French Translation and Validation of the Rating-of-Fatigue Scale

Background The Rating of Fatigue (ROF) scale can measure changes in perceived fatigue in a variety of contexts. Objective The aim of the present study was to translate and subsequently validate the ROF scale in the French language. Methods The study was composed of three phases. Phase 1 involved a comprehensive translation, back-translation, and consolidation process in order to produce the French ROF scale. During phase 2, the face validity of the French ROF scale was assessed. A cohort of 60 native French speaking participants responded to a range of Likert scale items which probed the purposes of the ROF scale and what it is intended to measure. During phase 3, the convergent and divergent validity of the ROF scale was assessed during ramped cycling to exhaustion and 10 min of resting recovery. Results The results from phase 1 demonstrated comparability and interpretability between the original and back-translated ROF scale. In phase 2, participants reported a high face validity, with a score of 3.48 ± 0.70 out of 4 when given the item probing whether the scale “measures fatigue”. This score further improved (3.67 ± 0.57, P = 0.01) after participants read the accompanying instructions. Participants were able to distinguish the purposes of the scale for measuring fatigue rather than exertion. In phase 3, strong correlations were found between ROF and heart rate (HR) both during exercise (r = 0.91, P < 0.01) and recovery (r = 0.92, P < 0.01), while discriminant validity between ROF and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was found during recovery. Conclusion The present study permits the applications of the ROF scale in the French language

Funktionale Charakterisierung und Vergleich des intra-mammären Immunsystems von alten und modernen Rinderrassen

Primary bovine mammary epithelial cells from the ancient breeds Highland and White Park cattle and the modern dairy breeds Brown Swiss and Red Holstein were cultivated from milk and stimulated with the mastitis pathogens Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. mRNA expression and protein production of the innate immune response differed between breeds in the unstimulated control cultures as well as, however to a lesser extent, after stimulation with the mastitis pathogens.Primäre bovine Euterepithelzellen von den alten Robustrassen Hochlandrind und Englisches Parkrind und den modernen Milchviehrassen Braunvieh und Holstein wurden aus der Milch kultiviert und mit den Mastitiserregern Escherichia coli und Staphylococcus aureus stimuliert. Die mRNA Expression und Proteinproduktion der angeborenen Immunantwort unterschied sich zwischen den Rassen in den unstimulierten Kontrollkulturen und, wenn auch, weniger stark, nach Stimulation mit den Mastitiserregern

Measuring Livestock CH4 Emissions with the Laser Methane Detector: A Review

The handheld, portable laser methane detector (LMD) was developed to detect gas leaks in industry from a safe distance. Since 2009, it has also been used to measure the methane (CH4) concentration in the breath of cattle, sheep, and goats to quantify their CH4 emissions. As there is no consensus on a uniform measurement and data-analysis protocol with the LMD, this article discusses important aspects of the measurement, the data analysis, and the applications of the LMD based on the literature. These aspects, such as the distance to the animal or the activity of the animals, should be fixed for all measurements of an experiment, and if this is not possible, they should at least be documented and considered as fixed effects in the statistical analysis. Important steps in data processing are thorough quality control and reduction in records to a single point measurement or &ldquo;phenotype&rdquo; for later analysis. The LMD can be used to rank animals according to their CH4 breath concentration and to compare average CH4 production at the group level. This makes it suitable for genetic and nutritional studies and for characterising different breeds and husbandry systems. The limitations are the lower accuracy compared to other methods, as only CH4 concentration and not flux can be measured, and the high amount of work required for the measurement. However, due to its flexibility and non-invasiveness, the LMD can be an alternative in environments where other methods are not suitable or a complement to other methods. It would improve the applicability of the LMD method if there were a common protocol for measurement and data analysis developed jointly by a group of researchers

Comparison of a laser methane detector with the GreenFeed and two breath analysers for on-farm measurements of methane emissions from dairy cows

