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Introduction Tension pneumothorax is an immediate threat to life. Treatment in the prehospital setting is usually achieved by needle thoracostomy (NT). Prehospital personnel are taught to perform NT, frequently in the second intercostal space (ICS) at the mid-clavicular line (MCL). Previous literature has suggested that emergency physicians have difficulty identifying this anatomic location correctly. We hypothesized that paramedics would also have difficulty accurately identifying the proper location for NT. Methods A prospective, observational study was performed to assess paramedic ability to identify the location for treatment with NT. Participants were recruited during a statewide Emergency Medical Services (EMS) conference. Subjects were asked the anatomic site for NT and asked to mark the site on a shirtless male volunteer. The site was copied onto a transparent sheet lined up against predetermined points on the volunteer's chest. It was then compared against the correct location that had been identified using palpation, measuring tape, and ultrasound. Results 29 paramedics participated, with 24 (83%) in practice for more than five years and 23 (79%) doing mostly or all 9-1-1 response. All subjects (100%) reported training in NT, although six (21%) had never performed a NT in the field. Nine paramedics (31%) recognized the second ICS at the MCL as the desired site for NT, with 12 (41%) specifying only the second ICS, 11 (38%) specifying second or third ICS, and six (21%) naming a different location (third, fourth, or fifth ICS). None (0%) of the 29 paramedics identified the exact second ICS MCL on the volunteer. Mean distance from the second ICS MCL was 1.37 cm (interquartile range (IQR): 0.7-1.90) in the medial-lateral direction and 2.43 cm in the superior-inferior direction (IQR: 1.10-3.70). Overall mean distance was 3.12 cm from the correct location (IQR: 1.90-4.50). Most commonly, the identified location was too inferior (93%). Allowing for a 2 cm radius from the correct position, eight (28%) approximated the correct placement. 25 (86%) were within a 5 cm radius. Conclusion In this study, paramedics had difficulty identifying the correct anatomic site for NT. EMS medical directors may need to rethink training or consider alternative techniques.

Background Despite recent advances in the understanding of the swine gut microbiome at different growth stages, a comprehensive longitudinal study of the lifetime (birth to market) dynamics of the swine gut microbiome is lacking. Results To fill in this gap of knowledge, we repeatedly collected a total of 273 rectal swabs from 18 pigs during lactation (day (d) 0, 11, 20), nursery (d 27, 33, 41, 50, 61), growing (d 76, 90, 104, 116), and finishing (d 130, 146, 159, 174) stages. DNA was extracted and subjected to sequencing with an Illumina Miseq sequencer targeting the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Sequences were analyzed with the Deblur algorithm in the QIIME2 package. A total of 19 phyla were detected in the lifetime pig gut microbiome with Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes being the most abundant. Alpha diversity including community richness (e.g., number of observed features) and diversity (e.g., Shannon index) showed an overall increasing trend. Distinct shifts in microbiome structure along different growth stages were observed. LEfSe analysis revealed 91 bacterial features that are stage-specific. To validate these discoveries, we performed fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) by inoculating weanling pigs with mature fecal microbiota from a growing stage pig. Similar stage-specific patterns in microbiome diversity and structures were also observed in both the FMT pigs and their littermates. Although FMT remarkably increased growth performance, it did not change the overall swine gut microbiome. Only a few taxa including those associated with Streptococcus and Clostridiaceae were enriched in the FMT pigs. These data, together with several other lines of evidence, indicate potential roles these taxa play in promoting animal growth performance. Diet, especially crude fiber from corn, was a major factor shaping the swine gut microbiome. The priority effect, i.e., the order and timing of species arrival, was more evident in the solid feed stages. Conclusions The distinct stage-associated swine gut microbiome may be determined by the differences in diet and/or gut physiology at different growth stages. Our study provides insight into mechanisms governing gut microbiome succession and also underscores the importance of optimizing stage-specific probiotics aimed at improving animal health and production. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40168-019-0721-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This study evaluated the relationship between teat order and its impact on feed consumption in pigs through nursery. Pigs were observed 48 h after birth to be in either a cranial, middle, or caudal teat position. Growth performance data, and active and total plasma ghrelin concentrations (determined by radioimmunoassay) were analyzed from 2 pigs in each position from 6 litters (n = 36) at 7 d of age, 21 d of age (weaning), and 62 d of age (end of the nursery stage) to determine a relationship with teat order. At weaning, pigs were moved to an off-site nursery and housed 2 pigs/pen based on teat position and litter, resulting in 6 pens/teat position. Overall, no effect of teat order was found on average daily gain (ADG; P = 0.91), average daily feed intake (ADFI; P = 0.67), gain-to-feed ratio (G:F; P = 0.33), or body weight (P = 0.94) among pigs from each teat position. A linear relationship was found between teat order and ADG (P = 0.01) as well as G:F in nursery phase-1 (P = 0.01) with caudal pigs gaining more rapidly and being more efficient than cranial pigs. Yet, in nursery phase-2, cranial pigs had the greatest ADFI (linear, P = 0.05). No difference was seen in active (P = 0.18) or total (P = 0.63) ghrelin concentrations or the active to total ghrelin ratio (P = 0.68) in relation to teat order, although there were differences in active (P = 0.04) and total (P < 0.01) ghrelin concentrations among the sampling days with the least concentrations being on d 21 for active and total ghrelin. Further study should investigate what factors would contribute to these data contradicting previous inferences about the relationship of teat order and feed consumption in pigs

