Effects of lysine levels on performance, blood parameters, and nutrient digestibility of Duroc barrows in the starter phase.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different levels of digestible lysine, at fixed amino acid ratios, in performance, blood parameters and diet digestibility of barrows from 15 to 30 kg. Fifty barrows of the Duroc breed with an average initial body weight of 14.95±3.22 kg were assigned to five treatments in a completely randomized experimental design with five replicates and of two animals per experimental unit. Treatments consisted of crude protein and lysine levels, maintaining a fixed ratio with the other digestible amino acids (8.4, 9.4, 10.4, 11.4, and 12.4 g kg-1lysine/kg of diet). The feed conversion decreased linearly according to lysine levels. The apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter and crude protein increased linearly, and the same response was observed for serum total protein and urea. The results indicate that digestible lysine level for Duroc barrows in the starter phase is 12.4 g kg-1 of diet, as it improved feed conversion ratio and apparent nutrient digestibility.

Pasta waste in the feeding of meat quail.

This study was undertaken to investigate the performance, carcass characteristics, and economic viability of diets including pasta waste in meal form (PWM) for quail. A total of 450 unsexed meat quail (Coturnix coturnix coturnix) were distributed into five treatments (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40% inclusion of PWM) in a completely randomized design with six replicates, each with 15 birds. The following rearing periods were evaluated: Phase 1 - 1 to 21 days; and period of 1 to 42 days. In Phase 1, the PWM levels did not influence feed intake (FI), and the PWM inclusion levels for optimal weight gain (WG) and feed conversion (FC) were estimated at 20.70% and 22.8%, respectively. In the cumulative period of 1 to 42 days, the PWM levels did not lead to differences in FI, WG, or FC. The yields of carcass and cuts were not influenced by the treatments; however, abdominal fat yield decreased as the PWM levels in the diets were increased. Economic analysis showed a reduction of the feeding cost in the studied phases. Pasta waste meal can be included up to the level of 40% without incurring losses in the performance or carcass yield of meat quail.

A prospective RCT comparing combined chromoendoscopy with water exchange (CWE) vs water exchange (WE) vs air insufflation (AI) in adenoma detection in screening colonoscopy.

Background: A low adenoma detection rate (ADR) increases risks of interval cancers (ICs). Proximal colon flat polyps, e.g. serrated lesions (SLs), are difficult to find. Missed proximal colon flat lesions likely contribute to IC. Aims: We compared chromoendoscopy with water exchange (CWE), water exchange (WE) and air insufflation (AI) in detecting adenomas in screening colonoscopy. Methods: After split-dose preparation, 480 veterans were randomized to AI, WE and CWE. Results: Primary outcome of proximal ADR (55.6% vs 53.4% vs 52.2%, respectively) were similar in all groups. Adenoma per colonoscopy (APC) and adenoma per positive colonoscopy (APPC) were comparable. Detection rate of proximal colon SLs was significantly higher for CWE and WE than AI (26.3%, 23.6% and 11.3%, respectively, p = 0.002). Limitations: single operator; SLs only surrogate markers of but not IC. Conclusions: When an endoscopist achieves high-quality AI examinations with overall ADR twice (61.6%) the recommended standard (30%), use of WE and CWE does not produce further improvement in proximal or overall ADR. Comparable APC and APPC confirm equivalent withdrawal inspection techniques. WE alone is sufficient to significantly improve detection of proximal SLs. The impact of increased detection of proximal SLs by WE on prevention of IC deserves to be studied. This study is registered at ClinicalTrial.gov (NCT#01607255).

Single-shot structural analysis by high-energy X-ray diffraction using an ultrashort all-optical source.

