Does rearing laying hens in aviaries adversely affect long-term welfare following transfer to furnished cages?

This study tests the hypothesis that hens that are reared in aviaries but produce in furnished cages experience poorer welfare in production than hens reared in caged systems. This hypothesis is based on the suggestion that the spatial restriction associated with the transfer from aviaries to cages results in frustration or stress for the aviary reared birds. To assess the difference in welfare between aviary and cage reared hens in production, non-beak trimmed white leghorn birds from both rearing backgrounds were filmed at a commercial farm that used furnished cage housing. The videos were taken at 19 and 21 weeks of age, following the birds' transition to the production environment at 16 weeks. Videos were analysed in terms of the performance of aversion-related behaviour in undisturbed birds, comfort behaviour in undisturbed birds, and alert behaviour directed to a novel object in the home cage. A decrease in the performance of the former behaviour and increase in the performance of the latter two behaviours indicates improved welfare. The results showed that aviary reared birds performed more alert behaviour near to the object than did cage reared birds at 19 but not at 21 weeks of age (P = 0.03). Blood glucose concentrations did not differ between the treatments (P>0.10). There was a significant difference in mortality between treatments (P = 0.000), with more death in aviary reared birds (5.52%) compared to cage birds (2.48%). The higher mortality of aviary-reared birds indicates a negative effect of aviary rearing on bird welfare, whereas the higher duration of alert behavior suggests a positive effect of aviary rearing

The Cancer Hub Approach for Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery During COVID-19 Pandemic: Outcomes from a UK Cancer Centre.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused unprecedented disruption to global healthcare delivery. In England, the majority of elective surgery was postponed or cancelled to increase intensive care capacity. Our unit instituted the 'RM Partners Cancer Hub' at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, to deliver ongoing cancer surgery in a 'COVID-lite' setting. This article describes the operational set-up and outcomes for upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancer resections performed during this period. METHODS: From April 2020 to April 2021, the Royal Marsden Hospital formed the RM Partners Cancer Hub. This approach was designed to coordinate resources and provide as much oncological treatment as feasible for patients across the RM Partners West London Cancer Alliance. A UGI surgical case prioritisation strategy, along with strict infection control pathways and pre-operative screening protocols, was adopted. RESULTS: A total of 231 patients underwent surgery for confirmed or suspected UGI cancer during the RM Partners Cancer Hub, with 213 completed resections and combined 90-day mortality rate of 3.5%. Good short-term survival outcomes were demonstrated with 2-year disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for oesophageal (70.8% and 72.9%), gastric (66.7% and 83.3%) and pancreatic cancer resections (68.0% and 88.0%). One patient who developed perioperative COVID-19 during the RM Partners Cancer Hub operation made a full recovery with no lasting clinical sequelae. CONCLUSION: Our experience demonstrates that the RM Partners Cancer Hub approach is a safe strategy for continuing upper gastrointestinal (GI) resectional surgery during future periods of healthcare service disruption

Impact of Auto-evaluation Tests as Part of the Continuous Evaluation in Programming Courses

The continuous evaluation allows for the assessment of the progressive assimilation of concepts and the competences that must be achieved in a course. There are several ways to implement such contin uous evaluation system. We propose auto-evaluation tests as a valuable tool for the student to judge his level of knowledge. Furthermore, these tests are also used as a small part of the continuous evaluation process, encouraging students to learn the concepts seen in the course, as they have the feeling that the time dedicated to this study will have an assured reward, binge able to answer correctly the questions in the continuous evaluation exams. New technologies are a great aid to improve the auto evaluation experience both for the students and the teachers. In this research work we have compared the results obtained in courses where auto-evaluation tests were provided against courses where they were not provided, showing how the tests improve a set of quality metrics in the results of the courseMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2017-88209-C2-

The impact of long-term azithromycin on antibiotic resistance in HIV-associated chronic lung disease

