Effects of rapeseed variety and oil extraction method on the content and ileal digestibility of crude protein and amino acids in rapeseed cake and softly processed rapeseed meal fed to broiler chickens

We examined the effects of rapeseed variety and oil extraction method on crude protein (CP) and amino acid (AA) content in rapeseed co-products, and determined their coefficient of apparent (AID) and standardised ileal digestibility (SID) in broiler chickens. Sixteen rapeseed samples were de-oiled; four were cold-pressed producing rapeseed cake (RSC) and twelve were mild processed and hexane-extracted producing soft rapeseed meal (SRSM). One batch of the variety Compass, grown on the same farm, was processed using both methods obtaining Compass RSC and Compass SRSM. DK Cabernet rapeseed variety, grown on three different farms, was used to produce two SRSM batches and one RSC batch. All rapeseed co-products were ground through a 4 mm screen and mixed into semi-synthetic diets at a level of 500 g/kg. Day-old Ross 308 male broilers were fed a commercial diet for 14 days. A total of 96 pairs of birds were then allotted to 1 of 16 dietary treatments (n = 6) and fed a test diet for 8 days. Birds were then culled allowing removal of ileal digesta from Meckel’s diverticulum to the ileal-caecal junction. Digestibility of CP and AA was determined using titanium dioxide as an inert marker. The SRSM samples had an increased content of CP (419–560 g/kg DM) compared to RSC samples (293–340 g/kg DM). Both AID and SID of lysine, and SID of arginine, histidine and threonine were greater in Compass RSC compared to its SRSM counterpart (P 0.05). The SID of lysine was on average 0.03 units greater (P < 0.001) in RSC than in SRSM. The SRSM produced from variety PR46W21 showed similar or greater AID and SID of individual AA than the RSC from four other rapeseed varieties. It is concluded that selection of rapeseed varieties, and extraction method have a potential to deliver high-protein dietary ingredients with a good digestibility value

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P &lt; 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Robotic Roux-En-Y gastric bypass: Comparison of Da Vinci S and Xi Robotic platforms outcomes robotic bariatric surgery

Robotic surgery is an emerging and promising technology in bariatric surgery. Current studies have confirmed its feasibility and safety with a relatively short learning curve. The advantages for the surgeon are already well established with better ergonomics. The potential benefits to the patient are still being studied. Robotic surgery seems to offer more advantages for complex cases, such as super obesity and revisional surgery.International Federation for Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders SEC

Hexylene- and octylene-bridged polysilsesquioxane hybrid crystals self-assembled by dimeric building blocks with ring structures

We report the synthesis of novel polysilsesquioxane hybrid crystals prepared from two precursors with hexylene- and octylene-bridged groups. Both crystals are composed of bimolecular rings (18- and 22-membered, respectively) formed by one-step condensation of two hydrolyzed monomers. The hydrogen bonds between silanol groups and the weak van der Waal's interactions between alkyl chains link the large rings as building blocks together into self-assembled, three-dimensional molecular crystalline structures. The precise control of the sol-gel process is considered to be the crucial factor in fabricating flexible long alkyl chains into an ordered stacking. These contributions extend the understanding of the sol-gel chemistry of polysilsesquioxanes

Cleavage of the human respiratory syncytial virus fusion protein at two distinct sites is required for activation of membrane fusion

Preparations of purified full-length fusion (F) protein of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) expressed in recombinant vaccinia-F infected cells, or of an anchorless mutant (F(TM(−))) lacking the C-terminal 50 amino acids secreted from vaccinia-F(TM(−))-infected cells contain a minor polypeptide that is an intermediate product of proteolytic processing of the F protein precursor F0. N-terminal sequencing of the intermediate demonstrated that it is generated by cleavage at a furin-motif, residues 106–109 of the F sequence. By contrast, the F1 N terminus derives from cleavage at residue 137 of F0 which is also C-terminal to a furin recognition site at residues 131–136. Site-directed mutagenesis indicates that processing of F0 protein involves independent cleavage at both sites. Both cleavages are required for the F protein to be active in membrane fusion as judged by syncytia formation, and they allow changes in F structure from cone- to lollipop-shaped spikes and the formation of rosettes by anchorless F