To measure methane (CH4) emissions from cattle on-farm, a number of methods have been developed. Combining measurements made with different methods in one data set could lead to an increased power of further analyses. Before combining the measurements, their agreement must be evaluated. We analysed data obtained with a handheld laser methane detector (LMD) and the GreenFeed system (GF), as well as data obtained with LMD and Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) and Non-dispersive Infrared (NDIR) breath analysers (sniffers) installed in the feed bin of automatic milking systems. These devices record short-term breath CH4 concentrations from cows and make it possible to estimate daily CH4 production in g/d which is used for national CH4 emission inventories and genetic studies. The CH4 is released by cows during eructation and breathing events, resulting in peaks of CH4 concentrations during a measurement which represent the respiratory cycle. For LMD, the average CH4 concentration of all peaks during the measurement (P_MEAN in ppm × meter) was compared with the average daily CH4 production (g/d) measured by GF on 11 cows. The comparison showed a low concordance correlation coefficient (CCC; 0.02) and coefficient of individual agreement (CIA; 0.06) between the methods. The repeated measures correlation (rp) of LMD and GF, which can be seen as a proxy for the genetic correlation, was, however, relatively strong (0.66). Next, based on GF, a prediction equation for estimating CH4 in g/d (LMD_cal) using LMD measurements was developed. LMD_cal showed an improved agreement with GF (CCC = 0.22, CIA = 0.99, rp = 0.74). This prediction equation was used to compare repeated LMD measurements (LMD_val in g/d) with CH4 (g/d) measured with FTIR (n = 34 cows; Data Set A) or NDIR (n = 39 cows; Data Set B) sniffer. A low CCC (A: 0.28; B: 0.17), high CIA (A: 0.91; B: 0.87) and strong rp (A: 0.57; B: 0.60) indicated that there was some agreement and a minimal re-ranking of the cows between sniffer and LMD. Possible sources of disagreement were cow activity (LMD: standing idle; sniffer: eating and being milked) and the larger influence of wind speed on LMD measurement. The LMD measurement was less repeatable (0.14–0.27) than the other techniques studied (0.47–0.77). Nevertheless, GF, LMD and the sniffers ranked the cows similarly. The LMD, due to its portability and flexibility, could be used to study CH4 emissions on herd or group level, as a validation tool, or to strengthen estimates of genetic relationships between small-scale research populations.</p

Accuracy of methane emissions predicted from milk mid-infrared spectra and measured by laser methane detectors in Brown Swiss dairy cows

Since heritability of methane (CH4) emissions in ruminants was demonstrated, various attempts to generate large individual animal CH4 data sets were initiated. Predicting individual CH4 emissions based on equations using milk mid-infrared (MIR) spectra is currently considered promising as a low-cost proxy. However, the predicted CH4 emission by MIR in individuals still has to be confirmed by measurements. In addition, it is still unclear how low CH4 emitting cows differ in intake, digestion, and efficiency from high CH4 emitters. In the current study, putatively low and putatively high CH4 emitting Brown Swiss cows were selected from the entire Swiss herdbook population (176,611 cows), using a MIR-based prediction equation. Eventually, 15 low and 15 high CH4 emitters from 29 different farms were chosen for a respiration chamber (RC) experiment, where all cows were fed the same forage-based diet. A number of traits related to intake, digestion, and efficiency were quantified over 8 d, and CH4 emission was measured in 4 open circuit RC and daily CH4 emissions were also estimated using data from 2 laser CH4 detectors (LMD). The MIR-predicted CH4 production (g/d) was quite constant in low and high emission categories, and individuals across sites (home farm, experimental station), and within equations (first available and refined versions). The variation of the MIR-predicted values was substantially lower using the refined equation. However, the predicted low and high emitting cows (n = 28) did not differ on average in daily CH4 emissions measured either with RC or estimated using LMD, and there was no correlation between CH4 predictions (MIR) and CH4 emissions measured by RC measurements. When re-categorized based on CH4 yield measured in RC, differences between categories of 10 low and 10 high CH4 emitters were about 20%. Low CH4 emitting cows had a higher feed intake, milk yield, and residual feed intake, but differed only weakly in eating pattern and digesta mean retention times. Low CH4 emitters were characterized by lower acetate and higher propionate proportions of total ruminal volatile fatty acids. We concluded that the current MIR-based CH4 predictions are not accurate enough to be implemented in breeding programs for cows fed forage-based diets. In addition, low CH4 emitting cows have to be characterized in more detail using mechanistic studies to clarify in more detail the properties which explain the functional differences to other cows found

Accuracy of methane emissions predicted from milk mid-infrared spectra and measured by laser methane detectors in Brown Swiss dairy cows

