Effect of different feed restriction programs on the performance and reproductive traits of broiler breeders.

The current experiment evaluated the effect of different feed restriction programs applied during rearing on the performance and reproductive traits of broiler breeder pullets reared on floor pens, isolating the birds' weight effect from the analysis. At 4 wk of age, 1,400 breeder pullets were distributed in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments: daily restriction (DAILY-every day feeding), skip-a-day restriction (SKIP-every other day feeding), 4/3 restriction (4/3-4 days feeding and 3 nonconsecutive fasting days) and 5/2 restriction (5/2-5 days feeding and 2 nonconsecutive fasting days), and 8 replicates. At 11, 18, 25, 32, and 39 wk of age, body weight, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, carcass composition, organs relative weight (liver, fat, oviduct, and ovary stroma), egg production, and egg weight were accessed. At 32 and 39 wk, 12 eggs by experimental unit were collected and incubated to determine hatchability and fertility parameters. Body weight, carcass EE, and FCR were higher for SKIP birds when compared to other feed restriction programs. SKIP birds also showed the lowest number of eggs per bird (NEB) and % of egg production when compared to 4/3 feeding schedule, which provided higher values. Feed conversion ratio per egg mass (FCEM) was also higher in 4/3 schedule in relation to SKIP birds. In regard to incubation parameters, 5/2 treatment showed higher values for hatchability (HAT) and fertility (FERT), similar to results of 4/3 and DAILY treatments, while SKIP birds showed the lowest. In conclusion, 4/3 and 5/2 feeding programs showed best results and should be used by broiler breeder producers to control pullets' body weight. Therefore, the higher number of eggs produced with less feed and statistically not different fertility and hatchability between programs obtained in this study suggest the 4/3 program could be more efficient than 5/2 program. Body weight'|'s effect isolation was important to analyze the effect of feed restriction program per se, and should be applied in future approaches.

Early use of terlipressin in catecholamine-resistant shock improves cerebral perfusion pressure in severe traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND: Maintaining adequate cerebral perfusion pressure is an essential aspect in the treatment of severe acute brain injury. To accomplish this therapeutic goal vasopressors are usually required. Vasopressin is an important endogenous stress hormone and the infusion of low-dose vasopressin and terlipressin has been used to reverse severe hypotension. CASE REPORT: A 14-year-old male patient was admitted to the emergency room after a motorcycle accident. The patient had suffered severe traumatic brain injury, the Glasgow coma score (GCS) was four and there were signs of aspiration of gastric contents. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome and shock refractory to fluid management, norepinephrine and steroid replacement ensued. A terlipressin infusion, as a bolus dose of 1 mg, is associated with the ability to improve cerebral perfusion pressure with concomitant reduction of 80% of norepinephrine doses. DISCUSSION: The present report illustrates the potential benefits of terlipressin in refractory shock in a patient with severe traumatic brain injury. An increase in cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and a huge decrease in the dose of norepinephrine were observed. In the setting of severe brain injury associated with refractory hypotension, terlipressin may improve mean arterial pressure and cerebral perfusion pressure. CONCLUSION: In the setting of severe brain injury associated with refractory hypotension, terlipressin may have a role as a rescue therapy.

[Reliability of the information on the recent use of medication in a hospital based case-control study]. / Confiabilidade da informação sobre uso recente de medicamentos em um estudo caso-controle de base hospitalar.

Accuracy of the information is essential to produce unbiased estimates of the association between exposure and outcome. We are carrying out a case-control study which aim is to investigate the association between the use of medication and falling injuries leading to hospitalisation in the elderly. As there is no gold-standard available, we estimated the reliability of the information on the use of these drugs within the 24 hours and two weeks before the fall using a test-retest strategy. Sixty-one individuals aged 60 years or more were re-interviewed within an interval of 5-7 days after the first interview. Kappa coefficients were high, showing a good consistency of collected data on medication recently used. Among the variables investigated, only gender showed an association with reliability of the information, which was more consistent among women compared to men.

A double-blind comparison of etodolac and piroxicam in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

A double-blind study was carried out to compare the effectiveness and tolerability of two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, etodolac and piroxicam, in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Sixty-five patients with active, radiologically verified osteoarthritis were randomly assigned to receive either 300 mg etodolac twice a day (33 patients) or 20 mg piroxicam once a day (32 patients) for 8 weeks. Effectiveness was measured by changes in the patients' and physician's overall evaluations, pain intensity, and night pain, recorded on 5-point scales. Other efficacy assessments included tenderness on pressure, the degree of swelling, knee flexion, the time needed to walk 50 feet, and duration of morning stiffness. After 4 weeks of therapy, mean values for patients' and physician's global evaluations, pain intensity, and night pain were significantly improved from baseline values in both treatment groups. Improvement continued throughout the study. Significant improvement in the other efficacy assessments was seen in both treatment groups after 4 weeks of therapy. There were no significant differences between the treatment groups in any efficacy assessment at any observation. Three etodolac-treated patients and 2 piroxicam-treated patients withdrew from the study because of adverse events. The results of this study indicate that 600 mg etodolac per day is as effective as 20 mg piroxicam per day in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Efficacy of auranofin as demonstrated by improvement in clinical parameters and decrease in anti-inflammatory usage: a long-term, multicenter study.

