Carotene and immunoglobulin concentrations in the colostrum and milk of pasture-fed cows
Summary The carotene and immunoglobulin concentrations in colostra and milks of 6 Jersey, 4 Friesian and 6 Jersey × Friesian cows were determined during the first 21 d of lactation. Carotene concentrations of between 50 and 300 μg/g milk fat were found at first milking and these declined to normal concentrations, in the range 9–21 μg/g milk fat, by the eighth to tenth day of lactation. Immunoglobulin concentrations at first milking were in the range 4–40 g/l milk and decreased to normal concentrations, in the range 0·3–0·5 g/l, by the fifth to seventh day of lactation. For both substances the data from each cow's milk fitted an exponential decay model. The fractional rates of decrease in concentration of carotene were 0·19–0·57/d and of immunoglobulin were 0·40–0·73/d. Breed-group differences were observed in both carotene and immunoglobulin concentrations in milks after the fourteenth day of lactation. In Jersey milks, the average carotene and immunoglobulin concentrations were respectively 18·5 μg/g milk fat and 0·32 g/l of milk, while in Friesian milks the concentrations were respectively 11·4 μg/g milk fat and 0·46 g/l milk. There was also a difference between breed groups in the daily rates of decrease of the immunoglobulin concentrations. The average rate of decrease for the Friesians was about 1·5 times the rate for the Jerseys.
Properties of the Colostrum of the Dairy Cow. III. Several Factors Affecting Vitamin A and Carotenoid Content
Summary A study was made of the effects of individuality, breed, lactation number and prepartal diets on vitamin A and carotenoid contents of colostrum and transitional milk from 86 cows representing four dairy breeds. Marked individual differences were found in the vitamin A potency of colostrum from cows of the same breed, lactation (first or later) and dietary group. A greater degree of variability was observed in early colostrum than in the milk from the same cows at the end of the transition period. Occasionally, first-lactation cows secreted an atypical colostrum in which vitamin A and carotenoids were abnormally low. The carotenoid content of colostrum and early milk from Jerseys and Guernseys was higher than in the corresponding secretions from Holsteins and Ayrshires, but differences with respect to Vitamin A were not marked. Concentrations of vitamin A in the mammary secretions from first-lactation cows generally were higher than in those from cows in later lactations, but consistent differences in carotenoids were not observed. Access to pasture during the terminal weeks of gestation produced higher levels of carotenoids in colostrum and transitional milk than did typical barn rations. Although levels of vitamin A generally were increased by pasture grazing, the increase was not so great as observed for carotenoids. High intakes of vitamin A concentrates (500,000 and 1,000,000 I. U. daily, respectively, 4–2 and 2–0 weeks prepartal increased the vitamin A content of colostrum and transitional milk to levels higher than those in corresponding mammary products from cows fed either typical barn rations or pasture. Supplementation of the ration with 1,250,000 I. U. of vitamin A daily both pre- and postpartally, tended to decrease the concentration of carotenoids in the mammary secretions; but supplementation during the prepartal period only (4–2 and 2–0 weeks, at levels of 500,000 and 1,000,000 I. U. daily, respectively) had no consistent effect on the carotenoids. Concentrations of vitamin A and carotenoids in first colostrum generally were several times higher than in milk at the end of the transition period. Even when daily supplementation with high levels of vitamin A was continued postpartally, as well as during the prepartal period, the first colostrum averaged almost 3 times higher in vitamin A content than did milk from the same cows 14 days later. The transition in vitamin A and in carotenoid contents of colostric fat was rapid during the first eight milkings, both constituents following a similar logarithmic trend. Neither number of lactation (first or later), breed, nor prepartal rations seemed to influence appreciably the rate of transition, but in all cases definitely smaller rates of change were evident by the eighth to the tenth milking. Since vitamin A and carotenoids of colostrum are concentrated primarily in the fat, the logarithmic trend usually was manifested more clearly when results were expressed as concentrations per unit of colostric fat instead of as concentrations per unit of total secretion.
Study on essential drug use status and its influencing factors among cerebral infarction inpatients in county level hospitals of Anhui Province, China
Background and purpose Drug costs is one of the main components of hospitalization expenditure for cerebral infarction inpatients. In China, the National Essential Medicine System (NEMS) was created to relieve the heavy drug-cost burden for patients. The objective of this study was to investigate essential drug-use status and its influencing factors among cerebral infarction inpatients in county-level hospitals of Anhui province, China. Methods Three county-level hospitals were selected through a multi-stage cluster random sampling method. The hospitalization cost data of cerebral infarction inpatients in the three hospitals were extracted from the Anhui provincial information platform of the New Rural Cooperative Insurance System (NCMS), and whether the proportion of essential drug cost in the total drug cost reached the median value of 33.05% which was set as the evaluation index for essential drug-use status. Questionnaires for hospitals and physicians were designed and given to them to assess influencing factors. Results We retrieved the cost data of 2,189 inpatients from the NCMS platform and investigated 51 corresponding physicians in total. The drug costs accounted for 52.6% of the total hospitalization cost, and essential drug costs alone accounted for 37.0% of the total drug costs. The essential drug-cost proportion was high among physicians with a higher recognition degree on NEMS, older age, lower final academic degree, longer work experience and lower professional title. Married physicians and those with tight organizational affiliation also prescribed more essential drugs. Conclusions Increasing the proportion of essential drugs was an effective way to reduce the disease burden for cerebral infarction patients. Perfecting the NEMS, increasing government investment, reinforcing education and propaganda, and formulating relevant incentive and restrictive mechanisms were all effective ways to promote and increase the number of essential drug prescriptions written by physicians.