Economic impact associated with respiratory disease in beef cattle

This experiment sought to ascertain whether overt gaze (i.e., directed attention) would influence attentional performance in Huntington's disease (HD), via the use of a vibrotactile choice reaction time procedure involving biased probabilities of event occurrence. Subjects looked (i.e., direct gaze) either at the hand receiving the most (expected) vibrations, or the hand less often stimulated (the unexpected), for both crossed and uncrossed arm postures. Patients with HD showed performance advantages when directing attention (i.e., gaze) at the responding hand, especially for expected events. Patients with HD, however, were not sensitive to distributions of event probability in the uncrossed arm posture, nor when looking away from the responding hand. With the crossed arm posture, and when directing attention at the expected side, patients with HD became more sensitive to distributions of event probability. In HD, there may be a disruption of fronto-striatal circuitry on both cortical and subcortical levels which may account for impairments both in holding and shifting attention.     

Body composition and metabolic profiles associated with puberty in beef heifers

Rapid growth large frame (RL, n = 61) or average growth medium frame (AM, n = 71) biotype heifers fed to achieve either moderate (MOD, .6 kg/d) or high ADG (HI, 1.0 kg/d) were used to determine whether puberty occurs at similar body composition or metabolic status. A heifer was considered pubertal after being detected in estrus and then forming a functional corpus luteum. Live animal estimates of body composition and blood samples for assessment of metabolic status were taken at 13 +/- .2 d after estrus for all heifers. Body composition and metabolic status were assessed every 56 d from 7 mo of age until puberty in a subset of 80 heifers representing all biotype-diet combinations. At puberty, 32 of these 80 heifers were slaughtered and physical and chemical composition of the empty body were determined. High-gain diet heifers were younger, heavier, taller, and more muscular (all P < .01) at puberty than MOD heifers. Slaughter measurements paralleled live animal estimates; bodies of HI and RL heifers contained more (P < .01) carcass and noncarcass components than those of MOD and AM heifers, respectively. Carcasses of RL and HI heifers were more (P < .05) muscular and fatter than AM and MOD heifers. At puberty, HI heifers had a greater (P < .01) mass of moisture, fat, and fat-free organic matter (FFOM) than MOD, whereas RL heifers had more moisture, ash, and FFOM than AM. Percentage of fat was greater (22.1 +/- 1.0 vs 1.0 vs 19.1 +/- 1.0; P < .05) and percentage of moisture was less (55.4 +/- .6 vs 58.1 +/- .6; P < .01) in bodies of HI than in those of MOD heifers. Concentrations of blood urea nitrogen and insulin were greater (P < .05) in HI than in MOD heifers. Diet did not influence concentration of IGF-I or glucose, and metabolic markers were unaffected by biotype. No dramatic changes in body composition or metabolic signals were detected before puberty. Puberty did not occur at similar body composition or metabolic status in all heifers.     

Problems associated with the continuous extrusion of tubes from powders

Summary The problem of determining the velocity of a steady-state flow of a viscous charge under the influence of a pressure drop is solved in a hydrodynamic approximation for the following boundary conditions: the outer surface is stationary, the inner surface moves at a constant velocity; the outer surface is stationary, the inner cylinder is dragged along by the charge; there is a layer of lubricant between the charge and the cylinder walls.All the problems enumerated concern the movement of an incompressible charge.The problem of the law governing the change of density along the length of the cylinder during the extrusion of a compressible charge is also solved.     

Patterns of chemical residues detected in US beef carcasses between 1991 and 1993

A study of data from 12 states in the Food Safety Inspection Service's Residue Violation Information System was conducted to describe patterns of violative chemical residues in US beef during 1991, 1992, and 1993. In 1991, 3,249 violative residues were found in 2,734 carcasses in the 12 states included in the study. In 1992, 3,132 violative residues were found in 2,813 carcasses, and in 1993, 2,317 violative residues were found in 2,051 carcasses. During each of the 3 years, the Calf Antibiotic and Sulfonamide Test and Swab Test On Premises projects detected most of the violative residues, and producers/independent growers and dairy farms were recorded as the responsible sources for most of the violations. Also, most of the animals found to have violative residues were bob calves and culled cows. In bob calves, neomycin was the most frequently identified violative chemical, followed by tetracycline, gentamicin, oxytetracycline, and penicillin. In culled cows, penicillin was the most frequently identified violative chemical and was the chemical most frequently found in combination with other chemicals in cows with multiple violative residues. Distribution patterns of violative chemical residues by slaughter class and residue type varied among the 5 Food Safety Inspection Service regions. These specific regional characteristics support the need for customized intervention, education, assessment, and prevention programs.     

Problems associated with implant maintenance

Implants are highly successful alternatives to conventional prostheses when patients are properly selected and sound prosthodontic principles are followed. Yet problems may still be encountered during follow-up exams. The clinician must be educated as to possible problems and adequately prepared to manage the situation.     

Rhabdomyolysis associated with simvastatin-gemfibrozil therapy

Simvastatin is a potent inhibitor of hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase intended for use as a hypocholesterolemic agent. The long-term clinical experience with simvastatin indicates that it is a safe, effective, and well-tolerated hypolipidemic agent. Laboratory adverse events involving elevations of serum transaminase levels and serum creatine kinase (CK) levels to more than three times the upper limit of normal range have been seen in 1.5% and 3.4% of cases, respectively. We describe a case of severe myopathy and rhabdomyolysis associated with concomitant use of simvastatin and gemfibrozil. Seven days after discontinuing administration of gemfibrozil and simvastatin, the patient's condition improved and she was discharged home. Although this is the first report to indicate an association between myopathy and concomitant use of simvastatin and gemfibrozil, we strongly recommend caution and careful monitoring if simvastatin is given to patients receiving gemfibrozil.     

