Vesicular stomatitis virus P function depends on cellular growth cycle

The P function of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is defined as the viral function which results in a reduced rate of total protein synthesis (viral plus cellular) arising from a nonspecific reduction in the efficiency of the translational machinery in infected cells. The existence of P function has been challenged by Lodish and Porter who were unable to detect it in L-strain mouse cells infected with wild-type VSV (HR) or, as expected, with the P- mutant, T1026-R1. Although other groups have subsequently confirmed the existence of P function and the difference between HR and T1026-R1, we have sought an explanation for the difference between Lodish and Porter's results and those of other laboratories. We show that the VSV P function depends on the phase of the growth cycle of infected L-cell cultures. In very early exponential phase, as used by Lodish and Porter, HR has very little demonstrable P function; as the growth cycle proceeds toward stationary phase, P function becomes more and more manifest. Under the same conditions, T1026-R1 shows no P function throughout the growth cycle. Furthermore we show that the VSV M protein mutant tsG31 has a P++ phenotype reducing total protein synthesis below that seen with wild-type HR. P function can be observed in cells infected with tsG31, even early in the exponential phase of the cellular growth cycle.

Antiproliferative effects of suramin on lymphoid cells

Suramin, a polyanionic drug used in the treatment of Rhodesian and Gambian trypanosomiasis and more recently in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome, is a potent inhibitor of the constitutive mammalian DNA polymerases alpha, beta, and gamma and the lymphoid-specific polymerase terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase. To define the effect of this inhibition on cell proliferation, we studied the effect of suramin on several cell lines in culture and in mice in vivo. Suramin, at 200 micrograms/ml (which is regularly achieved in the plasma of patients), had no effect on the proliferation of 4 of 5 nonlymphoid cell lines. In contrast, exposure of 10 lymphoid cell lines to 200 micrograms/ml suramin for 4 days caused significant growth inhibition in 8 of these 10 lines. Suramin given i.p. to BALB/cBYJ mice at clinically relevant doses (15-60 mg/kg) caused profound and prolonged thymic atrophy within 5-7 days of drug administration (greater than a 90% weight loss in mice treated with 60 mg/kg). Thymic sections revealed severe cortical loss, prominence of dendritic cells, and vacuolated macrophages. Liver, peripheral blood, spleen, kidney, and total body weights were not affected. The apparent selective lymphocytotoxicity of suramin may represent an important property of this drug. We speculate that this may account for the persistent immune suppression reported in suramin-treated acquired immune deficiency syndrome patients.

Risk factor modification in hypertension--success and failure

A group of 175 patients have attended for four years a microcomputer based, nurse practitioner managed clinic for the long term care of hypertension. Improvement in blood pressure (BP) control was seen initially and has been maintained. Drug treatment has been with a beta blocker followed if necessary by a diuretic and/or a vasodilator. Despite individual dietary and 'stop smoking' advice, there was no marked change in body weight while only males reduced smoking. A significant increase in non fasting serum cholesterol (6.4 +/- 1.3 to 6.6 +/- 1.3 mmol/l) and glucose (5.5 +/- to 6.1 +/- 2.5 mmol/l) was seen overall, but was restricted to those patients taking a thiazide diuretic (with or without other drugs). These findings indicate the need for a more systematic collection of information on effects of long term treatment and for the development of better strategies for improving lifestyle.

Pathology of experimental ureaplasma mastitis in ewes

One mammary gland of each of nine primum partum suckling ewes was inoculated with ureaplasma 8 weeks post-partum. Infected glands were swollen, hot, and painful from 16 hours post-infection. Subsequently there was agalactia and reduction in gland size. Histopathologic and ultrastructural examination indicated that the acute phase of the induced mastitis was characterized by necrosis of secretory epithelium with a neutrophil, eosinophil, and macrophage response. Subsequently there was lymphoid infiltration, acinar involution, and fibrosis. This report confirms the pathogenicity of ureaplasma for the ovine mammary gland, and is the first description of the pathologic features of ureaplasmal mastitis in sheep.

