Experimental Evidence of t_{2g} Electron-Gas Rashba Interaction Induced by Asymmetric Orbital Hybridization.

We report the control of Rashba spin-orbit interaction by tuning asymmetric hybridization between Ti orbitals at the LaAlO_{3}/SrTiO_{3} interface. This asymmetric orbital hybridization is modulated by introducing a LaFeO_{3} layer between LaAlO_{3} and SrTiO_{3}, which alters the Ti-O lattice polarization and traps interfacial charge carriers, resulting in a large Rashba spin-orbit effect at the interface in the absence of an external bias. This observation is verified through high-resolution electron microscopy, magnetotransport and first-principles calculations. Our results open hitherto unexplored avenues of controlling Rashba interaction to design next-generation spin orbitronics.

Gross tracheal deviation: airway challenges and concerns--two case reports.

Practical guidelines and algorithms may not always help in difficult airway management. Large thyroid swellings may be responsible for several difficulties during the perioperative period, such as distortion of the airway, endocrine disturbances and metabolic effects. We here discuss the airway management of two patients with huge thyroid enlargement and gross tracheal deviation. One of those patients had also retrosternal extension of goiter. Both patients were scheduled for an excision of their colloid goiter.

Denture mimicking vocal cords--a rare entity. A case report.

Laryngeal foreign bodies are not uncommon. A common difficulty encountered is a delay in diagnosis. The clinical features of a laryngeal foreign body may simulate asthma in an adult. The differentiation is necessary in the initial stages as the laryngeal foreign body can lead to sudden death due to airway obstruction. Sudden onset of wheeze in a non-asthmatic patient should arouse its suspicion. A case is reported where patient was transferred to respiratory intensive care unit for respiratory distress with wheeze which was later diagnosed as foreign body larynx.

Laryngotracheal transection in blunt trauma of the neck.

Laryngotracheal injuries are relatively rare following blunt trauma to the neck and chest but results in a high degree of morbidity and mortality. Complete disruption of the trachea is extremely rare and a systematic approach is needed for early diagnosis and management. The symptoms and physical signs do not necessarily correlate with the severity of injury as was observed in the presented cases here. An early diagnosis and surgical exploration is a must for a reasonably favourable outcome.

Impact of nursery feeding program on subsequent growth performance, carcass quality, meat quality, and physical and chemical body composition of growing-finishing pigs.

An experiment was conducted to examine the effect of the nursery feeding program on subsequent growth performance, carcass quality, meat quality, and physical and chemical body composition of growing-finishing pigs. Four dietary treatments were used in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments based on diet complexity (Complex vs. Simple) and in-feed antibiotics (2,730 [+AB] vs. 0 [-AB] mg of chlortetracycline /kg].A total of 552 pigs, in 5 blocks, were weaned at 21 ± 2 d of age with an initial BW of 7.03 ± 0.07 kg. Each experimental block had 3 pens per treatment, with 8 pigs per pen in blocks 1 and 2, and 10 pigs per pen in the remaining 3 blocks. Nursery diets were fed in a 3-phase feeding program (Phase I, II, and III diets fed for 1, 2, and 3 wk, respectively). All pigs were fed common grower-finisher diets thereafter. Six pigs per treatment were slaughtered for chemical body composition analysis at wk 2, 8, 12, and 17 postweaning. An additional 11 pigs per treatment were slaughtered at wk 17 postweaning (approximately 115 kg BW or market weight) for analysis of carcass characteristics, chemical and physical body composition, and meat quality. During the nursery phase, ADG was lower (P < 0.05) for pigs fed the Simple diet than those fed the Complex diet (491 vs. 528 g/d). Antibiotic usage improved (P < 0.05) ADG in Phases II (408 vs. 438 g/d) and III (689 vs. 720 g/d). In Phase I and II, G:F was lower (P < 0.05) for pigs fed the Simple diet than those fed the Complex diet (0.46 vs. 0.58 and 0.75 vs. 0.78 in Phases I and II, respectively). During the grower phase, pigs previously fed -AB diets grew faster than pigs fed +AB diets (P < 0.05; 1,009 vs. 971 g/d). There were no treatment effects on overall ADG or G:F from weaning to finishing. Nursery feeding program did not affect carcass quality characteristics. However, pigs previously fed +AB diets tended (P = 0.07) to have increased LM depth. Nursery feeding program had no effect on objective or subjective meat quality measures, chemical body composition, or the weight of primal and retail carcass cuts at wk 17 postweaning, with the exception of primal belly weight. These results indicate that feeding simple nursery diets, or nursery diets without antibiotics, compromises growth performance during the nursery period but does not affect overall growth performance between weaning and market BW, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. Thus, feed costs for nursery pigs can be reduced by feeding simple diets without compromising market BW and carcass and meat quality.

