Factors affecting N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase as an indicator for mastitis detection in dairy sheep.

The study of new indirect methods for mastitis detection is of great relevance both at the economic level of the farm and dairies, and in terms of consumer health, and animal welfare. These methods help us to monitor the disease and speed up the decision-making process on treatment of the affected animal and the destination of the milk. The main aim of this work was to study the effect of intramammary infection and other non-infectious factors on the activity of the enzyme N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase (NAGase) in milk, in order to evaluate its use as an indicator for the early diagnosis of mastitis in sheep that could be less expensive, easier to measure and a better marker of inflammation or complementary to existing methods such as somatic cell count (SCC). Seven biweekly samplings were carried out, in which NAGase activity, SCC and milk were analyzed. Glands were classified according to their sanitary status based on the results of the SCC and bacteriological analysis. Non-infectious factors such as lactation stage, parity number and milking session had a statistically significant effect on NAGase values, finding the highest NAGase values at the onset and end of the study, in infectious mastitic glands of multiparous females and at morning milking. However, among the NAGase variation factors studied, the health status of the gland was the factor that caused the highest variation in enzyme levels, with infectious mastitic glands showing higher values than healthy glands. The predictive ability of NAGase was also studied by means of several logistic regression models, with the one that included NAGase together with lactation stage and parity obtaining the best results if sensitivity is to be prioritized, or the model that included NAGase, lactation stage, parity, milking and production if specificity is to be prioritized. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that the use of NAGase as an intramammary infection detection method in sheep can be useful when non-infectious factors that cause changes in the concentration of the enzyme are also considered.

Effect of the pulsation type (alternate or simultaneous) on milk yield and health status of the mammary gland of Murciano-Granadina goats.

Recent research into how the pulsation type affects goat milking concluded that alternate pulsation (AP) and simultaneous pulsation (SP) similarly affect the milking efficiency (milking duration and milking fractioning) and teat end condition after milking when both pulsations are employed in short-term experiments. However, the use of SP in high pipeline milking machines led to higher vacuum fluctuations, which, in the long term, may entail a potential risk factor for the mammary gland health status. The aim of this work was to study how AP and SP affect the milk yield, mammary gland health status, and milk composition of goats in the long term, during a complete lactation period, in a high pipeline milking machine. With this objective, 100 Murciano-Granadina goats with similar parturition dates (4 ± 1 postpartum weeks) were divided into 2 similar groups (50 goats per group) according their parity, milk yield, mammary gland health status, and milking duration (after a 15-d pre-experimental period). Throughout the experimental period (7 mo), one group was milked using SP and the other group using AP. Every month, samplings were carried out of the variables related to sanitary status of the mammary gland, milk fractioning, milking duration, average and maximum milk flows, milk composition, teat end status, vacuum fluctuations at the short milk tube during milking, and pulsation tests. Results showed that the use of SP in a high pipeline milking machine showed higher vacuum fluctuations without involving any difference in the other variables studied. We concluded that the use of AP in the milking of Murciano-Granadina goats offers little improvement of the milking performance and increases the investment required for installation and maintenance of the milking machines.

Evaluation of the feeding value of Dichrostachys cinerea pods for fattening pigs in Cuba.

Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight & Arn. is a tropical leguminous shrub widely regarded as an invasive species in Cuba, after having invaded a significant proportion of its arable land during the past decades. Concurrently, smallholder pig producers are highly constrained by the scarcity of protein feeds. This study aimed to assess the feeding value of D. cinerea pod meal (DCPM) as an alternative protein supplement for pigs in Cuban smallholder production systems. An on-farm feeding trial was carried out with three groups (N = 10) of growing-fattening pigs over 60 days, where DCPM replaced 0, 15, and 30% in DM of a dietary commercial concentrate. Then, in an in vivo digestibility trial with eight growing pigs, apparent digestibilities of DCPM were determined for dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP). Finally, in vitro digestibilities for OM (fecal and ileal) and CP (ileal) were determined. In the feeding trial, pig body weight gains were not affected by increased dietary substitution levels of concentrate for DCPM. Blood parameters, with a few exceptions, did not show significant differences among groups. Values for in vivo OM and CP digestibilities were 40.81 and 50.26%, and substantially higher than in vitro values. In conclusion, our results showed that at least 30% of DM in commercial concentrate could be substituted by DCPM without affecting pig growth performances under Cuban smallholder conditions. The low digestibility of DCPM is, however, not acceptable for intensive pig production systems. In vitro enzyme digestibility methods developed for commercial pig feeds are not suitable for DCPM without further calibration.

