Diarrhoea scores and weight changes in response to artificial milk supplementation or use of solulyte-neomycin solution in preweaning piglets

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of supplemental milk replacer and solulyte-neomix solution in preweaning piglets. A total of 199 five-day-old piglets from 22litters were available for this three-week study. 12 litters (110 piglets) were allocated into the milk replacer supplemented group (MILK), five litters (47 piglets) were allocated into the ELEC group which was given an antibiotic-fortified electrolyte solution for pigs, and five litters (45 piglets) remained as untreated control (CTRL). However, after matching for litter size and total litter weights among treatment groups, only 44 piglets (5litters) in the MILK group, 47 piglets (5 litters) in the ELEC group and 45 piglets from 5 litters in the CTRL group were considered in this report. All sows were fed the same diet (18 % protein, 3,952 kcal of ME/kg). Body weights of piglets were measured at days 5 and 25 of age. Fresh liquid commercial milk replacer and solulyte-neomix solution were prepared daily. The fluids were offered thrice daily at 100mL per litter for 5-day-old piglets. Supplementation was increased to 5 times daily at 200mL per litter when piglets were 9 days or older, till the end of the trial. Average litter weight gain was higher in the ELEC piglets given solulyte-neomix solution and creep feed (P<0.05). Milk replacer supplemented group (MILK) generally had lower average litter weight gains at 3.72 kg. However, the diarrhea scores were affected by the types of supplementation fluids given. The overall diarrhoea scores were higher in the MILK and CTRL piglets compared to the ELEC piglets. In conclusion, milk replacer supplementation offered no obvious benefit in terms of weight gain, final weight, and overall diarrhoea scores in piglets compared to solulyte-neomix supplemented piglets

Symptoms versus problems (SVP) in household high speed broadband (HSBB): regaining momentum for Unifi, Malaysia

Problem identification is a talent and skill set required in all leaders. The objective of this study is to reveal an improved research method by integrating mixed-method research combined with problem identification method (using symptoms versus problems (SVP) framework) for telco service providers. The SVP framework discovers the primary causes to the decrease in revenue growth rates. Malaysia’s household broadband penetration rate grew from 15.2% (2007) to 67.1% (2013). Meanwhile, the growth rate for Unifi, offered by Telekom Malaysia (TM), decreased from 104% (2012) to 30% (2013). Why? There are eight causes, specifically; not prioritizing 4G LTE license; obligating social services to rural areas; providing 20-30 Mbps wireless broadband packages by the competitors; offering less competitive price; not covering all zones; offering less favorable service contracts; offering limited packages; and receiving customer complaints. The sequential methodology process began with semi-structured interviews, analysis of unpublished company data, customer survey on 164 respondents and field observation which were all summarized into a root-cause analysis tool called symptoms versus problems framework (SVP). The SVP indicates TM acquired Packed One to overcome HSBB issues; revamp its strategies to product content offering instead of head-on price war; establishing bureaucracy busting team, competitors busting teams on product innovation; collaborating with local broadcasting companies; and developing talent. Interestingly, this study discovers another framework on critical success factors for telco service providers through development of “House of Pillars for Rapid Growth” of TM in Malaysia

Characterization of the mechanism of prolonged adaptation to osmotic stress of Jeotgalibacillus malaysiensis via genome and transcriptome sequencing analyses

Jeotgalibacillus malaysiensis, a moderate halophilic bacterium isolated from a pelagic area, can endure higher concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl) than other Jeotgalibacillus type strains. In this study, we therefore chose to sequence and assemble the entire J. malaysiensis genome. This is the first report to provide a detailed analysis of the genomic features of J. malaysiensis, and to perform genetic comparisons between this microorganism and other halophiles. J. malaysiensis encodes a native megaplasmid (pJeoMA), which is greater than 600 kilobases in size, that is absent from other sequenced species of Jeotgalibacillus. Subsequently, RNA-Seq-based transcriptome analysis was utilised to examine adaptations of J. malaysiensis to osmotic stress. Specifically, the eggNOG (evolutionary genealogy of genes: Non-supervised Orthologous Groups) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes) databases were used to elucidate the overall effects of osmotic stress on the organism. Generally, saline stress significantly affected carbohydrate, energy, and amino acid metabolism, as well as fatty acid biosynthesis. Our findings also indicate that J. malaysiensis adopted a combination of approaches, including the uptake or synthesis of osmoprotectants, for surviving salt stress. Among these, proline synthesis appeared to be the preferred method for withstanding prolonged osmotic stress in J. malaysiensis

The combined diabetes and renal control trial (C-DIRECT) - a feasibility randomised controlled trial to evaluate outcomes in multi-morbid patients with diabetes and on dialysis using a mixed methods approach

