Do Colles' fracture patients benefit from routine referral to physiotherapy following cast removal?

Colles' fracture patients who received physiotherapy immediately following cast removal were compared with patients who received no active therapy following cast removal in a prospective randomised study. Patients who attended physiotherapy achieved significantly greater increases in wrist extension and grip strength after 6 weeks compared to patients who received no active therapy.

Effect of prolonged subclinical infection with Trichostrongylus colubriformis on the performance and nitrogen metabolism of growing lambs.

Ten 5-month-old lambs, reared free of parasites and prepared with abomasal and ileal cannulas, were paired and given rations of pelleted dried grass by means of continuous feeders. From 7 months of age one of each pair was dosed daily with 2500 Trichostrongylus colubriformis larvae for 34 weeks. An untreated animal served as a pair-fed control to each infected lamb. During 5 experimental periods (pre-infection, and Weeks 6-8, 12-14, 18-20 and 29-34 of dosing) measurements were made of the amounts of N leaving the small intestine, the digestibility of 35[S]-labelled microbial protein in the small intestine, and the amounts of plasma protein leaking into the digestive tract. The infection caused a growth check (P less than 0.05) from Week 6 to approximately Week 13 of dosing. This resulted from inappetence, but also from a disruption in the N digestion and metabolism of the lambs. There was a marked eosinophilia at this time. Measurements of ileal flow rates during Weeks 6 and 12 indicated that significantly more N flowed to the terminal ileum of infected lambs during this period (Week 6, 3.1 g N day-1 P less than 0.05; Week 12, 5.0 g N day-1 P less than 0.001). Plasma N leakage into the intestine during Weeks 8 and 14 was higher in infected lambs (1.2 g N day-1 P less than 0.01 and 0.9 g N day-1 P less than 0.05, respectively) but the digestibility of 35[S]-labelled microbial protein was depressed below that of the controls during the later part of this period, i.e. during Week 13. Continued larval challenge beyond this point caused a less severe nutritional penalty. Voluntary feed intake increased and the animals started to gain weight. The amount of extra N flowing to the terminal ileum of infected lambs was less at Week 18 of dosing (3.5 g N day-1 P less than 0.01) than it had been at Week 12. Similarly, extra plasma N leakage into the tract of infected lambs was less during Week 20 (0.26 g N day-1) than during Week 14. There was however, still a detectable reduction in the coefficient of digestibility of 35S microbial protein in infected lambs during Week 19. By Weeks 29-34 the only detectable difference between the infected and control lambs was in their eosinophil counts.

Comparison by experimental infections in cattle of a Dictyocaulus species occurring naturally in red deer and a dictyocaulus of bovine origin.

Dictyocaulus species larvae were obtained from young red deer which had become infected on pastures considered to be carrying the Dictyocaulus species indigenous to the red deer of Scotland. These larvae were cultured to third stage and transmitted to five bovine calves. Five other bovine calves were infected with third stage Dictyocaulus viviparus larvae of bovine origin. Microscopic appearances of both groups of larvae were indistinguishable and their lengths were similar. Results indicated that the Dictyocaulus species derived from deer induced milder though similar clinical and pathological responses in cattle than did the D viviparus derived from cattle. It was concluded that there are strains of different pathogenicity within the species D viviparus, that the deer derived Dictyocaulus species was a strain of D viviparus, and that the hazards to animal health associated with infection by D viviparus in farming systems where red deer and cattle may graze alternately are likely to be acceptable.

Naturally occurring parasitic bronchitis in red deer: effect of vaccination using live bovine lungworm vaccine.

Fifteen red deer calves were put to pasture in two groups, at the same set stocking rates, one group of 10 and one of five, in separate but adjoining enclosures likely to be carrying infective stage larvae of dictyocaulus naturally parasitising the red deer of Scotland. The group of 10 had been vaccinated with a live, bovine lungworm oral vaccine; the group of five had not. Results did not indicate any advantage to the vaccinated deer in weight gain or general health but they excreted fewer dictyocaulus larvae. The findings, although based on only a few animals, support the conclusion that vaccination of red deer would not give them increased protection against the establishment of naturally occurring dictyocaulus infection although it would enhance the suppression of larval production.

Larvae of Elaphostrongylus cervi in the deer of Scotland.

Protostrongylid larvae were recovered from the faeces or lungs of red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Scotland during 1981. Typical protostrongylid first-stage larvae were also recovered from possible intermediate hosts, the grey field slug (Agriolimax reticulata) and the white-soled slug (Arion fasciatus). All these protostrongylid larvae were microscopically identical to those of the nematode Elaphostrongylus cervi. Despite careful search, adult E cervi were not found, but it is concluded that infection with E cervi is widespread in Scottish deer.

Experimental infections with Dictyocaulus viviparus in vaccinated and unvaccinated red deer.

Four of eight red deer calves which had been artificially reared and were lungworm free were vaccinated with bovine lungworm oral vaccine when eight weeks old; the other four were not vaccinated. Three of each category were challenged daily with 500 Dictyocaulus viviparus infective stage larvae per kg liveweight for 17 days when six months old while one in each category was left as an unchallenged control. The effects of challenge were monitored and all challenged deer and one control were killed for post mortem assessment. Challenge with D viviparus was associated with reduced food intakes and weight gains but vaccinated calves were less affected than unvaccinated ones. The reaction of the alveolar tissue of red deer lung to D viviparus was mild in vaccinated and unvaccinated animals and differed from that of bovine lung in that alveolar epithelialisation was limited and hyaline membrane formation and interstitial emphysema were not seen. The disease was most evident in and around airways and was less in vaccinated calves. It was concluded that young red deer are tolerant to D viviparus but will readily acquire infection.