Biological sex does not independently influence time-dependent changes in core temperature and sweating of children exercising in uncompensable heat stress.

PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of biological sex, independent of differences in aerobic fitness and body fatness, on the change in gastro-intestinal temperature (∆Tgi) and whole-body sweat rate (WBSR) of children exercising under uncompensable heat stress. METHODS: Seventeen boys (mean±SD; 13.7±1.3 years) and 18 girls (13.7±1.4) years) walked for 45 min at a fixed rate of metabolic heat production per kg body mass (8 W·kg-1) in 40°C and 30% relative humidity. Sex and V̇O2peak were entered into a Bayesian hierarchical general additive model (HGAM) for Tgi. Sex, V̇O2peak and the evaporative requirement for heat balance (Ereq) were entered into a Bayesian hierarchical linear regression for WBSR. For 26 (12 M, 14 F) of the 35 children with measured body composition, body fat percentage was entered in a separate HGAM and hierarchical linear regression for Tgi and WBSR respectively. RESULTS: Conditional on sex-specific mean V̇O2peak, ∆Tgi was 1.00°C [90% credible intervals: 0.84, 1.16] for boys and 1.17°C [1.01, 1.33] for girls, with a difference of 0.17°C [-0.39, 0.06]. When sex differences in V̇O2peak were accounted for, the difference in ∆Tgi between boys and girls was 0.01°C [-0.25, 0.22]. The difference in WBSR between boys and girls was 0.03 L·h-1 [-0.02, 0.07], when isolated from differences in Ereq. The difference in ∆Tgi between boys and girls was -0.10°C [-0.38, 0.17] when sex differences in body fat (%) were accounted for. CONCLUSION: Biological sex did not independently influence the ∆Tgi and WBSR of children exercising under uncompensable heat stress.

Minimal clinically important change of knee flexion in people with knee osteoarthritis after non-surgical interventions using a meta-analytical approach.

BACKGROUND: Minimal clinically important change (MCIC) represents the minimum patient-perceived improvement in an outcome after treatment, in an individual or within a group over time. This study aimed to determine MCIC of knee flexion in people with knee OA after non-surgical interventions using a meta-analytical approach. METHODS: Four databases (MEDLINE, Cochrane, Web of Science and CINAHL) were searched for studies of randomised clinical trials of non-surgical interventions with intervention duration of ≤ 3 months that reported change in (Δ) (mean change between baseline and immediately after the intervention) knee flexion with Δ pain or Δ function measured using tools that have established MCIC values. The risk of bias in the included studies was assessed using version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised trials (RoB 2). Bayesian meta-analytic models were used to determine relationships between Δ flexion with Δ pain and Δ function after non-surgical interventions and MCIC of knee flexion. RESULTS: Seventy-two studies (k = 72, n = 5174) were eligible. Meta-analyses included 140 intervention arms (k = 61, n = 4516) that reported Δ flexion with Δ pain using the visual analog scale (pain-VAS) and Δ function using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index function subscale (function-WOMAC). Linear relationships between Δ pain at rest-VAS (0-100 mm) with Δ flexion were - 0.29 (- 0.44; - 0.15) (ß: posterior median (CrI: credible interval)). Relationships between Δ pain during activity VAS and Δ flexion were - 0.29 (- 0.41, - 0.18), and Δ pain-general VAS and Δ flexion were - 0.33 (- 0.42, - 0.23). The relationship between Δ function-WOMAC (out of 100) and Δ flexion was - 0.15 (- 0.25, - 0.07). Increased Δ flexion was associated with decreased Δ pain-VAS and increased Δ function-WOMAC. The point estimates for MCIC of knee flexion ranged from 3.8 to 6.4°. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated knee flexion MCIC values from this study are the first to be reported using a novel meta-analytical method. The novel meta-analytical method may be useful to estimate MCIC for other measures where anchor questions are problematic. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42022323927.

Uncontrolled pain: a call for better study design.

