Effect of increasing dietary inclusion of whole cottonseed on nutrient digestibility and milk production of high-producing dairy cows.

We determined the effects of increasing the dietary inclusion of whole cottonseed (WCS) on nutrient digestibility and the milk production responses of high-producing dairy cows. Twenty-four multiparous Holstein cows (mean ± SD; 52.7 ± 2.63 kg/d milk; 104 ± 23 DIM) were randomly assigned to treatment sequences in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design with 21-d periods. Treatments were increasing doses of WCS at 0%, 8%, 16%, and 24% DM, with WCS replacing soybean meal and hulls to maintain similar diet nutrient composition (% DM) of NDF (32%), forage NDF (21%), starch (27%), and CP (17%). Total fatty acid (FA) content of each treatment was 1.70%, 2.96%, 4.20%, and 5.40% DM, respectively. Three preplanned contrasts were used to test the linear, quadratic, and cubic effects of increasing dietary WCS. Increasing dietary WCS from 0% to 24% DM quadratically influenced the intake of DM and NDF, with the highest value being the inclusion of 8% WCS, and intakes of 16- and 18-carbon, and total FA, with maximum values obtained up to 24% WCS. Increasing dietary WCS affected digestibility of DM (cubic) and NDF (quadratic), with the lowest values being the inclusion of 8% WCS. Increasing WCS increased 16-carbon digestibility (quadratic) but decreased digestibility of 18-carbon and total FA (both quadratic), with highest and lowest values for the inclusion of 24% WCS, respectively. Increasing dietary WCS quadratically increased absorbed 16- and 18-carbon, and total FA, with maximum values obtained for 24% WCS. Increasing dietary WCS quadratically increased yields of milk, milk fat, milk protein, milk lactose, 3.5% FCM, and ECM, and linearly increased BW gain. The source of milk FA was affected by dietary WCS, with a quadratic decrease in the yield of de novo and mixed milk FA and a quadratic increase in preformed milk FA. Increasing dietary WCS linearly increased trans-10 C18:1 milk FA content. As dietary WCS increased, plasma insulin linearly decreased, and plasma gossypol levels linearly increased. Despite the decrease in total FA digestibility, increasing dietary WCS from 0% to 24% DM increased FA absorption. Increasing the dietary inclusion of WCS up to 16% DM increased milk production responses and DM intake. Under the current dietary conditions, high-producing dairy cows benefited best from a diet containing an inclusion of 8% to 16% WCS in DM.

Mammary gland responses to altering the supply of de novo fatty acid substrates and preformed fatty acids on the yields of milk components and milk fatty acids.

The objective of our study was to evaluate the effect of altering the dietary supply of acetate, palmitic acid (PA), and cottonseed on the yields of milk components and milk fatty acids (FA) in lactating dairy cows. Thirty-two multiparous Holstein cows (133 ± 57 d in milk, 50.5 ± 7.2 kg/d milk) were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square split plot design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of subplot treatments. Cows were blocked by energy-corrected milk (ECM) yield and allocated to a main plot receiving a basal diet (n = 16) with no supplemental PA (Low PA) or a basal diet (n = 16) with 1.5% inclusion of a FA supplement containing ~85% PA (High PA). In each main plot, the following subplots of treatment diets were fed in a Latin square arrangement consisting of 14-d periods: 1) a control diet (CON), 2) the control diet supplemented with 3% sodium acetate (AC), 3) the control diet supplemented with 12% whole cottonseed (CS), and 4) the control diet supplemented with 3% sodium acetate and 12% whole cottonseed (CS+AC). The PA supplement and sodium acetate replaced soyhulls, and whole cottonseed replaced cottonseed hulls and meal. All diets were balanced for 30% neutral detergent fiber (NDF), 23% forage NDF, 28% starch, and 17% crude protein (CP). Sources of FA were classified as de novo (<16 carbons), mixed (16-carbon), and preformed (>16 carbons). The statistical model included the random effect of cow nested within basal diet and fixed effect of period, basal diet, acetate, cottonseed, and their interactions. Three-way interactions among basal diet, acetate, and cottonseed were observed for the yields of milk fat, 3.5% fat-corrected milk (FCM), and the molar yields of de novo FA, mixed FA, and preformed FA. In the Low PA diets, AC and CS+AC increased the yields of milk fat and FCM compared with CON and CS, whereas, in the High PA diets, CS+AC increased the yields of milk fat and FCM compared with the other treatments and AC increased milk fat yield compared with CON and CS. Compared with Low PA, High PA increased milk fat content, mixed FA yield, and tended to increase C4:0 yield. Diets containing acetate increased DMI and the yields of milk fat, ECM, FCM, de novo FA, mixed FA, and preformed FA compared with diets without acetate. Diets containing cottonseed increased the yields of milk and preformed FA, tended to increase the yields of FCM and protein, and decreased DMI and the yields of de novo FA and mixed FA compared with diets without cottonseed. In summary, in high PA diets, the inclusion of acetate plus cottonseed increased milk fat yield compared with the other treatments. The CON diet in High PA increased milk fat yield to the same extent as AC and CS+AC in Low PA suggesting PA is important for initiating milk TG synthesis. Balancing the supply of de novo FA substrates and preformed FA is important for increasing the synthesis of milk fat triglycerides and milk fat production.

