Comparing growth of pork- and venison-reared Phormia regina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) for the application of forensic entomology to wildlife poaching.

Laboratory rearing of Phormia regina Meigen larvae on pork and venison was conducted as part of a study to determine whether forensic entomology approaches can be used in wildlife poaching investigations. Larvae were reared at 30 degrees C, 75% relative humidity, and a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h on pork or venison diets, and samples were collected every 8 h until >90% of the maggots reached the third-instar wandering or prepupal stage. Significant differences were found in the distribution of lengths of the third instar and combined instars for maggots reared on the two different meat sources. Maggots reared on venison reached the prepupal wandering stage significantly faster (approximately 6 h) compared with maggots on the pork diet. Mean adult weight and wing length of venison-reared flies were significantly greater than for flies reared on pork. The lower crude fat content of venison appears to make this meat source a more suitable medium than pork for larvae of P. regina. The difference in growth rate could introduce error into PMImin estimations from third-instar maggots in deer poaching cases if estimates are based on data from studies in which maggots were reared on pork.

CD8+ lymphocyte depletion without SIV infection does not produce metabolic changes or pathological abnormalities in the rhesus macaque brain.

BACKGROUND: Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection and persistent CD8(+) lymphocyte depletion rapidly leads to encephalitis and neuronal injury. The objective of this study is to confirm that CD8 depletion alone does not induce brain lesions in the absence of SIV infection. METHODS: Four rhesus macaques were monitored by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1) H-MRS) before and biweekly after anti-CD8 antibody treatment for 8 weeks and compared with four SIV-infected animals. Post-mortem immunohistochemistry was performed on these eight animals and compared with six uninfected, non-CD8-depleted controls. RESULTS: CD8-depleted animals showed stable metabolite levels and revealed no neuronal injury, astrogliosis or microglial activation in contrast to SIV-infected animals. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations observed in MRS and lesions in this accelerated model of neuroAIDS result from unrestricted viral expansion in the setting of immunodeficiency rather than from CD8(+) lymphocyte depletion alone.

Translocation of two glucose transporters in heart: effects of rotenone, uncouplers, workload, palmitate, insulin and anoxia.

Our previous studies on the acute regulation of glucose transport in perfused rat hearts were extended to explore further the mechanism of regulation by anoxia; to test the effects of palmitate, a transport inhibitor; and to compare the translocation of two glucose transporter isoforms (GLUT1 and GLUT4). Following heart perfusions under various conditions, glucose transporters in intracellular membranes were quantitated by reconstitution of transport activity and by Western blotting. Rotenone stimulated glucose uptake and decreased the intracellular contents of glucose transporters. This indicates that it activates glucose transport via net outward translocation, similarly to anoxia. However, two uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation produced little or no effect. Increased workload (which stimulates glucose transport) reduced the intracellular contents of transporters, while palmitate increased the contents, indicating that these factors cause net translocation from or to the intracellular pool, respectively. Relative changes in GLUT1 were similar to those in GLUT4 for most factors tested. A plot of changes in total intracellular transporter content vs. changes in glucose uptake was roughly linear, with a slope of -0.18. This indicates that translocation accounts for most of the changes in glucose transport, and the basal pool of intracellular transporters is five times as large as the plasma membrane pool.

Tissue effects of iron deficiency in the rat.

Measurements of succinate dehydrogenase and mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activities, iron, cytochrome c and myoglobin, were made on various hind-leg muscles, fast-twitch red and white muscle and heart and liver of male Wistar rats fed an iron-deficient diet on weaning. Rats fed the same diet and given 20 mg iron intraperitoneally as iron-dextran (Imferon) served as controls. For iron-repletion studies anemic rats (hemoglobin less than 7 g/dl) were given a single injection of 10 mg iron (Imferon) and the time course of change in the above parameters was followed up to 22 days after injection. The iron concentration of most iron-deficient muscles dropped to approx. 35% of control, the heart to 60% and liver to 13%. On repletion, the iron concentration of all tissues increase significantly by 4 days. While the levels of cytochrome c and myoglobin approximated the iron levels in muscle, they did not change significantly in the heart. Succinate dehydrogenase activity dropped profoundly in muscle, to 10-30% of control; on repletion, the activity increased significantly. Mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity showed only small changes in iron-deficient tissues.

Risk of tardive dyskinesia in older patients. A prospective longitudinal study of 266 outpatients.

