Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “In re Spring”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

[Total circular pharyngolaryngectomy. A method of reconstruction with a free forearm skin flap].

The reconstruction of the digestive tube after total circular pharyngo-laryngectomy continues to pose a number of problems. Fistulae and delayed healing of the mucosa are common problems after musculo-cutaneous flaps. They are due, on the one hand, to a spring effect of the flap which interferes with tubulisation and, on the other hand, to the problematical suture of the thick thoracic wall skin to the fine oesophageal mucosa. Free visceral plasties give first intention repairs with rapid return of eating, but they carry a mortality of 10 to 15%. The free ante-brachial plasty with a radial pedicle seems to be a satisfactory alternative due to the quality of the oesophageal reconstruction and the absence of mortality. The technique of forming the flap and the operative procedure are described. Five cases are presented. There were no failures and oral feeding could be re-commenced by the 21st day, on average.

Colon, Sigmoid↗
PubMed2000

Interactive effects of elevated ozone and carbon dioxide on growth and yield of leaf rust-infected versus non-infected wheat.

Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Turbo) was grown from seedling emergence to maturity (129 days) in chambers simulating the physical climate and ozone pollution of a field site in Northern Germany from 1 April to 31 July with a mean 1-h daily maximum of 61.5-62.4 nl l(-1) ozone compared to a constant low level of 21.5-22.8 nl l(-1) ozone. The two ozone levels were combined with either a current (374.1-380.2 microl l(-1)) or enriched (610.6-615.0 microl l(-1)) CO(2) atmosphere. Additionally, a leaf rust epidemic (Puccinia recondita f. sp. tritici) was induced at tillering stage by repeated re-inoculations with the inoculum formed on the plants. Leaf rust disease was strongly inhibited by ozone, but largely unaffected by elevated CO(2). Ozone damage on leaves was strongly affected by CO(2) and infection. On infected plants, ozone lesions appeared 2-4 weeks earlier and were up to fourfold more severe compared to non-infected plants. Elevated CO(2) did not delay the onset of ozone lesions but it significantly reduced the severity of leaf damage. It also enhanced the photosynthetic rate of flag leaves and increased the water use efficiency, biomass formation and grain yield. The relative increases in growth and yield induced by CO(2) were much larger on ozone-stressed than on non-stressed plants. Both ozone and fungal infection reduced biomass formation, number of grains per plant, thousand grain weight and grain yield; however, adverse effects of leaf rust infection were more severe. Elevated CO(2) largely equalized the negative effects of ozone on the photosynthetic rate, growth and yield parameters, but was not capable of compensating for the detrimental effects of fungal infection. The data imply that the impact of ozone in the field cannot be estimated without considering the predisposing effects deriving from fungal infections and the compensating effects deriving from elevated CO(2).

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Red list plants: colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and dark septate endophytes.

Since information concerning the mycorrhization of endangered plants is of major importance for their potential re-establishment, we determined the mycorrhizal status of Serratula tinctoria (Asteraceae), Betonica officinalis (Lamiaceae), Drosera intermedia (Droseraceae) and Lycopodiella inundata (Lycopodiaceae), occurring at one of two wetland sites (fen meadow and peat bog), which differed in soil pH and available P levels. Root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septate endophytes (DSE) was quantified. Colonization by AMF appeared to be more frequent in the fen meadow than in the peat bog, and depended on the host plant. Roots of S. tinctoria and B. officinalis were well colonized by AMF in the fen meadow (35-55% root length) and both arbuscules and vesicles were observed to occur in spring as well as in autumn. In the peat bog, L. inundata showed a low level of root colonization in spring, when vesicles were found frequently but no arbuscules. In roots of D. intermedia from the peat bog, arbuscules and vesicles were observed, but AMF colonization was lower than in L. inundata. In contrast, the amount of AMF spores extracted from soil at the peat bog site was higher than from the fen meadow soil. Spore numbers did not differ between spring and autumn in the fen meadow, but they were higher in spring than in autumn in the peat bog. Acaulospora laevis or A. colossica and Glomus etunicatum were identified amongst the AMF spores extracted from soil at the two sites. S. tinctoria and B. officinalis roots were also regularly colonized by DSE (18-40% root length), while L. inundata was only rarely colonized and D. intermedia did not seem to be colonized by DSE at all.

