Start Of Feeding Research Articles

Billroth II anastomosis combined with brown anastomosis reduce reflux gastritis in gastric cancer patients.

The surgeon performing a distal gastrectomy, has an arsenal of reconstruction techniques at his disposal, Billroth II among them. Braun anastomosis performed during a Billroth II procedure has shown evidence of superiority over typical Billroth II, in terms of survival, with no impact on postoperative morbidity and mortality. To compare Billroth II vs Billroth II and Braun following distal gastrectomy, regarding their postoperative course. Patients who underwent distal gastrectomy during 2002-2021, were separated into two groups, depending on the surgical technique used (Billroth II: 74 patients and Billroth II and Braun: 28 patients). The daily output of the nasogastric tube (NGT), the postoperative day that NGT was removed and the day the patient started per os feeding were recorded. Postoperative complications were at the same time noted. Data were then statistically analyzed. There was difference in the mean NGT removal day and the mean start feeding day. Mean total postoperative NGT output was lower in Braun group (399.17 mL vs 1102.78 mL) and it was statistically significant (P < 0.0001). Mean daily postoperative NGT output was also statistically significantly lower in Braun group. According to the postoperative follow up 40 patient experienced bile reflux and alkaline gastritis from the Billroth II group, while 9 patients who underwent Billroth II and Braun anastomosis were presented with the same conditions (P < 0.05). There was evidence of superiority of Billroth II and Braun vs typical Billroth II in terms of bile reflux, alkaline gastritis and NGT output.

Sex-dependent audience effect in foraging guppies

Abstract The presence of bystanders can influence the behavior of a forager, which has mainly been studied in primates and birds. We tested the effect of the absence and presence of an unfamiliar audience (females, males, and their combination) near or far from a food patch on the foraging behavior of guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Our investigation includes both males and females, recognizing that different social dynamics and reproductive strategies between the sexes could lead to varied responses to audience effects. For each focal fish, we measured the latency to start feeding, bite frequency, time spent near the audience, and overall mobility. Both males and females started feeding faster when food was close to any audience type. Specifically, females exhibited a faster feeding response in the presence of a female audience. Males reduced their feeding rate in the presence of male and mixed audiences, while both sexes increased their consumption when food was close to the audience. Focal fish, irrespective of their sex, spent more time in the vicinity of the audience zone when the audience was present, but surprisingly, females spent less time with a female audience compared to others. Only females increased their mobility when the food patch was far from any audience. Here, we show that guppies adjust their foraging behavior in the presence of an audience. The specific responses observed varied between the sexes, reflecting the distinct social trade-offs faced by each sex.

Fluoxetine may interfere with learning in fish

Our study aimed to test whether fluoxetine impairs learning in fish and whether this potential impairment is reversible. Learning efficiency, with no aversive stimuli, of the Carassius carassius was analysed under different pharmaceutical conditions: (i) fish cultured without antidepressant (control), (ii) fish exposed to fluoxetine for 21 days (fluoxetine), and (iii) fish exposed to fluoxetine for 21 days and then cultured without fluoxetine for another 21 days (recovery). We exposed animals to environmental concentrations (360 ng L−1) of antidepressant. The learning rate was measured by timing how long it took the individual fish to find food and start feeding, six days in a row. The control and recovery fish took significantly less time to start eating over the six days. Control fish start eating 14 times faster than the fluoxetine fish. Fluoxetine can significantly affect learning and 21-day recovery period is not enough to fully restore the original learning abilities.

