Comparative Assessment of Forage Legume and Grass-legume Mixture Quality Ensiled with Biological and Chemical Preservatives

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - The paper presents research and production studies evaluating the forage legume ensiling quality treated with...     

The clinical manifestations and pathogenetic characteristics of skeletal muscle involvement in rheumatoid arthritis

The state of skeletal muscles was subjected to a comprehensive study in 106 patients with verified rheumatoid arthritis. Kinesthetic, thermography, electromyography, tensometry and morphohistochemical methods were employed together with determination of serum activity of creatine phosphokinase. The muscular syndrome of the disease was characterized by the presence of foci of myofibrosis manifesting as local painful indurations of different size and consistency. It has been shown that one of the mechanisms of muscular injury in rheumatoid arthritis is the neural reflex one: under the influence of pathological impulses from the damaged joint there occur tonic and dystrophic alterations in the muscle, vasomotor dysfunctions and derangement of the neurotrophic control.     

Lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase activity in nerve compression and myodystrophic syndromes of lumbar osteochondrosis

The blood serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), and LDH isoforms activities have been measured in 103 patients with the compression neural and myodystrophic syndromes of lumbar osteochondrosis. The studies have revealed a relationship between the myodystrophic process severity and the intensity of LDH and CK ejection from the muscle into the blood, particularly in the trigger stage. The shift of LDH activity towards the predominance of slowly migrating isoforms augments and the total blood serum LDH and CK activities grow as the muscular syndrome progresses. These data permit a differentiation between the compression neural and the myodystrophic syndromes, as well as between the algic and the trigger stages of muscle involvement. Such a differentiation does not involve biopsy in many cases.     

Triple stimulation technique (TST) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: The authors studied amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients using triple stimulation technique (TST) to detect upper motor neuron (UMN) involvement. METHODS: Nineteen ALS patients (aged 45-72 years) were enrolled in the study. According to the El Escorial criteria, 6 diagnoses were suspected or possible, 6 probable, and 7 definite. Patients were examined clinically, with conventional (single-pulse) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and with TST (on one side only). RESULTS: Among the whole group of patients, TST appeared to be more sensitive than conventional TMS techniques. In particular among suspected/possible ALS patients, TST area ratio was pathologic in 100%, while single-pulse TMS was abnormal only in 50% of cases. Overall, the use of TST area ratio was more sensitive than the analysis of TST amplitude ratio. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that TST might be more sensitive and useful in the diagnosis of subclinical UMN involvement than conventional TMS techniques, even if TST is performed on one side only.