Effects of a symbiotic on coccidian infestation and zootechnical performances in broilers

Coccidiosis remains an obstacle for the poultry sector worldwide, including Algeria. In the field of food biosecurity, symbiotics are used with the aim of improving zootechnical performance of chickens, and combatting the negative effects of this parasitosis. This study compared two broiler farms with 12,000 chickens of the Arbor Acres strain, where chickens on one farm received supplementation with symbiotics. Weight of 144 animals, mortality, food and water consumption were measured, and consumption (CI) and conversion indices were calculated. For parasitology, droppings were collected and the intestinal contents of 10% of animals were collected. Data showed that at 43 days, the supplemented group had a weight of 2750 g as compared to the control that had a weight of 2630 g, with an average consumption of 4834 g vs. 5087g per animal, CI of 1.62–1.35–0.81 vs. 1.65–1.52–0.89, the conversion index of 1.9 vs. 2.07, and mortality rate of 9.29% vs. 10.37%, respectively. Oocyst excretion was zero at the farm receiving supplementation vs. 0, 100, and 550 OPG in the control group on days 15, 21 and 28, respectively, parasite infestation was 41,600 OPG, 32,800 OPG, and 30,500 OPG vs. 800 OPG, 1,100 OPG and 1,200 OPG, respectively. For prevalence, several species of Eimeria were identified in the control. The means found in this study support the use of symbiotics, and efforts to improve the formula of the symbiotics should yield even better results.

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Feasibility Study of an Educational Intervention to Improve Water Intake in Adolescent Soccer Players: A Two-Arm, Non-Randomized Controlled Cluster Trial

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18031339 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 1339

Author(s):

Rubén Martín-Payo ◽

María del Mar Fernández-Álvarez ◽

Edurne Zabaleta-del-Olmo ◽

Rebeca García-García ◽

Xana González-Méndez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Educational Intervention ◽

Water Consumption ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Consumption Pattern ◽

Control Group ◽

Personal Factors ◽

Cluster Trial ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Ad Libitum

This study aimed to assess the feasibility of an educational intervention on hydration behavior in adolescent soccer players. A pilot study of a two-arm, non-randomized controlled cluster trial was conducted. A total of 316 players aged 13–16 agreed to participate. The response variables were the players’ participation in the intervention, their perception of the knowledge acquired, the usefulness and the overall assessment of the intervention. Hydration patterns and acquisition of knowledge on hydration behavior were also assessed. The intervention involved two elements: posters and a web app. A total of 259 adolescents completed the study (intervention group (IG) = 131; control group (CG) = 128). 80.6% of the players responded to the survey assessing the feasibility of the intervention. The mean number of correct answers regarding behavior was significantly higher in the IG (3.54; SD = 1.162) than in the CG (2.64; SD = 1.174) (p < 0.001). The water consumption pattern at all the clubs was ad libitum. Of the players, 10% did not drink any water at all during the game. In conclusion, this intervention has been shown to be feasible for implementation with adolescent soccer players. It suggests that hydration guidelines should be informed by personal factors and that ad libitum water consumption should be avoided.

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The hospice as a learning space: a death education intervention with a group of adolescents

BMC Palliative Care ◽

10.1186/s12904-021-00747-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ines Testoni ◽

Lorenza Palazzo ◽

Lucia Ronconi ◽

Stefania Donna ◽

Paolo Francesco Cottone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thematic Analysis ◽

Death And Dying ◽

Western Society ◽

Control Group ◽

Education Intervention ◽

Death Education ◽

Negative Effects ◽

School Students ◽

Learning Space ◽

Experimental Group

Abstract Background The denial of death in Western society deprives young people of the tools to derive meaning from experiences of death and dying. Literature shows that death education may allow them to become familiar with this topic without causing negative effects. This article describes the effects of a death education course with adolescents, wherein participants were given the opportunity to meet palliative doctors and palliative psychologists at school and in a hospice, where they were able to converse with the families of the dying. Methods This study used mixed methods and included an evaluation of a death education intervention with longitudinal follow-up of outcomes. The course involved 87 secondary school students (experimental group) aged between 16 and 20 years. We also recruited a control group of 76 similarly-aged students to observe differences. The variables we examined were: alexithymia, representation of death, value attributed to life and spirituality. These were measured with the following instruments: the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, the Testoni Death Representation Scale, the Personal Meaning Profile and the Spiritual Orientation Inventory, respectively. To better understand how the students perceived the experience, we asked the experimental group to answer some open-ended questions. Their answers were analysed through thematic analysis. Results The study showed that death education and the hospice experience did not produce negative effects, but rather allowed students to decrease alexithymia, improving their ability to recognise and express emotions. Thematic analysis revealed that all participants perceived the experience as very positive. Conclusions Our findings affirm that death education programs can be successfully implemented in high schools, and that they can usefully involve local hospices and palliative care professionals, especially physicians and psychologists.

