Effects of Banhabaekchulcheonma-Tang on Brain Injury and Cognitive Function Impairment Caused by Bilateral Common Carotid Artery Stenosis in a Mouse Model.

Vascular dementia (VD) is the second most prevalent dementia type, with no drugs approved for its treatment. Here, the effects of Banhabaekchulcheonma-Tang (BBCT) on ischemic brain injury and cognitive function impairment were investigated in a bilateral carotid artery stenosis (BCAS) mouse model. Mice were divided into sham-operated, BCAS control, L-BBCT (40 ml/kg), and H-BBCT (80 ml/kg) groups. BBCT's effects were characterized using the Y-maze test, novel object recognition test (NORT), immunofluorescence staining, RNA sequencing, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway and Gene Ontology (GO) analyses. The NORT revealed cognitive function improvement in the H-BBCT group, while the Y-maze test revealed no significant difference among the four groups. The CD68+ microglia and GFAP+ astrocyte numbers were reduced in the H-BBCT group. Furthermore, H-BBCT treatment restored the dysregulation of gene expression caused by BCAS. The major BBCT targets were predicted to be cell division cycle protein 20 (CDC20), Epidermal growth factor (EGF), and tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 1 (TRAF1). BBCT regulates the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction and neuropeptide signaling pathways, as predicted by KEGG and GO analyses, respectively. BBCT significantly improved cognitive impairment in a BCAS mouse model by inhibiting microglial and astrocyte activation and regulating the expression of CDC20, EGF, TRAF1, and key proteins in the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction and neuropeptide signaling pathways.

Impact of sagittal and coronal pelvic tilt on hip subluxation in non-ambulatory flaccid neuromuscular scoliosis patients following spinal correction.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the actual change in clinical hip pain and hip migration after operation for non-ambulatory flaccid neuromuscular (NM) scoliosis and investigate whether there is an association between hip migration and coronal/sagittal pelvic tilt (CO-PT/SA-PT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective, single-center, observational study evaluated a total of 134 patients with non-ambulatory flaccid neuromuscular scoliosis who underwent surgery performed by a single surgeon between 2003 and 2020, with at least 2 years of follow-up period. Operation procedures were conducted in two stages, beginning with L5-S1 anterior release followed by posterior fixation. Radiologic parameters were measured at preoperative, immediate postoperative, and last follow-up periods with clinical hip pain and clinical hip dislocation events. RESULTS: The significant improvements occurred in various parameters after correction surgery for NM scoliosis, containing Cobb's angle of major curve and CO-PT. However, Reimer's hip migration percentage (RMP) was increased on both side of hip (High side, 0.23 ± 0.16 to 0.28 ± 0.21; Low side, 0.20 ± 0.14 to 0.23 ± 0.18). Hip pain and dislocation events were also increased (Visual analog scale score, 2.5 ± 2.3 to 3.6 ± 2.6, P value < 0.05; dislocation, 6-12). Logistic regression analysis of the interactions between ΔRMP(High) and the change of sagittal pelvic tilt (ΔSA-PT) after correction reveals a significant negative association. (95% CI 1.003-1.045, P value = 0.0226). CONCLUSIONS: In cases of non-ambulatory flaccid NM scoliosis, clinical hip pain, and subluxation continued to deteriorate even after correction of CO-PT. There was a relationship between the decrease in SA-PT, and an increase in hip migration percentage on high side, indicating the aggravation of hip subluxation.

Comparison of the efficacy between sequential therapy with teriparatide and denosumab and denosumab monotherapy in suppressing fragility fracture risk.

