Parity Number Research Articles

Risk Factors Influencing the Incidence of Low Birth Weight Infants at Wangaya Regional General Hospital, Denpasar City, Bali

Background. One of the main indicators of a child’s health status is the infant mortality rate. Indonesia ranks among the top 10 nations with the highest mortality rate for children under the age of 5. Every year, 72% of toddlers and infants died, and low birth weight (LBW) stands out as a significant contributing factor. The mortality rate for LBW infant is 20-35 times greater than that of infants with normal birth weight. Methods. This research uses a cross-sectional analytic observational study which was done in January 2023 at Wangaya Regional Hospital in Bali, Indonesia. Research subject were all of the newborns at Wangaya Hospital. Inclusion criteria including subject must be hospitalized in NICU, PICU, or Mother-Infant unit between September and December 2022. Sampling method used was total sampling. Bivariate analysis was done using chi squared test, and multivariate analysis was done using logistic regression test. Result. Amongst 317 samples taken, the proportion of LBW infants is 13.2%. Risk factors which lead to LBW including presence of antenatal care visit (p= 0.021), number of parities (p= 0.012), and maternal anemia (p= 0.026). It was also identified that mothers who did not undergo any antenatal care are at a higher risk of giving birth to a LBW infant (p= 0.024, OR 5.128 (95% CI 1.242 - 21.169). Conclusion. The risk of LBW can be reduced by pregnant mother doing regular antenatal care visits, taking blood supplement and foods that can increase hemoglobin level and limiting the number of pregnancies. Keywords: Low Birth Weight, Risk Factors, Antenatal Care, Anemia, Number of parities

Intraoperative and Postoperative Outcomes of Modified Bidirectional Intra-Umbilical Incision versus Infra-Umbilical Incision for Direct Trocar Insertion in Gynaecological Laparoscopy

Objectives: This study aimed to describe a modified, curved, deep, bidirectional, intra-umbilical, vertical incision for primary trocar insertion and prospectively compare its intraoperative and postoperative outcomes with an infra-umbilical incision in gynaecologic laparoscopy. Methods: Between August 2019 and March 2021, 110 patients subjected to the direct trocar insertion technique for laparoscopic intervention were classified into two groups. Group A comprised 55 cases of infra-umbilical incision, whereas group B comprised 55 cases of a modified, curved, longitudinal, deep, bidirectional, intra-umbilical incision. Afterwards, intraoperative and postoperative assessments were performed. Results: The increase in the numbers of parity, gravidity and previous caesarean sections was found to be statistically significant; a smaller number of infertility complaints were observed in group B. Similarly, group B expressed a statistically significant less peri-trocar CO2 leakage (46 [83.6%] patients versus 28 [50.9%] patients) and more tightness of the primary portal entry (45 [81.8%] patients versus 30 [54.5%] patients) when compared to group A throughout the whole operation. After a one-month follow-up, a statistically significant (P = 0.029) decrease in the Observer Scar Assessment Scale and Patient Scar Assessment Scale scores in group B (10.4 ± 4.2 and 11.8 ± 4.3, respectively), demonstrating better cosmoses when compared to group A (13.3 ± 5.7 and 16.0 ± 6.8, respectively). Conclusion: Performing a modified, curved, deep, bidirectional, intra-umbilical, vertical incision for the insertion of a primary laparoscopic trocar (i.e. Darwish laparoscopic entry) is a simple and fast step that results in the elimination of intraoperative gas leakage and trocar slippage without the need for any additional sutures. Aesthetically, it results in a better scar with satisfactory cosmoses when compared to an infra-umbilical incision. Keywords: Laparoscopy; Trocar; Egypt.

Factors affecting birth weight and stillbirth in sows housed in a tropical environment.

