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We used an autonomic nervous system (ANS) testing battery to determine whether ANS dysfunction occurred in HIV infection. Five of 10 seropositive (HIV+) patients had ANS involvement affecting both the parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions. All 5 involved patients were in Group IV of the CDC classification.
1. The vibration-evoked startle response mediates rapid withdrawal in burrowed larval lampreys (ammocoetes). Ammocoetes withdraw in response to vibration by contracting pre-existing lateral bends in the trunk and tail, thus pulling their heads deeper into the burrow. 2. The motor effects of an ammocoete startle response are dependent on pre-existing posture. Areas of lateral body curvature contract more and exhibit larger electromyogram (EMG) amplitudes on their inner sides than on their outer sides. 3. Both of the anterior Mth and posterior Mth' (Mauthner) cells and both of the B1 and B2 (bulbar) Müller cells fired action potentials in response to vibration of the otic capsules. Both B3 and B4 Müller cells were inhibited by vibration, while M (mesencephalic) and I1 (isthmic) Müller cells were inhibited by ipsilateral vibration and excited by contralateral vibration. 4. Simultaneous action potentials in both of the anterior Mth cells were appropriate and sufficient for initiating the startle response EMG in a semi-intact preparation. 5. This study demonstrates a Mauthner-initiated startle response which activates musculature on both sides of the body to produce a rapid withdrawal movement and is thus adapted to the eel-like form and burrowed lifestyle of larval lampreys.
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6 litters of Octodon degus were studied from birth to 10 days of age. Newly-born degus (mean weight 14.6 g) had open eyes, upper and lower pigment, fur, and teeth. Within 3-4 hours of birth they were able to walk supporting their full weight, right themselves rapidly, sit upright on their haunches, or rear upright with support, and vocalize. By the 1st or 2nd day, the young animals displayed functional grooming (face washing, hind-paw scratching, rapid head-shake). Solid food was ingested from day 6, although newborns chewed wood chips and 3-day olds gnawed dried faeces. Young degus were tested daily in an open field apparatus and showed increased activity and exploration, with repeated testing while decreasing distress vocalization after the 4th or 5th day. Degus are proposed for the study of developmental topics since their degree of development at birth allows for immediate testing. The degus studied here seem to be more fully developed at birth than those studied in Britain.
The steps of the examination procedure applied for a correct diagnosis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) are reviewed. A precise diagnosis is important in view of treatment of this type of vertigo by rehabilitation therapy. Clinical experience supports the concept that the diagnosis has to be based not only on a typical history, but also on the presence of a reproducible vertigo and paroxysmal positioning nystagmus. In the procedure applied in the department, this nystagmus can be reproduced by the Dix-Hallpike maneuver under Frenzel's glasses, during electronystagmography (ENG) recording in the position tests, or it can be present in the vestibular habituation training test battery (a battery of 19 maneuvers applied for defining the adequate exercises in the rehabilitation treatment for BPPV). Analysis of the reviewed data in 95 patients showed that one third of the patients described the vertigo in a rather atypical way, while the further testing revealed a typical BPPV. This experience denies any absolute reliability to only history. In fact, only the finding of such a paroxysmal positioning nystagmus is conclusive for confirming BPPV. However, also the presence of such a nystagmus appeared not to be a constant datum, so that in some patients more than one examination was necessary to come to a reliable diagnosis. It is obvious that, for detecting a paroxysmal positioning nystagmus, ENG is less reliable than the Dix-Hallpike maneuver under Frenzel's glasses.
