Aspects of the feeding behaviour of intensively reared trout

Feeding behaviour of trained rainbow trout was investigated by the use of demand feeders, under different light conditions. The effects of the energy content of diet, and the size, colour and texture of feed pellets, on the feeding behaviour, were studied. An attempt was made to locate the assumed centres for feeding and satiety in the hypothalamus of brain by the intraperitoneal injections of goldthioglucose. Feeding under nine different constant photoperiods at 160 lux, at a temperature of 13.5°C, showed that trout exhibit a rhythmic pattern of feeding behaviour in all photoperiods except in continuous darkness.Feeding rhythms of trout attributable to the degree of gut distension were formed every eight to ten hours. Further studies by varying levels of light intensity revealed the interaction of light intensity and photoperiod. At shorter photoperiods lower levels of light intensity decreased the feeding activity in terms of food intake but by increasing the photoperiod the same feeding activity was accomplished as by the fish subject to a short photoperiod but under higher light intensity.Simulated effect of increasing and decreasing daylengths did not affect the overall food intake and growth performance. Trout are quite efficient in adjusting their food intake in terms of energy content. Colour, size and texture of feed pellets affect the feeding responses and elicit preferential food selection behaviour in trout. Goldthioglucose induced some reversable toxic effects upon general physiology of trout and did not produce any lesions in the assumed areas of feeding and satiety centres in the brain.  It was concluded that the feeding behaviour of trout exhibited selective preferences according to the physical nature of food items and those preferences could be further influenced by the biotic and abiotic factors, light being one of the most important abiotic factors.

Do intravitreal Ranibizumab injections for wet age-related macular degeneration affect the vitreomacular interface?

Presentation Abstract - Purpose:Serial intravitreal ranibizumab injections are the main treatment for wet age- related macular degeneration (AMD), and patients are monitored by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Our objective in conducting this study is to determine whether serial intravitreal injections of ranibizumab in eyes with wet AMD alter the vitreo-macular interface (VMI) Methods - Using a Topcon Spectral Domain OCT, we performed a prospective, observational study of 87 eyes of 82 consecutive patients undergoing treatment with intravitreal ranibizumab for wet AMD, with each patient followed up for a minimum of 6 months. The mean number of intravitreal ranibizumab injections was 4.28, range 3-6. Using macular OCT scans, the area of VMI was closely examined, for vitreo-macular adhesion (VMA), defined as perifoveal posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) with posterior vitreous attached to fovea. Any OCT separation of posterior vitreous face was observed and measured, every month for 6 months. Results - There was no change in the OCT appearance or measurement of VM interface in 80 eyes (92%). VM adhesion, defined on OCT as when the posterior hyaloid line is attached to inner foveal surface and dettached perifoveally, was identified in 7 out of 87 treated eyes (8%) .Of these 7 eyes, 1 eye developed complete PVD following three injections, 1 eye developed partial PVD and the remaining 5 eyes had no significant change in VM adhesion. Conclusions - To our knowledge this is the first study that has examined the VM interface following serial ranibizumab injections for wet AMD. This small pilot study suggests that most cases undergoing ranibizumab therapy suffer no disturbance to VM interface.

Efficacy and safety of second-generation antipsychotic long-acting injections (SGA LAIs) in maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder:protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: Bipolar disorder requires long-term treatment but non-adherence is a common problem. Antipsychotic long-acting injections (LAIs) have been suggested to improve adherence but none are licensed in the UK for bipolar. However, the use of second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) LAIs in bipolar is not uncommon albeit there is a lack of systematic review in this area. This study aims to systematically review safety and efficacy of SGA LAIs in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The protocol is based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and will include only randomised controlled trials comparing SGA LAIs in bipolar. PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library (CENTRAL), PsychINFO, LiLACS, http://www.clinicaltrials.gov will be searched, with no language restriction, from 2000 to January 2016 as first SGA LAIs came to the market after 2000. Manufacturers of SGA LAIs will also be contacted. Primary efficacy outcome is relapse rate or delayed time to relapse or reduction in hospitalisation and primary safety outcomes are drop-out rates, all-cause discontinuation and discontinuation due to adverse events. Qualitative reporting of evidence will be based on 21 items listed on standards for reporting qualitative research (SRQR) focusing on study quality (assessed using the Jadad score, allocation concealment and data analysis), risk of bias and effect size. Publication bias will be assessed using funnel plots. If sufficient data are available meta-analysis will be performed with primary effect size as relative risk presented with 95% CI. Sensitivity analysis, conditional on number of studies and sample size, will be carried out on manic versus depressive symptoms and monotherapy versus adjunctive therapy.

