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Purpose: Patients undergoing cardiac surgery are reported to be at higher risk for oropharyngeal dysphagia and aspiration, which may predispose them to respiratory complications such as pneumonia. Speech-language pathology consultation facilitates early identification of swallowing difficulties providing appropriate and timely interventions during the postoperative period. This study explores the association between pneumonia and timing of speech-language pathology order entry and evaluation following cardiac surgery. Method: A retrospective study was performed on adults who underwent cardiac surgery in a tertiary care center, from July 2016 through December 2019. Patients with preexisting tracheostomy upon admission for cardiac surgery were excluded. The medical records of patients who had speech-language pathology consultation orders for swallowing concerns were analyzed in order to compare the timing of speech-language pathology order entry, completion of speech-language pathology evaluation, and incidence of pneumonia during hospitalization following cardiac surgery. Results: During the study period, 3,168 patients underwent cardiac surgery, of which 2,864 patients met the inclusion criteria. Speech-language pathology was ordered for 473 cases (16.5%), and clinical swallow evaluation (CSE) was completed by speech-language pathology in 419 patients (88.6%), of which 309 patients were suspected to have dysphagia (73.7%). Among the 2,391 patients without speech-language pathology consultation, pneumonia was reported in 34 patients (1.42%). Pneumonia was reported in 53 patients in the speech-language pathology cohort, of which 43 patients (13.9%) were suspected to have dysphagia. Patients with pneumonia had significantly longer median time (20.0 hr, range: 4.9–26.7) from speech-language pathology orders to completion of CSE, compared to those without pneumonia (13.2 hr, range: 3.2–22.4, p = .025). There was no significant difference in the median time from extubation to speech-language pathology consultation order time in patients with pneumonia versus those without pneumonia. Patients with pneumonia were observed to have prolonged, although not statistically significant, median time from extubation to CSE (70.4 hr, range: 21.2–215) compared to those without pneumonia (42.2 hr, range: 19.5–105.8, p = .066). Conclusions: Patients without pneumonia in the postoperative period were observed to have shorter median time from extubation to speech-language pathology evaluation. Future studies are needed to further understand the impact of early speech-language pathology consultation and incidence of pneumonia in this population.

Dysphagia management is a core component of quality stroke care. Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) play a key role in the management of post-stroke dysphagia. We sought to elicit perceptions, attitudes, and practice patterns regarding post-stroke dysphagia management among SLPs in the United States. We conducted a survey among SLPs registered with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association who indicated that they care for acute stroke patients. A total of 336 participants completed the survey. Over half of the participants (58.6%) indicated that they obtain objective swallow testing in ≥ 60% of their post-stroke dysphagia patients. Almost 1 in 5 SLPs indicated that they are often unable to perform objective dysphagia testing due to limited resources (18.8% indicated resource limitations; 78.9% indicated no resources limitations; 2.4% were unsure). SLPs in hospitals without stroke center certification had higher odds of indicating limited resources compared to SLPs in certified stroke centers (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.11-3.87). Over 75% indicated that percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tubes after stroke are placed too early. SLPs who obtain objective swallow testing in ≥ 60% of patients had higher odds of indicating that PEG tubes are placed too early (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.13-2.56). While 19.4% indicated that the optimal timing for PEG after stroke is 7 days after admission, 25.0% indicated that the optimal timing is 12 days. Almost 35% indicated that health care system pressures influence their recommendations, and 47.6% indicated that ≥ 25% of PEGs could be avoided if patients were given up to 7 more days for swallowing recovery.