High-energy X-rays (HEX-rays) with photon energies on order of 100 keV have attractive characteristics, such as comparably low absorption, high spatial resolution and the ability to access inner-shell states of heavy atoms. These properties are advantageous for many applications ranging from studies of bulk materials to the investigation of materials in extreme conditions. Ultrafast X-ray diffraction allows the direct imaging of atomic dynamics simultaneously on its natural time and length scale. However, using HEX-rays for ultrafast studies has been limited due to the lack of sources that can generate pulses of sufficiently short (femtosecond) duration in this wavelength range. Here we show single-crystal diffraction using ultrashort ~90 keV HEX-ray pulses generated by an all-optical source based on inverse Compton scattering. We also demonstrate a method for measuring the crystal lattice spacing in a single shot that contains only ~105 photons in a spectral bandwidth of ~50% full width at half maximum (FWHM). Our approach allows us to obtain structural information from the full X-ray spectrum. As target we use a cylindrically bent Ge crystal in Laue transmission geometry. This experiment constitutes a first step towards measurements of ultrafast atomic dynamics using femtosecond HEX-ray pulses.

Scatter free imaging for the improvement of breast cancer detection in mammography.

In mammography, the reduction of scattered x-rays is vital due to the low contrast or small dimension of the details that are searched for. The typical method of doing so in current conventional mammography is the anti-scatter grid. The disadvantage of this method is the absorption of a proportion of the primary beam and therefore an increase in dose is required to compensate for the loss of counts. An alternative method is proposed, using quasi-monochromatic beams and a pixellated spectroscopic detector. As Compton-scattered x-rays lose energy in the scattering process, they are detected at a lower energy in the spectrum. Therefore the spectrum can be windowed around the monochromatic energy peak, removing the scattered x-rays from the image. The work presented here shows contrast improvement of up to 50% and contrast to noise ratio improvements of around 20% for scatter free imaging in comparison to full spectrum imaging. Contrast improvements of around 45% were found when comparing scatter free images to conventional polychromatic imaging for both the low contrast test object and the Rachel anthropomorphic breast phantom.

Metastatic bone disease: A review of survival, prognostic factors and outcomes following surgical treatment of the appendicular skeleton.

Survival data and prognostic factors may help to provide insight when deciding on the appropriate orthopaedic treatment for patients presenting with metastatic bone disease. This review was conducted to look at the outcomes following orthopaedic surgery for metastatic lesions in the extremities. The literature was identified through the Medline and Embase database and further refined via a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Overall, patients presenting with metastatic bone disease from renal cell cancer or breast cancer had the longest survival rate. Important factors found to predict prognosis was the presence of visceral metastasis, multiple metastases, pathological fracture and the type of primary tumour involved. These prognostic factors may help to direct future inquiry into metastatic bone disease and help determine the type of surgery to use in a metastatic setting in order to avoid complications and unnecessary revisions as well as provide durability.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in an intergenic chromosome 2q region associated with tissue factor pathway inhibitor plasma levels and venous thromboembolism.

Essentials Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) regulates the blood coagulation cascade. We replicated previously reported linkage of TFPI plasma levels to the chromosome 2q region. The putative causal locus, rs62187992, was associated with TFPI plasma levels and thrombosis. rs62187992 was marginally associated with TFPI expression in human aortic endothelial cells. Click to hear Ann Gil's presentation on new insights into thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor SUMMARY: Background Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) regulates fibrin clot formation, and low TFPI plasma levels increase the risk of arterial thromboembolism and venous thromboembolism (VTE). TFPI plasma levels are also heritable, and a previous linkage scan implicated the chromosome 2q region, but no specific genes. Objectives To replicate the finding of the linkage region in an independent sample, and to identify the causal locus. Methods We first performed a linkage analysis of microsatellite markers and TFPI plasma levels in 251 individuals from the F5L Family Study, and replicated the finding of the linkage peak on chromosome 2q (LOD = 3.06). We next defined a follow-up region that included 112 603 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) under the linkage peak, and meta-analyzed associations between these SNPs and TFPI plasma levels across the F5L Family Study and the Marseille Thrombosis Association (MARTHA) Study, a study of 1033 unrelated VTE patients. SNPs with false discovery rate q-values of < 0.10 were tested for association with TFPI plasma levels in 892 patients with coronary artery disease in the AtheroGene Study. Results and Conclusions One SNP, rs62187992, was associated with TFPI plasma levels in all three samples (ß = + 0.14 and P = 4.23 × 10-6 combined; ß = + 0.16 and P = 0.02 in the F5L Family Study; ß = + 0.13 and P = 6.3 × 10-4 in the MARTHA Study; ß = + 0.17 and P = 0.03 in the AtheroGene Study), and contributed to the linkage peak in the F5L Family Study. rs62187992 was also associated with clinical VTE (odds ratio 0.90, P = 0.03) in the INVENT Consortium of > 7000 cases and their controls, and was marginally associated with TFPI expression (ß = + 0.19, P = 0.08) in human aortic endothelial cells, a primary site of TFPI synthesis. The biological mechanisms underlying these associations remain to be elucidated.