Renal lesions in cattle fed sodium hydroxide-treated barley

Ten 14-week-old calves were fed a diet containing 87.5% NaOH-treated barley, and killed after 29, 65, 75, 117, 140, 179, 314, 338, and 408 days. Eight control calves were fed a diet in which untreated rolled barley was substituted for alkali-treated grain. Calves receiving NaOH-treated barley became polyuric with urine pH ranging from 9.0 to 9.5, and had significantly raised plasma creatinine levels on day 29. Other clinical findings were normal, and there were no other significant alterations in blood. At necropsy, bilateral renal lesions consisted of white cortical foci, medullary stippling, and the presence of uroliths in the renal papillae and calyces. Microscopic changes included tubular dilatation, atrophy, necrosis, and mineralization, interstitial fibrosis with mononuclear cell invasion and consequent glomerular changes. It appeared that glomerular and interstitial changes were secondary to primary tubular damage. No abnormalities were detected in control calves. Feeding of NaOH-treated barley can result in nephrotoxicosis in cattle.

Bovine, porcine and ovine picornaviruses: identification of viruses with properties similar to human coxsackieviruses

Eleven bovine, 19 porcine, and 3 ovine picornaviruses were tested for their ability to grow in the presence of the viral inhibitors 2-(alpha-hydroxy-benzyl)- benzimidazole (HBB) and guanidine-HC1 (GHC1). The nature of the lesions produced by inoculation of newborn mice with these viruses was also investigated. Nine bovine viruses were inhibited by both compounds, and produced skeletal myonecrosis in mice, suggesting similarities to the human coxsackie group B viruses and indicating potential pathogenicity for bovine species. One bovine virus (VH7) was inhibited by GHC1 but not by HBB and caused widespread skeletal muscle damage in mice typical of coxsackie group A viruses. Another bovine virus (F266a) was inhibited only by HBB. None of the porcine or ovine viruses showed significant inhibition by either compound nor produced lesions in mice.

Psychology and health: contributions of psychology to the improvement of health and health care

Psychology as both a science and a profession has been closely identified with other disciplines in the broad field of health since the turn of the present century. Recent advances in health care have reinforced the growing belief that the promotion of health and the prevention and treatment of illness can be greatly enhanced by incorporating the scientific findings and modern techniques of psychology into everyday practices. This review outlines the contributions of psychology to health care throughout the world; only some of the most timely and relevant issues are mentioned, together with examples of current work in the field. After an introductory overview, special attention is given to each of the major areas within the broad field of health care where psychological applications have been particularly useful.

Lack of effect of selenium supplementation on the incidence of weak calves in dairy herds

A double blind controlled trial was carried out on four commercial dairy herds, to investigate the effect of one 50 mg injection of selenium, 10 days before parturition, on the incidence of weak calves. Although the treatment marginally increased the selenium status of treated calves it did not decrease the incidence of the weak calf syndrome.

Psychiatric sequelae of subarachnoid haemorrhage

Twenty cases with psychiatric disorder occurring after subarachnoid haemorrhage were studied. Seventy per cent had a research diagnostic criteria diagnosis of major depressive disorder, most of whom also had signs of persisting organic brain damage. Ten per cent of the cases committed suicide, and only 10% had made a full recovery from the psychiatric disorder. There was no significant association between the laterality of damage and the subsequent development of major depressive disorder, however, middle cerebral artery haemorrhage was over-represented in the sample.

Neuropathology of experimental 3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid toxicosis in pigs

Twenty pigs were fed a diet containing 187.5 mg kg-1 of 3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid (3-nitro). Ten pigs were euthanized at intervals up to 29 days, 3-nitro was withdrawn from the diet of the remaining pigs on day 30, and these animals were subsequently euthanized at intervals up to 49 days after commencement of the experiment. A nervous syndrome characterized by clonic convulsive episodes inducible by exercise, developed at day 11. Paraparesis was apparent at day 22 progressing to paraplegia by day 33 (3 days after cessation of 3-nitro feeding). Histopathologic examination revealed myelin and axonal degeneration in the white matter of the spinal cord coincident with the onset of nervous signs. Marchi-positive degeneration was present in the dorsal funiculus at cervical level at day 22. Lesions intensified with increasing duration of toxicosis and while degenerate fibers were seen in all funiculi, there was preferential involvement of the fasciculi gracilis and cuneatus, the peripheral regions of the ventral and lateral funiculi, and a discrete area of the dorsal region of the lateral funiculus. Peripheral and optic neuropathies were evident from day 32 but were always mild and focal. The experiment establishes 3-nitro as a central-peripheral neurotoxicant of pigs.

