Effects of silage type and inclusion level on ruminal characteristics and feeding behavior of steers fed finishing diets.

Crossbred beef steers fitted with a ruminal cannula were used to study the effects of silage type (BH 8895 corn or AF7401 sorghum) and level of inclusion (10 or 20%) in beef cattle finishing diets on digestibility of nutrients, ruminal kinetics, in vitro methane production, and feeding behavior. A 4 × 6 unbalanced Latin square design was used (6 steers; 363 ± 23 kg; 4 diets: corn silage [CS] or sorghum silage [SS], both at 10 or 20% inclusion, DM basis). Each period consisted of 14 d of adaptation and 7 d of collection. Steers were fed once daily at 1000 h. An additional study evaluated the ruminal degradability of intact ensiled sorghum grain ruminally incubated in 3 steers (547 ± 56 kg BW), using the same hybrids from the main study from 10 laboratory experimental silos. The GLIMMIX procedures of SAS were used for statistical analyses. Steers fed SS had greater NDF intake ( < 0.01) compared with the ones fed CS. The magnitude of the NDF intake change depended on the level of inclusion ( < 0.01), which was 6 and 16% for 10 and 20% inclusion, respectively. Regardless the level of inclusion, CS diets promoted greater ( ≤ 0.01) apparent total tract digestibility of nutrients evaluated (DM, OM, NDF, ADF, hemicellulose, and starch) compared with SS diets. Steers fed SS diets tended to chew 1.1 h/d more ( = 0.07) than steers fed CS diets. The level of inclusion increased ( = 0.02) the chewing time per day by 1.3 h. No major differences were observed in any of the ruminal pH and in vitro gas production variables evaluated for silage type and inclusion level ( ≥ 0.09). The CS-fed steers had 12% greater total VFA concentration and an 18.5% lower ( < 0.01) acetate-to-propionate ratio compared with SS-fed steers. The acetate-to-propionate ratio was 16% greater ( < 0.01) when steers were fed SS compared with when steers were fed CS. The CS samples were more extensively ruminally degraded ( < 0.01) than the SS samples. Greater ( < 0.01) NDF ruminal disappearance was observed in ruminal environments containing 20% silage compared with those containing 10% silage. After 96 h inside the rumen, intact ensiled sorghum grain degradability of DM reached only 51.7%. Replacing CS with SS in beef finishing diets (low roughage inclusion) requires adjustments to balance dietary energy. Sorghum material induced a desirable roughage effect in feeding behavior but also offered the potential for improved regarding fiber digestibility and intact grain ruminal degradability.

Patient-reported outcomes among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with dapagliflozin in a triple-therapy regimen for 52 weeks.

Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and inadequate glycaemic control on combination metformin (MET) and sulphonylurea (SU) were enrolled in a 24-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study with a 28-week extension. The five-dimension EuroQol questionnaire (EQ-5D), SHIELD Weight Questionnaire-9 (WQ-9), Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite (IWQOL-Lite) questionnaire and the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ) were used to evaluate health status and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at baseline and week 52. Patients with dapagliflozin 10 mg + MET + SU (n = 108) were compared with patients treated with placebo + MET + SU (n = 108), using a repeated-measures mixed model. EQ-5D visual analogue scale scores, IWQOL-Lite and DTSQ scores improved in the dapagliflozin and placebo groups from baseline to week 52; however, there was no significant difference between groups (p > 0.20). EQ-5D index scores remained the same from baseline to week 52 for dapagliflozin and placebo (p = 0.54). A numerically greater proportion of the dapagliflozin group reported improvement in all nine SHIELD WQ-9 items compared with placebo, and the difference was statistically significant for physical health (p = 0.017). Over 52 weeks of therapy, patients maintained their health status and HRQoL when dapagliflozin was added to the treatment.

