Evaluation of the agreement between Brix refractometry and serum immunoglobulin concentration in neonatal piglets

Neonatal piglets lack immunoglobulins at birth. Sufficient colostrum intake (CI) and immunoglobulin absorption are essential for an appropriate passive transfer of immunity via the colostrum. Most methods to measure immunoglobulins in serum of piglets are labour-intensive, expensive or imprecise and not designed for on-farm use. The present diagnostic test study evaluated digital Brix refractometry to measure immunoglobulins in serum of neonatal piglets and to suggest thresholds for different serum immunoglobulin concentration. Additionally, agreements between Brix refractometry and optical refractometer (serum total protein, STP) and between Brix refractometry and ELISA (immunoglobulin G. IgG) were also investigated. Forty-five sows and 269 piglets from three different farms were enrolled in the study. Piglets were weighed at birth and 24 h later to calculate the Cl. Serum was collected at 24 h after birth and analysed for STP, gamma-globulins (electrophoresis), % Brix and IgG. In piglets, median (interquartile range, IQR) CI was 412 (196) g per piglet Median (IQR) STP, gamma-globulin and % Brix concentrations in piglet serum were 60 (11) g/L, 35 (10) g/L and 8 (2) %, respectively. Average (+/- SD) IgG concentration was 49 +/- 23 g/L Passing-Bablok regression revealed a strong concordance between % Brix and STP (Kendall's tau (T): 0.620, P < 0.0001, n = 267) and % Brix and gamma-globulin concentration (Kendall's T: 0.575, P < 0.0001, n = 267). The agreement between the Brix refractometer and IgG concentration was poor (Kendall's T: 0267, P < 0.0001, n = 269). Receiver operating characteristic curves were performed to evaluate test characteristics of Brix refractometry for three gamma-globulin cut-off values, i.e. 10, 20 and 30 g/L. The % Brix cut-off values resulting in the optimal combination of sensitivity and specificity were 5.4 (100 and 985%), 7.0 (100 and 89.3%) and 7.9 (90.1 and 80.6%), respectively. In conclusion. digital Brix refractometry is a sufficiently fast and practical method to assess serum gamma-globulin concentrations in neonatal piglets on-farm and to evaluate them by considering the thresholds found in this study. Further studies are needed to validate those thresholds regarding piglet's survival in the pre-weaning period. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Animal Consortium

In Vivo 3D Analysis of Thoracic Kinematics : Changes in Size and Shape During Breathing and Their Implications for Respiratory Function in Recent Humans and Fossil Hominins

The human ribcage expands and contracts during respiration as a result of the interaction between the morphology of the ribs, the costo-vertebral articulations and respiratory muscles. Variations in these factors are said to produce differences in the kinematics of the upper thorax and the lower thorax, but the extent and nature of any such differences and their functional implications have not yet been quantified. Applying geometric morphometrics we measured 402 three-dimensional (3D) landmarks and semilandmarks of 3D models built from computed tomographic scans of thoraces of 20 healthy adult subjects in maximal forced inspiration (FI) and expiration (FE). We addressed the hypothesis that upper and lower parts of the ribcage differ in kinematics and compared different models of functional compartmentalization. During inspiration the thorax superior to the level of the sixth ribs undergoes antero-posterior expansion that differs significantly from the medio-lateral expansion characteristic of the thorax below this level. This supports previous suggestions for dividing the thorax into a pulmonary and diaphragmatic part. While both compartments differed significantly in mean size and shape during FE and FI the size changes in the lower compartment were significantly larger. Additionally, for the same degree of kinematic shape change, the pulmonary thorax changes less in size than the diaphragmatic thorax. Therefore, variations in the form and function of the diaphragmatic thorax will have a strong impact on respiratory function. This has important implications for interpreting differences in thorax shape in terms of respiratory functional differences within and among recent humans and fossil hominins. Anat Rec, 300:255–264, 2017

Guanylyl cyclase activity associated with putative bifunctional integral membrane proteins in Plasmodium falciparum.

We report here that guanylyl cyclase activity is associated with two large integral membrane proteins (PfGCalpha and PfGCbeta) in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Unusually, the proteins appear to be bifunctional; their amino-terminal regions have strong similarity with P-type ATPases, and the sequence and structure of the carboxyl-terminal regions conform to that of G protein-dependent adenylyl cyclases, with two sets of six transmembrane sequences, each followed by a catalytic domain (C1 and C2). However, amino acids that are enzymatically important and present in the C2 domain of mammalian adenylyl cyclases are located in the C1 domain of the P. falciparum proteins and vice versa. In addition, certain key residues in these domains are more characteristic of guanylyl cyclases. Consistent with this, guanylyl cyclase activity was obtained following expression of the catalytic domains of PfGCbeta in Escherichia coli. In P. falciparum, expression of both genes was detectable in the sexual but not the asexual blood stages of the life cycle, and PfGCalpha was localized to the parasite/parasitophorous vacuole membrane region of gametocytes. The profound structural differences identified between mammalian and parasite guanylyl cyclases suggest that aspects of this signaling pathway may be mechanistically distinct