Relationship of mammary gland health status and other noninfectious factors with electrical conductivity of milk in Manchega ewes.

Measuring the electrical conductivity (EC) of milk during milking has been extensively studied in cattle as a low-cost mastitis detection method that can be easily automated. The aim of this work was to study the effect of the health status of the glands and several noninfectious factors (lactation stage, milking session, and lactation number) that affect the use of EC measurement of milk to detect mastitis in dairy sheep livestock. Likewise, we studied the relation between EC and milk composition (macrocomposition and mineral content) and between EC and somatic cell count (SCC). Finally, we evaluated the use of EC thresholds as a mastitis detection method. To this end, we monitored the glandular milk EC throughout 2 consecutive lactations, during which 42 and 40 ewes were controlled, respectively. We carried out 7 biweekly checks, analyzing the EC, SCC, composition, and mineral content of glandular milk at morning and evening milkings. Before the morning milking, samples were aseptically collected for bacteriological analysis, and the results along with the SCC were used to classify the glands according to their sanitary status (healthy, latently infected, or infected). Lactation stage, parity, milking (morning or evening), health status, and the interactions of parity with health status, lactation stage with health status, and parity with lactation stage all had a significant effect on SCC and EC of the milk. The correlation between EC and SCC was only significant when all the data were analyzed jointly (r = 0.33) and for SCC ≥ 600.000 cells/mL (r = 0.25). The changes in milk composition, mainly in fat content, largely explained the variation in EC (R2 = 0.69). For the same EC threshold, the specificity and sensitivity varied depending on the parity or the milking, with the negative predictive value obtained being higher than the positive predictive value at all times. We concluded that developing methods of detecting mastitis in sheep by milk EC readings would require consideration of noninfectious factors that also affect the gauging of EC. One option to consider would be individualized daily monitoring of the glands, as demonstrated in other species such as cattle and goat.

Corrección del intercambio gaseoso utilizando ventilación no invasiva guiada por manometría esofágica en un paciente con síndrome de obesidad e hipoventilación. Reporte de un caso / Correction of the exchange gaseous using ventilation non-invasive guided by esophageal manometry in a patient with syndrome obesity and hypoventilation. Report of a case

Se comunica el caso de un hombre de 68 años, obeso mórbido, con antecedentes de síndrome de apneas del sueño, que ingresa en la Unidad de Terapia Intensiva con insuficiencia respiratoria aguda hipercápnica y es tratado con ventilación mecánica no invasiva. Pese a una buena adaptación a la interfaz, el menor valor de la PaCO2 fue de 68 mmHg. Se decide colocar un balón esofágico con el objetivo de determinar en qué medida el componente toracoabdominal estaba afectando el esfuerzo de músculos inspiratorios y el intercambio gaseoso. Luego de la medición, los valores de presión positiva al final de la espiración se incrementaron, y se obtuvo una presión transpulmonar telespiratoria cercana a 0 cmH2O y una mejoría en el valor de la PaCO2. El paciente no tuvo ninguna complicación asociada a la titulación con manometría esofágica y fue dado de alta de la Terapia Intensiva, a las 72 horas (AU)

We report the case of a 68-year-old morbidly obese man, with a history of sleep apnea syndrome, who is admitted to the Intensive Care Unit with hypercapnic acute respiratory failure and is treated with non-invasive mechanical ventilation. Despite a good adaptation to the interface, the lowest value of PaCO2 was 68 mmHg. An esophageal balloon was inserted in order to determine to what extent the thoracoabdominal component was affecting inspiratory muscle effort and gas exchange. After the measurement, positive end-expiratory pressure values were increased, and a transpulmonary end-expiratory pressure close to 0 cmH2O was obtained and PaCO2 value was improved. The patient did not have any complication associated with the titration with esophageal manometry and he was discharged from Intensive Care Unit 72 hours later(AU)

Effect of automatic cluster removers on milking efficiency and teat condition of Manchega ewes.

