Concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids and glucose in blood of periparturient dairy cows are indicative of pregnancy success at first insemination.

Greater blood concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) and lesser blood concentrations of glucose are indicative of the normal process of nutrient partitioning that occurs in early postpartum dairy cows. The objective was to determine the relationship between blood NEFA and glucose concentrations and subsequent conception at first insemination in postpartum dairy cows. Holstein (n=148) and Guernsey (n=8) dairy cows were blood sampled at approximately d 10, 7, and 3 prepartum, on the day of calving and 3, 7, 14, and 21 d postpartum for measurement of NEFA and glucose concentrations. Serum and plasma were harvested and used for measurement of NEFA and glucose concentrations, respectively. Cows were given a presynchronization treatment (2 injections of PGF(2α) 14 d apart) with the second PGF(2α) injection occurring 14 d before the initiation of the timed AI (TAI) protocol. Blood for determination of progesterone concentrations was collected at each presynchronization injection and at the initiation of the TAI protocol that was used for first insemination (74±7 d postpartum). Cows were considered noncycling if serum progesterone concentrations at the 2 presynchronization PGF(2α) injections (d 37 and 51±7 postpartum) and at the initiation of the TAI protocol (d 65±7 postpartum) were ≤1 ng/mL, and there was no indication of ovulation or presence of a corpus luteum by ultrasound examination at the initiation of the TAI protocol. Pregnancy was determined at 33 d and again at 61 d after first insemination by using ultrasound. Across all days, serum NEFA and plasma glucose concentrations were not different between cows that ovulated before the initiation of the TAI program (cycling) compared with those that did not ovulate (noncycling). Serum NEFA concentrations, however, were less and plasma glucose concentrations were greater during the early postpartum period for cows that subsequently became pregnant at first insemination compared with those that failed to become pregnant. Logistic regressions were used to predict the probability of pregnancy based on NEFA and glucose concentrations from individual days. The prediction with the greatest likelihood ratio was for d 3 postpartum NEFA and glucose concentrations. Nutritional status during the early postpartum period (within 1 wk after calving), as indicated by blood NEFA and glucose concentrations, may affect subsequent fertility by a mechanism that is independent from interval to first ovulation.

Variability in in situ ruminal degradation parameters causes imprecision in estimated ruminal digestibility.

The ruminal digestibility of dietary ingredients is frequently estimated with degradation parameters (e.g., rate and extent of degradation). Mean degradation parameters (e.g., those in a feed library) are often used, but limited data suggest considerable variation around these means, potentially leading to imprecise digestibility estimates. This experiment quantified degradation parameter variation for forage hays and determined the impact of this variation on the precision of ruminal digestibility estimates. Degradation data were those previously published by our laboratory and included degradation rate, lambda(d) (h(-1)), fraction instantly degraded, a (g x g(-1)), potential extent of degradation, (a + b) (g x g(-1)), and fraction not instantly degraded that is potentially degradable, b (g x g(-1)) of alfalfa, grass, and grass-legume hays. Ruminal digestibilities of chemical fractions (dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, hemicellulose, crude protein) were estimated using these data. Ninety-five percent confidence limits of digestibility were determined using propagation of uncertainty with measured standard deviations of degradation parameters. Values for coefficients of variation of degradation parameters were large; averaged across chemical fractions, they were 24.8, 28.6, 20.7, and 12.6% for lambda(d), a, b, and (a + b). Ninety-five percent confidence limits of digestibility were large (80.5% of digestibility means) and often overlapped each other, even when digestibility means differed greatly numerically. Consequently, digestibility values computed with mean degradation parameters may have little biological and practical significance. When uncertainty in all parameters but lambda(d) was set to zero (lambda(d) alone had uncertainty), 95% confidence limits still encompassed 54.5% of digestibility means. Thus, uncertainty in lambda(d) alone caused considerable imprecision in estimated digestibility. These results caution against using mean degradation parameters to estimate digestibility.

Effects of calcium chloride and calcium sulfate in an oral bolus given as a supplement to postpartum dairy cows.

An oral calcium bolus (Bovikalc, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica) supplying calcium to dairy cows in the form of calcium chloride and calcium sulfate was evaluated to determine the effect on calcium homeostasis immediately after calving. Cows in the treatment group received one bolus immediately after calving and a second bolus 12 hours later. Control cows received no calcium supplementation. Blood was analyzed for ionized calcium, and urine was collected for urinary pH determination. Postpartum supplementation with the Bovikalc bolus significantly increased serum ionized calcium levels and decreased urine pH values.

Efficacy of Solis, NovasilPlus, and MTB-100 to reduce aflatoxin M1 levels in milk of early to mid lactation dairy cows fed aflatoxin B1.