This study analysed data from a commercial swine herd in Thailand equipped with a free-farrowing housing system, comprising 17,196 piglets from 1318 litters, to explore the impact of sow and litter characteristics on the piglet birth weight and the incidence of stillbirth. The piglets were classified into four groups based on the total number of piglets born per litter (TB): ≤9 (n = 1434), 10-12 (n = 3232), 13-15 (n = 6537) and ≥16 (n = 5993). Sows were classified into four groups based on parity number: 1, 2-4, 5-7 and ≥8. The piglets were categorized into quartiles based on their birth order ranking: Q1 (n = 4786), Q2 (n = 4143), Q3 (n = 3808) and Q4 (n = 4456). Piglet birth weight was individually measured before colostrum ingestion. On average, TB, the number of live-born piglets and the incidence of stillbirth were 13.1 ± 3.7, 11.5 ± 3.8 and 6.3%, respectively. Among these litters, 26.6% had TB numbers ≥16. The average piglet birth weight was 1.37 ± 0.36 kg, with 18.3% of piglets weighing ≤1.0 kg at birth. Piglet birth weight was influenced by birth order ranking, as Q4 piglets were found to be heavier than piglets born in Q1-Q3 (p < .001). Moreover, the percentage of piglets with a birth weight of ≤1.0 kg increased from 5.9% in litters with TB of ≤9-25.3% in litters with TB of ≥16 (p < .001). Additionally, primiparous sows had lower piglet birth weights compared to sows with parity numbers 2-4, 5-7 and ≥8 (p < .001). Piglets born in the fourth quartile (Q4) had a higher risk of stillbirth compared to those born in the first (Q1), second (Q2) and third (Q3) quartiles (12.5% vs. 2.2%, 4.1% and 6.6%, respectively, p < .001). The incidence of stillbirth in litters with TB ≥16 was also higher than that in litters with TB ≤9 and 10-12 (p < .05). Furthermore, sows with parity numbers ≥8 had a higher incidence of stillbirth (9.7%) compared to primiparous sows (4.0%, p < .001), sows with 2-4 parity (5.2%, p < .001) and sows with 5-7 parity (7.6%, p = .003). In summary, a high incidence of stillbirth was found in piglets born in the last quartile of litters, in litters with >16 piglets and for sows with parity numbers ≥8. Piglets born in the last quartile of litters were heavier than those born in the first to third quartiles.

Impact of parity number, milk production and somatic cell count on the reproduction of Holstein cows.

This research communication describes the reproductive and productive parameters and somatic cell count (SCC) of primiparous and multiparous cows from specialized dairy Holstein herds in South region of Brazil, and correlates these parameters using test-day records. A total of 24 011 records of animals from 75 producers obtained between 2017 and 2018 were used. The variables analyzed included milk production, SCC, milk fat, protein and urea nitrogen contents and reproductive characteristics (number of services per conception, service period and percentage of pregnant cows). Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression and the statistical differentiation between the classes of SCC and milk production. Milk production, SCC, number of services per conception and service period were all higher in multiparous cows. The percentage of pregnant cows was higher when the SCC was less than 200 000 cells/ml and was higher in primiparous cows. There was no adverse effect of milk production on reproductive parameters in high producing cows (>40 kg milk/d), however, the percentage of pregnant cows with this production level was significantly higher in multiparous cows. In conclusion, the milk production level need not affect the reproduction of specialized dairy cows if the animals are kept under adequate environmental conditions.

112 Effect of Selenium Sources on Sow Productive and Reproductive Performance and Their Progeny

Abstract Dietary selenium (Se) supplementation is a standard practice, using either an inorganic form, such as sodium selenite (SS) or organic forms, like SeYeasts (SY) or pure forms of selenomethionine (SeMet). Hydroxy-selenomethionine (OH-SeMet) is a chemically synthesized organic Se form and has been proven to be efficient in transferring Se from the diet to muscle compared with SS or SY products. The transfer of Se in tissues, in fact, leads to the buildup of a Se reserve as SeMet in the body that participates in maintaining effective antioxidant defenses and supports animal performance, particularly under challenging conditions. This trial aimed to determine the effects of different Se sources on the productive and reproductive performance of sows and on their progeny. Sows (n = 120) were allocated in individual cages in one of the three treatments according to the number of parities, number of piglets in previous parturition, body condition score and initial body weight. The experiment lasted 141 days (from the insemination of sows up to the weaning of the piglets at 21 days). A corn-soybean-based basal diet was formulated to meet the nutrient requirements of the sows during gestation and lactation. The Se supplementation was 0.35 ppm of Se either from SS, SY or OH-SeMet. The number of total piglets born showed a tendency (P = 0.06) for treatments fed organic Se sources (15.6 OH-SeMet; 15.4 SY vs 14 SS) with no differences on the litter weight at birth. However, sows fed OH-SeMet weaned more piglets (13.4) than the other treatments (12.5 SY and 12.2 SS, respectively, P &amp;lt; 0.01). The litter weight at weaning showed no differences among treatments (73.4, 70.4 and 75.9kg for SS, SY and OH-SeMet, respectively). The feed conversion of the sows during lactation was also affected by the Se source, in which OH-SeMet showed a significantly reduced FCR of 2.6 vs 3.0 and 3.1 for SS and SY, respectively (P &amp;lt; 0.01). Piglets fed organic sources showed a decreased diarrhea incidence (scores 2 and 3) compared with SS (P &amp;lt; 0.001), respectively, 5.68 vs 3.28 and 3.27%. The Se concentration of sows’ colostrum and milk of sows were numerically improved from SS to SY, but only significantly greater on OH-SeMet treatment. The same pattern of Se concentration in the milk was observed in the serum of piglets 48 h after birth (142, 122 and 228 μg/kg for SS, SY and OH-SeMet, respectively) and at weaning (85, 85 and 117 μg/kg for SS, SY and OH-SeMet, respectively). Feeding pure forms of organic Se, such as OH-SeMet supports the productive and reproductive performance of sows and improve the Se status of the progeny. Organic Se also reduces the diarrhea of piglets, compared with SS.

