Art therapy masks reflect emotional changes in military personnel with PTSS

Among disabling post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are irritability, aggressive behavior, distressing memories and general impaired cognition and negative mood. Art therapy interventions, including mask-making, can potentially alleviate these symptoms. We tested the hypothesis that art conveys emotions and predicted that blinded viewers would be able to perceive changes in theoretically derived emotional profiles expressed in art made by military personnel with PTSS from the onset to the end of therapy. Five service members and veterans exhibiting PTSS were enrolled in an 8-session art therapy protocol, during which they artistically transformed papier-mâché masks at the beginning and end of the protocol. We found that blinded viewers without knowledge of the masks' creation stage (onset or end of therapy) read initial masks as conveying more negative emotions (e.g., angry, upset, and challenged) and later masks as conveying more positive emotions (calm and pleasure). Based on the assessments from the blinded evaluators, we infer the emotional transition experienced by the participants was expressed in the masks. In an exploratory arm of the study, we also found that viewers were better able to empathize with the negative emotions experienced by participants with PTSS when asked to explicitly take their perspective.

Respiratory response to endotoxin and dust predicts evidence of inflammatory response in volunteers in a swine barn

BACKGROUND

It has been shown that exposure in intense exposure in swine barn facilities is associated with increased respiratory symptoms and reduction in pulmonary functions. This study investigated if systemic response could be predicted by FEV(1) response following swine barn exposure.

METHODS

Naïve males were tested at baseline, low and high endotoxin and dust levels. Subjects were classified as "more responsive" (n = 9) or "less responsive" (n = 11) based on FEV(1) reduction following high endotoxin exposure. Health measures included pulmonary function testing, blood samples and nasal lavage. Environmental samples were collected from the barn.

RESULTS

White blood cells and blood lymphocytes at low exposure were significantly greater in those who were "more responsive" compared to those who were "less responsive". There was a significant increase in blood lymphocytes, serum IL6, total nasal lavage cells and nasal IL8 at high exposure among "more responsive" subjects compared to "less responsive" subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Respiratory response to high-level endotoxin and dust exposure predicts evidence of inflammatory response throughout a range of endotoxin and dust exposures.

Evaluation of site and age of weaning on pig growth performance

Site-segregated early weaning (SSEW) refers to the practice of weaning pigs from the sow at an early age and placing them in a nursery that is physically isolated from the breeding herd. An experiment involving 369 pigs was conducted at the Prairie Swine Center to investigate the impact of SSEW on pig performance when the herd of origin has a high health status and when housing and management conditions are kept as similar as possible across weaning regime. Three treatments were compared: weaning at 21+/-3 d and keeping the pigs on-site in an all-in-all-out nursery room (Control), weaning at 12+/-2 d of age and keeping the pigs on-site in a separate but identical all-in-all-out nursery room (OSEW), or weaning at 12+/-2 d of age and moving the pigs off-site to an all-in-all-out nursery room located 16 km from the Center (SSEW). Ventilation, feed, penning, feeders, and drinkers were kept as similar as possible for all treatments. Off-site weaning improved 56-d body weight (P < .05) by 12.5 and 8.3% compared with OSEW and Control, respectively. The improvement appeared to be the result of improvements primarily in feed intake but also due to enhanced efficiency of nutrient utilization. This experiment confirms that SSEW results in significant improvements in 56-d weights, even when the herd of origin has a relatively high health status.

Predictors of longitudinal changes in pulmonary function among swine confinement workers

OBJECTIVE

To determine predictors of longitudinal changes in pulmonary function in swine confinement workers.

DESIGN

Longitudinal study conducted from November 1989 to June 1991 and January 1994 to May 1995.

SETTING

Swine confinement workers in Saskatchewan.

PARTICIPANTS

Forty-two swine confinement workers who were studied in 1989/90 and studied again in 1994/95.

RESULTS

Of 98 male swine confinement workers (mean age SD 36.3 11.1 years) studied at baseline, 42 were studied again five years following. Complete information on baseline across-shift pulmonary function (preshift forced expiratory volume in 1 s [FEV1], forced vital capacity [FVC], and every 2 h FEV1 and FVC during the shift), and five-year follow-up pulmonary function (with FEV1 and FVC) were available on all 42 subjects. Mean across-shift changes (preshift measurement to last measurement of the day) at baseline were -159. 8 61.7 mL in FEV1 and -35.3 65.6 mL in FVC. Mean annual rate change between baseline and follow-up for FEV1 was -53.9 61.7 mL/year and for FVC -48.9 71.6 mL/year. After adjusting for age, height, smoking and hours spent in the barn, the baseline across-shift change in FEV1 and FVC was a significant predictor of annual rate change in FEV1 (P=0.01) and FVC (P=0.02), respectively. To determine the effects of indoor air quality on longitudinal lung function decline, indoor air environmental measurements were analysed. Complete information on respiratory health and indoor air quality was available on 34 of the 42 subjects. Assessment of indoor environment of swine barns included a summer and winter measurement for airborne dust, gases and endotoxin levels. After adjusting for age, height, smoking, ammonia and hours spent in the barn, the endotoxin level (Eu/mg)was a significant predictor of annual rate change for FEV1 but not FVC.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that shift change is an important predictor of longitudinal changes in lung function in swine confinement workers and that endotoxin exposures may mediate annual decline in FEV1 in these workers.

