Comparison of the Analgesic Efficacy between Levobupivacaine 0.25% and Ropivacaine 0.375% for PENG (Pericapsular Nerve Group) Block in the Context of Hip Fracture Surgery of Elderly Patients: A Single-Center, Randomized, and Controlled Clinical Trial.

Previous studies have compared levobupivacaine versus ropivacaine in various peripheral nerve blocks in terms of block duration, quality of analgesia, and onset time, but this has not occurred in the PENG block. Here, a single-center, randomized, and controlled clinical trial is presented. One hundred and twenty patients older than 65 years suffering from hip fractures and surgically treated at our institution under spinal anesthesia were eligible for participation; of them, one hundred and eight were analyzed. Patients were randomized to receive ultrasound-guided PENG blocks using 20 mL of either 0.25% levobupivacaine or 0.375% ropivacaine (both of which are equipotent concentrations). The primary endpoint was to compare the analgesic duration (time to first rescue) and analgesic quality (pain scores using the VAS, PAINAD, and AlgoPlus scales) between the groups. Secondary endpoints included comparing the onset time, describing the need for and type of rescue analgesics, and possible associated adverse effects. There were no statistically significant differences in analgesic duration between levobupivacaine (median 861.0, IQR 960) and ropivacaine (median 1205.0, IQR 1379; p = 0.069). Likewise, the quality of analgesia and onset time were comparable among the groups. A small number of patients required opioids as rescue analgesics (4.6%). The possible associated adverse effects included postoperative infection (11.1%) and delirium (2.8%).

An evaluation of environmental, intrinsic and pre- and post-slaughter risk factors associated to dark-cutting beef in a Federal Inspected Type slaughter plant.

The objective was to determine the risk factors associated to dark-cutting in bovine carcasses. The study was conducted at a Federal Inspection abattoir located in northeastern Mexico. A random sample of 394 animals at slaughter was used. A total of 26 explanatory variables were evaluated; the analysis included environmental, animal-specific, and management factors both at pre- and post- slaughter periods. Only four variables were statistically significant within the final logistic regression model (P < .001). The frequency of dark-cutting carcasses was 13.45%. Lairage time was directly proportional to the percentage of risk for dark-cutting beef. Improper desensitization also increased the frequency of carcasses with this anomaly. Backfat thickness and the 24-h pH differential of the carcasses were inversely proportional to the risk for dark-cutting beef. An interesting finding was that risk factors for DFD meat are present in all stages of the slaughter process and thus to effectively address this problem an integral evaluation is needed throughout the slaughter process.

Uso de un modelo univariado de series de tiempo para la predicción, en el corto plazo, del comportamiento de la producción de carne de bovino en Baja California, México / The use of a univariate time series model to short term forecast the behaviour of beef production in Baja California, Mexico

Con el fin de pronosticar la producción de carne de bovino en Baja California, México, se utilizó el método de Box-Jenkins para seleccionar un modelo autorregresivo de promedios móviles (ARMA). Para ello se usó la información de canales de bovinos procesadas mensualmente en los rastros del estado durante el periodo de 2003 a 2010. Debido a que la inspección de la gráfica de la serie y el correlograma de la misma no permitieron establecer la estacionariedad, se aplicó la prueba de Dickey-Fuller aumentada, en la que se encontró que la serie era estacionaria. Como resultado del procedimiento de identificación se seleccionaron los modelos AR(1) y ARMA (2,1), los cuales se estimaron utilizando mínimos cuadrados; se compararon ambos modelos con base en la significancia de sus coeficientes de regresión y los estadísticos de Akaike y Schwartz. Se llevó a cabo una evaluación diagnóstica para revisar la bondad de ajuste de los modelos mediante la gráfica de los residuales; el valor de los estadísticos Q se utilizó para determinar la ausencia de autocorrelación en los modelos propuestos. Debido a que los resultados fueron similares, se llevó a cabo una evaluación de la eficiencia predictiva de ambos modelos utilizando una serie de estadísticos. Los resultados de estas pruebas indicaron que el modelo ARMA (2,1) presentaba una mejor capacidad predictiva, que fue corroborada mediante una gráfica conjunta de la serie actual y la pronosticada, y una predicción para el mes de enero de 2011. Los resultados respaldan el uso de modelos ARMA para obtener, a corto plazo, predicciones de la producción de carne en Baja California.

The Box-Jenkins methodology was used to select an ARMA model to forecast beef production in Baja California, Mexico. The series of bovine carcasses processed monthly in the state's slaughterhouses between 2003 and 2010 was used. Because the inspection of the series graph and correlogram did not determine a stationary behavior, an augmented Dickey-Fuller test was performed and it was found that the series was stationary. As a result of identification procedure, an AR (1) and an ARMA (2, 1) models were selected and estimated using ordinary least squares. The estimated models were compared using the significance of the regression coefficient and the Akaike information and Schwartz Bayesian criteria. A diagnostic check was done examining the goodness of fit of the models by plotting the residuals; the Q statistic was used to test for autocorrelation. Because the results were similar, a predictive efficacy evaluation of two models was carried out using a group of forecast error statistics. The result of these tests indicated that the ARMA (2,1) had a better forecasting capability, this was supported by plotting together a forecasted series with the actual series and the out-of sample prediction for January of 2011. The results support the use of ARMA models to obtain reliable short term forecasts of beef production in Baja California.

Assessment of cattle welfare at a commercial slaughter plant in the northwest of Mexico.

Slaughter plants have been undergoing radical transformations in recent years due to the need to increase efficiency and incorporate new technologies for the improvement of the infrastructure, animal welfare, and product quality. The aim of this study was to assess the cattle welfare status during the unloading, lairage, stunning, bleeding and quantify bruising incidence at a commercial slaughter plant in the northwest of Mexico. We monitored 8,118 cattle during the unloading, lairage, stunning, bleeding, and carcass bruise incidence. Our results showed that in the unloading stage, 2% of the cattle vocalized, 5% were prodded with an electric goad, and 4% either slipped or fell. In the lairage stage, 12% of the animals vocalized, 80% prodded with an electric goad, and 8% of the animals slipped or fell. In the stunning stage, 10% of the animals vocalized, 67% prodded with an electric goad, and 15% of the animals slipped or fell. Ninety-five percent of the animals were stunned with a single shot, and 51% of the animals were effectively desensitized. Ninety-two percent of the carcasses had some type of bruise. Although the slaughter plant had adequate infrastructure and stringent operational standards, in all of the stages except unloading handling had an impact on the welfare of the animals being slaughtered.