Comparisons of recycled manure solids and wood shavings/sawdust as bedding material -implications for animal welfare, herd health, milk quality and bedding costs in Swedish dairy herds.

Increasing shortages and costs of common bedding materials have led dairy farmers in Sweden to consider using recycled manure solids (RMS), which are readily available and low-cost, as an alternative bedding material. The main risks are effects on udder health and milk quality, but RMS could also affect animal welfare and claw health. The advantages and disadvantages of using RMS bedding have not been fully investigated, and findings in other countries cannot be directly applied to Swedish conditions and climate. This observational cross-sectional study investigated the use of RMS as bedding regarding associations with certain aspects of animal welfare, herd health, milk quality, and bedding costs in Swedish dairy herds. Thirty-four dairy farms using RMS or wood shavings/sawdust (each n = 17) were compared. Each farm was visited 2 times during the housing period 2020-2021, once in October-December and once in March-May. Dairy barns were observed, animal welfare was assessed, and free-stall dimensions were measured. Farm owners were interviewed about housing system characteristics, herd performance, and herd management. Data on milk production and herd health were obtained from the Swedish official milk recording scheme for the indoor period October-March. The prevalence of claw disorders and abnormal claw conformation were collected from the national claw health database for the period, October-May. On each farm visit, composite samples of unused bedding outside the barn and used bedding material from the free stalls, respectively, were taken for total bacterial count and dry matter analysis. Samples of bulk tank milk for determination of total bacterial count were taken in connection to the visits. In addition, samples of unused and used bedding material and manure from alleys for analysis of 3 Treponema species associated with digital dermatitis (DD) were gathered and analyzed. Total bacterial count was significantly higher in unused (8.50 log10 cfu/g) and used RMS bedding (9.75 log10 cfu/g) than in wood shavings/sawdust (used 4.74; unused 8.63 log10 cfu/g), but there were no significant differences in bulk milk total bacterial count (median 4.07 versus 3.89 log10 cfu/mL) or somatic cell count (median 243,800 versus 229,200 cells /mL). The aspects of animal welfare that were assessed did not differ significantly between the 2 bedding systems, while the prevalence of total claw disorders (25.9 versus 38.0% of trimmed cows), dermatitis (6.9 versus 16.2% of trimmed cows) and sole ulcers (2.0 versus 4.0% of trimmed cows) were significantly lower in the RMS herds. Treponema spp. were not detected in unused RMS material, but all RMS herds had presence of DD recorded at foot trimming. An economic assessment based on the interview results and price level from winter 2021 revealed that the costs of RMS bedding varied with amount of RMS produced. Thus, RMS is a potential alternative bedding material for dairy cows in Sweden and can be a profitable option for large dairy herds. However, the high level of total bacteria in the material requires attention to bedding and milking routines as well as regular monitoring of herd health.

Psychometric evaluation of the electronic faces thermometer scale for pain assessment in children 8-17 years old: A study protocol.

It is often a challenge for a child to communicate their pain, and their possibilities to do so should be strengthened in healthcare settings. Digital self-assessment provides a potential solution for person-centered care in pain management and promotes child participation when a child is ill. A child's perception of pain assessment differs when it is assessed using digital or analog formats. As we move into the digital era, there is an urgent need to validate digital pain assessment tools, including the newly developed electronic Faces Thermometer Scale (eFTS). This study protocol describes three studies with the overall aim to evaluate psychometric properties of the eFTS for assessing pain in children 8-17 years of age. A multi-site project design combining quantitative and qualitative methods will be used for three observational studies. Study 1: 100 Swedish-speaking children will report the level of anticipated pain from vignettes describing painful situations in four levels of pain and a think-aloud method will be used for data collection. Data will be analyzed with phenomenography as well as descriptive and comparative statistics. Study 2: 600 children aged 8-17 years at pediatric and dental settings in Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and USA will be included. Children will assess their pain intensity due to medical or dental procedures, surgery, or acute pain using three different pain Scales for each time point; the eFTS, the Faces Pain Scale Revised, and the Coloured Analogue Scale. Descriptive and comparative statistics will be used, with subanalysis taking cultural context into consideration. Study 3: A subgroup of 20 children out of these 600 children will be purposely included in an interview to describe experiences of grading their own pain using the eFTS. Qualitative data will be analyzed with content analysis. Our pilot studies showed high level of adherence to the study procedure and rendered only a small revision of background questionnaires. Preliminary analysis indicated that the instruments are adequate to be used by children and that the analysis plan is feasible. A digital pain assessment tool contributes to an increase in pain assessment in pediatric care. The Medical Research Council framework for complex interventions in healthcare supports a thorough development of a new scale. By evaluating psychometric properties in several settings by both qualitative and quantitative methods, the eFTS will become a well-validated tool to strengthen the child's voice within healthcare.

The Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU) systematic overview of chemotherapy effects in some major tumour types--summary and conclusions.

This report by The Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU) reviews, classifies, and grades the scientific literature on cancer chemotherapy in some major tumour types, describes the practice of chemotherapy in Sweden, compares practice with scientific knowledge, and analyses the costs and cost-effectiveness of chemotherapy. The report is intended primarily for decision-makers at various levels, both practitioners and administrators. It is also of interest for the medical profession. The extensive body of scientific literature was reviewed according to strict criteria that reflected the scientific weight of the literature. Sixteen experts representing different disciplines (oncology, surgery, internal medicine, health economy and quality of life research) participated in the literature review. Each section was discussed within the project group and was reviewed by at least one, but usually two international researchers. Additional input was provided by national experts representing different scientific disciplines. For the final evaluation to be as close to the objective truth as possible, a concerted effort was made to guarantee objectivity and thorough assessment of current knowledge about the effects of chemotherapy on the selected cancers. The tumour types selected for this assessment include firstly those types where three investigations had shown an increased use of chemotherapy in Sweden during the latest decade. These were non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer and urinary bladder cancer. Secondly, the two tumour types comprising the greatest number of patients treated with chemotherapy in Sweden, breast cancer and haematological malignancies, were included. Among the haematological malignancies, the most prevalent ones, acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), Hodgkin's disease (HD), aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of the large B-cell type and indolent NHL of follicular type were evaluated. These constitute about 75%, of all haematological malignancies. Thirdly, ovarian cancer was included since chemotherapy has been extensively used and since, at the time of the planning of this overview, a group of very expensive drugs, the taxanes, had preliminarily shown promising results. A wealth of scientific literature has been published on cancer therapy. The review presented in this report is limited to scientific studies judged to be important for evaluating chemotherapy efficacy. Assessments of the content and quality of these studies, and a critical summary of the results in all stages of the selected tumours, have never before been attempted in this way. However, similar comprehensive overviews of certain stages of the tumours have previously been made. These overviews were also critically evaluated. Totally 1,496 studies involving 558,743 patients were reviewed. The survey of practice of chemotherapy use involved all departments of surgery, urology, gynaecology, internal medicine including haematologic units, pulmonary medicine and general and gynaecologic oncology at 16 hospitals in two health care regions in Sweden, covering 39% of the Swedish population. During the 4 weeks of the survey, all patients with the diagnoses concerned who received chemotherapy were registered. The study included 1,590 patients. The working group's general conclusions are summarised in the following points: The literature on the effects of chemotherapy is extensive. Chemotherapy has a well-documented role in the curative and palliative treatment of patients with several types of cancer. The use of chemotherapy is of utmost importance for the possibility of cure in certain tumour types. In other tumours, chemotherapy increases the possibility of cure when added to local and regional treatments, particularly surgery. In the instances of no possibility of cure, chemotherapy may to a variable extent improve both patient survival and well-being. In Sweden chemotherapy is largely used in accordance with that documented in the scientific literature. The extent of both over- and under-treatment seems to be limited but cannot be excluded at the individual patient level. The literature-based knowledge is scientifically of lower quality in the most chemotherapy sensitive tumours than in tumours showing more limited sensitivity. In the more sensitive tumours, positive effects on a symptomatic stage and survival were seen several decades ago. In those days, clinical treatment studies did not fulfil the current high quality requirements. Small life-prolonging effects of chemotherapy are sometimes very well documented in large, high quality scientific studies. Some of these s

A systematic overview of chemotherapy effects in urothelial bladder cancer.

