Statistical assessment of feeding corn with higher oil content to piglets in the starter phase

The aim of this study was to assess the digestibility coefficients (DC) of corn [maize] with an oil content above 3.46% and its effects on the performance of piglets when fed as dry grain (DG) and as rehydrated corn grain silage (RCGS). In Experiment I, 15 piglets (22.51 + 2.39 kg) were allocated to a reference diet (RD) and to two test diets in which corn in the RD was replaced with DG or RCGS. There were five replications of each treatment. Experiment II involved 36 piglets (14.76 ± 2.72 kg), which were assigned to a control diet with common corn grain and to diets in which DG or RCGS replaced the common corn. There were six replications of each treatment. Data were analysed with four statistical models. Model 1 included only the effect of treatment. Model 2 was similar to Model 1 but included initial bodyweight as a covariate. Model 3 was similar to model 1 but included the interaction of diet and period. Model 4 was similar to Model 3 but included the covariate. The more complicated models were generally preferred to Model 1 as they controlled more of the nuisance variation. Feeding a diet that contained RCGS reduced feed intake and improved feed conversion ratio (FCR)

Genotyping Of Kell, Duffy, Kidd And Rhd In Patients With β Thalassemia

Determination of Rh, Kell, Duffy and Kidd phenotypes in addition to ABO is used to prevent the alloimmunization to red blood cells (RBCs) antigens and as part of the antibody identification process in patients with β Thalassemia. However, phenotyping in these patients can be time consuming and difficult to interpret. In these situations, it would be valuable to have an alternative to hemagglutination tests to determine the patient's antigen profile. We used PCR-RFLP to genotype such patients. DNA was prepared from 50 patients with β Thalassemia who had been phenotyped by routine hemagglutination, and tested for Kell, Kidd, Duffy/ GATA mutation by PCR-RFLP. RHD/non-D was analysed by PCR product size associated to RHD gene sequence in intron 4 and exon 10/3'UTR. The genotyping assays were performed without knowledge of phenotype results. For RHD/non-D, 47 were RhD+ and RHD+/RHCE+, and 3 were RhD- and RHD-/RHCE+. For Kell, 48 kk were K2K2 and 2 Kk were K1K2. For Duffy, of 44 samples that had normal GATA box, 8 Fy(a+b-) were FYA/FYA, 15 Fy(a+b+) were FYB/FYB, and 19 Fy(a+b+) were FYA/FYB; of the other 4 samples 3 were FYA/FYB and heterozygous GATA mutation, and 1 Fy(a-b-) was FYB/FYB, homozygous GATA mutation. Two samples phenotyped as Fy(a+b-) that had normal GATA, presented the 265T/298 A mutations and two samples phenotyped as Fy(a-b+) were genotyped was FYA/FYB. For Kidd, 15 Jk(a+b) were JKA/JKA, 12 Jk(a-b+) were JKB/JKB, and 20 Jk(a+b+) were JKA/JKB. Three samples phenotyped as JK(a+b+) were genotyped as JKB/JKB. Genotype is more accurate than phenotype for determination of blood groups in polytransfused patients with β Thalassemia. Genotyping in these patients can be helpful to select antigen-negative RBCs for transfusion.2226976Blumberg, N., Peck, K., Ross, K., Avila, E., Immune response to chronic red blood cell transfusion (1983) Vox Sang, 44, pp. 212-217Economidou, J., Constantoulakis, M., Augoustaki, O., Adinolfi, M., Frequency of antibodies to various antigenic determinants in polytransfused patients with homozygous thalassemia in Greece (1971) Vox Sang, 20, p. 252Sirchia, G., Zanella, A., Parravicini, A., Morelati, F., Rebulla, P., Masera, G., Red cell alloantibodies in patients with thalassemia major. Results of na Italian cooperative study (1985) Transfusion, 25, p. 110Spanos, T., Karageorga, M., Ladis, V., Peristeri, J., Hatziliami, A., Kattamis, C., Red cell alloantibodies in patients with thalassemia (1990) Vox Sang, 58, p. 50Greenwalt, T.J., Zelenski, K.R., Transfusion support for hemoglobinopathies (1984) Clin. Haematol., 13, pp. 151-165Charache, S., Problems in transfusion therapy (1990) N. Engl. J. Med., 322, pp. 1666-1668. , editorialPerkins, H.A., The safety of the blood supply: Making decisions in transfusion medicine (1992) Blood Safety: Current Challenges, pp. 125-150. , Nance SJ, ed. Bethesda: American