In this retrospective study, the effectiveness of short-term teriparatide with denosumab in reducing fragility fracture risk was determined in comparison with denosumab monotherapy. Administration of sequential teriparatide with denosumab showed excellent outcomes in suppressing the risk for fragility fractures compared with denosumab monotherapy. INTRODUCTION: To determine the effectiveness of short-term teriparatide with denosumab in reducing the risk of fragility fractures in comparison to denosumab monotherapy. METHODS: The data of postmenopausal patients treated with denosumab for > 2 years between August 2015 and October 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. One hundred sixty four postmenopausal women of a total 615 were excluded, since they did not undergo > 2 bone mineral density (BMD) tests, were lost to follow-up, or received long-term teriparatide therapy. Total 320 patients received denosumab monotherapy and 131 patients received teriparatide for ≥ 3 months followed by denosumab. The number of osteoporotic fractures, presence of back pain before and after treatment, and annual BMD during treatment were comparatively assessed using t-test, Chi-square test, and linear mixed model analysis. RESULTS: Before treatment, the denosumab monotherapy group had fewer osteoporotic fractures (mean ± standard deviation; 0.459 ± 0.689) than the sequential therapy group had (1.037 ± 0.871; p < 0.001). After treatment, the sequential therapy group had fewer osteoporotic fractures than the denosumab monotherapy group had (0.119 ± 0.348 versus 0.144 ± 0.385; p < 0.001). At 1 and 2 years after treatment, the increase in lumbar spine BMD was greater in the sequential therapy group than in the denosumab monotherapy group (p = 0.08, group × time). The difference between post and pre-treatment back pain visual analog scale score was significantly lower in the sequential therapy group than in the monotherapy group (3.246 ± 3.426 versus 1.734 ± 3.049; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Short-term teriparatide use before denosumab showed excellent outcomes in suppressing the risk of fragility fractures compared with denosumab monotherapy.

Optimizing Face Recognition Inference with a Collaborative Edge-Cloud Network.

The rapid development of deep-learning-based edge artificial intelligence applications and their data-driven nature has led to several research issues. One key issue is the collaboration of the edge and cloud to optimize such applications by increasing inference speed and reducing latency. Some researchers have focused on simulations that verify that a collaborative edge-cloud network would be optimal, but the real-world implementation is not considered. Most researchers focus on the accuracy of the detection and recognition algorithm but not the inference speed in actual deployment. Others have implemented such networks with minimal pressure on the cloud node, thus defeating the purpose of an edge-cloud collaboration. In this study, we propose a method to increase inference speed and reduce latency by implementing a real-time face recognition system in which all face detection tasks are handled on the edge device and by forwarding cropped face images that are significantly smaller than the whole video frame, while face recognition tasks are processed at the cloud. In this system, both devices communicate using the TCP/IP protocol of wireless communication. Our experiment is executed using a Jetson Nano GPU board and a PC as the cloud. This framework is studied in terms of the frame-per-second (FPS) rate. We further compare our framework using two scenarios in which face detection and recognition tasks are deployed on the (1) edge and (2) cloud. The experimental results show that combining the edge and cloud is an effective way to accelerate the inferencing process because the maximum FPS achieved by the edge-cloud deployment was 1.91× more than the cloud deployment and 8.5× more than the edge deployment.

Light-FER: A Lightweight Facial Emotion Recognition System on Edge Devices.

Facial emotion recognition (FER) systems are imperative in recent advanced artificial intelligence (AI) applications to realize better human-computer interactions. Most deep learning-based FER systems have issues with low accuracy and high resource requirements, especially when deployed on edge devices with limited computing resources and memory. To tackle these problems, a lightweight FER system, called Light-FER, is proposed in this paper, which is obtained from the Xception model through model compression. First, pruning is performed during the network training to remove the less important connections within the architecture of Xception. Second, the model is quantized to half-precision format, which could significantly reduce its memory consumption. Third, different deep learning compilers performing several advanced optimization techniques are benchmarked to further accelerate the inference speed of the FER system. Lastly, to experimentally demonstrate the objectives of the proposed system on edge devices, Light-FER is deployed on NVIDIA Jetson Nano.

