Effects of feed refreshing frequency on growth and carcass characteristics of Awassi lambs

Sixty, two-month old male Awassi lambs were used in this study to investigate the effects of feed refreshing (FR) frequencies on their growth and carcass characteristics over a period of 65 days. Treatments were: Feed refreshing at 2 h (FR2), 4 h (FR4), 8 h (FR8), 12 h (FR12) and 24 h (FR24) intervals. The lambs were fed individually. At the onset of each refreshing period the lambs were offered fresh feed ad libitum. Daily feed intakes, weekly live weights and carcass characteristics were recorded. Daily feed intakes per lamb per treatment were: 1.13 kg, 1.05 kg, 1.00 kg, 0.98 kg and 0.95 kg; daily gains were 193.6 g, 180.6 g, 148.6 g, 169.3 g and 146.4 g; feed conversion ratios (kg feed/kg gain) were 6.1, 6.7, 7.2, 7.2 and 7.5; hot carcass weights were 13.0 kg, 13.1 kg, 12.1 kg, 13.3 kg and 13.1 kg; dressing percentages were 42.3%, 42.4%, 39.9%, 40.2% and 41.2%; the proportion of muscle in the carcass was 52.0%, 55.2%, 55.6%, 55.8% and 54.8%; bone ratio was 20.4%, 20.3%, 21.9%, 21.1% and 20.9%; subcutaneous fat ratio was 16.9%, 14.2%, 12.9%, 12.7% and 14.0% and intramuscular fat ratio was 8.8%, 7.1%, 6.8%, 8.7% and 7.7% in FR2, FR4, FR8, FR12 and FR24 treatments, respectively. Results showed that frequent feed refreshing stimulated feed intake and daily gain without affecting carcass characteristics. Keywords: Lamb, feeding system, daily gain, body componentsSouth African Journal of Animal Science Vol. 37 (4) 2007: pp. 248-25

Bcl3 Couples Cancer Stem Cell Enrichment With Pancreatic Cancer Molecular Subtypes

[Background & Aims]: The existence of different subtypes of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and their correlation with patient outcome have shifted the emphasis on patient classification for better decision-making algorithms and personalized therapy. The contribution of mechanisms regulating the cancer stem cell (CSC) population in different subtypes remains unknown. [Methods]: Using RNA-seq, we identified B-cell CLL/lymphoma 3 (BCL3), an atypical nf-κb signaling member, as differing in pancreatic CSCs. To determine the biological consequences of BCL3 silencing in vivo and in vitro, we generated bcl3-deficient preclinical mouse models as well as murine cell lines and correlated our findings with human cell lines, PDX models, and 2 independent patient cohorts. We assessed the correlation of bcl3 expression pattern with clinical parameters and subtypes. [Results]: Bcl3 was significantly down-regulated in human CSCs. Recapitulating this phenotype in preclinical mouse models of PDAC via BCL3 genetic knockout enhanced tumor burden, metastasis, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, and reduced overall survival. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analyses, together with oxygen consumption, sphere formation, and tumorigenicity assays, all indicated that BCL3 loss resulted in CSC compartment expansion promoting cellular dedifferentiation. Overexpression of BCL3 in human PDXs diminished tumor growth by significantly reducing the CSC population and promoting differentiation. Human PDACs with low BCL3 expression correlated with increased metastasis, and BCL3-negative tumors correlated with lower survival and nonclassical subtypes. [Conclusions]: We demonstrate that bcl3 impacts pancreatic carcinogenesis by restraining CSC expansion and by curtailing an aggressive and metastatic tumor burden in PDAC across species. Levels of BCL3 expression are a useful stratification marker for predicting subtype characterization in PDAC, thereby allowing for personalized therapeutic approaches.This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (grants AL 1174/4-1, AL1174/4-2, and Collaborative Research Center 1321 “Modeling and Targeting Pancreatic Cancer” to Hana Algül; SFB824 Z2 to Katja Steiger), the Deutsche Krebshilfe (grant 111646 to Hana Algül), a Ramon y Cajal Merit Award from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain (to Bruno Sainz Jr), a Coordinated Grant from Fundación Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (GC16173694BARB to Bruno Sainz Jr), funding from The Fero Foundation (to Bruno Sainz Jr), and a Proyecto de Investigacion de Salud, ISCIII, Spain (no. PI18/00757 to Bruno Sainz Jr). Jiaoyu Ai is supported by the “China Scholarship Council” grant program

