Production response of lactating cows fed dried versus wet brewers' grain in diets with similar dry matter content.

Twenty-four Holstein-Friesian dairy cows (20 intact and 4 fitted with rumen cannula) during early lactation (56 +/- 25.3 d in milk) were assigned to two treatments to determine intake and production responses to feeding dried and wet brewers' grain. There were two cows fitted with a rumen cannula in each treatment. Cows were fed a total mixed ration twice daily containing either dried or wet brewers' grain at 15% of the dietary dry matter (DM). The diet contained 47% forage and 53% concentrate. The experimental design was a replicated 2 x 2 Latin square with two periods of 5 wk each. First 2 wk in each period were considered as adaptation to diets and data from the last 3 wk were used for treatment comparisons. Dried and wet brewers' diets contained 68.0 and 66.5% DM, respectively. Feeding brewers' grain dry or wet to dairy cows had no influence on feed intake (25.6 vs. 25.1 kg/d), fat corrected milk yield (40.1 vs. 40.7 kg/d), milk composition and feed consumption. The pH, ammonia, total volatile fatty acids and molar ratios of volatile fatty acids in the rumen fluid were not different between treatments. Fatty acid composition of milk fat from cows fed diets containing dry or wet brewers' grain was identical, except C18:2 and C18:3 fatty acids were lower in milk fat from cows fed wet brewers' grain compared with dried brewers' grain. The results from the present study suggest that the performance of cows fed either dried or wet brewers' grain at 15% of dietary DM was similar when diets had the same DM. The average price for dried and wet brewers' grain in the United States from July 2001 to June 2002 was dollars 145.3 and dollars 96.9/metric tonne DM, respectively. Using wet instead of dried brewers' grain will save dollars 49/metric tonne minus the difference in storage costs. Wet brewers' grain can be fed to dairy cows in areas that are close to the brewery and provides nutritive value similar to the dried brewers' grain.

Evaluation of the ability of orally administered aspirin to mitigate effects of 3-methylindole in feedlot cattle.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of orally administered aspirin to mitigate 3-methylindole (3MI)-induced respiratory tract disease and reduced rate of gain in feedlot cattle. ANIMALS: 244 beef cattle. PROCEDURE: In a masked, randomized, controlled field trial, calves were untreated (controls) or received a single orally administered dose of aspirin (31.2 g) on entry into a feedlot. Serum 3MI concentrations were measured on days 0, 3, and 6. Rumen 3MI concentration was measured on day 3. Cattle were observed daily for clinical signs of respiratory tract disease. Lungs were evaluated at slaughter for gross pulmonary lesions. RESULTS: Mean daily gain (MDG) in cattle treated with aspirin, compared with control cattle, was 0.06 kg greater in the backgrounding unit and 0.03 kg greater for the overall feeding period. Neither serum nor rumen 3MI concentrations appeared to modify this effect. Cattle treated with aspirin were more likely to be treated for respiratory tract disease. Mortality rate, gross pulmonary lesions, and serum and rumen 3MI concentrations were similar between groups. Increased rumen 3MI concentration was associated with a small difference in risk of lung fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Cattle given a single orally administered dose of aspirin on feedlot entry had higher MDG in the backgrounding unit and for the overall feeding period, but this finding could not be attributed to mitigation of effects of 3MI. This may have been influenced by low peak 3MI production and slow rates of gain.

Effects of 3-methylindole production and immunity against bovine respiratory syncytial virus on development of respiratory tract disease and rate of gain of feedlot cattle.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether immunity against bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) mitigates the effects of 3-methylindole (3MI) on occurrence of bovine respiratory tract disease (BRD) and rate of gain in feedlot cattle. ANIMALS: 254 mixed-breed beef cattle. PROCEDURE: Cattle were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups at the time of arrival at the feedlot. One group was vaccinated with an inactivated BRSV vaccine, another was vaccinated with a modified-live BRSV vaccine, and the third was maintained as unvaccinated control cattle. On days 0 and 28, serum BRSV antibody concentrations were measured, using serum neutralizing and ELISA techniques. Serum 3MI concentrations were measured at feedlot arrival and 3 days later. Cattle were monitored for development of BRD. At slaughter, lungs were evaluated grossly for chronic lesions. RESULTS: Higher serum 3MI concentrations early in the feeding period were associated with lower mean daily gain. Control cattle were more likely to be treated for BRD after day 3, compared with cattle vaccinated with the modified-live BRSV vaccine. Humoral immunity against BRSV did not appear to modify the effect of 3MI on development of BRD or mean daily gain. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that abrogating the effects of 3MI and BRSV infection may improve the health and growth performance of feedlot cattle. However, in this study, immunity against BRSV did not appear to protect against the potential synergism between 3MI and BRSV infection, possibly because of the slow rates of gain of cattle included in the study or timing of sample collection.