Mapping of multi-elements during melting and solidification using synchrotron X-rays and pixel-based spectroscopy.

A new synchrotron-based technique for elemental imaging that combines radiography and fluorescence spectroscopy has been developed and applied to study the spatial distribution of Ag, Zr and Mo in an Al alloy during heating and melting to 700, and then re-soldification. For the first time, multi-element distributions have been mapped independently and simultaneously, showing the dissolution of Ag- and Zr-rich particles during melting and the inter-dendritic segregation of Ag during re-solidification. The new technique is shown to have wide potential for metallurgical and materials science applications where the dynamics of elemental re-distribution and segregation in complex alloys is of importance.

3D chemical imaging in the laboratory by hyperspectral X-ray computed tomography.

We report the development of laboratory based hyperspectral X-ray computed tomography which allows the internal elemental chemistry of an object to be reconstructed and visualised in three dimensions. The method employs a spectroscopic X-ray imaging detector with sufficient energy resolution to distinguish individual elemental absorption edges. Elemental distributions can then be made by K-edge subtraction, or alternatively by voxel-wise spectral fitting to give relative atomic concentrations. We demonstrate its application to two material systems: studying the distribution of catalyst material on porous substrates for industrial scale chemical processing; and mapping of minerals and inclusion phases inside a mineralised ore sample. The method makes use of a standard laboratory X-ray source with measurement times similar to that required for conventional computed tomography.

Urban-rural differences in the gene expression profiles of Ghanaian children.

Recent studies indicate that urbanization is having a pronounced effect on disease patterns in developing countries. To understand the immunological basis of this, we examined mRNA expression in whole blood of genes involved in immune activation and regulation in 151 children aged 5-13 years attending rural, urban low socioeconomic status (SES) and urban high-SES schools in Ghana. Samples were also collected to detect helminth and malaria infections. Marked differences in gene expression were observed between the rural and urban areas as well as within the urban area. The expression of both interleukin (IL)-10 and programmed cell death protein 1 increased significantly across the schools from urban high SES to urban low SES to rural (P-trend <0.001). Although IL-10 gene expression was significantly elevated in the rural compared with the urban schools (P<0.001), this was not associated with parasitic infection. Significant differences in the expression of toll-like receptors (TLRs) and their signaling genes were seen between the two urban schools. Genetic differences could not fully account for the gene expression profiles in the different groups as shown by analysis of IL-10, TLR-2 and TLR-4 gene polymorphisms. Immune gene expression patterns are strongly influenced by environmental determinants and may underlie the effects of urbanization seen on health outcomes.

Stearidonic and γ-linolenic acids in echium oil improves glucose disposal in insulin resistant monkeys.

