Fatal Rhodococcus equi infection in an Angora goat.
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Abscess↗
Biomedical subjects
R D Walker
Publications and source records attributed to R D Walker.
Drug dependence treatment within the Department of Veterans Affairs: emerging issues.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is the largest provider of drug dependence treatment services in the United States. However, a national evaluation of primarily drug-dependent veterans has never been reported. Findings from the Drug Abuse Treatment Services Evaluation Project, a three-year investigation of drug dependence treatment within the Department of Veterans Affairs, are discussed. Demographic and diagnostic data are presented for the population of 46,047 inpatients discharged with drug dependence diagnoses in Fiscal Year 1991. Patient subtypes and clinical issues of growing relevance to the treatment of drug-dependent veterans are discussed.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
Effect of a urease inhibitor and ceiling fans on ascites in broilers. 1. Environmental variability and incidence of ascites.
A low ventilation model to induce ascites was introduced and characterized. In addition, the effect of supplemental air mixing via ceiling fans (CF) and the feeding of a urease inhibitor (0, 125, and 250 ppm) on incidence of ascites were investigated. Twelve environmental chambers were utilized in the trial; six were fitted with CF. Each dietary treatment was replicated twice per CF treatment. One hundred and twenty day-old male commercial broilers were reared per chamber. Atmospheric O2, CO2, and NH3, temperature, and humidity, as well as weekly litter moisture and pH, were monitored. Chamber CO2 levels increased immediately then stabilized. Chamber NH3 levels increased between 2 to 4 wk of age and rapidly declined when ventilation rates were increased to 1 cfm per bird. The CF and dietary treatments had little effect on air or litter variables except for NH3. Supplementing the diet with urease inhibitor resulted in a greater than 50% reduction in cumulative mortality due to ascites and a slight reduction in weekly BW gains. The CF treatment had no effect on production variables such as weekly feed intake, gain, and feed to gain ratio, or survivability due to ascites.
Ammonia↗
Effect of a urease inhibitor and ceiling fans on ascites in broilers. 2. Blood variables, ascites scores, and body and organ weights.
Restricted ventilation was used to experimentally induce ascites in commercial male broilers. The role of a dietary urease inhibitor (0, 125, and 250 ppm) and ceiling fans to reduce ascites was investigated. At 6 wk of age, birds were bled, euthanatized, weighed, scored for ascites, and heart, liver, and small intestine weights were obtained. Random samples were analyzed for intestinal ammonia. Blood samples were analyzed for blood gases, hemoglobin, red blood cell count, blood urea nitrogen, ammonia, and uric acid. Birds fed 125 and 250 ppm urease inhibitor were significantly (P < .001) lighter at 6 wk, when compared with controls. Urease inhibitor (125 and 250 ppm) significantly decreased large intestine ammonia. Urease inhibitor significantly increased small intestine (250 ppm) and liver weights (125 and 250 ppm), whereas urease inhibitor at 125 ppm decreased right ventricular heart weight. Urease inhibitor had no effect on ascites scores, blood gases, or blood ammonia, but hemoglobin, blood urea nitrogen, red blood cell count, and uric acid were significantly (P < .05) decreased by 125 ppm urease inhibitor.
Animals↗
Medical practice guidelines.
Prescriptive standards of clinical conduct--practice guidelines--have proliferated throughout medicine over the past decade. Practicing physicians are confronted with a plethora of guidelines developed for different purposes by a diverse body of public and private organizations. We review factors contributing to the growth of guidelines, their desirable features, and consequences, legal and otherwise, of implementing guidelines. Few studies have examined whether, and under what conditions, guidelines are effective in changing physicians' practices and patients' health. Nonetheless, expectations for guidelines remain high because they are one of the only instruments of health care reform that promises to improve the quality of care while reducing overall health care costs. Efforts to develop guidelines are likely to continue unabated for the foreseeable future. Additional research comparing different methods of developing and disseminating guidelines is needed.
Practice Guidelines as Topic↗
In vitro susceptibility testing of antimycotics.
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Antifungal Agents↗
Candida albicans urocystitis in a cat.
Candida albicans urocystitis secondary to urethral stricture and administration of antibiotics was diagnosed in a cat by fungal culturing of urine and examination of specimens. Surgical repair of the stricture and administration of 5-fluorocytosine resulted in resolution of the cystitis. Related problems included anorexia and severe weight loss, which necessitated enteral nutritional support, dehydration, renal disease, and nosocomial Pseudomonas aeruginosa urocystitis.