Long-term effects of abomasal infusion of linoleic and linolenic acids on the enrichment of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids into plasma lipid fractions of lactating cows.

Our objective was to compare abomasal infusions of linoleic (18:2n-6) and α-linolenic (18:3n-3) acids on the enrichment of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids (FA) into the plasma lipid fractions of lactating dairy cows and evaluate their potential carryover effects in plasma lipid fractions postinfusion. Six rumen-cannulated multiparous Holstein cows (252 ± 33 DIM) were fed the same diet and assigned to 1 of 2 treatments in a completely randomized design with repeated measures. Treatments were abomasal infusions (67 g/d total FA) of (1) n-6 FA blend (N6) to provide approximately 43 g/d 18:2n-6 and 8 g/d of 18:3n-3 or (2) n-3 FA blend (N3) providing 43 g/d 18:3n-3 and 8 g/d 18:2n-6. Treatments were dissolved in ethanol, and the daily dose for each treatment was divided into 4 equal infusions, occurring every 6 h. The treatment period lasted from d 1 to 20, and the carryover period lasted from d 21 to 40. Results are presented as FA contents within each of the 4 main plasma lipid fractions: cholesterol esters (CE), phospholipids (PL); triglycerides, and plasma nonesterified fatty acids. Concentrations of individual lipid fractions in plasma were not quantified. Plasma CE and PL had the highest content of PUFA during both the treatment and carryover periods. In plasma PL, N3 increased the contents of total n-3 FA (134%), 18:3n-3 (267%), and eicosapentaenoic acid (96.3%, 20:5n-3), and decreased total n-6 FA (8.14%) and 18:2n-6 (8.16%) from d 4 to 20 compared with N6. In plasma CE, N3 increased the contents of total n-3 FA (191%) from d 4 to 20, 18:3n-3 from d 2 to 20 (178%), and 20:5n-3 from d 6 to 20 (59.9%), while N3 decreased total n-6 FA from d 4 to 20 (11.2%) and 18:2n-6 from d 2 to 20 (10.5%) compared with N6. In addition, compared with N6, N3 decreased arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) at d 2 (45%) and from d 10 to 20 (14.7%) in PL and tended to decrease 20:4n-6 without interacting with time for CE. Phospholipids were the only lipid fraction with detectable levels of docosahexaenoic acid (22:3n-6) in all samples, but we did not observe differences between treatments. In plasma trigylcerides, N3 increased the contents of total n-3 FA (135%) and 18:3n-3 (146%) from d 4 to 20, increased 20:5n-3 from d 12 to 20 (89%), decreased or tended to decrease total n-6 FA content from d 6 and 8 (26.9%), and tended to decrease 18:2n-6 at d 8 compared with N6. A similar pattern was observed for plasma nonesterified FA. We observed positive carryover effects for both N3 and N6 at different degrees in all lipid fractions, with N3 promoting more consistent outcomes and increasing total n-3 FA throughout the carryover period (from d 22 to 40) in both PL (52.8%) and CE (68.6%) compared with N6. It is important to emphasize that the higher magnitude responses observed for n-3 FA are also influenced by the content of n-3 FA being much lower than those of n-6 FA in all lipid fractions. Although these data provide important and robust information, future research quantifying changes in concentrations of individual lipid fractions in plasma and the entry and exit rates of specific FA will further enhance our understanding. In conclusion, abomasally infusing N3 and N6 increased the contents of n-3 and n-6 FA, respectively, in all plasma lipid fractions. These responses were more evident in PL and CE. We also observed positive carryover effects in all lipid fractions, where N3 had more consistent outcomes than N6. Our results indicate that dairy cows have a robust mechanism to conserve essential FA, with a pronounced preference for n-3 FA.

Efficacy and safety of ultra-low-dose estradiol and norethisterone in postmenopausal Brazilian women.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral ultra-low-dose continuous combination of 17ß-estradiol (17ß-E2) and norethisterone acetate (NETA) in postmenopausal Brazilian women. METHODS: Postmenopausal women (age 45-60 years) with amenorrhea >12 months and intact uterus, with moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms, were included. The vasomotor symptoms and endometrial bleeding were evaluated by a daily diary for 24 weeks, and the women were assessed at baseline and endpoint. RESULTS: A total of 118 women were included. The group treated with 0.5 mg 17ß-E2/0.1 mg NETA (n = 58) showed a percentage reduction of 77.1% in the frequency of vasomotor symptoms versus 49.9% in the placebo group (n = 60) (p = 0.0001). The severity score showed a reduction in the treatment group when compared to the placebo (p < 0.0001). The adverse events were comparable between the groups; however, in the 0.5 mg 17ß-E2/0.1 mg NETA group there were more complaints of vaginal bleeding; despite that, in most cycles in both treatment groups, more than 80% of women experienced amenorrhea. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of 0.5 mg 17ß-E2/0.1 mg NETA in a continuous combination regimen was shown to be effective in reducing the frequency and severity of vasomotor symptoms in Brazilian postmenopausal women.

