Agolin Ruminant®, an Essential Oil Blend, Increases Energy-Corrected Milk and Feed Efficiency in a High Component Dairy Herd

Agolin® Ruminant (Agolin) is a blend of essential oils developed to improve feed efficiency while at the same time reducing rumen enteric methane production. Studies have shown that the product improves lactational performance, but the range of results has been varied. This experiment evaluated the effects of the feed additive Agolinon milk production in a high-component (fat and protein) dairy herd when provided for an extended time. The experiment was conducted at a large commercial dairy in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Eight pens of cows (350 to 500 cows/pen) were blocked by production, and pens within blocks were randomly assigned to treatment. All pens received a common total mixed ration. Treatment consisted of providing 1 g/cow/day of Agolin to the test group. A 4-week adaptation period was followed by an 11-week study period. Milk production and milk composition were determined by cow by averaging daily performance for the one-week period before the start of the trial (covariate period) and the last week of each of the two test periods. Feed intakes were determined by pen at the same time. Milk yield was 1.11 kg/cow/day greater (P < 0.001) at the midpoint and 1.48 kg/cow/day greater (P < 0.001) at the end of the test period for cows receiving the feed additive. Similarly, protein yields were 0.03 (P < 0.001) and 0.07 kg/cow/day greater (P < 0.001) at the midpoint and end of the feeding period. Milk fat yield was not different (P = 0.854) between treatment groups at the midpoint of the trial but increased with treatment (P = 0.002) by the end of the trial. Energy-corrected milk/feed ratio, based on pen parameters, was significantly altered by treatment at the final test period (1.48 vs. 1.64 kg/kg for control and test treatments, respectively).

Evaluation of Agolin^®, an Essential Oil Blend, as a Feed Additive for High Producing Cows

There is a growing demand for feed additives that can not only reduce dairy enteric methane emissions but also increase milk production and feed efficiency. Just one product is currently commercially available which accomplishes both of these goals. The purpose of this study was to confirm the performance benefits of the product (Agolin?, Agolin SA, Biere, Switzerland) in high producing mid-lactation dairy cows under United States feeding conditions. Four matched pens of approximately 150 mid-lactation cows/pen and averaging over 50 kg of milk/cow/day were enrolled in a side-by-side study. All pens received a common total mixed diet ad libitum, and the essential oil blend was administered via a concentrated farm pack to provide 1 g/cow/day to cows in the 2 test pens. Milk weights were determined, and samples were collected for compositional analysis over the last 2 days of the pretrial (May 11 and 12, 2020) and end of the trial (July 18 and 19, 2020) periods. Dry matter intake was measured by pen daily for the last 10 days of each feeding period. Milk fat and milk protein yields were greater (P < 0.05) for cows receiving added Agolin. There was a tendency (P = 0.06) for energy corrected milk/dry matter intake to be greater for cows receiving the Agolin (1.88) relative to the control diet (1.76). The trial showed that Agolin assisted in improving production parameters of economic importance to dairy producers.

两性霉素B两种剂型治疗真菌感染的药物经济学分析

研究背景:对于两性霉素B治疗真菌感染.如果将所有的治疗成本和治疗收益都纳入考虑,那么该药物不同脂质剂型之间安全性、有效性和经济性等方面的差异依然是模糊不清的。研究设计:对于两性霉素B的两种剂型,两性霉素B脂质复合物(amphotericin B lipid complex,ABLC)和两性霉素B脂质体(liposomal amphotericin B,L-AMB),采用回顾性最小成本法进行比较分析,研究角度采用医疗机构角度。治疗成本(以美元计数,2001年的水平)被分成3个层次,第一为只有药品费用,第二为包括相关医疗措施的成本,第三为包括全部住院治疗的相关成本。结果:两组研究对象的社会人口学情况和治疗时间均没有显著性差异。两组的临床有效率比较接近(ABLC为53%,L-AMB为60%,P=0.68),所以本经济学评估采用了最小成本法。ABLC组47%的研究对象血清肌酸酐(SCr)出现上升,而L-AMB组只有10%,P值为0.025。对于3个层次的总治疗成本,两组间均没有明显差异。但当校正了治疗时间因素后,L-AMB组的治疗成本显著地高于ABLC组(第一层次,ABLC为340美元,L-AMB为435美元,P=0.002;第二层次,ABLC为361美元,L-AMB为454美元,P=0.027)。预防或治疗不良事件(adverse events)的成本在两组间并无差异。敏感性分析表明,经济学评估结果对药品价格和用药剂量敏感。二维敏感性分析显示,只要L-AMB的价格高于ABLC的135%,ABLC的经济性优势就可以保持。结论:这两种药品的总院内治疗成本并无差别。但校正了治疗时间因素后,ABLC的治疗成本明显低于L-AMB。治疗成本的计算包括了药品费用、相关治疗费用、不良反应的预防和治疗费用。研究提示药品价格是治疗成本的重要影响因素。