Does lifting female piglets by one hind leg increase the risk of umbilical and hind leg lesions?

Background: Umbilical lesions in pigs have a negative impact on animal welfare and productivity. It has been suggested that lifting young piglets by one hind leg may be a risk factor for developing omphalitis and umbilical hernia. However, the hypothesis that lifting piglets by one hind leg should stretch the umbilical wall and impede the healing of the umbilicus has not yet been investigated.

Profiling of B cells and their subsets by whole blood gene expression analysis versus flow cytometry in multiple sclerosis.

We investigated if differentially expressed mRNA targets could be used as surrogate markers for circulating B cells and subsets. In paired blood samples from patients with untreated, anti-CD20-treated, fingolimod-treated, and natalizumab-treated multiple sclerosis, whole blood expression of CD19 correlated with B cell counts determined by flow cytometry, ROR1 with transitional B cells, TCL1A and ZNF727 with naïve B cells, NEXMIF with memory B cells and BCMA with plasmablasts. CD19 expression distinguished patients with B cell repletion and may be used as an alternative to flow cytometry, but NEXMIF was unsuitable for memory B cell monitoring in rituximab-treated patients.

Illness and narrative identity: examining past and future life story chapters in individuals with bipolar disorder, diabetes mellitus or no chronic illness.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether narrative identity challenges are specific to Bipolar Disorder (BD) as a mental illness or a reflection of living with chronic illness. Nineteen individuals diagnosed with BD, 29 individuals diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and 25 controls without chronic mental or somatic illness identified past and future life story chapters which were self-rated on emotional tone and self-event connections and content-coded for agency and communion themes. Individuals with BD self-rated their past chapters as more negative and less positive, and their chapters were lower on content-coded agency and communion themes compared to T1DM and controls.

Effects of anti-CD20 therapy on circulating and intrathecal follicular helper T cell subsets in multiple sclerosis.

Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells and their interplay with B cells likely contribute to the pathogenesis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Tfh cells are enriched in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in RRMS, but effects of anti-CD20 therapy are unknown. We investigated Tfh cells in controls, untreated and anti-CD20-treated patients with RRMS using flow cytometry.

CD11c B cells in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and effects of anti-CD20 therapy.

Objectives: B cells are important in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. It is yet unknown which subsets may be involved, but atypical B cells have been proposed as mediators of autoimmunity. In this study, we investigated differences in B-cell subsets between controls and patients with untreated and anti-CD20-treated multiple sclerosis.

Co-creating active communities: processes and outcomes of linking public rehabilitation programs with civic engagement for active living in a Danish municipality.

Background: Increased levels of physical activity are associated with beneficial health effects for people with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and/or severe obesity; however, transforming knowledge about these effects into action is challenging. The aim of this paper is to explore lessons learnt from a co-creation process in a partnership project involving local stakeholders, including citizens, and researchers. The purpose of the process was to link a public health care institution with civil society organisations in the local community to make it possible for citizens to continue to be physically active after ending their public rehabilitation.

Beneficial effects of exercise initiated before development of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in genotype-positive mice.

The effect of exercise on disease development in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) genotype-positive individuals is unresolved. Our objective was to test the effect of exercise training initiated before phenotype development on cardiac fibrosis, morphology, and function in a mouse model of HCM. Genotype-positive R403Q mice exposed to cyclosporine A (CsA) for induction of HCM (HCM mice) were allocated to high-intensity interval treadmill running or sedentary behavior for 6 wk.

Individual Differences in Early Disambiguation of Prosodic Grouping.

Prosodic cues help to disambiguate incoming information in spoken language perception. In structurally ambiguous coordinate utterances, such as three-name sequences, the intended grouping is marked by three prosodic cues: F0-range, final lengthening, and pause. To indicate that the first two names are grouped together, speakers typically weaken the durational and tonal cues on the first name whereas they are strengthened on the second name, compared with a structure without internal grouping.

