Use of Fish Telemetry in Rehabilitation Planning, Management, and Monitoring in Areas of Concern in the Laurentian Great Lakes.

Freshwater ecosystems provide many ecosystem services; however, they are often degraded as a result of human activity. To address ecosystem degradation in the Laurentian Great Lakes, Canada and the United States of America established the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA). In 1987, 43 highly polluted and impacted areas were identified under the GLWQA as having one or more of 14 Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) to the physical and chemical habitat for fish, wildlife and humans, and were designated as Areas of Concern (AOC). Subnational jurisdictions combined with local stakeholders, with support from federal governments, developed plans to remediate and restore these sites. Biotelemetry (the tracking of animals using electronic tags) provides information on the spatial ecology of fish in the wild relevant to habitat management and stock assessment. Here, seven case studies are presented where biotelemetry data were directly incorporated within the AOC Remedial Action Plan (RAP) process. Specific applications include determining seasonal fish-habitat associations to inform habitat restoration plans, identifying the distribution of pollutant-indicator species to identify exposure risk to contamination sources, informing the development of fish passage facilities to enable fish to access fragmented upstream habitats, and assessing fish use of created or restored habitats. With growing capacity for fish biotelemetry research in the Great Lakes, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of incorporating biotelemetry into AOC RAP processes to improve the science and practice of restoration and to facilitate the delisting of AOCs.

Increased plasma fructosamine concentrations in laminitic horses.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: The use of plasma fructosamine concentration ([fructosamine]) as a marker of abnormal glucose homeostasis in laminitic horses has not been investigated. HYPOTHESIS: Plasma fructosamine concentration may be higher amongst laminitic horses than normal horses; this might relate to underlying insulin resistance. OBJECTIVES: 1) To compare [fructosamine] between laminitic and normal horses. 2) To investigate associations between [fructosamine] at presentation in laminitic horses with a) single sample markers of insulin resistance and b) outcome. METHODS: Plasma fructosamine concentration, fasting serum insulin concentration (insulin) and fasting plasma glucose concentration (glucose) were measured in 30 horses that presented with laminitis. Clinical details and follow-up data were recorded. Plasma fructosamine concentration was also measured in 19 nonlaminitic control horses. RESULTS: Laminitic horses had significantly higher mean [fructosamine] than normal horses (P<0.001). Thirteen of 30 laminitic horses had fasting hyperinsulinaemia, 2/30 had fasting hyperglycaemia. Statistically significant univariable correlations were identified between [fructosamine] and [glucose], [insulin] and the proxies RISQI and MIRG. Trends for association between [fructosamine] and negative outcome did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Increased mean [fructosamine] in laminitic horses may represent abnormal glycaemic control and [fructosamine] may become a clinically useful marker.

Radiographic anatomy of the articular process joints of the caudal cervical vertebrae in the horse on lateral and oblique projections.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Plain radiography is the standard imaging technique for investigation of diseases associated with the articular process joints (APJ) of the caudal neck; however, the radiographic anatomy of these structures on both lateral and oblique radiographic projections has not previously been described in detail. OBJECTIVES: To determine the optimal technique for obtaining oblique radiographs of the APJ of the caudal cervical vertebrae (C4-5, C5-6 and C6-7) and to provide a detailed description of their normal radiographic appearance, on both lateral and oblique radiographic projections. METHODS: Radiopaque markers were used to highlight the contours of the APJ on both lateral and oblique radiographs. A novel cineradiographic technique was employed to determine the optimal oblique projection to permit both left and right APJ to be assessed on the same radiograph. Lateral and oblique radiographs of the caudal neck were obtained in 6 live horses under standing sedation to assess the feasibility of the technique. RESULTS: The radiopaque markers facilitated identification of the APJ by clearly outlining the margins of the cranial and caudal articular processes on lateral and oblique radiographs. The optimal range of angles for obtaining oblique radiographs was 50-55 degrees for C4-5, 45-55 degrees for C5-6 and 45-5 degrees for C6-7. Obtaining oblique radiographs within the specified range of angles resulted in a consistent radiographic image of the APJ in the caudal cervical region in the live individual. CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: The description of the normal radiographic anatomy of the cervical APJ of the caudal neck region in horses provides a valuable reference for the interpretation of cervical radiographs. Using the standardised technique to obtain oblique radiographs of the equine cervical vertebrae may provide additional diagnostic information about the APJ.

