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In recent years, fluctuations in beef cattle prices have resulted in uncertainty among beef producers regarding value of seedstock cattle. A relationship between feeder cattle prices and bull prices would allow producers to more accurately estimate the value of their breeding stock. Monthly averages from Virginia feeder calf sales between January 2006 and December 2016 were utilized. Feeder steer (FdSt) and heifer prices (FdHf, Med and Large 1, CWT) were reflective of 227-273 kg calves. Prices for 364-409 kg steers were utilized to represent backgrounded steer (BkSt) prices. Corresponding bull prices (per head) from annual Virginia Beef Cattle Improvement Association bull test sales held in March and December were obtained. Regression analysis (PROC REG) in SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) was utilized to determine relationships between calf prices and corresponding bull sale averages. FdSt prices were highly associated with FdHf (r2 = 0.99, P < 0.0001) and BkSt prices (r2 = 0.96, P < 0.0001). FdSt and bull value were highly correlated over the 11-yr period (r2 = 0.91, P < 0.0001). Bulls were valued approximately 18 * (FdSt) or 3.27 * (FdSt per head). FdHf were valued less than FdSt and had a greater regression coefficient (B1 = 19.5, 3.5 * (FdHf per head)) when compared to bull prices and remained highly correlated (r2 = 0.89, P < 0.0001). Bulls were worth approximately 24 * (BkSt) or 2.8 * (BkSt per head), and there remained a strong relationship between these prices (r2 = 0.90, P < 0.0001). Angus bull prices were more sensitive to changes in FdSt prices (B1 = 18.0, P < 0.0001) compared to Simmental and Simmental hybrid prices (B1 = 15.7, P < 0.05 and 17.5, P < 0.001, respectively). Compared to Simmental and Simmental hybrid prices, Angus bull value was more strongly associated with FdSt prices (r2 = 0.37 and 0.61 vs. 0.91, respectively). Bulls that commanded prices in the top third of their respective sale had prices most volatile to changes in FdSt price (B1 = 24.5, P < 0.0001). Correspondingly, bulls that sold in the lowest third were least volatile (B1 = 12.7, P < 0.0001); those valued in the middle third were intermediate (B1 = 16.8, P < 0.0001). Bull sale prices are highly correlated with feeder calf value. These models provide predictive opportunities for beef cattle producers to estimate seedstock value based on current feeder cattle market conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the second Anglo-Dutch conference that was held in at the John Adams Hall in Endsieigh Street, London, England. There were twenty-five Dutch historians and about the same number of British participants. Numbers were kept down in order to allow the fullest possible discussions in all sessions, and as much personal contact as possible between sessions. It was, by and large, a successful conference in many ways more successful than the first meeting at Amsterdam. For one thing, many delegates from both sides knew each other, and a lot of trouble was taken to make the workshop sessions useful and helpful on a comparative basis. One must not exaggerate this last point: it is always difficult to achieve comparability, not least because of the different historical positions of Greta Britain and the Netherlands in the two wars, including, of course, the occupation of the latter by the Germans in the World War II. As to the composition of the two delegations, that from the Netherlands was still rather over-weighted with members of the professoriate--although less so than in Amsterdam, while the British delegation was both younger and more evenly balanced between the sexes; and it was one of the British women who summed up from the British side in the final plenary session.

Ketogenic metabolic therapy (KMT) is a medical nutrition therapy to address certain health and disease conditions. It is increasingly used for many non-communicable diseases that are rooted in abnormal metabolic health. Since chronic kidney disease (CKD) is commonly caused by overnutrition leading to hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus, the carbohydrate restriction inherent in KMT may offer a therapeutic option. Numerous studies have found that various forms of KMT are safe for individuals with CKD and may lead to improvement of renal function. This is in contrast to the current standard pharmacological approach to CKD that only slows the relentless progression towards renal failure. Kidney care providers, including physicians and dietitians, are usually not aware of non-standard dietary interventions, including KMT, and often criticize KMT due to common misconceptions and uncertainty about the underlying science, including the common misconception that KMT must involve high protein or meat consumption. This review article discusses the rationales for using KMT, including plant-dominant KMT, for treatment of CKD, clarifies common misconceptions, summarizes the results of clinical studies and discusses why KMT is emerging as an effective medical nutrition therapy (MNT) to consider for patients with kidney disease. KMT, including its plant-dominant versions, can expand a practitioner's kidney health toolbox and will likely become a first-line therapy for CKD in certain CKD-associated conditions such as obesity, metabolic syndrome and polycystic kidney disease., Competing Interests: T.W. is an inventor on issued and pending patents filed by UCSB, is a shareholder and president of Santa Barbara Nutrients, served on the scientific advisory board of Chinook Therapeutics and has received research funding from Chinook Therapeutics unrelated to the scope of this article. J.S. is the owner of Kidney Nutrition Institute and is a shareholder and serves on the advisory board of Santa Barbara Nutrients. K.K.-Z. has received commercial honoraria and/or support from ACI Clinical (Cara Therapeutics), Akebia, Alexion, Ardelyx, AstraZeneca, Chugai, Daiichi, DaVita, Fresenius, GlaxoSmithKline, Haymarket Media, Kabi, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Resverlogix, Sanofi, Vifor and UpToDate., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the ERA.)

