Occurrence of preterm calving in Great Britain and associations with milk production and reproductive performance in dairy cattle

This study describes the occurrence of preterm calving in Great Britain and evaluates its associations with subsequent milk production and reproductive performances and survival on farm of dairy cows. A total of 53 British dairy farms and 5759 animals with detailed breeding and milk recording data available were used to form two study groups: preterm calving (calving occurring between days 266 and 277 of gestation) and full-term calving (calving occurring at 278 days of gestation and over). Mixed effects models were implemented to compare milk production, clinical cases of mastitis and number of services per conception between groups. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analyses compared time from calving to conception, calving interval and survival on farm between groups. Preterm calving cows showed significantly lower milk yield (P<0.01) and butter fat per cent (P=0.02), increased milk protein per cent (P=0.01), longer survival on farm (P<0.01), and a tendency for shorter calving to conception intervals and fewer services per conception, although other factors were involved in the reproduction outcomes. Experiencing a preterm calving is associated with lower milk production and longer survival times on farm. Potential risk factors for preterm calving, such as infectious diseases, diet and husbandry practices, should be further investigated.

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Epidemiological,clinical and radiological findings in medical staff with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a single-centered, retrospective cohort study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-28753/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jie Liu ◽

Liu Ouyang ◽

Pi Guo ◽

Haisheng Wu ◽

Peng Fu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Small Proportion ◽

Medical Staff ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Early Stage ◽

Wholesale Market ◽

Regression Methods ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

Union Hospital ◽

Potential Risk Factors ◽

Novel Coronavirus

Abstract Backgrounds In December 2019, a pneumonia associated with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) emerged in Wuhan city, China. As of 20 Feb 2020, a total of 2,055 medical staff infected with SARS-Cov-2 in China had been reported. The predominant cause of the infection and the failure of protection among medical staff remains unclear. We sought to explore the epidemiological, clinical characteristics and prognosis of novel coronavirus-infected medical staff.Methods Medical staff who infected with SARS-Cov-2 and admitted to Union Hospital, Wuhan between 16 Jan, 2020 to 25 Feb, 2020 were included retrospectively. Epidemiological, clinical and radiological data were compared by occupation and analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods.Results A total of 101 medical staff (32 males and 69 females; median age: 33 years old) were included in this study and 74% were nurses. None had an exposure to Huanan seafood wholesale market or wildlife. A small proportion of the cohort had contact with specimens (3%) as well as patients infected with SARS-Cov-2 in fever clinics (15%) and isolation wards (3%). 80% of medical staff showed abnormal IL-6 levels and 33% had lymphocytopenia. Chest CT mainly manifested as bilateral (62%), septal/subpleural (77%) and groundglass opacities (48%). The major differences between doctors and nurses manifested in laboratory indicators. As of the last observed date, no patient was transferred to intensive care unit or died, and 98 (97%) had been discharged. Fever (HR=0.57; 95% CI 0.36-0.90) and IL-6 levels greater than >2.9 pg/ml (HR=0.50; 95% CI 0.30-0.86) on admission were unfavorable factors for discharge.Conclusions Our findings suggested that the infection of medical staff mainly occurred at the early stages of SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Wuhan, and only a small proportion of infection had an exact mode. Meanwhile, medical staff infected with COVID-19 have relatively milder symptoms and favorable clinical course than other ordinary patients, which may be partly due to their medical expertise, younger age and less underlying diseases. The potential risk factors of presence of fever and IL-6 levels greater than >2.9 pg/ml could help to identify medical staff with poor prognosis at an early stage.

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Incidence of secondary malignancies (SM) in patients (pts) with germ cell tumors (GCT) who received high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT): A retrospective study from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) database.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2017.35.15_suppl.4549 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. 4549-4549

Author(s):

Simona Secondino ◽

Andrea Necchi ◽

Giovanni Rosti ◽

Manuela Badoglio ◽

Daniele Raggi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cox Regression ◽

Germ Cell Tumors ◽

High Dose Chemotherapy ◽

High Dose ◽

Survival Times ◽

Blood And Marrow Transplantation ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