High resolution structure of BipD: an invasion protein associated with the type III secretion system of Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Burkoldheria pseudomallei is a Gram-negative bacterium that possesses a protein secretion system similar to those found in Salmonella and Shigella. Recent work has indicated that the protein encoded by the BipD gene of B. pseudomallei is an important secreted virulence factor. BipD is similar in sequence to IpaD from Shigella and SipD from Salmonella and is therefore likely to be a translocator protein in the type-III secretion system of B. pseudomallei. The crystal structure of BipD has been solved at a resolution of 2.1 A revealing the detailed tertiary fold of the molecule. The overall structure is appreciably extended and consists of a bundle of antiparallel alpha-helical segments with two small beta-sheet regions. The longest helices of the molecule form a four-helix bundle and most of the remaining secondary structure elements (three helices and two three-stranded beta-sheets) are formed by the region linking the last two helices of the four-helix bundle. The structure suggests that the biologically active form of the molecule may be a dimer formed by contacts involving the C-terminal alpha-helix, which is the most strongly conserved part of the protein. Comparison of the structure of BipD with immunological and other data for IpaD indicates that the C-terminal alpha-helix is also involved in contacts with other proteins that form the translocon.

Biological effects after prenatal irradiation (embryo and fetus). A report of the International Commission on Radiological Protection.

In its 1990 recommendations, the ICRP considered the radiation risks after exposure during prenatal development. This report is a critical review of new experimental animal data on biological effects and evaluations of human studies after prenatal radiation published since the 1990 recommendations.Thus, the report discusses the effects after radiation exposure during pre-implantation, organogenesis, and fetogenesis. The aetiology of long-term effects on brain development is discussed, as well as evidence from studies in man on the effects of in-utero radiation exposure on neurological and mental processes. Animal studies of carcinogenic risk from in-utero radiation and the epidemiology of childhood cancer are discussed, and the carcinogenic risk to man from in-utero radiation is assessed. Open questions and needs for future research are elaborated. The report reiterates that the mammalian embryo and fetus are highly radiosensitive. The nature and sensitivity of induced biological effects depend upon dose and developmental stage at irradiation. The various effects, as studied in experimental systems and in man, are discussed in detail. It is concluded that the findings in the report strengthen and supplement the 1990 recommendations of the ICRP.

Calcium-binding proteins from the outer acrosomal membrane of ram spermatozoa: potential candidates for involvement in the acrosome reaction.

After an intracellular calcium influx, fusion of the sperm plasma membrane and outer acrosomal membrane (the acrosome reaction) precedes mammalian fertilization in vivo. This study describes the isolation of outer acrosomal membrane from ram spermatozoa and the subsequent characterization of calcium-binding proteins. Pooled ejaculates were diluted, cooled slowly and washed. Incubation with Hyamine 1622 (benzethenium chloride) and subsequent slow centrifugation gently dislodged and concentrated acrosomal membranes, the fragments of which were isolated on a two-step discontinuous sucrose gradient. The acrosomal membrane material stained with Giemsa, whereas spermatozoa from the gradient pellet stained intensely only in the equatorial segment. The acrosomal fraction showed a limited number of polypeptides by SDS-PAGE. Incubation with 45Ca2+ revealed two radioactive bands at 34 and 39 kDa. Extraction in the presence of EGTA implied that these proteins are not peripheral proteins associated with the membrane only in the presence of calcium ions, but are integral membrane proteins. Polyclonal antisera raised to the two bands showed specific binding to the anterior acrosomal region and demonstrated the intracellular location of the proteins. Sequence data of protein A revealed 83% homology with calnexin homologue precursor and 70% homology with annexin XI. Protein B showed 68% homology with protein SP-10 precursor and 64-72% homology with various annexins. However, crossreactivity with a range of commercial annexin antibodies and a specific antibody to a synthetic motif encompassing the annexin calcium-binding site was not demonstrable. It is concluded that the isolated proteins are unlikely to be annexins, but are possibly novel calcium-binding proteins.

Rehabilitation of a person with severe traumatic brain injury.

