A comparison of sporozoite transport after homologous and heterologous challenge in chickens immunized with the Guelph strain or the Florida strain of Eimeria maxima

The two strains of Eimeria maxima, Guelph and Florida, used in this study were previously shown to only partially cross-protect immunologically with respect to lesion scores, weight gains and feed conversions after heterologous challenge. In this paper, we provide evidence that this partial lack of cross-protection is manifested at the level of sporozoite transport. In birds immunized and challenged with the homologous strain, sporozoites accumulated in the lamina propria and were blocked from further movement into the crypts by 72 h post-challenge, unlike the situation observed in naive birds. Fewer than 5% of sporozoites were found in the crypts by 72 h post-challenge. In immunized birds challenged with the heterologous strain, fewer sporozoites reached the crypts than in naive birds but at least four times as many sporozoites successfully migrated to the crypts, when compared with birds challenged with the homologous strain. The degree of cross-protection afforded by the heterologous strain as measured by sporozoite transport success was not equally reciprocal. Received: 26 June 2000 / Accepted: 8 August 2000     

Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies in patients with Crohn's disease]

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases are a group of diseases with chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, but without proven etiology. Immunologic, environmental, infective and genetic factors equally can play role in their development. Antibodies to an oligomannose epitope of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae demonstrated in 60-70% of the patients with Crohn's disease. The origin and the clinicopathological role are not clarified. It is important that there are no surveys with patients suffering in gluten sensitive enteropathy in the literature. As there are no ASCA survey in Hungary, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the ASCA. The authors examined at their patients the ASCA's occurrence and compared with the clinical picture of the Crohn's disease. The results supported the theory that ASCA positivity correlates with small intestines' Crohn's disease and in these cases both the IgG and IgA type antibodies proved. The antibodies in the sera at the analyzed ASCA positive cases prove a systemic immune response against Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the authors suggest the end of the oral tolerance against the yeast's antigens. The diet restriction (elemental diet, total parenteral nutrition, and fecal diversion) may ameliorate the status of the patients with Crohn's disease. It is speculated that the yeast-free diet as a part of the therapy for the ASCA positive patients can be reasonable: moreover the permanent "forbidding" of the yeast can be an acceptable alternative in case of getting well.     

Simultaneous occurrence of diabetes, liver cirrhosis, and 47, XX,21 +/46, XX chromosomal pattern.

A girl with juvenile diabetes, liver cirrhosis, and 47,XX,21 +/46,XX chromosomal mosaicism is described. The immunoglobulin pattern suggested an autoimmune process. After prednisolone treatment the IgG level and liver function tests became normal and the liver histology improved.     

One-tube radiotransinassay for determination of cortisol at ambient temperature

After extraction of the sample (on filter paper) in the counting vial, cortisol is assayed by adding 50 microL of horse serum containing tritiated cortisol, and 2 mL of toluene scintillator, shaking for 20 min, and counting the radioactivity in a liquid-scintillation counter at ambient temperature. The method can be applied to saliva, serum, or urine--directly as wet samples or dried on the filter paper. Only inexpensive reagents, which are stable for months to years, are needed.     

The effects of a theory-based training program on nurses' self-efficacy and behavior for smoking cessation counseling

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking continues to put Americans at risk for serious health consequences and early death. Nurses play an important role in disseminating smoking cessation interventions to patients in the hospital. However, nurses are not prepared for smoking cessation counseling. METHOD: A quasi-experimental design was used. Fifteen nurses participated in the Clinical Practice Guideline "5 A's" brief intervention training program, completing a survey during three time periods. RESULTS: There were several statistically significant changes in the dependent variables for self-efficacy and behavior for smoking cessation counseling. CONCLUSION: Results of this study support further research and theory-based training for nurses.     

Dynamic programming generation of boundaries of local coordinatized submanifolds in the neocortex: application to the planum temporale

Dynamic programming is used to define boundaries of cortical submanifolds with focus on the planum temporale (PT) of the superior temporal gyrus (STG), which has been implicated in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. To this end, automated methods are used to generate the PT manifold from 10 high-resolution MRI subvolumes ROI masks encompassing the STG. A procedure to define the subvolume ROI masks from original MRI brain scans is developed. Bayesian segmentation is then used to segment the subvolumes into cerebrospinal fluid, gray matter (GM), and white matter (WM). 3D isocontouring using the intensity value at which there is equal probability of GM and WM is used to reconstruct the triangulated graph representing the STG cortical surface, enabling principal curvature at each point on the graph to be computed. Dynamic programming is used to delineate the PT manifold by tracking principal curves from the retro-insular end of the Heschl's gyrus (HG) to the STG, along the posterior STG up to the start of the ramus and back to the retro-insular end of the HG. A coordinate system is then defined on the PT manifold. The origin is defined by the retro-insular end of the HG and the y-axis passes through the point on the posterior STG where the ramus begins. Automated labeling of GM in the STG is robust with L(1) distances between Bayesian and manual segmentation in the range 0.001-0.12 (n = 20). PT reconstruction is also robust with 90% of the vertices of the reconstructed PT within about 1 voxel (n = 20) from semiautomated contours. Finally, the reliability index (based on interrater intraclass correlation) for the surface area derived from repeated reconstructions is 0.96 for the left PT and 0.94 for the right PT, thus demonstrating the robustness of dynamic programming in defining a coordinate system on the PT. It provides a method with potential significance in the study of neuropsychiatric disorders.