European Database ◽

Long Term Follow Up ◽

Retrospective Nature

4549 Background: Little is still known about the incidence of SM in young adult pts with GCT after HDCT, owing to the rarity of the disease, and the need for registries with long term follow-up (FUP) data. In Europe, the EBMT may provide a suitable platform for such retrospective analyses. Methods: Criteria for patient selection included diagnosis of GCT, adult male gender, ≥2yr of FUP after the administration of HDCT. Summary statistics were used to describe pt characteristics and outcomes. χ2 tests were used to compare groups according to the length of FUP. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to estimate overall survival (OS). Univariable Cox regression analyses examined clinical factors potentially associated with OS. Survival times were calculated from the HDCT administration date. To estimate the probability of developing SM, the cumulative incidence of SM was calculated for all pts. Results: From 1981 to 2014, 9,153 autografts, accounting for 5,100 pts, have been registered. Of them, 1,855 had ≥2yr of FUP. Among the latter, a total of 56 cases of SM were identified (3.0%). 28 (50%) had solid SM, 22 (39.3%) hematologic (hem) SM (5 had uncoded SM). Median age at first HDCT was 34 years (IQR: 30-42), median age at development of SM was 42 (37-51). 26 pts (46.4%) received single HDCT cycle, 22 (39.3%) multiple HDCT cycles (8 unknown). 31 pts had ≥5 yr FUP, 25 pts 2-5 yr FUP. The median latency of SM was 3.3yrs (IQR: 1.8-6.1) for hem SM and 5.6yrs (IQR: 1.2-10.8) for solid SM. Median FUP was 6.4yrs. Univariably, the type of SM (solid vs. hem) was significantly associated with OS. Hem vs solid SM: HR: 2.17 (95%CI: 1.19-4.97, p = 0.020). Median OS of pts who developed solid SM was 13.3yrs compared to 4.1yrs of those with hem SM. The retrospective nature of the data is the major limitation. Conclusions: In the largest European database of SM in GCT pts, we observed different trends for SM development according to the SM type. This information may be important for FUP guidelines of these pts. Dataset implementation is ongoing and we will compare the SM incidence from EBMT database with SM rates in the general EU population.

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The Predictive Effect of Health Examination in the Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus in Chinese Adults: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Journal of Diabetes Research ◽

10.1155/2021/3552080 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Xiaomin Fu ◽

Yingmin Jia ◽

Jing Liu ◽

Qinghua Lei ◽

Lele Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Population Based ◽

Health Examination ◽

The Public ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

Potential Risk Factors ◽

The Relationship ◽

Predictive Effect

Background. The incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) was increasing in recent years, and it is important to screen those nondiabetic populations through health examination to detect the potential risk factors for DM. We aimed to find the predictive effect of health examination on DM. Methods. We used the public database from Rich Healthcare Group of China to evaluate the potential predictive effect of health examination in the onset of DM. The colinear regression was used for estimating the relationship between the dynamics of the health examination index and the incident year of DM. The time-dependent ROC was used to calculate the best cutoff in predicting DM in the follow-up year. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression were used to evaluate the HR of related health examination. Results. A total of 211,833 participant medical records were included in our study, with 4,172 participants diagnosing as DM in the following years (among 2-7 years). All the initial health examination was significantly different in participants’ final diagnosing as DM to those without DM. We found a negative correlation between the incidence of years of DM and the average initial FPG ( r = − 0.1862 , P < 0.001 ). Moreover, the initial FPG had a strong predictive effect in predicting the future incidence of DM ( AUC = 0.961 ), and the cutoff was 5.21 mmol/L. Participants with a higher initial FPG (>5.21 mmol/L) had a 2.73-fold chance to develop as DM in follow-up ( 95 % CI = 2.65 – 2.81 , P < 0.001 ). Conclusion. Initial FPG had a good predictive effect for detecting DM. The FPG should be controlled less than 5.21 mmol/L.

