bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Continuous and rotational grazing of dairy cows – the interactions of grazing system with level of milk yield, sward height and concentrate level
Authors: Pulido R. G. , Leaver J. D. 
Published: December 2003

AbstractAn experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that for cows with high levels of milk yield, rotational grazing produces higher milk yields than continuous grazing. The comparison of grazing systems was made at two levels of milk yield (initially 20·3 and 32·5 kg d−1), and interactions with sward height and concentrate level were also examined. The study used 48 multiparous Holstein Friesian cows over a period of 62 d. Mean milk yield, its persistency and composition, live weight, body condition score and liveweight gain were not significantly affected by grazing system at either level of milk yield. There were no significant interactions between grazing system and sward height or concentrate level for any milk production measurement. Mean estimated herbage and total dry matter (DM) intake (P < 0·01), grazing time (P < 0·05) and ruminating time (P < 0·01) were significantly greater on the continuous grazing system. The cows in the higher milk yield group and those grazed at the higher sward height had a significantly (P < 0·05) higher estimated daily herbage DM intake and rate of herbage intake on the continuous grazing system than those on the rotational grazing system. There was no evidence to support the hypothesis that rotational grazing systems support higher levels of milk production than continuous grazing for cows of high milk yield. The shorter grazing time on the rotational grazing system indicated that cows may anticipate the timing of the daily movement of the electric fence, and this reduces their time spent grazing residual herbage.
Forage quality of Trifolium repens L. × T. nigrescens Viv. hybrids
Authors: Marshall A. H. , Abberton M. T. , Williams T. A. , Michaelson‐Yeates T. P. T. , Powell H. G. 
Published: December 2003

AbstractInterspecific hybridization with the close relative Trifolium nigrescens Viv. (Ball clover) is a possible strategy to increase the seed yield potential of white clover (T. repens L.). Fertile F1 plants have been used as the basis for several generations of backcrossing using T. repens as the recurrent parent. Forage quality of the parental species and backcross hybrids when grown in mixtures with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) was compared in field plots over three harvest years. The dry‐matter digestibility (DMD) and crude protein (CP) concentration of the legume fraction was greater than that of perennial ryegrass, but the water‐soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentration of the legume components was lower than that of perennial ryegrass. Differences in forage quality between T. repens and the backcross hybrids were relatively small. The WSC concentration of the backcrosses was less than T. repens but the CP concentration was greater. Significant differences in the forage quality of the companion grass were observed when grown with the parental species and the hybrids; however, these differences were attributed to the plots with T. nigrescens and the F1 plants, where the clover content was low. Few differences in the forage quality of the grass were measured when grown with T. repens and the backcross hybrids. The impact of these results on the use of these hybrids in cultivar development programmes is discussed.
Effects of feeding clover silages on feed intake, milk production and digestion in dairy cows
Authors: Bertilsson J. , Murphy M. 
Published: December 2003