An open, noncomparative study at 8 rheumatology centers in Brazil assessed the efficacy and safety of auranofin (AF) when given for up to 24 months. The study enrolled 80 patients with classic or definite rheumatoid arthritis (RA); disease was severe in 20 (25%), moderate in 55 (69%), and mild in 5 (6%). Patients received auranofin, 3 mg twice daily, and varying doses of anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and corticosteroids). Sixty patients (75%) completed the full 24 months of therapy. No patients were withdrawn from therapy because of insufficient therapeutic effect. There was statistically significant improvement (p less than 0.001) in 9 clinical parameters of disease activity, evident as early as 3 months after beginning AF therapy, increasing steadily over 12 months, and remaining at improved levels for another 12 months. Improvements in some parameters were particularly striking. By 24 months, assessment of well-being had increased by 150%, intensity of pain had decreased by 66%, and duration of morning stiffness had decreased by 78%. The average daily dose of anti-inflammatory drugs also decreased over time. The safety profile of AF was similar to that found in comparable trials. Ten patients (12.5%) were withdrawn because of adverse events: 6 for diarrhea (7.5%), 2 for proteinuria (2.5%), and 1 each for pruritus and anemia (1.25%). Adverse events occurred in 24 of 80 patients; some reported more than one adverse event. The most common adverse events were loose stools (20 patients) or diarrhea (11 patients).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Neurofibromatose de von Recklinghausen com lesoes ao nivel do sacro. Relato de um caso. / Von Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis with sacrum lesions. A case report

Os autores apresentaram um caso de neurofibroma com lesao ossea. Devido a ausencia de complicacoes, nao houve indicacao cirurgica para o caso. Um aspecto importante foi a ausencia de sardas e manchas cafe com leite, presentes em quase todos os pacientes

Lombalgia: alguns aspectos e analise estatistica (1.353 casos). / Backache: some aspects and statistical analysis (1,353 cases)

Os autores fazem uma revisao nos diagnosticos reumatologicos, no periodo de 1968 a 1983, com o proposito de determinar a frequencia da incidencia de lombalgia, dentre as Doencas Reumaticas,suas provaveis etiologias, analisando faixa etaria e sexo

Raquitismo resistente a vitamina D. / Vitamin D resistant rickets

O presente trabalho consiste na apresentacao de um caso de raquitismo D resistente em um menor de 12 anos de idade, do sexo masculino, com historia de mais ou menos 1 ano de lombalgia e dores articulares. Nao apresentava queixas sistemicas, antecedentes patologicos e familiares valorizados.Ao exame fisico observa-se discreto defeito pondo-estatural, diminuicao da cifose dorsal, retificacao da coluna lombar, geno valgum bilateral, pes cavo e atrofia muscular generalizada. O diagnostico foi realizado atraves de exames laboratoriais radiologicos

Esclerose sistemica progressiva: terapeutica com colchicina. / Progressive systemic sclerosis: treatment with colchicine

A esclerose sistemica progressiva (ESP) caracteriza-se por um excesso de deposito de colageno na pele e nos orgaos internos.Nos ultimos anos, com um melhor conhecimento da sintese e catabolismo das fibras do colageno,tornou-se possivel desfrutarmos melhores condutas terapeuticas para ESP. Os autores estudaram o efeito da colchicina oral sobre a sintese do colageno em 5 pacientes portadores de ESP pelo criterio da American Rheumatism Association, no periodo de 1 ano. Tres pacientes mostraram boa resposta, avaliados pelos indices de abertura da boca e pelas provas de funcoes pulmonares

Gota urica: informacoes estatisticas da incidencia em Pernambuco. / Gout: statistic informations of incidence in Pernambuco

Os autores fazem uma revisao nos diagnosticos reumatologicos, no periodo de 1958 a 1981, com o proposito de determinar estatisticamente a incidencia de gota urica no Estado de Pernambuco. Foram utilizados os seguintes parametros: sexo, idade, raca, biotipo, nacionalidade, profissao, numero de articulacoes envolvidas, tofos, uricemia, analise do sedimento urinario e, finalmente, associacao com diabetes e/ou hipertensao arterial. A presenca regular desta doenca metabolica no Estado de Pernambuco foi enfatizada

Arterite de Horton. Consideracoes sobre tres casos. / Horton's arteritis. Report on three cases

Os autores tecem consideracoes sobre a arterite de Horton, evidenciando, muitas vezes, as dificuldades diagnosticas dessa arterite inespecifica, mesmo podendo ser falso negativo o exame histopatologico da biopsia arterial, nao invalidando a positividade desta enfermidade. Dos 3 casos clinicos, somente um teve a biopsia arterial positivada; mesmo assim a resposta clinica a terapaeutica instituida com os corticoides antiinflamatorios nao hormonais permitiu concluir tratar-se de arterite de Horton

Espondilite anquilosante. / Ankylosing spondilitis

Os autores estudaram preliminarmente 214 casos de espondilite anquilosante, em alguns centros geograficamente distintos do Pais, segundo os seus aspectos clinicos mais importantes, laboratoriais e radiologicos. Os achados sao coincidentes, de um modo geral, com os da literatura, embora as interpretacoes sejam tendenciosas por nao constituirem mostragem randomizada. E importante destacar o relevante papel do antigeno de histocompatibilidade na caracterizacao da doenca ou grupos de doencas, sobretudo nos casos de diagnostico dificil

Open multicentre clinical trial of diftalone in osteoarthrosis.

An open, multicentre trial was carried out in 140 patients with coxarthroxis and/or gonarthrosis to assess the effectiveness of treatment with diftalone. The trial lasted 4 weeks with a drug dosage decreasing from 1000 mg (Week 1) to 750 mg (Week 2), and to 500 mg (Weeks 3 and 4). In almost all of the objective and subjective assessments used for the measurement of effectiveness there was a statistically significant improvement with treatment, which was dose related, the greatest improvement being seen during the first week. Tolerance of treatment was assessed as good in the majority of patients and again, side-effects appeared to be dose related.