Mechanisms by which feeding synthetic zeolite A and dietary cation-anion difference diets affect mineral metabolism in multiparous Holstein cows: Part I.

The periparturient period is characterized by the increased demand for calcium (Ca) in dairy cows. This has resulted in the use of several different prepartal nutritional strategies to prevent hypocalcemia postpartum. The objective of our study was to determine the effects of feeding synthetic zeolite A (XZ), a diet with negative dietary cation-anion difference (-DCAD), or a positive-DCAD diet (CON) during the close-up period on peripartal mineral dynamics and hormones involved in calcium metabolism. To this end, 121 multiparous Holstein cows, blocked by lactation number and expected due date, were enrolled at 254 d of gestation and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 prepartum diets: CON (+190 mEq/kg; n = 40), -DCAD (-65 mEq/kg; n = 41), or a diet supplemented with sodium aluminum silicate (XZ; +278 mEq/kg, fed at 3.3% DM, targeting 500 g/d; n = 40; Protekta Inc.). Blood, urine, and saliva samples were collected from enrollment until parturition, with data analyzed and presented beginning 14 d before parturition (d -14) until parturition (d 0), and on d 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 35, and 49 postpartum, to assess mineral and hormone dynamics. Total fecal collections were performed in a subset of 8 cows per treatment group to assess fecal mineral loss. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design in SAS. Cows fed XZ and -DCAD had higher blood Ca concentrations compared with CON-fed cows, with XZ-fed cows exhibiting the highest blood Ca concentrations pre- and postpartum. Cows fed XZ had decreased blood and salivary phosphorus (P), increased fecal water-extractable phosphate, and the highest blood calcium concentrations pre- and postpartum. Parathyroid hormone was unaffected by diet but was increased at parturition in all treatments. Serotonin concentrations were increased in -DCAD and XZ cows compared with CON during the prepartum period. Our data indicate that the XZ group's improvement in blood Ca concentrations pre- and postpartum is most likely regulated by a dietary P restriction. Taken together, these data suggest that XZ and -DCAD diets improve postpartum calcium metabolism; however, they appear to work through different mechanisms.

Mechanisms by which feeding synthetic zeolite A and dietary cation-anion difference diets affect feed intake, energy metabolism, and milk performance: Part II.

The objectives of this study were to assess the effects of feeding 2 different diets, a diet with low dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) or a diet with synthetic zeolite A, to multiparous Holstein cows during the close-up period on dry matter intake (DMI) and energy metabolism, as well as to evaluate colostrum and milk production. A total of 121 multiparous Holstein cows, blocked by lactation number and expected parturition date were enrolled at 254 d of gestation and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 dietary treatments: control (CON; +190 mEq/kg; n = 40), negative DCAD (-DCAD, -65 mEq/kg; n = 41; Ultra Chlor; Vita Plus, Lake Mills, WI), or a diet containing sodium aluminum silicate zeolite (XZ; +278 mEq/kg, fed at 3.3% dry matter, targeting 500 g/d; n = 40; X-Zelit, Protekta Inc., Lucknow, ON, Canada/Vilofoss, Graasten, Denmark). Prepartum DMI was measured daily using Insentec roughage intake control (RIC) gates (RIC System, Holofarm Group, the Netherlands). All cows received the same postpartum diet. Blood and urine samples were collected daily beginning 14 d before parturition (d -14) until parturition (d 0), and on 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 35, and 49 d postpartum. Colostrum collected within 6 h of parturition, weighed, and based on samples' Brix value, IgG concentrations, and nutrient composition were analyzed. Prepartum, cows fed the XZ diet had decreased DMI (11.70 ± 0.26, 13.88 ± 0.26, and 13.45 ± 0.25 kg/d for XZ, CON, and -DCAD, respectively) and lower rumination (487 ± 8.1, 531 ± 8.3, and 527 ± 8.5 min for XZ, CON, and -DCAD, respectively) compared with CON and -DCAD. However, rumination was not different postpartum due to treatment. No prepartum or postpartum differences were observed for glucose or BHB concentrations in blood between dietary treatments. Colostrum collected from cows fed XZ had the highest IgG concentrations (91.10 ± 2.63, 78.00 ± 2.63, and 78.90 ± 2.63 mg/mL for XZ, CON, and -DCAD, respectively), but yield did not differ between dietary treatments. Additionally, cows in their third lactation or greater fed XZ had the highest milk production (51.0 ± 1.1 kg) during the first 49 d in milk. This study demonstrates that despite a decrease in DMI and rumination in cows fed XZ prepartum, blood BHB concentrations were not altered. Additionally, cows fed XZ had higher colostral IgG concentrations and cows in their third lactation or greater fed XZ produced the most milk. These data suggest that feeding XZ prepartum may improve colostrum quality and milk yield in mature cows, and does not affect energy metabolism.