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

Adjunctive use of mitomycin C in endoscopic revision dacryocystorhinostomy

PubMedID: 22896931Objectives: Success rates for revision dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) are lower than primary DCR. Scarring of the sac may limit the surgeon's ability to achieve good nasal and lacrimal mucosa apposition. The aims of this study were to assess the long term safety and efficacy of intra-operative use of adjunctive mitomycin C (MMC) treatment in endoscopic revision DCR surgery over 12-24 (mean 17) months. Methodology: This was a prospective, nonrandomized consecutive case series that included 20 adult patients (20 eyes) with failed primary external DCR who underwent revision surgery under assisted local anaesthesia. During revision endoscopic DCR, intra-operative adjunctive MMC (0.2 mg/mL) was applied to the osteotomy site of the lacrimal sac and scar tissue surrounding the surgical osteum for 5 minutes. Results: The surgical success rate was determined based on the patency of the nasolacrimal system by irrigation and resolution of patient symptoms. Endoscopic revision DCR surgery with MMC was successful in 90% of cases (18 of 20 cases). No adverse effects (eg, abnormal nasal bleeding, mucosal necrosis, infection) or any other surgical adverse events were observed. Conclusions: Adjunctive intra-operative MMC application with endoscopic DCR surgery had a good success rate in patients with nasolacrimal duct obstruction that required revision surgery. Further large, double blind, placebo controlled, randomized studies are needed to confirm these findings

An alternative feeding system for dairy goats: Effects of free-choice feeding on milk yield and milk composition of lactating suckling Damascus goats

The present study was carried out to compare feeding methods in respect to milk yield and milk composition and to assess dietary preferences of lactating suckling Damascus goats receiving feed ingredients as multiple choices under confinement conditions in Northern Cyprus. A total of 36 Damascus goats was allocated to 4 experimental groups with three replicates comprising three goats each for a total period of 7 weeks. The treatment groups were 1. 0.5 kg concentrate and ad libitum lucerne hay, 2. 1.0 kg concentrate and ad libitum lucerne hay, 3. ad libitum total mixed ration (TMR) containing 40% lucerne hay and 60% concentrate, 4. free choice feeding among the main feed ingredients of the concentrate (barley, soyabean meal, wheat bran) and lucerne hay. The results showed that milk yield, concentrate intake, hay intake, total feed intake, crude protein (CP) and metabolizable energy (ME) intakes and liveweight change were affected (P0.05) effects on fat, protein or dry matter contents of milk. However, lactose and non-fat-solids content were affected significantly (P<0.05) by feeding methods, as lactose and non-fat-solids content of the groups increased according to their concentrate intakes. It can be concluded that TMR has satisfactory results in respect to lactational performance of suckling goats and that goats can select a diet corresponding to their nutrient requirements when they are given a choice among different feed ingredients. It is also concluded that free-choice feeding may have the potential to improve production performance of Damascus goats in early lactation

An unusual co-presentation of rhinolithiasis and squamous cell carcinoma in the nasal cavity

PubMedID: 21911298Rhinoliths are nasal stones that result from mineralisation of salts around an endogenous or exogenous nidus within the nasal cavity. They are uncommon nasal masses and usually unilateral and single, situated in the floor of the nose. The patient typically presents with nasal obstruction, facial pain and foul-smelling nasal secretion. To the best of our knowledge, the occurrence of squamous cell carcinoma with rhinolithiasis has not been previously reported in the English-language literature. In this article, we present a 63-year-old man, who had unilateral rhinolithiasis with squamous cell carcinoma within the nasal cavity. © 2011 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery

Rhinolithiasis: Review of 21 cases

PubMedID: 20977836Background: Rhinolithiasis is masses that result from the deposition of salts around an intranasal foreign body. Rhinoliths are rare and rhinolithiasis is generally reported in the literature in single case studies. This study presents 21 cases of rhinolithiasis with a large series of clinical findings, diagnosis, and treatment. Methods: A total of 21 patients diagnosed with rhinolithiasis were identified. Clinical presentations, signs, and symptoms of the patients with radiological findings are presented, and x-ray diffraction analyses of three of the removed rhinoliths were performed to assess their mineralogical composition. Results: A total of 21 patients (9 male and 12 female patients; age range, 4-63 years) diagnosed with rhinolithiasis were reviewed in this study. The most common symptoms were noted as purulent rhinorrhea and nasal obstruction. The other symptoms were headache, oral malodor, and recurrent epistaxis. Nasal endoscopic examination was used for diagnosis of all patients. Endoscopic nasal examinations and computerized tomography (CT) findings revealed that rhinolithiasis was accompanied by sinusitis, chronic vestibulitis, allergic rhinitis, septum deviation, and squamous cell carcinoma. Rhinoliths were fully excised by using endoscopic nasal surgery. Mineralogical analyses of the three removed stones revealed dahllite [Ca5(PO 4,CO3)3OH]. Conclusion: Cases of rhinolithiasis are seen rarely. It should always be considered in patients complaining from long-term unilateral nasal obstruction and unilateral purulent rhinorrhea. The treatment involves the removal of the rhinolith and the use of appropriate antibiotic therapy to control local infection. Rigid nasal endoscopy is the most important method to be used in diagnosis and treatment. Copyright © 2010, OceanSide Publications, Inc

