Comparative effects of furnished and battery cages on egg production and physiological parameters in White Leghorn hens.

Laboratory animal well-being can be improved by housing the animals in species-specific natural or near-to-natural environments. An enriched environment may have a similar effect on chickens. The purpose of this study was to examine if housing environment (furnished cages vs. battery cages) effects the well-being of laying hens. One hundred ninety-two 1-d-old non-beak-trimmed White Leghorn W-36 chicks were reared and randomly assigned into battery cages or furnished cages at 19 wk of age. The furnished cages had wire floors and solid metal walls, with perches, a dustbathing area, scratch pads, and a nestbox area with concealment curtain. Ten hens were housed per cage, providing a stocking density of 610 cm2 of floor space per hen. The battery cages were commercial wire cages containing 6 birds per cage, providing 645 cm2 of floor space per hen. Body weight and egg production were calculated from 25 to 60 wk of age. The peripheral concentrations of dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin, corticosterone, and IgG were analyzed at 30, 40, 50, and 60 wk of age. Compared with the hens housed in the battery cages, the hens housed in the furnished cages were significantly heavier from 30 to 60 wk of age (P<0.05 and 0.01, respectively) and produced more eggs at 40 wk of age (P<0.05). There were no treatment effects on eggshell thickness (P>0.05). The concentrations of serotonin were reduced, whereas corticosterone was increased from 50 to 60 wk of age in the hens housed in the battery cages (P<0.05) but not in those housed in the furnished cages, which may indicate that the hens housed in the battery cages were stressed. Although further studies remain to be completed, the present results suggest that furnished cages may be a favorable alternative for housing laying hens.

Medical comorbidity affects antidepressant treatment response in patients with melancholic depression.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed at the impact of medical comorbidity (MC) on response to antidepressant treatment over 6 weeks in diagnostic subtypes of patients with major depressive episode (MDE). METHODS: In a clinical sample of 241 admitted patients with MDE, MC was assessed by medical specialists and weekly response to antidepressant treatment was assessed with the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D 21). RESULTS: Over 6 weeks of treatment, patients with melancholic depression and MC had poorer treatment response on the HAM-D scale and a worse functional outcome (GAF) as opposed to their counterparts without MC, which was first detected after 4 weeks of treatment (p = 0.02). More specifically, subjects with melancholic depression and cardiovascular or endocrinological MC showed significantly poorer treatment response over 6 weeks. Interestingly, these effects were not related to various antidepressant treatment regimens. CONCLUSIONS: MC has a negative impact on treatment response in patients with melancholic depression.

Furnished cage system and hen well-being: Comparative effects of furnished cages and battery cages on behavioral exhibitions in White Leghorn chickens.

The battery cage system is being banned in the European Union before or by 2012, and the furnished cage system will be the only cage system allowed after 2012. This study was conducted to examine the different effects of caging systems, furnished cages vs. battery cages, on bird behaviors. One hundred ninety-two 1-d-old non-beak-trimmed Hy-Line W-36 White Leghorn chicks were reared using standard management practices in raised wire cages. At 19 wk of age, the birds were randomly assigned into battery cages or furnished cages. The battery cages were commercial wire cages containing 6 birds per cage, providing 645 cm(2) of floor space per birds. The furnished cages had wire floors and solid metal walls, with perches, a dustbathing area, scratch pads, and a nestbox area with a concealment curtain. Based on the company recommendations, 10 birds were housed per cage, providing a stocking density of 610 cm(2) of floor space per bird. Behavioral observations were conducted using the Noldus Observer software package. The birds were observed at 5-min intervals for the entire light period. The birds housed in battery cages had higher posture and behavioral transitions and increased time spent walking and performing exploratory behavior (P < 0.05, 0.01, respectively), which may indicate they were stressed, resulting in restlessness, whereas the birds housed in furnished cages had higher levels of preening (P < 0.05). Preening has been considered as a comfort behavior in birds. These results may suggest that furnished cages may be a favorable alternative system for housing birds by allowing them to perform certain natural behaviors.

