Effect of fungal gamma-linolenic acid and beta-carotene containing prefermented feed on immunity and gut of broiler chicken.

Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is a fatty acid from the ω-6 family. It is able to deliver a wide range of health benefits arising from its anti-inflammatory effects. An insufficient supply of GLA from agricultural and animal sources resulted in the development of a fermentation technique using lower filamentous fungi, which have the ability to accumulate high concentrations of GLA and beta-carotene during solid-state fermentation of cereals. The goal of this study was to observe the influence of the addition of prefermented cereal product, containing high amounts of GLA and beta-carotene, into the feed of broiler chickens on their immune status, and also the number of lactic acid bacteria and enterobacteria in gut content, which has never been studied before. Immunostimulation in the GLA group was manifested by a significant increase in the oxidative burst of phagocytes, CD4+CD8- lymphocytes in blood, and the CD4: CD8 ratio. Upregulation of gene expression for IgA in the GLA group indicates that the B-lymphocytes were stimulated at a local gut level. In the caecum, increased mRNA expression for mucin-2 and insulin-like growth factor was observed in the GLA group, which could contribute mainly to the protection of the intestinal mucosa and to better growth and regeneration of skeletal muscles. Improved immune activation and protection of the intestinal mucosa were subsequently reflected in a change of the microbial composition in gut contents; a significant reduction of enterobacteria occurred after GLA administration. We can conclude that prefermented cereals containing fungal GLA and beta-carotene represent a low-cost supplement for broiler diet having a beneficial health effect.

PULMONARY EMBOLISM AFTER ABDOMINOPLASTY - ARE WE REALLY ABLE TO AVOID ALL COMPLICATIONS? CASE REPORTS AND LITERATURE REVIEW.

Pulmonary embolism is a potentially lethal complication in plastic surgery patients. About 34% of the members of American Society of Plastic Surgery have diagnosed pulmonary embolism in their patients, and 7% had experienced at least 1 death due to this complication. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons Executive Committee approved the Venous Thromboembolism Task Force Report. The members agreed that there was not enough evidence to make all-inclusive recommendations for plastic surgery deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism prophylaxis, but released the 2005 Caprini Scale accompanied by the Task Force recommendations for use in plastic surgery. It is generally strongly advised to use appropriate prophylactic measures against venous thromboembolism in all surgical procedures. However, even then we cannot completely avoid this serious complication.

PIP IMPLANTS--CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND LITERATURE REVIEW.

Non-compliance with the production process and use of non-certified materials du- ring production of PIP implants opened an extensive debate regarding regulation and control mechanisms during their production, but the question of health safety of breast implants in general was also reopened. Production of breast implants is subject to various control mechanisms in each country and it is necessary to unify and coordinate such mechanisms. PIP implants were on the market for more than 15 years and in this period the production process and used materials were being changed purposely and without control, which resulted in production of implants with poor quality capsule filled with non-certified silicon gel. There were around 600,000 of these erroneous implants produced. Despite demonstrable harmfulness of the PIP implants, the current studies were not able to reliably confirm health hazard of these implants. Financial costs together with the inability to demonstrate health risk of PIP implants is the reason why the question to widely replace these implants was not solved and each state has a different opinion on this issue.

The effect of supplementation of clove and agrimony or clove and lemon balm on growth performance, antioxidant status and selected indices of lipid profile of broiler chickens.

The study investigated the effects of diet supplementation with 1% clove flower buds powder combined with either 0.2% lemon balm extract or 0.2% agrimony extract (each of the two pulverized extracts supplied through drinking water) on body weight of broilers, total feed intake, feed conversion ratio and the carcass yield, activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px, EC 1.11.1.9) in blood, concentration of sulfhydryl (-SH) groups, malondialdehyde (MDA), vitamin A and E, low-density lipoproteins in the blood plasma, serum cholesterol, total lipids, triglycerides and high-density lipoproteins in broiler chickens at 42 days of age. On the day of hatching, 120 male and female broilers of Cobb 500 were randomly divided into three groups. The control group (1st group) of broilers received a basal diet (BD) without any feed and water additive. Both experimental groups of chicks were fed BD enriched with clove (Syzygium aromaticum L.) powder at a dose of 10 g/kg DM for 42 days. Moreover, either lemon balm (Mellisa officinalis L.) extract or agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria L.) extract diluted with drinking water (2:1000) was given to broilers in the 2nd and 3rd group respectively. The results indicated that feeding the diets enriched with selected herbal supplements failed to affect the growth performance of broiler chickens at 42 days of age. In addition, this supplementation had no influence on the activities of SOD and GSH-Px, concentration of vitamin A and selected lipid metabolism indices. On the other hand, we observed beneficial effects on some indices of the antioxidant status (increased concentration of -SH groups and vitamin E, decreased concentration of MDA) in the blood of broilers in both experimental groups in comparison with the control group of chickens (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a slightly better antioxidant capacity was found in the blood of broilers supplied the combination of clove and lemon balm compared to clove and agrimony (vitamin E, 11.26 ± 0.73 vs. 9.73 ± 0.64 µmol/L, p < 0.05 respectively). It could be concluded that supplementation of the diet with clove flower buds powder combined with lemon balm extract or agrimony extract dissolved in drinking water has a potential to increase the antioxidant status but fails to influence either the growth performance or the selected lipid metabolism indices of broilers at the age of 42 days.