Echium oil (EO) contains stearidonic acid (18:4), a n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and gamma-linolenic acids (18:3), a n-6 PUFA that can be converted to long chain (LC)-PUFAs. We aimed to compare a safflower oil (SO)-enriched diet to EO- and fish oil (FO)-enriched diets on circulating and tissue PUFAs levels and glycemic, inflammatory, and cardiovascular health biomarkers in insulin resistant African green monkeys. In a Latin-square cross-over study, eight monkeys consumed matched diets for 6 weeks with 3-week washout periods. Monkeys consuming FO had significantly higher levels of n-3 LC-PUFAs and EO supplementation resulted in higher levels of circulating n-3 LC-PUFAs and a significant increase in dihomo-gamma linolenic acid (DGLA) in red blood cells and muscle. Glucose disposal was improved after EO consumption. These data suggest that PUFAs in EO supplementation have the capacity to alter circulating, RBC and muscle LC-PUFA levels and improve glucose tolerance in insulin-resistant monkeys.

Preformed vs intraoperative bending of titanium mesh for orbital reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE: The most accurate orbital reconstructions result from an anatomic repair of the premorbid orbital architecture. Many different techniques and materials have been used; unfortunately, there is currently no optimal method. This study compares the use of preformed vs intraoperative bending of titanium mesh for orbital reconstruction in 2-wall orbital fractures. STUDY DESIGN: Cadaver-based study. SETTING: University hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Preinjury computed tomography scans were obtained in 15 cadaveric heads (30 orbits). Stereolithographic (STL) models were fabricated for 5 of the specimens (10 orbits). Two wall fractures (lamina papyracea and floor) were then generated in all orbits. Surgical reconstruction was performed in all orbits using 1 of 3 techniques (10 orbits each): (1) patient-specific implant molded from the preinjury STL model, (2) titanium mesh sheet bent freehand, and (3) preformed titanium mesh. Each technique was evaluated for orbital volume correction, contour accuracy, ease of use, and cost. RESULTS: No difference in volume restoration was found between the 3 techniques. Patient-specific implants had the greatest contour accuracy, poor ease of use, and highest cost. Freehand bending implants had the poorest contour accuracy, acceptable ease of use, and lowest cost. Preformed mesh implants had intermediate contour accuracy, excellent ease of use, and low cost. CONCLUSION: All 3 techniques provide equivalent orbital volume correction. However, preformed mesh implants have many advantages based on contour accuracy, ease of use, and relative cost.

Efficacy of DEET and non-DEET-based insect repellents against bites of Simulium damnosum vectors of onchocerciasis.

Coping strategies including smoke screens are used against nuisance bites of Simulium damnosum Theobald (Diptera:Simuliidae) in onchocerciasis endemic communities. To find more effective alternatives, the efficacy of commercially available N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) products with active concentrations of 9.5, 13, 25, 50 and 98.1-100% and 'NO MAS,' (active component: para-menthane-3,8-diol and lemon grass oil) were tested at Bui-Agblekame, Ghana. A Latin square study design was implemented using eight groups of two vector collectors each, who used repellents (treatment), mineral oil or nothing each day until the end of the study. Flies were caught and their numbers each hour recorded using the standard methods for onchocerciasis transmission studies. T-tests were used to compare the mean duration of protection and a one-way analysis of variance controlling for catchers and repellents was performed. Tukey's test was used to compare protection by repellents and mineral oil. The highest percentage protection was 80.8% by NO MAS and the least 42.5% by the 13% DEET product. The period of absolute protection was 5 h by NO MAS and 1 h by 50% DEET product. No significant increase in protection was offered beyond 25% active DEET products and no significance was observed in terms of catcher × repellent effect (F = 1.731, d.f. = 48, P = 0.209).

In the case of transmission of Mycobacterium ulcerans in buruli ulcer disease Acanthamoeba species stand accused.

