Spay-neuter the cat

This student report is about neutering male and female cats and compares early age neutering to neutering at the traditional age of 6 months. The main focus in this report is early age neutering, which means that neutering is performed when the kittens are between 6 and 16 weeks of age. This technique has been used by shelters in the United States for a long time, to prevent the adopted cats from reproduce and contribute to the problem of overpopulation. Two different surgical methods are also addressed; the ventral midline incision and the lateral flank approach. Ovariohysterectomy and ovariectomy are also compared. I also address which drugs are preferable when kittens are neutered and some important guidelines where you have to be extra careful when dealing with kittens. These guidelines are the preanesthetic evaluation, calculating drug dosages and preventing hypothermia, hypoglycaemia and stress. The report also has a summary of the concerns regarding early age neutering such as anaesthetic risks, growth disorders and growth plate fractures, urologic diseases and immune system dysfunction, obesity, altered metabolism and behavioural changes. The sex hormones and how they change after neutering is also included. At the end of the report there is a compilation of a questionnaire that consists of eight questions that I sent out to various animal hospitals and veterinary clinics in Sweden

Nutritional factors and allergic disease : from infancy to adolescence

Allergic disease is one of the most common non-communicable diseases in childhood. Both overweight and diet have been hypothesized to influence the risk of allergic disease. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the associations between overweight, fish intake and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and allergic disease throughout childhood. All analyses were performed on data from the Swedish prospective birth cohort BAMSE. The association between body mass index (BMI) status (as a measure of overweight) and risk of asthma at age 8 years was explored among 2,075 children (study I). High BMI at ages 1, 1.5, 4 and 7 years were associated with an increased risk of asthma at age 8 years. However, children with high BMI during early childhood but whose BMI normalized before age 7 years had no increased risk of asthma. In contrast, children with a high BMI at age 7 years had an increased risk of asthma, regardless of their earlier BMI. Moreover, a high BMI at age 7 years was associated with an increased risk of aeroallergen sensitization at age 8 years. Fish intake in relation to subsequent allergic disease was investigated in studies II and III. A regular fish intake (≥2-3 times/month) at age 1 year reduced the risk of allergic disease up to age 12 years in analyses of 3,285 children (study II). Restriction of the analyses to children without early symptoms of allergic disease weakened the inverse associations with asthma and eczema, but the association with rhinitis was unaffected. Regular fish consumption at school age was assessed in relation to the development of IgE- associated and non-IgE-associated rhinitis between ages 8 and 16 years in analyses of 1,590 children (study III). For total fish intake, cod or fish fingers no significant associations were observed. In contrast, a regular intake of oily fish (≥1 time/week) was associated with a reduced risk of developing rhinitis between ages 8 and 16 years, also after adjustment for infant fish intake and early symptoms of allergic disease. The association between PUFAs at age 8 years and risk of allergic disease was investigated in studies III and IV. Calculated intake of total PUFA, α-linolenic acid (18:3 n-3), total n-6 fatty acids, linoleic acid (18:2 n-6), and arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4 n-6) was not associated with rhinitis in study III. Meanwhile, higher intake of total very long-chain n-3 fatty acids (VLC n-3 fatty acids, the sum of eicosapentaeonic acid [20:5 n-3], docosapentaeonic acid [22:5 n-3], and docosahexaeonic acid [22:6 n-3]), was associated with a reduced risk of developing non-IgE-associated rhinitis between ages 8 and 16 years. The composition of PUFAs was measured in plasma phospholipids for a subsample of 940 children. Increasing proportion of total VLC n-3 fatty acids was associated with a reduced risk of asthma, rhinitis and aeroallergen sensitization at age 16 years in study IV. In addition, total VLC n-3 fatty acids was associated with a reduced risk of developing asthma between ages 8 and 16 years. AA was associated with a reduced risk of asthma and aeroallergen sensitization at age 16 years. The inverse associations between total VLC n-3 fatty acids and AA and allergic disease were most pronounced for the IgE-associated phenotypes. In conclusion, the results in this thesis imply that modifiable factors influence the risk of allergic disease in childhood. Early-transient high BMI does not seem to increase the risk, while persistent and late high BMI seem to be associated with concurrent asthma and aeroallergen sensitization at school age. Moreover, fish intake, both in infancy and childhood, and PUFAs, especially VLC n-3 fatty acids, were associated with a reduced risk of subsequent allergic disease throughout childhood

Biomarkers in WNT1 and PLS3 Osteoporosis : Altered Concentrations of DKK1 and FGF23

