Reducing dietary crude protein (CP) concentration while maintaining adequate amino acid (AA) supply by free AA inclusion can contribute to attenuate the negative environmental effects of animal farming. This study investigated upper limits of dietary free AA inclusions without undesirable effects including the dependence on asparagine (Asn) and glutamine (Gln) supply. Ten broilers were allocated to sixty-three metabolism units each and offered nine experimental diets from day (d) 7–21 (n 7). One diet (167 g CP/kg) contained 80 g soya protein isolate (SPI)/kg. In the other diets, 25, 50, 75 and 100 % of the digestible AA from SPI were substituted with free AA. Digestible Asn+aspartic acid (Asp) and Gln+glutamic acid (Glu) were substituted with Asp/Glu or 50/50 mixes of Asp/Asn and Glu/Gln, respectively. Total excreta were collected from d 11–14 and from d 18–21. Growth and nitrogen accretion were unaffected by 25 and 50 % substitution without and with free Asn/Gln, respectively, but decreased at higher substitution (P ≤ 0·024). Circulating concentrations of Asp, Glu and Gln were unaffected by treatment, while Asn decreased at substitution higher than 50 % when Asn/Gln were not provided (P ≤ 0·005). Blood gas analysis on d 21 indicated a compensated metabolic acidosis at substitution higher than 50 and 75 % without and with free Asn/Gln, respectively (P ≤ 0·017). Results suggest that adding Asn/Gln increased an upper limit for proportion of dietary free AA from 10 to 19 % of dietary CP and enabled higher free AA inclusion without affecting the acid–base balance.

Atrioesophageal fistula (AEF) is an important complication of radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Delayed diagnosis is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Despite the name “atrioesophageal fistula,” fistulas functionally act esophageal to atrial, which accounts for the neurologic and infectious complications. This report presents the management of a 60-year-old male patient who was admitted to the emergency department (ED) with AEF-caused gastrointestinal bleeding. The patient was operated urgently, but he had serious comorbidities and died after the operation. The aim of this case was to evaluate patients who underwent RFA, within 10 days to two months, carefully in the ED and to know the possible complications.

Pulmonary embolism is a clinical condition with high mortality rates in all age groups. The treatment includes anticoagulation and fibrinolytic therapy, and clinical management is challenging in cases of bleeding diathesis. Sepsis-induced coagulopathy (SIC), which has been recently defined to cause disruption of coagulation cascade accompanied by organ dysfunctions, is regarded as a major cause of mortality. It is noteworthy that there is no decrease in fibrinogen levels, unlike disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC). This study aimed to present the management of a 70-year-old female patient who was admitted to emergency department with atypical complaints and diagnosed with pulmonary embolism due to deep vein thrombosis and septic shock. The clinical success of fibrinolytic therapy following the administration of fresh frozen plasma (FFP), although the patient had elevated international normalized ratio (INR), is presented in this case report. Since elevated INR and thrombocytopenia, which are observed in SIC, are caused by the inhibition of fibrinolysis, fibrinolytic therapy can be a rational treatment choice considering the profit/loss rate.

The pH of deionized water, initially adjusted to a pH of 6 to 9, all decreased to near pH 5 upon pressurization with CO2 in a backpack spray system. When deionized water contained bicarbonate (NaHCO3 or KHCO3) at 0 to 800 mg/L to buffer against a pH decrease from CO2 pressurization the return to their initial pH was more rapid than deionized water alone regardless of bicarbonate source. Acidification of spray solution following CO2 pressurization of 138, 276, or 414 kPa was similar and bicarbonate had a greater effect than spray pressure. Addition of acidifying buffer and bicarbonate to the solution resulted in an initial and post-CO2 pressurization pH range of less than one pH unit. All spray solution pH levels returned to near their initial pH following depressurization, indicating that the pH decrease was not permanent. Rate of recovery from acidification with CO2 increased with initial pH and bicarbonate concentration.

