No description available.

The purpose of the study was to determine if mothers who breast-feed their babies for nine months and longer experience problems when weaning. This research also determines the type of problems and weaning practices used by those mothers. In this descriptive study, data was collected from 150 mothers by means of questionnaires and interviews. The subjects were mothers who breast-fed their children for nine months or longer, who attended antenatal and postnatal clinics at Coronation Hospital. Reasons for weaning were inter alia the belief that the baby was old enough to be weaned. The results revealed that 42 (31,34%) of the respondents experienced problems during weaning. The problems included, among others, guilt feelings in the mother. Mothers use harsh methods of weaning such as sending a child away to a relative. There is minimal involvement of health workers in the health education of mothers on weaning. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing Science)

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Studies in animals and humans link both physical and psychological stress with an increased rate and severity of infections and onset of diseases. Stress is a very broad and complex topic. It can be defined as a condition occurring in response to adverse external influences capable of affecting physical health which leads to activation of a stress response in the body. There are two prominent stress responsive systems: the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic adrenomedullary axis. These systems are responsible for the majority of the changes in the body, which occur in response to stress. Stress has been linked to many detrimental effects in cattle including immune suppression, increased disease susceptibility and decreased reproduction. These cause huge economic losses to the cattle industry every year. Weaning has been identified as one of the main stressors implicated in these negative effects. For this reason it is important to be able to identify animals stressed by weaning and do so using samples which are easily obtainable and useful for future diagnostic purposes. We hypothesize that weaning will cause sufficient stress in cattle to alter protein profiles in serum, which can be used to identify this type of stress. To do this we employed proteomic methodologies including two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry to compare an abrupt weaned group of calves to a never weaned group and a previously weaned group (preconditioned). We have included a preconditioned group to examine the differences between this group and animals which have never been weaned. Preconditioned animals are typically used as a control group in weaning studies. A total of 83 distinct protein bands were identified after image analysis. Out of 83 protein bands, we found 9 spots which were significantly different in abundance among the treatment groups. Two out of 9 spots were significantly different between the abrupt weaned and the never weaned groups. Five protein bands were also found to be significantly different between the abrupt weaned group and the preconditioned group. Five protein bands were found to be significantly different between the never weaned group and the preconditioned group. Identification of these proteins, however, had limited success since the bovine protein database is not as extensive as that for humans or mice. Among the proteins identified were alpha-1-acid glycoprotein and collagen precursor. The differences in intensities found between the abrupt weaned group and the never weaned group may be useful as markers of calves going through weaning stress. We have also seen that animals who have undergone weaning and through the stress associated with that event are not exactly the same as animals which have never been weaned. This has implications to research where a preconditioned group is used as a control rather than a never weaned group. Despite the limitations of the methodology used for the current system, the overall results revealed specific changes in serum proteins which were associated with abrupt weaned animals. Future studies can be planned to determine the specificity of these protein changes and possibly identify the molecular basis of stress dependent disease susceptibility.

Studies in animals and humans link both physical and psychological stress with an increased rate and severity of infections and onset of diseases. Stress is a very broad and complex topic. It can be defined as a condition occurring in response to adverse external influences capable of affecting physical health which leads to activation of a stress response in the body. There are two prominent stress responsive systems: the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic adrenomedullary axis. These systems are responsible for the majority of the changes in the body, which occur in response to stress. Stress has been linked to many detrimental effects in cattle including immune suppression, increased disease susceptibility and decreased reproduction. These cause huge economic losses to the cattle industry every year. Weaning has been identified as one of the main stressors implicated in these negative effects. For this reason it is important to be able to identify animals stressed by weaning and do so using samples which are easily obtainable and useful for future diagnostic purposes. We hypothesize that weaning will cause sufficient stress in cattle to alter protein profiles in serum, which can be used to identify this type of stress. To do this we employed proteomic methodologies including two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry to compare an abrupt weaned group of calves to a never weaned group and a previously weaned group (preconditioned). We have included a preconditioned group to examine the differences between this group and animals which have never been weaned. Preconditioned animals are typically used as a control group in weaning studies. A total of 83 distinct protein bands were identified after image analysis. Out of 83 protein bands, we found 9 spots which were significantly different in abundance among the treatment groups. Two out of 9 spots were significantly different between the abrupt weaned and the never weaned groups. Five protein bands were also found to be significantly different between the abrupt weaned group and the preconditioned group. Five protein bands were found to be significantly different between the never weaned group and the preconditioned group. Identification of these proteins, however, had limited success since the bovine protein database is not as extensive as that for humans or mice. Among the proteins identified were alpha-1-acid glycoprotein and collagen precursor. The differences in intensities found between the abrupt weaned group and the never weaned group may be useful as markers of calves going through weaning stress. We have also seen that animals who have undergone weaning and through the stress associated with that event are not exactly the same as animals which have never been weaned. This has implications to research where a preconditioned group is used as a control rather than a never weaned group. Despite the limitations of the methodology used for the current system, the overall results revealed specific changes in serum proteins which were associated with abrupt weaned animals. Future studies can be planned to determine the specificity of these protein changes and possibly identify the molecular basis of stress dependent disease susceptibility.