Recent advancements in genetic research have uncovered new forms of monogenic osteoporosis, expanding our understanding of the molecular pathways regulating bone health. Despite active research, knowledge on the pathomechanisms, disease-specific biomarkers, and optimal treatment in these disorders is still limited. Mutations in WNT1, encoding a WNT/beta-catenin pathway ligand WNT1, and PLS3, encoding X chromosomally inherited plastin 3 (PLS3), both result in early-onset osteoporosis with prevalent fractures and disrupted bone metabolism. However, despite marked skeletal pathology, conventional bone markers are usually normal in both diseases. Our study aimed to identify novel bone markers in PLS3 and WNT1 osteoporosis that could offer diagnostic potential and shed light on the mechanisms behind these skeletal pathologies. We measured several parameters of bone metabolism, including serum dickkopf-1 (DKK1), sclerostin, and intact and C-terminal fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) concentrations in 17 WNT1 and 14 PLS3 mutation-positive subjects. Findings were compared with 34 healthy mutation-negative subjects from the same families. Results confirmed normal concentrations of conventional metabolic bone markers in both groups. DKK1 concentrations were significantly elevated in PLS3 mutation-positive subjects compared with WNT1 mutation-positive subjects (p <.001) or the mutation-negative subjects (p = .002). Similar differences were not seen in WNT1 subjects. Sclerostin concentrations did not differ between any groups. Both intact and C-terminal FGF23 were significantly elevated in WNT1 mutation-positive subjects (p = .039 and p = .027, respectively) and normal in PLS3 subjects. Our results indicate a link between PLS3 and DKK1 and WNT1 and FGF23 in bone metabolism. The normal sclerostin and DKK1 levels in patients with impaired WNT signaling suggest another parallel regulatory mechanism. These findings provide novel information on the molecular networks in bone. Extended studies are needed to investigate whether these biomarkers offer diagnostic value or potential as treatment targets in osteoporosis. (c) 2020 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.Peer reviewe

Kommunala vetot – landbaserad vindkraft

Ska elektrifieringen och klimatomst\ue4llningen lyckas m\ue5ste den fossilfria elproduktionen \uf6ka snabbt och radikalt. Vindkraft och solkraft har l\ue4gst kostnader och g\ue5r snabbast att bygga ut. P\ue5 sikt kan k\ue4rnkraft komma in men dess kostnader \ue4r os\ue4kra och det r\ue5der \ue4ven olika syn huruvida s\ue5dan ska utg\uf6ras av dagens storskaliga k\ue4rnkraft eller nyutvecklade sm\ue5 och modul\ue4ra reaktorer.I Energimyndighetens scenario f\uf6r h\uf6g elektrifiering tredubblas den landbaserade vindkraften fr\ue5n 33 TWh \ue5r 2022 till 100 TWh redan \ue5r 2035. Detta f\uf6rsv\ue5ras eller kan om\uf6jligg\uf6ras av att kommunerna genom snitt veto och stoppar alltmer landbaserad vindkraft. Det kommunala vetot har hittills stoppat minst 20–26 TWh vindkraftsel, mer \ue4n dubbelt s\ue5 mycket som Ringhals 1 och 2 producerade.Genom det kommunala vetot kan en kommun kan s\ue4ga nej till vindkraft (och k\ue4rnkraft) utan att samtidigt s\ue4ga ja till n\ue5got annat eller direkt ta n\ue5gra konsekvenser av sitt nej. Mot bakgrund av den \uf6kade polariseringen i energidebatten som initierades i och med debatten som f\uf6regick det senaste valet har vi granskat det kommunala vetot, med fokus hur de olika partierna har r\uf6stat i 320 olika omr\uf6stningar om inl\ue4mnade ans\uf6kningar f\uf6r ny vindkraft. Sex slutsatser \ue4r m\uf6jliga:- Fr\ue5n samf\uf6rst\ue5nd till splittring. N\ue4stan h\ue4lften av alla beslut har varit enh\ue4lliga, allra oftast tillstyrkan, men under senare \ue5r har andelen enh\ue4lliga beslut minskat kraftigt.- Andelen veton har \uf6kat kraftigt under de senaste tv\ue5 \ue5ren. Av de ans\uf6kningar som fick sitt beslut 2014-2020 avstyrktes 22 procent av kommunerna, men under perioden 2021-2022 avstyrktes hela 48 procent. Moderaternas avslagsandel \uf6kade mycket kraftigt, fr\ue5n 25 procent under den tidigare perioden till 59 procent under 2021-2022. Kristdemokraterna r\uf6stade nej i varannan omr\uf6stning under 2021-2022, SD sade nej i 88 procent av fallen, medan \uf6vriga partier ville avstyrka i mellan 29 och 38 procent av omr\uf6stningarna.- Den \uf6kade polariseringen sammanfaller med k\ue4rnkraftsprofilering. B\ue5de Kristdemokraterna och Moderaterna lyfter fram k\ue4rnkraften samtidigt som de po\ue4ngterar att det ocks\ue5 kr\ue4vs vindkraft, men deras kommunala f\uf6retr\ue4dare v\ue4ljer i st\ue4llet bort vindkraften.- Samtliga partier kan bidra till att ut\uf6ka vindkraften. Sett \uf6ver hela perioden har Centerpartiet h\uf6gst andel tillstyrkan, f\uf6ljt av Milj\uf6partiet och Socialdemokraterna. D\ue4refter kommer Kristdemokraterna och Moderaterna, f\uf6re Liberalerna och V\ue4nsterpartiet. Samtliga dessa partier kan bli ”v\ue5gm\ue4stare” i kommande omr\uf6stningar.- Om b\ue5de Socialdemokraterna och Moderaterna s\ue4ger ja s\ue5 blir det ja. Sverige har tv\ue5 stora partier som \ue4r ledare inom sina respektive block. I samtliga 178 omr\uf6stningar (utom en) d\ue4r b\ue5de Socialdemokraterna och Moderaterna har r\uf6stat ja har ans\uf6kan tillstyrkts av kommunen. S och M skulle allts\ue5 kunna g\uf6ra en \uf6verenskommelse om att verka f\uf6r kommunal tillstyrkan inom sina respektive partier. Detta \ue4r ocks\ue5 i linje med Moderaternas nya d\ue4r uttrycker en mer positiv syn p\ue5 vindkraft.- Det kr\ue4vs incitament f\uf6r n\ue4rboende, bygd och kommuner. Myndigheter och utredningar har l\ue4mnat en rad f\uf6rslag f\uf6r att minska andelen veton. Det allra viktigaste \ue4r att kommuner som tillstyrker fossilfri elproduktion, b\ue5de k\ue4rnkraft och vindkraft, f\ue5r en statlig ers\ue4ttning vid utbyggnad.SHOW LES

