Flour exposure, sensitization and respiratory health among Alberta trainee bakers.

BACKGROUND: Sensitization to allergens encountered in baking, and allergic disease including asthma and rhinitis, is recognized. Attempts to reduce this risk have been instituted in some workplaces, but awareness remains low. This study aimed to quantify the current risk among Alberta bakers. AIMS: To estimate the onset of sensitization to bakery allergens and allergic disease among trainee bakers at the outset of their career. METHODS: Trainees attending one of the two bakery programmes were recruited between 2015 and 2018. At entry, an interview was held and spirometry and skin prick tests were performed. Participants were contacted every 6 months by telephone or online interview for 3 years to update work and health information. An exit interview was completed between 2018 and 2019 for all who could be contacted. Exposure was estimated using collected work history and a job exposure matrix was prepared for this study. RESULTS: A total of 220 individuals participated in the entry interview, 204 completed one or more periodic interviews and 113 completed the exit interview. Six who completed exit testing developed new sensitization to bakery antigens, an incidence of 2.49/100 person-years. Positive skin prick tests for bakery antigens were associated with bread making. Rhinitis symptoms were associated with total flour dust and new-onset rhinitis to months in trade. New-onset asthma was related to cumulative exposure to flour improvers. CONCLUSIONS: Trainee bakers in Alberta remain at risk of sensitization and occupational respiratory disease.

The impact of green spaces on mental health in urban settings: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Our planet is currently experiencing the largest wave of urban growth in history, with 55% of the world's population (4.2 billion people) currently living in urban areas, a figure set to rise to 70% by 2050. Primary care is the first point of treatment for most mental health disorders. Since the urban environment and health are intrinsically linked, it is useful to examine the effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions in addressing mental health. AIMS: The aim of this scoping review was to examine "How urban green spaces can improve mental health and wellbeing among patients attending general practice and primary care?" METHODS: The scoping review framework comprised a five-stage process developed by Arksey and O'Malley. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies were included in the review, mostly cross-sectional studies. A wide range of mental health outcomes were identified. Out of the 25 included studies, 23 showed positive associations between mental health and green space characteristics. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that while green spaces are associated with positive mental health outcomes, most studies were cross-sectional in nature and provided limited evidence for association. Furthermore, the population samples used in most of the studies were taken from national survey data and were not specifically primary care patients. Further studies that assess primary care patients specifically are warranted.

Course participation and the recognition and reporting of occupational ill-health.

BACKGROUND: The Foundation Course in Occupational Medicine for community-based physicians was started in Alberta in 2012 and has since been implemented across Canada. As part of the evaluation of the first 4 years, two studies were initiated to assess the impact of the course on assessment of work-relatedness and case-reporting. AIMS: To determine whether assessment of work-relatedness, intention to report cases and number of cases reported to the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) changed during/after the course. METHODS: In study 1, course participants were asked to rate scenarios describing ill-health potentially resulting from work. They rated work-relatedness on a visual analogue scale and recorded whether they would report to the WCB. Assessments were made before the course started, after course completion or both. In study 2, numbers of reports to the WCB were documented for physicians giving consent, both for Foundation Course participants and a comparison group of community-based physicians. Multilevel regression models were fitted to allow for potential confounders and clustering within respondent. RESULTS: Among 102 physicians completing at least one set of scenario assessments, ratings of work-relatedness (ß = 6.5; 95% CI 2.6-10.4) and likelihood of reporting to the WCB (OR = 1.9; 95% CI 1.2-3.1) increased significantly post-course. The mean annual number of cases reported to the WCB increased from 91.8 to 125.7 among the 35 Alberta physicians included in study 2. This change was only significant (P < 0.05) on a one-sided test. CONCLUSION: The two evaluative studies showed good evidence of changes in perceptions and intentions but only weak evidence of behavioural change.

Ballistic Beloniformes attacking through Snell's Window.

