Influence of age and body mass on the response of adolescent male pigs to anaesthesia.

Age and body mass affect a human's response to drugs, including anaesthetics. In pigs, such effects, if they occur, are likely to be pronounced: commercial breeds have been selected for rapid growth, meaning rapid body composition and mass change with age. Thirty-six male pigs were anaesthetised for CT scanning on three occasions (S1-3) when aged 105, 137 and 166 days and when mean (±sd) masses were 57.2±4.4, 88.4±6.2 and 114.7±7.6 kg, respectively. Medetomidine (5 µg/kg), azaperone (1 mg/kg), ketamine (5 mg/kg) and midazolam (0.25 mg/kg) were combined and injected intramuscularly. The times when pigs became recumbent (R1) and remained so (RP) were recorded. If venous cannulation was not possible five minutes after recumbency, 2-3 per cent isoflurane in a 1:2 O2/N2O mixture was delivered by mask until cannulation was possible and then discontinued. If anaesthetic depth was inadequate for CT scanning, a full dose (midazolam 0.25 mg/kg, ketamine 2 mg/kg) or half dose of induction agents was administered intravenously. During recovery from anaesthesia, the times at first movement (M1), first standing attempt (S1) and successful sustained standing (SP) were recorded. The relationship between mass and time (minutes) from injection to each end point was assessed using regression analysis and linear mixed-effect models (LMEM); LMEM were used to assess isoflurane and intravenous anaesthetic effects. Analysis using LMEM showed no significant relationships between mass and the times from injection to the five end points. Isoflurane reduced the time to M1, S1 and SP (P<0.037); intravenous agents had no effect on S1 or SP (P>0.585) but increased the time from injection to M1 (P<0.001). In conclusion, age and mass do not influence the response of commercially bred pigs to the intravenous anaesthetic combination described.

A model describing the use of a bronchial blocking device and a sheathed bronchoscope for pulmonary aspiration studies in the Gottingen minipig.

The administration of test substances into a single lung, or lung lobe, allows the remaining untreated lung to act as an experimental control and effectively halves the number of animals required in a given experiment. It reduces the likelihood of early fatal pulmonary failure when noxious substances are studied which may lessen the need for replacement animals. However, the ease of substance administration and the subsequent analysis of its effects, for example by bronchoalveolar lavage or bronchoscopy, depend critically on the size of the animal model. The advantages of using minipigs; ease of handling, reduced housing requirements, genetic homogeneity, etc. are reduced if their diminutive size makes lung studies difficult. This article describes the use of a bronchial blocking device and a sheathed bronchoscope which enabled sterile endobronchial substance administration in Göttingen minipigs, and allowed pulmonary aspiration studies to be conducted with each animal acting as its own control.

Recombination of Feline calicivirus within an endemically infected cat colony.

To understand the evolution of the family Caliciviridae, the persistence of Feline calicivirus (FCV) was studied within an endemically infected cat colony. Polymerase and capsid sequences were analysed for 34 FCV isolates obtained over a 4 year period. Initially, the colony was infected with one strain of virus, but a second distinct strain was later identified. Subsequently, the emergence of a recombinant virus was observed, containing elements of both of the strains circulating within the colony. The recombination event mapped close to the ORF1/ORF2 junction. This is consistent with recombination in other caliciviruses, suggesting a common mechanism within this family. This is the first report of recombination within the genus Vesivirus in the family Caliciviridae and the first time that a recombination event has been observed where the parental strains have also been identified.

Alternative and complementary therapies in nursing curricula.

The growing interest in and use of alternative and complementary therapies by health care professionals and laypersons, the incorporation of these therapies in medical curricula and practice, and the greater acceptance of the legitimacy of such treatment methods require that nurse educators consider how this content may be incorporated into curricula. The authors propose that prelicensure students learn the premises that support such healing practices and develop skill in eliciting and evaluating patients' use of alternative therapies. In-depth study of one or more complementary therapies may be the focus of continuing education or elective courses. Students in graduate programs may investigate the safety and efficacy of nonorthodox therapies.

Complementary, alternative, integrative: have nurses kept pace with their clients?

While medical literature reflects an interest in the use of complementary therapies, there is a paucity of studies in the nursing literature addressing the use of therapies by nurses, either on themselves or on their clients. While the utilization rate of complementary therapies by the general population has been estimated to be as high as 45%, and nurses are interacting with clients who use these therapies on a daily basis, little is known about nurses' attitudes, knowledge, or perceived efficacy of the therapies.

Complementary, alternative, integrative: have nurses kept pace with their clients?

While medical literature reflects an interest in the use of complementary therapies, there is a paucity of studies in the nursing literature addressing the use of therapies by nurses, either on themselves or on their clients. While the utilization rate of complementary therapies by the general population has been estimated to be as high as 45%, and nurses are interacting with clients who use these therapies on a daily basis, little is known about nurses' attitudes, knowledge, or perceived efficacy of the therapies.

Teach what?: reflections on the transition from hospital teaching to teaching in the community.

For a nurse educator, the sudden assignment to teaching in the community after years of hospital teaching and practice can cause distress. While persons with such experience do not possess the skills to teach the care of aggregate populations, they can be successful in teaching students to care for patients in their homes and in other community settings. Participating in on-site orientation, developing perspectives that recognize patient autonomy and the significance of family context, and using more discovery learning strategies enable faculty to achieve course goals and to contribute to curricular goals.

Comparison of membrane filter, multiple-fermentation-tube, and presence-absence techniques for detecting total coliforms in small community water systems.

