Small Number Of Treatments Research Articles

171 Current limitations to implement fiber in U.S. sow and nursery diets, and nutritional strategies to support ideal fiber profile

Abstract The importance of fiber in swine nutrition is increasingly recognized, and the consequences of insufficient dietary fiber can be significant. Consequently, U.S. production nutritionists have begun exploring the incorporation of fiber into their nutrition programs. However, incorporating fiber into diets is not without challenges. Analytical capabilities for assessing fiber content have improved, yet accessing accurate data remains a hurdle. Furthermore, the cost of analysis limits the ability of nutritionists to utilize these advanced methods for ingredient analysis. The lack of information around fiber requirements in the diet may be due to the insufficient methodology that has historically been available to measure the indigestible fraction of the diet. In the nursery phase, research findings on the effects of fiber have been mixed, likely influenced by the health status of the animals. Short-term growth performance trials may not fully capture the benefits of fiber, and more comprehensive, long-term studies focusing on health-related parameters are lacking. Similarly, research on sow nutrition faces challenges due to the limitations of barn structures and feed lines. Sow trials typically involve only a small number of treatments, often requiring before- and after- assessments. Moreover, the benefits of fiber are more apparent in later reproductive cycles, necessitating prolonged research efforts. Given the limited phases in sow diets, primarily lactation and gestation, conducting sow research is both challenging and costly. Evidence from European literature and recent U.S. studies suggests that the total dietary fiber and the level of soluble, fermentable fiber have a crucial role in swine diets, particularly for sows and piglets. However, the availability and affordability of such fiber types in the U.S. are limited. The majority of fiber-rich ingredients in the U.S. consist mostly of insoluble fiber. To address this limitation, technological advancements will be needed to transform available fiber sources into the desired fiber constructs, rather than relying solely on fiber-rich ingredients. A stimbiotic, which encourages fiber fermentation, may be key to achieving the desired fiber profile. The addition of a stimbiotic has been shown to increase the digestibility of fiber. It also increases the capacity of the beneficial microbiome to break down and ferment fiber, which leads to an increase in the production of volatile fatty acids (acetic, propionic and butyric). In conclusion, U.S. swine nutritionist must explore alternative dietary strategies to capturing the ideal fiber composition. Key word: fiber, nursery, sow

Proteomic Analysis of Maize Cultivars Tolerant to Drought Stress

Maize is a crop of significant economic importance. In the northeast region of Brazil, it serves as the foundation of family support for the majority of farmers. However, achieving high levels of productivity requires an adequate water supply throughout its growth cycle. The northeast semi-arid region experiences low rainfall and high potential evapotranspiration, directly affecting maize development and leading to severe declines in productivity. In this study, genetic selection and proteomic analysis are proposed as a strategy to identify the tolerance of maize cultivars against water stress. The experiments were conducted under two water regimes using randomized block designs with three replicates. Development and productivity traits were evaluated, and genetic parameters were estimated using mixed linear models. Selection for water stress tolerance was based on the harmonic mean of the relative performance of genotypic values. Total protein extraction from maize leaves followed the protocol established by the phenol method, and peptides were analyzed through mass spectrometry. The AG8677P cultivar demonstrated remarkable productivity under drought stress conditions, and proteins related to various fundamentally important biological processes for the tolerance mechanism were identified. The combination of genetic selection with proteomic analysis proves to be an efficient strategy, even in the face of limited resources and a small number of treatments.

Local Therapies for Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Role of MRI-Guided Adaptive Radiation Therapy.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver tumor, with a continually rising incidence. The curative treatment for HCC is surgical resection or liver transplantation; however, only a small portion of patients are eligible due to local tumor burden or underlying liver dysfunction. Most HCC patients receive nonsurgical liver-directed therapies (LDTs), including thermal ablation, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), transarterial radioembolization (TARE), and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Stereotactic ablative body radiation (SABR) is a specific type of EBRT that can precisely deliver a high dose of radiation to ablate tumor cells using a small number of treatments (or fractions, typically 5 or less). With onboard MRI imaging, MRI-guided SABR can improve therapeutic dose while minimizing normal tissue exposure. In the current review, we discuss different LDTs and compare them with EBRT, specifically SABR. The emerging MRI-guided adaptive radiation therapy has been reviewed, highlighting its advantages and potential role in HCC management.

