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In the financial portfolio selection (FPS) problem, the investor usually considers several conflicting objectives such as return, risk, and liquidity. The values of these objectives are often provided by the investor who keeps inaccurate information and states his/her considerations subjectively. In order to deal with such a situation, we will propose a combined possibility theory and goal programming model (GP) allowing to consider tradeoffs between investor's preferences regarding several incommensurable objectives in an imprecise environment. The aim of this paper is to formulate a multi-objective FPS approach involving fuzzy parameters, where possibility distributions are given by fuzzy numbers from the information supplied by the decision-making environment (investor, analyst, financial market environment, etc.). Moreover, the investor's preferences will be explicitly incorporated through the concept of satisfaction functions. The proposed model is applied to FPS within the Tunisian stock exchange market and discussed in comparison with other portfolio selection procedures.

This study investigated the relationship between fertility and fatty acid (FA) profiles of egg chorions, total egg, and sperm cells of Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus (L.) broodstock housed in tanks and fed a commercial diet. Fertility of semen from individual males was assessed using pooled eggs, and vice versa. Fertility of the gametes of broodstock fish was classified according to the percentages of eyed stage embryos into: (a) for males, high, ≥ 68%, medium: 49–67% and low: ≤ 48%; (b) for females, high: ≥ 55%; medium: 28–54% and low: ≤ 27%. Spermatozoa from the high fertility group contained less short-chain saturated FAs, more n-3 and n-6 FAs with a higher n-3 to n-6 ratio compared to the sperm from the low fertility group. Egg chorions from the high fertility group also had less short-chain saturated FAs compared to the low fertility group. For spermatozoa significant correlations were found between C15:0, total saturated FAs, C22:5n-3, C22:6n-3, total n-3 FAs, and the ratios of n-3 to n-6 and their fertility, but no correlations were found between fatty acid profiles of egg chorions and of total eggs and egg fertility. In conclusion, sperm fertility of Arctic char is influenced to a much higher extent by their fatty acid composition than that of the eggs.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a leading cause of acute liver failure and is the most frequent reason for post-marketing drug withdrawal. The spectrum of liver injury is wide, ranging from mild and subclinical injury, noticeable only on routine biochemical testing, to fulminant liver failure and death. Antibiotics, as a group, are a leading cause of DILI. We herein describe 4 patients who developed moderate to severe hepatotoxicity after exposure to a commercially - available combination of two antibiotics - spiramycin and metronidazole - commonly used for the treatment and prevention of periodontal infections. No other aetiology for liver injury could be identified in all cases. Two patients recovered spontaneously, and two had a more severe course, one responding to corticosteroids and mycophenolate mofetil and the other requiring liver transplantation for subacute massive necrosis.

We assessed the temporal relationship between abdominal pain and elevation in liver function tests (LFTs) in patients with acute symptomatic choledocholithiasis.Retrospective study of patients that presented within 12 hours of pain onset and were subsequently found to have choledocholithiasis.We identified 40 patients with complete medical records. Levels of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases (AST and ALT) correlated with duration of pain (Pearson correlation, r = 0.633 and 0.622 respectively, P.001 for both); the correlation was not as strong for γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) (r = 0.326, P = .046) and was not significant for alkaline phosphatase or bilirubin. This temporal association was stronger in patients that had undergone cholecystectomy versus those with intact gallbladders (for ALT, r = 0.603 vs r = 0.311, respectively). Eighteen patients, evaluated within 6 hours of pain, had normal or minimal alterations in LFTs; transabdominal ultrasound was abnormal in 6 (sensitivity 33.3%). All had repeat LFTs within 24 hours (mean 10.3 ± 6.9 hours later) and large increases in ALT and aspartate aminotransferase levels (mean 10.5- and 6.8-fold respectively; P.01 for both), intermediate increases in glutamyl transpeptidase levels, (mean 4-fold, P.05), and no changes in alkaline phosphatase levels. This significant increase in LFTs was the only indication of biliary pathology before endoscopy in 11/18 patients.Increasing duration of pain is associated with increasing LFTs (particularly transaminases) in patients with acute symptomatic choledocholithiasis. Patients with normal LFTs and ultrasound upon presentation should have repeat LFTs if biliary pain is suspected. The absence of significant biochemical abnormalities within the first 24 hours makes the diagnosis of symptomatic choledocholithiasis unlikely.

