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The true subclavian artery aneurysm is a rare but dangerous complication of TOS. During a 20 years time period we observed 18 patients with subclavian artery aneurysms. 12 of these patients showed cervical ribs. Half of the patients (n = 9) presented with a critical ischemia of an upper extremity, nine patients were operated on electively. The acute ischemia makes the desobliteration of the outflow tract necessary first. The next step ist the transaxillary exarticulation of the first rib and the resection of the aneurysm. The reconstruction of the subclavian artery is performed by using autologous vein material or PTFE prostheses. In two cases both with an acute embolic critical ischemia major amputations were unavoidable. 13 patients could be reexamined in 1996: 11 bypasses proved to be functioning, 2 were definitely occluded.

Objective: To assess the relationship between feeding pattern and body mass index in free-living humans., Design and Subjects: Feeding pattern was assessed from 220 7-day weighed dietary records. 187 records were obtained from three separate existing studies, and reanalysed. These studies contained data on three age groups in the British population; Elderly group (n = 88), Middle-aged group (n = 40), Working age group (n = 59). A separate study of 13-14 year olds living in Croydon was conducted from which 33 usable diet records were collected to produce a fourth, Adolescent group., Results: 'Nibbling' and greater energy intakes at breakfast were associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) in the Adolescent group. In the Middle-aged group, greater energy intakes at breakfast and lower energy intakes during the evening were associated with a lower BMI. However, when diet records which produced unreasonably low energy intakes were removed from the analysis, these relationships disappeared except for energy intakes at breakfast and BMI in the Adolescent group., Conclusion: It is suggested that the relationship between feeding pattern and BMI observed in the Adolescent and Middle-aged groups was caused by underestimation of 'habitual' energy intake from snacks and the omission of breakfast by females and those who were overweight. The lack of relationship in the Working age group was attributed to the fact that more individuals in this group appeared to report valid diet records. Reported energy intake was directly related to BMI in the Working age group, but was not related to BMI in the other three age groups. It is concluded that feeding pattern is not a major factor in determining BMI in humans. Also, since snacks have a relatively high sugar and low fat composition compared with meals, it is suggested that biased under-reporting of snacks by the obese could produce spurious results from free-living studies which show that obesity is related to the proportion of energy from fat in the diet.

Chicken essence is widely used as a traditional remedy for several ailments including anaemia. To test this claim for objective evidence, a series of experiments was carried out in anaemic rats by supplementing iron deficient diets with either liquid or lyophilised essence, which contains mainly protein and peptides (83 mg/ml) and free amino acids (3.1 mg/ml), very little iron (1 microgram/ml), and no fat. Haemoglobin returned to normal significantly more rapidly in rats supplemented with ad libitum liquid BEC over a period of up to 27 days compared with controls fed only water in addition to the ad libitum iron deficient diet. Haemoglobin was also significantly increased after 1 week in animals fed ad libitum diets supplemented with lyophilised chicken essence than with controls fed the unsupplemented diet. The effect was greater with supplementation at the level of 0.2% than at 1% lyophilised essence. The results indicate that the effects were mediated by increased appetite and by enhanced availability of food iron. These studies provide objective evidence for the traditional belief that chicken essence remedies anaemia.

Investigations with 15N'-labelled urea were carried out to find out the influence of the amount of fibre on the reflux of 15N' into the caecum to take part in the caecal metabolism. Two pelleted diets, containing 9.7% (group 1 with 23% oat hulls) and 2.2% (Group 2 without oat hulls) crude fibre, with urea with 60 atom% 15N-excess (15N) used as marker were given to three White New Zealand rabbits each group. Group 1 and 2 consumed 109 and 72 g fresh matter per rabbit and day, respectively. Daily 15N'-intake per rabbit was 307 mg in group 1 and 279 mg in group 2. Most of 15N' was eliminated directly via the urine. The daily faecal excretion in group 1 and 2 was 5.3 and 2.3 mg 15N', respectively. Only about 20 to 30% of 15N' and volatile fatty acids in the caecum and higher amounts of 15N' in muscles were found. The animals of this group consumed nearly the total amount of faeces by caecotrophy. Therefore 24 g of group 2 was still satisfying compared to 33 g live weight gain/rabbit and day of group 1. It is concluded that the animals of group 2 could compensate the low fibre level within a period of about 20 days by a more efficient utilization, the consumption of crude protein and starch being 18 and 12% lower than in group 1, respectively. Feed intake and health status were not evidently affected. The results are in contradiction to the common knowledge.

