Feed-out rate used as a tool to manage the aerobic deterioration of corn silages in tropical and temperate climates.

There is an increasing recognition throughout the world that many of the feeding problems of dairy herds are linked to the presence of aerobically deteriorated parts on a silo face, causing farmers to pose questions on what amount of silage should be removed daily to feed their animals. Since an adequate feed-out rate helps to prevent silage spoilage, a simple tool is needed to manage the aerobic deterioration of corn silages during feed-out. The aims of this study were to develop an unloading rate index, which we have called the mass feed-out rate (MFR), expressed in kilograms of fresh matter silage unloaded daily per square meter of silo face, to better predict the aerobic deterioration of silage and to offer management solutions to help prevent spoilage, through a survey on 97 commercial dairy farms in Italy and Brazil. Silages were sampled and analyzed for their main microbial, fermentative, and nutritional characteristics, whereas silage temperatures were measured in the core and peripheral areas of the silo working face. Moreover, a detailed questionnaire on silo management and silage utilization was administered to the farmers during each farm visit. The size and silage density of the silos presented a wide variability in the 2 countries, thus indicating that different management practices were adopted during corn harvesting, silo filling, and silage compaction. The differences between pH and temperature in the peripheral areas and in the core of the silage (dpH and dT, respectively) were tested as a single indicator to identify any aerobic deteriorated areas on the silo face, associated with the yeast and mold counts. Both indicators correctly identified aerobic deterioration in 86.6% and 93.8% of the studied silos, respectively. The lactic acid and ethanol increased as the MFR increased, whereas the starch, dT, and the yeast and mold counts decreased with increasing MFR. A daily removal rate of over 250 kg of silage/m2 markedly reduced the risk of spoilage in corn silages at a farm level in both temperate and tropical environments. The new MFR index can substitute for the commonly used linear feed-out rate as it includes the silage density and can be obtained from 1 single recording.

Clinical evaluation of d-2-(6'-methoxy-2'-naphthyl)propionic acid (naproxen) in rheumatic conditions.

A double-blind, crossover trial with 40 patients suffering from classic or definite rheumatoid arthritis was undertaken to obtain a clinical evaluation of naproxen in the disease. Each patient received either naproxen (500 mg/day) or placebo for 20 days and was then switched to the other compound for 20 days. For final evaluation, 22 cases were eliminated for various reasons, leaving 18 patients: seven cases of classical rheumatoid arthritis and 11 cases of definite rheumatoid arthritis. Optimum or very good efficacy of the active compound was present in 66.6 per cent of the cases versus 11.1 per cent of the placebo group. Doubtful or nil activity was observed in 66.6 per cent of the cases receiving placebo versus 16.6 per cent for naproxen. In addition, of the 22 cases that were eliminated from the final evaluation, but which were seen for the first ten-day follow-up visit while taking the active drug, optimum or very good efficacy was seen in 13. Therefore, this trial showed that naproxen achieved antiinflammatory and analgesic activity far superior to that observed with placebo.