Systematic Evaluation of Different Fresh Cow Monitoring Procedures.

Establishing fresh cow monitoring procedures is considered beneficial for cow health, welfare, and productivity. However, they are time consuming and require the cows to be locked up, which restricts their natural behavior. In this study, different fresh cow monitoring procedures were evaluated. Two experiments were conducted to determine: (1) the duration of various examinations and treatments; (2) the time cows remain locked up in headlocks; and (3) the proportion of examination and treatment times relative to the total headlock time. In advance, standard operating procedures were established. Three veterinarians conducted the examinations and treatments based on changes in milk yield, clinical symptoms, and alarms by an accelerometer system. The headlock time was evaluated for three workflow strategies, which differed in the order of examinations and treatments. To determine the duration, cameras were installed, and the video footage was analyzed. The examinations lasted between 1 and 227 s, and the cows were locked up in headlocks between 0.01 and 1.76 h. The lock-up times differed significantly among the three strategies, as well as the proportion. This study provides information that can be used as a basis for the development of time-efficient strategies, and to minimize the impact on cows' time budgets.

Association between Rumination Times Detected by an Ear Tag-Based Accelerometer System and Rumen Physiology in Dairy Cows.

Monitoring rumination activity is considered a useful indicator for the early detection of diseases and metabolic disorders. Accelerometer-based sensor systems provide health alerts based on individual thresholds of rumination times in dairy cows. Detailed knowledge of the relationship between sensor-based rumination times and rumen physiology would help detect conspicuous animals and evaluate the treatment's success. This study aimed to investigate the association between sensor-based health alerts and rumen fluid characteristics in Holstein-Friesian cows at different stages of lactation. Rumen fluid was collected via a stomach tube from 63 pairs of cows with and without health alerts (ALRT vs NALRT). Pairs were matched based on the day of lactation, the number of lactations, and health criteria. Rumen fluid was collected during and after health alerts. The parameters of color, odor, consistency, pH, redox potential, sedimentation flotation time, and the number of protozoa were examined. Results showed differences between both groups in odor, rumen pH, sedimentation flotation time, and protozoan count at the first rumen fluid collection. Within the groups, greater variations in rumen fluid parameters were found for ALRT cows compared to NALRT cows. The interaction between health alert and stage of lactation did not affect the rumen fluid parameters.

Inhibition of ribosome assembly factor PNO1 by CRISPR/Cas9 technique suppresses lung adenocarcinoma and Notch pathway: Clinical application.

Growth is crucially controlled by the functional ribosomes available in cells. To meet the enhanced energy demand, cancer cells re-wire and increase their ribosome biogenesis. The RNA-binding protein PNO1, a ribosome assembly factor, plays an essential role in ribosome biogenesis. The purpose of this study was to examine whether PNO1 can be used as a biomarker for lung adenocarcinoma and also examine the molecular mechanisms by which PNO1 knockdown by CRISPR/Cas9 inhibited growth and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The expression of PNO1 was significantly higher in lung adenocarcinoma compared to normal lung tissues. PNO1 expression in lung adenocarcinoma patients increased with stage, nodal metastasis, and smoking. Lung adenocarcinoma tissues from males expressed higher PNO1 than those from females. Furthermore, lung adenocarcinoma tissues with mutant Tp53 expressed higher PNO1 than those with wild-type Tp53, suggesting the influence of Tp53 status on PNO1 expression. PNO1 knockdown inhibited cell viability, colony formation, and EMT, and induced apoptosis. Since dysregulated signalling through the Notch receptors promotes lung adenocarcinoma, we measured the effects of PNO1 inhibition on the Notch pathway. PNO1 knockdown inhibited Notch signalling by suppressing the expression of Notch receptors, their ligands, and downstream targets. PNO1 knockdown also suppressed CCND1, p21, PTGS-2, IL-1α, IL-8, and CXCL-8 genes. Overall, our data suggest that PNO1 can be used as a diagnostic biomarker, and also can be an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of impact of strongyle parasitism on growth rates in young cattle.