No description available.

Four experiments were conducted to determine a management strategy for providing effective electrolyte concentrations in the drinking water of newly weaned piglets to encourage early fluid and feed intake [weaning age=19±1 d, n=360]. In Exp. 1, electrolytes (Vetoquinol, QC, Canada) were provided at the label dose of 60 ml/L of water for 0, 6, 12, 18 or 24 h on d1-d3. In Exp. 2, electrolytes were given ad lib at 100, 75, 50, 25 or 12.5 % of the label dose on d1-d3 (72 h). In Exp. 3, electrolytes, at the label dose, or water (control) were given ad lib on d1, d1 and d2, d1-d3, or d1 and d3. In Exp. 4, based on the results of the previous experiments, the most effective combinations of "hours/concentration/days"(12 h of 25 % or 50 % on d1 or alternate days) were tested. All piglets had water ad lib from d4-d14. In Exp. 1, higher feed disappearance was observed in the 0, 6 and 12 h/d than 18 h/d and 24 h/d electrolyte groups (P<0.05). In Exp. 2, by d14 piglets in the 12.5, 50, 75, and 100 % groups experienced lower weight gain and daily FI than those in the 25 % group (P<0.05). In Exp. 3, piglets that received electrolytes on d1 only had comparable FI to those in the water group (respectively; 64.55 g/pig/day vs. 75.59 g/pig/day; SEM=8.61). Overall, evidence indicated that weanlings tended to benefit from electrolyte administration at 25 % of the label dose and durational period of ≤ 12 h/d. However, in Exp. 4 testing neither 25 % or 50 % concentration for 12 h/d result in improved daily FI despite the increased FLI in groups given electrolytes on alternate days. The results suggest that high electrolyte intake occurred at the expense of feed intake.

Four experiments were conducted to determine a management strategy for providing effective electrolyte concentrations in the drinking water of newly weaned piglets to encourage early fluid and feed intake [weaning age=19±1 d, n=360]. In Exp. 1, electrolytes (Vetoquinol, QC, Canada) were provided at the label dose of 60 ml/L of water for 0, 6, 12, 18 or 24 h on d1-d3. In Exp. 2, electrolytes were given ad lib at 100, 75, 50, 25 or 12.5 % of the label dose on d1-d3 (72 h). In Exp. 3, electrolytes, at the label dose, or water (control) were given ad lib on d1, d1 and d2, d1-d3, or d1 and d3. In Exp. 4, based on the results of the previous experiments, the most effective combinations of "hours/concentration/days"(12 h of 25 % or 50 % on d1 or alternate days) were tested. All piglets had water ad lib from d4-d14. In Exp. 1, higher feed disappearance was observed in the 0, 6 and 12 h/d than 18 h/d and 24 h/d electrolyte groups (P<0.05). In Exp. 2, by d14 piglets in the 12.5, 50, 75, and 100 % groups experienced lower weight gain and daily FI than those in the 25 % group (P<0.05). In Exp. 3, piglets that received electrolytes on d1 only had comparable FI to those in the water group (respectively; 64.55 g/pig/day vs. 75.59 g/pig/day; SEM=8.61). Overall, evidence indicated that weanlings tended to benefit from electrolyte administration at 25 % of the label dose and durational period of ≤ 12 h/d. However, in Exp. 4 testing neither 25 % or 50 % concentration for 12 h/d result in improved daily FI despite the increased FLI in groups given electrolytes on alternate days. The results suggest that high electrolyte intake occurred at the expense of feed intake.