Effects of diet supplementation with clove and rosemary essential oils and protected oils (eugenol, thymol and vanillin) on animal performance, carcass characteristics, digestibility, and ingestive behavior activities for Nellore heifers finished in feedlot

This study was carried out to evaluate the influence of essential oils and their blends on animal performance, feed intake, in situ digestibility, ingestive behavior activities, and carcass characteristics for heifers finished in feedlot on a high-grain diet (~65% corn, 25% corn silage, 10% soybean meal). Forty Nellore heifers (initial body weight 297.6 ± 31.2 kg) were used in the experiment and distributed randomly among individual pens. Dietary treatments based on essential oil additives included: CON – Without essential oil; ROS – Rosemary essential oil; BLE – Protected blend of eugenol, thymol, and vanillin; BCL – Protected blend + clove essential oil; and BRC – Protected blend + rosemary essential oil + clove essential oil. There were no diet effects on initial and final body weights. However, average daily gains, dry matter intakes (kg/d), and dry matter intakes (%BW) were greater (P < 0.05) in heifers fed with BLE, BCL, and BRC diets than in heifers fed with ROS diets. Feed efficiency (gain to feed) was greater (P < 0.0001) in heifers fed the BCL and BRC diets when compared to heifers fed the ROS diet. There were no diet effects on carcass characteristics. In situ digestibility of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber were greater (P < 0.0001) in heifers fed the three blended diets when compared to heifers fed the ROS diet. The addition of essential oils to the diets of heifers did not alter the muscle, fat, or bone percentages in the carcass. For ingestive behavior activities, data on rumination and idleness tended to be altered by diet with increased rumination in heifers fed BRC diet. The addition of 4 g/animal/d of a blend of essential oils to the diets of Nellore heifers improved average daily gain, dry matter intake, feed efficiency, and ingestive behavior activities

To buy or not to buy-evaluating commercial AI solutions in radiology (the ECLAIR guidelines).

Artificial intelligence (AI) has made impressive progress over the past few years, including many applications in medical imaging. Numerous commercial solutions based on AI techniques are now available for sale, forcing radiology practices to learn how to properly assess these tools. While several guidelines describing good practices for conducting and reporting AI-based research in medicine and radiology have been published, fewer efforts have focused on recommendations addressing the key questions to consider when critically assessing AI solutions before purchase. Commercial AI solutions are typically complicated software products, for the evaluation of which many factors are to be considered. In this work, authors from academia and industry have joined efforts to propose a practical framework that will help stakeholders evaluate commercial AI solutions in radiology (the ECLAIR guidelines) and reach an informed decision. Topics to consider in the evaluation include the relevance of the solution from the point of view of each stakeholder, issues regarding performance and validation, usability and integration, regulatory and legal aspects, and financial and support services. KEY POINTS: • Numerous commercial solutions based on artificial intelligence techniques are now available for sale, and radiology practices have to learn how to properly assess these tools. • We propose a framework focusing on practical points to consider when assessing an AI solution in medical imaging, allowing all stakeholders to conduct relevant discussions with manufacturers and reach an informed decision as to whether to purchase an AI commercial solution for imaging applications. • Topics to consider in the evaluation include the relevance of the solution from the point of view of each stakeholder, issues regarding performance and validation, usability and integration, regulatory and legal aspects, and financial and support services

Behavioral characterization of a model of differential susceptibility to obesity induced by standard and personalized cafeteria diet feeding

Indexación: Scopus.Despite the increase in obesity prevalence over the last decades, humans show large inter-individual variability for susceptibility to diet-induced obesity. Understanding the biological basis of this susceptibility could identify new therapeutic alternatives against obesity. We characterized behavioral changes associated with propensity to obesity induced by cafeteria (CAF) diet consumption in mice. We show that Balb/c mice fed a CAF diet display a large inter-individual variability in susceptibility to diet-induced obesity, such that based on changes in adiposity we can classify mice as obesity prone (OP) or obesity resistant (OR). Both OP and OR were hyperphagic relative to control-fed mice but caloric intake was similar between OP and OR mice. In contrast, OR had a larger increase in locomotor activity following CAF diet compared to OP mice. Obesity resistant and prone mice showed similar intake of sweet snacks, but OR ate more savory snacks than OP mice. Two bottle sucrose preference tests showed that OP decreased their sucrose preference compared to OR mice after CAF diet feeding. Finally, to test the robustness of the OR phenotype in response to further increases in caloric intake, we fed OR mice with a personalized CAF (CAF-P) diet based on individual snack preferences. When fed a CAF-P diet, OR increased their calorie intake compared to OP mice fed the standard CAF diet, but did not reach adiposity levels observed in OP mice. Together, our data show the contribution of hedonic intake, individual snack preference and physical activity to individual susceptibility to obesity in Balb/c mice fed a standard and personalized cafeteria-style diet. © 2015.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938415301311?via%3Dihu

Accuracy Of Sonography And Hysteroscopy In The Diagnosis Of Premalignant And Malignant Polyps In Postmenopausal Women [acurácia Da Ultrassonografia E Da Histeroscopia No Diagnóstico De Pólipos Endometriais Pré-malignos E Malignos Na Pós-menopausa]

PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of sonographic endometrial thickness and hysteroscopic characteristics in predicting malignancy in postmenopausal women undergoing surgical resection of endometrial polyps. METHODS: Five hundred twenty-one (521) postmenopausal women undergoing hysteroscopic resection of endometrial polyps between January 1998 and December 2008 were studied. For each value of sonographic endometrial thickness and polyp size on hysteroscopy, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated in relation to the histologic diagnosis of malignancy. The best values of sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of malignancy were determined by the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: Histologic diagnosis identified the presence of premalignancy or malignancy in 4.1% of cases. Sonographic measurement revealed a greater endometrial thickness in cases of malignant polyps when compared to benign and premalignant polyps. On surgical hysteroscopy, malignant endometrial polyps were also larger. An endometrial thickness of 13 mm showed a sensitivity of 69.6%, specificity of 68.5%, PPV of 9.3%, and NPV of 98% in predicting malignancy in endometrial polyps. Polyp measurement by hysteroscopy showed that for polyps 30 mm in size, the sensitivity was 47.8%, specificity was 66.1%, PPV was 6.1%, and NPV was 96.5% for predicting cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Sonographic endometrial thickness showed a higher level of accuracy than hysteroscopic measurement in predicting malignancy in endometrial polyps. Despite this, both techniques showed low accuracy for predicting malignancy in endometrial polyps in postmenopausal women. In suspected cases, histologic evaluation is necessary to exclude malignancy.356243248Anastasiadis, P.G., Koutlaki, N.G., Skaphida, P.G., Galazios, G.C., Tsikouras, P.N., Liberis, V.A., Endometrial polyps: Prevalence, detection, and malignant potential in women with abnormal uterine bleeding (2000) Eur J Gynaecol Oncol., 21 (2), pp. 180-183Clevenger-Hoeft, M., Syrop, C.H., Stovall, D.W., van Voorhis, B.J., Sonohysterography in premenopausal women with and without abnormal bleeding (1999) Obstet Gynecol., 94 (4), pp. 516-520Goldstein, S.R., Zeltser, I., Horan, C.K., Snyder, J.R., Schwartz, L.B., Ultrasonography-based triage for perimenopausal patients with abnormal uterine bleeding (1997) Am J Obstet Gynecol., 177 (1), pp. 102-108Nagele, F., O'Connor, H., Davies, A., Badawy, A., Mohamed, H., Magos, A., 2500 outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopies (1996) Obstet Gynecol., 88 (1), pp. 87-92van Bogaert, L.J., Clinicopathologic findings in endometrial polyps (1988) Obstet Gynecol., 71 (5), pp. 771-773Dreisler, E., Stampe Sorensen, S., Ibsen, P.H., Lose, G., Prevalence of endometrial polyps and abnormal uterine bleeding in a Danish population aged 20-74 years (2009) Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol., 33 (1), pp. 102-108Lieng, M., Istre, O., Sandvik, L., Qvigstad, E., Prevalence, 1-year regression rate, and clinical significance of asymptomatic endometrial polyps: Cross-sectional study (2009) J Minim Invasive Gynecol., 16 (4), pp. 465-471Schmidt, T., Breidenbach, M., Nawroth, F., Mallmann, P., Beyer, I.M., Fleisch, M.C., Hysteroscopy for asymptomatic postmenopausal women with sonographically thickened endometrium (2009) Maturitas., 62 (2), pp. 176-178Lee, S.C., Kaunitz, A.M., Sanchez-Ramos, L., Rhatigan, R.M., The oncogenic potential of endometrial polyps: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2010) Obstet Gynecol., 116 (5), pp. 1197-1205Martínez, M.A., Jou, P., Nonell, R., Cardona, M., Alonso, I., Vanrell, J.A., Pólipos endometriales: Riesgo de malignización y correlación clínico-anatómica (2004) Prog Obstet Ginecol., 47 (11), pp. 506-510Antunes Jr., A., Costa-Paiva, L., Arthuso, M., Costa, J.V., Pinto-Neto, A.M., Endometrial polyps in pre-and postmenopausal women: Factors associated with malignancy (2007) Maturitas., 57 (4), pp. 415-421Savelli, L., de Iaco, P., Santini, D., Rosati, F., Ghi, T., Pignotti, E., Histopathologic features and risk factors for benignity, hyperplasia, and cancer in endometrial polyps (2003) Am J Obstet Gynecol., 188 (4), pp. 927-931Lieng, M., Istre, O., Qvigstad, E., Treatment of endometrial polyps: A systematic review (2010) Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand., 89 (8), pp. 992-1002Baiocchi, G., Manci, N., Pazzaglia, M., Giannone, L., Burnelli, L., Giannone, E., Malignancy in endometrial polyps: A 12-year experience (2009) Am J Obstet Gynecol., 201 (5), pp. 462. e1-462. e4Rahimi, S., Marani, C., Renzi, C., Natale, M.E., Giovannini, P., Zeloni, R., Endometrial polyps and the risk of atypical hyperplasia on biopsies of unremarkable endometrium: A study