Seroprotective groups among isolates of Borrelia burgdorferi

We demonstrated that different seroprotective groups exist among isolates of Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia garinii. The major group was composed of isolates 297, B31, S-1-10, MMTI, IPT, and ATCC 35211 and 21 isolates obtained from California, Illinois, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin. A second group was composed of European isolates PBi and G25. A third group was composed of a single isolate, C-1-11. These groupings were supported by Western immunoblot findings. In addition, the seroprotective groups were confirmed by passive transfer of immune sera and challenge of recipient hamsters with the homologous isolate or other isolates of B. burgdorferi or B. garinii. These studies demonstrate that a monovalent vaccine will not provide complete protection against infection with all isolates of B. burgdorferi.     

Comparison of formation of D2/E2-isoprostanes and F2-isoprostanes in vitro and in vivo--effects of oxygen tension and glutathione

Rats with extensive ibotenic acid lesions centered in the gustatory zone of the pontine parabrachial nucleus (PBN) failed to acquire a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) induced by lithium chloride (LiCl) toxicosis (Experiments 1 and 4). This deficit cannot be explained as an inability to either perceive or process gustatory information because lesioned rats that failed to acquire a CTA readily acquired a conditioned flavor preference (Experiment 2). Similarly, the CTA deficit cannot be attributed to an inability to experience or process visceral input because PBN-lesioned rats that failed to acquire a CTA successfully learned an aversion to a trigeminal stimulus, capsaicin, when paired with LiCl-induced illness (Experiment 3). This pattern of results supports the view that cell bodies within the PBN are essential for the associative processes that govern CTA learning.     

Influence of feed deprivation on ventilation and gas exchange in broilers: relationship to pulmonary hypertension syndrome

Fast-growing broiler chickens not uncommonly exhibit elevated pulmonary vascular resistance that leads to pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular failure. We tested the hypothesis that a distended gastrointestinal tract in these full-fed birds results in an abnormally low tidal volume and minute ventilation that could lead to pulmonary hypoxia, pulmonary arterial vasoconstriction, right ventricular failure, and ascites. Tidal volume, respiratory frequency, heart rate, percentage saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen (HbO2), O2 consumption, and carbon dioxide elimination were measured on fast-growing broiler chickens when full-fed and after 3, 6, and 9 h of feed deprivation. Tidal volume of full-fed birds was not abnormally low despite HbO2 values varying from above 80% to nearly 60%. Importantly, HbO2 was found to be markedly increased in the hypoxemic birds at and beyond a 3-h period without feed, despite a reduction in minute ventilation. This response was not caused by a decrease in O2 consumption. Thus, limitation of gas intake at the mouth was not the cause of the hypoxemia. The data suggest that feed deprivation results in an increase in parabronchial ventilation, possibly from improvement in aerodynamic valving, which would reduce pulmonary hypoxic vasoconstriction and right ventricular failure.     

Primitives used in the spatial localization of nonabutting stimuli: peaks or centroids

In order to determine whether simple luminance profiles are located by their peaks or centroids we performed a three element alignment task where the central element's degree of luminance asymmetry was randomly chosen from a flat distribution (skew noise). The central element with its randomly chosen skew was either positioned using the peak or centroid of its distribution. Accuracy is invariant with the magnitude of the skew noise for the centroid but not the peak condition. We conclude that the human visual system assigns position tags using centroids not peaks of luminance distributions for gabors. However this is not the case for Gaussian blobs, where a measure closer to the midpoint is used for our stimulus arrangement.     

Balloon catheter tamponade of exsanguinating facial hemorrhage: a case report

A 42-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to the frontal process of the left maxilla just lateral to the nasal bone medial to the maxilla that caused profuse hemorrhage. Anterior and posterior nasal packing along with packing of the gunshot wound with Vaseline gauze did not control the hemorrhage. A 28 French (30-cc balloon) Foley catheter was placed directly into the wound, and bleeding stopped immediately upon inflation of the balloon with 30 cc of sterile water. Arteriography identified bleeding from an anterior branch of the maxillary artery that was successfully embolized.     

Endotoxin exposure and symptoms in asthmatic children

Osteoporosis is not an inevitable accompaniment of aging. Rather, it evolves silently over a lifetime, with its attendant morbidities occurring late in life. It is no longer the standard of care to wait until the primary morbidity strikes to begin therapy. A better outcome is always achieved when the individuals at risk are identified early, lessening or even preventing morbidity such as osteoporotic fractures. Recent surveys show a reluctance on the part of many physicians to diagnose or treat osteoporosis in their patients. A second level of resistance is often seen even after fractures occur. Either scenario is particularly unfortunate as therapies currently exist that can significantly reduce future morbidity and probably mortality. Physicians must recognize that patients who have had one fracture are at significantly greater risk to sustain more fractures and are more likely to suffer chronic debilitating musculoskeletal failure. Therefore, in the elderly fracturing patient, even more intensive intervention (fracture prevention) is required.     

Outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy: safe and cost effective?

OBJECTIVE: Reports on the aetiology and risk of occupational rhinitis in different occupations are scarce. METHOD: The purpose of this study was to find the occupations with an increased risk of occupational rhinitis. Age and gender differences in occupational rhinitis and occupational asthma were also compared, and the most common causes of occupational rhinitis were analysed. DESIGN: This study covered the cases of occupational rhinitis and asthma reported to the Finnish Register of Occupational Diseases during the years 1986-1991. The cases on the Register were linked to the longitudinal census data file from the Finnish censuses. RESULTS: During 1986-1991, 1244 new cases of occupational rhinitis (474 women and 497 men) and 1867 new cases of occupational asthma (916 women and 951 men) were reported to the Register. Animal dander, flours, wood dusts, textiles, phthalic acid anhydrides and storage mites were important causes of occupational rhinitis. The highest relative risk of occupational rhinitis was among furriers, the age-standardized rate ratio (SRR) was 30.0. Bakers and livestock breeders had also a markedly elevated relative risk (SRR = 22.0). Men had the highest incidence of occupational rhinitis at the age of 25-29 years and among women the incidence gradually increased and reached the peak in the group 40-44 years of age. CONCLUSION: Furriers, bakers, and livestock breeders had the most elevated relative risk of occupational rhinitis. Occupational rhinitis cases reported at a younger age than asthma, suggesting that rhinitis often precedes asthma.