Effect of sire type and a by-product based diet on performance and meat quality in growing-finishing pigs.

For many years, pig production has focused on maximizing performance by selecting for maximal muscle growth and feeding diets that allow the animals to express their genetic potential. However, it is unclear whether this selection for muscle deposition has affected the capacity of pigs to cope with by-product-based diets, which rely on fat as the primary energy source instead of starches and sugars. Therefore, an experiment was set up to investigate if different types of boars affect how their progeny cope with alternative ingredients in the diet, with a possible need for adapted breeding schemes. Two types of boars within the Piétrain sire line were used based on either a high or low estimated breeding value for daily feed intake (HFI: high feed intake, low feed intake). When their progeny reached 14 weeks of age, two dietary strategies were compared: a control (CON) vs a by-product-based diet high in fat and fiber (HFF). The CON diet was mainly based on cereals (corn, wheat, barley) and soybean meal. The HFF diet was formulated to contain the same net energy, CP and digestible amino acid levels without any cereals or soybean meal. In total 192 animals were included in the experiment (48 animals/type of boar/diet) and performance, digestibility, carcass and meat quality were compared. None of the parameters showed a significant interaction (P < 0.05) between the type of boar and diet, suggesting that shifting to diets that are less prone to feed-food competition is equally feasible in different types of pigs. Type of boar did affect performance, carcass quality and intramuscular fat content. HFI pigs showed higher daily feed intake (DFI) and daily gain (P < 0.001), with no significant difference in feed conversion ratio (P = 0.205), lower carcass quality (P < 0.001) and higher intramuscular fat content (P = 0.030). For both boar types, pigs fed the CON diet performed better, with a higher daily gain (P = 0.028), DFI (P = 0.011) and dressing yield (P = 0.009) and better digestibility (P < 0.001), but without differences in feed conversion ratio or meat quality. In conclusion, there was no indication that pigs differing in feed intake capacity cope differently with a high-fat, high-fiber diet based on by-products. Different types of pigs may cope well with diets that are less prone to feed-food competition.

The forgotten variable? Does the euthanasia method and sample storage condition influence an organisms transcriptome - a gene expression analysis on multiple tissues in pigs.

BACKGROUND: Transcriptomic studies often require collection of fresh tissues post euthanasia. The chosen euthanasia method might have the potential to induce variations in gene expressions that are unlinked with the experimental design. The present study compared the suitability of 'nitrogen gas in foam' (ANOXIA) in comparison to a non-barbiturate anaesthetic, T-61® (T61), for euthanizing piglets used in transcriptome research. Further, the effect of common tissue storage conditions, RNAlater™ (RL) and snap freezing in liquid nitrogen (LN2), on gene expression profiles were also analysed. RESULTS: On comparison of the 3'mRNA-Seq data generated from pituitary, hypothalamus, liver and lung tissues, no significant differential expression in the protein coding genes were detected between the euthanasia methods. This implies that the nitrogen anoxia method could be a suitable alternative for euthanasia of piglets used in transcriptomic research. However, small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) that constitute the eukaryotic spliceosomal machinery were found to be significantly higher (log2fold change ≥ 2.0, and adjusted p value ≤ 0.1) in pituitary samples collected using ANOXIA. Non-protein coding genes like snRNAs that play an important role in pre-mRNA splicing can subsequently modify gene expression. Storage in RL was found to be superior in preserving RNA compared to LN2 storage, as evidenced by the significantly higher RIN values in representative samples. However, storage in RL as opposed to LN2, also influenced differential gene expression in multiple tissues, perhaps as a result of its inability to inhibit biological activity during storage. Hence such external sources of variations should be carefully considered before arriving at research conclusions. CONCLUSIONS: Source of biological variations like euthanasia method and storage condition can confound research findings. Even if we are unable to prevent the effect of these external factors, it will be useful to identify the impact of these variables on the parameter under observation and thereby prevent misinterpretation of our results.

Myostatin mutation causing double muscling could affect increased psoroptic mange sensitivity in dual purpose Belgian Blue cattle.

