Growth performance and feed utilisation of Australian hybrid abalone (Haliotis rubra × Haliotis laevigata) fed increasing dietary protein levels at three water temperatures

Determining the macronutrient requirements for commercially valuable aquaculture species remains crucial for maximising production efficiency. Yet, such information is lacking for Australian hybrid abalone (Haliotis rubra × Haliotis laevigata), particularly with respect to life stage and water temperatures. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary protein inclusion level on the growth performance, nutrient utilisation and nutritional quality of juvenile (3·3 g) Australian hybrid abalone reared at three different temperatures representative of winter (12°C), average annual (17°C) and summer (22°C) grow-out periods and fed five diets containing graded dietary protein levels of 35, 38, 41, 44 and 47 %. Abalone growth increased with increasing water temperature with weight gains of approximately 100, 280 and 380 % of their initial weight at 12, 17 and 22°C, respectively. Furthermore, the present study clearly demonstrated that higher dietary protein inclusion levels (41 %) than those currently used commercially (35 %) would significantly improve the growth performance when water temperatures are ≥17°C without any adverse impacts on nutrient utilisation, nutrient deposition or nutritional quality of the abalone soft tissue. For example, at 22°C abalone fed a diet containing 41 % protein obtained a significantly higher weight gain percentage (421 %) compared with those fed a diet containing 35 % protein (356 %). Lastly, it is suggested that maintaining a dietary protein inclusion level of 35 % or implementing a 'least cost' feeding approach during cooler seasons, or where water temperatures are ∼12°C, may be beneficial, considering only marginal growth improvements were observed during these periods of slow growth.

A prospective, randomized, parallel group, controlled study of the effect of intensity of speech and language therapy on early recovery from poststroke aphasia

Objective: To examine whether the amount of speech and language therapy influences the recovery from poststroke aphasia.

Setting: A hospital stroke unit and community.

Design: A prospective, randomized controlled trial.

Intervention: Aphasic stroke patients were randomly allocated to receive 5 hours (intensive therapy group, n=51) or 2 hours (standard therapy group) of speech and language therapy per week for 12 consecutive weeks starting as soon as practicable after the stroke. Another 19 patients were recruited for 2 hours per week of therapy and were treated by National Health Service (NHS) staff (NHS group).

Outcome measure and assessment: The Western Aphasia Battery. Assessments were made blind to randomization at baseline and 4, 8, 12 and 24 weeks after the start of therapy. Data were analysed by intention to treat.

Results: The mean (SD) Western Aphasia Battery score at week 12 for the intensive, standard and NHS groups was 70.3 (26.9), 66.2 (26.2) and 58.1 (33.7), respectively. There was no treatment effect of intensive therapy (P > 0.05), but there was a statistically significant difference between the standard study and the NHS groups (P = 0.002 at week 12 and 0.01 at week 24).

Conclusions: Intensive speech and language therapy (as delivered in this study) did not improve the language impairment significantly more than the `standard' therapy which averaged 1.6 hours/week. The improvement in aphasia was least in patients who were in the NHS group. These patients received 0.57 (0.49) hours of therapy per week.

High scores on the Western Aphasia Battery correlate with good functional communication skills (as measured with the Communicative Effectiveness Index) in aphasic stroke patients

OBJECTIVE

To examine the correlation between an impairment-level and a functional-level assessment scale of aphasia.

DESIGN

Prospective, longitudinal study.

SETTING

A stroke rehabilitation unit.

SUBJECTS

Sixty-seven aphasic acute stroke patients who were undergoing a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation programme, including conventional speech and language therapy (SLT).

INTERVENTION

Patients were assessed on study entry and 4, 8, 12 and 24 weeks after the start of SLT. The language impairment was assessed with the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) and the communicative functional limitation associated with aphasia was measured with the Communicative Effectiveness Index (CETI).Results. There was a statistically significant correlation between the two scales for all assessment periods (Pearson's r=0.71; P<0.01).

CONCLUSION

The study suggests that in the acute and subacute stages of stroke the scores of WAB and CETI can be surmised from one another.

