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Hot-iron disbudding of calves is a stressful and painful procedure and leaves a burn wound. Pain management procedures and the effects of hot-iron disbudding on biochemical markers of pain perception and stress response have been widely investigated in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential effects of pain management and age of the calf on the healing of burn wounds caused by disbudding. 327 healthy female German Holstein calves were included in this randomised, triple-blinded, prospective study. Calves were either disbudded at the age of four to 10 or 15 to 28 days using a gas-powered hot iron. Each calf was randomly allocated to one of nine possible treatment groups (BG). All calves received either the active ingredients to be tested (xylazine hydrochloride with 0.2 or 0.05 mg / kg body mass (BM) intramuscular for sedation, procaine hydrochloride (2 %) each 8 ml locally on both sides subcutaneously (SC) to the cornual nerves, meloxicam with 0,5 mg / kg BM SC for anti-inflammatory purposes) or an identical amount of saline solution (placebo). Calves in the group `thermE` and `ScheinE` received only placebo. In group `ScheinE` disbudding was simulated and in `thermE` it was carried out. The calves were clinically monitored starting one day before and ending 28 days after the procedure and the burn wounds were assessed. Both the rectal temperature and parameters of wound healing changed significantly during the study period and had characteristic profiles over time. Wound healing was not influenced by the different analgesic protocols, indicating that a multimodal analgesia does not pose a risk for wound healing after thermal disbudding. There were no observed differences between the age groups. The results of this study show, that disbudding of young calves and a multimodal pain management protocol does not affect wound healing in calves.Die thermische Zerstörung der Hornanlage (ZHA) von Kälbern stellt einen Eingriff dar, welcher mit Schmerz und Stress verbunden ist und eine Verbrennungswunde hinterlässt. Verschiedene Verfahren der Schmerzausschaltung sowie der Einfluss der thermischen ZHA auf Marker der Schmerz- und Stressreaktion wurden bereits evaluiert. Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es zu prüfen, inwieweit das Schmerzmanagement selbst oder das Alter der Kälber die Wundheilung thermisch bedingter Wunden nach ZHA beeinflusst. In die randomisierte, dreifach verblindete, prospektive Studie wurden 327 gesunde, weibliche Deutsch-Holstein-Kälber einbezogen. Die ZHA erfolgte entweder zwischen dem vierten und 10. oder dem 15. und 28. Lebenstag mit einem gasbetriebenen Enthornungsgerät. Jedes Kalb wurde einer von neun Behandlungsgruppen (BG) zugelost. Alle Kälber bekamen entweder die zu testenden Wirkstoffe (Xylazinhydrochlorid mit 0,2 oder 0,05 mg/kg Körpermasse (KM) zur Sedation intramuskulär, Procainhydrochlorid (2 %) je 8 ml lokal beidseitig subkutan (SC) an die Rr. cornuales, Meloxicam mit 0,5 mg/kg KM SC zur Entzündungshemmung/Analgesie) oder eine identische Menge an isotoner Kochsalzlösung (Placebo) injiziert. Kälber der Gruppe `thermE` und `ScheinE` erhielten nur Placebo, bei `ScheinE` wurde die ZHA simuliert, bei `thermE` durchgeführt. Die Gruppe `Melo` erhielt nur Meloxicam, `LA` nur Procainhydrochlorid, `Melo-LA` Meloxicam + Procainhydrochlorid, `Seda 0,2` nur Xylazinhydrochlorid, `Seda 0,05-Melo` und `Seda 0,2-Melo ` (Xylazinhydrochlorid + Meloxicam), und `Seda 0,2-Melo-LA` alle zu testenden Wirkstoffe. Die Kälber wurden von einem Tag vor bis 28 Tage nach dem Eingriff klinisch überwacht und die Wunden befundet. Sowohl die inneren Körpertemperatur (IKT) als auch die Merkmale der Wundheilung unterschieden sich signifikant zwischen den einzelnen Untersuchungstagen und zeigten einen zeitlichen Verlauf. Die Wundheilung wurde durch die verschiedenen Analgetika oder deren Kombinationen nicht beeinflusst, eine multimodale Analgesie stellt demnach kein Risiko für die Wundheilung nach ZHA unter Praxisbedingungen dar. Zwischen den Altersgruppen wurden keine Unterschiede in der Wundheilung beobachtet. Die ZHA von Kälbern kann unter Praxisbedingungen demnach bereits früh und unter Ausschöpfung aller analgetischen Möglichkeiten erfolgen.L’ébourgeonnage thermique des veaux est une procédure stressante et douloureuse qui laisse une brûlure. Les procédures de gestion de la douleur et les effets de l’ébourgeonnage thermique sur les marqueurs biochimiques de la perception de la douleur et de la réponse au stress ont été largement étudiés ces dernières années. Le but de cette étude était d’étudier les effets potentiels de la gestion de la douleur et de l’âge du veau sur la cicatrisation des brûlures causées par l’ébourgeonnage. 