Belgian Blue cattle are known for their high degree of muscling and good carcass qualities. This high degree of muscling is mainly caused by a mutation in the myostatin gene (MSTN). Although the MSTN mutation is considered as fixed in the Belgian Blue breed, segregation is occurring in a sub-population bred for dual purpose. In the latter population, we observed an association between the mutation in MSTN and susceptibility to psoroptic mange, a skin disease caused by Psoroptes ovis mites that heavily plagues Belgian Blue cattle. In total, 291 animals were sampled and screened for their susceptibility for mange lesions and their MSTN genotype. Via linear mixed modelling, we observed that homozygous mutant animals had a significant increase in the size of mange lesions (+2.51% lesion extent) compared to homozygous wild type. These findings were confirmed with zero-inflated modelling, an animal model and odds analysis. Risk ratios for developing severe mange lesions were 5.9 times as high for homozygous mutant animals. All analyses confirmed an association between the MSTN genotype and psoroptic mange lesion size.

Risk of contamination of semen, vaginal secretions, follicular fluid and ovarian medulla with SARS-CoV-2 in patients undergoing ART.

STUDY QUESTION: Can severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA be detected in the reproductive tract of asymptomatic patients undergoing ART? SUMMARY ANSWER: SARS-CoV-2 mRNA is not detectable in semen, follicular fluid, vaginal secretions or residual medulla from ovarian tissue cryopreservation procedures in asymptomatic patients who undergo ART, irrespective of the results of a triage questionnaire and a nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection test. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic had a huge impact on the activities of fertility clinics. Although some studies reported the presence of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA in the reproductive system during or after acute COVID-19 symptomatic infections, uncertainties remain regarding the presence of viral mRNA in the reproductive material and follicular fluid of asymptomatic patients undergoing ART. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: An observational cohort trial of residual material samples including semen, follicular fluid, vaginal secretions and ovarian medulla was conducted during the second pandemic wave in Brussels from September 2020 to April 2021. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: All patients who underwent ART (IUI, IVF/ICSI, oocyte and ovarian tissue cryopreservation) responded to a triage questionnaire at the beginning and end of the cycle and underwent nasopharyngeal swab collection for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection by RT-PCR before the procedure according to standard recommendations. For semen analysis, only the questionnaire was requested the day before the sample collection. The ART cycles of patients with positive nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection tests and/or questionnaires were cancelled except for those that could not be postponed. After providing informed consent, swabs on residual materials were collected the day of the oocyte, ovarian tissue or semen collection and were processed for RT-qPCR. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: A total of 394 samples from 291 patients were analysed. Amongst them, 20 samples were obtained from patients with a positive questionnaire but negative nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 test and 20 others were from patients with a positive nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 test. The remaining samples were collected from patients with a negative or unknown nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 test and/or a negative or unknown triage questionnaire. Viral RNA for SARS-CoV-2 was undetectable in all of the samples. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Considering the cancellation policy, only a limited number of samples from patients with positive triage questionnaires or nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 tests were included in the analysis. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: The study suggested that there was no risk of reproductive tract contamination by SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic patients, irrespective of the results from a triage questionnaire or nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 test. The results suggested that no additional measures to prevent staff or cross-patient contamination need to be implemented in the IVF and andrology laboratories. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This study was funded by the Université Libre de Bruxelles and by a grant from Ferring. A.D. and I.D. received a grant from Ferring for the study. The authors have no other conflict of interest to declare related to this study. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

The effect of fluid bolus administration on cerebral tissue oxygenation in post-cardiac arrest patients.

PURPOSE: Fluid boluses (FB) are often used in post-cardiac arrest (CA) patients with haemodynamic instability. Although FB may improve cardiac output (CO) and mean arterial pressure (MAP), FB may also increase central venous pressure (CVP), reduce arterial PaO2, dilute haemoglobin and cause interstitial oedema. The aim of the present study was to investigate the net effect of FB administration on cerebral tissue oxygenation saturation (SctO2) in post-CA patients. METHODS: Pre-planned sub-study of the Neuroprotect post-CA trial (NCT02541591). Patients with anticipated fluid responsiveness based on stroke volume variation (SVV) or passive leg raising test were administered a FB of 500 ml plasma-lyte A (Baxter Healthcare) and underwent pre- and post-FB assessments of stroke volume, CO, MAP, CVP, haemoglobin, PaO2 and SctO2. RESULTS: 52 patients (mean age 64 ±â€¯12 years, 75% male) received a total of 115 FB. Although administration of a FB resulted in a significant increase of stroke volume (63 ±â€¯22 vs 67 ±â€¯23 mL, p = 0.001), CO (4,2 ±â€¯1,6 vs 4,4 ±â€¯1,7 L/min, p = 0.001) and MAP (74,8 ±â€¯13,2 vs 79,2 ±â€¯12,9 mmHg, p = 0.004), it did not improve SctO2 (68.54 ±â€¯6.99 vs 68.70 ±â€¯6.80%, p = 0.49). Fluid bolus administration also resulted in a significant increase of CVP (10,0 ±â€¯4,5 vs 10,7 ±â€¯4,9 mmHg, p = 0.02), but did not affect PaO2 (99 ±â€¯31 vs 94 ±â€¯31 mmHg, p = 0.15) or haemoglobin concentrations (12,9 ±â€¯2,1 vs 12,8 ±â€¯2,2 g/dL, p = 0.10). In a multivariate model, FB-induced changes in CO (beta 0,77; p = 0.004) and in CVP (beta -0,23; p = 0.02) but not in MAP (beta 0,02; p = 0.18) predicted post-FB ΔSctO2. CONCLUSIONS: Despite improvements in CO and MAP, FB administration did not improve SctO2 in post-cardiac arrest patients.