Buruli ulcer disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans results in extensive destruction of skin and soft tissue and long-term functional disabilities that ultimately require surgery and rehabilitation. The disease is associated with aquatic and swampy environments with the mycobacterium occurring in biofilms, soil, aquatic insects, fish and wildlife however, the mode of transmission to humans remains an enigma. Current transmission ideas including bites from predatory water bugs and mosquitoes, do not explain satisfactorily the spasmodic disease distribution in human populations. Here we argue that Acanthamoeba species are the natural hosts of M. ulcerans and are mainly responsible for disease transmission because; (i) Acanthamoebae are known natural hosts of several microbial pathogens including M. marinum, M. avium and Legionella pneumophila, (ii) culture of slow-to-grow microbial pathogens hosted in nature by Acanthamoeba spp is enhanced when the media is seeded with the protozoa, (iii) acanthamoebae and M. ulcerans share similar bio-ecological and epidemiological settings, (iv) documented evidence that prior growth of L. pneumophila and M. avium in acanthamoebae influences entry mechanisms, intracellular growth and virulence in human monocytes, (v) Acanthamoeba spp also infect humans and cause diseases via routes of openings including broken skin and sites of trauma similar to M. ulcerans and (vi) M. ulcerans is rather a fastidious intracellular organism as recent analysis of the genome indicate. We argue further that temperature plays a significant role in transmission determining the fate of either the intracellular microbe or the host cells. Also, Acanthamoeba-pathogen association has a long evolutionary history because the same set of bacterial genes and gene products e.g. in L. pneumophila are required for survival in both mammalian and protozoan host cells. We suggest that the involvement of Acanthamoeba in the transmission of M. ulcerans to humans better explains the disease's epidemiology.

Pixellated Cd(Zn)Te high-energy X-ray instrument.

We have developed a pixellated high energy X-ray detector instrument to be used in a variety of imaging applications. The instrument consists of either a Cadmium Zinc Telluride or Cadmium Telluride (Cd(Zn)Te) detector bump-bonded to a large area ASIC and packaged with a high performance data acquisition system. The 80 by 80 pixels each of 250 µm by 250 µm give better than 1 keV FWHM energy resolution at 59.5 keV and 1.5 keV FWHM at 141 keV, at the same time providing a high speed imaging performance. This system uses a relatively simple wire-bonded interconnection scheme but this is being upgraded to allow multiple modules to be used with very small dead space. The readout system and the novel interconnect technology is described and how the system is performing in several target applications.

Construction and characterisation of a BAC library made from field specimens of the onchocerciasis vector Simulium squamosum (Diptera: Simuliidae).

A Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) library was made from wild-caught Simulium squamosum, which is an important vector of human onchocerciasis. The library is composed of 12,288 BACs, with an average insert size of 128 kb, and is expected to contain ~1.54 GB of cloned DNA. Random BAC-end sequencing generated over 95 kb of DNA sequence data from which putative S. squamosum gene sequences and novel repetitive DNA families were identified, including DNA transposons, retrotransposons and simple sequence repeats (SSRs). The sequence survey also provided evidence of DNA of microbial origin, and dissection of sample blackflies indicated that some of those used to prepare the library were likely to be parasitized by the mermithid Isomermis lairdi. Hybridisations with a set of three independent blackfly single-copy genes and two Wolbachia genes suggest that the library provides around 13-fold coverage of the S. squamosum genome and about 12-fold coverage of its Wolbachia endosymbiont.

Phylogenetically distinct Wolbachia gene and pseudogene sequences obtained from the African onchocerciasis vector Simulium squamosum.

Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria mostly found in a diverse range of arthropods and filarial nematodes. They have been classified into seven distinct 'supergroups' and other lineages on the basis of molecular phylogenetics. The arthropod-infecting Wolbachia are usually regarded as reproductive parasites because they manipulate their host species' sexing system to enhance their own spread, and this has led to their investigation as potential agents of genetic control in medical entomology. We report 12 partial Wolbachia gene sequences from: aspC, aspS, dnaA, fbpA, ftsZ, GroEL, hcpA, IDA, rpoB, rpe, TopI and wsp as well as a single ftsZ pseudogene sequence, which have all been PCR-amplified from Simulium squamosum (Diptera: Simuliidae). To our knowledge this is the first such report from Simuliidae. Uninterrupted open-reading frame sequences were obtained from all 12 genes, covering approximately 6.2kb of unique DNA sequence. Phylogenetic analyses with the different coding genes gave consistent results suggesting that the Wolbachia sequences obtained here do not derive from any of the known Wolbachia supergroups or lineages. Consistent with a unique genetic status for the S. squamosumWolbachia, the hypervariable regions of the Wolbachia-specific wsp gene were distinct from all previous records in both sequence and length. As well as potential implications for newly emerging Wolbachia-based disease control methods, the results may be relevant to some problems experienced in the laboratory colonisation of Simulium damnosum sensu lato and why it is such a diverse species complex.