327 veaux Holstein allemands femelles en bonne santé ont été inclus dans cette étude prospective randomisée en triple aveugle. Les veaux ont été soit ébourgeonnés à l’âge de 4 à 10 jours ou de 15 à 28 jours à l’aide d’un thermocautère à gaz. Chaque veau a été réparti au hasard dans l’un des neuf groupes de traitement possibles (BG). Tous les veaux ont reçu soit les principes actifs à tester (chlorhydrate de xylazine à 0,2 ou 0,05 mg/kg de masse corporelle (BM) par voie intramusculaire pour sédation, chlorhydrate de procaïne (2 %) 8 ml localement des deux côtés par voie sous-cutanée (SC) jusqu’aux nerfs cornuaux , méloxicam à 0,5 mg/kg de masse corporelle SC à visée anti-inflammatoire) ou une quantité identique de solution saline (placebo). Les veaux du groupe « thermE » et « ScheinE » ont reçu uniquement un placebo. Dans le groupe ‹ScheinE’ l’ébourgeonnage a été simulé et dans ‘thermE’ il a été réalisé. Le groupe « Melo » n’a reçu que du méloxicam, le groupe « LA » uniquement du chlorhydrate de procaïne, le grpoupe « Melo-LA » du méloxicam + chlorhydrate de procaïne, le groupe « Seda 0,2 » uniquement du chlorhydrate de xylazine, les groupes « Seda 0,05-Melo » et« Seda 0,2 -Melo » duchlorhydrate de xylazine et du méloxicam), et le groupe « Seda 0,2-Melo-LA » toutes les substances actives à tester. Les veaux ont été suivis cliniquement en commençant un jour avant et en terminant 28 jours après la procédure et les brûlures ont été évaluées. La température rectale et les paramètres de cicatrisation des plaies ont changé de manière significative au cours de la période d’étude et ont eu des profils caractéristiques au fil du temps. La cicatrisation n’a pas été influencée par les différents protocoles analgésiques, ce qui indique qu’une analgésie multimodale ne présente pas de risque quant à la cicatrisation après ébourgeonnage thermique. Aucune différence n’a été observée entre les groupes d’âge. Les résultats de cette étude montrent que l’ébourgeonnage des jeunes veaux et un protocole multimodal de gestion de la douleur n’affectent pas la cicatrisation des veaux.La decornazione termica dei vitelli è una procedura che è associata a dolore e stress e lascia una ferita da ustione. Diversi metodi di analgesia e l’influenza della decornazione termica sui marcatori del dolore e della risposta allo stress sono già stati valutati. Lo scopo del presente studio era quello di esaminare la misura in cui, la gestione del dolore stesso o l’età dei vitelli, influenzi la guarigione delle ferite provocate dopo la decornazione termica. Lo studio randomizzato, in triplo cieco e prospettico ha incluso 327 vitelli sani di razza Holstein tedesca. La decornazione è stata eseguita tra il quarto e il decimo o il quindicesimo e il ventottesimo giorno di vita utilizzando un dispositivo di decornazione a gas. Ogni vitello è stato assegnato a uno dei nove gruppi di trattamento (GT). A tutti i vitelli sono stati iniettati o gli agenti da testare (xilazina cloridrato a 0,2 o 0,05 mg/kg di massa corporea (MC) per via intramuscolare per la sedazione, procaina cloridrato (2 %) 8 ml ciascuno per via locale bilaterale sottocutanea (SC) ai rr. cornuales, meloxicam a 0,5 mg/kg KM SC per antinfiammatorio/analgesia) o una quantità identica di soluzione salina isotonica (placebo). I vitelli nei gruppi `thermE` e `ScheinE` hanno ricevuto solo placebo; la decornazione è stata simulata in `ScheinE` ed eseguita in `thermE`. Il gruppo `Melo` ha ricevuto solo meloxicam, `LA` solo procaina cloridrato, `Melo-LA` meloxicam + procaina cloridrato, `Seda 0,2` solo xilazina cloridrato, `Seda 0,05-Melo` e `Seda 0,2-Melo` (xilazina cloridrato + meloxicam), e `Seda 0,2-Melo-LA` tutti gli agenti da testare. I vitelli sono stati monitorati clinicamente da un giorno prima a 28 giorni dopo la procedura e sono state valutate le ferite. Sia la temperatura corporea interna (TCI) che le caratteristiche di guarigione della ferita differivano significativamente tra i giorni di studio e mostravano un andamento temporale. La guarigione della ferita non è stata influenzata dai diversi analgesici o dalle loro combinazioni; l’analgesia multimodale non rappresenta quindi un rischio per la guarigione della ferita dopo la decornazione in condizioni reali. Non sono state osservate differenze nella guarigione delle ferite tra i gruppi di età. Pertanto, la decornazione dei vitelli in condizioni reali può essere eseguita presto e con l’esaurimento di tutte le possibilità analgesiche.

