99mTc-MIBI stress-rest myocardial perfusion scintigraphy in patients with complete left bundle branch block

Background. Patients with complete left bundle branch block (LBBB) often show a false-positive ischaemic pattern in the interventricular septum on thallium-201 (201Tl) stress-rest myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. Equivocal results have been reported with technetium-99m labelled hexakis-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) in such patients. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the effect of LBBB on the septal uptake of 99mTc-MIBI during stress-rest single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scintigraphy. Methods. We studied 75 consecutive patients with LBBB, referred for 99mTc-MIBI stress-rest SPECT. Studies were evaluated by visual analysis using a semi-quantitative grading technique. In all patients with abnormal septal segments, the presence or absence of ischaemic heart disease was confirmed either clinically or by means of angiographical examination. Results. Forty-three patients (57.3%) had completely normal studies. Only 15 (20%) had septal abnormalities (11 with reversible and 4 with fixed defects), while 17 patients (22.7%) had abnormal segments in areas other than the interventricular septum. Except for 1 patient lost to follow-up, ischaemic heart disease was confirmed in all the patients with septal changes. Conclusion. We conclude that 99mTc-MIBI is more specific than 201Tl for identifying ischaemic heart disease in the presence of LBBB.Articl

Mickey mouse sign in Paget's disease [5]

[No abstract available]Lette

Effect of supplementary feed and stocking rate on the production of ostriches

This study was conducted to determine the effect of two different levels of supplementary feed and two different stocking rates on the production of grazing ostriches. One hundred and seventy ostriches were randomly allocated to four groups and kept on irrigated lucerne pasture with or without supplementary feed from approximately 58 kg to a target weight of 95 kg. The ostriches rotationally grazed lucerne pasture at one of two stocking rates, i.e. 15 birds/ha or 10 birds/ha and were fed one of two levels of supplement i.e. 0 g or 800 g feed/d formulated according to the nutrient requirements of the relevant group of birds. Data were analyzed by ANOVA. There was no interaction between the supplementary feed and stocking rate regarding mean live weight at 54 weeks of age and feed conversion ration (FCR). Data were provided as the two main effects of level of supplementation and stocking rate. Significant differences in mean live weight at 54 weeks of age and FCR of the birds were observed between the different levels of supplementary feed. The parameters measured for the two different stocking rates used in this study (10 birds/ha vs. 15 birds/ha) did not differ from each other and did not influence either mean live weight at 54 weeks of age, average daily gain (ADG) or FCR. The two groups which received 800 g supplementary feed/d reached slaughter weight (95 kg) within the set of 54 weeks of grazing for the trial, while the two groups which received no supplementary feed did not achieve slaughter weight by 54 weeks on the pasture. Ostriches receiving supplementation of 800 g/bird/day had significantly better FCR’s than birds receiving no supplementation. There was a significant interaction between level of supplementary feed and stocking rate regarding ADG of the birds. As stocking rate increased, average daily gains of birds receiving no supplementary feed declined. This study indicates that ostriches being kept on grazing and receiving supplementary feed will exhibit improved and faster growth rates than ostriches which only have access to grazing and receive no supplementary feed

A retrospective study (2007–2015) on brucellosis seropositivity in livestock in South Africa

In South Africa, brucellosis testing and record-keeping are done by several laboratories, thus it is difficult to access any organized data to assess the status of the disease. This study evaluated the seropositivity for brucellosis using Rose Bengal test and complement fixation test in suspect cattle, sheep, goats and pigs sera submitted to Bacterial Serology Laboratory, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARC-OVR) from nine provinces in the country during the period 2007–2015. This retrospective data analysis was conducted to estimate the occurrence of brucellosis in the country from the submitted samples, identify variables that affected seropositivity for brucellosis, investigate existing gaps in data recording and make recommendations on important variables to facilitate better data capture and inferences on brucellosis. Nine years of data were collated and analysed to detect association (seropositivity over time regarding animal species and location). Of the 764,276 animals tested, the distribution of samples was 90.50% (691,539/764,276), 5.19% (39,672/764,276), 3.92% (29,967/764,276) and 0.41% (3,098/764,276) for cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, respectively. The seropositivity for brucellosis by animal species was 6.31% (43,666/691,539, 95% CI: 6.26–6.37), 2.09% (828/39,672, 95% CI: 1.95–2.23), 0.63% (189/29,967, 95% CI: 0.55–0.73) and 0.13% (4/3,098, 95% CI: 0.05–0.33) in cattle, sheep, goats and pigs respectively. The data available did not capture information on the age, sex, breed and other host risk factors that would have been related to seropositivity for brucellosis. The data provide an understanding of the disease occurrence and confirm that brucellosis is enzootic in South Africa. Improved and standardized data collection can be used to pro-actively drive, monitor, change or formulate policies to mitigate the challenges brought about by brucellosis in the livestock sector in South Africa.Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Developmenthttp://www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/vms3am2021Veterinary Tropical Disease

Isolation of Brucella melitensis from cattle in South Africa

No abstract available.http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.comhj2019Production Animal StudiesVeterinary Tropical Disease

The association of prior paracetamol intake with outcome of very old intensive care patients with COVID-19: results from an international prospective multicentre trial.