Inactivation of the alpha-haemolysin gene of Staphylococcus aureus 8325-4 by site-directed mutagenesis and studies on the expression of its haemolysins

S. aureus strain 8325-4 was shown to produce alpha-, beta-, delta- and gamma-haemolysins by haemolytic assays and immunoblotting. Hybridization experiments indicated that a single copy of the alpha-haemolysin gene (hla) resides in the chromosome. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to inactivate the hla gene. This gene, which had previously been cloned in E. coli, was inactivated in vitro by inserting a fragment carrying an erythromycin resistance marker. Shuttle plasmids were constructed and transformed into 8325-4 and non-haemolytic recombinants enriched by a plasmid incompatibility technique. A previously isolated Tn551 insertion defective in alpha-haemolysin was not located in hla. It had pleiotropic defects in expression of alpha-, beta- and delta-haemolysins. Expression of alpha-haemolysin from a plasmid-located hla gene was very low. In contrast, hla-erm mutants were deficient only in alpha-haemolysin and allowed high level expression of the plasmid-borne hla gene. The Tn551 insertion is probably located in a gene encoding a positive regulatory element required for expression of several exoproteins. An hla-erm mutant was less virulent than the otherwise isogenic 8325-4 hla+ strain in a mouse peritonitis model, confirming that alpha-haemolysin is an important virulence factor.

A successful psychiatric training program for medical residents

The psychosocial skills of 24 PGY I medical residents receiving psychiatric training every other week during the internship year were evaluated and compared to a control group of 13 PGY I residents. After the internship year, the psychiatrically trained residents showed an increase in their ability to recognize emotional problems, whereas the control group recognized less depression. Psychiatrically trained residents were more sophisticated in psychosocial problem descriptions and plan formulations, whereas the control group formulated more poor psychosocial plans.

The dexamethasone suppression test and suicidal patients

The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was used in an in-patient crisis unit to determine whether the test could identify suicidal patients who might benefit from tricyclic antidepressants. DST results, DSM-III diagnoses, and measures of symptom levels were obtained for 72 patients admitted for a 3-5 day period; 31 were non-suppressors. Abnormal DST results were not related to DSM-III diagnosis or to scores on measures of depression and symptom levels. Only three patients met DSM-III criteria for major depression with melancholia; 26 patients had a diagnosis of alcohol or substance abuse. The poor specificity of the DST in this patient population suggests that its routine use in such patients could be highly misleading.

Lymphadenopathy-associated virus antibodies and T cells in hemophiliacs treated with cryoprecipitate or concentrate

Evidence for exposure to lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV) was investigated in 48 patients with hemophilia, 15 of whom had been treated exclusively with single-donor cryoprecipitate. The prevalence of antibodies to LAV in all patients was 53% in 1983 and 63% in 1984, while in patients treated only with cryoprecipitate, the prevalence was 31% in 1983 and 40% in 1984. Patients treated with any concentrate had a seroprevalence of 65% in 1983 and 77% in 1984. Seropositive patients were more likely to have a significant reduction in the ratio of helper to suppressor T cells, absolute numbers of helper T cells, and T cell function in vitro. Seven of 18 patients who were seronegative in 1983 had seroconverted by 1984. The relative risk of seroconversion for patients using any concentrate since 1981 compared with those using cryoprecipitate only was 3.9 (P = .04). Nevertheless, the rate of conversion in the latter group was 18% per year.

Akinesia and mutism following a methylphenidate challenge test

A case of akinesia and mutism is described in a menopausal, depressed woman with onset following a mood challenge with 40 mg of methylphenidate taken orally over a 3-hour period. Various diagnoses are considered with preference given on clinical grounds to conversion disorder precipitated by drug-induced dysphoria. It is suggested that increased susceptibility to dysphoria may have been related to prior clomipramine administration and hypoestrogenism.