Expression of inhibitory receptors on peripheral blood T cells in pregnant women with preeclampsia

Maternal adaptation of the immune system aimed at limiting the immune response to fetal antigens is a necessary condition for a successful pregnancy. It involves various mechanisms (Th1/Th2 switching, Treg expansion, induction of anergy and apoptosis of T lymphocytes, development of T cell depletion) that are induced through the ligation of inhibitory receptors. Accordingly, the expression of inhibitory receptors on T cells, including PD-1, CTLA-4, and Tim-3 molecules, may reflect the effectiveness of immune adaptation and its impairment in pregnancy pathology. Preeclampsia (PE), the pathogenesis of which is associated with the impairments of immunological tolerance is a major complication of pregnancy. Accordingly, changes in the expression of inhibitory receptors on T cells may be biomarkers of abnormal gestation and potential therapeutic targets. The aim of this work was to study the expression of inhibitory molecules on peripheral blood T cells in women with PE. The study recruited 29 pregnant women with PE and 36 women with uncomplicated pregnancies in the second half of pregnancy. Pregnant women of the study groups were comparable in terms of gestational age, number of pregnancies and parity of childbirth. The control group consisted of 28 fertile women with children. Relative content of CD8+PD-1+, CD8+CTLA-4+, CD8+TIM-3+, CD8+PD-1+TIM-3+, CD4+PD-1+, CD4+CTLA-4+, CD4+TIM-3+, CD4+PD-1+TIM-3+T cells in blood were analyzed by flow cytometry. It has been shown that uncomplicated pregnancy is associated with increased expression of PD-1 and Tim-3 T cells, which is manifested by an increase in the relative content of CD4+Tim-3+, CD8+PD-1+ and PD-1+Tim-3+T lymphocytes . In PE, on the contrary, there is a reduction in the expression of PD-1 and Tim-3 by T cells, in particular, a decrease in the proportion of CD4+Tim-3+ and CD8+PD-1+ cells; the absence of elevated levels in PD-1+Tim-3+ cells (compared to uncomplicated gestation) and an increase in CTLA-4+ cells within CD4+ lymphocytes. Changes in the expression of inhibitory receptors are associated with the severity of PE. A decrease in CD4+Tim-3+ and CD8+PD-1+T cells is most typical for patients with moderate PE, and an increase in CD4+CTLA-4T cells for pregnant women with severe PE. The relationship between changes in the expression of inhibitory molecules and the onset of PE has also been demonstrated. A distinctive feature of early PE is a decrease in the proportion of CD8+CTLA-4+ cells and a more pronounced increase in CD4+CTLA-4+ cells, while late PE is associated with a decrease in CD4+PD-1+ cells and a more pronounced decrease in CD4+Tim-3+ cells. The results obtained indicate a changes in the expression of CTLA-4, PD-1 and Tim-3 molecules on circulating T cells in pregnant women with PE and the association of these changes with the severity and the onset of PE manifestation.

Bump Feeding Improves Sow Reproductive Performance, Milk Yield, Piglet Birth Weight, and Farrowing Behavior.