Asteraceae↗
PubMed2000

Repeated oestrus synchronisation of beef cows with progesterone implants and the effects of a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist at implant insertion.

A group of 97 spring-calving beef cows were initially oestrus synchronised with controlled internal drug release (CIDR) intravaginal progesterone implants inserted for nine days and a prostaglandin injection on day 7. Approximately half the cows were given 10 microg buserelin when the implants were inserted, and they all received a single fixed-time artificial insemination (AI) 56 hours after the withdrawal of the implants. The overall pregnancy rate to the first synchronised AI was 55 per cent, the buserelin-treated cows having a pregnancy rate of 63 per cent compared with 47 per cent in the untreated cows (P>0.05). Sixteen days after the first synchronised AI all the cows were re-implanted with used CIDR implants which were removed five days later, and the cows received a second synchronised AI on days 23 to 24. Cows which received the second AI were implanted with new CIDR devices 16 days later and these were removed after five days and the non-pregnant cows received a third synchronised AI. The pregnancy rates to the second and third synchronised services were 74 per cent and 75 per cent, respectively.

Administration, Intravaginal↗
PubMed2000

End points of planar reaching movements are disrupted by small force pulses: an evaluation of the hypothesis of equifinality.

A single force pulse was applied unexpectedly to the arms of five normal human subjects during nonvisually guided planar reaching movements of 10-cm amplitude. The pulse was applied by a powered manipulandum in a direction perpendicular to the motion of the hand, which gripped the manipulandum via a handle at the beginning, at the middle, or toward the end the movement. It was small and brief (10 N, 10 ms), so that it was barely perceptible. We found that the end points of the perturbed motions were systematically different from those of the unperturbed movements. This difference, dubbed "terminal error," averaged 14.4 +/- 9.8% (mean +/- SD) of the movement distance. The terminal error was not necessarily in the direction of the perturbation, although it was affected by it, and it did not decrease significantly with practice. For example, while perturbations involving elbow extension resulted in a statistically significant shift in mean end-point and target-acquisition frequency, the flexion perturbations were not clearly affected. We argue that this error distribution is inconsistent with the "equilibrium point hypothesis" (EPH), which predicts minimal terminal error is determined primarily by the variance in the command signal itself, a property referred to as "equifinality." This property reputedly derives from the "spring-like" properties of muscle and is enhanced by reflexes. To ensure that terminal errors were not due to mid-course voluntary corrections, we only accepted trials in which the final position was already established before such a voluntary response to the perturbation could have begun, that is, in a time interval shorter than the minimum reaction time (RT) for that subject. This RT was estimated for each subject in supplementary experiments in which the subject was instructed to move to a new target if perturbed and to the old target if no perturbation was detected. These RT movements were found to either stop or slow greatly at the original target, then re-accelerate to the new one. The average latency of this second motion was used to estimate the voluntary RT for each subject (316 ms mean). Additionally, we found that the hand neither exerted target-oriented force against the handle nor drifted toward the desired end point just before coming to rest, making it unlikely that the mechanical properties of the manipulandum prevented the hand from reaching its intended target.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2001

Seasonal variation in energy expenditure, water flux and food consumption of Arabian oryx Oryx leucoryx.