Animals↗
Injectable bioglass as a potential substitute for injectable polytetrafluoroethylene.
Injectable polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) and collagen have inherent problems that may prevent their long-term success. In search of a different injectable biomaterial we confirmed in rabbits the safety of injected Bioglass particles suspended in sodium hyaluronate. A second study was performed testing the ability of the Bioglass suspension to increase urethral resistance in pigs. Bioglass particles in suspension have the potential to substitute for polytetrafluoroethylene or collagen in the treatment of urinary incontinence or vesicoureteral reflux.
Animals↗
Surgical results: International Reflux Study in Children--United States branch.
A total of 87 patients in the United States underwent surgical correction of vesicoureteral reflux as part of the International Reflux Study in Children. Of the 66 patients randomized to surgical treatment 2 were transferred to the medical group before surgery was performed, while 23 patients originally assigned to receive medical management ultimately underwent surgery. Of the patients 17 (20%) were less than 1 year old, while the remaining children were evenly distributed by age in 2-year intervals up to age 9 years. Reimplantation was performed by the Cohen technique in 52% and by the Politano-Leadbetter technique in 28% of the patients. Bilateral reimplantation was done in 70 patients (80%). The results were satisfactory, with no obstructions. In 81% of the patients average followup was 3.9 years, although followup of less than 1 year in 19% was satisfactory to determine obstruction. Only 3% of the children were lost to followup. Postoperative reflux, which was noted in 5 patients, resolved in all but 1 ureter. These results reflect the experience of senior surgeons in pediatric urology.
Child↗
Response to diazepam in sons of alcoholics.
Alcohol exerts several of its actions via the chloride channel associated with the central GABA-benzodiazepine receptor complex. To explore a possible role for this receptor complex in risk for alcoholism, and to determine whether risk for alcoholism is associated with risk for benzodiazepine abuse, the authors administered intravenous diazepam to 18 sons of male alcoholics (SOAs) and 18 control subjects. Four logarithmically increasing doses of diazepam and matched volumes of placebo were given in randomized order on separate days about 1 week apart. SOAs were significantly more likely than controls to report euphoric responses to diazepam. At some diazepam doses, SOAs were more likely to report feeling "high" and "intoxicated." SOAs and controls did not differ in feeling "drugged." SOAs and controls may differ in expectations regarding the subjective effects of drugs and/or in the function of the central GABA-benzodiazepine receptor complex. These findings also add further evidence for increased pleasurable effects, and thus possibly increased risk for benzodiazepine abuse, in a subgroup of SOAs.
Adolescent↗
Treatment of respiratory infections in horses with ceftiofur sodium.
Ceftiofur sodium was evaluated as a therapy for respiratory infections in horses. This cephalosporin antimicrobial was administered intramuscularly every 24 h and at a dose of 2.2 mg/kg (1.0 mg/lb) of body weight. The efficacy of ceftiofur sodium was compared with that of a positive control drug, ampicillin sodium (recommended dose of 6.6 mg/kg [3 mg/lb], given every 12 h). Both treatments were continued for 48 h after clinical symptoms were no longer evident (maximum of 10 days). Fifty-five (55) horses with naturally acquired respiratory infections were included in the study; 28 were treated with ceftiofur and 27 with ampicillin. Clinical improvement was recorded for 92.9% of the patients treated with ceftiofur and 92.6% of the animals receiving ampicillin. Both therapies reduced body temperatures to an afebrile level after 2 days of treatment. Complete recovery/cure was noted for 78.6% of the ceftiofur patients and 59.3% of the horses treated with ampicillin. Supporting variables (depression/malaise, respiration/dyspnoea, nasal discharge) were assessed and these also substantiated the effectiveness of the treatments. Both antibiotics were well tolerated. Neither pain nor swelling were noted at the ceftiofur injection site(s). None of the animals developed diarrhoea. Data from this study indicated that ceftiofur sodium is an effective and safe treatment for respiratory infections in horses.
Ampicillin↗
Pharmacokinetic evaluation of enrofloxacin administered orally to healthy dogs.
