High patient satisfaction in 445 patients who underwent fast-track hip or knee replacement

Background and purpose — Patient satisfaction is important in fast-track total hip and knee replacement (THR, TKR). We assessed: (1) how satisfied patients were with the treatment; (2) factors related to overall satisfaction; and (3) whether there was a difference between THR and TKR regarding length of stay (LOS) and patient satisfaction. Patients and methods — In this follow-up study, a consecutive series of 445 patients undergoing THR and TKR completed a questionnaire 2 weeks after discharge. LOS and short-term patient satisfaction with the fast-track management were measured. Patient satisfaction was measured using a numerical rating scale (NRS; 0–10). Results — For THR, the median satisfaction score was 9–10 and for TKR it was 8.5–10 in all parameters. Older THR patients had higher overall satisfaction. No association was found between overall satisfaction following THR or TKR and sex comorbidity, or LOS. THR patients had shorter mean LOS than TKR patients, even though the median LOS was 2 days for both groups. THR patients were more satisfied than TKR patients in the first weeks after discharge. Interpretation — Patient satisfaction is high following fast-track THR and TKR, with scores ranging from 8.5 to 10 on the NRS. A qualitative investigation of the first weeks after discharge is required to learn more about how to improve the experience of recovery

Perch and litter preferences in chicks

There is a lack of research on the litter and perch preferences of chicks during the first three weeks of their lives. The purpose of this study was to identify which perch and litter types the chicks preferred, if their preference changes over time and if the preference of litter types change depending on the specific behaviours. First a pilot study was made to find out which different litter and perch types should be used. After that an experiment was carried out over three weeks with six different litters and six different perches to see which they preferred. For this study 94 LSL (Lohman selected leghorn) classic were used, they arrived at the research facility on the same day they were hatched. The different litters compared were; straw, sand, peat, wood shavings, hemp and crushed straw pellets. The different perches compared were a large rope, a small rope, a small flat, a large flat, a small round and a large round perch. The chicks had access to three different litter and perch types at a time, and they were changed every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The result showed that the chicks overall had a preference for wood shavings, hemp and straw, the preferred litter types for preening and sleeping/resting was the same. For picking they preferred wood shavings, hemp and sand. The preferred litter types for dustbathing were sand and peat. The overall result for their perch preferences showed that they had a preference for the small flat, the large flat and the large rope. The most preferred perch types for preening was the large round, the small flat and the large flat perch. For sleeping and resting they preferred the small rope, the large rope, the small round and the large flat perch

COMPARISON OF PRODUCT YIELD FOR ENTIRE MALES AND CASTRATE PIGS BASED ON CT-SCANNING

Abstract -Within the European Union there is an intention of stopping surgical castration of pigs from 2018. A possible scenario within a few years is therefore that up to 50 % of the slaughtered pigs will be entire males. Previous research from 1995 showed that entire males in general had larger foreends and smaller middles and legs than young sows and castrates. However, the populations, feeding and management have changed since then. Our newly performed tests show that there is still a significant difference in product yields for the foreend and for the bacon product in middle. In some tests, a significant difference was found in product yields for the middles and legs as well. The significant difference for the middles might primarily be caused by higher yields for backs of castrates than entire males. The yield difference for the bellies was not significant

The Effects of a Semi-Rigid Ankle Brace on a Simulated Isolated Subtalar Joint Instability

Subtalar joint instability is hypothesized to occur after injuries to the calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) in isolation or in combination with the cervical and the talocalcaneal interosseous ligaments. A common treatment for hindfoot instability is the application of an ankle brace. However, the ability of an ankle brace to promote subtalar joint stability is not well established. We assessed the kinematics of the subtalar joint, ankle, and hindfoot in the presence of isolated subtalar instability, investigated the effect of bracing in a CFL deficient foot and with a total rupture of the intrinsic ligaments, and evaluated how maximum inversion range of motion is affected by the position of the ankle in the sagittal plane. Kinematics from nine cadaveric feet were collected with the foot placed in neutral, dorsiflexion, and plantar flexion. Motion was applied with and without a brace on an intact foot and after sequentially sectioning the CFL and the intrinsic ligaments. Isolated CFL sectioning increased ankle joint inversion, while sectioning the CFL and intrinsic ligaments affected subtalar joint stability. The brace limited inversion at the subtalar and ankle joints. Additionally, examining the foot in dorsiflexion reduced ankle and subtalar joint motion. (c) 2013 Orthopaedic Research Society