Peroxide is one of the compounds that are indicated to be toxic in the human digestion system. Lean fresh meat samples were collected from beef, lamb, pork and chicken to investigate their hydroperoxide formation potential. Total peroxides of fresh comminuted raw meat were determined by analysing protein-bound peroxides and hydroperoxide compounds in water–methanol and chloroform extracted phases. The amount of total peroxides was ranked as: beef>pork>lamb>chicken. Hydroperoxide formation was examined at different pH values and at different incubation times, using beef and chicken samples. All peroxides were transient, with a maximum value after 2–4h of incubation at 37°C. When pH fell from 7 to 1.5, the different peroxides fell by 10–20%. Non-polar peroxide formation could largely (70%) be described by variation in fatty acid composition and hemin content of the meat, while protein-bound peroxide variation was less explained by these variables. Liposome addition increased (40%) the amount of protein-bound peroxides.

In Experiment 1, 12 pigeons (Columba livia) were trained on a simultaneous matching-to-sample task with 2 stimuli and then tested with 2 novel stimuli. Half of the birds were trained with a fixed ratio schedule requirement of 1 (FR1) or 20 (FR20) pecks on the sample stimulus. None of the birds showed any evidence of concept-mediated transfer. In Experiment 2, 12 pigeons were trained with 3 stimuli and then tested with the same novel stimuli used in Experiment 1. Half of the birds in each group were trained with either an FR1 or FR20 requirement on the sample stimulus. Two of the FR20 birds showed high levels of transfer to the novel stimuli similar to that of monkeys in a previous study.

Background The conversions of the n-3 and n-6 fatty acid of plant origin to the C20 and C22 very long chain fatty acids (LCPUFAs) is regulated by several cellular enzymes such as elongases and desaturases. Methods Sixty-five male one-day old chickens (Ross 308) were randomly divided into four groups and given one of four diets; with or without linseed oil (LO), (the diets contained equal amounts of fat) and with low or high selenium (Se). Final body weight, amount of Se and fat in breast muscle, fatty acid profile, and gene expression for fatty acid desaturases (Fads1, Fads2, Fads9), HMG-CoA reductase, Acyl-CoA oxidase (Acox), carnitine palmitoyl transferase1 (Cpt1), superoxide dismutase (Sod) and glutathione peroxidase4 (Gpx4) were analyzed in all animals, and Gpx activity in whole blood was determined. Results mRNA expression of elongases and desaturases in chicken breast muscle was not affected by feed rich in C18:3n-3. The highly positive correlation between amount of fat in breast muscle and the product/precursor indices of monounsaturated fatty acid synthesis, and the negative correlation between muscle fat and indices of LCPUFA synthesis should be further studied. Conclusion mRNA expression in chicken breast muscle of elongases and desaturases was not affected by feed rich in C18:3n-3. The highly positive correlation between amount of fat in breast muscle and the product/precursor indices of monounsaturated fatty acid synthesis, and the negative correlation between muscle fat and indices of LCPUFA synthesis should be further studied.

We examined the effects of hippocampus (Hp) and area parahippocampalis (APH) lesions in pigeons on their ability to perform a battery of tasks including autoshaping, time discrimination, spatial memory, and pattern discrimination. Pigeons with Hp-APH lesions were impaired in the acquisition of an autoshaped response, emitting fewer pecks to the stimulus than control animals. Hp-APH pigeons were also impaired in the acquisition of a radial-arm maze analogue task, and those birds that did learn the task seemed to do so by adopting a stereotypic response strategy. In contrast, Hp-APH lesions had no effect on the ability of the birds to discriminate on the basis of either temporal or visual information. Overall, these studies complement our earlier studies and suggest that the avian hippocampus is important for the processing and retention of spatial rather than non-spatial information.