Affective disturbance in eating disorders

Thirty-three bulimic and 14 restrictive anorexics were compared on DSM-III diagnoses of affective and anxiety disorders, observer-rated and self-rated measures of depression and anxiety, and family history. A subgroup of 18 eating disorder subjects was administered the dexamethasone suppression test. The same 18 subjects were compared to 13 subjects with affective disorder on the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia. It was found that a large group with bulimia and restrictive anorexia nervosa was subject to a depressive disorder. Thirty-eight percent of the sample fulfilled criteria for a major depressive episode. The dysphoric experience seemed as intense in the bulimic and restricter group. There was a high incidence of dexamethasone nonsuppression (55%), which was found to be related to various measures of depression. Bulimics and restricters differed in their family history of affective disorder. While 61% of bulimics had a positive history of depression, this was found in only 23% of restricters (p less than .03).

Experimental 3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid toxicosis in pigs

Five times the recommended dose of 3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid (187.5 mg kg-1) induces a pathognomonic clinical syndrome in pigs. The main clinical features are not continually present but are inducible only by exercise. From day 11 on the experimental diet a nervous syndrome was inducible. This manifested as muscle tremors and clonic convulsive episodes. Paraparesis developed by day 22 and paraplegia by day 33. Liver arsenic levels plateaued at 5.4 +/- 1.3 mg kg-1. The experiment confirms field observations that 3-nitro produces a characteristic toxicological syndrome, which is distinct from that of arsanilic acid. It also confirms that 3-nitro has a higher absolute toxicity than arsanilic acid in pigs as well as a lower margin of safety.

Density-dependence of maximal expiratory flow and its correlation with small airway disease in smokers

Density-dependence of maximal expiratory flow was measured in 110 patients prior to resection for peripheral coin lesions. The resected lung or lobe was examined morphologically and graded for emphysema, membranous bronchiolitis, and respiratory bronchiolitis. Density dependence did not decrease with increasing airway obstruction, and there was no relationship between density-dependence and peripheral airway abnormality or emphysema in the group as a whole. When patients were arbitrarily divided into those with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) greater than 80% predicted (n = 80) and FEV1 less than 80% predicted (n = 30), density-dependence correlated significantly and negatively with membranous bronchiolitis in those with FEV1 greater than 80% predicted and significantly but positively in those with more advanced airway obstruction. We conclude that density-dependence of maximal expiratory flow is not an accurate predictor of peripheral airway abnormality in patients with mild to moderate air-flow obstruction.

Experimental intrauterine inoculation of pregnant ewes with ureaplasmas

The pregnancies of 13 ewes which were inoculated intrauterine with one of two strains of ovine ureaplasmas resulted in 9 normal and 3 abnormal births, and one ewe was found to be no longer pregnant on postmortem examination. Vaginal ureaplasma infection was detected in the majority of ewes only after lambing. Of the 12 ewes examined at postmortem, ureaplasmas were isolated from the uterus of 5 out of the 6 necropsied up to 21 days post-partum. The vulvar/preputial areas of the majority of lambs that survived were infected with ureaplasmas for the duration of the experiment, but infections of the nasal cavity and eye areas, detected at birth in 4 lambs, were resolved within 8 days post-partum. The only pathological effects detected that could possibly be attributed to ureaplasma infection were a placentitis in an ewe that aborted, and the resorption of the foetus in another.

The magnetic field dependence of water proton T1 in aqueous solutions: implications for magnetic imaging contrast media

The magnetic field dependence of the water proton nuclear magnetic relaxation induced by a nitroxide radical both free and covalently bound to serum albumin has been measured from 0.23 mT to 0.7 T. The field dependence of the water proton 1/T1 shows only a minor dependence on the degree of radical immobilization, though the electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrum is very sensitive to the correlation time of the radical. The results and theory are described in more detail elsewhere (Journal of Chemical Physics, in press). The observed relaxation behavior arises because the long electron relaxation time of the nitroxide forces the correlation time for the magnetic interaction driving the water proton relaxation to become the correlation time for the relative translational motion of the water and the nitroxide. The relative insensitivity of the water proton relaxation to nitroxide immobilization should not change if the nitroxide is used as a contrast reagent for magnetic imaging in vivo.