Enrofloxacin was administered orally to 6 healthy dogs at dosages of approximately 2.75, 5.5, and 11 mg/kg of body weight, every 12 hours for 4 days, with a 4-week interval between dosage regimens. Serum and tissue cage fluid (TCF) concentrations of enrofloxacin were measured after the first and seventh treatments. The mean peak serum concentration occurred between 1 and 2.5 hours after dosing. Peak serum concentrations increased with increases in dosage. For each dosage regimen, there was an accumulation of enrofloxacin between the first and seventh treatment, as demonstrated by a significant (P = 0.001) increase in peak serum concentrations. The serum elimination half-life increased from 3.39 hours for the 2.75 mg/kg dosage to 4.94 hours for the 11 mg/kg dosage. Enrofloxacin accumulated slowly into TCF, with peak concentrations being approximately 58% of those of serum. The time of peak TCF concentrations occurred between 3.8 hours and 5.9 hours after drug administration, depending on the dosage and whether it was after single or multiple administrations. Compared with serum concentrations (area under the curve TCF/area under the curve serum), the percentage of enrofloxacin penetration into TCF was 85% at a dosage of 2.75 mg/kg, 83% at a dosage of 5.5 mg/kg, and 88% at a dosage of 11 mg/kg. All 3 dosage regimens of enrofloxacin induced continuous serum and TCF concentrations greater than the minimal concentration required to inhibit 90% (MIC90) of the aerobic and facultative anaerobic clinical isolates tested, except Pseudomonas aeruginosa.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Administration, Oral↗
Malabsorption of vitamin A in preruminating calves infected with Cryptosporidium parvum.
Serum retinol, retinyl palmitate, and total vitamin A concentrations, and jejunoileal morphology were examined in neonatal calves infected with Cryptosporidium parvum. Group-1 calves served as noninfected controls and, after an adjustment period, were given 50 ml of saline solution i.v. every 12 hours for 6 days. Group-2 calves were inoculated with 10(7) C parvum oocysts and, after the onset of diarrhea, were given 50 ml of saline solution i.v. every 12 hours for 6 days. Group-3 calves were inoculated with 10(7) C parvum oocysts and, after the onset of diarrhea, were treated with difluoromethylornithine (DFMO, 200 mg/kg of body weight i.v., q 12 h) for 6 days. Group-4 calves were naturally infected with C parvum. Jejunoileal biopsy specimens were excised from calves of groups 1-3 at 3 and again at 15 to 16 days of age. During the course of diarrhea and 3 days after saline or DFMO administration, water-miscible retinyl palmitate was administered orally (2,750 micrograms/kg) to each calf in each group. Cryptosporidium parvum infection was associated with significant (P < or = 0.05) reduction in postadministration serum retinol, retinyl palmitate, and total vitamin A concentrations in calves of groups 2, 3, and 4. Cryptosporidium parvum infection caused significant (P < or = 0.05) reduction in villus height. Decreased villus height, villus blunting and fusion, and attenuation of the intestinal mucosa were associated with reduced absorption of vitamin A, as indicated by lower peak postadministration retinyl palmitate concentration in C parvum-infected calves. Intravenous administration of DFMO to group-3 calves did not improve retinol absorption.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Animals↗
Pharmacokinetic evaluation of ceftiofur in serum, tissue chamber fluid and bronchial secretions from healthy beef-bred calves.
Ceftiofur is a new broad spectrum cephalosporin marketed for the treatment of acute bovine respiratory disease. In this investigation ceftiofur was administered by intramuscular injection, at 24 h intervals, to healthy beef-bred calves for four days at dosages of 2.2 and 4.4 mg/kg of body weight, with 4 wk intervals between dosing regimens. Serum, tissue chamber fluid (TCF), and bronchial secretion (BS) concentrations of ceftiofur were measured by microbiological assay after the first and fourth dose of each dosing regimen. Peak serum concentrations (Cmax) of 8.8 micrograms/mL and 17.3 micrograms/mL were obtained approximately 2 h (Tmax), the time of mean peak concentration) after single injections of 2.2 mg/kg and 4.4 mg/kg, respectively. The Cmax was increased approximately twofold following multiple doses of 2.2 mg/kg (Cmax = 13.1 micrograms/mL) and 4.4 mg/kg (Cmax = 24.1 micrograms/mL). Ceftiofur accumulated slowly into TCF and peak concentrations were found to be approximately 14% of those observed in serum after the first dose and approximately 24% after multiple dosing. Concentrations of ceftiofur in BS were obtained rapidly with peak concentrations reaching 45% of the serum Cmax after the first dose. After multiple dosing the Cmax for BS was approximately 25% of the serum Cmax. This study found that both the 2.2 mg/kg and 4.4 mg/kg dosing regimens resulted in continuous serum, TCF and BS concentrations of ceftiofur that exceeded the minimal concentration required to inhibit the bacteria most frequently isolated from calves with acute bovine respiratory disease.
Animals↗
Pulmonary immunity in calves following stimulation of the gut-associated lymphatic tissue by bacterial exotoxin.
