These study objectives were to evaluate the effects of: initial bodyweight, energy supplementation, distance and days traveled and hair coat shedding on performance and health. Crossbred heifers (n=120) were purchased as either lightweight (136 kg) or heavyweight (226 kg) calves. Factors affecting morbidity and growth were tested using Poisson or linear regression (PROC GLIMMIX), with a correlation structure defining clustering by pen. Incidence density was 53.7/103 calf-days and 19.0/103 calf-days for light and heavy initial BW, respectively. Lightweight calves were 2.8 times more likely to be treated for BRD (p=0.02) and each increase in hair shed score increased risk for BRD 1.6 times (p=0.04). Initial BW did not affect gain (P=0.573), but heifers receiving supplementation gained 5.84 kg more than heifers not receiving supplement (P=0.005). Cattle that received LOW HS (n=14) had higher total gain (P=.00016), and ADG (P=.00016) compared to cattle receiving shedding classification of MED to HIGH (n=106).

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of: (1) metaphylactic antibiotic administration (none or Excede on arrival); and (2) receiving diet crude protein levels (17.1 % or 11.9 % CP) on respiratory disease incidence, mortality, and growth performance of beef calves received into a stocker system as well as the influence of stocker treatment on feedlot and carcass performance. For the stocker phase, steers (n = 244) were stratified by BW and randomly assigned to 20 pens. Treatments were randomly assigned in a 2 x 2 factorial study design. At the conclusion of the stocker phase, 76 steers were sent to Tri County Steer Carcass Futurity in Lewis, IA. Metaphylactic treatment reduced the incidence of BRD and increasing CP in the receiving ration to 17.1 % resulted in greater ADG. Health, nutrition, and management during the stocker phase can impact feedlot and carcass performance.

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in beef cattle. Common management practices in addition to BRD have been shown previously to cause inflammation. The objectives of this study were: (1) characterize the inflammatory profiles as indicated by interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and haptoglobin concentrations; (2) evaluate the impact of on-arrival metaphylactic antimicrobial therapy on inflammatory profiles in high risk cattle; and (3) examine the relationship between inflammatory profile and BRD morbidity and mortality. Eighty sale barn heifers were purchased over a two-year period (n=160). At arrival, heifers were randomly assigned to either receive tulathromycin (Draxxin, META, n=40) or not (NO META, n=40). Inflammatory profiles remained increased for all groups through d70 (P = 0.028). Metaphylaxis did not affect haptoglobin concentration (P > 0.10). There was a significant increase in BRD cases from day 0 to 20 (P = 0.002). Morbidity (BRD vs no BRD) did not impact haptoglobin concentrations.

Im "WeltTrends Lehrtext 16" werden wichtige Phasen der Entwicklung des bundesdeutschen Auswärtigen Dienstes dargestellt: Von der Neugründung des Auswärtigen Amtes über dessen Rolle bei der Westintegration der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und bei der Umsetzung der Ostpolitik, bei der Gestaltung des Verhältnisses zwischen den beiden deutschen Staaten bis hin zur Wiedervereinigung. Abschließend werden die umfassenden Reforminitiativen vorgestellt, mit denen der Auswärtige Dienst auf die neuen Herausforderungen dieses Jahrhunderts reagiert.

