Exercise of young thoroughbred horses increases impact strength of the third metacarpal bone

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the frequency and severity of depressive symptoms, to determine the rate of depressive disorder, to explore possible reasons for the development of depressive symptoms and to examine the effects of depression in a group of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients. METHOD: HIV-positive patients attending an outpatient treatment facility were assessed by the research psychologist and completed a number of questionnaires: the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); the Life Event Inventory (LEI); the Core Bereavement Item (CBI-17) questionnaire; and the Psychosocial Adjustment to illness Scale (PAIS). Patients scoring > or = 14 on the BDI were seen by the psychiatrist for further assessment, and where appropriate, diagnoses were made according to DSM-III-R criteria. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-two patients participated in the study; 95 scored > or = 14 on the BDI and one-third of these were found to have a depressive disorder. Factors significantly predictive of a BDI score > or = 14 were: an LEI score > 77; a diagnosis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS); being on sickness benefits or a pension; no current relationship; and a past history of depression. Few differences were demonstrated between those with a depressive disorder and those with a BDI score > or = 14 but no diagnosis of depressive disorder. Both groups had high mean PAIS scores indicating significant illness effects in multiple areas of function. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms are common among patients with HIV infection. Few factors differentiate between patients with a depressive disorder and those whose depressive symptoms do not meet diagnostic criteria. Substantial disability is present in both groups.     

The B proteins secreted by the tubular accessory sex glands of the male mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, have sequence similarity to moth pheromone-binding proteins

We present methods to acquire and analyze NMR movies of myocardial strain rates in which cardiac motion is suppressed and the histories of strain rates are accurately defined for each voxel of myocardial tissue. By means of stimulated echoes, the myocardial strain-rate tensor is phase-encoded at progressive delays in the cardiac cycle while the slice-select and spatial encoding of the image acquisition are performed at a constant cardiac delay. In these data, every image shows the identical myocardial tissue, and the anatomic configuration of the heart appears motionless. The myocardial strain-rate data, however, indicate the state of motion which existed in this slice at the time of the velocity phase-encoding, and these data evolve with the progressive delay as a movie. Using echo-planar MRI, motionless movies of myocardial strain rate of four to eight cardiac delays are obtained in a breath-hold. As an application, a quantitative characterization of cardiac mechanical synchrony is accomplished by principal component analysis (PCA) of the time series of strain rates.     

Decreased capacity for type-specific-antigen synthesis accounts for high prevalence of nontypeable strains of group B streptococci in Mexico

The low incidence of group B streptococcal (GBS) invasive neonatal disease in Mexico has been attributed to the low prevalence of serotype III strains, a major serotype in developed countries. In addition, nontypeable strains account for 12% of the isolates in Mexico and < 1% of the isolates in the United States. In this study, 57 GBS isolates (28 nontypeable by the Lancefield procedure) from carrier and infected neonates and women from Mexico were also examined for the presence of type-specific antigen by an enzymatic procedure using N-acetylmuramidase digestion of the cell wall to release soluble type-specific antigen. Of the 28 nontypeable strains from Mexico, 23 were typeable by the enzyme extraction procedure, with serotype III being the predominant serotype in invasive disease. These results suggest that nontypeable isolates of GBS should be further examined by the enzymatic extraction procedure to determine the presence of type-specific antigen. Furthermore, these limited results suggest that serotype III is likely a major serotype in invasive disease also in Mexico.     

Effect on normal vaginal flora of three intravaginal microbicidal agents potentially active against human immunodeficiency virus type 1

The effect on normal vaginal flora of three intravaginal microbicides potentially active against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 was examined. Volunteers received dextrin sulfate (D2S), nonoxynol-9 (N-9), or docusate sodium in separate placebo-controlled studies. High vaginal swabs were obtained for bacterial culture before and after microbicide application. D2S did not affect the vaginal flora. However, lactobacilli decreased by > or = 10(2) cfu/mL in 9 (56%) of 16 women given N-9 and in 5 (63%) of 8 women given docusate sodium. Women using N-9 were also significantly more likely to become colonized abnormally (usually with aerobic gram-negative rods) than were those using placebo, as were women using docusate sodium. Women with reduced lactobacilli were less likely to regain normal flora than were those whose lactobacilli were unaffected. However, coliform colonization occurred whether lactobacilli produced H2O2 or not. Continuous use of N-9 could induce susceptibility to urinary and gynecological infection. It is essential that potential microbicides are examined for activity against normal vaginal flora.     

Use of clinical parameters for differentiation of gram-positive and gram-negative mastitis in dairy cows vaccinated against lipopolysaccharide core antigens

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether clinical parameters could be used to differentiate clinical mastitis (CM) caused by gram-positive bacteria from CM caused by gram-negative bacteria in dairy cows vaccinated against lipopolysaccharide core antigens. DESIGN: Case series. ANIMALS: 143 episodes of CM in 86 dairy cows in a single herd. PROCEDURE: Cows were examined at onset of CM, and 24 clinical parameters including rectal temperature, heart rate, rumen contraction rate, degree of dehydration, various udder and milk characteristics, lactation number, stage of lactation, and season of year were recorded. Milk production and milk constituent concentrations before onset of CM were obtained from Dairy Herd Improvement Association records. Values for cows with gram-negative CM were compared with values for cows with gram-positive CM. Logistic regression was used to identify important predictors of gram-negative CM. RESULTS: 64 (45%) CM episodes were caused by gram-negative bacteria and 79 (55%) were caused by gram-positive bacteria. Rumen contraction rate was significantly lower and milk protein percentage before onset of CM was significantly higher in cows with gram-negative, rather than gram-positive, CM. Logistic regression indicated that CM was more likely to have been caused by gram-negative bacteria if it developed during the summer, milk was watery, or rumen contraction rate was low. Sensitivity and specificity of the final regression model were 0.58 and 0.80, respectively. Predictive value of a positive result was 0.74 when proportion of CM episodes caused by gram-negative bacteria was assumed to be 50%. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Results suggest that clinical observations do not allow accurate prediction of CM pathogens and should not be the sole criteria for deciding whether cows with CM are treated with antibiotics.