Carryover effects of varying hay concentration on the transition to silage-based feeding of weaned dairy calves

Objectives of the experiment were to determine effects of dietary hay concentration in a dry total mixed ration and its carryover effects on intake, growth performance, faecal score, and feed efficiency of weaned dairy calves. Eighteen Friesian × Jersey weaned calves (n = 6 calves/treatment) were randomly assigned to three rhodes grass hay treatments (RG13, RG26, and RG39). The experimental diets were rhodes grass hay-based total mixed rations containing 13%, 26%, and 39% chopped hay on a DM basis. The experiment had two phases of four weeks each. In phase 1 (weeks 1–4), weaned calves were fed RG13, RG26, or RG39. Then, in phase 2 (weeks 5–8), all calves were shifted to a maize silage-based diet. All the diets were iso-nitrogenous and were fed ad libitum. Calves were housed in individual pens and had free access to water and feed. Average daily gain and daily dry matter intake were analysed as repeated measures, whereas bodyweight and feed efficiency were analysed using one-way ANOVA. In phases 1 and 2 dry matter intakes were similar. Growth rate decreased linearly with increasing concentration of hay in phase 1. Overall, daily dry matter intake, average daily gain, change in body condition score and structural measurements were not affected by dietary treatments. However, overall feed efficiency was improved for calves fed RG26 compared with RG13 and RG39. Thus, feeding a moderate level of hay had positive impacts on the transition to a silage-based TMR. Keywords: dietary transition, total mixed ration, intake, growth, feed efficiency, body condition score, faecal scor

Corrigendum to �Tonelli M, Nkunu V, Varghese C, et al. Framework for establishing integrated kidney care programs in low- and middle-income countries� Kidney Int Suppl. 2020;10:e19�e23 (Kidney International Supplements (2020) 10(1) (e19�e23), (S2157171619300164), (10.1016/j.kisu.2019.11.002))

The authors regret that Bassam Bernieh was inadvertently left out as an author of the article. The authors and affiliations are as follows. The authors would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused. © 2020 International Society of Nephrolog

Refined histopathological predictors of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation status: A large-scale analysis of breast cancer characteristics from the BCAC, CIMBA, and ENIGMA consortia

Introduction: The distribution of histopathological features of invasive breast tumors in BRCA1 or BRCA2 germline mutation carriers differs from that of individuals with no known mutation. Histopathological features thus have utility for mutation prediction, including statistical modeling to assess pathogenicity of BRCA1 or BRCA2 variants of uncertain clinical significance. We analyzed large pathology datasets accrued by the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA) and the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) to reassess histopathological predictors of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation status, and provide robust likelihood ratio (LR) estimates for statistical modeling. Methods: Selection criteria for study/center inclusion were estrogen receptor (ER) status or grade data available for invasive breast cancer diagnosed younger than 70 years. The dataset included 4,477 BRCA1 mutation carriers, 2,565 BRCA2 mutation carriers, and 47,565 BCAC breast cancer cases. Country-stratified estimates of the

pq-Space Based 2D/3D Registration for Endoscope Tracking

This paper presents a new pq-space based 2D/3D registration method for camera pose estimation for endoscope tracking. The proposed technique involves the extraction of surface normals for each pixel of the video images by using a linear local shape-from-shading algorithm derived from the unique camera/lighting constrains of the endoscopes. We illustrate how to use the derived pq-space distribution to match to that of the 3D tomographic model, and demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed method by using an electro-magnetic tracker and a specially constructed airway phantom. Comparison to existing intensity-based techniques has also been made, which highlights the major strength of the proposed method in its robustness against illumination and tissue deformation

Framework for establishing integrated kidney care programs in low- and middle-income countries

Secular increases in the burden of kidney failure is a major challenge for health systems worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to growing demand for expensive kidney replacement therapies. In LMICs with limited resources, the priority of providing kidney replacement therapies must be weighed against the prevention and treatment of chronic kidney disease, other kidney disorders such as acute kidney injury, and other noncommunicable diseases, as well as other urgent public health needs. Kidney failure is potentially preventable�not just through primary prevention of risk factors for kidney disease such as hypertension and diabetes, but also by timely management of established chronic kidney disease. Among people with established or incipient kidney failure, there are 3 key treatment strategies�conservative care, kidney transplantation, and dialysis�each of which has its own benefits. Joining up preventive care for people with or at risk for milder forms of chronic kidney disease with all 3 therapies for kidney failure (and developing synergistic links between the different treatment options) is termed �integrated kidney care� and has potential benefits for patients, families, and providers. In addition, because integrated kidney care implicitly considers resource use, it should facilitate a more sustainable approach to managing kidney failure than providing one or more of its components separately. There is currently no agreed framework that LMIC governments can use to establish and/or scale up programs to prevent and treat kidney failure or join up these programs to provide integrated kidney care. This review presents a suggested framework for establishing integrated kidney care programs, focusing on the anticipated needs of policy makers in LMICs. © 2020 International Society of Nephrolog

Stereotactic body radiotherapy of adrenal metastases-A dose-finding study.

Optimal doses for the treatment of adrenal metastases with stereotactic radiotherapy (SBRT) are unknown. We aimed to identify dose-volume cut-points associated with decreased local recurrence rates (LRR). A multicenter database of patients with adrenal metastases of any histology treated with SBRT (biologically effective dose, BED10 ≥50 Gy, ≤12 fractions) was analyzed. Details on dose-volume parameters were required (planning target volume: PTV-D98%, PTV-D50%, PTV-D2%; gross tumor volume: GTV-D50%, GTV-mean). Cut-points for LRR were optimized using the R maxstat package. One hundred and ninety-six patients with 218 lesions were included, the largest histopathological subgroup was adenocarcinoma (n = 101). Cut-point optimization resulted in significant cut-points for PTV-D50% (BED10: 73.2 Gy; P = .003), GTV-D50% (BED10: 74.2 Gy; P = .006), GTV-mean (BED10: 73.0 Gy; P = .007), and PTV-D2% (BED10: 78.0 Gy; P = .02) but not for the PTV-D98% (P = .06). Differences in LRR were clinically relevant (LRR ≥ doubled for cut-points that were not achieved). Further dose-escalation was not associated with further improved LRR. PTV-D50%, GTV-D50%, and GTV-mean cut-points were also associated with significantly improved LRR in the adenocarcinoma subgroup. Separate dose optimizations indicated a lower cut-point for the PTV-D50% (BED10: 69.1 Gy) in adenocarcinoma lesions, other values were similar (<2% difference). Associations of cut-points with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival were not significant but durable freedom from local recurrence was associated with OS in a landmark model (P < .001). To achieve a significant improvement of LRR for adrenal SBRT, a moderate escalation of PTV-D50% BED10 >73.2 Gy (adenocarcinoma: 69.1 Gy) should be considered