Effects of Knotweed-Enriched Feed on the Blood Characteristics and Fitness of Horses

The aboveground biomass of dry knotweed was administered daily to large groups of young (1- to 3-year-old) stallions of the Czech Warmblood, Czech-Moravian Coldblood and Silesian Norik breeds, fed individually for 4 and 6 months in two successive winter experiments. Their fitness was compared with control groups consisting of equally numerous subgroups comparable in age, breed, body mass and initial blood parameters. The effects of knotweed on the horses’ fitness were evaluated based on changes in blood characteristics. Even if administered in small amounts, 150 g per day, knotweed could (1) increase the thrombocyte numbers, (2) increase the globulin content (thus improving the horses’ immunity, which is desired in large groups of animals), (3) stimulate lipid metabolism in cold-blooded horses and (4) decrease the concentration of cholesterol. The long-lasting effect of knotweed on both the urea and triglyceride–cholesterol ratio presumably reflected, between the two experiments, the temporary protein starvation of horses on pastures with poor quality of grass in a dry summer.

Penerapan Intervensi Mendengarkan Murottal Al-Quran Terhadap Penurunan Tekanan Darah Pada Lansia

Elderly is someone who enters teh age of 60 years or more and experiences physical and physiological changes. Health problems that are commonly experienced by the elderly are hypertension. Hypertension is a health problem characterized by an increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of more than 140/90 mmHg. Non-pharmacological action that is useful in reducing blood pressure is listening to murottal Al-Quran therapy. The purpose of the action is to reduce blood pressure in the elderly with hypertension. This research used the case study method of gerontic nursing care with the therapeutic technique of listening to Al-Quran murottal. The application of Al-Quran murottal listening intervention which was carried our for 7 visits was proven to redue blood pressure in the elderly. The first clien’t initial blood pressure was 170/100 mmHg to 120/90 mmHg (the average drop in systolic pressure is 45-50 mmHg and diastolic is 10 mmHg), while the second clien’t initial blood pressure was 175/100 mmHg to 120/100 mmHg(the average drop in systolic pressure is 45-50 mmHg and diastolic is 10 mmHg). this result can be used as a consideration for nurses to provide Al-Quran murottal therapy as an alternative nursing action for the elderly with hypertension.Keywords : Hypertension, Elderly, Al-Quran Murottal listening therapy AbstrakLansia merupakan seseorang yang memasuki usia 60 tahun atau lebih dan mengalami perubahan fisik maupun fisiologis, salah satu masalah kesehatan yang biasa dialami lansia adalah hipertensi. Hipertensi merupakan masalah kesehatan dengan ditandainya kenaikan tekanan darah sistolik dan diastoliknya lebih dari 140/90 mmHg. Tindakan non-farmakologi yang bermafaat dalam penurunan tekanan darah yaitu terapi mendengarkan murottal Al-Quran. Tujuan dilakukan tindakan yaitu untuk menurunkan tekanan darah pada lansia hipertensi. Karya Tulis Ilmiah ini disusun dengan menggunakan metode studi kasus asuhan keperawatan gerontik dengan teknik terapi mendengarkan murottal Al-Quran. Penerapan terapi mendengarkan murottal Al-Quran yang dilakukan selama 7 kali kunjungan terbukti dapat menurunkan tekanan darah pada lansia. Lansia klien 1 dengan tekanan darah awal 170/100 mmHg menjadi 120/90 mmHg (rata-rata penurunan tekanan sistolik 45-50 mmHg dan diastoliknya 10 mmHg), klien lansia 2 dengan tekanan darah awal 175/100 mmHg menjadi 120/100 mmHg mmHg (rata-rata penurunan tekanan sistolik 45-50 mmHg dan diastoliknya 10 mmHg). Perawat diharapkan dapat memberikan terapi Murottal Al-Quran secara maksimal sebagai salah satu alternatif tindakan keperawatan bagi lansia dengan hipertensi.Kata kunci : Hipertensi; Lansia, Terapi Murottal Al-Quran

The impact of mating and sugar feeding on blood-feeding physiology and behavior in the arbovirus vector mosquito Aedes aegypti