In vitro digestibility of expanded pork skin and rawhide chews, and digestion and metabolic characteristics of expanded pork skin chews in healthy adult dogs.

Chews are an important part of the pet product industry, with many having potential to decrease plaque or calculus formation. However, their digestion characteristics and gut transit time are virtually unknown. Two experiments were conducted to determine in vitro DM digestibility of expanded pork skin chews and rawhide chews, and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD), gastrointestinal transit time, and blood metabolite measurements in healthy adult dogs fed a weight-control commercial diet and expanded pork skin chews. In Exp.1, an in vitro method that simulated gastric and small intestinal digestion was used to determine DM digestibility of expanded pork skin chews and rawhide chews. In Exp. 2, after a 22-d baseline phase, 10 purpose-bred, intact female dogs (5 to 5.5 yr of age; 18.9 to 23.1 kg BW) were fed the diet plus an expanded pork skin chew (~45 g) each day for 22 d. In vitro gastric digestibility of expanded pork skin chews increased with time, with chews being 54.7%, 58.6%, 76.4%, and 86.4% digestible after 6, 12, 18, and 24 h of gastric digestion, respectively. By contrast, gastric digestibility of rawhide chews was 7.6% at 6 h, slowly increased over time, and reached a maximum of 41.6% at 18 h. In vitro gastric plus small intestinal digestibility results indicated near complete digestibility of expanded pork skin chews at all times, whereas rawhide chews were 50 to 85% digestible. In vivo ATTD of DM, OM, and N were greater (P < 0.05) when dogs were fed expanded pork skin chews along with the basal diet, compared with the basal diet alone. However, chew intake did not change transit time measured with a wireless motility device. By contrast, motility index and contraction pattern of the colon were altered (P < 0.05) during chew feeding relative to control. Blood urea N concentrations were greater (P < 0.05) in dogs fed expanded pork skin chews, compared with baseline; this was not surprising, given the increased N intake and absorption from the chews. Intake of expanded pork skin chews resulted in reduced blood cholesterol concentrations (P < 0.05) and tended to decrease blood triglyceride concentrations (P < 0.10). Expanded pork skin had a greater DM digestibility than rawhide chews. In addition, expanded pork skin decreased blood cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, which may justify further research in this area.

Bacterial fermentation affects net mineral flux in the large intestine of pigs fed diets with viscous and fermentable nonstarch polysaccharides.

The impact of colonic fermentation on postileal absorption of Ca, Mg, P, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn was investigated in 8 ileally cannulated grower pigs (initial BW = 29.1 ± 1.6 kg) according to a double 4 × 4 Latin square. A semi-purified diet was supplemented with 5.20% low viscous, low fermentable cellulose (CEL), 6.25% high viscous, low fermentable carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), 8.95% low viscous, high fermentable oat beta-glucan (LG), or 9.25% high viscous, high fermentable oat beta-glucan (HG), resulting in 5% actual added nonstarch polysaccharides (NSP) in the diets. Because of the intrinsic mineral content in LG and HG, pigs receiving the LG and HG diets had a greater (P < 0.05) daily intake of Mg, P, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn, and also Ca for the HG diet compared with the CEL and CMC diets. Different amounts of minerals reached the large intestine for the 4 diets as indicated by the 60 to 86% less (P < 0.05) ileal flow of Ca, Mg, P, and Fe for CMC compared with CEL and HG. Apparent mineral retention was generally less (P < 0.05) for CEL compared with CMC. Regression analyses indicated that postileal flux of Ca, Cu, and Zn were related (R(2) = 0.24 to 0.99; P < 0.05) to short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations in feces. Postileal Ca absorption was negatively related (R(2) = 0.24; P < 0.05) to fecal total SCFA concentrations when SCFA concentrations were greater than 95.6 mmol/kg of DM. Furthermore, postileal Zn (R(2) = 0.99; P < 0.001) and Cu secretion (R(2) = 0.94; P < 0.001) decreased with increasing total SCFA concentrations in feces. Additionally, postileal secretion of Fe increased (R(2) = 0.20; P < 0.05) with increasing 16S rRNA gene copies of Enterobacteriaceae in feces, whereas the secretion of Cu decreased (R(2) = 0.25; P < 0.01) with increasing gene copies of Enterobacteriaceae. Overall, the apparent retention of Ca, Mg, and P was 27 to 85% less (P < 0.05) for CEL and HG than for CMC, whereas the apparent retention of Fe, Mn, and Zn was less (P < 0.05) for CEL than for CMC, LG, and HG. In conclusion, these data indicate that the stimulation of fermentation by dietary NSP affects net mineral flux in the large intestine that, in turn, can influence mineral excretion in feces. Additionally, negative effects of CEL on apparent retention may increase the daily requirement for minerals of grower pigs.

