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Silent estrus results in spread-out kidding and extended inter-kidding interval in goats. Progesterone (P4) priming for 12-14 days could be one of the approaches for estrus induction with optimum fertility. The present work was carried to comparatively assess the duration of P4 priming on estrus and fertility in silent estrus goats. Sirohi does (n=18) with a history of anestrus and high basal P4 in paired samples were equally divided into three groups. Does in P-0 d group received 200 IU of equine chorionic gonadotropin by intramuscular route. Does in group second and third were subjected to per-vaginal P4 sponges for 7 (P-7 d) and 14 (P-14 d) days, respectively and were given 200 IU equine chorionic gonadotropin following sponge withdrawal. Estrus was monitored for 72 h at 12 h intervals using teaser buck to record estrus per cent, induction time and duration. Estrus induction was highest in P-14 d (6/6) than P-0 d and P-7 d (4/6 and 5/6), respectively. Estrus induction time was shorter in P-7 d and P-14 d than P-0 d. The estrus duration was shortest in P-14 d group. The conception and pregnancy rate did not differ significantly among the groups, though all the does in P-14 d conceived. The fertility was non-significantly higher in P-14 d (6/6) and P-7 d group (5/5) than P-0 d (3/4). It could be concluded that P4 priming for 7-14 days in silent estrus does results in improved reproductive performances.

Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors are employees of Bristol Myers Squibb.

Conformity of tumour volumes and dose plans in prostate brachytherapy (BT) can be constrained by unwanted needle deflections, needle access restrictions and visualisation limitations. This work validates the feasibility of teleoperated robotic control of an active steerable needle using magnetic resonance (MR) for guidance. With this system, perturbations can be counteracted and critical structures can be circumvented to access currently inaccessible areas. The system comprises of (1) a novel steerable needle, (2) the minimally invasive robotics in an MR environment (MIRIAM) system, and (3) the daVinci Research Kit (dVRK). MR scans provide visual feedback to the operator controlling the dVRK. Needle steering is performed along curved trajectories to avoid the urethra towards targets (representing tumour tissue) in a prostate phantom with a targeting error of 1.2 ± 1.0 mm. This work shows the potential clinical applicability of active needle steering for prostate BT with a teleoperated robotic system in an MR environment., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Night eating syndrome (NES) is described as a disordered eating pattern relative to sleep, where consumption of food occurs in the evening and night. Numerous studies had been conducted in various populations but studies on (NES) among call centre employees are limited. Aim: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of NES and its determinants among selected inbound call centre employees in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 217 inbound call centre employees were recruited through random sampling. A self-administered socio-demographic and work-related questionnaire was used to collect data on the background of the respondents. Information on NES and well-being was obtained by using the Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) and World Health Organisation-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) respectively. Data on dietary intakes, smoking habits, alcohol intakes and life stress were acquired using a Simple Lifestyle Indicator Questionnaire (SLIQ) while eating behaviour of the respondents was studied using the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-18). Results: The mean age of the respondents was 24.1 ± 6.0 years. The prevalence of NES was 12.0% (95% CI = 8.12-17.24). The binary logistic regression identified that NES is significantly associated with adequate exercise (AOR = 4.250, p  = 0.012) and emotional eating (AOR = 6.510, p  = 0.014). Conclusion: This study showed that the prevalence of NES was high in the call centre and repeated nocturnal eating can have multiple adverse health effects. Therefore, promoting healthy eating habits are crucial to reduce the impacts of NES.

Introduction: Congenital unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (cuSNHL) carries potentially significant social, educational, and developmental consequences. Early diagnosis enables investigation, and consideration of options for management and early intervention, helping to mitigate the effects of hearing loss. Cochlear nerve dysplasia (CND) is a prominent cause of cuSNHL and may affect candidacy for cochlear implantation. Socioeconomic disadvantage may impact on a patient's family's capacity to participate in necessary intervention and follow-up., Methods: Infants with severe-profound cuSNHL referred to a large Australian quaternary pediatric center between October 2004 and December 2020 were retrospectively included. Audiometric and clinical data, and the presence of hearing loss risk factors were obtained from a prospectively collated database. In Australia MRI scans are provided free-of-charge to citizens and residents. MRI scans were reviewed to determine the status of the nerves within the internal acoustic meatus (IAM grade) along with attendance rates. Travel distance to the hospital was also calculated. Reasons for non-attendance at MRI were obtained from patient medical records and correspondence. Socioeconomic, educational, and occupational indices, and travel distances were obtained using patient residential postcodes with reference to Australian Bureau of Statistics data., Results: A total of 98 patients were reviewed, 64.3% (n = 63) of whom underwent MRI. The median age at diagnosis was 40 days (IQR 27). The prevalence of CND was 75% (n = 47). Importantly, there was no significant difference in the degree of hearing loss between IAM grades (F(4,57) = 1.029, p = 0.405). Socioeconomic indices were significantly lower in patients not attending MRI investigations compared with patients who did attend. Travel distance was not significantly different between the two groups., Conclusion: CND is a prominent cause of cuSNHL in Australian infants. MRI at a young age allows parent education regarding management options and timely intervention where indicated. Socioeconomic disadvantage significantly impacts on participation in further routine assessment of cuSNHL, potentially limiting management options for these children long term., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ageing is a multi-factorial phenomenon which is considered as a major risk factor for the development of neurodegeneration, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, dementia, cancer, and other chronic diseases. Phenotypically, ageing is related with a combination of molecular, cellular, and physiological levels like genomic and epi-genomic alterations, loss of proteostasis, deregulation of cellular and subcellular function and mitochondrial dysfunction. Though, no single molecular mechanism accounts for the functional decline of different organ systems in older humans but accumulation of DNA damage or mutations is a dominant theory which contributes largely to the development of ageing and age-related diseases. However, mechanistic, and hierarchical order of these features of ageing has not been clarified yet. Scientific community now focus on the effect of obesity on accelerated ageing process. Obesity is a complex chronic disease that affects multiple organs and tissues. It can not only lead to various health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease but also can decrease life expectancy which shows similar phenotype of ageing. Higher loads of DNA damage were also observed in the genome of obese people. Thus, inability of DNA damage repair may contribute to both ageing and obesity apart from cancer predisposition. The present review emphasizes on the involvement of molecular phenomenon of DNA metabolism in development of obesity and how it accelerates ageing in mammals., Competing Interests: All authors declare that they have no competing interests.

