The time elapsed between assessments of blood metabolome and live weight affects associations between the abundance of metabolites and growth rate in beef cattle.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess the associations between the relative abundance (RA) of blood metabolites and growth rate (i.e., live weight change, LWC) calculated using different intervals of time between live weight (LW) measurements from the metabolome assessment. METHODS: Grazing beef cattle were raised for 56 days and blood samples from each animal were taken on day 57. Live weight was continuously measured using an automatic in-paddock weighing scale. The RA of plasma metabolites were determined using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Live weight data were filtered for outliers and one LW record was selected every 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49 and 56 days before the metabolome assessment (LWC1 to LWC56, respectively). Live weight change was then re-calculated for each interval between LW data selected. RESULTS: Associations between LWC calculations and the RA of metabolites were greatly affected by the interval of time between LW data selected. Thus, the number of significant associations decreased from 9 for LWC1 to 5 for LWC35 whereas no significant associations were found for LWC56 (P > 0.05). There were 7 metabolites negatively associated with LWC1 including leucine, 2-hydroxybutyrate, valine, creatinine, creatine, phenylalanine and methylhistidine; however, correlations were positive for 2 lipids. The strength of the correlation coefficients decreased as the length of the interval between LW measures increased although this reduction was greater for some metabolites such as leucine compared to others such as lipids. Our findings suggest that the time frame in which a particular response variable, such as LWC, is measured and metabolomic samples are taken could largely impact associations and thus conclusions drawn. CONCLUSIONS: Depending on the variable to be explored, rapid changes in cattle metabolome may not be reflected in correlations if they are not assessed close in time. Our findings suggest that LWC should be measured for a period shorter than 28 days before the metabolome assessment as the number of significant associations decreases when LWC is measured for longer periods.

Breast cancer chemotherapy treatment monitoring based on serum sample Raman spectroscopy.

In this paper, breast cancer patients were monitored throughout their chemotherapy treatments (CHT), with blood serum sample Raman spectroscopy and multivariate analysis, approximately for a year. First of all, we discriminate between healthy and clinically diagnosed breast cancer patients. Breast cancer detection in terms of sensitivity and specificity were 87.14% and 90.55% respectively. Although no shifts of peaks in mean spectrum of samples from breast cancer patients were found with respect to the mean spectrum from control patients, some peaks did show clear differences in intensity, the greatest disparities found at 509, 545, 1063, 1103, 1338, 1556, 1083 and 1449 cm- 1 are associated with amino acids and phospholipid, 1246 and 1654 cm- 1, corresponding to amide III and I, respectively. Other peaks of interest encountered at 450, 661, 890, 917 and 1405 cm- 1 are associated to glutathione. Then, 6 breast cancer patients were monitored during their chemotherapy treatments, the results were in complete correspondence with their medical records, enabling a detailed study of the evolution of each patient's cancer. A special interest arose in the possible correlation between the intensity of Raman peak, 450 cm- 1, corresponding to glutathione and evolution of cancer throughout CHT, i.e., glutathione appears to be a good candidate as breast cancer biomarker. The results confirmed that Raman spectroscopy and PCA are, not only a good support to current breast cancer detection techniques, but could also be excellent techniques to monitor more efficiently breast cancer patients undergoing CHT, using blood serum samples which are a lot less invasive than other methods.

Lupus: the new epidemic.

Is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is occurring more frequently now than in decades past? Despite improvements in the identification of patients with SLE, the development of new classification criteria, and the recognition of several biomarkers used alone or in combination, the diagnosis of SLE is still a challenge for clinicians, in particular early in the course of the disease, which makes the recognition of secular trends difficult to ascertain. Lacking a uniform definition of preclinical lupus or incomplete lupus, it is difficult to predict accurately which patients would go on to develop SLE. We will briefly review the classification criteria, early or preclinical SLE, the epidemiology of SLE, antinuclear antibodies-negative SLE, and biomarkers of the disease.

Tuberculous sacroiliitis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report and literature review.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients are at higher risk of developing opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis (TB), especially extrapulmonary forms like osteoarticular TB, compared to the general population. However, tuberculous sacroiliitis has been scarcely reported in these patients. We present a 34-year-old woman with SLE who developed articular tuberculosis simultaneously affecting the right sacroiliac joint and the left knee. The patient was successfully treated with antituberculosis therapy for nine months. In this case, in addition to the immunological abnormalities of lupus, the long-term glucocorticoid therapy at high dosages was the main risk factor for the development of osteoarticular tuberculosis.

Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 as biomarkers for lupus nephritis in Colombian SLE patients.