Antagonistic effects of two novel GIP analogs, (Hyp3)GIP and (Hyp3)GIPLys16PAL, on the biological actions of GIP and longer-term effects in diabetic ob/ob mice

This study examines the actions of the novel enzyme-resistant, NH 2-terminally modified GIP analog (Hyp3)GIP and its fatty acid-derivatized analog (Hyp3)GIPLys16PAL. Acute effects are compared with the established GIP receptor antagonist (Pro3)GIP. All three peptides exhibited DPP IV resistance, and significantly inhibited GIP stimulated cAMP formation and insulin secretion in GIP receptor-transfected fibroblasts and in clonal pancreatic BRIN-BD11 cells, respectively. Likewise, in obese diabetic ob/ob mice, intraperitoneal administration of GIP analogs significantly inhibited the acute antihyperglycemic and insulin-releasing effects of native GIP. Administration of once daily injections of (Hyp 3)GIP or (Hyp3)GIPLys16PAL for 14 days resulted in significantly lower plasma glucose levels (P < 0.05) after (Hyp 3)GIP on days 12 and 14 and enhanced glucose tolerance (P < 0.05) and insulin sensitivity (P < 0.05 to P < 0.001) in both groups by day 14. Both (Hyp3)GIP and (Hyp3)GIPLys16PAL treatment also reduced pancreatic insulin (P < 0.05 to P < 0.01) without affecting islet number. These data indicate that (Hyp3)GIP and (Hyp 3)GIPLys16PAL function as GIP receptor antagonists with potential for ameliorating obesity-related diabetes. Acylation of (Hyp 3)GIP to extend bioactivity does not appear to be of any additional benefit. Copyright © 2007 the American Physiological Society.

Individual monitoring of immune responses in rainbow trout after cohabitation and intraperitoneal injection challenge with Yersinia ruckeri

Acknowledgements This work was funded by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs, grant G1100675). The authors are grateful to the aquarium staff at the University of Aberdeen (Karen Massie) and Dr David Smail at Marine Scotland for valuable discussion during the establishment of the experimental design.

Eficacia de la ropivacaína 0,1% intraperitoneal en el control del dolor postoperatorio en cirugía ginecológica laparoscópica

Introducción: Determinar la eficacia de la administración preincisional de ropivacaína al 0,1 % intraperitoneal en el control del dolor abdominal y/o de hombro, durante la primera semana de la cirugía laparoscópica ginecológica benigna. Diseño: Ensayo clínico aleatorizado y doble ciego. Material y métodos: Se realizó un ensayo clínico aleatorizado y doble ciego donde participaron 64 pacientes ASA I-III sometidas a cirugía laparoscópica ginecológica por patología benigna. Tras la realización del neumoperitoneo, se administraron 100 ml de ropivacaína 0,1 % o suero fisiológico intraperitoneal, dependiendo del grupo al que pertenecieran. Las pacientes recibieron, además, AINE junto con una bomba de PCA con opción de morfina de rescate como analgesia multimodal asociada. Se evaluó el dolor abdominal y/o de hombro al despertar, en reposo y en movimiento, a los 5, 30, 60 y 120 minutos, así como a las 24 horas. Se registró el consumo de morfina en las primeras 24 horas y la incidencia de náuseas y/o vómitos postoperatorios. A la semana, mediante encuesta telefónica, se registró la presencia de dolor de hombro a partir de las 24 horas, así como de dolor abdominal persistente al 7º día. Resultados: No se observaron diferencias significativas en el ENV durante las primeras 24 horas. Tampoco se observaron diferencias en el consumo de morfina, en la incidencia de náuseas y/o vómitos o en el dolor de hombro. Se evidenciaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la incidencia de dolor abdominal persistente al 7º día (18,52 % en grupo tratamiento vs. 57,58 % en grupo control con p = 0,04). Conclusiones: La administración intraperitoneal preincisional de 100 ml de ropivacaína 0,1 % en comparación con la administración de suero fisiológico, en el contexto de una técnica anestésica y analgésica multimodal, no ha demostrado reducir el dolor postoperatorio, el consumo de opioides ni la incidencia de náuseas y vómitos postoperatorios en las primeras 24 horas. Tampoco ha demostrado reducción del dolor de hombro a partir del primer día tras cirugía laparoscópica ginecológica. El uso de ropivacaína al 0,1 % intraperitoneal preincisional presenta una disminución estadísticamente significativa en la incidencia de dolor abdominal persistente al séptimo día de postoperatorio.