A systematic review of chemotherapy trials in several tumour types was performed by The Swedish Council of Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU). The procedures for the evaluation of the scientific literature are described separately (Acta Oncol 2001; 40: 155-65). This synthesis of the literature on chemotherapy for urothelial bladder cancer is based on 234 scientific reports including two meta-analyses, 75 randomised studies and 143 other prospective studies, and totally comprising 31,974 patients. The conclusions reached can be summarised into the following points: Intravesical chemotherapy administered in an adjuvant setting to transurethral resection (TUR-B) of superficial tumour reduces short-term (one to three years) recurrence rate by approximately 20%. After a median follow-up of eight years, 8%, fewer recurrences were seen after intravesical chemotherapy. Long-term maintenance instillation chemotherapy ( > 1 year) does not further increase the recurrence-free interval nor the long-term recurrence rate when compared with immediate postoperative short-term intravesical chemotherapy. The majority of studies on intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vs intravesical chemotherapy show superior protection from tumour recurrence for BCG. Despite prolongation of the disease-free survival, adjuvant intravesical chemotherapy has, in the majority of studies, no apparent long-term impact on the evolution of superficial into muscle invasive bladder cancer. There are no data showing a survival benefit from adjuvant intravesical chemotherapy. Chemotherapy with cisplatin-based regimens induce objective tumour response in at least 50% of patients with metastatic disease. A prolonged disease-free and overall survival (median two to three months) is seen in patients treated with cisplatin-based polychemotherapy compared with patients treated with cisplatin alone or less intensive chemotherapy. With the exception of one randomised study, there are no conclusive data on possible survival benefit for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to cystectomy or radiotherapy. Although the results from use of adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery or curative radiotherapy obtained are promising, the small studies performed lack statistical power and, hence, there is insufficient data to make any conclusion regarding a possible survival benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. A growing body of data indicate that bladder preservation can be achieved by multi-modality approach in selected patients and that survival in these is similar to that seen after radical cystectomy, but randomised trials are still lacking.

Development of multi-disciplinary team I-ADL assessment in community health care: an interrater reliability study of the measure of instrumental daily activity.

This paper describes a development process concerning the active involvement of staff of different professions in developing and implementing methods for assessment of activities of daily living (ADL) in home-based geriatric rehabilitation. Although a variety of established ADL instruments exist, at the time for this study no I-ADL (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living) instrument suitable for communication among staff members of different professions was available. The specific aim was to test a new I-ADL instrument for interrater reliability. The developmental process resulting in the Measure of Instrumental Daily Activity (MIDA) is described. The instrument comprises 12 I-ADL items, defined on the basis of practical home rehabilitation experience. The study involved 36 clients with impairments, aged 65+ years. Multi-disciplinary interrater reliability was tested by 67 parallel independent assessments during a 3-month period, performed by pairs of raters of different professions. Overall agreement was very good (mean weighted kappa=0.89). The MIDA fulfils the basic requirements necessary for valid I-ADL assessment of elderly clients in community health care. An important quality is the active involvement of all staff in the assessment procedure, facilitating and stimulating the implementation of a general rehabilitative attitude in everyday practice.

Value of sextant biopsies in the assessment of local cure following external beam radiotherapy of prostatic adenocarcinoma.

Between 1982 and 1992, 73 patients received radical external beam radiotherapy (EBR) for prostatic adenocarcinoma at the Central Hospital, Västerås, with an average dose of 68.1 Gy (range 64.5-72.5 Gy) and an average cumulative radiation effect (CRE) of 18.2 (range 17.1-19.9) All patients had a negative bone scan prior to treatment and presented with clinical stage T1-T4,Nx,Mo. Twenty-four out of 36 surviving patients consented to participate in a follow-up study which included transrectal, ultrasonically guided prostate biopsies. The average follow-up from EBR to biopsy was 5.5 years (range 3.6-11.1 years). Sixteen (67%) of the patients had a positive biopsy. The average PSA level in the biopsy-positive group was 35.7 ng/mL (range 3.9-200 ng/mL). In the biopsy-negative group, the average PSA was 3.7 ng/mL (range 0.2-13.0 ng/mL). The conclusion is that the degree of local cure achieved in patients with prostatic cancer treated with external beam radiotherapy is low (33%), and that a higher radiation dose may be required to eradicate this malignancy.

Assessment of proliferation indicators in residual prostatic adenocarcinoma cells after radical external beam radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Fifty-five patients who had received radical external beam radiotherapy (RRT) for clinically staged, localized prostatic adenocarcinoma were examined with systematic sextant mapping with the help of transrectal ultrasound-guided core biopsies. The average follow-up after RRT was 6.8 years. Residual cancer was found histopathologically in 67% (37/55) of the patients investigated. METHODS: In the present report, the viability of these tumor cells was studied using immunohistochemical staining methods with the monoclonal antibodies MIB1 and PC10, which are specific for the proliferation-associated antigens Ki-67 and PCNA. RESULTS: Available data concerning proliferating activity in the pretreatment situation in 12 of these patients revealed that proliferating activity was substantially reduced in the majority of cases after RRT. Post-RRT, Ki-67, and PCNA activity was nonetheless found to varying degrees in 64% and 94% of the 36 evaluable tumor-harboring specimens, respectively. In the majority of cases, the proportion of proliferating cells, designated "score", was low. However, Ki-67 scores of up to 8% and PCNA scores of up to 50% were obtained in 35% (8/23) and 97% (33/34) of the specimens, respectively, with proliferative activity. There was no significant correlation between tumor grade and proliferative score in the follow-up biopsies. In the 36 cases investigated, endocrine treatment did not influence the proliferation results. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates a proliferative capacity in residual tumor cells in a long-term follow-up after RRT, suggesting that these cancer cells might have a biological significance.