Studies assessing animal pain in veterinary research are often performed primarily for the benefit of animals. Frequently, the goal of these studies is to determine whether the analgesic effect of a novel treatment is clinically meaningful, and therefore has the capacity to improve the welfare of treated animals. To determine the treatment effect of a potential analgesic, control groups are necessary to allow comparison. There are negative control groups (where pain is unattenuated) and positive control groups (where pain is attenuated). Arising out of animal welfare concerns, there is growing reluctance to use negative control groups in pain studies. But for studies where pain is experimentally induced, the absence of a negative control group removes the opportunity to demonstrate that the study methods could differentiate a positive control intervention from doing nothing at all. For studies that are controlled by a single comparison group, the capacity to distinguish treatment effects from experimental noise is more difficult; especially considering that pain studies often involve small sample sizes, small and variable treatment effects, systematic error and use pain assessment measures that are unreliable. Due to these limitations, and with a focus on farm animals, we argue that many pain studies would be enhanced by the simultaneous inclusion of positive and negative control groups. This would help provide study-specific definitions of pain and pain attenuation, thereby permitting more reliable estimates of treatment effects. Adoption of our suggested refinements could improve animal welfare outcomes for millions of animals globally.

Bayesian estimation in veterinary pharmacology: A conceptual and practical introduction.

Sophisticated mathematical and computational tools have become widespread and important in veterinary pharmacology. Although the theoretical basis and practical applications of these have been widely explored in the literature, statistical inference in the context of these models has received less attention. Optimization methods, often with frequentist statistical inference, have been predominant. In contrast, Bayesian statistics have not been widely applied, but offer both practical utility and arguably greater interpretability. Veterinary pharmacology applications are generally well supported by relevant prior information, from either existing substantive knowledge, or an understanding of study and model design. This facilitates practical implementation of Bayesian analyses that can take advantage of this knowledge. This essay will explore the specification of Bayesian models relevant to veterinary pharmacology, including demonstration of prior selection, and illustrate the capability of these models to generate practically useful statistics, including uncertainty statements, that are difficult or impossible to obtain otherwise. Case studies using simulated data will describe applications in clinical trials, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics, all including multilevel modeling. This content may serve as a suitable starting point for researchers in veterinary pharmacology and related disciplines considering Bayesian estimation for their applied work.

The long and the short of it: Salivary telomere length as a candidate biomarker for hypertension and age-related changes in blood pressure.

Hypertension becomes more prevalent with increasing age. Telomere length (TL) has been proposed as a candidate biomarker and can be accessibly extracted from saliva. However, clarity is needed to evaluate the suitability of using TL as a predictor in such instances. This study investigated salivary TL in a cohort of older adults from the 2008 Health and Retirement Study (n = 3329; F: 58%, mean age: 69.4, SD: 10.3 years) to examine any associations with blood pressure (BP). A Bayesian robust regression model was fit using weakly informative priors to predict the effects of TL with age, sex, systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), and treatment status. There were small effects of treatment (ß: -0.07, 95% CrI [-0.33, 0.19], pd: 71.91%) and sex (ß: -0.10, 95% CrI [-0.27, 0.07], pd: >86.78%). Population effects showed a reduction of 0.01 log2 units in TL with each year of advancing age (95% CrI [-0.01, -0.00]). Conditional posterior predictions suggest that females, and treated individuals, experience greater change in TL with increasing age. Bayes R2 was ~2%. TL declines with increasing age, differs between sexes, and appears to be influenced by antihypertensive drugs. Overall, all effects were weak. The data do not currently support the suitability of salivary TL as a biomarker to predict or understand any age-related changes in BP.