Review of the Factors Affecting Acceptance of AI-Infused Systems.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the factors impacting technology adoption, to predict the acceptance of artificial intelligence (AI)-based technologies. BACKGROUND: Although the acceptance of AI devices is usually defined by behavioural factors in theories of user acceptance, the effects of technical and human factors are often overlooked. However, research shows that user behaviour can vary depending on a system's technical characteristics and differences in users. METHOD: A systematic review was conducted. A total of 85 peer-reviewed journal articles that met the inclusion criteria and provided information on the factors influencing the adoption of AI devices were selected for the analysis. RESULTS: Research on the adoption of AI devices shows that users' attitudes, trust and perceptions about the technology can be improved by increasing transparency, compatibility, and reliability, and simplifying tasks. Moreover, technological factors are also important for reducing issues related to human factors (e.g. distrust, scepticism, inexperience) and supporting users with lower intention to use and lower trust in AI-infused systems. CONCLUSION: As prior research has confirmed the interrelationship among factors with and without behaviour theories, this review suggests extending the technology acceptance model that integrates the factors studied in this review to define the acceptance of AI devices across different application areas. However, further research is needed to collect more data and validate the study's findings. APPLICATION: A comprehensive overview of factors influencing the acceptance of AI devices could help researchers and practitioners evaluate user behaviour when adopting new technologies.

Intelligibility of Haptic Signals in Vehicle Information Systems.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to verify changes in a driver's emotions through the physical characteristics of haptic signals. This is to improve the performance of drivers by designing haptic signals with emotional semantics. BACKGROUND: Currently, drivers receive a variety of information through intelligent systems installed in their vehicles. Because this is mainly achieved through visual and auditory channels, an excessive amount of information is provided to drivers, which increases the amount of information and cognitive load that they must accept. This, in turn, can reduce driving safety. It is, therefore, necessary to develop a haptic signal, a sensory channel that has not been widely used in in-vehicle information systems. METHODS: The experiment was performed to collect a driver's emotions according to the haptic signal in a driving simulator. Haptic signals were designed by various frequencies and accelerations, and driver emotions were collected through Kansei engineering techniques and analyzed through factor analysis. To verify intelligibility, haptic signals were compared and evaluated based on response time, response rate, and amount of transmitted information. RESULTS: The final determined emotional map consisted of dangerousness and urgency. Based on the emotional map, four emotional semantic haptic signals were designed. It was confirmed that these four signals displayed higher performance than the discriminability haptic signal in terms of response time, response rate, and amount of transmitted information. CONCLUSIONS: Using emotional maps, it is possible to design haptic signals that can be applied to various driving situations. These maps may also assist in securing design guidelines for haptic signals that apply to in-vehicle information systems.

Physiological and behavioral responses of laying hens exposed to long-term high temperature.

The present study was conducted to investigate the impact of a 42 d period of heat stress on laying hens with respect to rectal temperature, body-surface temperature, heart rate, heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (H/L ratio), corticosterone (CORT) in plasma and yolk samples, and video-assessed behaviors. A total of one hundred twenty 56-week-old ISA-brown laying hens were continuously exposed to one of three temperature regimes: optimal (LT; 22 °C), moderate (MT; 27 °C), and high (HT; 32 °C). The relative humidity was maintained at 50% in all treatments. HT vs. MT and LT increased rectal temperature, heart rate, and body-surface temperature on all days (P < 0.05). HT vs. LT raised (P < 0.05) the H/L ratio in blood at day 42 following heat exposure. On the other hand, both HT- and MT-exposed laying hens had higher (P < 0.05) plasma CORT compared with those on LT group only at 28 and 42 d following heat treatment. Yolk CORT was elevated (P < 0.05) in the HT vs. MT and LT groups at 3 and 14 d following heat treatment. Panting and wing elevation were the most relevant behaviors in laying hens exposed to HT vs. MT and LT. The study shows that rectal and body-surface temperature, heart rate, and behavior, but not CORT or H/L ratio, are the reliable indicators for assessing the stress status of laying hens over extended period of heat stress.

Economical Auto Moment Limiter for Preventing Mobile Cargo Crane Overload.

This study presents a computational method called economical auto moment limiter (eAML) that prevents a mobile cargo crane from being overloaded. The eAML detects and controls, in real time, crane overload without using boom stroke sensors and load cells, which are expensive items inevitable to existing AML systems, hence, being competitive in price. It replaces these stroke sensors and load cells that are used for the crane overload measurement with a set of mathematical formula and control logics that calculates the lifting load being handled under crane operation and the maximum lifting load. By calculating iterative them using only a pressure sensor attached under the derrick cylinder and the boom angle sensor, the mathematical model identifies the maximum descendible angle of the boom. The control logic presents the control method for preventing the crane overload by using the descendible angle obtained by the mathematical model. Both the mathematical model and the control logic are validated by rigorous simulation experiments using MATLAB on two case instances each of which eAML is used and not used, while changing the pressures on the derrick cylinder and the boom angle. The effectiveness and validity of the method are confirmed by comparing the outputs obtained by the controlled experiments performed by using a 7.6 ton crane on top of SCS887 and a straight-type maritime heavy-duty crane along with eAML. The effects attributed to the load and the wind speed are quantified to verify the reliability of eAML under the changes in external variables.