AbstractSilages were made from pure crops of perennial ryegrass, red clover and white clover over 2 years. In all but one case the silage was stored as bales. A silage additive specially adapted for bales (Kofasil UltraTM) was used for all silages and they were all of good hygienic quality. The additive contained sodium nitrite, hexamethylene, tetraamine sodium bensoate and sodium propionate. The silages were offered ad libitum, either pure or mixed [grass/clover 0·50/0·50 on a dry‐matter (DM) basis] with a fixed amount (8 kg) of concentrate. Two experiments, one in each year, were performed with high‐yielding multiparous dairy cows in mid‐lactation, and both rumen‐cannulated and intact cows were used. The experiments were carried out using an incomplete changeover design with fifteen cows and five treatments each year.The cows consumed large quantities of these silages (12·7–16·3 kg DM per cow per day). The highest intakes were obtained when the red clover and the 0·50 red clover:0·50 perennial ryegrass silage diets were offered. However, there was a difference between years. In year 1, 0·50 red clover:0·50 perennial ryegrass and 0·50 white clover:0·50 perennial ryegrass silage diets showed the highest intakes while pure perennial ryegrass and white clover silage diets gave lower intakes. In year 2 the highest intake of silage was obtained when the diet containing silage from red clover from a second cut was offered, while the silage from red clover from a first cut gave the lowest intake. The voluntary intakes of silages from white clover and perennial ryegrass were intermediate. No cases of bloat or other digestive disturbances were observed. Milk yield was significantly lower for the perennial ryegrass silage diet compared with all other diets in year 1. In year 2 milk yield was highest for the white clover silage diets and lowest for the red clover silage diets from both cuts. In year 1 there were relatively small differences in milk composition while in year 2 milk fat content was significantly lower with white clover silage diet and milk protein content was significantly higher with the perennial ryegrass diet. The overall conclusion from these experiments was that cows were able to consume large quantities of pure legume silage without serious disturbance to their metabolism. Differences in measurements of rumen metabolism were found between diets and especially between years. Milk production differences appears to be coupled to both differences in rumen physical characteristics, such as passage rate and particle size as well as differences in volatile fatty acid production in the rumen.
Influence of cultivar and cutting date on the fatty acid composition of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)
Authors: Elgersma A. , Ellen G. , van der Horst H. , Muuse B. G. , Boer H. , Tamminga S. 
Published: December 2003

AbstractTwo experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of cultivar and season on the fatty acid (FA) composition of the lipids of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). Eight diploid cultivars were cut at the same target yield of approximately 2000 kg dry matter ha−1 between mid‐June and mid‐September. Two cultivars (Barlet and Magella) were harvested during four 2‐week periods and six cultivars (AberGold, Respect, Agri, Herbie, Barezane and Barnhem; cultivars 1–6) during three periods. The concentrations of individual FA were determined by gas chromatography. Barlet had higher concentrations of linolenic acid (C18:3) than Magella, but lower concentrations of linoleic acid (C18:2). Cultivars 1–6 were more variable in their leaf blade and stem proportions than Barlet and Magella. Despite this, there was no difference between cultivars 1–6 in the FA composition of the herbage. On average 0·74 of the FA consisted of C18:3. Higher concentrations of total FA were found in mid‐summer than in early summer. This was related to a high leaf blade proportion in the herbage, indicating that the proportion of leaf and stem of the herbage probably had more effect on lipid concentrations than the season per se in this period. However, in late August and mid‐September, the total FA concentration declined whereas the leaf blade proportion increased. Therefore, in this period environmental factors appeared to have a modifying effect. As consistent differences in the concentration of C18:3 were found among cultivars Barlet and Magella throughout the season, these studies demonstrate opportunities to change the composition of ruminant products through the choice of cultivars of perennial ryegrass.
Multicentre study of fetal cardiac time intervals using magnetocardiography
Authors: Stinstra J. , Golbach E. , van Leeuwen P. , Lange S. , Menendez T. , Moshage W. , Schleussner E. , Kaehler C. , Horigome H. , Shigemitsu S. , Peters M.J. 
Published: December 2003

Objective
A database with reference values of the durations of the various waveforms in a magnetocardiogram of fetuses in uncomplicated pregnancies is assessed. This database will be of help to discriminate between pathologic and healthy fetuses. A fetal magnetocardiogram is a recording of the magnetic field in a location near the maternal abdomen and reflects the electric activity within the fetal heart. It is a non‐invasive method, which can be used with nearly 100% reliability from the 20th week of gestation onward.Design
Durations of the waveforms were assembled from averaged magnetocardiograms and statistically processed.Setting
Fetal magnetocardiograms were measured with different magnetocardiographs. All measurements were carried out in magnetically shielded rooms.Sample
Fetal magnetocardiograms were obtained for 582 healthy patients.Method
The durations of the waveforms were extracted from fetal magnetocardiograms measured at the cooperating centres. The variables collected included the duration of the P‐wave, the PR interval, the PQ interval, the QRS complex, the QT interval and the T‐wave and QTc value. The results were compared with values extracted from electrocardiograms of fetuses measured via electrodes attached to the maternal abdomen, from electrocardiograms measured during labour using a scalp electrode, and from electrocardiograms recorded in newborns, that were found in the literature.Main outcome measures
Values of the durations are given as a function of gestational age including the regression line as well as the bounds marking the 90%, 95% and 98% prediction interval.Results
The durations of the P‐wave, the PR interval, the QRS complex, the QT interval and QTc value increase linearly with gestational age. The durations of the PQ interval and the T‐wave are independent of fetal age.Conclusion
The values found agree with those found in the literature. The scatter of the data is wide due to the variation in normal physiology, the measuring system and signal processing and the subjectivity of the researcher. However, the system can define normal ranges and may be used in diagnosis.
Cost effectiveness of pre‐operative gonadotrophin releasing analogues for women with uterine fibroids undergoing hysterectomy or myomectomy
Authors: Farquhar Cynthia , Brown Paul M. , Furness Sue 
Published: December 2003