Influence of Biological Sex and Fitness on Core Temperature Change and Sweating in Children Exercising in Warm Conditions.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the associations of biological sex and aerobic fitness (i.e., V̇O 2peak ) on the change in gastrointestinal temperature (∆ Tgi ) and whole-body sweat rate (WBSR) of children exercising in warm conditions. METHODS: Thirty-eight children (17 boys, mean ± SD = 13.7 ± 1.2 yr; 21 girls, 13.6 ± 1.8 yr) walked for 45 min at a fixed rate of metabolic heat production (8 W·kg -1 ) in 30°C and 40% relative humidity. Biological sex and relative V̇O 2peak were entered as predictors into a Bayesian hierarchical generalized additive model for Tgi . For a subsample of 13 girls with measured body composition, body fat percent was entered into a separate hierarchical generalized additive model for Tgi . Sex, V̇O 2peak , and the evaporative requirement for heat balance ( Ereq ) were entered into a Bayesian hierarchical linear regression for WBSR. RESULTS: The mean ∆ Tgi for boys was 0.71°C (90% credible interval = 0.60-0.82) and for girls 0.78°C (0.68-0.88). A predicted 20 mL·kg -1 ·min -1 higher V̇O 2peak resulted in a 0.19°C (-0.03 to 0.43) and 0.24°C (0.07-0.40) lower ∆ Tgi in boys and girls, respectively. A predicted ~13% lower body fat in the subsample of girls resulted in a 0.15°C (-0.12 to 0.45) lower ∆ Tgi . When Ereq was standardized to the grand mean, the difference in WBSR between boys and girls was -0.00 L·h -1 (-0.06 to 0.06), and a 20-mL·kg -1 ·min -1 higher predicted V̇O 2peak resulted in a mean difference in WBSR of -0.07 L·h -1 (-0.15 to 0.00). CONCLUSIONS: Biological sex did not independently influence ∆ Tgi and WBSR in children. However, a higher predicted V̇O 2peak resulted in a lower ∆ Tgi of children, which was not associated with a greater WBSR, but may be related to differences in body fat percent between high and low fitness individuals.

Trends in maintaining postharvest freshness and quality of Rubus berries.

Blackberries and raspberries, commonly known as Rubus berries, are commercially grown worldwide across different climates. Rubus berries contain wide array of phytochemicals, vitamins, dietary fibers, minerals, and unsaturated fatty acids. Nevertheless, these berries have short storage life which is the major constraint in their supply chains leading to higher postharvest losses. Inappropriate harvest handling, physical bruising, insect pests, and postharvest diseases lower the acceptability of fruit among consumers and other supply chain stakeholders. Additionally, the susceptibility to microbial decay, fruit softening, higher ethylene production, respiratory activity, and increased oxidation of anthocyanins, phenolics, and flavonoids considerably affects the marketability of Rubus berries at domestic and international markets. To date, several postharvest strategies such as cold storage, precooling, modified and controlled atmospheres, anti-ripening chemicals, edible coatings, biological agents, and nonchemical alternatives (heat treatment, ultrasound, irradiations, ozone) have been reported to prolong storage life, ensure food safety, and maintain the nutritional quality of Rubus berries. This review briefly encompasses multiple aspects including harvest maturity indices, regulation of fruit ripening, pre and postharvest factors affecting fruit quality, and an update on postharvest quality preservation by employing postharvest technologies to extend the storage life and maintaining the bioactive compounds in Rubus berries which are lacking in the literature. Accordingly, this review provides valuable information to the industry stakeholders and scientists offering relevant solutions, limitations in the application of certain technologies at commercial scale, highlighting research gaps, and paving the way forward for future investigations.

Biomarkers of endothelial activation and inflammation in dogs with organ dysfunction secondary to sepsis.

Introduction: Alteration in endothelial function during sepsis is thought to play a key role in the progression of organ failure. We herein compared plasma concentrations of endothelial activation biomarkers vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hyaluronan (HA), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and von Willebrand factor (vWF), as well as inflammatory mediator concentrations (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, C-reactive protein and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) in dogs with sepsis to healthy dogs. Methods: This study was a multicenter observational clinical trial conducted at two university teaching hospitals from February 2016 until July 2017. The study included 18 client-owned dogs hospitalized with sepsis and at least one distant organ dysfunction, as well as 20 healthy dogs. Plasma biomarker concentrations were measured using ELISA. Severity of illness in dogs with sepsis was calculated using the 5-variable acute physiologic and laboratory evaluation (APPLEFAST) score. Biomarker concentrations were compared between septic and healthy dogs using linear models. Results: Septic peritonitis was the most frequent source of sepsis (11/18; 61%), followed by pneumonia (4/18; 22%). Ten dogs (56%) had only 1 organ dysfunction, whereas 3 dogs (17%) had 2, 3 (17%) had 3, 1 (6%) had 4 and 1 (6%) had 5 organ dysfunctions. The median APPLEFAST score in the septic dogs was 28.5 (Q1-Q3, 24-31). Mean plasma concentrations of all endothelial and inflammatory biomarkers, except vWF, were higher in the sepsis cohort than in controls. The mean endothelial biomarker concentrations in the septic cohort ranged from ~2.7-fold higher for HA (difference in means; 118.2 ng/mL, 95% credible limit; 44.5-221.7) to ~150-fold for VEGF (difference in means; 76.6 pg./mL, 95% credible limit; 33.0-143.4), compared to the healthy cohort. Fifteen dogs with sepsis (83%) died; 7 (46%) were euthanized and 8 (53%) died during hospitalization. Conclusion: Dogs with naturally occurring sepsis and organ dysfunction had higher mean concentrations of biomarkers of endothelial activation and inflammation compared to healthy dogs, broadening our understanding of the pathophysiology of sepsis secondary to endothelial dysfunction.