An 18S ribosomal DNA barcode for the study of Isomermis lairdi, a parasite of the blackfly Simulium damnosum s.l.

The mermithid parasite, Isomermis lairdi Mondet, Poinar & Bernadou (Nematoda: Mermithidae), is known to have a major impact on populations of Simulium damnosum s.l. Theobald (Diptera: Simuliidae) and on their efficiency as vectors of Onchocerca volvulus (Leuckart) (Nematoda: Filarioidea). However, the value of I. lairdi and other mermithid parasites as potential means of integrated vector control has not been fully realized. This is partly because traditional taxonomic approaches have been insufficient for describing and analysing important aspects of their biology and host range. In total, rDNA barcode sequences have been obtained from over 70 I. lairdi mermithids found parasitizing S. damnosum s.l. larvae in three different rivers. No two sequences were found to vary by more than 0.5%, and cytospecies identification of mermithid hosts revealed that I. lairdi with identical rDNA barcodes can parasitize multiple cytoforms of the S. damnosum complex, including S. squamosum (Enderlein). Phylogenetic analysis using a partial sequence from the 18S ribosomal DNA barcode, grouped I. lairdi in a monophyletic group with Gastromermis viridis Welch (Nematoda: Mermithidae) and Isomermis wisconsinensis Welch (Nematoda: Mermithidae).

The elimination of the onchocerciasis vector from the island of Bioko as a result of larviciding by the WHO African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control.

The island of Bioko is part of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea and is the only island in the World to have endemic onchocerciasis. The disease is hyperendemic and shows a forest-type epidemiology with low levels of blindness and high levels of skin disease, and the whole population of 68,000 is estimated to be at risk. Control of onchocerciasis began in 1990 using ivermectin and this yielded significant clinical benefits but transmission was not interrupted. Feasibility and preparatory studies carried out between 1995 and 2002 confirmed the probable isolation of the vector on the island, the high vectorial efficiency of the Bioko form of Simulium yahense, the seasonality of river flow, blackfly breeding and biting densities, and the distribution of the vector breeding sites. It was proposed that larviciding should be carried out from January to April, when most of the island's rivers were dry or too low to support Simulium damnosum s.l., and that most rivers would not need to be treated above 500 m altitude because they were too small to support the breeding of S. damnosum s.l. Larviciding (with temephos) would need to be carried out by helicopter (because of problems of access by land), supplemented by ground-based delivery. Insecticide susceptibility trials showed that the Bioko form was highly susceptible to temephos, and insecticide carry was tested in the rivers by assessing the length of river in which S. damnosum s.l. larvae were killed below a temephos dosing point. Regular fly catching points were established in 1999 to provide pre-control biting densities, and to act as monitoring points for control efforts. An environmental impact assessment concluded that the proposed control programme could be expected to do little damage, and a large-scale larviciding trial using ground-based applications of temephos (Abate 20EC) throughout the northern (accessible) part of the island was carried out for five weeks from 12 February 2001. Following this, a first attempt to eliminate the vectors was conducted using helicopter and ground-based applications of temephos from February to May 2003, but this was not successful because some vector populations persisted and subsequently spread throughout the island. A second attempt from January to May 2005 aimed to treat all flowing watercourses and greatly increased the number of treatment points. This led to the successful elimination of the vector. The last biting S. damnosum s.l. was caught in March 2005 and none have been found since then for more than 3 years.