Estimation of predation rate and handling time of boll weevil larvae by Marava arachidis (Dermaptera: Labiidae) using different mathematical methods.

Anthonomus grandis grandis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a pest with a large potential for destruction in cotton crops, causing damage to the cotton reproductive structures. The earwig Marava arachidis (Dermaptera: Labiidae), is an important reference as a predator in several crops and being easy to rear in the laboratory. To analyze the potential biocontrol of M. arachidis of A. grandis grandis larvae, a study of predatory capacity was conducted using a functional response model. A. grandis grandis larvae were exposed to the predator at densities 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 larvae (= prey/predator / Petri dish), with 30 replications at each density. Contact between the predator and the prey occurred for 24 hours; after this period, the level of predation of M. arachidis was assessed based on the proportion of preyed larvae. The linear logistic regression coefficient was used with a beta-binomial generalized linear model to determine the functional response. The negative signal of the linear coefficient and the goodness-of-fit tests revealed a quadratic or type II functional response, with the number of prey varying from 1.00 larva (density of 1 larva/predator) to 6.50 larvae (density of 8 larvae/predator). Therefore, the results of the present study demonstrate a high predatory capacity of M. arachidis on A. grandis grandis larvae.

Arthroscopic fibroarthrolysis and mobilization under anesthesia is a simple, reproducible, and satisfactory method for the treatment of patients with severe post-traumatic arthrofibrosis of the knee.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the range of motion (ROM) of the knee in patients with severe post-traumatic knee arthrofibrosis after being treated with arthroscopic fibroarthrolysis (AFA) and manipulation under anesthesia (MUA). METHODS: Case series of patients with severe post-traumatic knee arthrofibrosis who underwent AFL+MUA in a national referral center. The primary outcome to be assessed was ROM before and after surgery and then at 3-month intervals until a minimum follow-up of one year was completed. RESULTS: 51 patients were included. The main injuries preceding the stiffness were tibial plateau fracture (37.3%), distal femur fracture (27.5%), and femoral shaft fracture (15.7%). Forty-five patients had severe flexion deficits with a median preoperative flexion of 70°. Intraoperative flexion significantly improved to 110°. Significant loss of flexion was observed at 3 and 6 months, however, patients regained ROM in the 9 and 12-month follow-ups. At discharge, 80% of the patients achieved flexion of 90° or more. There were 4 intraoperative complications and 3 reinterventions were performed. CONCLUSION: AFA+MUA can help patients with severe post-traumatic knee arthrofibrosis to recover ROM in most cases. However, this procedure is not without risks and complications, therefore, careful consideration should be given to its indication and execution.

Digestibility and nutritional parameters of maize ethanol coproducts and xylanase for broiler diets.

1. The objective of this study was to determine the nutritional and energy values of four maize distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and one maize high protein distiller's dried grains (HP-DDG) from ethanol production plants in Brazil; to evaluate the digestibility, performance, nitrogen balance and energy values for broiler chickens fed diets containing these coproducts (Experiment I); and to evaluate the effects of xylanase inclusion in diets containing maize DDGS for broilers on energy availability, digestibility, nitrogen balance and gastrointestinal morphometry (Experiment II).2. For each experiment, 180 broiler chickens aged 17 and 30 days with initial weights of 450 ± 18 g and 1228 ± 33 g, respectively, were used; the chickens were distributed into 36 metabolism cages. The experimental design consisted of complete randomised blocks, with six replications per treatment and five birds per experimental unit. The treatments consisted of a basal diet (BD) and five test diets containing maize ethanol coproducts (Experiment I) one BD and five test diets containing DDGS with inclusions of 0, 8,000, 16,000, 24,000 and 32,000 BXU/kg xylanase (Experiment II). In Experiment I, HP-DDG and DDGS2 presented higher AME and AMEn values (14.1 and 13.9 MJ/kg and 13.4 and 13.3 MJ/kg, respectively), than did the other coproducts (p < 0.05). Compared with DDGS1 and DDGS3, DDGS4 and HP-DDG had higher digestible CP values (p < 0.05). In Experiment II, the inclusion of the enzyme quadratically affected the values of digestible CP and digestible EE (p < 0.05), with the maximum values occurring with the inclusion of 18 750 and 22,170 BXU/kg of xylanase, respectively.3. The digestible NDF and digestible MM values linearly increased with the inclusion of xylanase (p < 0.05). The addition of xylanase had no effect on gastrointestinal morphometry (p > 0.05). It was concluded that the inclusion of between 18,000 and 22,000 BXU/kg of xylanase resulted in better digestible CP and digestible EE values.