Milking operations represent more than 50% of the work on a dairy ewe farm. The implementation of automatic cluster removers (ACR) is gaining popularity, as it allows the operator to avoid manual cluster detachments, simplifying the milking routines. The aim of this study was to discover the effect on the milking of Manchega ewes over an entire lactation period by using this type of devices, set up with 2 different combinations of milk flow threshold (MF) and delay time (DT) and comparing them with the traditional method using manual cluster removal. During a 15-d pre-experimental period, the animals were milked without ACR and sampling was performed to select 108 ewes and distribute them into 3 groups of similar characteristics according to their parity, milk yield, milking duration, and mammary gland sanitary status. Later, each group was milked for a duration of 4 mo in 3 different conditions: 1 with manual cluster removal, the second setting the ACR at MF 150 g/min and DT 20 s, and the third setting the ACR at MF 200 g/min and DT 10 s. Samplings of milking fraction, milking duration, milk composition, mammary gland sanitary status, teat-end status, and vacuum level in the short milk tubes during milking were performed. The use of ACR limited the vacuum drops in the short milk tubes and the edema in the teat end after milking, although no reduction in the number of new cases of mastitis was observed and the milk composition did not change. Moreover, it was noted that the use of ACR set with MF 150 g/min and DT 20 s was more efficient than the manual cluster removal, as it obtained a similar amount of extracted milk but took less time. Conversely, the use of ACR set with MF 200 g/min and DT 10 s involved a higher reduction in individual milking duration and the milking duration of groups of animals but reduced milk extracted.

Within-day variation and effect of acute stress on plasma and milk cortisol in lactating goats.

An experiment was carried out to study the effect of acute stress on cortisol concentration in goat milk (milk cortisol; MC) and its suitability for stress assessment. Additional variables studied were plasma cortisol (PC), blood glucose (BG), and somatic cell count (SCC). Ten goats free of mastitis at 2 mo of lactation were divided into 2 groups. One group of animals was exposed to acute stress (visual and auditory, but not physical, contact with a barking dog for 3 min) immediately before the 1000 h sampling (STR), and the other group was considered as the control group, not exposed to acute stress (CON). The animals were gradually accustomed to the sampling schedule for 1 wk before the stress treatment (pre-experimental period). The variables PC, MC, BG, SCC, and milk composition (fat, lactose, whey protein, true protein, and casein) were recorded at 0600, 1000, 1130, 1400, 1800, 2200, and 0200 h. Milk variables were recorded in both glands separately. The right gland (n=10) was completely milked and the left gland (n=10) was milked to 30 mL at every sampling except at 1000 h, when complete milking was carried out on both glands. Variables were analyzed by using a linear mixed model. Both PC and MC concentrations varied throughout the day, with values being highest in the morning. Higher PC levels were recorded in the STR group immediately after treatment compared with CON (36.9 vs 16.3 ng/mL). For MC, differences between treatments were noted 1.5h after STR treatment (1.27 vs 0.25 ng/mL). Blood glucose increased immediately after treatment in STR animals, being different from CON until 1.5h after treatment sampling (101 vs. 58 mg/dL). The SCC was not increased by STR treatment, showing higher values in the morning and afternoon compared with evening and night (5.6±0.13 to 5.87±0.13 log10 SCC). The STR treatment had no significant effect on milk composition, and overall milk yield of a complete day after stress stimulus of both groups was similar (STR: 2,067±280 g/d; CON: 2,134±427 g/d). We conclude that plasma and milk cortisol concentrations in control dairy goats varied throughout the day; MC showed significant differences in the STR group if samples were taken 1.5h after the stressing stimulus, whereas PC showed significant differences in samples taken immediately after the stressing stimulus. Additionally, MC sampling has the advantage of being noninvasive compared with blood sampling.

Short communication: effects of milk removal on teat tissue and recovery in Murciano-Granadina goats.

