Direct-fed microbial: Animal nutrition and reproduction responses

Manipulating the gastrointestinal microbial ecosystem to enhance animal performance and reproductive responses has been one of the main goals of animal science researchers and veterinarians. Recent restrictions to the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters led researchers to seek alternative practices that can show promise both from the standpoint of efficacy as well as from the practical and economic aspects. One of the alternatives that surfaced as very promising in the last few decades is the use of direct-fed microbials (DFM) as a means to modulate the effects of the gastrointestinal microbiome on the host immune status, health and productivity. Direct-fed microbials or probiotics is a term most commonly reserved for live, naturally occurring microorganisms that can be supplemented orally to animals to cause a beneficial effect in the host animal. The main objective of this special focus is to expand the knowledge on the mode of action of different microorganisms used as additives as well as to explore novel species of microorganisms and their potential contributions to enhance animal performance and health in ruminants and non-ruminants

The use of indocyanine green in bariatric surgery: A systematic review

Fluorescence-guided surgery is a recently developed technique in minimally invasive surgery in which a fluorescent dye is used to complement the surgeon’s judgment in making real-time intraoperative assessment of organ vascularization and proper tissue perfusion. This technique has been adopted in several different surgical subspecialties with positive results, particularly in hepatobiliary and colorectal surgery. More recently, it has also been applied in bariatric surgery, with the aim of reducing the incidence of leaks. This paper reviews the relevant literature on the topic

Crisi e rimobilitazione: gli italiani, la politica, i partiti nelle indagini campionarie del CISE (2011-2012)

Nella primavera 2012, pochi mesi dopo l\u2019insediamento del governo Monti, i partiti italiani toccavano il punto pi\uf9 basso della loro presa sull\u2019opinione pubblica italiana: altissime percentuali di astenuti e indecisi, con un elettorato demotivato da un\u2019offerta politica ancora incerta (anche a causa della difficile convivenza con un governo tecnico) e quindi incapace di strategie innovative. Tuttavia, \ue8 forse vero che la politica ha orrore del vuoto: l\u2019imminenza delle elezioni amministrative (del maggio 2012) e soprattutto l\u2019ingresso nell\u2019ultimo anno prima delle elezioni politiche segnano una ripresa dell\u2019iniziativa politica, sia da parte dei partiti esistenti che da parte di nuovi attori politici. Il primo a muoversi \ue8 il Movimento 5 Stelle, con un\u2019aggressiva strategia per le elezioni amministrative, in cui registrer\ue0 un grande successo. Ma in secondo luogo \ue8 il centrosinistra a gettarsi in una impegnativa e rischiosa strategia politica basata sulle primarie, che otterr\ue0 tuttavia il grande risultato di una significativa rimobilitazione del proprio elettorato. Tutte queste tendenze sono state puntualmente registrate dalla serie di indagini demoscopiche Osservatorio Politico CISE, condotte ogni sei mesi a partire dalla primavera 2011. I risultati di queste indagini, gi\ue0 pubblicati sul sito web Cise nel corso del 2012, sono raccolti oggi in questo secondo Dossier CISE. Una riflessione sul clima di opinione pubblica che conduce alle elezioni politiche del 2013, che vuole fornire dati utili per interpretare le ultime fasi della campagna elettorale e per inquadrare l\u2019ormai imminente risultato delle elezioni

How to Turn Your Knowledge Graph Embeddings into Generative Models

Some of the most successful knowledge graph embedding (KGE) models for link prediction -- CP, RESCAL, TuckER, ComplEx -- can be interpreted as energy-based models. Under this perspective they are not amenable for exact maximum-likelihood estimation (MLE), sampling and struggle to integrate logical constraints. This work re-interprets the score functions of these KGEs as circuits -- constrained computational graphs allowing efficient marginalisation. Then, we design two recipes to obtain efficient generative circuit models by either restricting their activations to be non-negative or squaring their outputs. Our interpretation comes with little or no loss of performance for link prediction, while the circuits framework unlocks exact learning by MLE, efficient sampling of new triples, and guarantee that logical constraints are satisfied by design. Furthermore, our models scale more gracefully than the original KGEs on graphs with millions of entities

Dorsal Prefrontal Cortex Impairment in Methoxetamine-Induced Psychosis: an 18F-FDG PET/CT Case Study