Institutional outbreaks of influenza-like illnesses in the state of São Paulo: an analysis of the epidemiological profile during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to spatiotemporally analyze the profile of influenza-like illness (ILI) outbreaks in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, between 2020 and 2022. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional retrospective study. METHODS: Outbreaks of ILI with final diagnoses of COVID-19, influenza, or other respiratory viruses (ORVs) recorded between January 2020 and November 2022, obtained from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN NET) Outbreak module, were analyzed. Kernel density estimates and Getis-Ord Gi∗ statistics were performed to identify spatial clusters. RESULTS: A total of 13,314 ILI outbreaks were identified, involving 130,568 cases and 2649 deaths. Of these, 104,399 (80%) were confirmed as COVID-19, 15,861 (12%) were confirmed as ORV, and 10,308 (8%) were confirmed as influenza. The year 2021 had the highest number of outbreaks and cases. Schools recorded the most outbreaks and cases, followed by long-term care facilities for older adults (LTCs). The highest average number of cases per outbreak and the highest attack rates occurred at social gatherings and prisons. Prisoners were three times more likely to contract COVID-19 during outbreaks than people in other institutions. The highest hospitalization and mortality rates for all virus types occurred in the LTC group. The occurrence and intensity of outbreaks were highly heterogeneous among the different institutions after the introduction of new SARS-CoV-2 variants in the state. CONCLUSIONS: ILI outbreaks were not randomly distributed; they clustered in specific areas. Transmissibility varied among different institutions with different responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. These results can be used as a basis for prioritizing actions and allocating resources during future pandemics.

Southern ocean carbon and heat impact on climate.

The Southern Ocean greatly contributes to the regulation of the global climate by controlling important heat and carbon exchanges between the atmosphere and the ocean. Rates of climate change on decadal timescales are therefore impacted by oceanic processes taking place in the Southern Ocean, yet too little is known about these processes. Limitations come both from the lack of observations in this extreme environment and its inherent sensitivity to intermittent processes at scales that are not well captured in current Earth system models. The Southern Ocean Carbon and Heat Impact on Climate programme was launched to address this knowledge gap, with the overall objective to understand and quantify variability of heat and carbon budgets in the Southern Ocean through an investigation of the key physical processes controlling exchanges between the atmosphere, ocean and sea ice using a combination of observational and modelling approaches. Here, we provide a brief overview of the programme, as well as a summary of some of the scientific progress achieved during its first half. Advances range from new evidence of the importance of specific processes in Southern Ocean ventilation rate (e.g. storm-induced turbulence, sea-ice meltwater fronts, wind-induced gyre circulation, dense shelf water formation and abyssal mixing) to refined descriptions of the physical changes currently ongoing in the Southern Ocean and of their link with global climate. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Heat and carbon uptake in the Southern Ocean: the state of the art and future priorities'.

Proteomic Analysis of Complement Proteins in Glomerular Diseases.

Introduction: Complement plays an important role in the pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis (GN). Even though the underlying etiology of GN might be different, complement activation with subsequent glomerular deposition of complement proteins result in glomerular injury and progression of the lesions. Routine immunofluorescence microscopy (IF) includes staining for only complement factors C3c and C1q. Therefore, with regard to evaluation of the complement pathways, routine kidney biopsy provides only limited information. Methods: In this study, using laser microdissection of glomeruli followed by mass spectrometry, complement proteins and pathways involved in GN were analyzed. Results: We found that C3 followed by C9 are the most abundant complement proteins in GN, indicating activation of classical or lectin or alternative, and terminal pathways, either exclusively or in a combination of pathways. Furthermore, depending on the type of GN, C4A and/or C4B were also present. Therefore, membranous nephropathy (MN), fibrillary GN, and infection-related GN showed C4A dominant pathways, whereas lupus nephritis (LN), proliferative GN with monoclonal Ig deposits, monoclonal Ig deposition disease (MIDD), and immunotactoid glomerulopathy showed C4B dominant pathways. Significant deposition of complement regulatory proteins, factor H-related protein-1 (FHR-1) and factor H-related protein-5 (FHR-5), were also detected in most GN. Conclusions: This study shows accumulation of specific complement proteins in GN. The complement pathways, complement proteins, and the amount of complement protein deposition are variable in different types of GN. Selective targeting of complement pathways may be a novel option in the treatment of GN.