BACKGROUND: Neuroleptic-induced tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a major iatrogenic disorder that is more prevalent among older patients. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of and risk factors for TD in neuroleptic-treated patients over age 45 years. METHODS: We studied 266 middle-aged and elderly outpatients with a median duration of 21 days of total lifetime neuroleptic exposure at study entry. Most patients were treated throughout the study with either a high-potency or a low-potency neuroleptic and maintained on relatively low doses. The patients were followed up at 1- to 3-month intervals with "blind" assessment of psychopathologic condition, clinically as well as instrumentally (ie, using electromechanical sensors with computerized data reduction, including spectral analysis) evaluated movement disorder, and global cognitive function. RESULTS: Cumulative incidence of TD was 26%, 52%, and 60% after 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. The principal risk factors for TD were duration of prior neuroleptic use at baseline, cumulative amount of high-potency neuroleptics, history of alcohol abuse/dependence, borderline or minimal dyskinesia, and tremor on instrumental assessment. CONCLUSION: Use of higher amounts of neuroleptics, particularly high-potency ones, should be avoided in older patients, patients with alcohol abuse/dependence, or patients with a subtle movement disorder at baseline; these patients are at a higher risk of developing TD.

Low illumination experienced by San Diego adults: association with atypical depressive symptoms.

We explored the illumination exposure of middle-aged adults to determine normal values and to explore several correlates of daily light exposures. Subjects aged 40-64 years in San Diego, CA were recruited by random telephone dialing. Subjects completed a demographic interview and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression self-rating scale (the CES-D) supplemented with eight questions related to seasonal affective disorders (SAD). Data were analyzed for 106 volunteers who wore a device that monitors illumination exposures and activity. The median subject was exposed to illumination > or = 1000 lux for only 4% of the time observed, that is, only about 58 min per day were spent in daylight. Subjects scoring higher on the atypical SAD mood symptoms spent less time in bright illumination rs = -0.266, p = 0.003. The CES-D depression score was similarly correlated with illumination but of borderline significance (rs = -0.150, p = 0.063). These results suggest the hypothesis that many Americans may be receiving insufficient light exposure to maintain optimal mood.

Mortality hazard associated with prescription hypnotics.

BACKGROUND: The American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study II was a large survey designed primarily to examine cancer risks such as cigarette smoking. From the same survey and methods, data on usage of "prescription sleeping pills" in 1982 were examined. METHODS: Standardized mortality ratios were computed. Because sleeping pill use could be a proxy for other risk factors, cox proportional hazards models were computed to control for possible confounding factors as extensively as the data permitted. RESULTS: Men and women who reported taking prescription sleeping pills 30+ times in the past month had standardized mortality ratios of 3.18 and 2.82, respectively; controlling for 10-year age groups (p < 0.001). The standardized mortality ratios for usage 1-29 times/month were 1.8 and 1.48, respectively (p < 0.001). In proportional hazards models that controlled for 30 other risk factors and comorbidities simultaneously, the excess mortality risk associated with usage 30+ times per month remained significant, but hazard ratios were reduced to 1.35 for men and 1.22 for women. CONCLUSIONS: Use of hypnotics was associated with excess mortality. This methodology could not determine if hypnotic compounds caused the risks associated with their use, nor could the risks of individual compounds be determined. Since millions of Americans are currently taking hypnotics, long-term controlled trials are urgently needed to further guide both patients and physicians.

Effects of smoking cessation on weight gain, metabolic rate, caloric consumption, and blood lipids.

Thirteen sedentary adult females successfully quit smoking cigarettes for 48 days. Mean daily caloric consumption increased 227 kcal and mean weight gain was 2.2 kg. There were no measurable acute effects of smoke inhalation and no chronic net effects of smoking cessation on resting metabolic rate, as determined by oxygen consumption and respiratory exchange ratio. After 1 yr, subjects who continued to abstain gained an average of 8.2 kg. HDL-cholesterol increased 7 mg/dl in 48 days; however, this effect was lost in those who returned to smoking. Increased caloric consumption accounted for 69% of weight gained immediately following smoking cessation. Factors other than changes in caloric consumption and metabolic rate may be responsible for a significant proportion (31%) of the weight gained in individuals who quit smoking.