Background: Mental health screening in the workplace aims to identify employees who are becoming symptomatic, in order to provide timely support and evidence-based interventions to those affected. Given the stigma associated with mental illness, accurate disclosure of mental health symptoms cannot be assumed. The present study sought to investigate factors associated with the accurate reporting of mental health symptoms amongst police officers., Methods: A total of 90 serving police officers completed identical mental health screening surveys, one administered by the employer and the other anonymously by an independent organisation. Responses were then linked to compare differences in the number and severity of mental health symptoms reported on each questionnaire., Results: Comparisons of matched self-report scores indicated that employees under-reported symptoms of mental health disorders when completing screening administered by their employer, with only 76.3% of symptoms declared. Under-reporting occurred regardless of gender and symptom type. Less senior staff (p = 0.05) and those with the most severe post-traumatic stress disorder and common mental disorder symptoms (p = 0.008) were significantly more likely to under-report symptoms., Conclusions: Employer-administered mental health screening is not able to accurately capture all mental health symptoms amongst first responders. The fact that the severity of symptoms predicted the level of under-reporting means that simple changes to cut-off values cannot correct this problem.

Objectives: To identify serum sphingolipids that could act as candidate biomarkers in RA., Methods: We performed lipidomic analyses in the serum of 82 participants: 19 established RA patients, 18 untreated early RA patients, 13 untreated early arthritis patients not fulfilling the classification criteria for RA, 12 established SpA patients and 20 controls. We compared the lipid levels from the different patient groups with the control group through multiple-regression analyses controlling for age at diagnosis, gender and medication (cDMARDs and corticoids)., Results: Established RA patients had significantly increased levels of sphingosine, monohexosylceramide and ceramide compared with controls, when controlling for age and gender. Monohexosylceramide levels remained significantly increased when additionally controlling for medication. On the contrary, SpA patients had significantly decreased levels of ceramide, in both analyses., Conclusion: We observed a detectable increase in the levels of certain sphingolipids in the serum of established RA patients when compared with controls, in line with previous observations in the synovial fluid. Such findings provide further evidence that sphingolipids may play a key role in the pathophysiology of RA., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection is currently the only feasible means to obtain biological fluid for the quantitative determination of biomarkers that may reflect disease activity within the brain. Studies in mouse models of human neurological disease benefit from ascertainment and subsequent analysis of brain tissue that is not afforded in human patients. The CSF provides a translational forum, however, due to the practical constraints presented by the mouse's small size, CSF is often ignored in experimental mouse models., New Method: Here we report a method for the controlled, precise and predictable collection of 10 μL of CSF from the lateral ventricles of adult mice using stereotaxic equipment and a micro-syringe pump., Results: Collected CSF was clear and manifested the consistency of water and moreover, quantification of a disease-specific biomarker for the neurodegenerative disorder, mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA (MPS IIIA) was possible in this small volume of CSF. In the naturally occurring mouse model of MPS IIIA, that faithfully recapitulates the human form of the disease, this biomarker was present at concentrations of >100 pmol/mL and undetectable in wild-type mice., Comparison With Existing Method: Advantages of this method over the most commonly used cisterna magna collection technique include increased CSF sample volume (10 μL) and reduced blood contamination., Conclusion: The ability to collect CSF from mouse models of neurological disease enables a forum for translating research outcomes in experimental models to the human equivalent in which CSF collection is also possible., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Xenon is a noble gas with neuroprotective properties that can improve short and long-term outcomes in young adult mice after controlled cortical impact. This follow-up study investigates the effects of xenon on very long-term outcomes and survival., Methods: C57BL/6N young adult male mice (n=72) received single controlled cortical impact or sham surgery and were treated with either xenon (75% Xe:25% O 2 ) or control gas (75% N 2 :25% O 2 ). Outcomes measured were: (i) 24 h lesion volume and neurological outcome score; (ii) contextual fear conditioning at 2 weeks and 20 months; (iii) corpus callosum white matter quantification; (iv) immunohistological assessment of neuroinflammation and neuronal loss; and (v) long-term survival., Results: Xenon treatment significantly reduced secondary injury (P<0.05), improved short-term vestibulomotor function (P<0.01), and prevented development of very late-onset traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related memory deficits. Xenon treatment reduced white matter loss in the contralateral corpus callosum and neuronal loss in the contralateral hippocampal CA1 and dentate gyrus areas at 20 months. Xenon's long-term neuroprotective effects were associated with a significant (P<0.05) reduction in neuroinflammation in multiple brain areas involved in associative memory, including