We report on the energy expenditure and water flux, measured in the laboratory and in the field, of the Arabian oryx Oryx leucoryx, the largest desert ruminant for which measurements of the field metabolic rate of free-living individuals have been made using doubly labeled water. Prior to extirpation of this species in the wild in 1972, conservationists sequestered a number of individuals for captive breeding; in 1989, oryx were reintroduced in Saudi Arabia into Mahazat as-Sayd (2244 km(2)). Apart from small pools of water available after rains, oryx do not have free-standing water available for drinking and therefore rely on grasses that they eat for preformed water intake as well as their energy needs. We tested whether oryx have a reduced fasting metabolic rate and total evaporative water loss (TEWL) in the laboratory, as do some other arid-adapted mammals, and whether oryx have high field metabolic rates (FMRs) and water influx rates (WIRs), as predicted by allometric equations for large arid-zone mammals. We measured FMR and WIR during the hot summer, when plant moisture content was low and ambient temperatures were high, and after winter rains, when the water content of grasses was high. For captive oryx that weighed 84.1 kg, fasting metabolic rate averaged 8980 kJ day(-1), 16.7% lower than predictions for Artiodactyla. Our own re-analysis of minimal metabolic rates among Artiodactyla yielded the equation: logV(O2)=-0.153+0.758logM, where V(O2) is the rate of oxygen uptake in lh(-1) and M is body mass in kg. Fasting metabolic rate of oryx was only 9.1% lower than predicted, suggesting that they do not have an unusually low metabolic rate. TEWL averaged 870.0 ml day(-1), 63.9% lower than predicted, a remarkably low value even compared with the camel, but the mechanisms that contribute to such low rates of water loss remain unresolved. For free-living oryx, FMR was 11076 kJ day(-1) for animals with a mean body mass of 81.5 kg during summer, whereas it was 22081 kJ day(-1) for oryx in spring with a mean body mass of 89.0 kg, values that were 48.6% and 90.4% of allometric predictions, respectively. During summer, WIR averaged 1310 ml H(2)O day(-1), whereas in spring it was 3438 ml H(2)O day(-1). Compared with allometric predictions, WIR was 76.9% lower than expected in summer and 43.6% lower in spring. We found no evidence to support the view that the WIR of large desert ungulates is higher than that of their mesic counterparts. On the basis of the WIR of the oryx averaged over the year and the water contents of plants in their diet, we estimated that an oryx consumes 858 kg of dry matter per year.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

[Biomechanical studies on fracture fixation mechanism of the clover leaf medullary nail].

The intramedullary nailing method described by Küntscher is used widely now as an excellent treatment of the fracture of the long bone. However, it is well known from clinical experience that fracture fixation of the clover leaf nail is not so strong and especially rotational fixation is very poor. For the purpose of re-evaluating fracture fixation mechanism with Küntscher's nail, the following studies were performed. Osteotomized human cadaveric femur was fixed with the clover leaf nail in an ordinary manner. This osteosynthesis model was imbedded in plastic resin (RIGOLAC) in situ. Afterwards this model was cut into specimens 1.5 cm in thickness. The contact area between the bone and the nail was investigated macroscopically and roentgenographically on each specimen. Stress distribution in cross section of some commercially available clover leaf nails was investigated by the technique of photoelastography. Total expansive force of the clover leaf nail was obtained by the calculation based on the measured values. From these investigations the author concludes that the clover leaf nail does not fix the fracture by the expansive spring mechanism only, as was originally claimed by Küntscher.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed2004

Evaluation of hospitalisation for indigenous children with malnutrition living in central Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of hospital admissions for indigenous children with malnutrition in a rural/remote Australian centre. DESIGN: Retrospective review of the medical records. SETTING: Rural secondary hospital. SUBJECTS: Remote and rural indigenous children aged less than four years managed for malnutrition in Alice Springs Hospital (ASH). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The primary outcome measure was weight gain during hospitalisation and posthospitalisation. Secondary outcome measures were yield of investigations, diagnoses made, treatments given, social interventions, readmission rate and nosocomial infection. RESULTS: Median age of the 55 children was 15.1 months. Median weight change was 1.5 g day(-1)prior to hospitalisation, 36.7 g day(-1)during and 9 g day(-1)two months following hospitalisation (P < 0.05). Investigations performed had high yields (80% of children had a treatable organic contributor to malnutrition). Nosocomial infection occurred in 21 (38%) children. Readmission occurred at an average of 1.9 times per child (range 0-5), 34 (37%) occurred within three months and 48 (52%) within six months. CONCLUSION: In rural Indigenous children with malnutrition, hospitalisation was effective in re-establishing growth and defining organic contributors to malnutrition. However, the high readmission rate and nosocomial infection mandates that alternative models to nutritional rehabilitation, in addition to a broad psychosocial and public health approach to prevention and management of malnutrition, is required.