The effect of antibiotic versus no treatment at dry-off on udder health and milk yield in subsequent lactation: A retrospective analysis of Austrian health recording data from dairy herds.

Bovine mastitis is the most commonly diagnosed disease of dairy cows worldwide and causes extensive economic losses to milk producers. Intramammary infection status before dry-off plays a decisive role with respect to udder health and milk yield in the subsequent lactation. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of antibiotic dry cow therapy (DCT) versus no treatment at dry-off on milk yield, somatic cell count (SCC), inflammation of the mammary gland (IMG), and the incidence of clinical mastitis in the subsequent lactation. Dairy herd data from 251 Austrian dairy farms were recorded over an observation period of 12 mo and subsequently analyzed. The data set included 5,018 dairy cows: 2,078 were treated with antibiotics (abDCT group) and 2,940 were not treated (noDCT group) at dry-off. The abDCT group was subdivided, based on the antimicrobial active substances used for drying off, into 4 different groups (penicillins, cloxacillin, cephalosporins, and rifaximin). Based on bacteriological culture results, infections were grouped into those caused by major, minor, and other pathogens. Additionally, the IMG was defined via SCC from milk recording data using a cutoff of 200,000 cells/mL before drying off and after calving. The incidence of clinical mastitis cases within 30 and 90 d in milk was calculated using veterinary diagnosis data. To investigate the effect of different dry cow therapies on the following parameters: milk yield, SCC, and diagnosed clinical mastitis cases, different linear mixed models were constructed. Overall, the abDCT group was determined to have a significantly higher milk yield over 305 d in milk in the subsequent lactation (increase of 6.18%), compared with the noDCT group (increase of 4.29%). Both groups (abDCT and noDCT) demonstrated a decrease in the first SCC after calving compared with the SCC before dry-off, although the treated cows had a significantly higher reduction. Regarding the different antibiotic groups, with exception of the rifaximin treated cows, all antibiotic groups showed a significant difference from not treated cows with respect to SCC. Additionally, we were able to demonstrate that cows with IMG before dry-off had a 2.073 times higher chance of an increased SCC (>200,000 cells/mL) after calving. With respect to the veterinary diagnosis data, neither the IMG before drying off nor the type of DCT had a significant influence on the probability of developing clinical mastitis within 30 or 90 d in milk. Only a small number of treatments was accompanied with a bacteriological examination before drying off. However, the existing data in this study indicates that the intramammary infection status before dry-off in combination with different dry cow treatments influences udder health and milk yield after calving. Nevertheless, further studies with larger data sets of bacteriological examinations are necessary to enable a more in-depth investigation into the effects of different antibiotic substances used for DCT.

Modeling the population-level impact of treatment on COVID-19 disease and SARS-CoV-2 transmission

Different COVID-19 treatment candidates are under development, and some are becoming available including two promising drugs from Merck and Pfizer. This study provides conceptual frameworks for the effects of three types of treatments, both therapeutic and prophylactic, and to investigate their population-level impact, to inform drug development, licensure, decision-making, and implementation. Different drug efficacies were assessed using an age-structured mathematical model describing SARS-CoV-2 transmission and disease progression, with application to the United States as an illustrative example. Severe and critical infection treatment reduces progression to COVID-19 severe and critical disease and death with small number of treatments needed to avert one disease or death. Post-exposure prophylaxis treatment had a large impact on flattening the epidemic curve, with large reductions in infection, disease, and death, but the impact was strongly age dependent. Pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment had the best impact and effectiveness, with immense reductions in infection, disease, and death, driven by the robust control of infection transmission. Effectiveness of both pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis treatments was disproportionally larger when a larger segment of the population was targeted than a specific age group. Additional downstream potential effects of treatment, beyond the primary outcome, enhance the population-level impact of both treatments. COVID-19 treatments are an important modality in controlling SARS-CoV-2 disease burden. Different types of treatment act synergistically for a larger impact, for these treatments and vaccination.

