• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.35-48
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• 2020

Purpose: Gastrointestinal symptoms are often related to antibiotic treatment. Their incidence, risk and protective conditions in children are not well defined and represent the aims of this study. Methods: We prospectively enrolled inpatient children submitted to antibiotic treatment. Indication, type, dose and duration of treatment, probiotic supplementation and gastrointestinal symptoms were recorded at recruitment, after two and four weeks. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) was defined as the presence of at least 3 loose/liquid stools within 14 days from antibiotic onset. Results: AAD occurred in 59/289 (20.4%) of patients, with increased risk in children younger than 3 years (relative risk [RR]=4.25), in lower respiratory (RR=2.11) and urinary infections (RR=3.67), intravenous administration (RR=1.81) and previous AAD episodes (RR=1.87). Abdominal pain occurred in 27/289 (9.3%), particularly in children >6 years (RR=4.15), with previous abdominal pain (RR=7.2) or constipation (RR=4.06). Constipation was recorded in 23/289 (8.0%), with increased risk in children having surgery (RR=2.56) or previous constipation (RR=7.38). Probiotic supplementation significantly reduced AAD (RR=0.30) and abdominal pain (RR=0.36). Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and L. reuteri significantly reduced AAD (RR=0.37 and 0.35) and abdominal pain (RR=0.37 and 0.24). Conclusion: AAD occurred in 20.4% of children, with increased risk at younger age, lower respiratory and urinary tract infections, intravenous treatment and previous AAD. LGG and L. reuteri reduced both AAD and associated abdominal pain.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.1186-1194
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• 2019

Objective: The influence of broiler carcass scalding conditions on chicken breast meat quality parameters was investigated. Methods: Two hundred and seventy Cobb broiler chickens from 42 to 48 days old were slaughtered according to the standard industry practice and scalded in five temperature/time combinations-$T_1$, $54^{\circ}C/210s$; $T_2$, $55^{\circ}C/180s$; $T_3$, $56^{\circ}C/150s$; $T_4$, $57^{\circ}C/120s$; $T_5$, $58^{\circ}C/90s$. Results: Scalding temperature increase resulted in higher values of external and ventral lightness and in protein functionality reduction-determined by emulsification capacity and protein denaturation-in chicken breast fillets 24 h post-mortem. Protein secondary structures had conformational changes, with a decrease of the ${\alpha}$-helix and an increase of the ${\beta}$-sheet and ${\beta}$-turn proportions, mainly in $T_1$ and $T_5$ samples, determined by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy in an attenuated reflectance mode analysis. The chemical composition, pH, water holding capacity and Warner-Bratzler shear force did not differ among the treatments. In the fatty acid profile, the 18:1n-9 was lower in $T_5$, which suggested that the high scalding-temperature could have caused the lipid oxidation. The values of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), such as 22:2, 20:4n-6, and 22:6n-3, were highest in the $T_5$, thus being related to the phospholipid cellular membrane collapse in this experimental condition and subsequent release of these PUFA. Conclusion: Intermediate scalding-parameters avoided the negative changes in the chicken meat quality.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.729-739
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• 2022

Cranioplasties are common procedures in plastic surgery. The use of tissue expansion (TE) in staged cranioplasties is less common. We present two cases of cranioplasties with TE and systematically review literature describing the use of TE in staged cranioplasties and postoperative outcomes. A systematic review was performed by querying multiple databases. Eligible articles include published case series, retrospective reviews, and systematic reviews that described use of TE for staged bony cranioplasty. Data regarding study size, patient demographics, preoperative characteristics, staged procedure characteristics, and postoperative outcomes were collected. Of 755 identified publications, 26 met inclusion criteria. 85 patients underwent a staged cranioplasty with TE. Average defect size was 122 cm², and 30.9% of patients received a previous reconstruction. Average expansion period was 14.2 weeks. The most common soft tissue closures were performed with skin expansion only (75.3%), free/pedicled flap (20.1%), and skin graft (4.7%). The mean postoperative follow-up time was 23.9 months. Overall infection and local complication rates were 3.53 and 9.41%, respectively. The most common complications were cerebrospinal fluid leak (7.1%), hematoma (7.1%), implant exposure (3.5%), and infection (3.5%). Factors associated with higher complication rates include the following: use of alloplastic calvarial implants and defects of congenital etiology (p = 0.023 and 0.035, respectively). This is the first comprehensive review to describe current practices and outcomes in staged cranioplasty with TE. Adequate soft tissue coverage contributes to successful cranioplasties and TE can play a safe and effective role in selected cases.

