Latency to enter a mirrored chamber: a novel behavioral assay for anxiolytic agents

Many animal species exhibit approach-avoidance responses upon the novel placement of a mirror into an individual animal's environment. With a view toward identifying new behavioral measures with qualitatively or quantitatively different responses to anxiolytic agents, we developed a mirrored chamber apparatus for which adult male BALB/cByJ mice showed an extended latency to enter. Administration of diazepam significantly reduced this latency to enter a mirrored chamber in a dosage-dependent manner. The psychomotor stimulant, methylphenidate, had no effect on latency to enter the mirrored chamber at a dose which stimulated locomotor activity to the same extent as diazepam. Thus, the decreased latency to enter the mirrored chamber brought about by diazepam seems unlikely to reflect the motor effects of this benzodiazepine. The potency of diazepam was significantly lower in the mirrored chamber assay than it was on three other measures of exploratory activity--"head-dipping" performance, plus-maze performance and locomotor activity stimulation. The findings of our study indicate that the mirrored chamber method is simple to carry out, nonpunishing, rapid and quantitative and that it possesses pharmacological attributes which distinguish its response to anxiolytics from other assays of exploratory behavior.     

Concurrent strength and endurance training. A review

Concurrent strength and endurance training appears to inhibit strength development when compared with strength training alone. Our understanding of the nature of this inhibition and the mechanisms responsible for it is limited at present. This is due to the difficulties associated with comparing results of studies which differ markedly in a number of design factors, including the mode, frequency, duration and intensity of training, training history of participants, scheduling of training sessions and dependent variable selection. Despite these difficulties, both chronic and acute hypotheses have been proposed to explain the phenomenon of strength inhibition during concurrent training. The chronic hypothesis contends that skeletal muscle cannot adapt metabolically or morphologically to both strength and endurance training simultaneously. This is because many adaptations at the muscle level observed in response to strength training are different from those observed after endurance training. The observation that changes in muscle fibre type and size after concurrent training are different from those observed after strength training provide some support for the chronic hypothesis. The acute hypothesis contends that residual fatigue from the endurance component of concurrent training compromises the ability to develop tension during the strength element of concurrent training. It is proposed that repeated acute reductions in the quality of strength training sessions then lead to a reduction in strength development over time. Peripheral fatigue factors such as muscle damage and glycogen depletion have been implicated as possible fatigue mechanisms associated with the acute hypothesis. Further systematic research is necessary to quantify the inhibitory effects of concurrent training on strength development and to identify different training approaches that may overcome any negative effects of concurrent training.     

Intimate combination of low- and high-resolution image data: I. Real-space PET and (1)H(2)O MRI, PETAMRI.

Two different types of (co-registered) images of the same slice of tissue will generally have different spatial resolutions. The judicious pixel-by-pixel combination of their data can be accomplished to yield a single image exhibiting properties of both. Here, axial (18)FDG PET and (1)H(2)O MR images of the human brain are used as the low- and high-resolution members of the pair. A color scale is necessary in order to provide for separate intensity parameters from the two image types. However, not all color scales can accommodate this separability. The HSV color model allows one to choose a color scale in which the intensity of the low-resolution image type is coded as hue, while that of the high-resolution type is coded as value, a reasonably independent parameter. Furthermore, the high-resolution image must have high contrast and be quantitative in the same sense as the low-resolution image almost always is. Here, relaxographic MR images (naturally segmented quantitative (1)H(2)O spin-density components) are used. Their essentially complete contrast serves to effect an apparent editing function when encoded as the value of the color scale. Thus, the combination of (18)FDG PET images with gray-matter (GM) relaxographic (1)H(2)O images produces visually "GM-edited" (18)FDG PETAMR (positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance) images. These exhibit the high sensitivity to tracer amounts characteristic of PET along with the high spatial resolution of (1)H(2)O MRI. At the same time, however, they retain the complete quantitative measures of each of their basis images. Magn Reson Med 42:345-360, 1999. Published 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Immunosuppressive therapy for ulcerative colitis: results of a nation-wide survey among consultant physician members of the British Society of Gastroenterology

