Effect of sodium bicarbonate infusions on ionized calcium and total calcium concentrations in serum of clinically normal cats

The effects of sodium bicarbonate (0.5 mEq/kg of body weight, 1.0 mEq/kg, 2.0 mEq/kg, and 4.0 mEq/kg) on ionized and total calcium concentrations were determined in clinically normal cats. Also, serum pH, whole blood pH, and serum albumin, serum total protein, and serum phosphorus concentrations were measured. Intravenous administration of sodium bicarbonate to awake cats decreased serum ionized calcium and serum total calcium concentrations. All dosages of sodium bicarbonate were associated with significant decreases of serum ionized calcium concentration. This effect lasted for greater than 180 minutes when cats were given 2.0 mEq/kg or 4.0 mEq/kg. When cats were given 4 mEq of sodium bicarbonate/kg, serum ionized calcium concentration was significantly decreased, compared with that when cats were given lower doses, but only at 10 minutes after infusion. After sodium bicarbonate infusion, serum total calcium concentration, measured by ion-specific electrode and colorimetry, was lower than baseline values at most of the times evaluated. Decreases in serum ionized calcium and serum total calcium concentrations can be attributed only in part to an increase in serum or whole blood pH and to a decrease in serum protein concentration. Serum total calcium concentrations measured by ion-specific electrode and by colorimetry were positively correlated, but the variability was high. Only 44% of the variability in serum ionized calcium concentration could be predicted when serum total calcium, albumin, total protein, phosphorus, and bicarbonate concentrations and pH were considered.

Hemoglobin solutions coupled with polyethylene glycol 1900: preparation, purification, quality control and pharmacological trials by hemorrhagic shock

The usefulness of hemoglobin solutions as oxygen transporters is limited by their high affinity for oxygen and rapid elimination from the circulation. Various chemical modifications of hemoglobin aimed at overcoming these two handicaps have been suggested. We have developed a conjugate of pyridoxylated human hemoglobin with monomethoxypolyoxyethtylene 1900, whose preparation and properties are described. We present comparative results on short-term or definitive survival of Wistar rats which, during hemorrhagic shock due to the loss of 60 or 80% of their blood mass, were given a solution of native or modified hemoglobin, in some cases purified by ion-exchange chromatography to remove non-heme proteins, lipids, and some endotoxins. The more complex the treatment used to improve the properties and the purity of the hemoglobin solutions, the longer the animals survived. The loss of hemoglobin in the urine was greatly reduced after conjugation: after 20 h, less than 6% of the total infused.

Does naloxone induce relaxation of guinea-pig airway smooth muscle?

The effects of the opiate receptor antagonist naloxone were investigated on isolated preparations of guinea-pig trachealis contracted with either histamine, methacholine or KCl. The commercially available solution of naloxone (Narcan) induced concentration-dependent relaxation of the contracted airway preparations. In stark contrast, aqueous solutions of naloxone were without any significant relaxant effect. Aqueous solutions of the preservatives (methyl and propyl hydroxybenzoate) present in the vehicle used in the commercial formulation of naloxone mimicked exactly the relaxant effects induced by Narcan. Thus, naloxone does not directly induce relaxation of airway smooth muscle. The effects of Narcan can be solely attributed to the activity of the preservatives present in the vehicles. The mechanism underlying the bronchodilator activity of methyl and propyl hydroxybenzoate is unknown but is not related to receptor blockade or to alterations in the intracellular levels of cyclic AMP.

The effects of vagotomy on compensatory ovarian hypertrophy and follicular activation after unilateral ovariectomy

Following unilateral ovariectomy in the rat, the remaining ovary undergoes rapid compensatory changes including an increase in the number of antral follicles (follicular activation) and an increase in ovarian weight (compensatory ovarian hypertrophy). The ovary is innervated by the vagus nerve (Burden et al., 1983). In the present study, the effects of right and left cervical vagotomy and abdominal vagotomy on follicular activation and compensatory ovarian hypertrophy in the remaining right or left ovary were compared 15 days after unilateral ovariectomy. Neither right nor left cervical vagotomy affected compensatory ovarian hypertrophy of the right or left ovaries but abdominal vagotomy depressed compensatory ovarian hypertrophy in both the right and left ovaries. Left cervical vagotomy did not inhibit follicular activation, but right cervical vagotomy prevented follicular activation in the right but not left ovary. Also, abdominal vagotomy inhibited follicular activation in the right but not the left ovary. In animals with both ovaries which were subjected to the left or right cervical vagotomy or abdominal vagotomy follicular counts in both right and left ovaries were similar. Collectively, these data indicate that the vagus nerve participates in follicular activation after unilateral ovariectomy. The data also indicate that the right ovary is more dependent on vagal influences for follicular activation than the left ovary.

Acylation of human hemoglobin with polyoxyethylene derivatives

Monomethoxypolyoxyethylene (Mw = 5000) was covalently linked to human hemoglobin via an amide bond formed between amino groups of the protein and a carboxylic group introduced onto the polymer. The conjugates thus obtained have a molecular size corresponding to that of a globular protein with a molecular weight of about 190 000. Their oxygen-binding properties depend upon the initial conformation of the hemoglobin and reaction pH: hemoglobin modified in the deoxy state exhibited a lower oxygen affinity than that modified in the oxy state, and the lower the reaction pH, the lower the oxygen affinity of polymer-linked hemoglobin. However, the affinity of modified hemoglobin is always higher than that of native hemoglobin. On the other hand, when deoxyHb was complexed with organic phosphates during the condensation reaction, the resulting conjugates exhibited oxygen-binding characteristics quite similar to those of native hemoglobin, i.e., the same oxygen affinity, modified cooperativity and the same alkaline Bohr effect. Finally, in order to decrease the oxygen affinity of hemoglobin conjugates, the polymer was coupled to deoxy hemoglobin previously covalently modified with pyridoxal phosphate. The oxygen affinity of such conjugates was in fact as low as that of the initial pyridoxylated hemoglobin.