The detection of small airways disease

In order to investigate the relationship between pulmonary function and disease of the membranous and respiratory bronchioles, we studied 96 patients who required lobectomy for removal of a solitary pulmonary nodule. A subgroup of patients with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) greater than 80% predicted were further analyzed to determine if abnormalities in tests designed to detect peripheral airways disease actually correlated with the pathology found in these airways. Analysis of the data shows that inflammation in both respiratory and membranous bronchioles, goblet cell metaplasia of the epithelium in membranous bronchioles, and decreasing muscle in the respiratory bronchioles are the pathologic features that are associated with deterioration of the FEV1. When the FEV1 is greater than 80% of the predicted value, inflammation of the respiratory bronchioles and fibrosis of both membranous and respiratory bronchioles increase with decreasing FEV1. Tests of specialized pulmonary function appear to correlate with epithelial pathologic parameters of membraneous bronchioles and inflammation and fibrosis of respiratory bronchioles. When patients with FEV1 greater than 80% predicted were subdivided according to the number of abnormal tests of small airways function, there was a significant increase in inflammation of the walls of respiratory bronchioles when 2 tests were abnormal and increases in both airway wall and intralumenal inflammatory cells as well as increased wall fibrosis when 3 tests were abnormal. We conclude that when the FEV1 is greater than 80% predicted, abnormalities in the tests for small airway disease reflect pathologic changes in the respiratory bronchioles.

Risk factors for depression in Canadians

In a matched controlled study 72 Canadian patients with a major depressive episode were compared with non-depressed and never depressed orthopedic patients. Significantly more of the depressives had parental loss before 17 years of age, a poor marriage before the onset of depression and a family history of depression.

Differential diagnosis of emotional disorders that cause weight loss

Recently, anorexia nervosa has received much attention in the scientific and lay press. As a result there is a danger that the other emotional disorders that can present with weight loss and vomiting will be overlooked. Case examples are presented for anorexia nervosa, conversion disorder, schizophrenia and depression. The presentation and treatment of these four disorders are compared.

Human neurophysins in carcinoma of the lung: relation to histology, disease stage, response rate, survival, and syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion

At diagnosis, 65% of 103 patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung were found to have elevated plasma concentrations of vasopressin-associated human neurophysin (VP-HNP), oxytocin-associated human neurophysin (OT-HNP), or both, which were thought to be related to tumor secretion of these proteins. The remainder of patients were designated as nonsecretors (24%) or possible secretors (11%), depending upon plasma concentration of the neurophysins prior to therapy. There was a significantly higher percentage of secretors among patients with extensive disease (82%) than among those with limited disease (40%) (P = 0.001). However, within each stage group, there was no correlation between secretory status and response to therapy, survival, or histologic subtype. In addition, patients who initially were nonsecretors or possible secretors maintained this status throughout the course of disease remission and subsequent relapse. These findings suggest the possibility of biochemical differences between tumors which present as limited disease and those which present as extensive disease. The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) was infrequent in limited disease but was present in 33% of patients with extensive disease. SIADH was not seen without VP-HNP elevation; however, with extensive disease, 49% of patients with elevated VP-HNP had SIADH. In contrast, elevated plasma concentrations of the neurophysins were seen in only 19.6% of 56 patients with non-small cell carcinoma of the lung. The levels were in general lower than those in patients with small cell carcinoma and were seen at approximately equal frequencies in each major cellular subtype.

Immunodot assay for determining the isotype and light chain type of murine monoclonal antibodies in unconcentrated hybridoma culture supernates

We describe a procedure for determining immunoglobulin isotype and light chain class of murine monoclonal antibodies. Isotype and light chain-specific antibodies are immobilized as dots on a strip of nitrocellulose filter paper. The immobilized antibodies retain binding specificity, and the strips are used in a type of 'sandwich' immunoassay wherein murine monoclonal immunoglobulins bound to the appropriate anti-isotype dot are detected with a peroxidase-conjugated anti-mouse immunoglobulin reagent. The immunodot isotyping assay is specific and sensitive enough to detect mouse immunoglobulin present in ng/ml concentrations. It is as easy or easier to set up and perform than conventional isotyping techniques. It has the added advantages that it greatly conserves antisera reagents and can be performed on hybridoma culture supernates without the need to concentrate, expand, or purify them.

