7 & 7 Synch and 7-day progesterone- based protocols for estrus synchronization prior fixedtime artificial insemination in multiparous beef sucked cows

PosterEstrogen-based protocols combined with a progestinreleasing intravaginal device (P4RID) and prostaglandin (PG) synchronize follicle wave emergence prior to artificial insemination (AI) in Bos taurus, with pregnancies per AI (P/AI) ranging from 40 to 60%. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) based protocols + P4RID + PG rely on the presence of a physiologically mature dominant follicle at initial GnRH. Failure to induce ovulation represents a major obstacle to improve P/AI. Pre-synchronization by PG + P4RID 7 days in advance of GnRH increase likelihood of ovulation following GnRH. The aim of this trial was to evaluate fertility in suckled beef cows using GnRH or estrogen treatments with or without pre-synchronizationEEA BarrowFil: Ferré, Luis Bernardo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Chacra Experimental Integrada Barrow; Argentina.Fil: Jaeschke, J. Biogénesis Bagó; Argentina.Fil: Gatti, J. Biogénesis Bagó; Argentina.Fil: Baladón, G. Biogénesis Bagó; Argentina.Fil: Bellocq, E. Biogénesis Bagó; Argentina.Fil: Fernández, G. Actividad privada; Argentina.Fil: Thomas, J. University of Missouri. Division of Animal Sciences; Estados Unido

Association of body surface scanner-based abdominal volume with parameters of the Metabolic Syndrome and comparison with manually measured waist circumference

To investigate abdominal volume determined by a new body scanner algorithm as anthropometric marker for Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and its parameters compared to manually measured waist circumference (WC), we performed body scans in 411 participants (38% men, 20-81 years). WC and triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, and fasting glucose concentrations, and blood pressure were assessed as MetS parameters. We used Spearman correlations and linear regression to investigate associations and goodness-of-fit (R(2), BIC) of abdominal volume and WC with MetS parameters, and logistic regression to analyse the discriminative power of WC and abdominal volume to assess likelihoods of MetS components and MetS. Correlations with triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, and glucose concentration were slightly stronger for abdominal volume (r; 0.32, −0.32, and 0.34, respectively) than for WC (0.28, −0.28, and 0.29, respectively). Explained variances in MetS parameters were slightly higher and goodness-of-fit slightly better for abdominal volume than for WC, but differences were small. Exemplarily, glucose levels were 0.28 mmol/L higher (R² = 0.25; BIC = 945.5) per 1-SD higher WC, and 0.35 mmol/L higher (R² = 0.28; BIC = 929.1) per 1-SD higher abdominal volume. The discriminative power to estimate MetS components was similar for WC and abdominal volume. Our data show that abdominal volume allows metabolic characterization comparable to established WC

Interpreting the results of patient reported outcome measures in clinical trials: The clinician's perspective

This article deals with the problem of interpreting health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcomes in clinical trials. First, we will briefly describe how dichotomization and item response theory can facilitate interpretation. Based on examples from the medical literature for the interpretation of HRQL scores we will show that dichotomies may help clinicians understand information provided by HRQL instruments in RCTs. They can choose thresholds to calculate proportions of patients benefiting based on absolute scores or change scores. For example, clinicians interpreting clinical trial results could consider the difference in the proportion of patients who achieve a mean score of 50 before and after an intervention on a scale from 1 to 100. For the change score approach, they could consider the proportion of patients who have changed by a score of 5 or more. Finally, they can calculate the proportion of patients benefiting and transform these numbers into a number needed to treat or natural frequencies. Second, we will describe in more detail an approach to the interpretation of HRQL scores based on the minimal important difference (MID) and proportions. The MID is the smallest difference in score in the outcome of interest that informed patients or informed proxies perceive as important, either beneficial or harmful, and that would lead the patient or clinician to consider a change in the management. Any change in management will depend on the downsides, including cost and inconvenience, associated with the intervention. Investigators can help with the interpretation of HRQL scores by determining the MID of an HRQL instrument and provide mean differences in relation to the MID. For instance, for an MID of 0.5 on a seven point scale investigators could provide the mean change on the instrument as well as the proportion of patients with scores greater than the MID. Thus, there are several steps investigators can take to facilitate this process to help bringing HRQL information closer to the bedside

Comparison of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone versus Estrogen-Based Fixed-Time Artificial Insemination Protocols in Grazing Bos taurus Suckled Beef Cows