The aim of this study was to study of the properties and characterization of conventional concrete and reinforced concrete with polypropylene fiber. Themes were theoretically addressed: concrete, composites, fibers, polypropylene fibers. In addition, practical tests were carried out, with test specimens of these two materials, of compressive strength, water absorption and heat resistance, to verify the differences in the properties of these two materials. The tests were completed and it can be noted that the application of the polypropylene fiber in the concrete as reinforcement for the concrete is satisfactory, because the water absorption test obtained similar results for the two materials, and performing the test of resistance to compression, it was observed that the test specimens with fiber, obtained better results than the conventional concrete. Finally, the heat resistance test showed that the fiber actually degrades in the temperature range informed by the supplier, being another advantage for its application in tunnels, in front of the fires.

Thermographic examination of 157 German Holstein heifer calves was performed to investigate the feasibility of this technique for on-farm recording of surface temperature of the head and to examine potential factors that affect the recordings. Baseline values were obtained from six defined locations on the head including both eyes, both horn buds, the muzzle and the mucous membrane of the muzzle using a high-end thermographic camera (ThermoPro TP8, Firma DIAS Infrared GmbH). Evaluation of the influence of various factors on thermographic measurements showed that ambient temperature had the largest effect on surface temperature of the head (regression coefficient, 0.10 to 0.32, p ≤ 0.01) whereas humidity had no effect (in t-test p ≥ 0.33 over all locations). There was a no correlation between rectal temperature and surface temperature (rp ≤ 0.05). The surface temperature decreased with increasing age of the calves (regression coefficient, - 0.42 to - 0.14, p ≤ 0.01). The agreement between double readings made shortly after one another was excellent at all locations (r ≥ 0.95). The emission of infrared energy varied among different locations; the most infrared energy was emitted by the eyes and the least by the muzzle. Paired locations (eyes and horn buds) had symmetric emission patterns of infrared energy. Measuring the surface temperature of the head of calves in their normal barn environment using a standardised protocol was feasible and thus could potentially be used for monitoring calves under field conditions.Mittels Infrarot-Thermographie wurden 157 gesunde, weibliche Deutsch-Holstein Kälber thermographisch untersucht. Es war das Ziel der Studie, Oberflächentemperaturen an definierten Lokalisationen im Kopfbereich von Deutsch-Holstein Kälbern unter Stallbedingungen standardisiert zu erfassen und die Einflussfaktoren auf die Ergebnisse zu charakterisieren. Im Rahmen der Studie wurden mittels einer High-End Wärmebildkamera (ThermoPro TP8, Firma DIAS Infrared GmbH) Ruhewerte von sechs Lokalisationen im Kopfbereich (linkes Auge (liAu), rechtes Auge (reAu), linke Hornanlage (liHa), rechte Horn­anlage (reHa), Flotzmaul (FM), Schleimhaut des Flotzmauls (SHFM)) erfasst. Die Umgebungstemperatur hatte einen Einfluss auf die Oberflächentemperaturen (r = 0,10 bis 0,32; p ≤ 0,01). Die Luftfeuchtigkeit wirkte sich nicht auf die Messergebnisse aus (im t-Test p ≥ 0,33 über alle Lokalisationen) . Es war kein Zusammenhang zwischen der rektal erfassten Körperinnentemperatur und den thermographisch ermittelten Oberflächentemperaturen feststellbar (rp ≤ 0,05). Mit zunehmendem Alter der Tiere konnte ein Abfall der Oberflächentemperaturen beobachtet werden (r = – 0,42 bis – 0,14; p ≤ 0,01). Die Wiederholbarkeit der thermographischen Doppelmessungen war sehr gut (r ≥ 0,95). An den verschiedenen Lokalisationen wurde Wärme in unterschiedlichem Maße emittiert, wobei die Augen die höchsten und das Flotzmaul die niedrigsten Oberflächentemperaturen aufwiesen. Die paarigen Lokalisationen (liAu:reAu, liHA:reHa) wiesen ein symmetrisches Wärmestrahlungsmuster auf. Die Thermographie kann im Kopfbereich von weiblichen Deutsch-Holstein Kälbern im Milchviehbetrieb zur