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Mammary Gland Structures Are Not Affected by an Increased Growth Rate of Yearling Ewes Post-Weaning but Are Associated with Growth Rates of Singletons

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11030884 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 884

Author(s):

Emmanuelle Haslin ◽

Rene A. Corner-Thomas ◽

Paul R. Kenyon ◽

Adrian J. Molenaar ◽

Stephen T. Morris ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Rate ◽

Mammary Gland ◽

Live Weight ◽

Late Pregnancy ◽

Control Group ◽

Early Lactation ◽

Fat Pad ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Lamb Growth ◽

Heavy Group

The experiment aimed to examine the impacts of an increased growth rate of ewes between three and seven months of age on udder development using ultrasound and to establish whether ultrasonography could be used to identify ewe mammary structures that may be indirect indicators of singleton growth to weaning. Udder dimensions, depths of gland cistern (GC), parenchyma (PAR) and fat pad (FP) were measured in late pregnancy (P107), early lactation (L29), and at weaning (L100) in 59 single-bearing yearling ewes selected from two treatments. The ‘heavy’ group (n = 31) was preferentially fed prior to breeding achieving an average breeding live-weight of 47.9 ± 0.38 kg at seven months of age. The ‘control’ group (n = 28) had an average breeding live-weight of 44.9 ± 0.49 kg. Udder dimensions, GC, PAR and FP did not differ between treatments. Lamb growth to L100 was positively associated (p < 0.05) with PAR at P107 and GC at L29. There was no evidence of negative effects of the live-weight gain treatments on udder development of yearling ewes as measured by ultrasonography. The results suggest that this ultrasound method has the potential to identify pregnant yearling ewes which would wean heavier singletons.

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Structure of the cortical cytoskeleton in fibers of postural muscles and cardiomyocytes of mice after 30-day 2-g centrifugation

Journal of Applied Physiology ◽

10.1152/japplphysiol.00812.2014 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 118 (5) ◽

pp. 613-623 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Irina V. Ogneva ◽

V. Gnyubkin ◽

N. Laroche ◽

M. V. Maximova ◽

I. M. Larina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Skeletal Muscle ◽

Tibialis Anterior ◽

Mechanical Load ◽

Tibialis Anterior Muscle ◽

Muscle Fibers ◽

Control Group ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Transverse Stiffness ◽

G 12 ◽

Cortical Cytoskeleton

Altered external mechanical loading during spaceflights causes negative effects on muscular and cardiovascular systems. The aim of the study was estimation of the cortical cytoskeleton statement of the skeletal muscle cells and cardiomyocytes. The state of the cortical cytoskeleton in C57BL6J mice soleus, tibialis anterior muscle fibers, and left ventricle cardiomyocytes was investigated after 30-day 2- g centrifugation (“2- g” group) and within 12 h after its completion (“2- g + 12-h” group). We used atomic force microscopy for estimating cell's transverse stiffness, Western blotting for measuring protein content, and RT-PCR for estimating their expression level. The transverse stiffness significantly decreased in cardiomyocytes (by 16%) and increased in skeletal muscles fibers (by 35% for soleus and by 29% for tibialis anterior muscle fibers) in animals of the 2-g group (compared with the control group). For cardiomyocytes, we found that, in the 2- g + 12-h group, α-actinin-1 content decreased in the membranous fraction (by 27%) and increased in cytoplasmic fraction (by 28%) of proteins (compared with the levels in the 2- g group). But for skeletal muscle fibers, similar changes were noted for α-actinin-4, but not for α-actinin-1. In conclusion, we showed that the different isoforms of α-actinins dissociate from cortical cytoskeleton under increased/decreased of mechanical load.

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Anxiety, attentional control, and performance : quiet eye training in Division I baseball

10.32469/10355/66062 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Meaghan C. Sullivan

Keyword(s):

Attentional Control ◽

Muscle Tension ◽

Strong Support ◽

Division I ◽

Control Group ◽

Gaze Behavior ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Quiet Eye ◽

Interceptive Timing ◽

Performance Under Pressure

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] The quiet eye (QE) represents the time needed to cognitively process information being fixated or tracked and to focus attention on the demands of the task (Vickers, 2009). Research indicates that an optimal combination of QE, attentional control, and gaze behavior is linked with superior skill execution (Harle and Vickers, 2001), and that the successful integration of these attentional behaviors may also combat the negative effects that anxiety can have on performance (e.g., Vine and Wilson, 2011). To advance the research on QE training in pressurized interceptive timing tasks (Vickers, 2016), this mixed-method study explored how QE training impacted the hitting performances of Division I baseball players during a pressure situation. The results showed that, despite experiencing more overall anxiety, the QE group maintained performance under pressure. A main effect for group also approached significance, with the QE group nearly outperforming the control group. However, this difference was not statistically significant. Regardless, analyses of the participants' written feedback indicated that the QE group reported greater task-focus, less distractibility, improved pitch perception, and reduced muscle tension. Taken together, these findings provide strong support for implementing QE training in interceptive timing tasks, particularly as it relates to preserving performance under pressure.

