Adolescents with cystic fibrosis: family reports of adolescent health-related quality of life and forced expiratory volume in one second.

PURPOSE: To assess the relationship between adolescent and parent reports of adolescent health-related quality of life (HRQL) and between adolescent pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1 second as percent of predicted) and reporter perceptions of adolescent health. METHODS: Twenty-four adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF), their mothers, and their fathers completed the Child Health Questionnaire during routine CF clinic visits at 2 urban hospitals. Patients were between the ages of 11 and 18 years (mean age: 14.2 years) and were predominantly male (75%). The best measure of forced expiratory volume in 1 second as percent of predicted for the year of the study was also collected for each adolescent. RESULTS: Adolescent pulmonary function was related to the perceived adolescent physical health scales. It was not, however, associated to perceptions of adolescent emotional, social, or behavioral HRQL by any of the 3 family reporters. Associations were found between adolescent pulmonary function and self-reports of general health (0.73), role/social limitations-physical (0.47), and bodily pain (0.42). Adolescent pulmonary function was related to mother reports of adolescent general health (0.73), role/social limitations-physical (0.73), bodily pain (0.55), and physical functioning (0.70). Father perceptions of adolescent health were associated to adolescent pulmonary function on general health (0.54), role/social limitations-physical (0.60), and physical functioning (0.64). Associations between adolescent and parent perceptions of adolescent HRQL were also health scale-specific. Mother and child reports of adolescent HRQL were related on adolescent behavior problems (0.71) and role/social limitations attributable to behavior (0.48), role/social limitations attributable to physical (0.62), bodily pain (0.69), physical functioning (0.69), family activities (0.45), and general health (0.66). Associations were found between father and adolescent reports on perceived adolescent behavior problems (0.66); self-esteem (0.65); and role/social limitations attributable to physical (0.49), general health (0.61), and perceived mental health (0.48). CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate the need to include multiple informants and comprehensive, multidimensional measures of HRQL, in addition to pulmonary function, when assessing health in adolescents with CF.

Effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone on clinical response and fertility in cows with cystic ovaries, as related to milk progesterone concentration and days after parturition.

We gave gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) or an analog of GnRH to 264 lactating cows with cystic ovaries. The effects of milk progesterone concentration (MPC) and days after parturition (DAP) at diagnosis on clinical response 30 days after treatment and on subsequent fertility were examined. Palpation per rectum revealed ovarian cysts in 264 cows; 118 had true follicular cysts (MPC less than 1 ng/ml). Clinicians with more than 3 years of experience reported significantly more true cysts than did less experienced clinicians. Clinical response 30 days after treatment did not differ in 3 groups of cows (divided on the basis of MPC at treatment), but fewer cows with MPC less than 1 ng/ml were bred or conceived than were cows with MPC greater than or equal to 33 ng/ml. Days after parturition at diagnosis did not affect 30-day clinical response rate, but cows treated less than 35 DAP had significantly more days to first estrus and to conception than did cows treated greater than 90 DAP. Significantly more cows treated less than 35 DAP had MPC less than 1 ng/ml at treatment.

Calculating the nutrient composition of recipes with computers.

The objective of this research project was to compare the nutrient values computed by four commonly used computerized recipe calculation methods. The four methods compared were the yield factor, retention factor, summing, and simplified retention factor methods. Two versions of the summing method were modeled. Four pork entrée recipes were selected for analysis: roast pork, pork and noodle casserole, pan-broiled pork chops, and pork chops with vegetables. Assumptions were made about changes expected to occur in the ingredients during preparation and cooking. Models were designed to simulate the algorithms of the calculation methods using a microcomputer spreadsheet software package. Identical results were generated in the yield factor, retention factor, and summing-cooked models for roast pork. The retention factor and summing-cooked models also produced identical results for the recipe for pan-broiled pork chops. The summing-raw model gave the highest value for water in all four recipes and the lowest values for most of the other nutrients. A superior method or methods was not identified. However, on the basis of the capabilities provided with the yield factor and retention factor methods, more serious consideration of these two methods is recommended.

