Use of cervical spinal cord stimulation in treatment and prevention of arterial vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Technical details.

Based on past laboratory and anecdotal clinical experience, we hypothesized that prolonged cervical spinal cord stimulation (SCS) in the acute settings of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) would be both safe and feasible, and that 2-week stimulation will reduce incidence of cerebral arterial vasospasm. The goal of our clinical study was to establish feasibility and safety of cervical SCS in a small group of selected aSAH patients. Single-arm non-randomized prospective study of cSCS in aSAH patients involved percutaneous implantation of 8-contact electrode in 12 consecutive aSAH patients that satisfied strict inclusion criteria. The electrode insertion was performed immediately upon surgical or endovascular securing of the ruptured aneurysm while the patient was still under general anesthesia. Patients were stimulated for 14 consecutive days or until discharge. There were no complications related to the electrode insertion or to SCS during the study and no long-term side effects of SCS during 1-year follow-up. There was 1 unrelated death and two electrode pullouts. This article summarizes technical details of SCS electrode insertion and the stimulation parameters used in the research study. Our study of SCS for prevention of vasospasm after aSAH conclusively shows both safety and feasibility of this promising treatment approach. Despite high level of acuity in aSAH patients, impaired level of consciousness, frequent patient re-positioning, need in multiple tests and variety of monitors, SCS electrodes may be safely implanted and maintained for the two-week period. Long-term follow up shows no adverse effects of cervical SCS in this patient category.

Carcass composition in mature Hereford cows: estimation and effect on daily metabolizable energy requirement during winter.

Seventy-two mature, nonpregnant, nonlactating Hereford cows (400 kg) were utilized in a comparative slaughter trial to investigate the effects of carcass composition on the metabolizable energy (ME) required for maintenance in winter. Body condition score (CS), live weight (LW) and weight:height ratio (WTHT) were evaluated and compared as estimators of carcass composition in cows. Cows ranged in LW, CS and WTHT from 275 to 595 kg, 2.0 to 8.0 units and 2.29 to 4.62 kg/cm, respectively. Live weight, CS and WTHT predicted total carcass energy (TMCAL, r2 = .81, .85 and .83), carcass fat (FAT, r2 = .78, .82 and .80), carcass protein (PRO, r2 = .71, .74 and .70) and carcass water (WAT, r2 = .78, .71 and .77) with similar accuracy. When composition was expressed on a per unit weight basis, CS was superior to LW and WTHT as predictors of TMCAL/hot carcass weight, TMCAL/LW and FAT/hot carcass weight (r2 = .82, .60 and .64; .83, .58 and .62; and .82, .64 and .68, respectively). Forty-seven cows were individually fed a complete diet (2.50 Mcal ME/dry matter) in drylot for 114 d in yr 1 and 115 d in yr 2. Daily feed intakes were adjusted each week to maintain constant LW throughout the winter. Data were analyzed by fitting the model: ME intake = k-1 (carcass energy change) + f(CS)LW.75, where k = efficiency of ME use for carcass energy change and f(CS) = function of CS. Year as a class variable and the expression .1028 + .0234(CS) - .0025(CS)2 accounted for 41% of the variation in Mcal ME for maintenance/LW.75. Condition score was more closely related to carcass composition in mature cows than was LW or WTHT and cows in either a thin (CS = 3) condition or a fat (CS = 7) condition required less (4.4% and 8.9%) Mcal ME/LW.75 for maintenance than cows in moderate (CS = 5) condition.

Effects of feeding cooked ground beef on plasma lipid and apolipoprotein concentrations in male turkeys.

Two experiments with male turkeys were designed to study the effects of eating cooked ground beef on plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels. In both experiments, cooked ground beef from forage-finished cattle (F-Bf) and grain-finished cattle (G-Bf) were added at an average of 28.1 and 34.5 g of beef per 100 g of ration in order to provide 40% of the protein requirement. The experimental diets formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous were: 1) basal diet (negative control) in which soybean meal and corn oil served as protein and fat sources, respectively; 2) basal plus crystalline cholesterol (positive control) incorporated at 1 and 2% of the diet in trials 1 and 2, respectively; 3) basal plus F-Bf; 4) basal plus G-Bf. The polyunsaturated to saturated fat ratio averaged 3.45 for diets 1 and 2 and 0.17 for diets 3 and 4, respectively. At 16 weeks, consumption of diets 3 and 4 elevated (P less than 0.05) plasma triglyceride levels and phospholipid levels (trial 1). In trial 2, only diet 4 elevated (P less than 0.05) plasma phospholipid levels. In both trials, the beef diets did not significantly elevate plasma cholesterol and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels above the basal diet. However, the major apoprotein in the HDL fraction, apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), was increased (P less than 0.05) in the plasma of male turkeys fed the G-Bf diet in both trials and F-Bf diet in trial 1. Plasma apolipoprotein B (apoB), primarily found in low density lipoproteins (LDL), was increased (P less than 0.05) in one of the two trials by the inclusion of beef in the diet. There were no significant differences in plasma cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, apoA-I and apoB levels between the types of beef (F-Bf vs. G-Bf).