The present study investigated the antioxidant systems in semen of different teleost fish species (burbot — Lota lota , perch — Perca fluviatilis , bleak — Alburnus alburnus , brown trout — Salmo trutta ) with the intention to define types and effective concentrations of antioxidants suitable for supplementation of sperm storage solutions and cryopreservation extenders. Biochemical analysis revealed that in semen of L. lota , P. fluviatilis , A. alburnus, and S. trutta antioxidants (ascorbic acid, carnitine, glutathione, methionine, tocopherol, and uric acid) and oxidant defensive enzymes (catalase, gluthatione reductase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase) occurred in an almost similar qualitative and quantitative pattern whereby uric acid concentrations and superoxide dismutase activities were high while activities/concentrations of other enzymes and metabolites were low and/or fluctuating. Species-specific differences existed in the occurrence of catalase and carnitine. Important antioxidants and oxidant defensive enzymes were tested on their sperm protective effect in in vitro experiments. Spermatozoa were incubated in sperm motility-inhibiting saline solutions containing the antioxidants or enzymes and thereafter motility was activated with distilled water and measured and membrane integrity and sperm lipid peroxidation were determined. The experiments demonstrated that uric acid is the major antioxidant of semen of the investigated species, as it improves the sperm motility and membrane integrity and decreases the sperm lipid peroxidation. Therefore, supplementation of sperm diluents with uric acid can be recommended to increase the quality of semen whereby the effective concentration was 0.5 mmol/l for all investigated species. Also methionine has importance as antioxidant in teleost fish semen whereby the oxidized form (methionine sulfoxide) was most effective to increase sperm motility and membrane integrity. The effective concentration was 1.5–3 mmol/l. Finally, catalase improved sperm motility and membrane integrity in all species with exception of A. alburnus and therefore it can be useful to protect spermatozoa from reactive oxygen species, too. The optimal activity was 2 kU/l for P. fluviatilis and L. lota , and 0.1 kU/l for S. trutta .

