Reproductive Performance of Yorkshire Sows Selected for Residual Feed Intake

Sow reproductive performance traits were evaluated in Yorkshire sows from the ISU residual feed intake (RFI) selection experiment. Compared to the randomly selected control line, sows from the line selected for reduced RFI had more piglets born and born alive and the piglets weighed more at birth, had greater pre-weaning growth rates, and weighed more at weaning. However, sows from the select line lost more weight and body condition during lactation than did sows from the control line

Peri-operative red blood cell transfusion in neonates and infants: NEonate and Children audiT of Anaesthesia pRactice IN Europe: A prospective European multicentre observational study

BACKGROUND: Little is known about current clinical practice concerning peri-operative red blood cell transfusion in neonates and small infants. Guidelines suggest transfusions based on haemoglobin thresholds ranging from 8.5 to 12 g dl-1, distinguishing between children from birth to day 7 (week 1), from day 8 to day 14 (week 2) or from day 15 (≥week 3) onwards. OBJECTIVE: To observe peri-operative red blood cell transfusion practice according to guidelines in relation to patient outcome. DESIGN: A multicentre observational study. SETTING: The NEonate-Children sTudy of Anaesthesia pRactice IN Europe (NECTARINE) trial recruited patients up to 60 weeks' postmenstrual age undergoing anaesthesia for surgical or diagnostic procedures from 165 centres in 31 European countries between March 2016 and January 2017. PATIENTS: The data included 5609 patients undergoing 6542 procedures. Inclusion criteria was a peri-operative red blood cell transfusion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary endpoint was the haemoglobin level triggering a transfusion for neonates in week 1, week 2 and week 3. Secondary endpoints were transfusion volumes, 'delta haemoglobin' (preprocedure - transfusion-triggering) and 30-day and 90-day morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: Peri-operative red blood cell transfusions were recorded during 447 procedures (6.9%). The median haemoglobin levels triggering a transfusion were 9.6 [IQR 8.7 to 10.9] g dl-1 for neonates in week 1, 9.6 [7.7 to 10.4] g dl-1 in week 2 and 8.0 [7.3 to 9.0] g dl-1 in week 3. The median transfusion volume was 17.1 [11.1 to 26.4] ml kg-1 with a median delta haemoglobin of 1.8 [0.0 to 3.6] g dl-1. Thirty-day morbidity was 47.8% with an overall mortality of 11.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate lower transfusion-triggering haemoglobin thresholds in clinical practice than suggested by current guidelines. The high morbidity and mortality of this NECTARINE sub-cohort calls for investigative action and evidence-based guidelines addressing peri-operative red blood cell transfusions strategies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT02350348

Development and Validation of a Risk Score for Chronic Kidney Disease in HIV Infection Using Prospective Cohort Data from the D:A:D Study

Ristola M. on työryhmien DAD Study Grp ; Royal Free Hosp Clin Cohort ; INSIGHT Study Grp ; SMART Study Grp ; ESPRIT Study Grp jäsen.Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health issue for HIV-positive individuals, associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Development and implementation of a risk score model for CKD would allow comparison of the risks and benefits of adding potentially nephrotoxic antiretrovirals to a treatment regimen and would identify those at greatest risk of CKD. The aims of this study were to develop a simple, externally validated, and widely applicable long-term risk score model for CKD in HIV-positive individuals that can guide decision making in clinical practice. Methods and Findings A total of 17,954 HIV-positive individuals from the Data Collection on Adverse Events of Anti-HIV Drugs (D:A:D) study with >= 3 estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) values after 1 January 2004 were included. Baseline was defined as the first eGFR > 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 after 1 January 2004; individuals with exposure to tenofovir, atazanavir, atazanavir/ritonavir, lopinavir/ritonavir, other boosted protease inhibitors before baseline were excluded. CKD was defined as confirmed (>3 mo apart) eGFR In the D:A:D study, 641 individuals developed CKD during 103,185 person-years of follow-up (PYFU; incidence 6.2/1,000 PYFU, 95% CI 5.7-6.7; median follow-up 6.1 y, range 0.3-9.1 y). Older age, intravenous drug use, hepatitis C coinfection, lower baseline eGFR, female gender, lower CD4 count nadir, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) predicted CKD. The adjusted incidence rate ratios of these nine categorical variables were scaled and summed to create the risk score. The median risk score at baseline was -2 (interquartile range -4 to 2). There was a 1: 393 chance of developing CKD in the next 5 y in the low risk group (risk score = 5, 505 events), respectively. Number needed to harm (NNTH) at 5 y when starting unboosted atazanavir or lopinavir/ritonavir among those with a low risk score was 1,702 (95% CI 1,166-3,367); NNTH was 202 (95% CI 159-278) and 21 (95% CI 19-23), respectively, for those with a medium and high risk score. NNTH was 739 (95% CI 506-1462), 88 (95% CI 69-121), and 9 (95% CI 8-10) for those with a low, medium, and high risk score, respectively, starting tenofovir, atazanavir/ritonavir, or another boosted protease inhibitor. The Royal Free Hospital Clinic Cohort included 2,548 individuals, of whom 94 individuals developed CKD (3.7%) during 18,376 PYFU (median follow-up 7.4 y, range 0.3-12.7 y). Of 2,013 individuals included from the SMART/ESPRIT control arms, 32 individuals developed CKD (1.6%) during 8,452 PYFU (median follow-up 4.1 y, range 0.6-8.1 y). External validation showed that the risk score predicted well in these cohorts. Limitations of this study included limited data on race and no information on proteinuria. Conclusions Both traditional and HIV-related risk factors were predictive of CKD. These factors were used to develop a risk score for CKD in HIV infection, externally validated, that has direct clinical relevance for patients and clinicians to weigh the benefits of certain antiretrovirals against the risk of CKD and to identify those at greatest risk of CKD.Peer reviewe