On-farm prevalence of and potential risk factors for boar taint.

Boar taint is an unpleasant taste and odor that can occur in entire male pigs and is caused by androstenone, skatole, and to a lesser extent indole accumulating in fat tissue. In the present observational study, we evaluated an extensive list of such potential risk factors which influence boar taint: social hierarchy and puberty attainment, housing, health, preslaughter conditions, season, feed, carcass composition, slaughter weight or age, and breed. Details on these factors were collected by interviews with the participating farmers, observations on each farm by trained observers and farmers, as well as slaughterhouse data. Twenty-two farms (in West- and East-Flanders, ranging from 160 to 600 sows, selected on suitability) raising entire male pigs were included in the study to evaluate the link between boar taint and potential risk factors related to the farm and slaughter batch (114 slaughter batches and 16 791 entire male pigs in total). Average olfactory boar taint prevalence was 1.8 ±â€¯0.8%. Boar taint prevalence varied also within farms up to a maximum range between slaughter batches of 9.1% which suggests an effect of factors varying between slaughter batches such as season or other variables varying between slaughter batches. Less aggressive behavior at the end of fattening as well as lower skin lesion scores at fattening as well as at slaughter could be associated with less boar taint. The same might be said for sexual behavior, though less convincingly from this study. Measures that reduce aggression and stress have therefore have the potential to lower boar taint prevalence. The same might be said for sexual behavior, though less convincingly from this study. Furthermore, boar taint prevalence was generally higher in winter than in summer, which is relevant from a planning perspective for the slaughterhouses to seek alternative markets. Finally, increased CP gave significantly lower boar taint prevalences. This may to some extent be explained by the negative association between boar taint and lean meat percentage, as increased dietary CP levels promote the carcass lean meat percentages which can then be associated with lower boar taint levels.

How to study runs of homozygosity using PLINK? A guide for analyzing medium density SNP data in livestock and pet species.

BACKGROUND: PLINK is probably the most used program for analyzing SNP genotypes and runs of homozygosity (ROH), both in human and in animal populations. The last decade, ROH analyses have become the state-of-the-art method for inbreeding assessment. In PLINK, the --homozyg function is used to perform ROH analyses and relies on several input settings. These settings can have a large impact on the outcome and default values are not always appropriate for medium density SNP array data. Guidelines for a robust and uniform ROH analysis in PLINK using medium density data are lacking, albeit these guidelines are vital for comparing different ROH studies. In this study, 8 populations of different livestock and pet species are used to demonstrate the importance of PLINK input settings. Moreover, the effects of pruning SNPs for low minor allele frequencies and linkage disequilibrium on ROH detection are shown. RESULTS: We introduce the genome coverage parameter to appropriately estimate FROH and to check the validity of ROH analyses. The effect of pruning for linkage disequilibrium and low minor allele frequencies on ROH analyses is highly population dependent and such pruning may result in missed ROH. PLINK's minimal density requirement is crucial for medium density genotypes and if set too low, genome coverage of the ROH analysis is limited. Finally, we provide recommendations for the maximal gap, scanning window length and threshold settings. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we present guidelines for an adequate and robust ROH analysis in PLINK on medium density SNP data. Furthermore, we advise to report parameter settings in publications, and to validate them prior to analysis. Moreover, we encourage authors to report genome coverage to reflect the ROH analysis' validity. Implementing these guidelines will substantially improve the overall quality and uniformity of ROH analyses.

