Neuronal Vacuolation,Myelopathy and Laryngeal Neuropathy in a Mixed‐Breed Dog

A bilateral and symmetrical neuronal vacuolation associated with spinal cord white matter degeneration and laryngeal neuropathy was observed in a 12‐week‐old male mixed‐breed dog with a history of progressive pelvic limbs ataxia. On clinical examination, signs included inspiratory stridor, spinal ataxia, tetraparesis, and proprioceptive deficits more severe in the pelvic limbs. Examination of the larynx showed bilateral laryngeal paralysis and electromyography revealed fibrillation potentials restricted to the intrinsic laryngeal muscles. Clinical and pathological findings resembled the syndrome of neuronal vacuolation and spinocerebellar degeneration described in Rottweiler dogs. This is the first report of a similar disorder in a dog different from Rottweiler.     

Tolerability of anti-tuberculosis treatment and HIV serostatus.

SETTING: Tuberculosis (TB) is frequent in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients, but its treatment is hampered by adverse events and paradoxical reactions. OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of HIV infection and other factors on the risk and spectrum of adverse events related to anti-tuberculosis treatment in a prospective cohort study conducted between January 2003 and August 2004. RESULTS: Of 105 patients treated for TB, 30 were HIV-infected. The overall incidence of adverse events was 122.5 +/- 18.5 per 100 patient-years (py) and the incidence of severe adverse events was 45.2 +/- 11.3/100 py. Age >50 years (OR 2.2, 95%CI 1.01-4.8, P = 0.046) and HIV infection (OR 3.9, 95%CI 2.1-7.5, P < 0.001) were independently associated with a higher risk of adverse events. Hepatitis (30.5/100 py) and neuropathy (28.6/100 py) were the most frequent adverse events. Hepatitis C virus infection was associated with hepatitis (OR 4.2, 95%CI 1.2-15.0, P = 0.028) and neuropathy with HIV infection (OR 3.8, 95%CI 1.1-13.7, P = 0.040). CONCLUSION: Adverse reactions to anti-tuberculosis drugs are frequent. HIV infection and age >50 years are factors associated with such reactions, while hepatitis C virus infection is a risk factor for hepatitis.     

Laboratory routines cause animal stress.

Eighty published studies were appraised to document the potential stress associated with three routine laboratory procedures commonly performed on animals: handling, blood collection, and orogastric gavage. We defined handling as any non-invasive manipulation occurring as part of routine husbandry, including lifting an animal and cleaning or moving an animal's cage. Significant changes in physiologic parameters correlated with stress (e.g., serum or plasma concentrations of corticosterone, glucose, growth hormone or prolactin, heart rate, blood pressure, and behavior) were associated with all three procedures in multiple species in the studies we examined. The results of these studies demonstrated that animals responded with rapid, pronounced, and statistically significant elevations in stress-related responses for each of the procedures, although handling elicited variable alterations in immune system responses. Changes from baseline or control measures typically ranged from 20% to 100% or more and lasted at least 30 min or longer. We interpret these findings to indicate that laboratory routines are associated with stress, and that animals do not readily habituate to them. The data suggest that significant fear, stress, and possibly distress are predictable consequences of routine laboratory procedures, and that these phenomena have substantial scientific and humane implications for the use of animals in laboratory research.     

Relevance of 10-min delayed recall in dementia screening

Within the context of early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), there is a growing interest in neuropsychological screening tests. Amongst these tests, we focused on the largely used Memory Impairment Screen (MIS). The objective of the present work was to show that adding a 10-min delayed recall to the MIS, improves the test psychometric characteristics in order to detect dementia in the earliest stages. A prospective study was carried out on a cohort of 270 consecutive elderly ambulatory subjects attending the Broca Hospital Memory Clinic: normal controls ( n  = 67), mild cognitive impairment subjects ( n  = 98) and mildly demented patients [ n  = 105, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) = 23 ± 4]. This study consisted in testing the advantage of the 10-min delayed recall entitled MIS-D compared with the MIS. At a cut-off score of 6, the MIS-D revealed satisfying psychometric characteristics with a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 91%, whilst the MIS alone indicated a sensitivity of 60% and a specificity of 88% in detecting dementia. In demented patients with MMSE score ≥26, MIS-D properties still remained satisfying (sensitivity: 75%, specificity: 92%). MIS-D is a more relevant screening test than MIS alone at very early stages of dementia.     

Performance and comparison of the Cockcroft-Gault and simplified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formulae in estimating glomerular filtration rate in a Chinese Type 2 diabetic population.

AIMS: Our aim was to assess performances of the Cockcroft-Gault and simplified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formulae in estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in Chinese diabetic populations and their association with vascular risks. METHODS: A total of 1009 patients with Type 2 diabetes were categorized into low estimated GFR groups (GFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) and control groups by the two equations. The performances of these formulae were assessed at different stages of kidney function. Carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy or albuminuria were compared among the groups. The ability of these formulae to identify established vascular risk markers using sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were also compared. RESULTS: The prevalence of low estimated GFR was 32.7% with the Cockcroft-Gault formula and 5.2% with the MDRD formula, respectively. In low estimated GFR subjects by the MDRD formula, IMT was significantly thicker than those by the Cockcroft-Gault formula (1.2 mm vs. 1.0 mm; P < 0.05), with a higher prevalence of albuminuria (78.4 vs. 52.8%, P < 0.05) and diabetic retinopathy (46.5 vs. 30.5%; P < 0.05). The Cockcroft-Gault formula gave a specificity of 71.7% and a sensitivity of 37.0%, and the MDRD formula gave a specificity of 96.6% and a sensitivity of 7.9% in estimating low GFR relevant for established vascular risks. CONCLUSIONS: These formulae performed differently in Chinese diabetic populations. The simplified MDRD formula is minimally superior to the Cockcroft-Gault formula for its high specificity and positive predictive values in estimating low GFR relevant for vascular risks.     

Iron-containing proteins in the plasma and serum of the blood in patients during hyperbaric oxygenation therapy

Extra-erythrocyte hemoglobin (EEH) level and total peroxidase activity (TPA) have been analysed in the blood serum and plasma of 44 patients following hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO). The levels of the parameters tested decreased after 3 HBO procedures and remained low to the end of the treatment period in the first group of patients. In the second group of patients, on the contrary, EEH and TPA levels increased after 3 HBO procedures and remained high to the end of the treatment period. In both groups of patients EEH changes correlated with TPA alterations. Possible EEH and TPA determination for the estimation and enhancement of HBO treatment efficacy is discussed.