Chicks were fed on diets varying in crude protein (CP) content (140 to 280 g/kg diet) in either 8 steps, experiment 1, or 6 steps, experiment 2. Protein composition was held constant in each experiment. At each protein concentration, 5 (experiment 1) or 6 (experiment 2) concentrations of lysine were tested, ranging from 40 to 60 g/kg CP. Growth rate and efficiency of food utilisation to 21 d of age responded to increasing dietary protein contents up to about 230 g CP/kg. An estimate of lysine requirement at each protein concentration was obtained by fitting a quadratic curve to the response data and calculating the dose of lysine (g/kg CP) needed to maximise either growth rate or gain/food ratio. Although no growth response to dietary protein was obtained between 240 and 280 g CP/kg, the amount of lysine needed to maximise growth and gain/food ratio over this range increased systematically when expressed as g/kg diet, but remained constant if expressed as g/kg CP. The regression of lysine required (g/kg diet) for maximum performance (growth or food efficiency) on CP (g/kg diet) was strictly linear for both responses in both experiments throughout the entire range studied (140 g CP/kg to 280 g CP/kg). The estimated lysine requirement was 0.053 of the CP in experiment 1 and 0.055 of the CP in experiment 2. It is concluded that a fixed ratio of lysine to protein should be specified in practical diet formulation, rather than a minimum dietary concentration of lysine. This would ensure that, if the dietary protein content rises above a prescribed minimum value in least-cost formulation, an appropriate adjustment will automatically be made to the lysine content of the solution.

AbstractsBackgroundPatient outcomes are influenced by intraoperative temperature management. Oesophageal/pharyngeal temperature monitoring is the standard of care at our institute but is not well tolerated in awake patients. Many non-invasive temperature monitors have been studied. Only the TraxIt® Wearable Children’s Underarm Thermometer which contains liquid crystals that undergo phase changes according to temperature is available at our institution. We tested these non-invasive monitors against our standard of care which is the oesophageal/pharyngeal temperature monitor.MethodsWe conducted a prospective observational study of 100 patients receiving general anaesthesia for elective surgery. Patients were eligible for inclusion if they were ≥ 18 years old, were planned to have a general anaesthetic > 60 min during which no body cavity (chest or abdomen) would be opened. Patient temperature was measured with an oesophageal/pharyngeal thermistor probe and skin surface temperature monitors placed over the forehead, in the axilla, over the sternum, and behind the ear (over major vessels to the brain). Temperatures were recorded and then analysed using Altman-Bland plots. Pre-determined clinically relevant limits of agreement were set at −/+ 0.5 °C.ResultsFrom the 100 patients we collected 500 data points for each monitor with an average monitoring time of 102 min (30–300 min) across a range of surgical procedures. None of the skin surface temperature monitors achieved the pre-determined limits of agreement and results were impacted by the use of a forced air warmer.ConclusionThe TraxIt® Wearable Children’s Underarm Thermometers are not suitable for temperature monitoring during general anaesthesia.