The late gestation period is crucial for fetal growth and development, impacting swine enterprises' profitability. Various nutritional strategies have been explored to enhance reproductive performance in sows, but findings regarding birth weight and litter size have been inconsistent. This study investigated the effects of increased feeding allowance during the late gestation period on the reproductive performance and farrowing behavior of primiparous and multiparous sows. A total of 28 sows (Landrace × Yorkshire) were used in this experiment, and fed 2.50 kg/d or 3.50 kg/d from 84 days of gestation until farrowing. Farrowing behavior was monitored using a DeepEyesTM M3SEN camera. The data were analyzed using the 2 × 2 factorial within Statistical Analysis System (SAS, 2011, Version 9.3) software. The results indicated that regardless of the parity number, sows fed a high diet exhibited a numerical increase in the total number of born piglets and a significant increase in milk yield (p = 0.014) and piglet birthweight (p = 0.023). Backfat thickness loss was significantly higher in sows with a 2.50 kg feeding allowance (p = 0.022), and the total number of piglets born, live births, and litter size were numerically higher in sows fed 3.50 kg per day. Moreover, stillborn piglets, mortality rate, and re-estrus days were numerically lower in sows with a high feeding allowance. The diet and parity did not individually affect the average duration of farrowing and farrowing intervals. However, the duration of postural changes in sows after farrowing was significantly reduced (p = 0.012). The principal component analysis revealed 81.40% and 80.70% differences upon partial least-squares discriminant analysis. Therefore, increasing feeding allowance during the late gestation period, regardless of parity, could positively influence sows' reproductive performance and piglets' growth performance during the lactation phase.

Association of Parity With Insulin Resistance Early in Pregnant Women: ECLIPSES Study.

Little is known about whether parity is associated with elevated early-pregnancy insulin resistance (IR), or whether overweight/obesity contributes to increasing the possible effect. We determined the associations between parity and glucose metabolism parameters in the first trimester of pregnancy in a Mediterranean pregnant population, and whether these associations are affected by overweight/obesity. A cross-sectional study was conducted of 264 healthy pregnant women from the ECLIPSES study who were recruited at 12 weeks of gestation. At baseline, details on socioeconomic status, obstetric history (including parity, ie, number of births), lifestyle factors, anthropometry, and blood samples were collected. Fasting serum glucose, insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index were assessed in the first trimester. Elevated IR was defined as the upper HOMA-IR tertile (≥1.58). Multivariable linear regression and Cox regression model with constant time were performed. Parity ranged from 0 to 4. After multivariable adjustment, the insulin levels (β [% change]: 20.92; 95% CI, 4.08-37.71) and HOMA-IR index (β [% change]: 19.72; 95% CI, 2.43-40.49) were positively associated with parity. Additionally, multiparous women, as compared to nulliparous, were more likely to have higher HOMA-IR levels (primiparous [1 birth], β [% change[: 16.88; 95% CI, -1.00 to 37.99; multiparous [≥2 births), β [% change]: 32.18; 95% CI, 3.56-68.71), and an increased relative risk (RR) of an elevated IR (primiparous [1 birth], RR: 1.55; 95% CI, 1.03-2.36; multiparous (≥2 births), RR: 1.72; 95% CI, 1.05-2.83). The combination of multiparity and overweight/obesity conferred a 3.04-fold increase in the RR of elevated IR, which increased proportionally to the number of parities. This study demonstrates that parity may have a negative effect on early-pregnancy IR and that maternal overweight/obesity appears to further aggravate this relationship.

The Association Between Number of Parity and Incidence of Woman Breast Cancer at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National General hospital Jakarta A Cross Sectional Study

Background: Breast cancer remains as one of the many types of cancer that is commonly faced in all countries, including Indonesia. To this day, the leading cause of breast cancer has not yet been found but there are evidences of the probability on risk factors. One of the risk factors that may be related to breast cancer is the number of parity. This study analyzes the association between number of parity and incidence of breast cancer in woman at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital Jakarta in 2010 – 2014. Method: The study design is a cross-sectional study with 123 cases which were obtained using random sampling. The data were acquired from the patient’s medical records based on their anatomical pathology examination results and were analyzed using Fisher test. Results: The number of parity have no significant association against to breast cancer statistically in woman at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National General HospitalJakarta in 2010 – 2014 (p&gt;0,05). Conclusion: Statistically the number of parity have no significant affect to women breast cancer incidence at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital Jakarta. Further research is needed regarding risk factors that have significant affect for the incidence of breast cancer. This can be realized by using a case-control study design and combining other risk factors, such as age at first delivery. In addition, further research can also consider the type and stage of breast cancer

Seasonal Variations of Chemical Composition and Microbiological Quality of Camels Milk in Transhumance Nomadic Production System in Shandi Area, Northern Sudan