The Comparison of the Effectiveness of Reality Therapy and Compassionate Focused Therapy On Depression, Anxiety, Stress and Physical Symptoms in patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Background and Objectives: Irritable bowel syndrome is the most common digestive system disorder. Despite the long period of study in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, only a small number of treatments have proven effective. The current study aimed to compare the effectiveness of reality therapy and compassion-focused therapy in the reduction of depression, anxiety, stress, and physical symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted on 45 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (diagnosed by a gastroenterologist applying the Rome III criteria) who were assigned to two experimental groups: reality therapy (n=15) and compassion-focused therapy (n=15), as well as the control group (n=15). The experimental groups received eight sessions of reality therapy and compassion-focused therapy. All three groups responded to the Severity of Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS-SI) and Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale(DASS-42) as pre-post and follow-up tests. Results: The results of the repeated measures ANOVA demonstrated a significantly lower mean score in depression, anxiety, stress, and physical symptoms among the experimental group in the post-test. The follow-up test administered eight weeks after the post-test did not show any change in the results. Conclusion: The obtained results supported the effectiveness of reality therapy and compassion-focused therapy in the reduction of depression, anxiety, stress, and physical symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. There was also no significant difference in the efficacy of these two treatments.

The influence of treatment methods on agrophysical soil properties and old Eastern galega stand root development

All mechanical effects are primarily aimed at improving soil conditions and the root system. Different treatment methods with different types of working organs affect the fractional composition of particles, agrophysical soil properties, and the ability to restore the root system of old-age, degraded stands of perennial grasses with a root-shoot root system. The article presents data on the results of three field experiments (2017–2019). An analysis of the fractional composition of soil with various cultivation methods was carried out, and the relationship between the number of first-order roots of the eastern goat grass stand and agrophysical soil properties was identified. The maximum soil fraction was 7 and 10 mm when treating with a BDT aggregate in one track, the minimum percentage was observed when treating with a Leader aggregate in two tracks to a depth of 10–12 and 16–18 cm. The greatest “clumpiness” of fractions was revealed with a smaller number of treatments. The optimal soil conditions for the growth and development of the root system of old-age goat grass stands in the 0–20 cm layer were established during flat cutting. By the end of the growing season, the number of first-order roots increased from 15,000 to 22,000 thousand units/ha.

Technical challenges of linac-based stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy: short review for non-radiation oncologists.

Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is a radiation technique delivering high doses of radiation in a small number of treatments, to extracranial targets. It is standard of care in patients with inoperable early stage non-small cell lung cancer, and it is increasingly used in patients with oligometastatic disease. The main advantage of SABR is a steep dose gradient, allowing delivery of high biologically effective doses to the target, while minimizing irradiation exposure of the neighboring normal tissues. This results in high rates of local control of the treated target and minimal toxicity risks, and minimal impact on the quality of life of the patients. However, it requires high precision, accuracy and reproducibility during the entire process, from simulation to treatment planning and treatment delivery. This article will focus on general principles of SABR treatment planning and delivery, with emphasis on the strategies to reduce errors related to immobilization, respiratory management and treatment verification.

System-cognitive analysis of the economic efficiency of mechanical fallow treatment based on data from the electronic book of field history

The article presents a differentiated for each field economic analysis of the use of agricultural tools in the processing of fallow fields, conducted using digital tools developed by the authors. Production data from the the Kurgan Research Institute of Agriculture, a branch of the FSBSI Ural Federal Agrarian Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences for 2017-2019. Based on information from the electronic book of field history, the program for calculating process charts calculates the cost of fallow mechanical treatment. Methods of system-cognitive and statistical analysis were used to review the results. It was found that the greatest impact on the increase in costs was exerted by the total number of treatments and the use of low-productivity agricultural tools (BDT-3. KPS-4.2). To increase the yield of wheat, a greater number of treatments of BDM-6-4 and a smaller number of treatments of KPE-3.8 and KPS-4.2 had some advantage. The total number of mechanical fallow treatments did not correlate with the wheat yield obtained for the next year, but it had an impact on the profitability of crop production. To reduce the cost of fallow treatment, it is recommended to use high-performance agricultural equipment BDM-6-4 and anti-erosion cultivators KPE-3.8 (2 in the coupling), aggregated by the energy-intensive tractor HTZ-17221.

