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Traditional teaching suggests that prior pelvic operations, including prostatectomy, is a contraindication to laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair. Despite the growing use of robotic platforms in inguinal hernia repair, there are few studies describing robotic-assisted inguinal hernia repairs (RIHR) in this patient population. This study aims to demonstrate that RIHR is safe and effective in repairing inguinal hernias in patients who had previously undergone prostatectomy. We retrospectively reviewed RIHR cases performed from March 2017 to October 2021 by a single surgeon at our university-affiliated community hospital. Cases were reviewed for preoperative considerations, operative times and complications, and postoperative outcomes. A total of 30 patients with prior prostatectomy underwent transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) RIHR with mesh. Sixteen of the 30 patients had undergone robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) while 14 patients underwent open resection. Seven of the patients had received post-resection radiation and 12 had previous non-urologic abdominal operations. When compared to all RIHRs performed over the same period, duration of surgery was increased. There were no conversions to open surgery. Postoperatively, one patient developed a repair site seroma which resolved after 1 month. Mean follow-up time was 13.9 months. At follow up, one patient reported experiencing intermittent non-debilitating pain at the repair site and one patient developed an inguinoscrotal abscess of unknown relation to the repair. No patients reported hernia recurrences nor mesh infection. This review suggests that TAPP RIHR can be a safe and effective approach to inguinal hernia repair in patients who have previously undergone prostatectomy, including those who received radiation and those who underwent either open or robotic resections.

Fishmeal (FM) is the main protein source in fish feed. However, it is quite expensive due to its limited resources. Therefore, finding a dietary alternative to the FM to sustain fish production is crucial, and the current study was performed to assess the impact of poultry offal silage (POS) with or without betaine supplementation; as an effective and cheaper alternative to FM; on feed efficiency, growth performance, spleen morphology and intestinal morphometry of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings. Four dietary treatments were formulated: (1) FM based diet, (2) FM-B; FM diet +0.7% betaine, (3) POS diet and (4) POS-B; POS diet +0.7% betaine. Each dietary treatment consisted of three replicates (n = 10/replicate), and the experiment was continued for 16 weeks. By the end of the experiment, spleen and intestine specimens were collected from 15 fish (n = 5/replicate) for histopathological assessment. The results were statistically analysed using GLM procedures of SAS 9.4. Feed efficiency increased in both POS-B and FM-B groups (p = 0.01), while body weight and body weight gain showed only weak tendencies towards an increase (p = 0.10 and 0.12, respectively). The villi length was the highest in POS-B fed group (p

The interest in biodiesel production from oil-bearing seeds rather than soybean necessitates the scientific validation of other good quality protein sources that could substitute soybean meal in animal diets, particularly, broiler chickens where soybean meal constitutes a large portion of their diet. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of sun-dried Azolla leaf meal (ALM) as an unconventional dietary protein source in broiler chicken diet on growth performance, meat quality, skeletal muscle cell growth and protein synthesis through regulation of ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6 kinase α). A total of 120 male Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments. Each treatment had four cages (i.e. replicates) with 10 birds/cage. The control group was fed with a corn–soy-based diet, the AZ5 group was supplemented with 5% ALM and the AZ10 group was supplemented with 10% ALM for 37 days. A 5-day trial was also conducted to measure the apparent nutrient digestibility. Growth performance parameters were measured weekly. At the end of the experiment, 12 birds from each group (3/cage) were euthanized and used for samplings. Inclusion of ALM tended to improve BW gain (P = 0.06) and increased feed intake (P < 0.01). Additionally, ALM decreased the percentage of breast meat cooking loss linearly (P < 0.01). In addition, ALM at a dose of 5% increased the production of propionate in the cecum (P = 0.01). Activation of breast muscle p70S6 kinase was higher when ALM was included in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.01). The inclusion of ALM increased breast meat redness (P < 0.01); however, the lightness was within the normal range in all groups. Findings from our study suggest that ALM could be included in a broiler chicken diet up to 5% without any major negative effect on meat quality or performance, and it regulates muscle protein synthesis through activation of mammalian target of rapamycin/6S kinase signaling.