Carbon Black and Titanium Interlayers Between Zinc Oxide Photo Electrode and Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Carbon black and titanium interlayers were deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) anode layers using radio frequency magnetron sputtering method. On top of them, Zinc oxide (ZnO) photo anode layers were prepared using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. ZnO high binding energy as well as good breakdown strength, cohesion, and stability used as a photo electrode material for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC), but it does not have a good electrical contact to the FTO anode. To solve this problem, the carbon black and titanium interlayers were deposited. The effect of interlayers on the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of DSSCs was investigated. The PCE of the devices with 120-nm-thick interlayers of carbon black or titanium was 5.21 or 4.45%, respectively, which were larger than the PCE of the devices without such interlayers (3.25%). The smooth interface of the carbon black interlayer reduced the interface impedance of the ZnO photo anode effectively. On the other hand, the titanium interlayer with TiO2 on the ZnO side increased the impedance, and decreased the PCE.

The prevalence, risk factors and prognostic implications of dysphagia in elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Dysphagia is prevalent in geriatric patients, such as elderly hip fracture patients, and is associated with a poor prognosis. This study investigated (1) the prevalence of dysphagia based on clinical screening and a video-fluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS), (2) the risk factors of dysphagia, and (3) the prognostic implications of dysphagia in elderly patients (≥ 65 years) undergoing hip fracture surgery. METHODS: In this retrospective study, data from 393 female and 153 male patients ≥65 years of age who underwent surgery for a hip fracture between 2015 and 2018 were analysed. Patients who were considered at high risk of dysphagia after screening underwent a VFSS. To identify risk factors of dysphagia, demographic factors, the American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, past medical history, known risk factors of dysphagia, and factors associated with surgery were analysed using a binary logistic regression model. Odds ratios (ORs) of dysphagia for having poor prognosis including postoperative pneumonia, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death within 6 months after surgery were obtained by logistic regression. The association of postoperative pneumonia with poor prognosis was also analysed. RESULTS: Dysphagia was seen in 5.3% of hip fracture patients. In multivariate regression analysis, a serum albumin level < 3.5 g/dL was identified as a risk factor for dysphagia (OR [95%CI] = 3.13 [1.40, 7.01]). Dysphagia was identified as a risk factor for postoperative pneumonia in regression analysis after adjustment (OR [95%CI] = 3.12 [1.05, 9.27]). Postoperative pneumonia was significantly associated with ICU admission (OR [95% CI] = 4.56 [1.85, 11.28]) and death within 6 months after surgery (OR [95% CI] = 2.56 [1.03, 6.33]). CONCLUSIONS: Dysphagia in elderly hip fracture surgery patients was associated with postoperative pneumonia, a risk factor for poor outcomes including ICU admission and death within 6 months after surgery. A serum albumin level < 3.5 g/dL was identified as a risk factor for dysphagia. Therefore, diagnostic testing should be performed to detect dysphagia, especially in patients with a low serum albumin level. Finally, particular care should be taken to prevent postoperative complications in patients with dysphagia.

Fumonisin B1 actuates oxidative stress-associated colonic damage via apoptosis and autophagy activation in murine model.

