Integrated quality control project: introduction to a farm visit protocol for growing and finishing pigs

We report on a 52-year old male patient who underwent implantation of an insulin pump because he had diabetes and in whom superior vena cava syndrome developed as a long-term complication. After unsuccessful lysis therapy superficial femoral vein was implanted to form a bypass from the internal jugular vein to the right atrium. The postoperative course was uneventful from the aspects of both the bypass and the leg after explantation of the superficial femoral vein. The bypass is still patent 7 months after the operation, and the patient has no symptoms. Autogenous superficial femoral vein can be used successfully in the reconstruction of large venous vessels. It should be the graft of choice for young patients with benign diseases. We compare our result and those obtained with different substitutes described in the literature that have been used for reconstruction in superior vena cava syndrome.     

Effects of three nematode anthelmintic treatment regimes on flock performance of sheep and goats under extensive management in semi-arid Kenya

A study was undertaken in a semi-arid area of Kenya between August 1991 and June 1993 to evaluate the effects of anthelmintic treatment using ivermectin before or during the rains, on performance of mixed sheep and goat flocks, in comparison with an untreated flock. Performance parameters measured included age and weight of dams at first parturition, parturition intervals, body weights of dams and offspring, and birth weights, growth rates, and mortality rates of offspring. Among these parameters, birth weights and growth rates of offspring were found to be significantly improved by the treatment administered before the rains compared with the other two treatments. Mortality was lower in lambs and kids with high birth weights. Treatment, either before or during the rains, significantly reduced the faecal egg output and improved body weight, packed cell volume and flock fertility. Liveweight was confirmed to be a better measure of sexual maturity than age. It was further shown that lambs and kids, born of dams at their first lambing or kidding, experienced higher mortality rates than lambs and kids born of dams in their second and subsequent parturitions. Overall, treatment with ivermectin before the onset of rains was equal to or better, in terms of the performance parameters measured, than treatment during the rains, whilst treatment compared with no treatment increased performance in almost all of the parameters measured.     

The influence of tail biting on performance of fattening pigs

The substantia nigra of gestation day 14 was transplanted into the striatum of 3-4-month-old rats to investigate the transplants ultrastructurally at the end of 2 years, as a follow-up to our previous studies. Transplants were of small size in all 10 specimens taken for this study. The changes observed in the transplant and in the interface region with the host striatum were: thickening of the blood vessel walls, perivascular cuffing with lymphocytes and macrophages loaded with tissue debris, degenerating neurons and hypertrophied astroglia containing dense granules indicating ageing or reaction to degeneration and glial processes. The number of surviving neurons in the transplants was small. These were smaller in size and had very few intracytoplasmic membraneous organelles. A higher content of intracytoplasmic ageing lipofuscin pigment was present than in host neurons and age-matched nigral neurons. Synapses were few, and their number varied among transplants. Generally, the synapses were at the interface with the host tissue. The changes observed in all the 2-year-old transplants suggest premature ageing or a slow rejection process. Slow rejection is a possibility, because these rats are only stock-bred, not inbred, and hence they are not completely immunologically compatible.     

Changes in intestinal flora of farm personnel after introduction of a tetracycline-supplemented feed on a farm

A prospective study was undertaken to determine whether feeding farm animals antibiotics in feed caused changes in the intestinal bacterial flora of farm dwellers and their neighbors. Chickens were fed tetracycline-supplemented feed (tet-feed), and, as expected, within one week their intestinal flora contained almost entirely tetracycline-resistant organisms. Increased numbers of resistant intestinal bacteria also appeared, but more slowly, in farm members, but not their neighbors. Within five and six months, 31.3 per cent of weekly fecal samples from farm dwellers contained greater than 80 per cent tetracycline-resistant bacteria as compared to 6.8 per cent of the samples from the neighbors (P less than 0.001). Seven of the 11 farm members, but only three of the 24 neighbors, had two or more fecal samples containing greater than 80 per cent tetracycline-resistant coliforms (P less than 0.01). These resistant bacteria contained transferable plasmids conferring multiple antibiotic resistances. Selective pressure by tet-feed for antibiotic-resistant bacteria in chickens extends to human beings in contact with chickens and the feed.     

Effects of age on performance in a finger-precuing task

This study investigated age-related precuing effects in the finger-precuing task (J. Miller, 1982). In this task, a spatial precue provides partial advance information about which fingers to use for responding. Results indicated a substantial age-related deficit in preparing 2 fingers on 2 hands, but not on 1 hand. This disparate set of findings does not provide strong support for A. A. Hartley's (1993) hypothesis that anterior brain attention systems responsible for selection-for-action are compromised with advancing age. Finally, the authors report that advancing age increasingly slows reaction time more to the inner than to the outer stimulus-response positions. A possible mechanism of this age-related bowed stimulus-response position effect is discussed.     

