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The objectives of this study were 1) to determine whether selection toward less subcutaneous fat thickness at constant intramuscular fat content in pigs is related to tissue-specific changes in the expression of lipogenic enzymes acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), and A% desaturase ([DELTA]6d); and 2) to investigate tissue specific distribution of the porcine ACC, SCD, and [DELTA]6d. The study was conducted on 20 purebred Duroc barrows. Ten animals were from a group selected for decreased subcutaneous fat thickness at constant intramuscular fat content (experimental group). The other 10 animals were from the unselected (control) group. Distribution of ACC, SCD, and [DELTA]6d was investigated in semimembranosus muscle (SM), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SA), liver (L), kidney (K), heart (H), diaphragm (D), rectus capitis muscle (RCM), and abdominal fat (AF). The enzyme expression was studied in 10 animals in the case of SM and SA and in 4 animals in the case of other tissues. The following expression pattern was established for ACC: SM [less than or equal to] H = K [less than or equal to] D< RCM < L < AF = SA, whereas the expression patterns for SCD and [DELTA]6d proteins were SM < H < RCM < D < L < K < AF = SA and RCM = SM = D < L [less than or equal to] H < SA < K < AF, respectively. Expression of ACC and SCD proteins was less in subcutaneous adipose tissue of the experimental animals when compared with the control group (P < 0.001). However, no difference (P > 0.1) in ACC and SCD protein expression between the control and experimental groups was observed in SM. Expression of [DELTA]6d protein did not differ between the control and experimental groups for SA (P = 0.47) or SM (P = 0.31). There was a positive relationship between muscle SCD protein expression and intramuscular fat content (r = 0.48, P < 0.05). Intramuscular fat content did not correlate with ACC or [DELTA]6d protein expression (P = 0.23 and P = 0.80, respectively). We conclude that SCD might be an effective potential biomarker for intramuscular fat deposition. Key words: intramuscular fat, lipogenic enzyme expression, meat quality, pig, subcutaneous fat doi: 10.2527/jas.2009-2091

An excessive accumulation of androstenone in pig adipose tissue is a major contributor to the phenomenon of boar taint. Androstenone deposition is dependent on the rate of androstenone biosynthesis in testis and androstenone degradation in liver. The aim of the current study was to examine the possibility of the existence of breed-specific mechanisms controlling androstenone accumulation in pig adipose tissue. The specific objective was to investigate the expression of some of the key enzymes involved in testicular and hepatic androstenone metabolism in pigs of 2 breeds by using animals with high and low androstenone concentrations within each breed. The study was conducted with Norwegian Landrace (N. Landrace) and Duroc boars. The mean androstenone values for the low- and high-androstenone groups were 0.1 [+ or -] 0.01 [micro]g/g and 7.58 [+ or -] 0.68 [micro]g/g for N. Landrace boars, and 0.22 [+ or -] 0.04 [micro]g/ g and 13.55 [+ or -] 1.14 [micro]g/g for Duroc boars. The enzymes investigated were 3[beta]-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3[beta]-HSD), cytochrome P450-c17, and sulfotransferase 2B1 (SULT2B1). Expression of cytochrome P450-c17 in liver and testis did not differ between animals with high and low androstenone concentrations in either the N. Landrace or Duroc breed. Expression of hepatic 3[beta]-HSD, which catalyzes the first stage of androstenone degradation, was decreased in high-androstenone N. Landrace boars (P < 0.01), but not in high-androstenone Duroc boars. In contrast, the expression of hepatic SULT2B1, which catalyzes the second stage of steroid catabolism, was decreased in high-androstenone Duroc animals (P < 0.05), but not in high-androstenone N. Landrace animals. Sulfotransferase 2B1 was also inhibited in testis of high-androstenone pigs of both breeds compared with low-androstenone animals. We report breed differences in expression of the androstenone-metabolizing enzymes 3[beta]-HSD and SULT2B1 in the liver of high- and low-androstenone pigs. It is suggested that accumulation of androstenone in adipose tissue of N. Landrace boars might be related to a low rate of hepatic androstenone degradation in metabolic stage I, whereas the high androstenone concentration in Duroc boars might be related to a low rate of androstenone metabolism in metabolic stage II. Key words: androstenone, breed, cytochrome P450-c17, 3[beta]-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, pig, sulfotransferase 2B1

