Seasonal and Altitudinal Effects on Chemical Composition and Rumen Degradability of Blackberry Leaves in Northwestern Italian Alps.

The blackberry poses a threat as an invasive plant in various regions worldwide, where it aggressively competes with native species and risks delicate ecosystems. Livestock grazing has emerged as a potential strategy to mitigate its spread. This study investigated the effects of seasonal variations and altitude on the chemical composition and in vitro degradability of blackberry leaves.

First Evidence of the Effects of Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics on Ruminal Degradability and Gastro-Intestinal Digestibility of Mixed Hay.

Microplastics (MPs) raise environmental concerns. However, their effects on the ruminal-gastro-intestinal system have not yet been studied. This study aims to investigate the effects of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) MPs on the ability of the ruminal-gastro-intestinal system to degrade and digest mixed hay.

A Brief Online Motivational Tool to Promote Early Help-Seeking in Men Using Abuse and Violence in Relationships: A Feasibility Trial.

Men's use of domestic violence is a major public health issue globally. However, the potential for technology to address this issue has been limited within research and practice. This study aimed to test the feasibility and acceptability of an online healthy relationship tool (BETTER MAN) for men who have used domestic violence to encourage help-seeking.

Development and application of a novel extraction protocol for the monitoring of microplastic contamination in widely consumed ruminant feeds.

Plastics and, in particular, microplastics (MPs) (< 5 mm) are emerging environmental pollutants responsible for interconnected risks to environmental, human, and animal health. The livestock sector is highly affected by these contaminants, with 50-60 % of the foreign bodies found in slaughtered domestic cattle being recognized as plastic-based materials. Additionally, microplastics were recently detected inside ruminant bodies and in their feces.

Pregnancy Outcomes After Laparoscopic Radiofrequency Ablation of Uterine Leiomyomas Compared With Myomectomy.

Objective: To compare pregnancy outcomes after laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation and myomectomy.

Methods: The ULTRA (Uterine Leiomyoma Treatment With Radiofrequency Ablation) study is an ongoing multicenter prospective cohort study with longitudinal follow-up up to 5 years comparing outcomes of radiofrequency ablation with myomectomy in premenopausal women older than age 21 years with symptomatic uterine leiomyomas. Participants were queried every 6 months after surgery to assess the incidence of pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes.

Protocol for a randomised controlled trial of a healthy relationship tool for men who use intimate partner violence (BETTER MAN).

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is common globally, but there is a lack of research on how to intervene early with men who might be using IPV. Building on evidence supporting the benefits of online interventions for women victim/survivors, this study aims to test whether a healthy relationship website (BETTER MAN) is effective at improving men's help seeking, their recognition of behaviours as IPV and their readiness to change their behaviours.

Methods/design: In this two-group, pragmatic randomised controlled trial, men aged 18-50 years residing in Australia who have been in an adult intimate relationship (female, male or non-binary partner) in the past 12 months are eligible.

Laboratory Analyses Used to Define the Nutritional Parameters and Quality Indexes of Some Unusual Forages.

The quality of a forage influences the production of animals, and it can be defined in many ways. Laboratory analyses are important tools because they can be used to indicate the quality of the forages, and they represent a relatively quick way of defining their nutritive values. However, specific quality indexes are necessary to evaluate and rank forages.

Rumen Fluid from Slaughtered Animals: A Standardized Procedure for Sampling, Storage and Use in Digestibility Trials.

Digestibility trials need a viable rumen fluid as to degrade feeds. The variability of rumen fluid depends on the animal's diet, while its viability is greatly influenced by the sampling and handling procedures. In this article, we present a replicable protocol for sampling the rumen fluid from slaughtered animals for digestibility trials.

Comparison of In Vivo and In Vitro Digestibility in Rabbits.

The apparent dry matter digestibility of diets for rabbits was measured in vivo (ADMD) and in vitro with the Ankom Daisy Incubator. Four diets were tested: low fiber (LF), LF + 5% of pregerminated fenugreek seeds (PGFS) (LF5), LF + 10% PGFS (LF10), and high fiber (HF). For the ADMD, feces samples were collected from 56 White New-Zealand × Californian rabbits fed the 4 diets; animals were randomly allocated into 4 groups and housed in individual cages.

Impact of inhalational anesthetic agents on the baseline monitorability of motor evoked potentials during spine surgery: a review of 22,755 cervical and lumbar procedures.

Background Context: During spine surgery, motor evoked potentials (MEPs) are often utilized to monitor both spinal cord function and spinal nerve root or plexus function. While there are reports evaluating the impact of anesthesia on the ability of MEPs to monitor spinal cord function, less is known about the impact of anesthesia on the ability of MEPs to monitor spinal nerve root and plexus function.

Purpose: To compare the baseline monitorability and amplitude of MEPs during cervical and lumbar procedures between two cohorts based on the maintenance anesthetic regimen: a total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) versus a regimen balanced with volatile inhalational and intravenous agents.

Comparison of In Vivo and In Vitro Digestibility in Donkeys.

We compared in vivo and in vitro dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility in donkeys using feces as microbial inoculum. Four donkeys were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. The animals were fed two types of hay, with or without flaked barley.

In Vitro Techniques Using the Daisy Incubator for the Assessment of Digestibility: A Review.

This review summarises the use of the Ankom Daisy incubator (AD; Ankom Technology Corporation Fairport, NY, USA), as presented in studies on digestibility, and its extension to other species apart from ruminants, from its introduction until today. This technique has been modified and adapted to allow for different types of investigations to be conducted. Researchers have studied and tested different procedures, and the main sources of variation have been found to be: the inoculum source, sample size, sample preparation, and bag type.