Problems associated with rabies preexposure prophylaxis

With the rabies vaccine presently available for preexposure prophylaxis, 20% of all individuals do not have seroconversion following routine immunizations, and 5% are allergic to this vaccine. Two experimental rabies vaccines of cell culture origin offering greater purity and potency were evaluated by means of a double-blind experiment. Thirty-one volunteers who did not have seroconversion or who were allergic to duck embryo rabies vaccine received rabies vaccine produced in either human diploid cell culture (WI-38), or hamster kidney-cell culture. All volunteers had seroconversion within 14 days of receiving a single injection of other experimental vaccine. Clinical side effects were only minor.     

Problems associated with the atrophic mandible

A range of treatment options has been presented regarding the use of dental implants to rehabilitate patients who otherwise have compromised function using conventional tissue-borne prostheses. This patient population offers significant challenges to both the surgeon and the prosthodontist. Generally speaking, IODs retained on two or more endosteal osseointegrated implants; transosteal, subperiosteal, ramus frame implant-supported and implant-retained prostheses, and a totally implant-supported design offer options to treat the severely atrophic mandible. When bone support or volume is so lacking that augmentation procedures are required, bone grafting can be considered as a treatment option. The state-of-the-art of implant treatment for the atrophic mandible offers to the dental professional and patient a variety of options. Thus far, it is too early to make specific recommendations as to which treatment offers the best option for each patient. It is fair to say that the ISP remains the gold standard against which other treatments can be compared.     

Antiepileptic drug therapy and sexual function in men with epilepsy

PURPOSE: To study the effects of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on sex hormone levels and sexual activity in a group of men attending a hospital-based epilepsy clinic. METHODS: One hundred eighteen men being treated with AED therapy, 32 with epilepsy but not receiving AEDs, and 34 controls were recruited. All subjects were aged 18-65 years. Blood (20 ml) was removed for hormone assays, after which each subject completed a validated questionnaire [Sexuality Experience Scores (Frenken and Vennix, 1981)] aimed at exploring the individuals' sexual activity and attitudes to sexual morality. RESULTS: Men taking carbamazepine (CBZ) only had significantly higher mean sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels than the control group. The CBZ group also had a significantly lower mean DHEAS concentration than the control, untreated, and sodium valproate (VPA) monotherapy groups. The phenytoin monotherapy group (PHT) had a significantly higher mean SHBG than both the control and untreated groups, and had a significantly higher mean total testosterone (TT) value than the control untreated, CBZ, and VPA groups, and a significantly lower mean DHEAS than the controls, untreated, and VPA groups. Men receiving more than one AED had significantly higher mean SHBG concentrations compared with control, untreated, and VPA groups. In addition, the polytherapy group's mean TT was significantly higher than the control and VPA groups, although its mean DHEAS concentration was lower than the control, untreated, and VPA groups. There were no significant differences between the study groups in mean FT, Budrostenedione (AND), or estradiol levels. But the CBZ, PHT, and polytherapy groups had significantly lower mean free and rogen index (FAI) than the controls. The CBZ group had a lower mean FAI than the VPA group. The polytherapy group had a lower FAI than the untreated group. Sexuality Experience Scores (SES) showed that those men receiving AEDs embraced a stricter sexual morality than the controls and untreated, and expressed greater satisfaction with their marriages than the control and untreated groups. CONCLUSIONS: Seizure type did not affect SES scores. Multiple regression showed men who had received further education were less accepting of strict sexual morality.     

Analytic complexities associated with group therapy in substance abuse treatment research: Problems, recommendations, and future directions.

In community-based alcoholism and drug abuse treatment programs, the vast majority of interventions are delivered in a group therapy context. In turn, treatment providers and funding agencies have called for more research on interventions delivered in groups in an effort to make the emerging empirical literature on the treatment of substance abuse more ecologically valid. Unfortunately, the complexity of data structures derived from therapy groups (because of member interdependence and changing membership over time) and the present lack of statistically valid and generally accepted approaches to analyzing these data have had a significant stifling effect on group therapy research. This article (a) describes the analytic challenges inherent in data generated from therapy groups, (b) outlines common (but flawed) analytic and design approaches investigators often use to address these issues (e.g., ignoring group-level nesting, treating data from therapy groups with changing membership as fully hierarchical), and (c) provides recommendations for handling data from therapy groups using presently available methods. In addition, promising data-analytic frameworks that may eventually serve as foundations for the development of more appropriate analytic methods for data from group therapy research (i.e., nonhierarchical data modeling, pattern-mixture approaches) are also briefly described. Although there are other substantial obstacles that impede rigorous research on therapy groups (e.g., evaluation and measurement of group process, limited control over treatment delivery ingredients), addressing data-analytic problems is critical for improving the accuracy of statistical inferences made from research on ecologically valid group-based substance abuse interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thrombocytopenia associated with long-term levodopa therapy

A 63-year-old man had severe thrombocytopenia after long-term levodopa therapy. Serologic studies and clinical features indicate that the thrombocytopenia was due to an autoimmune process, presumably similar to that induced by the chemically similar drug methyldopa. Direct allergy to levodopa was ruled out by controlled challenge of the patient receiving levodopa. Combined levodopa-prednisone therapy was then instituted, with good clinical response and no recurrence of thrombocytopenia.     

Stevens-Johnson syndrome associated with carvedilol therapy

Stevens-Johnson syndrome, related to carvedilol use, has not been previously reported as a serious adverse experience requiring hospitalization. We report this reaction in a 71-year-old man with stable ischemic cardiomyopathy.