Fixed-timed artificial insemination (FTAI) protocols for beef cattle in South America are primarily based on estradiol esters and intravaginal progesterone-releasing devices (IVPD). The objective of this study was to determine the optimal gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-based protocol as an alternative to the use of estrogen-based protocols in grazing Bos taurus suckling beef cows. All cows received an IVPD on the day of protocol initiation and prostaglandin F2α (PG) plus equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) treatments at the time of IVPD removal. In Experiment 1, cows (n = 235) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: (i) 7-day estradiol = 2 mg of estradiol benzoate (EB) at IVPD insertion on Day 9 and 1 mg of estradiol cypionate (ECP) at IVPD removal on Day 2; (ii) 7-day GnRH = 10 µg of GnRH at IVPD insertion on Day 10, IVPD removal on Day 3 and GnRH at FTAI; (iii) 7 & 7 estradiol = PG at IVPD insertion on Day 16, EB on Day 9 and ECP at IVPD removal on Day 2; (iv) 7 & 7 GnRH = PG at IVPD insertion on Day 17, GnRH on Day 10, IVPD removal on Day 3 and GnRH at FTAI. In Experiment 2, cows (n = 462) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: (i) 6-day estradiol = EB at IVPD insertion on Day 9, IVPD removal on Day 3 and GnRH at FTAI; (ii) 7-day estradiol; (iii) 7-day GnRH; (iv) 7 & 7 GnRH. In Experiment 1, plasma progesterone concentrations and percentage of cows with a corpus luteum (CL) at IVPD removal, and pregnancy per AI (P/AI) were greater for cows subjected to GnRH-based protocols compared with cows subjected to estrogen-based protocols (p < 0.01). In Experiment 2, cows subjected to the 7 & 7 GnRH protocol had the greatest P/AI (p < 0.01). In summary, GnRH-based FTAI protocols resulted in similar or greater P/AI compared to estrogen-based FTAI protocols in grazing postpartum Bos taurus suckled beef cows. The greatest P/AI was attained with the 7 & 7 GnRH protocol.Fil: Ferré, Luis B.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; ArgentinaFil: Jaeschke, Julian. Biogénesis Bagó; ArgentinaFil: Gatti, Juliana. Biogénesis Bagó; ArgentinaFil: Baladón, Gerardo. Biogénesis Bagó; ArgentinaFil: Bellocq, Ezequiel. Biogénesis Bagó; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Gustavo. No especifíca;Fil: Rearte, Ramiro. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Clínica. Cátedra de Reproducción Animal; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Kjelland, Michael E.. Mayville State University; Estados UnidosFil: Colazo, Marcos G.. University of Alberta; CanadáFil: Thomas, Jordan M.. University of Missouri; Estados Unido

The maximum of the local time of a diffusion process in a drifted Brownian potential

We consider a one-dimensional diffusion process $X$ in a $(-\kappa/2)$-drifted Brownian potential for $\kappa\neq 0$. We are interested in the maximum of its local time, and study its almost sure asymptotic behaviour, which is proved to be different from the behaviour of the maximum local time of the transient random walk in random environment. We also obtain the convergence in law of the maximum local time of $X$ under the annealed law after suitable renormalization when $\kappa \geq 1$. Moreover, we characterize all the upper and lower classes for the hitting times of $X$, in the sense of Paul L\'evy, and provide laws of the iterated logarithm for the diffusion $X$ itself. To this aim, we use annealed technics.Comment: 38 pages, new version, merged with hal-00013040 (arXiv:math/0511053), with some additional result

NQO2 is a reactive oxygen species generating off-target for acetaminophen

[Image: see text] The analgesic and antipyretic compound acetaminophen (paracetamol) is one of the most used drugs worldwide. Acetaminophen overdose is also the most common cause for acute liver toxicity. Here we show that acetaminophen and many structurally related compounds bind quinone reductase 2 (NQO2) in vitro and in live cells, establishing NQO2 as a novel off-target. NQO2 modulates the levels of acetaminophen derived reactive oxygen species, more specifically superoxide anions, in cultured cells. In humans, NQO2 is highly expressed in liver and kidney, the main sites of acetaminophen toxicity. We suggest that NQO2 mediated superoxide production may function as a novel mechanism augmenting acetaminophen toxicity