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Melatonin reduces the mortality of severely-infected COVID-19 patients

Melatonin Research ◽

10.32794/mr112500115 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 613-616

Author(s):

Dun-Xian Tan ◽

Russel J Reiter

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

Mortality Rate ◽

Randomized Clinical Trial ◽

Control Group ◽

Mortality Reduction ◽

Single Center ◽

Open Label ◽

Melatonin Treatment ◽

The World

SARS-CoV-2 has ravaged the population of the world for two years. Scientists have not yet identified an effective therapy to reduce the mortality of severe COVID-19 patients. In a single-center, open-label, randomized clinical trial, it was observed that melatonin treatment lowered the mortality rate by 93% in severely-infected COVID-19 patients compared with the control group (see below). This is seemingly the first report to show such a huge mortality reduction in severe COVID-19 infected individuals with a simple treatment. If this observation is confirmed by more rigorous clinical trials, melatonin could become an important weapon to combat this pandemic.

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The effects of psychological counseling and acupressure based on couple therapy procedure for alleviation of vomiting and nausea in pregnant women in Iran country

Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine ◽

10.1515/jcim-2020-0308 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Sahar Saadatnia ◽

Azita Tiznobaik ◽

Amir Saber

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Couple Therapy ◽

Psychological Intervention ◽

Nausea And Vomiting ◽

Control Group ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Psychological Counseling ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Group 2 ◽

Short Time

Abstract Objectives Nausea and vomiting have psychological negative effects on some pregnant women during gestation. Different strategies have been used for the treatment of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, such as acupressure and psychological interventions. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of psychological counseling and acupressure based on couple therapy procedures on vomiting and nausea in pregnant women in Iran. Methods Two hundred and eight women were divided into four groups (n=52): 1) they did not any intervention (control group), 2) they received the psychological intervention, 3) they received acupressure intervention, and 4) they received a combination of psychological + acupressure interventions. To investigate the effects of interventions on nausea and vomiting, the Rhodes index of nausea, vomiting and retching were used. The counseling period has lasted for 4 weeks. The pressure intervention on the site was conducted in clockwise form for 1 min and anticlockwise form for another 1 min. Results Groups did not have a significant difference for abortion and income (p>0.05). The effects of counseling, and acupressure interventions on severity and period of vomiting and nausea were not significant (p>0.05), but the intervention based on counseling and acupressure decreased severity of vomiting and nausea (p<0.05). Conclusions The intervention based on counseling and acupressure could not reduce nausea and vomiting during the gestation, but the intervention based on a combination of both decreased nausea and vomiting. It can be suggested to apply an intervention based on a combination of counseling and acupressure in short-time period for decreasing nausea and vomiting in women during pregnancy.

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Relationship Between Depression and Strength Training in Survivors of the Ischemic Stroke

Journal of Human Kinetics ◽

10.2478/hukin-2014-0084 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 43 (1) ◽

pp. 7-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Felipe José Aidar ◽

Dihogo Gama de Matos ◽

Ricardo Jacó de Oliveira ◽

André Luiz Carneiro ◽

Breno Guilherme de Araújo Tinôco Cabral ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Mortality Rate ◽

Strength Training ◽

Lower Limb ◽

Control Group ◽

Cerebral Vascular Accident ◽

Training Assessment ◽

Post Test ◽

Experimental Group ◽

Made In

Abstract The Cerebral Vascular Accident is responsible for a significant increase in the mortality rate in individuals who have suffered this condition, regardless of the level of subsequent disability. This study aimed to analyze the influence of a strength training program on indicators of depression in survivors of the ischemic stroke. The study sample included subjects from both genders who were divided into two groups: an experimental group (EG) consisting of 11 subjects aged 51.7 8.0 years, and a control group (CG) consisting of 13 subjects aged 52.5 7.7 years. The EG underwent 12 weeks of strength training. Assessment was made in the pre-test before training and at the re-test after 12 weeks of training. We used the Beck Depression Inventory and evaluated 1RM. Significant differences in depression were found between post-test and pretest measurements (Δ% = -21.47%, p = 0,021) in the EG; furthermore, there were significant differences in all indicators of depression between the EG and CG after completing 12 weeks of training. There were significant gains in strength of the EG in relation to the CG. There was a negative correlation between the strength gains as determined with the 1RM test and the levels of depression, especially in lower-limb exercises. The results of this study suggest that improvements in strength are negatively correlated with levels of depression. Improvements in strength are therefore associated with a reduction in levels of depression.