Application of Globigen Jump Start feed additive in feeding lactating sows and piglets

Modern methods of pig breeding increasingly use various immunotropic, probiotic agents and feed additives that affect the intestinal microbiota when used in feeding farrowing and lactating sows. The research was conducted in the conditions of a pig farm in the Kyiv region. The number of sows at the pig complex is 500 heads, PIC genetics. Clinically healthy sows with 2–3 farrowing and without rest with similar performance were selected for the study. Two groups of sows were formed by analogs, which were kept in one farrowing ward 5 days before farrowing, with 8 heads in each of the control and experimental groups. For the experiment on sows and piglets in the early rearing period, the Globigen Jump Start feed additive was used. We studied the effect of feeding Globigen Jump Start feed additive, which contains specific lgY immunoglobulins in rations for gilt sows and piglets in the early growing period in the amount of 1 kg and 2 kg per ton of compound feed, respectively. As a result of research, it was established that feeding the drug mentioned above to sows contributed to better preservation of the live weight of lactating sows by 20% compared to sows of the control group. Under the influence of the addition of a feed additive, the quality of sow milk improved. In particular, there was a tendency to increase certain amino acids (cystine, valine, isoleucine, arginine, lysine, and glutamic acid) and some macro- and microelements (magnesium, zinc, sodium, phosphorus, and slightly calcium). Adding the Globigen Jump Start feed additive to piglets' diet increased average daily gains by 18.52%, a decrease in diarrhea by 45.83%, and better feed conversion.

Wdr5-mediated H3K4me3 coordinately regulates cell differentiation, proliferation termination, and survival in digestive organogenesis

Food digestion requires the cooperation of different digestive organs. The differentiation of digestive organs is crucial for larvae to start feeding. Therefore, during digestive organogenesis, cell identity and the tissue morphogenesis must be tightly coordinated but how this is accomplished is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that WD repeat domain 5 (Wdr5)-mediated H3K4 tri-methylation (H3K4me3) coordinately regulates cell differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis in zebrafish organogenesis of three major digestive organs including intestine, liver, and exocrine pancreas. During zebrafish digestive organogenesis, some of cells in these organ primordia usually undergo differentiation without apoptotic activity and gradually reduce their proliferation capacity. In contrast, cells in the three digestive organs of wdr5−/− mutant embryos retain progenitor-like status with high proliferation rates, and undergo apoptosis. Wdr5 is a core member of COMPASS complex to implement H3K4me3 and its expression is enriched in digestive organs from 2 days post-fertilization (dpf). Further analysis reveals that lack of differentiation gene expression is due to significant decreases of H3K4me3 around the transcriptional start sites of these genes; this histone modification also reduces the proliferation capacity in differentiated cells by increasing the expression of apc to promote the degradation of β-Catenin; in addition, H3K4me3 promotes the expression of anti-apoptotic genes such as xiap-like, which modulates p53 activity to guarantee differentiated cell survival. Thus, our findings have discovered a common molecular mechanism for cell fate determination in different digestive organs during organogenesis, and also provided insights to understand mechanistic basis of human diseases in these digestive organs.

Foraging, Fear and Behavioral Variation in a Traplining Hummingbird

Traditionally, foraging behavior has been explained as the response to a trade-off between energetic gain from feeding resources and potential costs from concomitant risks. However, an increasing number of studies has shown that this view fails to explain an important fraction of the variation in foraging across a variety of taxa. One potential mechanism that may account for this variation is that various behavioral traits associated with foraging may have different fitness consequences, which may depend on the environmental context. Here, we explored this mechanism by evaluating the foraging efficiency of long-billed hermit hummingbirds (Phaethornis longirostris) with regard to three behavioral traits: (a) exploration (number of feeders used during the foraging visit), (b) risk avoidance (latency to start feeding) and (c) arousal (amount of movements during the foraging visit) in conditions at two different levels of perceived risk (low—control and high—experimental, with a threatening bullet ant model). Foraging efficiency decreased in response to threatening conditions. However, behavioral traits explained additional variation in foraging efficiency in a condition-dependent manner. More exploration was associated with a higher foraging efficiency under control conditions, but this was reversed when exposed to a threat. Regardless of the conditions, arousal was positively associated with foraging efficiency, while risk avoidance was negatively related. Importantly, exploratory behavior and risk avoidance were quite repeatable behaviors, suggesting that they may be related to the intrinsic traits of individuals. Our findings highlight the importance of taking into account additional behavioral dimensions to better understand the foraging strategies of individuals.