The objective of this study was to test the possibility of improving the performance of peripartum ewes by feeding a combination of chicory silage and Se-yeast. Approximately four weeks prior to lambing, 36 pregnant Polypay ewes were moved into single pens and randomly assigned to one of four groups to be fed either grass or chicory silage and supplemented or not with 3.6 mg Se/day (DiaMune, Diamond V). Daily dry matter intake (DMI), water intake, body weight gain of lambs and body weight changes of the ewes, milk yield using a weigh-suckle-weigh system, and milk components were recorded. Data were analyzed using GLIMMIX (SAS v9) with time, silage, and Se interaction as fixed effects and ewe as random effect. Significance was declared with P ≤ 0.05. The DMI was lower in ewes fed chicory compared to grass silage with no effect of Se. Water intake was greater in ewes that were fed chicory silage than grass silage but lower in those supplemented with Se. Milk production of ewes and BW gain of the lambs were not affected by the treatments, but the gain efficiency (G:F) of lambs was larger in animal fed chicory vs. grass silage. Few differences were observed in milk components between the treatments. Protein content and SNF tended to be reduced by feeding Se (P = 0.08) while feeding Se increased C18:0 and preformed fatty acids in milk. Feeding chicory+Se tended to increase percentage of de novo-derived fatty acids in milk compared to feeding grass+Se. Somatic cell count (SCC) was not affected by the treatments. Overall, our data indicated that performance of the animals as well as milk components were not affected by feeding chicory and/or Se despite a lower feed intake when chicory was fed. Higher feed efficiency by using chicory is suggested by the DMI/gain of lambs.

Some pasture species are rich in phytochemicals, able to improve milk yield and quality and to reduce the environmental impacts of livestock farming. The phytochemicals interact with the different gene networks within the animal, such as nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), but their overall impact on animal health remains to be fully understood. The objective of this study was to identify the effects of pasture Legumes and non-leguminous Forbs containing high bioactive compounds on metabolism and activity of the liver, antioxidant response, kidney function, and inflammation of dairy cows using a large array of blood parameters associated with metabolism and the innate immune system. For this purpose, 26 parameters and the concentration of certain bioactive compounds were assessed in blood plasma, collected from the Jersey cows grazing either Grass, Legume, or Forb-based pastures. In addition, serum collected from all the cows was utilized to detect the changes in NRF2 activation in bovine mammary alveolar cells (MACT) and hepatocytes. Compared with Grass, the cows that grazed both Forb and Legume pastures had lower β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB) and creatinine and larger vitamin E and the ferric reducing ability of the plasma, supporting an improved antioxidative status for these animals. Compared with both Grass and Legume, the cows that graze Forb pasture had lower urea and urea to creatinine ratio, and lower creatinine, indicating a better kidney function. The cows grazing Legume pasture had greater hematocrit, bilirubin, cholesterol, albumin, β-carotene, retinol, and thiol groups but lower ceruloplasmin, paraoxonase, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) than those grazed Grass and Forb pastures, indicating a positive effect of Legume pasture on the liver, oxidative stress, and red blood cells. The plasma of cows in the various pastures was enriched with various isoflavonoids, especially the cows grazed on Forb and Legume pastures, which likely contributed to improving the antioxidative status of those cows. However, this effect was likely not due to the higher activation of NRF2. Overall, these results indicate that Forb and Legume pastures rich in secondary metabolites do not strongly affect the metabolism but can improve the status of the liver and the kidney and improve the efficiency of N utilization and antioxidant response, compared with the Grass pasture.

