Systemic adverse reactions in young Simmental calves following administration of a combination vaccine

Combination vaccines containing viral and bacterial antigens are commonly used in veterinary practice and have been associated with adverse reactions. A group of young Simmental calves developed fever and depression following administration of a mixed vaccine, and 1 died with pulmonary edema, suggesting that endotoxins or other bacterial components may interact synergistically with some adjuvants to cause an enhanced pathologic inflammatory response in some individuals.

Transient neonatal diabetes mellitus and macroglossia

Transient neonatal diabetes mellitus is an uncommon disorder. Macroglossia in association with transient neonatal diabetes mellitus has been reported only twice before. We report the case of a 21-day-old male infant referred from a peripheral hospital for management of hyperglycemia. The mother was a 21-year-old primigravid in good health. There was no history of diabetes or drug or alcohol exposure. The pregnancy was complicated by intrauterine growth retardation and oligohydramnios from 30 weeks' gestation and the birth weight at 38 weeks' gestation was only 1480 gm. Physical examination revealed dysmorphic features and asymmetric growth retardation. The admission weight (1840 gm) and length (40.5 cm) were 5 SDs less than the mean and head circumference (32.5 cm) was 1 SD less than the mean. Dysmorphic features included macroglossia, large fontanelles, hypospadias, umbilical hernia, and bilateral inguinal hernias. Hyperglycemia had been noted on day 1 of life with an initial blood glucose value of 16 mmol/L (288 mg/dl). Despite treatment with regular insulin blood glucose control continued to be erratic. Therefore a regimen of daily NPH insulin was begun, which has a smoother action. Interestingly, from day 41 to day 47 the infant did not receive insulin and a crude control of the blood glucose was demonstrated. Peak levels of blood glucose in excess of 20 mmol/L (360 mg/dl) were followed by drops to levels less than 2 mmol/L (36 mg/dl) without insulin administration. This abnormal pattern of glucose control may represent poorly regulated release of endogenous insulin. However, because of unsatisfactory glucose levels administration of daily NPH insulin was reintroduced. The infant was discharged from the hospital on day 50 and administration of insulin was discontinued uneventfully at 9 months. At 1 year the hemoglobin A1c level was still normal and the infant's weight was at the 10th percentile. Macroglossia was less pronounced. Development showed mild delay in gross motor milestones.

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) measures of brain function in schizophrenia

This study explores SPECT measured in schizophrenic patients at rest. Left temporal lobe activity was found to be decreased with increasing positive symptoms' scores scores. Medicated patients showed a reversal of this pattern underlying this positive symptom effect. Patients with a recent history of auditory hallucinations showed an atypical right temporal lobe dominance, which occurred independently of medication status. These preliminary data are suggestive of the potential utility of SPECT to elucidate symptom/medication/brain activity interrelationships in schizophrenia.

[Age-dependent changes in the phosphorylation of nuclear phosphoproteins of rat salivary glands]

Development, growth, maturation and aging processes of secretory cells of rat salivary glands progress mainly after birth. Nuclear non-histone proteins, phosphorylated actively and reversively, have an important role as regulatory molecules of gene activity and have a possibility to bring about specific changes in these cellular processes. We examined in the present study the age-dependent changes in the phosphorylation of non-histone proteins of rat salivary glands. Nuclei purified from submandibular and parotid glands of 8-week-old rats rapidly incorporated 32P from gamma-32P-ATP into the nuclear phosphoproteins and reached equilibrium within 9 min. A preponderant amount of the 32P was present in non-histone proteins. The levels of phosphorylation of non-histone proteins in salivary gland nuclei increased rapidly after birth, reaching a maximum in both gland nuclei of 4-week-old rats and then decreasing to the levels observed in submandibular and parotid gland nuclei from 20 and 16-week-old rats, respectively. These levels were still maintained in nuclei from aged rats. Moreover, age-dependent changes in the protein kinase activity of submandibular and parotid gland nuclei were linked up with the changes in the phosphorylation of non-histone proteins. However, changes were not observed in the phosphorylation of histone proteins after birth. These results suggest that protein kinase activity in salivary gland nuclei may have an important role on age-dependent changes in cell function, mediated through the control of the phosphorylation of non-histone proteins.

Cotinine validation of self-reported smoking in commercially run community surveys

A validation study was carried out on self-reported smoking for 1177 people in Sydney and Melbourne in 1983. Because of its long half life and the fact that smoking is its only source in body fluids, saliva cotinine was chosen as the validation measure. Cotinine levels above 250 nmol/l were used to classify people as smokers. The sensitivity of self-reported smoking was 92.6% and the specificity was 93.4%. There was some evidence that people in the process of changing their smoking status might be slow in updating their self-classification. The smoking prevalence estimate based on cotinine levels was found to be 1.7% lower than that for self-reported smoking status. The small proportion of false negatives and false positives suggests that commercially collected data banks can be valid sources of prevalence data. Correlation between cotinine level and reported cigarette consumption was not affected by sample volume, and was similar to that achieved for carbon monoxide and thiocyanate at a low 0.34. Regression analysis using self-reported cigarette consumption filter/non-filter cigarettes, and time since last cigarette as predictors, explained 13.6% of the variance in cotinine level.