Comparison of rumen and abomasal infusions of an exogenous emulsifier on fatty acid digestibility of lactating dairy cows.

We evaluated the effects of infusing an exogenous emulsifier (polysorbates-C18:1) either into the rumen or abomasum on fatty acid (FA) digestibility and production responses of lactating dairy cows. Nine ruminally cannulated multiparous Holstein cows (170 ± 13.6 d in milk) were assigned to a treatment sequence in replicated 3 × 3 Latin squares with 18-d periods consisting of 7 d of washout and 11 d of infusion. Treatments were abomasal infusions of water carrier only into the rumen and abomasum (control, CON), 30 g/d polysorbate-C18:1 (T80) infused into the rumen (RUM), or 30 g/d T80 infused into the abomasum (ABO). Emulsifiers were dissolved in water and delivered at 6-h intervals (total daily infusion was divided into 4 equal infusions per day). Cows were fed the same diet that contained [% diet dry matter (DM)] 32.2% neutral detergent fiber (NDF), 16.1% crude protein, 26.5% starch, and 3.41% FA (including 1.96% FA from a saturated FA supplement containing 28.0% C16:0 and 54.6% C18:0). Two orthogonal contrasts were evaluated: (1) the overall effect of T80 {CON vs. average of the T80 infusions [1/2 (ABO + RUM)]}, and (2) the effect of ABO versus RUM infusion. Compared with CON, infusing T80 increased the digestibilities of NDF (2.85 percentage units), total (4.35 percentage units), 16-carbon (3.25 percentage units), and 18-carbon FA (4.60 percentage units), and tended to increase DM digestibility and total and 18-carbon FA absorption. Compared with RUM, ABO decreased the intakes of total (28 g/d), 16-carbon (7 g/d), and 18-carbon FA (19 g/d); tended to increase the digestibility of total and 18-carbon FA; and had no effect on the absorption of total, 16-carbon, or 18-carbon FA. Production responses did not change among our treatments. In conclusion, infusing 30 g/d polysorbates-C18:1 increased NDF and total, 16-carbon, and 18-carbon FA digestibility. Compared with RUM, ABO tended to increase the digestibilities of total and 18-carbon FA; however, this may be related to the fact that ABO reduced the intakes of total, 16-carbon, and 18-carbon FA, not necessarily due to better emulsifying action per se. In summary, ABO and RUM both improved FA absorption.

Abomasal infusion of oleic acid and exogenous emulsifier alter fatty acid digestibility and production responses of lactating dairy cows.

We evaluated the effects of abomasal infusion of cis-9 C18:1 (oleic acid) and an exogenous emulsifier (polysorbate-C18:1) on fatty acid (FA) digestibility and production responses of dairy cows. Eight rumen-cannulated multiparous cows (96 ± 23 d in milk) were assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments in 4 × 4 Latin squares with 18-d periods consisting of 7 d of washout and 11 d of infusion. Treatments were abomasal infusions of water carrier only (CON), 45 g/d oleic acid (OA), 20 g/d polysorbate-C18:1 (T80), or both 45 g/d OA and 20 g/d T80 (OA+T80). The OA treatments were dissolved in ethanol and the T80 treatments in water. To deliver the daily dose for each treatment, the infusate solution was divided into 4 equal infusions per day, occurring every 6 h. Cows were fed the same diet, which contained (% of dry matter [DM]) 30.3% neutral detergent fiber (NDF), 16.3% crude protein, 30% starch, and 3.2% FA (including 1.8% DM from a FA supplement containing 34.4% C16:0 and 47.7% C18:0). Infusion of T80 increased NDF digestibility compared with all other treatments (3.57 percentage units), whereas OA+T80 decreased NDF digestibility compared with CON (3.30 percentage units). Compared with CON, OA (4.90 percentage units) and T80 (3.40 percentage units) increased total FA digestibility, whereas OA+T80 had no effect on total FA digestibility. We did not observe differences between OA and T80 for total FA digestibility. Infusion of OA (3.90 percentage units) and T80 (2.80 percentage units) increased 16-carbon FA digestibility compared with CON. Digestibility of 16-carbon FA did not differ between OA and T80 or between CON and OA+T80. Compared with CON, OA increased (5.60 percentage units) and T80 tended to increase 18-carbon FA digestibility. Digestibility of 18-carbon FA did not differ between OA and T80 or between CON and OA+T80. Compared with CON, all treatments increased or tended to increase the absorption of total and 18-carbon FA. Infusion of OA and T80 increased the yields of milk fat (both increased 0.10 kg/d), 3.5% fat-corrected milk (1.90 and 2.50 kg/d), and energy-corrected milk (1.80 and 2.60 kg/d) compared with CON. We did not observe differences between OA and T80 or between CON and OA+T80 for yields of milk fat, 3.5% fat-corrected milk, or energy-corrected milk. Infusing OA tended to increase plasma insulin concentration compared with CON. Compared with the other treatments, OA+T80 decreased the yield of de novo milk FA (31.3 g/d). Compared with CON, OA tended to increase the yield of de novo milk FA. Compared with OA+T80, CON and OA tended to increase the yield of mixed milk FA, whereas T80 increased it (83 g/d). Compared with CON, all emulsifier treatments increased the yield of preformed milk FA (52.7 g/d). In conclusion, abomasally infusing either 45 g of OA or 20 g of T80 improved digestibility and similarly favored the production parameters of dairy cows. In contrast, providing both (45 g of OA + 20 g of T80) had no additional benefits and moderated the positive responses observed in the individual treatments with OA and T80.