Respiratory mucosal permeability in asthma

The permeability of respiratory mucosa to technetium-labeled diethylenetriamine pentacetic acid (99mTc-DTPA) was measured in 10 clinically stable chronic asthmatics and the results were compared with those in 9 nonasthmatic control subjects. Nonspecific bronchial reactivity was measured using methacholine, and the PC20 was calculated. The intrapulmonary distribution and dose of the inhaled 99mTc-DTPA was determined by a gamma camera and the half-life of the aerosolized label in the lung was calculated. The accumulation of radioactivity in the blood was monitored and a permeability index was calculated at 10, 25, and 60 min after aerosolization. Despite marked differences in airway reactivity, no differences in either parameter of permeability could be detected between the asthmatics and the control group. It is concluded that clinically stable asthmatics do not demonstrate increase mucosal permeability to small solutes when compared with normal subjects.

Expression of a cloned Staphylococcus aureus alpha-hemolysin determinant in Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus

A DNA sequence encoding Staphylococcus aureus alpha-hemolysin, which had been previously cloned and mapped in Escherichia coli K-12, was introduced into Bacillus subtilis BD170 and several strains of S. aureus by using plasmid vectors, some of which could replicate in all three organisms. The determinant was cloned on a 3.3-kilobase pair DNA fragment into B. subtilis by using the vector plasmid pXZ105 to form the hybrid plasmid pXZ111. B. subtilis cells harboring pXZ111 produced large zones of alpha-hemolysis after 18 h of growth at 37 degrees C on rabbit blood agar plates, and alpha-hemolysin activity was detected in supernatants prepared from growing cultures of this strain. The alpha-hemolysin was apparently secreted across the B. subtilis cell envelope. Polypeptides of molecular weights 34,000 and 33,000 were precipitated with anti-alpha-hemolysin serum from lysates prepared from BD170 cells harboring pXZ111. A hybrid replicon which could replicate in both E. coli and S. aureus was constructed in E. coli by ligating a HindIII fragment encoding the replication functions and chloramphenicol resistance genes of S. aureus plasmid pCW59 to the pBR322 alpha-hemolysin hybrid plasmid pDU1150. The DNA of this plasmid, pDU1212, was prepared in E. coli and used to transform protoplasts prepared from a non-alpha-hemolytic, nonrestricting strain of S. aureus RN4220. Some of the transformants contained plasmids which had suffered extensive deletions. Some plasmids, however, were transformed intact into RN4220. Such plasmids were subsequently maintained in a stable manner. pDU1212 DNA was prepared from RN4220 and transformed into alpha-hemolytic S. aureus 8325-4 and two mutant derivatives defective in alpha-hemolysin synthesis. All three strains expressed alpha-hemolysin when harboring pDU1212.

Depression in chronic schizophrenia

Eighteen depressed chronic schizophrenic out-patients were matched with non-depressed schizophrenic out-patients. The depressed schizophrenics had had significantly more psychiatric admissions, past depression, past treatment for depression, significantly more had attempted suicide, lived alone, had low self-esteem, had early parental loss and had had more life events in the six months before the onset of depression. Depressive disorder in schizophrenic out-patients well controlled by neuroleptics may occur in those who are at risk for depression and experience an excess of life events.

Morphology of peripheral airways in current smokers and ex-smokers

To investigate the effect of smoking status on pulmonary function and pathologic changes in the peripheral airways, we studied 97 patients who underwent thoracotomy for coin lesions. The patients were divided into 4 groups: nonsmokers (n = 9), current smokers (n = 51), and those who had ceased smoking for less than (n = 18) or more than (n = 19) 2 yr prior to surgery. We found that current smokers had evidence of air-flow obstruction with abnormal lung volumes when compared with nonsmokers. Ex-smokers had lung volumes similar to those of nonsmokers, but showed evidence of obstruction, with the FEV1/FVC between the values found for nonsmokers and current smokers. Examination of the small airways showed that the membranous bronchioles of current smokers and ex-smokers displayed only increased goblet cell metaplasia when compared with those in nonsmokers; the respiratory bronchioles of current and ex-smokers showed increases in intraluminal and airway wall inflammatory cells, wall fibrosis, and pigment deposition. We conclude that patients who currently smoke cigarettes have reduced lung function that is associated with abnormalities of airway structure. Although those who have stopped smoking have function that is closer to the nonsmoking group, there is no apparent difference in structural change between current and ex-smokers.