Transhumance production system is characterized by seasonal movement of the herders to make use of free-range pasture. In this study camel milk samples were collected during different seasons from different she camels’ rearing in transhumance system. The camel milk samples (n= 150) were collected from Western and Eastern Shandi, River Nile State, Sudan. The chemical composition (protein, lactose, total solids and density) and microbiological loads (total bacterial, coliform and yeast and mould) of camel milk were determined. The results showed that overall means for the total solids, protein and lactose content and density of camel milk samples collected from Eastern and Western Shandi during different seasons revealed 12.98±12.84%, 3.58±3.43% and 4.77±4.69% and 1.035±1.030 gm/cm3, respectively. The age and parity number of the she camel revealed highly significant (P&lt;0.01) correlations when compared with total solids, protein, lactose and density. The milk yield was higher in camel reared in Eastern Shandi during winter and Western Shandi during autumn. Also, there were significant (P&lt;0.05) differences in total bacterial, coliform and yeast and mould counts in camel milk collected from Western and Eastern Shandi during the different seasons. However non-significant (P&gt;0.05) differences were found between the two locations in the microbial quality of camel milk. This study concluded that parity number, age of camel, seasons and pasture content are important factors contributing to the variations in camel milk chemical composition. Moreover, the transhumance production system of camel sustains uniform chemical composition of milk, while variations in the microbiological quality are observed.

Effects of bovine leukemia virus seropositivity and proviral load on milk, fat, and protein production of dairy cows

The objective was to evaluate the effects of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection, as determined by BLV seropositivity and proviral load, on 305-d milk, fat, and protein production of dairy cows. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,712 cows from 9 dairy herds in Alberta, Canada. The BLV status was assessed using an antibody ELISA, whereas BLV proviral load in BLV-seropositive cattle was determined with quantitative PCR. Dairy Herd Improvement 305-d milk, fat, and protein production data were obtained for all enrolled cattle. Differences in these milk end points were assessed in 2 ways: first, by categorizing cows based on BLV serostatus (i.e., BLV positive or negative), and second, by categorizing based on BLV proviral load (i.e., BLV negative, low proviral load [LPL] BLV positive, and high proviral load [HPL] BLV positive). A mixed-effect multivariable linear regression model was used to assess differences in milk parameters. We found that BLV positivity, adjusted for parity and natural log-transformed somatic cell count (SCC), was not associated with reduction in 305-d milk, fat, or protein production. However, significant reductions in 305-d milk, fat, and protein yield occurred in HPL cows, but not in LPL cows, compared with BLV-negative cows, when adjusted for parity number and natural log-transformed SCC. In summary, BLV proviral load may predict effects of BLV infection on milk, fat, and protein production.

Proactive Stripe Reconstruction to Improve Cache Use Efficiency of SSD-Based RAID Systems

Solid-State Drives (SSDs) exhibit different failure characteristics compared to conventional hard disk drives. In particular, the Bit Error Rate (BER) of an SSD increases as it bears more writes. Then, Parity-based Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) arrays composed from SSDs are introduced to address correlated failures. In the RAID-5 implementation, specifically, the process of parity generation (or update) associating with a data stripe, consists of read and write operations to the SSDs. Whenever a new update request comes to the RAID system, the related parity must be also updated and flushed onto the RAID component of SSD. Such frequent parity updates result in poor RAID performance and shorten the life-time of the SSDs. Consequently, a DRAM cache is commonly equipped accompanying with the RAID controller, called the parity cache, and used to buffer the parity chunks that are most frequently updated data, for boosting I/O performance. To better improve the use efficiency of the parity cache, this paper proposes a stripe reconstruction approach to minimize the number of parity updates on SSDs, thus boosting I/O performance of the SSD RAID system. When the currently updated stripe has both cold and hot updated data chunks, it will proactively carry out stripe reconstruction if we can find another matched stripe that also includes cold and hot update data chunks on the complementary RAID components. In the reconstruction process, we first group the cold data chunks of two matched stripes, to build a new stripe and flush the parity chunk on the RAID component. After that, the hot data chunks are organized as a new stripe as well, and its parity chunk is buffered in the parity cache. This results in better cache use efficiency, as it can reduce the number of parity updates on RAID components of SSDs, as well as proactively free up cache space for quickly absorbing subsequent write requests. In addition, the proposed method adjusts the target SSD of write requests based on stripe reconstructions through considering the I/O workload balance of all SSDs. Experimental results show that our proposal can reduce the number of parity chunk updates in SSDs by 2.3% and overall I/O latency by 12.2% on average, compared to state-of-the-art parity cache management techniques.

