Developmental ossification sequences of the appendicular and axial skeleton in Kuttanad duck embryos (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus)

The processes of ossification sequences are poorly investigated for birds in general, even for domestic and experimental species and when it comes to the waterfowl it is almost negligible. Such sequences constitute a rich source of data on character evolution, and may even provide phylogenetic information. A pre-hatch developmental study on ossification sequences of axial and appendicular skeletal system in Kuttanad duck embryos was undertaken using 78 viable embryos. From day 3 to day 7 of incubation no ossification densities were seen both by alizarin red staining and computerized radiography. The first indication of ossification as small ossification centers in skull bones, clavicle, scapula, humerus, radius and ulna in forelimb and ilium, pubis femur and fibula in hind limb were observed on the 9th day of incubation. The ossification of the body of the ribs started at the 11th day of incubation towards the proximal extremity. On day 13th the ossification process of vertebrae was started from cervical end. The variation in appearance of the ossification centers in different bones at different stages of incubation period suggests relative importance of phylogeny to the sequences.Keywords: Alizarin red, Duck, Ossification, Radiograph

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Abstract The processes of ossification sequences are poorly investigated for birds in general, even for domestic and experimental species and when it comes to the waterfowl it is almost negligible. Such sequences constitute a rich source of data on character evolution, and may even provide phylogenetic information. A pre-hatch developmental study on ossification sequences of axial and appendicular skeletal system in Kuttanad duck embryos was undertaken using 78 viable embryos. From day 3 to day 7 of incubation no ossification densities were seen both by alizarin red staining and computerized radiography. The first indication of ossification as small ossification centers in skull bones, clavicle, scapula, humerus, radius and ulna in forelimb and ilium, pubis femur and fibula in hind limb were observed on the 9 th day of incubation. The ossification of the body of the ribs started at the 11 th day of incubation towards the proximal extremity. On day 13 th the ossification process of vertebrae was started from cervical end. The variation in appearance of the ossification centers in different bones at different stages of incubation period suggests relative importance of phylogeny to the sequences

Prevalence and prevalence trends of transfusion transmissible infections among blood donors at four chinese regional blood centers between 2000 and 2010

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In China, high prevalence of HBV and HCV parallels with the growing epidemic of syphilis and HIV in the general population poses a great threat to blood safety. This study investigated the prevalence of serologic markers for transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs) among four Chinese blood centers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We examined whole blood donations collected from January 2000 through December 2010 at four Chinese blood centers. Post-donation testing of TTIs (HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis) were conducted using two different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits for each seromarker. The prevalence of serologic markers for TTIs (%) was calculated and additional analysis was conducted to examine donor characteristics associated with positive TTIs serology.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 4,366,283 donations, 60% were from first-time donors and 40% were from repeated donors. The overall prevalence of HIV, HBsAg, HCV and syphilis was 0.08%, 0.86%, 0.51% and 0.47%, respectively. The prevalence profile of TTIs varied among different blood centers and appeared at relatively high levels. Overall, the prevalence of HBsAg and HCV demonstrated a decline trend among four blood centers, while the prevalence of HIV and syphilis displayed three different trends: constantly steady, continually increasing and declining among different centers.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study reflects the risk of TTIs has been greatly reduced in China, but blood transfusion remains an ongoing risk factor for the spread of blood-borne infections, and further work and improvements are needed to strengthen both safety and availability of blood in China.</p

Mortality after surgery in Europe: a 7 day cohort study

Background: Clinical outcomes after major surgery are poorly described at the national level. Evidence of heterogeneity between hospitals and health-care systems suggests potential to improve care for patients but this potential remains unconfirmed. The European Surgical Outcomes Study was an international study designed to assess outcomes after non-cardiac surgery in Europe.Methods: We did this 7 day cohort study between April 4 and April 11, 2011. We collected data describing consecutive patients aged 16 years and older undergoing inpatient non-cardiac surgery in 498 hospitals across 28 European nations. Patients were followed up for a maximum of 60 days. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcome measures were duration of hospital stay and admission to critical care. We used χ² and Fisher’s exact tests to compare categorical variables and the t test or the Mann-Whitney U test to compare continuous variables. Significance was set at p&lt;0·05. We constructed multilevel logistic regression models to adjust for the differences in mortality rates between countries.Findings: We included 46 539 patients, of whom 1855 (4%) died before hospital discharge. 3599 (8%) patients were admitted to critical care after surgery with a median length of stay of 1·2 days (IQR 0·9–3·6). 1358 (73%) patients who died were not admitted to critical care at any stage after surgery. Crude mortality rates varied widely between countries (from 1·2% [95% CI 0·0–3·0] for Iceland to 21·5% [16·9–26·2] for Latvia). After adjustment for confounding variables, important differences remained between countries when compared with the UK, the country with the largest dataset (OR range from 0·44 [95% CI 0·19 1·05; p=0·06] for Finland to 6·92 [2·37–20·27; p=0·0004] for Poland).Interpretation: The mortality rate for patients undergoing inpatient non-cardiac surgery was higher than anticipated. Variations in mortality between countries suggest the need for national and international strategies to improve care for this group of patients.Funding: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine, European Society of Anaesthesiology