Achieving both high energy and power density, two traditionally opposed battery metrics, requires moving away from the 200+ years-old 2D layered battery configuration to a three-dimensional all solid-state battery (3D SSB) configuration. The enhanced power and energy benefits bestowed by a 3D SSB design have been demonstrated in the Li-ion 3D SSB literature.1 However, due to limitations in thermal and electronic conductivity of Li-Ion active materials, 3D Li-ion SSBs are limited to microscale dimensions. A potential means around this limitation is to switch to conductive metal electrodes such as Zn and Ag, for which 3D architectures have been demonstrated.2 In such a case, the remaining roadblock to a macroscale 3D SSB is the submicron-thick solid-state electrolyte, which requires a non-line-of-sight deposition method for incorporation into the complex 3D base electrode. Initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) is a non–line-of-sight method that is ideal for generating conformal polymer coatings on complex 3D architectures. We focus on polymers amenable to iCVD protocols that can be modified post-deposition to introduce anion conduction pathways that can facilitate Ag and Zn redox. Submicron-thick coatings of poly-dimethylaminomethylstyrene (pDMAMS) that are pinhole-free and electronically insulating on both 2D planar and complex 3D electrode architectures are prepared via iCVD. The pDMAMS coatings are rendered anion-conducting through a vapor-phase methylation process and subsequent ion exchange to yield desirable anion species (e.g., OH–, Br–, or HCO3 –). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ATR-IR spectroscopy, and solid-state magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy confirm the structure of the pDMAMS film before and after quaternization, while atomic force microscopy and cyclic voltammetry with redox probes confirm conformality and absence of pinholes in the submicron film. With the use of cyclic voltammetry and AC electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the electronic and ionic conductivities of the polymer films are measured before and after quaternization. Molecular dynamics simulations of pDMAMS as a function of anion and H2O content in the film are used to generate computational results (e.g., glass-transition temperature Tg, anion conductivity) for comparison to experimental results. 1. Long, J.W.; Dunn, B.; Rolison, D.R.; White, H.S. Chem. Rev. 2004, 104, 10, 4463–4492. 2. Parker, J.F.; Chervin, C.N.; Nelson, E.S.; Rolison, D.R.; Long, J.W. Energy Environ Sci. 2014, 7, 1117-1124.

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) plays a key role in the response to oxidative stress. Diets containing known NRF2 modulators could be used to minimize oxidative stress in dairy cows. Currently, studies evaluating the activity of NRF2 in bovine have used the classical in vitro approach using synthetic media, which is very different than in vivo conditions. Furthermore, studies carried out in vivo cannot capture the short-term and dynamic response of NRF2. Thus, there is a need to develop new approaches to study NRF2 modulation. The aim of the present study was to establish an in vitro–in vivo hybrid system to investigate activation of NRF2 in bovine cells that can serve as an intermediate model with results closer to what is expected in vivo. To accomplish the aim, we used a combination of a gene reporter assay in immortalized bovine mammary cells, synthetic NRF2 modulators, and blood serum from periparturient cows. Synthetic agonist tert-butylhydroquinone and sulforaphane confirmed to be effective activators of bovine NRF2 with acute and large effect at 30 and 5 μM, respectively, with null response after the above doses due to cytotoxicity. When the agonists were added to blood serum the response was more linear with maximum activation of NRF2 at 100 and 30 μM, respectively, and the cytotoxicity was prevented. High concentration of albumin in blood serum plays an important role in such an effect. Brusatol (100 nM) was observed to be an effective NRF2 inhibitor while also displaying general protein synthesis inhibition and cytotoxicity when added to synthetic media. A consistent inhibition of NRF2 was observed when brusatol was added to the blood serum but the cytotoxicity was reduced. The synthetic inhibitor ML385 had no effect on modulation of bovine NRF2. Hydrogen peroxide activates NRF2 in bovine mammary cells starting from 100 μM; however, strong cytotoxicity was detected starting at 250 μM when cells were cultivated in the synthetic media, while blood serum prevented cytotoxicity. Overall, our data indicated that the use of synthetic media can be misleading in the study of NRF2 in bovine and the use of blood serum appears necessary.

The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp (Cannabis sativa) from the Controlled Substances Act, classifying it as an agricultural product. The process of cannabidiol extraction from hemp yields large quantities of spent hemp biomass (SHB) that may potentially be included in animal diets. However, the use of SHB in animal diets has not been approved by FDA yet since its effect on animal health, production and product quality is still unknown. Thus, a feeding study was carried out to investigate the effects of varying levels of SHB and a four-week withdrawal period on feed intake and liveweight gains of weaned lambs. A total of 35 weaned, male Polypay lambs kept in single pens were randomly assigned to five feeding treatments (n=7) and fed diets containing either no SHB (CON) or SHB at 10% (LH1) or 20% (HH1) for 4 weeks with 4 weeks withdrawal from SHB, or SHB at 10 (LH2) or 20% (HH2) for 8 weeks. The nutritive analysis of the SHB indicated a high-quality feed, with 20% (DM) crude protein and 27% NDF. Dry matter (DM) intake of lambs was negatively affected by 20% SHB during the first period. In the second period, DM intake was larger in lambs fed 10% SHB vs. CON, with the largest feed intake observed in HH1 lambs. In contrast, none of the performance data, including liveweight gains, were different across the groups and periods. Feeding 20% SHB decreased plasma cholesterol, NEFA, BHBA, Ca, and Cl and increased urea and Mg, while 10% SHB increased glucose, cholesterol, and NEFA. Our findings indicated that 10% SHB can be included in ruminant diets without causing any detrimental effect on performance with a possible positive effect on feed intake. The long-term feeding of 20% SHB strongly affects the metabolism.