Transrectal ultrasonically-guided core biopsies in the assessment of local cure of prostatic cancer after radical external beam radiotherapy.

Fifty-five patients were included in an extended follow-up after radical radiation therapy (RRT) for localized prostatic cancer (T1-3, Nx, M0). Local cure was assessed by a combination of digital rectal examination (DRE), transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) and systematic 'mapping' with TRUS-guided core biopsies (TGCB). After a mean follow-up of 6.8 years, 33% (18/55) of the patients were locally free of tumour, while in 67% (37/55) of cases residual cancer was demonstrated in the biopsies. Endocrine treatment did not influence the local cure rate, nor did the T stage of tumour grade at diagnosis or the cumulative radiation effect (CRE) values within the range of the present study. The sensitivity of DRE and TRUS was low; 37% and 20% respectively, while the specificity of the DRE and TRUS methods was 83% and 94% respectively. The conclusion of the study is that residual tumour was found in the high proportion of biopsied patients nearly 7 years after RRT and that multiple, TRUS-guided core biopsies are mandatory in the assessment of local cure in patients irradiated for prostatic cancer; both DRE and TRUS on their own are less reliable.

MR imaging of contrast-enhanced porcine myocardial infarction. Assessment of reperfusion and tissue viability.

To assess the usefulness of Dy-DTPA-BMA-induced signal reduction, as an indicator of myocardial viability, myocardial infarction was induced in 17 domestic pigs by ligating a diagonal branch of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). In 6 pigs, Dy-DTPA-BMA (1 mmol/kg b.w.) was administered 4 hours after induction of ischaemia. In 5 additional pigs, Gd-DTPA-BMA (0.3 mmol/kg b.w.) and Dy-DTPA-BMA (1 mmol/kg b.w.) were simultaneously injected after 4 hours of ischaemia to ascertain whether Dy-DTPA-BMA counteracted the signal enhancement effect of Gd-DTPA-BMA. A further 6 pigs with infarctions, not administered contrast medium, served as controls. All pigs were sacrificed after 6 hours of ischaemia, and the extirpated hearts were investigated with MR (ex vivo). The concentrations of Dy and Gd were determined in tissue samples from infarcted and non-ischaemic myocardium. The extracellular concentrations of both contrast media were monitored over time during 2 hours in the double-contrast group (in vivo), using a microdialysis technique and analysed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The infarctions demonstrated a high SI in the proton density- and T2-weighted sequences, in both the Dy-DTPA-BMA and control groups, although the former group demonstrated a 3-fold greater concentration of Dy in infarcted compared with non-ischaemic myocardium. Dy-DTPA-BMA did not counteract the Gd-DTPA-BMA-induced enhancement of the infarcted tissue despite a 3-fold higher concentration. This lack of detectable susceptibility effects of Dy may be caused by a loss of cell membrane integrity in the infarcts, resulting in a homogeneous intra- and extracellular distribution of the contrast agent. This hypothesis of an expanded volume of distribution in infarcted tissue was further supported by the microdialysis data, demonstrating a similar extracellular concentration of contrast agents in infarcted and non-ischaemic myocardium, despite a proven 3-fold greater concentration in infarcted tissue samples. To investigate whether Gd-DTPA-BMA-enhanced MR imaging (ex vivo) permits differentiation between reperfused and non-reperfused myocardial infarction, and whether Dy-DTPA-BMA-enhanced MR imaging enables a differentiation between reversible and irreversible myocardial injury following reperfusion, myocardial infarction was induced in 24 domestic pigs (divided into 4 groups) by placing a patched ligature around a diagonal branch of the LAD. Four additional hearts were reperfused after 2 min of brief occlusion, not long enough to cause irreversible injury.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Comparison of excess costs of care and production losses because of morbidity in diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess and compare excess costs of care and production losses because of morbidity in diabetic patients and the general population of a Swedish community. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Costs of production losses were calculated from medical and social insurance records on sickness benefit days (short-term illness) and premature retirement (permanent disability) in people with diabetes and in the entire population of the community (a municipality comprising a town and rural surroundings, with 28,000 inhabitants). Care costs included those of consultations and inpatient care, as well as costs of insulin, oral antidiabetic medications, other drugs, test material, and treatment devices, and they were obtained from patient records, the health care administration, and the statistics of community pharmacy sales. RESULTS: Of the diabetic patients < 65 years of age, above which both diabetic and nondiabetic people get retirement pension, and sickness benefits cease, 62% of those on insulin treatment in each gender had insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). All insulin-treated non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients were > 40 years of age. Both the insulin-treated and the non-insulin-treated diabetic patients were prematurely retired twice as often as the average population and had twice as many inpatient days. The insulin-treated subjects also had twice as many sickness benefit days. The excess costs of production losses as a result of morbidity in people with diabetes were about $7,000 per individual and year. The corresponding excess costs of inpatient care were $800. The therapeutic expenditures for control of diabetes were about $600 per individual and year. If converted to U.S. conditions, the costs of lost production as a result of excess morbidity (< 65 years of age) would be $12 billion and $9 billion for people with insulin-treated and non-insulin-treated diabetes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: If improved metabolic control by intensified treatment would reduce excess morbidity in both IDDM and NIDDM, the predominant costs of production losses imply that intensified antidiabetic treatment might save costs.