Needlefishes (Beloniformes) were observed employing a range of stalking and attacking behaviours to attack schools of bait fishes ranging from the use of tactics common to predatory fishes to a novel behaviour: the use of leaping, aerial attacks. These aerial attacks are suggested to serve two purposes: to extend the attack range of the needlefishes and to reduce their prey's potential for evasion. Furthermore, a third purpose is hypothesized that the needlefishes are taking advantage of Snell's Window, an optical effect which may mask their approach to their prey.

Effects of Juniperus species and stage of maturity on nutritional, in vitro digestibility, and plant secondary compound characteristics.

Rising feed costs and recurring feed shortages necessitate the investigation into alternative and underutilized feed resources. Nutritional characteristics of species are either unknown or limited to leaves and ground material from small stems. Therefore, the objective was to quantify nutritional characteristics, 48-h true IVDMD (tIVDMD), microbial gas production, and secondary compound characteristics of entire woody plant material of 4 species-, , , and -at immature and mature stages of growth. Immature plants had greater CP concentrations and lower NDF concentrations ( < 0.001) than mature plants regardless of species. Mature plants also had greater ( < 0.001) concentrations of ADF compared with immature plants with the exception of . In general, immature , , and had greater ( < 0.02) tIVDMD and total 48-h and asymptotic gas production than mature plants. Immature and plants were more digested (tIVDMD; < 0.001) than immature and , but tIVDMD did not differ in mature plant material across species. Condensed tannins (CT) were greater ( < 0.001) in immature and than mature plants; differences in CT concentrations among immature species were also detected ( < 0.04). Volatile oil yields were similar across maturity and species with 1 exception: immature yielded more ( < 0.02) volatile oil than mature material. Volatile oil composition across species varied and contained a range of 65 to 70 terpene compounds. The dominant terpenes across species were generally greater ( < 0.05) in immature vs. mature plant material with the exception of . Labdane acids were negligible in , , and and greater in ( < 0.001). Ground material from mature juniper species, although inferior in nutritional quality compared with immature plants, is comparable to traditional low-quality roughage ingredients. Given that has been successfully fed in lamb feedlot diets, the similarities of , and suggest that all three species have potential to be effective roughage ingredients.

Modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for poor sperm morphology.

STUDY QUESTION: Are common lifestyle factors associated with poor sperm morphology? SUMMARY ANSWER: Common lifestyle choices make little contribution to the risk of poor sperm morphology. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Although many studies have claimed that men's lifestyle can affect sperm morphology, the evidence is weak with studies often underpowered and poorly controlled. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Unmatched case-referent study with 318 cases and 1652 referents. Cases had poor sperm morphology (<4% normal forms based on 200 sperm assessed). Exposures included self-reported exposures to alcohol, tobacco, recreational drugs as well as occupational and other factors. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Eligible men, aged 18 years or above, were part of a couple who had been attempting conception without success following at least 12 months of unprotected intercourse and also had no knowledge of any semen analysis before being enrolled. They were recruited from 14 fertility clinics across the UK during a 37-month period from 1 January 1999. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Risk factors for poor sperm morphology, after adjustment for centre and other risk factors, included: (i) sample production in summer [odds ratio (OR) = 1.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43-2.72]; and (ii) use of cannabis in the 3 months prior to sample collection in men aged ≤30 years (OR = 1.94, 95% CI 1.05-3.60). Men who produced a sample after 6 days abstinence were less likely to be a case (OR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.43-0.95). No significant association was found with body mass index, type of underwear, smoking or alcohol consumption or having a history of mumps. This suggests that an individual's lifestyle has very little impact on sperm morphology and that delaying assisted conception to make changes to lifestyle is unlikely to enhance conception. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Data were collected blind to outcome and so exposure information should not have been subject to reporting bias. Less than half the men attending the various clinics met the study eligibility criteria and among those who did, two out of five did not participate. It is not known whether any of those who refused to take part did so because they had a lifestyle which they did not want subjected to investigation. Although the power of the study was sufficient to draw conclusions about common lifestyle choices, this is not the case for exposures that were rare or poorly reported. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: All participating clinics saw patients at no cost (under the UK National Health Service) and the study population may differ from those in countries without such provision. Even within the UK, low-income couples may choose not to undertake any investigation believing that they would subsequently be unable to afford treatment. Since a computer performed the measurements of sperm morphology, these results may not be comparable with studies where sperm morphology was assessed by other methods. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: The study was funded by the UK Health and Safety Executive, the UK Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, the UK Department of Health (Grant Code DoH 1216760) and the European Chemical Industry Council (grant code EMSG19). No competing interests declared.

