A cross-sectional pilot study assessing needs and attitudes to implementation of Information and Communication Technology for rational use of medicines among healthcare staff in rural Tanzania.

Background: In resource-poor countries access to essential medicines, suboptimal prescribing and use of medicines are major problems. Health workers lack updated medical information and treatment support. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) could help tackle this.

Effects of management, feeding, and treatment on clinical and biochemical variables in cattle with displaced abomasum.

Objective: To determine effects of management, feeding, and treatment on clinical and biochemical variables in cows with displaced abomasum (DA).

Animals: 374 cows that received 470 treatments for DA.

Procedure: Blood and milk samples were obtained from 139 affected cows for analysis; for all cows, clinical data, management, feeding, and treatments were evaluated.

The influence of parenterally administered alpha-tocopheryl acetate to sows on the vitamin E status of the sows and suckling piglets and piglets after weaning.

The main aim of the study was to test if parenteral administration of alpha-tocopheryl acetate twice before farrowing and weaning could increase the vitamin E status of the newborn piglets and piglets after weaning. In Trial I eight sows were given 1.5 g alpha-tocopheryl acetate intramuscularly 7 and 2 days before farrowing.

The influence of dietary selenium as selenium yeast or sodium selenite on the concentration of selenium in the milk of Suckler cows and on the selenium status of their calves.

The aim of this trial was to determine whether the selenium status of suckling calves could be improved by supplementing their dams' diet with organic Se instead of sodium selenite. A herd of 103 Hereford cows, which were on grass paddocks all year round, was divided into two groups. Both groups had free access to a mineral supplement that contained 30 mg of Se/kg; for one group the source of the Se was a Se yeast product, and for the other group the source was sodium selenite.

Effect of selenate as a feed supplement to dairy cows in comparison to selenite and selenium yeast.

The main aim of this trial was to define the possible differences between selenite and selenate in their ability to increase the selenium (Se) concentration of milk, in comparison with organic Se. Dairy cows (n = 42) were fed a basal diet containing .10 to .

The influence of acidic diets on the acid-base balance of dry cows and the effect of fertilization on the mineral content of grass.

To investigate the safety and practicality of an acidic concentrate in milk fever prevention, the pH, carbon dioxide, standard bicarbonate, and base excess of whole blood and the pH in the urine were measured in three treatment groups of dry cows after 14 and 21 d of feeding an acidogenic diet (experiment 1). The dietary cation-anion differences (DCAD) of cows on treatments 1 (n = 11), 2 (n = 13), and 3 (n = 12) were +2275, -262, and -1185 meq/d, respectively. No changes in any parameters were found from the beginning to the end of the experiment in cows on treatment 1.

Selenite and selenium yeast as feed supplements to growing fattening pigs.

Twenty-four cross-bred fattening pigs weighing, on average, 24 kg were divided into three equal groups and fed a basic diet containing 0.1 mg selenium/kg. The diet of group A was supplemented with 0.

A comparative study of the effectiveness of calcium propionate and calcium chloride for the prevention of parturient paresis in dairy cows.

The efficacy of calcium propionate for the prevention of parturient paresis (milk fever) was compared with that of calcium chloride using 194 cows that had experienced milk fever during the previous calving. The cows were mainly of the Swedish Red and White and Swedish Friesian breeds and were divided randomly into an experimental group (n = 99) and a control group (n = 95). The cows in the experimental group received up to six boluses of 20 g of calcium as calcium propionate between 36 h before and 24 h after calving; the cows in the control group received up to four doses of 54 g of calcium as a commercially available oily solution of calcium chloride during the same period.

Effects of chromium supplementation on the growth and carcass quality of bulls fed a grain-based diet during the finishing period.

Two groups of 12 young bulls, as similar as possible with respect to age and weight, were fed a basic diet of hay and concentrates ad libitum for 170 days. The concentrate fed to one of the groups was supplemented with 0.20 mg of organic chromium per kg DM from a fodder yeast product so that the concentration of chromium in the total dry matter of their diet was 0.

Selenite and selenium yeast as feed supplements for dairy cows.

The availability of inorganic and organic forms of selenium to dairy cows was studied by giving 25 cows supplementary selenium for 9 months either as sodium selenite or as a selenium-containing yeast product. Group I (eight cows) received 3.0 mg selenium as sodium selenite daily, group II (nine cows) received 3.

The selenium status of dairy cattle in Estonia.

The concentration of selenium in soils and crops varies widely in different parts of the world. The selenium status of many countries is unknown, but there is evidence that selenium deficient crops occur in every continent. Surveys in Finland 1970), Norway 1967), Denmark 1975) and Sweden 1970) were among the first to investigate selenium status and they showed that each of these countries was very deficient.

Variations with breed, age, season, yield, stage of lactation and herd in the concentration of urea in bulk milk and individual cow's milk.