The entire sequence of the pig 3 [beta]-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 [beta]-HSD) gene has recently become known. This gene is deemed to be important in androstenone metabolism in pig liver, and its defective expression has been shown to be related to androstenone accumulation in adipose tissue and the development of boar taint. The aim of the present work was to do the following: 1) define the structure of the pig 3 [beta]-HSD gene and 2) compare 3 [beta]-HSD DNA sequences from pigs of different breeds, which vary in adipose tissue androstenone levels, with the purpose of identifying a polymorphism that might be responsible for differential 3 [beta]-HSD expression. The 5' flanking and the coding region of 3 [beta]-HSD were cloned and sequenced by conventional techniques. The 3 [beta]-HSD coding regions were identical in pigs of different breeds and in animals with high and low androstenone levels. Significant sequence variations were found in the 5' flanking region of the 3 [beta]-HSD gene, where differences in the number of TTAT repeats and 3 SNP were observed. The SNP were associated with the number of the TTAT repeats. These variations in the DNA sequence of the 3 [beta]-HSD gene were not associated with the androstenone level in s.c. adipose tissue but were breed-dependent. The results of this work might be used for detection of the presence of Meishan genes in Western pig breeds, especially if the phenotype is not clearly established. Key words: breed, 3 [beta]-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, gene, pig, polymorphism

This study investigated the relationship between expression of hepatic and testicular 3 [beta]-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 [beta]-HSD) and accumulation of androstenone in adipose tissue because of its relation to boar taint. The experiments were performed on 13 Large White (50%) x Landrace (50%) and Meishan (25%) x Large White (25%) x Landrace (50%), pigs, which differed in the level of backfat androstenone. Our previous work showed that the major product of the hepatic androstenone metabolism is 3 [beta]-androstenol. In this study, the formation of 3 [beta]-androstenol was inhibited by the specific 3 [beta]-HSD inhibitor trilostane. These results are the first direct confirmation that 3 [beta]-HSD is the enzyme responsible for androstenone metabolism in the pig. The expression of the hepatic but not testicular 3 [beta]-HSD protein showed a negative relationship with the level of backfat androstenone ([r.sup.2] = 0.64; P < 0.001) and was accompanied by a reduced rate of the hepatic androstenone clearance. Low expression of 3 [beta]-HSD protein in the liver of high androstenone pigs was also accompanied by a reduced level of 3 [beta]-HSD mRNA (P < 0.001), which suggests a defective regulation of the hepatic 3 [beta]-HSD expression at the level of transcription. In contrast, expression of the testicular 3 [beta]-HSD protein did not differ between animals with high and low androstenone levels (P > 0.05) and was lower compared with the hepatic 3 [beta]-HSD expression. Cloning and sequencing of the 3 [beta]-HSD coding regions established that the hepatic and testicular 3 [beta]-HSD cDNA have identical sequences, which were 98% similar to the human 3 [beta]-HSD isoform I. It is suggested that expression of a single 3 [beta]-HSD gene is regulated by different mechanisms in pig liver and testis. The liver-specific regulation of 3 [beta]-HSD expression contributes to the low rate of hepatic androstenone metabolism and therefore can be considered as one of the factors regulating deposition of androstenone in pig adipose tissue and subsequent development of boar taint. Key words: androstenone, boar taint, 3 [beta]-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, pig

