Weight gain and recurrence in idiopathic intracranial hypertension: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether weight gain is associated with recurrence in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). METHODS: Medical records of adult patients with IIH seen between 1993 and 2009 at 2 university hospitals were reviewed to identify those with and without recurrence. Patients with documented height and weight at presentation and at subsequent visits were studied. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare mean body mass index (BMI) and percent weight change between the groups of patients with recurrence and without recurrence. The signed-rank test was used for comparing BMI within groups at the various time points. RESULTS: Fifty women with IIH were included in the analyses: 26 had IIH recurrence and 24 did not. Patients with recurrence had greater BMI at the time of recurrence compared to BMI at diagnosis (p = 0.02, signed-rank test). They also demonstrated a greater degree of weight gain between initial resolution and recurrence (BMI change +2.0 kg/m(2) [-1.5 to 10.8]) compared to patients without recurrence (-0.75 kg/m(2) [-35 to 3.6], p = 0.0009, Wilcoxon rank sum test). Patients without recurrence demonstrated stable weights (0%[95% CI -9.6 to 10.1%]), while patients with recurrence demonstrated a 6% weight gain ([-3.5 to 40.2%], p = 0.005), with an average rate of BMI gain of 1.3 kg/m(2)/year vs -0.96 kg/m(2)/year in those without recurrence. CONCLUSION: Patients with IIH recurrence had significant increases in BMI compared to patients without recurrence in this cohort. Patients with resolved IIH should be advised that weight gain may be a risk factor for IIH recurrence.

The effects of feeding history and environment on condition, body composition and growth of bluegills Lepomis macrochirus.

Initial relative mass (W(R), low v. high) and energetic trajectory in time (starved v. fed) were experimentally manipulated in bluegill Lepomis macrochirus. Fed fish starting at low W(R) grew more and gained more W(R) than fed fish starting at high W(R). Similarly, starved fish starting at high W(R) lost more mass and W(R) than did starved fish starting at low W(R). Temporal changes in other variables did not consistently match that of W(R), but, by the end of the experiment, proximate composition showed a high correlation to W(R). Regression slopes of W(R) on proximate composition increased with time in the laboratory. Differences between wild and laboratory fish appeared to result from relaxation of environmental stress. When excess resources are available such that L. macrochirus grow, condition indices will increase, but individual response will depend on initial values and thus past environmental experience.

Efficacy of vaginal spaying and anabolic implants on growth and carcass characteristics in beef heifers.

Ninety crossbred beef heifers averaging 260 kg were blocked by weight and allotted randomly to 15 pens of six heifers each, with three replicates per treatment. The treatments were spayed heifers (S); intact heifers (I); S + Synovex-H7 (SH); I + Synovex-H (IH); and S + Synovex-S7 (SS). The heifers were spayed vaginally with a Willis instrument; intact heifers were rectally palpated for reproductive soundness. Heifers were fed a growing diet (55 d), re-implanted and subsequently fed a finishing ration (73 or 101 d). All heifers were observed for estrus daily at approximately 0600 and 2000 until d 69. A jugular vein blood sample was obtained from each heifer on d 48, 55, 62 and 69 for blood progesterone analysis. Results of blood progesterone analysis and reproductive tract examination indicated that two spayed heifers were incompletely spayed, a 96% success rate. The SH and SS heifers continued to exhibit estrous behavior despite being successfully spayed. Heifers implanted with Synovex-H had greater (P less than .01) ADG and were more efficient (P less than .03) than nonimplanted heifers. The SS heifers had greater ADG (P less than .05) during the finishing phase than SH heifers, but no advantage of SS over SH was apparent during the growing phase. The overall ADG response to implantation was fourfold greater (P less than .07) in the spayed heifers than in the intact heifers (32 vs 8%). Heifers implanted with Synovex-H had greater adjusted hot carcass weight (P less than .02) and ribeye area (P less than .002) than nonimplanted heifers. For adjusted live weight and ribeye area, the response to implantation was approximately threefold greater in the spayed heifer than the intact heifer. These results demonstrate that spaying and implanting heifers can increase rates and efficiency of gain even though behavioral estrus is not eliminated.