Absence of Low-Energy Shape Coexistence in

The ^{80}Ge structure was investigated in a high-statistics ß-decay experiment of ^{80}Ga using the GRIFFIN spectrometer at TRIUMF-ISAC through γ, ß-e, e-γ, and γ-γ spectroscopy. No evidence was found for the recently reported 0_{2}^{+} 639-keV level suggested as evidence for low-energy shape coexistence in ^{80}Ge. Large-scale shell model calculations performed in ^{78,80,82}Ge place the 0_{2}^{+} level in ^{80}Ge at 2 MeV. The new experimental evidence combined with shell model predictions indicate that low-energy shape coexistence is not present in ^{80}Ge.

Controlled trial of whole body protein synthesis and plasma amino acid concentrations in yearling horses fed graded amounts of lysine.

Lysine has been reported as the first limiting amino acid in typical equine diets. Indicator amino acid oxidation (IAAO) has become the standard method for determining amino acid requirements in other species, but prior to this study, it has not been used to determine equine requirements. The aim of this study was to evaluate whole body protein synthesis and plasma and muscle amino acid concentrations in response to graded levels of lysine intake in yearling horses. Six Thoroughbred colts (358 ± 5 kg) were fed each of six treatment lysine intakes ranging from 76 to 136 mg/kg body weight/day. Blood samples were taken before and 90 min after the morning concentrate meal. Gluteal muscle biopsies were taken ~100 min after the morning concentrate meal. The next day, whole body phenylalanine kinetics were determined using a 2 h primed, constant infusion of [(13)C] sodium bicarbonate followed by a 6 h primed, constant infusion of [1-(13)C] phenylalanine. Plasma lysine concentrations increased linearly (P <0.05) at both the 0 and 90 min time points with increasing lysine intakes. Free muscle asparagine, aspartate, arginine, glutamine, lysine, taurine and tryptophan concentrations responded quadratically to lysine intake (P <0.05). Phenylalanine kinetics did not differ between treatment intakes (P > 0.10). A broken line analysis of lysine intake and phenylalanine oxidation failed to yield a breakpoint from which to determine a lysine requirement. These diets may have been limiting in an amino acid other than lysine, underscoring the lack of data concerning amino acid requirements and bioavailability data in the horse.

Coat color genotypes and risk and severity of melanoma in gray quarter horses.

BACKGROUND: Both graying and melanoma formation in horses have recently been linked to a duplication in the STX17 gene. This duplication, as well as a mutation in the ASIP gene that increases MC1R pathway signaling, affects melanoma risk and severity in gray horses. OBJECTIVE: To determine if melanoma susceptibility in gray Quarter Horses (QH) is lower than gray horses from other breeds because of decreased MC1R signaling resulting from a high incidence of the MC1R chestnut coat color allele in the QH population. ANIMALS: A total of 335 gray QH with and without dermal melanomas. METHODS: Blood or hair root samples were collected from all horses for DNA extraction and genotyping for STX17, ASIP, and MC1R genotypes. Age, sex, and external melanoma presence and grade were recorded. The effect of age and genotype on melanoma presence and severity was evaluated by candidate gene association. RESULTS: Melanoma prevalence (16%) and grade (0.35) in this QH cohort was lower than that reported in other breeds. Age was significantly associated with melanoma prevalence (P = 5.28 × 10(-11)) and severity (P = 2.2 × 10(-13)). No significant effect of MC1R genotype on melanoma prevalence or severity was identified. An effect of ASIP genotype on melanoma risk was not detected. Low STX17 homozygosity precluded evaluation of the gray allele effect. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Melanoma prevalence and severity is lower in this population of gray QH than what is reported in other breeds. This could be because of the infrequent STX17 homozygosity, a mitigating effect of the MC1R mutation on ASIP potentiation of melanoma, other genes in the MC1R signaling pathway, or differences in breed genetic background.

Extremely high phenylalanine levels in a newborn on parenteral nutrition: phenylketonuria in the neonatal intensive care unit.

A 1890-g newborn on total parenteral nutrition (TPN) had phenylalanine levels reaching 4164 µM indicating phenylketonuria (PKU). Review of 64 PKU cases from the California Newborn Screening Program disclosed another newborn diagnosed while on TPN. Phenylalanine levels rose five times faster with TPN, as estimated from rates in these infants. Thus, TPN use is associated with very high phenylalanine levels in newborns with PKU. When starting TPN soon after birth (for example, on day 1), early detection of PKU-by newborn screening 12 to 24 h after infusions are begun-should be helpful in limiting exposures to toxic levels of phenylalanine.

