Low inclusion levels of Tenebrio molitor larvae meal in laying Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica, Gould, 1837) diet improve the intestinal morphometry, enzymatic activity and caecal short chain fatty acids profile.

One hundred twenty, 12 weeks old laying Japanese quails (JQ) were equally divided into 4 groups (6 replicates of 5 birds/group). The control group (CON) fed a corn-soybean diet; TML1.4, TML2.

Effects of Anthocyanin Supplementation and Ageing Time on the Volatile Organic Compounds and Sensory Attributes of Meat from Goat Kids.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of dietary anthocyanin addition on volatile compounds of meat from goat kids during ageing. For this work, 60 male and female kids were divided into two groups: red orange and lemon extract (RLE group; = 30), which received an RLE extract (90 mg/kg of live weight); and control (CON group; = 30). The phytoextract in dry powder form was rich in bioflavonoids such as flavanones (about 16%) and anthocyanins (about 3%).

Automatic Detection of the Aortic Annular Plane and Coronary Ostia from Multidetector Computed Tomography.

Anatomic landmark detection is crucial during preoperative planning of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) to select the proper device size and assess the risk of complications. The detection is currently a time-consuming manual process influenced by the image quality and subject to operator variability. In this work, we propose a novel automatic method to detect the relevant aortic landmarks from MDCT images using deep learning techniques.

Microbial and Fungal Phytases Can Affect Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Blood Profile of Broilers Fed Different Levels of Non-Phytic Phosphorous.

A total of 420 day old chicks were divided into seven groups (5 replicates of 12 chicks/group) fed isoproteic and isoenergetic diets. The control group was fed diets containing 0.50%, 0.

Validation of a computational model aiming to optimize preprocedural planning in percutaneous left atrial appendage closure.

Background: Percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) closure can be optimised through diligent preprocedural planning. Cardiac computational tomography (CCT) is increasingly recognised as a valuable tool in this process. A CCT-based computational model (FEops HEARTguide™, Belgium) has been developed to simulate the deployment of the two most commonly used LAA closure devices into patient-specific LAA anatomies.

Evaluation of a modified Cheatham-Platinum stent for the treatment of aortic coarctation by finite element modelling.

Objectives: Stent implantation for the treatment of aortic coarctation has become a standard approach for the management of older children and adults. Criteria for optimal stent design and construction remain undefined. This study used computational modelling to compare the performance of two generations of the Cheatham-Platinum stent (NuMED, Hopkinton, NY, USA) deployed in aortic coarctation using finite element analysis.

Ruminant meat and milk contain δ-valerobetaine, another precursor of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) like γ-butyrobetaine.

Quaternary ammonium compounds containing N-trimethylamino moiety, such as choline derivatives and carnitine, abundant in meat and dairy products, are metabolic precursors of trimethylamine (TMA). A similar fate is reported for N-trimethyllysine and γ-butyrobetaine. With the aim at investigating the metabolic profile of such metabolites in most employed animal dietary sources, HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analyses on ruminant and non-ruminant milk and meat were performed.

Effect of consecutive re-synchronization protocols on pregnancy rate in buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) heifers out of the breeding season.

The combined effect of six consecutive timed artificial inseminations (TAIs) on pregnancy rates, following two different synchronization protocols on buffalo heifers, over a period of seven months typically characterized by low breeding performances, were investigated in this study. A total of 2189 TAIs were performed on 1463 buffalo heifers within a large buffalo farm in the south of Italy. Individual animals were allowed to undergo synchronization protocol (either a slightly modified Ovsynch or Progesterone treatment) and TAI until establishment of pregnancy or else for not more than six consecutive times.

Patient-Specific Computer Simulation to Elucidate the Role of Contact Pressure in the Development of New Conduction Abnormalities After Catheter-Based Implantation of a Self-Expanding Aortic Valve.

Background: The extent to which pressure generated by the valve on the aortic root plays a role in the genesis of conduction abnormalities after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is unknown. This study elucidates the role of contact pressure and contact pressure area in the development of conduction abnormalities after TAVR using patient-specific computer simulations.

Methods And Results: Finite-element computer simulations were performed to simulate TAVR of 112 patients who had undergone TAVR with the self-expanding CoreValve/Evolut R valve.

Erratum to: An in silico biomechanical analysis of the stent-esophagus interaction.

In the original publication of the article, Tables 2 and 3 were published with error. The correct tables are provided below (Tables 2, 3). The original version of the article has also been corrected.

An in silico biomechanical analysis of the stent-esophagus interaction.