The aim of this work was to study how machine milking (MM) carried out in appropriate conditions affects teat wall thickness and canal length and their return after milking to premilking conditions compared with other milk removal methods considered biological referents: kid suckling (KS), catheter removal (CATH), and hand milking (HM). Three Latin square experiments were designed, each divided into 2 periods. In the first period, the left glands of each animal were machine milked and the KS, CATH, and HM treatments were applied to the right glands in experiments 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Subsequently, in the second period, the removal methods were interchanged. Teat wall thickness, teat wall area, teat end wall area, and teat canal length were measured from the ultrasound images. Milk removal using the reference methods (KS, CATH, and HM) and by MM caused increases in teat wall thickness and teat canal length, which were greater with MM. The time needed for the teat walls and canal to return to their physiological conditions before milk removal was greater than 10h in the reference methods and following machine milking.

Quantification of milk yield and composition changes as affected by subclinical mastitis during the current lactation in sheep.

The aim of this work was to quantify, on a half-udder basis, the changes in ewe milk yield and composition caused by unilateral subclinical mastitis within the current lactation. Fluctuations due to production level, infection severity, time from the onset of infection, and lactation curves were also studied. Yield and composition of milk from half-udders of unilateral infected ewes were compared between them and with a set of healthy halves using a mixed model. The experiment was completed with a whole-udder approach on the same animals. To test the effect of intramammary infection (IMI) in the 7 wk following the onset of infection, 20 ewes that acquired unilateral subclinical mastitis during lactation and 40 healthy ewes were used. Another group of 20 unilaterally infected ewes from wk 1 of lactation and other 40 healthy ewes were studied to test the effect of IMI on lactational milk yield and composition. The individual milk loss in ewes infected during lactation was 15% for the 7 wk following the onset of infection, and 6.6% more milk was produced by the uninfected half to compensate milk lost by the infected half. Lactational milk yield loss in ewes infected from wk 1 postpartum was 17%. The changes in milk yield were noticed from the week of infection diagnosis. The production level of animals influenced the milk yield changes caused by IMI in such a way that the more productive ewes lost more milk, although these losses were proportional to their production level. On the other hand, infection severity affected milk loss between glands, being more pronounced as somatic cell count increased. A clear decrease of lactose content and casein:protein ratio due to subclinical IMI was observed and it remained throughout the postinfection period. Improving udder health status is necessary to maintain milk production and quality in dairy ewes during lactation.

Effect of estrus synchronization on daily somatic cell count variation in goats according to lactation number and udder health status.

Two repeated experiments were carried out in 2 different years to study the effect of estrus on somatic cell count (SCC) in dairy goats. In the first year, 36 Murciano-Granadina goats were used [12 primiparous and 24 multiparous; 22 healthy and 14 with an intramammary infection (IMI)] and, after a 6-d pre-experimental period, were divided into 2 groups according to lactation number, udder health status, SCC, and milk production. One group was kept as a control, whereas the other received an estrus synchronization hormonal treatment lasting 11d. At 24, 48, and 72h after cessation of the hormone treatment, goats were placed in contact with a buck to confirm that they were in estrus. For 32 consecutive days (6 pre-experimental, 11 in hormone treatment, and 15 post-treatment) the SCC per gland and udder were monitored in all animals. In the second year, we repeated the same experimental design using a total of 38 Murciano-Granadina breed goats (12 primiparous and 26 multiparous; 26 healthy and 12 with IMI). Throughout this experiment, milk yield and composition were also recorded daily for each goat. Upon termination of the hormonal treatment, the SCC in udder milk increased significantly in the treatment group compared with the control group over 3 consecutive days. This increase was observed for year (1 and 2), parity (primiparous and multiparous), and udder health status (healthy and IMI). The log10 SCC (cells/mL) increased from 5.5±0.09 before estrus to 6.04±0.09 during treatment; therefore, the geometric mean of the SCC increased 3.5 times during treatment. The maximum values obtained in healthy glands of primiparous goats (geometric mean=0.37 million cells/mL) were lower than in healthy glands (1.1 million cells/mL) or infected glands (1.7 million cells/mL) of multiparous goats. The increase in SCC observed during estrus (200% increase in geometric means) could not be explained by the changes in milk production, which only fell by 13%. During estrus, the percentage of protein and dry matter in the milk also increased significantly. We concluded that it is necessary to consider the presence of estrus to correctly interpret milk SCC, as an indirect method for detecting IMI or as a commercial milk quality parameter.

