Complicated Diverticulitis and Pelvic Radiation Leading to Colonic Stricture, Colorectal Fistula, and Anal Stenosis.

The purpose of this case is to highlight a rare case of sigmoid colon-to-rectum fistula. A 66-year-old man with a history of pelvic radiation and diverticulosis presented to the emergency department with a 3-week history of abdominal pain and watery diarrhea. Computed tomography (CT) imaging was significant for a sigmoid-to-rectum fistula with sigmoid stricture.

Management of phlegmasia cerulea dolens caused by a giant leiomyoma.

In the present report, we describe the case of a young woman with a large uterine leiomyoma causing phlegmasia cerulea dolens with thrombosis of the left common and left external iliac veins. She underwent tissue plasminogen activator catheter thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy to temporize the condition until she could be evaluated by a gynecologic oncologist to remove the cause of the venous obstruction. Before the hysterectomy, a suprarenal inferior vena cava filter was placed.

Dual Cystic Duct Found and Confirmed by Intraoperative Cholangiography.

This report presents a case of aberrant gallbladder anatomy. A 75-year-old female presented to the hospital with choledocholithiasis was admitted and underwent an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to clear the common bile duct stones; no aberrant anatomy was noted at this time. The following day she was taken to the operating room for cholecystectomy prior to discharge.

Readability of Online Patient Material Provided by Reflux Centers in the United States.

The American Medical Association (AMA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggest patient education materials should not exceed the sixth-grade reading level. Several studies have shown that patient information has been written well above this reading level across multiple specialties. A search was conducted utilizing the Google Chrome browser and the Google search engine.

Designing Urban Green Space (UGS) to Enhance Health: A Methodology.

Policymakers and urban designers strive to implement the increasing evidence about the positive association between urban green space (UGS) and health in policy. In Almere, The Netherlands, the Regenboogbuurt ("Rainbow Quarter") neighbourhood is currently being revitalized. The research team was asked to deliver design principles for the improvement of UGS in this neighbourhood to benefit the health of its residents.

Risk perceptions of public health and food safety hazards in poultry husbandry by citizens, poultry farmers and poultry veterinarians.

Differences in risk perceptions of public health and food safety hazards in various poultry husbandry systems by various stakeholder groups, may affect the acceptability of those husbandry systems. Therefore, the objective was to gain insight into risk perceptions of citizens, poultry farmers, and poultry veterinarians regarding food safety and public health hazards in poultry husbandry systems, and into factors explaining these risk perceptions. We surveyed risk perceptions of Campylobacter contamination of broiler meat, avian influenza introduction in laying hens, and altered dioxin levels in eggs for the most commonly used broiler and laying hen husbandry systems in Dutch citizens (n = 2,259), poultry farmers (n = 100), and poultry veterinarians (n = 41).

Working and reference memory of pigs in the spatial holeboard discrimination task.

The present study investigated whether pigs are able to acquire a complex spatial holeboard discrimination task (4 of 16 holes baited) and whether mixing stress affects performance in this task. All pigs rapidly reduced the number of re-visits to baited holes (working memory) and to unbaited holes (reference memory). Mixing stress did not affect performance.

Cortisol administration to pregnant sows affects novelty-induced locomotion, aggressive behaviour, and blunts gender differences in their offspring.

Several behavioural effects of prenatal stress are reported in literature, and these seem to depend, among other factors, on the gender studied and the period of gestation in which prenatal stress is applied. In the present study, oral administration of hydrocortisone-acetate (HCA) to 41 pregnant sows was used as a model for prenatal stress, since corticosteroids are considered a key mediator in the effects of prenatal stress. HCA was orally administered to pregnant sows during three periods of gestation: 21-50 (period 1, P1, n = 10), 51-80 (period 2, P2, n = 10) and 81-110 (period 3, P3, n = 10) days after insemination (term 115 days).

Lower birth weight and attenuated adrenocortical response to ACTH in offspring from sows that orally received cortisol during gestation.