Imaging in the diagnosis and assessment of prognosis in localized prostate cancer. Consensus Conference on Diagnosis and Prognostic Parameters in Localized Prostate Cancer. Stockholm, Sweden, May 12-13, 1993.

As part of a WHO consensus conference on diagnosis and prognostic parameters in localized prostate cancer, a working group of experts discussed the role of various modern imaging techniques. Special attention was focused on transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) in combination with biopsies, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using endorectal coil and recent advances in these techniques. Some experimental techniques, especially hormone receptor scintigraphy and positron emission tomography were also discussed and new results were presented. We concluded that MRI seems to be superior to other imaging techniques in the preoperative assessment of local tumor stage. TRUS defends its place in the diagnostic armament; it is easily combined with multiple biopsies, the results of which are important in the assessment of the biological aggressiveness of prostate cancer. The present development in the field of nuclear medicine may result in techniques for in vivo characterization of tumors and will most certainly have important implications for diagnosis of prostate cancer in the future.

Reproducibility of quantitative arteriographic assessment of atherosclerosis in the femoral artery.

Results from computer-analysed angiograms in the Probucol Quantitative Regression Swedish Trial (PQRST) were analysed to determine the reproducibility of the method and any drift in the analysing system. The precision index (P(mu)) for 2 angiography series, made at 10 min intervals, of the femoral artery in 276 patients was 10.5 for lumen volume and 21.9 for roughness (edge irregularity). No difference in reproducibility was found between patients with and without symptoms of peripheral atherosclerosis or when looking at the reproducibility over years. A drift of 0.67% per year in the radiographic equipment (but not in the analysis system) was found, confirmed by use of phantoms. Computer-based analysis of femoral atherosclerosis is a reliable method for follow-up trials, giving high reproducibility even if the trial spans over several years and involves different centres. The use of phantoms is essential for checking the method over time.

Perioperative risk assessment. The Project Perioperative Risk (PROPER).

Surgical operations are preceded by an assessment of the anticipated risks for the patient due to the operation. The present assessment procedure is not optimally organised and the scientific base is weak. In this project a new organisation was tested that provides more relevant data on the risk and more optimal timing if the risk has to be modified. All elective patients from a defined geographical area (n = 1361) were seen one week before the operation for risk assessment. They were then followed up during and after the operation. About 30% of the operations were followed by complications. More than half of them were mild. Severe complications were rare. Three risk assessment classifications were tested. They were all fairly good estimators of the risk but had different properties. The next step in this project is to systematically evaluate the main risk-affecting factors to improve the quality of risk assessment.

Diuretic urography in the assessment of obstruction of the pelvi-ureteric junction.

Twenty adult patients with urographic evidence of unilateral, moderately wide renal pelves were examined by routine and diuretic urography. Planimetry of the corresponding calyx system of the two examinations was performed. An increase in size by more than 20 per cent following osmotic diuresis indicated an obstruction of the pelvi-ureteric junction in kidneys with moderately wide renal pelves. Diuretic urography may be useful to diagnose obstruction as a cause of moderately wide renal pelves and to assess operative results.

Major injuries in Norwegian football.

All Norwegian football players are insurance covered and most of the severe injuries occurring in Norwegian football are therefore reported to the Norwegian Football Association. Based on these reports a survey of major injuries in Norwegian football in the period 1970-1974 is given. This study has already led to recommendations to the Football Association in order to reduce the number of severe injuries. A more extensive registration form is now used which probably will give more and better information about injuries in Norwegian football in the future.