Background Information regarding urinary biomarkers in Mestizo and Afro-Latin-American patients is very limited. We investigated whether levels of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) are good biomarkers to differentiate patients with lupus nephritis among Latin-American systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Methods SLE patients meeting the revised American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for SLE were recruited. Urinary levels of NGAL and MCP-1 were measured using a commercial ELISA kit. Serum anti-C1q antibodies were measured by ELISA. SLE activity was measured with the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI). Mann-Whitney tests were used to compare data and Spearman's rank correlations were used to examine associations between continuous variables. In addition, receiver operating characteristic curves were performed. Results One hundred and twenty SLE patients were recruited (87% women) with a median age of 32.8 ± 12.1 years and median disease duration of 7.3 ± 6.9 years. Afro-Latin-Americans had a significantly higher prevalence of lupus nephritis and higher SLEDAI scores than Mestizos. The three biomarkers were significantly higher in patients with lupus nephritis than in patients without lupus nephritis. In addition, urinary NGAL and MCP-1 were significantly higher in patients with active lupus nephritis than in inactive lupus nephritis. Urinary NGAL levels were significantly higher in Afro-Latin-American patients. A receiver operating characteristic curve for urinary biomarkers for lupus nephritis in all SLE patients showed a good level of sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion In our cohort of SLE patients, we found that urinary NGAL and MCP-1 in addition to anti-C1q antibodies were useful biomarkers for the identification of renal involvement and discrimination of active lupus nephritis among patients with renal disease.

Gender differences in disease activity and clinical features in newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to compare disease activity and clinical features at diagnosis in male and female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which every male patient (n = 40) was matched with three female patients of the same age (±5 years) and racial/ethnic group; disease activity as per the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) and disease manifestations at the time of diagnosis were compared. RESULTS: Alopecia and anti-Ro antibodies were more frequent in female patients. No statistically significant difference in any other disease characteristics was found. However, male gender was associated with a risk of severe disease activity at the time of diagnosis (as determined by SLEDAI ≥12 score) independent of age, racial/ethnic group, anti-Ro positivity or time to criteria accrual (OR: 3.11 95% CI, 1.09-8.92; p = 0.035). CONCLUSION: In newly diagnosed SLE patients, male gender is associated with higher disease activity despite the fact that male and female patients seem to experience similar overall disease manifestations.

Effect of feeding restriction on growth and dressing percentages in Mexican hairless pig.

Twenty-four male Mexican hairless pigs, weighing 16 ± 1.12 kg, were used to evaluate growth performance and carcass yield in pigs fed 2 (L), 3 (M) and 4 (H) times the Metabolizable Energy (ME) required for maintenance. The pigs were assigned randomly to two experimental rearing systems (indoors and outdoors). They were fed daily according to their respective feeding regimen (FR). The indoor pigs were fed ad libitum with chopped star grass forage (Cynodon nlemfuensis). The outdoor pigs had access during 16 h to a paddock of star grass. The pigs were slaughtered when they achieve 70 kg of live weight. No significant differences between indoors and outdoors were observed in any of the variables evaluated (P > 0.05). A significant reduction of daily live weight gain (P < 0.05) was observed conforming to FR reductions (0.501, 0.438 and 0.300 kg/day for H, M and L, respectively). Days to achieve 70 kg of live weight increase (P < 0.05) as FR reduces (110, 124 and 180 days for H, M and L, respectively) were recorded. Forage consumption in pigs reared indoors reduces (P < 0.05) conforming to FR increases (0.092, 0.121 and 0.307 kg DM/day for H, M and L respectively). Fat carcass yield reduces significantly (P < 0.05) according FR reductions (24.5, 22.8 y 18.9 kg, for H, M and L respectively). Also, carcass meat yield was higher (P < 0.05) in pigs from L regimen (25.0 kg) than in pigs from M and H regimen (22.0 and 22.8 kg, respectively). Results obtained indicate a reduction in daily live weight gain conforming to daily feed intake reductions; however, improvement in carcass meat yield, accompanied with a reduction in carcass fat yield, was observed.

The MAPP Room Memory Test: Examining Contextual Memory Using a Novel Computerized Test in Cognitively-Unimpaired Individuals with Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer's Disease.

Contextual memory, the ability to remember spatial or temporal features related to an event, is affected in Alzheimer's disease (AD). There is a shortfall of tests that measure contextual memory. To evaluate visuospatial contextual memory, we developed a computerized cognitive test, the MAPP Room Memory Test, which requires participants to identify in which visual scene target items were previously presented. We hypothesized that cognitively-unimpaired carriers of an autosomal dominant AD mutation (Presenilin-1 E280A, n=15) would perform more poorly on this test than non-carrier family members (n=31). Compared to non-carriers, the carriers had significantly worse delayed room recognition. The results indicate that the MAPP Room Memory Test may be sensitive to subtle cognitive changes associated with risk of AD. Future studies with larger samples using the MAPP Room Memory Test and biomarkers are needed to examine whether this test may also be sensitive to the earliest pathological changes in preclinical AD.

