Effect of production system and slaughter age on some production traits of guinea fowl: Meat quality and digestive traits

Certain meat quality traits of guinea fowl that were reared in two production systems were determined in this study. Grey guinea fowl were reared in free-range and barn conditions. Birds were slaughtered at 14, 16 and 18 weeks old to determine meat quality traits. Some digestive traits were also determined. The type of production system affected the yellowness of breast meat significantly, and guinea fowl reared in the free-range system had yellower breast meat. The pH of both breast and thigh meat increased at older ages. Water-holding capacity, cooking loss and drip loss of breast and thigh meat were not affected by production system. Drip loss of meat decreased at older slaughter ages. The ratios of digestive system organ weights to body weight mostly decreased at older ages.Keywords: Digestive tract, free-range, meat colour, water holding capacity, p

Performance of fast, medium and slow growing broilers in indoor and free-range production systems

This study compared growth and carcass traits of 2 medium-growth crossbred, 4 slow-growth crossbred, 1 commercial slow-growth and 1 commercial fast-growth broiler strains raised in indoor and free-range production systems. One hundred twenty chicks of each strain were raised in each production system. Chicks were raised in indoor pens at a density of 10 chicks per m2. From day 29 until slaughter at 84 days of age, chicks in the free-range system were given outdoor access through doors that were open between 8.00 - 17.00 hours. The study found live weight, feed efficiency, and mortality were significantly affected by strain. However, no significant differences were found between the production systems. Outdoor access varied significantly among strains, with the commercial high-growth and medium-growth crossbred strains making less use of outdoor areas. In terms of performance traits, none of the strains showed any significant differences in performance between the indoor and free-range production systems. However, significant differences among the strains in carcass traits, pH, and colour values of thigh and breast meat were observed in connection with differences in growth rate. Moreover, carcass and breast yields were greater in fast and medium-growth broilers, while ratios of edible inner organs were greater in medium and slow-growth broilers. Keywords: abdominal fat, animal welfare, breast to thigh ratio, feed efficiency, outdoor access, slaughter and carcass trait

Rights Over Natural Resources: the Indonesian Experience

The coassembly of well-defined biological nanostructures relies on a delicate balance between attractive and repulsive interactions between biomolecular building blocks. Viral capsids are a prototypical example, where coat proteins exhibit not only self-interactions but also interact with the cargo they encapsulate. In nature, the balance between antagonistic and synergistic interactions has evolved to avoid kinetic trapping and polymorphism. To date, it has remained a major challenge to experimentally disentangle the complex kinetic reaction pathways that underlie successful coassembly of biomolecular building blocks in a noninvasive approach with high temporal resolution. Here we show how macromolecular force sensors, acting as a genome proxy, allow us to probe the pathways through which a viromimetic protein forms capsids. We uncover the complex multistage process of capsid assembly, which involves recruitment and complexation, followed by allosteric growth of the proteinaceous coat. Under certain conditions, the single-genome particles condense into capsids containing multiple copies of the template. Finally, we derive a theoretical model that quantitatively describes the kinetics of recruitment and growth. These results shed new light on the origins of the pathway complexity in biomolecular coassembly

OC-0145: Preoperative radiotherapy with an integrated boost compared to chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer

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Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19

Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care1 or hospitalization2,3,4 after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes—including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)—in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease

Etiologies and delirium rates of elderly ED patients with acutely altered mental status: a multicenter prospective study

WOS: 000397416600014PubMed ID: 27765479Objectives: Altered mental status (AMS) is a challenging diagnosis in older patients and has a large range of etiologies. The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of such etiologies for physicians to be better aware of AMS backgrounds and hence improve outcomes and mortality rates. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at 4 emergency departments. Patients 65 years and older who presented to the emergency department with acute AMS (<= 1 week), with symptoms ranging from comas and combativeness, were eligible for inclusion in this study. The outcomes, etiologies, Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale scores, and the presence of delirium were recorded. Results: Among 822 older patients with AMS, infection (39.5%) and neurological diseases (36.5%) were the most common etiologies. The hospital admission and mortality rates were 73.7% (n= 606) and 24.7% (n= 203), respectively. The mortality rate rose if AMS persisted for more than 3 days. Delirium was observed in 55.7% of the patients; these individuals had higher durations of AMS than those without delirium (median, 24 hours; interquartile range, 3-48 hours; median 6 hours, interquartile range, 3-48 hours, respectively; P =.010). Notably, delirium was observed in more than two-thirds of neurological patients. Conclusions: The most common causes of AMS were infection and neurological diseases. Delirium was associated with AMS in nearly half the patients. Moreover, the rates of hospitalization and mortality remained high. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Real-life safety and efficacy of vildagliptin as add-on to metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes in Turkey - GALATA study