Submitted15 June 2018. Accepted 13 December 2018. Epub ahead of print 13 February 2019Novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) have currently become a major public health concern because of relatively easy accessibility to these compounds and difficulty in identifying them with routine laboratory techniques. Here, we report the 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computerized tomography ( 18 F-FDG PET/CT) case study of a 23-year-old man who developed a substance-induced psychotic disorder after having intravenously injected himself with an unspecified amount of methoxetamine (MXE), a ketamine derivative hallucinogen. From a clinical perspective, a blunted affective responsiveness with diminished social drive and sense of purpose, along with a profound detachment from the environment, was observed. Psychometric and neuropsychological assessments highlighted severe dissociative symptoms and lack of motivation, along with a mild impairment of verbal fluency, working memory, and attention. Patient’s 18 F-FDG PET/CT scans displayed a significant bilateral deficit of tracer uptake within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). DLPFC activity is critical to goal-oriented cognitive functions, including working memory and sustained attention. DLPFC is also involved in both the temporal integration across multiple sensory modes and in the volitional control of actions, leading to the possibility to construct logically coherent temporal configurations of thought, speech, and behavior. This report highlights that a single acute MXE intoxication may produce severe brain impairment.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Transanal minimally invasive surgery for rectal lesions

Background and Objectives: Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) has emerged as an alternative to transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM). The authors report their experience with TAMIS for the treatment of mid and high rectal tumors. Methods: From November 2011 through May 2016, 31 patients (21 females, 68%), with a median age of 65 years who underwent single-port TAMIS were prospectively enrolled. Mean distance from the anal verge of the rectal tumors was 9.5 cm. Seventeen patients presented with T1 cancer, 10 with large adenoma, 2 with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and 2 with carcinoid tumor. Data concerning demographics, operative procedure and pathologic results were analyzed. Results: TAMIS was successfully completed in all cases. In 4 (13%) TAMIS was converted to standard Park’s transanal technique. Median postoperative stay was 3 days. The overall complication rate was 9.6%, including 1 urinary tract infection, 1 subcutaneous emphysema, and 1 hemorrhoidal thrombosis. TAMIS allowed an R0 resection in 96.8% of cases (30/31 cases) and a single case of local recurrence after a large adenoma resection was encountered. Conclusion: TAMIS is a safe technique, with a short learning curve for laparoscopic surgeons already proficient in single-port procedures, and provides effective oncological outcomes compared to other techniques

Fermi constraints on the ejecta speed and prompt emission region of the distant GRB 220101A

GRB 220101A is the most distant gamma-ray burst detected by the Fermi-LAT to date, at a redshift z = 4.618. It is also a very energetic event, with an equivalent isotropic energy of $3.6\times10^{54}$ erg. We jointly analyzed the Fermi/GBM and LAT observations of GRB 220101A with two independent approaches, and found a significant spectral break at sub-100 MeV energies during the prompt emission. The fast variability of the emission suggests that this spectral attenuation is caused by internal opacity to pair creation. Regardless of the nature of the emission processes assumed in the spectral analysis, we infer a moderate value for the jet Lorentz factor, $\Gamma\sim110$, and find that all of the high-energy emission was produced above and near the photosphere, at a distance of $\sim10^{14}$ cm from the central engine. We compare these results with the four other LAT-detected gamma-ray bursts with similar properties.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Speckle-Tracking Imaging, Principles and Clinical Applications: A Review for Clinical Cardiologists

Evaluation of myocardial mechanics, although complex, has now entered the clinical arena, thanks to the introduction of bedside imaging techniques, such as speckle-tracking echocardiography

How much do needlestick injuries cost? a systematic review of the economic evaluations of needlestick and sharps injuries among healthcare personnel

objective. To provide an overview of the economic aspects of needlestick and sharps injury (NSI) management among healthcare personnel (HCP) within a Health Technology Assessment project to evaluate the impact of safety-engineered devices on health care methods. A systematic review of economic analyses related to NSIs was performed in accordance with the PRISMA statement and by searching PubMed and Scopus databases (January 1997–February 2015). Mean costs were stratified by study approach (modeling or data driven) and type of cost (direct or indirect). Costs were evaluated using the CDC operative definition and converted to 2015 International US dollars (Int$). results. A total of 14 studies were retrieved: 8 data-driven studies and 6 modeling studies. Among them, 11 studies provided direct and indirect costs and 3 studies provided only direct costs. The median of the means for aggregate (direct + indirect) costs was Int$747 (range, Int$199–Int$1,691). The medians of the means for disaggregated costs were Int$425 (range, Int$48–Int$1,516) for direct costs (9 studies) and Int$322 (range, Int$152–Int$413) for indirect costs (6 studies). When compared with data-driven studies, modeling studies had higher disaggregated and aggregated costs, but data-driven studies showed greater variability. Indirect costs were consistent between studies, mostly referring to lost productivity, while direct costs varied widely within and between studies according to source infectivity, HCP susceptibility, and post-exposure diagnostic and prophylactic protocols. Costs of treating infections were not included, and intangible costs could equal those associated with NSI medical evaluations. conclusions. NSIs generate significant direct, indirect, potential, and intangible costs, possibly increasing over time. Economic efforts directed at preventing occupational exposures and infections, including provision of safety-engineered devices, may be offset by the savings from a lower incidence of NSIs