Effect of oral calcium administration on metabolic status and uterine health of dairy cows with reduced postpartum rumination and eating time.

Background: Hypocalcemia has detrimental effects on health and performance of dairy cows. As hypocalcemic cows show reduced feed intake, we hypothesized that cows with reduced combined rumination and eating time (CRET) may benefit from Ca supplementation. The objective was to evaluate the effect of postpartum oral Ca administration on metabolic status (Calcium [Ca], fatty acids [FA], and β-Hydroxybutyrate [BHB] serum concentrations) and incidence of puerperal metritis (PM) in dairy cows with reduced postpartum CRET.

Ultrasonographic ovarian dynamic, plasma progesterone, and non-esterified fatty acids in lame postpartum dairy cows.

The objective of this study was to compare ovulation rate, number of large ovarian follicles, and concentrations of plasma progesterone (P4) and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) between lame (n = 10) and non-lame (n = 10) lactating Holstein cows. The study was conducted in an organic dairy farm, and cows were evaluated by undertaking ultrasonography and blood sampling every 3 days from 30 days postpartum for a period of 34 days. Cows which became lame during the first 30 days postpartum experienced a lower ovulation rate determined by the presence of a corpus luteum (50% presence for lame cows and 100% for non-lame cows, ≤ 0.

Treatment Options for Lameness Disorders in Organic Dairies.

Animal welfare is an essential aspect of organic dairying. Consequently, adequate lameness control should be a central component of on-farm health monitoring programs. The combination of organic management practices, including grazing requirements that are combined with different types of housing, results in unique features determining the cows' feet and legs health condition.

Efficacy of a botanical preparation for the intramammary treatment of clinical mastitis on an organic dairy farm.

The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of a botanical product (PHYTO-MAST(®)) for the intra-mammary treatment of clinical mastitis (CM) in dairy cows managed in an organic system. The study involved 194 naturally occurring cases of clinical mastitis. Treatment was applied every 12 hours for 3 days and cows were evaluated for clinical cure starting on day 4.

Measurements and mapping of 282,420 nerve fibers in the S1-5 nerve roots.

Object: The study aims to analyze nerve fiber types in the sacral nerve roots as a prerequisite for stimulation.

Methods: One-micrometer cross-sections of human ventral and dorsal S1-5 roots were stained with osmium and toluidine blue. The total fiber diameter and myelin sheath were measured in 282,420 nerve fibers.

Intradural microanatomy of the nerve roots S1-S5 at their origin from the conus medullaris.

Object: The conus medullaris and the nerve roots from S-1 to S-5 regulate bladder function as well as movement and sensation of the lower extremities. This most caudal region of the spinal cord has not been studied in great detail anatomically despite its important regulatory role. The goal of this analysis is to characterize the normal intradural microanatomy of the sacral nerve roots at their origin from the conus medullaris.

Transverse tripolar spinal cord stimulation: results of an international multicenter study.

Experienced neurosurgeons at eight spinal cord stimulation centers in the United States, Canada, and Europe participated in a study from 1997 to 2000 investigating the safety, performance, and efficacy of a Transverse Tripolar Stimulation (TTS) system invented at the University of Twente, the Netherlands. This device was proposed to improve the ability of spinal cord stimulation to adequately overlap paresthesia to perceived areas of pain. Fifty-six patients with chronic, intractable neuropathic pain of the trunk and/or limbs more than three months' duration (average 105 months) were enrolled with follow-up periods at 4, 12, 26, and 52 weeks.

Spontaneous central melatonin secretion and resorption kinetics of exogenous melatonin: a ventricular CSF study.

Pineal secretion of melatonin, a potential sleep-inducing agent, is stimulated by nighttime darkness. To gain better insight into the control of melatonin physiology in man, we studied melatonin concentrations in ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (v-CSF). In four patients aged 1-4 yr with therapeutic v-CSF drainage, including one with lumbar CSF (l-CSF) drainage, CSF samples were collected sequentially over 24-hr periods.