Objectives: To assess meals versus snacks in terms of their contribution to total daily energy intake (TDI), macronutrient composition, and food commodity profile., Design and Subjects: Meals and snacks were assessed from 220 7-day weighed dietary records. 187 records were obtained from three separate existing studies, and reanalysed. These studies contained data on three different age groups in the British population; elderly group (n = 88), middle-aged group (n = 40), young adult group (n = 59). A separate study of 13-14-year-olds living in Croydon was conducted from which 33 usable diet records were collected (adolescent group)., Results: Boys in the adolescent group consumed more of their TDI as snacks (29.0%) compared with men in the young adult (18.9%) and elderly groups (16.6%), but not the middle-aged group (25.8%). Females consumed about the same percentage of their TDI as snacks; adolescent group 23.6%, young adult group 19.4%, middle-aged group 21.4%, elderly group 17.9%. Meals were higher in protein and fat, and lower in total sugars, compared with snacks. Chocolate confectionery, crisps and fizzy drinks and squashes were popular snack foods in the adolescent group. Unlike snacks, the food commodity profiles of meals were similar in all age groups., Conclusions: This study shows that foods and drinks consumed as snacks by the British public, including the elderly, have a relatively high total sugar composition. These results add to the concern relating snack foods with dental caries.

594 non selected "in situ" reconstructions were analyzed retrospectively using the life table method. Especially after immediate occlusion the cumulative patency rate is unsatisfactory (33.1% vs 62.3% after 6 years). Patency rates are influenced by the anastomotic site and mainly by run off conditions. The number of patent tibial arteries seems to be the most important determinant. These results prove to be statistically significant.

Disturbed autoregulation and CO2 reactivity have been reported in patients with brain tumors. Therefore, we decided to monitor the cerebrovascular effects of anesthetic drugs and hyperventilation. Transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) can measure noninvasively alterations of flow velocities (v) and cross-sectional vessel area (VA) in large brain arteries. Twenty-eight patients with large malignant brain tumors in the territory of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) randomly received propofol or thiopental for induction and maintenance of anesthesia. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and TCD parameters (vMCA and VA of the tumor or nontumor side) were determined at six data points (DP). The first measurements (MAP, HR, and TCD of the nontumor side) were performed before (DP I) and 60 s after (DP II) induction of anesthesia with either 2 mg/kg propofol or 4 mg/kg thiopental. After intubation and normoventilation (50% O2 in air), 0.05-0.1 mg/kg midazolam and an alfentanil infusion (100 micrograms/kg x h) were initiated. Then MAP, HR, vMCA, and VA of the tumor side were analyzed before (DP III) and 60 s after (DP IV) either propofol (1 mg/kg) or thiopental (2 mg/kg) were given. Finally, the effects of hyperventilation on HR, MAP, vMCA, and VA (tumor side) were determined (DP V and VI). Mean +/- SD, thiopental or propofol reactivity (non-tumor and tumor side) and CO2 reactivity (tumor side) were calculated; statistical comparison between DP I and II, III and IV, and V and VI was performed by paired t tests (p < 0.05). Unpaired t tests were used to evaluate differences between groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

One hundred and seventy-two 0.5-3.0-year-old children in a mountainous area of northern Hebei Province of China were randomly assigned to a vitamin A supplementation group (n = 98) or a control group (n = 74) for a 1 year double-blind study. Capsules containing 200,000 IU vitamin A and 40 IU vitamin E were given to the children in the experimental group 3 and 9 months after baseline examination. During the 12 month study period, there was a significant reduction in the incidence of diarrhoea (P < 0.01) and respiratory disease (P < 0.01) in the children of the experimental group compared to the control. Risk of diarrhoea and respiratory disease were respectively 2.5 and 3.4 times higher in the control children. Serum retinol and IgA levels of the treatment group were significantly higher than that of control group (P < 0.01) 7 weeks after first supplementation. There was no significant difference in saliva IgA level between groups. No significant differences in growth were observed. It was concluded that supplementation with large doses of vitamin A decreased the incidence and severity of diarrhoea and respiratory disease in these children, possibly through enhanced activity of the immune system, but had no effect on growth over 1 year.