Selection for resistance to azithromycin (AZM) and other antibiotics such as tetracyclines and lincosamides remains a concern with long-term AZM use for treatment of chronic lung diseases (CLD). We investigated the impact of 48 weeks of AZM on the carriage and antibiotic resistance of common respiratory bacteria among children with HIV-associated CLD. Nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs and sputa were collected at baseline, 48 and 72 weeks from participants with HIV-associated CLD randomised to receive weekly AZM or placebo for 48 weeks and followed postintervention until 72 weeks. The primary outcomes were prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP), Staphylococcus aureus (SA), Haemophilus influenzae (HI) and Moraxella catarrhalis (MC) at these timepoints. Mixed-effects logistic regression and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare carriage and resistance, respectively. Of 347 (174 AZM, 173 placebo) participants (median age 15 years (IQR 13–18), female 49%), NP carriage was significantly lower in the AZM (n=159) compared to placebo (n=153) arm for SP (18% versus 41%, p<0.001), HI (7% versus 16%, p=0.01) and MC (4% versus 11%, p=0.02); SP resistance to AZM (62% (18 out of 29) versus 13% (8 out of 63), p<0.0001) or tetracycline (60% (18 out of 29) versus 21% (13 out of 63), p<0.0001) was higher in the AZM arm. Carriage of SA resistant to AZM (91% (31 out of 34) versus 3% (1 out of 31), p<0.0001), tetracycline (35% (12 out of 34) versus 13% (4 out of 31), p=0.05) and clindamycin (79% (27 out of 34) versus 3% (1 out of 31), p<0.0001) was also significantly higher in the AZM arm and persisted at 72 weeks. Similar findings were observed for sputa. The persistence of antibiotic resistance and its clinical relevance for future infectious episodes requiring treatment needs further investigation

QuantiFERON®-TB gold in-tube performance for diagnosing active tuberculosis in children and adults in a high burden setting.

To determine whether QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT) can contribute to the diagnosis of active tuberculosis (TB) in children in a high-burden setting and to assess the performance of QFT and tuberculin skin test (TST) in a prospective cohort of TB suspect children compared to adults with confirmed TB in Tanzania. Sensitivity and specificity of QFT and TST for diagnosing active TB as well as indeterminate QFT rates and IFN-γ levels were assessed in 211 TB suspect children in a Tanzanian district hospital and contrasted in 90 adults with confirmed pulmonary TB. Sensitivity of QFT and TST in children with confirmed TB was 19% (5/27) and 6% (2/31) respectively. In adults sensitivity of QFT and TST was 84% (73/87) and 85% (63/74). The QFT indeterminate rate in children and adults was 27% and 3%. Median levels of IFN-γ were lower in children than adults, particularly children <2 years and HIV infected. An indeterminate result was associated with age <2 years but not malnutrition or HIV status. Overall childhood mortality was 19% and associated with an indeterminate QFT result at baseline. QFT and TST showed poor performance and a surprisingly low sensitivity in children. In contrast the performance in Tanzanian adults was good and comparable to performance in high-income countries. Indeterminate results in children were associated with young age and increased mortality. Neither test can be recommended for diagnosing active TB in children with immature or impaired immunity in a high-burden setting

The convective storm initiation project

Copyright @ 2007 AMSThe Convective Storm Initiation Project (CSIP) is an international project to understand precisely where, when, and how convective clouds form and develop into showers in the mainly maritime environment of southern England. A major aim of CSIP is to compare the results of the very high resolution Met Office weather forecasting model with detailed observations of the early stages of convective clouds and to use the newly gained understanding to improve the predictions of the model. A large array of ground-based instruments plus two instrumented aircraft, from the U.K. National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) and the German Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK), Karlsruhe, were deployed in southern England, over an area centered on the meteorological radars at Chilbolton, during the summers of 2004 and 2005. In addition to a variety of ground-based remote-sensing instruments, numerous rawin-sondes were released at one- to two-hourly intervals from six closely spaced sites. The Met Office weather radar network and Meteosat satellite imagery were used to provide context for the observations made by the instruments deployed during CSIP. This article presents an overview of the CSIP field campaign and examples from CSIP of the types of convective initiation phenomena that are typical in the United Kingdom. It shows the way in which certain kinds of observational data are able to reveal these phenomena and gives an explanation of how the analyses of data from the field campaign will be used in the development of an improved very high resolution NWP model for operational use.This work is funded by the National Environment Research Council following an initial award from the HEFCE Joint Infrastructure Fund

DIMBOA levels in hexaploid Brazilian wheat are not associated with antibiosis against the cereal aphids Rhopalosiphum padi and Sitobion avenae.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the natural levels of the plant defence compound DIMBOA in young leaves of eight hexaploid Brazilian wheat genotypes and the impact of the genotypes upon development of cereal aphids, Rhopalosiphum padi and Sitobion avenae. HPLC Analysis revealed that the DIMBOA levels varied from 5.376 (in BRS Guabiju) to 30.651 mmol/kgFW (in BRS Timbaúva) with two genotypes outperforming Solstice, a UK variety used as reference. Bioassays were conducted to evaluate the development and fecundity of both aphids when grown on the wheat genotypes. Although BRS Guabiju and BRS Timbaúva were among the genotypes showing the highest and lowest susceptibility respectively, against both aphids, no correlation could be found between DIMBOA levels and antibiosis effects. The cultivar BRS 327 that was among the genotypes showing lower intrinsic rate of population increase for the two aphid species. Elucidating the role of secondary metabolites in plant resistance to aphids and the characterisation of the genotypes that allowed reduced aphid development are important steps to achieve a better natural resistance in hexaploid Brazilian wheat