Ethnicity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): its influence on susceptibility and outcomes.

Ethnicity is a biological and a social construct which encompasses ancestral genes, cultural, geographic and socioeconomic characteristics shared within a population. It is clear that no homogeneous racial groups exist within the human race as demonstrated when examining ancestry informative markers. Both the genetic and non-genetic components of ethnicity exert influence in the expression and outcome of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including disease activity, damage accrual, work disability and mortality. Although it is difficult to determine the extent to which the differences observed in these parameters are caused by genetic or non-genetic factors, early in the disease genetic factors seem to play a more important role as determinants of the differences observed between SLE patients from various ethnic groups. Over the course of the disease, non-genetic factors seem to play a more important role. By and large, SLE is more frequent and more severe with higher disease activity and more damage accrual in non-Caucasian populations (Hispanics, African descendants and Asians) than in Caucasians. To overcome these differences it is necessary to optimize health care access to disadvantaged populations and use innovative tools to increase disease awareness and improve treatment adherence.

A comprehensive review of the influence of co-solvents on the catalysed methanolysis process to obtain biodiesel.

Non-polar oil and polar short-chain alcohols, used as reactants in the transesterification reaction, are immiscible. Transesterification reactions can only occur on the phase boundary and they are therefore diffusion-limited. Several methods are employed to overcome the limitation of mass transfer by increasing miscibility and thereby accelerating the reaction. Co-solvents are additional solvents that should be soluble in the oil and alcohol phase; this could lead to an increase in the reaction rate and a reduction in the temperature and the reaction time. This work aims to provide a comprehensive literature review on the influence of co-solvents on the processes of catalysed methanolysis for the biodiesel production. Most authors have not systematically determined and justified the effects of cosolvents. So far it seems impossible to establish which cosolvents are the most suitable for which methanolysis systems. The purpose of this work is to highlight and justify the differences or similarities in co-solvent impacts among the various publications by examining the chemical structure of the respective co-solvents, including the functional groups and the resulting physicochemical properties such as the dielectric constant or the log P value. Besides biodiesel, co-solvents like THF and acetone seems to be the best choices for alkaline methanolysis systems due to successful broadly applications with different oils, catalysts and reaction conditions. Moreover, THF and n-hexane are essentially advisable for in-situ methanolysis.

Ce/Pumice and Ni/Pumice as heterogeneous catalysts for syngas production from biomass gasification.

This work presents a study of synthesis and characterization of catalysts-based cerium and nickel supported on the pumice stone (Ce/Pumice and Ni/Pumice) to be used in the gasification process of an invasive species present in the Canary Islands, such as Pennisetum setaceum to obtain syngas. Specifically, the effect of the metal impregnated on the pumice, and the effect of catalyst on the gasification process was studied. For this purpose, the composition of the gas was determined and the results obtained were compared with those obtained in non-catalytic thermochemical processes. Gasification tests were performed using a simultaneous thermal analyzer coupled with a mass spectrometer, providing a detailed analysis of the gases released during the process. The results showed that during the catalytic gasification process of the Pennisetum setaceum, the gases produced appear at lower temperatures in the catalytic process that in the non-catalytic process. Specifically, H2 appears at 640.42 °C and 641.84 °C when Ce/pumice and Ni/pumice were used as catalyst, respectively, compared to 697.41 °C for the non-catalytic process. Moreover, the reactivity at 50 % of char conversion for the catalytic process (0.34 and 0.38 min-1 for Ce/pumice and Ni/pumice, respectively) was higher than for the non-catalytic process (0.28 min-1), indicating that the incorporation of Ce and Ni on the pumitic material increases the gasification rate of the char compared to the pumitic support. Catalytic biomass gasification is an innovative technology that can provide new opportunities for research and development of renewable energy technologies, as well as for the creation of green jobs.

Cryptococcosis in systemic lupus erythematosus: a series of six cases.

