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Graded concentrations of ochratoxin A (0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 micrograms/g of feed) incorporated into the diet of turkey poults from hatching until 3 weeks of age resulted in a decreased growth rate, enlarged proventriculus and gizzard, and a regressed thymus (all at 4 and 8 micrograms/g) and the sizes of liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, bursa of Fabricius were unaffected. Feed conversion ratio increased from 1.63 (control value) to 2.07 (8 micrograms/g). Mortality was increased significantly (P less than .05) at 8 micrograms/g. Water consumption and plasma uric acid were increased at 4 and 8 micrograms/g. Plasma glucose and the dry weight of the kidneys decreased significantly at 8 micrograms/g while total plasma proteins, prothrombin time, plasma carotenoids, and phenol red clearance rate were unaltered. A leucocytopenia, which was primarily a lymphocytopenia, was observed at 4 and 8 micrograms/g. Heterophils decreased while basophils increased at 8 micrograms/g. The oral LD50 for day-old and 3-week-old poults was 4.63 +/- .31 and 7.84 +/- .94 mg/kg, respectively. Intraperitoneally, the value for day-old birds was .16 +/- .03 +/- mg/kg and for 3-week-old birds was .34 +/- .09 mg/kg. These data suggest that ochratoxin is a potent nephrotoxin in turkeys, but that ochratoxicosis in turkeys differs markedly from the disease in other species.

The elemental composition of individual cells of rapidly frozen and cryosectioned Escherichia coli B was measured with electron optical microanalytic methods. The Ca content was high (26.2 mmol/kg) in a 10-nm-wide region of the cell envelope. Amounts of cytoplasmic Ca in actively dividing cells were significantly higher (32.6 mmol/kg [dry weight]) than in the log-phase (1.5 mmol/kg) cells. Cellular Mg was 205 mmol/kg (dry weight) and it was uniformly distributed throughout the cell. Cells washed in distilled water before freezing lost monovalent ions (Na, Cl, and K), but the membrane-bound Ca and cellular Mg were not reduced, indicating that cellular Mg and membrane Ca are more tightly bound.

The authors explore the strategies Memphis hospitals employ to compete in a market dominated by a few large competitors. Several key strategies are identified, including horizontal integration, product diversification, product specialization, resource-based quality improvement, institutional differentiation, and public relations and physician-centered marketing. Several forces that have caused health care delivery to become more competitive are identified and discussed. The argument is made that these forces were responsible for an altering of the assumptions on which strategies were based in the Memphis market. Evidence is presented to show that the strategies were both widened in scope and refocused to encompass a larger number of market segments. The authors conclude with an analysis of the implications of these changes.

Vaccines have been widely used by the livestock industry to control and prevent disease. New technologies now permit development of vaccines against hormones that control reproduction, growth, and lactation in domestic farm animals. Results of research projects studying passive and active immunization against such hormones as estrogen, testosterone, LH, FSH, and somatotropin have demonstrated that reproductive efficiencies and growth can be altered through vaccination. Although immunizations against most of the hormones studied have proven effective in most cases, there remain problems related to longevity, consistency, and efficiency of response both within and between animals. When these areas have been clearly defined for individual hormones, standardized immunization regimens can be developed that will optimize antibody production in the animal, thus providing the animal agriculture industry with a powerful and profitable production tool.

The purposes of this study were to develop an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for determination of progesterone in unextracted whole milk and to apply it to pregnancy diagnosis. Paper fibers covalently coupled to antibody specifically and competitively bound 3H-progesterone and 11 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone hemisuccinate-horseradish peroxidase and were stable for 9 mo at -20 degrees C. The sensitivity, recovery, precision, and cross reactivity of the EIA and a radioimmunoassay (RIA) of milk progesterone were evaluated, and showed that this EIA was comparable to the RIA. Milk samples were collected once daily for one estrous cycle from ten lactating Holstein cows and the progesterone levels were determined by RIA. Milk progesterone in 70 samples measured by EIA were highly correlated (r = 0.90) with the values of RIA for the same samples. Milk samples for pregnancy diagnosis by EIA of milk progesterone were obtained daily from days 20 to 24 after 115 artificial inseminations of 85 lactating Holstein cows. Pregnancy diagnosis by EIA was confirmed by rectal palpation at 30 to 60 days after insemination or return to estrus. The accuracy based on single, two, three, four, and five consecutive samples was from 67.2 to 80.0%, 77.3 to 84.0%, 79.2 to 87.5%, 82.0 to 85.4%, and 85.4%, respectively, for pregnancy diagnosis; and from 95.0 to 98.3% for nonpregnancy.