The validity of residues from hydrolysis of soya bean meal for production of lysine was tested in a growth experiment with 2 groups of 25 cross breeding lambs as well as in a N-balance trial with 5 lambs. The animals in the growth experiment started with an average body weight of 25 kg. An industrially produced concentrate for lamb fattening was given to the animals of the control group. To the second group a straw-concentrate mixture was given, containing 30% straw, 52% barley, 5% soya bean meal, 5% dried beet pulp and 5% of hydrolysis residue. The mixture included 10.71 MJ ME resp. 5.51 MJ net-energy fat (cattle) and 166 g digestible crude protein per kg dry matter. The lambs of group 2 showed an 8% lower intake of DM, connected with a 26% intake of energy and 32% lower intake of DCP in comparison to the control group. The average daily body weight gain was 374 g for the control group and 241 g for group 2 respectively, the difference being statistically significant. The feed/gain ratio was in group 2 = 14% higher for energy and 6% higher for DCP than in the control group. The N-balance trial resulted in a N-retention of 25 percent of the N-intake. The results approved the possible use of 5% of the hydrolysis residue product for 2% crude protein in straw-concentrate mixtures for ruminants.

Sex-specific mortality rates for selected cancer sites (including oesophagus, stomach, liver, lung, colorectum, breast and cervix) and a variety of biochemical indicators of antioxidant status, enzyme activity and oxidative stress (including plasma levels of beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, selenium, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, iron, copper, zinc, total cholesterol and lipid peroxide) were examined in an ecological study of 65 mostly rural counties in the People's Republic of China. The wide range of both mortality rates and biochemical values and the measurement of a comprehensive set of biochemical indicators permitted both simple correlational and multivariate analyses of the joint and relative effects of each factor on site-specific cancer mortality. Plasma levels of dietary antioxidants were consistently negatively correlated with cancer mortality rates. Ascorbic acid was most strongly negatively associated with most cancers and selenium with oesophageal and stomach cancers. beta-carotene was found to have a protective effect independent of retinol, particularly for stomach cancer.

Publications from Williams were the stimulation to study the relations between wool yield and cyst(e)ine concentration in blood plasma. Methodical experiments were carried out and the two methods used each provided clear results. At the same time the reversible binding of a part of the free cystine in the plasma with the plasma proteins and its effect on the analysis results might be considered. After an interpretation of the two methods their use is described taking into consideration the factors influencing the results of the analysis. It is concluded that the two methods are usable for the planned purpose.

Transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) has gained in relevance for noninvasive monitoring of the cerebral circulation during the perioperative period. As long as the diameters of the investigated vessels remain unknown, however, flow velocities alone are not really informative. Exact vessel diameter determination in humans under the influence of different anesthetic drugs has not yet been performed due to ethical and methodological restrictions. A new modification of TCD allows analysis of the reflected "Doppler power", which is proportional to the cross-sectional area of the insonated vessel. METHODS. Three groups of 15-16 patients each (ASA I) were investigated after informed consent. Anesthesia was induced with droperidol, alfentanil, thiopental, and vecuronium bromide. After intubation patients were normoventilated with N2O:O2 = 3:2 and additional doses of alfentanil were injected until the transcranial ultrasound probe was fixed to the temporal bone and focused on the middle cerebral artery. Baseline values of heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), expiratory minute volume (EMV), end-expiratory CO2 (FeCO2), and TCD were measured. Then 1.5 vol% halothane, 25-50 micrograms/kg alfentanil, or propofol (1.5 mg/kg iv., 10 mg/kg.min) was administered. Further measurements (HR, MAP, EMV, FeCO2 and TCD) were performed at 3, 6, 10, and 20 min after the start in the halothane and propofol groups and after 3 and 6 min in the alfentanil group. The following transcranial parameters were derived from the TCD device: mean maximal flow velocity (vmmax), pulsatility index, time-averaged mean velocity (vmmen), "vessel area (VA)", and "volume flow (VF)". The mean +/- standard deviation of each parameter was calculated. Statistical evaluation was performed by paired t-tests (level of significance P less than 0.05). RESULTS. HR showed a tendency to increase after halothane and to decline after alfentanil. Alfentanil induced a short-term decline in MAP. End-expiratory minute volume and FeCO2 showed only minor alterations in all three groups. The vmmax was nearly doubled by halothane. Alfentanil induced a transitory decline in vmmax while Propofol decreased it markedly. The pulsatility index showed a decrease after halothane; alfentanil caused a short-term increase. Propofol induced a strong increase after 3 min; in the following period a return to baseline values was observed. The vmmean was increased by halothane and reduced by 32% propofol. VA was found to be unaltered by alfentanil and propofol but was more than doubled by halothane. Accordingly, the relative value for VF increased by 148% under halothane. VF appeared to decline after propofol. DISCUSSION. The described method allows only the determination of relative values: it is not possible to quantify exactly how much the VA changed. Halothane caused significant increases of VA measured in the middle cerebral artery, whereas alfentanil and propofol did not influence this parameter. This is in accordance with previous experiments in dogs in which halothane decreased the resistance of large basal cerebral arteries (LAR). LAR remained unaltered after alfentanil administration. The site of action of some anesthetic agents on cerebral vessels does not seem to be restricted to cerebral arterioles: at least for halothane, a vasodilating effect on large cerebral arteries could be demonstrated. This should be kept in mind when transcranial Doppler is applied during the perioperative period.

