeine or placebo. Furthermore, fewer patients receiving ibuprofen took additional analgesic at 2 hours. Patients who received ibuprofen as supplementary medication also experienced less pain and had greater pain relief than those receiving dihydrocodeine as supplementary medication, even when their post-operative treatment had been placebo. More patients reported the medication as having been effective if they took ibuprofen either post-operatively or as supplementary analgesia. Ibuprofen is an appropriate analgesic for treating post-operative dental pain.

Elastic cartilage in the incisive canal region: report of a case.

A man complained persistently of 'gritty bits' coming into his mount from behind the upper front teeth over a period of 10 years. Elastic cartilage was found within fibrous connective tissue of the incisive papilla region and it is suggested that transepidermal elimination of elastotic material, as happens in perforating dermatoses, was responsible for this patients complaint.

Hemodynamic dysfunction in obesity hypoventilation syndrome and the effects of treatment with surgically induced weight loss.

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS), defined as a PaO2 less than or equal to 55 mmHg and/or PaCo2 greater than or equal to 47 mmHg, was found in approximately 8% of morbidly obese patients undergoing gastric surgery for morbid obesity and was frequently associated with clinically significant pulmonary hypertension and cardiac dysfunction. Forty-six morbidly obese patients, 26 with and 20 without OHS, underwent preoperative pulmonary artery catheterization. Although the two groups had similar values for percent ideal body weight, blood pressure, and cardiac index, the OHS patients had significantly higher mean pulmonary artery pressures (PAP), p less than 0.0001, and pulmonary artery occlusion pressures (PAOP), p less than 0.01. Eighteen OHS patients were restudied 3-9 months after gastric surgery. PaO2 increased from 50 +/- 10 to 69 +/- 14 mmHg, p less than 0.0001, and PaCO2 decreased from 52 +/- 7 to 42 +/- 4 mmHg, p less than 0.0001), after the loss of 42 +/- 19% excess weight. These changes were associated with significant decreases in PAP (from 36 +/- 14 to 23 +/- 7 mmHg, p less than 0.0001) and PAOP (from 17 +/- 7 to 12 +/- 6 mmHg, p less than 0.01). Significant correlations were noted between PAP and PAOP (r = +0.8, p less than 0.0001) and PAP and PaO2 (r = -0.6, p less than 0.0001). Both left ventricular dysfunction, defined as a PAOP greater than or equal to 18 mmHg, as well as pulmonary artery vasoconstriction, defined as PAEDP greater than 5 mmHg above PAOP, contributed to pulmonary hypertension in OHS patients. In conclusion, weight loss after gastric surgery for morbid obesity significantly improved arterial blood gases and hemodynamic function in OHS patients.