Durability and tolerability of dapagliflozin over 52 weeks as add-on to metformin and sulphonylurea in type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of dapagliflozin as add-on therapy to metformin plus sulphonylurea over 52 weeks. METHODS: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using sulphonylurea and metformin received dapagliflozin 10 mg/day or placebo added to therapy for 52 weeks (24-week randomized, double-blind period plus 28-week double-blind extension). RESULTS: A total of 219 patients were randomized 1 : 1 to dapagliflozin or placebo. Over 52 weeks, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting plasma glucose levels showed greater improvement from baseline with dapagliflozin (-0.8% and -1.5 mmol/l) than with placebo (-0.1% and 0.6 mmol/l). More patients achieved HbA1c <7.0% with dapagliflozin (27.3%) than with placebo (11.3%) at 52 weeks. Dapagliflozin was associated with greater reductions in body weight and systolic blood pressure (-2.9 kg and -1.0 mmHg) compared with placebo (-1.0 kg and 1.1 mmHg). Greater increases in total, LDL and HDL cholesterol and decreases in triglycerides were observed with dapagliflozin (3.4, 4.8, 6.9 and -8.0%, respectively) versus placebo (1.4, 0.9, 0.6 and 2.9%, respectively). Fewer patients were rescued for failing to reach glycaemic targets with dapagliflozin (9.3%) than with placebo (44.4%). Adverse events and serious adverse events were similar between groups (dapagliflozin: 69.7 and 6.4%; placebo: 73.4 and 7.3%). More hypoglycaemic events were observed with dapagliflozin (15.6%) than with placebo (8.3%). Genital infections were reported in more patients in the dapagliflozin (10.1%) than in the placebo group (0.9%) and urinary tract infection frequency was similar in the two groups (10.1 and 11.0%). CONCLUSION: Dapagliflozin as add-on to metformin plus a sulphonylurea was well tolerated and improvement in glycaemic control was maintained over 52 weeks.

Dapagliflozin-induced weight loss affects 24-week glycated haemoglobin and blood pressure levels.

The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between dapagliflozin-mediated reductions in body weight and reductions in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and blood pressure. Data were pooled from seven studies evaluating dapagliflozin 10 mg as monotherapy or combination therapy over 24 weeks. Using linear regression to estimate the contribution of weight loss to HbA1c and blood pressure reductions, the ß-value estimate for HbA1c (%)/kg was 0.028 (p < 0.0001). Weight loss of 2 kg with dapagliflozin contributed to 6% of the total HbA1c reduction. For systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), the ß-value (mmHg/kg) estimates were 0.606 (p < 0.0001) and 0.253 (p < 0.0001), respectively. Weight loss of 2 kg contributed to 28% of the overall SBP reduction, and 24% of the overall DBP reduction. In conclusion, dapagliflozin-mediated weight loss may contribute to overall reductions in HbA1c and blood pressure.

Durability of glycaemic efficacy over 2 years with dapagliflozin versus glipizide as add-on therapies in patients whose type 2 diabetes mellitus is inadequately controlled with metformin.

AIMS: To assess the long-term glycaemic durability, safety and tolerability of dapagliflozin versus glipizide as add-on therapies in patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled by metformin alone. METHODS: This was a 52-week, randomised, double-blind study of dapagliflozin (n = 406) versus glipizide (n = 408), uptitrated over 18 weeks according to tolerability and glycaemic response to a maximum of 10 and 20 mg/day, respectively, as add-on therapies to metformin (≥ 1500 mg/day) with a 156-week double-blind extension period. Data over 104 weeks are reported here. RESULTS: In total, 53.1% of patients completed 104 weeks of treatment. After the greater initial decrease (0-18 weeks) in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) with glipizide, the 18-104-week HbA1c coefficient of failure (CoF) was lower with dapagliflozin (0.13%/year) than with glipizide (0.59%/year), resulting in significant dapagliflozin versus glipizide differences of -0.46%/year (95% CI -0.60,-0.33; p = 0.0001) for CoF and -0.18%(-2.0 mmol/mol) [95% CI -0.33(-3.6),-0.03(-0.3); p = 0.021] for 104-week HbA1c. Dapagliflozin produced sustained reductions in weight and systolic blood pressure, whereas glipizide increased weight and systolic blood pressure, giving 104-week dapagliflozin versus glipizide differences of -5.1 kg (95% CI: -5.7,-4.4) and -3.9 mmHg (95% CI: -6.1,-1.7), respectively. Over 104 weeks, the hypoglycaemia rate was 10-fold lower with dapagliflozin than with glipizide (4.2 vs. 45.8%), whereas patient proportions with events suggestive of genital infection and of urinary tract infection (UTI) were greater with dapagliflozin (14.8 and 13.5%, respectively) than with glipizide (2.9 and 9.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Over 2 years, compared with glipizide, dapagliflozin demonstrated greater glycaemic durability, sustained reductions in weight and systolic blood pressure and a low hypoglycaemia rate; however, genital infections and UTIs occurred more frequently.