This paper explores the profits of not-for-profit (NFP) hospitals and identifies the factors that determine whether such profits are adequate. A model which relates hospital charges to surpluses is used to derive NFP surplus from gross patient charges and operating costs. This is done to identify the items contributing to surpluses and to explore the dispersion of NFP surpluses. We first discuss why the literature is relatively silent on NFP profitability. We then present the model and use Tennessee hospital data to identify how its components vary by hospital type and through time. The dispersion of surpluses among NFPs is then examined. We next propose three rate of return measures of profitability and use these to relate NFP profits to select characteristics of hospitals and their environments. Several alternative profit levels of NFP are discussed, and the factors that are relevant to the issue of determining the adequate level of profit are identified. The paper ends with a plea for better data on NFP profits.

When challenged, hospital administrators may find themselves faced with the responsibility of defending both the existence and use of the profits of the hospital. This issue of DRG Monitor explores the reasons for the recent interest in the profits of not-for-profit (NOPRO) hospitals, analyzes the factors that determine hospital profits, and considers the different ways of using NOPRO profits and their implications in the context of the changing health care environment.

Four experiments were conducted with 210 heifers in an attempt to develop a sterilization vaccine by active immunization against prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) and to evaluate feedlot performance following immunization against the combination of PGF2 alpha and estrogens. The objectives were: development of a PGF2 alpha-ovalbumin conjugate that would induce antibody formation when used with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA); comparison of CFA with other adjuvants in relation to PGF2 alpha antibody binding and maintenance of the corpus luteum; examination of growth performance in immunized heifers against both PGF2 alpha and estradiol-17 beta and evaluation of sterilization in PGF2 alpha-immunized heifers maintained with bulls. A PGF2 alpha-ovalbumin conjugate was developed that resulted in antibody production against PGF2 alpha, although antibody binding was quite low. The antibody response in heifers was higher in Exp. I and II than in Exp. III and IV (P less than .05). Complete Freund's adjuvant was the best adjuvant in inducing antibody formation compared with all other adjuvants tested (P less than .01). Corpus luteum (CL) function was maintained for 2.5 mo and ovulation was apparently blocked in Exp. I. The results of Exp. II confirmed those of Exp. I. Fewer than half of the heifers in Exp. III and IV had prolonged estrous cycles. In Exp. IV, immunized heifers became sterile for at least 4 mo when kept with bulls, although the success rate was only 37%. The low levels of antibody titers to PGF2 alpha in Exp. III and IV may be the reason for the failure to maintain CL function in some heifers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Twenty-five cows were divided equally into five groups to determine whether [D-Trp6]-luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH-A) microencapsulated in poly (DL-lactide co-glycolide) would increase basal serum concentrations of LH during the postpartum period. On d 5 postpartum, cows were injected i.m. with 2 ml of vehicle alone (Group 1) or vehicle containing microcapsules calculated to release .4, 1.6, 6.4 or 25.6 micrograms LHRH-A per day for approximately 30 d (Groups 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively). Cows were bled every 15 min for 4 h immediately before and after injection and every 15 min for 4 h at weekly intervals for the next 4 wk to evaluate serum profiles of LH. Estrus was determined by twice daily observations and confirmed by serum progesterone. More cows in Groups 2, 3, 4 and 5 exhibited pulsatile patterns of LH after LHRH-A injection than in Group 1 (P less than .06). More pulses of LH were observed after LHRH-A injection in Groups 4 and 5 than in Group 1 (P less than .01). Mean concentrations of LH within treatment groups did not change during the initial injection, except in Group 5. All cows in Group 5 had a surge of LH immediately after injection. The induced surge of LH in two cows in Group 5 cows resulted in progesterone profiles similar to those during a normal luteal phase. Days to first postpartum estrus were not different among the five treatment groups. Microencapsulated LHRH-A given at a dose estimated to release 25 micrograms LHRH-A/d was effective in elevating LH concentrations following injection. However, effectiveness of this hormonal treatment in shortening postpartum anestrus was not substantiated.

Seventy crossbred heifers were allotted randomly to 10 treatment groups. Treatments consisted of active immunization against ovalbumin (OV) conjugates of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and bovine luteinizing hormone (bLH) with each of three adjuvants. The adjuvants were complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), M103(6) and 6VR6. Control animals were immunized against OV alone using CFA. Bulls were placed with the heifers following immunization to allow comparison of pregnancy rates between groups. Blood samples were collected weekly for 14 wk to determine antibody concentrations. Significant levels of circulating LH or LHRH antibodies were detected in heifers immunized with each of the hormone conjugates. Complete Freund's adjuvant was the most effective for stimulating antibody response to these antigens; however, M103 was equally effective when used with bLH or hCG conjugates. None of the heifers in the bLH-OV-CFA, bLH-OV-M103 or LHRH-OV-CFA immunization groups was pregnant at slaughter, whereas 71% of the OV-CFA control heifers were pregnant. Fertility suppression may be achieved in the bovine by active immunization against any of these three hormone conjugates. However, the duration of this study (8 wk after immunization) does not allow evaluation of the duration of effectiveness of each of the treatments.