Erfassung von unterschiedlichen Oberflächentemperaturen eingesetzt werden.Un total de 157 veaux femelles provenant d’un troupeau de 1 500 vaches holstein ont été examinées au moyen d’une caméra thermographique haut de gamme (Ther-moPro TP8, Firma DIAS Infrared GmbH). Le but de la présente étude était d’étudier la faisabilité de cette technique pour l’enregistrement à la ferme de la température de surface de la tête de veaux laitiers et d’examiner les facteurs potentiels qui affectent les enregistrements. Tous les veaux ont été doucement tenus par une personne formée afin de normaliser la procédure. Les valeurs de base ont été obtenues à partir de six endroits définis sur la tête, y compris les deux yeux, les deux boutons de corne, le mufle et la muqueuse du museau. L’évaluation de l’influence de divers facteurs sur les mesures thermographiques a montré que la température ambiante avait le plus grand effet sur la température de surface de la tête (coefficient de régression, 0,10 à 0,32, p ≤ 0,01) alors que l’humidité n’avait aucun effet (dans le test t, p ≥ 0,33 sur tous les lieux). Il n’y avait pas de corrélation entre la température rectale et la température de surface (rp ≤ 0,05). La température de surface diminuait avec l’âge des veaux (coefficient de régression, -0,42 à -0,14, p ≤ 0,01). La concordance entre les lectures doubles faites peu de temps après les autres était excellente dans tous les sites (r ≥ 0,95) L’émission d’énergie infrarouge variait selon les endroits. L’énergie infrarouge la plus importante a été émise par les yeux et la plus faible par le mufle. Les sites appariés (yeux et cornes) présentaient des profils d’émission symétriques d’énergie infrarouge. La thermographie peut être utilisée chez veaux Holstein pour la détection de différentes température de surface de la tête.La termografia a infrarossi è un metodo di imaging non invasivo, rapido e senza contatto, per la misurazione delle temperature superficiali utilizzata per diverse indicazioni mediche in medicina veterinaria. L’obiettivo del presente studio era quello di studiare la fattibilità di questa tecnica per la registrazione in stalla della temperatura superficiale della testa dei vitelli Holstein tedeschi e di esaminare i potenziali fattori che influenzano i risultati. A tale scopo, 157 giovenche sane di razza tedesca Holstein di un’azienda da latte con 1500 vacche sono state esaminate termograficamente con una telecamera termografica di fascia alta (ThermoPro TP8, DIAS Infrared GmbH). Tutti i vitelli sono stati trattenuti delicatamente da una persona addestrata per standardizzare la procedura. Nell’ambito dello studio si sono registrati i valori di riferimento ottenuti da sei posizioni localizzate sulla testa, (occhio sinistro (liAu), occhio destro (reAu), corno sinistro (liHa), corno destro (reHa), muso (FM), mucosa dello specchio nasolabiale (SHFM)). È stato esaminato in che modo determinati fattori hanno influenzato le misurazioni termografiche. La temperatura ambientale ha avuto la maggiore ­influenza sulle temperature superficiali (coefficienti di regressione da 0,10 a 0,32; p ≤ 0,01). L’umidità non ha influenzato i risultati della misurazione (nel test t p ≥ 0,33 su tutte le posizioni). Non vi è stata nessuna relazione tra la temperatura rettale registrata e la temperatura superficiale rilevabile termograficamente (rp ≤ 0,05), D’altra parte, con l’aumentare dell’età degli animali si può osservare una diminuzione delle temperature superficiali (coefficienti di regressione da - 0,42 a - 0,14; p ≤ 0,01). La ripetibilità delle doppie misurazioni termografiche consecutive per ogni localizzazione è stata molto buona (r ≥ 0,95). Il calore veniva emesso a vari livelli nelle varie posizioni, dove gli occhi avevano le temperature superficiali più alte e lo specchio nasolabiale le temperature superficiali più basse. Le posizioni accoppiate (liAu:reAu, liHA:reHa) presentavano modelli di radiazione simmetrica del calore. Pertanto, nelle aziende, un uso della termografia per il rilevamento delle temperature superficiali nell’area della testa delle giovenche di razza tedesca Holstein è possibile. Queste misurazioni forniscono la base per un potenziale uso della termografia per monitorare la salute dei vitelli.