Analytical possibilities for nitrate determination in milk on the base of photometric methods are discussed. An automated method, similar to Nijhuis u. a. (1979), is proposed using flow stream analyser ADM 300. Natrium nitrate (5 g and 10 g/kg live weight resp.) was given to two dairy cows after morning feeding on the 1st and on the 3rd day of experiment. The increase of nitrate content in the milk was very quick, maximal concentrations after 2 h were found as 5.6 mg/l (animal 1) and 3.2 mg nitrate-N/l (animal 2). But nitrate also disappeared relatively quickly, after 24 h there only values were observed corresponding to normal range of 1 mg/l.

To test the validity of using international standards as references for the assessment of nutritional status, investigations have been carried out on pre-school aged children selected from three distinct ecological environments in Papua New Guinea. Field work included anthropometric measurements (weight, height, triceps skin-fold, mid-upper-arm circumference, mid-upper-arm muscle circumference), together with pathological and clinical assessments (intestinal helminths, diarrhoea, splenomegaly, PEM signs). The findings indicate that any deviation below standard weight, height, and arm circumference is associated with greater prevalence of disease. International standards are therefore appropriate for preschool aged children in Papua New Guinea and by inference in other developing countries.

Two prospective randomized trials were referred. In the first study 50 patients with femorotibial greater saphenous vein in situ bypasses were treated intraarterially with 0.2 ng PGE 1/kg body weight/min and 15,000 i.U. of heparine continuously. The control group of 50 patients also got 15,000 i.U. of heparine and 3 x 0.5 g of Aspirin. We observed 2 (4%) immediate occlusions in the PGE 1 group and 7 (14%) immediate occlusions in the control group. This difference proved to be statistically significant. In the second study 83 patients with three level occlusions (ilio-femoro-tibial) in stage III and IV were treated with a profundaplasty. 42 patients received 60 micrograms PGE 1 in 250 ml saline twice daily. The control group of 41 patients only got twice 250 ml saline over a period of three weeks. In the PGE 1 group 26 patients (61%) showed disappearance of rest pain and healing of necrotic lesions, whereas in the control group this could only be achieved in 15 patients (35%). The difference proved to be statistically significant.

Causes of malnutrition were investigated in agricultural area of Gilan, Iran. Family food availability and adult food intakes were adequate, but intakes of young children were deficient, in all socioeconomic groups, reflected in growth deficits. Associated factors were: late introduction and small quantities of solid food, poor maternal knowledge of child feeding, low dietary energy density due to rationing and high price of animal products, contamination of water supply, and use of sedative drugs.

Subsequent to a growth experiment with intensively fattened lambs the value of the carcasses of 4 animals each from 7 groups was determined. The control groups with mixed fattening feed for lambs and the groups with wheat and barley mixtures containing urea showed higher carcass yields, net gains, fat percentage and padding, dry matter and fat content of the carcass and lower quotas of important cuts as well as a lower crude protein content in the carcass than groups with grain without urea and groups with straw. This is due to the higher weight gains of the first-mentioned groups. There were no significant differences in the carcass characteristics between the animals of the control group and the grain-urea groups. The carcass quality of the male lambs was better than that of the female ones.