Child Nutrition Disorders↗
PubMed2001

Effects of climatic warming on cold hardiness of some northern woody plants assessed from simulation experiments.

Effects of climatic warming on cold hardiness were investigated for some northern woody plants. In the first experiment, seedlings of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) were exposed to naturally fluctuating temperatures averaging -6 degrees C (ambient) and 0 degrees C (elevated) for 16 weeks in midwinter before they were thawed and re-saturated with water. In lodgepole pine, needle sugar concentrations had decreased by 15%, and the temperature needed to induce 10% injury to needles in terms of electrolyte leakage had increased by 6 degrees C following treatment to elevated as compared with control temperatures. In contrast, Norway spruce and Scots pine showed no effects. The lack of an effect for Scots pine was ascribed to seedlings containing unusually large energy reserves that buffered respiratory expenditure of sugars. A strong, linear relationship between levels of cold hardiness, assessed by the electrolyte leakage method, and sugars was found when combining data from this and previous, similar experiments. In the second experiment, the evergreen dwarf shrub Empetrum hermaphroditum Hagerup was analysed for leaf cold hardiness, using the electrolyte leakage method, and sugar concentrations in late spring and late autumn during the third year of a warming experiment in a subarctic dwarf shrub community. The objective was to test the hypothesis that warming in the growing season alters hardening/dehardening cycles by increasing soil nitrogen mineralization and plant growth. Data found, however, suggested that cold hardening/dehardening cycles were unaffected by warming.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1986

Treatment of secondary osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis by Bateman hip prosthesis.

The Bateman hip prosthesis was applied in reconstruction of secondary osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Forty-five joints that could be followed up for 45-18 months (mean 26 months) were clinically and roentgenographically re-examined. Forty joints (90.0%) were painless. The clinical score improved from the preoperative mean of 44.8 to the postoperative mean of 87. In 34 patients with secondary osteoarthritis, postoperative protrusion of the outer head into the acetabulum reconstructed by excavation of the previous shallow, steep architecture was only 0.8 mm (mean). Postoperative protrusion of the outer head into the acetabulum reconstructed by bone grafting was only 2.0 mm (mean) in 11 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Roentgenograms revealed the appearance of sclerosis supermedially in the excavated acetabulum 4-6 months after the operation. This sclerotic change expanded in the entire area of contact with the outer head in 36 of 45 joints within about 1 year. Once the sclerosis had spread completely, the outer head stopped protruding into the acetabulum. A computerized simulation experiment with a rigid spring model demonstrated that central displacement of the outer head can be avoided if the continuity between the sclerosis in the articular surface of the reconstructed acetabulum and the lateral wall is restored for transmission and dispersion of the resultant head force toward the lateral wall as in normal hip joints; this verified the clinical findings.

Acetabulum↗
PubMed1996

Alpha-tocopherol, selenium and polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in the serum and feed of spring-calving dairy heifers.

The objectives of this study were to provide baseline data for alpha-tocopherol, selenium and polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in the serum and feed of New Zealand dairy cattle, and to assess the likelihood that abnormal peroxide metabolism has a role in the impaired lactational and reproductive performance noted in selenium-deficient cattle. Twenty-four Friesian heifers were randomly allocated one of four winter diets consisting of hay with or without selenium supplementation, or pasture and silage with or without selenium supplementation. A winter diet consisting exclusively of hay (alpha-tocopherol concentration 19 mg/kg of dry matter) resulted in a pre-calving serum alpha-tocopherol concentration of 1.2 mg/l compared to 4.5 mg/l for pastured heifers (p<0.01). The pre-calving alpha-tocopherol concentration for the heifers fed hay fell into the range considered deficient (<2.0 mg/l), whereas heifers fed pasture and silage remained in the range considered adequate throughout the study period. Serum fatty acid concentration, and the proportion of fatty acids that were polyunsaturated, were lowest in the hay-fed heifers before calving (1.0 mg/ml, 37.1% respectively), and remained unchanged following re-introduction to pasture after calving in late July and August. Serum fatty acid concentration did not increase following the re-introduction of the heifers to pasture because of the unexpectedly low fatty acid concentration (4.8 g/kg of dry matter) of the mature winter pasture. In October, however, the proportion of fatty acids in serum that were polyunsaturated increased (50%) as did serum cy-tocopherol concentrations (greater than 13 mg/l). Mean serum selenium concentrations in the unsupplemented heifers ranged from 139 to 204 nmol/l, being lowest in October (p<0.01). Supplementation with intraruminal selenium pellets (two pellets delivering about 3 mg of selenium/day) increased serum selenium concentration and glutathione peroxidase activity (p<0.01) whereas the type of winter diet had no effect (p>0.05). These results suggest that dairy cattle wintered on hay can become Vitamin E-depleted, whereas the feeding of pasture and silage should provide adequate Vitamin E. The pasture offered following calving during July and August provided a low dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid challenge, suggesting that abnormal peroxide metabolism is unlikely to be an important mechanism in the impaired performance of selenium-deficient adult cattle which calve at this the of year.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