SNP genotypes reveal breed substructure, selection signatures and highly inbred regions in Piétrain pigs.

The Piétrain pig originates from the Belgian village Piétrain some time between 1920 and 1950. Owing to its superior conformation, the Piétrain has spread worldwide since the 1960s. As initial population sizes were limited and close inbreeding was commonplace, the breed's genetic diversity has been questioned. Therefore, this study examines Piétrain breed substructure, diversity and selection signatures using SNP data in comparison with Duroc, Landrace and Large White populations. Principal component analysis indicated three subpopulations, and FST analysis showed that US Piétrains differ most from European Piétrains. Average inbreeding based on runs of homozygosity (ROH) segments larger than 4 Mb ranged between 16.7 and 20.9%. The highest chromosomal inbreeding levels were found on SSC8 (42.7%). ROH islands were found on SSC8, SSC15 and SSC18 in all Piétrain populations, but numerous population-specific ROH islands were also detected. Moreover, a large ROH island on SSC8 (34-126 Mb) appears nearly fixed in all Piétrain populations, with a unique genotype. Chromosomal ROH patterns were similar between Piétrain populations. This study shows that Piétrain populations are genetically diverging, with at least three genetically distinct populations worldwide. Increasing genetic diversity in local Piétrain populations by introgression from other Piétrain populations seems to be only limited. Moreover, a unique 90 Mb region on SSC8 appeared largely fixed in the Piétrain breed, indicating that fixation was already present before the 1960s. We believe that strong selection and inbreeding during breed formation fixed these genomic regions in Piétrains. Finally, we hypothesize that independent coat color selection may have led to large ROH pattern similarities on SSC8 between unrelated pig breeds.

Unraveling the genetic diversity of Belgian Milk Sheep using medium-density SNP genotypes.

The present study focuses on the Belgian Milk Sheep in Flanders (Belgium) and compares its genetic diversity and relationship with the Flemish Sheep, the Friesian Milk Sheep, the French Lacaune dairy sheep and other Northern European breeds. For this study, 94 Belgian Milk Sheep, 23 Flemish Sheep and 22 Friesian Milk Sheep were genotyped with the OvineSNP50 array. In addition, 29 unregistered animals phenotypically similar to Belgian Milk Sheep were genotyped using the 15K ISGC chip. Both Belgian and Friesian Milk Sheep as well as the East Friesian Sheep were found to be less diverse than the other seven breeds included in this study. Genomic inbreeding coefficients based on runs of homozygosity (ROH) were estimated at 14.5, 12.4 and 10.2% for Belgian Milk Sheep, Flemish Sheep and Friesian Milk Sheep respectively. Out of 29 unregistered Belgian Milk Sheep, 28 mapped in the registered Belgian Milk Sheep population. Ancestry analysis, PCA and FST calculations showed that Belgian Milk Sheep are more related to Friesian Milk Sheep than to Flemish Sheep, which was contrary to the breeders' expectations. Consequently, breeders may prefer to crossbreed Belgian Milk Sheep with Friesian sheep populations (Friesian Milk Sheep or East Friesian Sheep) in order to increase diversity. This research underlines the usefulness of SNP chip genotyping and ROH analyses for monitoring genetic diversity and studying genetic links in small livestock populations, profiting from internationally available genotypes. As assessment of genetic diversity is vital for long-term breed survival, these results will aid flockbooks to preserve genetic diversity.

Nectar traits differ between pollination syndromes in Balsaminaceae.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The attractiveness of nectar rewards depends both on the quantity of nectar produced and on its chemical composition. It is known that nectar quantity and chemical composition can differ in plant species depending on the main pollinator associated with the species. The main aims of this study were to test formally whether nectar traits are adapted to pollination syndromes in the speciose Balsaminaceae and, if so, whether a combination of nectar traits mirrors pollination syndromes. METHODS: Comparative methods based on Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models were used to test whether nectar volume, nectar sucrose proportion, sugar and amino acid concentration and amino acid composition had evolved as a function of pollination syndromes in 57 species of Balsaminaceae. Cluster analysis and ordination were performed to derive clusters of species resembling each other in nectar composition. KEY RESULTS: Evolutionary models for nectar volume and nectar sucrose proportion performed best when including information on pollination syndrome, while including such information improve model fit neither for sugar and amino acid concentration nor for amino acid composition. A significant relationship emerged between pollination syndrome and the combined nectar traits. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that nectar volume and nectar sucrose proportion evolve rapidly towards optimal values associated with different pollination syndromes. The detection of a signal indicating that nectar traits in combination are to a certain extent able to predict pollination syndromes in Balsaminaceae suggests that a holistic approach including the whole set of nectar traits helps us to better understand evolution of nectar composition in response to pollinators.