To determine the optimal level of fermented soybean meal (FSBM; Fermex 200, Purina Animal Nutrition, Arden Hills, MN) in nursery diets, a total of 176 weaned pigs (5.96 kg BW) were blocked by initial BW and allotted to 1 of 4 treatments: Control consisted of an enzymatic soybean protein (HP 300, Hamlet Protein, Horsens, Denmark)-poultry byproduct diet or formulated with 5%, 10% and 15% FSBM to achieve FSBM1, FSBM2, and FSBM3 treatments. Pigs remained on the same dietary treatment for phase 1 (d 0–14) and 2 (d 14–29), while a common diet was fed in phase 3 (d 29–40). Individual pig weights and pen feed disappearance were recorded weekly. Blood was taken via jugular venipuncture and analyzed for complete blood cell count on d 0, 14, 29 and 40 from one pig/pen (n = 44) that represented the average BW for each pen. Data were analyzed using MIXED procedures of SAS (Cary, NC) with dietary treatment as the fixed effect, and initial BW block as the random effect. Orthogonal contrasts were performed to test for linear, quadratic and cubic responses to increasing levels of FSBM. A quadratic response to increasing FSBM was observed in ADG (P = 0.06) and ADFI (P = 0.04) during phase 1&2 (d 0–29). Moreover, the heaviest BW was observed in pigs fed 10% FSBM on d 29 (quadratic, P = 0.06), however the difference diminished by the end of the trial. A tendency for a linear increase with increasing level of FSBM was observed in overall feed efficiency (d 0–40, P = 0.07). Pigs fed 10% FSBM had the lowest WBC, neutrophil, and red blood cell count. Results of this study suggest FSBM fed to pigs improves growth performance and alters blood cell characteristics, and 10% is the optimal level of FSBM to include in early nursery diets.

Feed additives have been suggested to improve animal growth performance through modulating the gut microbiota. The hypothesis of this study was that the combination of two organic acids would exert synergistic effects on the growth performance and gut microbiota of weaning pigs. To test this hypothesis, we followed 398 weaning pigs from two university experiment stations (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and University of Arkansas (UA)) to determine the effects of increasing levels (0%, 0.035%, 0.070%, and 0.105%) of sodium butyrate combined with 0.5% benzoic acid on the growth performance of nursery pigs. At the UA, an additional negative control diet was included and the gut microbiota analysis was carried out. At both universities, increasing levels of sodium butyrate in a diet containing 0.5% benzoic acid improved growth performance, which reached a plateau in the pigs fed 0.035% (SBA0.035) or 0.070% (SBA0.070) butyrate. Gut microbiota analysis revealed that pigs fed the SBA0.035 diet had more diverse microbiota and contained more potentially beneficial bacteria such as Oscillospira, Blautia, and Turicibacter and reduced levels of Veillonella and Sarcina. Results of the present study indicated that the inclusion of sodium butyrate at moderate levels in a diet containing 0.5% benzoic acid improved growth performance of weaning pigs and established potential health benefits on gut microbiota.