The aims of the study were 1) to investigate effects of a low protein diet on fatty acids content and composition of the LM and subcutaneous adipose tissue in 3 genetically diverse breeds, Large White × Landrace, Alentejano, and Bizaro, and 2) to determine whether the effect of the low protein diet of fatty acid composition is associated with dietary modulation of stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) protein expression. The experiments were conducted on 12 Large White × Landrace, 12 Alentejano, and 10 Bizaro female and male pigs. The average animal BW at the beginning of experiments was 40.8, 40.7, and 38.3 kg for Large White × Landrace, Alentejano, and Bizaro, respectively, and the BW of animals at slaughter was 90 kg. The diets contained 202 or 169 g/kg DM of CP (high and low protein diets, respectively) and were balanced in essential AA. The diets were fed until the animals reached 90 kg BW (approximately 73 d). It was established that Large White × Landrace pigs had a less (P = 0.001 ) total fatty acid content in subcutaneous adipose tissue when compared with Alentejano and Bizaro and less (P < 0.001) intramuscular fat (IMF) content when compared with Alentejano. There was a positive relationship between SCD protein expression in the LM and MUFA content (r = 0.627, P = 0.029) and SCD protein expression and total muscle fatty acids content (r = 0.725, P = 0.008) in Large White × Landrace but not in Alentejano and Bizaro breeds. It has been suggested that SCD protein expression is associated with regulation of fat deposition only in breeds with genetic predisposition to a low IMF content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cyclic ion mobility (cIMS), ions are permitted to travel multiple passes around the drift cell, increasing the distance traveled and the relative separation between ions. This study tests the hypothesis that multiple passes around the cell can also result in improved precision when measuring an ion's mobility and the collision cross section ( TW CCS) derived therefrom. Experiments were performed with a diverse set of compounds, including 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using gas chromatographic atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and a set of drug molecules by direct infusion electrospray ionization. The average periodic drift time, viz., the average time required for the ion to travel around the cIMS cell once, shifts dramatically, approaching part-per-million (ppm) precision as the number of passes increases to ∼100. Extrapolation of the precision of the CCS values with respect to the number of passes led to the prediction that the precision will reach 1000 ppm after 50 passes, 100 ppm after 100 passes, and <10 ppm after 150 passes. Experiments wherein the number of passes exceeded 100 produced TW CCS values having within-run precisions ranging between 15 and 117 ppm. The improved precision with an increasing number of passes may be a consequence of mitigating space-charge effects by allowing the ions to occupy a larger region of the cIMS cell. A method is proposed to enable practical measurements of TW CCS with ppm precision and is demonstrated to characterize an unknown drug mixture.

In this study, liposomes enclosing eugenol were prepared using microfluidics. Two lipids-1,2-dimyristoyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine, 18:0 (DSPC) and 2-dimyristoyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine, 14:0 (DMPC)-and microfluidic chips with serpentine and Y-shaped micromixing designs were used for the liposomal formulation. Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values indicated that eugenol was more effective against Gram-negative than Gram-positive bacteria. Four different flow-rate ratios (FRR 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 5:1) were explored. All liposomes' encapsulation efficiency (EE) was determined: 94.34% for DSPC 3:1 and 78.63% for DMPC 5:1. The highest eugenol release of 99.86% was observed at pH 4, DMPC 3:1 (Y-shaped chip). Liposomes were physically stable at 4, 20 and 37 °C for 60 days as determined by their size, polydispersity index (PDI) and zeta potential (ZP). The most stable liposomes were observed at FRR 5:1 for DSPC. EE, stability, and eugenol release studies proved that the liposomal formulations produced can be used as delivery vehicles to increase food safety.

Salmonella is a global health threat, with pig production being one of the main sources of human salmonellosis. The current study investigated the antivirulence properties of geraniol for inhibiting the in vitro colonization of Salmonella . The minimum inhibitory (MIC) and bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of geraniol against Salmonella typhimurium followed by the sub-MIC of geraniol were determined. Results provided clear evidence that geraniol at 1/8 MIC can be used as an effective, non-toxic antivirulence compound to inhibit virulence factors (motility, adhesion, and invasiveness) affecting the colonization of S. typhimurium on IPEC-J2 cells. Additionally, the findings signified that microfluidics is an emerging technology suitable for the preparation of stable liposomes with a small size (<200 nm) and high encapsulation efficiency (EE) of up to 92.53%, which can act as effective carriers of geraniol into the pig gastrointestinal tract (GIT), targeting Salmonella , preventing colonization, and thus increasing the safety of the food supply chain.