Extraction, Purification and Electrical Characterization of Gross Galactomannan and Purified Galactomannan Obtained from Adenanthera pavonina L. Seeds.

Aiming of self-sustainable production, the search for biodegradable and biocompatible materials has brought with it the need to know the physicochemical and dielectric characteristics of polysaccharide-based composite structures, which can be used as important and promising raw materials for biotechnology and electronic industries. Galactomannans are polysaccharides, extracted from seeds and microbiological sources, consisting of mannose and galactose. In this context, this work aimed to extract, purify and characterize by XRD, FTIR and impedance spectroscopy galactomannan obtained from seeds of Adenanthera pavonina L. The purification process was made with ethyl alcohol at concentrations of 70, 80 and 90 %. Polymeric films were prepared by solvent slow evaporation at low temperatures. XRD measurements revealed that Galactomannan from Adenanthera pavonina L., after purification, has a semi-crystalline structure due to the identification of two peaks the first between 5.849° and 6.118° and the second between 20.011° and 20.247°. FTIR spectra showed the functional groups associated with monosaccharides of the galactomannan from Adenanthera pavonina L. seeds, as well as the typical polysaccharide bands and peaks, confirmed by literature data. The impedance results give an increment on the state-of-the-art of this biomaterial by showing the existence of dielectric relaxations, independent of the degree of purification, using the dielectric modulus formalism. The permittivity analysis reveals the presence of water in the structure of the film, whose dipoles contribute to the relatively high value of the dielectric constant. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that purified galactomannan has the potential for possible applications in the electronics industry as a green and eco-friendly dielectric material.

Integrative taxonomy of Urocleidoides spp. (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae) parasites of characiform and gymnotiform fishes from the coastal drainages of the Eastern Amazon, Brazil.

Eight species (four new) of Urocleidoides are reported from Characiformes and Gymnotiformes fishes of the coastal drainages of the Eastern Amazon. Urocleidoides vanini n. sp. is characterized by having a male copulatory organ (MCO) with three and a half counterclockwise rings, absence of vaginal sclerite, and a V-shaped ventral bar. Urocleidoides atilaiamarinoi n. sp. has MCO with two and a half counterclockwise rings, dumbbell-shaped accessory piece, similar anchors, open V-shaped ventral bar, and open U-shaped dorsal bar. Urocleidoides macrosoma n. sp. exhibits an elongate and robust body, MCO comprising one counterclockwise ring, similar anchors with wavy point, and dumbbell-shaped ventral and dorsal bars. Urocleidoides nataliapasternakae n. sp. has MCO comprising two and a half counterclockwise rings, vaginal canal convoluted, point of the dorsal anchor with ornamentation as sclerotized shredded filaments, elongate dumbbell-shaped ventral bar, and U-shaped dorsal bar. Urocleidoides naris and Urocleidoides brasiliensis from H. malabaricus (Characiformes) and the incertae sedis species, Urocleidoides gymnotus and Urocleidoides carapus, from Sternopygus macrurus (Gymnotiformes) are reported, and their molecular sequences are presented in this study. Phylogenetic analyses based on molecular data (28S rDNA and COI mtDNA) reveal that species of Urocleidoides lacking vaginal sclerite are closely related to species that possess vaginal sclerite, suggesting that the absence of vaginal sclerite in Urocleidoides may be the result of a secondary loss. The relationships between species of Urocleidoides and other Neotropical dactylogyrids are also addressed.

Heart rate variability as a biomarker in patients with Chronic Chagas Cardiomyopathy with or without concomitant digestive involvement and its relationship with the Rassi score.