Diet, microbes and gut immune responses in the pathogenesis of experimental type 1 diabetes

Type 1diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease, which is influenced by a variety of environmental factors including diet and microbes. These factors affect the homeostasis and the immune system of the gut. This thesis explored the altered regulation of the immune system and the development of diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. Inflammation in the entire intestine of diabetes-prone NOD mice was studied using a novel ex-vivo imaging system of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), in relation to two feeding regimens. In parallel, gut barrier integrity and intestinal T-cell activation were assessed. Extra-intestinal manifestations of inflammation and decreased barrier integrity were sought for by studying peritoneal leukocytes. In addition, the role of pectin and xylan as dietary factors involved in diabetes development in NOD mice was explored. NOD mice showed expression of RONS especially in the distal small intestine, which coincided with T-cell activation and increased permeability to macromolecules. The introduction of a casein hydrolysate (hydrolysed milk protein) diet reduced these phenomena, altered the gut microbiota and reduced the incidence of T1D. Extra-intestinally, macrophages appeared in large numbers in the peritoneum of NOD mice after weaning. Peritoneal macrophages (PM) expressed high levels of interleukin-1 receptor associated kinase M (IRAK-M), which was indicative of exposure to ligands of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Intraperitoneal LPS injections activated T cells in the pancreatic lymph nodes (PaLN) and thus, therefore potentially could activate islet-specific T cells. Addition of pectin and xylan to an otherwise diabetes-retarding semisynthetic diet affected microbial colonization of newly-weaned NOD mice, disturbed gut homeostasis and promoted diabetes development. These results help us to understand how diet and microbiota impact the regulation of the gut immune system in a way that might promote T1D in NOD mice.

Pautas de protección frente al riesgo de exposición a citostáticos en quimioterapia intraperitoneal hipertérmica

Objetivo: El objetivo del trabajo realizado es identificar las tareas de riesgo asociadas a la manipulación de citostáticos, detectadas en la aplicación de Quimioterapia Intraperitoneal con Hipertermia (HIPEC) aplicada según la técnica de Sugarbaker y las diferentes soluciones llevadas a cabo para su control. Método: La detección y evaluación de los riesgos existentes, así como la propuesta y selección de las diferentes medidas de prevención implantadas se realizaron siguiendo las pautas de: entrevista y estudio de la actividad con el personal especialista implicado, estudio bibliográfico, identificación de requerimientos legales y normativos aplicables, para finalizar estableciendo las medidas de control. Por último se comprobó mediante consulta a las partes involucradas el grado de satisfacción con las medidas adoptadas (adherencia a las medidas) y la eficacia de las medidas adoptadas (número de accidentes e incidentes). Resultados: Se identificaron las tareas de mayor riesgo y las principales vías de exposición. Se determinaron medidas de control de la exposición por vía inhalatoria y dérmica, acordes a los requisitos establecidos para la protección de los trabajadores y para uso en campo quirúrgico, minimizando el disconfor que pudieran provocar al personal. Conclusiones: Se pone de manifiesto la posibilidad de conjugar protección del personal, cumplimiento normativo, preservación del campo quirúrgico y confort del personal. A través de acciones formativas e informativas y el trabajo cooperativo de los diferentes servicios participantes, se consiguió un elevado grado de aceptación por parte del personal involucrado de las medidas de prevención establecidas. Se minimizó la inquietud del personal frente a los riesgos laborales afrontados en HIPEC. Como cierre de la acción preventiva, se considera recomendable la comprobación de la eficacia de las medidas adoptadas a través de evaluación cuantitativa.

Constrained fuzzy power flow models with correlation between nodal injections

This paper extends the symmetric/constrained fuzzy powerflow models by including the potential correlations between nodal injections. Therefore, the extension of the model allows the specification of fuzzy generation and load values and of potential correlations between nodal injections. The enhanced version of the symmetric/constrained fuzzy powerflow model is applied to the 30-bus IEEE test system. The results prove the importance of the inclusion of data correlations in the analysis of transmission system adequacy.