Association between infection of the respiratory tract attributable to bovine coronavirus and health and growth performance of cattle in feedlots.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between respiratory tract infection with bovine coronavirus (BCV), treatment for respiratory tract disease, pulmonary lesions at slaughter, and average daily gain in cattle in feedlots. ANIMALS: 837 calves in feedlots in Ohio and Texas. PROCEDURE: Nasal swab specimens were obtained from cattle at arrival in a feedlot (day 0) and at various times during the initial 28 days after arrival. Specimens were tested for BCV, using an antigen-capture ELISA. Serum samples were obtained at arrival and again 28 days after arrival and tested for antibodies to BCV, using an antibody-detection ELISA. Information was collected regarding treatment for cattle with respiratory tract disease and average daily gain during the feeding period. Pulmonary lesions were evaluated at slaughter. RESULTS: Cattle shedding BCV from the nasal cavity and developing an antibody response against BCV were 1.6 times more likely to require treatment for respiratory tract disease than cattle that did not shed the virus or develop an immune response against BCV. Additionally, cattle that shed BCV from the nasal cavity were 2.2 times more likely to have pulmonary lesions at slaughter than cattle that did not shed the virus. The BCV shedding or seroconversion status did not affect average daily gain. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Bovine coronavirus infects feedlot cattle and is associated with an increased risk for cattle developing respiratory tract disease and pulmonary lesions. Development of appropriate control measures could help reduce the incidence of respiratory tract disease.

Synergistic effects of concurrent challenge with bovine respiratory syncytial virus and 3-methylindole in calves.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential synergy between bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) and 3-methylindole (3MI) in inducing respiratory disease in cattle. ANIMALS: 20 mixed-breed beef calves. PROCEDURE: A 2 X 2 factorial design was used, with random assignment to the following 4 treatment groups: unchallenged control, BRSV challenge exposure (5 X 10(4) TCID50 by aerosolization and 5.5 X 10(5) TCID50 by intratracheal inoculation), 3MI challenge exposure (0.1 g/kg of body weight, PO), and combined BRSV-3MI challenge exposure. Clinical examinations were performed daily. Serum 3MI concentrations, WBC counts, PCV, total plasma protein, and fibrinogen concentrations were determined throughout the experiment. Surviving cattle were euthanatized 7 days after challenge exposure. Pulmonary lesions were evaluated at postmortem examination. RESULTS: Clinical respiratory disease was more acute and severe in cattle in the BRSV-3MI challenge-exposure group than in cattle in the other groups. All 5 cattle in this group and 3 of 5 cattle treated with 3MI alone died or were euthanatized prior to termination of the experiment. Mean lung displacement volume was greatest in the BRSV-3MI challenge-exposure group. Gross and histologic examination revealed that pulmonary lesions were also most severe for cattle in this group. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Feedlot cattle are commonly infected with BRSV, and 3MI is produced by microflora in the rumen of all cattle. Our results suggest that there is a synergy between BRSV and 3MI. Thus, controlling combined exposure may be important in preventing respiratory disease in feedlot cattle.

Clinical evaluation of the new Pall leucocyte-depleting blood cardioplegia filter (BC1).

It is now widely acknowledged that autologous leucocytes are inappropriately activated during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Removal of these activated leucocytes has been proposed as a clinical intervention. Several papers have recently reported benefits of systemic leucocyte depletion during CPB. There is also evidence that leucocyte-depleted blood cardioplegia is advantageous in the globally ischaemic human heart transplant setting. Recently, a new leucocyte-depleting filter for blood cardioplegia has been developed (Pall, BC1). In this paper, we report on the safety and efficiency of this device in the clinical situation. Fourteen patients undergoing routine cardiac surgery were recruited into this study. The BC1 blood cardioplegia filter was found to be an efficient leucocyte-depleting device, removing in excess of 70% (p = 0.001) of white blood cells, on average, from up to 5.3 litres of blood cardioplegia. The filter removed a small proportion of platelets (typically 11.3%), however, this was not statistically significant and no bleeding problems were encountered. Red cell removal was negligible and was not statistically significant, and no evidence of haemolysis was noted. The filter offered a very low resistance to flow with a mean pressure drop (deltaP) of 10.8 mmHg at a mean flow rate of 315 ml/min. We conclude that the Pall BC1 filter is a safe and efficient device for use with blood cardioplegia.