Background: This cluster randomised controlled trial set out to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of the “Combined Diabetes and Renal Control Trial” (C-DIRECT) intervention, a nurse-led intervention based on motivational interviewing and self-management in patients with coexisting end stage renal diseases and diabetes mellitus (DM ESRD). Its efficacy to improve glycaemic control, as well as psychosocial and self-care outcomes were also evaluated as secondary outcomes. Methods: An assessor-blinded, clustered randomised-controlled trial was conducted with 44 haemodialysis patients with DM ESRD and ≥ 8% glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), in dialysis centres across Singapore. Patients were randomised according to dialysis shifts. 20 patients were assigned to intervention and 24 were in usual care. The C-DIRECT intervention consisted of three weekly chair-side sessions delivered by diabetes specialist nurses. Data on recruitment, randomisation, and retention, and secondary outcomes such as clinical endpoints, emotional distress, adherence, and self-management skills measures were obtained at baseline and at 12 weeks follow-up. A qualitative evaluation using interviews was conducted at the end of the trial. Results: Of the 44 recruited at baseline, 42 patients were evaluated at follow-up. One patient died, and one discontinued the study due to deteriorating health. Recruitment, retention, and acceptability rates of C-DIRECT were generally satisfactory HbA1c levels decreased in both groups, but C-DIRECT had more participants with HbA1c < 8% at follow up compared to usual care. Significant improvements in role limitations due to physical health were noted for C-DIRECT whereas levels remained stable in usual care. No statistically significant differences between groups were observed for other clinical markers and other patient-reported outcomes. There were no adverse effects. Conclusions: The trial demonstrated satisfactory feasibility. A brief intervention delivered on bedside as part of routine dialysis care showed some benefits in glycaemic control and on QOL domain compared with usual care, although no effect was observed in other secondary outcomes. Further research is needed to design and assess interventions to promote diabetes self-management in socially vulnerable patients

Minimal SUSY SO(10) model and predictions for neutrino mixings and leptonic CP violation

We discuss a minimal Supersymmetric SO(10) model where B-L symmetry is broken by a {\bf 126} dimensional Higgs multiplet which also contributes to fermion masses in conjunction with a {\bf 10} dimensional superfield. This minimal Higgs choice provides a partial unification of neutrino flavor structure with that of quarks and has been shown to predict all three neutrino mixing angles and the solar mass splitting in agreement with observations, provided one uses the type II seesaw formula for neutrino masses. In this paper we generalize this analysis to include arbitrary CP phases in couplings and vevs. We find that (i) the predictions for neutrino mixings are similar with $U_{e3}\simeq 0.18$ as before and other parameters in a somewhat bigger range and (ii) that to first order in the quark mixing parameter $\lambda$ (the Cabibbo angle), the leptonic mixing matrix is CP conserving. We also find that in the absence of any higher dimensional contributions to fermion masses, the CKM phase is different from that of the standard model implying that there must be new contributions to quark CP violation from the supersymmetry breaking sector. Inclusion of higher dimensional terms however allows the standard model CKM phase to be maintained.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure

Diffusion-weighted MRI, (11)C-choline PET and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET for predicting the Gleason score in prostate carcinoma

Objectives To evaluate the accuracy of transrectal ultrasoundguided (TRUS) biopsy, diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ¹¹C-choline (CHOL) positron emission tomography (PET), and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET in predicting the prostatectomy Gleason risk (GR). Methods The study included 21 patients who underwent TRUS biopsy and multi-technique imaging before radical prostatectomy. Values from five different tests (TRUS biopsy, DW MRI, CHOL PET, FDG PET, and combined DW MRI/ CHOL PET) were correlated with the prostatectomy GR using Spearman’s ρ. Tests that were found to have significant correlations were used to classify patients into GR groups. Results The following tests had significant correlations with prostatectomy GR: TRUS biopsy (ρ=0.617, P =0.003), DW MRI (ρ=–0.601, P =0.004), and combined DW MRI/CHOL PET (ρ=–0.623, P =0.003). CHOL PET alone and FDG PET only had weak correlations. The correct GR classification rates were 67 % with TRUS biopsy, 67 % with DW MRI, and 76 % with combined DW MRI/CHOL PET. Conclusions DW MRI and combined DW MRI/CHOL PET have significant correlations and high rates of correct classification of the prostatectomy GR, the strength and accuracy of which are comparable with TRUS biopsy. Key Points • Accurate determination of the Gleason score is essential for prostate cancer management. • DW MRI ± CHOL PET correlated significantly with prostatectomy Gleason score. • These correlations are similar to that between TRUS biopsy and prostatectomyJoe H. Chang, Daryl Lim Joon, Sze Ting Lee, Chee-Yan Hiew, Stephen Esler, Sylvia J. Gong, Morikatsu Wada, David Clouston, Richard O, Sullivan, Yin P. Goh, Henri Tochon-Danguy, J. Gordon Chan, Damien Bolton, Andrew M. Scott, Vincent Khoo, Ian D. Davi

Homoserine and quorum-sensing acyl homoserine lactones as alternative sources of threonine:A potential role for homoserine kinase in insect-stage Trypanosoma brucei

10.1111/mmi.12853Molecular Microbiology951143-15