Trends and patterns of antiseizure medication prescribing during pregnancy between 1995 and 2018 in the United Kingdom: A cohort study

OBJECTIVE: To examine antiseizure medication (ASM) prescription during pregnancy. DESIGN: Population-based drug utilisation study. SETTING: UK primary and secondary care data, 1995-2018, from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink GOLD version. POPULATION OR SAMPLE: 752 112 completed pregnancies among women registered for a minimum of 12 months with an 'up to standard' general practice prior to the estimated start of pregnancy and for the duration of their pregnancy. METHODS: We described ASM prescription across the study period, overall and by ASM indication, examined patterns of prescription during pregnancy including continuous prescription and discontinuation, and used logistic regression to investigate factors associated with those ASM prescription patterns. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prescription of ASMs during pregnancy and discontinuation of ASMs before and during pregnancy. RESULTS: ASM prescription during pregnancy increased from 0.6% of pregnancies in 1995 to 1.6% in 2018, driven largely by an increase in women with indications other than epilepsy. Epilepsy was an indication for 62.5% of pregnancies with an ASM prescription and non-epilepsy indications were present for 66.6%. Continuous prescription of ASMs during pregnancy was more common in women with epilepsy (64.3%) than in women with other indications (25.3%). Switching ASMs was infrequent (0.8% of ASM users). Factors associated with discontinuation included age ≥35, higher social deprivation, more frequent contact with the GP and being prescribed antidepressants or antipsychotics. CONCLUSIONS: ASM prescription during pregnancy increased between 1995 and 2018 in the UK. Patterns of prescription around the pregnancy period vary by indication and are associated with several maternal characteristics

Dimensioning a energy system for the new school in Jumkil : implementing geothermal heat pump, photovoltaic system and battery storage