Undernutrition and 60-day mortality in critically ill children with respiratory failure: a prospective cohort study

BackgroundTo determine whether undernutrition affects 60-day mortality in pediatric acute respiratory failure.MethodsSubjects with acute respiratory failure aged between two months and 13 years were included in the study. The Z-scores were calculated on admission and children were categorized into two groups of undernutrition and normal nutrition. The nutritional intake of the children was measured daily. The outcome was 60-day mortality.ResultsA total of 126 patients met the inclusion criteria; 41% were undernourished based on the Z-score of BMI and weight for height, 50% based on the Z-score of height and length for age and 45% based on the Z-score of weight for age. Overall, the 60-day mortality rate was 27.8%. The Cox regression analysis adjusted with PIM2, age and gender, showed that undernutrition has a significant relationship with 60-day mortality based on the weight for age Z-score (HR = 2.33; CI: 1.175–4.638). In addition, undernutrition has a significant relationship with 60-day mortality based on the BMI for age (HR = 3.04; CI:1.070–8.639) and weight for height (HR = 2.62; CI: 1.605–6.658) Z-scores. The mean calorie and protein intake of 72% of the children was less than 80% of their calorie needs. The time to start feeding in 63% of the children was more than 48 h. There was no relationship between the time of starting nutrition and nutritional intake during PICU admission and mortality.ConclusionUndernutrition is prevalent in mechanically ventilated children in the PICU and may be associated with 60-day mortality.

High-proportion breast milk feeding is associated with a reduction in the incidence of IVH in very preterm infants.

To investigate the protective effect of high-proportion breast milk feeding (>50%) on intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in very preterm infants (VPIs). This was a retrospective secondary analysis of a prospective multi-center study, which included 604 VPIs from six hospitals in eastern China between September 2019 and December 2020. The 604 VPIs were divided into two groups according to whether IVH occurred. High-proportion breast milk feeding was defined as breast milk accounting for 51-100% of the total feeding amount both within 7 days and throughout the hospitalization. The IVH grades and the rate of high-proportion breast milk feeding were analyzed. Furthermore, to explore the relationship between high-proportion breast milk feeding and IVH grading, the VPIs' general information, perinatal factors, growth, and nutritional status during hospitalization, and related complications were compared between the two groups. High-proportion breast milk feeding was reported in 63.41% of the VPIs. Furthermore, IVH grades I-II and III-IV were noted in 39.73% (240/604) and 1.66% (10/604) of the VPIs, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that IVH occurrence in VPIs is influenced by perinatal factors, invasive respiratory therapy, high-proportion breast milk feeding, start feeding with breast milk, the cumulative amount of early parenteral nutrition, postnatal complications, physical growth, and other factors (P < 0.05). After adjustments for gestational age, birth weight, and possible influencing factors through binary logistic regression analysis, the results revealed that high-proportion breast milk feeding and and start feeding with breast milk were associated with a lower total incidence of IVH. Further stratification showed that high-proportion breast milk feeding was associated with a lower incidence of grade I-II IVH. Similarly, after adjusting for the same factors, breast milk feeding >50% in the 1st week was associated with a decreased incidence of total IVH and further stratification showed that it was associated with a lower incidence of grade I-II IVH. High-proportion breast milk feeding and breast milk feeding more than 50% of total intake during the 1st week might be protective factors for IVH grade I-II in VPIs, which further verified the neuroprotective effect of breast milk. In clinical practice, the construction of breast milk banks should be strengthened, breast milk feeding should be encouraged in neonatal intensive care units, and efforts should be made to increase breast milk feeding rates to improve the outcomes of VPIs.