AUTOREGRESSIVE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE FOR EXPERIMENTS WITH SPATIAL DEPENDENCE BETWEEN PLOTS: A SIMULATION STUDY

The analysis of variance remains one of the most appreciated techniques of field experiment, even despite almost a hundred years of its first proposal. However, in many cases, its application can be several impaired due the fact of lack – or even forgotten - of assumptions. In several experiments, the researchers make use of blocks to control the local heterogeneity, nevertheless, in some cases, only this it cannot be enough, especially in experiments where the data have some kind of spatial dependence. Therefore, to increase the accuracy of comparisons between treatments, an alternative is to consider the study of the spatial dependence of the variables in the analysis. With the knowledge of the relative positions of the plots (referenced data), the spatial variability can be used as a positive factor, collaborating with the experimental results. To develop this study we used data generated by simulation. The data was generated according a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), with eighteen and five treatments per block; and several scenarios of spatial dependence in the error. We compared the non-spatial analysis (which considers the errors independent) with spatial analysis (analysis of variance considering the autoregressive model - ANOVA-AR). The use of spatial statistical tools in the analysis of data increased the precision of the analysis, through the reduction of the Mean Squared Error. We also noticed a reduction of Mean Squared Block and Mean Squared Treatment. The greater reduction was notice in ANOVA-AR3 for great part of the simulated scenarios, mainly in those with strong spatial dependence. The experiments with a small number of treatments per block did not present a reduction of Mean Squared Error, however, the reduction of Mean Squared Block and Mean Squared Treatment, ally to the fact that data are spatial dependent justify the use of ANOVA-AR.

Optimization of Bayesian Multiple Comparison Tests dbayes and pbayes in R Code

A estatística experimental utiliza procedimentos de comparações múltiplas (PCM) a fim de verificar se há diferença entre os tratamentos em análise. Entretanto, a presença de dados desbalanceados e casos de heterogeneidade de variâncias influencia negativamente o desempenho dos testes mais utilizados. Os testes dbayes e pbayes foram implementados anteriormente no contexto dos delineamentos inteiramente casualizados por um dos autores. Esses testes são válidos para casos em que as pressuposições da análise de variância são atendidas ou não, com ou sem balanceamento. O presente artigo tem por objetivo realizar uma otimização da função Bayes, em código R, que permite a realização destes testes. Para validar a otimização, comparou-se o código otimizado com o código anterior e utilizou três situações reais: uma atendendo a todas as pressuposições, as outras duas com dados desbalanceados e com número diferente de tratamentos. A função Bayes otimizada propicia que os testes dbayes e pbayes tenham bons resultados em condições de atendimento das pressuposições e balanceamento. Estes testes podem ser utilizados satisfatoriamente nas situações de não atendimento das pressuposições. Nos casos de dados desbalanceados, com um pequeno número de tratamentos, o teste dbayes apresenta resultado superior ao teste de Tukey-Kramer.