Variation in milk cortisol during lactation in Murciano-Granadina goats.

Fifty-seven goats were included in an experiment designed to study the effect of lactation stage, parity number, and mammary gland health status on milk cortisol concentration as a method to assess the welfare of Murciano-Granadina goats. The relationships of milk cortisol concentration with different production parameters (milk yield, milk composition, and mechanical milking ability: milk fractioning during milking and milking time) were also studied. The experiment lasted 8 mo and monthly samplings were carried out to determine total milk yield (MY), fractioning during milking (machine milk, MM; machine stripping milk, MSM), and milking time (MT), and a sample was taken from the total milk yield to determine milk cortisol concentration, somatic cell count, and milk composition (fat, protein, and lactose). To determine the infection status of the gland, an aseptic sample was taken for bacteriological analysis before each monthly sampling. Third-parity goats presented higher concentrations of milk cortisol than those of 1, 2, or ≥ 4 parities. Intramammary infection had no effect on milk cortisol concentration, and somatic cell count did not correlate with cortisol concentration. Cortisol presented a significant correlation with MY and MM, but showed no significant correlation with MSM, MT, or milk composition parameters. Variations in milk cortisol concentration in goats may be associated with different physiological factors in the animal (e.g., milk production level, lactation stage, and parity number) and therefore need not always indicate stress for the animal.

Effect of intramammary infection on milk electrical conductivity in Murciano-Granadina goats.

Measurements of electrical conductivity (EC) of milk are used in mastitis detection in cows due to the low cost, possibility of automation, and rapid diagnosis, but the literature about EC measurement in goats is scarce. In this study, we studied the effect of the establishment of intramammary infection (IMI) on EC of goat milk by gland using daily measurements. Additionally, the effects on milk yield, somatic cell count (SCC), and mineral content were analyzed. Eight primiparous and 10 multiparous Murciano-Granadina goats free from IMI were included in the study. Health conditions of the participating animals were monitored for 16 d and then various unfavorable health situations that may arise on commercial farms were simulated to increase the chances of IMI. Once the IMI was confirmed, the experiment continued for another 16 d. Statistical analysis was conducted using a linear mixed model considering several periods regarding the establishment of the infection and whether it affected one or both glands in the animal. The establishment of IMI caused a significant increase of EC, SCC, and chlorides in the infected glands, whereas the sodium:potassium ratio and the ratio of EC between collateral glands showed significant increases only in bilaterally infected animals. The microorganisms that caused greater increases of EC were Staphylococcus aureus and a gram-negative bacterium. Changes due to other isolated microorganisms (coagulase-negative staphylococci and streptococci) were small. No significant differences in milk yield were determined. The significant effect of infection on EC in the affected glands suggests that the use of a system based on daily readings of EC could be useful in IMI detection of goats.

Analysis of the influence of variation factors on electrical conductivity of milk in Murciano-Granadina goats.

The aim of this study was to obtain further knowledge on electrical conductivity (EC) of milk as a tool for detecting mastitis in goats. The effect of farm, parity, stage of lactation, and health status of the glands on EC, and the somatic cell count (SCC) of milk was analyzed. Additionally, relationships between EC and chemical composition and SCC were studied. Finally, characteristics of EC and SCC (sensitivity and specificity) as diagnostic tests used to detect mastitis were studied. One hundred and five Murciano-Granadina goats were enrolled in the study. Milk samples (by gland) were collected monthly for 7 mo on 3 farms in the southeastern Spain. To establish the health status, milk samples were aseptically collected before milking by gland. Foremilk (by gland) was collected to analyze EC, SCC, and chemical composition. Glands were classified according to the health status as free of mastitis, bacterial mastitis, or unspecific mastitis. The effects of farm, parity, and stage of lactation, as well as the interactions between health status and parity, parity and stage of lactation, and health status and stage of lactation were associated with EC. Changes in the milk's chemical composition (particularly of chloride ions) explained most of the variance in EC (R(2)=0.91). The strongest association between EC and SCC was found at SCC >2×10(6) cells/mL (r=0.42). The use of a single EC threshold for all animals and farms for detecting mastitis led to limited results for mastitis detection, which, in any case, favors negative predictive values over positive predictive values. This study revealed that factors, other than the health status, affecting EC hamper the use of an EC threshold for mastitis detection with sufficient specificity on all animals. Any detection system based on EC of milk should consider these factors, as well as specific variations for each of the animals.

