Feedlot performance and rumen morphometrics of Nellore cattle adapted to high-concentrate diets over periods of 6, 9, 14 and 21 days.

The energy content of finishing diets offered to feedlot cattle may vary across countries. We assumed that the lower is the energy content of the finishing diet, the shorter can be the adaptation period to high-concentrate diets without negatively impacting rumen health while still improving feedlot performance. This study was designed to determine the effects of adaptation periods of 6, 9, 14 and 21 days on feedlot performance, feeding behaviour, blood gas profile, carcass characteristics and rumen morphometrics of Nellore cattle. The experiment was designed as a completely randomised block, replicated 6 times, in which 96 20-month-old yearling Nellore bulls (391.1 ± 30.9 kg) were fed in 24 pens (4 animals/pen) according to the adaptation period adopted: 6, 9, 14 or 21 days. The adaptation diets contained 70%, 75% and 80.5% concentrate, and the finishing diet contained 86% concentrate. After adaptation, one animal per pen was slaughtered (n = 24) for rumen morphometric evaluations and the remaining 72 animals were harvested after 88 days on feed. Orthogonal contrasts were used to assess linear, quadratic and cubic relationships between days of adaptation and the dependent variable. Overall, as days of adaptation increased, final BW (P = 0.06), average daily gain (ADG) (P = 0.07), hot carcass weight (P = 0.04) and gain to feed ratio (G : F) (P = 0.07) were affected quadratically, in which yearling bulls adapted by 14 days presented greater final BW, ADG, hot carcass weight and improved G : F. No significant (P > 0.10) days of adaptation effect was observed for any of feeding behaviour variables. As days of adaptation increased, the absorptive surface area of the rumen was affected cubically, where yearling bulls adapted by 14 days presented greater absorptive surface area (P = 0.03). Thus, Nellore yearling bulls should be adapted by 14 days because it led to improved feedlot performance and greater development of rumen epithelium without increasing rumenitis scores.

First Demonstration of Electrostatic Damping of Parametric Instability at Advanced LIGO.

Interferometric gravitational wave detectors operate with high optical power in their arms in order to achieve high shot-noise limited strain sensitivity. A significant limitation to increasing the optical power is the phenomenon of three-mode parametric instabilities, in which the laser field in the arm cavities is scattered into higher-order optical modes by acoustic modes of the cavity mirrors. The optical modes can further drive the acoustic modes via radiation pressure, potentially producing an exponential buildup. One proposed technique to stabilize parametric instability is active damping of acoustic modes. We report here the first demonstration of damping a parametrically unstable mode using active feedback forces on the cavity mirror. A 15 538 Hz mode that grew exponentially with a time constant of 182 sec was damped using electrostatic actuation, with a resulting decay time constant of 23 sec. An average control force of 0.03 nN was required to maintain the acoustic mode at its minimum amplitude.

Effects of transients in LIGO suspensions on searches for gravitational waves.

This paper presents an analysis of the transient behavior of the Advanced LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) suspensions used to seismically isolate the optics. We have characterized the transients in the longitudinal motion of the quadruple suspensions during Advanced LIGO's first observing run. Propagation of transients between stages is consistent with modeled transfer functions, such that transient motion originating at the top of the suspension chain is significantly reduced in amplitude at the test mass. We find that there are transients seen by the longitudinal motion monitors of quadruple suspensions, but they are not significantly correlated with transient motion above the noise floor in the gravitational wave strain data, and therefore do not present a dominant source of background noise in the searches for transient gravitational wave signals. Using the suspension transfer functions, we compared the transients in a week of gravitational wave strain data with transients from a quadruple suspension. Of the strain transients between 10 and 60 Hz, 84% are loud enough that they would have appeared above the sensor noise in the top stage quadruple suspension monitors if they had originated at that stage at the same frequencies. We find no significant temporal correlation with the suspension transients in that stage, so we can rule out suspension motion originating at the top stage as the cause of those transients. However, only 3.2% of the gravitational wave strain transients are loud enough that they would have been seen by the second stage suspension sensors, and none of them are above the sensor noise levels of the penultimate stage. Therefore, we cannot eliminate the possibility of transient noise in the detectors originating in the intermediate stages of the suspension below the sensing noise.