Efficacy of a spring strategic fenbendazole treatment program to reduce numbers of Ostertagia ostertagi inhibited larvae in beef stocker cattle.

Efficacy of a spring strategic treatment program with fenbendazole (FBZ) to reduce the accumulation of Ostertagia ostertagi inhibited early fourth-stage larvae (EL4) was investigated in two groups of crossbred beef heifers which were 7-9 months of age and ranged in weight from 155 to 223 kg. The cattle were allocated to groups and treated on 27 April (Day 0). Group 1 calves served as nontreated controls. Group 2 calves were treated with FBZ 10% drench suspension at 5 mg kg-1 on Day 0 and with 6-day courses of FBZ free-choice mineral (to provide 5 mg kg-1 per animal) on Days 28 and 56. Each group grazed on a separate 4.9 ha pasture for 105 days to 10 August. On 10 August the cattle were taken off pasture and each original group was re-allocated to subgroups of three cattle which were treated orally with FBZ (5 mg kg-1), oxfenbendazole (OXF, 4.5 mg kg-1) or left nontreated (CONT). The cattle were necropsied on Days 120 and 121. Mean actual and cumulative fecal egg counts indicated near total suppression of egg output in the strategically treated group (high of 5.2 eggs g-1 feces (EPG) on Day 28). Egg counts of the nontreated group remained above 100 or 200 EPG to Day 63 and then decreased to less than 100. Ostertagia was the predominant genus, followed by Cooperia on most sampling dates. The largest O. ostertagi worm burdens were recovered from the CONT-CONT subgroup; numbers of EL4 ranged from 18,922 to 51,137. Reduction in numbers of EL4 in original controls, treated with FBZ or OXF in August, were low, being 60.2% and 74.3%, respectively. The numbers of O. ostertagi recovered from subgroups originally treated strategically with FBZ were generally lower than in original controls. The largest reduction in O. ostertagi numbers was in the FBZ-CONT subgroup, which was not treated in August. Percent reduction values for O. ostertagi adults, developing L4 (DL4) and EL4 were 84.6%, 96.7%, and 99.0%, respectively. Percent reduction values for adults, DL4 and EL4 in the FBZ-FBZ and FBZ-OXF subgroups were 90.7%, 61.3%, 85.6% and 92.4%, 45.5%, and 73.0%, respectively. Variability in numbers of EL4 acquired during grazing by original controls and strategically treated cattle and variability in efficacy of August treatments was evident as observed in high outlier numbers of worms in all subgroups except the FBZ-CONT subgroup. Liveweights and gains were nearly identical in the two groups on 10 August.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Soluble osteogenic molecular signals and the induction of bone formation.