Preclinical Testing of TRPV4 Antagonists for the Treatment of Hydrocephalus

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a crucial component of the central nervous system that acts both mechanically and immunologically to support and protect the brain and spinal cord. Absorption and secretion of CSF must be properly maintained to achieve homeostasis. Some diseases, particularly hydrocephalus, experience an accumulation of CSF leading to an excess due to either overproduction or inadequate reabsorption. A small number of treatments are available to overcome this accumulation of CSF, all of which involve invasive surgical procedures that come with high risk and low success rates. The need for alternative treatments leads to a closer look at the choroid plexus, which consists of epithelial cells surrounding a fenestrated capillary network and produces a large portion of the CSF. This research looks specifically at the Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4 (TRPV4), a non‐specific cation channel found in many secretory epithelia. When activated, TRPV4 allows an influx of Ca2+ which leads to downstream intracellular signaling and activation of Ca2+‐activated ion channels. The Wpk rat model, which contains a single point mutation in the TMEM67 gene coding for Mecklin, one of the proteins responsible for the Meckel‐Gruber Syndrome, was used to study possible treatments. Rats that are homozygous recessive for the TMEM67 gene develop a severe form of hydrocephalus that if, left untreated, will result in death by postnatal day 21 (P21). This rat model is analogous to pediatric hydrocephalus in humans. We have used the model to test a TRPV4 antagonist, RN1734, as a possible treatment of hydrocephalus. At P7, the animals received an MRI to measure the volume of the brain ventricles. Subsequently, the animals received daily intraperitoneal injections of the RN1734 through P14. At P15, the animals received a second MRI to observe changes over the course of the treatment. The animals were sacrificed on P15, and their brains, kidneys, and weights were collected. Upon sacrifice, homozygous animals are significantly smaller in body weight than their wild‐type counterparts. The brain weights of the vehicle treated homozygous and the wild‐type animals were not significantly different, however, the homozygous animals treated with the RN compound weighed statistically less than the wild‐type animals. Ventricular volume measurements by MRI revealed that the RN compound caused no effects on normal ventricular growth that occurred from day 7 through 14 in wild‐type and heterozygous animals, but it stopped the substantial ventricular enlargement that occurred over this time period in the homozygous animals. The successful results of the RN1734 treatment in the homozygous animals suggest TRPV4 antagonists for a potential pharmaceutical development for treating hydrocephalus.Support or Funding InformationHydrocephalus Association and Department of Defense Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

The stainless steel structure after pulsed plasma flow interaction

The paper presents the results of studies of modification of the surface structure of structural steels AISI 321 (12Х18Н10Т) and AISI 201 (12Х15Г9НД) after plasma treatment with several pulses. The topology of the surface and the evolution of the relief are studied depending on the main processing parameters. In particular, the sequence of phase transitions in modified layers depending on the processing multiplicity was studied. It is shown that under a small number of treatments (n = 2) in investigated stainless steel samples may occur plasma etching and redistribution of crystallites. In addition, in samples detected traces of blister formation and the presence of a layered structure, which can be due to planar and linear defects. When increasing the multiplicity of treatments to 10, the structure becomes more ordered, the columnar blocks are located relatively evenly over the surface and their tracks are located mainly along the grain boundaries. The changes in the structure of the studied structural steels are associated with the formation of new phases (iron nitride) and microarrays in the crystal lattice. A decrease in crystallites size to 16 nm was detected. It is shown that the multiple pulse plasma processing is most effective for grinding austenite crystallites, especially the iron nitride in stainless steel.

MRI micturating urethrography for improved urethral delineation in prostate radiotherapy planning: a case study

Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy is used in prostate cancer to deliver a high dose of radiation to the tumour over a small number of treatments. This involves the simulation of the patient using both CT and MRI. Current practice is to insert an indwelling catheter (IDC) during CT to assist with visualisation of the urethra and subsequently minimise dose to this highly critical structure. However, this procedure is invasive and has an associated risk of infection. This is a case study, which demonstrates our initial experience of using a real-time non-invasive MRI technique to replace the use of IDC for prostate cancer patients. The patient was scanned on a dedicated 3T MRI and was instructed to micturate in their own time whereupon a sagittal T2 weighted HASTE sequence was acquired every 5 s. This was subsequently followed by T2 weighted axial imaging at the level of mid prostate to provide improved urethral definition.Acquired images showed bladder voidance in real-time and an increase in signal intensity in the proximal urethra post voiding allowing for delineation of the urethra. The dimension and shape of the proximal urethra was well visualised and accumulation time of urine in the urethra was sufficient to enable optimum timing of the scanning technique.We have presented for the first time a micturating urethography technique using MRI, which has allowed us to visualise the urethra without contrast and with minimal invasiveness to the patient.