Evidence for key individual characteristics associated with outcomes following combined first-line interventions for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To identify individual characteristics associated with outcomes following combined first-line interventions for knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection and the Cochrane library were searched. Studies were included if they reported an association between baseline factors and change in pain or function following combined exercise therapy, osteoarthritis education, or weight management interventions for knee osteoarthritis. Risk of bias was assessed using Quality in Prognostic Factor Studies. Data was visualised and a narrative synthesis was conducted for key factors (age, sex, BMI, comorbidity, depression, and imaging severity). RESULTS: 32 studies were included. Being female compared to male was associated with 2-3 times the odds of a positive response. Older age was associated with reduced odds of a positive response. The effect size (less than 10% reduction) is unlikely to be clinically relevant. It was difficult to conclude whether BMI, comorbidity, depression and imaging severity were associated with pain and function outcomes following a combined first-line intervention for knee osteoarthritis. Low to very low certainty evidence was found for sex, BMI, depression, comorbidity and imaging severity and moderate certainty evidence for age. Varying study methods contributed to some difficulty in drawing clear conclusions. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review found no clear evidence to suggest factors such as age, sex, BMI, OA severity and presence of depression or comorbidities are associated with the response to first-line interventions for knee OA. Current evidence indicates that some groups of people may respond equally to first-line interventions, such as those with or without comorbidities. First-line interventions consisting of exercise therapy, education, and weight loss for people with knee OA should be recommended irrespective of sex, age, obesity, comorbidity, depression and imaging findings.

A model of fluid-structure and biochemical interactions for applications to subclinical leaflet thrombosis.

Subclinical leaflet thrombosis (SLT) is a potentially serious complication of aortic valve replacement with a bioprosthetic valve in which blood clots form on the replacement valve. SLT is associated with increased risk of transient ischemic attacks and strokes and can progress to clinical leaflet thrombosis. SLT following aortic valve replacement also may be related to subsequent structural valve deterioration, which can impair the durability of the valve replacement. Because of the difficulty in clinical imaging of SLT, models are needed to determine the mechanisms of SLT and could eventually predict which patients will develop SLT. To this end, we develop methods to simulate leaflet thrombosis that combine fluid-structure interaction and a simplified thrombosis model that allows for deposition along the moving leaflets. Additionally, this model can be adapted to model deposition or absorption along other moving boundaries. We present convergence results and quantify the model's ability to realize changes in valve opening and pressures. These new approaches are an important advancement in our tools for modeling thrombosis because they incorporate both adhesion to the surface of the moving leaflets and feedback to the fluid-structure interaction.

Insights into phytonutrient profile and postharvest quality management of jackfruit: A review.

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.), also known as 'vegetarian's meat', is an excellent source of carbohydrates, protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and several phytochemicals. It is a climacteric fruit that exhibits an increase in ethylene biosynthesis and respiration rate during fruit ripening. The market value of jackfruit is reduced due to the deterioration of fruit quality during storage and transportation. There is a lack of standardized harvest maturity index in jackfruit, where consequently, fruit harvested at immature or overmature stages result in poor quality ripe fruit with short storage life. Other factors responsible for its short postharvest life relate to its highly perishable nature, chilling sensitivity and susceptibility to fruit rot which result in significant qualitative and quantitative losses. Various postharvest management techniques have been adopted to extend the storage life, including cold storage, controlled atmosphere storage, modified atmosphere packaging, edible coatings, chemical treatment, and non-chemical alternatives. Diversified products have been prepared from jackfruit to mitigate such losses. This comprehensive review highlights the nutritional profile, fruit ripening physiology, pre and postharvest quality management, and value addition of jackfruit as well as the way forward to reduce postharvest losses in the supply chain.