In an on-going investigation of bioactive metabolites producing potential endophytic fungi, the strain Lasiodiplodia theobromae (SJF-1) was isolated from a medicinal plant Syzygium cumini. The cultural, morphological and molecular identification was done with the SJF-1 strain. The obtained gene sequence was deposited in NCBI with accession number MG 938644. The methanolic extract of SJF-1 strain possessed one major bioactive fraction, and it was purified by column chromatography. Further, it was identified as Mellein by various spectroscopic studies ( 1 H, 13 C, DEPT-135°, FT-IR, ESI-HR-MS and 2D NMR). Biologically, Mellein showed potent anti-Xanthomonas activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 1·9 to 62·5 μg ml -1 against 11 Xanthomonas strains, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity with MIC 7·8-31·25 μg ml -1 and 1·9-31·25 μg ml -1 towards both bacterial and fungal strains, respectively. The scanning electron microscope analysis proved the antimicrobial efficacy of a Mellein by rupturing the cell walls of Xanthomonas sp. Molecular docking studies further supported that the Mellein showed good binding interactions with the proteins of Xanthomonas sp. to reduce pathogenicity. Further, in silico pharmacological studies showed that this metabolite exhibited high gastrointestinal absorption properties and promising oral drug bioavailability. We report, anti-Xanthomonas, in silico docking and pharmacological studies of Mellein from (SJF-1) strain for the first time., (© 2022 Society for Applied Microbiology.)

Background: Carotid plaque morphology plays an important role in determining outcome of carotid artery stenting (CAS). Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and its extension VH (Virtual Histology)-IVUS evaluate plaque characteristics in real time and guide decision making during stenting. To date, there is no consensus about indications of IVUS and its validated methods. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the clinical utility of IVUS in carotid artery interventions (CAS) and develop a future consensus for research and practice parameters., Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed of the English literature articles published till February 2021. Studies reporting on IVUS parameters and findings and also its performance compared with other imaging modalities were included in review. Pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated. The statistical analysis was conducted in R version 3.6.2., Results: A total of 2015 patients from 29 studies were included. Proportional meta-analysis was performed on 1566 patients from 11 studies. In 9 studies, stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) had a pooled prevalence of 4% (95% CI 3%-5%) while asymptomatic stroke had a pooled prevalence of 46% (95% CI 31%-62%) in 4 studies following IVUS. Two studies reported that IVUS detected more plaque protrusion compared with angiography (n=33/396 vs 11/396). IVUS led to stent type or size change in 8 of 48 cases which were missed on angiography in 3 other studies. Concordance between VH-IVUS and true histology was good at 80% to 85% reported in 2 studies., Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis showed, though IVUS fared better to computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance (MR) angiography for better stent selection during CAS, with low to moderate risk of bias in the studies included. However, large scale, preferably randomized controlled studies are needed to predict its role in determining clinical outcome.

Background: Tracheostomy, being a high aerosol-generating procedure, poses a great challenge to surgeons, especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. It is important to preserve staff numbers as this fight may go on for a long time. Personal protective equipment plays a key role in the protection of healthcare workers. Barrier enclosure has been attempted in procedures such as intubation and tracheostomy. The use of boxes became popularised for intubation and they have been utilised in many centres., Methods: This paper describes the box designed by our team and presents our surgical experience with the box. The box is made of transparent acrylic. It is sealed at all ends, with a negative-pressure environment. The hand ports were designed to allow maximum manoeuvrability for surgeons, without restricting hand movements., Conclusion: The proposed box will provide more protection to healthcare workers during tracheostomy. However, the box is yet to be validated.