Performance, carcass traits and costs of Suffolk lambs finishing systems with early weaning and controlled suckling

The performance, carcass traits and finishing costs of Suffolk lambs were evaluated in three systems: (1) lambs weaned with 22 kg of body weight (BW) and supplemented with concentrate on pasture until slaughter; (2) lambs weaned with 22 kg BW and fed in feedlot until slaughter; (3) lambs maintained in controlled nursing after 22 kg BW and creep fed in feedlot until slaughter. Average daily gain (ADG) was 224 g/d for lambs weaned and supplemented with concentrate on pasture, 386 g/d for lambs weaned in feedlot and 481 g/d for lambs under controlled nursing. Empty body weight and visceral fat deposition were highest in lambs from feedlot systems. Carcass weights and carcass yields were highest for lambs in controlled nursing. Finishing total costs were highest in controlled nursing and lowest in the system with weaning in feedlot. High concentrate diet associated with controlled nursing in feedlot allowed lambs to reach the growth potential and carcasses with higher weights, higher yields and higher fat content. After weaning, lambs in feedlot fed with high concentrate diet had higher weight gain than lambs supplemented with concentrate on pasture. Carcasses produced under these two systems presented the same characteristics. The system with weaning in feedlot showed the lowest cost per kg carcass.

Selection of anthracnose resistant common beans using detached leaves in partially controlled environment

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the possibility of selecting anthracnose resistant common bean plants using detached primary leaves in partially controlled environment of a greenhouse and identify differences in the reaction of genotypes to anthracnose. The common bean cultivars Ouro Negro, OuroVermelho, ManteigãoFosco 11, Rudá, Rudá-R, VP8, BRSMG Madrepérola, Pérola, MeiaNoite and BRSMG Talismãwere characterizedfor resistance to the races 65, 81 and 453 of Colletotrichum lindemuthianum and the method of detached primary leaves was compared to the method with the traditional inoculation of plants at the phenological stage V2. The lines Rudá, Rudá-R and Pérola were inoculated with the races 65 and 453 of C. lindemuthianum, aiming to assess the rate of coincidence of anthracnose severity by both inoculation methods. In general, the two methods presented similar results for the reaction of the cultivars. The use of detached primary leaves of common bean plants in the partially controlled environment was feasible for selection of plants resistant to anthracnose and has the advantages of low-needed infrastructure and reduction of resources, space and time.

Productivity of irrigated beans due to sources of stabilized nitrogen fertilizer and controlled release

ABSTRACT New nitrogen fertilizers are available in the market actually, however, does not have results on the efficiency of the Cerrado conditions. With that objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of urea including stabilized and controlled release urea on yield of irrigated common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L) in no-tillage system. The experiment was conducted in the winter crop, at Embrapa Arroz e Feijão, in Santo Antônio de Goiás, State of Goiás, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with five replicates. Treatments consisted of five N sources (urea, urea + NBPT, urea + polymer, ammonium sulphate, and ammonium nitrate) and a control (without N) being applied 20 kg ha-1 of N at sowing and 80 kg ha-1 onf N in topdressing. We evaluated the chlorophyll content in leaves of common beans, the leaf N content and dry mass weight (MSPA) in the flowering of common beans, the number of pods per plant, number of grains per pod, mass of 100 grains, grain yield and final stand of the common beans. The sources of nitrogen fertilizer did not influence, leaf N content, the mass of MSPA and the relative chlorophyll index of common beans. The use of polymerized urea and urea with urease inhibitor, did not produce increases in the number of grains per pod, number of pods per plant, mass of 100 grains and common beans yield compared to traditional sources of N, urea, ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate.