In the present study, we investigated the cytotoxic mechanism of Fumonisin B1 (FB1) in mice colonic region in a time course manner. Herein, after consecutive 4 days of exposure to FBI (2.5 mg/kg body weight), we observed disintegration of mice colon, as evidenced by histopathological analysis. FB1 significantly increased alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase activities in serum and plasma, decreased ceramide level, increased sphinganine level, and increased lipid peroxidase level along with the breakdown of the antioxidant system. Further, FB1-induced ER stress caused apoptosis and autophagy activation in mice colon, evidenced by increased expression of IRE1-α, p-JNK, Casp3, and LC3I/II. In addition, we also noticed a reduced protein kinase C expression in mice colon exposed to FB1, suggesting its role in ER stress-induced cell death. Taken together, study suggests both physiologically and biochemically, FB1 toxicity to mice colon induced by oxidative stress-associated apoptosis and autophagy activation.

Rapid Macroscopic-Scale Assembly of Ag Nanowires at the Water/Air Interface.

Rapid macroscopic-scale assembly of Ag nanowires was demonstrated through facile self-assembly at the water/air interface. This self-assembly was induced by heating due to the surface tension effect and convection. Interestingly, a rippled hairstyle superstructure was observed when the aqueous dispersions of thinner Ag nanowires were heated. Applying the Euler buckling theory for a set of aligned Ag nanowires, it was found that the water surface tension was sufficient to bend or buckle these free Ag nanowires trapped between two nanowire stripes, which resulted in the formation of the rippled hairstyle superstructure. However, the formation of the nanowire stripes was driven by steric repulsion of nanowires along with their short-range van der Waals interactions and later lateral capillary attraction between large building blocks. Such control over self-assembly is key for designing hierarchically ordered structures, which opens a new opportunity in the exploration of novel properties and the development of new applications.

Effect of increasing levels of apparent metabolizable energy on laying hens in barn system.

OBJECTIVE: This experiment was to investigate the effect of increasing levels of apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) on the laying performance, egg quality, blood parameters, blood biochemistry, intestinal morphology, and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy and nutrients in diets fed to laying hens. METHODS: A total of three-hundred twenty 33-week-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens (Gallus domesticus) were evenly assigned to four experimental diets of 2,750, 2,850, 2,950, and 3,050 kcal AMEn/kg in pens with floors covered with deep litter of rice hulls. There were four replicates of each treatment, each consisting of 20 birds in a pen. RESULTS: AMEn intake was increased (linear, p<0.05) with inclusion level of AMEn in diets increased. Feed intake and feed conversion ratio were improved (linear, p<0.01), but hen-day egg production tended to be increased with an increasing level of AMEn in diets. During the experiment, leukocyte concentration and blood biochemistry (total cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose, total protein, calcium, asparate aminotransferase, and alanine transferase were not influenced by increasing level of AMEn in diets. Gross energy and ether extract were increased (linear, p<0.01) as the inclusion level of AMEn in diets increased. CONCLUSION: Laying hens fed high AMEn diet (i.e., 3,050 kcal/kg in the current experiment) tended to overconsume energy with a positive effect on feed intake, feed conversion ratio, nutrient digestibility, and intestinal morphology but not on egg production and egg mass.

Chondroitin Sulfate-Rich Extract of Skate Cartilage Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Liver Damage in Mice.

The protective effects of a chondroitin sulfate-rich extract (CSE) from skate cartilage against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced hepatic damage were investigated, and its mechanism of action was compared with that of chondroitin sulfate (CS) from shark cartilage. ICR mice were orally administrated 200 mg/kg body weight (BW) of CS or 400 mg/kg BW of CSE for 3 consecutive days, followed by a one-time intraperitoneal injection of LPS (20 mg/kg BW). The experimental groups were vehicle treatment without LPS injection (NC group), vehicle treatment with LPS injection (LPS group), CS pretreatment with LPS injection (CS group), and CSE pretreatment with LPS injection (CSE group). Hepatic antioxidant enzyme expression levels in the CS and CSE groups were increased relative to those in the LPS group. In LPS-insulted hepatic tissue, inflammatory factors were augmented relative to those in the NC group, but were significantly suppressed by pretreatment with CS or CSE. Moreover, CS and CSE alleviated the LPS-induced apoptotic factors and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). In addition, CS and CSE effectively decreased the serum lipid concentrations and downregulated hepatic sterol regulatory element-binding proteins expression. In conclusion, the skate CSE could protect against LPS-induced hepatic dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis, probably through the regulation of MAPK signaling.