A case study report of a long and intensive rehabilitation programme for a young woman after she sustained a severe diffuse axonal injury in a motor vehicle accident is described in detail. The purpose of this paper is to encourage specialist brain injury rehabilitation services to offer extended rehabilitation programmes to patients, even with very severe injuries. Significant functional improvements and enhanced quality of life frequently reward the high cost and hard work involved.

Optimization and stability of glucoamylase production by recombinant strains of Aspergillus niger in chemostat culture.

When grown on a medium containing 5 g maltodextrin L-1, Aspergillus niger transformant N402[pAB6-10]B1, which has an additional 20 copies of the glucoamylase (glaA) gene, produced 320 +/- 8 mg (mean +/- S.E.) glucoamylase (GAM) L-1 in batch culture and 373 +/- 9 mg GAM L-1 in maltodextrin-limited chemostat culture at a dilution rate of 0.13 h-1. These values correspond to specific production rates (qp) of 5.6 and 16.0 mg GAM [g biomass]-1 h-1, respectively. In maltodextrin-limited chemostat cultures grown at dilution rates from 0.06 to 0.14 h-1, GAM was produced by B1 in a growth-correlated manner, demonstrating that a continuous flow culture system operated at a high dilution rate is an efficient way of producing this enzyme. In chemostat cultures grown at high dilution rates, GAM production in chemostat cultures was repressed when the limiting nutrient was fructose or xylose, but derepressed when the limiting nutrient was glucose (qp, 12.0), potassium (6.2), ammonium (4.1), phosphate (2.0), magnesium (1.5) or sulphate (0.9). For chemostat cultures grown at a dilution rate of 0.13 h-1, the addition of 5 g mycopeptone L-1 to a glucose-mineral salts medium resulted in a 64% increase in GAM concentration (from 303 +/- 12 to 496 +/- 10 mg GAM L-1) and a 37% increase in specific production rate (from 12.0 +/- 0.4 to 16.4 +/- 1.6 mg GAM [g biomass]-1 h-1). However, although recombinant protein production was stable for at least 948 h (191 generations) when A. niger B1 was grown in chemostat culture on glucose-mineral salts medium, it was stable for less than 136 h (27 generations) on medium containing mycopeptone. The predominant morphological mutants occurring after prolonged chemostat culture were shown to have selective advantage in the chemostat over the parental strain. Compared to their parental strains, two morphological mutants had similar GAM production levels, while a third had a reduced production level. Growth tests and molecular analysis revealed that the number of glaA gene copies in this latter strain (B1-M) was reduced, which could explain its reduced GAM production. Shake-flask cultures carried out with the various morphological mutants revealed that in batch culture all three strains produced considerably less GAM than their parent strains and even less than N402. We show that physiological changes in these morphological mutants contribute to this decreased level of GAM production.

Contrast material-induced renal failure in patients with diabetes mellitus, renal insufficiency, or both. A prospective controlled study.

To determine the risk of nephrotoxicity induced by the infusion of radiographic contrast material, we undertook a prospective study of consecutive patients undergoing radiographic procedures with intravascular contrast material. There were three study groups: patients with diabetes mellitus and normal renal function (n = 85), patients with preexisting renal insufficiency (serum creatinine level, greater than or equal to 150 mumol per liter) without diabetes (n = 101), and patients with both diabetes and renal insufficiency (n = 34). The control group consisted of patients undergoing CT scanning or abdominal imaging procedures without the infusion of contrast material who had diabetes mellitus (n = 59), preexisting renal insufficiency (n = 145), or both (n = 64). Clinically important acute renal failure (defined as an increase of greater than 50 percent in the serum creatinine level) attributable to the contrast material did not occur in nondiabetic patients with preexisting renal insufficiency or in diabetics with normal renal function. The incidence of clinically important contrast-induced renal failure among the diabetic patients with preexisting renal insufficiency was 8.8 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 1.9 to 23.7 percent), as compared with 1.6 percent for the controls. The incidence of acute renal insufficiency, more broadly defined as an increase of greater than 25 percent in the serum creatinine level after the infusion of contrast material, was 11.8 percent among all patients with preexisting renal insufficiency. After the exclusion of patients whose acute renal insufficiency could be attributed to other causes, the incidence was 7.0 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 3.2 to 12.8 percent), as compared with 1.5 percent in the control group. The risk of acute renal insufficiency attributable to the contrast material was therefore 5.5 percent, and the relative risk associated with the infusion of contrast material was 4.7. These rates were similar whether the osmolarity of the contrast material was high or low. We conclude that there is little risk of clinically important nephrotoxicity attributable to contrast material for patients with diabetes and normal renal function or for nondiabetic patients with preexisting renal insufficiency. The risk for those with both diabetes and preexisting renal insufficiency is about 9 percent, which is lower than previously reported.