Evaluation of potato proteins on the growth performance of early-weaned pigs

We conducted five experiments to evaluate conventional and low-glycoalkaloid potato protein (CPP and LGPP, respectively) in diets for early-weaned pigs. In Exp. 1, 150 weanling pigs (initially 4.4 +/- .9 kg and 15.5 +/- 2 d of age) were fed either a control diet containing 3% spray-dried animal plasma (SDAP) or diets with additional SDAP (2.5 or 5% added; 5.5 or 8% total) or CPP (2.6% or 5.1%) substituted on a total lysine basis. From d 0 to 14 after weaning, increasing SDAP increased (linear, P < .05) ADG and ADFI, whereas increasing CCP had no effect on growth performance. In Exp. 2, 180 weanling pigs (initially 5.9 +/- 1.2 kg and 20 +/- 2 d of age) were fed diets containing a LGPP replacing 25, 50, 75, or 100% of the 7% dietary SDAP on a digestible lysine basis. From d 0 to 7 after weaning, increasing LGPP increased and then returned to control levels ADG and ADFI (quadratic, P < .01) and gain:feed ratio (quadratic, P < .05). In Exp. 3, 175 weanling pigs (initially 5.5 +/- 1.1 kg and 20 +/- 3 d of age) were fed either a control diet containing 20% dried whey, 17.5% dried skim milk, and 4% select menhaden fish meal (SMFM) or diets consisting of lactose and either 3.5 and 7.0% SDAP or 4.0 and 8.0% LGPP added at the expense of dried skim milk on a digestible lysine basis. From d 0 to 7 after weaning, ADG and ADFI increased (linear, P < .05) with increasing SDAP. With increasing LGPP, ADG and ADFI increased and then decreased (quadratic, P < .10 and P < .05, respectively). Gain:feed ratio (G/F) was not affected by SDAP and was improved (linear, P < .05) for pigs fed increasing LGPP. In Exp. 4, 270 weanling pigs (initially 6.2 +/- 1.6 kg and 20 +/- 3 d of age) were used to compare three diets that contained either 2.5% spray-dried blood meal (SDBM), 4.8% SMFM, or 3.92% CPP; test feedstuffs were substituted on a total lysine basis and diets were fed from d 7 to 28 after weaning. Pigs fed CPP had decreased (P < .05) ADG and G/F compared with those fed the other protein sources. In Exp. 5, 255 weanling pigs (initially 5.3 +/- 1.2 kg and 17 +/- 2 d of age), were used to compare five diets that contained either 2.5% SDBM, 5.51% SMFM, 4.17% CPP, 4.17% LGPP or 8.34% LGPP; feedstuffs were substituted on a digestible lysine basis and diets were fed from d 7 to 28 after weaning. No differences (P > .10) were observed in growth performance among pigs fed any of the protein sources within the experiment. However, pigs fed the LGPP had numerically greater ADG and better G/F than those fed CPP. In conclusion, these results suggest that LGPP can be an effective replacement for a portion of the SDAP in diets for weanling pigs.     

Effect of vaccine-induced immune activation on the performance of early-weaned pigs

Two groups of 96 pigs were studied to determine the influence of weaning age, nursery site and a challenge to their immune system on their performance. The weaning ages were 11 to 16 days and 16 to 21 days. One nursery was on-site and the second nursery was off-site. Immune activation was stimulated by the administration of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBR) vaccine to half of the pigs at each site. Serum virus neutralisation titres to IBR and total immunoglobulins were monitored in some of the pigs in each group. Performance was measured in terms of feed intake, average daily gain in weight, and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The mean serum immunoglobulin concentrations of all the groups of pigs tended to decrease in the first two weeks after weaning and then increase. Twelve of 20 pigs vaccinated with IBR had neutralisation titres to the virus. The site of the nursery did not significantly affect average daily gain in weight, feed intake or FCR. Pigs weaned at 16 to 21 days of age had a significantly better daily gain in weight than the pigs weaned at 11 to 16 days of age. Immune stimulation of the older weaned pigs did not influence their performance, but it had a significantly (P < 0.016) negative effect on the performance of the younger weaned pigs.     

Effects of extensive oral surgery and hemorrhage on coagulation and fibrinolysis

The changes in coagulation and fibrinolytic activity in 22 patients with oral cancer undergoing extensive surgical procedures were studied. The patients were divided into two groups: group I patients suffered blood loss of less than 2,000 mL and group II patients had blood loss of more than 2,000 mL. The platelet count decreased significantly during surgery, at the end of surgery and on the 1st postoperative day in both groups. Fibrinogen was decreased during and at the end of surgery in both groups, but increased significantly on the 3rd postoperative day and reached about two times the preoperative levels on the 7th postoperative day. Fibrin degradation products increased significantly after surgery and reached the maximum value on the 1st postoperative day in both groups. Plasmin inhibitor complex and plasminogen increased significantly on the 3rd and 7th postoperative days. There was no clear evidence regarding the influence of blood loss on coagulation and fibrinolytic factors except for platelets. It was concluded that coagulation and fibrinolysis are enhanced between the 3rd and 7th postoperative days.     