Parity and nutrient total-tract digestibility in dairy cows during transition period

Cows experience many physiological, nutritional and social changes during transition period. This study aims to evaluate the differences in nutrients total-tract digestibility (nTTD) between primiparous (PP) and multiparous (MP) cows through the transition period. From -23, -5, 0, 7, 14, and 30 days from calving a sample of feed and feces samples were collected from 25 Holstein cows (11 PP and 14 MP) as well as daily rumination time through accelerometers.The results show that average nTTD were different (p ≤ 0.02) for amylase-treated neutral detergent fiber organic matter (aNDFom) and potentially digestible neutral detergent fiber (pdNDF240; 52.5 vs. 54.0 and 78.8 vs. 81.3, respectively in PP vs. MP), while no differences were found regarding pdNDF24 and starch (88.5 vs. 88.6 and 95.1 vs. 96.1, respectively in PP vs. MP). Total-tract starch digestibility (TTstarchD) was different among timepoints (p < 0.01), going from an average of 91.40 up to 97.39% of starch, on times -23 and 14, respectively. Differences in total-tract digestibility of aNDFom among timepoints (p < 0.01) was expected because of differences in diet composition among lactating and non-lactating cows. No differences in daily rumination time (p = 0.92), TTstarchD and total-tract potentially digestible NDF digestibility at 24 h (TTpdNDF24D) were recorded. Our findings show that fiber digestibility during the transition period is higher in MP probably for a different ruminal retention time. These differences should be considered when formulating rations for groups with different parity number.

Reed-Solomon Coding Algorithms Based on Reed-Muller Transform for Any Number of Parities

Based on the Reed-Muller (RM) transform, this paper proposes a Reed-Solomon (RS) encoding/erasure decoding algorithm for any number of parities. Specifically, we first generalize the previous RM-based syndrome calculation, which allows only up to seven parities, to support any number of parities. Then we propose a general encoding/erasure decoding algorithm. The proposed encoding algorithm eliminates the operations in solving linear equations, and this improves the computational efficiency of existing RM-based RS algorithms. In terms of erasure decoding, this paper employs the generalized RM-based syndrome calculation and lower-upper (LU) decomposition to accelerate the computational efficiency. Analysis shows that the proposed encoding/erasure decoding algorithm approaches the complexity of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lfloor \mathrm{lg} T \rfloor + 1$</tex-math></inline-formula> XORs per data bit with <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N$</tex-math></inline-formula> increasing, where <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T$</tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N$</tex-math></inline-formula> denote the number of parities and codeword length respectively. To highlight the advantage of the proposed RM-based algorithms, the implementations with Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) technology are provided. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithms are competitive, as compared with other cutting-edge implementations.

Factors associated with farrowing assistance in hyperprolific sows.

The present study was performed to determine risk factors associated with the frequency of farrowing assistance in hyperprolific sows in a tropical environment and to investigate the impacts of farrowing assistance on piglet colostrum consumption and sow colostrum yield. Farrowing data from 352 Landrace×Yorkshire crossbred sows and 5,554 piglets in five commercial swine herds in Thailand were investigated. The sows were classified according to parity numbers: 1 (n = 72), 2 to 4 (n = 128), 5 to 6 (n = 84), and ≥7 (n = 68) and the total number of piglets born per litter (TB): 10 to 13 (n = 90), 14 to 16 (n = 117), and ≥17 (n = 145). The incidence of farrowing assistance and associated parameters were investigated. The TB and farrowing duration averaged 15.8±0.2 and 279.9±11.2 min, respectively. The percentage of sows that required farrowing assistance was 29.8% and varied among herds from 5.7% to 53.3% (p<0.001). The percentage of piglets born after birth assistance using manual intervention was 8.4%. Sows with parity numbers 1 and 2 to 4 had a lower frequency of farrowing assistance than sows with parity numbers ≥7 (p<0.01). The colostrum yield of sows that required farrowing assistance did not differ from sows that farrowed without assistance (5.3±0.2 and 5.1±0.1 kg; p = 0.288); however, the colostrum consumption of piglets born from sows that required farrowing assistance was lower than those born from sows that farrowed without assistance (302.2±15.7 and 354.2±5.6 g; p<0.001). Blood oxygen saturation of the piglets born after birth assistance tended to be lower than the piglets that farrowed without birth assistance (87.8%±1.3% vs 90.4%±0.4%; p = 0.054). The frequency of farrowing assistance in sows varied among herds and was influenced by parity number. The piglets born after receiving birth assistance should receive special care to improve their blood oxygen saturation and enhance colostrum intake.