Haploinsufficiency of RanBP2 is neuroprotective against light-elicited and age-dependent degeneration of photoreceptor neurons

Prolonged light exposure is a determinant factor in inducing neurodegeneration of photoreceptors by apoptosis. Yet, the molecular bases of the pathways and components triggering this cell death event are elusive. Here, we reveal a prominent age-dependent increase in the susceptibility of photoreceptor neurons to undergo apoptosis under light in a mouse model. This is accompanied by light-induced subcellular changes of photoreceptors, such as dilation of the disks at the tip of the outer segments, prominent vesiculation of nascent disks, and autophagy of mitochondria into large multilamellar bodies. Notably, haploinsufficiency of Ran-binding protein-2 (RanBP2) suppresses apoptosis and most facets of membrane dysgenesis observed with age upon light-elicited stress. RanBP2 haploinsufficiency promotes decreased levels of free fatty acids in the retina independent of light exposure and turns the mice refractory to weight gain on a high-fat diet, whereas light promotes an increase in hydrogen peroxide regardless of the genotype. These studies demonstrate the presence of age-dependent and RanBP2-mediated pathways modulating membrane biogenesis of the outer segments and light-elicited neurodegeneration of photoreceptors. Furthermore, the findings support a mechanism whereby the RanBP2-dependent production of free fatty acids, metabolites thereof or the modulation of a cofactor dependent on any of these, promote apoptosis of photoreceptors in concert with the light-stimulated production of reactive oxygen species.

The role of inflammation in preterm birth--focus on periodontitis

It is universally accepted that acute inflammation is responsible for a substantial fraction of preterm births, particularly early cases. Much of this inflammation is caused by intrauterine infection. There is also evidence that infection and perhaps inflammation remote from the genitourinary tract can trigger preterm labour. Several studies have suggested that periodontitis during pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth. Periodontitis may cause preterm birth by causing low-grade bacteraemia, which lodges in the decidua, chorion and amnion or by releasing endotoxin into the maternal circulation, which triggers intrauterine inflammation and preterm birth. Alternatively, it may release cytokines and other inflammatory products, which then trigger preterm labour. It is also conceivable that periodontitis might serve as a marker for other unhealthy behaviours, or immune hyperresponsiveness and that hyperresponsiveness to low-grade intrauterine infection itself might cause preterm birth. Currently, there are few data available to distinguish these possibilities. Such distinctions are important since they have clear implications for whether treatment of periodontitis might reduce the incidence of preterm birth. Several clinical trials of treatment of periodontitis are continuing, but until their results are known there is currently little evidence that treatment of periodontitis during pregnancy reduces the incidence of preterm birth.

Seroprevalence of parvovirus B19 NS1-specific IgG in B19-infected and uninfected individuals and in infected pregnant women

Parvovirus B19 is the causative agent of erythema infectiosum in children, but the virus is associated with an increasing range of different diseases. These include acute and chronic arthritis, hydrops fetalis in pregnant women, aplastic anemia, and thrombocytopenia. The host's immune response is directed against the viral structural proteins VP1 and VP2. This study investigated the presence of IgG against the viral nonstructural protein NS1 using Western blot. Serum panels from healthy individuals, B19-infected pregnant women, and various disease groups were tested. The disease groups included patients with symptoms that may be linked to parvovirus B19 infection. The results showed that IgG against the NS1 protein was present in 22% of healthy individuals with past B19 infection. In cases of persistent or prolonged B19 infections, the prevalence of NS1-specific antibodies was as high as 80%. It is concluded that NS1-specific IgG may be used as an indicator of chronic or more severe courses of parvovirus B19 infections.

Development of antibodies to the nonstructural protein NS1 of parvovirus B19 during acute symptomatic and subclinical infection in pregnancy: implications for pathogenesis doubtful

At present little is known about the mechanisms influencing the course and severity of parvovirus B19 infection. Antibodies to the parvovirus nonstructural protein NS1 were reported in patients with parvovirus-associated arthritis and those with persisting infection but not in those without complications, suggesting a potential involvement of NS1 or anti-NS1 antibodies in pathogenesis. The immune response to NS1 was examined retrospectively in 33 pregnant women with acute parvovirus B19 infection, 14 of whom experienced symptomatic infection and 19 in whom the infection was subclinical. Antibodies to NS1 were found in 15 (45%) of the women, seven with symptomatic and eight with subclinical infection. No association was found between the development of anti-NS1 antibodies and the occurrence of fetal complications. Of the seven cases in which fetal complications were observed, anti-NS1 antibodies were detected in only three. The finding that an immune response to NS1 can also be demonstrated in patients with asymptomatic infection suggests that anti-NS1 antibodies do not appear to represent a marker for an altered or severe course of infection in pregnant women or to contribute significantly to pathogenesis. Since anti-NS1 antibodies first become detectable at least six weeks postinfection, their presence can be used to exclude acute infection in patients with unclear serology or be used to aid differential diagnosis of rashlike illnesses.