АКТИВНОСТЬ ДУОДЕНАЛЬНЫХ ФЕРМЕНТОВ В ПОСТЭМБРИОНАЛЬНЫЙ ПЕРИОД ОНТОГЕНЕЗА ЦЫПЛЯТ-БРОЙЛЕРОВ КРОССА «СМЕНА 9» ПРИ РАЗНОМ УРОВНЕ ПРОТЕИНА В РАЦИОНЕ

The work has been dedicated to study of age changes in digestive enzymes and alkaline phosphatase activ- ity in duodenum tissues in “Smena 9” cross broilers in ontogenesis postembryonic period with changes of raw protein level in start feed. The results of poultry intestine tissue gomogenate investigation at this stage have shown amylase, lipase and alkaline phosphatase activity decreasing and also protease activity increasing comparing these traits in day age. Raw pro- tein content increasing in feed by 1.5% in the first 14 days of raising has increased intestine proteases activity in 21–35 days in comparison with the control group. Therefore first two weeks of raising are one of the critical periods in broiler ontogenesis and feeding and maintaining disturbances in this period influence sufficiently the next broiler development stages.

Relationship between creep feeding intake and piglet's performance in the nursery phase.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of creep feeding during the pre-weaning stage on the performance of piglets at nursery phase, as well as to estimate the economic viability of its application. A total of 125 piglets were exposed to creep feeding and evaluated qualitatively regarding diet intake and quantitatively regarding weight gain. After determining the eaters and non-eaters' piglets, 48 of these animals were evaluated in the nursery phase. Piglets are blocked (initial weigh and sex) and divided into eaters (E, n=24) and non-eaters (NE, n=24). Time to start feed intake, growth performance data and economic viability were analyzed. At pre-weaning phase no weight difference was observed, and only 24.5% of piglets consumed the creep feed after 12 days of exposure. At nursery phase, the E group presented a 250% faster consumption in the first 24 hours of housing, 18.3% greater daily feed intake and 22.0% greater daily gain for whole experimental length, when compared to NE group. The economic evaluation demonstrated a 269% and 225% greater economic profit and return on investment for E. Therefore, the application of creep feeding in pre-weaning improves the piglets' performance during nursery phase and is economically viable.

Complementary Dietary Practices for Infants among Educated and Non-Educated Women

This study examined the complementary dietary practices for infants among educated and non-educated women of Ife central local government area of Osun State, Nigeria. It was a descriptive survey research. A total of one hundred and fifty (154) respondents participated in this research. The research instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire on a 4-point scale. The major findings of the study revealed the complementary dietary practices for infants, identified possible factors affecting complementary dietary practice which are economic status, maternal education, employment status, residence type. It further revealed effects of inadequate complementary dietary practices which include sub-optimal growth and development and malnutrition, low intelligence level and others and revealed possible strategies to be adopted for adequate and proper complementary feeding practices which are provision of accurate dietary information to caregivers and family at large, introduction of developmental health system. Based on the findings, recommendations were made among which are adequate information should be given to upcoming mothers, hospitals, clinic and health center officials should educate mothers about the appropriate time to start feeding their children on complementary diet, mothers should breastfeed for at least six months of age before introducing semi-solid food to their children.

Laparoscopic Vs Open Surgery for Colorectal Cancer: Comparing Short-Term Results

Background: In developed countries, colorectal cancer continues to rank as the third-most prevalent cancer to be reported and the third-most popular reason for cancer mortality in both genders. Objective: The purpose of the retrospective research was to compare the operational parameters and short-term oncological effects of laparoscopic surgery (LS) with traditional open surgery (OS) in colorectal cancer patients in our hospital. Methods: In this study, 148 patients who underwent CRC surgery between January 2020 and January 2022 at the Medical Teaching Institute (MTI) Peshawar, Pakistan's Khyber Teaching Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex Hospital were included. 64 people who had all had LS were included in the study. On the other hand, 84 people who had had OS were randomly selected from groups of people who were of the same gender and age. Result: In the group undergoing OS, the median of dissected lymph nodes was 22.8 (9–35) and 3 (0–14), whereas, in the group undergoing laparoscopy, the median number was 21.56 (8–32) and 6.2 (0–9). For 13 (15.47%) patients undergone through and 9 patients (14.06%) undergone through laparoscopy, blood transfusions were necessary. Although the LS group's procedure took longer than the OS group, their time in the ICU, time to start feeding and duration of stay at the hospital were all shorter. Practical implication Importance Laparoscopic surgery has not been proven to be more effective than open surgery for patients with low rectal cancer. Conclusion: LS provides the benefits of a shorter hospital stay and fewer problems and delivers relatively adequate lymph node dissection. Keywords: laparoscopic surgery, open surgery, colorectal cancer, oncological outcomes, developing countries

AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF OUTCOME OF CASES OF UNCOMPLICATED ACUTE APPENDICITIS OPERATED WITHIN 12 HOURS VERSUS AFTER 12 HOURS OF PRESENTATION

Objective Ÿ To minimize number of operations during the night. Ÿ To evaluate ill effects of delaying appendectomy in acute appendicitis. Study Design: Observational study Setting: Tertiary care hospital Patients: In this study we have taken 250 cases of uncomplicated acute appendicitis which got operated at our study setting. Out of these, 125 patients were operated within 12 hours of hospital presentation and the other 125 patients were operated after 12 hours of hospital presentation. Among 125 patients of early group 68 patients were operated with open appendectomy and 57 patients were operated with laparoscopic appendectomy. Similarly, in late group, 46 patients were operated with open method and 79 patients were operated with laparoscopic method. Results:These results suggest that there is no signicant difference between uncomplicated acute appendicitis operated within 12 hours or after 12 hours of hospitalisation when compared in terms of average duration of surgery, post-operative total leucocyte count, time to start feeding after surgery, hospital stay and complications. Conclusions: We can conclude that appendectomy for uncomplicated appendicitis can be delayed safely for more than 12 hours. Delayed appendectomy after hospitalisation for uncomplicated appendicitis does not increase the morbidity of the patient.

Agreement between histopathological and intraoperative classifications for pediatric appendicitis and its relationship with the post-operative clinical outcome

IntroductionSome studies have shown poor agreement between intraoperative and histopathological classifications for appendicitis, despite their routine use in clinical practice.ObjectiveTo investigate the agreement between histopathological and intraoperative classifications for pediatric appendicitis and evaluate the predictive potential of these classifications for the post-operative outcome.MethodsA retrospective, longitudinal, observational single-center study, carried out with 485 patients up to15 years of age, with a confirmed diagnosis of acute appendicitis by histopathological evaluation. The histopathological results classified the appendices as uncomplicated appendicitis when there was confirmation of the diagnosis of appendicitis without necrosis or perforation and complicated appendicitis when there was extensive necrotic tissue in the outer layer of the appendix or signs of perforation. The intraoperative findings were classified as uncomplicated appendicitis when the appendix presented with hyperemia and edema or fibrinous exudate and complicated appendicitis when the appendix showed necrosis, abscess, or perforation. The kappa index determined the agreement and the prediction relationships using a generalized linear model.Results43.9% of cases were classified as complicated appendicitis by histopathological evaluation and 49.7% by intraoperative classification. The agreement analysis between the histopathological and intraoperative classification showed a moderate agreement, with a Kappa index of 0.419 (0.337–0.501). There was an association (P < 0.05) between the intraoperative classification and the post-operative clinical outcomes (time to start feeding, fever, intraabdominal collection, length of stay, the need for antibiotic therapy changing, and need for ICU). There was no association between histopathological classification and post-operative outcomes.ConclusionThe agreement between the two classifications was moderate, and the intraoperative classification was able to predict the post-operative clinical outcomes.