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A Complication-Free Course Ensures a Survival Advantage in Patients after Regional Therapy for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

The American Surgeon ◽

10.1177/000313480607200609 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 72 (6) ◽

pp. 505-510

Author(s):

Dana Osborne ◽

Effie Pappas ◽

Gerald Alexander ◽

Brian Boe ◽

Alan B. Cantor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Metastatic Colorectal Cancer ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Hazard Ratio ◽

Survival Times ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

Pump Placement ◽

Complete Treatment ◽

Impact On Survival ◽

Continue Therapy

Hepatic artery infusional (HAI) chemotherapy has been shown to favorably impact outcome in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, but complications often preclude complete treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine whether HAI complications impact survival in these patients. Patients undergoing HAI pump placement at our institution from September 2001 to July 2004 were separated into terciles based on the number of treatments completed: ≤1 (none), 2 to 4 (partial), and ≥5 (complete). Complications relating to pump placement or treatment were recorded for each and their impact on survival was determined. Kaplan-Meier survival in 15 patients receiving no treatment was significantly shorter than 7 patients completing therapy (P = 0.02). Thirty-three per cent of patients receiving no therapy were alive at 26 months, whereas 63 per cent of partially and 86 per cent of completely treated patients were alive at 32 and 30 months, respectively. Patients receiving no treatment had more overall complications (80%) and significantly (P < 0.05) more pump-related complications (60%) than those completing therapy (43% and 0%, respectively). Cox regression revealed a significant correlation to gender (hazard ratio, 3.9), tumor size (hazard ratio, 1.17), and carcinoembryonic antigen level (hazard ratio, 1.02) to survival. Patients receiving complete HAI treatment survive longer than those receiving no treatment. Potentially preventable pump-related complications not only impacted the patients’ ability to continue therapy, but survival times as well.

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The Significance of True Knot of the Umbilical Cord in Long-Term Offspring Neurological Health

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10010123 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 123

Author(s):

Yael Lichtman ◽

Tamar Wainstock ◽

Asnat Walfisch ◽

Eyal Sheiner

Keyword(s):

Umbilical Cord ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Survival Curve ◽

Study Groups ◽

Population Based ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

Group A ◽

Independent Association ◽

Multivariable Regression Models

We aimed to study both the short- and long-term neurological implications in offspring born with confirmed knotting of the umbilical cord—“true knot of cord”. In this population based cohort study, a comparison of perinatal outcome and long-term neurological hospitalizations was performed on the basis of presence or absence of true knot of cord. A Kaplan–Meier survival curve was constructed to compare the cumulative incidence of neurological hospitalizations between the study groups. Multivariable regression models were used to assess the independent association between true knot of cord, perinatal mortality and long term neurological related hospitalizations, while controlling for potential confounders. The study included 243,639 newborns, of them 1.1% (n = 2606) were diagnosed with true knot of the umbilical cord. Higher rates of intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD) were noted in the exposed group, a finding which remained significant in the multivariable generalized estimation equation, while controlling for confounders. The cumulative incidences of neurological hospitalizations over time were comparable between the groups. The Cox regression confirmed a lack of association between true knot of cord and total long term neurological related hospitalizations. While presence of true knot of the umbilical cord is associated with higher IUFD rates, in our population, however, its presence does not appear to impact the long term neurological health of exposed offspring.

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Dietary supplement of the rumen protected methionine and milk yield in dairy goats

Archives Animal Breeding ◽

10.5194/aab-50-273-2007 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 50 (3) ◽

pp. 273-278

Author(s):

N. Poljičak-Milas ◽

T. S. Marenjak

Keyword(s):

Milk Production ◽

Milk Yield ◽

Milk Fat ◽

Milk Protein ◽

Control Period ◽

Fat Content ◽

Dairy Goats ◽

Great Probability ◽

The Third ◽

On Farm

Abstract. The experiment was conducted on three farms of dairy goats. The experimental groups of animals were during the four months period supplemented with 5g Mepron®, (Degussa, Germany), daily. Milk yield, milk protein and milk fat content were recorded throughout the experiment. The milk production was statistically higher in the experimental group of animals on two farms, farm 1 and farm 3 in the first control period, a month after the application, whereas on farm 2, the higher milk production was present in the third and forth control period, two and three months after the application. During the experiment there was no statistically differences in milk protein and milk fat content between experimental and control groups on farm 1 and farm 2, whereas on farm 3 the milk fat content was statistically lower during the Mepron® supplementation. In conclusion, the higher milk production in the first control period on farm 1 and 3 with great probability referred to the influence of Mepron®. The higher milk production on farm 2 in the third and fourth control period coincided with introduction of alfalfa hay in daily ration, that may have enriched the amino acid supply.