reduction in reactive astrogliosis and microglial cell proliferation. Survival was improved significantly (P<0.05) in xenon-treated animals compared with untreated animals up to 12 months after injury., Conclusions: Xenon treatment after TBI results in very long-term improvements in clinically relevant outcomes and survival. Our findings support the idea that xenon treatment shortly after TBI may have long-term benefits in the treatment of brain trauma patients., (Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Emergency service workers (ESWs) are at increased risk of trauma-related mental disorders. However, volunteer ESWs, who comprise the majority of firefighters in Western countries, have limited access to the necessary support services for mental health problems. This study aimed to examine the impact of the level and types of trauma exposure on the development of mental disorders in a volunteer fire service. Members of an Australian volunteer fire service (N = 459) completed a cross-sectional survey. Information on the number and types of distressing critical incidents involved within the last year was collected. Validated, self-report measures were used to determine probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological distress caseness. The risk of probable PTSD was significantly higher for those with the most frequent involvement with distressing incidents and the highest levels of cumulative trauma exposure. Being trapped in a dangerous situation or being assaulted by other people, resulted in the greatest odds of developing a mental disorder. Volunteer fire service members with the highest levels of trauma exposure and involvement with particular types of critical incidents are at elevated risk of mental health problems. The implications for the provision of psychological support measures amongst volunteer emergency services are discussed., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: There is increasing concern regarding the mental health impact of first responder work, with some reports suggesting ambulance personnel may be at particularly high risk. Through this systematic review and meta-analysis we aimed to determine the prevalence of mental health conditions among ambulance personnel worldwide., Methods: A systematic search and screening process was conducted to identify studies for inclusion in the review. To be eligible, studies had to report original quantitative data on the prevalence of at least one of the following mental health outcome(s) of interest (PTSD, depression, anxiety, general psychological distress) for ambulance personnel samples. Quality of the studies was assessed using a validated methodological rating tool. Random effects modelling was used to estimate pooled prevalence, as well as subgroup analyses and meta-regressions for five variables implicated in heterogeneity., Results: In total, 941 articles were identified across all sources, with 95 full-text articles screened to confirm eligibility. Of these, 27 studies were included in the systematic review, reporting on a total of 30,878 ambulance personnel. A total of 18 studies provided necessary quantitative information and were retained for entry in the meta-analysis. The results demonstrated estimated prevalence rates of 11% for PTSD, 15% for depression, 15% for anxiety, and 27% for general psychological distress amongst ambulance personnel, with date of data collection a significant influence upon observed heterogeneity., Conclusion: Ambulance personnel worldwide have a prevalence of PTSD considerably higher than rates seen in the general population, although there is some evidence that rates of PTSD may have decreased over recent decades.

Background: Maternal overnutrition including pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and lactation promotes a lipotoxic insult leading to metabolic dysfunction in offspring. Diet-induced obesity models (DIO) show that changes in hypothalamic mitochondria fusion and fission dynamics modulate metabolic dysfunction. Using three selective diet formula including a High fat diet (HFD), Cafeteria (CAF) and High Sugar Diet (HSD), we hypothesized that maternal diets exposure program leads to selective changes in hypothalamic mitochondria fusion and fission dynamics in male offspring leading to metabolic dysfunction which is exacerbated by a second exposure after weaning., Methods: We exposed female Wistar rats to nutritional programming including Chow, HFD, CAF, or HSD for 9 weeks (pre-mating, mating, pregnancy and lactation) or to the same diets to offspring after weaning. We determined body weight, food intake and metabolic parameters in the offspring from 21 to 60 days old. Hypothalamus was dissected at 60 days old to determine mitochondria-ER interaction markers by mRNA expression and western blot and morphology by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Mitochondrial-ER function was analyzed by confocal microscopy using hypothalamic cell line mHypoA-CLU192., Results: Maternal programming by HFD and CAF leads to failure in glucose, leptin and insulin sensitivity and fat accumulation. Additionally, HFD and CAF programming promote mitochondrial fusion by increasing the expression of MFN2 and decreasing DRP1, respectively. Further, TEM analysis confirms that CAF exposure after programing leads to an increase in mitochondria fusion and enhanced mitochondrial-ER interaction, which partially correlates with metabolic dysfunction and fat accumulation in the HFD and CAF groups. Finally, we identified that lipotoxic palmitic acid stimulus in hypothalamic cells increases Ca 2+ overload into mitochondria matrix leading to mitochondrial dysfunction., Conclusions: We concluded that maternal programming by HFD induces hypothalamic mitochondria fusion, metabolic dysfunction and fat accumulation in male offspring, which is exacerbated by HFD or CAF exposure after weaning, potentially due to mitochondria calcium overflux., Competing Interests: The procedures for the care and use of experimental animals followed the protocols and regulations set forth by Animal Care Committee of Medicine Faculty of Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (Register number BI0002).All authors read and approved the final manuscript.