Health parameters and their association with price in young calves sold at auction for veal operations in Québec, Canada.

The veal calf industry in Québec depends on young calves' availability at auction. Most of these calves come from dairy farms. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the effect of clinical anomalies and other calf characteristics on their sale price. A total of 3,820 calves from 5 different auctions were included in this observational study. The calves were examined by a veterinarian on arrival at the auction and screened for umbilical anomalies, the presence of nasal or eye discharge, joint abnormality, diarrhea, appearance of neonatal characteristics (compatible with age less than 1 wk), and general health status mainly based on the presence of depression and dehydration. The final multivariable model included 5 different variables (calf weight, sex, breed, abnormal joints, and general health status) and the interaction between sex and general health status. The presence of abnormal joints and unhealthy characteristics was negatively associated with standardized price. Female calves and mixed breed beef calves were positively associated with standardized price. Finally, the calves' weight was associated with standardized price in a quadratic fashion. Ongoing or previous diarrhea had no effects on standardized price. This study will be helpful for both dairy and veal producers for improving the quality of calves sold to the Québec auction market.

A multicharge ion source (Supernanogan) for the OLIS facility at ISAC/TRIUMF.

The Off-Line Ion Source (OLIS) [K. Jayamanna, D. Yuan, T. Kuo, M. MacDonald, P. Schmor, and G. Dutto, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 67, 1061 (1996); K. Jayamanna, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 79, 02711 (2008)] facility consists of a high voltage terminal containing a microwave cusp ion source, either a surface ion source or a hybrid surface-arc discharge ion source [K. Jayamanna and C. Vockenhuber, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 79, 02C712 (2008)], and an electrostatic switch that allows the selection of any one of the sources without mechanical intervention. These sources provide a variety of +1 beams up to mass 30 for Isotope Separator and ACcelerator (ISAC) [R. E. Laxdal, Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. B 204, 400 (2003)] experiments, commissioning the accelerators, setting up the radioactive experiments, and for tuning the beam lines. The radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) [M. Marchetto, Z. T. Ang, K. Jayamanna, R. E. Laxdal, A. Mitra, and V. Zvyagintsev, Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 150, 241 (2005)] injector accelerator is a constant velocity machine designed to accept only 2 keV/u and the source extraction energy is limited to 60 kV. Further stripping is then needed downstream of the RFQ to inject the beam into the drift tube linac [M. Marchetto, Z. T. Ang, K. Jayamanna, R. E. Laxdal, A. Mitra, and V. Zvyagintsev, Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 150, 241 (2005)] accelerator that requires A/q up to 6. Base on this constraints a multicharge ion source capable to deliver beams above mass 30 with A/q up to 6 was needed in order to reach full capability of the ISAC facility. A Supernanogan [C. Bieth et al., Nucleonika 48, S93 (2003)] multicharge ion source was then purchased from Pantechnik and was installed in the OLIS terminal. Commissioning and performance of the Supernanogan with some results such as emittance dependence of the charge states as well as charge state efficiencies are presented.

Laparoscopic colon surgery performed safely by general surgeons in a community hospital: a review of 154 consecutive cases.

BACKGROUND: The primary end point of this study was documentation of the feasibility, safety, and benefits of laparoscopic colon resection (LCR) performed by general surgeons in a community hospital. METHODS: The charts of 154 patients who underwent LCR between March 1998 and August 2003 by a group of three surgeons working in a community hospital were reviewed. Data extracted from the charts included patients' demographics, surgical indications and procedures, conversion rate, history, operative time, postoperative recovery time, and complication rates. RESULTS: Of the 154 patients, 70 were men. The mean age of the patients was 60 years. Overall, 62% of the patients had a history of prior abdominal surgery. In the majority of cases (77%), LCR was performed for benign disease. Segmental resection involving the left colon was performed for 122 patients, and right hemicolectomy was performed for 32 patients. The rates of conversion were 9.6% for open surgery and 12% for diverticulitis (n = 83). For LCR, the median operative time was 120 min, and the median hospital stay was 5 days. The complication rate was 21.6% for LCR, and the mortality rate was 2.1%. CONCLUSION: The outcomes for LCR performed by a team of general surgeons working together in a community hospital are similar to the historical results from academic health science centers.

The influence of the number of endoclips and of mesh incorporation on the strength of an experimental hernia patch repair.

The strength conferred to a mesh by fixing it with laparoscopic staples and the effects of tissue incorporation have never been quantified. Eighteen dogs were divided into three groups sacrificed at 2 days (5 dogs), 2 weeks (6 dogs), and 2 months (7 dogs). One 3.5- by 5-cm piece of abdominal wall was removed from each side through a median laparotomy, leaving the skin intact. A polypropylene mesh (5 by 7 cm) was fixed over one defect with four Endopath EMS staples (Ethicon Endo-surgery) and over the other with 16 EMS staples. At sacrifice, bursting strength (BS) was measured with an Instron tester and specimens were studied histologically. One-way analysis of variance and the Newmann-Keuls multiple-comparison test were used. BS tests showed that for each period studied, the strength of the repair performed with 16 staples was significantly higher than that obtained when four staples were applied. They also showed that tensile strength increased significantly in both groups as time elapsed. Light microscopy supported the conclusion that the initial strength of the repair was related to the number of clips and was significantly increased by cellular infiltration at 2 weeks and significantly more by collagen deposition at 2 months. At 2 months, BS was significantly higher in the 16-staples group, suggesting that initial fixation still plays a significant role.