Monitoring of behavior, sex hormones and boar taint compounds during the vaccination program for immunocastration in three sire lines.

Immunocastration (vaccination against boar taint) is an alternative method to prevent boar taint without the need for surgical castration. This study investigates the evolution of boar taint compounds in serum and fat, serum steroid compounds as well as behavior in immunocastrated pigs from 3 sire lines: 15 stress positive Belgian Piétrain (BP), 20 stress negative French Piétrain (FP), and 20 stress negative Canadian Duroc (CD). Hormone and boar taint compounds in serum were determined at 4 time points; boar taint compounds in fat were determined at 3 time points. Behavior, skin lesions, animal and pen fouling were also recorded before the first vaccination (V2). Aggressiveness, eating and drinking and general activity behavior declined from  V2 for all sire lines. Pigs from BP were cleaner than FP and CD pigs. Even though immunocastration was effective in general (reduced testosterone, estradiol as well as androstenone in serum) for all sire lines, some individual pigs showed either androstenone or skatole levels in fat above cutoff values. While the immunocastration mechanism works as intended for androstenone, and also for skatole for the three sire lines, the risk of carcasses with boar taint compounds above cutoff levels (respectively 1.9 and 3.7%) still remains to some extent.

The effect of Piétrain sire on the performance of the progeny of two commercial dam breeds: a pig intervention study.

Genetic evaluation of Piétrain sires in Flanders occurs under standardized conditions, on test stations with fixed dam breeds, standardized diets and uniform management practices. As environmental conditions vary on commercial farms and differ from the test stations, this study aimed at understanding to what extent the sire, the dam breed and the interaction between both affects the translation of breeding values to practice. Dams of two commercial breeds were inseminated with semen from one of five different sires selected for contrasting breeding values (daily gain, feed conversion ratio and carcass quality). For each sire by dam breed combination, six pen replicates (with three gilts and three barrows per pen) were evaluated for growth performance from 9 weeks of age (20 kg) to slaughter (110 kg), and for carcass and meat quality. In our experimental setup, both sire and dam breed affected growth, carcass and meat quality traits. No significant sire×dam breed interactions on performance could be detected. Though a tendency for interaction on average daily feed intake between 20 and 110 kg (P=0.087), and on pork colour (lightness) (P=0.093) was present. In general, offspring of all tested sires behaved similarly in both dam breeds, indicating that estimated breeding values for Piétrain sires determined in one dam breed are representative in other dam breeds as well.

Breeding systems in Balsaminaceae in relation to pollen/ovule ratio, pollination syndromes, life history and climate zone.

Pollen/ovule (P/O) ratios are often used as proxy for breeding systems. Here, we investigate the relations between breeding systems and P/O ratios, pollination syndromes, life history and climate zone in Balsaminaceae. We conducted controlled breeding system experiments (autonomous and active self-pollination and outcrossing tests) for 65 Balsaminaceae species, analysed pollen grain and ovule numbers and evaluated the results in combination with data on pollination syndrome, life history and climate zone on a phylogenetic basis. Based on fruit set, we assigned three breeding systems: autogamy, self-compatibility and self-incompatibility. Self-pollination led to lower fruit set than outcrossing. We neither found significant P/O differences between breeding systems nor between pollination syndromes. However, the numbers of pollen grains and ovules per flower were significantly lower in autogamous species, but pollen grain and ovule numbers did not differ between most pollination syndromes. Finally, we found no relation between breeding system and climate zone, but a relation between climate zone and life history. In Balsaminaceae reproductive traits can change under resource or pollinator limitation, leading to the evolution of autogamy, but are evolutionary rather constant and not under strong selection pressure by pollinator guild and geographic range changes. Colonisation of temperate regions, however, is correlated with transitions towards annual life history. Pollen/ovule-ratios, commonly accepted as good indicators of breeding system, have a low predictive value in Balsaminaceae. In the absence of experimental data on breeding system, additional floral traits (overall pollen grain and ovule number, traits of floral morphology) may be used as proxies.