Health-related quality of life (EQ-5D) among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients treated with dapagliflozin over 2 years.

AIMS: This study evaluated health status and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated with dapagliflozin, a highly selective sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor that lowers blood glucose by increasing glucose excretion, in a double-blind, randomised clinical trial. METHODS: Subjects with T2DM who had inadequate glycaemic control on metformin alone were enrolled in a 24-week, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study with a 78-week extension period to evaluate the effect of dapagliflozin in combination with metformin. Subjects treated with dapagliflozin 10 mg + metformin (n = 89) were compared with subjects treated with placebo + metformin (n = 91) at baseline and at weeks 24, 50 and 102. EQ-5D change from baseline was derived from a repeated-measures mixed model, adjusting for baseline EQ-5D, treatment group, time point and use of rescue medication. RESULTS: Mean (SD) EQ-5D index was 0.85 (0.16) and 0.82 (0.15) at baseline and 0.85 (0.19) and 0.84 (0.19) at week 102 for dapagliflozin and placebo, respectively. The model indicated no change over 102 weeks in EQ-5D index scores in either treatment group. Mean (SD) EQ-5D visual analogue scale (VAS) was 72.5 (19.5) and 73.7 (15.6) at baseline and 79.8 (13.3) and 78.2 (12.1) at week 102 for dapagliflozin and placebo, respectively. The model indicated similar small improvements in EQ-5D VAS scores in both groups over 102 weeks. CONCLUSION: Patients maintained high HRQOL scores from baseline through week 102 in both treatment groups. Dapagliflozin, a novel SGLT2 inhibitor, did not adversely affect HRQOL over 2 years of treatment.

Dapagliflozin maintains glycaemic control while reducing weight and body fat mass over 2 years in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus inadequately controlled on metformin.

AIMS: Dapagliflozin, a highly selective inhibitor of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), reduces hyperglycaemia and weight in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by increasing urinary glucose excretion. Long-term glycaemic control, body composition and bone safety were evaluated in patients with T2DM after 102 weeks of dapagliflozin treatment. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (NCT00855166) enrolled patients with T2DM [mean: age 60.7 years; HbA1c 7.2%; body mass index (BMI) 31.9 kg/m(2) ; body weight 91.5 kg] inadequately controlled on metformin. Patients (N = 182) were randomly assigned 1 : 1 to receive dapagliflozin 10 mg/day or placebo added to open-label metformin for a 24-week double-blind treatment period followed by a 78-week site- and patient-blinded extension period. At week 102, changes from baseline in HbA1c, weight, waist circumference, total body fat mass as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), serum markers of bone turnover, bone mineral density (BMD) as measured by DXA, and adverse events were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 140 patients (76.9%) completed the study. Over 102 weeks, dapagliflozin-treated patients showed reductions in HbA1c by -0.3%, weight by -4.54 kg, waist circumference by -5.0 cm and fat mass by -2.80 kg without increase in rate of hypoglycaemia. Compared with placebo, no meaningful changes from baseline in markers of bone turnover or BMD were identified over 102 weeks. One fracture occurred in each treatment group. The frequency of urinary tract infection (UTI) and genital infection was similar in both treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: Over 102 weeks, dapagliflozin improved glycaemic control, and reduced weight and fat mass, without affecting markers of bone turnover or BMD in patients with T2DM inadequately controlled on metformin.

Dapagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes receiving high doses of insulin: efficacy and safety over 2 years.