An atypical case of neuralgic amyotrophy with respiratory muscle weakness: case report and review of literature.

This report is of an atypical case of neuralgic amyotrophy with a Horner's syndrome, bilateral brachial plexus, lumbar plexus and phrenic nerve involvement. The diagnosis isconfirmed based on a classical history and examination findings with typical neurophysiological investigations for this condition. This report also highlights the novel use of positional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate patients with respiratory muscle weakness. This case report expands the recognised clinical features of neuralgicamyotrophy and the literature concerning atypical features of this condition is reviewed.

Reproductive potential of overwintering, F1, and F2 female boll weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

The feeding and oviposition activity of overwintering boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis grandis (Boheman), and seasonal fluctuations in development, survival, and reproduction of progeny of overwintering and first- and second-generation boll weevil females were determined in the laboratory at 27 degrees C, 65% RH, and a photoperiod of 12:12 (L:D) h. During the cotton-free period in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, female boll weevils without access to cotton resorb their unlaid eggs and enter reproductive diapause. However, when they were provided daily with greenhouse-grown cotton squares, commencement of oviposition began after 7, 15, or 20 d, depending on when they were captured. Females captured later in the winter fed longer before laying eggs than those captured in the early fall, suggesting that it may take females longer to terminate diapause the longer they have been dormant. The rate of feeding by females was significantly less during the winter months, and this may have affected the rate of diet-mediated termination of dormancy. Females of the first and second generations after the overwintering generation produced a significantly higher percentage of progeny surviving to adulthood and a higher proportion of these progeny were females. Offspring development time from overwintering female parents was significantly longer than that from first and second generations under the same laboratory conditions. The total number of lifetime eggs produced by females of the second generation during the cotton-growing season were approximately 9.9-fold higher than for overwintering females and 1.5-fold higher than for first-generation females. Life table calculations indicated that the population of second-generation boll weevils increased an average of 1.5-fold higher each generation than for females of the first generation and 22.6-fold higher than for overwintering females. Our data showed variation in boll weevil survival, development, and reproductive potential among the overwintering and first- and second-generation females, suggesting inherent seasonal fluctuations in these parameters.

Germline mutations in Dok1 do not predispose to chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The genetic basis of familial CLL is poorly understood and to date no gene which when mutated in the germline has been unambiguously shown to confer susceptibility to the disease. Dok1 maps to chromosome 2p13, a region commonly rearranged in CLL. Dok1 inhibits MAP kinase activity, down-regulates cell proliferation and has a suppressive effect on cellular transformation and B-cell signalling pathways. A recent report has implicated mutation of Dok1 in the aetiology of CLL. To examine the proposition that germline mutations in Dok1 act as high penetrance susceptibility alleles for CLL we screened 140 familial cases for functional sequence variants. No pathogenic mutations were detected. This result indicates that germline mutations in Dok1 are unlikely to cause an inherited predisposition to CLL.

Postprandial glucose and insulin responses to a postexercise grain meal.

Many studies have examined the effect of pre-exercise feeding on glucose and insulin responses of horses. The objective of this study was to determine whether exercise performed one hour prior to a meal would attenuate the glucose and insulin responses to a meal. Data collected from 8 mature geldings in a 2 period crossover design experiment were used to determine the postprandial glucose and insulin responses to a meal of oats offered 1 h postexercise. During each period, 4 horses received a test meal following a 14 h fast (NoEx) or a 14 h fast and exercise bout (PostEx) that consisted of 48 min walking and trotting. Blood samples were collected before and at 30 min intervals for 5 h after the meal was offered. Glucose and insulin concentrations were similar between treatments at all time points (P>0.15). Postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations increased at similar rates in both groups from 0 to 90 min. Peak glucose and insulin concentrations and area under the response curves were similar between treatment groups. Glucose:insulin was not different between treatment groups at any time point before or after the meal (P>0.17). Overall, the 48 min of light work performed 1 h before a meal did not affect glucose or insulin responses to the meal. A one hour interval after mild exercise appears to be sufficient to allow normal glucose metabolism of a grain meal.

Effect of frusemide on bodyweight loss and recovery in racing Standardbreds.