Acetic acid enhances endurance capacity of exercise-trained mice by increasing skeletal muscle oxidative properties.

Acetic acid has been shown to promote glycogen replenishment in skeletal muscle during exercise training. In this study, we investigated the effects of acetic acid on endurance capacity and muscle oxidative metabolism in the exercise training using in vivo mice model. In exercised mice, acetic acid induced a significant increase in endurance capacity accompanying a reduction in visceral adipose depots. Serum levels of non-esterified fatty acid and urea nitrogen were significantly lower in acetic acid-fed mice in the exercised mice. Importantly, in the mice, acetic acid significantly increased the muscle expression of key enzymes involved in fatty acid oxidation and glycolytic-to-oxidative fiber-type transformation. Taken together, these findings suggest that acetic acid improves endurance exercise capacity by promoting muscle oxidative properties, in part through the AMPK-mediated fatty acid oxidation and provide an important basis for the application of acetic acid as a major component of novel ergogenic aids.

Transient Horner's syndrome following thoracic epidural anesthesia for mastectomy: a prospective observational study.

PURPOSE: Transient Horner's syndrome is an uncommon complication of epidural anesthesia, though its exact incidence in thoracic epidural anesthesia is not clear. Therefore, this study prospectively evaluated the incidence of Horner's syndrome after thoracic epidural anesthesia for mastectomy. METHODS: Patients scheduled for mastectomy, with or without breast reconstruction, were enrolled in this prospective observational study from September 2010 to December 2013. Intraoperative thoracic epidural anesthesia was established using 0.375% or 0.5% ropivacaine 15 mL with thoracic epidural analgesia continued postoperatively with a continuous infusion of 0.15% ropivacaine 2 mL·hr(-1) with fentanyl 8 µg·hr(-1). Signs of Horner's syndrome (miosis, ptosis, and hyperemia) were assessed at one and two hours as well as one, two, and three days postoperatively. RESULTS: Thoracic epidural anesthesia was successful in 439 patients, with six (1.4%) of these patients acquiring Horner's syndrome. All signs of Horner's syndrome resolved gradually within 180 min of discontinuing the epidural infusion. In one patient with Horner's syndrome, a radiographic contrast injection confirmed that the drug had spread to the cervical epidural level. CONCLUSION: The incidence of Horner's syndrome following thoracic epidural anesthesia and continuous thoracic epidural analgesia for mastectomy was 1.4%. The mechanism was consistent with cephalic spread of the epidural local anesthetic. This trial was registered at: Clinicaltrials.gov, number: NCT02130739.

Research Note: Welfare and stress responses of broiler chickens raised in conventional and animal welfare-certified broiler farms.

The present study was conducted to assess the animal welfare status of broiler chickens raised in conventional and welfare-certified farms. One conventional farm (30,000 birds/house, 1,488 m2/house, 2 houses) and one animal welfare-certified farm (32,000 birds/house, 1,920 m2/house, 2 houses) were selected to measure productivity, stress responses, and animal welfare indicators in 3 broiler flocks (2 farms/season, n = 6 flocks/farm type) during summer, autumn, and spring. Upon farm visits, body weight, uniformity, and animal welfare indicators (i.e., fecal and feather corticosterone, footpad dermatitis, hock burn, feather dirtiness, and gait score) were measured at 26 d posthatch. Also, moisture, nitrogen, and pH of litter, light intensity, ammonia concentration, and body surface temperature of head, chest, and legs were measured. There was no difference in body weight and uniformity between farm types. Fecal corticosterone concentrations were higher (P = 0.021) in welfare-certified vs. conventional farm, but no significant difference was found in feather corticosterone. Welfare-certified vs. conventional farm had lower percentages of hock burn (P = 0.018), feather dirtiness scores (P = 0.009), and gait score (P = 0.040), and there was no difference in footpad dermatitis. Nitrogen content in litter samples tended to be higher in conventional vs. welfare-certified farms (P = 0.094), and there was no difference in moisture and pH between farm types. Ammonia concentration within the broiler houses was not different between 2 farms. However, animal welfare farm was found to be brighter than conventional farm (P < 0.001). The body surface temperature of head, chest, and legs was not different between farm types. In conclusion, the welfare-certified farm had higher welfare measures, including lower hock burn, feather dirtiness, and gait score, confirming an overall improvement in welfare indicators. However, the observation on the elevated feather corticosterone noted in welfare vs. conventionally raised chickens warrants further studies.