AIMS: Dapagliflozin, a selective inhibitor of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), has been shown to improve glycaemic control, stabilize insulin dosing and mitigate insulin-associated weight gain over 48 weeks in patients whose type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was inadequately controlled despite high doses of insulin. Here the efficacy and safety of dapagliflozin therapy after a total of 104 weeks are evaluated in this population. METHODS: This was a 24-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, multicentre trial followed by two site- and patient-blinded extension periods of 24 and 56 weeks (NCT00673231), respectively. A total of 808 patients, whose T2DM was inadequately controlled on insulin ≥30 IU/day, with or without up to two oral antidiabetic drugs, were randomly assigned to receive placebo or 2.5, 5 or 10 mg/day of dapagliflozin for 104 weeks. At 48 weeks, patients on dapagliflozin 5 mg were switched to 10 mg. Outcomes over 104 weeks included change from baseline in HbA1c, insulin dose and body weight; analyses used observed cases and included data after insulin up-titration. Adverse events (AEs) were evaluated throughout 104 weeks. RESULTS: Five hundred and thirteen patients (63.6%) completed the study. Mean HbA1c changes from baseline at 104 weeks were -0.4% in the placebo group and -0.6 to -0.8% in the dapagliflozin groups. In the placebo group, mean insulin dose increased by 18.3 IU/day and weight increased by 1.8 kg at 104 weeks, whereas in the dapagliflozin groups, insulin dose was stable and weight decreased by 0.9-1.4 kg. AEs, including hypoglycaemia, were balanced across groups. Proportions of patients with events suggestive of genital infection and of urinary tract infection (UTI) were higher with dapagliflozin versus placebo (genital infection 7.4-14.3% vs. 3.0%; UTI 8.4-13.8% vs. 5.6%) but most occurred in the first 24 weeks and most were single episodes that responded to routine management. CONCLUSIONS: Dapagliflozin improved glycaemic control, stabilized insulin dosing and reduced weight without increasing major hypoglycaemic episodes over 104 weeks in patients whose T2DM was inadequately controlled on insulin. However, rates of genital infection and of UTI were elevated with dapagliflozin therapy.

[Long-term efficacy of dapagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus receiving high doses of insulin]. / Langzeitwirkung von Dapagliflozin bei Typ-2-Diabetikern unter hoch dosierter Insulintherapie.

BACKGROUND: Dapagliflozin, a selective inhibitor of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2, may improve glycemic control with a lower dose of insulin and attenuate the associated weight gain in patients with inadequate control despite high doses of insulin. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of adding dapagliflozin therapy in patients whose type 2 diabetes mellitus is inadequately controlled with insulin with or without oral antidiabetic drugs. DESIGN: A 24-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial followed by a 24-week extension period. An additional 56-week extension period is ongoing. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00673231). SETTING: 126 centers in Europe and North America from 30 April 2008 to 19 November 2009. PATIENTS: 808 patients with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus receiving at least 30 U of insulin daily, with or without up to 2 oral antidiabetic drugs. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1:1 ratio and allocated with a computer-generated scheme to receive placebo or 2.5, 5, or 10 mg of dapagliflozin, once daily, for 48 weeks. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was change in hemoglobin A1c from baseline to 24 weeks. Secondary outcomes included changes in body weight, insulin dose, and fasting plasma glucose level at 24 weeks and during the 24-week extension period. Adverse events were evaluated throughout both 24-week periods. RESULTS: 800 patients were analyzed. After 24 weeks, mean hemoglobin A1c decreased by 0.79 % to 0.96 % with dapagliflozin compared with 0.39 % with placebo (mean difference, -0.40 % [95 % CI, -0.54 % to -0.25 %] in the 2.5-mg group, -0.49 % [CI, -0.65 % to -0.34 %] in the 5-mg group, and -0.57 % [CI, -0.72 % to -0.42 %] in the 10-mg group). Daily insulin dose decreased by 0.63 to 1.95 U with dapagliflozin and increased by 5.65 U with placebo (mean difference, -7.60 U [CI, -10.32 to -4.87 U] in the 2.5-mg group, -6.28 U [CI, -8.99 to -3.58 U] in the 5-mg group, and -6.82 U [CI, -9.56 to -4.09 U] in the 10-mg group). Body weight decreased by 0.92 to 1.61 kg with dapagliflozin and increased by 0.43 kg with placebo (mean differences, -1.35 kg [CI, -1.90 to -0.80 kg] in the 2.5-mg group, -1.42 kg [CI, -1.97 to -0.88 kg] in the 5-mg group, and -2.04 kg [CI, -2.59 to -1.48 kg] in the 10-mg group). These effects were maintained at 48 weeks. Compared with the placebo group, patients in the pooled dapagliflozin groups had a higher rate of hypoglycemic episodes (56.6 % vs. 51.8 %), events suggesting genital infection (9.0 % vs. 2.5 %), and events suggesting urinary tract infection (9.7 % vs. 5.1 %). LIMITATION: Insulin doses were not titrated to target, and the study was not designed to evaluate long-term safety. CONCLUSION: Dapagliflozin improves glycemic control, stabilizes insulin dosing, and reduces weight without increasing major hypoglycemic episodes in patients with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Dapagliflozin has no effect on markers of bone formation and resorption or bone mineral density in patients with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus on metformin.