on 694 patients with benign endometrial polyps (2009) Int J Gynecol Pathol., 28 (6), pp. 522-528Ben-Arie, A., Goldchmit, C., Laviv, Y., Levy, R., Caspi, B., Huszar, M., The malignant potential of endometrial polyps (2004) Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol., 115 (2), pp. 206-210Ferrazzi, E., Zupi, E., Leone, F.P., Savelli, L., Omodei, U., Moscarini, M., How often are endometrial polyps malignant in asymptomatic postmenopausal women? A multicenter study (2009) Am J Obstet Gynecol., 200 (3), pp. 235. e1-235. e6Whiting, P., Rutjes, A.W., Reitsma, J.B., Bossuyt, P.M., Kleijnen, J., The development of QUADAS: A tool for the quality assessment of studies of diagnostic accuracy included in systematic reviews (2003) BMC Med Res Methodol., 3, p. 25Osmers, R., Völksen, M., Schauer, A., Vaginosonography for early detection of endometrial carcinoma? (1990) Lancet., 335 (8705), pp. 1569-1571Seelbach-Göbel, B., Rempen, A., Kristen, P., Vaginal sonography of the endometrium in postmenopause. Initial results of a prospective study (1991) Gynakol Rundsch., 31 (SUPPL. 2), pp. 253-255. , GermanGrimbizis, G.F., Tsolakidis, D., Mikos, T., Anagnostou, E., Asimakopoulos, E., Stamatopoulos, P., A prospective comparison of transvaginal ultrasound, saline infusion sonohysterography, and diagnostic hysteroscopy in the evaluation of endometrial pathology (2010) Fertil Steril., 94 (7), pp. 2720-2725Weigel, M., Friese, K., Strittmatter, H.J., Melchert, F., Ultrasound assessment of the postmenopausal endometrium (1994) Is measuring thickness adequate?] Ultraschall Med., 15 (3), pp. 117-121. , GermanCepni, I., Ocal, P., Erkan, S., Saricali, F.S., Akbas, H., Demirkiran, F., Comparison of transvaginal sonography, saline infusion sonography and hysteroscopy in the evaluation of uterine cavity pathologies (2005) Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol., 45 (1), pp. 30-35Jacobs, I., Gentry-Maharaj, A., Burnell, M., Manchanda, R., Singh, N., Sharma, A., Sensitivity of transvaginal ultrasound screening for endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women: A case-control study within the UKCTOCS cohort (2011) Lancet Oncol., 12 (1), pp. 38-48Wang, J.H., Zhao, J., Lin, J., Opportunities and risk factors for premalignant and malignant transformation of endometrial polyps: Management strategies (2010) J Minim Invasive Gynecol., 17 (1), pp. 53-58Fernández-Parra, J., Rodríguez Oliver, A., López Criado, S., Parrilla Fernández, F., Montoya Ventoso, F., Hysteroscopic evaluation of endometrial polyps (2006) Int J Gynaecol Obstet., 95 (2), pp. 144-148Shushan, A., Revel, A., Rojansky, N., How often are endometrial polyps malignant? (2004) Gynecol Obstet Invest., 58 (4), pp. 212-215Gregoriou, O., Konidaris, S., Vrachnis, N., Bakalianou, K., Salakos, N., Papadias, K., Clinical parameters linked with malignancy in endometrial polyps (2009) Climacteric., 12 (5), pp. 454-458Krampl, E., Bourne, T., Hurlen-Solbakken, H., Istre, O., Transvaginal ultrasonography sonohysterography and operative hysteroscopy for the evaluation of abnormal uterine bleeding (2001) Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand., 80 (7), pp. 616-622Salim, S., Won, H., Nesbitt-Hawes, E., Campbell, N., Abbott, J., Diagnosis and management of endometrial polyps: A critical review of the literature (2011) J Minim Invasive Gynecol., 18 (5), pp. 569-581AAGL practice report: Practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of endometrial polyps (2012) J Minim Invasive Gynecol., 19 (1), pp. 3-10. , American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopist

Age-related shift in LTD is dependent on neuronal adenosine A(2A) receptors interplay with mGluR5 and NMDA receptors

Synaptic dysfunction plays a central role in Alzheimer's disease (AD), since it drives the cognitive decline. An association between a polymorphism of the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) encoding gene-ADORA2A, and hippocampal volume in AD patients was recently described. In this study, we explore the synaptic function of A2AR in age-related conditions. We report, for the first time, a significant overexpression of A2AR in hippocampal neurons of aged humans, which is aggravated in AD patients. A similar profile of A2AR overexpression in rats was sufficient to drive age-like memory impairments in young animals and to uncover a hippocampal LTD-to-LTP shift. This was accompanied by increased NMDA receptor gating, dependent on mGluR5 and linked to enhanced Ca(2+) influx. We confirmed the same plasticity shift in memory-impaired aged rats and APP/PS1 mice modeling AD, which was rescued upon A2AR blockade. This A2AR/mGluR5/NMDAR interaction might prove a suitable alternative for regulating aberrant mGluR5/NMDAR signaling in AD without disrupting their constitutive activity