Effects of Breed Differences and Parities on Milk Proximate and Mineral Compositions in Nigerian Cattle Breeds under the Extensive System

Introduction: Milk production from indigenous cattle breeds in Nigeria represents an important component of the agribusiness sector of the smallholder economy with great economic, nutritional, and social implications. Materials and methods: Three farms in the study location were chosen and 90 cows of three breeds of Sokoto Gudali, White Fulani, and Red Bororo in each farm, were used for the present study (total 270 cows). The cows of each farm were chosen equally based on parity (1-3). In this study, 5 ml of milk sample was collected from each cow in the morning for analysis of milk proximate and mineral composition. The analytical parameters included protein, fat, ash, moisture, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and sodium in milk. Results: The results revealed that the parity of the three breeds significantly affected the milk proximate and mineral compositions. In the first parity, White Fulani cow milk was significantly higher in milk protein at 4.52%, followed by Red Bororo and Sokoto Gudali at 3.97% and 3.91%, respectively. Sokoto Gudali was significantly higher in milk fat at 3.18%, followed by Red Bororo at 2.89% and White Fulani at 2.76%. White Fulani was significantly higher in milk moisture at 84.56%, followed by Sokoto Gudali at 82.72% and Red Bororo at 81.13%. Red Bororo was significantly higher in milk phosphorus at 375.62 mg/L and sodium at 71.22 mg/L. In the second parity, only moisture, calcium, and sodium differed significantly among the breeds. White Fulani and Red Bororo were significantly higher in moisture at 83.75% and 83.43%, respectively. On the other hand, Sokoto Gudali were significantly higher in calcium at 614.94 mg/L and sodium at 68.76 mg/L. White Fulani and Red Bororo had significantly lower calcium levels at 560.50 mg/L and 555.42 mg/L, respectively. On the other hand, White Fulani had significantly lower levels of sodium at 61.25 mg/L. In the third parity, White Fulani was significantly higher in milk protein at 4.16%, calcium at 611.48 mg/L, and sodium at 75.33 mg/L. Red Bororo was significantly higher in fat at 3.75% and calcium at 626.99 mg/L. Sokoto Gudali was significantly higher in sodium at 75.36 mg/L. In overall, first parity cows were significantly higher in milk protein at 4.11%. Milk fat, ash, calcium, and sodium increased with number of parity. The third parity was significantly higher in milk fat (3.29%), ash (0.43%), calcium (599.58 mg/L), and sodium (71.77 mg/L) levels. Conclusion: By increasing parity in Nigerian cows, the chemical composition of milk will be improved which can be considered for future studies on these breeds.

Contributing factors to repeat breeding and postpartum anestrus and pregnancy rate subsequent to hormonal intervention in crossbred dairy cows

A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to July 2021 to determine the prevalence and contributing factors to repeat breeding (RB) and postpartum anestrus (PPA) in crossbred dairy cattle in the central highland of Ethiopia. Furthermore; a retrospective study was used to collect data on the occurrence of RB and PPA and the associated risk factors. The pregnancy rate was determined by rectal palpation on day 60 after hormonal therapy using double PGF2α and GnRH in combination with PGF2α. (Ovsynch). The prevalence of RB and PPA was 33.85% and 30.73%, respectively. Body condition score, parity, milk yield, herd size, abortion, and mastitis all revealed a statistically significant association (p &lt; 0.05) with the prevalence of RB and PPA. Cows with a previous history of abortion were 2.58 times at risk of repeat breeding than those without. Similarly, cows with a previous history of mastitis were 2.63 times more at risk of RB than cows that didn’t encounter the disease. Previously aborted and older cows with greater parity numbers were 2.89 and 1.23 times more affected by PPA, respectively. Moreover, endometritis and retained fetal membrane showed significant association (p&lt;0.05) with postpartum anestrus. The pregnancy rates in cows treated with double PGF2α and GnRH + PGF2α (Ovsynch) were 41.46% and 29.17%, respectively. It is concluded that the occurrence of RB and PPA in the research area was influenced by parity, body condition, and daily milk yield of the cow. Reproductive health problems including abortion retained fetal membranes, endometritis, and mastitis affected the prevalence of RB and PPA. Although the use of double PGF2α or in combination with GnRH has resumed cyclicity in RB and PPA dairy cows, the pregnancy rates are yet low. Hence, a study that utilizes detailed hormonal assay profiles and reproductive-related blood metabolites should be done.