BACKGROUND: The role of immunosuppressive therapy in ulcerative colitis remains controversial. There is little information available on how frequently immunosuppressives are used, the circumstances, dose and duration of use and perceived benefit. METHODS: A postal survey was sent to consultant gastroenterologist members of the British Society of Gastroenterology. RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned by 81% of the 496 UK consultants approached. Azathioprine use was frequent, with 93% reporting previous use and 86% use within the past year. Although 95% usually prescribed a < or =2 mg/kg dose, only 39% were prepared to prescribe higher doses. There was marked variation in duration of use, with 46% using azathioprine for <2 years and 17% continuing it for 4 years or longer. Consultants with more experience of azathioprine in ulcerative colitis used it at higher maintenance doses for longer periods, and in patients with less extensive disease. Cyclosporin use was reported by 47% of those caring for ulcerative colitis patients, with 36% having used it at least once in the past year. However, 65% of users estimated that fewer than 50% of patients subsequently avoided colectomy. On stopping cyclosporin only 21% always introduced an alternative immunosuppressive, while 23% never did so. Potentially serious side-effects attributable to azathioprine and cyclosporin were reported by 36% and 45% of users of each drug, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This survey reveals considerable variation in the amount and pattern of immunosuppressive use in ulcerative colitis, with serious side-effects commonly seen. There is a pressing need for further randomized controlled trials to provide reliable evidence as to how immunosuppressive therapy should be used in ulcerative colitis.     

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: Complications and Outcome of Orthopaedic Surgery

Orthopaedic surgeons practicing in areas with a high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection may expect that up to 7% of their patients who undergo emergent procedures and 1% to 3% of those who undergo elective surgery will be HIV-positive. Although basic science studies have demonstrated impairment of defenses to routine orthopaedic pathogens as well as to opportunistic organisms, clinical studies have shown that this impairment has not resulted in an increased incidence of postoperative infections or failure of wound healing in the asymptomatic HIV-positive patient. Even for the symptomatic patient, current medical management appears adequate to reduce the risk of early postoperative infection. The HIV-positive patient with a pros-thetic implant may be at increased risk for late hematogenous implant infection as host defenses diminish. Regular medical attention, prophylactic antibiotic therapy before dental work and invasive procedures, and early evaluation and treatment of possible infections are especially important in this setting. Decisions regarding elective surgery should be made on a risk-benefit basis. Because the risk of surgical complications increases with progression of the dis-ease, guidelines for elective surgery should include an assessment of the HIV-positive patient's immune status, including the CD4 lymphocyte count, history of opportunistic infection, serum albumin level, the presence of skin anergy, and the state of nutrition and general health.     

Telemedicine and international disaster response. Medical consultation to Armenia and Russia via a Telemedicine Spacebridge

The Telemedicine Spacebridge, a satellite-mediated, audio-video-fax link between four United States and two Armenian and Russian medical centers, permitted remote American consultants to assist Armenian and Russian physicians in the management of medical problems following the December 1988 earthquake in Armenia and the June 1989 gas explosion near Ufa. Methods: During 12 weeks of operations, 247 Armenian and Russian and 175 American medical professionals participated in 34 half-day clinical conferences. A total of 209 patients were discussed, requiring expertise in 20 specialty areas. Results: Telemedicine consultations resulted in altered diagnoses for 54, new diagnostic studies for 70, altered diagnostic processes for 47, and modified treatment plans for 47 of 185 Armenian patients presented. Simultaneous participation of several US medical centers was judged beneficial; quality of data transmission was judged excellent. Conclusion: These results suggest that interactive consultation by remote specialists can provide valuable assistance to on-site physicians and favorably influence clinical decisions in the aftermath of major disasters.