Background Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are globally distributed vectors of viruses that impact the health of hundreds of millions of people annually. Mating and blood feeding represent fundamental aspects of mosquito life history that carry important implications for vectorial capacity and for control strategies. Females transmit pathogens to vertebrate hosts and obtain essential nutrients for eggs during blood feeding. Further, because host-seeking Ae. aegypti females mate with males swarming near hosts, biological crosstalk between these behaviors could be important. Although mating influences nutritional intake in other insects, prior studies examining mating effects on mosquito blood feeding have yielded conflicting results. Methodology/Principal findings To resolve these discrepancies, we examined blood-feeding physiology and behavior in virgin and mated females and in virgins injected with male accessory gland extracts (MAG), which induce post-mating changes in female behavior. We controlled adult nutritional status prior to blood feeding by using water- and sugar-fed controls. Our data show that neither mating nor injection with MAG affect Ae. aegypti blood intake, digestion, or feeding avidity for an initial blood meal. However, sugar feeding, a common supplement in laboratory settings but relatively rare in nature, significantly affected all aspects of feeding and may have contributed to conflicting results among previous studies. Further, mating, MAG injection, and sugar intake induced declines in subsequent feedings after an initial blood meal, correlating with egg production and laying. Taking our evaluation to the field, virgin and mated mosquitoes collected in Colombia were equally likely to contain blood at the time of collection. Conclusions/Significance Mating, MAG, and sugar feeding impact a mosquito’s estimated ability to transmit pathogens through both direct and indirect effects on multiple aspects of mosquito biology. Our results highlight the need to consider natural mosquito ecology, including diet, when assessing their physiology and behavior in the laboratory.

Association of body mass index and hypoglycemia with mortality rates among sepsis patients: a retrospective sub-analysis of the FORECAST Study

We assessed the influence of admission hypoglycemia on mortality in sepsis patients according to body mass index (BMI). We included 1,184 patients (age ≥ 16 years) with severe sepsis diagnosed using Sepsis-2 criteria. The outcome was in-hospital mortality. Using multivariate logistic regression, we examined the association between hypoglycemia and in-hospital mortality. Overall, 1,103 patients were analyzed. Patients were divided into groups according to the initial blood glucose level, i.e., < 70 (hypoglycemia) or ≥ 70 (non-hypoglycemia) mg/dL, and BMI, i.e., < 18.5 (low), 18.5–24.9 (normal), or ≥ 25 (high) kg/m2. Hypoglycemia was noted in 65 patients, with low (n = 13), normal (n = 38), and high BMI (n = 14). Hypoglycemia patients showed higher in-hospital mortality than those without in the normal BMI group but not in the low and high BMI groups. In multivariate logistic regression, hypoglycemia was non-significantly associated with higher mortality in all patients (p = 0.268). However, there was a significant interaction between normal BMI patients and hypoglycemia on in-hospital mortality but not between low or high BMI patients and hypoglycemia (p = 0.0476). Hypoglycemia at admission in sepsis patients was associated with high mortality in normal BMI patients but not in low or high BMI patients. This association may be used as a prognostic marker in sepsis patients.

Weight Loss-Based Nutraceuticals

Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) is characterized by muscle weakness, areflexia, and hypokalemia in the setting of thyrotoxicosis. We present the case of a 32-year-old male with multiple presentations to the emergency department for lower limb weakness, tremors, diaphoresis, and tachycardia. His initial blood work revealed T3-toxicosis and hypokalemia, and he was treated for TPP with intravenous fluids and potassium supplementation. He had been ingesting weight loss supplements containing iodine, kelp, licorice, and likely undeclared thyroid hormones or mimics. Following discontinuation of supplements, all laboratory investigations normalized and thyrotoxicosis symptoms resolved. This case illustrates that ingestion of thyroid hormone-based nutraceuticals should be considered as a cause of thyrotoxicosis and TPP. RésuméLa paralysie périodique thyréotoxique (PPT) se caractérise par de la faiblesse musculaire, une aréflexie et une hypokaliémie dans le contexte de la thyréotoxicose. Nous exposons le cas d’un homme de 32 ans qui s’est présenté au service des urgences pour de multiples symptômes, soit une faiblesse des membres inférieurs, des tremblements, une diaphorèse et une tachycardie. Son bilan sanguin initial a révélé une toxicose-T3 et une hypokaliémie, et il a été traité contre la PPT par des solutés intraveineux et une recharge en potassium. Il ingérait des suppléments pour la perte de poids contenant de l’iode, de la laminaire, de la réglisse et probablement des hormones thyroïdiennes ou leurs analogues non déclarés. Après l’arrêt des suppléments, tous les examens de laboratoire sont revenus à la normale et les symptômes de thyréotoxicose ont disparu. Ce cas montre que l’ingestion de nutraceutiques à base d’hormones thyroïdiennes devrait être considérée comme une cause de la thyréotoxicose et de la PPT.