Aims: The cost of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) significantly affects a wide range of sectors. This study aims to assess the efficiency of a novel technology based on the use of plasma-activated water (PAW) in inhibiting corrosion caused by bacteria., Methods and Results: This study evaluated the effectiveness of PAW, produced by a plasma bubble reactor, in reducing corrosion causing Pseudomonas aeruginosa planktonic cells in tap water and biofilms were grown onto stainless steel (SS) coupons. Planktonic cells and biofilms were treated with PAW at different discharge frequencies (500-1500 Hz) and exposure times (0-20 min). P. aeruginosa cells in tap water were significantly reduced after treatment, with higher exposure times and discharge frequencies achieving higher reductions. Also, PAW treatment led to a gradual reduction for young and mature biofilms, achieving >4-Log reductions after 20 min. Results were also used to develop two predictive inactivation models., Conclusions: This work presents evidence that PAW can be used to inactivate both planktonic cells and biofilms of P. aeruginosa. Experimental and theoretical results also demonstrate that reduction is dependent on discharge frequency and exposure time., Significance and Impact of the Study: This work demonstrates the potential of using PAW as means to control MIC., (© 2021 The Society for Applied Microbiology.)

Background: Management of patients with acute deterioration from novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) has posed a particular challenge for rapid response systems (RRSs) due to increased hospital strain and direct risk of infection to RRS team members., Objective: We sought to characterize RRS structure and protocols adaptions during the COVID-19 pandemic., Design Setting and Participants: Internet-based cross-sectional survey of RRS leaders, physicians, and researchers across the United States., Results: Clinicians from 46 hospitals were surveyed, 40 completed a baseline survey (87%), and 19 also completed a follow-up qualitative survey. Most reported an increase in emergency team resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of sites performing simulation training sessions decreased from 88% before COVID-19 to 53% during the pandemic., Conclusions: Most RRSs reported pandemic-related adjustments, most commonly through increasing resources and implementation of protocol changes. There was a reduction in the number of sites that performed simulation training., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused over 1 200 000 deaths worldwide as of November 2020. However, little is known about the clinical outcomes among hospitalized patients with active COVID-19 after in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA)., Aim: We aimed to characterize outcomes from IHCA in patients with COVID-19 and to identify patient- and hospital-level variables associated with 30-day survival., Methods: We conducted a multicentre retrospective cohort study across 11 academic medical centres in the U.S. Adult patients who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation and/or defibrillation for IHCA between March 1, 2020 and May 31, 2020 who had a documented positive test for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 were included. The primary outcome was 30-day survival after IHCA., Results: There were 260 IHCAs among COVID-19 patients during the study period. The median age was 69 years (interquartile range 60-77), 71.5% were male, 49.6% were White, 16.9% were Black, and 16.2% were Hispanic. The most common presenting rhythms were pulseless electrical activity (45.0%) and asystole (44.6%). ROSC occurred in 58 patients (22.3%), 31 (11.9%) survived to hospital discharge, and 32 (12.3%) survived to 30 days. Rates of ROSC and 30-day survival in the two hospitals with the highest volume of IHCA over the study period compared to the remaining hospitals were considerably lower (10.8% vs. 64.3% and 5.9% vs. 35.7% respectively, p < 0.001 for both)., Conclusions: We found rates of ROSC and 30-day survival of 22.3% and 12.3% respectively. There were large variations in centre-level outcomes, which may explain the poor survival in prior studies., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This is the first report on the fabrication, characterisation and application of an electrochemical (bio)sensor system for the simultaneous measurement of skatole and androstenone. A biosensor for androstenone was fabricated using a Meldola's Blue modified SPCE (MB-SPCE) by depositing NADH and the enzyme 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase onto the MB-SPCE surface; samples of adipose tissue were analysed using the biosensors in conjunction with chronoamperometry. Cyclic voltammetry was used to investigate the electrochemical behaviour of skatole at a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE vs. Ag/AgCl). An oxidation peak was observed around +0.55 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) and differential pulse voltammetry was applied for quantification of skatole in adipose tissue (in-situ). Quantitative analysis was achieved using calibration plots obtained from fortified meat samples. The concentrations obtained by the electrochemical and gas chromatographic (GC) methods demonstrated a good positive correlation. The (bio)sensor system completed both measurements within 60 s, as compared to several hours for GC, and at a considerably reduced cost and complexity. Consequently, the novel (bio)sensor system should have applications for analysis of carcasses on the abattoir processing line., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

