EVALUATING RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEM NUTRIENT PRODUCTION

While aquaculture production accounts for half of the world fish production, a growing problem emerges with the amount of effluent being produced. Waste treatment of aquaculture effluent is expensive and energy- intensive as conventional approaches to waste remediation have remained mostly unchanged. To improve the economic sustainability, the aquaculture industry needs to integrate with other production systems similarly as terrestrial animal agriculture has done with soil-based crop production. Integrating waste production in a wastes-to-resources approach as fertilizer for hydroponic cropping systems will allow aquaculture producers to monetize waste treatment. However, a full accounting of aquaculture nutrient production is necessary to develop a strategy to monetize costly effluent treatment. Capturing fish waste from aquaculture facilities provide an opportunity to offset operational costs by producing a naturally derived nutrient source as fertilizer. Three replicate recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) were designed and operated under pilot-scale production conditions to evaluate plant-available nutrient production from two commonly grown aquaculture species, tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). A nutrient mass balance was conducted while the research systems operated under “pseudo-steady state” conditions. Pseudo-steady state was defined as consistent feeding and waste production activity during periods of fish growth and increasing feed demands while still accounting for fish growth and increasing feed demands. The macro-nutrients Ca, K, Mg, N, and P and micro-nutrients B, Cl, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, S, and Zn were analyzed over an 81-day period. Both the tilapia and trout nutrient production experiments revealed that all nutrients required for hydroponic crop production were present and available in the system culture water and effluent streams. Macro-nutrients Ca, K, Mg, P, and N, and micro-nutrients, Cl, Mo, and S were observed primarily in the liquid portion of the wastewater and micro-nutrients B, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn were primarily observed in the particulate waste. The results of the first experiment indicated that tilapia excreted 3.39 ± 0.55 g Cu, 10.78 ± 1.90 g Fe, 5.61 ± 1.78 g Mn, 0.23 ± 0.08 g Mo, and 7.26 ± 0.89 Zn, per 100kg feed daily. Many of the tilapia nutrient production rates were determined to be statistically different between systems due to dilution and limits of measurement, notably -4.36 ± 4.78 g B, -76.71 ± 350.20 g Cl, -19.97 ± 163.60 g S, 1172.44 ± 706.72 g Ca, 405.27 ± 740.68 g K, 181.72 ± 196.13 g Mg, 704.34 ± 582.05 g P, and 2896.13 ± 4133.70 g Total Nitrogen (TN), per 100kg feed. The difficulties surrounding the accurate characterization of nutrient production from tilapia RAS were resolved and strict sampling procedures applied to the second nutrient mass balance experiment measuring nutrient production from rainbow trout in RAS. Rainbow trout excreted nutrient production was 706.29 ± 49.58 g Cl, 1.01 ± 0.04 g Cu, 13.41 ± 0.51 g Fe, 7.08 ± 0.71 g Mn, 3.11 ± 0.57 g Mo, 312.95 ± 45.59 g S, 11.95 ± 0.58 g Zn. 2043.37 ± 29.18 g Ca, 659.48 ± 51.15 g K, 445.58 ± 7.61 g Mg, 690.11 ± 42.57 g P, and 5729.49 ± 540.33 g TN, per 100kg feed. It is important to distinguish if the nutrients would be directly available as a fertilizer. This study found that Cl, Mo, S, Ca, K, Mg, P, and N are nutrients solubilized in liquid portion of rainbow trout waste rendering them immediately available for plant uptake. Alternately, B, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn, were retained in the solid particulate portion of the rainbow trout waste stream. Nutrients retained in the solid particulates require mineralization to make these nutrients plant available. Differences in nutrient production between the two species are due to variation in the feed composition and physiological distinctions such as gut length and muscle tissue composition. The results from these experiments were inconsistent with the previous literature and differences are likely due to experimental design, system design, feed, fish species, and dilution effects. Experimental design is the key factor that limited the determination of nutrient production in this research because no tracer was used in the diet which would have allowed for a full accounting of nutrients assimilated and expelled by the fish. This research supports the need to establish a predictive model for aquaculture-derived nutrient production for integration with other crop production systems. The results from this study demonstrate that nutrient reuse from RAS is possible for hydroponic crop production, but treatment of RAS effluent will be required to fully develop a valuable nutrient source as many of the nutrients are trapped in the solid particulate form