Comparison of the Clinical Value of miRNAs and Conventional Biomarkers in AMI: A Systematic Review

Background/Aims: This study aimed to compare the clinical value of the peak time point and area under the curve (AUC) of miRNAs and conventional biomarkers in acute myocardial infarction (AMI).Methods: A literature search was carried out in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane systematically. Screening studies, extracting data, and assessing article quality were performed independently by two researchers. Also, the names of miRNAs in the included studies were standardized by the miRBase database.Results: A total of 40 studies, encompassing 6,960 participants, were included in this systematic review. The samples of circulating miRNAs were mainly from the plasma. The results of this systematic review displayed that miR-1-3p, miR-19b-3p, miR-22-5p, miR-122-5p, miR-124-3p, miR-133a/b, miR-134-5p, miR-150-5p, miR-186-5p, miR-208a, miR-223-3p, miR-483-5p, and miR-499a-5p reached peak time earlier and showed a shorter time window than the conventional biomarkers despite the different collection times of initial blood samples. miR-1-3p, miR-19b-3p, miR-133a/b, miR-208a/b, miR-223-3p, miR-483-5p, and miR-499a-5p were shown to be more valuable than classical biomarkers for the early diagnosis of AMI, and these miRNAs appeared to have the most potential biomarkers within 4 h of the onset of symptoms except miR-133a/b and miR-208b. Moreover, combined miRNAs or miRNAs combined with classical biomarkers could compensate for the deficiency of single miRNA and conventional biomarker in sensitivity or specificity for an optimal clinical value.Conclusions: miR-1-3p, miR-19b-3p, miR-208a, miR-223-3p, miR-483-5p, and miR-499a-5p are promising biomarkers for AMI due to their satisfactory diagnostic accuracy and short time window (within 4 h of the onset of symptoms).

The selection of indicators from initial blood routine test results to improve the accuracy of early prediction of COVID-19 severity

The global pandemic of COVID-19 poses a huge threat to the health and lives of people all over the world, and brings unprecedented pressure to the medical system. We need to establish a practical method to improve the efficiency of treatment and optimize the allocation of medical resources. Due to the influx of a large number of patients into the hospital and the running of medical resources, blood routine test became the only possible check while COVID-19 patients first go to a fever clinic in a community hospital. This study aims to establish an efficient method to identify key indicators from initial blood routine test results for COVID-19 severity prediction. We determined that age is a key indicator for severity predicting of COVID-19, with an accuracy of 0.77 and an AUC of 0.92. In order to improve the accuracy of prediction, we proposed a Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) algorithm, which combines the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Naïve Bayes (NB) classifier, to further select effective indicators from patients’ initial blood test results. The MCDM algorithm selected 3 dominant feature subsets: {Age, WBC, LYMC, NEUT} with a selection rate of 44%, {Age, NEUT, LYMC} with a selection rate of 38%, and {Age, WBC, LYMC} with a selection rate of 9%. Using these feature subsets, the optimized prediction model could achieve an accuracy of 0.82 and an AUC of 0.93. These results indicated that Age, WBC, LYMC, NEUT were the key factors for COVID-19 severity prediction. Using age and the indicators selected by the MCDM algorithm from initial blood routine test results can effectively predict the severity of COVID-19. Our research could not only help medical workers identify patients with severe COVID-19 at an early stage, but also help doctors understand the pathogenesis of COVID-19 through key indicators.

