Evaluating the impact of breed, pregnancy, and hair coat on body temperature and sweating rate of hair sheep ewes in the tropics.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pregnancy, breed, and hair coat on body temperature and sweating rate (SR) of hair sheep. St. Croix White (STX; = 9) and Dorper × STX (DRPX; = 9) ewes (3.6 yr of age) were evaluated over 4 d at 126 d of gestation (PREG) and over 4 d at 46 d postpartum (OPEN) in the shade and sun and in the morning (AM; 0900 to 1200 h) and afternoon (PM; 1300 to 1600 h) after a 20 min acclimation to each condition on each day. Data loggers recorded vaginal temperature (VT) at 10-min intervals for 96 h. Rectal temperature (RT) was measured using a digital veterinary thermometer, and respiration rate (RR) was measured as breaths per minute (bpm). Sweating rate was calculated from measured air properties passing over a shaved (300 cm) and unshaved area of the ewes' body using a portable calorimeter. Data were analyzed using GLM procedures of SAS (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC) with breed, pregnancy status, sun exposure, and time of day as main effects. Mean temperature, relative humidity, temperature-humidity index, wind speed, and solar radiation on the days of data collection were 28.2°C, 82.8%, 80.3, 4.2 km/h, and 237.5 W/m, respectively. There was no difference ( > 0.10) in RT, RR, and SR between DRPX and STX ewes. The PREG ewes had lower RT ( < 0.007) and SR ( < 0.0001) and higher RR ( < 0.007) than OPEN ewes (38.5 ± 0.2 vs. 39.1 ± 0.2°C, 70.2 ± 3.1 vs. 88.3 ± 3.1 g⋅m⋅h, and 79.5 ± 2.2 vs. 72.1 ± 2.2 bpm, respectively). During the PM, RR, RT ( < 0.05), and SR ( < 0.006) were higher than in the AM. In the sun, RR ( < 0.001) and SR ( < 0.0001) were higher than in the shade, but there was no difference ( > 0.10) in RT. There was no difference in SR ( > 0.10) between the shaved and unshaved area of the ewe. The DRPX ewes had higher ( < 0.0001) VT than STX ewes. The PREG ewes had higher ( < 0.001) VT than OPEN ewes during the night time and lower VT than the OPEN ewes during the day time ( < 0.0001). The OPEN ewes had a greater ( < 0.009) daily range of VT than PREG ewes did (2.5 ± 0.4 vs. 1.1 ± 0.4°C, respectively), but there was no breed difference ( > 0.10). Hair coat did not have an influence on the SR of the ewes, and PREG ewes appeared to use increased respiration as opposed to sweating to help control RT. The narrower range of body temperature, measured as VT, of PREG compared to OPEN ewes may be a protective mechanism for the developing fetus.

[Dependence for daily life activities in the prison population in Western France]. / Dépendance pour les actes de la vie quotidienne en milieu carcéral dans la région pénitentiaire Ouest.

OBJECTIVE: As the mean age of the penitential population rises and the duration of imprisonment grows longer, health services are confronted with the problem of prisoners dependent for daily life activities. The purpose of this study was to determine the number of prisoners dependent for daily life activities and quantify their dependency on human and material support. METHODS: A survey was conducted in the summer of 2,000 in the western region of France (19 prisons in the following regions: Pays-de-Loire, Brittany, Lower Normandy). RESULTS: Among the 4,168 persons incarcerated in these regions, 32 dependent prisoners were identified: 21 men (mean age 57 years) and 11 women (mean age 48 years). Among these persons, 19 suffered from major or moderate dependence (GIR 1-4). The main problems involved toilet facilities, dressing, transfers, and moving about. When human support was available, it was generally provided by other prisoners. Material help was scarce. DISCUSSION: The questions of prisoner's rights, human assistance, the status of caregivers, and the need for adapted architectural, material, and medical facilities are discussed. The information collected here provides a better knowledge of prisoners' needs for support and for changes which would be necessary in the prison environment.

[The French and English health systems: compared evolution after the mid-1990s]. / Les systèmes de santé français et anglais: évolution comparée depuis le milieu des années 90.

In the recent past, the British and French health care systems have both undergone significant reforms, enveloped in a state of Urgency, resulting primarily in France from the increasing rate of growth in health expenditure and in England from malfunctioning procedures such as waiting lists. After describing current features of the National Health Service (NHS), this study extracts and considers the points of convergence and divergence in the respective policies of the two countries: similarities in the choice of priorities, decentralisation of decision-making, negotiation between actors at the local level, development of the quality concept, and the differences in formulating objectives and involving the system's users. The considerations provided here should allow for a better understanding of the developments of these respective health policies and their future evolution.

[Survey of chemotherapy practice in public and private hospitals in Brittany]. / Enquête sur la pratique de la chimiothérapie dans les établissements hospitaliers publics et privés bretons.

With the objective of planning for cancer research, an assessment of chemotherapy practices in public and private establishments was carried out in 1997 by the Regional Direction of Health and Social Affairs of Brittany. This retrospective survey was carried out during the first trimester of 1997. A questionnaire collected quantitative and qualitative data: skills of mobilised personnel, modes of preparation and dispensation of cytostatic drugs and partner relations. In the 38 establishments reporting that they provide chemotherapy, the data showed varied practices for: the number of patients treated (0 to 579), number of visits per patient (2.07 to 9.4), and skills of the practitioner. The indicators used in this study, with the objective of analysis and aid in planning, will serve in the evaluation phase of the implementation of the regional health programme in cancer research.

[A feasibility study of an Internet site on health conferences and regional health programs]. / Etude de faisabilité d'un site internet sur les conférences de santé et les programmes régionaux de santé.

With the regulations of April 1996, national and regional health conferences, as well as regional health programmes were created and became mandatory within the health system. In order to promote this multi-disciplinary approach to public health, the Director General for Health and the National School of Public Health wish to distribute, via Internet, all documents developed during these meetings. This data base will be a tool for the groups of regional health programmes and a source of information for both actors in health and consumers. It will be developed in two steps, with the development of a model throughout four regions and then with an overview of the country. This article describes the project approach, the difficulties experienced and the prospects for this data base.