Since heritability of methane (CH4) emissions in ruminants was demonstrated, various attempts to generate large individual animal CH4 data sets were initiated. Predicting individual CH4 emissions based on equations using milk mid-infrared (MIR) spectra is currently considered promising as a low-cost proxy. However, the predicted CH4 emission by MIR in individuals still has to be confirmed by measurements. In addition, it is still unclear how low CH4 emitting cows differ in intake, digestion, and efficiency from high CH4 emitters. In the current study, putatively low and putatively high CH4 emitting Brown Swiss cows were selected from the entire Swiss herdbook population (176,611 cows), using a MIR-based prediction equation. Eventually, 15 low and 15 high CH4 emitters from 29 different farms were chosen for a respiration chamber (RC) experiment, where all cows were fed the same forage-based diet. A number of traits related to intake, digestion, and efficiency were quantified over 8 d, and CH4 emission was measured in 4 open circuit RC and daily CH4 emissions were also estimated using data from 2 laser CH4 detectors (LMD). The MIR-predicted CH4 production (g/d) was quite constant in low and high emission categories, and individuals across sites (home farm, experimental station), and within equations (first available and refined versions). The variation of the MIR-predicted values was substantially lower using the refined equation. However, the predicted low and high emitting cows (n = 28) did not differ on average in daily CH4 emissions measured either with RC or estimated using LMD, and there was no correlation between CH4 predictions (MIR) and CH4 emissions measured by RC measurements. When re-categorized based on CH4 yield measured in RC, differences between categories of 10 low and 10 high CH4 emitters were about 20%. Low CH4 emitting cows had a higher feed intake, milk yield, and residual feed intake, but differed only weakly in eating pattern and digesta mean retention times. Low CH4 emitters were characterized by lower acetate and higher propionate proportions of total ruminal volatile fatty acids. We concluded that the current MIR-based CH4 predictions are not accurate enough to be implemented in breeding programs for cows fed forage-based diets. In addition, low CH4 emitting cows have to be characterized in more detail using mechanistic studies to clarify in more detail the properties which explain the functional differences to other cows found.acceptedVersio

Conjugated carbon monoxide-releasing molecules have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity

Supplementary information. Time lapse images</p

Comparison of Methods to Measure Methane for Use in Genetic Evaluation of Dairy Cattle

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Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Neuromuscular Function of Mechanically Ventilated ICU COVID-19 Patients

International audienceObjectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the level of cardiorespiratory fitness and neuromuscular function of ICU survivors after COVID-19 and to examine whether these outcomes are related to ICU stay/mechanical ventilation duration.Design: Prospective nonrandomized study.Setting: Patients hospitalized in ICU for COVID-19 infection.Patients: Sixty patients hospitalized in ICU (mean duration: 31.9 ± 18.2 d) were recruited 4-8 weeks post discharge from ICU.Interventions: None.Measurements and main results: Patients visited the laboratory on two separate occasions. The first visit was dedicated to quality of life questionnaire, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, whereas measurements of the knee extensors neuromuscular function were performed in the second visit. Maximal oxygen uptake (V o2 max) was 18.3 ± 4.5 mL·min -1 ·kg -1 , representing 49% ± 12% of predicted value, and was significantly correlated with ICU stay/mechanical ventilation (MV) duration ( R = -0.337 to -0.446; p < 0.01 to 0.001), as were maximal voluntary contraction and electrically evoked peak twitch. V o2 max (either predicted or in mL· min -1 ·kg -1 ) was also significantly correlated with key indices of pulmonary function such as predicted forced vital capacity or predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second ( R = 0.430-0.465; p ≤ 0.001) and neuromuscular function. Both cardiorespiratory fitness and neuromuscular function were correlated with self-reported physical functioning and general health status.Conclusions: V o2 max was on average only slightly above the 18 mL·min -1 ·kg -1 , that is, the cut-off value known to induce difficulty in performing daily tasks. Overall, although low physical capacities at admission in ICU COVID-19 patients cannot be ruled out to explain the association between V o2 max or neuromuscular function and ICU stay/MV duration, altered cardiorespiratory fitness and neuromuscular function observed in the present study may not be specific to COVID-19 disease but seem applicable to all ICU/MV patients of similar duration