We recorded from 71 neurons in the ectostriatum of awake behaving pigeons performing the delayed matching-to-sample task. The ectostriatum is considered to be equivalent to the primate extrastriate cortex. Many of the neurons (n=56, 78.9%) were visually responsive to either or both the red and green stimuli. In addition, a large number of neurons (n=51, 71.8%) exhibited delay activity, that is, a change in activity during the delay period when memory was required compared to the baseline intertrial interval period when memory was not required. We were more likely to encounter a delay neuron when the subjects performed well (>75% correct) compared to when the subjects performed poorly (

In a number of studies, serially organized behavior in humans has been examined using a procedure developed for use with pigeons and monkeys. There have been few direct comparisons, however, between the data collected with humans and that collected with nonhumans, and none with respect to the interesting latency effects noted with nonhumans. The purpose of this experiment was to make this comparison. Human subjects were trained to respond to five simultaneously presented stimuli (A, B, C, D, and E) in a specific order (A--B--C--D--E) and were then tested with all 10 pairwise combinations of the five stimuli, followed by all 10 triplet combinations of the five stimuli. Mirroring the findings with monkeys (Cebus apella), humans showed a first-item effect, a missing-item effect, and a symbolic-distance effect. These results suggest that during the course of learning the five-item serial-order task humans form an internal representation of the series and access that representation to guide their behavior.

Chicken meat nutritional value with regard to fatty acid composition and selenium content depends on the choice of dietary oil and selenium level used in the chickens’ feed. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of replacing commonly used rendered animal fat as a dietary source of saturated fatty acids and soybean oil as a source of unsaturated fatty acids, with palm oil and red palm oil in combinations with rapeseed oil, linseed oil and two levels of selenium enriched yeast on chicken breast meat nutritional value. The study also wished to see whether red palm oil had a cholesterol lowering effect on chicken plasma. 204 male, newly hatched broiler chickens were randomly divided into twelve dietary treatment groups, and individually fed one out of six dietary fat combinations combined with either low (0.1 mg Se /kg feed) or high (1 mg Se/kg feed) dietary selenium levels. Linseed oil, independent of accompanying dietary fat source, lead to increased levels of the n-3 EPA, DPA and DHA and reduced levels of the n-6 arachidonic acid (AA). The ratio between AA/EPA was reduced from 19/1 in the soybean oil dietary groups to 1.7/1 in the linseed oil dietary groups. Dietary red palm oil reduced total chicken plasma cholesterol levels. There were no differences between the dietary groups with regard to measured meat antioxidant capacity or sensory evaluation. Chicken meat selenium levels were clearly influenced by dietary selenium levels, but were not influenced by feed fatty acid composition. High dietary selenium level lead to marginally increased n-3 EPA and higher meat fat % in breast muscle but did not influence the other LC PUFA levels. Chicken breast meat nutritional value from the soybean oil and low selenium dietary groups may be regarded as less beneficial compared to the breast meat from the linseed oil and high selenium dietary groups. Replacing rendered animal fat with palm oil and red palm oil had no negative effects on chicken muscle nutritional value with regard to fatty acid composition. Red palm oil decreased total chicken plasma cholesterol, confirming the cholesterol reducing effect of this dietary oil.

Chicken feed composition is essential to chicken health and meat composition. Fatty acids of the n-6 and n-3 families and selenium are of high importance to inflammatory processes. The effect of varying chicken dietary compositions in saturated and unsaturated oil sources with varying n-6 and n-3 levels combined with two levels of organic selenium on chicken growth, gizzard and gut health was studied.Wheat-based chicken diets supplemented with either 0.1 mg Se/kg feed or 1.0 mg Se/kg feed in combinations with rendered fat, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, linseed oil, palm oil, and red palm oil were used.Altering the fatty acid profile and selenium level did not significantly affect gizzard or gut health in broiler chickens, but increased early growth in chickens was seen for the red palm oil, linseed oil, and high selenium groups. Increased selenium levels lead to fewer incidences of loose digesta and higher gizzard weights.