A single dose of milrinone facilitates separation from cardiopulmonary bypass in patients with pre-existing left ventricular dysfunction.

Milrinone is used during cardiac surgery to facilitate separation from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and/or to treat myocardial dysfunction in the post-bypass period. We have demonstrated, in patients with preoperative depression of systolic function undergoing aorto-coronary artery bypass surgery, sustained improvement in cardiac function after a single loading dose of milrinone 50 micrograms kg-1, administered at the end of bypass, thus significantly decreasing the need for beta-agonist therapy.

Characterization of Campylobacter upsaliensis fur and its localization in a highly conserved region of the Campylobacter genome.

Despite increasing recognition of the importance of Campylobacter upsaliensis in human disease little is known about either the virulence properties or genetics of this enteric pathogen. The complete coding sequence of a C. upsaliensis gene has yet to be published. We have cloned and sequenced the complete iron-uptake regulatory (fur) gene from the type strain of this species. The C. upsaliensis fur homolog was isolated from a genomic library of C. upsaliensis ATCC 43954 constructed in phage lambdaGEM-11. The open reading frame identified encodes a polypeptide consisting of 156 amino acids. The 5'-flanking region of the C. upsaliensis fur gene contains 3 putative Fur-binding sequences and two catabolite activator-binding sequences indicating the potential for autogenous and cAMP-mediated regulation, respectively. Primer extension analysis identified a single transcription start site 262 nt upstream from the AUG initiation codon. Sequence analysis indicates that the Fur protein of C. upsaliensis is highly homologous (87% amino acid identity) to Campylobacter jejuni Fur. Furthermore, the arrangement of the lysS and glyA genes downstream of fur is precisely conserved in both C. upsaliensis ATCC 43954 and C. jejuni TGH9011. Using the polymerase chain reaction close linkage of fur with lysS and glyA was also observed among multiple isolates of C. upsaliensis, C. jejuni and C. coli suggesting a possible functional relevance for this conserved genetic arrangement in campylobacteria.

Cloning and transcription regulation of the ferric uptake regulatory gene of Campylobacter jejuni TGH9011.

A Campylobacter jejuni (Cj) TGH9011 (ATCC 43431) gene homologous to the Escherichia coli ferric uptake regulatory gene (fur) has been cloned and characterized. Cj fur encodes a polypeptide consisting of 157 amino acids (aa) (18.1 kDa). The 5'-flanking region of the Cj fur gene contains two putative catabolite activator protein (CAP)-binding sequences and four Fur boxes or Fur-binding sequences (FBS), implicating cAMP and autogenous regulation respectively. A major and a minor transcription start point (tsp) were active in Fe(+) and Fe(-) media and three tsp were suppressed in Fe(+) condition. The major transcript has an unusually short leader sequence. The homology of the Cj Fur to other Proteobacteria Fur proteins is moderately low with identity ranging from 36.3% for Yersinia pestis to 31.8% for Legionella pneumophila. Multiple alignments of the Fur sequences identified three conserved motifs, I [aGLKvTlpR1KiL], II [eiGlATvYR] and III [HHDHlvCldcGeviEf] (uppercase aa are identical in 12 or all 13 Fur sequences and lowercase aa are identical in six or more sequences). A truncated TGFH9011 Fur missing 18 aa of the N terminus but retaining all three conserved motifs was shown to bind all four FBS sequences. The binding and transcription studies support autoregulation of fur expression in Cj.

Pain and anxiety during burn dressing changes: concordance between patients' and nurses' ratings and relation to medication administration and patient variables.