The aims of this study were to describe the clinical features of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who developed cryptococcal infection and ascertain their outcomes when treated with glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive agents in conjunction with long-term maintenance antifungal therapy. Six cases of cryptococcal infection in SLE were reviewed retrospectively. The mean age at the time of infection was 26.3 (11.7) years. Three patients had active SLE and all were receiving glucocorticoids [median prednisone dose of 40 (21.2-60.0) mg/day] at the time of infection diagnosis. Concomitant cytotoxic agents were used in five patients. Meningitis was the most common clinical manifestation (n = 5) and cryptococcemia was found in three cases. The patient, who developed pulmonary cryptococcosis, died from respiratory distress syndrome. All patients received induction anti-fungal therapy with amphotericin B and the five surviving patients switched to oral fluconazole indefinitely as maintenance therapy and none of them has had relapses of cryptococcal infection to last medical evaluation. As SLE patients have intrinsic abnormalities of cell-mediated immunity and receive immunosuppressive therapy, indefinite maintenance therapy with fluconazole is recommended in SLE patients with cryptococcosis.

Predictors of the rate of change in disease activity over time in LUMINA, a multiethnic US cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: LUMINA LXX.

The objectives of the present study were (1) to clarify and quantify the relationship between age and disease duration with the rate of change in disease activity over time in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and (2) to explore other possible factors associated with this rate of change. To this end, SLE patients from LUMINA were studied if they had at least three visits in which disease activity (Systemic Lupus Activity Measure-Revised [SLAM-R]) had been ascertained. Variables associated with the rate (slope) of change in disease activity (obtained by regressing the SLAM-R score against the length of time from diagnosis to visit date) were examined by univariable and multivariable analyses. Five hundred and forty two of the 632 patients had at least three SLAM-R score. In multivariable analyses, Whites exhibited the fastest decline in disease activity, Texan Hispanics exhibited the slowest, trailed by the African Americans. Longer disease duration and HLA-DRB1*1503 positivity were associated with a slower decline whereas a greater number of American College of Rheumatology criteria and abnormal laboratory parameters (white blood cell counts, hematocrit and serum creatinine) were associated with a faster decline. These findings complement existing knowledge on SLE disease activity and are potentially useful to clinicians managing these patients.

Diagnosis of Bovine Respiratory Disease in feedlot cattle using blood 1H NMR metabolomics.

Current diagnosis methods for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) in feedlots have a low diagnostic accuracy. The current study aimed to search for blood biomarkers of BRD using 1H NMR metabolomics and determine their accuracy in diagnosing BRD. Animals with visual signs of BRD (n = 149) and visually healthy (non-BRD; n = 148) were sampled for blood metabolomics analysis. Lung lesions indicative of BRD were scored at slaughter. Non-targeted 1H NMR metabolomics was used to develop predictive algorithms for disease classification using classification and regression trees. In the absence of a gold standard for BRD diagnosis, six reference diagnosis methods were used to define an animal as BRD or non-BRD. Sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) were used to estimate diagnostic accuracy (Acc). Blood metabolomics demonstrated a high accuracy at diagnosing BRD when using visual signs of BRD (Acc = 0.85), however was less accurate at diagnosing BRD using rectal temperature (Acc = 0.65), lung auscultation score (Acc = 0.61) and lung lesions at slaughter as reference diagnosis methods (Acc = 0.71). Phenylalanine, lactate, hydroxybutyrate, tyrosine, citrate and leucine were identified as metabolites of importance in classifying animals as BRD or non-BRD. The blood metabolome classified BRD and non-BRD animals with high accuracy and shows potential for use as a BRD diagnosis tool.

A high-resolution record of holocene climate change in speleothem calcite from cold water cave, northeast iowa.

High-precision uranium-thorium mass spectrometric chronology and (18)O-(13)C isotopic analysis of speleothem calcite from Cold Water Cave in northeast Iowa have been used to chart mid-Holocene climate change. Significant shifts in dagger(18)O and dagger(13)C isotopic values coincide with well-documented Holocene vegetation changes. Temperature estimates based on (18)O/(16)O ratios suggest that the climate warmed rapidly by about 3 degrees C at 5900 years before present and then cooled by 4 degrees C at 3600 years before present. Initiation of a gradual increase in dagger(13)C at 5900 years before present suggests that turnover of the forest soil biomass was slow and that equilibrium with prairie vegetation was not attained by 3600 years before present.

Seizures in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: data from LUMINA, a multiethnic cohort (LUMINA LIV).