The objectives of this project were: 1) to determine if live animal lung biopsy could be used to characterize early pathologic changes in the bovine lung associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD), 2) determine if specific infectious respiratory pathogens can be identified in association with early pathological changes, and 3) determine whether pulmonary pathology characterized by live animal lung biopsy at arrival and at the time of initial BRD diagnosis was associated with health and production outcomes of feedlot steers in a commercial feedlot.<p> A live animal percutaneous lung biopsy technique was developed to obtain a lung sample from the right middle lung lobe in intercostal space (ICS) 4 using a Bard® Magnum® reusable biopsy instrument and a modified 4-mm (8g) biopsy needle. The lung biopsy procedure was limited to 2 attempts per biopsy time. In the technique development, 34 animals chronically affected with BRD were utilized, 20 animals in the preliminary development followed by 14 additional animals in a commercial feedlot setting. The technique resulted in 1 fatality of 34 steers (2.9%) and lung parenchyma was harvested in 19 of 34 steers (55.9%) chronically affected with BRD. In addition, in the commercial feedlot setting this procedure was determined to take about 20 minutes per animal.<p> The final study was performed on one hundred feedlot steers considered at high risk of developing BRD from twenty pens within a commercial feedlot. Study animals were enrolled in three different groups: sick on arrival (ARR-SA) consisting of 27 study animals and 13 matched control animals; pen pulls with no fever (PP-NF) consisting of 14 study animals and matched 7 controls; and pen pulls with an undifferentiated fever (PP-UF) consisting of 26 study animals and 13 matched controls. Live animal percutaneous lung biopsies were collected from the right middle lung lobe at 3 different times within the first 30 days of the feeding period, about 2 weeks apart. All samples were histopathologically evaluated and were assessed for the presence of <i>Mycoplasma bovis</i>, <i>Mannheimia haemolytica</i>, Histophilus somni and bovine viral diarrhea virus with immunohistochemistry.<p> A total of 295 lung biopsies were performed yielding 210 (71.2%) lung samples that were sufficient for histopathological evaluation. A histopathology score was awarded to each biopsy based on certain histopathological lesions being present. Only 20 lung biopsy samples from 19 animals received a histopathology score (ie, pulmonary lesions were present) with the most common score being a 1 (maximum score is 20). There were too few lung biopsy samples with a histopathology score to reveal any association with subsequent health events.<p> Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on all lung biopsies recovered yielding one lung sample to be positive for both <i>Mannheimia haemolytica</i> and <i>Mycoplasma bovis</i> from the PP-UF group. There were too few positive samples to reveal any association between IHC and histopathology score.<p> A post mortem evaluation was performed by a study veterinarian on all study animals who died or were humanely euthanized due to poor treatment response. In this study only 4 steers died or were euthanized due to poor treatment response and 3 control steers were humanely euthanized. There were too few animals to reveal any association between histopathology score and post mortem diagnosis.<p> On entry into the feedlot, weights between ARR-SA and the PP-UF and PP-NF groups were significantly different (p<0.05). This is likely an effect of the different processing groups of cattle. At study allocation, the body weights of ARR-SA and PP-UF, PP-UF and their matched controls, and PP-NF and their matched controls were also significantly different (p<0.05). This is likely due to the PP-UF and PP-NF groups experiencing illness for a longer period of time resulting in greater weight loss than the ARR-SA animals as well as the control animals, who were not clinically sick.<p> The live lung biopsy procedure utilized in this study did not appear to cause any long lasting adverse effects as the BRD case fatality rates from the study animals were comparable to the overall case fatality rates reported by the feedlot for fall placed calves. In fact, the study animals experienced a decreased fatality rate compared to the feedlots overall fatality rate. This may be due to the study animals inadvertently being monitored more closely as the pen checkers were aware of and participating in the study. On post mortem evaluation there was no evidence of adhesions at the biopsy site. This procedure was performed on 134 feedlot steers resulting in only 2 acute deaths as a direct result of the live animal percutaneous lung biopsy procedure.<p> The results of this study indicate that live animal, percutaneous lung biopsy can be performed safely on feedlot steers in a commercial feedlot with few clinical side effects. In this study there were only 2 fatalities in 134 steers (1.5%) due to the biopsy procedure or 2 fatalities per 349 sampling times (0.6%) This technique did not prove useful either as a diagnostic tool for the determination of early lung pathology in BRD or as prognostic indicator for health and production outcomes. However, this lung biopsy technique may be a useful diagnostic tool for chronic pneumonia assessment.

