Associations of the distance-saturation product and low-attenuation area percentage in pulmonary computed tomography with acute exacerbation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has high global health concerns, and previous research proposed various indicators to predict mortality, such as the distance-saturation product (DSP), derived from the 6-min walk test (6MWT), and the low-attenuation area percentage (LAA%) in pulmonary computed tomographic images. However, the feasibility of using these indicators to evaluate the stability of COPD still remains to be investigated. Associations of the DSP and LAA% with other COPD-related clinical parameters are also unknown. This study, thus, aimed to explore these associations. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 111 patients with COPD from northern Taiwan. Individuals' data we collected included results of a pulmonary function test (PFT), 6MWT, life quality survey [i.e., the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale and COPD assessment test (CAT)], history of acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD), and LAA%. Next, the DSP was derived by the distance walked and the lowest oxygen saturation recorded during the 6MWT. In addition, the DSP and clinical phenotype grouping based on clinically significant outcomes by previous study approaches were employed for further investigation (i.e., DSP of 290 m%, LAA% of 20%, and AECOPD frequency of ≥1). Mean comparisons and linear and logistic regression models were utilized to explore associations among the assessed variables. Results: The low-DSP group (<290 m%) had significantly higher values for the mMRC, CAT, AECOPD frequency, and LAA% at different lung volume scales (total, right, and left), whereas it had lower values of the PFT and 6MWT parameters compared to the high-DSP group. Significant associations (with high odds ratios) were observed of the mMRC, CAT, AECOPD frequency, and PFT with low- and high-DSP groupings. Next, the risk of having AECOPD was associated with the mMRC, CAT, DSP, and LAA% (for the total, right, and left lungs). Conclusion: A lower value of the DSP was related to a greater worsening of symptoms, more-frequent exacerbations, poorer pulmonary function, and more-severe emphysema (higher LAA%). These readily determined parameters, including the DSP and LAA%, can serve as indicators for assessing the COPD clinical course and may can serve as a guide to corresponding treatments.

Strong and stable geographic differentiation of swamp buffalo maternal and paternal lineages indicates domestication in the China/Indochina border region.

The swamp type of the Asian water buffalo is assumed to have been domesticated by about 4000 years BP, following the introduction of rice cultivation. Previous localizations of the domestication site were based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation within China, accounting only for the maternal lineage. We carried out a comprehensive sampling of China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Nepal and Bangladesh and sequenced the mtDNA Cytochrome b gene and control region and the Y-chromosomal ZFY, SRY and DBY sequences. Swamp buffalo has a higher diversity of both maternal and paternal lineages than river buffalo, with also a remarkable contrast between a weak phylogeographic structure of river buffalo and a strong geographic differentiation of swamp buffalo. The highest diversity of the swamp buffalo maternal lineages was found in south China and north Indochina on both banks of the Mekong River, while the highest diversity in paternal lineages was in the China/Indochina border region. We propose that domestication in this region was later followed by introgressive capture of wild cows west of the Mekong. Migration to the north followed the Yangtze valley as well as a more eastern route, but also involved translocations of both cows and bulls over large distances with a minor influence of river buffaloes in recent decades. Bayesian analyses of various migration models also supported domestication in the China/Indochina border region. Coalescence analysis yielded consistent estimates for the expansion of the major swamp buffalo haplogroups with a credibility interval of 900 to 3900 years BP. The spatial differentiation of mtDNA and Y-chromosomal haplotype distributions indicates a lack of gene flow between established populations that is unprecedented in livestock.

Effect of Free-range Rearing on Meat Composition, Physical Properties and Sensory Evaluation in Taiwan Game Hens.

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of an outdoor-grazed raising model on meat composition, physical properties and sensory attributes of Taiwan game hens. Six hundred 1-d old female chicks were raised on a floor for 8 weeks. On day 57, 600 healthy birds, with similar body weight, were selected and randomly assigned to three treatment groups (cage, floor-pen and free-range). The results showed that different feeding models had no effect on drip loss, cooking loss, moisture, crude protein, crude fat, crude ash, zinc and calorie contents in breast meat and moisture content in thigh meat. The free-range group had the lowest fat content in both breast and thigh meat, and the lowest calorie content in thigh meat. The firmness and toughness in both thigh and breast of the free-range group were the highest values (p<0.05). The crude protein, total collagen, zinc and iron contents in thigh meat and total collagen content in breast meat of the free-range group were significantly higher than those of the cage-feeding group (p<0.05). The meat sensory scores of flavor, chewiness and overall acceptability of both thigh and breast meat of the free-range group were significantly (p<0.05) better than those of the other two groups. Moreover, the current findings also indicate that the Taiwan game hens of the free-range feeding model displayed well-received carcass traits and meat quality, with higher scores for flavor, chewiness and overall acceptability for greater sensory satisfaction in both breast and thigh meat. In addition, the thigh meat contained high protein and total collage but low fat, offering a healthier diet choice.