The Implications of Current Ezekiel Research for Theories of the Composition of the Pentateuch

Theories of the composition of the Pentateuch have often been developed without adequately taking into account the literary evidence of the Book of Ezekiel. This is a methodological error, because the literary relationship between Ezekiel and the Pentateuch is extremely strong, especially between Ezekiel and the Holiness Code ( H, Leviticus 17-26), but also with Deuteronomy ( D ) and other parts of the Pentateuch. Therefore, theories of the composition of the Pentateuch impinge on theories of the composition of Ezekiel, and vice-versa. This paper examines four pericopes from Ezekiel that exhibit a pattern of conflation of words and phrases from H with those of D, together with terms associated with what scholars have called the Zion tradition. Essentially, Ezekiel conflates H and D and Zionizes both. This finding has many significant implications for theories of the relative and absolute dates of the Pentateuchal literary strata and the purpose of the final redaction of the Pentateuch. Ezekiel must post-date H and D, since it conflates both. Moreover, the fact that the text of Ezekiel finds it necessary to incorporate references to Jerusalem/Zion into oracles otherwise composed of Pentateuchal language highlights, in dramatic fashion, the absence of Zion theology or terminology from the Pentateuch itself. This absence is difficult to explain if the Pentateuch was redacted—as some have proposed—by Persian period priests intent on legitimizing the Jerusalem Temple

Precision magnetic field mapping for CERN experiment NA62

In the CERN experiment NA62, low-mass straw-tube tracking-chambers have been designed to operate in vacuum and, in conjunction with precisely mapped magnetic fields, enable the determination of the trajectories of the charged decay products of a 75 GeV/c K(+) with high accuracy. This is particularly important for the crucial measurement of the branching fraction for the decay K(+) → π (+) ν ν, which has the potential to reveal BSM physics. The charged particles passing through the magnetic field of a dipole magnet receive a transverse-momentum kick, ΔP (T) = 270 MeV/c, which the physics requires to be determined to better than one part in a thousand. This puts stringent constraints on the required accuracy and precision of the magnetic field components at all points through which charged particles pass. Before reaching the dipole magnet the particles travel through an evacuated steel tank of length 90 m, where residual magnetic fields of typical size 50 μT modify the trajectories of the charged particles and require measurement with a precision of better than 10 μT. In this paper we describe in detail the different approaches to the measurement and analysis of the magnetic field for the two regions, the corrections to the raw data necessary to produce the final field map, and the physics validation procedures showing that the required accuracy and precision of the field maps have been achieved

Jongensjaren : scènes uit de provincie /

Autobiografisch getint relaas over een blanke jongen die opgroeit in de Zuid-Afrikaanse provincie in de jaren veertig en vijftig.1e dr. Nederlandse uitg.: Amsterdam, Ambo, 1997.Autobiografisch getint relaas over een blanke jongen die opgroeit in de Zuid-Afrikaanse provincie in de jaren veertig en vijftig.Schoentjes, Pierr

Reproductive Performance of Yorkshire Sows Selected for Residual Feed Intake

Sow reproductive performance traits were evaluated in Yorkshire sows from the ISU residual feed intake (RFI) selection experiment. Compared to the randomly selected control line, sows from the line selected for reduced RFI had more piglets born and born alive and the piglets weighed more at birth, had greater pre-weaning growth rates, and weighed more at weaning. However, sows from the select line lost more weight and body condition during lactation than did sows from the control line.</p

Effect of selection for residual feed intake during the grow/finish phase of production on sow reproductive performance and lactation efficiency

As feed costs continue to rise and efficiency during finishing is emphasized, the impact of selecting for more efficient grow/finish pigs on reproductive performance and feed efficiency of sows must be evaluated. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate correlated responses for sow reproductive performance and lactation feed efficiency to selection for residual feed intake (RFI) during the grow/finish phase of production (RFIG/F) in 2 selection lines of pigs developed at Iowa State University (Ames, IA) and to estimate heritabilities of these traits. One line was selected over 7 generations for decreased RFIG/F (low RFI [LRFI] line) and the other line was randomly selected for 5 generations and then selected for increased RFIG/F (high RFI [HRFI] line). After 7 generations of selection, LRFI sows had 1.0 more piglets farrowed (P = 0.11) compared with HRFI sows, 1.3 more pigs born alive (P P P P P P P P = 0.47) than HRFI sows. Heritabilities for sow weights, sow body composition, sow maintenance requirements (estimated from BW), and piglet birth weight were high (h2 > 0.4, SE h2 G/F has favorably affected piglet performance and lactation efficiency but has unfavorably affected sow body condition loss and energy balance during lactation. These results indicate that pigs selected for increased efficiency during grow–finish are better able to direct resources where needed during other life history phases, that is, reproduction and lactation.This is a manuscript of an article published as Young, J. M., R. Bergsma, E. F. Knol, J. F. Patience, and J. C. M. Dekkers. "Effect of selection for residual feed intake during the grow/finish phase of production on sow reproductive performance and lactation efficiency." Journal of animal science 94, no. 10 (2016): 4120-4132. doi:10.2527/jas.2015-0130. Posted with permission.</p