Effect of storage place and storage period on nutritive quality of hay produced from three forage grasses

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of storage place and storage period on the proximate composition, in vitro gas production and post incubation parameters of hay produced from A. gayanus, B. decumbens and P. pedicellatum. The two storage places were in the room and in the shed while the storage periods were 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Results of this study showed that the dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), crude fibre (CF) and ash of the hays produced from the three grasses were significantly affected (P<0.05) by the interactive effect of the storage place, storage period and species. Brachiariadecumbens produced higher (P<0.05) DM (99.50%) in the shed at 4 weeks of storage (WS) and a lower DM (86.20%) in the room at 12 WS. Ether extract of Andropogongayanus and B. decumbens significantly (P<0.05) differed at both storage places and at the three storage periods. Brachiariadecumbens produced higher (P<0.05) (14.50%) and lower (4.50%) EE contents in the room at 4 and 12 WS respectively. Similarly, ash contents of the hays significantly (p<0.05) ranged from 3.50% in the storage of B. decumbens in the shed for 12weeks to 36.33% for storing P. pedicellatum in the room for 4 WS. Cumulative in vitro gas production of the  grasses though similar (p>0.05) increased over the incubation periods. The post incubation parameters of the hays were all  similar (p>0.05), except the organic matter digestibility (OMD) values (p<0.05).It is concluded that the CP contents of the three grasses fell below ruminant requirement and slightly declined with increase in storage period, thereby suggesting earlier harvesting before the onset of dry season and serious  lignification. Andropogongayanus and B. decumbens proved to be better hays vis-avis storage in the shed, higher crude protein and dry matter contents while P.pedicellatum possessed better ash contents. Conclusively, it is more economical to store grass hays in the shed as there was no distinct difference in the results  obtained in the two storage places.Keywords: Grasses; Hay; Nutritive quality; Storage

Splenectomy for the treatment of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Contains fulltext : 47353.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Plasma exchange is the treatment of choice for patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and results in remission in >80% of the cases. Treatment of patients who are refractory to plasma therapy or have relapsing disease is difficult. Splenectomy has been a therapeutic option in these conditions but its value remains controversial. We report on a series of 33 patients with TTP who were splenectomised because they were plasma refractory (n = 9) or for relapsed disease (n = 24). Splenectomy generated prompt and unmaintained remissions in all except five patients, in whom remission was delayed (n = 4) or who died with progressive disease (n = 1). Four postoperative complications occurred: one pulmonary embolism and three surgical complications. Median follow-up after splenectomy was 109 months (range 28-230 months). The overall postsplenectomy relapse rate was 0.09 relapses/patient-year and the 10-year relapse-free survival (RFS) was 70% (95% CI 50-83%). In the patients with relapsing TTP, relapse rate fell from 0.74 relapses/patient-year before splenectomy to 0.10 after splenectomy (P < 0.00001). Two patients died from first postsplenectomy relapse. Although these results are based on retrospective data and that the relapse rate may spontaneously decrease with time, we conclude that splenectomy, when performed during stable disease, has an acceptable safety profile and should be considered in cases of plasma refractoriness or relapsing TTP to reach durable remissions and to reduce or prevent future relapses

A gene expression study of normal and damaged cartilage in anteromedial gonarthrosis, a phenotype of osteoarthritis

Objective: To identify osteoarthritis (OA) relevant genes and pathways in damaged and undamaged cartilage isolated from the knees of patients with anteromedial gonarthrosis (AMG) - a specific form of knee OA. Design: Cartilage was obtained from nine patients undergoing unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR) for AMG. AMG provides a spatial representation of OA progression; showing a reproducible and histologically validated pattern of cartilage destruction such that damaged and undamaged cartilage from within the same knee can be consistently isolated and examined. Gene expression was analysed by microarray and validated using real-time PCR. Results: Damaged and undamaged cartilage showed distinct gene expression profiles. 754 genes showed significant up- or down-regulation (non-False discovery rate (FDR)