This study was conducted to compare bodyweight (bwt) loss and recovery in Standardbred horses receiving frusemide compared to controls. Thirty Standardbred horses from 7 training stables that were racing at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky, during the spring 2001 pari-mutuel meeting were studied. Fourteen horses (FRU) received frusemide (250 mg/horse i.v.) 4 h prior to racing, while 16 horses (NFRU) did not received frusemide. Horses were weighed on the morning of race day, prior to warm-up, after racing and the next day. Changes in bwt were calculated as percentage increase or decrease from initial bwt. Prior to warm-up, FRU horses had a mean bwt reduction of 1.30 +/- 0.63%, (P<0.01), compared to a 0.19 +/- 0.63% increase for the NFRU horses. FRU horses had a greater (P<0.03) postrace bwt loss (3.55 +/- 0.55%) than the NFRU horses (2.71 +/- 0.66%). On the morning after racing, bwt was still below initial values by 0.90 +/- 0.55 and 1.24 +/- 0.35% for the FRU and the NFRU horses, respectively. While frusemide administration increased the postrace weight loss in racing Standardbreds, it did not affect short-term bwt recovery. Further research is required into management strategies required to allow horses to replenish fluids and electrolytes safely following strenuous exercise.

Pure squamous cell carcinoma of the breast in a patient with previous adenocarcinoma of the breast: a case report and review of the literature.

We report a case of squamous cell carcinoma of the breast in a patient with previous adenocarcinoma in the unilateral breast. Squamous cell carcinoma is often cystic in nature with a variable presentation on mammogram. Its diagnosis necessitates the preclusion of a primary site of squamous carcinoma elsewhere in the body. The treatment of this cancer is similar to other types of breast carcinoma. Its prognosis remains unclear.

Magnetic misreaching.

Ms D., a 76 year-old woman with a slowly progressive bilateral parietal lobe degeneration, showed an unusual variant of misreaching as yet unreported. When required to reach to a target in extrafoveal vision, she slavishly reached straight to the foveal fixation point instead ("magnetic misreaching"). Three dimensional recordings of limb movements to foveal and extrafoveal targets revealed that her reach endpoints were determined by the place she was looking, independent of the distance between target and fixation point. The sign was present in both hands. Magnetic misreaching differs from motor misbehaviours which follow frontal lobe damage. The neuropsychological and behavioural profile of Ms D., coupled with neuroimaging evidence suggest that magnetic misreaching is a manifestation of parietal lobe dysfunction.

Useless hand of Oppenheim--magnetic resonance imaging findings.

A patient with multiple sclerosis developed a useless, deafferented left hand, as described previously by Oppenheim. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrates that this is caused by an ipsilateral plaque of demyelination in the posterior columns of the cervical cord.

Current drug therapy for Parkinson's disease. A review.

The impact of neuropharmacology has been greatest in 2 areas of clinical treatment: epilepsy and Parkinson's disease. This article covers the drug treatment of Parkinson's disease, a condition which characteristically affects the elderly population. The 5 drugs or groups of drugs used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease are: (a) anticholinergic drugs; (b) amantadine; (c) levodopa plus a peripheral decarboxylase inhibitor; (d) dopamine agonists; and (e) selegiline. Levodopa is still the most effective anti-Parkinsonian drug for most patients and is often combined with selegiline which may retard the rate of disease progression. The early use of dopamine agonists (such as bromocriptine) may prevent the subsequent development of response fluctuations. Once fluctuations have developed, they may be helped by the use of slow release levodopa preparations and, in the most severe cases, subcutaneous apomorphine.

Abdominal wall weakness due to thoracic syringomyelia.

We describe a patient who presented with unilateral abdominal herniation due to weakness of abdominal musculature, associated with extensive syringomyelia. Electromyographic evidence of focal denervation and reinnervation was present in the weak muscles consistent with anterior horn cell loss. We compare these unusual clinical features with the more typical presentations of syringomyelia and with other neurologic causes of abdominal weakness.

Cerebellar syndrome with hydrocephalus due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.

A 27 year old woman developed a cerebellar syndrome with serological evidence of recent Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. The cranial computed tomographic scan showed effacement of the fourth ventricle, enhancement of the basal meninges and hydrocephalus affecting the lateral and third ventricles. Clinical and radiological recovery occurred over 5 weeks. We propose that this was a manifestation of immune-mediated encephalomyelitis induced by the infection rather than direct invasion of the central nervous system.