Cigarette smoking, exercise and high density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Cigarette smoking is associated with depressed levels of HDL-C, whereas exercise is associated with elevated levels of HDL-C. The purpose was to determine effects of smoking and exercise on blood lipids and lipoproteins in middle-aged males. It was hypothesized that smoking may attenuate the effects of exercise to elevate HDL-C. A total of 269 males (70 smokers) met all criteria for inclusion in the study population. Age, height, weight, body fatness via hydrostatic weighing, daily caloric consumption and alcohol intake, and smoking habits and history were determined. Interviews concerning physical activity patterns were conducted and cardiovascular responses to treadmill exercise were determined. Subjects were grouped as sedentary (low activity), participants in vigorous recreational activities (moderate activity) and joggers/runners (high activity). Analysis of covariance with adjustments for factors which may affect blood lipids and lipoproteins was employed. Smokers demonstrated lower HDL-C and higher total cholesterol levels than nonsmokers. High activity subjects demonstrated significantly higher HDL-C levels than the low and moderate groups which did not differ. High activity smokers did not differ from low activity nonsmokers with respect to HDL-C. This supports the proposed hypothesis. Nonsmokers were higher in weight and body fatness than smokers even though smokers consumed 288 more calories per day on the average. This suggests that smoking may account for a significant number of calories through altered metabolism or some other means.

Autonomic influence on cardiovascular performance in diabetic subjects.

PURPOSE: Cardiomyopathy, coronary artery atherosclerosis, or autonomic neuropathy may affect the cardiovascular performance of the diabetic patient. To evaluate the role of parasympathetic nervous system activity on cardiovascular performance, 25 diabetic subjects who lacked symptoms, signs, or objective measurements of ischemia or cardiomyopathy were studied. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Diabetic subjects were classified according to their RR variation, an index of cardiac parasympathetic nervous system activity. Fourteen diabetic subjects had a normal RR variation of greater than 30 (D-NOR), and 11 diabetic patients had an abnormal RR variation of less than 20 (D-ABN). Fifteen age- and weight-matched, healthy, nondiabetic subjects (NOR) constituted the control group. All subjects had oxygen consumption, multigated acquisition determination of cardiac output, and work product measured before and during supine bicycle maximum exercise testing. RESULTS: There was no difference in the resting cardiac output among the groups. Resting work product, however, was greatest in the D-ABN group when compared with performance in the other two groups (D-ABN: 11,500 +/- 800; D-NOR: 9,000 +/- 600; NOR: 8,700 +/- 400; p less than 0.0025). This was due to an increase in both heart rate (p less than 0.025) and systolic blood pressure (p less than 0.015). In the diabetic subjects, there was an inverse relationship between the RR variation and resting work product (r = 0.47, n = 25, p less than 0.005). In response to exercise, the percent increase in cardiac output at matched percent maximum oxygen uptake was greatest in the NOR, D-NOR, and D-ABN groups, respectively (analysis of variance, p less than 0.01). In the diabetic subjects, there was a significant relationship between the RR variation and the maximum percent change in cardiac output (r = 0.41, n = 25, p less than 0.02). Compared with the NOR group, the maximum increase in work product was impaired in diabetic subjects (p less than 0.002) and not different between the D-NOR and D-ABN groups. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in resting work product and the poor cardiac output responses to exercise in the D-ABN group are due to a decrease in cardiac parasympathetic nervous system activity and can be suggested by an abnormal RR variation. This index of parasympathetic nervous system activity can help the physician identify that subset of diabetic patients that may need special consideration when exercise training is prescribed.

Use of wrist activity for monitoring sleep/wake in demented nursing-home patients.

Actigraphy is applicable for studying sleep in populations who are unable to tolerate traditional sleep-recording techniques, such as nursing-home patients who are infirm and demented. This study examined whether actigraphy can accurately reflect sleep/wake activity in this population by testing the reliability of a wrist-activity monitor, the Actillume, against traditional sleep measurements and against observations of nursing-home patients. Data from the Actillume are presented as two variables, the sum (total of all activity movements within the prescribed epoch) and the maximum activity (the largest or maximum movement recorded during the prescribed epoch), and by electroencephalogram (EEG). One difficulty in making comparisons was that the EEG records showed diffuse slowing, making it extremely difficult to score sleep/wake activity and making it difficult to use the EEG as a "gold standard". Nevertheless, the correlation for total sleep time from EEG and Actillume was r = 0.91 (p < 0.001) for sum activity and r = 0.81 for maximum activity (p < 0.005). Correlations for percent sleep were r = 0.78 (p < 0.01) for maximum activity and r = 0.61 for sum activity. The comparison of sleep/wake determined by the Actillume vs. observations resulted in a sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 90%. We conclude that the Actillume is the most feasible technique for studying sleep and wake activity in demented nursing-home patients.