Rule-based definition of muscle bundles in patient-specific models of the left atrium.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia encountered clinically, and as the population ages, its prevalence is increasing. Although the CHA2DS2- VASc score is the most used risk-stratification system for stroke risk in AF, it lacks personalization. Patient-specific computer models of the atria can facilitate personalized risk assessment and treatment planning. However, a challenge faced in creating such models is the complexity of the atrial muscle arrangement and its influence on the atrial fiber architecture. This work proposes a semi-automated rule-based algorithm to generate the local fiber orientation in the left atrium (LA). We use the solutions of several harmonic equations to decompose the LA anatomy into subregions. Solution gradients define a two-layer fiber field in each subregion. The robustness of our approach is demonstrated by recreating the fiber orientation on nine models of the LA obtained from AF patients who underwent WATCHMAN device implantation. This cohort of patients encompasses a variety of morphology variants of the left atrium, both in terms of the left atrial appendages (LAAs) and the number of pulmonary veins (PVs). We test the fiber construction algorithm by performing electrophysiology (EP) simulations. Furthermore, this study is the first to compare its results with other rule-based algorithms for the LA fiber architecture definition available in the literature. This analysis suggests that a multi-layer fiber architecture is important to capture complex electrical activation patterns. A notable advantage of our approach is the ability to reconstruct the main LA fiber bundles in a variety of morphologies while solving for a small number of harmonic fields, leading to a comparatively straightforward and reproducible approach.

Tracheal cellular immune response in chickens inoculated with Mycoplasma synoviae vaccine, MS-H or its parent strain 86079/7NS.

Mycoplasma synoviae causes respiratory tract disease in chickens characterised by mild to moderate lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of the tracheal mucosa. MS-H (Vaxsafe1 MS, Bioproperties Pty Ltd.) is an effective live attenuated vaccine for M. synoviae, but the immunological basis for its mechanism of protection has not been investigated, and the phenotypes of lymphocytes and associated cytokines involved in the local adaptive immune response have not been described previously. In this study, specific-pathogen-free chickens were inoculated intra-ocularly at 3 weeks of age with either M. synoviae vaccine strain MS-H or vaccine parent strain 86079/7NS (7NS), or remained uninoculated. At 2-, 7- and 21 days post-inoculation (dpi), tracheal mucosal pathology, infiltrating lymphocytes subsets and transcription levels of mRNA encoding 8 cytokines were assessed using light microscopy, indirect immunofluorescent staining and RT-qPCR, respectively. After inoculation, tracheal mucosal thickness, tracheal mucosal lesions, and numbers of infiltrating CD4+CD25- cells, B-cells, and macrophages were greater in MS-H- and 7NS-inoculated chickens compared with non-inoculated. Inoculation with 7NS induced up-regulation of IFN-γ, while vaccination with MS-H induced up-regulation of IL-17A, when compared with non-inoculated birds. Both inoculated groups had a moderate infiltrate of CD4+CD25+ T cells in the tracheal mucosa. These findings reveal that the tracheal local cellular response after MS-H inoculation is dominated by a Th-17 response, while that of 7NS-inoculated chickens is dominated by a Th-1 type response.

The Surface Area to Volume Ratio Changes the Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Parameters in the Subcutaneous Tissue Cage Model: As Illustrated by Carprofen in Sheep.

Introduction: Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models can be powerful tools for predicting outcomes. Many models are based on repetitive sampling of the vascular space, due to the simplicity of obtaining samples. As many drugs do not exert their effect in the vasculature, models have been developed to sample tissues outside the bloodstream. Tissue cages are hollow devices implanted subcutaneously, or elsewhere, that are filled with fluid allowing repetitive sampling to occur. The physical dimensions of the cage, namely, the diffusible surface area to volume ratio, would be expected to change the rate of drug movement into and out of tissue cages. Methods: Seven sheep were implanted with five pairs of tissue cages, subcutaneously. Each pair of cages had a different length but a fixed diffusible surface area, so the surface area to volume ratio differed. Carrageenan was injected into half of the cages in each animal during one sampling period in a cross-over design. Samples from each cage and the bloodstream were obtained at 14-time points during two sampling periods. The concentration of carprofen was measured using LC-MS/MS and the results were modeled using nonlinear mixed-effects techniques. Prostaglandin metabolites were also measured and the change over time was analyzed using linear mixed effect modeling. Results: The presence of carrageenan within an animal changed the systemic pharmacokinetics of carprofen. The rate of drug movement into and out of the tissue cages varied with the surface area to volume ratio. The concentration time curve for prostaglandin metabolites changed with cage size. Conclusion: The surface area volume ratio of tissue cages will influence the calculated pharmacokinetic parameters and may affect calculated pharmacodynamics, thus, it is an important factor to consider when using tissue cage data for dosing regimes.

