6,6'-Bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2,2'-bipyridine manganese(III) complexes: a novel series of superoxide dismutase and catalase mimetics.

A series of novel manganese(III) complexes is described based on a 6,6'-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2,2'-bipyridine template. These complexes show superoxide dismutase and catalase activity. The effect of the aromatic substitution pattern on the SAR is described.

Decreased ulnar bending stiffness in osteoporotic Caucasian women.

Mechanical response tissue analysis (MRTA) is a noninvasive measure of ulnar bending stiffness in vivo. It is unique in that the mechanical response to the lower range of vibrational frequencies is used to determine the average cross-sectional bending stiffness. The objective of this study was to compare ulnar bending stiffness among normal, osteopenic, and osteoporotic Caucasian women. World Health Organization criteria were used to define cohorts. Ulnar bending stiffness was expressed as the product of Young's modulus of elasticity (E) and the cross-sectional moment of inertia (I) in units of square Newton meters using MRTA. There was no difference in the mean body weight between cohorts but mean age was significantly different (p < 0.0001, analysis of variance): normal women, 34 +/- 12 yr (n = 55); women with age-related/idiopathic osteopenia, 52 +/- l l yr (n = 36(; and women with osteoporosis, 65 +/- 10 yr (n = 24). The mean EI of osteoporotic Caucasian women (25 Nm(2)) was 25% lower than normal subjects (33.1 Nm(2)) (p < 0.0001). However, there was no significant difference between EI of normal women and osteopenic women (30.l Nm(2)). EI was significantly but weakly correlated (i.e., the greatest r(2) value was 37%) to all dual X-ray absorptiometry variables, ulnar width, age, and body weight. In summary, results with MRTA were consistent with previous studies using classical ex vivo biomechanical techniques and in vivo vibrational techniques, showing decreased strength (i.e., bending stiffness) in osteoporotic bone compared with normal bone and a generalized decrease in bending stiffness with increasing age.

Cognition and communication: referential strategies used by preschoolers with specific language impairment.

Ten children with specific language impairment and 10 children with normal language development were asked to describe objects so that a listener could select them. Each trial targeted two out of a group of three toys. The targeted objects were identical or were similar in size or color. Children in the two groups did not differ in referential success, although children in both groups found the size items more difficult. Content analysis of the messages did reveal differences in the referential strategies used most frequently. Children with specific language impairment were more likely to mention the attributes of each object separately, rather than to describe the characteristics common to a pair of objects. Children in both groups talked about separate objects more often when talking about size than about color or object type. Use of this strategy could indicate the effects of attentional capacity on children's solutions to communication tasks.

Studies with a bivalent infectious bronchitis killed virus vaccine.

Haemagglutination inhibition and virus neutralisation antibody responses of chickens given different vaccination programmes were compared. This was followed by a further experiment in which variously vaccinated laying hens were challenged at 30 weeks of age with two strains of infectious bronchitis virus of the "variant" Dutch D207 serotype. Chickens were given primary vaccinations to different strains of infectious bronchitis live virus during rearing and then injected at 16 weeks of age with inactivated oil adjuvanted virus vaccines prepared from either M41, GV101 or both viruses combined (bivalent vaccine). Antibody titres to M41 infectious bronchitis virus were high, and to D207 serotype low. in birds given Mass type vaccines only. In birds given an initial 'priming' with Mass type live vaccine and then 'boosted' with bivalent killed vaccine, high haemagglutination inhibition and virus neutralisation antibody levels against both the M41 and D207 serotypes of infectious bronchitis virus were stimulated. In another experiment, the ability of laying hens vaccinated according to this programme, to withstand challenge with two strains of virulent infectious bronchitis virus of the D207 serotype, was tested. Protection of egg production in vaccinated hens was found to be good and in all groups correlated with the individual hen haemagglutination inhibition titre at the time of challenge. The significance of these results with regard to the use of killed virus vaccines in laying hens and to the necessity to develop live virus vaccines from 'variant' strains of infectious bronchitis virus is discussed.

Infectious bronchitis in laying hens: the relationship between haemagglutination inhibition antibody levels and resistance to experimental challenge.