Drought and fire are common disturbances to grassland ecosystems. We report two years of eddy covariance ecosystem–atmosphere fluxes and biometric variables measured in nearby burned and unburned pastures in the US Southern Great Plains. Over the course of the experiment, annual precipitation (∼600 mm yr−1) was lower than the long term mean (∼860 mm yr−1). Soil moisture decreased from productive conditions in March 2005 dry, unproductive conditions during the growing season starting in March 2006. Just prior to the burn in early March 2005, burned and unburned pastures contained 520 ± 60 and 360 ± 40 g C m−2 of total above ground biomass (AGB) and litter, respectively. The fire removed approximately 200 g C m−2 of litter and biomass. In the 2005 growing season following the burn, maximum green AGB was 450 ± 60 and 270 ± 40 g C m−2, with corresponding cumulative annual net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEE) of −330 and −150 g C m−2 for the burned and unburned pastures, respectively. In contrast to NEE, cumulative mean sensible heat and water fluxes were approximately equal in both pastures during the growing season, suggesting either an increase in water use efficiency or a decrease in evaporation in the burned relative to the unburned pasture. In the 2006 growing season, dry conditions decreased carbon uptake and latent heat, and increased sensible heat fluxes. Peak AGB was reduced to 210 ± 30 g C m−2 and 140 ± 30 g C m−2 in the burned and unburned pastures, respectively, while NEE was near zero. These results suggest that the lack of precipitation was responsible for most of the interannual variation in carbon exchange for these un-irrigated prairie pastures.

