The preparation of feed for colts

Correct feeding is one of the most important factors in the production of colts. Feed is the largest single item of expense, and any reduction that can be made in the amount required to grow colts to working age is of economic importance to the farmer. During the period 1929-1930 prices of common feeds were extremely high, and as a consequence the cost of producing colts was increasing. Horse breeders had long since learned from experience that scant feeding of colts was not economical when the ultimate results were considered. The poorly fed colt was slow maturing, undersized and its usefulness for work may have been affected. The question of preparing feeds in an effort to reduce feed requirements per 100 pounds of gain or increase the rate of gain on a given amount of feed is considered to be important by farmers. When grinding is practiced horsemen generally coarse-grind all feeds that are prepared for horses. Finely ground feeds seem difficult for horses to digest, and the finer feeds are ground the more power that is required and the greater the cost

Feeding and Management of Horses

The successful feeding of horses requires a knowledge of the composition. of the common feeding stuffs, the requirements of horses under various conditions and their proper management. Those who have studied horse feeding problems generally concede that considerable feed may be saved by the proper use of the various feeds and an up-to-date system of management. Surveys have shown that some horses, even tho they get twice as much feed as others, do no more work and are kept in no better condition. This can be explained by the fact that one farmer understands how to feed and care for his animals, while the other simply wastes feed because he does not know the amount and the kind needed

Testing draft horses

“When animals are viewed from the standpoint of machines they are wonderful mechanisms. Not only are they self-feeding, self-controlling, self-maintaining and self-reproducing, but they are far more economical in the energy they are able to develop from a given weight of fuel material, than any other existing form of motor. While they are like the steam engine in requiring carbonaceous fuel, oxygen and water for use in developing energy; these are made to combine in the animal body at a much lower temperature than is possible in the steam engine, and a much smaller proportion of the fuel value is lost in the form of heat, when work is being done.

Magnetic resonance findings and outcome in ten cats with traumatic spondylomyelopathy

In this retrospective study, the MR findings of ten cats with acute post-traumatic spondylomyelopathy were described and the most useful MR sequences were determined. Spinal cord injury (SCI), bone and muscle trauma were compared with the clinical outcome (recovery or euthanasia). The extension of spinal cord injury (SCI) was measured in vertebral body length (VBL). Of the ten cats, only five fully recovered. In the recovery group, no SCI (n=1) or SCI <1 VBL (n=4) were found. In the group of euthanized dogs, SCI > 2 VBLs (n=4) or spinal cord transection (n=1) were found. Lesions were best seen on T2WSE (spinal cord injury), STIR (soft tissue trauma) and T1WSE (bone injury). Low-field MR was therefore helpful to assess feline spinal trauma and may prove helpful to predict the clinical outcome, although a larger case series is needed. The authors suggest that protocols with low-field MR should include T1WSE, T2WSE and STIR sequences

Caregiver Integration During Discharge Planning for Older Adults to Reduce Resource Use: A Metaanalysis

Objectives To determine the effect of integrating informal caregivers into discharge planning on postdischarge cost and resource use in older adults. Design A systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials that examine the effect of discharge planning with caregiver integration begun before discharge on healthcare cost and resource use outcomes. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for all English‐language articles published between 1990 and April 2016. Setting Hospital or skilled nursing facility. Participants Older adults with informal caregivers discharged to a community setting. Measurements Readmission rates, length of and time to post‐discharge rehospitalizations, costs of postdischarge care. Results Of 10,715 abstracts identified, 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Eleven studies provided sufficient detail to calculate readmission rates for treatment and control participants. Discharge planning interventions with caregiver integration were associated with a 25% fewer readmissions at 90 days (relative risk (RR) = 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.62–0.91) and 24% fewer readmissions at 180 days (RR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.64–0.90). The majority of studies reported statistically significant shorter time to readmission, shorter rehospitalization, and lower costs of postdischarge care among discharge planning interventions with caregiver integration. Conclusion For older adults discharged to a community setting, the integration of caregivers into the discharge planning process reduces the risk of hospital readmission

Interferon lambda protects the female reproductive tract against Zika virus infection

Zika virus infections can cause devastating congenital birth defects but the underlying interactions with the host immune system are not well understood. Here, the authors examine the immune basis of vaginal protection and susceptibility to Zika viral infection, and identify a hormonal dependent role for interferon-lambda-mediated protection against disease

Retrospective Preliminary Assessment of Routine Follow-Up Low-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Dogs Presumptively Diagnosed With Discospondylitis

Background: The usefulness of routine follow-up Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI-2) in asymptomatic dogs treated for discospondylitis is unknown. Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study investigated the features of MRI-2 in a heterogeneous group of dogs treated for discospondylitis, and if these were associated with the presence or absence of clinical signs. After comparing initial MRI (MRI-1) and MRI-2, an observer, blinded to the dog's clinical signs, described the MRI-2 findings. The study population was then divided into symptomatic or asymptomatic at the time of MRI-2. Two separate observers subjectively classified the discospondylitis as active or inactive. Repeatability and interobserver agreement were evaluated. Results: A total of 25 dogs were included. At the time of MRI-2 16 (64%) dogs were asymptomatic and 9 (36%) were symptomatic. Based on MRI-2, 20 (80%) and 18 (72%) out of 25 dogs were considered to have active discospondylitis by the first and second observers, respectively. Interobserver agreement was moderate. No MRI-2 features were associated with the clinical status. The subjective classification of inactive discospondylitis was significantly associated with asymptomatic clinical status, but the classification of active discospondylitis was evenly distributed between groups. Conclusion: This study did not identify a meaningful association between the clinical status of dogs treated for presumptive discospondylitis and MRI-2 results. There were no specific MRI-2 features which were associated with the clinical status