Life events precipitating mania

A study of 20 manic patients, with patient and matched control comparisons, showed a two fold increase in life events during the 4 month period before admission to hospital. Life events, independent of affective illness and having significant objective negative impact (i.e. traumatic) were significantly more common. These findings are considered in relation to social relationships, family history of affective illness and the use of psychotropic medication.

Determination of isosorbide dinitrate and its mononitrate metabolites in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography-thermal energy analysis

An accurate and sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of isosorbide dinitrate and its 2- and 5-mononitrates in human plasma has been developed. Following extraction of 3.0 ml of plasma with 12.0 ml of dichloromethane-ethyl acetate (1:1) the extract is subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography employing a Zorbax NH2 column. The eluent stream is introduced into a thermal energy analyser, employing chemiluminescence as a specific means of detection. The minimum quantifiable level of the compound in plasma is 200 pg/ml allowing the quantitation of isosorbide dinitrate in human plasma following single oral administration. Nitroglycerin is employed as internal standard.

Uncinariasis in kennelled foxhounds

Uncinariasis was diagnosed as the cause of unthriftiness in kennelled foxhound pups. Post mortem examination of two pups revealed large numbers of Uncinaria stenocephala embedded in the mucosa of the distal small intestine. The worms were associated with blunting and thickening of villi in this region. The stereoscopic appearance of U stenocephala as seen by scanning electron microscopy is described.

Simultaneous stereoscopic fundus camera incorporating a single optical axis

The method of stereoscopic fundus photography, where both photographs are taken simultaneously, yields the most consistent and reproducible record of depths in the fundus. However, all systems devised to date have had undesirable photographic aberrations. For the most part, this has resulted because the optical axis of each image is not the same as that of the objective lens. A single-axis system has now been devised to minimize distortions in the stereoscopic photographs, which therefore makes stereophotogrammetry relatively simple. This design also has other advantages such as simplified alignment procedures, the use of Barlow lenses for multiple magnifications, and various paired apertures for obtaining photographs especially adapted to unusual situations.

Laparoscopy in zoological medicine

The technique of laparoscopy was adapted and utilized in zoological medicine for various mammals, birds, and reptiles for reproductive and diagnostic studies as well as clinically related research. It was concluded that since anesthesia was routinely required for most manipulative procedures in zoo animals, and since laparoscopy adds little additional risk, the use of this technique provides an additional diagnostic aid when indicated. Laparoscopy was found to be effective for evaluating reproductive status, particularly ovarian anatomy and function, direct visual biopsy of internal organs, sex determination in selected birds, and as a surgical means of fertility control.

Ventriculostomy for removal of foreign bodies from sarus cranes

Of 7 captive sarus cranes (Grus antigone) that ingested foreign metallic objects, 3 became ill, and 1 of the 3 died. Clinical signs included difficulty in standing, sitting on hocks, and diarrhea. A surgical approach was developed, using pigeons as models, to open the gizzard for removal of the foreign bodies. The surgery was performed successfully 3 times on 2 of the cranes that had signs of illness.

Suppurative arthritis in an infant orangutan

A 12-day-old male orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) was removed from its mother because of oral ulcers and reluctance to suckle. Close examination revealed ulcerations extended to the mandibular bone. Staphylococcus aureus was cultured from the oral lesions. Despite intensive antibiotic therapy, the infection progressed to septicemia, with suppurative arthritis of the left coxofemoral and right radiohumeral joints. Treatment included removal of synovial exudate by aspiration, indwelling drains, and arthrotomy. Antibiotics were administered systemically and by joint irrigation. The infant responded well to the treatment, which lasted for approximately 2 months.

Ganglioside and morphological changes in mouse embryo cells with time

Ganglioside and morphological changes were observed in C3H/10T1/2CL8 cells during a 4-year period of maintenance in the laboratory. The cellular morphology at confluency, as determined by scanning electron microscopy, changed from being polygonal and flattened to a fusiform shape with some piling up of cells. The saturation density increased about three-fold and the level of the simplest ganglioside GM3 (N-acetylneuraminylgalactosylglucosylceramide) increased about two-fold. While the reasons for the alterations are unknown, the data suggest a relationship among ganglioside composition, cellular morphology and regulation of cell growth. The possible implications of such biochemical and biological changes on studies comparing normal and transformed cells are discussed.