Risk factors for hospital readmissions in elderly patients: a systematic review.

Population ageing is associated with an increase in hospital admissions. Defining the factors that affect the risk of hospital readmission could identify individuals at high risk and enable targeted interventions to be designed. This aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for hospital readmission in elderly people. A systematic review of the literature published in English or Spanish was performed by electronically searching EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, SCI and SSCI. Some keywords were aged, elder, readmission, risk, etc. Selection criteria were: prospective cohort studies with suitable statistical analysis such as logistic regression, that explored the relationship between the risk of readmission with clinical, socio-demographic or other factors in elderly patients (aged at least 75 years) admitted to hospital. Studies that fulfilled these criteria were reviewed and data were extracted by two reviewers. We assessed the methodological quality of the studies and prepared a narrative synthesis. We included 12 studies: 11 were selected from 1392 articles identified from the electronic search and one additional reference was selected by manual review. Socio-demographic factors were only explanatory in a few models, while prior admissions and duration of hospital stay were frequently relevant factors in others. Morbidity and functional disability were the most common risk factors. The results demonstrate the need for increased vigilance of elderly patients who are admitted to hospital with specific characteristics that include previous hospital admissions, duration of hospital stay, morbidity and functional disability.

Effect of milking pipeline height on machine milking efficiency and milk quality in sheep.

This experiment studied the effect of milking pipeline height (mid- vs. low-level milking system) on milking efficiency and milk composition. The experiment was of 8 wk duration: 2 wk preexperimental period and 6 wk experimental, in crossover design (2 x 2). Ewes were milked in a 2 x 12 milking parlor with 2 milking pipelines set at a milking vacuum of 36 kPa with a pulsation rate of 180 cycle/min and ratio of 50%. Height of the milkline had no effect on yield of milk at the time of milking, yield after stripping, milk composition, SCC, and number of teatcup fall-offs. Nor did milkline height have any effect on milk lipolysis or on the distribution of fatty acids. The level of free fatty acids was higher in evening than in morning milk (60.5 vs. 25.6 mg/L). Likewise, the increase in the degree of lipolysis between the receiver (40.4 mg/L) and the refrigeration tank (45.8 mg/L) underlines the importance of the milk delivery line design. The parameters (time and flow rate) that define the first peak in the milk emission kinetics were statistically different between lines, so care must be taken when comparing milk emission curves from both types of pipeline.

Micronutrient deficiencies in developing and affluent countries.

Micronutrient deficiencies, also known as 'hidden hunger', are determining and aggravating factors for health status and quality of life. Three nutritional problems that have serious consequences are deficiencies of iron, vitamin A and iodine. It is estimated that in today's world, iron deficiency anemia affects two billion people, mostly women and children. Blindness due to vitamin A deficiency affects 2.8 million children under 5 years of age. Iodine deficiency disorders affect 740 million people. Cuba is employing various programs to deal with these micronutrient deficiencies. Dietary diversification, fortification of foods and supplementation with pharmaceutical preparations are included in Cuba's response to these deficiencies. Urban agriculture is one strategy to increase dietary diversity. The aim is to increase both the availability and consumption of vegetables and fruits. Food fortification takes many forms in Cuba today and various supplementation programs are carried out. The most common supplemental program in the country is the prenatal program. This program provides four essential nutrients: iron, ascorbic acid, vitamin A and folic acid. At present, iodination covers more than 90% of the total amount of salt used for human consumption. Results of research carried out in Cuba have shown that vitamin A deficiency is nonexistent in children up to 7 y of age. Foods and preparations for these programs are delivered gratuitously or at very low prices.

Influence of pulsation rate on udder health and teat thickness changes in dairy ewes.