Usprawnianie komunikacji słownej w wybranych wariantach choroby Alzheimera: typowym i językowym

The paper reviews the methods for improving verbal communication in selected variants of Alzheimer’s disease, both in the typical and language variant. It emphasises the need to optimise the management within the framework of patientcentred care, allowing to address individual needs. As far as indirect interventions are concerned, the article presents techniques aimed at improving communication with the affected person, and more broadly – aimed at preserving the quality of life in the course of the illness. Among direct interventions, those aimed at selected system abilities and supporting language function in the context of cognitive and social function are presented. It is shown how speech and language therapy can integrate other therapeutic paradigms, developed in psychology, such as patientcentred therapy and cognitive neuropsychological rehabilitation.The paper reviews the methods for improving verbal communication in selected variants of Alzheimer’s disease, both in the typical and language variant. It emphasises the need to optimise the management within the framework of patientcentred care, allowing to address individual needs. As far as indirect interventions are concerned, the article presents techniques aimed at improving communication with the affected person, and more broadly – aimed at preserving the quality of life in the course of the illness. Among direct interventions, those aimed at selected system abilities and supporting language function in the context of cognitive and social function are presented. It is shown how speech and language therapy can integrate other therapeutic paradigms, developed in psychology, such as patientcentred therapy and cognitive neuropsychological rehabilitation

Is descriptive writing useful in the differential diagnosis of logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia, Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment?

Current classification of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) encompasses three variants: non-fluent (nfvPPA), semantic (svPPA) and logopenic (lvPPA). Previously lvPPA was regarded as aphasic form of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, not all patients with lvPPA phenotype present with AD pathology. Despite abundant literature on differentiation of lvPPA from svPPA and nfvPPA, studies comparing lvPPA with AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are scarce. This study aimed at analyzing written descriptive output in lvPPA, AD and MCI. Thirty-five patients participated in the study: 9 with lvPPA, 13 with AD and 13 with MCI. Most aspects of writing performance were comparable in three groups. However, letter insertion errors appeared in 44% patients with lvPPA, while they were absent in AD and MCI. Patients with lvPPA used more verbs than patients with AD. Writing profile may complement other neuropsychological assessment results in the differential diagnosis of lvPPA. Letter insertion errors and frequent verb use may raise a query of lvPPA

Huntington’s disease from the patient, caregiver and physician’s perspectives : three sides of the same coin?

The aim of this study was to identify determinants of functional disability, patient’s quality of life (QoL) and caregivers’ burden in Huntington’s disease (HD). Eighty HD patients participated in the study. Motor and behavioral disturbances as well as cognitive impairment were assessed using motor, behavioral and cognitive parts of the Unified Huntington Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS); Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was used to assess depression. Disability, health-related QoL and the impact of the disease on the caregivers were assessed using the following methods: UHDRS Functional Assessment Score, SF-36 Scale and Caregiver Burden Inventory. Multiple regression analysis showed that motor disturbances, cognitive impairment, apathy and disease duration were the independent predictors of disability. Depression and cognitive disturbances were the determinants of patient’s QoL, while motor disturbances and depression were the predictors of the caregiver burden. Patient’s disability and QoL as well as caregivers’ burden should be taken into consideration while planning treatment strategy and the results of the present study show that the predictors of those treatment targets are different