An electrocatalytic screen-printed sensor has been investigated for the measurement of the biologically important biomolecule vitamin B1 (thiamine) for the first time in food supplements. Under basic conditions, the vitamin was converted to its electrochemically active thiolate anion species. It was shown that an electrocatalytic oxidation reaction occurred with the screen-printed carbon electrode containing the mediator cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPC-SPCE). This had the advantage of producing an analytical response current at an operating potential of 0 V vs. Ag/AgCl compared to +0.34 V obtained with plain SPCEs. This resulted in improved selectivity and limit of detection. Detailed studies on the underlying mechanism occurring with the sensor are reported in this paper. A linear response was obtained between 0.1 and 20 µg mL -1 , which was suitable for the quantification of the vitamin in two commercial products containing vitamin B1. The mean recovery for a multivitamin tablet with a declared content of 5 mg was 101% (coefficient of variation (CV) of 9.6%). A multivitamin drink, which had a much lower concentration of vitamin B1 (0.22 mg/100 mL), gave a mean recovery of 93.3% (CV 7.2%). These results indicate that our sensor holds promise for quality control of food supplements and other food types.

Guidelines recommend encouraging young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who are taking medication long-term, to discuss their preferences for stopping or changing their treatment, including a discussion about 'drug holidays', with their doctor. Yet, to date, no written information has been available to empower children and adolescents with ADHD and their parents to make informed decisions about drug holidays. The aim of this study was to design and develop a suite of decision aids to help families decide if they want to take a drug holiday from methylphenidate. The material was designed with reference to the literature and in consultation with a secondary-care specialist, and validated with two panels composed of specialists and parents using content validity questionnaires and interviews; before being finished and branded by a design service. Three decision aids were produced, with parental and adolescent versions composed of a booklet and a pull-out form for self-completion, and the child version being a booklet for reading and self-completion. Existing research calls for suitable written materials to feasibly increase the uptake of practitioner-initiated planned drug holidays from methylphenidate. We envisage these materials will open up the space to discuss drug holidays in ADHD during annual reviews, in line with UK government guidelines.

Warfarin is a commonly used anticoagulant drug and is a derivate of coumarin. Cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) plays the key role in transformation of coumarin and thus, influences determination of warfarin dosage. A number of factors including dietary compounds such as sesamin, caffeic acid and ferulic acids can regulate the activity of CYP2C9. The present study tested the hypothesis that sesamin, episesamin, caffeic acid and ferulic acid decreases the rate of warfarin 7-hydroxylation via inhibition of hepatic CYP2C9. The experiments were conducted on hepatic microsomes from human donors. It was demonstrated that the rate of 7-hydroxylation of warfarin was significantly decreased in the presence of sesamin in the range of concentrations from 5 to 500 nM, and was not affected by episesamin, caffeic acid and ferulic acid in the same range of concentrations. The kinetic analysis indicated non-competitive type of inhibition by sesamin with Ki = 202 ± 18 nM. In conclusion, the results of our in vitro study revealed that sesamin was able to inhibit formation of a major metabolite of warfarin, 7-hydroxywarfarin. The potentially negative consequences of the consumption of high amounts of sesamin-containing food or dietary supplements in warfarin-treated patients need to be further studied., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cathepsins, growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and leptin receptor (LEPR) genes have been receiving increasing attention as potential markers for meat quality and pig performance traits. This study investigated the allele variants in four cathepsin genes (CTSB, CTSK, CTSL, CTSS), GHRH and LEPR in pure-bred Ukrainian Large White pigs and evaluated effects of the allele variants on meat quality characteristics. The study was conducted on 72 pigs. Genotyping was performed using PCR-RFLP technique. Meat quality characteristics analysed were intramuscular fat content, tenderness, total water content, ultimate pH, crude protein and ashes. A medium level of heterozygosity values was established for GHRH and LEPR genes which corresponded to very high levels of informativeness indexes. Cathepsins CTSL, CTSB and CTSK had a low level of heterozygosity, and CTSS did not segregate in this breed. Association studies established that intramuscular fat content and tenderness were affected by the allele variance in GHRH and LEPR but not by CTSB and CTSL genes. The GHRH results could be particularly relevant for the production of lean prime cuts as the A allele is associated with both, a lower meat fat content and better tenderness values, which are two attributes highly regarded by consumers. Results of this study suggest that selective breeding towards GHRH/AA genotype would be particularly useful for improving meat quality characteristics in the production systems involving lean Large White lines, which typically have less than 2 % intramuscular fat content.

