Genomic characterisation and diversity assessment of eight endangered Belgian sheep breeds.

Assessing the genetic diversity of local breeds is essential for conserving these unique breeds, which may possess unique traits. This study provides the genomic characterisation of eight indigenous sheep breeds in Belgium based on pedigree and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. A total of 687 sheep were genotyped and were subjected to a rigorous quality control, resulting in a set of 45 978 autosomal SNPs.

Genetic and genomic analysis of Belgian Blue's susceptibility for psoroptic mange.

Background: Psoroptic mange, caused by Psoroptes ovis mites, is affecting Belgian Blue cattle's welfare and production potential. The Belgian Blue cattle-known for its high degree of muscling, low feed conversion ratio and high beef quality-is highly susceptible for this disease.

Results: In this study, we phenotyped 1975 Belgian Blue cattle from more than 100 different groups on commercial beef farms for their psoroptic mange susceptibility.

Breeding for resilience in finishing pigs can decrease tail biting, lameness and mortality.

Background: Previous research showed that deviations in longitudinal data are heritable and can be used as a proxy for pigs' general resilience. However, only a few studies investigated the relationship between these resilience traits and other traits related to resilience and welfare. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between resilience traits derived from deviations in longitudinal data and traits related to animal resilience, health and welfare, such as tail and ear biting wounds, lameness and mortality.

Injured worker participation in assessment during the acute phase of workers compensation rehabilitation: a scoping review.

Purpose: Rates of return to work (RTW) are declining in the Australian workers compensation system alongside significant economic and social costs, disputes, and secondary psychological injury. Non-medical assessment of workplace injuries now considers psychosocial and workplace factors, and worker participation in the assessment process is limited. This scoping review examines studies regarding non-medical assessment during the acute phase of rehabilitation in terms of costs, disputes, secondary psychological injury, and worker participation.

Work outcomes in public safety personnel after potentially traumatic events: A systematic review.

Background: It is well documented that public safety personnel are exposed to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) at elevated frequency and demonstrate higher prevalence of trauma-related symptoms compared to the general population. Lesser studied to date are the organizational consequences of workplace PTE exposure and associated mental health outcomes such as acute/posttraumatic stress disorder (ASD/PTSD), depression, and anxiety.

Methods: The present review synthesizes international literature on work outcomes in public safety personnel (PSP) to explore whether and how PTE and trauma-related symptoms relate to workplace outcomes.

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.

The novel IMAGE001 genotyping array as a valuable alternative for genetic diversity screening in chicken: a demonstration in a local chicken breed in Belgium.

Screening for genetic diversity in livestock species breeds is of utmost importance, especially for local, small populations that are at the risk of extinction. Luckily, recent developments in technology increase access to genotyping, also for numerically small breeds. One of these new technologies is the IMAGE001 single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping array that includes markers for 6 different species (cow, pig, sheep, chicken, horse and goat).

Early life jumping traits: Are they good proxies for success in show jumping competitions in Belgian warmblood horses?

The main goal of the Belgian Warmblood horse studbook (BWP) is to breed successful competition horses, with emphasis on show jumping. However, competition results are only available later in life and competition traits are lowly heritable. Hence, the use of phenotypes that record performance-related traits at an early life stage could help increase genetic progress.

A promising resilience parameter for breeding: the use of weight and feed trajectories in growing pigs.

Background: Increasing resilience is a priority in modern pig breeding. Recent research shows that general resilience can be quantified via variability in longitudinal data. The collection of such longitudinal data on weight, feed intake and feeding behaviour in pigs has been facilitated by the development of technologies such as automated feeding stations.

The evaluation of cognitive-behavioral therapy-based intervention on type 2 diabetes patients with comorbid metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) has been applied in intervention research in diabetes patients with satisfying results. However, there was no research on type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients with comorbidities. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of CBT on psychological variables, behavior variables, quality of life, sleep quality, and physical variables among adult T2DM patients with comorbid metabolic syndrome (MS).

The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Helping People on Sick Leave to Return to Work: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Purpose: Previous research has systematically studied the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based interventions in managing both mental and physical symptoms of chronic disease including depression, stress-related mental disorders (SMD), and chronic pain that are common causes of sick leave. However, a systematic review focusing on the effectiveness of CBT in facilitating RTW is lacking. This study compiles research on utilizing CBT-based interventions for helping employees on sick leave return to work.

