Organization of the visual reticular thalamic nucleus of the rat

The visual sector of the reticular thalamic nucleus has come under some intense scrutiny over recent years, principally because of the key role that the nucleus plays in the processing of visual information. Despite this scrutiny, we know very little of how the connections between the reticular nucleus and the different areas of visual cortex and the different visual dorsal thalamic nuclei are organized. This study examines the patterns of reticular connections with the visual cortex and the dorsal thalamus in the rat, a species where the visual pathways have been well documented. Biotinylated dextran, an anterograde and retrograde tracer, was injected into different visual cortical areas [17; rostral 18a: presumed area AL: (anterolateral); caudal 18a: presumed area LM (lateromedial); rostral 18b: presumed area AM (anteromedial); caudal 18b: presumed area PM (posteromedial)] and into different visual dorsal thalamic nuclei (posterior thalamic, lateral geniculate nuclei), and the patterns of anterograde and retrograde labelling in the reticular nucleus were examined. From the cortical injections, we find that the visual sector of the reticular nucleus is divided into subsectors that each receive an input from a distinct visual cortical area, with little or no overlap. Further, the resulting pattern of cortical terminations in the reticular nucleus reflects largely the patterns of termination in the dorsal thalamus. That is, each cortical area projects to a largely distinct subsector of the reticular nucleus, as it does to a largely distinct dorsal thalamic nucleus. As with each of the visual cortical areas, each of the visual dorsal thalamic (lateral geniculate, lateral posterior, posterior thalamic) nuclei relate to a separate territory of the reticular nucleus, with little or no overlap. Each of these dorsal thalamic territories within the reticular nucleus receives inputs from one or more of the visual cortical areas. For instance, the region to the reticular nucleus that is labelled after an injection into the lateral geniculate nucleus encompasses the reticular regions which receive afferents from cortical areas 17, rostral 18b and caudal 18b. These results suggest that individual cortical areas may influence the activity of different dorsal thalamic nuclei through their reticular connections.     

An outbreak of malignant catarrhal fever in young rusa deer (Cervus timorensis)

On the basis of clinical signs and histological findings eight 9-month-old male rusa deer (Cervus timorensis) were diagnosed with sheep associated-malignant catarrhal fever. Following a variable course involving rectal temperatures around 40.5 degrees C, depression, inappetence, diarrhoea, corneal opacity and hypopyon all animals died or were euthanased over a 5-week period. Severe multifocal vasculitis, mainly periglomerular and in the arcuate vessels were consistent histological findings which in the past have been adequate to confirm clinical diagnosis of sheep associated-malignant catarrhal fever. A nested polymerase chain reaction test has been used to detect a sheep associated-malignant catarrhal fever PRC product, 238 base-pairs in size, in DNA extracted from lymphocyte preparations. The result supported the diagnosis of sheep associated-malignant catarrhal fever in these deer.     

Sexual dimorphism of circulating somatotropin, insulin-like growth factor I and II, insulin-like growth factor binding proteins, and insulin: relationships to growth rate and carcass characteristics in growing lambs

The effects of sex and age on patterns of circulating somatotropin (ST) concentration and plasma IGF-I, IGF-II, insulin, and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) were studied in ram, wether, and ewe lambs (n = 7 or 8) sampled at mean ages of 81 (I1) and 158 d (I2). Between 81 and 158 d of age, rams grew more rapidly than wethers (P < .01), and wethers grew more rapidly than ewes (P < .01). The sex differences in growth were reflected in empty body weight at slaughter: rams > wethers > ewes (P < .05). Mean plasma ST concentrations, ST pulse amplitude, and integrated plasma ST concentrations were greater (P < .05) in rams than in ewes at I1 and I2. Characteristics of the ST plasma profile in wethers were generally intermediate between those of rams and ewes. The interpulse interval was greater in ewes than in wethers at I2. The IGF-I and IGFBP-3 concentrations were greater in rams than in ewes at both sampling times. Plasma IGF-II was greater in ewes than in rams at I2. Mean plasma ST was approximately two thirds less at I2 than at I1 regardless of sex. Mean plasma ST and IGF-I at both ages were positively correlated with growth. Mean plasma ST at I2 was negatively correlated with fatness at slaughter. Sex and age significantly affected patterns of circulating ST and concentrations of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 in prepubertal growing lambs, under conditions for which growth rates and composition were also sexually dimorphic.     

Development and simulation studies of an unsteady state biofilter model for the treatment of cyclic air emissions of an α‐pinene gas stream