Objective
To conduct a cost effectiveness analysis of pre‐operative gonadotrophin releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) in women with uterine fibroids undergoing hysterectomy or myomectomy.Design
A cost effectiveness analysis using the effectiveness data from a systematic review of GnRHa.Setting
Secondary care.Sample
Women with uterine fibroids undergoing hysterectomy or myomectomy and women volunteers.Methods
Effectiveness data were used from a systematic review to construct a model and to calculate the cost per surgical outcome avoided. In order to evaluate the value women place on the outcome, a willingness to pay analysis of women volunteers was undertaken.Main outcome measures
(a) The cost of avoiding abdominal hysterectomy and the cost of avoiding a vertical incision at either hysterectomy or myomectomy; (b) The value that women place on avoiding abdominal hysterectomy and on avoiding a vertical incision at either hysterectomy or myomectomy. All costs are in NZ dollars.Results
For hysterectomy, the additional cost of treatment with GnRHa was NZ$1190 per case. The cost of avoiding one abdominal procedure was NZ$4577 per case and the cost of avoiding one vertical incision was NZ$6263. For a myomectomy, the additional cost of treatment with GnRHa was NZ$1535 per case. The cost of avoiding one vertical incision was NZ$4651 per case. These costs exceeded the benefit women placed on the outcomes.Conclusion
Although the pre‐operative use of GnRHa results in benefits which include less frequent abdominal incisions in the case of hysterectomy and less frequent vertical incisions in the case of myomectomy, the benefits do not justify the costs. This study highlights the importance of considering both the benefits and costs in health care decisions.
Uterine artery embolisation for symptomatic fibroids: clinical results in 400 women with imaging follow up
Authors: Walker W.J. , Pelage J.P. 
Published: December 2003

Objective
To evaluate the mid‐term efficacy and complications of uterine artery embolisation in women with symptomatic fibroids. To assess reduction in uterine and dominant fibroid volumes using ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging.Design
Prospective observational single‐centre study.Setting
A district general hospital in Surrey and a private hospital in London.Methods
Four hundred consecutive women were treated between December 1996 and February 2001. Indications for treatment were menorrhagia, menstrual pain, abdominal swelling or bloating and other pressure effects. Uterine artery embolisation was performed using polyvinyl alcohol particles and platinum coils.Main outcome measures
Imaging was performed before embolisation and at regular intervals thereafter. Clinical evaluation was made at regular intervals after embolisation to assess patient outcome.Results
Bilateral uterine artery embolisation was achieved in 395 women, while 5 women had a unilateral procedure. With a mean clinical follow up of 16.7 months, menstrual bleeding was improved in 84% of women and menstrual pain was improved in 79%. Using ultrasound, the median uterine and dominant fibroid volumes before embolisation were 608 and 112 cc, respectively, and after embolisation 255 and 19 cc, respectively (P= .0001). Three (1%) infective complications requiring emergency hysterectomy occurred. Twenty‐three (6%) patients had clinical failure or recurrence. Of these, nine (2%) had a hysterectomy. Twenty‐six (7%) women had permanent amenorrhoea after embolisation including four patients under the age of 45 (2%). Of these, amenorrhea started between 4 and 18 months after embolisation, and only three had elevated follicle stimulating hormone levels when amenorrhea developed. Thirteen (4%) women had chronic vaginal discharge considered as a major irritant. Thirteen pregnancies occurred in 12 patients. Ninety‐seven percent of women were pleased with the outcome and would recommend this treatment to others.Conclusions
Uterine artery embolisation is associated with a high clinical success rate and good fibroid volume reduction. Infective complications requiring hysterectomy, amenorrhoea under the age of 45 and chronic vaginal discharge may complicate the procedure.
Listening to patients with unexplained menstrual symptoms: what do they tell the gynaecologist?
Authors: Echlin Dawn , Garden Anne S. , Salmon Peter 
Published: December 2003

