Reevaluation of the linkage between acute hemorrhagic shock and bacterial translocation in the rat

The present study was undertaken to determine the conditions under which acute periods of hemorrhagic shock induce bacterial translocation. Rats (at least six per group) were anesthetized intraperitoneally with the barbiturate, pentobarbital (50 or 65 mg/kg), or the inhalation anesthetic methoxyflurane. Following anesthesia, the femoral artery was catheterized, from which blood was withdrawn to maintain a mean arterial blood pressure of 30 mmHg for 30, 60, or 90 min, followed by reinfusion of shed blood. Instrumented, but nonshocked animals served as controls. Rats were sacrificed at 0, 2, or 24 hr postshock, and quantitative bacterial cultures of the mesenteric lymph node complex (MLN), liver, and spleen were made. Within groups, the effects of heparinization were also determined. In pentobarbital-treated animals, regardless of the extent of heparinization, consistent translocation to both MLN and distant organs occurred when shock was prolonged for 90 min, and assessment of translocation was made 24 hr after reinfusion of shed blood. Furthermore, a mortality rate of approximately 30% was found in rats subjected to this protocol. The magnitude of translocation was less consistent, and did not differ from that in sham shock controls, under other conditions of shock and evaluation. In rats anesthetized with methoxyflurane, no mortality occurred, and no statistical significance between the incidence or degree of translocation in shocked animals vs. sham shock controls could be demonstrated, regardless of the shock protocol. In additional studies, effects of these anesthetics on intestinal morphology and superior mesenteric arterial (SMA) flow in the context of hemorrhagic shock were assessed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Tyrosine phosphorylation of NMDA receptor in rat striatum: effects of 6-OH-dopamine lesions

It is technically demanding to make intracellular measurements of mechanoreception in intact arthropod cuticular receptors. Here we introduce a method for recording mechanically induced electrical events in a class of spider mechanoreceptors using single electrode voltage- or current-clamp. A concave piece of cuticle containing a mechanosensitive lyriform slit organ was dissected free and fixed with wax onto a specially designed holder. This holder-cuticle complex, filled with spider saline, allowed displacement of the slit membrane from below while simultaneously recording intracellularly from neurons of the organ through a thin saline film. Extracellular ion concentrations could be changed and ion channel blockers could be applied to the bath. The method promises to allow the investigation of the ion channels responsible for mechanically transduced receptor signals and spike encoding.     

The efficacy of chemical bursectomy in chickens with congenital leukosis-virus infection

Since treatment with Freund's complete adjuvant in chickens with congenital avian leukosisvirus infection results in severe hypergammaglobulinaemia, it was of interest to determine how various means of chemical bursectomy affected such animals. Testosterone injected during the embryonic period or cyclophosphamide administered neonatally were, alone, relatively ineffectual in suppressing the response to influenza virus or production of natural rabbit haemagglutinins, nor did these treatments reliably depress IgG or IgM levels. However, the combination of both testosterone and cyclophosphamide completely suppressed antibody responses to the antigens and resulted in animals with serum immunoglobulin levels 10-(4)-10-(5) that of untreated hypergammaglobulinaemic controls.     

Numerical analysis of the characteristics of Corynebacterium diphtheriae strains isolated in Victoria from 1962 to 1971

A study of the incidence of diphtheria in the State of Victoria, Australia, was carried out. Numerical analysis of the characteristics of 264 strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolated between 1962 and 1971 placed them into 18 varieties plus six strains which were unique in their combination of reactions to the characteristics examined. During the 10-year period, some varieties appeared intermittently and were recognized by certain defining characteristics but exhibited a gradual change in their antigenic structure. In contrast, when the outbreaks were examined over shorter periods of time, a number of varieties and single strains were found which differed greatly from each other yet possessed the same major serotype antigen. These findings are discussed in terms of a 'one-parent' concept in which the varieties and single strains represent phases of a common ancestor. By inspection and analysis of the characteristics of the strains, certain associations were apparent. For instance, a correlation was found between the antigenic structure of the organism and the colonial appearance on tellurite blood agar. Similarly, correlation was observed between bacteriophage type, diphthericin type and biochemical activity in that a strain which was highly active in one of the properties was also very active in the other two.