Effects of feeder type, space allowance, and mixing on the growth performance and feed intake pattern of growing pigs

Sites of base loss in DNA arise spontaneously, are induced by damaging agents or are generated by DNA glycosylases. Repair of these potentially mutagenic or lethal lesions is carried out by apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonucleases. To test current models of AP site recognition, we examined the effects of site-specific DNA structural modifications and an F266A mutation on incision and protein-DNA complex formation by the major human AP endonuclease, Ape. Changing the ring component of the abasic site from a neutral tetrahydrofuran (F) to a positively charged pyrrolidine had only a 4-fold effect on the binding capacity of Ape. A non-polar 4-methylindole base analog opposite F had a <2-fold effect on the incision activity of Ape and the human protein was unable to incise or specifically bind 'bulged' DNA substrates. Mutant Ape F266A protein complexed with F-containing DNA with only a 6-fold reduced affinity relative to wild-type protein. Similar studies are described using Escherichia coli AP endonucleases, exonuclease III and endonuclease IV. The results, in combination with previous findings, indicate that the ring structure of an AP site, the base opposite an AP site, the conformation of AP-DNA prior to protein binding and the F266 residue of Ape are not critical elements in targeted recognition by AP endonucleases.     

Effects of previous performance on evaluations of present performance.

In Study 1, 82 undergraduates viewed 3 videotaped lectures presented by the same lecturer. Ss in the good-performance condition viewed 2 good lectures, followed by a lecture of average quality. Ss in the poor-performance condition viewed 2 poor lectures, followed by the same average lecture. Results show significant contrast effects both for ratings of the frequency of several critical behaviors and for performance evaluations. Ss in the poor-performance condition assigned more favorable behavior ratings and higher performance evaluation ratings to the 3rd (average) lecture than did Ss in the good-performance condition. In Study 2, 71 Ss were used to test the hypothesis that memory biases were responsible for the contrast effects observed in Study 1. Ss viewed the same videotapes but rated the 3rd tape from memory the day after viewing the tape. Results show weak, nonsignificant contrast effects, suggesting that memory biases were not sufficient to explain the results of Study 1. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of subsequent performance on evaluations of previous performance.

Tested the hypothesis that subsequent performance levels would bias the recall and evaluations of a ratee's previous level of performance with 183 undergraduates, who rated 3 videotaped lectures in either immediate or delayed rating conditions. The 1st videotape depicted an average level of performance and was followed by either 2 good lectures or 2 poor lectures. A significant performance level?×?time of rating interaction was found, in which memory-based ratings were biased in the direction of subsequent performance (i.e., when there was a delay between observation and rating, Ss who had seen an average lecture followed by good lectures rated that average lecture more favorably than did Ss who had seen that same lecture followed by poor lectures). It is suggested that raters are biased in favor of recalling behaviors that are consistent with their general impression of a ratee and that subsequent performance may systematically alter the rater's recall of the ratee's previous behavior. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of experience on performance in a replenishable resource trap.

Investigated the finding of R. C. Cass and J. J. Edney (see record 1980-10833-001) and D. M. Messick and C. L. McClelland (see record 1983-32644-001) that individuals perform better than groups in a replenishable resource trap. It was proposed that individuals are superior to groups, in part, because members of large groups are unable to discern the effects of their behavior on the resource pool. To test this idea, 154 undergraduates were given experience with the task prior to managing resources in groups. The independent variables were the type of experience, either group or individual, and group size. As predicted, results show that individual experience improved subsequent group performance more than did group experience. Moreover, the beneficial effects of individual experience were found to increase as group size increased. Future research directions are noted, and implications for research on social dilemmas are discussed. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of apafant on PAF-induced downregulation of beta-adrenoceptors in guinea pigs