Zinc has been very efficacious in reducing post-weaning diarrhea, whereas animal-derived peptides are suggested to improve the growth performance of weaned piglets. However, the combined effect of zinc and peptides on swine production and swine gut microbiota is still largely unknown. In this study, we followed 288 nursery pigs from the age of d30 to d60 to evaluate the growth performance and gut microbiota of weanling pigs subjected to different levels of a fish-porcine-microbial peptide cocktail (0.05%, 0.25%, and 0.5%) with or without the pharmaceutical level of zinc oxide (ZnO) (2500 ppm) supplementation in a nutrient-deficient diet. Rectal swab samples were collected from pigs with body weight (BW) approach average at each pen on d30, d42, and d60 to determine gut microbiota. Average daily gain (ADG) and BW in piglets fed high zinc (HZ) increased with increasing levels of peptide. The microbiota of the HZ group also diverged from those of the standard zinc (SZ) group from d30 to d60. Adding peptide did not alter community structure regardless of zinc supplementation. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that the pharmaceutical level of zinc as ZnO conditioned the gut community to the point where peptide could effectively restore growth performance in nursery pigs fed nutrient-deficient diets.

A total of 344 weaned pigs (21 ± 2 d of age) were used at University of Arkansas (UA, n = 2 16) and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, n = 128) to evaluate increasing level of sodium butyrate (SB) on growth performance and complete blood cell count. Pigs at each facility were blocked by initial BW and randomly allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments with 9 replications/diet and 6 pigs/pen at UA; and 8 replications/diet and 4 pigs/pen at UIUC. Treatments included a control corn-soybean-meal based diet and 3 diets in which 0.05, 0.10, or 0.15% SB was added to the control diet. Feed was manufactured at each facility. Pigs were fed in 3 phases: 7 d, 14 d, and 14 d at UIUC and 7 d, 14 d, and 19 d at UA for phase 1, 2, and 3, respectively. At UA, blood was collected at the beginning of the experiment and at the end of each phase to determine complete blood cell count. Data for growth performance for both facilities were pooled and analysed as a RCBD using the Mixed procedure of SAS. Treatment was the fixed effect, and facility and facility by treatment interactions were random effects. Orthogonal contrasts were used to assess linear and quadratic responses to inclusion of increasing levels of SB in diets. Increasing dietary SB increased weight gain (quadratic, P < 0.05), ADFI (quadratic, P ≤ 0.05), and final BW (quadratic, P < 0.05). Total white blood cell and eosinophil cell count tended to increase with increasing SB (quadratic, P = 0.07 and P = 0.08, respectively). The lymphocyte cell count tended to decrease (linear, P = 0.09) with increasing SB. Results indicated that feeding SB during the nursery phase tended to alter blood cell count and improve growth performance.

This experiment was conducted to determine the impact of a fish-porcine-microbial peptide cocktail (FPM) with/o ZnO supplementation on growth performance in nursery pigs fed diets containing low or adequate crude protein. A total of 288 weaned pigs (21 d) were blocked by initial BW and allotted to pens. (6 replicates per treatment). Pens were randomly assigned to 1 of 8 dietary treatments: 1) Adequate protein (AP) with ZnO and Fishmeal (phase 2, FM) or soybean meal (phase 3, SBM). 2) low protein (LP) diet devoid FM in phase 2 and reduced SBM in phase 3. 3–8) LP ZnO free diet in nursery phase 2/3 with increasing FPM (0.05, 0.25, 0.5%) with or without ZnO. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED procedures of SAS with treatments as fixed effect and initial BW block as random effect. Orthogonal contrasts were performed to determine the effects of increasing FPM. ADG increased with increasing dietary FPM in pigs fed diets containing ZnO compared to pigs fed diet devoid of ZnO in nursery phase 2 (Linear FPM X ZnO, P < 0.01) & 3 (Quadratic FPM X ZnO, P < 0.05). End BW was higher for pigs fed AP diet when compared to NC (P < 0.01). BW increased with increasing FPM in pigs fed ZnO, while little or no response was observed in pigs fed ZnO free diets (Quadratic FPM X ZnO P < 0.02). Pigs fed 0.25 and 0.50% FPM with ZnO resulted in significantly higher feed intake among all treatments in nursery phase 3 (P < 0.05). During phase 2, increasing the level of FPM increased G:F in pigs fed diets with ZnO (P < 0.001) only. This study validated our previous finding that the growth promoting and intake enhancement effect of FPM in nursery pigs is ZnO dependent.

This work seeks to improve upon the accuracy of birdsong analysis based species recognition. We intend to accomplish this by creating a more effective bird syllable segmentation algorithms (MIRS), Support Vector machine based classifiers are used to train the features of IRS and MIRS. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.