Low-protein diets with balanced amino acids reduce nitrogen excretion and foot pad dermatitis without affecting the growth performance and meat quality of free-range yellow broilers

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of crude protein (CP) levels on growth performance, carcase quality, meat quality, immune indices, litter and faeces quality, as well as welfare quality, in free-range yellow broilers using balanced amino acid technology. In total, 600 one-d-old Suqin yellow broilers were raised for 21 d. On d 22, 540 birds with similar BW (390 ± 7 g SD) were randomly selected and placed into 9 pens (3 groups with 3 replicates per group and 60 birds each replicate) and then reared to 56 d of age. The birds were fed a diet containing CP 19% (control), 18% or 17% (measured value: 18.878%, 17.881%, 17.052%, respectively), in three groups for 35 d. The results revealed that decreasing dietary CP levels from 19% to 17% had no impact on broiler growth performance, carcase quality and meat quality (p > .05). The relative immune organ weights also showed no change to the lowering of dietary CP levels (p > .05), whereas serum albumin was significantly influenced by decreasing dietary CP levels (p = .042). Furthermore, nitrogen content in litter and faeces, as well as the footpad dermatitis score for welfare indices, were decreased with decreased dietary CP levels (p = .009, p = .014, p = .045, respectively). The results of this study suggest that low-protein diets with balanced amino acids reduce nitrogen excretion and footpad dermatitis without effecting the performance, carcase quality, and meat quality of free-range yellow broilers

Radiation-induced late dysphagia after intensity-modulated radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients: a dose-volume effect analysis

Abstract Dysphagia is a side effect of nasopharyngeal carcinoma chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) which greatly influences the quality of life of the patients. We analyzed late dysphagia in 134 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer undergoing radical radiotherapy (RT), and correlated these findings with dose–volume histogram (DVH) parameters of the swallowing organs at risk (SWOARs). DVH parameters of SWOARs were correlated with late dysphagia, and with RTOG/EORTC scale score and the M. D. Anderson dysphagia inventory (MDADI) score. The mean dose (Dmean) to the superior and inferior constrictor muscles (SCM and ICM) and age were associated with grade 2 late dysphagia. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that the threshold values for grade 2 late dysphagia were: Dmean to SCM ≥ 67 Gy, partial volume receiving specified dose of 60 Gy (V60) of SCM ≥ 95%, Dmean to ICM ≥ 47 Gy, and V50 of ICM ≥ 23%. The areas under the ROC curve were 0.681 (p = 0.02), 0.677 (p = 0.002), 0.71 (p < 0.001) and 0.726 (p < 0.001) respectively. Our study demonstrates a significant relationship between late dysphagia and the radiation doses delivered to the SCM and ICM. Our findings suggest that physicians should be cautious in reducing the RT dose to SWOARs in order to avoid severe dysphagia. Further prospective trials are necessary to recommend this as part of routine clinical practice

Goal-directed fluid therapy in the perioperative setting

Improvement in patient outcomes has become a significant consideration with our limited resources in the surgical setting. The implementation of enhanced recovery pathway protocols has resulted in significant benefits to both the patients and hospitals, such as shorter length of hospital stays, reduction in the rate of complications, and fewer hospital readmissions. An emerging component and a key element for the success of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols has been the concept of goal-directed fluid therapy (GDT). GDT related to ERAS protocols attempts to minimize complications associated with fluid imbalance during surgery. We performed a literature search for articles that included the terms enhanced recovery and GDT. We evaluated methods for appropriate volume status assessment, such as heart rate, blood pressure, end-tidal CO2, central venous pressure, urine output, stroke volume, cardiac output, and their derivatives. Some invasive, minimally invasive, and non-invasive monitors of hemodynamic evaluation are now being used to assess volume status and predict fluid responsiveness and fluid need during various surgical procedures. Regardless of monitoring technique, it is important for the clinician to effectively plan and implement preoperative and intraoperative fluid goals. Excess crystalloid fluid should be avoided. In some low-risk patients undergoing low-risk surgery, a “zero-balance” approach is encouraged. For the majority of patients undergoing major surgery, GDT is recommended. Optimal perioperative fluid management is an important component of the ERAS pathways and it can reduce postoperative complications

Preoperative patient preparation in enhanced recovery pathways

Enhanced recovery pathways are a novel approach focused on enhancing the care of surgical patients. “Prehabilitation” is the term applied to any intervention administered before surgery to reduce surgery-related morbidity, decrease the length of hospital stay, expedite the return of organ function, and facilitate the patient's return to normal life. A PubMed search was performed with the following key words: enhanced recovery, preoperative preparation, cessation of smoking and euvolemia. The results from this Pubmed search revealed that female patients may have higher levels of anxiety than male patients. Intensive smoking and alcohol cessation 6–8 weeks before elective surgery may reduce the incidence of postoperative morbidity. Preoperative exercise can be effective for reducing the postoperative complications like pulmonary complications and shortening the length of hospital stay. It is safe to allow patients to drink clear fluids up until 2 h before elective surgery (Level II evidence). Perioperative normoglycemia is the single most important factor to prevent surgical site infection. Intermittent pneumatic compression devices and low molecular weight heparin are effective in preventing postoperative thromboembolism. No advantage is gained by preoperative mechanical bowel preparation in elective colorectal surgery. The goal of preoperative fluid management is for the patient to arrive in the operating room in a hydrated and euvolemic state. Mild perioperative hypothermia may promote surgical wound infection by triggering thermoregulatory vasoconstriction, which decreases subcutaneous oxygen tension

XJ_COTTON10: The 10-m cotton maps in Xinjiang, China during 2018-2021

&lt;p&gt;The datasets accompany the paper "The 10-m cotton maps in Xinjiang, China during 2018–2021" that was&nbsp;published in &lt;a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02584-3"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Scientific Data&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&nbsp;on Oct. 10, 2023. The datasets contain the 10-m cotton maps of Xinjiang (XJ_COTTON10) from 2018 to 2021. They were developed through supervised classification using high-quality in-field samples and multi-source remote sensing data on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Citation&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[1] Kang, X., Huang, C., Chen, J.M., Lv, X., Wang, J., Zhong, T., Wang, H., Fan, X., Ma, Y., Yi, X., Zhang, Z., Zhang, L., Tong, Q., 2023. The 10-m cotton maps in Xinjiang, China during 2018-2021. Sci Data 10, 688. doi:10.1038/s41597-023-02584-3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[2] Lang, P., Zhang, L., Huang, C., Chen, J., Kang, X., Zhang, Z., Tong, Q., 2023. Integrating environmental and satellite data to estimate county-level cotton yield in Xinjiang Province. Frontiers in Plant Science 13, 1048479. doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.1048479&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[3] Kang, X., Huang, C., Zhang, L., Zhang, Z., Lv, X., 2022. Downscaling solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence for field-scale cotton yield estimation by a two-step convolutional neural network. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 201, 107260. doi:10.1016/j.compag.2022.107260&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[4] Kang, X., Huang, C., Zhang, L., Wang, H., Zhang, Z., Lv, X., 2023. Regional-scale cotton yield forecast via data-driven spatio-temporal prediction (STP) of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF). Remote Sensing of Environment 299, 113861. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2023.113861&lt;/p&gt