Identification of genomic regions associated with reproductive longevity in the Rubia Gallega beef cattle breed using a censored threshold model

In beef cattle, the economic viability of farms is heavily influenced by the cow's ability to survive subsequent pregnancies. To understand the genetic basis of reproductive longevity in Rubia Gallega beef cattle breed, a ssGWAS was performed by back-solving the output of ssGBLUP under a censored threshold model. It considers the number of parities each cow reaches during its productive life as a phenotypic trait. The results of the study showed that the main source of variation of reproductive longevity is the herd. However, the posterior mean of the heritability of reproductive longevity was 0.173, indicating the potential for an appropriate genetic response to selection. Furthermore, it is shown that four genomic regions in chromosomes 2, 11 and 29 explain a large proportion of the additive genetic variance. The most important signal was detected on chromosome 2 in the vicinity of the MSTN (myostatin) gene that is associated with double muscling, and that it is segregating in the Rubia Gallega population. Some other interesting genes located within these regions encoded for several PAGs (Pregnancy-associated glycoprotein), LHCGR (luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor), FSHR (follicle stimulating hormone receptor), PROKR1 (prokineticin receptor 1) and EHD3 (Eps15 homology domain-containing protein 3). This confirms the relevance of the reproductive performance in the reproductive longevity of cows. These findings provide valuable insights for the Rubia Gallega breeding program, as they can be used to define future selection strategies to improve reproductive longevity of the breed.

Impact of maternal demographics on knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding among nursing mothers in Ifelodun local government, Nigeria.

Breastfeeding remains the recommended feeding plan for infants however; several factors seem to affect its knowledge and practice. This study aimed at investigating the impact of maternal demographics of age, educational status, religious affiliation and number of parities on knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding among nursing mothers in Ifelodun Local government area, Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive survey method. A total of 206 nursing mothers in Ifelodun Local Government were selected through purposive and random sampling techniques. The participants responded to a researcher-designed questionnaire titled Knowledge of Exclusive Breastfeeding Questionnaire. The psychometric properties of the instrument were established. The data collected were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. For the demographic data, percentage was employed while chi-square statistical tool was employed to test the hypotheses at 0.05 significant level. Nursing mothers in Ifelodun Local Government Area have high knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding (N=76.8%). Also, maternal demographics of age (X2= 25P=0.03), educational status (X2= 62.72; P=0.00), religious affiliation (X2= 11.01; P=0.01) and number of parity (X2= 84.01; P=0.02) have significant impact on mothers' knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding. Nursing mothers in Ifelodun Local Government Area, have knowledge of exclusive breast feeding especially those who are older, literate, Christian; and multi-parous. Maternal demographics should be considered when educating nursing mothers on exclusive breastfeeding.

Factors Associated with Presence of Human Papillomavirus Infection among Women: Findings from New Cervical Cancer Screening in Kelantan, Malaysia

Introduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is known to cause cervical cancer worldwide. Recently, Malaysia introduced HPV DNA detection testing for cervical cancer screening program. However, knowledge regarding factors for HPV infection among women still limited. Thus, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with HPV infection among women in Kelantan, a north-eastern state of Malaysia. Methods: This study used secondary data extracted from HPV DNA test registry book and HPV DNA laboratory request forms. Data on all Malaysian women aged 30 to 49 years old in 2019 reported in registry book were included. Simple random sampling was applied. All information from book and forms were collected using proforma and analysed using SPSS. The outcomes were categorised into HPV infection and non-HPV infection. The parameters related to factors associated with HPV infection were determined using multivariable logistic analysis. Results: The prevalence of HPV infection among women attending the new cervical screening was 8.4% (95% CI 6.4%, 10.3%). Those aged between 30 and 39 years old (AdjOR 2.09; 95% CI 1.16, 3.78, p=0.014), had 5 or more parities (AdjOR 2.82; 95% CI 1.58, 5.06, p&lt;0.001) and hormonal contraception users (AdjOR 7.48; 95% CI 4.07, 13.76, p&lt;0.001) were significantly associated with HPV infection. Conclusion: Overall, the prevalence of HPV infection from this study is comparable to the local and international studies. Age, number of parities and hormonal contraception users influence the HPV infection. This finding could help in designing more targeted screening for cervical cancer.