Ventilation plays an important role in hens' egg production at high ambient temperature.

Birds dissipate considerable heat through respiratory-evaporative and cutaneous-evaporative mechanisms and sensible heat loss (SHL) via radiation, convection, and conduction. The significance of SHL in laying hens is still to be confirmed. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of ventilation on egg production and quality during exposure to high ambient temperature. Lohman laying hens were raised outdoors up to age 35 wk, and 300 hens with similar egg production were divided among 5 treatments each comprising 4 replicates of 15 hens. Birds in 4 treatments were kept in computerized controlled-environment rooms acclimated to 35°C and 50% RH, with ventilation flow rates of 0.5, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 m/s, respectively, and those in the control were kept outdoors. Hens were acclimated to the controlled environment rooms for 1 wk and to the targeted environmental conditions for another week, and then were subjected to measurements for 2 wk. Egg production, mass, and shell density, and feed and water consumption were monitored. Body temperature, SHL, and plasma thyroid hormone concentrations were measured at the end of the experiment. The high environmental temperature impaired egg production and quality: whereas exposure of hens to ventilation flows of 2.0 and 3.0 m/s elicited significant recovery of these parameters with time, exposure to a rate of 0.5 m/s negatively affected these parameters throughout the experimental period. The highest feed intake and water consumption were observed in hens exposed to 2.0 and 3.0 m/s, respectively, and the highest SHL was observed in those exposed to 3.0 m/s. It can be concluded that ventilation rate significantly affected hens exposed to high ambient temperature: high ventilation (3.0 m/s) improved egg production whereas low ventilation (0.5 m/s) negatively affected production and quality.

Estrogen receptors evolution in neoadjuvant aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy for breast cancer in elderly women: stability of hormonal receptor expression during treatment.

UNLABELLED: In France, 20% of breast cancers occur in women over the age of 70 and 10% in women over the age of 80. As these women are not included in screening programs, breast cancer is often diagnosed later, at the stage of a large tumor. PURPOSE: To analyze clinical response, possibilities of conservative treatment and course of hormonal receptors in patients receiving neoadjuvant aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy for at least 6 months. PATIENTS AND METHODS: There were 75 patients, with a mean age of 75 +/- 8 years (range, 58-91 years) received AI for 6 months after the diagnosis of invasive breast cancer with positive hormonal receptors. Clinical and radiologic tumor reduction, the number of conservative treatments and the course of estrogens receptor-labeled cells were determined for each patient. RESULTS: All but 1 of these patients obtained clinical reduction of their tumor. Of these, 86% patients received conservative treatment. In the majority of patients, estrogen receptor (ER) level did not vary between the initial assay and analysis of the operative specimen. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Aromatase inhibitors are effective as neoadjuvant therapy in ER positive elderly patients with large tumors, as is tamoxifen. Changes in hormone receptor expression during treatment do not predict clinical response. In our experience, neoadjuvant AI therapy should be administered for at least 6 months to optimize clinical response before deciding upon surgery. Discrepancy observed in the literature could be explained by the duration of the treatment.

[Uveal effusion syndrome after argon laser treatment in a case of Sturge Weber Krabbe syndrome]. / Syndrome d'effusion uvéale après traitement au laser argon dans un cas de syndrome de Sturge Weber Krabbe.

One case report a thirty seven years old girl which presents a peripheral ischemic retinopathy consecutively juvenile glaucoma and choroidal angioma in a Sturge Weber Krabbe syndrome. A massive photocoagulation release an uveal effusion syndrome.