Methods for detecting total coliform bacteria in drinking water were compared using 1,483 different drinking water samples from 15 small community water systems in Vermont and New Hampshire. The methods included the membrane filter (MF) technique, a 10-tube fermentation tube (FT) technique, and the presence-absence (P-A) test. Each technique was evaluated using a 100-ml drinking water sample. Of the 1,483 samples tested, 336 (23%) contained coliforms as indicated by either one, two, or all three techniques. The FT detected 82%, the P-A detected 88%, and the MF detected 64% of these positives. All techniques simultaneously detected 55% of the positives. Evaluation of the confirmation efficiency of the P-A technique showed 94% of the presumptive positives confirming as coliforms. Thirteen different species of coliforms were identified from the 37 tests in which the P-A was positive but the MF and FT were negative. The P-A test was simple to inoculate and interpret and was considerably more sensitive than the MF and slightly more sensitive than the FT in detecting coliforms in this type of drinking water supply.

Immunotherapy of Madison 109 lung carcinoma and other murine tumors using lentinan.

Lentinan was evaluated initially against the Lewis (LL) and Madison 109 (M109) lung carcinomas implanted in the footpads of syngeneic mice. Activity in these tumor models was assessed by both reduction in early tumor growth rates and increases in life span and cures, relative to untreated control mice with tumors. Lentinan given i.p. to mice bearing LL footpad tumors caused a reduction in tumor growth rate in only one of three experiments and an increase in life span of 48% at one dose level on another occasion. In contrast, lentinan given i.p. to mice bearing M109 footpad tumors was consistently curative (50 to 70%) in three experiments despite the lack of an effect upon early tumor growth rate. In subsequent experiments, syngeneic mice were implanted s.c. with M109 or LL and treated with lentinan. Although lentinan had no substantial effect upon LL, 25 to 75% of mice bearing s.c. M109 tumors were cured in three separate experiments following early treatment initiation. Delayed lentinan therapy, initiated when s.c. M109 tumors were greater than 100 mg, also resulted in complete tumor regression and cure of 29 to 63% of the mice in three experiments. Surgical adjuvant immunotherapy of s.c. M109 using lentinan also improved survival rates over those obtained using surgery alone. Mice cured of s.c.-implanted M109 using lentinan, or surgery plus lentinan, but not surgery alone, survived a rechallenge with M109. The therapeutic effects of lentinan in mice implanted s.c. with B16 melanoma were inconsistent.

BL-5255 II: effects on release and smooth muscle activity of mediators of immediate hypersensitivity reactions.

BL-5255 inhibited release of preformed mediators from passively sensitized mast cells in the rat peritoneal cavity, chopped monkey lung or human lung tissue. The compound failed to block rat cutaneous reactions elicited by histamine or serotonin. It exhibited weak to no ability, depending on the mediator employed, to block contraction of isolated guinea pig ileum or tracheal tissue. At concentrations of 1 microM or greater, BL-5255 itself was contractile to the ileum but not to the quiescent or submaximally contracted trachea. The compound relaxed spontaneously contracting rabbit jejunum muscle but at doses not likely to be achieved in vivo. Phosphodiesterase activities in extracts of rat and human lung were inhibited at concentrations greater than those required to inhibit mediator release.

BL-5255. I. Activity in animal models of immediate hypersensitivity reactions.

BL-5255 exhibited potent activity in several models of antigen-induced immediate hypersensitivity reactions in rats and guinea pigs. The compound was effective whether administered by oral or parenteral routes and in passively and actively sensitized animals. It appeared to be readily absorbed when given orally. Localized skin and bronchoconstriction reactions in rats were inhibited by the compound by oral doses at 0.014 and 1 mg/kg, respectively. BL-5255 was protective against both IgE- and IgG-mediated reactions in the rat and guinea pig. Its effectiveness versus the systemic anaphylaxis reaction in the guinea pig appears to be due to BL-5255's ability to inhibit both the IgE and IgG1 components of the reaction.

BL-5255, a tetrazolylpyrimidinone with potent oral antiallergy activity in animals.

BL-5255, 2-(2-n-propoxyphenyl)-5-(5-1 H-tetrazolyl)pyrimidin-4 (3H)-one, effectively inhibited allergic reactions in sensitized rats or guinea pigs when administered by oral or intravenous routes as the water-soluble sodium or ethanolamine monohydrate salts. In the IgE-mediated rat PCA, BL-5255 was 50 times more potent than disodium cromoglycate by intravenous administration. When administered orally in this model, BL-5255 inhibited the PCA reaction by 50% at 0.1 mg/kg. At less than 0.1 mg/kg p.o., the compound protected conscious actively sensitized guinea pigs from aerosolized antigen-induced collapse. In N. brasiliensis-sensitized rats, BL-5255 administered at 0.1--10 mg/kg p.o. inhibited antigen-induced airway constriction in a dose-related manner. BL-5255 is not a histamine or serotonin antagonist but appears to exert its antiallergic effect by inhibiting the release of mediators.

Plant species number, biomass accumulation and productivity of a differentially fertilized Michigan old-field.

The response of old-field vegetation to fertilization at the rate of 450 kg·N·ha-1 under different application schedules was evaluated using measurements of plant species number, biomass accumulation and structurefunction group productivity. Application of fertilizer under differing schedules at the same seasonal rate differentially affected plant species number, but not biomass accumulation. The structure-function groups productivities were differentially stimulated in response to fertilization under different schedules. These responses are discussed in terms of generated dominance and site resource availability.Structure-function groups are defined as a level of biological organization greater than the population, but less than the community. The use of such groupings is discussed as a means of viewing community interactions at a level higher than the population.