End-to-end deep learning of geometric shaping for unamplified coherent systems.

With the increasing data rate requirements on short-reach links, the recent standardization of unamplified coherent optical systems is paving the way for a cost and power-effective solution, targeting a massive deployment in the near future. However, unamplified systems are introducing new challenges. Particularly, the performance is highly dependent on the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of the transmitted signal, which puts at question the use of the typical constellation formats. In this work, we use an end-to-end deep learning framework to optimize the geometry of different constellation sizes, ranging from 8- to 128-ary constellations. In general, it is shown that the performance of these systems is maximized with constellations whose outer symbols are disposed in a square shape, owing to the minimization of the real-valued PAPR. Following this premise, we experimentally demonstrate that odd-bit constellations can be significantly optimized for unamplified coherent links, achieving power budget gains in the range of 0.5-3 dB through the geometric optimization of 8-, 32- and 128-ary constellations.

Thrombotic microangiopathy in children.

The syndrome of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is a clinical-pathological entity characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and end organ involvement. It comprises a spectrum of underlying etiologies that may differ in children and adults. In children, apart from ruling out shigatoxin-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and other infection-associated TMA like Streptococcus pneumoniae-HUS, rare inherited causes including complement-associated HUS, cobalamin defects, and mutations in diacylglycerol kinase epsilon gene must be investigated. TMA should also be considered in the setting of solid organ or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In this review, acquired and inherited causes of TMA are described with a focus on particularities of the main causes of TMA in children. A pragmatic approach that may help the clinician tailor evaluation and management is provided. The described approach will allow for early initiation of treatment while waiting for the definitive diagnosis of the underlying TMA.

Sulfated polysaccharides from seaweed as a supplement to Prochilodus brevis sperm freezing medium.

BACKGROUND: Using sulfated polysaccharides (SP) in fish sperm freezing medium promotes cell maintenance. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of different SP concentrations, extracted from two seaweeds (Gracilaria domingensis and Ulva fasciata), as a supplement to the sperm freezing medium of Prochilodus brevis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five semen pools were diluted in a solution composed of 5% glucose, 10 % dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and different SP concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 or 3.0 mg/mL). The samples were cryopreserved and, after 7 days, rewarmed and analyzed for morphology, plasma membrane integrity, DNA integrity, mitochondrial activity and sperm kinetics [total motility, progressive motility, curvilinear velocity (VCL), straight line velocity (VSL), average path velocity (VAP), linearity (LIN), and wobble (WOB)]. RESULTS: There was no interaction between seaweed and SP concentrations. Similar effects were observed with SP extracted from the two seaweeds, regardless of concentration. When comparing the SP concentrations, regardless of the seaweed, 1.0 mg/mL SP showed better results for VCL and VSL. For VAP and WOB, 1.0 mg/mL SP showed better results, but differed from 3.0 mg/mL. LIN followed the same pattern, but differed from SP at 2.5 and 3.0 mg/mL. For progressive motility, 1.0 mg/mL G. domingensis showed superior results compared to the control. For mitochondrial activity, G. domingensis was superior to U. fasciata, regardless of concentration. The lowest concentrations (0.5 and 1.0 mg/mL) showed the best results, regardless of the seaweed. However, the control was superior to all treatments tested. CONCLUSION: G. domingensis SP at the lowest concentrations might be a potential supplement to the P. brevis freezing medium. doi.org/10.54680/fr22210110412.

Prevalence and risk factors related to anovular phenotypes in dairy cows.

