Assessing the development of daily living skills in patients with spina bifida

The development of independence in daily living skills of 256 patients with spina bifida was assessed by means of a new Functional Activities scoring system. The score was derived from nine categories of activity; five are to do with self-care, three with locomotion and one with social interaction. The reasons for the variation in achievement between individuals with the same degree of paralysis are discussed, as are the differences in learning curves for single activities. The scoring system enables a quantitative assessment to be made of the current status of an individual patient, and enables more realistic therapeutic goals to be set.     

Calciphylaxis in man. A syndrome of tissue necrosis and vascular calcification in 11 patients with chronic renal failure

Eleven patients with chronic renal failure and presumed secondary hyperparathyroidism developed a syndrome of medial calcinosis of the arteries and painful ischemic ulcers of the fingers, legs, or thighs, or any combination of the three. Five patients required maintenance hemodialysis; six had functioning renal homografts. Severe hyperphosphatemia had existed in each; seven showed roentgenographic evidence of subperiosteal resorption. Similarities are evident between the lesions and experimentally produced calciphylaxix. The lesions demonstrated a relentless, progressive course, with serious morbidity and mortality. Hyperplastic or adenomatours parathyroid tissue was removed from ten of 11 patients unergoing surgical procedures; healing followed in seven patients. Treatment with phosphate-binding antacids to lower serum phosphorus levels may prevent this syndrome. Total or subtotal parathyroidectomy should be considered when ischemic skin lesions appear in uremic patients or in renal transplant recipients.     

Are muscle fibers denervated in myotonic dystrophy?

An underlying neurogenic abnormality has recently been postulated in the muscular dystrophies. To test this hypothesis, we applied a widely accepted criterion of denervation-ie, and increase in extrajunctional acetyicholine (ACh) receptor sites--to muscles biopsy specimens from nine patients with myotonic dystrophy and three with amyotrophic lateral scierosis (ALS). The ACh receptor sites were determined by means of iodine 125-labeled alpha-bungarotoxin binding, measured by scintillation counting and autoradiography. None of the myotonic dystrophy muscles showed increased extrajunctiona ACh receptor sites, even in the smallest fibers. By contrast, muscle biopsy specimens from patients with ALS showed notably increased extrajunctional ACh receptor sites, especially in the small fibers. Our findings do not support the hypothesis of a neurogenic defect in myotonic dystrophy.     

Vibrio mimicus infection associated with crayfish consumption, Spokane, Washington, 2010

We report a cluster of severe diarrheal disease caused by Vibrio mimicus infection among four persons who had consumed leftover crayfish the day after a private crayfish boil. Gastrointestinal illness caused by Vibrio mimicus has not been reported previously in Washington State. Three cases were laboratory confirmed by stool culture; using PCR, isolates were found to have ctx genes that encode cholera toxin (CT). Two of the cases were hospitalized under intensive care with a cholera-like illness. The illnesses were most likely caused by cross-contamination of cooked crayfish with uncooked crayfish; however, V. mimicus was not isolated nor were CT genes detected by PCR in leftover samples of frozen crayfish. Clinicians should be aware that V. mimicus can produce CT and that V. mimicus infection can cause severe illness.     

Holstein-Friesian calves selected for divergence in residual feed intake during growth exhibited significant but reduced residual feed intake divergence in their first lactation