The vertical distributions of CO2, CH4, and other gases provide important constraints when determining terrestrial and ocean sources and sinks of carbon and other biogeochemical processes in the Earth system. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Biological and Environmental Research and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Research Laboratory to quantify the vertically resolved distribution of atmospheric carbon-cycle gases(CO2, CH4 ) within approximately 99% of the atmospheric column at the DOE ’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in Oklahoma . During the 2012 to 2014 campaign period, 12 successful Air C ore flights were conducted from the SGP site . In addition to providing critical data for evaluating remote sensing and earth system models, valuable lessons were learned that motivate improvements to the sampling and recovery systems and campaign logistics . With the launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory - 2 (OCO - 2) and Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite ( GOSAT ) satellites, we look forward to proposing additional sampling and analysis efforts at the SGP site and at other sites to characterize the vertical distribution of CO2, CH4 over time and space.

Climatic variables not only directly affect the interannual variability (IAV) in net ecosystem exchange of CO 2 (NEE) but also indirectly drive it by changing the physiological parameters. Identifying these direct and indirect paths can reveal the underlying mechanisms of carbon (C) dynamics. In this study, we applied a path analysis using flux data from 65 sites to quantify the direct and indirect climatic effects on IAV in NEE and to evaluate the potential relationships among the climatic variables and physiological parameters that represent physiology and phenology of ecosystems. We found that the maximum photosynthetic rate was the most important factor for the IAV in gross primary productivity (GPP), which was mainly induced by the variation in vapour pressure deficit. For ecosystem respiration (RE), the most important drivers were GPP and the reference respiratory rate. The biome type regulated the direct and indirect paths, with distinctive differences between forests and non-forests, evergreen needleleaf forests and deciduous broadleaf forests, and between grasslands and croplands. Different paths were also found among wet, moist and dry ecosystems. However, the climatic variables can only partly explain the IAV in physiological parameters, suggesting that the latter may also result from other biotic and disturbance factors. In addition, the climatic variables related to NEE were not necessarily the same as those related to GPP and RE, indicating the emerging difficulty encountered when studying the IAV in NEE. Overall, our results highlight the contribution of certain physiological parameters to the IAV in C fluxes and the importance of biome type and multi-year water conditions, which should receive more attention in future experimental and modelling research. Keywords: net ecosystem exchange, interannual variability, climatic variations, physiological parameters, direct and indirect effects, relative importance (Published: 2 August 2016) Citation: Tellus B 2016, 68, 30575, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v68.30575

In this field campaign, we used eddy covariance towers to quantify carbon, water, and energy fluxes from a pasture and a wheat field that were converted to switchgrass. The U.S. Department of Energy is investing in switchgrass as a cellulosic bioenergy crop, but there is little data available that could be used to develop or test land surface model representations of the crop. This campaign was a collaboration between Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Unfortunately, in 2011, Oklahoma had one of the most severe droughts on record, and the crop in one of the switchgrass fields experienced almost complete die-off. The crop was replanted, but subsequent drought conditions prevented its establishment. Then, in April 2012, a large tornado demolished the instruments at our site in Woodward, Oklahoma. These two events meant that we have some interesting data on land response to extreme weather; however, we were not able to collect continuous data for annual sums as originally intended. We did observe that, because of the drought, the net ecosystem exchange of CO2 was much lower in 2011 than in 2010. Concomitantly, sensible heat fluxes increased and latent heat fluxes decreased. These conditionsmore » would have large consequences for land surface forcing of convection. Data from all years were submitted to the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility Data Archive, and the sites were registered in AmeriFlux.« less