On farm intervention studies on reduction of boar taint prevalence: Feeding strategies, presence of gilts and time in lairage.

One of the challenges in the production of entire male pigs is the occurrence of boar taint. We separately tested the effect of 3 management strategies to reduce boar taint on respectively 2, 3, and 6 Flemish pig farms: 1) adapted feeding strategies, 2) presence of gilts in the compartment, and 3) varying lairage duration at the slaughterhouse. A commercialized feed concept resulted in a significant reduction of olfactory boar taint prevalence when fed for 2 weeks (T2W) compared to control (T-CON) (P = 0.030). For T2W and when fed for 3 weeks (T3W), androstenone (AND) (P = 0.002 for T2W, P = 0.029 for T3W) and skatole (SKA) (P < 0.001 for T2W and T3W) were significantly reduced compared to T-CON. Olfactory boar taint prevalence was significantly reduced when feeding 5% dried chicory roots (FI5%) (P = 0.032), but not for 3% dried chicory roots (FI3%) (P = 0.958). SKA concentration was significantly lower when feeding FI5% (P < 0.001) and when feeding FI3% (P = 0.034). Rearing entire male pigs separately from gilts and increasing lairage duration from <1 h to >3 h did not significantly affect boar taint.

Expanding the clinical spectrum of biallelic ZNF335 variants.

ZNF335 plays an essential role in neurogenesis and biallelic variants in ZNF335 have been identified as the cause of severe primary autosomal recessive microcephaly in 2 unrelated families. We describe, herein, 2 additional affected individuals with biallelic ZNF335 variants, 1 individual with a homozygous c.1399 T > C, p.(Cys467Arg) variant, and a second individual with compound heterozygous c.2171_2173delTCT, p.(Phe724del) and c.3998A > G, p.(Glu1333Gly) variants with the latter variant predicted to affect splicing. Whereas the first case presented with early death and a severe phenotype characterized by anterior agyria with prominent extra-axial spaces, absent basal ganglia, and hypoplasia of the brainstem and cerebellum, the second case had a milder clinical presentation with hypomyelination and otherwise preserved brain structures on MRI. Our findings expand the clinical spectrum of ZNF335-associated microcephaly.

Psychomotor assessment as a tool to differentiate schizophrenia from other psychotic disorders.

GOAL: The aim of this study is to assess to what extent psychomotor assessment can aid the clinician in differentiating between schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. METHODS: Enrolled subjects were recent in remission patients (n=304), who all met DSM-IV (APA, 2013) criteria for either schizophrenia (Sz; n=117), schizoaffective disorder (SaD; n=36), psychotic disorder not otherwise specified (P-NOS) (n=86), substance/medication-induced psychotic disorder (SIPD; n=33) or major depressive disorder with psychotic features (MDD-p; n=32). The patients were submitted to a psychomotor test battery. RESULTS: Patients with schizophrenia generally perform worse on most tests. Using cluster analysis a combination of three tests, namely the sensory integration subscale of the Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES), a Figure Copying Task (FCT) and the finger tapping test (FTT), came out to be useful to clinically differentiate between schizophrenia and substance-induced psychotic disorder (SIPD) or psychosis not otherwise specified (P-NOS). When comparing schizophrenia only to a group of patients with SIPD, the differentiation potential becomes even greater with a 76.1% chance to correctly diagnose patients with schizophrenia and 75% chance for patients with SIPD. CONCLUSION: A combination of NES, FCT and FTT shows promising results as a clinical tool in daily practice to differentiate schizophrenia from other psychotic disorders. Future prospective studies to confirm these results are necessary.

