Feeding behaviour in chickens given diets containing medium chain triglyceride

This article discusses the importance of cultural sensitivity in providing nursing services to Native Americans. This necessitates general information about cultural universals that transcend specific tribes as well as cultural-specific knowledge. Cultural sensitivity also requires an understanding of the centuries-long oppression of Native Americans and their cultures by the dominant society.     

Caveolin interacts with Trk A and p75(NTR) and regulates neurotrophin signaling pathways

Neurotrophins signal through Trk tyrosine kinase receptors and the low-affinity neurotrophin receptor p75(NTR). We have shown previously that activation of Trk A tyrosine kinase activity can inhibit p75(NTR)-dependent sphingomyelin hydrolysis, that caveolae are a localized site for p75(NTR) signaling, and that caveolin can directly interact with p75(NTR). The ability of caveolin to also interact with tyrosine kinase receptors and inhibit their activity led us to hypothesize that caveolin expression may modulate interactions between neurotrophin signaling pathways. PC12 cells were transfected with caveolin that was expressed efficiently and targeted to the appropriate membrane domains. Upon exposure to nerve growth factor (NGF), caveolin-PC12 cells were unable to develop extensive neuritic processes. Caveolin expression in PC12 cells was found to diminish the magnitude and duration of Trk A activation in vivo. This inhibition may be due to a direct interaction of caveolin with Trk A, because Trk A co-immunoprecipitated with caveolin from Cav-Trk A-PC12 cells, and a glutathione S-transferase-caveolin fusion protein bound to Trk A and inhibited NGF-induced autophosphorylation in vitro. Furthermore, the in vivo kinetics of the inhibition of Trk A tyrosine kinase activity by caveolin expression correlated with an increased ability of NGF to induce sphingomyelin hydrolysis through p75(NTR). In summary, our results suggest that the interaction of caveolin with neurotrophin receptors may have functional consequences in regulating signaling through p75(NTR) and Trk A in neuronal and glial cell populations.     

Perforin is essential for control of ectromelia virus but not related poxviruses in mice

Lack of perforin renders the relatively resistant mouse strain C57BL/6 highly susceptible to the natural mouse pathogen ectromelia virus, a cytopathic orthopoxvirus. This is indicated by increased mortality, elevated virus titers and pathology in liver and spleen, and increased levels of liver enzymes in blood. Cowpox virus on the other hand is more virulent in the presence of perforin than in its absence. An additional lack of granzyme A which together with perforin is a constituent of cytoplasmic granules from cytotoxic T cells increases the virulence of cowpox virus.     

Tuberculosis meningitis in Hong Kong: experience in a regional hospital

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) remains common in Hong Kong. From January 1996 to June 1997, 11 adult patients with TBM presented to Queen Mary Hospital, a regional hospital in Hong Kong. The annual incidence of TBM was estimated at 1.8 per 100,000 population. Nine patients were local Chinese, and only one patient had the acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In contrast to the classical presentation as a chronic indolent disease, our patients presented acutely: the mean duration from onset of symptoms to presentation was 4.8 days (range 0-10). The most common presenting symptoms were headache (64%), fever (46%), or both (36%), with focal deficits occurring in 64% of patients. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were positive in 30% and 29% of cases. Mean CSF cell count, protein and glucose levels were 340 x 10(6)/L, 267 mg/dL, and 2.3 mmol/L, respectively. Extra-neural tuberculosis occurred in 46% of cases. All patients survived and responded to treatment. Drug-induced hepatotoxicity was common; 64% of patients developed biochemical hepatitis.     

Antibody response against a Leishmania donovani amastigote-stage-specific protein in patients with visceral leishmaniasis

Shoots of higher plants grow upward in response to gravity. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of this response, we have isolated shoot gravitropism (sgr) mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana. In this report, we describe three novel mutants, sgr4-1, sgr5-1 and sgr6-1 whose inflorescence stems showed abnormal gravitropic responses as previously reported for sgr1, sgr2 and sgr3. These new sgr mutations were recessive and occurred at three independent genetic loci. The sgr4-1 mutant showed severe defect in gravitropism of both inflorescence stem and hypocotyl but were normal in root gravitropism as were sgr1 and sgr2. The sgr5-1 and sgr6-1 mutants showed reduced gravitropism only in inflorescence stems but normal in both hypocotyls and roots as sgr3. These results support the hypothesis that some mechanisms of gravitropism are genetically different in these three organs in A. thaliana. In addition, these mutants showed normal phototropic responses, suggesting that SGR4, SGR5 and SGR6 genes are specifically involved in gravity perception and/or gravity signal transduction for the shoot gravitropic response.     

Improvement of the cement mantle of the acetabular component with bone cement spacers. A retrospective analysis of 200 cemented cups

A discontinuous or thin cement mantle of a socket is associated with increased polyethylene wear and cement fractures. In a retrospective radiological analysis we examined the quality of the cement mantle in cups without (group I = 100 Charnley-Mueller cups) and with (group II = 100 Contemporary cups, Howmedica) bone cement spacers. Under-filling (0-2 mm) and over-filling (> 8 mm) of the cement mantle were noted and classified. Statistics show significantly less under-filling of the cement mantle in group II than in group I (P = 0.001), in particular when comparing separate cup regions (thirds: P < 0.001). Furthermore, there is no significant difference in the frequency of overfilling with cement between groups I and II (P = 0.108). To sum up, utilization of an acetabular component with performed bone cement spacers considerably improves the quality of the cement mantle without additional cost.     

An interstate outbreak of tick-borne relapsing fever among vacationers at a Rocky Mountain cabin

Clinical observation suggests that deformities of the foot and ankle are common in children with cerebral palsy. Two hundred children with cerebral palsy attending the Central Remedial Clinic were examined and photographed. The children had no previous surgical intervention and were between 1.5 and 19 years of age. Deformities were assessed and related to the type of cerebral palsy and mobility status.     

PHAS/4E-BPs as regulators of mRNA translation and cell proliferation

Insulin and growth factors elicit rapid increases in protein synthesis by stimulating mRNA translation. PHAS/4E-BPs, a recently discovered family of elF4E-binding, proteins, appear to play a key role in this process, as well as in the control of cell proliferation.     

Daily fluoxetine administration impairs avoidance learning in the rat without altering sensory thresholds

1. Male rats given daily intraperitoneal injections of fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) were slower to escape foot shock by jumping a low barrier. 2. When switched to a shuttle task requiring two crosses to terminate shock, the FLU-treated animals failed to learn in 55 trials. 3. A second experiment found FLU-treated animals could learn a one-way avoidance response, but were significantly slower to learn than control animals. 4. FLU-treated animals were no different than controls on tests of sensory thresholds for foot shock or heat. 5. Tests of motor behaviors revealed no differences in latency to traverse a narrow beam to reach a goal box, however FLU-treated animals were less active in an open field. 6. Several hypotheses can account for these data, the most promising being that a central motivational system (fear) is less active in FLU-treated animals.     

Wide-field X-ray tube comparisons

X-ray tubes having similar resolution capabilities along the central ray were compared for their wide-field characteristics. It has been suggested that focal spot size, and therefore resolution capability, along the cathode-anode axis may vary in a manner which is dependent upon the tube target angle. The authors show that differences beyond the effects of target angle occur, the extent of those differences varying from tube to tube. Although 2 different-sized focal spots may be adjusted to have equivalent central beam resolution capabilities, they can exhibit different imaging capabilities at wide-angle (off central axis) position. More than one parameter (equivalent focal spot size) is needed to characterize the behavior of a focal spot.