Residual feed intake (RFI), as a measure of feed conversion during growth, was estimated for around 2,000 growing Holstein-Friesian heifer calves aged 6 to 9 mo in New Zealand and Australia, and individuals from the most and least efficient deciles (low and high RFI phenotypes) were retained. These animals (78 New Zealand cows, 105 Australian cows) were reevaluated during their first lactation to determine if divergence for RFI observed during growth was maintained during lactation. Mean daily body weight (BW) gain during assessment as calves had been 0.86 and 1.15 kg for the respective countries, and the divergence in RFI between most and least efficient deciles for growth was 21% (1.39 and 1.42 kg of dry matter, for New Zealand and Australia, respectively). At the commencement of evaluation during lactation, the cows were aged 26 to 29 mo. All were fed alfalfa and grass cubes; it was the sole diet in New Zealand, whereas 6 kg of crushed wheat/d was also fed in Australia. Measurements of RFI during lactation occurred for 34 to 37 d with measurements of milk production (daily), milk composition (2 to 3 times per week), BW and BW change (1 to 3 times per week), as well as body condition score (BCS). Daily milk production averaged 13.8 kg for New Zealand cows and 20.0 kg in Australia. No statistically significant differences were observed between calf RFI decile groups for dry matter intake, milk production, BW change, or BCS; however a significant difference was noted between groups for lactating RFI. Residual feed intake was about 3% lower for lactating cows identified as most efficient as growing calves, and no negative effects on production were observed. These results support the hypothesis that calves divergent for RFI during growth are also divergent for RFI when lactating. The causes for this reduced divergence need to be investigated to ensure that genetic selection programs based on low RFI (better efficiency) are robust.     

Body condition score and body weight effects on dystocia and stillbirths and consequent effects on postcalving performance

The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of periparturient body condition score (BCS) and body weight (BW) related traits on the incidence of calving dystocia and stillbirths, and to determine any consequent effect of dystocia and stillbirths on BCS, BW, milk production, udder health, and fertility in grazing Holstein-Friesian dairy cows. Up to 2,384 lactation records with data on calving dystocia or stillbirths were available from one research herd across 15 yr. Mixed models and generalized estimating equations were used to quantify all effects. Body condition score or BW 8 wk precalving or at calving, or change precalving did not significantly affect the odds of a difficult calving or stillbirth. Cows that experienced dystocia lost, on average, more BCS and BW between calving and nadir and had significantly reduced nadir BCS and BW. Incidence of stillbirths did not affect BCS in early lactation, although BW loss postpartum was greater following a stillbirth. A dystocia or stillbirth event was associated with reduced 60-d milk yield (42 and 52 kg less milk produced following a difficult calving or a stillbirth, respectively). The effect of stillbirth on milk yield was independent of dystocia. Cows that experienced dystocia had reduced milk concentration of fat, protein, and lactose, whereas average somatic cell score (natural logarithm of somatic cell count) in the first 60-d postpartum was elevated. There was no significant effect of dystocia or stillbirth on clinical mastitis, but pregnancy rates to first service and throughout the 12-wk breeding season were compromised in cows that had experienced difficulty at calving. The significance of the effects of stillbirth on somatic cell score and reduced fertility were mediated through its association with dystocia. In conclusion, periparturient BCS and BW within the range observed in the current study did not significantly affect incidence of dystocia and stillbirth, but these events negatively affected cow performance in early lactation.     

Describing the body condition score change between successive calvings: a novel strategy generalizable to diverse cohorts

The objective of this study was to explore the derivation of a mathematical model that adequately describes the intercalving body condition score (BCS) profile in dairy cows and is robust and applicable to different animal cohorts. The data used to generate the function were 75,352 daily BCS records across 3,209 lactations in 1,172 cows from a research herd in New Zealand. Mean daily BCS (scale 1 to 10) across all data were plotted and 4 distinct phases were observed. The functional form used to describe the pattern and quantify its features comprised the sum of the 4 phase functions created from intercepts, rates of change, approximate timing of phase transition points, and the sharpness of these transition points in the BCS profile. The generality and applicability of the described model were tested across substrata of BCS at calving and parity. A second data set consisting of a multiyear study comparing cows fed a total mixed ration (TMR) or grazing fresh pasture was compiled from a different research farm. This data set consisted of 4,112 BCS records from 211 lactations on 95 cows. The third data set was a collation of data from another multiyear experiment comparing animal performance under different stocking rates. The data set consisted of 12,414 BCS test-day records on 564 lactations from 287 cows. The presented model is robust and applicable to different animal cohorts, explaining between 29 and 79% of variation depending on the cohort studied. A notable second period of negative energy balance was evident in all grazing cows during midlactation, irrespective of calving BCS, parity, or stocking rate, but did not appear in cows fed TMR. The amount of BCS lost postcalving and nadir BCS were positively correlated with calving BCS, with fatter cows at calving losing more BCS postcalving but remaining at a greater BCS at nadir. Primiparous cows calved at a greater BCS than multiparous cows, as dictated by management protocols, but they failed to regain BCS postnadir as effectively as their multiparous counterparts. Results may highlight the need for preferential feeding of younger cows during late lactation, at least in grazing systems, to ensure that they achieve the required calving BCS at second calving. Cows receiving TMR lost BCS at a slower rate than cows on pasture but for a longer period; the amount of BCS lost between calving and nadir did not differ between the different feeding treatments. Calving BCS declined with increasing stocking rate, and the rates of both loss and gain were negatively affected by stocking rate. The presented model accurately identified biological attributes of the intercalving BCS profile of different groups of cows.     

