Raw diets for dogs and cats: Potential health benefits and threats

Raw meat-based diets for pet nutrition are becoming increasingly popular. The percentage of meat content, composition of nutrients, and amount of additives started to play an important role in the recipe of a given food. However, the use of healthier and unprocessed food must also be balanced with the animal's specific needs based on its anatomy, physiology, and behavior. There are many potential advantages and disadvantages of a biologically appropriate raw food (BARF) diet, and all of them should be considered before switching to this approach. Raw meat is considered a diet closest to nature and least processed. However, raw diets threaten pet health because of the potential for nutrient imbalances. The choice of raw meat in pets' everyday diet should be supported by the veterinarian's medical decision and preferably also with nutritionist help. Growing animals require a specific Ca:P ratio in their diet, which may be improper in raw meat. For cats, taurine levels must be carefully checked. In addition, an imbalanced raw-meat diet can be the cause of poor semen quality in males. Females are prone to inhibition of the estrus cycle, especially due to hyperthyroidism. Exogenous thyroid hormone intake is a real concern when feeding a neck/head meat with thyroid glands. There is also a possibility of bacterial or parasitic presence in raw meat. The present paper aims to summarize the current state of knowledge about the benefits and threats of eating a raw meat diet for the health concerns of companion animals.

Temperature and E-Poling Evolution of Structural, Vibrational, Dielectric, and Ferroelectric Properties of Ba1-xSrxTiO3 Ceramics (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.45)

Lead-free Ba1-xSrxTiO3 (BST) (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.45) ceramics were successfully prepared via the solid-state reaction route. A pure perovskite crystalline structure was identified for all compositions by X-ray diffraction analysis. The basic phase transition temperatures in these ceramics were studied over a wide temperature range. A change in symmetry from a tetragonal to cubic phase was detected, which was further proven by phonon anomalies in composition/temperature-dependent Raman spectra. The incorporation of Sr2+ into BaTiO3 (BT) lead to a shift in the phase transitions to lower temperatures, suppressing the ferroelectric properties and inducing relaxor-like behavior. Therefore, it was reasonable to suppose that the materials progressively lack long-range ordering. The initial second-harmonic generation (SHG) measurements demonstrated that the cubic phase of BST ceramics is not purely centrosymmetric over a wide temperature interval. We discussed the possible origin of the observed effects, and showed that electric field poling seems to reconstruct the structural ordering destroyed by the introduction of Sr2+ to BT. In the first approximation, substitution of Sr for larger Ba simply reduced the space for the off-central shift in Ti in the lattice and hence the domain polarization. A-site cation ordering in BST and its influence on the density of electronic states were also explored. The effect of doping with strontium ions in the BST compound on the density of electronic states was investigated using ab initio methods. As the calculations showed, doping BT with Sr2+ atoms led to an increase in the bandgap. The proposed calculations will also be used in the subsequent search for materials optimal for applications in photovoltaics.

Properties of Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 Ceramics Modified with Fe and Mn

Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃ (NBT) and Fe- and Mn-modified NBT (0.5 and 1 mol%) ceramics were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method. The crystal structure, dielectric and thermal properties of these ceramics were measured in both unpoled and poled states. Neither the addition of iron/manganese to NBT nor poling changed the average crystal structure of the material; however, changes were observed in the short-range scale. The changes in shapes of the Bragg peaks and in their 2Θ-position and changes in the Raman spectra indicated a temperature-driven structural evolution similar to that in pure NBT. It was found that both substitutions led to a decrease in the depolarization temperature T_d and an increase in the piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃. In addition, applying an electric field reactivated and extended the ferroelectric state to higher temperatures (T_d increased). These effects could be the result of: crystal structure disturbance; changes in the density of defects; the appearance of (Fe_Ti'-), (Mn'_Ti-V^••_O) and (Mn″_Tii-V^••_O )-microdipoles; improved domain reorientation conditions and instability of the local polarization state due to the introduction of Fe and Mn into the NBT; reinforced polarization/domain ordering; and partial transformation of the rhombohedral regions into tetragonal ones by the electric field, which supports a long-range ferroelectric state. The possible occupancy of A- and/or B-sites by Fe and Mn ions is discussed based on ionic radius/valence/electronegativity principles. The doping of Fe/Mn and E-poling offers an effective way to modify the properties of NBT.