Long-term safety of unopposed estrogen used by women surviving myocardial infarction: 14-year follow-up of the ESPRIT randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare health outcomes during 14-year observational follow-up in women initially randomised to unopposed estrogen or placebo. DESIGN: At recruitment to the Estrogen for the Prevention of Re-Infarction Trial (ESPRIT) women were assigned to estradiol valerate: 2 mg or placebo treatment for 2 years. SETTING: Women were recruited from 35 hospitals in the northwest of England and Wales in July 1996-February 2000. SAMPLE: Women aged 50-69 surviving their first myocardial infarction. METHODS: All women were followed by data linkage to UK mortality and cancer records; mean follow-up 14.1 and 12.6 years, respectively. In an intention-to-treat analysis, hazard ratios (HRs) were computed, overall and stratified by age at recruitment. OUTCOME MEASURES: Death (all-cause, cardiac disease, stroke or cancer) and cancer incidence (any, breast or endometrium). RESULTS: There were 418 deaths in 1017 women randomised. The all-cause mortality HR of 1.07 (95% CI 0.88-1.29) indicated no significant difference between treatment groups. Women aged 50-59 years at recruitment had lower HRs than women aged 60-69 years for all outcomes except ischaemic heart disease. Among 149 incident cancers there were seven cases of breast cancer in the intervention arm and 15 in the placebo; HR 0.47 (95% CI 0.19-1.15). There were no deaths from endometrial cancer but three incident cases, one in the active arm and two in placebo. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that unopposed estrogen may be used safely by women with an intact uterus surviving a first myocardial infarction.

Effect of supplemental sericea lespedeza leaf meal pellets on gastrointestinal nematode infection in grazing goats.

Feeding sun-dried sericea lespedeza [SL; Lespedeza cuneata (Dum-Cours.) G. Don.] reduces gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infection in goats fed in confinement, but effects of this forage when fed as a supplement to goats on pasture are unclear. A study was completed in which supplemental feeds (75 and 95% SL leaf meal pellets and a commercial pellet, all fed at 0.91 kg/head/day) were offered to thirty growing male Spanish goats (9 months old, 20.6 ± 2.8 kg, 10/treatment) grazing perennial warm-season grass pastures in Fort Valley, GA, from September to November, 2010. Fecal and blood samples were taken from individual animals weekly to determine fecal egg count (FEC) and packed cell volume (PCV), respectively, and animal weights were recorded at the start and end of the trial. After 11 weeks grazing, animals were slaughtered for recovery, counting, and speciation of adult GIN from the abomasum and small intestines. There was no difference in FEC between goats fed the 75 and 95% SL leaf meal pellets, but both groups had lower (P<0.05) FEC than the goats fed the commercial pellets from days 35 to 77. The PCV values were not affected by the dietary treatments. Animal gain per day averaged 102.0, 77.2, and 53.3g for goats fed 95% SL, commercial, and 75% SL pellets, respectively (P<0.05). The 95% SL leaf meal pellet goats had 93.0 and 47.3% fewer (P<0.05) total (male+female) adult Haemonchus contortus and Teladorsagia circumcincta, respectively, than control animals, while only male H. contortus were lower (47.6%; P<0.05) in 75% SL-fed goats compared with commercial pellet-fed animals. Feeding supplemental SL leaf meal pellets improved animal performance (95% SL pellets) and reduced worm burdens (75 and 95% SL pellets) in young grazing goats and is a useful tool for natural GIN control in small ruminants.