Behavioural reactivity testing in sheep indicates the presence of multiple temperament traits.

Temperament in sheep is commonly presented as unidimensional, with a 'nervous' temperament indicative of fear and reactivity towards humans and novel environments. However, temperament is multidimensional, with some traits expressed only under certain conditions (context-specific). There is evidence that a common temperament test in sheep, the isolation-box (IB), measures level of activity and not fearfulness as intended, and that behaviours measured in the IB test are indicative of different traits. To investigate this, 16 behavioural responses to a human, to being startled, and to confinement (IB test) were measured in 89 lambs, twice, three months apart. Our results agree with previous studies that vocalisations in all tests and locomotion in two, show high repeatability over time. A principal component analysis identified that vocalisations are domain-general, and are indicative of the trait 'sociability', however locomotion is context-specific' and captures the traits 'exploration-avoidance', 'boldness-shyness' and 'general activity'. A cluster analysis identified four behavioural profiles that indicate the trait 'boldness-shyness' captures reactivity towards humans. This suggests the IB test, which measures 'general activity', is unsuitable for measuring reactivity towards humans in sheep, and that when studying the impact of temperament on other factors, multiple conditions should be used when identify temperament traits.

Exposure to humans after weaning does not reduce the behavioural reactivity of extensively reared Merino lambs.

Human-directed fear in extensively reared sheep is often high due to the aversive nature of common husbandry procedures and infrequent interactions with humans. This study investigated whether additional human exposure provided to weaned lambs reduced human-directed fear and behavioural reactivity. Ninety Merino lambs were either exposed to low or moderately stressful human exposure sessions, or had no additional human contact, and their fear responses and behavioural reactivity to humans, a startle stimulus and confinement were tested. Overall, the imposed interventions did not reduce behavioural reactivity during these tests, suggesting fear towards humans had not been altered.

Behaviour change techniques in cardiovascular disease smartphone apps to improve physical activity and sedentary behaviour: Systematic review and meta-regression.

BACKGROUND: Smartphone apps are increasingly used to deliver physical activity and sedentary behaviour interventions for people with cardiovascular disease. However, the active components of these interventions which aim to change behaviours are unclear. AIMS: To identify behaviour change techniques used in smartphone app interventions for improving physical activity and sedentary behaviour in people with cardiovascular disease. Secondly, to investigate the association of the identified techniques on improving these behaviours. METHODS: Six databases (Medline, CINAHL Plus, Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, Sports Discus, EMBASE) were searched from 2007 to October 2020. Eligible studies used a smartphone app intervention for people with cardiovascular disease and reported a physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour outcome. The behaviour change techniques used within the apps for physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour were coded using the Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy (v1). The association of behaviour change techniques on physical activity outcomes were explored through meta-regression. RESULTS: Forty behaviour change techniques were identified across the 19 included app-based interventions. Only two studies reported the behaviour change techniques used to target sedentary behaviour change. The most frequently used techniques for sedentary behaviour and physical activity were habit reversal and self-monitoring of behaviour respectively. In univariable analyses, action planning (ß =0.42, 90%CrI 0.07-0.78) and graded tasks (ß =0.33, 90%CrI -0.04-0.67) each had medium positive associations with increasing physical activity. Participants in interventions that used either self-monitoring outcome(s) of behaviour (i.e. outcomes other than physical activity) (ß = - 0.47, 90%CrI -0.79--0.16), biofeedback (ß = - 0.47, 90%CrI -0.81--0.15) and information about health consequences (ß = - 0.42, 90%CrI -0.74--0.07) as behaviour change techniques, appeared to do less physical activity. In the multivariable model, these predictors were not clearly removed from zero. CONCLUSION: The behaviour change techniques action planning and graded tasks are good candidates for causal testing in future experimental smartphone app designs.

