Aorto-iliac thrombosis in a foal

A six-day-old Missouri foxtrotter colt was examined because it had had diarrhoea since it was 24 hours old. A diagnosis of colitis, septicaemia, and disruption of the arterial blood flow to the pelvic limbs was made on the basis of clinical and laboratory findings. Despite intensive medical therapy, the foal died 13 hours after being examined. Postmortem examination revealed diffuse fibrinous enteritis with lymphoid necrosis, multifocal fibrinonecrotic typhlocolitis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and a large occluding thrombus at the aortic termination. The results of bacteriological culturing supported the diagnosis of septicaemia leading to activation of the clotting cascade, disseminated intravascular coagulation, aorto-iliac thrombosis and infarction of the pelvic limbs.     

Capillary electrophoresis of carbohydrates

Capillary electrophoresis has emerged as a highly promising technique for the analysis of mono- and oligosaccharides. The approaches developed for overcoming the lack of chromophoric and fluorophoric functions in most carbohydrates involve the use of indirect photometric detection, amperometry, mass spectrometry, and precolumn derivatization with various tags. The merits and drawbacks of the derivatizing agents, including 2-aminopyridine, 4-amino-benzoic acid and its analogues, which for the first time permitted the reproducible determination of aldoses, uronic acids and even ketoses in the low femtomole range by means of readily available UV detection, and other agents such as 8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulphonic acid, 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone and 3-(4-carboxybenzoyl)-2-quinoline-carboxaldehyde, are discussed in detail. Means to secure electromigration of the usually neutral carbohydrates are: (i) ionization of hydroxyl groups at high pH; (ii) complexation of vicinal or alternate hydroxyl groups with borate or other charged compounds such as alkaline earth metal ions; (iii) derivatization with a reagent possessing ionizable functions; and (iv) partitioning into a pseudostationary phase such as sodium dodecyl sulphate micelles. Each alternative has its own analytical rewards, and combinations of the above mechanisms allow the two-dimensional and perhaps even three-dimensional mapping of oligosaccharides. Pyridylaminated oligosaccharides, for instance, have been separated both according to size by exploiting differences in the charge-to-mass ratio, with the charge being identical for each oligomer under acidic conditions due to protonation of the imino group incorporated by precolumn derivatization, as well as on the basis of structural differences, as a consequence of differences in the ease of borate complexation of the peripheral monosaccharide residues. It is also shown that the 4-aminobenzonitrile derivatives of mono- and disaccharides can be separated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with a resolving power superior to that achieved by capillary zone electrophoresis of sugar-borate complexes. Based on the progress made, it can be concluded that capillary electrophoresis represents a powerful alternative and complement to existing methodology in the area of carbohydrate analysis.     

Ubiquitin and apoptosis in the corpus luteum of the marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus)

The thiazolidinedione analogue troglitazone is an antidiabetic agent that improves insulin resistance in rodents and humans. Although coronary artery disease is common in patients with the insulin resistance syndrome, the effects of troglitazone on smooth muscle cells (SMC) have not been fully elucidated. We therefore examined the effects of troglitazone on cell growth and glucose uptake in human aortic SMC. Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activity and glucose transporter (Glut) 1 mRNA levels were also studied. In the absence of troglitazone, insulin (10(-7) M) caused a 2-fold increase of DNA synthesis in SMC and troglitazone suppressed the increase of DNA synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. This growth suppression was accompanied by inhibition of MAP kinase activity. On the other hand, troglitazone significantly increased Glut 1 mRNA and enhanced glucose uptake in SMC. These results suggest that troglitazone affects the insulin signaling pathways in SMC and suppresses growth while promoting glucose uptake. Our findings support the application of troglitazone as an inhibitor of SMC proliferation in patients with insulin resistance.     

Subunit stoichiometry of a core conduction element in a cloned epithelial amiloride-sensitive Na+ channel

The molecular composition of a core conduction element formed by the alpha-subunit of cloned epithelial Na+ channels (ENaC) was studied in planar lipid bilayers. Two pairs of in vitro translated proteins were employed in combinatorial experiments: 1) wild-type (WT) and an N-terminally truncated alphaDeltaN-rENaC that displays accelerated kinetics (tauo = 32 +/- 13 ms, tauc = 42 +/- 11 ms), as compared with the WT channel (tauc1 = 18 +/- 8 ms, tauc2 = 252 +/- 31 ms, and tauo = 157 +/- 43 ms); and 2) WT and an amiloride binding mutant, alphaDelta278-283-rENaC. The channels that formed in a alphaWT:alphaDeltaN mixture fell into two groups: one with tauo and tauc that corresponded to those exhibited by the alphaDeltaN-rENaC alone, and another with a double-exponentially distributed closed time and a single-exponentially distributed open time that corresponded to the alphaWT-rENaC alone. Five channel subtypes with distinct sensitivities to amiloride were found in a 1alphaWT:1alphaDelta278-283 protein mixture. Statistical analyses of the distributions of channel phenotypes observed for either set of the WT:mutant combinations suggest a tetrameric organization of alpha-subunits as a minimal model for the core conduction element in ENaCs.     

High-performance liquid chromatography determination of mycophenolic acid and its glucuronide metabolite in human plasma

Two HPLC-UV assays are reported here: one is a rapid assay for mycophenolic acid (MPA) and the other is a simultaneous assay for MPA and its metabolite mycophenolic acid glucuronide (MPAG). For both methods, plasma samples (500 microl) with added internal standard were acidified and extracted using C18 solid-phase extraction cartridges. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 Novapak column using a mobile phase consisting of methanol-0.05% orthophosphoric acid (40:60, v/v) for the rapid MPA assay and 30:70 for the simultaneous MPA and MPAG assay. The assays were linear over the ranges 0.1 to 50.0 mg/l for MPA and 2.8 to 225.8 mg/l for MPAG. Mean absolute recovery for all analytes was >99%. These methods are suitable for therapeutic drug monitoring and pharmacokinetic studies.     

DSM-IV field trials for oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder in children and adolescents

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the field trials for oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder was to select valid diagnostic thresholds for these disorders and to compare the psychometric properties of DSM-IV criteria for oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder with previous DSM diagnostic formulations. METHOD: Structured diagnostic interviews, standardized clinician's validation diagnoses, and multiple measures of impairment were obtained for 440 clinic-referred children and adolescents aged 4-17 years. RESULTS: A diagnostic threshold of four symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder optimized identification of impaired children, improved agreement somewhat with the clinician's validation diagnosis, and had somewhat better test-retest agreement than DSM-III-R. In the case of conduct disorder, the optimal time window for ascertainment of symptoms was clarified. A diagnostic threshold of three symptoms of conduct disorder maximized accurate identification of impaired children and agreement with the clinician's validation diagnosis and resulted in slightly better test-retest agreement than DSM-III-R. Compared with the DSM-III-R definition, the DSM-IV definition of oppositional defiant disorder was somewhat more prevalent, but the prevalence of conduct disorder was essentially unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: DSM-IV definitions of oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder are somewhat better than DSM-III-R definitions in terms of internal consistency and test-retest agreement, and the validity of the DSM-IV definition of oppositional defiant disorder is slightly better than that of DSM-III-R.     

One-stage sternal stenting with homograft bone after cardiac operation in pediatric patients

Low cardiac output after open heart operations in neonates and infants carries a high mortality. Delayed sternal closure may be life-saving but may prolong hospital stay and increase costs. To circumvent these issues, we shaped homograft bone and interposed it between the sternal edges to allow primary wound closure in 2 pediatric patients. Midterm results are satisfactory.