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Survival analysis of asthma patients attended to at Chitungwiza Central Hospital in Zimbabwe

10.21203/rs.2.17794/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Pisirai Ndarukwa ◽

Moses John Chimbari ◽

Elopy Sibanda

Keyword(s):

Cox Regression ◽

Survival Function ◽

Smoking History ◽

Rank Test ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Central Hospital ◽

Survival Times ◽

Hospital Data ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

Asthma Patients

Abstract Background Asthma is one of the leading global public health problems with an estimated 300 thousand deaths occurring annually worldwide. Deaths due to asthma in Zimbabwe reached 1 301 or 1.02% of total deaths in 2014. The association between asthma survival and socio-demographic and pathologic factors has not been done in Zimbabwe. We aimed to determine the survival of asthma patients at Chitungwiza Central Hospital in Zimbabwe over a period of 20 years. Methods Records for 158 asthma patients were analysed in this retrospective cohort study. The patient records were sampled from the computerised health information department at the hospital. Data were collected using a patient record checklist which was divided into four sections: (i) demographic information, (ii) clinical characteristics of asthma patients, (iii) health service utilization and (iv) asthma self-management. Descriptive data analysis was performed using the Kaplan Meier survival function curves. The Kaplan Meier survival curves were differentiated by the log-rank test, median survival times and mortality rates. Significant hazard ratios were used for multivariate cox regression model and a test on proportional hazards assumption based on Schoenfeld residuals was conducted. Results The total follow-up time was 2208 person years. The majority of the participants (60.7%) were female. The mortality rate was 61.4%. The median age at death was 25.5 years (IQR; 21-34). Smoking history [p=<0.001], presence of respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease [p=0.002] were significantly associated with higher mortality. Having an income level

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Beneficial Effects of Stinging Nettle Supplementation on Milk Production

Nepalese Veterinary Journal ◽

10.3126/nvj.v34i0.22904 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 34 ◽

pp. 60-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

D.R. Khanal ◽

I Tiwari ◽

R. Bastola ◽

C.R. Upreti

Keyword(s):

Milk Production ◽

Milk Yield ◽

Body Condition ◽

Milk Protein ◽

Body Condition Score ◽

Pilot Trial ◽

Stinging Nettle ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Condition Score ◽

On Farm

After having demonstrated the beneficial effects of stinging nettle supplementation in poultry and pigs, a month long on-station pilot trial in 10 lactating cattle of second to third stage of parity at Cattle Research Programme at Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Lalitpur was carried out. Daily supplementation of 20 gm nettle powder to dairy cattle resulted in enhanced milk production by 0.9 litres on an average compared to milk yield before nettle supplementation (3.2 litres/day versus 4.1 litres/day). After the on-station pilot trial; an on-farm trial in Tanahun, 150 km west of Kathmandu was carried out in 12 lactating Jersey cross cows by daily supplementation of 20 gm (T1) and 40 gm (T2) of nettle powder in two groups (n=4 cows/group) of cattle and productive performance was compared with control. Milk yield in terms of quantity and quality was recorded one week prior and during nettle supplementation. Qualitative analysis of milk samples was done every 14 days to measure levels of milk fat, solid non-fat and milk protein using Lactoscan. Available data on on-farm trial showed that there was increment in milk production in both treatment (T1 and T2) groups by 8.08% and 10.19%, respectively against control. Similarly, fat percentage was also increased compared to fat level prior to nettle supplementation in both T1 (3.52% vs. 4.15%) and T2 (3.46% vs. 4.46%) groups while in control group there was very negligible change (3.24% vs. 3.33%). Likewise, there were also remarkable increment in solid non-fat (SNF) and milk protein in nettle fed groups against control. Furthermore, overall body condition score in nettle supplemented group was better than that of control towards the end of supplementation. Our findings exhibited the beneficial effects of stinging nettle supplementation in enhancing the quantity and quality milk yield besides improving body condition score of the dairy cattle.

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Postoperative radiotherapy in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC).