Lambs of an age of 2 or 4 months and of an average live weight of 14.7 and 27.4 kg resp. received rations consisting of 44% cereals, 46% dried sugar beet pulp, 6% wheat starch, 2% urea and 2% mineral-vitamin mixture. The crude protein content was 17.1 and 15.9% resp. in the dry matter, that of native crude protein 10.6 and 9.4% resp. During a 6-day N balance period 8 and 16 g 15N urea resp. with a 15N excess (15N') of 9.26 and 9.40 atom-% were fed orally instead of commercial feeding urea. There were no significant differences between the two age groups with regard to the digestibility of the organic matter and the crude nutrients. The average N balance of 372 +/- 85 mg/kg LW 0.75/day were in the intermediate range of N retention capacity and accounted for 26 +/- 5% of the consumed N. N retention in per cent. was slightly lower in younger lambs. Projections of urea utilization in a quasi stationary state resulted in an efficiency of the utilization of 33 +/- 4%. The dismembering of the lambs at the end of the main period showed between 0.02 and 0.22 atom-% 15N' in the total N, TCA precipitable N and amino acid N of the meat. At between 0.24 and 0.38 atom-% 15N' they were highest in the heart and jaw muscles. The quota of 15N' amounts found in the total N of the meat were 10.6 +/- 3% of the 15N-intake and 20.1 +/- 5.1% of the 15N' amount remaining in the body. The bones contained 7.7 +/- 1.7% and the fleece 7.9 +/- 3.1% of the 15N'-intake. Generally seen, the total N and urea utilization was slightly lower in younger lambs than in older ones.

Lactation failure is common in urban areas of industrially developing countries, but little is known about its epidemiology and causality. The study reported here was undertaken to investigate the serum levels of some hormones other than prolactin that have been shown in animal studies to play a role in lactation, and to examine their relationship to adequacy of lactation and to nutritional and socioeconomic status in urban Iranian women. Serum levels of placental lactogen, growth hormone, cortisol, and thyroid hormones were measured under standard conditions in two groups of pregnant women from low and low middle socioeconomic areas of Teheran, 1 or 2 weeks before parturition and the latter three hormones again in the 3rd month postpartum. Significant differences were found in the biochemical parameters between socioeconomic groups. Hemoglobin and serum albumin values were lower and all the globulin fractions (except alpha 2 globulin during pregnancy), growth hormone and cortisol were higher in the low than the middle socioeconomic subjects, both during pregnancy and postpartum. The discrepancies between the socioeconomic groups were greater postpartum. Growth hormone level was significantly lower in subjects with adequate lactation than inadequate or ceased, and cortisol values show the same trend. No correlations were found between the measured parameters of nutritional status nor free thyroxine values and lactation adequacy. In view of the role of growth hormone and cortisol in stress and malnutrition and some evidence of a reciprocal relationship between growth hormone and prolactin, these hormones may be a link in the chain between the urban environment, malnutrition and lactation failure.

In an experiment 12 lambs of the merino species were divided into 4 groups. The variants HE received 740 or 718 EFU cattle/kg DM and the variants NE 689 or 671 EFU cattle/kg DM. The different energy concentrations resulted from differentiated quotas of dried sugar beet chips and wheat starch supplements. Within the variants, sub-variants with (HESZ, NESZ) or without (HES, NES) sugar supplements were formed. Due to varied DM intake, the average energy intake in all groups was 42 EFU cattle/kg LW0.75. N balance experiments using 15N-labelled urea were carried out, and 15N accumulation of N excretion was projected to a steady state. The partial utilization of pure protein and NPN in the ration was ascertained with the help of a 3-pool compartment model of N utilization in ruminants. In the non-amino acid N pool HE utilized 84% of NPN and NE 77% for the synthesis of amino and nucleic acids. The efficiency of protein synthesis in the amino acid N-pool were in HESZ 64%, HES 70%, NESZ 70% and NES 73%, resp. The total utilization of NPN is the sum of the partial utilization in the two pools, whereas the total utilization of pure protein is calculated from the true digestibility and the efficiency of the utilization in the AA-N pool. The total utilization of NPN for the synthesis of protein for the protein pool amounted to 40/35/41/33% and that of pure protein to 54/51/49/50%. Energy intake being identical, energy concentration did not have an influence on the utilization of pure protein and NPN, whereas NPN utilization was better in rations containing sugar. The pure protein in the ration was by 19 ... 52% better utilized than NPN.