El uso de artroscopia no aumenta la incidencia de complicaciones en el manejo de fracturas de mesetas tibiales Schatzker IV-VI / The use of arthroscopy does not increase the incidence of complications in the management of Schatzker IV-VI tibial plateau fractures

Antecedentes y objetivo: El uso de asistencia artroscopica en fracturas de mesetas tibiales tipos I-III según la clasificación de Schatzker se ha popularizado; sin embargo aún existe controversia con respecto a su uso en fracturas Schatzker IV-VI por el potencial riesgo de complicaciones. El objetivo de este trabajo es comparar la tasa de complicaciones intra o postoperatorias entre pacientes con fracturas de mesetas tibiales de este tipo tratados con y sin artroscopia al momento de la reducción y osteosíntesis definitiva. Materiales y métodos: Estudio de cohortes retrospectivo. Se incluyeron pacientes con diagnóstico de fractura de mesetas tibiales Schatzker IV-VI, sometidos a reducción y osteosíntesis definitiva, y al manejo de lesiones asociadas con o sin el uso de artroscopia evaluando la aparición de síndrome compartimental, trombosis venosa profunda e infección relacionada a fractura con seguimiento mínimo de 12 meses posterior a la cirugía definitiva. Resultados: Se incluyeron 288 pacientes: 86 operados con asistencia artroscópica y 202 sin asistencia artroscópica. La tasa de complicaciones total en el grupo con y sin asistencia artroscópica fue del 18,60 y 26,73%, respectivamente (p=0,141). No hubo asociación estadísticamente significativa entre el uso de asistencia artroscópica y el desarrollo de las complicaciones analizadas. Discusión y conclusiones: El uso de artroscopia de rodilla como apoyo de la reducción o como adyuvancia para el tratamiento simultáneo de lesiones intraarticulares concomitantes no aumentó el riesgo de complicaciones en el postoperatorio inmediato ni tras 12 meses de seguimiento.(AU)

Background and objective: The use of arthroscopy for tibial plateau fractures type I, II and III according to Schatzker classification has increased, yet its employment for tibial plateau fractures Schatzker IV, V and VI is controversial due to the potential risk of compartment syndrome, deep vein thrombosis and infection. We aimed to compare the rate of operative and postoperative complications among patients with these types of tibial plateau fractures treated with and without arthroscopy at the time of definitive reduction and osteosynthesis. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Patients with diagnosis of tibial plateau fracture Schatzker IV, V or VI who underwent reduction and definitive osteosynthesis with or without the use of arthroscopy were included. The development of compartment syndrome, deep vein thrombosis, and fracture-related infection was evaluated up to 12 months after the definitive surgery. Results: Two hundred eighty-eight patients were included: 86 with arthroscopic assistance and 202 without it. The overall complication rate in the group with and without arthroscopic assistance was 18.60% and 26.73%, respectively (P=.141). No statistical association was found between the use of arthroscopic assistance and the development of the analyzed complications. Discussion and conclusion: The use of arthroscopy to support reduction or addressing concomitant intra-articular injuries did not increase the risk of complications in patients with high-energy tibial plateau fractures at 12 months of follow up.(AU)

[Translated article] The use of arthroscopy does not increase the incidence of complications in the management of Schatzker IV–VI tibial plateau fractures / El uso de artroscopia no aumenta la incidencia de complicaciones en el manejo de fracturas de mesetas tibiales Schatzker IV-VI