Reclaiming revolutionary feminism

Generally, saying: ‘feminist’, is revolutionary enough in this day and age, it’s far more of a statement now than it was back in the eighties. And no, I wouldn’t say I was a Revolutionary Feminist now ‘cos I’m less separatist than I was at that time and I think it’s got overladen with such baggage that I’d have to spend about ten minutes defining what I meant. (Interview with Al Garthwaite, Leeds, 20 January 2012)In this article, I shall explore some understandings, and misunderstandings, of the school or type of feminism known as Revolutionary Feminism, a uniquely British school of feminism, founded in 1977. The quote above is taken from my interview with a prominent and influential British Revolutionary Feminist activist named Al Garthwaite. The interview forms the basis of this article and the research was part of my PhD on the British Women’s Liberation Movement (WLM) from the 1970s to today. Among many of her legacies, Al founded the Reclaim the Night (RTN) marches in the United Kingdom in November 1977, traditionally women’s night-time, street protest marches against male violence against women (VAW). Also involved in the establishment and running of the UK WLM national newsletter ‘WIRES’,1 Al was at the hub of organising in the feminist hotbed that was Leeds, in Yorkshire in the North of England, in the 1970s and 1980s

Dietary elimination of children with food protein induced gastrointestinal allergy – micronutrient adequacy with and without a hypoallergenic formula?

Background: The cornerstone for management of Food protein-induced gastrointestinal allergy (FPGIA) is dietary exclusion; however the micronutrient intake of this population has been poorly studied. We set out to determine the dietary intake of children on an elimination diet for this food allergy and hypothesised that the type of elimination diet and the presence of a hypoallergenic formula (HF) significantly impacts on micronutrient intake. Method: A prospective observational study was conducted on children diagnosed with FPIGA on an exclusion diet who completed a 3 day semi-quantitative food diary 4 weeks after commencing the diet. Nutritional intake where HF was used was compared to those without HF, with or without a vitamin and mineral supplement (VMS). Results: One-hundred-and-five food diaries were included in the data analysis: 70 boys (66.7%) with median age of 21.8 months [IQR: 10 - 67.7]. Fifty-three children (50.5%) consumed a HF and the volume of consumption was correlated to micronutrient intake. Significantly (p <0.05) more children reached their micronutrient requirements if a HF was consumed. In those without a HF, some continued not to achieve requirements in particular for vitamin D and zinc, in spite of VMS. Conclusion: This study points towards the important micronutrient contribution of a HF in children with FPIGA. Children, who are not on a HF and without a VMS, are at increased risk of low intakes in particular vitamin D and zinc. Further studies need to be performed, to assess whether dietary intake translates into actual biological deficiencies

The epidemiology of injuries across the weight-training sports

Background: Weight-training sports, including weightlifting, powerlifting, bodybuilding, strongman, Highland Games, and CrossFit, are weight-training sports that have separate divisions for males and females of a variety of ages, competitive standards, and bodyweight classes. These sports may be considered dangerous because of the heavy loads commonly used in training and competition. Objectives: Our objective was to systematically review the injury epidemiology of these weight-training sports, and, where possible, gain some insight into whether this may be affected by age, sex, competitive standard, and bodyweight class. Methods: We performed an electronic search using PubMed, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, and Embase for injury epidemiology studies involving competitive athletes in these weight-training sports. Eligible studies included peer-reviewed journal articles only, with no limit placed on date or language of publication. We assessed the risk of bias in all studies using an adaption of the musculoskeletal injury review method. Results: Only five of the 20 eligible studies had a risk of bias score ≥75 %, meaning the risk of bias in these five studies was considered low. While 14 of the studies had sample sizes >100 participants, only four studies utilized a prospective design. Bodybuilding had the lowest injury rates (0.12–0.7 injuries per lifter per year; 0.24–1 injury per 1000 h), with strongman (4.5–6.1 injuries per 1000 h) and Highland Games (7.5 injuries per 1000 h) reporting the highest rates. The shoulder, lower back, knee, elbow, and wrist/hand were generally the most commonly injured anatomical locations; strains, tendinitis, and sprains were the most common injury type. Very few significant differences in any of the injury outcomes were observed as a function of age, sex, competitive standard, or bodyweight class. Conclusion: While the majority of the research we reviewed utilized retrospective designs, the weight-training sports appear to have relatively low rates of injury compared with common team sports. Future weight-training sport injury epidemiology research needs to be improved, particularly in terms of the use of prospective designs, diagnosis of injury, and changes in risk exposure