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Acute and subchronic co-administrations to cadmium, diazinon and selenium induce apparent osteoporotic symptoms in adult male rats

Biologia ◽

10.2478/s11756-014-0436-y ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 69 (10) ◽

Author(s):

Hana Ďúranová ◽

Monika Martiniaková ◽

Ivana Boboňová ◽

Radoslav Omelka ◽

Robert Stawarz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adult Male ◽

Osteoporotic Fractures ◽

Bone Diseases ◽

Male Rats ◽

Control Group ◽

Femoral Bone ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Young Males ◽

Male Wistar Rats ◽

Group B

AbstractCadmium (Cd) and diazinon (DZN) are known to be environmental risk factors for various bone diseases including osteoporosis. Selenium (Se), an essential constituent of many antioxidant enzymes, has in higher concentrations negative effects on the bone. The present study was aimed to investigate possible changes in femoral bone of adult male rats after their acute and subchronic exposures to Cd, DZN and Se. A total of 30 male Wistar rats were randomized into three experimental groups. The rats in the group A (4-months-old) were injected intraperitoneally with a mixture of 2 mg CdCl2 kg−1, 20 mg DZN kg−1 and 2 mg Na2SeO3 kg−1 body weight and killed 36 h after xenobiotics had been injected. In the group B, young males (1-month-old) were administered with a combination of 30 mg CdCl2 L−1, 40 mg DZN L−1 and 5 mg Na2SeO3 L−1 in their drinking water, for 90 days. Ten 4-months-old males without toxicant supplementation served as a control group (C). After treatment period, detailed histological analysis of femoral bone was performed in each group. Our results revealed apparent osteoporotic symptoms (resorption lacunae, osteoporotic fractures) in rats from groups A and B. Moreover, histomorphometrical evaluation showed reduced bone vascularization (constricted primary osteons’ vascular canals and Haversian canals) and weakness mechanical properties of bones (smaller size of the secondary osteons) in these rats in comparison with those of the control group. Our study demonstrates for the first time that acute and subchronic co-administrations to Cd, DZN and Se induce evident manifestation characteristics of osteoporosis in male rats.

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Effect of 12 Months of Exercise with Stachys Lavandulifolia Consumption on anxiety, Metabolic Syndrome Profiles and Antioxidant Defense and Lipid Peroxidation in Women with Syndrome Metabolic

10.21203/rs.3.rs-129277/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ali osali ◽

Alireza Rostami

Keyword(s):

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Lipid Peroxidation ◽

Aerobic Exercise ◽

Antioxidant Defense ◽

Training Group ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Control Group ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Before And After

Abstract BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 12 months of aerobic exercise combining stachys lavandulifolia (S. lavandulifolia) consumption on anxiety, Metabolic Syndrome profiles and antioxidant defense (Glutathione) and lipid peroxidation (Malondialdehyde) in 50-65 years old women with syndrome metabolic.Methods48 women with syndrome Metabolic were randomly divided into four groups: exercise (n=12), exercise+S. lavandulifolia (n=12), S. lavandulifolia (n=12) and control group (n=12). S. lavandulifolia groups consumed 3 g aerial parts of S. lavandulifolia daily. Training groups performed an exercise protocol of aerobic exercise for 12 months (three sessions per week). Blood samples were obtained before and after training period for antioxidant indicators and lipid degradation measurement. Also, Beck anxiety questionnaire used for evaluating levels of anxiety. T-test and one-way analysis of variance were used for the evaluation of within-group and between-group differences, respectively.ResultsA significant increase was observed in serum levels of Malondialdehyde (P =0.004), Catalase indexes (Pvalue= 0.01), and Glutathione (P=0.001) in the training group and S. lavandulifolia groups after 12 months. Body weight, BMI, and SBP and Anexiety was decreased significantly greater in exercise +S. lavandulifolia group compared to control, exercise and S. lavandulifolia groups (P=0.001)ConclusionAnxiolytic effect and Anti-Oxidative Stress Activity was seen, so taking S. lavandulifolia along with exercises may have beneficial effects on reinforcement the antioxidant system and prevention of anxiety and The negative effects of indicators related to cardiovascular disease in women with metabolic syndrome.

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