Functional and clinical studies reveal pathophysiological complexity of CLCN4-related neurodevelopmental condition

Missense and truncating variants in the X-chromosome-linked CLCN4 gene, resulting in reduced or complete loss-of-function (LOF) of the encoded chloride/proton exchanger ClC-4, were recently demonstrated to cause a neurocognitive phenotype in both males and females. Through international clinical matchmaking and interrogation of public variant databases we assembled a database of 90 rare CLCN4 missense variants in 90 families: 41 unique and 18 recurrent variants in 49 families. For 43 families, including 22 males and 33 females, we collated detailed clinical and segregation data. To confirm causality of variants and to obtain insight into disease mechanisms, we investigated the effect on electrophysiological properties of 59 of the variants in Xenopus oocytes using extended voltage and pH ranges. Detailed analyses revealed new pathophysiological mechanisms: 25% (15/59) of variants demonstrated LOF, characterized by a “shift” of the voltage-dependent activation to more positive voltages, and nine variants resulted in a toxic gain-of-function, associated with a disrupted gate allowing inward transport at negative voltages. Functional results were not always in line with in silico pathogenicity scores, highlighting the complexity of pathogenicity assessment for accurate genetic counselling. The complex neurocognitive and psychiatric manifestations of this condition, and hitherto under-recognized impacts on growth, gastrointestinal function, and motor control are discussed. Including published cases, we summarize features in 122 individuals from 67 families with CLCN4-related neurodevelopmental condition and suggest future research directions with the aim of improving the integrated care for individuals with this diagnosis

Attributing the variability of eddy‐covariance CO 2 flux measurements across temporal scales using geostatistical regression for a mixed northern hardwood forest

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95220/1/gbc1702.pd

Fast Rotation of the N=Z Nucleus 36Ar

A highly-deformed rotational band has been identified in the N=Z nucleus 36Ar. At high spin the band is observed to its presumed termination at I=16+, while at low spin it has been firmly linked to previously known states in 36Ar. Spins, parities, and absolute excitation energies have thus been determined throughout the band. Lifetime measurements establish a large low-spin quadrupole deformation (beta_2=0.46+-0.03) and indicate a decreasing collectivity as the band termination is approached. With effectively complete spectroscopic information and a valence space large enough for significant collectivity to develop, yet small enough to be meaningfully approached from the shell model perspective, this rotational band in 36Ar provides many exciting opportunities to test and compare complementary models of collective motion in nuclei

Quality of life and psychosocial wellbeing in youth with neuromuscular disorders who are wheelchair Users: A systematic review

Objective: To investigate quality of life (QoL) and psychosocial wellbeing in youth with Neuromuscular Disorders (NMD) who are wheelchair users. Data Sources: Medline, Embase, CINAHL and PsycINFO (January 2004 to April 2016) and reference lists of retrieved full-text papers. Study Selection: Peer-reviewed studies were included when data describing self-reported QoL and psychosocial wellbeing could be separately understood for those using wheelchairs and aged 12-22 years old. 2058 records were independently screened and potentially eligible papers were obtained and examined by all reviewers. Twelve observational and three qualitative studies met the inclusion criteria. Data Extraction: Population representativeness, measurement tools and outcomes, where possible with comparison groups. Two reviewers independently appraised studies for risk of bias to internal validity and generalisability. Data Synthesis: Heterogeneity of measurement and reporting precluded meta-analysis. Data were cross-sectional only. Compared to same age typically developing peers, physical QoL was scored consistently and significantly lower in youth with NMD, whilst psychosocial QoL was not. Psychosocial QoL was highest in youth non-ambulant since early childhood and in those recruited via single tertiary specialist clinics. Mental health and social participation could not be compared to same age populations. Conclusions: Despite low physical QoL, psychosocial QoL in youth with NMD appeared comparable to same age peers. The psychosocial wellbeing of younger adolescents on degenerative disease trajectories appeared most compromised, though the longitudinal impacts of growing up with NMD on mental health and social participation are unknown. Interpretation was hampered by poor description of participant age, gender and physical ability, lack of population based recruitment strategies and inconsistent use of age appropriate measures. Understanding of self-reported QoL and psychosocial wellbeing in youth with NMD transitioning to adulthood is limited

Decay Out of the Doubly Magic Superdeformed Band in the N=Z Nucleus 60Zn

The doubly magic superdeformed band in the N = Z nucleus Zn-60 has been identified. Linking transitions connecting this band to the yrast line provide the first spin, parity, and excitation energy measurements for superdeformed states in the A similar to 60 region. The stretched-E2 character and relatively large B(E2) values of these transitions suggest a nonstatistical decay-out process