PubMed ID: 25697921Objective: To evaluate tolerability/safety and the efficacy of the combination of vildagliptin plus metformin in a real-life population of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Research design and methods: This multicenter, single-arm, 6 month, observational, prospective cohort study was conducted at 39 centers across Turkey. T2DM patients on vildagliptin and metformin for ?4 weeks were enrolled regardless of their previous antidiabetic therapy. Main outcome measures: Efficacy was evaluated by measuring hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels. Tolerability/safety parameters evaluated included hypoglycemic events, gastrointestinal events, peripheral edema and weight gain. Results: This study enrolled 665 patients with a mean±standard deviation (SD) age of 55.1±10.2 years and female predominance (n=394, 59.2%). Safety was assessed in all enrolled patients. Hypoglycemia was reported in 10 (1.5%) patients (95% confidence interval = 0.8-2.7%). Efficacy was assessed in 289 (43.5%) patients treated for 6±1 months; these patients showed a mean decrease in HbA1c of 0.8% from baseline value of 7.8% (p65 years) and body mass index (<30 vs. ?30 kg/m2) (p<0.001 each). In total, 136 adverse events (AEs) were observed in 71 (10.7%) patients; 10 (1.5%) patients experienced hypoglycemia and gastrointestinal AEs were most commonly reported (n=29, 4.4%). Conclusions: In a 'real-life' setting, the vildagliptin and metformin combination was associated with significant improvements in reaching target HbA1c levels, even in elderly and obese patients with T2DM. Moreover, vildagliptin and metformin demonstrated a good overall tolerability/safety profile. © 2015 All rights reserved: reproduction in whole or part not permitted.Novartis Pharmaceuticals CanadaThe study was funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Turkey. -- The authors thank Cagla Ayhan MD and Prof. Sule Oktay MD PhD from Kappa Consultancy Training Research Ltd, Istanbul, who provided editorial support, and Mehmet Berktas MD MICR from Kappa Consultancy Training Research Ltd, Istanbul, who performed statistical analysis funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Turkey. -

Real-life safety and efficacy of vildagliptin as add-on to metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes in Turkey - GALATA study

Objective: To evaluate tolerability/safety and the efficacy of the combination of vildagliptin plus metformin in a real-life population of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Research design and methods: This multicenter, single-arm, 6 month, observational, prospective cohort study was conducted at 39 centers across Turkey. T2DM patients on vildagliptin and metformin for ≤4 weeks were enrolled regardless of their previous antidiabetic therapy. Main outcome measures: Efficacy was evaluated by measuring hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels. Tolerability/safety parameters evaluated included hypoglycemic events, gastrointestinal events, peripheral edema and weight gain. Results: This study enrolled 665 patients with a mean±standard deviation (SD) age of 55.1±10.2 years and female predominance (n=394, 59.2%). Safety was assessed in all enrolled patients. Hypoglycemia was reported in 10 (1.5%) patients (95% confidence interval = 0.8-2.7%). Efficacy was assessed in 289 (43.5%) patients treated for 6±1 months; these patients showed a mean decrease in HbA1c of 0.8% from baseline value of 7.8% (p65 years) and body mass index (<30 vs. ≥30 kg/m2) (p<0.001 each). In total, 136 adverse events (AEs) were observed in 71 (10.7%) patients; 10 (1.5%) patients experienced hypoglycemia and gastrointestinal AEs were most commonly reported (n=29, 4.4%). Conclusions: In a 'real-life' setting, the vildagliptin and metformin combination was associated with significant improvements in reaching target HbA1c levels, even in elderly and obese patients with T2DM. Moreover, vildagliptin and metformin demonstrated a good overall tolerability/safety profile. © 2015 All rights reserved: reproduction in whole or part not permitted