Effects of seabird vectors on the fate, partitioning, and signatures of contaminants in a High Arctic ecosystem

Seabirds bioaccumulate contaminants from prey, transport them to their nesting sites, and deposit them in their excreta and carcasses, thereby focusing marine-derived contaminants into remote, terrestrial receptor sites. In the case of organochlorine chemicals transported by northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) to a High Arctic seabird colony on Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada (76°13'N, 89°14'W), this contaminant pathway dominates all others. In freshwater ponds below the nesting cliffs, concentrations of organochlorine contaminants characteristic of fulmar input were 2- to 45-fold higher in sediments and water (depending on seabird input to the particular pond) than in ponds remote from the colony. Air-water fugacity quotients for the ponds decreased with seabird input, indicating that fulmar contaminant input shifts air-water partitioning to increasingly favor volatilization to air. Although contaminant evasion from water was favored, direct evidence of it was not detected in air samples. For PCBs, congener profiles of pond sediments or water became more similar to seabird sources as seabird input increased, and less similar to air profiles. Based on measurements of contaminants in fulmars and other local environmental media, this study presents the first application of fugacities and multivariate source apportionment statistics to resolve seabird biological vectors.     

The American Community Survey: Warmer (More Current), but Fuzzier (Less Precise) than the Decennial Census

The American Community Survey, which will replace data many planners rely on from the decennial Census long form, is finally in progress. The first nationwide data for places of 65,000 or more was released in the summer of 2006. It has several interesting implications for planning. On the one hand, more current data will eliminate many of the inaccuracies introduced by projection-based updates of stale census data. On the other, smaller sample sizes will mean we will have less precise estimates. Because the ACS will use averaged rather than point-in-time data, it will measure slightly different things than the decennial census. Finally, planners should be alert to the opportunities they will have to improve local data quality by improving the address file from which the sample is drawn.     

Bandwidth limits of luminescent solar concentrators as detectors in free-space optical communication systems

Luminescent solar concentrators(LSCs)have recently emerged as a promising receiver technology in free-space optical communications due to their inherent ability to collect light from a wide field-of-view and concentrate it into small areas,thus leading to high optical gains.Several high-speed communication systems integrating LSCs in their detector blocks have already been demonstrated,with the majority of efforts so far being devoted to maximising the received optical power and the system's field-of-view.However,LSCs may pose a severe bottleneck on the bandwidth of such communication channels due to the comparably slow timescale of the fluorescence events involved,a situation further aggravated by the inherent reabsorption in these systems,and yet,an in-depth study into such dynamic effects remains absent in the field.To fill this gap,we have developed a comprehensive analytical solution that delineates the fundamental bandwidth limits of LSCs as optical detectors in arbitrary free-space optical links,and establishes their equivalence with simple RC low-pass electrical circuits.Furthermore,we demonstrate a time-domain Monte Carlo simulation platform,an indispensable tool in the multiparameter optimisation of LSC-based receiver systems.Our work offers vital insight into LSC system dynamic behaviour and paves the way to evaluate the technology for a wide range of applications,including visible light communications,high-speed video recording,and real-time biological imaging,to name a few.