The impact of global hemodynamics, oxygen and carbon dioxide on epileptiform EEG activity in comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

AIM: To study the association between global hemodynamics, blood gases, epileptiform EEG activity and survival after out-of-hospital CA (0HCA). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 195 comatose post-CA patients. At least one EEG recording per patient was evaluated to diagnose epileptiform EEG activity. Refractory epileptiform EEG activity was defined as persisting epileptic activity on EEG despite the use of 2 or more anti-epileptics. The time weighted average mean arterial pressure 48h (TWA-MAP48), the percentage of time with a MAP below 65 and above 85mmHg and the percentage of time with normoxia, hypoxia (<70mmHg), hyperoxia (>150mmHg), normocapnia, hypocapnia (<35mmHg) and hypercapnia (>45mmHg) were calculated. RESULTS: We observed epileptiform EEG activity in 57 patients (29%). A shockable rhythm was associated with a decreased likelihood of epileptic activity on the EEG (OR: 0.41, 95%CI 0.22-0.79). We did not identify an association between the TWA-MAP48, the percentage of time with MAP below 65mmHg or above 85mmHg, blood gas variables and the risk of post-CA epileptiform EEG activity. The presence of epileptiform activity decreased the likelihood of survival independently (OR: 0.10, 95% CI: 0.04-0.24). Interestingly, survival rates of patients in whom the epileptiform EEG resolved (n=20), were similar compared to patients without epileptiform activity on EEG (60% vs 67%,p=0.617). Other independent predictors of survival were presence of basic life support (BLS) (OR:5.08, 95% CI 1.98-13.98), presence of a shockable rhythm (OR: 7.03, 95% CI: 3.18-16.55), average PaO2 (OR=0.93, CI 95% 0.90-0.96) and% time MAP<65mmHg (OR: 0.96, CI 95% 0.94-0.98). CONCLUSION: Epileptiform EEG activity in post-CA patients is independently and inversely associated with survival and this effect is mainly driven by patients in whom this pattern is refractory over time despite treatment with anti-epileptic drugs. We did not identify an association between hemodynamic factors, blood gas variables and epileptiform EEG activity after CA, although both hypotension, hypoxia and epileptic EEG activity were predictors of survival.

Olfactory evaluation of boar taint: effect of factors measured at slaughter and link with boar taint compounds.

There is a commitment by the European pig sector to ban surgical castration of male piglets in the European Union in 2018. One alternative to castration is to raise entire male pigs, with an increased risk of boar taint. A field study was performed to: (1) evaluate inter- and intra-farm variation in boar taint prevalence, (2) investigate factors measured at slaughter influencing boar taint and (3) evaluate the relationship between sensorial scoring by a trained panel and the concentration of boar taint components. From 34 farms, neck fat samples were collected from all entire male pigs in at least two slaughter batches per farm (78 batches; 9167 animals). In addition to olfactory boar taint analysis, data were also collected on fresh skin lesions (score 0 to 3) at the slaughter line, slaughter weight, lean meat percentage, duration of transport, time spent in lairage, total delivery duration, day length, shortening of days and outdoor mean temperature. Using the hot iron method, neck fat samples were scored (eight-point scale) for boar taint. Average boar taint prevalence (score ≥3) was 5.6±2.5% and the mean difference between the maximum and minimum prevalence per farm was 4.3±3.2%. Androstenone (AND), skatole (SKA) and indole concentrations were measured for a subset (n=254) of the samples. According to binomial univariate mixed models, entire male pigs with a higher skin lesion score had higher odds of having boar taint (P=0.031), as did fatter entire male pigs (P<0.001). In the binomial multivariate mixed model lean meat percentage (P<0.001) and outdoor mean temperature (P=0.005) remained as only significant factors. Based on our results, we can conclude that these statistically significant at least partially influence the prevalence of boar taint. According to the binomial univariate mixed models SKA concentration in liquid fat seems a better predictor for boar taint than AND. There were no significant synergetic effects between boar taint compounds.

Successful provision of inter-hospital extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for acute post-partum pulmonary embolism.

Mortality during pregnancy in a well-resourced setting is rare, but acute pulmonary embolism is one of the leading causes. We present the successful use of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (eCPR) in a 22-year old woman who experienced cardiopulmonary collapse following urgent caesarean section in the setting of a sub-massive pulmonary embolus. Resources and personnel to perform eCPR were not available at the maternity hospital and were recruited from an adjacent pediatric hospital. Initial care used low blood flow extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) with pediatric ECMO circuitry, which was optimized when the team from a nearby adult cardiac hospital arrived. Following ECMO support, the patient experienced massive hemorrhage which was managed with uterotonic agents, targeted transfusion, bilateral uterine artery embolisation and abdominal re-exploration. The patient was transferred to an adult unit where she remained on ECMO for five days. She was discharged home with normal cognitive function. This case highlights the role ECMO plays in providing extracorporeal respiratory or mechanical circulatory support in a high risk obstetric patient.