Our objective was to test the effect on milk yield and quality of feeding a combination of chicory-plantain and Se-yeast in lactating ewes subjected to intramammary infection (IMI). For this purpose, we enrolled 28 Polypay ewes from a prior study where they received chicory (CS) or grass (GC) silage and supplemented with 3.6 mg of Se/day as Se-yeast (DiaMune, Diamond V) (Y) or not (C) for 2 months. For the present study, ewes were kept on the original dietary regiment except the CS group received a chicory-plantain silage (50% each). Ewes were milked twice daily and milk was collected for analysis of components and somatic cell count (SCC). IMI was induced by injecting 2×107 CFU of Strep. uberis in both glands. Data were analyzed using GLIMMIX (SAS) with time, silage, and Se and their interactions as the fixed effects and ewe as random effect with significance declared P ≤ 0.05. SCC increased 8-fold 24h post-IMI and remained at that level until the end of the experiment with higher values pre-IMI in GC-Y animals but no difference post-IMI. Milk yield drastically decreased post-IMI but was not affected by treatments. Protein, fat, solids, amount of de novo fatty acids, and amount of C16:0 were larger in milk of ewes fed chicory-plantain compared to grass silage. Supplementation of Se had minor effect on milk components with a tendency (P = 0.07) to decrease fat, solids, and amount of de novo fatty acids. Amounts of C18:0, C18:1, and preformed fatty acids in milk were increased by Se supplementation in ewes fed grass while decreased in ewes fed chicory. The use of Strep. uberis was effective in inducing IMI in ewes with chicory-plantain improving several milk components while Se supplementation had minor effects. The combination of chicory and Se did not improve the response to IMI.

The objective was to test the effect on the immune status by feeding a combination of chicory-plantain and Se-yeast in lactating ewes subjected to intramammary infection (IMI) with 2×107CFU of Strep uberis in both glands. For the purpose we enrolled 28 Polypay lactating sheep from a prior study where they were randomly allocated to receive chicory (CS) or grass (GC) silage and either 3.6 mg of Se/day as Se-yeast (DiaMune, Diamond V) (Y) or isoenergetic-isonitrogenous alfalfa meal (C) for 2 months. For the present study, ewes were kept on the original dietary regiment except the CT group received a chicory-plantain silage(50% each). Blood was collected prior to and for 10 days after IMI for a complete blood count(VetScan HM5), leukocytes migration, and rectal temperature (RT). Data were analyzed using GLIMMIX (SAS)with time, silage type, and Se and their interactions as the fixed effects and ewe as random effect with significance declared at P ≤ 0.05. RT was lower in chicory vs. grass before IMI and Se limited the RT increase after IMI. Total WBC levels tended (P = 0.06) to increase in animals fed with Se after IMI, which was driven by a larger number of lymphocytes. Hematocrit, red blood cells, and hemoglobin were strongly decreased by IMI. The mean cell volume was overall larger in ewes fed with chicory-plantain silage while mean cell hemoglobin was larger in animal fed with grass silage. The platelet distribution width was affected by silage*Se interaction due to a positive effect by Se in grass-fed but negative in chicory-plantain-fed ewes. Migration of neutrophils was larger in animals fed with chicory-plantain before IMI but similar between groups after IMI. Overall, these findings indicate that Se supplementation can increase lymphocytes with no effect on neutrophils while activity of neutrophils is positively affected by feeding chicory-plantain silage.