Influence of storage conditions and shotshell wounding on the hygienic condition of hunted, uneviscerated pheasant (Phasianus colchicus).

The effects of shot wounds on the hygienic conditions of pheasants (particularly those in the body cavity) were studied. Slaughtered (n = 33) and hunted pheasants (31 specimens with, and 33 specimens without shots in the body cavity) were stored uneviscerated at 0 and 4 degrees C. Specimens were taken at d 0, 3, 7, and 14. Hunted pheasants differed from slaughtered pheasants with respect to muscular hemorrhages and blood and fecal matter in the body cavity but also with regard to the presence of Escherichia coli in breast and thigh muscles. In addition, a higher thigh muscle pH (P < 0.05) was noted in hunted pheasants, with no significant (P > 0.05) increase observed during storage. Concentrations of biogenic amines in muscle tissue remained below the determination limit of 1 mg/kg for 90% of samples analyzed, with the maximum concentration for the remaining 10% of samples reaching 5.7 mg/kg, indicating a low incidence of contaminant bacteria. The observed changes in pH values and levels of biogenic amines failed to correlate with the presence or absence of shot lesions in the body cavity or abdominal region. Total aerobic counts increased significantly during storage, but the absolute numbers were consistently below 10(6) log(10) cfu/g. Although E. coli were <1 log(10) cfu/g in muscles of hunted pheasants on d 3 at 4 degrees C, counts of up to 3.7 log(10) cfu/g on d 7 at 4 degrees C indicated a loss of hygienic quality. Therefore, it is recommended that hunted, uneviscerated pheasants be stored 3 d at 4 degrees C, but not longer than 7 d after the hunt.

Comparison of various assays used for detection of beta-lactam antibiotics in poultry meat.

In this study, microbiological tests for the detection of beta-lactam antibiotics in meat and meat products were evaluated. The traditional FPT (four plate test, containing Bacillus subtilis and Kocuria rhizophila), BsDA (Bacillus stearothermophilus disc assay) and a newly developed microbiological test, Premi Test (containing Bacillus stearothermophilus) were included in the study. The limit of detection (LOD) of the Premi Test was compared with the LOD of the traditional methods. The detection limits of the tests were determined by using beta-lactam antibiotic standards dissolved in meat juice, as well as meat tissue obtained from laying hens after experimental administration of amoxicillin. Positive samples, based on inhibition of growth of the organism in the test, were confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Growth inhibition in the traditional tests is visible as a clear zone on the plate, whereas for Premi Test, this is based on the absence of a colour change of the test. The LODs of antibiotics tested were as follows: Penicillin G (PENG) 5 microg kg(-1), amoxicillin (AMOX) 10 microg kg(-1), ampicillin (AMP) 25 microg kg(-1), oxacillin (OXA) 30 microg kg(-1), and cloxacillin (CLOX) 30 microg kg(-1) on the plate with Bacillus stearothermophilus. Beta-lactam antibiotics can be detected also on one plate seeded with Kocuria rhizophila, although the LODs are higher: PENG 10 microg kg(-1), AMOX 25 microg kg(-1), AMP 30 microg kg(-1), OXA 50 microg kg(-1), and CLOX 50 microg kg(-1). Premi Test was performed according to the Standard Operating Procedure intended for detection of beta-lactam antibiotics in poultry tissues with following LODs: PENG 4 microg kg(-1), AMOX 5 microg kg(-1), AMP 5 microg kg(-1), OXA 40 microg kg(-1), CLOX 50 microg kg(-1). All tests are able to detect beta-lactam antibiotics such as penicillin G, ampicillin, amoxicillin, oxacillin and cloxacillin below the maximum residue level (MRL). However, the detection limits of the Premi Test for PENG, AMOX and AMP were below the limits of BsDA and the plate containing Kocuria rhizophila.

Epidemiological and epizootological aspects of salmonellosis.