The average time the test feed remains in sheep was determined with ewes during three stages of the reproduction cycle. The feed was labelled with 51Cr2O3. Experiment conditions are described under which the experiments can be carried out within the permissible limits.

In an N balance experiment with male crossbreeding lambs at an age of 3 ... 4 months four different rations were given differing in energy concentration (high greater than 700 EFU cattle/kg DM and low less than 650 EFU cattle/kg DM) and in the energy source (sugar, starch or crude fibre) with crude protein intake being almost equal. The rations contained 2% urea. Microbial protein synthesis in the rumen was assessed according to ROTH and KIRCHGESSNER (1978) (1), RYS et al. (1975) (2) and BICKEL-BAUMANN and LANDIS (1986) (3) on the basis of allantoin excretion in urine. The highest ruminal protein synthesis quotas were 868 ... 921 mg protein N per kg LW0.75 in (2). In (3) 723 ... 766 mg protein N/kg LW0.75 were synthesized. From the 15N labelling of the supplemented urea and the excreted allantoin it could be calculated that 26 ... 40% of the microbial protein resulted from the urea-N of the ration. Despite a high crude protein content of the ration of between 16 and 17% in the DM and a relation of NPN: pure protein of 0.95 the utilization of the NPN in the ration was relatively high but slightly lower than the utilization of pure protein. The variants with higher energy concentration showed as a tendency higher allantoin excretion in spite of slightly lower dry matter intake and a slightly higher NPN utilization than the variants with lower energy concentration.

The average passage time, the rumen fluid volume and the digestibility of the organic matter were determined in addition to 3 individual feeding experiments with fertility oriented crossbreed ewes, which received pelleted straw-concentrate mixtures. The average passage time of the feed particles through the digestive tract is shorter in pregnant animals than in lactating ones. It is longest in non-pregnant sheep. High quotas of straw and coarse particles prolong the passage time, increasing feed intake and supplements of long straw shorten it. The volume of rumen fluid is lower in ewes fed ad libitum in the stage of late pregnancy and after lactation than during lactation. The rumen fluid volume is also lower in restrictively fed animals during the stage of late pregnancy than during lactation. In animals in the stage of late pregnancy it correlates negatively with the weight of the litter. On an average of all experiments at maintenance level the digestibility of the organic matter in ewes in the 4th month of pregnancy gravidity amounted to 56.6%, in the 2nd month of lactation to 59.8% and in wethers to 59.5% Due to an increase of energy intake from maintenance to 2. maintenance digestibility of the straw-concentrate mixture with 40% straw decreased by 5.5 units and of that with 60% straw by 17.8 units in the period before delivery. Pregnancy in the 4th month resulted in a digestion depression of between 3.0 and 5.8 units.

In a digestibility experiment with 4 X 4 calves the animals received 100 g mixture for calves, 50 g dried green fodder and either 656 g dried whole milk and 164 g dried skim milk (VM) or 656 g dried whole milk and 164 g added fat. The added fat consisted of a mixture of tallow and lard in a 1:1 ratio plus 10% emulgator ES 20 (FE) or 8% ES 20 and 2% soybean lecithin (FL) or 25% lard, 25% tallow, 40% rape/sunflower oil with 10% ES 20 (FO). The apparent digestibility of the fat amounted to 91% in group VM and in groups FE/FL/FO to 66/70/67% resp. The composition of fatty acids and the use of an unsuitable charge of dried skim milk are considered to be the causes of the low apparent digestibility. The apparent digestibility of the fatty acids decreased with their growing chain length. The higher digestibility of the unsaturated fatty acids is largely caused by changes due to bacterial activity in these fatty acids in the intestines and by the influence of metabolically changed faecal fat. The combination of the synthetic emulgator with lecithin did not improve fat digestion but diminished the total fat content in the blood.

Dietary intake in the third month postpartum and nutritional status during pregnancy close to term were assessed in Iranian urban uomen of low and middle socioeconomic status as part of a study investigating nutrition, hormonal status, and lactation in a population where lactation failure is a serious problem. Dietary intake was assessed by the 24-hr-recall method. The greatest differential in food groups consumed was in animal products, fruit, and vegetables. Intake of nutrients equal to or less than 80% of recommendations in both socioeconomic groups were energy, vitamin B6, folacin, calcium, iron, and zinc. In the low socio-economic group, only average intakes of vitamin C, thiamin and protein met the standards. Significant differences were found between the socioeconomic groups in hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum total protein, and protein fractions, but not in weight and height. The only parameters of nutritional status significantly correlated with adequacy of lactation were postpartum weight and percent of standard weight for height in the low socioeconomic group, and hematocrit values in the middle socioeconomic group. Differences between pregnant and postpartum individual values of the blood parameters were in general greater in the middle socioeconomic group than the low socioeconomic group.