Antecedentes y objetivo: El uso de asistencia artroscopica en fracturas de mesetas tibiales tipos I-III según la clasificación de Schatzker se ha popularizado; sin embargo aún existe controversia con respecto a su uso en fracturas Schatzker IV-VI por el potencial riesgo de complicaciones. El objetivo de este trabajo es comparar la tasa de complicaciones intra o postoperatorias entre pacientes con fracturas de mesetas tibiales de este tipo tratados con y sin artroscopia al momento de la reducción y osteosíntesis definitiva. Materiales y métodos: Estudio de cohortes retrospectivo. Se incluyeron pacientes con diagnóstico de fractura de mesetas tibiales Schatzker IV-VI, sometidos a reducción y osteosíntesis definitiva, y al manejo de lesiones asociadas con o sin el uso de artroscopia evaluando la aparición de síndrome compartimental, trombosis venosa profunda e infección relacionada a fractura con seguimiento mínimo de 12 meses posterior a la cirugía definitiva. Resultados: Se incluyeron 288 pacientes: 86 operados con asistencia artroscópica y 202 sin asistencia artroscópica. La tasa de complicaciones total en el grupo con y sin asistencia artroscópica fue del 18,60 y 26,73%, respectivamente (p=0,141). No hubo asociación estadísticamente significativa entre el uso de asistencia artroscópica y el desarrollo de las complicaciones analizadas. Discusión y conclusiones: El uso de artroscopia de rodilla como apoyo de la reducción o como adyuvancia para el tratamiento simultáneo de lesiones intraarticulares concomitantes no aumentó el riesgo de complicaciones en el postoperatorio inmediato ni tras 12 meses de seguimiento.(AU)

Background and objective: The use of arthroscopy for tibial plateau fractures type I, II and III according to Schatzker classification has increased, yet its employment for tibial plateau fractures Schatzker IV, V and VI is controversial due to the potential risk of compartment syndrome, deep vein thrombosis and infection. We aimed to compare the rate of operative and postoperative complications among patients with these types of tibial plateau fractures treated with and without arthroscopy at the time of definitive reduction and osteosynthesis. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Patients with diagnosis of tibial plateau fracture Schatzker IV, V or VI who underwent reduction and definitive osteosynthesis with or without the use of arthroscopy were included. The development of compartment syndrome, deep vein thrombosis, and fracture-related infection was evaluated up to 12 months after the definitive surgery. Results: Two hundred eighty-eight patients were included: 86 with arthroscopic assistance and 202 without it. The overall complication rate in the group with and without arthroscopic assistance was 18.60% and 26.73%, respectively (P=.141). No statistical association was found between the use of arthroscopic assistance and the development of the analyzed complications. Discussion and conclusion: The use of arthroscopy to support reduction or addressing concomitant intra-articular injuries did not increase the risk of complications in patients with high-energy tibial plateau fractures at 12 months of follow up.(AU)

Long-acting injectable progesterone treatment prior to puberty induction in gilts.

Progesterone (P4) has a pivotal role on female puberty attainment in most farm animals. However, there are no studies evaluating the effect of P4 treatment previously to boar exposure for puberty induction in gilts. Therefore, serum P4 concentration, estrus expression and reproductive performance after boar stimuli were evaluated in gilts intramuscularly treated with long-acting P4 before boar exposure. In Experiment I, prepubertal gilts received either 1 mL of saline (control) or intramuscular (I.M.) P4 treatment (150 mg, 300 mg or 600 mg; n = 6 per treatment). Serum P4 concentration for P4-treated gilts was greater than for control gilts for at least 8 d for P4300 and P4600 groups (P < 0.05), but greater until after 16 d only for those treated with 600 mg (P < 0.05). In Experiments II (prepubertal) and III (peripubertal), gilts received either saline (control) or 300 mg P4 I.M. and those showing estrus signs were artificially inseminated (AI), whereas gilts without estrus expression were culled. In prepubertal gilts (Exp. II), estrus expression rate did not differ (P < 0.05) for control (79.1%; n = 110) and P4-treated gilts (81.5%; n = 108). In peripubertal gilts (Exp. III), although estrus expression did not differ between control (77.6%; n = 106) and P4-treated (69.6%; n = 102) gilts (P > 0.05), P4-treated gilts presented longer (23.1 ± 1.4 days) interval from treatment to estrus expression than control gilts (17.1 ± 1.3 days; P < 0.05). In Experiments II and III, the proportion of culled gilts with ovarian structures consistent with normal estrous cycles, farrowing rate, and litter size did not differ between treatments (P > 0.05). In conclusion, I.M. treatment with 300 or 600 mg of long-acting P4 was efficient in maintaining high P4 concentrations in prepubertal gilts for at least 8 days. However, P4 treatment over this time interval did not benefit the reproductive performance of prepubertal and peripubertal gilts.