Standardization of blood meal production process at a rendering plant using design of experiments

This research focuses on the standardization of the blood meal production process at a Colombian rendering plant through a design of experiments. Initially, 108 samples of blood meal were taken where only 23% achieved the moisture target (7.5% to 8.5%). Therefore, an analysis of the measurement system was performed using a repeatability and reproducibility (R&R) study. Results showed that 39.96% of the observed variability was caused by the measurement system that was out of control. So, it was necessary to improve the method of sampling reducing the participation of the measurement system in the variability of the process to only 3.79%. Later, several experiments were accomplished with a 2k factorial design. Each experiment consisted of a response variable (blood meal moisture), two controllable factors (drying chamber temperature and percentage of rotation of the metering screw), and an uncontrollable factor (initial blood meal moisture). Finally, experiments were carried out and validated observing that, with a drying chamber temperature of 160 °C and a percentage of screw rotation of 29%, more than 97% of the blood meal was according to the moisture target. In conclusion, is confirmed that the design of experiments is a tool that allows a clear path towards optimization and standardization of processes.

Analysis of blood index characteristics in COVID-19 patients and their associations with different outcomes

Objectives The clinical implications of different blood indices in patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) were analyzed at different stages. Methods We compared blood test results of 17 COVID-19 patients treated in Jinhua Central Hospital between January 1 and March 5, 2020 at different stages. We also compared the initial blood results of 17 COVID-19 patients with 115 influenza virus A/B (Flu A/B)-positive patients, 19 Mycoplasma pneumonia (MP)-positive patients and 50 healthy subjects (HSs). Results (1) The white blood cell count (WBC) and absolute neutrophil count (NEU#) were lower in the SARS-CoV-2 group than in the MP and Flu A/B groups; the eosinophil percentage (EO%) and absolute eosinophil count (EO#) were lower in the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) group than in the MP group (p<0.05). (2) Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were significantly lower when patients were discharged from the hospital (p<0.05), EO% and EO# recovered at discharge, and returned to normal levels during follow-up (p<0.05). (3) When the throat swab was nucleic acid-negative but the stool was still positive, lymphocyte percentage (LY%) and absolute lymphocyte count (LY#) decreased (p<0.05). (4) As the cycle threshold (Ct) value of the nucleic acid increased or decreased, EO# showed a consistent trend. Conclusions Blood cell count indices upon hospital admission could be helpful to give some tips of diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2-infection, Flu A/B-infection and MP-infection; AST and EO# could be used to predict the outcome of patients. Feces turned negative for nucleic acid more slowly than throat swabs; LY# was lower during the fecal-positive period and low Ct values of fecal nucleic acid were negatively associated with the patient’s recovery level.

Mathematical modelling of post-filter ionized calcium during citrate anticoagulated continuous renal replacement therapy

Background/Aims Post-filter ionized calcium (iCa) measured on a blood gas analyzer (BGA) during regional citrate anticoagulated continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) are needed to control the regime. This increases the workload and requires attention including interpretation of blood analyses. Two algorithms were developed to calculate the post-filter iCa instead. The first algorithm used measured systemic total calcium and the second used a selected set of values from an initial blood gas sample as input. Methods Calculated post-filter iCa values were compared to real blood gas analyses. 57 patients treated at the intensive care unit at Skåne University Hospital in Lund during 2010–2017 were included after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Clinical and machine parameters were collected from the electronic medical records. Non-quality checked data contained 1240 measurements and quality checked data contained 1034 measurements. Results The first algorithm using measured systemic total calcium resulted in slightly better precision and trueness with an average difference between the predicted and measured post-filter iCa concentration of 0.0185±0.0453 mmol/L for quality checked data, p<0.001. Neither algorithm could detect all instances requiring intervention. Conclusion The algorithms were able to estimate in range postfilter iCa values with great trueness and precision. However, they had some difficulties to estimate out-of-range postfilter iCa values. More work is needed to improve the algorithms especially in their citrate-modelling.