Melatonin intake since weaning ameliorates steroidogenic function and sperm motility of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Melatonin may be used as an antioxidant in therapy against systemic sequelae caused by oxidative stress in diabetes. However, as melatonin has a major role in regulating reproductive activity, its consequence on reproductive parameters under diabetes needs to be better clarified. We have studied whether prior and concomitant treatment of juvenile Wistar rats with low doses of melatonin interferes in reproductive damage induced by experimental diabetes after 1 and 8 weeks. The consequences of melatonin administration since weaning on reproductive parameters of healthy rats at adulthood were also evaluated. Melatonin was provided in drinking water (10 µg/kg b.w./day) after weaning (5-week-old). Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin injection (4.5 mg/100 g b.w.) at 13-week-old rats, and rats were euthanized 1 and 8 weeks after disease onset. Diabetes decreased circulating testosterone levels (~35% to 1 week; ~62% to 2 months; p < 0.01) but did not affect testes sperm counts. Two months of diabetes reduced the sperm reserve and led to atrophy of epididymal cauda. Both 1-week and 2-month diabetes impaired sperm motility, decreased the number of spermatozoa with progressive movement, and increased the number of immotile sperm. Melatonin intake reduced serum testosterone levels ~29% in healthy 14-week-old and ~23% in 21-week-old rats and reduced daily testicular sperm production ~26% in the latter disease stage, but did not interfere in sperm reserves and transit time for both experimental periods. Exogenous melatonin prevented the serum testosterone decrease and damage to sperm motility in diabetic rats and attenuated reduction in sperm counts and transit time induced by 1-week diabetes but did not avoid this decrease at 2-month diabetes. Low doses of melatonin administered prior to and during experimental diabetes attenuated damage to testicular steroidogenic activity and preserved sperm motility, but not sperm reserves in the rat. Our data indicated a differential action of melatonin in normoglycemic and hyperglycemic conditions, particularly in sperm motility and testosterone production by Leydig cells.

Trypanocidal activity of lipophilic diamines and amino alcohols.

Trypanocidal activity of a number of lipophilic diamines and amino alcohols was evaluated in vitro against Trypanosoma cruzi blood stream forms. Several of the studied compounds showed inhibition of T. cruzi growth. The most active ones were compounds 3, 4 and 5 with a IC50 of 31.2 µg/mL, activity similar to the reference drug crystal violet.

Post-partum bleeding and infection after post-placental IUD insertion.

The incidence of excessive bleeding and endometritis in 145 women who accepted post-placental insertion of a copper T380A intrauterine device (IUD) was compared with that of 157 subjects who did not accept the insertion of the IUD. The subjects delivered at the Maternidade da Encruzilhada, Recife, Brazil in the period from March 30, 1994, to December 15, 1995. A blood sample for hemoglobin was collected before placental expulsion and 10 days after labor. The IUD was inserted up to 10 min after the expulsion of the placenta. There was no difference between the groups in the incidence of excessive bleeding, neither regarding mean hemoglobin concentration before placental expulsion (t = 0.039; p = 0.83) nor at day 10 postpartum (t = 1.04; p = 0.29). There were 5 cases of clinically diagnosed endometritis among the 145 subjects with placental-IUD (3.4%) and 7 cases among the 157 women without IUD (4.6%) (p = 0.40). Post-placental insertion appears to be a convenient approach to IUD initiation, with no observed increase in the incidence of excessive bleeding or endometritis.

[Perinatal mortality at Maternidade da Encruzilhada]. / Mortalidade perinatal na Maternidade da Encruzilhada.

PIP: According to the WHO, perinatal mortality consists of both fetal and neonatal mortality. Included are only fetuses weighing more than 1000 g, or in case this data is unavailable, only fetuses having a gestational age of more than 28 weeks or a length equal to 35 cm. However, for regional studies fetal weights between 500-1000 g are sometimes also considered. Neonatal mortality accounts for deaths occurring until the 7th day after birth. The same measurement criteria apply. Better pre and postnatal care is responsible for a lower perinatal mortality coefficient. Also, in regions with an even distribution of wealth, the perinatal mortality coefficient is low. The present study appraises perinatal mortality occurring at the maternity hospital in Encruzilhada, during the year 1985. The perinatal mortality coefficient was approximately 40/1000 and represents the sum of the fetal mortality coefficient (21.56/1000) and the neonatal mortality coefficient (18.79/1000). This figure is considered high and reflects the state of poverty of the population visiting the hospital. The maternal condition most frequently connected with fetal death is arterial hypertension, in isolation or combined with toxemic pregnancy. Respiratory problems are the most frequent cause of early death for babies, a condition that typically afflicts prematurely born babies. A comparison is made with a study of 12,600 high-risk pregnancies during the same year in Canada. Perinatal mortality for babies of that group was only 1.9/1000. From this discrepancy it is obvious that urgent measures must be directed toward improving this neglected area of maternal/infant health.^ieng

Obituario perinatal na apresentacao pelvica. Maternidade Prof. Monteiro de Moraes, 1979. / Perinatal obituary in pelvic presentation. Maternity Prof. Monteiro de Moraes, 1979