Interannual variability (IAV, represented by standard deviation) in net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) is mainly driven by climatic drivers and biotic variations (i.e., the changes in photosynthetic and respiratory responses to climate), the effects of which are referred to as climatic (CE) and biotic effects (BE), respectively. Evaluating the relative contributions of CE and BE to the IAV in carbon (C) fluxes and understanding their controlling mechanisms are critical in projecting ecosystem changes in the future climate. In this study, we applied statistical methods with flux data from 65 sites located in the Northern Hemisphere to address this issue. Our results showed that the relative contribution of BE (CnBE) and CE (CnCE) to the IAV in NEE was 57%+/- 14% and 43%+/- 14%, respectively. The discrepancy in the CnBE among sites could be largely explained by water balance index (WBI). Across water-stressed ecosystems, the CnBE decreased with increasing aridity (slope =0.18%mm(-1)). In addition, the CnBE tended to increase and the uncertainty reduced as timespan of available data increased from 5 to 15 years. Inter-site variation of the IAV in NEE mainly resulted from the IAV in BE (72%) compared to that in CE (37%). Interestingly, positive correlations between BE and CE occurred in grasslands and dry ecosystems (r> 0.45, P< 0.05) but not in other ecosystems. These results highlighted the importance of BE in determining the IAV in NEE and the ability of ecosystems to regulate C fluxes under climate change might decline when the ecosystems experience more severe water stress in the future. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Infection with Trichomonas vaginalis during pregnancy has been associated with preterm delivery. It is uncertain whether treatment of asymptomatic trichomoniasis in pregnant women reduces the occurrence of preterm delivery.We screened pregnant women for trichomoniasis by culture of vaginal secretions. We randomly assigned 617 women with asymptomatic trichomoniasis who were 16 to 23 weeks pregnant to receive two 2-g doses of metronidazole (320 women) or placebo (297 women) 48 hours apart. We treated women again with the same two-dose regimen at 24 to 29 weeks of gestation. The primary outcome was delivery before 37 weeks of gestation.Between randomization and follow-up, trichomoniasis resolved in 249 of 269 women for whom follow-up cultures were available in the metronidazole group (92.6 percent) and 92 of 260 women with follow-up cultures in the placebo group (35.4 percent). Data on the time and characteristics of delivery were available for 315 women in the metronidazole group and 289 women in the placebo group. Delivery occurred before 37 weeks of gestation in 60 women in the metronidazole group (19.0 percent) and 31 women in the placebo group (10.7 percent) (relative risk, 1.8; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.2 to 2.7; P=0.004). The difference was attributable primarily to an increase in preterm delivery resulting from spontaneous preterm labor (10.2 percent vs. 3.5 percent; relative risk, 3.0; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.5 to 5.9).Treatment of pregnant women with asymptomatic trichomoniasis does not prevent preterm delivery. Routine screening and treatment of asymptomatic pregnant women for this condition cannot be recommended.

To determine the timing, extent, and magnitude of neurodevelopmental problems in children with perinatal HIV infection compared to similar uninfected children of HIV-infected women and controls.Neurodevelopmental assessments during the first 24 months of life for 21 HIV-infected children born to HIV-infected mothers, 65 seroreverted children born to HIV-infected mothers, and 95 non-HIV-infected children born to non-HIV-infected mothers were analyzed. Neurodevelopment was assessed by using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development beginning at 3 months of age. Kent Scoring Adaptation was also utilized. A two-stage Hierarchical Linear Model was used for analysis of neurodevelopmental scores.In the initial comparison of these three groups, infected children had significantly lower scores on the Mental Development Index (MDI) and Psychomotor Development Index (PDI) than the other two groups. The HIV-infected children were further classified into HIV-infected without Centers for Disease Control-defined AIDS, those with lymphoid interstitial pneumonitis (LIP) only as their AIDS-defining illness, and children with an AIDS-defining diagnosis other than LIP in the first 24 months. The children with LIP-only AIDS and the infected children without AIDS on average were not significantly different from the seroreverters or the controls on MDI or PDI, while the children with non-LIP AIDS had significantly lower scores after 3 months of age. Analysis of the Kent scores indicated that the decrement in the non-LIP AIDS children was seen in all five functional domains.Children with serious HIV symptomatology appear to be at very high risk for serious developmental impairments, HIV-infected children not highly symptomatic have relatively normal neurodevelopment, and uninfected children of HIV-infected mothers do not appear to be adversely affected by the mother's HIV infection.

e16559 Background: At the 2007 ASCO meeting we presented the results of the first 26 months of our team’s work in a paper entitled: Standard therapy deviations in the practice of clinical oncology ...

Recent measurements of the diffuse background at millimeter wavelengths indicate no departure from a Planck spectrum near the peak of the blackbody curve. Anisotropy measurements indicate no structure, at the 2% level, in the recently detected submillimeter excess.