In three separate and unrelated experiments, in which vaccinated hens were challenged with virulent infectious bronchitis virus, the ability of individual hens to maintain egg production was related to their serum haemagglutination inhibition antibody titre at the time of challenge. It was found that, regardless of the vaccination programme used, the ability of laying hens to withstand infectious bronchitis virus challenge, as measured by the effect upon their egg production, is directly related to individual antibody titre at the time of challenge. In all three experiments, birds with antibody titres of >/=8 Iog2 (n = 82) did not show a significant reduction in egg production after challenge while those with titres within the range 5-7 log(2) inclusive (n = 126), over a period of 3 or 4 weeks after challenge, showed a significant reduction in their rate of egg lay, viz: 0.38, 0.33 and 0.47 eggs per hen per week, respectively and those with titres <4 log(2) (n = 101) showed, over the same time period, a reduction of 1.0, 0.45 and 1.16 eggs per hen per week, respectively. The ability of different vaccination programmes to stimulate uniformly high antibody responses to infectious bronchitis virus, and hence good overall protection of egg production was compared. It is concluded that the programme of choice is first to vaccinate the birds with a highly attenuated strain of live infectious bronchitis vaccine during rearing (H120), followed by the injection of a potent killed oil emulsion adjuvant vaccine at point-of-lay. The ability of the less attenuated H52 strain of live infectious bronchitis vaccine to interfere with response to killed vaccine was demonstrated in two of the three experiments. In both cases this interference was accompanied by an increased susceptibility of the hens to the effect of infectious bronchitis virus challenge on egg production.

Impaired response to killed Newcastle disease vaccine in chicken possessing circulating antibody to chicken anaemia agent.

Broiler breeder hens from the same hatch were reared as two separate flocks, one in the field and one in experimental accommodation. Both received the same vaccination programme using the same batches of vaccines. One flock showed serological evidence of infection with chicken anaemia agent starting at 8 weeks, the other starting at 22 weeks old. Newcastle disease mean antibody titres 4 weeks after killed vaccine injected at 18 or 19 weeks old were 4.6 logs lower in the flock showing chicken anaemia agent antibody from 8 weeks old than in the flock seroconverting at 22 weeks. Three other field flocks showing poor responses to killed Newcastle disease vaccines were examined and found to be chicken anaemia agent positive when vaccinated: a further three flocks showing good Newcastle disease antibody responses were shown to be chicken anaemia agent-antibody negative. No difference in response to infectious bronchitis or infectious bursal disease killed vaccines was demonstrable between the two trial flocks. The significance of chicken anaemia agent as a potential immunosuppressive agent for chickens is discussed with special reference to the control of Newcastle disease in laying and breeding hens.

Controlled evaluation of nabumetone in the treatment of active adult rheumatoid arthritis. Nabumetone versus naproxen double-blind parallel study.

Nabumetone is a new nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent. Therapy with nabumetone 1,000 mg given at bedtime was compared with naproxen 250 mg given twice daily in a prospective double-blind study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Both drugs were found to be efficacious in a comparable fashion. Both drugs were well tolerated in terms of patient withdrawal rates, which were 5 and 8 percent, respectively. Gastrointestinal side effects were the most commonly encountered problem. Nabumetone holds promise as an important new therapeutic approach in arthritis.

Six-month multi-center study comparing nabumetone with naproxen in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

This six-month, double-blind, controlled, randomized, parallel study at 13 medical centers compared the safety and efficacy of nabumetone (1,000 mg taken at bedtime) with that of naproxen (250 mg twice daily) in the treatment of osteoarthritis in symptomatic adult outpatients. Five efficacy parameters were measured: patients' assessment of overall osteoarthritis activity and pain, physicians' assessment of overall osteoarthritis activity and pain, and physicians' assessment of pain with respect to a declined activity. All 489 patients who took medication were included in the evaluation of safety, and 455 patients (227 in the nabumetone group and 228 in the naproxen group) were evaluated for efficacy. Significant improvement in all five efficacy parameters occurred in both groups. No significant differences were found between the two groups at the end of the study in any of the five efficacy parameters. Twenty-three percent of nabumetone and 17 percent of naproxen patients withdrew from the study for lack of efficacy. At least one possible or probable treatment-related adverse experience was reported for 45 percent of nabumetone-treated patients and 42 percent of those given naproxen, and in 19 percent of the nabumetone-treated and 18 percent of the naproxen-treated patients these experiences were moderate or severe. However, only 7 percent of patients in each group withdrew from the study due to adverse experiences. Nabumetone and naproxen have comparable safety and efficacy, suggesting that a single, nighttime dose of nabumetone is a convenient, effective, and safe treatment for osteoarthritis.

Infectious bronchitis in laying hens: interference with response to emulsion vaccine by attenuated live vaccine.