The phase S ratio in cell cycles were analyzed in livers with hyperplastic foci (HPF) and in livers without HPF by nuclear DNA determinations using flow cytometry, and by staining with argyrophilic proteins of the nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR). Flow cytometric analysis was done on 50 fresh frozen specimens of livers resected from 50 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Paraffin sections from the same patients were analyzed using AgNOR staining. There were 25 cases each with and without HPF. We examined the stage of fibrosis and the grade of inflammatory activity according to the modified Scheuer and Desmet scale. The incidence of HCC recurrence among these patients was also studied. The average phase S ratio of the livers of the patients with HPF was 6.5 +/- 3.2%, and that of the livers of the patients without HPF was 4.0 +/- 2.5%. The ratio differed significantly between the two groups (P < 0.01). The average AgNOR score for HPF lesions of the HPF-positive cases was 1.60 +/- 0.34, that for non-HPF lesions in the HPF-positive cases was 1.29 +/- 0.12, and that for the HPF-negative cases was 1.19 +/- 0.14. Significant differences were found between the average AgNOR scores for HPF lesions of the HPF-positive cases and the non-HPF lesions of the HPF-positive cases (P < 0.01), as well as between the non-HPF lesions in the HPF-positive cases and the HPF-negative cases (P < 0.05). Severe fibrosis (stage 3) and cirrhosis (stage 4) were found in 76% of HPF-positive cases and 48% of HPF-negative cases. The livers of HPF-positive patients were significantly more cirrhotic than those of HPF-negative patients (P < 0.05). The association between HPF and the inflammatory grade was not significant (P > 0.05). The incidence of HCC recurrence among HPF-positive cases was significantly higher than that among the HPF-negative cases (P < 0.05). The average phase S ratio of the recurrent HPF-positive patients was 7.48 +/- 3.48%, significantly higher than that of HPF negative cases (5.57 +/- 3.06%, P < 0.05). Hyperplastic foci of the liver was shown to be a highly proliferative lesion. The proliferative activity of the non-HPF lesions in the HPF-positive patients was also higher than that of the HPF-negative patients. Hyperplastic foci tended to be present in cirrhotic livers, but it was not associated with the grade of inflammatory activity of the liver. Hyperplastic foci may represent an important predictor of recurrence after hepatic resection.     

Effects of ethanol intake on the immune system of guinea pigs

Groups of guinea pigs were maintained with alcohol solutions not sufficient to result in liver dysfunction prior to and during investigations designed to determine whether ethanol would nonetheless impair cell-mediated or humoral immunity. No impairment of either was observed in any of the experimental groups.     

Growth performance of pigs subjected to multiple concurrent environmental stressors

PURPOSE: To assess the accuracy of a conventional simulation procedure in radiotherapy of age-related macular degeneration. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A computed tomographic (CT) extension attached to the treatment simulator was used to acquire CT images immediately after conventional simulation in 18 patients referred for treatment of age-related macular degeneration. Analysis was performed on 16 one-sided treatment cases for whom images were obtained. Error was estimated by the displacement between the observed treatment isocenter and the intended isocenter based on reconstructed eye geometry. RESULTS: Based on single slice measurements, the mean error amplitude was 2.3 mm (range 0.2-5.6). Based on three-dimensional eye globe reconstruction, the mean error amplitude was 2.8 mm (range 0.8-5.3). An incidental finding previously unreported was the lower image quality at the center of the simulator-CT image acquisition field. CONCLUSIONS: Small but significant errors from conventional simulation were noted. The integrated simulation-CT procedure may help correct the errors to improve the accuracy of simulation setup. The lower image quality at the center of image acquisition field requires adaptation of the simulation-CT procedure.     

Effects of ascorbic acid on in vitro steroidogenesis in guinea pigs

Guinea pig ovarian whole tissue homogenates were incubated with [14C]-labelled cholesterol, pregnenolone, and progesterone. Testicular homogenates were incubated with [14C]-progesterone. All incubations were carried out in the presence of 0, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 mM ascorbic acid. The conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone was significantly decreased in testosterone and progesterone production. The addition of 0.5 mM ascorbic acid increased the conversion of pregnenolone to delta 4 steroids and decreased its conversion to delta 5 steroids, relative to the other ascorbic acid treatments. The conversion of progesterone to 17 A-hydroxyprogesterone was significantly decreased in the presence of 1.5 mM ascorbic acid over the O mM treatment. The data supports a general inhibitory effect of high ascorbic acid on the steroid hydroxylations, and a possible regulatory role of ascorbic acid on the conversion of pregnenolone to delta 4 and delta 5 steroids.     

Effects of task performance and contextual performance on systemic rewards.

Evidence from 2 samples of Air Force mechanics supported the hypothesis that contextual performance affects employees' career advancement and rewards over time. Results of hierarchical regressions controlling for experience showed task performance and contextual performance each predicted systemic rewards. Each facet explained separate variance in promotability ratings over 2 years. In both samples, contextual performance explained separate variance in informal rewards but task performance did not. Task performance explained incremental variance in career advancement 1 year later but contextual performance did not. Analyses using correlations corrected for unreliability suggest these results cannot be attributed to measurement error. Contextual performance still explained separate variance in informal rewards, and task performance explained distinct variance in career advancement a year later. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)