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the relationship of body condition score (BCS) at 35 d in milk (DIM), milk production, diseases, and duration of the dry period with prevalence of anovulation at 49 DIM and then, specifically, with the prevalence of each anovular phenotype. We hypothesized that anovular follicular phenotypes, classified based on maximal size of the anovular follicle, have different etiologies. A total of 942 lactating Holstein cows (357 primiparous and 585 multiparous) from 1 herd had ovaries evaluated by ultrasonography at 35 ± 3 and 49 ± 3 DIM to detect the absence of a corpus luteum (CL), and to measure the diameter of the largest follicle. Cows were classified as cyclic at 49 DIM if a CL was observed in at least 1 of the 2 examinations, or anovular if no CL was observed at either examination. Cows considered anovular were divided into 3 groups based on the largest diameter of the largest follicle as follows: ranging from 8 to 13 mm, 14 to 17 mm, or ≥18 mm. Cows were evaluated for the following diseases: retained placenta, metritis, hyperketonemia, mastitis, lameness, respiratory problem, and digestive problem. At 35 DIM, BCS was determined, and milk yield for individual cows was recorded. A total of 28.5% (268/942) of cows were classified as anovular. Anovular cows had longer dry periods (90 vs. 71 d) and smaller BCS than cyclic cows (2.83 vs. 2.99). Cows with a single disease or multiple diseases had 2 and 3-fold increase in odds of being anovular, respectively. Anovular cows had follicles that ranged from 4 to 50 mm. The prevalence of anovular phenotype, among anovular cows, that had the diameter of the largest follicle ranging from 8 to 13 mm, 14 to 17 mm, and ≥18 mm was 29.9 (79/264), 37.5 (99/264), and 32.6% (86/264), respectively. Anovular cows with follicles of 8 to 13 mm had longer dry periods than those with follicles ≥18 mm (104 vs. 74 d), whereas anovular cows with medium size follicles had intermediate days dry (99 d). Cows with small and medium anovular follicles had smaller BCS and greater prevalence of multiple diseases than cyclic cows. For almost all risk factors, the cows with large anovular follicles (≥18 mm) were similar to cyclic cows and different from cows with smaller anovular follicles (8-13 mm). Thus, longer dry periods, less BCS at 35 DIM, and diseases were risk factors for anovulation. Moreover, the risk factors for the 3 distinct anovular follicle phenotypes differed.

Reduced visual acuity in children from 5 to 6 years old, with LEA chart.

PURPOSE: To assess visual acuity in 5-year-old children with LEA chart and to estimate the frequency of reduced visual acuity in this age. METHOD: Study aimed at children attending the last year of preschool education in Public Kindergartens and Private Social Solidarity Institutions (IPSS) under the influence Regional Health Administration of the Médio Tejo, in Portugal. The 15-line LEA charts at 3 m were used and the presentation visual acuity was measured monocularly starting with the right eye. The ETDRS-fast methodology was used. RESULTS: A total of 3072 children participated, being 51% male and 54% from rural area. A rate of 13.7% children with a reduced level of visual acuity was found, that is, visual acuity worse or equal to 0.2 logMAR in at least one eye, or an interocular difference greater than two lines. CONCLUSION: This research shows that reduced VA frequency rate in children between 5 and 6 years old is high. The literature presents amblyopia (refractive and/or strabismic) and uncorrected refractive errors without amblyopia as the main cause of reduced VA in childhood, and these anomalies negatively affect child development, especially at the educational level. Reduced VA interferes with performance on a number of key tasks in the learning process. Thus, it is important to preserve the running program to identify these deficits and lead to their correction before the beginning of the school stage.

The effect of glycosaminoglycans, extracted from the skin of tilapia, in the sperm freezing medium of Colossoma macropomum.

BACKGROUND: Sulfated polysaccharides from the skin of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), added to the tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) semen diluting medium, can be potential antioxidants and promote the maintenance of sperm quality. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of different concentrations of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) from the skin of Nile tilapia as a supplement in two cryogenic media for tambaqui semen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tambaqui males received a single dose of pituitary carp extract. The semen was collected for pool analysis and, later, cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. The pools were diluted and frozen in a solution containing fish-specific powdered coconut water (ACP-104) and 10% DMSO or 5% Glucose and 10% DMSO and supplemented with different concentrations of GAGs. The controls had no GAGs addition. After 45 days, the samples were thawed by immersion in a water bath and evaluated for membrane and DNA integrity, morphology and sperm kinetics. RESULTS: The parameters of linearity (LIN), straightness (STR) and DNA integrity of sperm frozen in 5% Glucose showed better results than ACP-104. For membrane integrity, concentrations of 0 and 1.0 mg/mL were better than 5 mg/mL. Semen motility in 5% Glucose showed superior results at concentrations lower than 5 mg/mL of GAGs. For VCL and VAP, in ACP-104, 3.0 mg/mL exceeded the other treatments. In 5% Glucose, for VCL, 4.0 mg/mL showed the lowest results compared to concentrations of <3.5 mg/mL and, for VAP, it also differed from 4.5 mg/mL CONCLUSION: Therefore, the skin of Nile tilapia has GAGs, in low concentrations, capable of improving the post-thawed sperm quality of tambaqui, especially in 5% Glucose medium.