Depletion of penicillin G residues in tissues, plasma and injection sites of market pigs injected intramuscularly with procaine penicillin G

Procaine penicillin G was administered by intramuscular (i.m.) injection to groups of healthy 100 kg market pigs at the approved label dose (15,000 IU/kg body weight), once daily for three consecutive days; or an extra-label dose (66,000 IU/kg body weight), once daily for five consecutive days. Penicillin G residue depletion was followed in plasma, tissue and injection sites using a liquid chromatographic method. Groups of pigs were killed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 days after the last injection with the label dose. Penicillin G was not detected in liver after 1 day of withdrawal, in muscle and fat after 2 days of withdrawal, in plasma after 4 days of withdrawal, in skin after 5 days of withdrawal, or in kidney and the injection sites after 8 days of withdrawal. Other groups of pigs were killed 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 days after injection with the extra-label dose. In these pigs penicillin G was not found in liver after 2 days of withdrawal, in fat after 3 days of withdrawal, or in the muscle, skin, plasma and injection sites after 7 days of withdrawal. Penicillin G was found at all times in the kidneys of the groups of pigs that received the high dose. The technique used for neck injections was critical to obtain intramuscular rather than intermuscular injections. The Bureau of Veterinary Drugs, Health Protection Branch, Health Canada calculated that the appropriate withdrawal period for pigs was 8 days for a dose of 15,000 IU procaine penicillin G/kg body weight and 15 days for a dose of 66,000 IU/kg.

Positive human health effects of dust suppression with canola oil in swine barns

A crossover trial was conducted to evaluate the acute human health effects of a dust control technology in a swine confinement facility. Twenty lifetime nonsmoking male subjects, with no evidence of allergy or asthma and no previous swine barn exposure, participated in the study, which included a laboratory session (baseline), 5-h exposure in a swine room sprinkled with canola oil (treatment) and 5-h exposure in a traditional swine room (control). Mean values of inhalable dust concentrations and endotoxin levels in the control room were significantly greater than those observed in the treatment room. Mean shift changes in FEV1 from preexposure to end of exposure were 1.1% (standard error, 0.63%) on baseline day, -1.9% (0.63%) on treatment day, and -9.9% (1.12%) on control day; the differences in the shift changes were statistically significant. Mean value of methacholine concentration that reduced the FEV1 by 20% (PC20) in bronchoprovocation tests on baseline day was significantly different from that on treatment day (p = 0.04) and that on control day (p < 0.001). Significant increases were also observed in white blood cell counts and nasal lavage cell counts on the control day in comparison with the other two days. Blood neutrophil counts after control room exposure were twice those observed on baseline and after exposure to the treatment room. Significant differences were also observed in IL-1 beta, IL-6, and IL-8 nasal lavage cytokines and in IL-6 serum cytokine. These results suggest that the canola oil dust control method is effective in improving indoor air quality in swine barns and reducing acute health effects in naive healthy subjects.

Accelerated lung function decline in swine confinement workers

We conducted a longitudinal study to determine the annual rate decline in pulmonary function measurements in male swine confinement workers. For comparison, a grain farming group and a nonfarming rural-dwelling control group were also chosen for the longitudinal study. Two hundred seventeen swine confinement workers, 218 grain farmers, and 179 nonfarming control subjects had valid pulmonary function measurements at the baseline observation conducted in 1990 to 1991 and at the second observation conducted in 1994 to 1995. The swine confinement workers were younger (mean age=38.3+/-11.7 [SD] years) than the nonfarming control subjects (42.6+/-10.4 years) and the grain farmers (44.5+/-11.9 years). When stratified by age, nonfarming control subjects had the lowest mean annual rate decline in FEV1 and FVC in all age categories. The swine confinement workers had the largest annual rate decline in FEV1 and FVC, and this was most obvious in the middle age categories. After controlling for age, height, smoking, and baseline pulmonary function, swine confinement workers had excess annual decline of 26.1 mL in FEV1 (p=0.0005), 33.5 mL in FVC (p=0.0002), and 42.0 mL/s in forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of FVC (FEF[25-75%]) (p=0.02) over nonfarming control subjects. Grain farmers had excess annual decline of 16.4 mL in FEV1 (p=0.03), 26.7 mL in FVC (p=0.002), and 11.2 mL/s in FEF(25-75%) (p=0.38) over control subjects. These findings suggest that workers engaged in the swine industry and grain farmers appear prone to accelerated yearly losses in lung function and may therefore be at risk for the future development of chronic airflow limitation.