Prenatal stress is known to affect several offspring characteristics, but its effects depend among other factors on the period of gestation in which it is applied. In the present study, oral administration of hydrocortisone-acetate (HCA) was used to elevate cortisol concentrations in pregnant sows to levels also observed after psychological stress. HCA was administered during three different periods of gestation (115 days in pigs): period 1: 21-50 (P1, n = 10), period 2: 51-80 (P2, n = 10) and period 3: 81-110 (P3, n = 10) days after insemination.

[Individual behavioral characteristics of pigs and their impact on production].

Two studies were carried out with pigs to determine the relationship between back test results and production parameters and between back test results and other factors. In the first study, 823 piglets were tested with the back test at 10 and 17 days of age. Production parameters such as average daily weight gain and lean meat percentage were determined.

Farm animal welfare research in interaction with society.

Over the last 30 years concern about farm animal welfare has increased and has become a public issue in the Netherlands. Public discussion has stimulated research in this field, financed by both government and industry. Dutch society in general and consumers of animal products in particular, want to see high standards of welfare for production animals.

Effects of strawbedding on physiological responses to stressors and behavior in growing pigs.

To study the effects of environmental enrichment on physiological responses to stressors and behavior in growing pigs, pigs were housed in either a poor environment (standard farrowing pens followed by standard rearing and fattening pens) or in an enriched environment (larger farrowing pens followed by larger rearing and fattening pens, provision of straw). Body temperature, heart rate and salivary cortisol were measured during baseline conditions and in response to relocation, isolation and restraint. Pigs housed in the poor environment performed more manipulative social behavior directed to penmates than pigs housed in the enriched environment.

The circadian rhythm of salivary cortisol in growing pigs: effects of age, gender, and stress.

This experiment was designed to examine circadian rhythmicity of cortisol in saliva of growing pigs, in relation to age, gender, and (time of) stressor application. Additionally, the acute cortisol response to a stressor was studied. Five groups, each consisting of 3 barrows and 3 gilts, were involved in the experiment.

The effects of mixing on behavior and circadian parameters of salivary cortisol in pigs.

The present study describes an experiment that was carried out to study the effects of mixing pigs once at 25 kg, preceded by transportation for 1.5 h, on the behavior and the circadian rhythmicity of salivary cortisol. The frequency of agonistic interactions was higher for mixed pigs.

Health, welfare, and productivity of pigs housed under Specific-Stress-Free conditions in comparison with two-site systems.

This study describes the effects of housing pigs under optimal climatic conditions in a Specific-Stress-Free (SSF) housing system on health, behavior, immunological responsiveness, and production performance of 78 pigs from 10 litters. Pigs housed in an SSF system, where they were neither mixed nor transported, were compared with a control group of pigs for which transport was simulated and which were mixed at approximately 25 kg; transportation to another location and mixing are usual procedures in two-site systems. The SSF pigs had a higher growth rate for the finishing period (P < .

The circadian rhythm of cortisol in the saliva of young pigs.

Single and population-mean cosinor analyses document a circadian rhythm in salivary cortisol of pigs (p < 0.001). The midline estimated statistic of rhythm, the MESOR (M), is 1.

The phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) skin test as an indicator of stress-induced changes in immune reactivity in pigs.

The present study describes two experiments to standardize the phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) skin test as an indicator of lymphocyte reactivity in pigs after exposure to stressful situations in practical pig husbandry. The first experiment was a dose-response experiment. No time dose interaction was found, so the pattern of the reaction was the same for all doses used, although the magnitude of the reaction differed.

The Specific-Stress-Free housing system has positive effects on productivity, health, and welfare of pigs.

An experiment was conducted to determine the health, welfare, and growth performance of pigs housed under optimal climatic conditions in a Specific-Stress-Free (SSF) housing system. This system was compared to a conventional housing system with the same climatic conditions. Two identical experimental rooms with five pens each were used.