BACKGROUND: Dysautonomia plays an ancillary role in the pathogenesis of Chronic Chagas Cardiomyopathy (CCC), but is the key factor causing digestive organic involvement. We investigated the ability of heart rate variability (HRV) for death risk stratification in CCC and compared alterations of HRV in patients with isolated CCC and in those with the mixed form (CCC + digestive involvement). Thirty-one patients with CCC were classified into three risk groups (low, intermediate and high) according to their Rassi score. A single-lead ECG was recorded for a period of 10-20 min, RR series were generated and 31 HRV indices were calculated. The HRV was compared among the three risk groups and regarding the associated digestive involvement. Four machine learning models were created to predict the risk class of patients. RESULTS: Phase entropy is decreased and the percentage of inflection points is increased in patients from the high-, compared to the low-risk group. Fourteen patients had the mixed form, showing decreased triangular interpolation of the RR histogram and absolute power at the low-frequency band. The best predictive risk model was obtained by the support vector machine algorithm (overall F1-score of 0.61). CONCLUSIONS: The mixed form of Chagas' disease showed a decrease in the slow HRV components. The worst prognosis in CCC is associated with increased heart rate fragmentation. The combination of HRV indices enhanced the accuracy of risk stratification. In patients with the mixed form of Chagas disease, a higher degree of sympathetic autonomic denervation may be associated with parasympathetic impairment.

Videolaryngoscopy vs. direct Macintosh laryngoscopy in tracheal intubation in adults: a ranking systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Videolaryngoscopes are thought to improve glottic view and facilitate tracheal intubation compared with the Macintosh direct laryngoscope. However, we currently do not know which one would be the best choice in most patients undergoing anaesthesia. We designed this systematic review with network meta-analyses to rank the different videolaryngoscopes and the Macintosh direct laryngoscope. We conducted searches in PubMed and a further five databases on 11 January 2021. We included randomised clinical trials with patients aged ≥16 years, comparing different videolaryngoscopes, or videolaryngoscopes with the Macintosh direct laryngoscope for the outcomes: failed intubation; failed first intubation attempt; failed intubation within two attempts; difficult intubation; percentage of glottic opening seen; difficult laryngoscopy; and time needed for intubation. We assessed the quality of evidence according to GRADE recommendations and included 179 studies in the meta-analyses. The C-MAC and C-MAC D-Blade were top ranked for avoiding failed intubation, but we did not find statistically significant differences between any two distinct videolaryngoscopes for this outcome. Further, the C-MAC D-Blade performed significantly better than the C-MAC Macintosh blade for difficult laryngoscopy. We found statistically significant differences between the laryngoscopes for time to intubation, but these differences were not considered clinically relevant. The evidence was judged as of low or very low quality overall. In conclusion, different videolaryngoscopes have differential intubation performance and some may be currently preferred among the available devices. Furthermore, videolaryngoscopes and the Macintosh direct laryngoscope may be considered clinically equivalent for the time taken for tracheal intubation. However, despite the rankings from our analyses, the current available evidence is not sufficient to ensure significant superiority of one device or a small set of them over the others for our intubation-related outcomes.

Increasing levels of calcium salts of palm fatty acids affect production responses during the immediate postpartum and carryover periods in dairy cows.

Our objective was to determine the dose-response effects of calcium salts of palm fatty acids (CSPF) on nutrient digestibility and production responses of early-lactation dairy cows grazing on tropical pastures and to evaluate carryover effects throughout mid and late lactation. Forty multiparous dairy cows (Jersey × Holstein) with (mean ± standard error of the mean) 20 ± 1.69 kg of milk/d and 20 ± 5.0 d in milk were used in a randomized complete block design. During the treatment period, all cows were kept in a grazing system. The treatments were offered for 90 d (treatment period) and consisted of 4 increasing levels of CSPF: 0 (0 kg/d), 0.2 (0.2 kg/d), 0.4 (0.4 kg/d), and 0.6 (0.6 kg/d). Each treatment had 10 animals. Increasing CSPF from 0 to 0.6 kg/d replaced an equivalent amount of a corn-based concentrate supplement offered at 10 kg/d on an as-fed basis (8.96 kg/d as a dry matter basis). All cows were housed and received a diet without fat inclusion fed as total mixed ration once a day from 91 to 258 d of the experiment (carryover period). During the treatment period, increasing CSPF linearly decreased dry matter intake (1.20 kg/d), linearly increased neutral detergent fiber digestibility (3.90 percentage units), and quadratically increased total fat digestibility (6.30 percentage units at 0.4 kg/d CSPF). Increasing CSPF linearly increased the yields of milk (4.10 kg/d), milk fat (0.11 kg/d), milk lactose (0.19 kg/d), energy-corrected milk (ECM; 3.30 kg/d), and feed efficiency (ECM/dry matter intake, 0.34 kg/kg), and linearly decreased milk protein content (0.38 g/100 g), body weight change (0.05 kg/d), and body condition score (0.37). We observed interactions between CSPF and time during the carryover period. Overall, CSPF supplementation linearly increased or tended to increase milk yield until 202 d of the experiment with a similar pattern observed for all the other yield variables. In conclusion, supplementing CSPF from 0 to 0.6 kg/d during 90 d increased neutral detergent fiber and total fat digestibility and the yields of milk, milk fat, and ECM in early-lactation dairy cows grazing on tropical pastures. Most production measurements linearly increased during the treatment period, indicating that 0.6 kg/d CSPF was the best dose. Also, supplementing CSPF from 0 to 0.6 kg/d for 90 d during early lactation had positive carryover effects across mid and late lactation.