Bartonella spp. infection in healthy and sick horses and foals from the southeastern United States.

BACKGROUND: Bartonella species bacteremia has been identified in numerous animal species. These bacteria cause, or have been associated with, a spectrum of clinical manifestations in dogs and human patients. The frequency of exposure to or infection with Bartonella spp. among healthy and sick horses has not been reported. OBJECTIVE: To test healthy and sick horses and sick foals from the southeastern United States for serological, microbiological, and molecular evidence of Bartonella infection. ANIMALS: Forty-seven healthy horses, 15 sick foals, 22 horses with musculoskeletal manifestations, and 8 horses with colic were tested for Bartonella. METHODS: IFA serology and PCR before and after BAPGM (Bartonella alpha-Proteobacteria Growth Medium) enrichment blood culture. RESULTS: Bartonella antibodies were not detected in foals or horses. Three Bartonella species, B. henselae, B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (genotypes I and III), and a Bartonella species with closest homology to Candidatus Bartonella volans, were PCR-amplified and sequenced from blood or BAPGM enrichment blood culture samples from 1/47 healthy horses, 3/15 sick foals, 5/22 horses with musculoskeletal disease, and 0/8 horses with colic. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Horses in the southeastern United States are naturally infected with B. henselae, B. vinsonii subsp. berkhofii genotypes I and III, and a bacteria most similar to Candidatus Bartonella volans. Antibodies were not detectable by indirect fluorescent antibody assay (IFA) testing in bacteremic foals or horses, and prolonged enrichment culture for periods up to 21 days were necessary to document bacteremia in most horses. Further investigation into the pathogenic potential of Bartonella spp. infection in horses is warranted.

Mental health in Alberta grain farmers using pesticides over many years.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to organophosphates and certain other pesticides has been related to symptoms of mental ill-health. There is particular interest in whether exposure over many years may result in chronic ill-health. AIMS: To relate lifetime history of pesticide exposure to symptoms and medical records of mental ill-health in elderly grain farmers in Alberta. METHODS: Two populations of grain farmers were identified for study: cohort A (n = 5986), members of an Alberta farm organization in 1983; cohort B (n = 4781), grain farmers registered with the provincial department of agriculture. In 2002-03 both groups completed a questionnaire on lifetime history of pesticide use, physician diagnosed disease and recent neuropsychological symptoms. Durations of exposure to seven pesticide components were calculated and a factor score extracted from responses to the symptom questionnaire. For a sub-cohort surviving to 2009 medical records for mental ill-health were identified. Records and symptom scores were related to pesticide exposures allowing for confounding. RESULTS: From cohort A, 1348 and cohort B, 1078 were alive and interviewed (median age 63 years; median duration in farming 40 years): 1371 were linked to the medical records database. Mental ill-health symptom scores were related to duration of exposure to phenoxy compounds (but not to other pesticides) and to mental ill-health in medical records. Those with mental ill-health in hospital discharge records were more likely to have been exposed to phenoxy compounds for ≥35 years. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship of long-term exposure to phenoxy herbicides and neuropsychiatric symptoms was unexpected but not explained by measured confounders.

How physicians allocate causation: a scenario study with factorial design.

