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The objective of this study was to determine whether a novel footbath solution containing stannous fluoride (SnF2) was superior to 5% copper sulfate solution for the treatment and prevention of digital dermatitis (DD) in dairy cattle. Study 1 was conducted over 4 weeks in Missouri and involved 34 lactating Holstein-Friesian cows with hind feet DD lesions. Cows in group SF walked through a footbath containing a proprietary formulation of SnF2 once weekly, whereas cows in group CS walked through a 5% CuSO4 footbath once daily for 5 d each week. Study 2 was conducted over 8 weeks in California and involved 40 lactating Holstein-Friesian cows with hind feet DD lesions. Cows in group SF walked through a SnF2 footbath for 3 consecutive days then once a week for the following 7 weeks. Cows in group CS walked through a 5% CuSO4 footbath 3 times each week for 8 weeks. Data collection included lesion type, lesion area, locomotion score, and pain score. Digital dermatitis was actively transmitted in study 1, and lesion area and locomotion scores were lower in group SF than group CS. In contrast, DD was not actively transmitted in study 2, and lesion area and locomotion scores were similar in groups SF and CS. Stannous fluoride delayed the development of active DD lesions in study 1 compared with copper sulfate, with a lower relative risk (0.57, P < 0.001) of a hind foot developing an active DD lesion over 28 d. However, SnF2 decreased the rate that active DD lesions transitioned to M3, M4, or M0 lesions compared with 5% copper sulfate in both studies, with the relative risk of a hind foot with an active DD lesion transitioning to M3, M4, or M0 in group SF being slightly lower in study 1 (0.83, P = 0.042) and study 2 (0.90, P = 0.020) than group CS. Our findings demonstrated that walking cows through a stannous fluoride footbath once per week in a herd undergoing active transmission of infection was more effective in preventing active DD lesions, but less effective in treating active DD lesions, than walking cows through a copper sulfate footbath 4 times per week. The novel SnF2 footbath solution shows promise for controlling DD in dairy herds that want an alternative footbath solution to CuSO4 and are interested in limiting the environmental accumulation of copper.

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AIMS: Studies of antimuscarinics for overactive bladder (OAB) typically use objective and subjective measures to assess efficacy, as each provides unique information about patient outcome. We evaluated the relationships between changes in diary-documented OAB symptoms and other patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures. METHODS: In VIBRANT, OAB patients received solifenacin (5/10 mg) or placebo for 12 weeks. During the study, patients completed 3-day bladder diaries and other generic and disease-specific PRO measures. Data from both treatment groups were combined (n=738). Categorical changes in diary variables were compared with changes in PRO measures. Partial correlations controlling for treatment and Spearman correlations were also calculated. RESULTS: Categorical improvements in diary variables were significantly associated with greater improvements in PRO measures. Pair-wise comparisons showed that patients with major symptomatic improvements had significantly greater improvements on PROs vs. those with some or no improvement. Odds ratios ranged from 1.52 to 4.09 (p≤0.002). Linear relationships between changes in PRO measures and diary variables were low to moderate but statistically significant (p<0.001). Partial correlations were highest for diary variables and OAB-Questionnaire Symptom Bother. Spearman correlations ranged from 0.170 to 0.450 (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with OAB, changes in objectively measured symptoms of urgency, incontinence and frequency showed low-to-moderate correlations to changes in PRO measures. While providing evidence for similar change patterns in symptoms and patient perceptions, correlations were not high, lending support to the concept that in OAB clinical trials, both bladder diaries and PRO measures are important independent measures of efficacy.

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AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of solifenacin on symptom bother using the Overactive Bladder Questionnaire (OAB-q). METHODS: In VIBRANT, a double-blind, US-based trial, patients with OAB for > or = 3 months received flexibly dosed solifenacin or placebo for 12 weeks. At baseline and 4-week intervals, patients completed the OAB-q [symptom bother and health-related quality of life (HRQL) scales] and 3-day bladder diaries; other patient-reported outcome measures were also assessed at baseline and week 12. The primary efficacy end-point was the change from baseline to end of treatment (EOT) on the OAB-q Symptom Bother scale. Adverse events (AEs) were monitored. RESULTS: At EOT, solifenacin (n = 377) vs. placebo (n = 374) significantly improved mean symptom bother (-29.9 vs. -20.4, p < 0.0001), HRQL total (25.3 vs. 16.7, p < 0.0001) and all HRQL domain scores (Ps < 0.0001). Solifenacin vs. placebo significantly improved daily episodes of urgency, incontinence and frequency but not nocturia. Significant separation from placebo was evident as early as week 4. Overall, significantly more solifenacin vs. placebo patients reported treatment benefit (84% vs. 63%), satisfaction (80% vs. 59%) and willingness to continue (79% vs. 60%; Ps< 0.0001). Treatment-related AEs in solifenacin vs. placebo patients were dry mouth (13% vs. 2%), constipation (8% vs. 2%) and dry eye (2% vs. 0.3%). CONCLUSIONS: As early as week 4 and through EOT, flexibly dosed solifenacin significantly improved OAB symptom bother and HRQL as well as the symptoms of urgency, frequency and incontinence compared with placebo. Significantly more solifenacin patients reported treatment benefit and satisfaction at week 12 compared with placebo.

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AIM: To estimate the prevalence of Neospora infection in a sample of New Zealand beef cattle. METHODS: The prevalence of Neospora caninum infection in New Zealand beef cattle was estimated by collecting blood at slaughter from 499 beef cattle from 40 different farms at 2 slaughter plants in the North Island and 1 in the lower South Island . Sera were tested using an ELISA against Neospora tachyzoite antigen. RESULTS: The prevalence of seropositive cattle was 2.5% (n=120), 3.6% (n=166) and 2.3% (n=213) at the plants surveyed, the overall prevalence being 2.8%. The serologically positive cattle came from 9 farms, 3 of which had more than 1 positive animal. The highest prevalence recorded amongst animals from 1 farm was 4/13 (31%), in a group of young steers. CONCLUSION: Neosporosis appears to be present at a lower level in the New Zealand beef cattle population than in the New Zealand dairy cattle population. Nevertheless, from the high seroprevalence evident amongst young cattle on 1 farm, we suggest that Neospora may be a cause of infertility in beef cattle in this country.

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The effect of bone bonding (KGy-Cera) and non-bone bonding (KGy-213) implant materials on primary mineralization was examined in endosteal bone repair following marrow ablation. Comparisons were made to determine implant effect on concentration and biochemical parameters of matrix vesicles, as contrasted to vesicles in normal bone healing. Matrix vesicle number was determined by high-resolution computerized morphometric analysis, and implant effect on the specific activity of alkaline phosphatase and phospholipase A2 was measured. Bone responses differed according to the composition of the implant material. The bone bonding implant in this study stimulated matrix vesicle formation, alkaline phosphatase specific activity, and, to a lesser extent, phospholipase A2 activity. The effect of the non-bonding implant on healing bone was of suppression of enzyme specific activities and reduced matrix vesicle production. The results indicate that the bone bonding implant material (KGy-Cera) promotes the initiation of primary mineralization, whereas failure of the KGy-213 to bond may be related to toxic materials that leach from the implant and inhibit the normal sequence of events in the mineralization cascade. The results also demonstrate that the implant materials alter the healing process distal to the injury site. Changes observed in the contralateral control limb mimic the changes observed in the injured limb, but at lower magnitude.

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