The present study characterizes the antioxidant systems of brown trout, Salmo trutta, semen as supplementation of semen dilution media with antioxidants can be beneficial to improve techniques for semen storage and cryopreservation. Antioxidants and oxidant defensive enzymes of spermatozoa and seminal plasma were analyzed. To determine whether antioxidants and oxidant defensive enzymes have an effect on sperm functionality, in vitro experiments were performed. Selected antioxidants and oxidant defensive enzymes were added to sperm motility-inhibiting saline solution and their effects on sperm viability (motility when activated, membrane integrity, and lipid peroxidation) were measured. In seminal plasma and spermatozoa the enzymes catalase, glutathione reductase, methionine sulfoxide reductase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase and the metabolites ascorbic acid, glutathione, methionine, tocopherol, and uric acid were detected. Of the enzymes superoxide dismutase had the highest activity, of the metabolites uric acid occurred in highest concentrations. During in vitro incubation uric acid and catalase increased the sperm motility, sperm membrane integrity, and decreased the sperm lipid peroxidation in comparison to the control. However, catalase was effective only at an activity much higher than that occurring in seminal plasma. Reduced methionine increased the sperm motility and sperm membrane integrity and oxidized methionine the motility. However, neither reduced nor oxidized methionine decreased the sperm membrane lipid peroxidation. It is concluded, that uric acid is the main antioxidant of brown trout semen.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by cessation of breathing during sleep. Conscious sedation (CS) induces sleep and may uncover sleep-related breathing disorders.To determine whether snoring during CS is a sensitive predictor of OSA.Matched cohort study.University-based ambulatory endoscopy center.Consecutive patients undergoing colonoscopy completed a detailed sleep questionnaire and physical examination geared toward detecting OSA (body mass index [BMI], neck circumference, and the presence of craniofacial abnormalities). The endoscopist was blinded to the information.Portable nocturnal polysomnography.Patients who snored during CS in the left lateral decubitus position for 10 seconds or longer were referred for polysomnography. Sex- and BMI-matched patients who did not snore served as control subjects.A total of 131 patients were enrolled, and 24 (18.3%) of them snored. These patients (22 men, 2 women) had a predominance of Mallampati grade III/IV, higher Stanford and Epworth scale scores, and greater BMI and neck circumference and were more likely to report daytime sleepiness, decreased vigilance, and personality and mood changes (all P values.05). All investigated patients who snored during CS had evidence of OSA versus 4 of 18 control subjects (mean apnea-hypopnea index: 40 events vs 5 events; P.0001) (100% positive predictive value; 77.8% negative predictive value). Moderate or severe OSA was detected in 14 of 20 patients versus 1 of 18 control subjects (P.001; 70% positive predictive value; 94.4% negative predictive value, 93% sensitivity, 74% specificity). Data obtained from sleep questionnaires and physical examination failed to accurately predict OSA.Single-center nature and relatively small number of patients developing the outcome variable.Snoring during CS is a strong predictor of OSA. Given the medical and financial burden of undiagnosed OSA, these patients should be carefully identified and referred for sleep medication evaluation.

The total fatty acid composition of rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) spermatozoa and seminal plasma was investigated in fresh and in stored semen using gas liquid chromatography. Triglycerides, phospholipids, and cholesterol were measured and the effect of fatty acids, triglycerides, and cholesterol on sperm functionality was evaluated. In seminal plasma and spermatozoa saturated fatty acids occurred in higher quantities than unsaturated fatty acids. In spermatozoa, the concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids were higher than the concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids. In seminal plasma the concentrations were approximately equal. Myristic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid were main saturated fatty acids and oleic acid, vaccenic acid, and linolenic acid main unsaturated fatty acids of spermatozoa and seminal plasma. In spermatozoa linoleic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid were found in high concentrations, too, in seminal plasma palmitoleic acid and eicosenoic acid. During semen storage the fatty acid composition changed in spermatozoa and in seminal plasma indicating that fatty acids were metabolized. Palmitic acid, the one of the main saturated fatty acids of spermatozoa and seminal plasma, and the unsaturated fatty acids, arachidonic acid and linoleic acid, which occur in spermatozoa and seminal plasma of rainbow trout, too, had a positive effect on sperm viability during immotile, unfrozen storage of spermatozoa as they increased the motility rate and average path velocity, which could be activated. Also the sperm fertility was improved by addition of fatty acids. A similar effect was found by arachidic acid, a saturated fatty acid, which was not detected in spermatozoa and seminal plasma. Therefore, semen short-term storage techniques can be improved by supplementation of storage solutions with fatty acids. Fatty acids had no effect on sperm motility duration. They had also no effect on sperm cryoresistance as the motility pattern and fertility of spermatozoa frozen–thawed with or without fatty acids were similar.