BACKGROUND: Causation is a complex concept but important in suspected work-related disease. Physicians routinely make initial assessments of causation as part of their work, but the factors contributing to these assessments are not well understood. AIMS: To determine which factors influence a family physician's assessment of causation when seeing patients with suspected work-related injury or illness. METHODS: Four groups of family physicians with differing levels of prior reporting (zero, low, medium, high) to the Workers Compensation Board received a questionnaire including four randomly allocated case scenarios. For each scenario there were four versions with either strong or weak causal features suggesting work or non-work factors were important causes or contributors. Responses to questions were made on a series of visual analogue scales. RESULTS: The nature of the condition and scenario type (i.e. strength of the causal information about workplace and non-workplace factors) were associated with the physicians' opinion on work-relatedness. Understanding the nature of the patient's work, the timing of symptoms and the patients' opinion about work-relatedness were viewed by the physicians as important. A decision that a condition was not work related was influenced primarily by the strength of potential causes outside work. Prior reporting history of the physician was not associated with opinions on work-relatedness, nor the factors considered in reaching this decision. CONCLUSIONS: The characteristics of the case scenario were more important in determining a physician's opinion about work-relatedness than the characteristics of the physician.

Physician diagnosed mental ill-health in male and female workers.

BACKGROUND: Although there have been many studies of work demands and self-reported job strain, few have examined incident physician-diagnosed mental ill-health (MIH) by detailed occupational group. AIMS: To investigate whether linkage of occupation from worker compensation claims to diagnoses from administrative health records can give credible information on occupation and incidence of MIH by diagnostic group and gender. METHODS: Information on occupation from all worker compensation claims 1995-2004 in Alberta, Canada were linked to administrative health records of MIH diagnoses. Relative risks for affective, substance use and psychotic disorders by four digit occupational codes were calculated for men and women aged 18-65 years in a log-binomial regression adjusting for age and stratifying by sex. RESULTS: There were 327883 male and 88483 female compensation claims available for the analysis of incident cases. Affective disorders (5.2% men, 11.5% women) were much more common than substance use disorders or psychotic disorders (both ≤1%) in this population of working people. In men, the type of work appeared to either protect from or precipitate affective disorders, but no protective effect was seen for women. Substance use disorders clustered mainly in physically demanding occupations typically involving employment outside the urban areas. New onset psychotic disease was rare but seen in excess in painters, boilermakers and chefs. CONCLUSIONS: Data linkage of occupation close to the time of new onset MIH can provide important insight into the relation between work and physician-diagnosed MIH and indicate areas in which intervention might be appropriate.

Mental ill-health and second claims for work-related injury.

BACKGROUND: There is some evidence that mental ill-health (MIH) is associated with injury at work, but data are sparse. AIMS: To examine, within a cohort of workers with a first workers' compensation claim, whether those with a history of MIH had a higher than expected number of second claims. METHODS: All Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) records from January 1995 to December 2004 were linked to administrative health records, and a physician diagnosis of MIH in the 48 months prior to the first WCB claim extracted. The first and second (if any) claim for each worker were identified and time to second claim calculated. Survival time to second claim was estimated by Cox regression with history of MIH as a covariate. RESULTS: Results were available for 389 903 WCB first claimants. Of these 53% of men and 38% of women had a second claim, with a mean time between claims of 768 days (men) and 785 days (women). Those with a history of MIH were somewhat more likely to make a second claim and, in the survival analysis, to make this claim sooner. Type of injury at first claim did not appear to modify this effect. CONCLUSIONS: Workers with a recent history of MIH at the time of making a first WCB claim for a work injury are at greater risk of a second injury, leading to a new claim. Strategies to get workers back to work after the first injury/claim should include management of MIH to reduce the risk of further injury.

Factors affecting work-related shoulder pain.

BACKGROUND: Work-related shoulder pain is a common problem. Ergonomic factors in the workplace are thought to be important but a number of other factors have also been associated with shoulder pain. AIMS: To identify risk factors for work-related shoulder pain in Alberta, focusing particularly on ergonomic risk factors. METHODS: A case referent design was used to compare individuals who made a Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) claim for work-related shoulder pain with individuals who made a claim for other types of injury. Data were collected using a postal questionnaire and analysed by logistic regression. RESULTS: There were 1263 participants (562 cases, 701 referents). The participation rate was 25% among cases and 21% among referents (P < 0.01). Factors associated with an increased likelihood of claim for shoulder injury included lifting ≥10 kg above shoulder height for ≥15 min per day, shoulder pain in the month prior to injury, working in the 'Government, education, and health services' industry sector and being occasionally/never satisfied with support from colleagues. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the importance of ergonomic factors in work-related shoulder pain claims, particularly the lifting of weights above shoulder level for even short periods. Relatively simple ergonomic measures, such as restricting above shoulder lifting, could be adopted with the aim of reducing the risk of shoulder injury at work.

Modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for poor semen quality: a case-referent study.

STUDY QUESTION: Are common lifestyle factors associated with low-motile sperm concentration (MSC)? SUMMARY ANSWER: Common lifestyle choices make little contribution to the risk of low MSC. WHAT IS KNOWN AND WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Reviews of male subfertility often highlight how aspects of men's adult lifestyle can significantly increase their risk of subfertility but the strength of supporting evidence is weak. In this study, although low MSC was associated with a history of testicular surgery, being in manual work, not wearing loose underwear and black ethnicity, no relation was found to consumption of alcohol, use of tobacco or recreational drugs or high body mass index (BMI). These results suggest that delaying assisted conception to make changes to lifestyle is unlikely to enhance conception. DESIGN: Unmatched case-referent study with 939 cases and 1310 referents. Cases had a low-MSC relative to the time since last ejaculation (<12 × 10(6) for 3 days of abstinence). Exposures included self-reported exposures to alcohol, tobacco, recreational drugs as well as occupational and other factors. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Eligible men, aged 18 or above, were part of a couple who had been attempting conception without success following at least 12 months of unprotected intercourse and also had no knowledge of any semen analysis. They were recruited from 14 fertility clinics across the UK during a 37-month period from 1 January 1999. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Risk factors for low MSC, after adjustment for centre and confounding factors, included a history of testicular surgery [odds ratio = 2.39, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.75, 3.28], being in manual work [odds ratio (OR) = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.53] or not working (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.22, 2.59) and having black ethnicity (OR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.10, 3.63). Conversely, men who wore boxer shorts (OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.92) or who had a previous conception (OR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.85) were less likely to be a case. No significant association was found with smoking and alcohol consumption, the use of recreational drugs, a high BMI or having a history of mumps or fever. BIAS, CONFOUNDING AND OTHER REASONS FOR CAUTION: Data were collected blind to outcome, and exposure information should not have been subject to reporting bias. Among men attending the various clinics less than half met the study eligibility criteria and among those who did, two out of five were not recruited. It is not known whether any of those who refused to take part did so because they had a lifestyle they did not want subjected to investigation. Although the power of the study was sufficient to draw conclusions about common lifestyle choices, it cannot comment on exposures that are perhaps rare and poorly reported: the finding that use of street drugs was unrelated to low MSC cannot be assumed to apply to all such drugs and all patterns of use. The case definition did not consider sperm morphology or sperm DNA integrity. GENERALIZABILITY TO OTHER POPULATIONS: All participating clinics saw patients at no cost (under the UK National Health Service) and the study population may differ from those in countries without such provision. Even within the UK, low-income couples may choose not to undertake any investigation believing that they would subsequently be unable to afford treatment.

Experimental infection of horses with Bartonella henselae and Bartonella bovis.