Nutritional consequences among ingredients of free-choice feeding Awassi lambs

The present study was designed (1) to test whether growing lambs can select an adequate diet when offered an unrestricted choice among feed ingredients, and (2) to determine whether choice feeding compared with single-feeding would alter the fattening performance of lambs reared under normal husbandry conditions. Thirty, 3-month-old male Awassi lambs were used. Each dietary treatment had three replicate groups, comprising five lambs each. Ground barley, wheat bran, cottonseed meal and alfalfa hay were used as the main feed ingredients. One of the dietary treatments (choice-fed) was offering the main feed ingredients as choices, while the other (single-fed) was feeding with a control diet (containing 2.4 Meal ME kg-1 and 17.0% CP) prepared using the same feed ingredients for a 56 day fattening period. Lambs offered choices among the feed ingredients could select diets to meet their nutrient requirements according to age throughout the fattening period. For the entire experimental period the choice-fed group attained higher daily live-weight gain (346 g vs. 299 g; P &lt; 0.01) and better feed conversion efficiency (feed/gain; 5.1 vs. 5.7, P &lt; 0.05) than the group given access to the single diet. No difference (P &gt; 0.05) between daily feed intake of the choice-fed and single-fed groups (1776 g vs. 1704 g) was observed. The lambs consistently selected diets high in CP relative to ME when allowed to choose feed ingredients. It is concluded that lambs, when given choices among feed ingredients (ground barley, cotton seed meal, wheat bran and alfalfa straw), can select diets that meet their nutrient requirements according to stage of maturity and they attain better growth performance than lambs fed with a single diet

An alternative feeding system for dairy goats: Effects of free-choice feeding on milk yield and milk composition of lactating suckling Damascus goats

The present study was carried out to compare feeding methods in respect to milk yield and milk composition and to assess dietary preferences of lactating suckling Damascus goats receiving feed ingredients as multiple choices under confinement conditions in Northern Cyprus. A total of 36 Damascus goats was allocated to 4 experimental groups with three replicates comprising three goats each for a total period of 7 weeks. The treatment groups were 1. 0.5 kg concentrate and ad libitum lucerne hay, 2. 1.0 kg concentrate and ad libitum lucerne hay, 3. ad libitum total mixed ration (TMR) containing 40% lucerne hay and 60% concentrate, 4. free choice feeding among the main feed ingredients of the concentrate (barley, soyabean meal, wheat bran) and lucerne hay. The results showed that milk yield, concentrate intake, hay intake, total feed intake, crude protein (CP) and metabolizable energy (ME) intakes and liveweight change were affected (P0.05) effects on fat, protein or dry matter contents of milk. However, lactose and non-fat-solids content were affected significantly (P<0.05) by feeding methods, as lactose and non-fat-solids content of the groups increased according to their concentrate intakes. It can be concluded that TMR has satisfactory results in respect to lactational performance of suckling goats and that goats can select a diet corresponding to their nutrient requirements when they are given a choice among different feed ingredients. It is also concluded that free-choice feeding may have the potential to improve production performance of Damascus goats in early lactation

Analysis of the roles of smoking and allergy in nasal polyposis

Objectives: Recent studies on the etiopathogenesis of nasal polyps have shown that smoking and nonallergenic inhalants such as occupational dust exposure cause chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa. These factors may be associated with nasal polyps. The aim of this study was to use laboratory tests to investigate the effects of smoking and allergens on the development of nasal polyps. Methods: The study included 60 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of nasal polyposis who were treated with functional endoscopic sinus surgery at our clinic and 25 smoker and 25 nonsmoker participants who constituted a control group. Results: In the patient and control groups, the mean absorbance value for cotinine in smokers was found to be statistically significantly lower than that in nonsmokers. There was a significant difference between the groups with respect to blood cotinine positivity. No significant difference was found between the groups in terms of allergy parameters. In the regression model, smoking was found to be the only significant risk factor for the development of nasal polyps, independent of smoking duration, absorbance value, or cotinine positivity. Conclusions: Smoking restriction and avoiding exposure to cigarette smoke by patients with nasal polyps may be an important strategy in the prevention and recurrence of nasal polyposis. No direct relationship was determined between allergy and nasal polyposis. © 2012 Annals Publishing Company. All rights reserved