Nursing diagnoses for the postpartum woman.

A descriptive, correlational study was undertaken to identify nursing diagnoses selected by mothers during the first 72 hours after birth. The convenience sample of 231 women completed questionnaires listing 34 diagnoses. On average, each mother selected nine diagnoses of concern to her since the birth. Alteration in comfort, potential for growth, alteration in body fluids, impaired mobility, and sleep pattern disturbance were the most frequently selected diagnoses. Only 34.5% of the mothers identified knowledge deficit as a concern. Parity, type of delivery, and length of postpartum time influenced the diagnoses selected. The data suggest modifications in the focus of hospital-based, postpartum nursing care.

T cell localization in rabbit models of acute and chronic experimental hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

Cell-mediated hypersensitivity has been increasingly implicated in immunologic diseases of the lung, including hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HSP) (extrinsic allergic alveolitis). We used a T cell-specific monoclonal antibody (L11/135) to localize T cells in the parenchyma and bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue of ethanol-fixed, paraffin-embedded lung sections in rabbit models of experimental HSP to define further their possible role in pathogenesis. T cells appeared within 4 hours in early lesions of rabbit models of acute HSP and heavily infiltrated alveolitis lesions at 8 and 24 hours after aerosol challenge. T cells were also present in lesions of rabbit models with chronic alveolitis and occurred peripherally in granulomas. Variable aggregate and follicular forms of bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue rich in T cells occurred in both experimental and control animals. Our findings document early and continuing presence of T cells in lesions in rabbit models of experimental HSP.

The assimilation of ammonium by barley roots.

Enzyme assays of the roots of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) fed NH 4 (+) show high glutamate-dehydrogenase (GDH; EC 1.4.1.3) activity compared with glutamine-synthetase (GS; EC 6.3.1.2) activity, indicating that GDH may be involved in ammonium assimilation in the root. When (15)NH 4 (+) is fed to barley roots, a high accumulation of (15)N takes place in free amino compounds, particularly glutamine and glutamate. When the GS inhibitor, methionine sulfoximine (MSO), is added to the (15)NH 4 (+) feeding medium the free amino compounds remain unlabelled while (15)NH 4 (+) accumulates rapidly in the roots. Root enzyme assays demonstrate that GS is completely inhibited by MSO treatment, while the activity of GDH remains unaffected. The feeding of (15)N-amido glutamine to the roots in the presence of MSO and the subsequent (15)N enrichment of the free amino compounds of the root show that MSO does not interfere substantially with nitrogen assimilation after the formation of glutamine. These results indicate that in the barley root, ammonium absorbed from the soil is assimilated entirely via the GS-glutamate synthase (GOGAT) pathway, and that GDH plays little, if any, part in this process.

The relationship of palato-gingival grooves to localized periodontal disease.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of the palato-gingival groove in maxillary incisor teeth and the health status of the lingual periodontal tissues adjacent to maxillary incisor teeth with and without the grooves. A total of 531 individuals aged 17 to 35 years were examined for the presence or absence of palato-gingival grooves in their maxillary incisor teeth. A Plaque Index (PII), Gingival Index (GI), and Periodontal Disease Index (PDI) were recorded for the lingual aspect of the four maxillary incisors. Tooth mobility was also recorded. The prevalence of the palato-gingival grooves in the 531 individuals examined was 8.5%. Of the 2,099 maxillary incisor teeth examined, 2.33% had a palato-gingival groove. Most of the palato-gingival grooves (93.8%) were in maxillary lateral incisor teeth. Statistical analyses revealed no differences in groove prevalence on the basis of sex or race. Results of the study also indicate that the palato-gingival groove is associated with poorer periodontal health as measured by the GI and PDI and more plaque accumulation as measured with the PII.