Association of Blood BanksColes, S.M., Klein, H.G., Holland, P.V., Alloimmunization in two multitransfused patient populations (1981) Transfusion, 21, pp. 462-466Michail-Merianou, V., Pamphili-Panouspoulou, L., Piperi-Lowes, L., Pelegrinis, E., Karaklis, A., Alloimmunization to red cell antigens in thalassemia: Comparative study of usual versus better-match transfusion programmes (1987) Vox Sang, 52, p. 95Reid, M.E., Yazdanbakhsh, K., Molecular insights into blood groups and implications for blood transfusions (1998) Current Opinion in Hematology, 5, pp. 93-102Avent, N.D., Human erythrocyte antigen expression: Its molecular bases (1997) Br. J. Biom. Sci., 54, pp. 16-37Lee, T.H., Donegan, E., Slichter, S., Bush, M.P., Transient increase in circulating donor leucocytes after allogeneic transfusions in Immunocompetent recipients compatible with donor cell proliferation (1995) Blood, 85, pp. 1207-1214Adams, F.T., Davenport, R.D., Rcardon, D.A., Roth, M.S., Detection of circulating donor white blood cells in patients receiving multiple trasnfusions (1992) Blood, 80, pp. 551-555Lee, T.-H., Paglieroni, T., Ohro, H., Holland, P.V., Bush, M.P., Longterm multi-lineage chimerism of donor leucocytes in transfused trauma patients (1996) Blood, 88, p. 265. , abstrRios, M., Cash, K., Strupp, A., Uehlinger, J., Reid, M.E., DNA from urine sediment or buccal cells can be used for blood group molecular genotyping (1999) Immunehematology, 15, pp. 61-65Reid, M.E., Rios, M., Powell, D., Charles-Pierre, D., Malavade, V., DNA from blood samples can be used to genotype patients who have recently received a transfusion (2000) Transfusion, 40, pp. 1-6Davies, L., Dibner, M.D., Battey, J.F., (1986) Basic Methods in Molecular Biology, , Elsevier Science Publishing Co. Inc., New YorkLee, S., Wu, X., Reid, M.E., Zelinski, T., Redman, C., Molecular basis of the Kell (K1) phenotype (1995) Blood, 85, pp. 912-916Olivès, B., Merriman, M., Bailly, P., Bain, S., Barnett, A., Todd, J., Cartron, J.-P., Merriman, T., The molecular basis of the Kidd blood group polymorphism and its lack of association with type 1 diabetes susceptibility (1997) Hum. Mol. Genet., 6, pp. 1017-1020Chaudhuri, A., Polyakova, J., Zbrezezna, V., Williams, K., Gulati, S., Pogo, A.O., Cloning of glycoprotein D cDNA, which encodes the major subunit of the Duffy blood group system and the receptor for the Plasmodium vivax malaria parasite (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 90, pp. 10793-10797Iwamoto, S., Omi, T., Kajii, E., Ikemoto, S., Genomic organization of the glycophorin D gene: Duffy blood group Fy a/Fy b alloantigen system is associated with a polymorphism at the 44-amino residue (1995) Blood, 85, pp. 622-626Tournamille, C., Collin, Y., Cartron, J.-P., Van Le Kim, C., Disruption of a GATA motif in the Duffy gene promotor abolishes erythroid gene expression in Duffy-negative individuals (1995) Nature Genet., 10, pp. 224-228Rios, M., Reid, M.E., Naime, D., Chaudhuri, A., Pogo, A.O., Bianco, C., Importance of GATA box analysis in genotyping for the Duffy blood group system (1997) Transfusion, 37 (S), pp. 101S. , abstrZimmerman, P.A., Woolley, I., Masinde, G.L., Miller, S.M., McNamara, D.T., Hazlett, F., Mgone Alpers, M.P., Kazura, J.W., Emergence of FY*A(null) in a Plasmodium vivax-endemic region of Papua New Guinea (1999) Proc Natl Acad Sci. USA, 96 (24), pp. 13973-13977. , Nov 23Olsson, M.L., Hansson, C., Akesson, I.E., Avent, N.D., Daniels, G.L., Detection of the common alleles at the Duffy blood group locus by allele-specific primer PCR (1997) Transfusion, 37 (S), pp. 102S. , abstrCartron, J.-P., Bailly, P., Van Le Kim, C., Insights into the structure and function of membrane polypeptides carrying blood group antigens (1998) Vox Sang, 74 (SUPPL. 2), pp. 29-64Huang, C.H., Molecular insights into the Rh protein family and associated antigens (1997) Curr Opin Hematol., 4, pp. 94-103Huang, C.H., Blumenfeld, O.O., MNSs blood groups and major glycophorins: Molecular basis for allelic variation (1995) Molecular Basis of Major Human Blood Group Antigens, pp. 153-183. , cartron J-P, Pouger P, eds. New York: Plenum PressAvent, N.D., Reid, M.E., The Rh Blood group system: A review (2000) Blood, 95, pp. 1-1