Speckle filtering through nonlinear wave mixing.

Light scattering by disordered media is a ubiquitous effect. After passing through them, the light acquires a random phase, masking or destroying associated information. Filtering this random phase is of paramount importance to many applications, such as sensing, imaging, and optical communication, to cite a few, and it is commonly achieved through computationally extensive post-processing using statistical correlation. In this work, we show that mixing noisy optical modes of various complexity in a second-order nonlinear medium can be used for efficient and straightforward filtering of a random wavefront under sum-frequency generation processes without utilizing correlation-based calculations.

Mitofusin 1 is required for oocyte growth and communication with follicular somatic cells.

Mitochondrial function, largely regulated by the dynamics of this organelle, is inextricably linked to the oocyte health. In comparison with most somatic cells, mitochondria in oocytes are smaller and rounder in appearance, suggesting limited fusion. The functional implications of this distinct morphology, and how changes in the mitochondrial shape translate to mitochondrial function in oogenesis is little understood. We, therefore, asked whether the pro-fusion proteins mitofusins 1 (MFN1) and 2 (MFN2) are required for the oocyte development. Here we show that oocyte-specific deletion of Mfn1, but not Mfn2, prevents the oocyte growth and ovulation due to a block in folliculogenesis. We pinpoint the loss of oocyte growth and ovulation to impaired PI3K-Akt signaling and disrupted oocyte-somatic cell communication. In support, the double loss of Mfn1 and Mfn2 partially rescues the impaired PI3K-Akt signaling and defects in oocyte development secondary to the single loss of Mfn1. Together, this work demonstrates that the mitochondrial function influences the cellular signaling during the oocyte development, and highlights the importance of distinct, nonredundant roles of MFN1 and MFN2 in oogenesis.

Blockade of the checkpoint PD-1 by its ligand PD-L1 and the immuno-oncological drugs pembrolizumab and nivolumab.

We investigate the interaction between the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and the programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), as well as the immuno-oncological drugs pembrolizumab (PEM), and nivolumab (NIV), through quantum chemistry methods based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT) and the molecular fractionation with conjugate caps (MFCC) scheme, in order to map their hot-spot regions. Our results showed that the total interaction energy order of the three complexes is in good agreement with the experimental binding affinity order: PD-1/PEM > PD-1/NIV > PD-1/PD-L1. Besides, a detailed investigation revealed the energetically most relevant residue-residue pairs-interaction for each complex. Our computational results give a better understanding of the interaction mechanism between the protein PD-1 and its ligands (natural and inhibitors), unleashing the immune surveillance to destroy the cancer cells by decreasing their immune evasion. They are also an efficient alternative towards the development of new small-molecules and antibody-based drugs, pointing out to new treatments for cancer therapy.

New ethionamide boosters and EthR2: structural and energetic analysis.

Ethionamide (ETH) is a high-profile drug for the treatment of patients with multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and, in order to produce its inhibitory effects, it needs to be bioactivated by monooxygenase EthA. This process is under the control of the transcriptional repressors EthR and EthR2, so that their inhibition results in the boosting of ethionamide activation. Herein, through crystallographic data and computer simulations, we calculated the interaction binding energies of four inhibitors with improved in vitro potency, namely BDM76060 (PDB ID: 6HS1), BDM72201 (PDB ID: 6HRX), BDM76150 (PDB ID: 6HS2) and BDM72719 (PDB ID: 6HRY), in complexes with the transcriptional repressor EthR2, using density functional theory (DFT) within the molecular fractionation with conjugated caps (MFCC) approach. It was observed that these ligands share the same binding site within a 10.0 Å radius of the EthR2 protein; however, their structural particularities have a significant impact on the global energies of systems. The BDM72201 and BDM72719 components are weakly attached to the binding site, while BDM76060 and BDM76150 components produce stronger bonds, corroborating with experimental studies demonstrating that BDM76060 and BDM76150 are more successful in producing inhibitory effects. BDM76060 and BDM76150 have many functional groups that increase the contact surface with the protein and attract a more significant number of amino acid residues, being able to produce polarities that generate stronger interactions. In the current scenario of a growing number of cases of bacterial resistance, the obtained data can be used to guide clinical trials of these inhibitors and other inhibitors that act on the alternative EthR2 pathway, focusing on improving the activity of ethionamide, its effectiveness, a reduction in the treatment time and exposure to cytotoxic effects.