BACKGROUND: To identify any universal impact of strongyle parasite burden on the growth rate of young cattle. METHODS: A meta-analysis and meta-regression of the relationship between differences in strongyle parasite burden between cohorts and average daily weight gain was conducted. Publications were identified from a search of databases applying PRISMA 2020 principles. Eligible studies had at least two groups of growing cattle on the same farm that were identical in composition, management and diet except for parasite exposure and were subject to body weight gain or average daily gain and faecal egg count measurements across the common growing period. The reference group had the lowest growth-period faecal egg count. A meta-regression estimated the impact of strongyle parasitism. The dependent variable was the log of the ratio of average daily gain between comparison groups and the reference group with the predictor variable as the common logarithm of the difference in average faecal egg count (plus 1) between the comparison and the reference groups. RESULTS: 26 publications containing 85 groups and 59 comparison ratios were analysed. Papers included representatives from dairy and beef industries and from pasture and feedlot production systems and from all cattle-producing continents. The comparison group average daily growth rate was 0.89 (95%CI 0.81-0.97) that of the reference group. Meta-regression identified a 0.131 linear reduction in average daily weight gain ratio for every log10 increase in the difference between comparison and reference group faecal egg count. Direction of effect was consistent across all subset analyses (continent, class of stock and production system). Whilst small faecal egg count differences between the comparison and reference groups often provided similar rates of daily weight gain, the trend was negative with most comparison groups having lower daily weight gains than their reference group. CONCLUSIONS: Strongyle parasitism of growing cattle as measured by faecal egg count is associated with reduced growth across all production systems, geographies and classes of cattle.

Modeling the effects of steroid implant use on the environmental and economic sustainability of Brazilian beef production.

Brazilian beef systems contribute 14.9% of global beef production, therefore given climate change concerns, there is a clear need to reduce environmental impacts while maintaining economic viability. This study evaluated the hypothesis that steroid implant use in Brazilian beef cattle would reduce resource use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and economic costs of production, thereby improving environmental and economic sustainability. A deterministic model based on beef cattle population demographics, nutrition and performance was used to quantify resource inputs and GHG emissions per 1.0 × 106 kg of hot carcass weight (HCW) beef. System boundaries extended from cropping input manufacture to cattle arriving at the slaughterhouse. Beef systems were modeled using herd population dynamics, feed and performance data sourced from producers in four Brazilian states, with additional data from global databases. Implants were used in calves, growing and finishing cattle at low (LI), medium (MI), and high (HI) levels of performance enhancement, compared to nonimplanted (NI) controls. Feed use results were used in combination with producer-derived input costs to assess the economic impacts of implant use, including production costs and returns on investment. Improved FCE, ADG, and carcass weights conferred by implant use reduced the number of cattle and the time taken to produce 1.0 × 106 kg HCW beef. Compared to NI controls, the quantities of feed, land, water and fossil fuels required to produce 1.0 × 106 kg HCW beef was reduced in implanted cattle, with reductions proportional to the performance-enhancing effect of the implant (HI > MI > LI). Implant use reduced GHG emissions per 1.0 × 106 kg HCW beef by 9.4% (LI), 12.6% (MI), or 15.8% (HI). Scaling up the MI effects to represent all eligible Brazilian cattle being implanted, revealed avoided GHG emissions equivalent to the annual exhaust emissions of 62.0 × 106 cars. Economic impacts of implant use reflected the environmental results, resulting in a greater margin for the producers within each system (cow-calf through to finishing). The 6.13% increase in kg of HCW beef produced generates a cost reduction of 3.76% and an increase in the return on invested capital of 4.14% on average. Implants offer the opportunity for Brazilian beef producers to demonstrate their dedication to improving environmental and economic sustainability through improved productivity, although care must be taken to avoid negative trade-offs.

Postactivation potentiation enhances swim performance in collegiate swimmers.