This paper describes the development and simulation of an unsteady state biofilter model used to predict dynamic behaviour of cyclically‐operated biofilters and compares it with experimental results obtained from three, parallel, bench‐scale biofilters treating both periodically fluctuating concentrations and constant concentrations of an α‐pinene‐laden gas stream. The dynamic model, using kinetic parameters estimated from the constant concentration biofilter, was able to predict the performance of cyclic biofilters operating at short cycle periods (ie, in the order of minutes and hours). Steady state kinetic data from a constant concentration biofilter can be used to predict unsteady state biofilter operation. At a 24 h cycle period, the dynamic model compared well with experimental results. For long cycle periods (ie, hours and days), removal efficiency decreased after periods of non‐loading: the longer the period of non‐loading, the poorer the biofilter's performance at the re‐commencement of pollutant loading. At longer time scales the model did not effectively predict transient behaviour, as adsorption and changes in kinetic parameters were not accounted for. Modelling results showed that similar biofiltration performance for the cyclic and constant concentration biofiltration of α‐pinene is expected for biofilters operating solely in the first order kinetics regime. Poorer performance for cyclic biofilters following Monod kinetics spanning the entire kinetics range is expected as the cycle amplitude increases. The most important parameters affecting the performance of a cyclically‐operated biofilter with short cycle periods are: amplitude of cyclic fluctuations, C_{g, max}/C_g, relative value of the half‐saturation constant in the Monod expression, K_s, and effective diffusivity of α‐pinene in the biofilm, D_e. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

The reporting of the risks from genetically modified organisms in the mass media, 2002–2004

This paper describes an analysis of coverage of the risks from agricultural and food genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) from April 2002 to April 2004 in 14 news media from six countries (Canada, France, Germany, Spain, the UK and the USA) which was conducted as part of a review for the European Commission of the management of risk communication. A total of 597 relevant news articles were found and coded for their presentational tone, the types of risk (environmental, financial, health and political, in that order), the organisms described (mainly maize, rape and beet crops), and the documents, people and organisations cited. UK news media tended to be the most “scary” and Spanish ones the most “robust”. Articles quoting public perceptions, non-governmental environmental organisations and politicians tended to emphasize the risks of GMOs; those quoting scientists tended to downplay the risks and describe their potential benefits. Some suggestions for possible action by the European Commission are put forward, such as the facilitation of contact between journalists and scientists, but it is recognized that for some newspapers, their editorial wish to campaign will inevitably over-ride their reporters’ wish to present the truth.     

73-year-old man with gait disturbance and imbalance

We compared the efficacy of three antibiotics (ceftriaxone, erythromycin and clarithromycin) against Borrelia garinii infection in mice. The nymphal ticks of Ixodes persulcatus infected with the strain JEM6 of Japanese B. garinii were allowed to feed on female C3H mice. The mice were treated with each of the antibiotics for 5 consecutive days 1, 3, or 7 weeks after tick detachment. The doses of antibiotics per day were as follows: 5 mg intraperitoneal injection of ceftriaxone, 2 mg intraperitoneal injection of erythromycin and 1 mg peroral administration of clarithromycin. The infection status in treated mice was monitored by culturing their earlobes, hearts and urinary bladders in BSK II medium. Ceftriaxone eliminated borreliae completely; however, a recurrence of infection was observed in mice treated with erythromycin and clarithromycin.     

Clinical and economic impact of implementing a comprehensive diabetes management program in managed care

Diabetes mellitus places a significant burden on the U.S. healthcare system. Because of the potential to reduce diabetic complications and costs through intensive management, diabetes has become a primary target for disease management programs. We performed a retrospective analysis of short-term baseline and follow-up clinical, economic, and member and provider satisfaction data from approximately 7,000 people with diabetes being treated through seven managed care plans using Diabetes Treatment Centers of America's Diabetes NetCare, (Nashville, TN), a comprehensive diabetes management program. Our analysis indicates that Diabetes NetCare achieved gross economic adjusted savings of $50 per diabetic member per month (12.3%), with gross unadjusted savings of $44 (10.9%) per diabetic member per month. Hospital admissions per 1,000 diabetic member years decreased by 18%, and bed days fell by 21%. Patients with diabetes were more likely to get HbAlc tests, foot exams, eye exams, and cholesterol screenings while enrolled in the program. These data suggest that implementation of a comprehensive healthcare management program for people with diabetes can lead to substantial improvements in costs and clinical outcomes in the short-term. It is expected that improvements will increase over time, with continuing improvements in health status and a reduction in the number of future diabetic complications.     

Intravenous cyclosporine for severe attacks of ulcerative colitis: a survey of Canadian gastroenterologists

A single randomized trial evaluated the use of intravenous cyclosporine treatment for severe attacks of ulcerative colitis. The perceived efficacy and safety of this intervention were measured through a survey of the membership of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG). METHODS: All CAG members were mailed a survey with questions regarding their familiarity with the data supporting the use of cyclosporine, their perception of the efficacy and toxicity of the drug, and whether patients who fail conventional treatment should receive this therapy. The proportion of respondents who had used cyclosporine to treat severe ulcerative colitis was determined. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-one responses were received (34% response rate). Sixty-four per cent of respondents were academic faculty members and 82% treated patients with severe colitis. Using multivariate analyses, positive associations were found between the respondents' age (P = 0.004) and subspecialty training in gastroenterology (P = 0.001), and whether respondents treat patients with severe ulcerative colitis. Twenty-six per cent of individuals had prescribed cyclosporine for this indication, of whom 88% were in academic practice (P = 0.007). Over 90% of respondents believe that further clinical trials are needed before cyclosporine becomes accepted as standard therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Although the use of cyclosporine is measurable among Canadian gastroenterologists, the majority believe that further clinical trials are necessary before the drug is accepted as a standard therapy.