Enhanced resilience towards ROADM-induced optical filtering using subcarrier multiplexing and optimized bit and power loading.

In flexible optical networks, lightpaths are routed from source to destination thanks to reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers (ROADMs) placed in every node connected by a line system. As ROADMs are based on wavelength selective switches (WSSs), which imply channel filtering, a non negligible performance reduction can be observed when lightpaths traverse many network nodes. Control plane software network controllers that base their decision on the quality of transmission of the physical layer must also take into account the impact of ROADMs cascading. The penalties caused by WSS cascading in single-carrier systems are mostly driven by uncompensated inter-symbol interference (ISI), and therefore their evaluation cannot be based on simple analytical solutions as required for real-time network control. In this paper, we consider a 200G optical system based on multi-subcarrier (MSC) modulation with hybrid modulation formats. Using a fully analytical framework, we show that it is possible to predict ROADM-induced penalties offline and accurately estimate the required settings for their transmitter-side mitigation through bit and/or power-loading. Moreover, resorting to both simulations and experiments, we also demonstrate that properly optimized MSC signals can provide an increased resilience to ROADM filtering with respect to standard single-carrier systems: applying analytically-driven bit-loading over 8×4 Gbaud and 16×2 Gbaud MSC signals after crossing 8 cascaded WSSs in a noise loading scenario, we experimentally found ∼2 dB gain in required SNR with respect to a traditional 32 Gbaud single-carrier signal.

Circulating progesterone concentrations in nonlactating Holstein cows during reuse of intravaginal progesterone implants sanitized by autoclave or chemical disinfection.

The aim of this study was to compare plasma progesterone (P4) concentrations in nonlactating, multiparous Holstein cows (n = 24) treated with 2 types of intravaginal implants containing either 1.0 or 1.9 g of P4 either at the first use or during reuse of the implants after sanitizing the implant by autoclave or chemical disinfection. In a completely randomized design with a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement and 2 replicates, every cow underwent 2 of 6 treatments. Two sources of P4 [controlled internal drug release (1.9 g of P4) from Zoetis (São Paulo, Brazil), and Sincrogest (1.0 g of P4) from Ourofino (Cravinhos, Brazil)] and 3 types of processing, new (N), reused after autoclave (RA), and reused after chemical disinfection (RC), were used. After inducing luteolysis to avoid endogenous circulating P4, the cows were randomized in 1 of 6 treatments (1.9 g of N, 1.9 g of RA, 1.9 g of RC, 1.0 g of N, 1.0 g of RA, and 1.0 g RC). Cows were treated with the implants for 8 d and during this period blood samples were collected at 0, 2, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, 168, and 192 h. Statistical analyses were performed using Proc-Mixed and the mean ± standard error of the mean P4 concentrations were calculated using the Proc-Means procedures of SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). No interaction between treatments was observed. Comparing types of implant, average P4 concentrations during treatments were greater for 1.9 g than 1.0 g (1.46 vs. 1.14 ± 0.04 ng/mL). When types of processing were compared, average P4 concentrations did not differ between autoclaved and new inserts (1.46 vs. 1.37 ± 0.05 ng/mL; respectively), but both were greater than chemically disinfected implants (1.09 ± 0.04 ng/mL). Within 1.9-g P4 inserts, P4 concentrations from autoclaved implants were greater than new, which were greater than chemically disinfected (1.67 ± 0.06 vs. 1.49 ± 0.07 vs. 1.21 ± 0.05 ng/mL; respectively). For 1.0-g P4 implants, P4 concentrations from autoclaved did not differ from new, but both were greater than chemically disinfected (1.20 ± 0.08 vs. 1.24 ± 0.06 vs. 0.97 ± 0.05 ng/mL; respectively). In conclusion, the mean plasma P4 concentration in nonlactating Holstein cows was greater for 1.9 than 1.0 g of P4 and regardless of the type of implant, the autoclaving process provided greater circulating P4 in relation to chemical disinfection, and similar or greater P4 concentrations compared with a new implant.