Despite all technological innovations in esophageal stent design over the past 20 years, the association between the stent design's mechanical behavior and its effect on the clinical outcome has not yet been thoroughly explored. A parametric numerical model of a commercially available esophageal bioresorbable polymeric braided wire stent is set up, accounting for stent design aspects such as braiding angle, strut material, wire thickness, degradation and friction between the wires comprising a predictive tool on the device's mechanical behavior. Combining this tool with complex multilayered numerical models of the pathological in vivo stressed, actively contracting and buckling esophagus could provide clinicians and engineers with a patient-specific window into the mechanical aspects of stent-based esophageal intervention.

Healthy and diseased coronary bifurcation geometries influence near-wall and intravascular flow: A computational exploration of the hemodynamic risk.

Local hemodynamics has been identified as one main determinant in the onset and progression of atherosclerotic lesions at coronary bifurcations. Starting from the observation that atherosensitive hemodynamic conditions in arterial bifurcation are majorly determined by the underlying anatomy, the aim of the present study is to investigate how peculiar coronary bifurcation anatomical features influence near-wall and intravascular flow patterns. Different bifurcation angles and cardiac curvatures were varied in population-based, idealized models of both stenosed and unstenosed bifurcations, representing the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery with its diagonal branch.

Impact of plaque type and side branch geometry on side branch compromise after provisional stent implantation: a simulation study.

Aims: Mechanisms of lumen compromise after provisional side branch (SB) stenting are poorly understood. In this study we aimed to investigate the impact of bifurcation angle, plaque composition, and procedural strategy on SB compromise.

Methods And Results: Computer simulations of stent implantation were performed in Medina (1,1,1) bifurcation models.

2-D Versus 3-D Cross-Correlation-Based Radial and Circumferential Strain Estimation Using Multiplane 2-D Ultrafast Ultrasound in a 3-D Atherosclerotic Carotid Artery Model.

Three-dimensional (3-D) strain estimation might improve the detection and localization of high strain regions in the carotid artery (CA) for identification of vulnerable plaques. This paper compares 2-D versus 3-D displacement estimation in terms of radial and circumferential strain using simulated ultrasound (US) images of a patient-specific 3-D atherosclerotic CA model at the bifurcation embedded in surrounding tissue generated with ABAQUS software. Global longitudinal motion was superimposed to the model based on the literature data.

Coronary fractional flow reserve measurements of a stenosed side branch: a computational study investigating the influence of the bifurcation angle.

Background: Coronary hemodynamics and physiology specific for bifurcation lesions was not well understood. To investigate the influence of the bifurcation angle on the intracoronary hemodynamics of side branch (SB) lesions computational fluid dynamics simulations were performed.

Methods: A parametric model representing a left anterior descending-first diagonal coronary bifurcation lesion was created according to the literature.

Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulation of Prosthetic Aortic Valves: Comparison between Immersed Boundary and Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian Techniques for the Mesh Representation.

In recent years the role of FSI (fluid-structure interaction) simulations in the analysis of the fluid-mechanics of heart valves is becoming more and more important, being able to capture the interaction between the blood and both the surrounding biological tissues and the valve itself. When setting up an FSI simulation, several choices have to be made to select the most suitable approach for the case of interest: in particular, to simulate flexible leaflet cardiac valves, the type of discretization of the fluid domain is crucial, which can be described with an ALE (Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian) or an Eulerian formulation. The majority of the reported 3D heart valve FSI simulations are performed with the Eulerian formulation, allowing for large deformations of the domains without compromising the quality of the fluid grid.

Assessment of shear stress related parameters in the carotid bifurcation using mouse-specific FSI simulations.

The ApoE(-)(/)(-) mouse is a common small animal model to study atherosclerosis, an inflammatory disease of the large and medium sized arteries such as the carotid artery. It is generally accepted that the wall shear stress, induced by the blood flow, plays a key role in the onset of this disease. Wall shear stress, however, is difficult to derive from direct in vivo measurements, particularly in mice.

A Finite Element Method to Predict Adverse Events in Intracranial Stenting Using Microstents: In Vitro Verification and Patient Specific Case Study.

Clinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of stent supported coiling for intra-cranial aneurysm treatment. Despite encouraging outcomes, some matters are yet to be addressed. In particular closed stent designs are influenced by the delivery technique and may suffer from under-expansion, with the typical effect of "hugging" the inner curvature of the vessel which seems related to adverse events.

Synthetic dataset generation for the analysis and the evaluation of image-based hemodynamics of the human aorta.

Here, we consider the issue of generating a suitable controlled environment for the evaluation of phase contrast (PC) MRI measurements. The computational framework, tailored to build synthetic datasets, is based on a two-step approach, i.e.