The induction of bone formation starts by erecting scaffolds of smart biomimetic matrices acting as insoluble signals affecting the release of soluble osteogenic molecular signals. The cascade of bone differentiation by induction develops as a mosaic structure singly initiated by the osteogenic proteins of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) supergene family. The osteogenic signals when combined with an insoluble signal or substratum initiate de novo bone formation by induction and are deployed singly, synergistically and synchronously to sculpt the architecture of the mineralized bone/bone marrow organ. The osteogenic proteins of the TGF-beta superfamily are the common molecular initiators deployed for embryonic development and the induction of bone in postnatal osteogenesis, whereby molecules exploited in embryonic development are re-deployed in postnatal tissue morphogenesis as a recapitulation of embryonic development. The pleiotropy of the osteogenic proteins of the TGF-beta superfamily is highlighted by the apparent redundancy of molecular signals initiating bone formation by induction including the TGF-beta isoforms per se, powerful inducers of endochondral bone but in the primate only. Bone induction by the TGF-beta isoforms in the primate is site and tissue specific with substantial endochondral bone induction in heterotopic sites but with absent osteoinductivity in orthotopic calvarial sites on day 30 and only limited osteogenesis pericranially on day 90. Ebaf/Lefty-A, a novel member of the TGF-beta superfamily, induces chondrogenesis in calvarial defects of Papio ursinus and bone regeneration across the defect on day 30 and 90, respectively. The strikingly pleiotropic effects of the bone morphogenetic and osteogenic proteins (BMPs/OPs) spring from amino acid sequence variations in the carboxy-terminal domain and in the transduction of distinct signalling pathways by individual Smad proteins after transmembrane serine/threonine kinase complexes of type I and II receptors. Predictable bone regeneration in clinical contexts requires information concerning the expression and cross regulation of gene products of the TGF-beta superfamily. OP-1, BMP-3, TGF-beta1 and type IV collagen mRNAs expression correlates to the morphological induction and maintenance of engineered ossicles by the hOP-1 osteogenic devices in the non-human primate P. ursinus. Amino-acid sequence variations amongst BMPs/OPs in the carboxy terminal domain confer the structure/activity profile responsible for the pleiotropic activity that controls tissue induction and morphogenesis of a variety of tissues and organs by different BMPs/OPs which are helping to engineer skeletal tissue regeneration in molecular terms.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Antler growth in male red deer (Cervus elaphus) after active immunization against LH-RH.

Four sexually mature male red deer were actively immunized against LHRH and this caused 3 of the animals to cast their antlers prematurely in the autumn instead of the spring. Development of new antlers was initiated after casting, but the effects on the antler cycle were variable and correlated with the antibody titre, only the animal with the highest titre developed antlers that resembled those of a castrate and remained 'in velvet' for more than 6 months. In October, when all the immunized deer had peak circulating levels of LHRH antibodies, the testes were reduced in size compared to the maximum values of the controls. The blood levels of testosterone were reduced in the immunized animals, and there was a minimal increase in the circulating levels of testosterone in response to an i.v. injection of 100 micrograms ovine LH. The immunized stags showed no rutting behaviour in the autumn. The changes in the testes confirm that the immunizations were effective in blocking the secretion of the gonadotrophic hormones. The re-development of antlers in these animals indicates that gonadotrophins are not directly involved in stimulating antler growth.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

[The effect of dehelminthizations performed during the year on the seasonal dynamics of natural nematode infections in sheep].

In four sheep flocks of two age categories dynamics of natural infections by pulmonary and gastrointestinal nematodes was studied; sheep were kept on a farm in Western Bohemia. Dehelminthizations were performed in different intervals during the grazing period on the basis of the results of quantitative coprologic examinations. Total effectiveness of 80--100% intenseffectiveness (IE) was obtained as a result of single peroral or intraruminal dehelminthization with the following preparations: pyrantel hydrochloricum (Spofa), helmatac (SKF) and nilverm (ICI); the effectiveness concerned gastrointestinal nematodes of the genus Haemonchus, Cooperia, Ostertagia, Trichostrongylus, Bunostomum, Chabertia, Nematodirus, Strongyloides, Oesophagostomum and Trichocephalus. The effectiveness of nilverm on lungworms of D. filaria and P. kochi reached 100%; the preparation was less effective and ineffective on M. capillaris. Dehelminthization practices during three years were more successful as to lowering of incidence of lungworm infections of D. filaria and P. kochi than in gastrointestinal nematodes. If sping dehelminthizations had been postponed till the second half of May or June, the climax of the elimination of ova from summer re-infection was put off till November, with an initial significant increase in September. The third dehelminthization, applied in August, did not result in the increased elimination of ova in autumn, while there was no usual autumnal climax following September dehelminthization. Effective dehelminthization performed at the end of November in all three years maintained low levels of infections during winter housing and significantly influenced the health conditions of ewes before lambing. Dynamics of the elimination of ova after dehelminthization was affected by nematodes with the migration phase in organs and tissues -- S. papillosus, Oesophagostomum sp. and Ostertagia sp.; the same effect was observed, during pasture, in nematodes with relatively short exogenous development of the genus Haemonchus, Ostertagia, Trichostrongylus and Nematodirus. In spite of these dehelminthization practices, the elimination of ova and larvae corresponded to the course of temperatures and rainfall in spring and autumn climaxes every year.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mineral springs and spring fever. Lithium: fact and fantasy in psychopharmacology.