Methods and results of the measuring of the rumen volume and the passage rate as well as the dependence of the production of volatile fatty acids on the parameters mentioned are described. The correlative relations between rumen volume on the one hand and feed passage on the other hand to the production quotas are investigated. Passage rates and rumen volumes were determined with the help of the isotope dilution method. In the course of reproduction rumen volumes of 7.81, 6.41, 8.91, 7.11 in experiment 1 and 5.41, 5.81, 9.51 and 4.71 in experiment 2 were measured in the sequence early stage of gestation, late stage of gestation, lactation and the period between pregnancies. The average total production of volatile fatty acids within 12 hours amounted to 475 mmol, 265 mmol, 313 mmol and 351 mmol in experiment 1 and 155 mmol, 175 mmol, 271 mmol and 144 mmol in experiment 2 in the same sequence. The average passage duration of the feed through the digestive tract of the ewes was 32.4 h in experiment 1 and 33.6 h in experiment 2. The relatively high feed intake of the ewes resulted in a short passage duration and could be a cause of the low production quotas of the volatile fatty acids.

In experiment with 14-week-old lambs a combination of semisynthetic rations containing 1.2% or 0.7% resp. native crude protein an intraruminal infusion of urea clearly influenced the biologic processes in the rumen. The molar quotas of butyric and valeric acid in comparison with acetic were high. The lambs could cope with infused amounts of 0.67 g urea/kg body weight if they received the daily amount of 1.35 g/kg body weight in two parts. When more than 1.9 g/kg body weight were applied, feed intake decreased even though the daily amount was distributed over 4 doses. In 10 out of 16 lambs N retention was, in dependence on the urea amounts infused, higher than the N amount retained from native crude protein. The result indicates that urea is utilized by 14-week-old lambs. Growing energy and N intake had a positive influence on the N balance.

Adequacy of lactation was assessed in Teheran women of low (LSE) and lower-middle (MSE) socioeconomic status in the third month postpartum, as part of a study linking nutrition, hormonal status, and lactation. Methods of assessment of nutritional adequacy are discussed. Characteristics of the socioeconomic groups, infant mortality, food beliefs related to lactation, and supplemental feeding practices are described. Of the LSE mothers 15 to 30% and of the MSE mothers 40 to 55% had a fully adequate milk supply in the third month. Substitutes used and affordable by the LSE were nutritionally inadequate. LSE mothers were traditional in their food beliefs. MSE mothers demonstrate the influence of scientific nutrition knowledge. The low percentage of lactation adequacy even in the MSE indicates that other social or health factors associated with urban living conditions may be just as important as economic and nutritional factors in lactation failure.

In two digestion experiments with wethers and seven feeding experiments with 198 fattening bulls with rations rich in (greater than 55% of the dry matter intake from roughage), the influence of the antibiotic monensin on the digestibility of the ration, on rumen-physiologic characteristic values and on fattening and slaughtering results was investigated. The digestibility of the organic matter and the crude nutrients was not significantly influenced by the use of monensin (20 mg/kg dry matter). The administration of 200 mg monensin per fattening bull and day resulted in an increase of the molar concentration of propionate in the rumen fluid by 9.7 mol%, the concentration of acetate and butyrate decreased by 7.3 resp. 2.8 mol %. On an average of the seven experiments the intake of dry matter was diminished by 5.1% through the use of monensin, the live weight increase remained almost unaffected (3.0% additional increase), feed and energy requirement per kg live weight were improved by 7.9%. The fattening results do not always correspond in the various experiments. The results of the dressing of the carcass, the composition of the carcass and the quality of the meat remained unaffected by the administration of monensin.

Low values for urea were found in samples of ruminal fluid of sheep fed concentrate rations if urea determination was carried out by the urease method. The present paper describes a both simple and sensitive colorimetric method of analysis using diacetyldioxime. The method is suitable for determining urea in coloured solutions such as ruminal fluid or silage extracts.