Reactogenicity of yellow fever vaccines in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: To compare the reactogenicity of three yellow fever (YF) vaccines from WHO-17D and Brazilian 17DD substrains (different seed-lots) and placebo. METHODS: The study involved 1,087 adults eligible for YF vaccine in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Vaccines produced by Bio-Manguinhos, Fiocruz (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) were administered ("day 0") following standardized procedures adapted to allow blinding and blocked randomization of participants to coded vaccine types. Adverse events after immunization were ascertained in an interview and in diary forms filled in by each participant. Liver enzymes were measured on days 0, 4-20 and 30 of the study. Viremia levels were measured on days 4 to 20 of follow-up. The immune response was verified through serologic tests. RESULTS: Participants were mostly young males. The seroconversion rate was above 98% among those seronegative before immunization. Compared to placebo, the excess risk of any local adverse events ranged from 0.9% to 2.5%, whereas for any systemic adverse events it ranged from 3.5% to 7.4% across vaccine groups. The excess risk of events leading to search for medical care or to interruption of work activities ranged from 2% to 4.5%. Viremia was detected in 3%-6% of vaccinees up to 10 days after vaccination. Variations in liver enzyme levels after vaccination were similar in placebo and vaccine recipients. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of adverse events post-immunization against YF, accounting for the background occurrence of nonspecific signs and symptoms, was shown for the first time to be similar for vaccines from 17D and 17DD substrains. The data also provided evidence against viscerotropism of vaccine virus.

Hepatitis B vaccine in infants: a randomized controlled trial comparing gluteal versus anterolateral thigh muscle administration

A significantly diminished antibody response to hepatitis B vaccine has been demonstrated in adults when the buttock is used as the injection site. However, in Brazil, the buttock continues to be recommended as site of injection for intramuscular administration of vaccines in infants. In this age group, there are no controlled studies evaluating the immunogenicity of the hepatitis B vaccine when administered at this site. In the present study, 258 infants were randomized to receive the hepatitis B vaccine either in the buttock (n = 123) or in the anterolateral thigh muscle (n = 135). The immunization schedule consisted of three doses of hepatitis B vaccine (Engerix Bâ, 10 mug) at 2, 4 and 9 months of age. There were no significant differences in the proportion of seroconversion (99.3% x 99.2%), or in the geometric mean titer of ELISA anti-HBs (1,862.1 x 1,229.0 mIU/mL) between the two groups. This study demonstrates that a satisfactory serological response can be obtained when the hepatitis B vaccine is administered intramuscularly into the buttock.

Penicillin at the late stage of leptospirosis: a randomized controlled trial

There is evidence that an early start of penicillin reduces the case-fatality rate of leptospirosis and that chemoprophylaxis is efficacious in persons exposed to the sources of leptospira. The existent data, however, are inconsistent regarding the benefit of introducing penicillin at a late stage of leptospirosis. The present study was developed to assess whether the introduction of penicillin after more than four days of symptoms reduces the in-hospital case-fatality rate of leptospirosis. A total of 253 patients aged 15 to 76 years with advanced leptospirosis, i.e., more than four days of symptoms, admitted to an infectious disease hospital located in Salvador, Brazil, were selected for the study. The patients were randomized to one of two treatment groups: with intravenous penicillin, 6 million units day (one million unit every four hours) for seven days (n = 125) and without (n = 128) penicillin. The main outcome was death during hospitalization. The case-fatality rate was approximately twice as high in the group treated with penicillin (12%; 15/125) than in the comparison group (6.3%; 8/128). This difference pointed in the opposite direction of the study hypothesis, but was not statistically significant (p = 0.112). Length of hospital stay was similar between the treatment groups. According to the results of the present randomized clinical trial initiation of penicillin in patients with severe forms of leptospirosis after at least four days of symptomatic leptospirosis is not beneficial. Therefore, more attention should be directed to prevention and earlier initiation of the treatment of leptospirosis.