Ograniczony wgląd w zaburzenia pamięci u osób z chorobą Huntingtona

Background and purpose Patients suffering from Huntington disease (HD) have been shown to present with poor self-awareness of a variety of symptoms. The study aimed to assess the self-awareness of memory impairment in HD in comparison to advanced Parkinson disease (PD), mild PD and cervical dystonia. Material and methods Self-awareness was tested in 23 patients with HD by comparing patient and caregiver ratings in reference to clinical control groups (25 patients with advanced PD, 21 with mild PD and 20 with cervical dystonia). Self-awareness was tested using the Self Rating Scale of Memory Functions, which was administered to both the patients and the caregivers. Neuropsychological assessment addressed general cognitive status (Mini-Mental State Examination), verbal learning (Auditory Verbal Learning Test, 15-word list) and mood (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale). Results Patients with HD significantly underestimated their memory dysfunction. Underestimation of memory deficit correlated with disease duration and disease severity in HD. Conclusions Huntington disease patients underestimate memory dysfunction. These results add to the previous reports on poor insight in HD in other domains and suggest that anosognosia in HD, albeit usually rather mild, may be a generalized phenomenon.Wstęp i cel pracy U pacjentów z chorobą Huntingtona (ChH) stwierdza się zaburzoną samoświadomość wielu objawów. Badanie miało na celu ocenę samoświadomości zaburzeń pamięci u chorych na ChH w porównaniu z chorymi na zaawansowaną chorobę Parkinsona (ChP), ChP z niewielkim nasileniem objawów oraz chorymi na dystonię szyjną. Materiał i metody Samoświadomość zaburzeń pamięci zbadano u 23 chorych na ChH poprzez porównanie ocen pacjentów i opiekunów w odniesieniu do klinicznych grup porównawczych (25 chorych na zaawansowaną ChP, 21 chorych na ChP z niewielkim nasileniem objawów oraz 20 chorych na dystonię szyjną). Samoświadomość zaburzeń pamięci zbadano przy użyciu skali Samooceny funkcjonowania pamięci (Self Rating Scale of Memory Functions), którą wypełniali zarówno pacjenci, jak i opiekunowie. W badaniu neuropsychologicznym oceniano ogólny stan funkcjonowania poznawczego (Mini-Mental State Examination), uczenie się materiału słownego (Auditory Verbal Learning Test, lista 15 słów) oraz nastrój (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale). Wyniki Chorzy na ChH nie byli w stanie właściwie ocenić nasilenia zaburzeń pamięci, uważając, że funkcjonuje ona lepiej, niż to było w rzeczywistości. Tendencja ta korelowała z czasem trwania choroby oraz nasileniem jej objawów. Wnioski Chorzy na ChH nie zdają sobie w pełni sprawy z nasilenia zaburzeń pamięci. Uzyskane wyniki wspierają wcześniejsze doniesienia z piśmiennictwa o zaburzonym wglądzie w ChH dotyczącym wielu sfer funkcjonowania i sugerują, że anozognozja w ChH, aczkolwiek zazwyczaj raczej łagodna, może mieć charakter uogólniony

A qualitative analysis of the ACE-III profile in the differential diagnosis of dementia syndromes

Skala Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) jest poszerzonym narzędziem przesiewowej oceny funkcji poznawczych, użytecznym we wczesnym wykrywaniu zaburzeń poznawczych, wstępnej diagnostyce różnicowej zespołów otępiennych oraz monitorowaniu postępu choroby. ACE-III ocenia uwagę i orientację, pamięć, fluencję słowną, funkcje językowe i wzrokowo-przestrzenne. Skala może być używana przez lekarzy i psychologów, zarówno jako narzędzie przesiewowe, jak i jako wstęp do kompleksowej oceny neuropsychologicznej. ACE-III zawiera również krótsze narzędzie, Mini-ACE, które w razie potrzeby może być stosowane niezależnie. W niniejszej pracy ACE-III porównano z innymi najbardziej popularnymi skalami przesiewowej oceny funkcji poznawczych: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) oraz Montrealską Skalą Oceny Funkcji Poznawczych (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA). Następnie omówiono przydatność kliniczną analizy profilu wykonania ACE-III w diagnostyce różnicowej wybranych chorób neurozwyrodnieniowych. Zaprezentowano profile wykonania ACE-III typowe dla choroby Alzheimera (zarówno o wczesnym, jak i o późnym początku), zwyrodnienia czołowo-skroniowego, choroby Parkinsona, atypowych zespołów parkinsonowskich oraz otępienia naczyniopochodnego. Spośród atypowych wariantów choroby Alzheimera uwzględniono zanik korowy tylny, wariant logopeniczny afazji pierwotnej postępującej i wariant czołowy. Spośród podstawowych wariantów zwyrodnienia czołowo-skroniowego przedstawiono wariant behawioralny otępienia czołowo-skroniowego oraz niepłynny i semantyczny wariant afazji pierwotnej postępującej. Wreszcie spośród zespołów parkinsonizm plus omówiono otępienie z ciałami Lewy’ego, zanik wieloukładowy, postępujące porażenie ponadjądrowe i zwyrodnienie korowo-podstawne.Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) is an extended cognitive screening instrument for an early detection of cognitive impairment, initial differential diagnosis of dementia syndromes and monitoring of disease progression. ACE-III assesses attention and orientation, memory, verbal fluency, language and visuospatial function. The scale may be used by physicians and psychologists as either a stand-alone cognitive screening or an introduction to a more in-depth neuropsychological assessment. It comprises a shorter scale, Mini-ACE, which can also be used independently as a very short screening. In this paper, the ACE-III was compared with other most common cognitive screening tools, such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). We have presented the clinical utility of ACE-III profile analysis in the differential diagnosis of selected neurodegenerative diseases. We have reviewed ACE-III profiles typical for late and early onset Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration syndromes, Parkinson’s disease and a typical parkinsonian syndromes as well as vascular dementia. Among Alzheimer’s disease atypical variants, posterior cortical atrophy, logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia and frontal variant have been discussed. As regards the frontotemporal lobar degeneration spectrum, the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia, non-f luent and semantic variants of primary progressive aphasia have been presented. Finally, among parkinsonism plus syndromes, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration have been reviewed