Effects of grain-based pecking blocks on productivity and welfare indicators in commercial broiler chickens.

OBJECTIVE: This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of grain-based pecking blocks on productivity and welfare status at two commercial broiler welfare-certified farms. METHODS: Production and welfare indicators were assessed at two farms (designated Farm A and B). Both farms had two windowless houses with forced tunnel-type ventilation and housed broilers at stocking densities of approximately 16.7 birds/m2 (Farm A) and 16.8 birds/m2 (Farm B). Each house was divided into two or three equal sections and was provided with or without pecking blocks. Grain-based pecking blocks, measuring 25 × 25 × 25 cm, were given to broilers in both farms at 1 block per 1,000 birds. Various parameters including productivity (body weight and flock uniformity), corticosterone levels (in fecal droppings and feathers), footpad dermatitis, hock burn, feather dirtiness, gait score, litter quality, body surface temperature, and volatile fatty acids in fecal samples were assessed at 26 days of age, whereas litter quality was analyzed at 13 and 26 days of age. RESULTS: There were no significant effects of providing pecking blocks on productivity (body weight and uniformity), fecal and feather corticosterone, welfare indicators (i.e., footpad dermatitis, hock burn, feather cleanliness, and gait score), and litter quality (i.e., moisture, nitrogen, and pH). No differences in body surface temperature between the control and enrichment treatments were noted in Farm B, but body surface temperatures of the head (p = 0.029) and legs (p = 0.011) in the enrichment vs. control group were elevated in Farm A. Butyrate concentration in the enrichment vs control group was higher in Farm B (p = 0.023), but this effect was not detected in Farm A. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that grain-based pecking blocks did not affect performance and welfare indicators. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the potential impact of grain-based pecking blocks on gut health indicators.

Accelerated Fusion Dynamics by Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Following Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion, Particularly in Osteoporotic Conditions.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Early fusion is crucial in interbody procedures to minimize mechanical complications resulting from delayed union, especially for patients with osteoporosis. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are used in spinal fusion procedures; however, limited evaluation exists regarding time-to-fusion for BMP use, particularly in patients with osteoporosis. PURPOSE: To evaluate the difference in time-to-fusion after single-level transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) surgery between recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) usage and non-usage groups according to bone density. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective single-center cohort study PATIENT SAMPLE: This study enrolled 132 patients (mean age, 65.25±8.66; male patients, 40.9%) who underwent single-level TLIF for degenerative disorders between February 2012 and December 2021, with pre- and postoperative computed tomography (CT). OUTCOME MEASURE: The interbody fusion mass and bone graft status on postoperative CT scans was obtained annually, and time-to-fusion was recorded for each patient. METHODS: The patients were divided into two groups based on rhBMP-2 use during the interbody fusion procedure. Patients were further divided into osteoporosis, osteopenia, and normal groups based on preoperative L1 vertebral body attenuation values, using cutoffs of 90 and 120 Hounsfield units. It was strictly defined that fusion is considered complete when a trabecular bone bridge was formed, and therefore, the time-to-fusion was measured in years. Time-to-fusion was statistically compared between BMP group and non-BMP groups, followed by further comparison according to bone density. RESULTS: The time-to-fusion differed significantly between BMP and non-BMP groups, with half of the patients achieving fusion within 2.5 years in the BMP group compared with 4 years in the non-BMP group (p < 0.001). The fusion rate varied based on bone density, with the maximum difference observed in the osteoporosis group, when half of the patients achieved fusion within 3 years in the BMP group compared to 5 years in the non-BMP group (p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis was conducted, revealing no significant associations between time-to-fusion and factors known to influence the fusion process, including age, gender, medical history, smoking and alcohol use, and medication history, except for rh-BMP2 use and bone density. CONCLUSIONS: RhBMP-2 usage significantly reduced time-to-fusion in single-level TLIF, especially in patients with osteoporosis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.