The isolated or combined effects of betaine and arginine supplementation of reduced protein diets (RPD) on fat content, fatty acid composition and mRNA levels of genes controlling lipid metabolism in pig m. longissimus lumborum and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) were assessed. The experiment was performed on forty intact male pigs (Duroc×Large White×Landrace cross-breed) with initial and final live weights of 60 and 93 kg, respectively. Pigs were randomly assigned to one of the following five diets (n 8): 16·0 % of crude protein (control), 13·0 % of crude protein (RPD), RPD supplemented with 0·33 % of betaine, RPD supplemented with 1·5 % of arginine and RPD supplemented with 0·33 % of betaine and 1·5 % of arginine. Data confirmed that RPD increase intramuscular fat (IMF) content and total fat content in SAT. The increased total fat content in SAT was accompanied by higher GLUT type 4, lipoprotein lipase and stearoyl-CoA desaturase mRNA expression levels. In addition, the supplementation of RPD with betaine and/or arginine did not affect either IMF or total fat in SAT. However, dietary betaine supplementation slightly affected fatty acid composition in both muscle and SAT. This effect was associated with an increase of carnitine O-acetyltransferase mRNA levels in SAT but not in muscle, which suggests that betaine might be involved in the differential regulation of some key genes of lipid metabolism in pig muscle and SAT. Although the arginine-supplemented diet decreased the mRNA expression level of PPARG in muscle and SAT, it did not influence fat content or fatty acid composition in any of these pig tissues.

Background: Humidified high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is a novel method of oxygen delivery with increasing use in emergency departments and intensive care settings despite little evidence showing benefit over standard oxygen delivery methods (standard O2). The aim of this study was to determine whether HFNC compared with standard O2 given to subjects in acute respiratory distress would reduce the need for noninvasive ventilation or invasive ventilation., Methods: This was a pragmatic open randomized controlled trial in adult subjects with hypoxia and tachypnea presenting to a tertiary academic hospital emergency department. The primary outcome was the need for mechanical ventilation in the emergency department., Results: We screened 1,287 patients, 322 met entry criteria and 19 were excluded from analysis. Of these, 165 randomized to HFNC and 138 to standard O2 were analyzed. Baseline characteristics were similar. In the HFNC group, 3.6% (95% CI 1.5-7.9%) versus 7.2% (95% CI 3.8-13%) in the standard O2 group required mechanical ventilation in the emergency department (P = .16), and 5.5% (95% CI 2.8-10.2%) in HFNC versus 11.6% (95% CI 7.2-18.1%) in the standard O2 group required mechanical ventilation within 24 h of admission (P = .053). There was no difference in mortality or stay. Adverse effects were infrequent; however, fewer subjects in the HFNC group had a fall in Glasgow coma score due to CO2 retention, 0% (95% CI 0-3%) versus 2.2% (95% CI 0.4-6%). One in 12 subjects did not tolerate HFNC., Conclusions: HFNC was not shown to reduce the need for mechanical ventilation in the emergency department for subjects with acute respiratory distress compared with standard O2, although it was safe and may reduce the need for escalation of oxygen therapy within the first 24 h of admission., (Copyright © 2016 by Daedalus Enterprises.)

Steroids metabolism plays an important role in mammals and contributes to quality of pig meat. The main objective of this study was to identify metabolites of androstenone, 17β-estradiol and dihydrotestosterone using primary cultured pig hepatocytes as a model system. The role of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3βHSD) in regulation of steroid metabolism was also validated using trilostane, a specific 3βHSD inhibitor. Steroid glucuronide conjugated metabolites were detected by liquid chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOF-MS). 3βHSD enzyme was essential for metabolism of androstenone to 5α-androst-16-en-3β-ol, which then formed androstenone glucuronide conjugate. Metabolism of 17β-estradiol was accompanied by formation of glucuronide-conjugated estrone and glucuronide-conjugated estradiol. The ratio of the two metabolites was around 5:1. 3βHSD enzyme was not involved in 17β-estradiol metabolism. 5α-Dihydrotestosterone-17β-glucuronide was identified as a dihydrotestosterone metabolite, and this metabolism was related to 3βHSD enzyme activity as demonstrated by inhibition study.