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The present study aimed to investigate the substituting effect of sunflower meal (SFM) for soybean meal (SBM) with or without supplemental Avizyme on growth performance, protein and energy efficiency ratios, carcass traits, and nutrient digestibility of broiler chickens. A 4 × 2 factorial design experiment was conducted with four levels of SFM replacing SBM (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%) and two levels of supplemented Avizyme (0 or 0.1 g/kg diet). Results revealed that increasing SFM substitution for SBM up to 50% was associated with an increase in body weight (P < 0.01). Daily weight gain was statistically (P < 0.01) enhanced with increasing SFM up to 50% through 22 to 42 and 7 to 42 days of age. Feed conversion ratio improved (P < 0.01) in groups given SFM at 25% and 50% compared to the control. No carcass values were affected by SFM inclusion or Avizyme. The inclusion of 25% or 50% SFM increased (P < 0.01) protein efficiency at periods of 7-21 and 22-42 days of age. Energy efficiency ratio improved (P < 0.01) due to SFM incorporation at levels of 25% or 50% in all periods. The interaction effect between SFM and Avizyme was not significant on a majority of studied parameters. The digestion coefficients of crude fiber, N-free extract, and organic matter increased (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) with increased levels of SFM. In conclusion, the incorporation of SFM as a substitute for SBM in broiler diets improved the growth performance of broilers. The use of SFM up to 50% without Avizyme supplementation could be recommended in broiler diets from 7 to 42 days of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intoduction: Paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has annual occurrence rates estimated at 7-8 per 100 000 children with extensive variation depending on the location and timing of the study. Such data even decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aims: We aimed to examine the changes in the characteristics and survival outcomes of paediatric OHCA following the COVID-19 outbreak in the Masovian region (Poland). Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study based on a National Emergency Medical Service (EMS) database in Poland. It was conducted according to the STROBE guidelines and the declaration of Helsinki. All eligible consecutive paediatric patients suffering an OHCA from March 1 to December 30 in the years 2019 (pre-pandemic period) and 2020 (pandemic period), were enrolled. Children eligible for inclusion were >48 hours and <18 years of age and suffered an OHCA with paediatric advanced life support implementation by EMS teams. Subjects were excluded if the information on gender or cardiopulmonary resuscitation outcomes was missing. Results: Forty-seven paediatric OHCA patients were included in the pre-COVID-19 and 29 in the COVID-19 periods. Children with OHCA in the COVID-19 period more often received an endotracheal tube compared to the pre-COVID-19 period, although the use of a supraglottic airway device did not change. The use of intraosseous access decreased during the COVID-19 period. The outcomes were similar in the categories of 'death on the scene', 'transported with ongoing CPR', and 'transported with ROSC'. Conclusions: There were no significant changes regarding outcomes, demographics, and field resuscitation rates between pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods, despite an increase rate of endotracheal tube intubation. Although the COVID-19 pandemic may have increased the number of OHCA, but has not changed the patient characteristics or outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Passive cooling of a triple-junction solar cell using a straight fins heat sink. • A comprehensive 3D heat transfer and electrical model is developed. • Effects of air temperature, concentration ratio, and fins length have been studied. • The cooling system enabled to realize a higher CR of 1250 suns producing 43.4 W/cm2. • Taguchi analysis showed the CR has the greatest effect on the cell performance. An efficient cooling system is crucial for solar cells operating under high concentration ratios to maintain the cell temperature below the maximum allowable temperature limit and to ensure higher efficiency. The current study focuses on the passive cooling of a triple-junction solar cell using a straight fins heat sink. A comprehensive 3D heat transfer and electrical model integrating the CPV cell full layers and the straight fins heat sink is developed and numerically simulated. The effects of ambient temperature, wind speed, and concentration ratio have been studied over various lengths of the straight fins heat sink. In harsh weather conditions of 45 °C ambient temperature, 1 m/s wind speed, and 500 suns, the straight fins reduced cell temperature by approximately 421.2 °C to 432.1 °C with reference to the uncooled cell depending on fins length. Accordingly, the cooling system enabled to realize a higher concentration of 1250 suns producing 43.4 W/cm2 while the uncooled cell is limited at 72.5 suns with an electrical output of 2.5 W/cm2. Environmental analysis showed that cooling of CPV system using straight fins could reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 903 and 1705 tons/m2 at a solar concentration of 500 and 1000 suns respectively. Additionally, Taguchi analysis is performed to find the most affecting parameter on the cell performance and the optimum fin length. The analysis showed that concentration ratio has the most significant effect on the performance of the system, followed by ambient temperature and then fin length. Conversely, the impact of wind speed can be neglected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diffusion MR imaging (DWI) is a widely available non-invasive non-contrast functional MR imaging technique with short acquisition time. It helps in the analysis of tissue characteristics based on the diffusion of water protons within the tissue. Quantitative assessment of a mass is possible by calculating its apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value which is inversely correlated with tissue cellularity. So, DWI has diagnostic potential to distinguish benign from malignant tumors because of the tendency of the latter to show lower ADC values and more restricted diffusion. The aim of our work is to evaluate the use of DWI and ADC value measurement in differentiation between benign and malignant mediastinal tumors. Results: This study included 44 cases of mediastinal masses: 27 males and 17 females. The mean ADC value of malignant mediastinal lesions was significantly lower than the mean ADC value of benign mediastinal lesions, with mean ADC 1.39 ± 0.26 in benign mediastinal lesions and mean ADC 0.86 ± 0.35 in malignant mediastinal lesions. This study also revealed that the cut-off threshold of ADC value for the differentiation between malignant and benign lesions was 1.11 × 10-3 mm2/s, with an area under ROC curve of 0.93. The sensitivity and specificity of our cutoff ADC values were 90.9% and 100%, with 100% positive predictive value and 76.9% negative predictive value. Conclusion: DWI with calculation of ADC value is functional MR imaging technique used in the analysis of tissue characteristics and quantitative assessment of a mediastinal mass. So, it can distinguish benign from malignant tumors because of the tendency of the malignant lesions to show more restricted diffusion and lower ADC values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immunomodulatory effects of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are a crucial subject of investigation for sustainable fish aquaculture, as fish oil is increasingly replaced by terrestrial vegetable oils in aquafeeds. Unlike previous research focusing on fish oil replacement with vegetable alternatives, our study explored how the omega-6 to omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratio in low-fish oil aquafeeds influences Atlantic salmon's antiviral and antibacterial immune responses. Atlantic salmon were fed aquafeeds rich in soy oil (high in omega-6) or linseed oil (high in omega-3) for 12 weeks and then challenged with bacterial (formalin-killed Aeromonas salmonicida) or viral-like (polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid) antigens. The head kidneys of salmon fed high dietary omega-3 levels exhibited a more anti-inflammatory fatty acid profile and a restrained induction of pro-inflammatory and neutrophil-related genes during the immune challenges. The high-omega-3 diet also promoted a higher expression of genes associated with the interferon-mediated signaling pathway, potentially enhancing antiviral immunity. This research highlights the capacity of vegetable oils with different omega-6 to omega-3 PUFA ratios to modulate specific components of fish immune responses, offering insights for future research on the intricate lipid nutrition-immunity interplay and the development of novel sustainable low-fish oil clinical aquaculture feeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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