[Translated article] The use of arthroscopy does not increase the incidence of complications in the management of Schatzker IV-VI tibial plateau fractures.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The use of arthroscopy for tibial plateau fractures type I, II and III according to Schatzker classification has increased, yet its employment for tibial plateau fractures Schatzker IV, V and VI is controversial due to the potential risk of compartment syndrome, deep vein thrombosis and infection. We aimed to compare the rate of operative and postoperative complications among patients with these types of tibial plateau fractures treated with and without arthroscopy at the time of definitive reduction and osteosynthesis. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study. Patients with diagnosis of tibial plateau fracture Schatzker IV, V or VI who underwent reduction and definitive osteosynthesis with or without the use of arthroscopy were included. The development of compartment syndrome, deep vein thrombosis, and fracture-related infection was evaluated up to 12 months after the definitive surgery. RESULTS: Two hundred eighty-eight patients were included: 86 with arthroscopic assistance and 202 without it. The overall complication rate in the group with and without arthroscopic assistance was 18.60% and 26.73%, respectively (p=.141). No statistical association was found between the use of arthroscopic assistance and the development of the analysed complications. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The use of arthroscopy to support reduction or addressing concomitant intra-articular injuries did not increase the risk of complications in patients with high-energy tibial plateau fractures at 12 months of follow up.

The use of arthroscopy does not increase the incidence of complications in the management of Schatzker IV-VI tibial plateau fractures. / El uso de artroscopia no aumenta la incidencia de complicaciones en el manejo de fracturas de mesetas tibiales Schatzker IV-VI.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The use of arthroscopy for tibial plateau fractures type I, II and III according to Schatzker classification has increased, yet its employment for tibial plateau fractures Schatzker IV, V and VI is controversial due to the potential risk of compartment syndrome, deep vein thrombosis and infection. We aimed to compare the rate of operative and postoperative complications among patients with these types of tibial plateau fractures treated with and without arthroscopy at the time of definitive reduction and osteosynthesis. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study. Patients with diagnosis of tibial plateau fracture Schatzker IV, V or VI who underwent reduction and definitive osteosynthesis with or without the use of arthroscopy were included. The development of compartment syndrome, deep vein thrombosis, and fracture-related infection was evaluated up to 12 months after the definitive surgery. RESULTS: Two hundred eighty-eight patients were included: 86 with arthroscopic assistance and 202 without it. The overall complication rate in the group with and without arthroscopic assistance was 18.60% and 26.73%, respectively (P=.141). No statistical association was found between the use of arthroscopic assistance and the development of the analyzed complications. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The use of arthroscopy to support reduction or addressing concomitant intra-articular injuries did not increase the risk of complications in patients with high-energy tibial plateau fractures at 12 months of follow up.

Distinctive g-Factor of Moiré-Confined Excitons in van der Waals Heterostructures.

We investigated the valley Zeeman splitting of excitonic peaks in the microphotoluminescence (µPL) spectra of high-quality hBN/WS2/MoSe2/hBN heterostructures under perpendicular magnetic fields up to 20 T. We identify two neutral exciton peaks in the µPL spectra; the lower-energy peak exhibits a reduced g-factor relative to that of the higher energy peak and much lower than the recently reported values for interlayer excitons in other van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures. We provide evidence that such a discernible g-factor stems from the spatial confinement of the exciton in the potential landscape created by the moiré pattern due to lattice mismatch or interlayer twist in heterobilayers. This renders magneto-µPL an important tool to reach a deeper understanding of the effect of moiré patterns on excitonic confinement in vdW heterostructures.