Porcine oocyte-cumulus complexes were cultured in bovine serum albumin(BSA)-free North Carolina State University (NCSU)23 medium containing porcine follicular fluid (10%), cysteine (0.1 mg/ml)and hormonal supplements (eCG and hCG: 10IU/ml each) for 22h. They were then cultured in the same medium but without hormonal supplements for an additional 22h. After culture, cumulus cells were removed and oocytes were co-incubated with frozen-thawed ejaculated boar spermatozoa in tissue culture medium (TCM)199 containing caffeine (5mM), fetal calf serum (FCS; 10%) and varying concentrations (26–56 mM)of NaHCO3 for 9h(experiment 1). In experiment 2, chlortetracycline (CTC) was used to assess the functional state of spermatozoa incubated under different NaHCO3 concentrations. Experiment 3 examined the effect of FCS (1% and 10%)and NaHCO3 (26 and 46 mM) on fertilisation parameters. Compared with 26 mM, penetration rate was significantly higher (p<0.05)at 36–56mM NaHCO3. Polyspermy showed a similar pattern although no difference was observed between 26 and 36 mM. At 46mM NaHCO3, the mean number of spermatozoa (MNS) penetrated per oocyte increased significantly (p< 0.05). A significantly higher proportion of spermatozoa were capacitated and acrosome reacted at 46 and 56mM NaHCO3, respectively. The fertilisation medium containing 46mM NaHCO3 and 1% FCS showed a higher penetration rate (84%)with a relatively low incidence of polyspermy (39%). The results indicate that NaHCO3 stimulates capacitation and/or the acrosome reaction of boar spermatozoa in a dose-dependent manner and thus affects fertilisation parameters.

The oxidation of fatty acids, carbohydrates and amino acids can be measured by quantifying the rate of excretion of labelled CO2 following administration of 14C- or 13C-labelled substrates at whole-body and tissue level. However, there is a theoretical need to correct the oxidation rates for the proportion of labelled CO2 that is produced via oxidation but not excreted. Furthermore, depending on the substrate and position of the C label(s), there may also be a need to correct for labelled C from the metabolized substrate that does not appear as CO2, but rather becomes temporarily fixed in other metabolites. The bicarbonate correction factor is used to correct for the labelled CO2 not excreted. Recently, an acetate correction factor has been proposed for the simultaneous correction of CO2 not excreted and label fixed in other metabolites via isotopic exchange reactions, mainly in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Changes in metabolic rate induced, for example, by feeding, hormonal changes and physical activity, as well as infusion time, have been shown to affect both correction factors. The present paper explains the theoretical and physiological basis of these correction factors and makes recommendations as to how these correction factors should be used in various physiological conditions.

Sperm capacitation is crucial for fertilization. However, debate continues on exactly how, where and when capacitation is elicited in the bovine female genital tract. In this study we used merocyanine-540 and the chlortetracycline (CTC) assay to test how capacitation of bull spermatozoa is affected in vitro by exposure to oviductal fluid (ODF) collected in vivo, various glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) or bicarbonate. Following different durations of exposure, spermatozoa were stained with CTC or merocyanine-540, and evaluated with epifluorescent light microscopy or flow cytometry, respectively. Incubation time did not significantly affect capacitation. Exposure (30–120 min) to ODF capacitated (p < 0.05) bull spermatozoa as measured by either merocyanine-540 or CTC. Hyaluronan was the only GAG that induced a significant increase in B-pattern spermatozoa (capacitated; p = 0.012) compared with controls. Dermatan sulphate also induced capacitation (merocyanine-540 high fluorescence; p = 0.035). Exposure to bicarbonate-enriched media also yielded an increase in merocyanine-540 high fluorescence (p < 0.0001). When bicarbonate was added to the other treatments (ODF or GAGs) an equal increase in merocyanine-540 high fluorescence was noted (p < 0.0001), compared with before addition of bicarbonate and independent of the treatment before exposure. There was no significant difference in the number of B-pattern spermatozoa when bicarbonate was added, but an significant increase in spermatozoa with an acrosome-reacted (AR)-pattern (p < 0.0001) was observed. Exposure of spermatozoa to solubilized zonae pellucidae significantly increased the AR-pattern spermatozoa (p = 0.016). In conclusion, ODF was more potent in inducing capacitation of bull spermatozoa than the individual GAGs. Our results also indicate that bicarbonate is an effector of bull sperm capacitation.

A mechanism of bicarbonate uptake with a high sensitivity to the putative anion-exchange inhibitor 4,4′-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2′-disulphonic acid (DIDS) has been previously reported in green algae. In this study, DIDS inhibited net oxygen evolution by Dunaliella tertiolecta by up to 22 %, but internal pH regulation, intracellular CO2 accumulation, carbon fixation and affinity for dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in Dunaliella tertiolecta showed low or insignificant sensitivity to DIDS. However, in cells grown and tested at pH 9·5, treatment with DIDS elevated the k0·5(HCO3-), suggesting there may be a minor role for a DIDS-sensitive anion-exchange-type HCO3- transporter in DIC acquisition by D. tertiolecta at high pH. In contrast, significant external carbonic anhydrase (CAext) activity and up to 70 % inhibition of DIC-dependent O2 evolution by acetozolamide (AZ) suggest that CAext has an important role in DIC acquisition in D. tertiolecta, in normal seawater conditions and at elevated pH. Furthermore, the rate of DIC-dependent photosynthesis at high pH, in the presence of AZ, was 12 times higher than the calculated uncatalysed rate of CO2 supply from HCO3-. This requires some system for direct HCO3- uptake by D. tertiolecta, which may include a DIDS-insensitive mechanism. The effects of DIDS upon indirect measures of DIC acquisition should be interpreted cautiously as DIDS may have non-specific effects upon whole cell function, and affect ion transport processes not directly related to HCO3- uptake.