Follicular dynamics, circulating progesterone, and fertility in Holstein cows synchronized with reused intravaginal progesterone implants that were sanitized by autoclave or chemical disinfection.

This experiment aimed to compare circulating progesterone (P4), follicular dynamics, and fertility during reuse of intravaginal P4 implants that were sanitized by autoclave or chemical disinfection in lactating Holstein cows submitted to fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI). For this, 123 primiparous and 226 multiparous cows from 2 farms, averaging (mean ± standard deviation) 163.9 ± 141.9 d in milk, 35.7 ± 11.3 kg of milk/d, and a body condition score of 2.9 ± 0.5, were enrolled in the study. Cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments using a completely randomized design and each cow received a reused implant (1.9 g of P4; previously used for 8 d) that was either autoclaved (AUT; n = 177) or chemically disinfected (CHEM; n = 172) on d -10. Also on d -10, cows received 2 mg of estradiol benzoate and 100 µg of GnRH. On d -3, cows received 25 mg of dinoprost (PGF2α). A second PGF2α was given on d -2, along with 1 mg of estradiol cypionate and P4 implant removal. Cows received FTAI on d 0. A subset of cows (n = 143) was evaluated by ultrasound on d -10, -8, -6, -3, -2, 0, and 5 to identify ovarian structures, and blood was sampled on d -10, -3, and -2 for P4 concentrations by RIA. Pregnancy diagnoses were performed at d 32 and 60. Statistical analyses was performed using PROC-MIXED for continuous variables and PROC-GLIMMIX of SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) for binomial variables. The treatments did not differ in circulating P4 on d -10 or -3, but P4 was greater on d -2 in CHEM cows. Ovulation to the treatments on d -10 was associated with lower circulating P4 on d -10 (2.0 vs. 3.1 ng/mL) and resulted in greater P4 on d -3 (4.0 vs. 2.4 ng/mL) and more cows with a corpus luteum on d -3 (100 vs. 40%) than nonovulating cows. Cows that ovulated to d -10 treatments were more likely to have a synchronized new follicular wave (97.9 vs. 63.2%) and had an earlier wave emergence (1.9 vs. 2.6 d), resulting in less cows ovulating a persistent follicle (0.0 vs. 35.7%). Type of P4 implant, corpus luteum presence on d -10, and ovulation to d -10 treatments did not affect fertility (pregnancy per AI; P/AI). However, P/AI on farm A was greater than on farm B at 32 (40.8 vs. 27.8%) and 60 d (35.8 vs. 24.3%), independent of treatment. In conclusion, P4 implants with different P4 release patterns did not produce detectable differences in follicular dynamics, synchronization rate, or P/AI. Nevertheless, presence of corpus luteum or ovulation at the beginning of the FTAI protocol affected reproductive variables, such as timing and synchronization of follicular wave emergence, and size of the ovulatory follicle. Beyond that, more overall synchronized cows became pregnant to the FTAI protocol.

Can lycopene be considered an effective protection against cardiovascular disease?

Lycopene is a bioactive component mainly found in tomato. It is characterized by a high antioxidant potential, the highest among carotenoids. Mainly due to this property, lycopene has been suggested to display many beneficial effects, including its potential cardioprotective role. Despite some contradictory observations, which appear to be mainly caused by discrepancies in the different experimental protocols applied in the different studies, growing evidence points to clear benefits of lycopene in the maintenance of cardiovascular function and health. The knowledge about lycopene's preventive effects in atherosclerosis, and other cardiovascular diseases, must be translated into changes in food patterns, aiming to increase the consumption of tomato, tomato-containing products, or other foods with high lycopene content, which can have an important impact on cardiovascular disease, particularly in countries where this represents a major public health concern.

Coronary Stent Embolisation to an Iatrogenic Arteriovenous Fistula: An Unexpected Complication.

INTRODUCTION: Systemic embolisation of stents represents a rare complication of coronary interventions. REPORT: The case of a patient with peripheral embolisation of a coronary stent while undergoing a coronary procedure for an ischaemic event is reported. The stent lodged at a previously created iatrogenic fistula joining the profunda femoral artery and the common femoral vein. An endovascular attempt was ineffective in treating this complication. The stent was removed surgically and the fistula repaired. DISCUSSION: This unusual clinical setting of stent embolisation concomitant to an iatrogenic arteriovenous femoral fistula is reported.