Rapidly growing human populations and the increased need for high nutritive value meat in terms of low fat, high protein, and low sodium content are the driving reasons for the increase in rabbit meat production. However, dietary protein alternatives to sustain rabbit meat production, without competing with humans for strategic crops are needed. Therefore, the current study was conducted to investigate the effect of Azolla leaf meal (ALM) as a dietary protein source on growth performance, meat quality, and abundance and activation of Ribosomal protein S6 kinase β1 (p70S6K1), a downstream target of mammalian target of rapamycin signalling pathway and, thus, a key player in the regulation of protein synthesis and muscle mass. For this purpose, 60 weaned male V-Line rabbits were blocked for the initial BW and randomly allotted into four dietary treatments, with 15 replicate per treatment (n = 15/group) as follows: (1) CON group was fed on basal diet contains 0% of ALM, (2) AZ10 group fed on diet containing 10% ALM, (3) AZ20 group fed on diet containing 20% ALM, and (4) AZ30 group fed on diet containing 30% ALM. Rabbits were raised individually, and the experimental period was 42 days. At the end of the experiment, rabbits were euthanised and blood and skeletal muscle samples were collected. Body weight and BW gain were the highest in AZ10 group (P = 0.01), while feed intake was the highest in AZ30 (P = 0.01), feed conversion ratio was the lowest in AZ10 and highest in AZ30 (P = 0.01). Dressing % was the highest in AZ10 and lowest in AZ30 groups (P = 0.01). Muscle cross-sectional area was low in both AZ20 and AZ30 groups compared to CON (P = 0.01). The lysine concentration of Longissimus lumborum muscle increased (P = 0.03) while isoleucine tended to decrease in AZ10 vs CON (P = 0.09). The phosphorylation ratio of skeletal muscle p70S6K1 increased in AZ10 and AZ20 groups (P = 0.05). Therefore, ALM could be included in a growing rabbit diet, up to 10%, while higher doses negatively alter production performance, meat quality, and feed efficiency of growing rabbits.

Immune status is critical for peripartum animals. Immune cells are highly affected by the oxidative status and level of Se. The use of forages with high content of antioxidants in combination with Se-yeast can improve the immune status in peripartum ruminants. The objective of this study was to test the possibility of improving the immune system of peripartum ewes by feeding a combination of chicory silage and Se-yeast. Approximately one month prior to lambing, 36 pregnant Polypay sheep were moved into single pens and randomly assigned to one of four groups to be fed either grass or chicory silage and supplemented or not with 3.6 mg Se/day (DiaMune, Diamond V). Blood was collected throughout the study to assess the complete blood count (VetScan HM5). Secondary compounds in silages were analyzed via LC-MS/MS. Data were analyzed using GLIMMIX (SAS) with day, silage type, Se and their interactions as fixed effects and ewe as random effect with significance declared at P≤0.05. Compared to grass silage, among measured secondary compounds only resveratrol was larger in chicory vs. grass. Total white blood cell count was larger in animals fed grass vs. chicory silage. Silage type and Se-yeast supplementation had little effects on the other measured parameters. The average hemoglobin inside red blood cells was larger in animals fed grass vs. chicory silage. Only tendencies (P between 0.08 and 0.09) were observed for the effects of Se supplementation, including increased hematocrit and number of circulating monocytes but, the latter, only in grass-fed ewes, and decreased red blood cell volume. Platelet size distribution tended (P=0.08) to increase in grass-fed ewes supplemented with Se but the opposite was observed in ewes fed chicory silage. Together, these data indicate a minimum-to-no effect of the type of silage or Se supplementation on complete blood cell count on peripartum ewes.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to analyze the effect of the natural isothiocyanate sulforaphane, an agonist of NRF2, and the natural quassinoid brusatol, an NRF2 antagonist, on modulation of NRF2 in bovine mammary cells. The effects of each compound were analyzed in both serum from dairy cows before and after parturition as well as DMEM in order to better estimate in vivo effects. Given the heightened levels of oxidative stress experienced by high-producing dairy cattle, a better understanding the role of NRF2 in these animals and natural products that may modulate it is needed. METHODS: Immortalized bovine mammary cells (MACT) were transfected with a luminescent gene reporter for NRF2 and cultured in media or serum collected from cows before (−29 ± 2 days relative to calving) or after parturition (7 ± 0 days relative to calving). In addition, cells were treated with either sulforaphane (SFN) or brusatol (BRU) in a series of concentrations for 24 hours in order to analyze the response of NRF2. NRF2 modulation was measured via a luciferase reporter assay. Cell viability and toxicity were also assessed using fluorescent dyes. RESULTS: Treatment of MACT cells grown in either DMEM or serum with SFN resulted in significant NRF2 activation, but with cytotoxic effects seen as dose increased. At both 5 µM and 10 µM, treatment with SFN resulted in significant activation of NRF2 (P