Coronary calcifications in young patients with first, unheralded myocardial infarction: a risk factor matched analysis by electron beam tomography.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the presence and extent of coronary calcifications in young patients with first, unheralded acute myocardial infarction with matched controls without a history of coronary artery disease. METHODS: In 102 patients under 60 years of age (19-59 years, mean 41 years; 88% male), electron beam tomography was done 1-14 days after acute myocardial infarction, before any coronary intervention. Coronary calcifications were quantified using the Agatston score. Age related calcium centiles were determined based on the Mayo Clinic "epidemiology of coronary calcification" study, and results were compared with a group of 102 controls without coronary artery disease, matched for sex, age, and risk factors. RESULTS: Calcifications were present in 95.1% of patients with acute myocardial infarction and in 59.1% of controls (p = 0.008). The mean (SD) Agatston score was 529 (901) in the infarct patients versus 119 (213) in the controls (p < 0.001). An Agatston score above the 50th centile was present in 87.2% of infarct patients and 47.0% of controls (p = 0.006), and above the 90th centile in 60.7% of infarct patients and only 5.8% of controls (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In young patients with their first, unheralded acute myocardial infarction, the presence and extent of coronary calcium are significantly greater than in matched controls.

[Influence of heart rate on image quality and detection of coronary stenoses with multislice spiral CT]. / Einfluss der Herzfrequenz auf die Bildqualität und den Nachweis von Koronarstenosen mittels 4-Zeilen-Spiral CT.

Multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) permits the detection of coronary stenoses. We investigated the influence of the patient's heart rate (HR) during the scan on stenosis detection and the presence of motion artifacts. In 100 patients MSCT was performed and retrospectively ECG-gated cross-sectional images were reconstructed. 115 of 400 coronary arteries (29%) were unevaluable due to motion artifacts (84/115) or other reasons (31/115). In evaluable arteries, sensitivity was 91% (51/56 high grade stenoses detected), specificity was 89%. With increasing HR, the number of unevaluable arteries increased and overall sensitivity for stenosis detection decreased from 62% (HR < or = 70 bpm) to 33% (HR > 70 bpm). MSCT permits detection of coronary stenoses, but evaluability and accuracy decrease with increasing HR.

Progression of aortic valve calcification: association with coronary atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies demonstrated an influence of atherosclerotic risk factors on the progression of aortic valve stenosis. The extent of aortic valve calcification (AVC) was also found to be a strong predictor of stenosis progression. We investigated the influence of the LDL cholesterol level (LDL), other standard cardiovascular risk factors, and the extent of coronary calcification (CC) on the progression of AVC quantified by electron beam tomography (EBT). METHODS AND RESULTS: In 104 patients (64.7+/-8 years, 89 male) with an EBT scan positive for AVC, CC and AVC were quantified using a volumetric score. EBT was repeated at a mean interval of 15 months (10 to 36 months), and the progression of AVC and CC was determined. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to LDL: group 1, LDL3.36 mmol/L (130 mg/dL), 47 patients. Mean values for CC were 546+/-932 mm(3) in scan 1 and 665+/-1085 mm(3) in scan 2 for AVC 324+/-796 mm(3) and 404+/-1076 mm(3), respectively. The mean progression of CC was 27+/-37% (group 1, 16+/-22%; group 2, 39+/-46%, P

Noninvasive coronary angiography by magnetic resonance imaging, electron-beam computed tomography, and multislice computed tomography.

In recent years, several techniques for noninvasive imaging of the coronary artery lumen (noninvasive coronary angiography) have been developed. These techniques include magnetic resonance imaging, electron-beam computed tomography, and, most recently, multislice computed tomography. Each of these techniques has specific advantages and disadvantages. Currently, EBCT seems to permit the most robust coronary artery imaging. In the future, imaging modalities will have to be further improved and validated in order to define specific areas for potential clinical applications.

Overlapping cross-sections significantly improve the reproducibility of coronary calcium measurements by electron beam tomography: a phantom study.

PURPOSE: We conducted phantom studies to investigate whether overlapping cross-sections and volumetric scoring would significantly improve interscan reproducibility of electron beam tomography (EBT) for coronary artery calcium quantification. METHOD: Fifteen phantoms simulating various amounts of coronary calcification were scanned in five different positions with a slice thickness of 3.0 mm and a table feed of 3.0, 2.5, and 2.0 mm. For the conventional "Agatston score" and a "volume score" (total volume of calcified lesions), interscan variabilities were compared between the three image acquisition protocols. RESULTS: Agatston score variability was significantly lower for the 2.0 mm table feed than for the 3.0 or 2.5 mm table feed (3.0 mm: 22.9 +/- 10.3%; 2.5 mm: 13.6 +/- 8.2%; 2.0 mm: 8.9 +/- 5.5%). Volume score variability was significantly lower for 2.5 and 2.0 mm table feed than for 3.0 mm table feed (3.0 mm: 21.7 +/- 11.0%; 2.5 mm: 10.9 +/- 5.9%; 2.0 mm: 9.8 +/- 5.9%). CONCLUSION: Overlapping cross-sections, especially in combination with volumetric scoring, significantly improved interscan reproducibility of EBT calcium quantification in a phantom study.