• Communications for Statistical Applications and Methods
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-35
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• 2024

The assumption of homoscedasticity is one of the most crucial assumptions for many parametric tests used in the biological sciences. The aim of this paper is to compare the empirical probability of type I error and the power of ten parametric and two non-parametric tests for homoscedasticity with simulations under different types of distributions, number of groups, number of samples per group, variance ratio and significance levels, as well as through empirical data from an agricultural experiment. According to the findings of the simulation study, when there is no violation of the assumption of normality and the groups have equal variances and equal number of samples, the Bhandary-Dai, Cochran's C, Hartley's Fmax, Levene (trimmed mean) and Bartlett tests are considered robust. The Levene (absolute and square deviations) tests show a high probability of type I error in a small number of samples, which increases as the number of groups rises. When data groups display a nonnormal distribution, researchers should utilize the Levene (trimmed mean), O'Brien and Brown-Forsythe tests. On the other hand, if the assumption of normality is not violated but diagnostic plots indicate unequal variances between groups, researchers are advised to use the Bartlett, Z-variance, Bhandary-Dai and Levene (trimmed mean) tests. Assessing the tests being considered, the test that stands out as the most well-rounded choice is the Levene's test (trimmed mean), which provides satisfactory type I error control and relatively high power. According to the findings of the study and for the scenarios considered, the two non-parametric tests are not recommended. In conclusion, it is suggested to initially check for normality and consider the number of samples per group before choosing the most appropriate test for homoscedasticity.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.42.1-42.12
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• 2024

Importance: Bovine mastitis, predominantly associated with gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, poses a significant threat to dairy cows, leading to a decline in milk quality and volume with substantial economic implications. Objective: This study investigated the incidence, virulence, and antibiotic resistance of S. aureus associated with mastitis in dairy cows. Methods: Fifty milk-productive cows underwent a subclinical mastitis diagnosis, and the S. aureus strains were isolated. Genomic DNA extraction, sequencing, and bioinformatic analysis were performed, supplemented by including 124 S. aureus genomes from cows with subclinical mastitis to enhance the overall analysis. Results: The results revealed a 42% prevalence of subclinical mastitis among the cows tested. Genomic analysis identified 26 sequence types (STs) for all isolates, with Mexican STs belonging primarily to CC1 and CC97. The analyzed genomes exhibited multidrug resistance to phenicol, fluoroquinolone, tetracycline, and cephalosporine, which are commonly used as the first line of treatment. Furthermore, a similar genomic virulence repertoire was observed across the genomes, encompassing the genes related to invasion, survival, pathogenesis, and iron uptake. In particular, the toxic shock syndrome toxin (tss-1) was found predominantly in the genomes isolated in this study, posing potential health risks, particularly in children. Conclusion and Relevance: These findings underscore the broad capacity for antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity by S. aureus, compromising the integrity of milk and dairy products. The study emphasizes the need to evaluate the effectiveness of antibiotics in combating S. aureus infections.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.135-150
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• 2024

Nano-silica's growing use in construction, known for enhancing strength and durability by reducing porosity, drives this research's significance, especially considering Ecuador's reliance on cement in construction. A comprehensive comparative study on mortars made with General Use cement and aggregates from Pifo and San Antonio quarries has been studied. It explores the impact of incorporating nano-silica in varying proportions (0.75%, 1.00%, 1.25%) on mortar properties, contrasting them with conventional and prefabricated mortars. laboratory Testing is conducted according to standards to assess both fresh and hardened state properties, and microscopic analysis reveals the optimal nano-silica proportion's effects on mortar characteristics. Results shows that Incorporating 0.75% nano-silica resulted in a 61% increase in compressive strength at 7 days and. For a nanosilica content of 1.25%, a 14% increase in compressive strength was observed at 28 days in relation to the conventional mortar and the permeability of the mortar decreased by 30% when adding 0.75% nanosilica. It discusses economic viability and provides insights through SEM and EDS analyses. Overall, it underscores nano-silica's potential to enhance mortar properties and its relevance in creating more efficient and durable construction materials.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.61.1-61.1
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• 2017

As the application of deep-learning methods has been succeeded in various fields, they have a high potential to be applied to space weather forecasting. Convolutional neural network, one of deep learning methods, is specialized in image recognition. In this study, we apply the AlexNet architecture, which is a winner of Imagenet Large Scale Virtual Recognition Challenge (ILSVRC) 2012, to the forecast of daily solar flare occurrence using the MatConvNet software of MATLAB. Our input images are SOHO/MDI, EIT $195{\AA}$, and $304{\AA}$ from January 1996 to December 2010, and output ones are yes or no of flare occurrence. We consider other input images which consist of last two images and their difference image. We select training dataset from Jan 1996 to Dec 2000 and from Jan 2003 to Dec 2008. Testing dataset is chosen from Jan 2001 to Dec 2002 and from Jan 2009 to Dec 2010 in order to consider the solar cycle effect. In training dataset, we randomly select one fifth of training data for validation dataset to avoid the over-fitting problem. Our model successfully forecasts the flare occurrence with about 0.90 probability of detection (POD) for common flares (C-, M-, and X-class). While POD of major flares (M- and X-class) forecasting is 0.96, false alarm rate (FAR) also scores relatively high(0.60). We also present several statistical parameters such as critical success index (CSI) and true skill statistics (TSS). All statistical parameters do not strongly depend on the number of input data sets. Our model can immediately be applied to automatic forecasting service when image data are available.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.267-275
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• 2023