The properties and behaviour of common carp, Cyprinus carpio , eggs in water and in ovarian fluids were studied at different temperature, pH, and with divalent cation concentrations. The biochemical composition of zona radiata externa (ZRE) was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively on amino acids, carbohydrates, uronic acid and sialic acids using chemical assays; on proteins using electrophoresis. Comparative biochemical studies were performed on the chub, Leuciscus cephalus , the vimba, Vimba vimba and the bleak, Chalcalburnus chalcoides . Eggs of common carp became sticky within seconds after mixing with water. Egg stickiness was not affected by water pH in a range of 6–9, by water temperatures between 4 and 30 °C, by divalent cations in concentrations ≤20 mmol/l, and by sodium chloride concentrations ≤50 mmol/l. Our investigations indicated that specific proteins of the cyprinid ovarian fluid are controlling (inhibiting) the initiation of egg stickiness: egg stickiness did not develop as long as the eggs were incubated in ovarian fluid. When however the ovarian fluid proteins were removed from the ovarian fluid by heat treatment, eggs developed stickiness within seconds, like they do in water. Biochemically, the ZRE consisted of nine types of proteins whereby four of them were glycoproteins. Glucose, fructose, galactose, and uronic acids were the major carbohydrates. Treatment of the egg membrane with invertase or amyloglucosidase did not affect the egg stickiness. Treatment with protease prevented stickiness. From these results and from additional histochemical results, we conclude that glycoproteins are likely to be the molecules responsible for stickiness.

Egg quality in Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus, kept indoors at 7 °C during spawning season was morphologically classified. Four egg categories based on lipid droplet distributions and egg diameter were characterized. Eggs with homogenous lipid vesicle distributions and a uniform size were classified as Good. Eggs with some yolk lipid droplets coalesced toward one pole but were homogeneous in size were classified as Fair. Eggs with lipid vesicles that were usually coalesced at one or two poles with were classified as Poor. The fourth egg category was Heterogeneous, in which lipid vesicle distribution and egg size were inhomogeneous. This distribution pattern of the lipid vesicle had a strong relationship with the percentage of fertilized and eyed eggs. Percentages of fertilized and eyed eggs in Good and Fair eggs were 85.5 and 83.4; 30.2 and 28.2, respectively. With Poor and Heterogeneous eggs, the percentages of fertilized and eyed eggs were zero. Egg diameter and absolute weight was increased in Poor eggs than in other egg categories. Relative weight increase during hardening after 30, 45 and 60 min were higher in Good and Fair eggs than in Poor and Heterogeneous eggs. Ovarian fluid collected from egg batches with low rates of fertilized and eyed eggs (Heterogeneous and Poor) had a lower pH and higher protein and aspartate amino-transferase enzyme than ovarian fluid from eggs batches classified as Good or Fair, while the ovarian fluid osmolality did not significantly differ. ATP contents of Poor and Heterogeneous eggs were lower than for Good and Fair eggs. In Heterogeneous eggs, both ATP and acid phosphatase contents were very variable.

In the eggs of the brown trout, Salmo trutta fario , lipid droplets are clearly visible beneath the oolemma on the surface of the protein yolk. When examining the distribution of lipid vesicles in egg batches of different quality, four categories of lipid vesicle distribution could be distinguished: In the first category, the lipid droplets were evenly distributed throughout the egg. These egg batches had a high quality (percentage of eggs developing to eyed stage embryos: 96.2 ± 5.2). Some lipid droplets had the tendency to coalesce in one pole of the egg in the second category. This coalescing of lipid droplets was accompanied with a reduction in egg quality to about 50% of the first category (% of eyed stage embryos: 40.6 ± 15.2). In the last two categories, the lipid droplets were mostly coalesced in one or two poles of the egg and the egg quality was very low (% of eyed stage embryos: 3.3 ± 2.9 and zero, respectively). In conclusion, examination of lipid droplets distribution, in brown trout, can distinguish between high and low quality eggs in an easy and reliable way.

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) spermatozoa were incubated in artificial sperm motility inhibiting saline solution (SMIS), in SMIS containing seminal plasma proteins or in pure seminal plasma. In SMIS containing the total seminal plasma protein fraction or the50 kDa protein fraction or in pure seminal plasma, significantly higher motility rates and swimming velocities could be activated than in SMIS without seminal plasma proteins and in SMIS containing the50 kDa protein fraction. These preliminary results indicated that seminal plasma proteins have physiological functions in prolongation and stabilization of sperm viability when using sperm motility as viability index.