OBJECTIVE: To examine the predictors of time-to-seizure occurrence and their impact on damage accrual and mortality in LUMINA, a multiethnic (Hispanic, African American and Caucasian) cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. METHODS: Seizures were defined as per the American College of Rheumatology (ARC) nomenclature and case definitions for neuropsychiatric lupus syndromes. Factors associated with time-to-seizure occurrence occurring at or after diagnosis (TD) of systemic lupus erythematosus were examined by univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analyses. The impact of seizures on damage accrual and mortality was also examined by multivariable analyses after adjusting for variables known to affect these outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 600 patients were included in these analyses. Of them, 40 (6.7%) developed seizures at or after TD; by multivariable analyses, disease activity and younger age were independent predictors of a shorter time-to-seizure occurrence (HR = 1.10 and 1.04; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.15 and 1.00 to 1.08, p = 0.0004 and 0.0304, respectively) whereas mucocutaneous involvement (HR = 0.34, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.41, p = 0.0039) and hydroxychloroquine use (HR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.80, p = 0.0131) were independent predictors of a longer time-to-seizure occurrence. Seizures were an independent contributor to damage accrual but not to mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Seizures tend to occur early in the course of systemic lupus erythematosus, and contribute to damage accrual. Younger age and disease activity are independent predictors of a shorter time-to-seizure occurrence; antimalarials appear to have a protective role in seizure occurrence.

Predictors of premature gonadal failure in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Results from LUMINA, a multiethnic US cohort (LUMINA LVIII).

OBJECTIVE: To examine the predictors of time to premature gonadal failure (PGF) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus from LUMINA, a multiethnic US cohort. METHODS: PGF was defined according to the SLICC Damage Index (SDI). Factors associated with time to PGF occurrence were examined by univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses: three models according to cyclophosphamide use, at T0 (model 1), over time (model 2) and the total number of intravenous pulses (model 3). RESULTS: Thirty-seven of 316 women (11.7%) developed PGF (19 Texan-Hispanics, 14 African-Americans, four Caucasians and no Puerto Rican-Hispanics). By multivariable analyses, older age at T0 (hazards ratio (HR) = 1.10-1.14; 95% CI 1.02-1.05 to 1.19-1.23) and disease activity (Systemic Lupus Activity Measure-Revised) in all models (HR = 1.22-1.24; 95% CI 1.10-1.12 to 1.35-1.37), Texan-Hispanic ethnicity in models 2 and 3 (HR = 4.06-5.07; 95% CI 1.03-1.25 to 15.94-20.47) and cyclophosphamide use in models 1 and 3 (1-6 pulses) (HR = 4.01-4.65; 95% CI 1.55-1.68 to 9.56-13.94) were predictors of a shorter time to PGF. CONCLUSIONS: Disease activity and Texan-Hispanic ethnicity emerged as predictors of a shorter time to PGF while the associations with cyclophosphamide use and older age were confirmed. Furthermore, cyclophosphamide induction therapy emerged as an important determinant of PGF.

Changes in feeding behavior as possible indicators for the automatic monitoring of health disorders in dairy cows.

Changes in short-term feeding behavior of dairy cows that occur with the onset of the health disorders ketosis, acute locomotory problems, and chronic lameness were investigated using data collected during previous experiments. The objective of the study was to describe and quantify those changes and to test their suitability as early indicators of disease. Feed intake, feeding time, and number of daily feeder visits were recorded with computerized feeders. Ketosis in 8 cows was characterized by rapid daily decreases in feed intake [-10.4 kg of fresh matter (FM)], feeding time (-45.5 min), and feeding rate (-25.3 g of FM/min) during an average of 3.6 d before diagnosis by farm staff. Acute locomotion disorders in 14 cows showed smaller daily decreases in feed intake (-1.57 kg of FM) and feeding time (-19.1 min), and a daily increase in feeding rate (+21.6 g of FM/min) during an average of 7.7 d from onset to diagnosis. The effects of chronic lameness on short-term feeding behavior were assessed by analyzing changes during the 30 d before and 30 d after all cows were checked for foot lesions and trimmed, and cows were classified as either lame (n = 81) or not lame (n = 62). During the 30 d before trimming, cows classified as lame showed significant changes in daily feeding time, number of daily visits, and feeding rate, but nonlame cows did not. In lame cows, the observed daily changes (slope) for the 30 d before and the 30 d after trimming were -0.75 and +0.32 min/d for daily feeding time, -0.35 and +0.31 for daily number of visits, and +0.77 and -0.35 g/min for feeding rate, respectively. These changes in feeding behavior were not different among cows consuming low or high forage rations. Daily feeding time was the feeding characteristic that changed most consistently in relation to the studied disorders. A simple algorithm was used to identify cows whose daily feeding time was lower than the previous 7-d rolling average minus 2.5 standard deviations. The algorithm resulted in detection of more than 80% of cows with acute disorders at least 1 d before diagnosis by farm staff. Short-term feeding behavior showed very characteristic changes with the onset of disorders, which suggests that a system that monitors short-term feeding behavior can assist in the early identification of sick cows.