The effects of pelvic neurectomy on collagen in the cervix of the pseudopregnant rat

Bilateral section of the pelvic parasympathetic nerves (pelvic-neurectomy) on day 5 of pseudopregnancy had no effect on the wet weight of ovaries, uteri, and/or cervices, but at day 9 serum progesterone was reduced to approximately half that of sham-operated animals. Collagen in the cervix was visualized with picrosirius red staining under polarization microscopy. Pelvic neurectomy decreased the birefringence of Type 1 collagen in the cervix to less than half that of sham operated animals. The decreased birefringence, an index of the organization of collagen fibers, is believed to be attributable to reduced progesterone levels. Alternatively, the pelvic nerve may directly influence mucopolysaccharides or collagenolytic enzymes in the cervix.

Is the grass greener? Physician billing under Canadian Medicare

With the US healthcare system currently in a transitional state, medical group administrators here are becoming more curious about the way that the healthcare systems of other countries work. The experience of the Haig Clinic, a medium-sized multi-specialty family practice, is offered as a representative example of the Canadian Medicare system in the province of Alberta. Nearly one-half of all claims are now received by Alberta Medicare in EDP magnetic tape form, and total turnaround time is approximately two weeks for "clean" claims. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of man Alberta health professionals, it is an efficient system of billing, merging the world of Medicare with the world of electronic data processing.

Rational-emotive therapy in the treatment of erectile failure: an initial study

Sixteen males with erectile failure, married or living with their partners, were assigned to either 12 bi-weekly sessions (6 weeks) of Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) or a 6-week waiting-list control group. Active treatment administered by a graduate student in psychology with special training in RET resulted in patients making significantly more sexual intercourse attempts, reporting significantly reduced sexual anxiety, and having a significantly higher number of successful intercourse attempts than the waiting-list control group. While 6-9 month follow-up revealed that most treated patients had fallen back toward the pretest baseline (lower rates of successful intercourse), group means as a whole were still significantly higher than pretreatment intercourse success rates. The significance of these findings are discussed.

The sensory innervation of the ovary: a horseradish peroxidase study in the rat

Injections of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into the right or left ovary of the rat produced labeling of perikarya in both nodose ganglia and ipsilateral dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) from T10 to L2. The greatest concentration of labeled cells was in T13 and L1, DRGs. It is suggested that visceral afferent fibers from the ovary may mediate visceral reflexes that modulate ovarian function.

Parameters influencing the sonic velocity in compact calcified tissues of various species

Compact calcified tissues from a wide variety of species were used in a study of the dependence of sonic plesio-velocity on physical parameters. A linear dependence of velocity on wet density has been found for each of three categories of wet mineralized tissue: compact long bone measured in the axial direction, compact long bone measured in the radial direction, and hyperpycnotic mineralized tissues. A similar linear dependency was found for dry calcified tissue using the dry density. In addition to these three parameters (density, orientation, and water content) two other factors were identified. The bone fibers in long bone matrix are ordered with respect to the bone axis and the anisotropy of long bone matches that of its matrix. There is no corresponding order to the fibers in hyperpycnotic tissue matrix. The fifth parameter is believed to be the porosity. Fish bone is much more porous than other compact bone from long bone and the sonic velocity in fish bone is much lower than for other bone. These parameters are not independent.

Flowering in Xanthium strumarium: INITIATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF FEMALE INFLORESCENCE AND SEX EXPRESSION

Vegetative plants of Xanthium strumarium L. grown in long days were induced to flower by exposure to one or several 16-hour dark periods. The distribution of male and female inflorescences on the flowering shoot was described, and a scoring system was designed to assess the development of the female inflorescences. The time of movement of the floral stimulus out of the induced leaf and the timing of action of high temperature were shown to be similar for both the apical male and lateral female inflorescences.Strong photoperiodic induction of the plants favored female sex expression, while maleness was enhanced by exogenous gibberellic acid. The problem of the control of sex expression in Xanthium is discussed in relation to the distribution pattern of male and female inflorescences on the flowering shoot and to the state of the meristem at the time of the arrival of the floral stimulus.

Surgical correction of maxillary hypoplasia

In this report the pathophysiology of maxillary hypoplasia is reviewed, and two patients who underwent surgical treatment described. Included in the analyses are illustrations and photographs of the face, cephalometric measurements, predictive tracings, and model surgery. Corrective surgical techniques, consisting primarily of LeForte III osteotomies, are presented in detail. Segmental osteotomy of the lower jaw, sliding genioplasty, and augmentation rhinoplasty are discussed and shown as various adjunctive procedures in the correction of associated deformities. Postoperative tracings and photographs are used to illustrate the predictive changes and improved cosmetic and functional results.

A cephalometric guide to the diagnosis of midface hypoplasia at the Le Fort II level

A cephalometric study of the relation of the malar eminence to the A point has been made. It is proposed that the orbital-NA distance is of clinical importance in patients with SNA of less than 79 degrees in whom a Le Fort I osteotomy procedure is contemplated. The measurement of the angle SNO is a significant guide to the malar-maxillary relationship and will assist in complete cephalometric evaluation of these patients.