Autonomic function and its relationship with central obesity and hemodynamic variables in obese and overweight adults / Función autonómica y su relación con la obesidad central y las variables hemodinámicas en adultos obesos y con sobrepeso

Introduction: central obesity is associated with an autonomic dysfunction characterized by an increase in sympathetic activity and a reduction in vagal tone, leading to a decrease in heart rate variability. Objective: we aimed to analyze the relationship between the time and frequency domains of heart rate variability with central obesity, and its hemodynamic variables in normal-weight, overweight and obese adults. Methods: a total of 65 adults were evaluated (25.4 ± 3.2 years old) and distributed in 3 groups: normal weight group (NW group), overweight group (OW group) and obese group (OB group). Heart rate variability parameters at rest and both anthropometric and hemodynamic variables were recorded. Results: the results showed a positive correlation between waist circunference and LF/HF ratio in the OW (p = 0.0008; r = 0.6607; r2 = 0.4365) and OB (p = 0.0001; r = 0.8286; r2 = 0.6866) groups. The waist-to-height ratio showed significant differences with HF in the NW, OW, and OB groups. The variables related to the parasympathetic system (SDNN, RMSSD, pNN50, HF) in the OB and OW groups showed a decrease in values when compared to the NW group. Likewise, the variable related to the sympathetic system (LF) in the OB and OW groups increased its values when compared with the NW group. The LF/HF ratio increased from the NW group to the OW and OB groups (1.6 ± 0.7; 2.5 ± 1.8 and 3.3 ± 0.7). Conclusion: overweight and obese adults present a modulation of sympathetic activity predominance at rest. This increased activity is represented by the time and frequency domains of heart rate variability, having an important correlation with waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio (AU)

Introducción: la obesidad central se asocia con una disfunción autonómica caracterizada por una mayor actividad simpática y reducción del tono vagal, conduciendo a una disminución de la variabilidad de la frecuencia cardíaca (VFC). Objetivo: analizar la relación entre los dominios de tiempo y frecuencia de la VFC con la obesidad central y sus variables hemodinámicas en adultos con peso normal, sobrepeso y obesidad. Metodología: participaron 65 adultos (25,4 ± 3,2 años) distribuidos en 3 grupos: peso normal (grupo NW), sobrepeso (grupo OW) y obesidad (grupo OB). Se registraron los parámetros de la VFC y las variables antropométricas y hemodinámicas. Resultados: se observó una correlación positiva entre la circunferencia de la cintura y la relación LF/HF en el grupo OW (p = 0,0008; r = 0,6607; r2 = 0,4365) y OB (p = 0,0001; r = 0,8286; r2 = 0,6866). La relacion cintura/altura mostró una diferencia significativa con la HF en los grupos NW, OW y OB. La actividad parasimpática (SDNN, RMSSD, pNN50, HF) de los grupos OB y OW evidenció una disminución de los valores en comparación con el grupo NW. La actividad simpática (LF) en el grupo OB y OW presentó mayores valores que en el grupo NW. La relación LF/HF aumentó del grupo NW hacia el OW y el OB (1,6 ± 0,7; 2,5 ± 1,8 y 3,3 ± 0,7). Conclusiones: el sobrepeso y la obesidad presentan una predominancia de la actividad simpática en reposo. Este aumento de la actividad está representado en el dominio de tiempo y frecuencia de la VFC y, además, presenta una correlación importante con la circunferencia de la cintura y la relación cintura/altura (AU)

Revealing the impact of strain in the optical properties of bubbles in monolayer MoSe2.

Strain plays an important role for the optical properties of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs). Here, we investigate strain effects in a monolayer MoSe2 sample with a large bubble region using µ-Raman, second harmonic generation (SHG), µ-photoluminescence and magneto µ-photoluminescence at low temperature. Remarkably, our results reveal the presence of a non-uniform strain field and the observation of emission peaks at lower energies which are the signatures of exciton and trion quasiparticles red-shifted by strain effects in the bubble region, in agreement with our theoretical predictions. Furthermore, we have observed that the emission in the strained region decreases the trion binding energy and enhances the valley g-factors as compared to non-strained regions. Considering uniform biaxial strain effects within the unit cell of the TMDC monolayer (ML), our first principles calculations predict the observed enhancement of the exciton valley Zeeman effect. In addition, our results suggest that the exciton-trion fine structure plays an important role for the optical properties of strained TMDC ML. In summary, our study provides fundamental insights on the behaviour of excitons and trions in strained monolayer MoSe2 which are particularly relevant to properly characterize and understand the fine structure of excitonic complexes in strained TMDC systems/devices.

