Meta-analysis of prophylactic corticosteroid use in post-ERCP pancreatitis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Acute pancreatitis is a common complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and benefit of pharmacological treatment is unclear. Although prophylactic use of corticosteroid for reduction of pancreatic injury after ERCP has been evaluated, discrepancy about beneficial effect of corticosteroid on pancreatic injury still exists. The aim of current study is to evaluate effectiveness and safety of corticosteroid in prophylaxis of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis (PEP).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We employed the method recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration to perform a meta-analysis of seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of corticosteroid in prevention of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) around the world.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Most of the seven RCTs were of high quality. When the RCTs were analyzed, odds ratios (OR) for corticosteroid were 1.13 [95% CI (0.89~1.44), p = 0.32] for PEP, 1.61 [95% CI (0.74~3.52), p = 0.23] for severe PEP, 0.92 [95% CI (0.57~1.48), p = 0.73] for post-ERCP hyperamylasemia respectively. The results indicated that there were no beneficial effects of corticosteroid on acute pancreatitis and hyperamylasemia. No evidence of publication bias was found.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Corticosteroids cannot prevent pancreatic injury after ERCP. Therefore, their use in the prophylaxis of PEP is not recommended.</p

Behavioural and physiological responses of individually housed dairy calves to change in milk feeding frequency at different ages

peer reviewedThis study aimed to use a range of non-invasive monitoring technologies to investigate the behavioural and physiological responses of individually housed dairy calves to age at change in milk replacer (MR) feeding frequency. Forty-eight Holstein Friesian calves were individually penned and fed MR (625 g/d) as solids in one of three feeding regimes: (i) once-a-day feeding commencing at age 14 d (OAD14), (ii) once-a-day feeding commencing at age 28 d (OAD28) and (iii) twice-a-day feeding (TAD). Several behavioural (automatic activity sensors), physiological (infrared [IR] thermography and heart rate variability [HRV]) and haematological indicators were used to examine calf responses. Reduction in milk feeding frequency at 14 or 28 d of age increased daily concentrate intakes and drinking water consumption throughout the pre-wean period. Calf lying behaviour was unaffected by reduction in milk feeding frequency; however, TAD calves recorded a significant decrease in total daily lying time during the post-wean period compared with OAD28s. There was no effect of treatment on IR eye or rectal temperature throughout the experiment; however, there was an effect of age, with IR temperature decreasing as calf age increased. OAD14 calves tended to have decreased HRV at days 14 and 16, which is suggestive of an increased stress load. The findings suggest that under high levels of animal husbandry and whilst maintaining the same amount of milk powder/d (625 g/d), reduction in milk feeding frequency from twice to once daily at 28 d can occur without significant impact to behavioural, performance and physiological parameters assessed here

Impact outsourcing of competitiveness of enterprise

Celem opracowania było przedstawienie możliwości i zagrożeń wynikających z wykorzystania outsourcingu w procesie kreowania konkurencyjności przedsiębiorstwa. Wykorzystanie outsourcingu może wpływać na czynniki, które decydują o konkurencyjności przedsiębiorstwa. Wysoki poziom konkurencyjności powinien zapewnić przedsiębiorstwu zdolność do utrzymywania oraz powiększania udziałów rynkowych i zrównoważonego rozwoju w długim okresie. Polski sektor spożywczy jest konkurencyjny dla pozostałych krajów UE z uwagi na ceny surowców rolnych oraz relatywnie niskie koszty przetwórstwa. Dlatego przedsiębiorstwa spożywcze powinny rozwijać i wzmacniać swój potencjał konkurencyjny, który zapewni im przewagę konkurencyjną. Mogą to realizować za pomocą różnych strategii zarządzania, m.in. za pomocą outsourcingu.The use of outsourcing can affect the factors that determine the competitiveness of the company. The high level of competitiveness should ensure the company’s ability to endure and enlarge the market share and the sustainable development in the long term. Polish food sector is competitive to other EU countries due to agricultural product prices and relatively low processing costs. Therefore, food businesses should develop and strengthen its competitive potential, which will give them a competitive advantage. This can be accomplished using a variety of management strategies, including the outsourcing. The purpose of this article is to present the possibilities and risks arising from the use of outsourcing in the process of creating competitivenes