In their case report, most of the patients with salmonellosis mentioned consumption of meals containing poultry products, primarily eggs and egg products as a source of their disease. Microbiological analysis of samples showed that in more than 88 % of cases the infection agent was identified as Salmonella enteritidis. This serovar is the most frequent pathogen isolated at poultry farms. In the period of the past five years, 171 outbreaks of salmonellosis were recorded in Slovakia. However, within the group of animal tenders at these farms, no case of salmonellosis was confirmed. The alimentary character of salmonellosis led us to check results of analyses of samples of food and foodstuff of animal origin examined for Salmonella spp. performed during the past five years. The control of results indicated that out of these 228 545 samples of food and foodstuff of animal origin only 0.21% were confirmed as being Salmonella positive and the average ratio of Salmonella enteritidis occurrence in samples was 0.1% per year. A higher incidence (1.43 %) was recorded only in eggs and egg products. Our observations indicated that there was a change in tenacity of Salmonella enteritidis due to its increased resistance, primarily against elevated temperatures including that of pasteurization. An everyday requirement for decreasing the incidence of salmonellosis is based on strict hygienic behaviour "from stable to table". The objective of salmonellosis elimination strongly depends on amending the current legislation as to the establishment of hygienic conditions in complete food chains. (Tab. 4, Ref. 21.)

[Role of total laparoscopic hysterectomy in genital reconstruction in transsexuals]. / Uloha totální laparoskopické hysterektomie v rekonstrukci genitálu u transsexuálních osob.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the suitability of total laparoscopic hysterectomy as an adjunctive procedure in the female-to-male transsexual reassignment surgery. Surgical reassignment surgery in the transsexual is not a frequent procedure. The expertise of an gynaecologist in the treatment of the syndrome is necessary as well as the input of other specialists such as psychiatrists, psychologists, plastic and reconstructive surgeons and urologists. The gynaecological surgeon usually performs the hysterectomy and in some cases also colpectomy. SUBJECT: Case report. METHODS: The authors analyse their own surgical experience with the above mentioned syndrom in the patient in whom the surgical reconstruction took place in two phases. In the first phase the Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy with Bilateral Salpingo Ophorectomy (TLH, BSO) was performed. Of note is that this procedure was chosen due to extremely narrow vaginal canal with no uterine descent. For the second phase of the surgery the patient was referred to the urological surgeon. RESULTS: The duration of the surgery was 54 minutes, the blood loss was not measurable. We have not encountered any per- and postoperative complications and the patient was discharged after 48 hours. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the TLH/BSO approach has enabled to us to preserve the vital structures needed for reconstruction of external genitalia, e.g. inferior epigastric vessels and rectus muscles were not disturbed. This approach is complex and has clear advantages in comparison to vaginal hysterectomy, laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy or even total abdominal hysterectomy. It does guarantee a smooth removal of both ovaries and it is not dependent on the size of the vagina or uterine descent.

Adrenalin versus terlipressin: blood loss and cardiovascular side-effects in the vaginal part of laparoscopically-assisted vaginal hysterectomy or vaginal hysterectomy.

The purpose of the study was to compare blood loss and cardiovascular side-effects in the course of the vaginal part of laparoscopically-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) or single vaginal hysterectomy (VH) [1]. Blood loss was evaluated in relation to local application of two haemostatic agents, e.g. adrenalin as a gold standard versus terlipressin. The investigation was designed as a prospective randomised study. A prospective group of 40 patients selected for LAVH or VH was randomised into two groups, e.g. 20 patients in each group. In both of these groups, the blindly selected haemostatic agent was applied locally immediately before circular colpotomy, the surgeon not being aware which agent was being used. Because of the claimed delayed effect of terlipressin a third group of another 20 patients was randomly selected. For comparison in this group terlipressin was locally already applied before the laparoscopic part of LAVH, e.g. 20-25 minutes before performing circular colpotomy. Thus, this particular group could not be made blind to the surgeon. The study confirmed a significantly superior haemostatic effect of adrenalin. On the other hand after the adrenalin application a higher frequency of hypertensive reactions and mild arrythmias were observed but without any clinical seguelae.

[Radical trachelectomy in the treatment of early cervical carcinoma]. / Radikální trachelektomie v lécbe casného cervikálního karcinomu.

In recent years a new less radical methods in the treatment of early cervical carcinoma has been introduced. The radical trachelectomy with laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy represents one of these options. This procedure is special in that it not only treats the cervical cancer in acceptable oncological fashion but at the same time preserves the fertility potential of the patients. Thus, this surgery represents a midway point in between conisation and radical hysterectomy. Based on our initial experience in this study the technique of radical trachelectomy is analysed in detail and at the same time the current literature on the subject is reviewed. We conclude that after careful selection of the patients this more conservative approach leads to the same results comparable to classical radical surgery.