Thyroxine,Triiodothyronine, Reverse-Triiodothyronine,and Other Physiological Characteristics of Periparturient Cows Fed Restricted Energy

Eighty-six cows were assigned to two equal groups with group A fed according to National Research Council recommendations for total digestible nutrients for the 8 wk before parturition and group B was fed 21% higher energy in the first 6 wk and 15% higher in the last 2 preparturient wk. Thyroxine in blood serum decreased in both groups 14 days before and on the day of delivery. It was significantly lower in group A. Findings were similar with triiodothyronine. Blood serum concentrations of reverse-triiodothyronine of group A was significantly higher in group A on day 28 and 14 than group B before delivery. Energy intake had little influence on the serum concentrations of other constituents (albumin, total protein, immunoglobulin G, total and free cholesterol, nonesterified fatty acids). Restricted energy intake that does not alter thyrotropin-thyrotropin-releasing hormone secretion results in higher rate of production of reverse-triiodothyronine and in decreased serum concentration of triiodothyronine. Slight changes of energy balance might be indicated readily by reverse-triiodothyronine concentration in blood serum.     

Characterization of a lectin-like protein isolated from Lachesis muta snake venom

A lectin-like protein was isolated from L. muta venom by gel filtration on BIO Gel P-100 followed by column Chromatography on DEAE-sephades A-50. The protein eluted at 0.4 M Nacl in 0.01 Tris pH 7.3 and exhibited agglutinin activity toward 0+ human erythrocytes. The protein is a dimer with Mr 28 kDa. Amino acid analysis revealed high content of tryptophan and acid recidues and low content of cysteine and methionine residues. No neutral carbohydrates and sialic acid were detected. Circular dichroic spectrum shows 78% of B structure and 1% of alpha structure. In vitro experiments with erythrocytes from rat, rabbit and dog revealed strong agglutination while red blood cells from mice, sheep and goat were not agglutinated. In vivo experiments using anesthetized rats, a sharp and prolonged fall in the blood pressure was observed at protein dose of 1.5 mg/kg. Double dose of protein caused the death of the animal.     

Epoxide polymerization

Summary Poly(propylene oxide), PPO, obtained using diphenylzinc, Ph₂Zn, and using the diphenylzinc-water system at various molar ratios H₂O/Ph₂Zn, were studied through ¹H NMR and IR spectroscopy establishing that the polymerization initiates by coordition of propylene oxide (PO) to a terminal zinc atom of the active species followed by consecutive insertions of PO units at this zinc atom. The PPO obtained showed Ph-and HO-, HO-and HO-end-groups depending on the molar ratio H₂O/Ph²Zn used, and also HO-and PhO-end-groups when oxygen was present in the polymerization system.     

Influence of Al and Ni concentration on the Martensitic transformation in Cu-Al-Ni shape-memory alloys

The martensitic transformation temperatures and the types of martensitic phases have been determined in a wide concentration range of technological interest for Cu-Al-Ni shape-memory alloys (SMAs) A stability diagram of martensitic phases as a function of alloy concentration has been determined. It is found that when the aluminum content increases, the transformation changes from β ₃ ⇒ β′₃ to β ₃ ⇒ γ′₃, with an intermediate concentration range where both martensites coexist due to a β ₃ ⇒ γ′₃+β′₃ transformation. On the other hand, an increase of nickel content stabilizes the martensite β′₃, changing from a mixed β ₃ ⇒ γ′₃ + β′₃ to a single β ₃ ⇒ β′₃ transformation. Furthermore, linear relationships between M _s and Al and Ni concentrations have been obtained for all types of martensitic phases.     

Peripheral noxious stimulation induces CREM expression in dorsal horn: involvement of glutamate

Thermal washout curves have been proposed as noninvasive tools for analysing lower airway dimensions and pulmonary blood flow, but how upper airway heat transfer affects these washout curves is unclear. The present study was designed to compare extrathoracic and tracheobronchial contributions to thermal washout curves. Respiratory frequency, air ambient temperature, and body core temperature (tc) were varied in six male subjects before and after immersion in cold (1.1 degrees C) water for up to 2 h under three conditions: 1) control: ambient temperature (tamb) = 25 degrees C, rectal temperature change (delta tre) = 0 degrees C; 2) pre-immersion: tamb = 4 degrees C, delta tre = 0 degrees C; and 3) post-immersion: tamb = 25 degrees C, delta tre = -0.7 degrees C. Both peak expiratory nasal (tpn) and oral (tpo) airstream temperatures were measured. Each subject was tested twice. Expiratory tpo was generally higher than tpn in all conditions. Increasing breathing rates lowered tpn and tpo in the control and cold air environments. Orifice temperatures, which are presumed to reflect upper airway blood temperatures, correlated with both tpn and tpo. Lowering tc had no effect on washout curves during quiet breathing and affected only tpn during rapid breathing. The results suggest that while tracheobronchial conditions may contribute to thermal washout curves, extrathoracic conditions predominate. Strong correlations between orifice temperatures, peak expiratory nasal temperatures and peak expiratory oral temperature demonstrate the dominant role of upper airway heat exchange in determining thermal washout curves.     