Operational Remote Sensing of ET and Challenges

Satellite imagery now provides a dependable basis for computational models that determine evapotranspiration (ET) by surface energy balance (EB). These models are now routinely applied as part of water and water resources management operations of state and federal agencies. They are also an integral component of research programs in land and climat

The effects of sex-ratio and density on locomotor activity in the house fly, Musca domestica

Although locomotor activity is involved in almost all behavioral traits, there is a lack of knowledge on what factors affect it. This study examined the effects of sex—ratio and density on the circadian rhythm of locomotor activity of adult Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) using an infra—red light system. Sex—ratio significantly affected locomotor activity, increasing with the percentage of males in the vials. In accordance with other studies, males were more active than females, but the circadian rhythm of the two sexes was not constant over time and changed during the light period. There was also an effect of density on locomotor activity, where males at intermediate densities showed higher activity. Further, the predictability of the locomotor activity, estimated as the degree of autocorrelation of the activity data, increased with the number of males present in the vials both with and without the presence of females. Overall, this study demonstrates that locomotor activity in M. domestica is affected by sex—ratio and density. Furthermore, the predictability of locomotor activity is affected by both sex—ratio, density, and circadian rhythm. These results add to our understanding of the behavioral interactions between houseflies and highlight the importance of these factors when designing behavioral experiments using M. domestica

A blinded comparison of fluticasone propionate with budesonide via powder devices in adult patients with moderate-to-severe asthma: a clinical evaluation

In Vitro and in vivo data have demonstrated that there are detectable differences between inhaled corticosteroids commonly used to treat asthma. However, controversy still remains as to whether these differences translate into clinical benefits. This 12-week, international, randomized, doubleblind, parallel-group study was undertaken to compare the efficacy and safety of fluticasone propionate (FP) 800 μg daily, administered as a powder via the Diskhaler®, and budesonide (BUD) 1600 μg daily, administered using the Turbuhaler®, in adult patients with moderate-tosevere asthma. A total of 518 patients participated in the study, 256 of whom received FP and 262 BUD. Assessment of mean morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) over the 12-week treatment period revealed a statistically significant difference in efficacy between FP 800 μg daily and BUD 1600 μg daily in favour of FP (p = 0.003), with an overall improvement of 20.9 l/min with FP compared with 12.4 l/min on BUD. Statistically significant differences in favour of FP were seen over the 12 weeks for mean evening PEF (p = 0.04), diurnal PEF variation (p = 0.03) and percentage predicted PEF (p = 0.003), as well as forced expiratory volume (p = 0.008), forced vital capacity (p = 0.02) and PEF (p = 0.005) measured at clinic visits. The median percentage of symptom-free nights increased over the 12-week study period in both treatment groups, with similar changes seen for the median percentage of days with symptom score < 2, rescue medication use and exacerbations of asthma. The incidence of adverse events was found to be comparable in the two treatment groups. The geometric mean ratios of serum cortisol levels were found to be 1.03 for FP, indicating no mean hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis suppression from baseline, and 0.93 for BUD (p = 0.0002 compared with FP). In summary, FP 800 μg daily showed a greater efficacy/safety ratio in the treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma than BUD 1600 μg daily

Can cash transfer interventions increase contraceptive use and reduce adolescent birth and pregnancy in low and middle income countries? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Becoming pregnant and giving birth under the age of 20 is associated with a range of adverse social, socioeconomic and health outcomes for adolescent girls and their children in Low and middle income countries. Cash transfers are an example of a structural intervention that can change the local social and economic environment, and have been linked with positive health and social outcomes across several domains. As part of a wider review of structural adolescent contraception interventions, we conducted a systematic review on the impact of cash transfers on adolescent contraception and fertility. Fifteen studies were included in the review with eleven studies providing evidence for meta-analyses on contraception use, pregnancy and childbearing. The evidence suggests that cash transfer interventions are generally ineffective in raising levels of contraceptive use. However, cash transfer interventions did reduce levels of early pregnancy (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.00). There was suggestive evidence that conditional, but not unconditional, cash transfers reduce levels of early childbearing. Given that much of the evidence is drawn from interventions providing cash transfers conditional on school attendance, supporting school attendance may enable adolescent girls and young women to make life choices that do not involve early pregnancy