Since the amounts of arachidonic acid (AA) and EPA in food may have implications for human health, we investigated whether a small change in chicken feed influenced the blood lipid concentration in humans ingesting the chicken. Forty-six young healthy volunteers (age 20–29) were randomly allocated into two groups in a double-blind dietary intervention trial, involving ingestion of about 160 g chicken meat per day for 4 weeks. The ingested meat was either from chickens given a feed concentrate resembling the commercial chicken feed, containing 4% soybean oil (SO), or the meat was from chickens given a feed where the soybean oil had been replaced by 2% rapeseed oil plus 2% linseed oil (RLO). Serum total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, triacylglycerols, serum phospholipid fatty acid concentration, blood pressure, body weight and C-reactive protein were determined at baseline and post-intervention. In subjects consuming chicken meat from the RLO group there was a significantly (p < 0.001) increased concentration of EPA in serum phospholipids, and a reduced ratio between AA and EPA. The participants that had a low% of EPA + DHA in serum phospholipids (less than 4.6%), all increased their% of EPA + DHA after the four week intervention period when consuming the RLO chicken. No significant response differences in cholesterol, triacylglycerol, C-reactive protein, body weight or blood pressure were observed between the groups. This trial demonstrates that a simple change in chicken feed can have beneficial effects on amount of EPA and the AA/EPA ratio in human serum phospholipids.

To investigate the effect of fatty acid composition on broiler meat selenium concentration and antioxidative capacity, 60 broiler chickens were individually fed one out of three high-selenium diets, based on either soybean oil (SO), rapeseed oil (RO) or a RO/linseed oil (LNO) mix. Breast muscle total selenium concentration was significant decreased (P=0.007) in the SO compared to RO and LNO dietary groups, while no differences were observed for antiradical power, glutathione peroxidise values or sensory evaluation for the three groups. LNO resulted in an almost five times lower ratio between arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid and a three times lower n-6/n-3 ratio compared to the SO group. These results indicate that dietary fatty acid composition may affect broiler meat total selenium concentration and suggest that a lowered n-6/n-3 ratio and increased level of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in broiler meat may increase total selenium in meat.

Råfôring er et omdiskutert tema. Det er mange påstander og bekymringer angående råfôring som i hovedsak handler om hundens og menneskers helse. I denne oppgaven har vi sett nærmere på enkelte ofte uttalte påstander og bekymringer, og forsøkt å finne forskning på disse. Vi ønsker å bruke studiene vi fant som grunnlag for å gi informasjon og råd til dyreeiere. Vi valgte å se på temaer som bakgrunn for hundeeiers valg av råfôr, hunden som altetende rovdyr, hundens genetiske forutsetninger for fordøyelse av næringsstoffer, forskjell på hundens og ulvens diett, hundens preferanse for fôr og makronæringstoffer, tannhelse ved råfôring, mulige årsaker til at hunder spiser avføring og hygiene ved råfôring. Det varierte hvor mye forskning vi fant om de forskjellige temaene. Noe av forskningen motsier påstandene til tilhengere av råfôring, og mange av påstandene deres har ingen bakgrunn i forskning. Enkelte påstander fant vi ikke nok studier på til å kunne avkrefte eller styrke påstandene. Bekymringene dyrehelsepersonell har angående hygiene ved råfôring styrkes i de studiene vi fant. Feeding raw meat-based diets (RMBDs) is a controversial topic. There are many claims and concerns about feeding RMBDs, mainly concerning the health of dogs and humans. In this thesis we have taken a closer look at some often-stated claims and concerns and tried to find scientific studies on these claims and concerns. The scientific studies are used as a basis for providing information and advice to owners. We chose to look at topics such as reasons dog owners’ reasons for feeding RMBDs, the dog as an omnivorous predator, genetic preconditions for digestion of nutrients, differences between the dog’s and the wolf’s diet, the dog’s preference for pet food and macronutrients, the effect on dental health when feeding RMBDs, possible causes of dogs eating faeces, and hygiene when feeding RMBDs. We found a varying number of scientific studies on the different topics. Some of the scientific studies contradict the claims from the proponents of raw feeding and many of the claims are not supported by scientific studies. We did not find enough studies to evaluate some of the claims. Some of the studies validates animal health professionals’ concerns regarding hygiene when feeding RMBDs. B-DYR