Rats bred for ethanol sensitivity: Impairment of swimming by ethanol and pentobarbital

Rats selectively bred for disparate degrees of ethanol-induced depression of spontaneous locomotor activity (most affected = MA; least affected = LA) were trained on a swim task. Undrugged rats of the MA line swam significantly faster than rats of the LA line. Ethanol, 0.0–2.25 g/kg i.p., produced dose-dependent increases in swim time in rats of the 13th generation (F13). Averaged over trials, these increases were greater in LA than in MA rats and greater in males than in females, but there was no sex difference in peak impairment. Increases in swim time were uncorrelated with predrug performance. These findings were confirmed in younger F17 rats receiving 1.75 g EtOH/kg i.p. Although the lines differed in ethanol-induced impairment, F17 males of the two lines were not differentially impaired by pentobarbital (12.5–22.5 mg/kg, i.p.). The existence of task-dependent line differences in ethanol sensitivity emphasizes the nonunitary nature of ethanol-induced behavioral depression.     

Effect of age and pregnancy on the antibody and cell-mediated immune responses of horses to equine herpesvirus 1.

The cell-mediated immune response and antibody response of horses of varying ages and of pregnant horses to equine herpesvirus 1 antigen were examined. Six to eight month old horses showed either no increase or slight increases in anti-equine herpesvirus 1 serum neutralizing antibody following vaccination and revaccination with a modified live equine herpesvirus 1 vaccine. However, these same horses showed a marked increase in the cell-mediated immune response to equine herpesvirus 1 as measured by the lymphocyte transformation test. Eighteen to 21 month old horses showed four to 64-fold increases in anti-equine herpesvirus 1 serum neutralizing antibody titer following vaccination, but the cell-mediated immune response to equine herpesvirus 1 was low or absent. Only after revaccination did they show an increased cell-mediated immune response to equine herpesvirus 1. The cell-mediated immune response of mares in the latter stages of pregnancy to equine herpesivurs 1 was suppressed although antibody titers increased as much as 16-fold following exposure to virulent equine herpesvirus 1.     

Carbon dioxide and ER:YAG laser resurfacing. Results

Laser resurfacing is exciting "futuristic" surgery. The CO2 laser resurfaces using different parameters from the Er:YAG laser. When the surgeon understands these parameters, each laser can be used as a powerful tool for specific clinical applications. The Er:YAG laser was initially thought to be for the patient who has minimal skin laxity, but who desires skin resurfacing and needs a speedy return to social life. The CO2 laser has typically been thought to work best for skin laxity as well as rhytids, at the price of a longer recovery period. As the hardware and techniques continue to evolve, the differences between the clinical scope addressed by each laser diminishes. Both lasers deserve a place in the plastic surgeon's armamentarium. This new combination CO2/Er:YAG technique is intriguing and deserves further in-depth investigation. Laser resurfacing is not a cureall, but, when applied appropriately, it is an excellent tool that the plastic surgeon can use for skin rejuvenation.     

Relation between prepublication release of clinical trial results and the practice of carotid endarterectomy

Context  Little is known about how clinical practice is affected by disseminating results of clinical trials prior to publication in peer-reviewed journals. Objective  To determine whether prepublication release of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) trial results via National Institutes of Health Clinical Alerts was associated with prompt changes in patient care that were consistent with the new medical evidence. Design, Setting, and Patients  Longitudinal data series analysis using acute care hospital discharge data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project for patients who had CEA performed in acute care hospitals in 7 states (New York, California, Pennsylvania, Florida, Colorado, Illinois, and Wisconsin). The trials were the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET clinical alert released February 1991) and the Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study (ACAS clinical alert released September 1994). Main Outcome Measure  Carotid endarterectomy rate during each month from 1989 (2 years before the NASCET clinical alert) to 1996 (2 years after the ACAS clinical alert), adjusted for age and sex. Because both trials were limited to patients 80 years or younger in hospitals with low mortality, we also stratified CEA rates by patient age and hospital mortality rate. Results  From 1989 through 1996, 272,849 CEAs were performed in the acute care hospitals in these 7 states, with the annual number increasing from 22,300 to 51,495. After the NASCET clinical alert, the adjusted CEA rate increased 3.4% per month (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6%-5.3%) during the following 6 months and then increased 0.5% per month (95% CI, 0.2%-0.8%; P<.04) after journal publication of the NASCET study. After the ACAS clinical alert, the CEA rate increased 7.3% per month (95% CI, 6.0%-8.5%) during the following 7 months and then decreased by 0.44% per month (95% CI, -0.86% to -0.0002%; P<.04) after journal publication of the ACAS study. After the ACAS clinical alert, the CEA rate increased more in patients aged 80 years or older than in younger patients; whereas, after journal publication of ACAS, the CEA rate decreased more rapidly in the older population. The overall proportion of CEAs performed in low-mortality hospitals did not change substantially after release of the clinical alerts or after journal publication. Conclusion  In this study, prepublication dissemination of CEA trial results with clinical alerts was associated with prompt and substantial changes in medical practice, but the observed changes suggest that the results were extrapolated to patients and settings not directly supported by the trials.      

Rhythmic midbrain-evoked vocalization is inhibited by vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in the teleost Porichthys notatus

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) is distributed in vocal midbrain areas of multiple vertebrate taxa, suggesting that VIP may modulate midbrain-evoked vocalization. To test this hypothesis, neurophysiological experiments were conducted in the teleost Porichthys notatus which generates vocalizations in mating and agonistic contexts. Electrical stimulation of the paralemniscal midbrain and local delivery of VIP were conducted in conjunction with occipital nerve recordings that reflect the patterned output of hindbrain vocal circuitry. Consistent with our hypothesis, VIP significantly reduced the duration and number of rhythmic vocal-motor bursts obtained in a dose-dependent manner; vocalization latency was concomitantly increased. These results provide the first evidence for VIP modulation of midbrain vocal function.     

Labial Adhesion with Acute Urinary Retention Secondary to Bartholin's Abscess

Labial adhesions are usually seen in early childhood or in the postmenopausal years, but this clinical entity is rarely seen in the reproductive years. We report a case of labial adhesion with acute urinary retention secondary to Bartholin's abscess in a reproductive‐aged woman with normal menstrual periods. We emphasize the possible occurrence of labial adhesion following Bartholin's abscess in the reproductive years with normal estrogen levels.