No ano de 1979 houve 196 casos de apresentacao pelvica na Maternidade Prof. Monteiro de Moraes, dos quais 126 tiveram resolucao pela via transpelviana e 70 pela senda abdominal. Houve 39 obitos perinatais dos quais 23 fetais e 16 neonatais precoces. Destes, 13 resultaram da via transpelviana e tres da via abdominal. Em 85% das oportunidades em que os obitos neonatais da via transpelviana ocorreram, o Apgar do 1o. e 5o. minutos foi menor do que 7 e o peso foi inferior a 2.500 gramas Dos 13 obitos neonatais da via transpelviana, 10 tiveram associacao com SAR e em 90% destes o Apgar foi inferior a 7 e o peso, aquem de 2.500 gramas. Todos os casos de obito neonatal da via abdominal tiveram correlacao com SAR. A mortalidade perinatal em ambas as vias foi de 216.6%

Esterilizacao tubaria na operacao cesariana. / Tubal sterilization in cesarean section

Entre os metodos contraceptivos femininos definitivos, figura a esterilizacao tubaria como um dos mais usuais em nosso meio, principalmente por ocasiao da realizacao da operacao cesariana. O estudo reune 173 laqueaduras tubarias em cesareas efetuadas por outras indicacoes (grupo A), elegendo-se ainda um grupo controle representado por igual numero de tomotocias, no qual a laqueadura nao foi realizada (grupo B).Uma serie de variaveis e confrontada nos dois grupos. A incidencia de esterilizacao tubaria entre as pacientes cesareadas foi de 25,6%. Ficou demonstrado com significancia estatistica que a esterilizacao tubaria foi mais frequente antes dos 35 anos e que apos esta idade o evento foi mais frequentado no grupo A; a esterilizacao na multipara foi mais encontradica no grupo A do que no grupo B; a duracao da cirurgia acima de 60 minutos foi mais frequente no grupo A do que no grupo B; a indicacao mais frequente da cesarea em ambos os grupos foi a propria cesarea anterior

Incidencia de ocorrencias diversas na Maternidade Prof. Monteiro de Moraes no ano de 1979. / Incidence of various occurences at the Maternity Prof Monteiro de Moraes in the year 1979

Houve 8.172 internamentos na Maternidade Prof. Monteiro de Moraes no ano de 1979.Destes, 6305 foram partos, dos quais, 935 cesareas. Houve 1.230 abortamentos correspondendo tal cifra a 19,5% do numero total de partos. Nos 6.305 partos havidos foram identificadas as seguintes ocorrencias obstetricas com os respectivos percentuais gravidez serotina 464 (7,4%); macrossomia fetal 364 (5,8%); eclampsia 33 (0,5%); apresentacao pelvica 202 (3,2%); descolamento prematuro da placenta normalmente inserida 53 (0,8%); placenta previa 43 (0,7%); rotura de utero 6 (0,09%); infeccao puerperal 113 (1,8%); parto gemelar 63 (1,0%) e 16 casos de prenhez ectopica representando 0,2% do total de gravidezes. O obituario materno foi de 14,87% e o perinatal 40%

Estudo prospectivo sobre 24 casos de amniorrexe prematura. / Prospective study about 24 cases of premature rupture of membranes

Em 24 casos de amniorrexe prematura, a aniocentese foi realizada 35 vezes, num minimo de uma por paciente e num maximo de cinco. Em todas elas foi executado o teste de Clements, totalmente positivo em nove oportunidades (37,5%) e, em cinco (20,8%), totalmente negativo. O tempo de latencia em um terco das ocasioes esteve alem de seis dias e, no restante, aquem dessa cifra. A prematuridade foi registrada em 37,5% das vezes e o baixo peso em 16,7%.Em 75% dos casos a parturicao se deu pelas vias naturais. Nao foi registrado nenhum caso de membrana hialina ou de infeccao puerperal, e 85% dos neonatos tiveram Apgar > igual 7 no 1o. e 5o. minutos

Cardiopatia e gravidez. / Cardiopathy and pregnancy

A incidencia de cardiopatia e gravidez foi de 0,8% entre 5.802. A classe funcional I respondeu por 55,5% dos casos e foi a mais frequente. A estenose mitral foi a lesao que predominou sobre as demais, sendo a comissurotomia mitral a cirurgia que mais vezes foi realizada antes de instalar-se a gravidez. A descompensacao cardiaca foi assinalada apenas uma vez no pos-parto, e na classe funcional IV nehuma operacao cesariana foi realizada. Apenas um caso de prematuridade foi registrado, e o peso fetal variou entre o minimo de 2.700 gramas e o maximo de 3.560 gramas