Acute parvovirus B19 infection in pregnant women--an analysis of serial samples by serological and semi-quantitative PCR techniques

The serological and virological course of parvovirus B19 infection was followed in 14 women who suffered symptomatic or subclinical acute infection during pregnancy. Serial serum samples from the patients were tested for IgG and IgM antibodies and the levels of parvovirus B19 DNA were monitored using a semi-quantitative PCR assay. In addition, the outcome of the pregnancies was documented by clinical information and by testing cord blood for parvovirus B19 specific antibodies as well as for parvovirus B19 DNA by PCR. Levels of IgG antibodies rose steadily within 2 months of infection and in some cases began to decline at the end of pregnancy. IgM antibodies were usually detected for at least 2 months and persisted for as long as 9 months in one case. Viral DNA was detectable for at least 8 weeks following infection and semi-quantitative analysis revealed a gradual reduction in virus load during the viraemic phase of infection. There were no apparent differences in the course of antibody development and duration of viraemia in symptomatic versus subclinical infections.

Life-threatening parvovirus B19-associated myocarditis and cardiac transplantation as possible therapy: two case reports

Parvovirus B19 infection can cause a wide spectrum of disease syndromes. Two cases of parvovirus B19 infection were identified that resulted in life-threatening myocarditis shortly after acute infection in immunocompetent individuals. The diagnosis was made with serological and polymerase chain reaction techniques. One patient was successfully treated by heart transplantation. Sequence analysis showed that the parvovirus B19 cloned from the patients' sera had 99% homology with the prototype sequence. Clinicians should be alerted to the possible role of parvovirus B19 in myocarditis presenting in immunocompetent patients.

Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotropin in pregnant women with acute parvovirus B19 infection with and without fetal complications

Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MS-AFP) and human gonadotropin (MS-hCG) were retrospectively determined in 137 sera from 65 pregnant women with an acute parvovirus B19 infection. In 35 of the pregnant women, fetal complications occurred (group 1); in the remaining 30 women, there were no fetal complications (group 2). In group I, significant elevations of MS-AFP were detected in 13 of the 35 women (37 per cent) and of MS-hCG in 25 of the 35 women (71 per cent). In nine of those women, sera were obtained before occurrence of fetal complications and MS-AFP was elevated in one case and MS-hCG in four cases. In one woman, both MS-AFP and MS-hCG were elevated. In group 2, significant elevations of MS-AFP were found in two of the 30 women (6-7 per cent) and of MS-hCG in five of the 30 women (16.7 per cent). Neither MS-AFP nor MS-hCG appears to be a regular early marker for poor pregnancy outcome in parvovirus B19-infected pregnancies, although they were frequently elevated at the time of complications.

Parvovirus B19 diagnosis in pregnant women--quantification of IgG antibody levels (IU/ml) with reference to the international parvovirus B19 standard serum

On the basis of the results of a collaborative study the Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation of the World Health Organisation has issued an international standard (IS) serum for parvovirus B19 IgG antibody (NIBSC 93/724). In this study this IS was used to calibrate an in-house standard serum for reporting the results of parvovirus B19 IgG testing in IU/ml. The IgG titre distribution in 939 pregnant women was determined. These samples were sent to the laboratory for determining the immune status to parvovirus B19 following contact with parvovirus B19 infected individuals or for detecting acute infection in patients with symptoms suggestive of parvovirus B19 infection.

A successful laboratory outreach program

Many economists say the recession is ending--if not over already. Those of us in health care are still facing trying times, and health-care reform may be just around the corner. Many hospitals are developing or enhancing laboratory outreach programs to ease their financial burdens. In the first of a two-part "As We See It," CLMR spoke with expert laboratorians who discuss the need for an outreach program and who should be involved in its development, as well as how hospital laboratories can establish the proper business culture to run a successful program. We asked: How do you develop and operate a successful laboratory outreach program?