Hand rejuvenation using standard Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) in Asian patients

In recent years, facial rejuvenation using Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is in demand and there have been many reports. However, hand rejuvenation, which aims to treat lentigines on the dorsal hand and wrinkles, is in demand but with few reports. In this study, hand rejuvenation was attempted using two wavelengths of a standard IPL system. It focuses mainly on improvement of lentigines, and efficacy on wrinkles on the dorsal hand will be discussed as well. The subjects were 128 Japanese patients (average age 58.1) who had lentigines and wrinkles on the dorsa of both hands, and the wavelength spectra of 560 - 1200 nm and 515 - 1200 nm were applied. In general, the number of treatments was not fixed, and further treatments beyond the first treatment were added only when asked for by the patient. Lentigines were assessed on 4 levels and wrinkles on 3 levels. The results in lentigines were graded "Excellent" in 45.3%, "Good" in 14.8%, "Unchanged" in 37.5% and "Bad" in 2.3% of the patients. Dark-toned lentigines in particular improved after one treatment. On the other hand, the results in wrinkles were graded as "Effective" in 25.0%, "Hard to tell" in 39.1% and "Ineffective" in 35.9% of the patients after the first treatment, but there was increased improvement in some cases after multiple treatments. By using appropriate IPL parameters with specific cut-off filters, dark-toned and flat senile lentigines could be treated effectively with a small number of treatments. On the other hand, improvement of fine dorsal wrinkles was noticed but more finesse is needed as to how to apply IPL and to decide on the number of treatments. Further study is necessary, but overall it can be said that IPL is an effective choice for hand rejuvenation.

Internet and video game addictions: a cognitive behavioral approach

Background: While several benefits are attributed to the Internet and video games, an important proportion of the population presents symptoms related to possible new technological addictions and there has been little discussion of treatment of problematic technology use. Although demand for knowledge is growing, only a small number of treatments have been described. Objective: To conduct a systematic review of the literature, to establish Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a possible strategy for treating Internet and video game addictions. Method: The review was conducted in the following databases: Science Direct on Line, PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Clinical Trials Library, BVS and SciELO. The keywords used were: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; therapy; treatment; with association to the terms Internet addiction and video game addiction. Given the scarcity of studies in the field, no restrictions to the minimum period of publication were made, so that articles found until October 2013 were accounted. Results: Out of 72 articles found, 23 described CBT as a psychotherapy for Internet and video game addiction. The manuscripts showed the existence of case studies and protocols with satisfactory efficacy. Discussion: Despite the novelty of technological dependencies, CBT seems to be applicable and allows an effective treatment for this population.

A profile of osteopathic practice in Australia 2010–2011: a cross sectional survey

BackgroundThere is limited evidence available to describe a profile of osteopathic practice in Australia. The purpose of this study was to describe the current activities of Australian osteopaths, using an internationally-developed standardised data collection tool.MethodsA voluntary national paper-based survey using a modified UK-developed standardised data collection tool was distributed to and completed by osteopaths across Australia between June 2010 and June 2011.ResultsFifty four osteopaths participated in this study and returned a total of 799 patient records. Two thirds of patients were female, with a median age of 39 years and age range of 7 days - 89 years. Almost three quarters of people seeking osteopathic care were employed and the largest source of referral was by word-of-mouth.The majority of presenting complaints were acute musculoskeletal in nature. Approximately 38% of patients presented with a coexisting condition; the highest incidences were found in the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, along with mental health disorders.Main treatment approaches were soft tissue (22.3%), muscle energy technique (14.6%), articulation techniques (14.3%) and education/advice (11.9%). Improvement or resolution of the complaint was experienced by 96.2% of patients within a small number of treatments. Complications of treatment were minor and of low frequency.ConclusionsIn this study, Australian osteopaths mainly see patients with acute or sub-acute musculoskeletal problems which are predominantly spinal conditions. A significant proportion of these patients have one or more co-existing condition, largely of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, along with mental health disorders. The majority of patients have a significant improvement within few treatments, with infrequent and minor adverse events reported. These findings should be tested through multi-centred pragmatic trials of osteopathic practice.