Technical note: An improved surgical model for the long-term studies of kinetics and quantification of nutrient absorption in swine.

An improved technique to study kinetics and quantitative absorption of nutrients in pigs is described. Three female pigs (35 kg of BW) were surgically modified with catheters in the hepatic portal vein and carotid artery and an ultrasonic flow probe around the portal vein. Catheter placement and patency was secured using distal modifications (rings and holes) and nonabsorbable suture. Catheters and flow probe cable were tunneled subcutaneously after exteriorization for further protection. Fibrosis and adhesions in the body cavity were minimized by avoiding excessive manipulation and drying of viscera. Pigs were supported during recovery by intravenous fluid therapy of AA and electrolytes until regular feeding resumed. Catheters were flushed daily with heparinized saline (200 IU/L). After 10 d, pigs were fed a diet based on wheat and soybean meal for 6 consecutive 7-d periods. On d 7, blood was collected postprandially every 15 min from -15 to 60 min, 30 to 240 min, 60 to 480 min, and 120 to 720 min. Blood flow was measured simultaneously. Plasma was analyzed for glucose, and net glucose absorption was calculated from plasma portal-arterial differences x plasma flow [blood flow x (1 - hematocrit)]. The specific improvements for long-term use of this model are distal modifications of the catheters, postoperative treatment using parental nutrition and gut motility drug, prevention of infection of body cavity by further tunneling of catheters and blood flow probe cable, and use of ultrasonic blood flow probes and meter. Blood flow measurements using an ultrasonic blood flow probe was not changed after 52 d compared with 10 d post-surgery, indicating the reliability of this model. This catheterized pig model, thus, will allow the long-term study of the kinetics of nutrient absorption.

Masson's pseudotumour of the ethmoid sinus - a case report.

OBJECTIVE: We report a case of Masson's pseudotumour or intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia presenting in the ethmoid sinus. CASE REPORT: We present a diagnostically challenging case of Masson's pseudotumour of the ethmoid sinus presenting with persistent epistaxis and a review of the available literature. CONCLUSION: Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia is a benign, reactive lesion first described by the French pathologist Pierre Masson in 1923. It can lead to diagnostic uncertainty due to its close resemblance clinically, radiologically and histopathologically to angiosarcoma.

Effects of supplemental vitamin E in diet of Japanese quail on male reproduction, fertility and hatchability.

1. Two experiments were conducted to examine the effect of feeding higher supplemental vitamin E (VE) concentrations on male reproductive variables, fertility and hatchability of quails. 2. In experiment 1, sixty 5-week-old male quails, reared in individual cages, were fed male breeder diets supplemented with 0, 75, 150, 225 or 300 IU alpha-tocopherol acetate/kg. At 10 weeks, observations on cloacal gland size, foam production, testes weight and blood samples for testosterone estimation were taken. 3. In experiment 2, 50 male and 50 female cage-reared quails (5 weeks old) were fed male breeder and layer rations, respectively, supplemented with 0, 75, 150, 225 or 300 IU/kg. At 13 weeks, 9 different mating pairs (5 pairs/group) were formed. Group 1 contained one control male and one control female in each of 5 pens. In groups 2 to 5, control males were paired with females on supplements of 75, 150, 225 or 300 IU/kg. In groups 6 to 9, control females were paired with males on supplements of 75, 150, 225 and 300 IU/kg. During subsequent adaptation and egg collection periods, each of 10 d, control layer ration was fed to all groups. All the eggs laid during the 10-d egg collection period were incubated artificially to estimate fertility and hatchability. The trial was repeated at 15 weeks. 4. Adult male quails receiving moderate supplemental VE (75 and 150 IU/kg) had a higher cloacal gland index, quantity of foam secretion, testicular weight and plasma testosterone than quails fed on either VE-deficient or more highly supplemented diets (225 and 300 IU alpha-tocopherol acetate/kg). 5. It was concluded that a supplement of 75 IU VE/kg in maize/soybean diet could provide the best reproductive performance of male breeder quails. Cloacal gland index, quantity of foam secretion, testicular weight and plasma testosterone can serve as indirect indicators of testicular activity and fertilising ability in quails. Supplemental VE did not affect the fertility and hatchability of male and female Japanese quails.