Metamotivation in people diagnosed with schizophrenia: A conceptual introduction and qualitative study.

Negative symptoms, such as avolition, are considered to be some of the most debilitating symptoms of schizophrenia, yet the mechanisms that contribute to their formation and persistence are poorly understood. In this article, we introduce a novel concept, metamotivation, as having potential implications for avolition, a core negative symptom. Metamotivation is defined as the ability to identify, monitor, and self-regulate motivation in service of goal attainment.

A Meta-Analysis of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Effects on Brain Volume in Schizophrenia: Genotype and Serum Levels.

Aim: The Val66Met single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on the BDNF gene has established pleiotropic effects on schizophrenia incidence and morphologic alterations in the illness. The effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on brain volume measurements are however mixed seeming to be less established for most brain regions. The current meta-analytic review examined (1) the association of the Val66Met SNP and brain volume alterations in schizophrenia by comparing Met allele carriers to Val/Val homozygotes and (2) the association of serum BDNF with brain volume measurements.

Exercise Training Stabilizes RyR2-Dependent Ca Release in Post-infarction Heart Failure.

Dysfunction of the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2) is an almost ubiquitous finding in animal models of heart failure (HF) and results in abnormal Ca release in cardiomyocytes that contributes to contractile impairment and arrhythmias. We tested whether exercise training (ET), as recommended by current guidelines, had the potential to stabilize RyR2-dependent Ca release in rats with post-myocardial infarction HF. We subjected male Wistar rats to left coronary artery ligation or sham operations.

Cytoplasmic Citrate Flux Modulates the Immune Stimulatory NKG2D Ligand MICA in Cancer Cells.

Immune surveillance of cancer cells is facilitated by the Natural Killer Group 2D (NKG2D) receptor expressed by different lymphocyte subsets. It recognizes NKG2D ligands that are rarely expressed on healthy cells, but upregulated by tumorigenesis, presenting a target for immunological clearance. The molecular mechanisms responsible for NKG2D ligand regulation remain complex.

Proactive Health Support: Exploring Face-to-Face Start-Up Sessions Between Participants and Registered Nurses at the Onset of Telephone-Based Self-Management Support.

Proactive Health Support (PaHS) is a large-scale intervention in Denmark carried out by registered nurses (RNs) who provide self-management support to people at risk of hospital admission to enhance their health, coping, and quality of life. PaHS is initiated with a face-to-face session followed by telephone conversations. We aimed to explore the start-up sessions, including if and how the relationship between participants and RNs developed at the onset of PaHS.

Impact of psychological stress measured in three different scales on testis function: A cross-sectional study of 1362 young men.

Background: Studies have reported associations between psychological stress and semen quality, but most have been performed on selected populations using different stress measures. Thus, it is uncertain which stress scale best quantifies the effects of stress on testicular function.

Objective: To study the association between three different measures of stress and testicular function in young men.

β-catenin promotes endothelial survival by regulating eNOS activity and flow-dependent anti-apoptotic gene expression.

Increased endothelial cell (EC) apoptosis is associated with the development of atherosclerotic plaques that develop predominantly at sites exposed to disturbed flow (DF). Strategies to promote EC survival may therefore represent a novel therapeutic approach in cardiovascular disease. Nitric oxide (NO) and β-catenin have both been shown to promote cell survival and they interact in ECs as we previously demonstrated.

The cognitive training version of the MUSIC® model of motivation inventory: A follow-up validity study.

Further validation of the MUSIC® Model of Motivation Inventory (MMI) for use in Cognitive Remediation (CR) for schizophrenia is needed. The MMI was compared to the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory - Schizophrenia Research and Perceived Competency Scale following early treatment exposure in a CR clinical trial. MMI Usefulness, Success, and Interest scales were significantly correlated with corresponding comparison scales.

Genetic liability to ADHD and substance use disorders in individuals with ADHD.