Calcium-Dependent Increases in Protein Kinase-A Activity in Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells Are Mediated by Multiple Adenylate Cyclases

Neurons undergo long term, activity dependent changes that are mediated by activation of second messenger cascades. In particular, calcium-dependent activation of the cyclic-AMP/Protein kinase A signaling cascade has been implicated in several developmental processes including cell survival, axonal outgrowth, and axonal refinement. The biochemical link between calcium influx and the activation of the cAMP/PKA pathway is primarily mediated through adenylate cyclases. Here, dual imaging of intracellular calcium concentration and PKA activity was used to assay the role of different classes of calcium-dependent adenylate cyclases (ACs) in the activation of the cAMP/PKA pathway in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Surprisingly, depolarization-induced calcium-dependent PKA transients persist in barrelless mice lacking AC1, the predominant calcium-dependent adenylate cyclase in RGCs, as well as in double knockout mice lacking both AC1 and AC8. Furthermore, in a subset of RGCs, depolarization-induced PKA transients persist during the inhibition of all transmembrane adenylate cyclases. These results are consistent with the existence of a soluble adenylate cyclase that plays a role in calcium-dependent activation of the cAMP/PKA cascade in neurons

Modeling Activity and Target-Dependent Developmental Cell Death of Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells Ex Vivo

Programmed cell death is widespread during the development of the central nervous system and serves multiple purposes including the establishment of neural connections. In the mouse retina a substantial reduction of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) occurs during the first postnatal week, coinciding with the formation of retinotopic maps in the superior colliculus (SC). We previously established a retino-collicular culture preparation which recapitulates the progressive topographic ordering of RGC projections during early post-natal life. Here, we questioned whether this model could also be suitable to examine the mechanisms underlying developmental cell death of RGCs. Brn3a was used as a marker of the RGCs. A developmental decline in the number of Brn3a-immunolabelled neurons was found in the retinal explant with a timing that paralleled that observed in vivo. In contrast, the density of photoreceptors or of starburst amacrine cells increased, mimicking the evolution of these cell populations in vivo. Blockade of neural activity with tetrodotoxin increased the number of surviving Brn3a-labelled neurons in the retinal explant, as did the increase in target availability when one retinal explant was confronted with 2 or 4 collicular slices. Thus, this ex vivo model reproduces the developmental reduction of RGCs and recapitulates its regulation by neural activity and target availability. It therefore offers a simple way to analyze developmental cell death in this classic system. Using this model, we show that ephrin-A signaling does not participate to the regulation of the Brn3a population size in the retina, indicating that eprhin-A-mediated elimination of exuberant projections does not involve developmental cell death

ProsCan for Men: Randomised controlled trial of a decision support intervention for men with localised prostate cancer

Background: Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer in the Western world but is highly heterogeneous in disease progression and outcomes. Consequently, the most substantial morbidity may actually arise from the adverse psychosocial impact of distress in decision-making and long term quality of life effects such as impotence. This paper presents the design of a randomised controlled trial of a decision support/psychosocial intervention for men newly diagnosed with localised prostate cancer. Methods/Design: 350 men per condition (700 men in total) have been recruited after diagnosis and before treatment through urology private practices and hospital outpatient clinics and randomised to 1) a tele-based nurse delivered five session decision support/psychosocial intervention or 2) a usual care control group. Two intervention sessions are delivered before treatment that address decision support, stress management and preparation for treatment. Three further sessions are provided three weeks, seven weeks and five months after treatment that focus on adjustment to cancer, problem solving and coping with treatment side effects. Participants are assessed at baseline (before treatment) and 2, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months post-treatment. Outcome measures include: cancer threat appraisal; decision-related distress and bother from treatment side effects; involvement in decision making; satisfaction with health care; heath care utilisation; use of health care resources; and a return to previous activities. Discussion: The study will provide recommendations about the efficacy of early decision support to facilitate adjustment after prostate cancer. As well the study will identify men diagnosed with localised prostate cancer at risk of poorer long term psychosocial adjustment