Enterobius vermicularis infection is well controlled among preschool children in nurseries of Taipei City, Taiwan

INTRODUCTION: Whether Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm) infections among preschool children in Taipei City had truly declined was investigated. METHODS: A total of 6,661 preschool children from 28 nurseries were randomly selected from 4 major geographic districts in Taipei City to examine the status of pinworm infection by using adhesive thin cellophane tape swab method. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of pinworm infection was 0.5% (30/6,661). Boys (0.6%; 21/3,524) had higher prevalence than girls (0.3%; 9/3,137) (p=0.06). Southern district (0.6%; 10/1,789) showed insignificantly higher prevalence than Western district (0.2%; 1/606) (p=0.22). CONCLUSIONS: Pinworm screening program remains necessary for some parts of Taipei City.

Long term (five-year) survival following radical surgical treatment plus adjuvant chemotherapy (FAM) in advanced gastric cancer: a controlled study

Several drugs and their associations are being used for adjuvant or complementary chemotherapy with the aim of improving results of gastric cancer treatment. The objective of this study was to verify the impact of these drugs on nutrition and on survival rate after radical treatment of 53 patients with gastric cancer in stage III of the TNM classification. A control group including 28 patients who had only undergone radical resection was compared to a group of 25 patients who underwent the same operative technique followed by adjuvant polychemotherapy with FAM (5-fluorouracil, Adriamycin, and mitomycin C). In this latter group, chemotherapy toxicity in relation to hepatic, renal, cardiologic, neurological, hematologic, gastrointestinal, and dermatological functions was also studied. There was no significant difference on admission between both groups in relation to gender, race, macroscopic tumoral type of tumor according to the Borrmann classification, location of the tumor in the stomach, length of the gastric resection, or response to cutaneous tests on delayed sensitivity. Chemotherapy was started on average, 2.3 months following surgical treatment. Clinical and laboratory follow-up of all patients continued for 5 years. The following conclusions were reached: 1) The nutritional status and incidence of gastrointestinal manifestation were similar in both groups; 2) There was no occurrence of cardiac, renal, neurological, or hepatic toxicity or death due to the chemotherapeutic method per se; 3) Dermatological alterations and hematological toxicity occurred exclusively in patients who underwent polychemotherapy; 4) There was no significant difference between the rate and site of tumoral recurrence, the disease-free interval, or the survival rate of both study groups; 5) Therefore, we concluded, after a 5-year follow-up, chemotherapy with the FAM regimen did not increase the survival rate.

Effects of carvedilol in heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy. Results of a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study (CARIBE study)

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of carvedilol in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. METHODS: In a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study, 30 patients (7 women) with functional class II and III heart failure were assessed. Their ages ranged from 28 to 66 years (mean of 43±9 years), and their left ventricular ejection fraction varied from 8% to 35%. Carvedilol was added to the usual therapy of 20 patients; placebo was added to the usual therapy of 10 patients. The initial dose of carvedilol was 12.5 mg, which was increased weekly until it reached 75 mg/day, according to the patient's tolerance. Clinical assessment, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, and radionuclide ventriculography were performed in the pretreatment phase, being repeated after 2 and 6 months of medication use. RESULTS: A reduction in heart rate (p=0.016) as well as an increase in left ventricular shortening fraction (p=0.02) and in left ventricular ejection fraction (p=0.017) occurred in the group using carvedilol as compared with that using placebo. CONCLUSION: Carvedilol added to the usual therapy for heart failure resulted in better heart function.

Therapy of tungiasis: a double-blinded randomized controlled trial with oral ivermectin

Tungiasis is an ectoparasitosis causing considerable pathology in endemic areas. Standard therapy consists of removing the embedded parasite with a sterile needle. There is no effective chemotherapy at hand. To fill this gap, a double-blinded randomized controlled trial with oral ivermectin was conducted. A total of 54 individuals (27 in the placebo group, 27 in the ivermectin group) was followed up for seven days. They presented a total of 192 lesions. Patients received either ivermectin (300 µg/kg body weight at a single dose, repeated after 24 h) or placebo. Outcome measures included the clinical stage of lesion, presence of erythema, pain, itching, signs of viability of the parasite, and total lysis of flea. The ratio of fleas with total lysis per total number of fleas was slightly higher in the ivermectin group; however, this difference was not statistically significant. There was no significant difference in any of the other outcome measures between the treatment and the placebo group. The results show that oral ivermectin is without any clinically significant efficacy against embedded sand fleas at the dose given.