Aims: 1) To investigate whether genetic liability to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), indexed by polygenic risk scores for ADHD (PRS-ADHD), is associated with substance use disorders (SUD) in individuals with ADHD. 2) To investigate whether other individual- or family-related risk factors for SUD could mediate or confound this association.

Design: Population-based cohort study SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: ADHD cases in the iPSYCH sample (a Danish case-cohort sample of genotyped cases with specific mental disorders), born in Denmark between 1981 and 2003 (N = 13 116).

Protective effect of in-feed specific IgM towards Yersinia ruckeri in rainbow trout.

Tightened regulations and an environmentally friendly approaches in fish production have greatly reduced the use of antibiotics but green solutions are continuously being explored. The use of functional feed may have a potential in the aquaculture sector in securing biomass and minimizing the loss from disease. In the present study, we tested the concept that blood from the fish slaughterhouse can be used for mass purification of specific antibodies which subsequently can be used for feeding fish and thereby confer protection against diseases.

Hallucinations Beyond Voices: A Conceptual Review of the Phenomenology of Altered Perception in Psychosis.

Recent psychiatric research and treatment initiatives have tended to move away from traditional diagnostic categories and have focused instead on transdiagnostic phenomena, such as hallucinations. However, this emphasis on isolated experiences may artificially limit the definition of such phenomena and ignore the rich, complex, and dynamic changes occurring simultaneously in other domains of experience. This article reviews the literature on a range of experiential features associated with psychosis, with a focus on their relevance for hallucinations.

Validation of the MUSIC Model of Motivation Inventory for use with cognitive training for schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A multinational study.

Aim: Low motivation is a core symptom of schizophrenia which significantly impacts successful engagement in and benefit from psychosocial treatments. Therefore, it is important for clinicians to design psychosocial treatments to effectively motivate and engage patients during the treatment. The MUSIC® Model of Academic Motivation Inventory (MMI) is an 18-item instrument with five scales that assess students' motivation during academic tasks.

Autonomic Regulation and Auditory Hallucinations in Individuals With Schizophrenia: An Experience Sampling Study.

Auditory Hallucinations (AH) cause substantial suffering and dysfunction, yet remain poorly understood and modeled. Previous reports have linked AH to increases in negative emotions, suggesting a role for the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in underlying this link. Employing an Experience Sampling Method (ESM) approach, 40 individuals with schizophrenia completed a 36-hour ambulatory assessment of AH and cardiac autonomic regulation.

The roles of tissue nitrate reductase activity and myoglobin in securing nitric oxide availability in deeply hypoxic crucian carp.

In mammals, treatment with low doses of nitrite has a cytoprotective effect in ischemia/reperfusion events, as a result of nitric oxide formation and S-nitrosation of proteins. Interestingly, anoxia-tolerant lower vertebrates possess an intrinsic ability to increase intracellular nitrite concentration during anoxia in tissues with high myoglobin and mitochondria content, such as the heart. Here, we tested the hypothesis that red and white skeletal muscles develop different nitrite levels in crucian carp exposed to deep hypoxia and assessed whether this correlates with myoglobin concentration.

Oxyntomodulin Identified as a Marker of Type 2 Diabetes and Gastric Bypass Surgery by Mass-spectrometry Based Profiling of Human Plasma.

Low-abundance regulatory peptides, including metabolically important gut hormones, have shown promising therapeutic potential. Here, we present a streamlined mass spectrometry-based platform for identifying and characterizing low-abundance regulatory peptides in humans. We demonstrate the clinical applicability of this platform by studying a hitherto neglected glucose- and appetite-regulating gut hormone, namely, oxyntomodulin.

Personalised treatment for cognitive dysfunction in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Cognitive deficits are a well-recognised issue for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Despite positive group findings for the use of cognitive remediation (CR) interventions, there are substantial individual differences in response to treatment. In addition, the aggregate CR literature reports low moderate effect sizes for cognitive and functional outcomes.