Antibodies in serum and pulmonary lavage fluids were measured in calves following stimulation of the gut-associated lymphatic tissue (GALT) by inoculation of crude leukotoxin of Pasteurella haemolytica into the duodenum through a surgically placed catheter. Nine calves free of P. haemolytica were divided into two groups. Group 1 received an intraduodenal (ID) inoculation of leukotoxin and group 2 received an ID inoculation of phosphate buffered saline. Serum and pulmonary lavage fluids were collected weekly and assayed for antibodies specific to P. haemolytica including immunoglobulin (Ig)G, leukotoxin neutralizing antibodies (LNA), and IgA (lavage fluids only). The multiplicative increase (over baseline) in each class of antibody titer following ID inoculation of leukotoxin, the composite geometric mean increase of all antibodies together, and the composite number of the five antibody titers which increased at least fourfold were computed. Results showed that the geometric mean of each antibody titer and the two composite indices was higher in the GALT-primed groups than in the sham-primed group. The differences were statistically significant (p less than 0.05) for serum IgG and for the two composite indices. This experiment demonstrates for the first time that GALT stimulation by bacterial exotoxins results in increased pulmonary antibody levels in calves.
Animals↗
Rarity of preclinical alcoholic cardiomyopathy in chronic alcoholics less than 40 years of age.
Preclinical alcoholic cardiomyopathy, myocardial damage in the absence of overt congestive heart failure in chronic alcoholics, is well characterized at necropsy, but attempts to identify such a clinical entity before death have produced conflicting results. Studying subjects only at rest, the inclusion of older alcoholics and limitations of noninvasive techniques may explain some of the disagreement. To determine if preclinical alcoholic cardiomyopathy could be identified independent of the aforementioned limitations, 25 asymptomatic chronic alcoholics aged less than 40 years (mean 34), each of whom had consumed a minimum of 1 pint of whiskey or one 6-pack of beer greater than or equal to 5 days per week for greater than or equal to 5 years, underwent radionuclide ventriculography for measurements of systolic and diastolic function at rest, peak supine exercise and during recovery, and echocardiography for assessment of chamber size, wall thickness and left ventricular mass. Red blood cell levels of selenium and thiamine were measured to determine whether abnormalities were present in these 2 potential mediators of alcoholic cardiomyopathy. For comparison, an age-matched group of healthy control subjects was also studied. For alcoholics and control subjects at rest, mean ejection fraction (67 +/- 7% vs 71 +/- 6%) and diastolic peak filling rate (3.4 +/- 0.6 vs 3.3 +/- 0.6 end-diastolic volumes per second [EDV/s]) were similar.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Adult↗
The role of passive immunity in bovine respiratory syncytial virus-infected calves.
The role of passive immunity in bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) infections in neonatal calves was evaluated. Calves were divided into groups as follows: colostrum-deprived, sham-inoculated; colostrum-deprived, BRSV-inoculated; and colostrum-fed, BRSV-inoculated. Calves were inoculated with a low-passage field isolate of BRSV for 4 consecutive days by a combined respiratory tract route and were euthanized 6 days after receiving the last inoculation. Arterial oxygen tension (Pao2) decreased significantly over time in colostrum-deprived, BRSV-inoculated calves (P less than .01) and was significantly different among treatment groups (P less than .05). A significant decrease in arterial oxygen saturation was observed in this same group over time (P less than .01). Mean percentage of pneumonic lung volume (determined by computer data digitalization) was significantly greater in infected, colostrum-deprived calves compared with the other groups (P less than .01), and BRSV antigen was detected in these calves by avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase staining. Thus, passive immunity derived from colostrum feeding decreased the severity of BRSV infections in calves.
Analysis of Variance↗
Characterization of Gardnerella vaginalis and G. vaginalis-like organisms from the reproductive tract of the mare.
Gardnerella vaginalis has been isolated from women with bacterial vaginosis, from the genital tracts of asymptomatic women, and from several other infected body sites in humans. However, until recently, it has not been isolated from any other animal species. Between June 1988 and October 1989, 31 isolates identified as G. vaginalis and 70 isolates identified as G. vaginalis-like organisms have been recovered from the genital tracts of 93 mares from Michigan and Ohio. Identification was based on biochemical reactions, hemolysis on media containing blood from various animal sources, and susceptibility to select antimicrobial agents. This report details the characterization of G. vaginalis and G. vaginalis-like organism isolates obtained from the reproductive tracts of these mares and compares the equine isolates with human isolates.
Abortion, Veterinary↗