The role of neuroimaging in the diagnosis of the atypical parkinsonian syndromes in clinical practice

Atypical parkinsonian disorders (APD) are a heterogenous group of neurodegenerative diseases such as: progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), multiple system atrophy (MSA), cortico-basal degeneration (CBD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). In all of them core symptoms of parkinsonian syndrome are accompanied by many additional clinical features not typical for idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) like rapid progression, gaze palsy, apraxia, ataxia, early cognitive decline, dysautonomia and usually poor response to levodopa therapy. In the absence of reliably validated biomarkers the diagnosis is still challenging and mainly based on clinical criteria. However, robust data emerging from routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as well as from many advanced MRI techniques such as: diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), voxel-based morphometry (VBM), susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) may help in differential diagnosis. The main aim of this review is to summarize briefly the most important and acknowledged radiological findings of conventional MRI due to its availability in standard clinical settings. Nevertheless, we present shortly other methods of structural (like TCS – transcranial sonography) and functional imaging (like SPECT – single photon emission computed tomography or PET – positron emission tomography) as well as some selected advanced MRI techniques and their potential future applications in supportive role in distinguishing APD

Choroba Huntingtona — w 20. rocznicę odkrycia genu IT15; patogeneza, diagnostyka i leczenie

Choroba Huntingtona (HD, Huntington’s disease) jest procesem zwyrodnieniowym uwarunkowanym genetycznie i występuje rzadziej niż choroba Alzheimera czy Parkinsona. Z powodu ciężkiego przebiegu, specyficznej sytuacji nosicieli mutacji genowej w genie IT15 z dziedziczeniem autosomalnie dominującym, z których niemal wszyscy zachorują, a także z powodu postępu w jej leczeniu zasługuje na szczególną uwagę. Dodatkowo w 2013 roku przypada 20. rocznica odkrycia genu; jest to także rok zarejestrowania w Polsce pierwszego przebadanego systematycznie leku do objawowego leczenia pląsawicy, jakim jest tetrabenazyna. W Polsce w ostatnich latach obserwuje się poprawę opieki nad chorymi z HD związaną z wejściem naszego kraju w 2007 roku do Europejskiej Sieci Choroby Huntingtona (EHDN, European Huntington’s Disease Network). W artykule przedstawiono najważniejsze informacje dotyczące patogenezy, diagnostyki oraz leczenia HD

Utility of Frontal Assessment Battery in detection of neuropsychological dysfunction in Richardson variant of progressive supranuclear palsy

Progressive supranuclear palsy is characterized by motor, cognitive and behavioral features. In Richardson's syndrome of PSP (PSP-RS) executive dysfunction is quite prominent. Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) is one of the most popular screening tests in the differential diagnosis of bradykinetic rigid syndromes. The study aimed at analyzing FAB subscores in relation to neuropsychological assessment results. Twenty patients with PSP-RS (12 with probable and eight with possible diagnosis) participated in the study. Sixteen PSP-RS patients scored below 15 on FAB. Among four patients having scored above cut-off (12 points) on FAB, two demonstrated both executive and language deficits, while the other two presented with only selective executive deficits on comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. FAB is a useful screening measure in PSP, but it may not detect subtle executive deficits. Moreover, language performance seems to contribute significantly to FAB scores. Thus, FAB should be treated as ‘‘frontal’’ rather than ‘‘executive’’ screening task, in line with its name