Bone marrow biopsy in the diagnosis of fever of unknown origin in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

BACKGROUND: Fever is commonly observed in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease and frequently eludes diagnosis. The role of bone marrow biopsy in the diagnosis of fever of unknown origin in patients infected with HIV remains controversial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred twenty-three consecutive patients with 137 episodes of fever lasting 10 or more days without diagnosis after 1 week of hospitalization were evaluated by bone marrow biopsy. RESULTS: Overall, a specific diagnosis was achieved in 52 episodes by means of culture and histopathological examination (diagnostic yield, 37.9%). Three types of disease were found: mycobacterial infections (n = 36, 69% of documented episodes), including 18 patients with disseminated tuberculosis and 14 with Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex infections; non-Hodgkin lymphomas (n = 12, 23%); and visceral leishmaniasis (n = 4, 8%). Although bone marrow cultures were more sensitive than microscopic examination with special stains for the diagnosis of mycobacterial infections, the pathological examination of bone marrow led to a more rapid diagnosis of disease. In addition, the histopathological examination of bone marrow alone led to the diagnosis of a specific condition in 43 episodes (31.3% of all episodes). CONCLUSIONS: Bone marrow biopsy is a useful procedure for the diagnosis of fever in patients with advanced HIV disease, particularly in areas where tuberculosis and leishmaniasis are prevalent. Involvement of the marrow may be the first indication of the existence of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma. For Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex infection, blood cultures were more sensitive than bone marrow biopsy.     

Microbiologic depuration of Anadara tuberculosa (Mollusca: Arcidae)

In Costa Rica the mollusk Anadara tuberculosa represents a risk for human health due to the contamination of the growing waters and the fact that its is consumed raw. The families depending on the income obtained through commercialization of these animals have a low education and economic status. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop and evaluate simple methods of depuration that could be easily used by these families to make these mollusks safe for consumption. Bottles containing 11 of saline solution (25g/l) were prepared in duplicates to test the bactericidal effect of acetic acid. The solution in each bottle was adjusted to ph 4.5, 5.0 or 5.5 or held at ph of 7.0 or 8.0 for the controls. The solution in each bottle was then inoculated with approximately 1 X 104 cfu/ml of coliforms. Counts of coliforms were determined for each bottle 0, 1, 2, 4 and 8 hours after inoculation. For the depuration studies, specimens with diameters ranging from 4.0 to 4.5 cm were collected from a harvester at the estuary of Puntarenas, Gulf of Nicoya. Fifty specimens each were depurated in separate tanks containing 25 1 of oxygenated saline solution adjusted with acetic acid to an initial ph of 4.5 (treatment) or non adjusted ph of 8.0 (control). Counts of Enterobacteriaceae were determined, in duplicates, every 12 hr for 48 hr. An additional fifty animals were depurated using the defined method and tested to determine if they met international standards of microbiological quality for aerobic plate count, Enterobacteriaceae count, Escherichia coli count and presence of Salmonella. A sensory evaluation using a triangle test was performed to compare a typical dish prepared with depurated or non-depurated animals. A significant coliform reduction was determined in a saline solution (25 g/l) at a pH range of 4.5 to 5.5. This reduction, during 8 hr, was higher in the acid treatments compared to the controls. During depuration, the elimination of Enterobacteriaceae bacteria was faster when acetic was used (initial ph = 4.5) than when it was not. This elimination was more important the first 24 hr, time defined as adequate for the application of the method. The method has the advantage of transforming the bivalve in a product that is safe for human consumption, since it guarantees that the international standards of microbiological quality, for raw and depurated mollusks, are reached. On the other hand, the sensory qualities of a typical dish prepared with depurated animals are not affected by the method, which can be easily implemented and applied by the people that work in the extraction of this mollusk.     

Stoichiometric dye-binding procedure for the determination of the reactive lysine content of soya bean protein

A new analytical method has been developed for the determination of the reactive lysine content of soya bean protein. The method is based on the reaction of the free basic groups of the protein with 1-phenylazo-2 naphthol-6,8 disulphonic acid. With regard to the stoichiometry of the procedure, it has been proved, contrary to earlier reports, that the basic amino acids, histidine, arginine and lysine, each combine with one mole of the dye. After acylation with propionic anhydride lysine alone loses its dye reactivity. The usefulness of the proposed method has been demonstrated by the determination of the reactive lysine content of several untreated, heat-treated and acid-treated soya bean samples. The results show that heat damage of about 5% in reactive lysine content can be measured in 1·5 h with good reproducibility.     

Crack growth in aluminium alloy sheet material under flight-simulation loading

Crack propagation tests were carried out on 2024-T3 sheet specimens to study the effects of omitting low-amplitude cycles from the gust-dominated TWIST load sequence (MiniTWIST) and the removal of small load ranges from the manoeuvre-dominated FALSTAFF load sequence (short FALSTAFF). In other tests high-amplitude loads of TWIST and MiniTWIST were truncated at different levels. The results are compared with data from similar test programmes, including crack initiation. Attention is paid to unstationary crack growth retardation and a transient retardation during initial crack growth started by an artificial crack.