Identification of a minimum enhancer sequence for the type II collagen gene reveals several core sequence motifs in common with the link protein gene

The type II collagen gene (Col2a1) is expressed primarily in chondrocytes. Transcription of Col2a1 is mediated by cell-specific regulatory elements located within the promoter and first intron. Here, we map a minimal enhancer and identify elements that determine cartilage-specific Col2a1 expression by analyzing the activity of a series of chimeric genes consisting of rat Col2a1 first intron deletion mutants ligated to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene. We show that a 100-base pair (bp) segment within the first intron is the minimum size necessary for high level, cell type-specific expression of Col2a1. Sequence analysis of this 100-bp Col2a1 enhancer revealed several sequence motifs similar to motifs present within the regulatory region of the link protein gene, another cartilage gene. These motifs include an AT-rich element, a C1 motif and a C3 motif. Deletion of any of these elements reduced Col2a1 enhancer activity in chick embryo chondrocytes. We also tested enhancer-mediated activity in CFK2 cells which differentiate to a chondrogenic phenotype and begin to express type II collagen mRNA after extended culture. In stably transfected CFK2 cells, constructs containing the 100-bp enhancer were activated during the transition from prechondrogenic to chondrogenic cell populations and deletions within the enhancer strongly down-regulated activity. Chondrocyte-specific DNA-protein complexes were identified using nuclear extracts prepared from chick embryo chondrocytes and 32P-labeled oligonucleotides from these regions of the first intron. These results suggest that interaction of chondrocyte specific nuclear factors with multiple core elements from a small region within the first intron are important for cell-type specific Col2a1 enhancer activity.

Respiratory health of swine producers. Focus on young workers

In this report, we compare the respiratory health of swine producers, grain farmers, and nonfarming control subjects, separately in all age groups and in young subjects. We examined 249 swine producers (age 37.7 years), 251 grain farmers (age 44.7 years), and 263 nonfarming subjects (age 40.7 years). Swine producers had significantly more symptoms of chronic bronchitis (15.3 percent) than did grain farmers (7.2 percent) or nonfarming men (5.7 percent). After controlling for age, height, and smoking, the functional indices of airflow (FEV1, FEV1/FVC, FEF25-75, Vmax50, and Vmax25) were slightly but significantly lower in swine producers than in grain farmers. In comparison with nonfarming subjects, swine producers also had significantly lower FEV1/FVC, FEF25-75, and Vmax50. Respiratory symptoms were associated with the number of hours of work per day. This indirect index of exposure was also inversely associated with FVC (p < 0.01) and FEV1 (p = 0.06), after adjustment for age, height, smoking, and dust mask usage. A relative excess of respiratory symptoms and lower lung function variables were found in swine producers aged 26 to 35 years. Also in this age group, a multivariate analysis revealed statistically significant effects of daily duration of work on FVC and FEV1. The results confirm that working in swine confinement units is a risk factor for chronic respiratory symptoms and minor lung function changes. An increased risk in young workers may reflect more intense occupational exposure in this subgroup of swine producers.

Environment, respiratory disease, and performance of pigs in three Saskatchewan grower-finisher barns

A microcomputer-based environmental monitoring system was used to monitor temperature, humidity, and ventilation rate continuously in three commercial grower-finisher swine barns in Saskatchewan. During the monitoring period, a group of pigs in each barn was examined for growth rate, amount of lung affected with pneumonia, and degree of atrophic rhinitis. In addition, the total bacterial colony forming particle count within the airspace of each barn was measured once each week.Significant differences existed among barns for daily maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity, ventilation rate, and average bacterial colony forming particle counts. There was no difference among farms in the average percentage of lung affected with pneumonia, average snout atrophy score, or growth rate of the test animals.On one farm, there was a significant positive correlation between snout score and percentage of lung affected with pneumonia. On another farm, there was a significant negative correlation between percentage of lung affected with pneumonia and growth rate.

The cleavage site for the restriction endonuclease EcoRV is 5'-GAT/ATC-3'

The cleavage site for the restriction endonuclease EcoRV has been found to be 5'-GAT/ATC-3', rather than 5'- GATAT /C-3' as reported earlier by Kholmina et al. [ Dokl . Akad . Nauk . 253 (1980) 495-497].

Posterior paralysis due to fibrocartilaginous embolism in two weaner pigs

Acute posterior paralysis in two weaner pigs was attributed to ischemic infarction of the lumbar spinal cord due to fibrocartilaginous emboli. These arterial and venous emboli were assumed to have originated from the nucleus pulposus of one or more intervertebral discs. There was no indication of an initiating factor in either instance, although some form of trauma may have been involved. Lesions were not grossly evident and were limited to one or two lumbar segments. Although it appears to be a rare occurrence, fibrocartilaginous embolism of the spinal cord should be considered in cases of acute paralysis in pigs particularly when gross lesions are absent.

Construction of a genetic map for Caulobacter crescentus

RP4-mediated conjugation has been used to transfer large fragments of chromosomal material in Caulobacter crescentus. In this system, conjugation proceeds from multiple origins, and haploid recombinants are recovered at frequencies of 10(-6) and 10(-7) per donor cell. The data from five-factor crosses were subjected to computer-assisted crossover analyses as a rapid method to determine marker order. Using this information and data from additional two- and three-factor crosses mediated by RP4 or the generalized transducing bacteriophage phi Cr30, we constructed the first genetic map for C. crescentus.

Salmonella folliculitis in veterinarians infected during obstetrical manipulation of a cow

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