Comparison of ambient solvent extraction methods for the analysis of fatty acids in non-starch lipids of flour and starch

BACKGROUND: Lipids are minor components of flours, but are major determinants of baking properties and end-product quality. To the best of our knowledge, there is no single solvent system currently known that efficiently extracts all non-starch lipids from all flours without the risk of chemical, mechanical or thermal damage. This paper compares nine ambient solvent systems (monophasic and biphasic) with varying polarities: Bligh and Dyer (BD); modified Bligh and Dyer using HCl (BDHCL); modified BD using NaCl (BDNaCl); methanol–chloroform–hexane (3:2:1, v/v); Hara and Radin (hexane–isopropanol, 3:2, v/v); water-saturated n-butanol; chloroform; methanol and hexane for their ability to extract total non-starch lipids (separated by lipid classes) from wheat flour (Triticum aestivum L.). Seven ambient extraction protocols were further compared for their ability to extract total non-starch lipids from three alternative samples: barley flour (Hordeum vulgare L.), maize starch (Zea mays L.) and tapioca starch (Manihot esculenta Crantz). RESULTS: For wheat flour the original BD method and those containing HCl or NaCl tended to extract the maximum lipid and a significant correlation between lipid extraction yield (especially the glycolipids and phospholipids) and the polarity of the solvent was observed. For the wider range of samples BD and BD HCl repeatedly offered the maximum extraction yield and using pooled standardized (by sample) data from all flours, total non-starch lipid extraction yield was positively correlated with solvent polarity (r=0.5682,P<0.05) and water ratio in the solvent mixture (r=0.5299,P<0.05). CONCLUSION: In general, BD-based methods showed better extraction yields compared to methods without the addition of water and, most interestingly, there was much greater method dependence of lipid yields in the starches when compared to the flour samples, which is due to the differences in lipid profiles between the two sample types (flours and starches)

Charged lepton Flavor Violation in Supersymmetry with Bilinear R-Parity Violation

The simplest unified extension of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with bi-linear R-parity violation naturally predicts a hierarchical neutrino mass spectrum, suitable to explain atmospheric and solar neutrino fluxes. We study whether the individual violation of the lepton numbers L_{e,mu,tau} in the charged sector can lead to measurable rates for BR(mu->e gamma)and $BR(tau-> mu gamma). We find that some of the R-parity violating terms that are compatible with the observed atmospheric neutrino oscillations could lead to rates for mu->e gamma measurable in projected experiments. However, the Delta m^2_{12} obtained for those parameters is too high to be compatible with the solar neutrino data, excluding therefore the possibility of having measurable rates for mu->e gamma in the model.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures. Constraint from solar neutrino data included, conclusions changed respect v

Multitarget Stool DNA Test Performance in an Average-Risk Colorectal Cancer Screening Population

INTRODUCTION: We set out to evaluate the performance of a multitarget stool DNA (MT-sDNA) in an average-risk colonoscopy-controlled colorectal cancer (CRC) screening population. MT-sDNA stool test results were evaluated against fecal immunochemical test (FIT) results for the detection of different lesions, including molecularly defined high-risk adenomas and several other tumor characteristics. METHODS: Whole stool samples (n = 1,047) were prospectively collected and subjected to an MT-sDNA test, which tests for KRAS mutations, NDRG4 and BMP3 promoter methylation, and hemoglobin. Results for detecting CRC (n = 7), advanced precancerous lesions (advanced adenoma [AA] and advanced serrated polyps; n = 119), and non-AAs (n = 191) were compared with those of FIT alone (thresholds of 50, 75, and 100 hemoglobin/mL). AAs with high risk of progression were defined by the presence of specific DNA copy number events as measured by low-pass whole genome sequencing. RESULTS: The MT-sDNA test was more sensitive than FIT alone in detecting advanced precancerous lesions (46% (55/119) vs 27% (32/119), respectively, P < 0.001). Specificities among individuals with nonadvanced or negative findings (controls) were 89% (791/888) and 93% (828/888) for MT-sDNA and FIT testing, respectively. A positive MT-sDNA test was associated with multiple lesions (P = 0.005), larger lesions (P = 0.03), and lesions with tubulovillous architecture (P = 0.04). The sensitivity of the MT-sDNA test or FIT in detecting individuals with high-risk AAs (n = 19) from individuals with low-risk AAs (n = 52) was not significantly different. DISCUSSION: In an average-risk screening population, the MT-sDNA test has an increased sensitivity for detecting advanced precancerous lesions compared with FIT alone. AAs with a high risk of progression were not detected with significantly higher sensitivity by MT-sDNA or FIT