AIMS: Dapagliflozin, a selective sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, reduces hyperglycaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) by increasing urinary glucose excretion. Owing to its mechanism of action, dapagliflozin could potentially affect the renal tubular transportation of bone minerals. Therefore, markers of bone formation and resorption and bone mineral density (BMD) were evaluated in patients with T2DM after 50 weeks of dapagliflozin treatment. METHODS: This international, multi-centre, randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00855166) enrolled patients with T2DM (women 55-75 years and men 30-75 years; HbA1c 6.5-8.5%; BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2) ; body weight ≤ 120 kg) whose T2DM was inadequately controlled on metformin. One hundred and eighty-two patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive dapagliflozin 10 mg/day or placebo added to open-label metformin for a 24-week double-blind treatment period followed by a 78-week site- and patient-blinded extension period. At week 50, serum markers of bone formation (procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide; P1NP) and resorption (C-terminal cross-linking telopeptides of type I collagen; CTX), bone mineral density (BMD) as assessed by standardized Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) measurements and adverse events of fracture were evaluated as safety objectives. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-five patients (90.7%) completed the first 50 weeks. Compared with placebo, no significant changes from baseline in P1NP, CTX or BMD were identified over 50 weeks of dapagliflozin treatment, with no significant treatment-by-gender interactions. No fractures were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Dapagliflozin had no effect on markers of bone formation and resorption or BMD after 50 weeks of treatment in both male and post-menopausal female patients whose T2DM was inadequately controlled on metformin.

Helicobacter pylori and early duodenal ulcer status post-treatment: a review.

BACKGROUND: Data submitted to the FDA were reviewed to analyze the relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and the incidence of early duodenal ulcers, within 6 weeks, following treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analyzes were performed on data from three H. pylori development programs submitted to the FDA: ranitidine-bismuth-citrate (RBC), lansoprazole (L) and omeprazole (O). Efficacy assessments for the RBC, L and O programs were made at end of a 4-week treatment period, 4-6 weeks following the end of a 14-day treatment period, and 4 weeks following the end of a 4-week treatment period, respectively. RESULTS: Overall, there was a 15%, 21% and 23% decrease in the number of patients in the RBC, L and O programs, respectively, with ulcers among H. pylori cleared/eradicated patients post-treatment compared with patients with persistent infection. Among patients who did not have cleared/eradicated H. pylori in the RBC and O programs, where antisecretory agents were continued beyond the antimicrobial treatment period, the number of ulcers was lower in the antisecretory plus antimicrobial subgroups compared with the antimicrobial alone subgroups (37% vs. 46% for RBC and 33% vs. 42% for O). Among patients with cleared/eradicated H. pylori, the number of patients with ulcers in the antimicrobial alone subgroups and antisecretory plus antimicrobial subgroups were similar within each program. Antimicrobials alone had significantly lower rates of ulcers among patients with cleared/eradicated H. pylori as compared with patients without clearance/eradication. CONCLUSIONS: The early incidence of duodenal ulcers is significantly decreased in patients with H. pylori clearance/eradication.

Endoscopic biopsy requirements for post-treatment diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori.

BACKGROUND: Data on sensitivities of biopsy tests for Helicobacter pylori diagnosis after modern eradication therapy are limited. We assessed diagnostic yield of endoscopic biopsy tests before and after therapy in 2 U.S. multicenter double-blind trials of 10-day proton pump inhibitor-based triple therapy versus dual antibiotic therapy. METHODS: Three hundred one patients with duodenal ulcer and H pylori infection had endoscopy at baseline and at 8 weeks. Four antral and 3 body biopsies were taken at both endoscopies: 1 antral biopsy for a rapid urease test (CLOtest), 2 antral and 2 body biopsies for histologic examination (Genta stain), and 1 antral and 1 body biopsy for culture. RESULTS: The 2 same-site biopsies (antral or body) for histologic examination were in agreement in 97% of cases before treatment and 100% after triple therapy. Histologic examination of antral biopsies without body biopsies missed H pylori infection in 2% of patients before treatment and 5% after triple therapy. Posttreatment sensitivities for triple therapy were significantly lower than pretreatment sensitivities for all tests (e. g., 18% decrease in sensitivity in antral histology, 22% decrease in antral culture); decreases in sensitivity were greater after triple therapy than after the less effective dual therapy. CLOtest plus histology had a post-treatment sensitivity of 96% in the triple therapy group. CONCLUSIONS: A single antral biopsy for histology provides excellent sensitivity for H pylori in untreated patients, but, after effective therapy, sensitivities of biopsy tests decrease. Use of more than one method of testing may increase diagnostic yield when assessing post-treatment H pylori status with endoscopy, whereas the addition of multiple biopsies for each type of test is of more limited value.