Adherence to nutritional interventions in head and neck cancer patients: a systematic scoping review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Dietary counselling provided by a dietitian, with or without oral nutritional supplements, can impact on nutritional and clinical outcomes in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing radiotherapy. However, little is known about the role of adherence to oral nutritional interventions in this population. This review aimed to map the literature for evidence of adherence to oral nutritional interventions in HNC patients undergoing radiotherapy and to identify gaps in knowledge in this field. METHODS: A scoping review methodology was used to identify studies, extract data, and collate and summarise results. We searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central and CINAHL, from the earliest available time up to 8 January 2020. RESULTS: In total, 2315 unique articles were identified, 163 studies were assessed in full and niner were included in the scoping review. The use of different measures to assess adherence and variability in the timing of the assessments was noted across studies. Despite identifying studies that have measured adherence to oral nutritional interventions, very few studies monitored its influence on clinical and nutritional outcomes in HNC patients or reported factors related to adherence. CONCLUSIONS: A robust evidence base is lacking for adherence to oral nutritional intervention in HNC patients. Overall, further studies evaluating the impact of oral nutritional interventions in HNC patients undergoing radiotherapy should measure adherence to the intervention. Early recognition of non-adherence and the contributing factors could ensure intensification of nutritional support and better health outcomes.

Effects of calcium salts of palm fatty acids on nutrient digestibility and production responses of lactating dairy cows: A meta-analysis and meta-regression.

Our primary objective was to perform a meta-analysis and meta-regression to evaluate the effects of diets supplemented with calcium salts of palm fatty acids (CSPF) compared with nonfat supplemented control diets (CON) on nutrient digestibility and production responses of lactating dairy cows. Our secondary objective was to perform a meta-analysis to evaluate whether experimental design affects production responses to supplemental CSPF. The data set was formed from 33 peer-reviewed publications with CSPF supplemented at ≤3% diet dry matter. We analyzed the interaction between experimental design (continuous vs. change-over) and treatments (CON vs. CSPF) to evaluate whether experimental design affects responses to CSPF (Meta.1). Regardless of experimental design, we evaluated the effects of CSPF compared with CON on nutrient digestibility and production responses of lactating dairy cows by meta-analysis (Meta.2) and meta-regression (Meta.3) approaches. In Meta.1, there was no interaction between treatments and experimental design for any variable. In Meta.2, compared with CON, CSPF reduced dry matter intake [DMI, 0.56 ± 0.21 kg/d (±SE)] and milk protein content (0.05 ± 0.02 g/100 g), increased neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility (1.60 ± 0.57 percentage units), the yields of milk (1.53 ± 0.56 kg/d), milk fat (0.04 ± 0.02 kg/d), and 3.5% fat corrected milk (FCM, 1.28 ± 0.60 kg/d), and improved feed efficiency [energy corrected milk (ECM)/DMI, 0.08 kg/kg ± 0.03]. There was no effect of treatment for milk protein yield, milk fat content, body weight, body weight change, or body condition score. Compared with CON, CSPF reduced the yield of de novo milk fatty acids (FA) and increased the yields of mixed and preformed milk FA. In Meta.3, we observed that each 1-percentage-unit increase of CSPF in diet dry matter reduced DMI, increased NDF digestibility, tended to increase FA digestibility, increased the yields of milk, milk fat, and 3.5% FCM, reduced the content of milk protein, reduced the yield of de novo milk FA, and increased the yields of mixed and preformed milk FA. In conclusion, our results indicate no reason for the restrictive use of change-over designs in CSPF supplementation studies or meta-analysis. Feeding CSPF increased NDF digestibility, tended to increase FA digestibility, and increased the yields of milk, milk fat, and 3.5% FCM. Additionally, CSPF increased milk fat yield by increasing the yields of mixed and preformed milk FA.

Nutrient digetibility and production responses of lactating dairy cows when saturated free fatty acid supplements are included in diets: A meta-analysis.

Our objective was to perform a series of meta-analyses to evaluate the effects of diets supplemented with saturated free fatty acid (FA) supplements (SFAA) compared with nonfat supplemented control diets (CON) on nutrient digestibility and production responses of lactating dairy cows and to determine whether experimental design affects responses to SFFA. We divided SFFA into C16:0-enriched supplements (PALM, FA supplements with ≥80% C16:0) and C16:0+C18:0-enriched supplements (MIX, FA supplements with ≥80% C16:0+C18:0). The database was formed from 32 peer-reviewed publications with SFFA supplemented at ≤3% diet dry matter (DM). We completed 3 different meta-analyses to meet our objectives. We analyzed the interaction between experimental design (continuous vs. change-over) and treatments (CON vs. SFFA; Meta.1). Regardless of experimental design, we evaluated the effect of treatment (CON vs. PALM vs. MIX; Meta.2) and the effect of 1-percentage-unit increase of MIX and PALM in diet DM (Meta.3). In Meta.1, there was no interaction between treatments and experimental design for any variable. In Meta.2, compared with CON, MIX had no effect on NDF digestibility, milk protein yield and energy corrected milk (ECM), increased the yields of milk (1.20 kg/d) and milk fat (0.04 kg/d), and decreased FA digestibility (5.20 percentage units). Compared with CON, PALM increased NDF digestibility (4.50 percentage units), the yields of milk (1.60 kg/d), milk fat (0.10 kg/d), milk protein (0.04 kg/d), and ECM (2.00 kg/d), and had no effect on FA digestibility. Compared with MIX, PALM tended to increase FA digestibility (3.20 percentage units), increased NDF digestibility (3.50 percentage units), milk fat yield (0.06 kg/d), and ECM (1.20 kg/d). In Meta.3, for each 1-percentage-unit increase of supplemental FA in diet DM, MIX had no effect on NDF digestibility, decreased FA digestibility, increased the yields of milk and milk fat, had no effect on milk protein yield, ECM and milk fat content, and decreased milk protein content. For each 1-percentage-unit increase of supplemental FA in diet DM, PALM increased NDF digestibility, had no effect on FA digestibility, increased the yields of milk, milk fat, ECM and milk fat content, tended to increase milk protein yield, and had no effect on milk protein content. Our results indicate no reason for the restrictive use of change-over designs in saturated FA supplementation studies and meta-analyses. Lactating dairy cows responded better to a FA supplement enriched in C16:0 compared with one containing C16:0 and C18:0.