Clinical and laboratory status of patients with chronic Chagas disease living in a vector-controlled area in Minas Gerais, Brazil, before and nine years after aetiological treatment

Twenty-eight Chagas disease patients (CD), 22 with the indeterminate clinical form (IND) and six with the cardiac or digestive form (CARD/DIG), were treated with benznidazole and underwent clinical and laboratorial analysis before (IND and CARD/DIG) and nine years after [patients after treatment (CDt), patients with the indeterminate clinical form at treatment onset (INDt) and with the cardiac or digestive form at treatment onset (CARD/DIGt)] treatment. The data demonstrate that 82.1% of CDt patients (23/28) remained clinically stable and 95.4% of the INDt (21/22) and 33.3% of the CARD/DIGt (2/6) patients showed unaltered physical and laboratorial examinations. The clinical evolution rate was 2%/year and was especially low in INDt patients (0.5%/year) relative to CARD/DIGt patients (7.4%/year). Positive haemoculture in treated patients was observed in 7.1% of the cases. None of the INDt (0/21) and 33.3% of the CARD/DIGt (2/6) patients displayed positive cultures. The PCR presented a positive rate significantly higher (85.2%, 23/27) than haemoculture and two samples from the same patient revealed the same result 57.7% of the patients. Conventional serology-ELISA on 16 paired samples remained positive in all individuals. Semi-quantitative ELISA highlighted significant decreases in reactivity, particularly in INDt relative to IND. Non-conventional serology-FC-ALTA-IgG, after treatment, showed positive results in all sera and 22 paired samples examined at seven and nine years after treatment, demonstrated significantly lower reactivity, particularly in INDt patients. This study was retrospective in nature, had a low number of samples and lacked an intrinsic control group, but the data corroborate other results found in the literature. The data also demonstrate that, even though a cure has not been detected in the none-treated patients, the benefits for clinical evolution were selectively observed in the group of INDt patients and did not occur for CARD/DIGt patients.

Direct cost of connecting, maintaining and disconnecting patient-controlled analgesia pump

Quantitative research that aimed to identify the mean total cost (MTC) of connecting, maintaining and disconnecting patient-controlled analgesia pump (PCA) in the management of pain. The non-probabilistic sample corresponded to the observation of 81 procedures in 17 units of the Central Institute of the Clinics Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo. We calculated the MTC multiplying by the time spent by nurses at a unit cost of direct labor, adding the cost of materials and medications/solutions. The MTC of connecting was R$ 107.91; maintenance R$ 110.55 and disconnecting R$ 4.94. The results found will subsidize discussions about the need to transfer money from the Unified Health System to hospitals units that perform this technique of analgesic therapy and it will contribute to the cost management aimed at making efficient and effective decision-making in the allocation of available resources.

Trauma in the elderly caused by traffic accident: integrative review

OBJECTIVE To describe the scientific knowledge produced about trauma in the elderly caused by traffic accidents in healthcare area studies. METHODS Integrative review of studies from 2003 to 2013 searched in LILACS, SciELO, PubMed and CINHAL databases. We used combination of the descriptors injuries, wounds and accidents, in English, Portuguese and Spanish languages. RESULTS 32 studies were selected. In the thematic analysis, three categories emerged: epidemiological data from traffic accidents involving elderly; traffic accidents with elderly pedestrians; and trauma care in the elderly. We observed increased incidence of trauma in most countries and pedestrians represented a large part of the victims. Among these, the elderly are the most vulnerable group. CONCLUSION Studies showed that trauma care in the elderly need protocols and professionals with training in gerontology specialized in trauma care services.