Esomeprazole-based Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy and the effect of antibiotic resistance: results of three US multicenter, double-blind trials.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy of once-daily esomeprazole plus antibiotics for eradication of Helicobacter pylori, to assess the effect of antibiotic resistance on eradication rate, and to define the rate of emergent resistance. METHODS: Three separate randomized trials were performed in H. pylori-positive patients with a duodenal ulcer or history of documented duodenal ulcer within 5 yrs: 1) esomeprazole (40 mg once daily), amoxicillin (1 g b.i.d.), and clarithromycin (500 mg b.i.d.; this combination will be referred to as EAC) versus esomeprazole (40 mg once daily) plus clarithromycin (500 mg twice daily; this combination will be referred to as EC); 2) EAC versus esomeprazole (40 mg once daily; E); and 3) EC versus E. Therapy was given for 10 days. Endoscopy and biopsies for CLOtest, histology, and culture with susceptibility testing were done at baseline and 4 wk after completion of therapy. RESULTS: Per-protocol and intent-to-treat eradication rates, respectively, were as follows. For EAC versus EC in study 1 (N = 448), 84 versus 55% and 77 versus 52% (p < 0.001); for EAC versus E in study 2 (N = 98), 85 versus 5% and 78 versus 4% (p < 0.001); for EC versus E in study 3 (N = 66), 50% versus 0 and 46% versus 0 (p < 0.05). The 15% of patients in the combined studies with baseline clarithromycin resistance had significantly lower rates of eradication than those with susceptible strains (EAC: 45 vs. 89%; EC: 13 vs. 61%). Emergent resistance was less common after treatment with EAC [2/6 (33%)] than with EC (23/27 [85%]). CONCLUSIONS: Ten-day triple therapy with once-daily esomeprazole plus twice-daily amoxicillin and clarithromycin achieves an eradication rate virtually identical to that of the twice-daily proton pump inhibitor-based triple therapies. Baseline clarithromycin resistance, present in 15% of patients, predicts a markedly decreased rate. Use of an amoxicillin-containing regimen may decrease emergence of clarithromycin resistance.

Performance traits, hoof mineral composition, and hoof characteristics of bulls in a 112-day postweaning feedlot performance test.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate relations between hoof and performance data from bulls fed in a 112-day standardized postweaning feedlot performance test. ANIMALS AND DESIGN: Breeds included were Angus (n = 20), Brangus (n = 19), Hereford (n = 31), and Simmental (n = 53). Hoof measurements, scores, and a 0.5-g hoof tissue sample were obtained from the right forefoot of bulls on days 1 and 112 of 4 tests conducted in 3 locations in Arkansas. Data were analyzed, using least squares ANOVA. The model used included an overall mean, breed, farm of origin within breed, initial age, and initial weight within breed and residual. Residual and canonical correlations of the traits studied were calculated. RESULTS: Residual correlations were found between some hoof minerals. Canonical correlations between performance traits and hoof minerals, between hoof characteristics and hoof minerals, and between hoof characteristics and performance traits were 0.62 and 0.45 (P < 0.005), 0.54 and 0.40 (P < 0.05), and 0.56 (P < 0.01) and 0.26 (P > 0.05), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that a relation exists between performance traits and hoof mineral composition and hoof characteristics and mineral composition. The visual scoring system for these data did not genetically separate bulls on the basis of claw quality. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: By selecting bulls with high claw quality, cattle producers are decreasing the chances of premature culling because of hoof laminitis. Therefore, by obtaining hoof measurements and mineral composition in a feedlot performance test, producers should have the tools to select bulls for increased lifetime performance.

New salary system supports changing culture.

Changing job classification, salary administration and benefits programs for the sake of change can create considerable problems in an organization. However, as the organizational culture changes, these HR systems need to adjust to help the process. Associate involvement requires considerable planning, time and effort, but the results often prove worthwhile. As the company moves into the future, this involvement process or something similar will help shape other human resource programs.