The objectives of this project were: 1) to determine if live animal lung biopsy could be used to characterize early pathologic changes in the bovine lung associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD), 2) determine if specific infectious respiratory pathogens can be identified in association with early pathological changes, and 3) determine whether pulmonary pathology characterized by live animal lung biopsy at arrival and at the time of initial BRD diagnosis was associated with health and production outcomes of feedlot steers in a commercial feedlot.<p> A live animal percutaneous lung biopsy technique was developed to obtain a lung sample from the right middle lung lobe in intercostal space (ICS) 4 using a Bard® Magnum® reusable biopsy instrument and a modified 4-mm (8g) biopsy needle. The lung biopsy procedure was limited to 2 attempts per biopsy time. In the technique development, 34 animals chronically affected with BRD were utilized, 20 animals in the preliminary development followed by 14 additional animals in a commercial feedlot setting. The technique resulted in 1 fatality of 34 steers (2.9%) and lung parenchyma was harvested in 19 of 34 steers (55.9%) chronically affected with BRD. In addition, in the commercial feedlot setting this procedure was determined to take about 20 minutes per animal.<p> The final study was performed on one hundred feedlot steers considered at high risk of developing BRD from twenty pens within a commercial feedlot. Study animals were enrolled in three different groups: sick on arrival (ARR-SA) consisting of 27 study animals and 13 matched control animals; pen pulls with no fever (PP-NF) consisting of 14 study animals and matched 7 controls; and pen pulls with an undifferentiated fever (PP-UF) consisting of 26 study animals and 13 matched controls. Live animal percutaneous lung biopsies were collected from the right middle lung lobe at 3 different times within the first 30 days of the feeding period, about 2 weeks apart. All samples were histopathologically evaluated and were assessed for the presence of <i>Mycoplasma bovis</i>, <i>Mannheimia haemolytica</i>, Histophilus somni and bovine viral diarrhea virus with immunohistochemistry.<p> A total of 295 lung biopsies were performed yielding 210 (71.2%) lung samples that were sufficient for histopathological evaluation. A histopathology score was awarded to each biopsy based on certain histopathological lesions being present. Only 20 lung biopsy samples from 19 animals received a histopathology score (ie, pulmonary lesions were present) with the most common score being a 1 (maximum score is 20). There were too few lung biopsy samples with a histopathology score to reveal any association with subsequent health events.<p> Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on all lung biopsies recovered yielding one lung sample to be positive for both <i>Mannheimia haemolytica</i> and <i>Mycoplasma bovis</i> from the PP-UF group. There were too few positive samples to reveal any association between IHC and histopathology score.<p> A post mortem evaluation was performed by a study veterinarian on all study animals who died or were humanely euthanized due to poor treatment response. In this study only 4 steers died or were euthanized due to poor treatment response and 3 control steers were humanely euthanized. There were too few animals to reveal any association between histopathology score and post mortem diagnosis.<p> On entry into the feedlot, weights between ARR-SA and the PP-UF and PP-NF groups were significantly different (p<0.05). This is likely an effect of the different processing groups of cattle. At study allocation, the body weights of ARR-SA and PP-UF, PP-UF and their matched controls, and PP-NF and their matched controls were also significantly different (p<0.05). This is likely due to the PP-UF and PP-NF groups experiencing illness for a longer period of time resulting in greater weight loss than the ARR-SA animals as well as the control animals, who were not clinically sick.<p> The live lung biopsy procedure utilized in this study did not appear to cause any long lasting adverse effects as the BRD case fatality rates from the study animals were comparable to the overall case fatality rates reported by the feedlot for fall placed calves. In fact, the study animals experienced a decreased fatality rate compared to the feedlots overall fatality rate. This may be due to the study animals inadvertently being monitored more closely as the pen checkers were aware of and participating in the study. On post mortem evaluation there was no evidence of adhesions at the biopsy site. This procedure was performed on 134 feedlot steers resulting in only 2 acute deaths as a direct result of the live animal percutaneous lung biopsy procedure.<p> The results of this study indicate that live animal, percutaneous lung biopsy can be performed safely on feedlot steers in a commercial feedlot with few clinical side effects. In this study there were only 2 fatalities in 134 steers (1.5%) due to the biopsy procedure or 2 fatalities per 349 sampling times (0.6%) This technique did not prove useful either as a diagnostic tool for the determination of early lung pathology in BRD or as prognostic indicator for health and production outcomes. However, this lung biopsy technique may be a useful diagnostic tool for chronic pneumonia assessment.