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Fifty asthmatic patients and 20 healthy control subjects, carefully age- and sex-matched, were subjected to seven standardized tests to evaluate their autonomic status. Due care was taken to remove factors which could interfere with results. Of the tests concerned with the parasympathetic system, the intravenous atropine test (p greater than 0.10) and heart rate response to standing (p greater than 0.01) which measured the basal parasympathetic tone, did not show a significant difference. Tests requiring stimulation of the parasympathetic system, ie, deep breathing test (p less than 0.001), Valsalva maneuver (p less than 0.001), and carotid sinus massage (p less than 0.001) showed significantly heightened response. Postural fall of blood pressure (p greater than 0.10) and sustained hand grip test (p greater than 0.10), chiefly concerned with the sympathetic system, did not show a significant difference. Of the 50 asthmatic patients, nine were atopic and 41 nonatopic. When the results were compared in the two groups separately, we found that there was no alteration in the measurements except the intravenous atropine test which showed heightened response with atopic subjects (p less than 0.05). These results suggest that hyperresponsiveness of the parasympathetic system is an important factor in producing bronchial spasm in asthmatic patients, and atopic and nonatopic subjects do not differ much in their autonomic status.
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A simulated network for controlling a six-legged, insect-like walking system is proposed. The network contains internal recurrent connections, but important recurrent connections utilize the loop through the environment. This approach leads to a subnet for controlling the three joints of a leg during its swing which is arguably the simplest possible solution. The task for the stance subnet appears more difficult because the movements of a larger and varying number of joints (9-18: three for each leg in stance) have to be controlled such that each leg contributes efficiently to support and propulsion and legs do not work at cross purposes. Already inherently non-linear, this task is further complicated by four factors: 1) the combination of legs in stance varies continuously. 2) during curve walking, legs must move at different speeds, 3) on compliant substrates, the speed of the individual legs may vary unpredictably, and 4) the geometry of the system may vary through growth and injury or due to non-rigid suspension of the joints. This task appears to require some kind of "motor intelligence". We show that an extremely decentralized, simple controller, based on a combination of negative and positive feedback at the joint level, copes with all these problems by exploiting the physical properties of the system.
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Running hamster OYC (RHO) is a mutant spontaneously arisen in a closed colony of Armenian Hamsters and has a characteristic of speedy, rotative running behavior. There are several reports which describe such mutants as abnormal walking behavior in rodents due to ataxia or balance deficits. In this report, we describe results of several motor and balance tests in order to clarify whether or not RHO mutants have such disorders. RHO mutants showed no sign of either motor or auditory deficits, and scarcely had balance deficits tested. The animals only had slight head tilting at the starting of running. These results suggest that RHO is a really new type of mutant which has not previously been reported.
Kennedy's disease is a rare type of motor neuron disease with a sex-linked recessive trait. DNA studies show a mutation at the androgen receptor gene on the long arm of X chromosome (Xq 11-12) with expanded CAG triplets (more than 347 repeats). We present three patients and one carrier among ten patients of a four generation family with clinical phenotype of the disease. The patients' ages ranged from 50 to 60 years with symptomatology usually beginning around 30 years of age. Patients had gynecomastia, testicular atrophy, muscular weakness, fasciculation, amyotrophy, absent deep tendon reflexes and postural tremor. PCR techniques of DNA analysis showed expanded size of CAG repeats on Xq 11-12 in all the three patients and in the carrier asymptomatic woman. This is the first Brazilian family with genetic molecular diagnosis of Kennedy's disease. This disease must be included in the differential diagnosis of motor neuron disease since it has a distinct prognosis and genetic counseling is mandatory to the carriers.
Amlodipine belongs to the dihydropyridine class of calcium channel blockers. Both short and long term studies indicate that amlodipine effectively lowers mild to moderately elevated blood pressure and relieves symptoms of angina pectoris. In comparative studies, its antihypertensive efficacy is similar to that of other established agents such as beta-blockers, diuretics, ACE inhibitors and other calcium channel blockers (including the dihydropyridines); limited comparative data are, however, available in patients with angina pectoris. Amlodipine may offer potential in patients with congestive heart failure. Vasodilator adverse events such as oedema, headaches, and flushing are commonly observed with amlodipine. The drug does not appear to cause postural hypotension, reflex tachycardia or cardiac conduction disturbances. Comparative studies suggest that amlodipine is at least as well tolerated as other standard agents. Thus, amlodipine provides an attractive therapeutic option for the treatment of hypertension, and offers potential for patients with angina pectoris. Its beneficial effects in patients with congestive heart failure require confirmation in future studies.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.