BACKGROUND: Experimental infection of horses with Bartonella species is not documented. OBJECTIVES: Determine clinical signs, hematologic changes, duration of bacteremia, and pattern of seroconversion in Bartonella henselae or Bartonella bovis-inoculated horses. ANIMALS: Twelve (2 groups of 6) randomly selected healthy adult horses seronegative and culture negative for Bartonella spp. METHODS: Experimental/observational study: Group I: B. henselae or saline control was inoculated intradermally into 4 naïve and 2 sentinel horses, respectively. Group II: same design was followed by means of B. bovis. Daily physical examinations, once weekly CBC, immunofluorescent antibody assay serology, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and twice weekly blood cultures were performed for 6 weeks and at postinoculation day 80 and 139. Bartonella alpha-Proteobacteria growth medium (BAPGM) enrichment blood culture was performed for horses that seroconverted to B. henselae antigens. RESULTS: Transient clinical signs consistent with bartonellosis occurred in some Bartonella-inoculated horses, but hematological alterations did not occur. Three B. henselae-inoculated horses seroconverted, whereas 1 B. bovis-inoculated horse was weakly seropositive. In Group I, B. henselae was amplified and sequenced from BAPGM blood culture as well as a subculture isolate from 1 horse, blood from a 2nd horse, and BAPGM blood culture from a 3rd horse although a subculture isolate was not obtained. All sentinels remained PCR, culture, and serology negative. CONCLUSIONS: Detection of Bartonella sp. in blood after experimental inoculation supports bacteremia and seroconversion. Culture with BAPGM may be required to detect Bartonella sp. Although mild clinical signs followed acute infection, no long-term effects were noted for 2 years postinoculation.

Ruminal and total tract phosphorus release from feedstuffs in cattle measured using the mobile nylon bag technique.

Phosphorus (P) excretion in manure is a concern for dairy and beef producers. Excess P released into surface water runoff can lead to eutrophication and algal blooms in streams and lakes. One approach to reducing P excretion is to reduce dietary P. Data regarding P release from feedstuffs is limited and more precise formulations based on specific feed P release in the digestive tract may be one way to lower excreted P. In this experiment, the mobile nylon bag technique was used to determine the disappearance of P in corn silage, alfalfa hay, Coastal bermudagrass hay, and Tifton-85 bermudagrass hay in steers after ruminal (24 h), ruminal + pepsin/HCl (rumen + PHCl), and ruminal + pepsin/HCl + intestinal (rumen + PHCl + I) incubation. Ruminal disappearance of P differed (p < 0.05) between feedstuffs and by site of incubation. Total tract (rumen + PHCl + I) P disappearance for corn silage, alfalfa hay, Coastal bermudagrass hay, and Tifton-85 bermudagrass hay were 90.6%, 93.7%, 83.8% and 84.0% respectively. The range in P release (approximately 7%) indicates that considering P availability when balancing rations could have a measurable impact on subsequent P excretion from ruminants. More data concerning P availability as affected by other feed ingredients or plant species, maturity, and/or quality are needed to more accurately define P release from ruminant feeds.

Chemical form of dietary L-carnitine affects plasma but not tissue carnitine concentrations in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

In Experiment 1, rats (n = 54) were randomly assigned to control or one of the four sources of l-Carnitine supplemented at either 100 or 200 micromol/kg/day and were allowed to acclimate for 14 days. Following a 12-h fast, plasma samples were obtained at 0, 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, 120, 240, 480 and 720 min after l-Carnitine feeding and assayed for free l-Carnitine concentration. Plasma-free l-Carnitine levels were affected by time after treatment intake (p < 0.0001) and l-Carnitine source (p < 0.0001). The time x source interaction was not statistically significant (p = 0.99). In Experiment 2, rats (n = 54) were randomly assigned to control or one of the four sources of l-Carnitine at either 100 or 200 micromol/kg/day and were acclimated as in experiment 1. Rats were sacrificed 120 min after feeding. Samples of liver and skeletal muscle were obtained and assayed for free l-Carnitine concentration. Neither skeletal muscle (p = 0.44) or liver (p = 0.59) tissue concentrations of l-Carnitine were affected by any l-Carnitine source as compared with the control. We conclude that some differences exist in plasma concentrations of free l-Carnitine following ingestion of different chemical forms of l-Carnitine. It is unclear if these differences in the circulating concentration of free l-Carnitine translate into any physiological differences for the animal. In this study, chemical form of l-Carnitine had no effect on skeletal muscle or liver tissue concentrations of l-Carnitine in young male Wistar rats.