Wettability and Aging of Polymer Substrates after Atmospheric Dielectrical Barrier Discharge Plasma on Demand Treatment

Plasma treatment is a commonly used technology to modify the wetting behavior of polymer films in the production process for, e.g., printed electronics. As the effect of the plasma treatment decreases in time, the so-called aging effect, it is important to gain knowledge on how this effect impacts the wetting behavior of commonly used polymers in order to be able to optimize production processing times. In this article the authors study the wetting behavior of polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) and polyimide (PI) polymer films after plasma treatment in time. The plasma treatment was performed using a novel maskless DBD plasma patterning technology, i.e., Plasma Printing, at atmospheric pressure under nitrogen atmosphere. After treatment, the samples were stored at room temperature at 30%-40% relative humidity for up to one month. An increase in wettability is measured for all polymers directly after Plasma Printing. The major increase in wettability occurs after a small number of treatments, e.g., low energy density. More treatments show no further beneficial gain in wettability. The increase in wettability is mainly due to an increase in the polar part of the surface energy, which can probably be attributed to chemical modification of the surface of the investigated polymers. With the exception of FEP, during storage of the plasma treated polymers, the wettability partially declines in the first five days, after which it stabilizes to approximately 50% of its original state. The wettability of FEP shows little decline during storage. As the storage time between production steps is mostly under two days, Plasma Printing shows good promise as a pre-treatment step in the production of printed electronics. d c 2013 Society for Imaging Science and Technology.

Planning multi‐arm screening studies within the context of a drug development program

Screening trials are small trials used to decide whether an intervention is sufficiently promising to warrant a large confirmatory trial. Previous literature examined the situation where treatments are tested sequentially until one is considered sufficiently promising to take forward to a confirmatory trial. An important consideration for sponsors of clinical trials is how screening trials should be planned to maximize the efficiency of the drug development process. It has been found previously that small screening trials are generally the most efficient. In this paper we consider the design of screening trials in which multiple new treatments are tested simultaneously. We derive analytic formulae for the expected number of patients until a successful treatment is found, and propose methodology to search for the optimal number of treatments, and optimal sample size per treatment. We compare designs in which only the best treatment proceeds to a confirmatory trial and designs in which multiple treatments may proceed to a multi-arm confirmatory trial. We find that inclusion of a large number of treatments in the screening trial is optimal when only one treatment can proceed, and a smaller number of treatments is optimal when more than one can proceed. The designs we investigate are compared on a real-life set of screening designs. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An alkalinizing oral rehydration solution containing lecithin-coated citrus fiber is superior to a nonalkalinizing solution in treating 360 calves with naturally acquired diarrhea

The aim of this field study was to compare the efficacy and cost of 2 commercially available oral rehydration therapy (ORT) solutions in treating dairy calves with naturally acquired diarrhea. A total of 1,349 newborn Holstein-Friesian calves were prospectively enrolled in the study. Calves were housed in individual hutches and fed a mixture of pasteurized hospital milk and an all-milk protein milk replacer twice per day. Calves were monitored twice each day from d 2 of life until 30d of age for the presence or absence of diarrhea, and were assigned a fecal score and a hydration score at each examination. Calves that developed mild to severe diarrhea that did not need intravenous fluids and did not have clinical evidence of concurrent disease (n = 360) were assigned randomly to receive 1 of 2 commercial ORT solutions: a hypertonic alkalinizing ORT containing lecithin-coated citrus fibers (Diaque, group D, n = 180; Boehringer Ingelheim, Ingelheim, Germany), and an isotonic nonalkalinizing ORT (RE-SORB, group R, n = 180; Pfizer Animal Health, New York, NY) for 2 to 8d; the duration of treatment depended on whether diarrhea was still present. No significant differences were observed in mortality rates or treatment failure rates between the 2 treatment groups. Fecal consistency returned to normal more quickly in group D calves than in group R calves; consequently, group D calves were treated for 1d less than were group R calves. The increase in body weight after 4d of treatment was larger in group D than in group R. The average daily gain from birth to weaning in calves that did not develop concurrent disease (such as pneumonia) during the study period tended to be higher in group D calves (0.53±0.11kg/d) than in group R calves (0.51±0.09kg/d). The smaller number of treatments at a lower cost per treatment produced a cost advantage of $4.82 per treated calf in group D calves compared with group R calves. Our findings support the concept that milk should continue to be fed to diarrheic calves that are being administered an ORT solution in order to maintain growth.