Abomasal infusion of oleic acid increases fatty acid digestibility and plasma insulin of lactating dairy cows.

Our objective was to determine whether abomasal infusions of increasing doses of oleic acid (cis-9 C18:1; OA) improved fatty acid (FA) digestibility and milk production of lactating dairy cows. Eight rumen-cannulated multiparous Holstein cows (138 d in milk ± 52) were randomly assigned to treatment sequence in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design with 18-d periods consisting of 7 d of washout and 11 d of infusion. Production and digestibility data were collected during the last 4 d of each infusion period. Treatments were 0, 20, 40, or 60 g/d of OA. We dissolved OA in ethanol before infusions. The infusate solution was divided into 4 equal infusions per day, occurring every 6 h, delivering the daily cis-9 C18:1 for each treatment. Animals received the same diet throughout the study, which contained (percent diet dry matter) 28% neutral detergent fiber, 17% crude protein, 27% starch, and 3.3% FA (including 1.8% FA from a saturated FA supplement containing 32% C16:0 and 52% C18:0). Infusion of OA did not affect intake or digestibility of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber. Increasing OA from 0 to 60 g/d linearly increased the digestibility of total FA (8.40 percentage units), 16-carbon FA (8.30 percentage units), and 18-carbon FA (8.60 percentage units). Therefore, increasing OA linearly increased absorbed total FA (162 g/d), 16-carbon FA (26.0 g/d), and 18-carbon FA (127 g/d). Increasing OA linearly increased milk yield (4.30 kg/d), milk fat yield (0.10 kg/d), milk lactose yield (0.22 kg/d), 3.5% fat-corrected milk (3.90 kg/d), and energy-corrected milk (3.70 kg/d) and tended to increase milk protein yield. Increasing OA did not affect the yield of mixed milk FA but increased yield of preformed milk FA (65.0 g/d) and tended to increase the yield of de novo milk FA. Increasing OA quadratically increased plasma insulin concentration with an increase of 0.18 µg/L at 40 g/d OA, and linearly increased the content of cis-9 C18:1 in plasma triglycerides by 2.82 g/100 g. In conclusion, OA infusion increased FA digestibility and absorption, milk fat yield, and circulating insulin without negatively affecting dry matter intake. In our short-term infusion study, most of the digestion and production measurements responded linearly, indicating that 60 g/d OA was the best dose. Because a quadratic response was not observed, improvements in FA digestibility and production might continue with higher doses of OA, which deserves further attention.

Spotting intruders: Species distribution models for managing invasive intertidal macroalgae.

Invasive macroalgae represent one of the major threats to marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and structure, as well as being important drivers of ecosystem services depletion. Many such species have become well established along the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula. However, the lack of information about the distribution of the invaders and the factors determining their occurrence make bioinvasions a difficult issue to manage. Such information is key to enabling the design and implementation of effective management plans. The present study aimed to map the current probability of presence of six invasive macroalgae: Grateloupia turuturu, Asparagopsis armata, Colpomenia peregrina, Sargassum muticum, Undaria pinnatifida, and Codium fragile ssp. fragile. For this purpose, an extensive field survey was carried out along the coast of the north-western Iberian Peninsula. Species distribution models (SDMs) were then used to map the presence probability of these invasive species throughout the study region on the basis of environmental and anthropogenic predictor variables. The southern Galician rias were identified as the main hotspots of macroalgal invasion, with a high probability of occurrence for most of the species considered. Conversely, the probability of presence on the Portuguese coast was generally low. Physico-chemical variables were the most important factors for predicting the distribution of invasive macroalgae contributing between 57.27 and 85.24% to the ensemble models. However, anthropogenic factors (including size of vessels, number of shipping lines, distance from ports, population density, etc.) considerably improved the estimates of the probability of occurrence for most of the target species. This study is one of the few to include anthropogenic factors in SDMs for invasive macroalgae. The findings suggest that management actions aimed at controlling these species should strengthen control and surveillance at ports, particularly in southern Galician rias. Early detection should be of main concern for risk assessment plans on the Portuguese coast.