In the early COVID-19 pandemic concerns about the correct choice of analgesics in patients with COVID-19 were raised. Little data was available on potential usefulness or harmfulness of prescription free analgesics, such as paracetamol. This international multicentre study addresses that lack of evidence regarding the usefulness or potential harm of paracetamol intake prior to ICU admission in a setting of COVID-19 disease within a large, prospectively enrolled cohort of critically ill and frail intensive care unit (ICU) patients. This prospective international observation study (The COVIP study) recruited ICU patients ≥ 70 years admitted with COVID-19. Data on Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, prior paracetamol intake within 10 days before admission, ICU therapy, limitations of care and survival during the ICU stay, at 30 days, and 3 months. Paracetamol intake was analysed for associations with ICU-, 30-day- and 3-month-mortality using Kaplan Meier analysis. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses were used to stratify 30-day-mortality in subgroups for patient-specific characteristics using logistic regression. 44% of the 2,646 patients with data recorded regarding paracetamol intake within 10 days prior to ICU admission took paracetamol. There was no difference in age between patients with and without paracetamol intake. Patients taking paracetamol suffered from more co-morbidities, namely diabetes mellitus (43% versus 34%, p < 0.001), arterial hypertension (70% versus 65%, p = 0.006) and had a higher score on Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS; IQR 2-5 versus IQR 2-4, p < 0.001). Patients under prior paracetamol treatment were less often subjected to intubation and vasopressor use, compared to patients without paracetamol intake (65 versus 71%, p < 0.001; 63 versus 69%, p = 0.007). Paracetamol intake was not associated with ICU-, 30-day- and 3-month-mortality, remaining true after multivariate adjusted analysis. Paracetamol intake prior to ICU admission was not associated with short-term and 3-month mortality in old, critically ill intensive care patients suffering from COVID-19. This prospective international multicentre study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifier "NCT04321265" on March 25, 2020

The association of prior paracetamol intake with outcome of very old intensive care patients with COVID-19: results from an international prospective multicentre trial

BACKGROUND: In the early COVID-19 pandemic concerns about the correct choice of analgesics in patients with COVID-19 were raised. Little data was available on potential usefulness or harmfulness of prescription free analgesics, such as paracetamol. This international multicentre study addresses that lack of evidence regarding the usefulness or potential harm of paracetamol intake prior to ICU admission in a setting of COVID-19 disease within a large, prospectively enrolled cohort of critically ill and frail intensive care unit (ICU) patients. METHODS: This prospective international observation study (The COVIP study) recruited ICU patients ≥ 70 years admitted with COVID-19. Data on Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, prior paracetamol intake within 10 days before admission, ICU therapy, limitations of care and survival during the ICU stay, at 30 days, and 3 months. Paracetamol intake was analysed for associations with ICU-, 30-day- and 3-month-mortality using Kaplan Meier analysis. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses were used to stratify 30-day-mortality in subgroups for patient-specific characteristics using logistic regression. RESULTS: 44% of the 2,646 patients with data recorded regarding paracetamol intake within 10 days prior to ICU admission took paracetamol. There was no difference in age between patients with and without paracetamol intake. Patients taking paracetamol suffered from more co-morbidities, namely diabetes mellitus (43% versus 34%, p < 0.001), arterial hypertension (70% versus 65%, p = 0.006) and had a higher score on Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS; IQR 2-5 versus IQR 2-4, p < 0.001). Patients under prior paracetamol treatment were less often subjected to intubation and vasopressor use, compared to patients without paracetamol intake (65 versus 71%, p < 0.001; 63 versus 69%, p = 0.007). Paracetamol intake was not associated with ICU-, 30-day- and 3-month-mortality, remaining true after multivariate adjusted analysis. CONCLUSION: Paracetamol intake prior to ICU admission was not associated with short-term and 3-month mortality in old, critically ill intensive care patients suffering from COVID-19. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This prospective international multicentre study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifier "NCT04321265" on March 25, 2020