The concentration of urea in the milk of 510 dairy cows in 10 herds was determined at regular intervals for a year. The herds contained approximately equal numbers of Swedish Red and White, and Swedish Holstein cows. The mean +/- sd concentration in the samples from individual cows was 5.

Eimeria alabamensis infection as a cause of diarrhoea in calves at pasture.

Large numbers of oocysts of Eimeria alabamensis have been found in the faeces of calves suffering from diarrhoea shortly after being turned out to pasture. To investigate the source and clinical significance of this coccidial infection, the numbers of oocysts excreted, the consistency of the faeces and the growth rates of four groups of 12 calves were compared. Group I calves were kept indoors and their diet was unchanged, Group II calves were turned out onto a previously ungrazed pasture, Group III calves were turned out onto a permanent pasture and Group IV calves were kept indoors and fed cut grass from a previously ungrazed field.

The influence of the dietary balance between energy and protein on milk urea concentration. Experimental trials assessed by two different protein evaluation systems.

Twenty-three dairy cows were fed rations with different proportions of energy and digestible crude protein (DCP). When the ration was balanced for energy and DCP according to Swedish standard the cows' milk urea concentration was 4.66-4.

The relationships between seasonal variations in the concentration of urea in bulk milk and the production and fertility of dairy herds.

The concentration of urea was measured in bulk milk samples taken on seven occasions during a period of 13 months from 1,658-1,815 of the 2,100 suppliers of milk to a dairy. The mean concentration of urea was significantly higher when the cows were grazing than when they were housed, but there were no significant variations within either of these periods. In herds with very low milk urea concentrations while they were housed (< 2.

Excretion of Eimeria oocysts in calves during their first three weeks after turn-out to pasture.

The numbers of Eimeria oocysts per gram (opg) and the dry matter content of 449 faecal samples taken from 54 calves in 8 herds in south west Sweden were determined during the last 2 weeks before and the first 3 weeks after the animals were turned out to pasture. While they were housed only between 0 and 580 opg were found and in 2 of the herds the numbers of oocysts remained low after turn-out. In the other 6 herds the numbers of oocysts increased after 8 to 10 days and reached a peak of between 1080 and 80,803 opg 9 to 18 days after turn-out.

The effect of additional feeding on the fertility of high-yielding dairy cows.

One hundred and ninety three pairs of cows were selected from 38 herds, and the numbers of each pair were assigned at random to experimental and control groups. Each control cow was fed according to its yield with the feedstuffs normally used by the herd. Each experimental cow was fed in the same way and, in addition, received 500 g of a feed additive twice daily from the 40th day of lactation until first insemination or to the 75th day of lactation if no visible oestrus had been observed between days 40 and 75.

The relationships between the fertility of dairy cows and clinical and biochemical measurements, with special reference to plasma glucose and milk acetone.

Blood and milk samples were taken at first insemination in 352 dairy cows from 18 herds for charting the relation between clinico-chemical parameters and fertility rate. Neither total protein, albumin, globulin, AST, bilirubin, bile acids, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus in blood nor urea in milk was significantly related to the rate of pregnancy. On the other hand, there was a significant difference for plasma glucose between cows that became pregnant and those that did not.

Effect of vitamin E supplementation on weight gain, immune competence, and disease incidence in barley-fed beef cattle.

The aim of the study was to investigate whether vitamin E supplements in larger amounts than recommended could reduce incidence of disease, improve immune competence, and increase rate of weight gain of conventionally barley-fed beef cattle. Mean daily intake of vitamin E by individual calves in the experimental group was 200 mg during the first 2 mo, 400 mg during the next 2 mo, and 600 mg during the rest of the period. Corresponding daily intakes of vitamin E for the control group were 50, 100, and 150 mg.

Vitamin E status in newborn lambs with special reference to the effect of dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate supplementation in late gestation.

Pregnant ewes were supplemented with dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, either as a single intramuscular dose (500 mg two weeks before lambing) or perorally (150 mg daily during 3-4 weeks before lambing). Ewes without such a supplementation were controls. The vitamin E supplemented ewes had nearly twice as high vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) concentrations as the unsupplemented control ewes at lambing both in serum and in colostrum.

Nutritional muscular degeneration in young heifers.

Young heifers with nutritional muscular degeneration had relatively low serum tocopherol values despite being on pasture which contained high levels of vitamin E. One possible explanation may be that vitamin E was destroyed within the rumen, another that the clinical symptoms arose very soon after turning out the animals.

Vitamin E status of healthy Swedish cattle.

Using high pressure liquid chromatography the serum concentration of vitamin E was measured in dairy cows fed either hay or silage as their main roughage, in calves fed milk-replacer, and in young intensively fed bulls. The concentrates fed to the cows, calves and bulls were supplemented with 5–10, 25 and 5–10 mg DL-α-tocopheryl acetate per kg, respectively, and the milk-replacer for the calves was supplemented with 50 mg DL-α-tooopheryl acetate per kg powder. Cows fed silage as their main roughage had higher serum vitamin E concentrations ([Formula: see text]: 3.