Examining sex disparities in risk/reward trade-offs in Smith's zokors, Eospalax smithii

Risk taking is imperative for the survival and fitness of animals since they are constantly facing innumerable threats from various sources. Indeed, the ability of the individual to balance the costs and benefits of various options and adopt a wise decision is critical for the animal well-being. We modified several traditionally used anxiety tests [The modified light-dark box (mLDB), the modified open field test (mOFT) and the modified defensive withdrawal apparatus (mDWA)] by adding a palatable food reward within the anxiogenic zone which granted us to assess the sex differences in risk-taking behavior in Smith's zokors (Eospalax smithii), a typical subterranean rodent species endemic to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Concomitant with our working hypothesis, female zokors showed strong aversion and avoidance behavioral responses when tested in the mOFT and mDWA while there were no apparent sexually dimorphic behavioral changes when they were tested in the mLDB (Except for the percentage of food consumed and the latency till start feeding). Furthermore, comparison between the three behavioral paradigms revealed that both sexes showed different behavioral responses toward the different behavioral tests. Sex differences in repeatable behaviors were more profound in females than males. This might reflect different degrees of risk perception and emotionality that may differ considerably between the different models of anxiety. Our results highlighted the functional significance of a trade-off between risk and incentives in natural environment that both male and female zokors differ in the processing of risk assessment in the presence of a food reward.

First feed matters: The first diet of larval fish programmes growth, survival, and metabolism of larval ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta)

The use of cleaner fish, such as the ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta), is important for combatting the sea lice problem in salmonid cage farming. Ballan wrasse is the only wrasse species that is cultivated, though only about 50% of the approx. 3 million ballan wrasse used in 2020 was produced by aquaculture. The major obstacle for large scale cultivation of ballan wrasse is the difficult first feeding phase and a lack of functional feeding protocols.Like most pelagic marine fish larvae, ballan wrasse do not accept inert diets as first feed, and feeding regimes based on rotifers and Artemia (brine shrimps) usually lead to mixed results and are far from being optimal nutrition for the larvae.In a 48-day start feeding experiment, we studied the feasibility of replacing rotifers by an Experimental cirriped diet or copepod nauplii (Acartia tonsa) and replacing Artemia by nauplii of the cirriped Semibalanus balanoides. Later, all treatments received the same formulated diets. We sampled larvae at each feed transition to analyze different response variables such as growth, morphometry, gene expression, lipidomics, histology, and microbiology.We found significant differences in survival rates and growth. Larvae fed copepods as the first diet had significantly higher survival rates than larvae start-fed on either rotifers or small experimental cirripeds, and this pattern was also reflected in early growth and bone development. Gut histology at the end of the experiment (48 days after hatching) showed a more developed intestinal tissue in the larval group fed copepods first and cirripeds as the second diet compared to the other larval groups.Gene expression at day 48 post hatch still revealed pronounced differences between the larval group first fed on rotifers and larvae from the other three feeding regimes which received natural, unenriched diets. Even weeks after receiving the same formulated diets, lipidomics analyses revealed that several lipid species correlated either negatively or positively with larval growth rates or mortality.Our results are a clear indication for nutritional programming, pointing towards the importance the first diet has for the further life of a fish.

Aposymbiotic Specimen of the Photosynthetic Sea Slug Elysia crispata.

Elysia crispata is a sacoglossan sea slug that retains intracellular, functional chloroplasts stolen from their macroalgal food sources. Elysia crispata juveniles start feeding on the algae following metamorphosis, engulfing chloroplasts and turning green. In laboratory-reared animals, we report one juvenile “albino” specimen unable to retain chloroplasts. Within 6 weeks post-metamorphosis, the aposymbiotic sea slug was significantly smaller than its chloroplast-bearing siblings. This evidence highlights that chloroplast acquisition is required for the normal development of E. crispata.