In Vitro Digestibility Measurement of Feedstuffs in Donkeys Using the Daisy Incubator.

Successful studies on in vitro digestibility measurement of feedstuffs with fecal inoculum have been reported for horses, whereas data on donkeys are currently lacking. In this study, we evaluated the use of the Daisy Incubator for in vitro digestibility measurement of feedstuffs using donkey feces as source of microbial inoculum. The method was tested using seven feedstuffs commonly used in donkey diets (alfalfa, bromegrass, ryegrass, and timothy hays; wheat bran and wheat straw; barley grains).

Hematological and Psychophysiological Correlates of Anomalous Information Reception in Mediums: A Preliminary Exploration.

Context: Modern research with mediums-individuals who regularly experience and report communication from the deceased-includes investigations of mediums' accuracy, psychology, phenomenology, and electrophysiology and the therapeutic potential of mediumship readings for the bereaved. Anecdotal reports imply that chronic medical problems may be a serious concern for mediums.

Objective: The aim of this study was two-fold: (I) to systematically investigate the hematological and psychophysiological correlates of anomalous information reception (AIR, the reporting of accurate and specific information about the deceased in the absence of prior knowledge, feedback, or deceptive means) and (II) to compare the reported health issues of mediums and non-mediums.

Cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins at the river-estuarine transition.

We examined seasonal and longitudinal patterns in the occurrence of toxic cyanobacteria in the James River Estuary (Virginia). Highest chlorophyll and cyanobacteria levels were observed in the tidal freshwater segment, particularly during dry summers when freshwater replacement time was long. Cyanobacteria accounted for a small proportion of phytoplankton biomass (7-15%), and Microcystis comprised a small proportion of the cyanobacteria (<1%).

Biotransport of Algal Toxins to Riparian Food Webs.

The occurrence of harmful algal blooms has resulted in growing worldwide concern about threats to aquatic life and human health. Microcystin (MC), a cyanotoxin, is the most widely reported algal toxin in freshwaters. Prior studies have documented its presence in aquatic food webs including commercially important fish and shellfish.

Rabbit Feces as Feed for Ruminants and as an Energy Source.

There are prospects for using novel feeds from various sources to provide ruminants with alternative sources of protein and energy such as by-products, and animal wastes. Rabbit feces are a concentrated source of fiber and could have commercial potential both as input biomass in anaerobic processes for biogas production, as well as a fibrous source for ruminal degradation. The aims of this work were to assess the potential as ruminant feeding and as biogas production of rabbit feces, in comparison with 12 crops.

Technical note: precision and accuracy of in vitro digestion of neutral detergent fiber and predicted net energy of lactation content of fibrous feeds.

The objective of this study was to test the precision and agreement with in situ data (accuracy) of neutral detergent fiber degradability (NDFD) obtained with the rotating jar in vitro system (Daisy(II) incubator, Ankom Technology, Fairport, NY). Moreover, the precision of the chemical assays requested by the National Research Council (2001) for feed energy calculations and the estimated net energy of lactation contents were evaluated. Precision was measured as standard deviation (SD) of reproducibility (S(R)) and repeatability (S(r)) (between- and within-laboratory variability, respectively), which were expressed as coefficients of variation (SD/mean × 100, S(R) and S(r), respectively).

Effects of a natural extract of chestnut wood on digestibility, performance traits, and nitrogen balance of broiler chicks.

Currently, feed ingredients containing tannin are attracting more interest as substitutes for antibiotic growth promoters in animal and poultry feeding. This study investigated the influence of a natural extract of chestnut wood (Silvafeed ENC) on broiler digestibility (experiment 1) and on the growth performance, carcass quality, and nitrogen balance of broilers (experiment 2). Results showed that the inclusion of ENC did not influence the apparent digestibility of organic matter, CP, and ether extract.

Breast meat traits of Muscovy ducks fed on a microalga (Crypthecodinium cohnii) meal supplemented diet.

1. A trial was conducted in order to increase the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content in the meat of Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata domestica L.) fed on a diet supplemented with the microalga Crypthecodinium cohnii.

Meat cooking shrinkage: Measurement of a new meat quality parameter.

A parameter, meat cooking shrinkage (MCS), has been introduced based on investigations carried out on meat shrinkage caused by heat during cooking. MCS is the difference between the raw and cooked areas of the meat sample, expressed as a percentage of the raw area. The method uses a disk of meat (10mm thick and 55mm wide) measured before and after cooking in a hot air oven at 165°C for 10min, the meat having reached an internal temperature of 70°C.

Performances and meat quality of two Italian pig breeds fed diets for commercial hybrids.

The effects of specific diets for commercial hybrids were investigated on 6 Casertana and 11 Mora Romagnola, two endangered Italian pig breeds. Average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion index (FCI), dressing percentage and meat and fat quality of animals bred under similar environmental and nutritional conditions were compared to define their optimal slaughtering weight. Animals were fed the same diets assuming that requirements of Mora Romagnola and Casertana did not differ, and changed every 30kg of weight gain.

Outpatient cervical ripening using a sustained-release prostaglandin E2 vaginal insert.

This clinical trial was undertaken to determine whether a sustained-release prostaglandin E2 vaginal insert could be used for outpatient cervical ripening. A total of 111 patients, with primarily pregnancy-induced hypertension or postdatism, were administered the insert in a simulated outpatient setting. The high rates of regular contractions (23.