The purpose of this study is to develop a modern and energy efficient system solution for a school in Jumkil, combining solar power, battery storage and geothermal heat pump system. By using models, simulations and available literature the study examines the dimensions of the included components for optimal coverage of the schools energy demand. The type of solar cells used is monochrystalline silicon solar cells and from an economical point of view, the installed effect should be 55 kWp. For such a solution the optimal battery capacity is 60 kWh and the battery technique used is vanadium redox flow battery. The vanadium redox flow battery technique is safe, have a long lifetime as well as a high depth of discharge. Implementing a smaller photovoltaic plant of 22 kWp reduces the need of battery capacity to 20 kWh. The battery is used for several applications, for example storage of the excess solar production and reducing the power peaks to eliminate expensive charge. An inverter heat pump of 79 kW is installed to cover the heat demand. The study also shows that a geothermal automatically controlled heat pump combined with floor heating is the best combination to reduce electricity costs annually. In interaction with the self-produced power and the vanadium redox flow battery the system allows the school to reduce their electricity consumption and thus the need of buying power from the grid decreases.Syftet med studien är att designa en modern och energieffektiv systemlösning för en skola i Jumkil där systemlösningen består av en solcellsanläggning, ett batterilager och en varvtalsstyrd värmepump. Genom att använda modeller, simuleringar och tillgänglig litteratur undersöker studien vilka dimensioner de olika komponenterna bör ha för att täcka skolans värme- och elbehov. Solcellerna som implementeras är av typen monokristallina kiselsolceller och från ett ekonomiskt perspektiv bör den installerade effekten vara 55 kWp. För en sådan lösning är den optimala batterikapaciteten 60 kWh och är av typen flödesbatteri. Fördelarna med flödesbatterier är att de är säkra, har lång livslängd och stort urladdningsdjup. Om en mindre solcellsanläggning med en installerad effekt på 22 kWp installeras kan batterikapaciteten reduceras till 20 kWh. Batteriet används bland annat för att lagra överskottet av producerad solel och för att kapa effekttoppar vilket minskar kostnaderna för inköpt el. Även en bergvärmepump med en effekt på 79 kW installeras för att täcka värmebehovet. Studien visar att kombinationen av bergvärmepumpen och golvvärme är det bästa sättet att minska årliga elkostnader. Tillsammans med den egenproducerade elen och flödesbatteriet kan skolan minska sin elförbrukning och på så sätt minska behovet av att köpa el från nätet

Информационные технологии в археологии

Материалы XIV Междунар. науч. конф. студентов, магистрантов, аспирантов и молодых ученых, Гомель, 13–14 мая 2021 г

Generic pregabalin : current situation and implications for health authorities, generics and biosimilars manufacturers in the future

The manufacturer of pregabalin has a second use patent covering prescribing for neuropathic pain: its principal indication. The manufacturer has threatened legal action in the UK if generic pregabalin rather than Lyrica is prescribed for this indication. No problems exist for practitioners who prescribe pregabalin for epilepsy or generalized anxiety disorder. This has serious implications for health authorities. In Germany, however, generics could be legally prescribed for any approved indication once one indication loses its patent. We aim to establish the current situation with pregabalin among principally European countries. Personnel from 33 regional and national health authorities mainly from Europe, and nine from universities across Europe working as advisers to health authorities or with insight into their activities, were surveyed regarding four specific questions via email to shed light on the current situation with Lyrica and pregabalin in their country. The information collated from each country was subsequently checked for accuracy with each co-author by email and face-to-face contact and collated into five tables. The scenarios ranged from extending the patent life of Lyrica (e.g. France), endorsing the prescribing of Lyrica for neuropathic pain (e.g. Catalonia and South Korea), and current prescribing of pregabablin for all indications (e.g. Serbia and Germany). Little activity has taken place in European countries in which generic pregabalin is not yet reimbursed. The availability of generic pregabalin has prompted a number of different activities to be undertaken among the 33 countries and regions surveyed. The situation in Serbia and the historic situation in Germany provide examples of ways to maximize savings once a product loses its patent for at least one indication

1 Personality Polygenes, Positive Affect, and Life Satisfaction

Approximately half of the variation in wellbeing measures overlaps with variation in personality traits. Studies of non-human primate pedigrees and human twins suggest that this is due to common genetic influences. We tested whether personality polygenic scores for the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) domains and for item response theory (IRT) derived extraversion and neuroticism scores predict variance in wellbeing measures. Polygenic scores were based on published genome-wide association (GWA) results in over 17,000 individuals for the NEO-FFI and in over 63,000 for the IRT extraversion and neuroticism traits. The NEO-FFI polygenic scores were used to predict life satisfaction in 7 cohorts, positive affect in 12 cohorts, and general wellbeing in 1 cohort (maximal N = 46,508). Meta-analysis of these results showed no significant association between NEO-FFI personality polygenic scores and the wellbeing measures. IRT extraversion and neuroticism polygenic scores were used to predict life satisfaction and positive affect in almost 37,000 individuals from UK Biobank. Significant positive associations (effect sizesPeer reviewe