Prolonged P wave duration is associated with right atrial dimensions, but not atrial arrhythmias, in middle-aged endurance athletes

BACKGROUND

Atrial arrhythmias occur at a higher than expected prevalence amongst endurance athletes. Few studies have examined both atrial structure and arrhythmias in middle-aged endurance athletes. We examined the relationship between P-wave duration, atrial dimensions, and the presence of atrial ectopy in long-standing, middle-aged endurance athletes.

METHODS

Middle-aged athletes with a minimum of 10 years of competitive endurance sport history and no history of structural heart disease or clinical atrial arrhythmias, had 12-lead ECGs to assess P-wave duration, signal-averaged ECGs (SAECG) to assess filtered P-wave duration, a 24 h Holter monitor to assess atrial ectopy, and echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to assess atrial structural characteristics.

RESULTS

Amongst endurance athletes (n = 104; mean age = 54 ± 5 years; 63% male), filtered P-wave duration on SAECG was correlated with P-wave duration on 12-lead ECG (r = 0.36, p, 0.0001), as well as with larger CMR-derived RA areas (r = 0.30, p = 0.01) and volumes (r = 0.24, p < 0.05). There was no correlation between filtered P-wave duration and any LA measures on imaging (p > 0.05). There was no correlation between the incidence of atrial ectopy (premature atrial contractions or atrial tachycardia) and any electrocardiographic or structural measures.

CONCLUSION

Longer filtered P-wave duration was associated with larger RA areas and volumes, without an increase in atrial ectopy.

The reasons for the photochemical behaviour of propylamine 4-(2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoyl)benzoate during the Norrish–Yang reaction

Intermolecular interactions are responsible for the direction of the Norrish–Yang reaction.

The crystal and molecular structure of sodium 4-(2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoyl)benzoate in terms of the photochemical behaviour of the anion

Contrary to the known 4-(2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoyl)benzoate salts, di-μ-aqua-bis[tetraaquasodium(I)] bis[4-(2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoyl)benzoate] dihydrate, [Na2(H2O)10](C23H27O3)2·2H2O, (1), does not undergo a photochemical Norrish-Yang reaction in the crystalline state. In order to explain this photochemical inactivity, the intermolecular interactions were analyzed by means of the Hirshfeld surface and intramolecular geometrical parameters describing the possibility of a Norrish-Yang reaction were calculated. The reasons for the behaviour of the title salt are similar crystalline environments for both the o-isopropyl groups in the anion, resulting in similar geometrical parameters and orientations, and that these interaction distances differ significantly from those found in salts where the photochemical reaction occurs.

Application of the Paediatric Throat Disorders Outcome Test (T-14) for tonsillectomy and adenotonsillectomy

INTRODUCTION

The T-14 questionnaire is a validated patient reported outcome measure (PROM) used to assess the value of paediatric tonsillectomy from the patient's perspective. Tonsillectomy is a procedure under threat. As such, this study aimed to provide further evidence supporting the role of tonsillectomy in the management of recurrent tonsillitis and obstructive sleep apnoea.

METHODS

A prospective uncontrolled observational study was undertaken examining 54 paediatric patients undergoing tonsillectomy at our institution. Parents of children having surgery were invited to complete a T-14 questionnaire preoperatively as well as at three and six months postoperatively.

RESULTS

The questionnaire was completed for 52 of the 54 patients preoperatively as well as at 3 and 6 months postoperatively (96% response rate). The mean difference between the preoperative and six-month T-14 score was 31.8 (p<0.0001). T-14 scores at three months were also significantly improved compared with those taken preoperatively (mean difference: 29.9, p<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study in the literature to assess T-14 questionnaires at three and six months following paediatric tonsillectomy, providing evidence of the early benefit on PROMs. Tonsillectomy is the most common surgical procedure performed in the UK, and it is regarded highly by patients and otolaryngologists alike. This study provides significant evidence that tonsillectomy improves PROMs, thereby demonstrating its ongoing clinical value as a funded National Health Service procedure.