A Comparative Study on the Effect of Euthanasia Methods and Sample Storage Conditions on RNA Yield and Quality in Porcine Tissues.

Animals used in research often have to be euthanised, especially when tissue sampling is essential. Recently, a euthanasia method, utilizing an inhalant anaesthetic 'nitrogen gas in foam' in an anoxia box (ANOXIA), has gained considerable interest as it claimed to be more animal-friendly. However, it is not clear whether the use of this euthanasia method has an influence on RNA measurements.

Adjusted fence height: an improved phenotype for the genetic evaluation of show jumping performance in Warmblood horses.

Background: Show jumping is one of the most popular disciplines in the horse sector, which makes success in show jumping competitions an important breeding goal for many studbooks. Therefore, the genetic evaluation of show jumping performance is of major interest and this is the case for two Belgian Warmblood studbooks: the Belgian Warmblood horse and Zangersheide. In this study, first an improved phenotype for show jumping performance was developed, i.

Sleep Quality and Its Determinants Among Type 2 Diabetes Patients with Comorbid Metabolic Syndrome.

Purpose: The prevalence of poor sleep quality in patients with diabetes was higher than the general population. This study aimed to explore risk factors for not only poor sleep quality, but also long sleep latency, short sleep duration and low sleep efficiency, in type 2 diabetes patients (T2DM) with comorbid metabolic syndrome (MS).

Patients And Methods: A total of 281 patients aged 18-75 years were enrolled from Ningbo First Hospital during October 2021 to March 2022.

Methodological correlates of variability in the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder in high-risk occupational groups: A systematic review and meta-regression.

Background: Although numerous studies have reported on PTSD prevalence in high-risk occupational samples, previous meta-analytic work has been severely limited by the extreme variability in prevalence outcomes.

Methods: The present systematic review and meta-regression examined methodological sources of variability in PTSD outcomes across the literature on high-risk personnel with a specific focus on measurement tool selection.

Results: The pooled global prevalence of PTSD in high-risk personnel was 12.

Estimating genetics of body dimensions and activity levels in pigs using automated pose estimation.

Pig breeding is changing rapidly due to technological progress and socio-ecological factors. New precision livestock farming technologies such as computer vision systems are crucial for automated phenotyping on a large scale for novel traits, as pigs' robustness and behavior are gaining importance in breeding goals. However, individual identification, data processing and the availability of adequate (open source) software currently pose the main hurdles.

Association Between Serum Aminotransferases and Risk of New-Onset Cardiometabolic Disease in a Healthy Chinese Population: A Cohort Study.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and incident metabolic disease in a cohort of community-based older Chinese people.

Patients And Methods: Five thousand healthy Gaohang residents who attended community health checks at the Shanghai East Hospital in 2013 were recruited. Biological, biochemical, and lifestyle variables were collected.

The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy-based intervention on patients with diabetes: A meta-analysis.

Aims: This meta-analysis aims to update former meta-analyses from randomized controlled trials (RCT) focused on the efficacy of CBT for diabetes.

Methods: Five databases were searched for RCTs. Primary outcomes were glycated hemoglobin (HbA), fasting blood glucose (FBS), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and body mass index (BMI).

PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY IN PERSONNEL WORKING IN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT SETTINGS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.

Background: Professionals working in the emergency department (ED) are regularly exposed to traumatic events. Rates of posttraumatic mental health conditions vary widely in the literature and there is no agreement that rates in ED staff are elevated relative to other populations.

Objective: We conducted a systematic review of international literature reporting prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety in ED personnel to determine whether prevalence is elevated compared to the general community, and to evaluate convergent evidence across the literature for predictive factors.

Sex-Specific Associations Between Serum Phosphate Concentration and Cardiometabolic Disease: A Cohort Study on the Community-Based Older Chinese Population.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between sex-specific baseline serum phosphate and the incidence of new-onset cardiometabolic disease in a cohort of Shanghai-based older Chinese individuals.

Patients And Methods: A community cohort of 5000 disease-free Chinese men and women was recruited in 2013 and followed until 2017 for the development of cardiometabolic disease. Participants underwent index and follow-up health screens at the Tongji Medical School affiliated Shanghai East Hospital, including blood biochemistry analysis, anthropometric measurements, interview on health-related behaviors, and clinical evaluation.

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.