Survival status and predictors of mortality among preterm neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit of Addis Ababa public hospitals, Ethiopia, 2021. A prospective cohort study

BackgroundPreterm related complications are the single largest direct cause of neonatal deaths throughout the world, responsible for 35% of the world’s neonatal death (1.1 million deaths/year). In Ethiopia preterm related complications are still the leading cause of neonatal mortality. Identifying the hazard time to death and predictors of mortality play an important role to decrease preterm mortality. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the survival and predictors of mortality among preterm neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit of Addis Ababa public hospitals, Ethiopia, 2021.MethodAn institutional based prospective follow up study was conducted among 358 preterm neonates admitted to selected public hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from February 12 to May 12, 2021. Systematic random sampling was used to recruit each sample and data was collected prospectively using structured questioner. Epi-data version 4.6 and STATA version 16 was used to data entry and analysis respectively. Kaplan Meier failure curve, Log rank tests were computed. Schoenfeld residual test was used to check overall model fitness. Cox proportional hazards models were fitted to identify independent predictors of preterm mortality.ResultAt the end of this cohort, 125(34.9%) of the neonates died, with incidence rate of 36.4/1000 (CI: 0.031–0.044) person-day with the median time to death of 6 days. Born from antepartum hemorrhage mother (AHR: 3.1, CI; 1.4–6.6), lack of Kangaroo mother care (AHR: 5.8, CI; 2.37–14.33), unable to start feeding with in 24 h of admission (AHR: 6.4, CI: 3.33–12.28), apnea (AHR: 2.4, CI: 1.3–4.7) and dehydration (AHR: 2.33, CI: 1.3–4.3) were the identified predictors of time to death.Conclusion and recommendationThe first 7 days of admission was the hazard time to death with median time of 6 days. Being born to antepartum hemorrhage mother, lack of Kangaroo mother care, unable to start feeding with 24-h, Apnea and dehydration were the predictors of time to death. Therefore, intervention that focuses on the identified predictors could have a paramount effect to prolong time to death and reduce preterm mortality.

Reconstruction of laceration of upper lip in a buffalo heifer: A case report

An eleven month old Murrah buffalo heifer was presented with severe lacerated wound on upper lip due to accidental injury with chaff cutter. Reconstruction of the upper lip was done under standing sedation and local anesthesia after thorough cleaning of wound antiseptically and debridement of the wound edges. The animal was recovered uneventfully with start feeding semi-solid feed orally on 6th day followed by feeding on dry fodder on 10th day post-operatively. Skin sutures were removed on 14th day post-operatively without any complication.

Does Vaterite Otolith Deformation Affect Post-Release Survival and Predation Susceptibility of Hatchery-Reared Juvenile Atlantic Salmon?

Sagittal otoliths are calcareous structures in the inner ear of fishes involved in hearing and balance. They are usually composed of aragonite; however, aragonite can be replaced by vaterite, a deformity which is more common in hatchery-reared than in wild fish. Vaterite growth may impair hearing and balance and affect important fitness-related behaviours such as predator avoidance. Captive rearing techniques that prevent hearing loss may have the potential to improve fish welfare and the success of restocking programmes. The aim of this study was to test the effect of structural tank enrichment on vaterite development in the otoliths of hatchery-reared juvenile Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, and to assess the effects of vaterite on immediate predation mortality and long-term survival after release into the wild. Fry were reared in a structurally enriched or in a conventional rearing environment and given otolith marks using alizarin during the egg stage to distinguish between the treatment groups. Otoliths were scrutinised for the presence and coverage of vaterite at 6, 13, and 16 weeks after start feeding, and the growth traits were measured for enriched and control fry when housed in tanks. In a subsequent field experiment, juveniles were released in the Rasdalen river (western Norway), and otoliths of enriched reared and control reared fry were scrutinised from samples collected immediately prior to release, from predator (trout Salmo trutta) stomachs 48 h after release and from recaptures from the river 2–3 months after release. Vaterite otoliths occurred as early as 6 weeks after start feeding in hatchery-reared S. salar. Vaterite occurrence and coverage increased with fish length. Enriched rearing had no direct effect on vaterite formation, but enriched reared fry grew slower than control fry. After release into the wild, fewer salmon fry with vaterite otoliths had been eaten by predators, and a higher proportion of fry with vaterite otoliths than those lacking vaterite were recaptured in the river 2–3 months after release. Contrary to expectations, this suggests that vaterite does not increase predation mortality nor reduce survival rates in the wild during the early life stages.