Objectives
To describe how women present unexplained menstrual symptoms to gynaecologists; to find out whether presentation reflects how intense their symptoms feel or how much benefit they expect from gynaecological treatment; and to test the prediction that surgical treatment decisions are more likely to follow specific types of presentation.Design
A cross sectional cohort study.Setting
Gynaecological outpatient clinics in a teaching hospital.Sample
Fifty‐nine patients, referred for menstrual problems, in whom investigations had excluded physical disease.Methods
Patients indicated symptom intensity and expectations of treatment before consultation on self‐completed questionnaires. Audiotape recordings of consultations with the gynaecologist were transcribed and patients' use of specific communication strategies was coded according to a previously reported scheme.Main outcome measures
Treatment decision was noted.Results
In a third to a half of patients, presentation extended beyond symptom report to include catastrophisation about consequences of symptoms, reference to other individuals to substantiate the patient's problems, criticism of previous or possible future interventions or request for hysterectomy. Those with greatest expectations of gynaecological treatment were more likely to catastrophise and request hysterectomy. Those with most intense subjective symptoms were more likely to catastrophise, refer to other individuals and request hysterectomy, and these strategies were more likely to be followed by surgical treatment decisions.Conclusions
Surgical treatment for unexplained menstrual problems is not driven by gynaecologists. Reduction in unnecessary hysterectomies will require training in communication skills that reflects the challenging nature of many patients' presentation in the gynaecology clinic.
Leptin and pre‐eclampsia in Black African parturients
Authors: Kafulafula G.E. , Moodley J. , Ojwang P.J. , Kagoro H. 
Published: December 2003

Objective
To measure serum concentrations of the hormone leptin during late pregnancy in Black African women with pre‐eclampsia, healthy normotensive pregnant women as controls and healthy normotensive non‐pregnant women; secondly, to explore the relationship between leptin and obesity.Design
Observational, cross sectional study.Setting
Antenatal clinics, antenatal wards, gynaecology out patient and family planning clinics of a tertiary hospital, Durban, South Africa.Population
Pregnant and non‐pregnant Black African women.Method
Serum leptin was measured by a homologous radio‐immunoassay technique. Simple anthropometric parameters were used to explore the relationship between leptin and obesity. In each group, leptin levels were compared between obese (body mass index, BMI ≥ 30 kg m−2) and lean women.Main outcome measures
Serum leptin concentrations, anthropometric parameters, mean blood pressures and proteinuria.Results
There were 68 women with pre‐eclampsia, 92 healthy normotensive pregnant women (controls) and 32 healthy normotensive non‐pregnant women. Serum leptin levels were higher in pregnant compared with non‐pregnant women [26.66 (1.96) and 25.89 (1.65) vs 17.97 (2.11) ng/mL, P= 0.02]. Weight and BMI showed the greatest correlation with leptin both in pregnant (r= 0.61 and r= 0.58, respectively) and non‐pregnant women (r= 0.74 and 0.79, respectively). There was no significant difference in the mean concentrations of leptin between women with and those without pre‐eclampsia [26.66 (1.96) vs 25.89 (1.65) ng/mL, respectively, P= 0.95].Conclusion
Pregnancy is a hyperleptinaemic state. There is no difference in serum leptin levels between Black African women with pre‐eclampsia and healthy normotensive pregnant women. Serum leptin concentration is largely determined by the degree of adiposity.
Prenatal diagnosis of bilateral isolated fetal hyperechogenic kidneys. Is it possible to predict long term outcome?
Authors: Tsatsaris V. , Gagnadoux M.F. , Aubry M.C. , Gubler M.C. , Dumez Y. , Dommergues M. 
Published: December 2003

