SPARC 2021 - Against all odds : Salford postgraduate annual research conference book of abstracts

Welcome to the Book of Abstracts for the 2021 SPARC conference. Our conference is called “Against All Odds” as we celebrate the achievements of our PGRs and their supervisors, who have continued to excel despite the most challenging circumstances. For this reason, we showcase the work of our PGRs alongside the outstanding supervision that they receive, with our Doctoral School Best Supervisor awards. We also focus on developing resilience and maintaining good mental health in the research environment, supported by exceptional keynote speakers, including our very own Dr Michelle Howarth and Ruby Wax OBE, which makes this year’s conference extra special

Elevated protein concentrations in newborn blood and the risks of autism spectrum disorder, and of social impairment, at age 10 years among infants born before the 28th week of gestation

Among the 1 of 10 children who are born preterm annually in the United States, 6% are born before the third trimester. Among children who survive birth before the 28th week of gestation, the risks of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and non-autistic social impairment are severalfold higher than in the general population. We examined the relationship between top quartile inflammation-related protein concentrations among children born extremely preterm and ASD or, separately, a high score on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS total score ≥65) among those who did not meet ASD criteria, using information only from the subset of children whose DAS-II verbal or non-verbal IQ was ≥70, who were assessed for ASD, and who had proteins measured in blood collected on ≥2 days (N = 763). ASD (N = 36) assessed at age 10 years is associated with recurrent top quartile concentrations of inflammation-related proteins during the first post-natal month (e.g., SAA odds ratio (OR); 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.5; 1.2–5.3) and IL-6 (OR; 95% CI: 2.6; 1.03–6.4)). Top quartile concentrations of neurotrophic proteins appear to moderate the increased risk of ASD associated with repeated top quartile concentrations of inflammation-related proteins. High (top quartile) concentrations of SAA are associated with elevated risk of ASD (2.8; 1.2–6.7) when Ang-1 concentrations are below the top quartile, but not when Ang-1 concentrations are high (1.3; 0.3–5.8). Similarly, high concentrations of TNF-α are associated with heightened risk of SRS-defined social impairment (N = 130) (2.0; 1.1–3.8) when ANG-1 concentrations are not high, but not when ANG-1 concentrations are elevated (0.5; 0.1–4.2)

Comparative Performance of Broiler Chickens Fed Varying Levels of

Abstract: Studies were conducted to compare the effects of dietary PKC and maize offal on the performance of broilers. According to the results of the trial with broiler starter chicks, the birds on the control diet (without PKC or maize offal) gave the highest body weight gain (1236.37g/bird). The result further showed that the birds on maize offal diets performed slightly better (1092.17 and 1005.56g/bird) than those on PKC diets (984.12 and 877.61g/bird). The birds on PKC diets consumed more feed (2446.11 and 2416.69g/bird) than those on maize offal diets (2329.05 and 2106.94g/bird). Feed cost per kg live weight gain was generally higher with PKC diets than with maize offal diets. Average daily water intake was not significantly affected by diets (200 to 300 ml/bird/day). Dry matter retention was higher with maize offal diets (66.45 and 68.52%) than with PKC diets (59.92 and 55.24%). The birds on the control diet gave almost similar crude protein and fat retention with those on maize offal diets (about 74%). The results of the trial with broiler finisher chickens indicated that weight gain per bird slightly decreased when PKC or maize offal replaced maize in the diet. Feed intake increased slightly when 50 % of dietary maize was replaced with PKC or maize offal. Feed to gain ratio increased significantly with the inclusion of PKC or maize offal in the diet. Water intake was not significantly affected by diets (400 to 500ml/bird/day). Dietary PKC significantly decreased dry matter retention. Crude protein retention was significantly higher in the maize offal diets (72.41 and 76.99%) as compared to PKC diets (59.91 and 64.25%). Fat retention significantly decreased with the test diets. From the foregoing, therefore, it can be concluded that both ingredients performed significantly well when compared to the control diet. However, maize offal seemed to have performed better than PKC in a number of parameters. Key words: Palm-kernel cake, maize offal, broiler chickens, soyabean mea

Rate and predictors of blood pressure control in a federal qualified health center in Michigan: a huge concern?

Hypertension (HTN) is particularly burdensome in low‐income groups. Federal‐qualified health centers (FQHCs) provide care for low‐income and medically underserved populations. To assess the rates and predictors of blood pressure (BP) control in an FQHC in Michigan, a retrospective analysis of all patients with HTN, coronary artery disease, and/or diabetes mellitus (DM) seen between January 2006 and December 2008 was conducted. Of 212 patients identified, 154 had a history of HTN and 122 had DM. BP control was achieved in 38.2% of the entire cohort and in 31.1% of patients with DM. The mean age was lower in patients with controlled BP in both the total population (P=.05) and the DM subgroup (P=.02). A logistic regression model found only female sex (odds ratio, 2.27; P=.02) to be associated with BP control and a trend towards an association of age with uncontrolled BP (odds ratio, 0.97; P=.06). BP control in nondiabetics was 47.8% vs 31.1% in diabetic patients (P=.02). We found that patients who attended the FQHC had a lower rate of BP control compared with the national average. Our study revealed a male sex disparity and significantly lower rate of BP control among DM patients