Yes / The production of a number of methyl esters such as methyl decanoate (MeDC), methyl salicylate (MeSC), and methyl benzoate (MeBZ) by esterification reactions of several carboxylic acids such as decanoic acid (DeC), salicylic acid (ScA), and benzoic acid (BeZ) with methanol, respectively, through a reactive distillation system (batch or continuous) is cost-intensive and operationally challenging operation. It is difficult to keep the reaction species together in the reaction section due to wide boiling point differences between the reactants. Methanol (in those esterification processes) having the lowest boiling temperature in the reaction mixture can separate easily from carboxylic acid as the distillation progresses, resulting in a severe drop in the reaction conversion ratio of the acid employing batch/continuous distillation system. In order to overcome this type of challenge and to increase the overall reaction conversion, a novel split-reflux conventional batch reactive distillation configuration (sr-BRD) is proposed/studied in detail in this investigation. The optimal performance of BRD/ sr-BRD column is determined in terms of maximum achievable conversion of acids, and highest concentration of the esters produced for each chemical reaction scheme. The results for given separation tasks are compared with those obtained using conventional batch distillation (BRD) process. The optimization results clearly show that the sr-BRD process significantly improves the process efficiency, the conversion ratio of acid, and the product purity of methyl esters compared to that obtained via the BRD process.

Teilw. zugl.: Freiburg im Breisgau, Universiẗat, Diss., 2005.

Metaphylactic treatment of incoming feedlot cattle is a common preventative action against bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Cattle are dosed based on estimated or actual lot average weights, rather than on an individual basis, to reduce initial processing time. There has been limited research conducted on the effects of accurate weight- based dosing in feedlot cattle. The objective of this study was to evaluate the economic effects of precision weight- based dosing of cattle as compared to dosing the lot average or lot averages plus 50 lb and minus 50 lb. An economic model was created and stochastic simulations performed to evaluate potential outcomes of different dosing scenarios. Economic analyses of the effects of precision weight-based dosing were conducted using SIMETAR© to determine the stochastic dominance and economic effects of different dosing regimens. Data were obtained from a commercial feedlot for different lots of cattle where individual animal weights were available; for this analysis the minimum lot size was 30 animals, and the maximum lot size was 126 animals. Within lots, individual weight deviations were calculated from the lot mean, the lot mean was rounded up to the nearest 50 lb increment or down to the nearest 50 lb increment to represent mild overestimation and mild underestimation, respectively. Tulathromycin (Draxxin®, Pfizer Animal Health, New York, NY), an antimicrobial commonly prescribed for treatment of bovine respiratory disease, was used to illustrate the impacts of uniform dosing versus exact dosing per body weight. Based on the dilution space method used to evaluate time of drug effectiveness, it was estimated that Draxxin® administered at the recommended dosage to cattle weighing between 500 and 1000 lb should be provided with 191 hours (7.96 days) of protection from pneumonia-causing bacteria. Due to the pharmacokinetic properties of Draxxin®, an animal that is administered half the recommended dose is only protected from pneumonia-causing bacteria for 8 hours, which is 4.2 percent of the coverage time of the proper dose. This limits the effectiveness of the prescribed treatment to fully administer therapeutic treatment. In all cases, the correct weight-based dosing strategy cost less than any other dosing technique. Overall, dosing all cattle at the lot average weight costs $6.04 per animal more than dosing at the exact, correct dose. Dosing all animals at the lot average weight plus 50 lb costs $6.24 per animal more; dosing all animals at lot average minus 50 lb costs $4.01 per animal more. The use of individual animal weights to determine per head dosing of Draxxin® is more cost effective than using lot averages. This concept would appear to extend to all weight-based pharmaceutical products in general, and should be considered a necessary management strategy.

Univ., Diss.--Hamburg, 1992.