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2021.39.15_suppl.9575 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. 9575-9575

Author(s):

Sonja Levy ◽

Stephanie Blankenstein ◽

Dirk J. Grunhagen ◽

Mathilde Jalving ◽

Olga Hamming-Vrieze ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Population ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Postoperative Radiotherapy ◽

Performance Status ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Stage I ◽

Survival Times ◽

Confounding By Indication ◽

Logrank Test ◽

Kaplan Meier

9575 Background: MCC is a rare and aggressive neuroendocrine malignancy of the skin. Postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) is recommended by current guidelines to reduce recurrences and improve survival in patients with locoregional MCC. However, evidence supporting these recommendations is conflicting and deviations from the protocol occur frequently, due to the generally elderly and frail patient population. We aim to evaluate the influence of PORT on survival in stage I-III MCC patients treated in the Netherlands. Methods: All patients with stage I-III MCC treated in three referral centers between 2013 and 2018 were included retrospectively. Recurrence free survival (RFS) and disease specific survival (DSS, including death from unknown causes) were compared between patients with and without PORT. Prognostic factors for DSS were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves, logrank test and cox regression. Since sentinel node biopsies (SN) are frequently omitted in this patient population, analyses were performed in patients with clinical (SN not performed) stage I/II (c-I/II-MCC), pathologic (SN negative) stage I/II (p-I/II-MCC) and stage III MCC (III-MCC), separately. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to assess possible confounding by indication. Results: In total 219 patients were included, of whom 54 had p-I/II-MCC, 82 had c-I/II-MCC and 83 had III-MCC. Median follow up time was 53.4 (IQR 32.8-62.4), 28 (11.8-43.3) and 30.8 (19.5-50.0) months, respectively. PSM identified no confounding by indication, analyses were therefore performed in the unmatched cohort. Majority of recurrences were regional in p-I/II-MCC (77.8%) and c-I/II-MCC (74.2%), and distant in III-MCC (61.7%). RFS was significantly different across all stages (p<0.001), DSS was similar for patients with c-I/II-MCC and III-MCC, which was significantly worse compared to patients with p-I/II-MCC (p=0.003). Survival times are shown in table. PORT did not improve RFS and DSS in patients with p-I/II-MCC and c-I/II-MCC. In patients with III-MCC, PORT was associated with improved RFS, but not with DSS. Multivariable analysis identified male gender (hazard ratio (HR) 1.94, p=0.030), performance status (PS) of 3 (HR 3.87, p=0.014) and an unknown PS (HR 5.45, p=0.004), primary tumor on the trunk (HR 2.67, p=0.008), c-I/II-MCC (HR 5.38, p=0.001) and III-MCC (HR 6.44, p<0.001) as predictors for DSS. Effect of PORT was not significant. Conclusions: In this retrospective cohort PORT did not show a DSS benefit in patients with stage I-III MCC. RFS was improved by PORT in III-MCC. PSM showed no confounding by indication.[Table: see text]

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Serum Chemerin Predicts the Prognosis of Patients With Dilated Cardiomyopathy

The Heart Surgery Forum ◽

10.1532/hsf.2885 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. E276-E280

Author(s):

Dan Chen ◽

Juan Wang ◽

Jianglin Fu

Keyword(s):

Regression Analysis ◽

Dilated Cardiomyopathy ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Prognostic Indicator ◽

Rank Test ◽

Cardiac Events ◽

Cox Regression Analysis ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

Potential Risk Factors

Background: Chemerin is a newly discovered adipokine, which has been reported to be associated with the presence of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The present study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of serum chemerin in patients with DCM. Methods: A total of 214 patients with DCM was recruited and divided into 4 groups, according to quartiles of chemerin levels. Kaplan–Meier analysis was conducted to compare the survival rates among patients with different levels of chemerin, using the log-rank test. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to assess the association of serum chemerin levels and occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), including cardiac mortality, stroke and myocardial infarction. Results: The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that patients with higher concentration of chemerin had shorter event-free survivals for MACEs (P < .01). Cox regression analysis showed that chemerin was a significant predictor of MACEs (Quartile 3 versus Quartile 1: HR=1.79, 95% CI: 1.31-2.79; Quartile 4 versus Quartile 1: HR=2.87, 95% CI: 1.79-4.25) and all-cause death (Quartile 3 versus Quartile 1: HR=1.56, 95% CI: 1.20-2.42; Quartile 4 versus Quartile 1: HR=2.28, 95% CI: 1.52-3.96) after adjusting for potential risk factors. Conclusion: Serum chemerin should be a potential prognostic indicator in patients with DCM.

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