Hypotension and thirst in rats after isoproterenol treatment

Drinking induced in rats by systemic isoproterenol treatment is markedly attenuated after bilateral nephrectomy. The present experiments demonstrate that the hypotension produced by iso-proterenol treatment was more profound, and lasted much longer, in nephrectomized rats than in intact animals. When arterial blood pressure was partially elevated by central administration of angiotensin II or carbachol (Experiment 1) or by intraarterial infusion of epinephrine (Experiment 2), drinking behavior was restored in the nephrectomized animals and their water intakes approximated the amounts consumed by intact rats given isoproterenol. In general, an inverted U-shaped curve was found to define the relation between blood pressure and water intake in rats after isoproterenol treatment. Drinking was most probable when mean arterial blood pressures were in the range of 70–85 mm Hg, whereas rats were unlikely to drink when blood pressures were much below or above this range. These findings indicate that isoproterenol-induced thirst is not dependent on a renal dipsogen, and suggest instead that the hypersecretion of renin that occurs in intact rats is simply permissive of drinking behavior by modulating the hypotensive effects of the drug treatment.     

The primary neutralization epitope of porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus strain VR-2332 is located in the middle of the GP5 ectodomain

Summary.  Pigs infected with porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus (PRRSV) strain VR-2332 were found to generate high levels of antibodies (Abs) that bound in an indirect ELISA to synthetic peptides representing segments of the primary envelope glycoprotein (GP5) ectodomain of this virus. Use of overlapping GP5 ectodomain peptides of various length indicated that the epitope recognized by the Abs was located in the middle of the ectodomain (amino acids 36-52), in the same relative segment that contains the single linear neutralization epitope of the closely related mouse arterivirus, lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus (LDV). The VR-2332 GP5 segment exhibits 77% amino acid homology with the corresponding GP5 ectodomain segments of both the European PRRSV strain Lelystad virus (LV) and LDV. This explains some observed crossreaction between the pig Abs and neutralizing anti-LDV monoclonal Abs with peptides representing the GP5 ectodomains of VR-2332, LV and LDV. The GP5 binding Abs of pigs seem to be the primary PRRSV neutralizing Abs, since the well timed appearance in sera of all VR-2332 infected pigs of GP5 peptide binding Abs correlated 100% with the appearance of neutralizing Abs and earlier studies indicated that GP5 of PRRSV, like that of other arteriviruses, contains the main neutralization epitope of PRRSV. In addition, one neutralizing anti-LDV monoclonal Ab that is specific for the GP5 ectodomain epitope of LDV also strongly neutralized both PRRSV strains, VR-2332 and LV. The PRRSV GP5 epitope is associated with an N-glycan that is conserved in both PRRSV genotypes and all LDV isolates. This N-glycan may impede the humoral immune control of PRRSV in infected pigs and might be responsible for the low immunogenicity of PRRSV when injected into mice. Received April 2, 2002; accepted July 9, 2002     

Initial evaluation of a continuous speech recognition program for radiology

The aims of this work were to measure the accuracy of one continuous speech recognition product and dependence on the speaker's gender and status as a native or nonnative English speaker, and evaluate the product's potential for routine use in transcribing radiology reports. IBM MedSpeak/Radiology software, version 1.1 was evaluated by 6 speakers. Two were nonnative English speakers, and 3 were men. Each speaker dictated a set of 12 reports. The reports included neurologic and body imaging examinations performed with 6 different modalities. The dictated and original report texts were compared, and error rates for overall, significant, and subtle significant errors were computed. Error rate dependence on modality, native English speaker status, and gender were evaluated by performing ttests. The overall error rate was 10.3 +/- 3.3%. No difference in accuracy between men and women was found; however, significant differences were seen for overall and significant errors when comparing native and nonnative English speakers (P = .009 and P = .008, respectively). The speech recognition software is approximately 90% accurate, and while practical implementation issues (rather than accuracy) currently limit routine use of this product throughout a radiology practice, application in niche areas such as the emergency room currently is being pursued. This methodology provides a convenient way to compare the initial accuracy of different speech recognition products, and changes in accuracy over time, in a detailed and sensitive manner.     