Native tissue second harmonic imaging improves endocardial and epicardial border definition in dobutamine stress echocardiography.

AIMS: Native tissue second harmonic imaging (SHI) implemented in two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography was found to improve left ventricular (LV) endocardial border delineation. Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) depends on the ability to adequately visualize these borders. We analysed whether SHI, compared to fundamental imaging (FI), can improve echogenicity qualitatively and quantitatively, as well as looking at the diagnostic accuracy of the stress test. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty consecutive patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease (history of myocardial infarction and/or coronary artery bypass grafting) underwent DSE sequentially by SHI as well as FI 3 days before or after quantitative coronary angiography. Regional mean echogenicity scores (0=uninterpretable; 4=excellent imaging) for SHI and FI at peak dobutamine titration were 1.8 +/- 0.8 and 1.0 +/- 0.6 (P=0.0020) for the anterior region, 2.3 +/- 0.8 and 1.5 +/- 0.7 (P=0.0002) laterally, 2.7 +/- 1.0 and 1.9 +/- 0.8 (P=0.0001) posteriorly, 2.9 +/- 0.8 and 2.2 +/- 0.7 (P<0.0006) inferiorly, 3.0 +/-0.7 and 2.2 +/- 0.7 (P=0.0001) septally, and 3.1 +/- 1.0 and 2.1 +/-0.8 (P=0.0001) anteroseptally, respectively. Medians [upper; lower quartiles] of a global endocardial visualization index (calculated analogously with the wall motion score index based on a 16-segment model recommended by the American Society of Echocardiography) for the harmonic and the fundamental techniques were 2.59 [2.91; 2.22] and 1.87 [2.19; 1.53] (P=0.0001) at rest, 2.62 [2.94; 2.13] and 1.84 [2.19; 1.50] (P=0.0001) at low dose dobutamine, 2.51 [3.00; 2.13] and 1.74 [2.00; 1.44] (P=0.0001) at peak dose dobutamine, and 2.52 [2.94; 2.19] and 1.76 [2.19; 1.38] (P=0.0001) at recovery, respectively. For repeated quantitative LV volumetry in the harmonic and fundamental modality by the same observer, coefficients of variation were 4.4 +/- 0.4 vs. 6.0 +/- 0.5 (P<0.0001) for end-diastolic volume, 7.4 +/- 0.8 vs. 9.2 +/- 1.1 (P<0.0001) for end-systolic volume, and 5.2 +/- 1.1 vs. 8.2 +/- 1.3 (P<0.0001) for ejection fraction, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity related to coronary angiography for both methods were 80% and 60% as well as 90% and 93%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Native tissue SHI enhances LV image quality in all stress stages of DSE in unselected patients. This translates into beneficial effects on not only qualitative but also quantitative testing and diagnostic accuracy. SHI should be recommended as a standard tool in DSE and extends its applicability to difficult-to-image patients previously deemed unsuitable.

Anterior cruciate ligament suture in comparison with plasty. A 5-year follow-up study.

In this retrospective study we analyse the results of primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sutures, primary ACL plasties and secondary ACL plasties 5 years after operation. All operations were performed with an additional PDS augmentation. Follow-ups of 100 of 130 patients could be done (80 male and 20 female). The average age at time of operation was 29.2 years. ACL rupture in 81 patients occurred due to a sport accident. In 26 patients a primary ACL suture was performed, in 59 patients a primary ACL plasty and in 15 patients an ACL plasty due to instability. There was no difference between the primary and secondary plasty groups, but there was between the suture and the plasty groups. In all, 92% of the suture group and 69% of the plasty group were satisfied with the surgical results. The pivot shift, Lachman and anterior drawer sign were less frequent in the ACL suture group, and the Lysholm score was higher. Primary suture combined with a PDS augmentation seems to represent an adequate treatment of acute proximal ACL ruptures.