Sperm metabolism of a tropical fish species, the African catfish, Clarias gariepinus, was studied by measurements of sperm enzyme activity and metabolite levels. We also analysed the effect of metabolites, co-enzymes and enzymatic blockers on sperm motility behaviour and viability. Similar to other teleostean species, African catfish spermatozoa have the capacity for glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, lipid catabolism, beta-oxidation and osmoregulation. In immotile spermatozoa, lipid catabolism, beta-oxidation, the tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation were important primary energy-delivering pathways; sperm oxygen consumption was 0.39-0.85 microg O(2)/min/ ml of testicular semen. During motility, glycolysis, lipid catabolism and beta-oxidation of fatty acids occurred simultaneously, which is atypical for teleosts, and the spermatozoal respiration rate increased drastically by 15-25-fold. Also in contrast to other teleostean sperm cells, ATP levels remained stable during motility and immotile storage. The sperm cell status was unstable in the African catfish. Although the spermatozoa have osmoregulation ability, and even though balanced physiological saline solutions were used for sperm motility activation and sperm incubation, the motility and viability of spermatozoa quickly decreased at 28 degrees C, the spawning temperature of the African catfish. Cyclic AMP and inhibition of phosphodiesterase activity could not prolong sperm motility and viability. In contrast, at 6-10 degrees C motility was prolonged from approximately 30 s to >5 min, probably due to decreased metabolic rates.

The present study describes a new method for fertilization of large egg batches with cryopreserved semen in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Egg batches of 500 g were inseminated with semen frozen in sixteen 1.2-ml straws (sperm/egg ratio=2.7×106:1). To be able to handle this number of straws at the same time, they were connected in self-made, flexible plastic racks into “straw packages”. The straws were filled with diluted semen, and the whole straw packages frozen in the vapor of liquid nitrogen are 1 cm above the surface of liquid nitrogen. As the racks remained flexible in liquid nitrogen, the straw packages could be rolled together for storage in cans of commercial liquid nitrogen containers. For thawing, the straw packages were rolled out and thawed in warm water (30 °C, 30 s). Then, they were placed over the eggs and the straws were cut open to release the semen. The semen was mixed with the eggs and, thereafter, 250-ml fertilization solution was added under constant mixing. The fertilization rates were 87.5±1.6% (n=3) when inseminating 500-g egg batches with cryopreserved semen and 86.7±2.2% for the fresh semen controls. Only the dry fertilization technique yielded high fertilization rates when inseminating large egg quantities with cryopreserved semen, while other investigated parameters (amount of fertilization solution, arrangement of eggs) had no influence.

Background and aim: Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is the major cause of iron deficiency in men and post-menopausal women. The aim of this study is to determine whether patients admitted to the hospital with acute gastrointestinal blood loss anemia are being worked up for concomitant highly prevalent iron deficiency and adequately treated for it. Methods: Retrospective chart review of all patients admitted to a single tertiary care hospital between 11/1/2011 and 11/1/2012 for any type of gastrointestinal bleeding. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients with iron studies performed during a hospitalization for GI blood loss anemia. Secondary outcomes included prevalence of iron deficiency in acute GI bleeders, percentage of anemic patients hospitalized for GI bleeding who had adequate documentation of anemia and iron deficiency, and those who were treated for their iron deficiency. Secondary outcomes also included identifying possible predictors of checking iron studies. Results: 126 charts of patients hospitalized for GI bleeding have been reviewed so far. 100 patients (79.4%) had anemia on admission, while 119 (94.4%) had anemia at some point during their hospitalization. 62 were transfused at least 1 unit of packed red blood cells. Out of 126 patients, only 34 (27%) had iron studies performed during hospitalization. 19 out of 34 had iron deficiency (55.9%) defined as serum Ferritin