Objective
To study perinatal and long term outcome following prenatal diagnosis of hyperechogenic kidneys.Design
Prospective observational cohort study.Setting
The Maternité Port‐Royal Hôpital Cochin and at the Departments of Obstetrics and Paediatric Nephrology, Necker Enfants Malades in Paris, France.Population
Forty‐three fetuses with isolated bilateral hyperechogenic kidneys.Methods
All patients referred with isolated bilateral hyperechogenic fetal kidneys were followed up prospectively up to 34–132 months. The following prenatal items were analysed: fetal kidney size, amniotic fluid volume, gestational age at diagnosis, family history and renal ultrasound in parents. Postmortem examination was carried out in cases with perinatal death. Postnatal follow up of survivors included postnatal ultrasound, blood pressure, serum creatinine, proteinuria, need for restricted diet, weight and height and renal biopsy when available.Main outcome measures
Aetiology of hyperechogenicity, perinatal mortality and renal function in survivors.Results
The aetiology could be established by family history, postmortem or postnatal data, but not by prenatal ultrasound. There were 20 autosomal recessive, 8 autosomal dominant polycystic kidney diseases, 9 other renal disorders and 6 symptom‐free survivors without aetiological diagnosis. There were 19 terminations of pregnancy, 5 neonatal deaths and 19 survivors, of whom 14 had normal renal function three had mild and two had end stage renal failure. None of those with severe oligohydramnios and fetal kidneys > 4 SD survived (n= 14, 10 terminations and 4 neonatal deaths), whereas of the 17 with normal amniotic fluid volume and kidneys < 4 SD, 14 survived, of whom 9 were symptom‐free.Conclusion
Aetiology could not be established prenatally in the absence of familial data. Kidney size and amniotic fluid volume were the best prenatal predictors of outcome.
Prenatal diagnosis for risk of spinal muscular atrophy
Authors: Cuscó I. , Barceló M.J. , Soler C. , Parra J. , Baiget M. , Tizzano E. 
Published: December 2003

Objectives
Prenatal diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy is usually performed in high risk couples by detection of a homozygous deletion in the survival motor neurone gene (SMN1). However, other relatives at risk of being carriers very often request genetic counselling and the possibility of prenatal diagnosis. The aim of this study was to validate a SMN1 gene quantitative test to help the couples formed by one spinal muscular atrophy carrier and a partner of the general population (1/200 potential risk) to achieve a less ambiguous risk result for the pregnancy.Design
Spinal muscular atrophy carrier studies in at‐risk individuals.Setting
Department of Genetics and Gynaecology and Obstetrics in a large university hospital.Population
Seventy‐nine obligate carriers (more than one affected child with deletion in the offspring) and 58 non‐carriers (relatives of spinal muscular atrophy families defined by marker studies) were tested to set up a quantitative analysis. The method was applied in different situations in 126 members from 34 families with spinal muscular atrophy patients.Methods
DNA studies of the SMN1 gene by marker analysis and quantitative assay.Main outcome measures
To determine double (non‐carrier) or single dose (carrier) of exon 7 of the SMN1 gene in relatives of spinal muscular atrophy patients. Bayesian calculation of risk.Results
The sensitivity and specificity of the method were 96% and 100%, respectively. Studies on different couples with an a priori risk of 1/200 allowed us to reduce the final risk to 1/5000 or to increase it to 1/4.Conclusions
The quantitative method can be used to achieve a less ambiguous risk in pregnancies with a 1/200 risk and in families where no sample is available to study the index case. Screening of gamete donors when the recipient is a known carrier should also be considered.