Pullet chicks were reared in isolation; all except a control group were variously vaccinated against infectious bronchitis. Individual haemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody responses were measured from 1 day to 38 weeks old when all birds were challenged with virulent infectious bronchitis virus, and egg production recorded for a further 5 week period. In the controls HI titres remained low until challenge: this caused a loss of 15.1 eggs/hen. In birds injected with oil emulsion killed vaccine (OEV) at 3 and 16 weeks old, the serological response was uniformly high but on challenge the loss in egg production was 2.9 eggs/bird. Birds given H120 live vaccine at 3 weeks and H52 live vaccine at 15 weeks old had a low (23%) individual rate of serological response to the latter, and egg production after challenge was 3.63 eggs/hen less than before. In birds given H120 live vaccine at 3 weeks and emulsion killed vaccine at 16 weeks old, 100% serological response to the latter occurred and egg production was unaffected by challenge. A further group also received H120 and H52 live vaccines at 3 and 15 weeks old respectively: however, they were then subdivided into four groups and injected with emulsion vaccine at either 17, 19, 21 or 23 weeks old. Their response to H52 vaccine was variable. The proportion of birds in each sub-group responding serologically to subsequent vaccination with OEV was 45, 65, 73 and 92% respectively. After challenge egg production in these four sub-groups was reduced by 1.92, 1.15, 0.94 and 1.55 eggs/bird respectively. It is concluded that response to oil emulsion infectious bronchitis vaccine can be impaired if it is used within 8 weeks of H52 live vaccine. Best results are achieved where birds are given a primary dose of H120 live vaccine at 3 weeks old followed by emulsion vaccine 12-16 weeks later. Use of the less attenuated H52 strain of live vaccine before emulsion killed vaccine is contra-indicated.

Immunization of pigs against the boar taint steroid androstenone.

Tissue concentrations of androstenone were measured in untreated control pigs and pigs immunized against 5 alpha-androst-16-en-3-one. Results confirmed that active immunization of male pigs against androstenone is unlikely to prevent the problem of "boar taint" in the carcass meat.

Induction of parturition in cows using betamethasone.

To avoid dystocia and calf mortality two groups of cows were induced to calve six or seven days prematurely. Group I consisted of none Hereford cross Friesian two-and-a-half-year-old recipient cows carrying Continental beef breed fetuses. Group 2 consisted of 10 four-year-old Continental beef breed cows carrying pure or crossbred fetuses of the same breeds. On day 280 of gestation a long-acting betamethasone formulation was injected into all 19 animals, followed five or six days later with an injection of short-acting betamethasone (15 animals) or prostaglandin F2alpha (one animal). Three cows calved before their second injection. Fourteen of the 15 animals given the short-acting betamethasone calved 26 to 70 hours later; the remaining animal was given prostaglandin at 72 hours and calved 36 hours later. The cow that received prostaglandin F2alpha instead of short-acting betamethasone calved after 11 hours. None of the calves in group I was born dead but three died within 36 hours. One calf was born dead in group 2. Cervical dilatation and slackening of pelvic ligaments were satisfactory in all animals. Although calf birthweights were between 39 and 60.5 kg, only two instances of dystocia were encountered. Thirteen of the 19 cows voided their fetal membranes within 12 hours of calving. Only two retained them for more than four days. All cows except two in group I showed good udder development and had a plentiful supply of colostrum at calving.

Protection of laying hens against infectious bronchitis with inactivated emulsion vaccines.

Commercially-reared laying chickens were challenged at 31 weeks of age with a virulent infectious bronchitis (IB) virus. They showed a sharp drop in egg production, despite having been vaccinated at four and eight weeks old with live attenuated IB vaccines to a recommended schedule. In contrast, similar birds that had been further immunised at point-of-lay with inactivated oil emulsion IB vaccine, or with a combined IB/Newcastle disease (ND) emulsion vaccine, showed no detectable fall in egg production after the same challenge. Unvaccinated susceptible specific pathogen-free birds challenged at the same time stopped laying almost completely. In the birds revaccinated with emulsion vaccine, measurement of haemagglutination inhibition antibody levels to IB showed their geometric mean titres to be raised from less than 5 log2 at the time of vaccination to over 10 log2 four weeks later. Their antibody levels did not rise further followining the IB challenge whereas in the birds that had not been revaccinated antibody rises to nearly 10 log2 were detected after the same challenge. For pullets vaccinated earlier with live IB vaccine, revaccination with inactivated IB or IB/ND oil emulsion vaccine at point-of-lay provides a safe and effective way of protecting their egg production against IB infection.

Cardiopulmonary manifestations of progressive systemic sclerosis: associations with circulating immune complexes and fluorescent antinuclear antibodies.

Sixteen patients with progressive systemic sclerosis were evaluated for cardiopulmonary manifestations of their disease and for serologic immune abnormalities. Twenty-five percent of patients had abnormal echocardiograms, and 81% had a significant reduction in pulmonary function by spirometry. Circulating immune complexes (IC) were detected in 44% of patients by using a fluorescent Raji cell assay, and these patients were more likely to have an abnormal echocardiogram (P less than 0.02). Seventy-five percent of the patients had fluorescent antinuclear antibodies (FANA) and these patients were more likely to have pulmonary disease (P less than 0.01).