Biomechanical Comparison of a 3-Loop Pulley and a 4-Loop Pulley Suture for Tenorrhaphy in the Canine Gastrocnemius Tendon.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare a 3-loop pulley (3LP) suture pattern with a 4-loop pulley (4LP) suture pattern for the tenorrhaphy of the canine gastrocnemius tendon STUDY DESIGN: Randomized, cadaveric, biomechanical study of 30 canine gastrocnemius tendons. Tendons were transected and repaired with either 3LP or 4LP suture pattern with 2-0 polypropylene. A tensile load was applied at 25 mm/min until construct failure. The load required to form a 1 mm gap, 3 mm gap and maximum load at failure was recorded and compared between groups. RESULTS: The estimated mean load to form a 1 mm gap for the 3LP and 4LP was 28.4 N (95% confidence interval [CI]: 24.0-32.6N) and 45.5 N (95% CI: 40.7-50.1N) respectively. The 4LP mean load to form a 1 mm gap was 17.1 N (95% CI: 11.7-22.5N) greater than the 3LP. The estimated mean load to form a 3mm gap for the 3LP and 4LP was 39.7 N (95% CI: 34.1-45.4N) and 55.0 N (95% CI: 49.3-60.9N) respectively. The mean load to form a 3mm gap was 15.3 N (95% CI: 8.5-21.9N) greater in the 4LP than the 3LP. The estimated mean load for failure in the 3LP and 4LP was 41.2 N (95% CI: 35.6-46.9 N) and 54.3 N (95% CI: 48.7-60.3 N) respectively. CONCLUSION: A 4LP pattern was biomechanically superior to a 3LP pattern, as demonstrated by a greater load required to form both a 1 and 3 mm gap and a greater load for failure CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: A 4LP suture pattern better resists gap formation and requires greater load prior to construct failure compared with a 3LP, in this canine gastrocnemius model.

Response of canine thyroid carcinomas to radioiodine.

Radioactive iodine (131 I) has previously been reported to prolong survival in dogs with thyroid carcinoma. This study aimed to describe tumour response and progression-free interval (PFI) in dogs with thyroid carcinomas treated with 131 I. Secondary aims were to describe overall survival time (OST) and prognostic factors. A bi-institutional retrospective review of records identified 66 dogs with thyroid carcinoma treated with 131 I from January 2010 to April 2020. Response was described using RECIST or a subjective response assessment where specific tumour measurements were not available. Forty-eight dogs (72.7%) were treatment naïve and 18 dogs (27.3%) had received prior therapy at the time of 131 I treatment. Objective responses were available for 34 dogs and subjective responses for 58 dogs. The overall response rate was 35.3% (four complete and eight partial responses). Improvement of clinical signs was seen in 76.2% of dogs (32/42). Kaplan-Meier-estimated median PFI (95% confidence interval [CI]) was 301 (217-578) days and OST (95% CI) was 564 (421-865) days. Prior therapy was associated with a lower hazard for progression (hazard ratio [HR] 0.260 95% CI 0.123-0.548, p = .0004). Treatment of thyroid carcinoma using 131 I can effectively alleviate clinical signs and reduce disease burden in a proportion of dogs.

Water Distribution Systems in Pig Farm Buildings: Critical Elements of Design and Management.

Drinking water distribution systems (WDSs) within buildings on pig farms have critical elements of their design and management that impact water provision to pigs, water quality, the efficacy of in-water antimicrobial dosing, and, thus, pig health and performance. We used a mixed-methods approach to survey managers of 25 medium to large single-site and multi-site pig farming enterprises across eastern and southern Australia. We found wide variation in the configuration (looped or branched) and total length of WDSs within buildings across farms and in pipe materials and diameters. Within many conventional buildings and some eco-shelters, WDSs were 'over-sized', comprising large-diameter main pipelines with high holding volumes, resulting in slow velocity water flows through sections of a WDS's main pipeline. In over half of the weaner buildings and one-third of grower/finisher buildings, the number of pigs per drinker exceeded the recommended maximum. Few farms measured flow rates from drinkers quantitatively. WDS sanitization was not practiced on many farms, and few managers were aware of the risks to water quality and pig health. We identified important aspects of water provision to pigs for which valuable recommendations could be added to industry guidelines available to pig farm managers.