Automatic and frequency-programmable systems for feeding TMR: state of the art and available technologies

La tecnica di razionamento TMR (Total Mixed Ration) per bovine da latte si \ue8 molto diffusa grazie ai vantaggi offerti. La meccanizzazione si basa su carri miscelatori azionati da operatore. Alcuni limiti sono associabili alla bassa frequenza di distribuzione (1-2 volte/giorno). La recente diffusione di sistemi automatici per la preparazioone e distribuzione di TMR consente di introdurre inedite possibilit\ue0 di gestione dell'alimentazione. Circa 15 costruttori operanti su diversi concetti progettuali sono stati individuati. Tra le principali innovazioni vi \ue8 la possibilit\ue0 di variare la frequenza di distribuzione, modulare la razione, controllare gli orari di distribuzione, stimolare l'attivit\ue0 delle bovine, gestire l'ingestione di sostanza secca. Il lavoro presenta una panoramica sullo stato dell'arte della tecnologia e propone una classificazione dei robot per TMR

Cleavage of C3 by Neutral Proteases from Granulocytes in Pleural Empyema

The possibility of direct inactivation of C3 by granular enzymes from polymorphonuclear leukocytes(PMNLs) in pleural empyema was examined. As a group, pleural empyema from 10 patients with purulent effusions and a positive bacteriologic culture cleaved significantly more 125I-labeled C3 bound to Sepharose (18.4% ± 7.3%) than did 19sterile pleural effusions (2.4% ± 0.9%; P << 0.001)and sonicates from bacterial strains commonly found in empyema (1.4% ± 0.2%). Granular enzymesfrom 7 × 106 PMNLs cleaved 78.5% of 125I-labeled C3 bound to Sepharose. When proteolysis of 125I-labeled C3 after incubation with pleural empyema or PMNL granular enzymes was examined with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, breakdown products were similar. Granulocyte elastase-like activity was detected in four samples of pleural empyema. Granulocyte elastase inhibitors, as well as 10% human serum, effectively suppressed cleavage of C3 and elastase-like activity. In pleural empyemas, granular enzymes from PMNLs, especially elastase, apparently contribute to low complement-mediated opsonic activity by direct inactivation of C

Burkitts's lymphoma - an atypical presentation.

BACKGROUND: In female adolescents and young adults, malignancies of the genital tract are the most frequent type of cancer, closely followed by Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. CASE PRESENTATION: We report an unusual case of sporadic Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) presenting with massive bilateral ovarian infiltration, peritoneal carcinomatosis and diffuse nodular lesions of the stomach and the intestine mimicking Krukenberg tumor. Diagnostic biopsies were obtained by endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract. With intensive chemotherapy, complete remission was rapidly achieved, without life-threatening tumor lysis syndrome. CONCLUSION: Besides metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma, BL is an important differential diagnosis in adolescents presenting with Krukenberg tumor

Foreign Body Infection: Role of Fibronectin as a Ligand for the Adherence of Staphylococcus aureus

Foreign bodies made of polymethylmethacrylate coverslips were implanted subcutaneously into guinea pigs, were explanted four weeks later, and were tested for in vitro adherence of Staphylococcus aureus strain Wood 46. In the presence of serum, the level of staphylococcal adherence to explanted coverslips was 20 times higher than that of adherence to unimplanted coverslips. Adherence to explanted coverslips was caused by fibronectin deposits on the foreign body surface and was inhibited in a dose-related fashion by specific antibodies to fibronecti

Growth of Infants Fed Formula with Evolving Nutrition Composition: A Single-Arm Non-Inferiority Study.

The nutritional composition of human milk evolves over the course of lactation, to match the changing needs of infants. This single-arm, non-inferiority study evaluated growth against the WHO standards in the first year of life, in infants consecutively fed four age-based formulas with compositions tailored to infants' nutritional needs during the 1st, 2nd, 3rd-6th, and 7th-12th months of age. Healthy full-term formula-fed infants (n = 32) were enrolled at ≤14 days of age and exclusively fed study formulas from enrollment, to the age of four months. Powdered study formulas were provided in single-serving capsules that were reconstituted using a dedicated automated preparation system, to ensure precise, hygienic preparation. The primary outcome was the weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) at the age of four months (vs. non-inferiority margin of -0.5 SD). Mean (95% CI) z-scores for the WAZ (0.12 (-0.15, 0.39)), as well as for the length-for-age (0.05 (-0.19, 0.30)), weight-for-length (0.16 (-0.16, 0.48)), BMI-for-age (0.11 (-0.20, 0.43)), and head circumferencefor-age (0.41 (0.16, 0.65)) at the age of four months, were non-inferior. Throughout the study, anthropometric z-scores tracked closely against the WHO standards (within ±1 SD). In sum, a fourstage, age-based infant formula system with nutritional compositions tailored to infants' evolving needs, supports healthy growth consistent with WHO standards, for the first year of life

Effect of multidimensional lifestyle intervention on fitness and adiposity in predominantly migrant preschool children (Ballabeina): cluster randomised controlled trial

Objective To test the effect of a multidimensional lifestyle intervention on aerobic fitness and adiposity in predominantly migrant preschool children

LumbSten: The lumbar spinal stenosis outcome study

BACKGROUND: Lumbar spinal stenosis is the most frequent reason for spinal surgery in elderly people. For patients with moderate or severe symptoms different conservative and surgical treatment modalities are recommended, but knowledge about the effectiveness, in particular of the conservative treatments, is scarce. There is some evidence that surgery improves outcome in about two thirds of the patients. The aims of this study are to derive and validate a prognostic prediction aid to estimate the probability of clinically relevant improvement after surgery and to gain more knowledge about the future course of patients treated by conservative treatment modalities. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a prospective, multi-centre cohort study within four hospitals of Zurich, Switzerland. We will enroll patients with neurogenic claudication and lumbar spinal stenosis verified by Computer Tomography or Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Participating in the study will have no influence on treatment modality. Clinical data, including relevant prognostic data, will be collected at baseline and the Swiss Spinal Stenosis Questionnaire will be used to quantify severity of symptoms, physical function characteristics, and patient's satisfaction after treatment (primary outcome). Data on outcome will be collected 6 weeks, and 6, 12, 24 and 36 months after inclusion in the study. Applying multivariable statistical methods, a prediction rule to estimate the course after surgery will be derived. DISCUSSION: The ultimate goal of the study is to facilitate optimal, knowledge based and individualized treatment recommendations for patients with symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis

A prototype liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber for the study of UV laser multi-photonic ionization

This paper describes the design, realization and operation of a prototype liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LAr TPC) detector dedicated to the development of a novel online monitoring and calibration system exploiting UV laser beams. In particular, the system is intended to measure the lifetime of the primary ionization in LAr, in turn related to the LAr purity level. This technique could be exploited by present and next generation large mass LAr TPCs for which monitoring of the performance and calibration plays an important role. Results from the first measurements are presented together with some considerations and outlook.Comment: 26 pages, 27 figure