The use of peroxidase anti-peroxidase (PAP) complexes in the detection of plant viruses by ELISA

An ELISA test system for detection of plant viruses in field samples is described, based on the unlabelled antibody method using a peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) complex. Novel features of the system include the use of acid-treated naked bacteria as combined carrier-adjuvants for the production of rabbit antiviral antibodies, and the use of acid-treated chicken antibodies (IgY) for antigen trapping in the ELISA. Systems for detection of potato virus Y (PVY), potato leafroll virus (PLRV), grapevine fanleaf virus (GFV) and grapevine virus A (GVA) were developed and compared with conventional direct double antibody sandwich (DAS) systems in tests with both purified virus and field samples. The PAP systems offer improved sensitivity, no background problems in the outer rows of the microtitre plates and are much easier to visualize with the naked eye if no plate reader is available.     

A Cross-National Comparison of the Development of Adolescent Problem Behavior: a 1-Year Longitudinal Study in India,the Netherlands,the USA,and Australia

Prevention Science - The world youth population is the largest ever and the levels of problem behavior will influence future global health. Recognition of these issues raises questions as to...     

Neonates as intrinsically worthy recipients of pain management in neonatal intensive care

One barrier to optimal pain management in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is how the healthcare community perceives, and therefore manages, neonatal pain. In this paper, we emphasise that healthcare professionals not only have a professional obligation to care for neonates in the NICU, but that these patients are intrinsically worthy of care. We discuss the conditions that make neonates worthy recipients of pain management by highlighting how neonates are (1) vulnerable to pain and harm, and (2) completely dependent on others for pain management. We argue for a relational account of ethical decision-making in the NICU by demonstrating how an increase in vulnerability and dependence may be experienced by the healthcare community and the neonate’s family. Finally, an ethical framework for decisions around neonatal pain management is proposed, focussing on surrogate decision-making and the importance of compassionate action through both a reflective and an affective empathy. As empathy can be highly motivating against pain, we propose that, in addition to educational programs that raise awareness and knowledge of neonatal pain and pain management, healthcare professionals must cultivate empathy in a collective manner, where all members of the NICU team, including parents, are compassionate decision-makers.

     

Enhancing the multi-dimensional assessment of quality of life: introducing the WHOQOL-Combi

Quality of Life Research - We revisited the global concept of subjective quality of life (QoL) as assessed by the WHOQOL-BREF to investigate whether it could be elaborated into a conceptually more...     

Clinical and genetic features of variegate porphyria in a Chinese patient

Acute porphyria is rare in orientals. We describe a Chinese woman with recurrent generalised tonic-clonic seizures and abdominal pain. Genomic DNA studies identified a heterozygous base substitution from guanine to adenine at nucleotide position 503, resulting in substitution of arginine by histidine at position 168 of the protein (R168H). This genetic abnormality is similar to the mutation reported in Caucasians with variegate porphyria. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in the English literature a Chinese patient with variegate porphyria with an identifiable mutation. A brief review of porphyria is presented.     

The Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome: the cellular substrate for conduction in the accessory atrioventricular pathway

The longstanding quest for the anatomical basis of the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome has left many unanswered questions. The ultrastructuralmorphology of the myocytes comprising accessory atrioventricularpathways, which are capable of rapid and variable conduction,is central to understanding the development and behaviour ofthis congenital anomaly, but remains unknown. Examination ofthree surgically resected pathways was performed to determinetheir underlying cellular morphology and the pattern of intercellularcoupling, by correlative light microscopy, electron microscopyand confocal scanning laser microscopy combined with immunohistochemicallocalization of the cardiac gap-junctional protein, connexin43. Two left-sided pathways were composed of myocardium of ‘normalworking ventricular’ type. The right-sided pathway wascomposed almost entirely of highly abnormal myocytes characterizedby aberrant myofibril organisation, with a lack of A-band materialand abnormal mitochondria, but normal intact intercalated disksno different from those seen in left-sided pathways. The gapjunctions of all pathways were composed of connexin43 distributedas in ventricular myocardium, and not as found in atrial oratrioventricular nodal tissues. While myocytes of abnormal structure were present in one ofthe accessory atrioventricular pathways examined, all pathwayshad morphologically normal gap junctions, the structures responsiblefor efficient intercellular coupling, with a pattern of distributionsuggestive of working ventricular myocardium.     

The contribution of treatment outcome research to the reform of children's mental health services: multisystemic therapy as an example

Service system reforms of the past decade have yielded innovations in type, accessibility, and cost of services provided for some children and families with serious problems, but few of the treatments delivered have been empirically evaluated. Rigorous tests of well-conceived treatments are needed to provide a solid foundation for continued reform. Multisystemic therapy has demonstrated efficacy in treating serious clinical problems in adolescents and their multineed families and is an example of the successful blending of rigorous treatment outcome research and service system innovation.