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Background: Long-standing concerns exist about reverse causation and residual confounding in the prospective association between job strain and risk of future common mental disorders. We aimed to address these concerns through analysis of data collected in the UK National Child Development Study, a large British cohort study., Methods: Data from the National Child Development Study (n=6870) were analysed by use of multivariate logistic regression to investigate the prospective association between job strain variables at age 45 years and risk of future common mental disorders at age 50 years, controlling for lifetime psychiatric history and a range of other possible confounding variables across the lifecourse. Population attributable fractions were calculated to estimate the public health effect of job strain on midlife mental health., Findings: In the final model, adjusted for all measured confounders, high job demands (odds ratio 1·70, 95% CI 1·25-2·32; p=0·0008), low job control (1·89, 1·29-2·77; p=0·0010), and high job strain (2·22, 1·59-3·09; p<0·0001) remained significant independent predictors of future onset of common mental disorder. If causality is assumed, our findings suggest that 14% of new cases of common mental disorder could have been prevented through elimination of high job strain (population attributable fraction 0·14, 0·06-0·20)., Interpretation: High job strain appears to independently affect the risk of future common mental disorders in midlife. These findings suggest that modifiable work-related risk factors might be an important target in efforts to reduce the prevalence of common mental disorders., Funding: iCare Foundation and Mental Health Branch, NSW Health., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In four experiments we studied the impact of retrieval-extinction training on the extinction and reinstatement of alcoholic beer seeking. Experiment 1 showed that preceding daily extinction sessions with a brief (10 min) extinction session (retrieval-extinction) attenuated the context-induced reinstatement of alcoholic beer seeking, thereby replicating and extending the findings of Xue et al. (2012). Experiment 2 then showed that the retrieval-extinction manipulation could attenuate the reinstatement produced by reversible inactivation of the nucleus accumbens shell prior to test. Experiment 3 showed that a modified extinction protocol that involved a reversed retrieval (i.e., extinction then retrieval) was also able to attenuate context-induced reinstatement. Finally, experiment 4 showed that the extinction-retrieval manipulation facilitated the reacquisition of alcoholic beer seeking as evidenced by increased breakpoints and responses during tests under a progressive ratio schedule. Taken together, these findings show that retrieval-extinction training protocols can alter the propensity to reinstate extinguished drug seeking but that these alterations are not always protective. These findings are inconsistent with accounts of the retrieval-extinction manipulation in terms of memory reconsolidation and deepened extinction. Instead, they are consistent with the notion that this manipulation increases the sensitivity of animals to the contingencies in effect during testing., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Context: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is used by pediatric patients with cancer, but the actual frequency of CAM use is undetermined., Objective: In this systematic review we summarize the current evidence on the prevalence of CAM use in pediatric patients with cancer and assess the reported quality of included studies., Methods: We systematically searched 6 major electronic databases, reference lists of existing reviews, and personal files. We included full articles about primary research studies (without language restriction) that reported the prevalence of CAM use if all or a defined subsample of participants were pediatric patients with cancer. Detailed information regarding methods and results was extracted from the original articles. A quality-assessment tool was rigorously developed on the basis of the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement and used to assess reported study quality. Formal tests of interrater agreement were conducted., Results: We included 28 studies with survey data (collected from 1975 to 2005) from 3526 children. In 20 studies with 2871 participants, the prevalence of any CAM use (since cancer diagnosis) ranged from 6% to 91%; considerable heterogeneity across studies precluded meta-analysis. Study quality was mixed and not correlated with CAM prevalence. Herbal remedies were the most popular CAM modality, followed by diets/nutrition and faith-healing. Commonly reported reasons for CAM use included to help cure or fight the child's cancer, symptomatic relief, and support of ongoing use of conventional therapy. There was little evidence of an association between CAM use and patients' sociodemographic characteristics., Conclusions: Many pediatric patients with cancer use CAM. It is important that pediatricians be aware of this fact and encourage open communication with patients and their parents. Using standardized survey methods and CAM definitions in future studies could improve their quality and help generate comparable data. Our quality-assessment tool could prove valuable for other reviews of prevalence studies.