The aim of this study was to assess the bioequivalence of H13CO-3 and H14CO-3, by administering both labels simultaneously by single infusion and comparing their recovery in breath CO2 and urinary urea. Six healthy male subjects (age range 24–41 years; weight 76·7 (SD, 18·6) KG; HEIGHT 1·79 (sd 0·05) m) were infused with unprimed solutions of HCO3- (110·0 mmol/kg) labelled with 13C (0·76 mmol 13C/h) and 14C (48 Bq/h) at a constant rate for 6 h, in a whole-body calorimeter (1400 litres) for measurement of CO2 production. Samples of breath were collected hourly in a Douglas bag and all urine was collected into two batches (0–4 h and 4–6 h) for estimating recovery of infused label by measurement of enrichment or specific activity. Recovery in breath CO2 of both labels increased from about 25% for the first hour to 88% and above for hours 3–4 onwards. Mean recovery of 13C in breath CO2 was slightly higher than that of 14C for all periods (mean difference always less than 1 % of infused label) but was significant only for the first 3h (P < 0·05). Recovery of 14C in urea was significantly higher (P < 0·01) than 13C, but was confounded by substantial variability and uncertainties concerning 13CO2 background enrichments. These results suggest that there is no compelling need to alter factors currently used for recovery of 14C in breath when using 13C instead, and vice versa.

This article considers molecular biological to global environment work on inorganic carbon acquisition processes in the algae sensu lato (i.e. including the cyanobacteria).

At least 95% of the organic C in photolithotrophic algae has been fixed by RUBISCO, while the remaining 5% or so has involved a range of anaplerotic carboxylases. The catalytic characteristics of RUBISCO show substantial phylogenetic variation; for some algal RUBISCOs (those from cyanobacteria and, possibly, Dinophyta) the kinetics of the carboxylase and oxygenase activity are such that net photosynthetic CO2 fixation could not occur with diffusive CO2 entry from air-equilibrium solution. In many other algae the kinetics of inorganic C assimilation are at variance with in vitro RUBISCO kinetics, and, as in cyanobacteria and Dinophyta, a CO2-concentrating mechanism is hypothesized. In many cases, the operation of such a mechanism can be demonstrated as a higher internal than external CO2 level during photosynthesis. In cases where such a CO2 concentration difference cannot be demonstrated, mechanisms may produce CO2 from HCO3− in an extracellular or intracellular compartment maintained at a lower pH than the cytosol and stroma but, with the exception of the acid zones on the surface of certain characeans, such mechanisms have not been experimentally verified. Reactions downstream of RUBISCO include the polyphyletic metabolic processes which deal with the products of RUBISCO oxygenase activity subsequent to phosphoglycolate phosphatase; even when a CO2-concentrating mechanism is present there is a minor C flux through phosphoglycolate. There are important consequences for bioenergetics, for the allocation among solutes of the low intracellular osmolarity of some freshwater algae, and of the occurrence of CO2-concentrating mechanisms or of diffusive CO2 entry. Some algae today are inorganic C-limited for photosynthesis in their natural environment under otherwise optimal conditions; even in these organisms it is not clear that they are C-limited in nature. The chances of C limitation in the past would have been greater with the low CO2 concentrations of the last glacial maximum 18,000 years ago, but would have been less likely to be C limited in the pre-pleistocene past, and in the anthropogenically CO2-enriched future, than at present. The evaluation of inorganic C acquisition mechanisms must be viewed against the general decrease in CO2, and increase in O2, over the almost 4 billion years since RUBISCO-based CO2 fixation evolved. It is not yet clear whether (polypheletic) CO2 concentrating mechanisms or (polyphyletic) mechanisms of glycolate metabolism evolved first.

In vaginally delivered births (including a few cases where the mothers were under epidural anesthesia), differences between first and second born twins were compared according to presentation at delivery. Of twins with vertex/vertex presentation in 15 primipara cases and in 14 multipara cases, pO2 levels for the second born were significantly lower (both being p < 0.05) than for the first born. Of twins vertex/non-vertex presentation, the second born in 9 primipara cases showed significantly lower pH, pO2 and HCO3 levels (p<0.05). Also for multipara twins, the second born had significantly lower pH (p<0.05) and significantly higher pCO2 (p<0.05) values. Umbilical cord blood gas value findings indicate unfavourable conditions for second born twins.