Few studies have examined the various factors related to pain during burn dressing changes. Patients' and nurses' ratings of pain and tension were obtained during 107 burn dressing changes among 11 burned patients. As found in previous studies, there was little concordance between nurses' and patients' ratings. Both nurses' and patients' ratings of pain were positively related to amount of analgesic medications administered, whereas amounts were inversely related to patients' reports of pain in a subsample of dressing changes in which anxiolytics were administered. However, these relationships failed to reach statistical significance. Multiple regression analyses revealed that ratings of tension during the procedure were significantly related to overall and worst pain, whereas amount of analgesics and anxiolytics given, postburn day, and total body surface area were not. Exploratory correlations suggested that ability to accurately discriminate between painful episodes, social desirability, and trait anxiety may be factors that significantly influence self-report of pain and might be worthwhile to study more systematically in the future. Implications for burn pain control and suggestions for future research are presented.

A retrospective review of the burn intensive care unit admissions for a year.

One hundred twenty-three patients who were admitted to the University of Florida burn intensive care unit during a 1-year period were included in this retrospective study. The average age of the patients was 28 years (range 3 months to 90 years), and the average size of the total body surface area burned was 18%, with 7% full-thickness burns. The average hospital stay of each patient was 17.46 days. One hundred twelve operations were carried out in the burn unit's operating room with a circulating nurse from the registered nursing staff of the burn intensive care unit. No major complications occurred during the procedures. There were 1689 hydrotherapies and 2496 splint days. No significant loss of function of the patients' extremities developed while the patients were in the burn intensive care unit after the 112 debridement and skin grafting procedures were done. During the year, 365 follow-up examinations were done on previously discharged patients in the outpatient clinic area of the burn intensive care unit, which gave the doctors, registered nurses, and therapists an opportunity to determine their patients' progress. During the past year 537 separate pieces of compression garments were fitted.

Fine mapping of the three rRNA operons on the updated genomic map of Campylobacter jejuni TGH9011 (ATCC 43431).

The three rRNA gene loci of Campylobacter jejuni TGH9011 (ATCC 43431) were cloned. All three rRNA operons were shown to possess a contiguous 16S-23S structure and contain intercistronic tRNA(Ala) and tRNA(Ile). The three RNA operons and additional 14 genetic markers were mapped in the updated genomic map of C. jejuni TGH9011, which now has a total of 24 genetic markers.

Natural history of bloodstream infections in a burn patient population: the importance of candidemia.

Because of a perceived increase in Candida bloodstream infections in our burn unit, we retrospectively reviewed all the microbiologic data and the medical records of 209 patients with burns admitted during a 42-month period. Twice weekly burn wound cultures demonstrated that Candida species were the tenth most frequently isolated organisms (69/191 patients, 36%). Despite the low frequency of isolation from burn wounds, Candida species were the most common organisms found in blood cultures and urine cultures. Of 49 patients with positive blood cultures, 16 (33%) had clinically significant culture growth of yeasts: Candida albicans, 12; Candida parapsilosis, 2; Candida tropicalis, 1; and Torulopsis glabrata, 1. Patients with candidemia were more likely than patients with blood culture growth of other organisms to have burn wound cultures that grew Candida (15/16 vs 21/33, p = 0.02), larger burns (61% vs 38%, p < 0.001), and death (63% vs 27%, p = 0.02). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the total number of blood cultures with microorganism growth and large burn size were the greatest independent risk factors for candidemia. These data demonstrate that yeasts are pathogens of major importance in patients with burns, suggesting that in patients with burns who have suspected sepsis and large burn injury or a previous bacteremia, strong consideration should be given to administration of amphotericin B initiation of empiric antibacterial therapy.

Physical map of Campylobacter jejuni TGH9011 and localization of 10 genetic markers by use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

The physical map of Campylobacter jejuni TGH9011 (ATCC 43430) was constructed by mapping the three restriction enzyme sites SacII (CCGCGG), SalI (GTCGAC), and SmaI (CCCGGG) on the genome of C. jejuni by using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and Southern hybridization. A total of 25 restriction enzyme sites were mapped onto the C. jejuni chromosome. The size of the genome was reevaluated and was shown to be 1,812.5 kb. Ten C. jejuni genetic markers that have been isolated in our laboratory were mapped to specific restriction enzyme fragments. Furthermore, we have accurately mapped one of the three rRNA operons (rrnA) and have demonstrated a separation of the 16S and 23S rRNA-encoding sequences in one of the rRNA operons.