The brightness temperature of the sky is measured in five bands from 1 to 3 mm using apparatus related to that of Woody and Richards (1981) and Peterson et al. (1985). Examination of the data reveals the presence of two previously unknown systematic effects which limit the accuracy of the measurements. Similar systematic effects are most likely present in the data obtained previously with this apparatus. Upper limits to the temperature of the cosmic background radiation are set in four bands; the most stringent is T(CBR) less than 2.88 K at 1.1 mm (95 percent CL).

Two previously unpublished low-incidence antigens, Jones and Hol., are identical. The antigen is a dominant, autosomally inherited character that segregates independently from the loci for the ABO, MNS, Duffy and Yt blood group systems and is different from previously published infrequent antigens. The antigen is apparently unaffected by enzyme treatment and is well developed on red cells of neonates. The antibody reacts best by indirect antiglobulin testing, is IgG and has caused haemolytic disease of the newborn. This private blood group antigen, named Jones, has been assigned the ISBT number 700047.

Two groups of children with language disorders--one group with autism and one with relatively specific language impairment (LI)--and two groups of normal children matched to the disordered groups for mental and receptive language age were asked to act out a series of sentences. Half the experimental sentences were in active voice, and half were the same sentences given in passive voice. Within each set, events described in the sentences were probable, neutral, or improbable. Results revealed that the autistic group made little use of a semantically based probable event strategy for acting out sentences, but were likely to use a syntactically based word order strategy. The LI group was no more likely than the autistic group to use the semantic strategy, and was equally likely to use word order. Both groups resembled normals matched for receptive language age.

In 101 alcoholic patients, plasma apolipoproteins A-I, A-II and B, and lipids were studied in relation to liver function tests, albumin and bilirubin. As compared with controls, the entire population revealed a slight increase in triglycerides, transaminases and bilirubin, and a marked increase in gamma glutamyl transferase. The population was divided into 3 groups according to histological liver microscopy: no lesion, steatosis and cirrhosis. In group 1, apo A-I, A-II and HDL-C were significantly increased. In steatosis, apo A-I, apo A-II and HDL-C had almost normal levels. In cirrhosis, the 3 parameters were significantly decreased, but the apo A-I/apo A-II ratio was increased in relation to the predominant decrease in apo A-II. Liver enzymes were not discriminative, not even gamma GT, which was increased in all 3 groups. Apolipoprotein B, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were insensitive to the degree of hepatic involvement, but a low apo A-I/B ratio might be indicative of a cardiovascular risk. It is suggested that apoproteins and their ratios be used as new markers for the degree of alcoholic intoxication and the risk of cardiovascular complications.

Plasma levels of apoproteins A-I, A-II and B and apoprotein/lipid ratios were determined in 43 patients (14 male and 29 female) on the second to the sixth day after gastrointestinal surgery. During this period, all the patients received i. v. 5% dextrose solutions only. Apoprotein levels (A-I, A-II and B), total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and phospholipid were significantly decreased after surgery but there was no sex differences. Patients undergoing major surgery showed much lower values than the ones undergoing minor surgery. Both the extent of the trauma and the caloric restriction resulting from sole carbohydrate intravenous feeding may be responsible for these changes. Decreased hepatic synthesis combined to a lack of intestinal supply might result in apo A-I and A-II reduction. Repeated determinations of apoprotein levels are proposed as simple means of follow-up for evaluating the degree of recovery of patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery.

An unexpected cryptococcal infection in a patient with a history of multiple neoplasms was diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology as a solitary rib lesion. Speciation of the organism was confirmed by histochemical stains and culture of the aspirated material. This case reemphasizes the value of fine needle aspiration cytology in diagnosis and follow-up of patients with suspected or proven malignancies.

The anisotropy of the diffuse background radiation has been measured with a 10-deg FWHM beam in a broad spectral band from 0.6 to 4.0 mm. A dipole anisotropy is detected with magnitude consistent with previous measurements; the present data may, however, be contaminated by atmospheric emission. Upper limits are set to fluctuations at higher-order multipoles. The most stringent limit is at l = 4, where a 95-percent confidence-level limit of less than 0.00025 is set. The observed level of isotropy sharply constrains the possibility of local astronomical origin for the submillimeter excess.