Bar suture (toggle pin) vs open surgical abomasopexy for treatment of left displaced abomasum in dairy cattle.

Fifty-nine dairy cows with left displacement of the abomasum were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 2 treatments. Twenty-eight were treated by right paramedian abomasopexy via laparotomy, and 31 were treated by percutaneous fixation of the abomasum, using the bar suture or toggle pin technique. Comparisons of the 2 groups, at 4 follow-up examinations, yielded no significant differences in return to normal milk production, return to normal feed intake, mortality, culling rate, tissue reaction at the surgical site, or redisplacement up to 60 days into the subsequent lactation.

A randomized clinical trial of the effect of the time of administration of cloprostenol on detention of estrus in dairy cattle.

We performed a clinical trial to study whether cows with palpable corpora lutea treated with cloprostenol by the farmer on the morning following examination (median time 0630 hours) were seen in heat and conceived more frequently than cows treated by the veterinarian immediately following the reproductive examination (median time 1210 hours).There were no significant differences between the two groups in the proportions of cows seen in estrus or fertility at the induced estrus.The proportions of animals that had the time of onset of estrus recorded and were seen in estrus during working hours (0800-1600 hours) were also not significantly different between the veterinary-treated and farmer-treated groups.Under the conditions of this study, there was no reason to prefer prescribing early morning administration of cloprostenol by farmers over immediate administration of the drug by the clinician.

The relationships among palpator experience, milk progesterone concentration and estrus and fertility in cows with palpable corpora lutea treated with cloprostenol.

Two hundred and fifty-one cows fresh at least 37 days with normal reproductive tracts and palpable ovarian structures which clinicians believed to be corpora lutea and which were presumed to be producing progesterone were treated with 500 micrograms of cloprostenol. The cows were stratified into three groups based on milk progesterone concentrations in whole milk samples taken at the time of examination. The low group had milk progesterone concentrations less than or equal to 1 ng/ml, the intermediate group had milk progesterone concentrations between 1 and 3 ng/ml, and the high group had milk progesterone concentrations greater than or equal to 3 ng/ml. The proportion of cows in each group inseminated within 5 days of treatment and the fertility at that breeding were compared. There were no significant differences among the groups with respect to the proportion of cows that came into estrus within 5 days. However, the conception rate of the high group (54%) was significantly greater than that of the intermediate group (26%). To study the relationship between practitioner experience and diagnostic accuracy the proportion of cows with low, intermediate and high concentrations of progesterone selected by clinicians with more than 3 years experience was compared to that for clinicians with 3 years of experience or less. Less experienced clinicians were significantly more likely to make a false positive diagnosis of functional luteal tissue in cows with palpable ovarian structures than were more experienced clinicians.

A randomized double blind clinical trial of two GnRH analogs for the treatment of cystic ovaries in dairy cows.

A randomized double blind clinical trial was conducted to compare the efficacy of the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone, buserelin, to that of the hormone gonadorelin for the treatment of bovine ovarian cysts. Two hundred and sixty five cows with a clinical diagnosis of follicular cysts were included in the study. At 30 days post treatment 85% of the gonadorelin and 89% of the buserelin treatment groups no longer had a palpable ovarian cyst. No significant differences were found between treatment groups in the number of cows bred by 90 days post treatment, conception rate by 90 days post treatment, services per conception, milk progesterone at 30 days post treatment, days post treatment to first heat, and days post treatment to conception.

A randomized trial for evaluation of bandaging sole abscesses in cattle.

A randomized clinical trial of treatment of sole abscess in cattle was conducted to determine whether bandaging a foot after debridement of an abscess improved outcome. Sixty-six feet from 63 cows were randomly allocated to bandaged or unbandaged groups, and clinical recovery was graded by comparison of lameness at initial examination and at 2 follow-up examinations. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups at entry into the trial or at 1 month after treatment. Unbandaged feet were significantly less lame 1 week after treatment, and this difference was attributed to rapid healing of small lesions in feet of cows in stanchion and tie-stall barns. There was no group in which bandaging improved outcome.