This study examined postactivation potentiation (PAP) and its effect on performance during sprint swimming. After maximal muscular contraction, the muscles are in both a potentiated and fatigued state. However, fatigue dissipates faster than potentiation, creating a window of opportunity for possible performance enhancement. We observed 30 collegiate swimmers (15 men and 15 women) performing 2 swim trials in a randomized order. The control trial involved a standard swim warm-up, followed by a 6-minute rest and by a maximal 100-m freestyle swim effort. The PAP trial involved the same protocol; however, a PAP loading protocol involved the subjects completing 4 maximal 10-m swims at a 1-minute interval while attached to a resistive power rack and was completed before the 6-minute rest. Fifty-meter splits and blood lactates were also analyzed. There was a significant improvement in 100-m freestyle swim time (0.54 seconds) for the PAP trial vs. the control trial (p = 0.029). Both men and women improved during the PAP trial compared with the control trial, and there was no significant gender interaction. We conclude that PAP substantially enhances 100-m freestyle performance in collegiate swimmers and presents a valid technique for competitive performance enhancement.

Discovery of a series of indan carboxylic acid glycogen phosphorylase inhibitors.

A series of carboxylic acid glycogen phosphorylase inhibitors, which have potential as oral antidiabetic agents, is described. Defining and applying simple physicochemical design criteria was used to assess the opportunity and to focus synthetic efforts on compounds with the greatest probability of success. The study led to compound 17, which exhibits a good balance of properties including potent inhibition of recombinant human liver glycogen phosphorylase in vitro, a good DMPK profile including excellent bioavailability and low clearance and good in vivo activity in a glucagon challenge model of diabetes in Zucker rats.

The impact of advance care planning on end of life care in elderly patients: randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of advance care planning on end of life care in elderly patients. DESIGN: Prospective randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Single centre study in a university hospital in Melbourne, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 309 legally competent medical inpatients aged 80 or more and followed for six months or until death. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomised to receive usual care or usual care plus facilitated advance care planning. Advance care planning aimed to assist patients to reflect on their goals, values, and beliefs; to consider future medical treatment preferences; to appoint a surrogate; and to document their wishes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was whether a patient's end of life wishes were known and respected. Other outcomes included patient and family satisfaction with hospital stay and levels of stress, anxiety, and depression in relatives of patients who died. RESULTS: 154 of the 309 patients were randomised to advance care planning, 125 (81%) received advance care planning, and 108 (84%) expressed wishes or appointed a surrogate, or both. Of the 56 patients who died by six months, end of life wishes were much more likely to be known and followed in the intervention group (25/29, 86%) compared with the control group (8/27, 30%; P<0.001). In the intervention group, family members of patients who died had significantly less stress (intervention 5, control 15; P<0.001), anxiety (intervention 0, control 3; P=0.02), and depression (intervention 0, control 5; P=0.002) than those of the control patients. Patient and family satisfaction was higher in the intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: Advance care planning improves end of life care and patient and family satisfaction and reduces stress, anxiety, and depression in surviving relatives. Trial registration Australian New Zealand clinical trials registry ACTRN12608000539336.

Microparticle column geometry in acoustic stationary fields.

Particles suspended in a fluid will experience forces from stationary acoustic fields. The magnitude of the force depends on the time-averaged energy density of the field and the material properties of the particles and fluid. Forces acting on known particles smaller than 20 microm were studied. Within a 500 kHz acoustic beam generated by a plane-piston circular source, observations were made of the geometry of the particle column that is formed. Varying the acoustic energy altered the column width in a manner predicted by equations for the primary acoustic radiation force from scattering of particles in the long-wavelength limit. The minimum pressures required to trap gas, solid, and liquid particles in a water medium at room temperature were also estimated to within 12%. These results highlight the ability of stationary acoustic fields from a plane-piston radiator to impose nano-Newton-scale forces onto fluid particles with properties similar to biological cells, and suggest that it is possible to accurately quantify these forces.