In this work on machine milking of ewes, pulsation rates of 120 and 180 cycles per min were compared, both with a pulsation ratio of 50:50 and a vacuum level of 36 kPa, comparing intramammary infection (IMI), somatic cell count (SCC) and teat end thickness changes. To this end, two groups of 20 Manchega ewes were used in a crossover experimental design with two experimental periods of 24 d for each. Bacterial exposure of all teats was increased by dipping them in a suspension of Staphylococcus simulans at four consecutive milkings of each period. Pulsation rate of 180 cycles per min, compared with 120 cycles per min, had no negative effect upon new IMI (11 and 16% of ewes infected, respectively) and SCC. No teat end lesions were observed in those animals milked with the two pulsations assayed. Also, teat thickness changes (-0.38 and -0.36 mm at 120 and 180 cycles per min, respectively) were not affected significantly. Finally, in absence of IMI, the two pulsation rates assayed did not affect the SCC.

Influence of vacuum level and overmilking on udder health and teat thickness changes in dairy ewes.

The effects of vacuum level and overmilking on udder health were studied in ewes. Vacuum levels of 36 and 42 kPa were assigned to two groups of 23 Manchega ewes in a crossover study design with two experimental periods of 5 wk for each. Moreover, for each ewe, one teat was overmilked 1.5 to 2 min at all milkings during these 10 wk. The milking machine used had a midlevel milkline and pulsation was fixed at 180 cycles per min and a pulsation ratio of 50:50. Bacterial exposure of all teats was increased by dipping them in a suspension of Staphylococcus simulans at eight milkings of each period. New intramammary infections (IMI) were not significantly affected by the vacuum level used (18 and 23% of ewes infected, at 36 and 42 kPa, respectively) or application of overmilking (9 and 11% of half udders infected without and with overmilking, respectively). Likewise, neither factor significantly affected the somatic cell count (SCC) of the milk. Teat thickness changes after milking varied significantly due to the presence of overmilking (-13.6 and -7.4%, in teats not overmilked and overmilked, respectively) but were not affected by vacuum level. At no time were any lesions or variations visibly noted in the teat walls or orifice. So, in this work we were unable to demonstrate that the vacuum and overmilking levels assayed, both used with a pulsation rate of 180 cycles/min, have an important effect on the state of udder health in the short term. Furthermore, it was also observed that, in absence of IMI, the two factors studied did not cause irritation of any kind in the gland that might influence the SCC of the milk.

Prevalencia del síndrome de apnea-hipopnea del sueño en conductores profesionales de largo recorrido / The prevalence of sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome among long-haul professional drivers

OBJETIVO: Estimar la prevalencia de SAHS y sus factores de riesgo. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se ha estudiado a 163 conductores profesionales de los 188 que componen las plantillas de las 25 primeras empresas (86,7 por ciento) estudiadas. Se aplicó un cuestionario sobre síntomas de SAHS, factores de riesgo, examen físico y una polisomnografía nocturna convencional. RESULTADOS: La prevalencia de conductores con índice de apnea-hipopnea (IAH) 5 fue de 25,2 por ciento (IC del 95 por ciento: 18,732,5), con SAHS de 8,6 por ciento (IC del 95 por ciento: 3,4-12,1). Se apreció un incremento de la prevalencia con la edad (p = 0,012).La somnolencia al conducir o el hecho de ser roncador habitual tenían una sensibilidad del 67,5 por ciento, una especificidad del 62,6 por ciento y un valor predictivo positivo del 38,6 por ciento para detectar SAHS. En el análisis de regresión logística, los factores de riesgo fueron el índice de masa corporal (IMC) superior a 29 kg/m2 (OR: 3,56; IC del 95 por ciento: 1,53-8,4) y la somnolencia al conducir (OR: 3,7; IC del 95 por ciento: 1,303-10,3).CONCLUSIÓN: Nuestros resultados sugieren que en empresas de transporte la detección de los conductores con SAHS mediante un cuestionario sobre síntomas de SAHS y una medición objetiva, como la polisomnografía, que permitan detectar los casos para su tratamiento puede ser útil en la prevención de accidentes de tráfico (AU)