Background: Physical therapy (PT) plays an important role in the recovery of function following anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (aTSA). While several PT protocols have been published for these patients, there is no standardized protocol for aTSA rehabilitation. This lack of standardization may lead to confusion between patients and physicians, possibly resulting in suboptimal outcomes. This study examines how PT protocols provided by academic orthopedic surgery programs vary regarding therapeutic goals and activities following aTSA. Methods: PT protocols for aTSA available online from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited orthopedic surgery programs were included for review. Each protocol was analyzed to evaluate it for differences in recommendation of length of immobilization, range of motion (ROM) goals, start time for and progression of therapeutic exercises, and timing for return to functional activity. Results: Of 175 accredited programs, 25 (14.2%) had protocols publicly available, programs (92%) recommended sling immobilization outside of therapy for an average of 4.4±2.0 weeks. Most protocols gave recommendations on starting active forward flexion (24 protocols, range 1-7 weeks), external rotation (22 protocols, range 1-7 weeks), and internal rotation (18 protocols, range 4-7 weeks). Full passive ROM was recommended at 10.8±5.7 weeks, and active ROM was 13.3±3.9 weeks, on average. ROM goals were inconsistent among protocols, with significant variations in recommended ROM and resistance exercise start times. Only 13 protocols (52%) gave recommendations on resuming recreational activities (mean, 17.4±4.4 weeks). Conclusions: Publicly available PT protocols for aTSA rehabilitation are highly variable. Level of evidence: IV.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.12-18
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• 2024

Background: Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a prominent technology that can preserve superior genetic traits of animals and expand the population in a short time. Hematological characters and endocrine profiles are important elements that demonstrate the stability of the physiological state of cloned animals. To date, several studies regarding cloned camels with superior genes have been conducted. However, detailed hemato-physiological assessments to prove that cloned camels are physiologically normal are limited. In this study, We evaluated the hemato-physiological characteristics of cloned male and female dromedary camels (Camelus dromedaries). Methods: Therefore, we analyzed variations in hematological characteristics and endocrine profiles between cloned and non-cloned age-matched male and female dromedary camels (Camelus dromedaries). Two groups each of male and female cloned and non-cloned camels were monitored to investigate the differences in hemato-physiological characteristics. Results: All the animals were evaluated by performing complete blood count (CBC), serum chemistry, and endocrinological tests. We found no significant difference between the cloned and non-cloned camels. Furthermore, the blood chemistry and endocrine profiles in male and female camels before maturity were similar. Conclusions: These results suggest that cloned and non-cloned camels have similar hematological characteristics and endocrine parameters.

• ALGAE
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.85-99
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• 2018

Crustose calcareous algae (CCA) constitute one of the main reef builders on the Abrolhos Bank, Brazil. Once CCA taxonomy is locally understood, differences in growth-forms may be useful for the delimitation of taxa using characteristics such as the presence or absence of surface protuberances. Here, growth-forms were used to identify and quantify the most common CCA taxa on the shallow reefs (3-10 m) of the Abrolhos Bank to determine possible changes in the CCA community over a period of 10 years, and the ecological significance of CCA to local reefs was interpreted. The CCA assemblages were surveyed from 2006-2015 by using fixed photoquadrats at four sites in the inner (10-20 km from the mainland) and mid-shelf reefs (40-75 km from the mainland). The five most common CCA taxa were Pneophyllum conicum, the Lithophyllum kaiserii / Lithophyllum sp. complex, Melyvonnea erubescens, the Hydrolithon boergesenii / Porolithon onkodes complex and Peyssonelia sp. The overall mean CCA cover on the reefs was 20%. A comparison with a previous monitoring study in the same region indicated that the CCA cover nearly doubled from 2003-2008 to 2006-2015. This study reveals that the coral-killing species P. conicum dominated CCA flora on the shallow Abrolhos reefs in the last decade, and the local specific abundance of CCA slightly fluctuated over time and was species- and site-specific. The information obtained in this study contributes to the understanding of the ecology of the key calcifying components of the Abrolhos reefs and provides a useful baseline for exploring the responses of CCA to future environmental changes.