An experiment was conducted to determine the efficacy of 3 adsorbents, Solis (SO; Novus International Inc.), NovasilPlus (NOV; Engelhard Corp.), and MTB-100 (MTB; Alltech), in reducing aflatoxin (AF) M(1) concentrations in milk of dairy cows fed an AF-contaminated diet. Twelve early to mid lactation dairy cows averaging 163 d in milk were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square design with 3 replications. Cows were blocked by parity, body weight, and milk production and were provided ad libitum access to feed and water. Within each replicate, cows were randomly assigned to the 4 dietary treatments for 4 consecutive 7-d periods. Dietary treatments included AF [112 microg of AFB(1)/kg of diet dry matter (DM)]; AF + 0.56% SO; AF + 0.56% NOV; and AF + 0.56% MTB. Milk samples were collected on d 6 and 7 of each of the experimental periods. Feed intake, milk production, milk fat percentage, milk protein percentage, and linear somatic cell scores were not affected by dietary treatments and averaged 22.20 kg/d of DM, 33.87 kg/d, 3.78%, 2.95%, and 1.60, respectively, across all treatments. Transfer rates of AF from feed to milk averaged 2.65, 1.48, 1.42, and 2.52% for cows fed AF, AF + SO, AF + NOV, and AF + MTB, respectively. Daily AFM(1) excretion in milk averaged 66, 37, 35, and 63 microg/d for cows fed AF, AF + SO, AF + NOV, and AF + MTB, respectively. The addition of SO and NOV to the AF diet resulted in a significant reduction in milk AFM(1) concentrations (SO, 45%; NOV, 48%) and AFM(1) excretion (SO, 44%; NOV, 46%). In contrast, MTB was not effective in reducing milk AFM(1) concentrations (4%), AFM(1) excretion (5%), or AF transfer from feed to milk (2.52%). Results indicated that SO and NOV at 0.56% of the diet were effective in reducing milk AFM(1) concentrations in cows consuming a total mixed ration containing 112 microg of AFB(1)/kg of diet DM.

Comparing relative feed value with degradation parameters of grass and legume forages.

Relative feed value (RFV) was evaluated relative to in situ degradation parameters of grass and legume forages. Early-cut alfalfa (n = 20), late-cut alfalfa (n = 26), cool-season grass (n = 11), warm-season grass (n = 4), and grass-legume (n = 20) samples were collected from duplicate hay bales submitted to the 2002 and 2003 Missouri State Fair Hay Contests. Subsamples were incubated in the rumen of 2 lactating Holstein cows for 0, 6 or 8, 12, 24, and 48 h to determine in situ degradation of DM, ADF, NDF, CP, and hemicellulose over time. Degradation data were fit to a variety of candidate models to estimate degradation parameters. Correlation coefficients between degradation parameter estimates [sorted according to forage (early-cut alfalfa, late-cut alfalfa, grass, or grass-legume)] and RFV were determined. For further comparison, correlations between NDF degradation parameter estimates and digestible DMI were determined with data from a previous study. Degradation data were best fit to a single, gamma 2-distributed pool model without a lag phase. Relative feed value was significantly correlated (P < 0.05) with potentially digestible DM and CP for early-cut alfalfa, potentially digestible DM for late-cut alfalfa, and potentially digestible DM, NDF, and hemicellulose for grass-legume. The percentage of significant correlations (10.7%) across the entire data set was low and no correlations were significant for grass. Relative feed value did not account for the variation in degradation parameters, especially for grasses. A further correlation analysis, which compared digestible DMI with degradation parameter estimates reported from another data set, revealed that digestible DMI and degradation parameter estimates were related for grass but not for alfalfa forages. These results suggest that RFV is limited by its failure to include degradation parameters.

The impact on health-related quality of life from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, methotrexate, or steroids in treatment for juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess and compare the impact of medication treatments on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), family function, and medical status in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). METHODS: Fifty-seven children diagnosed with JIA were assessed by a pediatric rheumatologist and placed into one of three treatment groups: (1) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory; (2) methotrexate; or (3) steroids via IV methylprednisolone. Questionnaires were administered at baseline and 4-month follow-up. The attending pediatric rheumatologist provided additional medical information. RESULTS: Data document the impact of JIA on HRQOL, particularly on physical and pain domains. Steroid patients experienced improved HRQOL at follow-up relative to other groups, despite reporting more problems with side effects. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate positive benefits of steroids in treating JIA children, despite the greatest incidence of adverse side effects.

Performance on the NEPSY among children with spina bifida.

Usefulness of the NEPSY: A Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment (NEPSY) to assess attention/executive function skills was examined in a sample of 30 children with spina bifida and shunted hydrocephalus (SBSH; 20 females/10 males; age range: 6-12 years). Statistically significant moderate-to-strong correlations between the NEPSY and other measures of executive functioning were obtained. The strength of these associations decreased when controlling for intelligence as measured by the WISC-III. The Attention and Executive Function domain appeared more closely associated with tests requiring focused attention and an ability to shift set than those emphasizing more abstract reasoning, memory, or non-verbal problem-solving skills. The NEPSY appears useful in the assessment of specific executive function abilities in young individuals with SBSH. More research into the NEPSY and particularly its Attention and Executive Function domain is needed among individuals with SBSH before its use as a stand-alone tool apart from adjunctive cognitive assessment instruments.