MODELING ANIMAL AND FORAGE RESPONSE TO FERTILIZATION OF ANNUAL RANGELANDS

The response functions for forage, animal gain, and stocking rate were estimated from data obtained in a three-year fertilization experiment on California annual range. Degree-days; the interactions between degree-days and nitrogen, between degree-days and phosphorus-sulphur, and between nitrogen and phosphorus-sulphur; and the lagged forage variable were significant in explaining the variations in forage growth, animal gain, and stocking rate. The impact of PS was more important in interaction with DD or N than by itself. The correct impact of moisture was not found due to misspecification of the variable in the model. The models for the first year and the three years combined were well behaved; however, the models for the last two years combined neither explained adequately nor behaved well.Livestock Production/Industries,

Surgical outcome after spinal fractures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ankylosing spondylitis is a rheumatic disease in which spinal and sacroiliac joints are mainly affected. There is a gradual bone formation in the spinal ligaments and ankylosis of the spinal diarthroses which lead to stiffness of the spine.</p> <p>The diffuse paraspinal ossification and inflammatory osteitis of advanced Ankylosing spondylitis creates a fused, brittle spine that is susceptible to fracture. The aim of this study is to present the surgical experience of spinal fractures occurring in patients suffering from ankylosing spondylitis and to highlight the difficulties that exist as far as both diagnosis and surgical management are concerned.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty patients suffering from ankylosing spondylitis were operated due to a spinal fracture. The fracture was located at the cervical spine in 7 cases, at the thoracic spine in 9, at the thoracolumbar junction in 3 and at the lumbar spine in one case. Neurological defects were revealed in 10 patients. In four of them, neurological signs were progressively developed after a time period of 4 to 15 days. The initial radiological study was negative for a spinal fracture in twelve patients. Every patient was assessed at the time of admission and daily until the day of surgery, then postoperatively upon discharge.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Combined anterior and posterior approaches were performed in three patients with only posterior approaches performed on the rest. Spinal fusion was seen in 100% of the cases. No intra-operative complications occurred. There was one case in which superficial wound inflammation occurred. Loosening of posterior screws without loss of stability appeared in two patients with cervical injuries.</p> <p>Frankel neurological classification was used in order to evaluate the neurological status of the patients. There was statistically significant improvement of Frankel neurological classification between the preoperative and postoperative evaluation. 35% of patients showed improvement due to the operation performed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The operative treatment of these injuries is useful and effective. It usually succeeds the improvement of the patients' neurological status. Taking into consideration the cardiovascular problems that these patients have, anterior and posterior stabilization aren't always possible. In these cases, posterior approach can be performed and give excellent results, while total operation time, blood loss and other possible complications are decreased.</p

Pitfalls and complications in the treatment of cervical spine fractures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Patients with ankylosing spondylitis are at significant risk for sustaining cervical spine injuries following trauma predisposed by kyphosis, stiffness and osteoporotic bone quality of the spine. The risk of sustaining neurological deficits in this patient population is higher than average. The present review article provides an outline on the specific injury patterns in the cervical spine, diagnostic algorithms and specific treatment modalities dictated by the underlying disease in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. An emphasis is placed on the risks and complication patterns in the treatment of these rare, but challenging injuries

MODELING ANIMAL AND FORAGE RESPONSE TO FERTILIZATION OF ANNUAL RANGELANDS

The response functions for forage, animal gain, and stocking rate were estimated from data obtained in a three-year fertilization experiment on California annual range. Degree-days; the interactions between degree-days and nitrogen, between degree-days and phosphorus-sulphur, and between nitrogen and phosphorus-sulphur; and the lagged forage variable were significant in explaining the variations in forage growth, animal gain, and stocking rate. The impact of PS was more important in interaction with DD or N than by itself. The correct impact of moisture was not found due to misspecification of the variable in the model. The models for the first year and the three years combined were well behaved; however, the models for the last two years combined neither explained adequately nor behaved well

Open-source discovery of chemical leads for next-generation chemoprotective antimalarials.

To discover leads for next-generation chemoprotective antimalarial drugs, we tested more than 500,000 compounds for their ability to inhibit liver-stage development of luciferase-expressing Plasmodium spp. parasites (681 compounds showed a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of less than 1 micromolar). Cluster analysis identified potent and previously unreported scaffold families as well as other series previously associated with chemoprophylaxis. Further testing through multiple phenotypic assays that predict stage-specific and multispecies antimalarial activity distinguished compound classes that are likely to provide symptomatic relief by reducing asexual blood-stage parasitemia from those which are likely to only prevent malaria. Target identification by using functional assays, in vitro evolution, or metabolic profiling revealed 58 mitochondrial inhibitors but also many chemotypes possibly with previously unidentified mechanisms of action