Lithium salts have been employed as medical treatment for more than two thousand years. The history of lithium in medicine reveals a strictly empiricist approach to its use which has resulted in its varying popularity as a therapeutic treatment over the past century. Much of the enthusiasm about the therapeutic use of lithium has been generated by faulty scientific process. This paper reviews the scientific errors which have surrounded the medical use of lithium in history, discusses the metaphorical use of medical terminology and the problem which is posed by the literal interpretation of such terms, and challenges the currently accepted point of view that lithium is a specific treatment for mania. The scientific errors which have resulted in the introduction of lithium as a treatment for mania are reviewed, and it is proposed that lithium treatment be viewed as the paradigm of modern psychopharmacology. The author suggests that the empiricist approach in biological psychiatry requires critical scrutiny in order to avoid tragic consequences, regarding the hazards both to patients arbittrarily exposed to lithium therapy, as well as to the scientific concept of disease as it is modified by those who wish to re-define disease, empirically, in terms of response to treatment.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed1992

Sex-related susceptibility of bulls to gastrointestinal parasites.

The effects of sex and anabolic implants on fecal egg counts and pasture contamination were examined in 77 naturally infected yearling bulls, steers, and heifers of mixed beef breeds grazing the same contaminated pasture in southern Ohio in the spring of 1990. Fecal egg counts were compared in seven groups of 10-14 animals each, twice before anabolic implants and twice after implants. Comparisons were made between untreated bulls, steers, and heifers, between steers with and without implants, and between heifers with and without implants. Bulls had significantly (P < 0.01) higher fecal egg counts than steers, and counts from steers were not significantly different to those from heifers. There were no significant differences between counts from implanted and control steers or heifers. The results have important practical implications both for parasite control and for bovine parasite research. There is a need to pay special attention to young bulls when designing parasite control programs, and to distribute the sexes equally between groups when doing research trials with cattle of mixed sexes. Some previous studies on worm population dynamics and anthelmintic evaluation may need to be re-examined in the light of sex differences.

Anabolic Agents↗
PubMed2003

Oral vaccination against rabies and the behavioural ecology of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes).

As a result of oral vaccination of foxes (Vulpes vulpes) against rabies, this virus disease has almost been completely eradicated from West- and Central Europe. In most countries, vaccine baits were distributed twice a year: during spring (March to May) and autumn (September to October). This strategy has shown to be able to control and eventually eradicate rabies. However, it remains to be clarified if this is the most cost-effective strategy. Astonishingly, the behavioural ecology of the target species, the red fox, did receive only limited attention selecting the periods when baits should be distributed. Considering the behavioural ecology and rabies epidemiology of foxes, territory owners seem to play a key role in the spread and maintenance of rabies. Thus, oral vaccination campaigns should be targeted primarily at these animals. It is suggested that the optimal timing for bait distribution in Europe is late autumn (November) or early winter (December), depending on the prevailing climatic conditions. Additional campaigns, when financially feasible, can be implemented in order to maintain a high vaccination coverage during the remaining year. Furthermore, different baiting strategies can be selected in case of re-infection or persistent residual foci.

Administration, Oral↗