[Psychometric evaluation of breastfeeding self efficiency scale in chilean sample]. / Evaluación psicométrica de la escala de autoeficacia de la lactancia materna, en una muestra chilena.

Breastfeeding self-efficacy is one of the indicators associated with the mental health of puerperal women and the maintenance of exclusive breastfeeding. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychometric properties of an instrument to measure self-efficacy to breastfeed on the second postpartum day in the Chilean population. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A convenience sample of 320 puerperal women who volunteered to participate in an interview on their second postpartum day was evaluated. Reliability was evaluated using the coefficient Cronbach's alpha. To assess its factorial structure, an exploratory factor analysis was performed. RESULTS: The results indicate that the final instrument, which has the factors "Intrapersonal Thoughts", composed of six items and "Breastfeeding Techniques", composed of eight items, presented an internal consistency by factor and total scale of F1 = 0.90, F2 = 0.91, and Total = 0.94, respectively. CONCLUSION: The breastfeeding self-efficacy scale showed good psychome tric characteristics during the second postpartum day among Chilean puerperal women.

Nutritional composition of larvae of mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L) and crickets (Gryllus assimilis) with potential usage in feed / [Composição nutricional de larvas de Tenebrio molitor e de grilos (Gryllus assimilis) com potencial de uso na alimentação animal]

Atualmente, tem-se discutido a utilização de insetos na alimentação animal devido ao seu potencial para substituir as fontes tradicionais de proteína utilizadas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a composição nutricional de larvas de Tenebrio molitor e de grilos do gênero Gryllus assimilis. Os teores de energia bruta (kcal/kg), proteína bruta (g/kg), extrato etéreo (g/kg), cinza (g/kg), FDN (g/kg) e FDA (g/kg) encontrados nas larvas de Tenebrio molitor foram de 7.188,6, 490,2, 335,4, 36,8, 71,8, e 64,0 respectivamente; nos grilos (Gryllus assimilis), os valores foram de 5.942,6, 541,3, 75,2, 49,1, 277,8, e 193,0 respectivamente. Os macros e microminerais quantificados foram fósforo, potássio, sódio, cálcio, magnésio, ferro, manganês, zinco e cobre. Nas larvas de Tenebrio molitor, os valores encontrados foram de 8,56 g/kg, 8,39 g/kg, 1,39 g/kg, 0,44 g/kg, 2,3 g/kg, 48,4 mg/kg, 15 mg/kg, 189 mg/kg e 18 mg/kg respectivamente. Para os grilos (Gryllus assimilis), os teores encontrados foram respectivamente de 8,30 g/kg, 11,6 g/kg, 1,10 g/kg, 3,88 g/kg, 0,82 g/kg, 96,8 mg/kg, 23,7 mg/kg, 18,3 mg/kg e 21,7 mg/kg. Larvas de Tenebrio molitor e grilos do gênero Gryllus assimilis podem ser alternativas para reduzir o uso de fontes de proteína vegetal na alimentação animal.(AU)

Effects of free and dipeptide forms of methionine supplementation on oxidative metabolism of broilers under high temperature.

Our previous studies have shown that methionine supplementation could help to attenuate the effects of heat stress on the metabolism of broiler chickens. Here we investigated for the first time the effects of methionine supplementation in the form of DL-methionyl-DL-methionine on broilers subjected to heat stress during the growth phase. Broilers were divided into two groups; one group was reared under thermoneutral conditions and the other under continuous heat stress (30 ±â€¯1 °C, 60% relative humidity). Both groups were subdivided into three dietary treatments: a methionine-deficient (MD) diet, a diet supplemented with free methionine (DL-M), and a diet supplemented with methionine dipeptide (DL-MM). Broilers raised under chronic heat stress had lower feed intake and weight gain than broilers raised under thermoneutral conditions (P < 0.05). There were no differences in animal performance between methionine-supplemented diets (DL-M and DL-MM). Heat-stressed birds had significantly higher heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio than thermoneutral birds. Under heat stress, broilers fed DL-M and DL-MM diets had lower H/L ratio than birds fed the MD diet. Higher concentrations of carbonylated proteins and lower concentration of reduced glutathione were observed in broilers raised under heat stress. In comparing heat-stressed broilers, we found that birds fed the DL-M diet had lower concentrations of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and carbonylated proteins than those fed the MD diet (P < 0.05). Higher expression of glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione synthetase (GSS) genes was observed in heat-stressed broilers (P < 0.05). Under heat stress, the MD diet increased GPX expression compared with other diets. Under thermoneutral conditions, the DL-M diet resulted in the highest GSS expression. There was a negative correlation between DNA methylation and GPX and GSS expression. Our results showed that supplementation of broiler diets with free methionine or methionine dipeptide may help attenuate the effects of heat stress through enhanced activation of genes related to the glutathione antioxidant system. Methionine effects were found for gene regulation, gene expression, and post-translational processing.

Eosinophilic dermatosis of hematologic malignancy: a case report.

Eosinophilic dermatosis of hematologic malignancy (EDHM) is a dermatosis characterized by tissue eosinophilia that has been previously reported as insect bite-like reaction. It is a rare condition with a wide variety of clinical presentations ranging from papules, nodules, or blisters that simulate arthropod bites, to the formation of plaques of differing sizes. We report a case of eosinophilic dermatosis of hematologic malignancy in a patient with a hematoproliferative disorder.

Stroke in systemic lupus erythematosus: epidemiology, mechanism, and long-term outcome.

OBJECTIVE: To determine stroke prevalence, mechanisms, and long-term outcome in a cohort of Hispanic patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: We analyzed demographical data, the timing between SLE diagnosis and stroke onset, stroke type, recurrence, and outcomes from an institutional database of 4451 patients with SLE followed from 1993 to 2018. RESULTS: We observed 139 strokes (3.1%), for an incidence rate of 1.25 per 1000 person-years: 81 (58.3%) acute ischemic stroke (AIS), 19 (13.7%) subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), 17 (12.2%) cerebral venous thrombosis, 13 (9.4%) intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and 9 (6.5%) transient ischemic attack. Median time from SLE diagnosis to acute stroke was 60 months (interquartile range 12-132 months). AIS had a bimodal presentation with 26% occurring within the first year and 30% >10 years after SLE diagnosis. In contrast, 75% of ICH cases occurred >3 years (and 34% >10 years) after SLE diagnosis. The most important cause of AIS was secondary antiphospholipid syndrome (48%). Hypertension was associated with 69% of ICH cases, while aneurysmal rupture was observed in 78% of SAH cases. Excellent recovery at hospital discharge was observed in 65%. Stroke recurrence was observed in 7%. The long-term all-cause fatality rate was 8%. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of stroke in this cohort was 3.1%. Ischemic strokes had a bimodal presentation, occurring either early after SLE diagnosis or after a several-year delay. Half of the hemorrhagic strokes occurred >10 years after the diagnosis of SLE. Clinical outcome was usually good with a relatively low recurrence rate.

Effect of Amide on Semen Cryopreservation of Curimba (Prochilodus lineatus).

BACKGROUND: The low molecular weight and high cellular permeability of amides make them suitable for use as penetrative cryoprotectants for sperm cells. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the effect of dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethylacetamide (DMA) on sperm cryopreservation of Curimba (Prochilodus lineatus). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Semen samples were diluted in media containing cryoprotectants [DMF, DMA and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)]. Parameters of motility, membrane integrity, DNA integrity, mitochondrial functionality, viability and fertility were assessed upon thawing. RESULTS: As compared to the 10% DMSO, DMA at 5% and DMF at 2% obtained the best results for the integrity of membrane, DNA and mitochondria; the motility parameters were best in the 2% and 5% DMF treatments. The best fertilization rates were demonstrated in 2%, 5%, and 8% DMF treatment groups. CONCLUSION: DMF at 2%, 5%, and 8% provided the best results for both in vitro and in vivo assessments, and can efficiently cryopreserve semen of Prochilodus lineatus.