Periodic limb movements in sleep in community-dwelling elderly.

The prevalence of periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS) in a randomly selected elderly sample is reported. In San Diego, 427 elderly volunteers aged 65 yr and over were recorded in their homes. Forty-five percent had a myoclonus index, MI greater than or equal to 5. Correlates of PLMS included dissatisfaction with sleep, sleeping alone and reported kicking at night. Although statistically significant, the strengths of the associations between interview variables and myoclonus indices were all small. No combination of demographic variables and symptoms allowed highly reliable prediction of PLMS.

Sleep-disordered breathing in community-dwelling elderly.

These are the final results of a survey of sleep-disordered breathing, which examined objective and subjective information from a large randomly selected elderly sample. We randomly selected 427 elderly people aged 65 yr and over in the city of San Diego, California. Twenty-four percent had an apnea index, AI, greater than or equal to 5 and 62% had a respiratory disturbance index, RDI, greater than or equal to 10. Correlates of sleep-disordered breathing included high relative weight and reports of snoring, breathing cessation at night, nocturnal wandering or confusion, daytime sleepiness and depression. Body mass index, falling asleep at inappropriate times, male gender, no alcohol within 2 hr of bedtime and napping were the best predictors of sleep-disordered breathing. Despite statistical significance, all of the associations between interview variables and apnea indices were small. No combination of demographic variables and symptoms allowed highly reliable prediction of AI or RDI.

Natural history of sleep disordered breathing in community dwelling elderly.

Mild sleep disordered breathing is very common in the elderly, but little is known about the course of the disorder over time. Twenty-four elderly people from a population-based study were recorded three times over an 8.5-year period. There were no significant changes in either apnea index or in respiratory disturbance index (RDI) over time, even when controlled for body mass index. For most subjects, there was great variability over time in the number of respiratory disturbances. The sensitivity of RDI > or = 15 at visit 1 predicting RDI > or = 15 at visit 3 was only 20%. The predictive value was 50%. Sleep disordered breathing measured at a single point in time is rather weakly predictive of the severity of breathing disorder 4-8 years later.

Variations in circadian rhythms of activity, sleep, and light exposure related to dementia in nursing-home patients.

We measured 24-hour circadian-rhythm patterns of activity and sleep/wake activity in a group of nursing-home patients (58 women and 19 men with a mean age of 85.7 years). Severely demented patients were contrasted with a composite group of moderate y, mild, or not-demented patients. Sleep/wake activity and light exposure were recorded with the Actillume recorder. Cosinor analyses were computed to determine the mesor, amplitude, acrophase, and circadian quotient of the activity rhythms. The diagnosis of dementia was based on the Mini Mental Examination and on examination of medical records. Sleep was extremely fragmented in both groups of nursing-home patients. Severely demented patients slept more both at night and during the day, but there were no significant differences in the number of awakenings during the night or in the number of naps during the day when compared to the composite group of moderate, mild, or no-dementia patients. The severely demented group had lower activity mesor, more blunted amplitude, and were more phase delayed (i.e. had later acrophases) than the other group. In addition, the severely demented patients spent less time exposed to bright light. These results confirm that circadian rhythms in nursing-home patients are disturbed with more disturbance in the severely demented. Much of the disturbance may be related not just to age but to mental status.

Morbidity, mortality and sleep-disordered breathing in community dwelling elderly.

A population-based probability sample of elderly individuals (n = 426), who were originally studied between 1981 and 1986 (mean age at initial study was 72.5 years), were followed for mortality. Those with > or = 30 respiratory disturbances per hour of sleep had significantly shorter survival (p = 0.0034), but the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) was not an independent predictor of death. When Cox proportional hazards analysis was done, only age (the strongest predictor), cardiovascular disease and pulmonary disease were independent predictors of death. It may be that factors that are secondary to or associated with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), such as cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, predispose these elderly to death.

Validity of specific subscales of the positive and negative symptom scales in older schizophrenia outpatients.

We investigated the construct validity of subscales of the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) along with other measures of psychopathology in 109 schizophrenia outpatients aged 45-84 years. Scores on subscales of the SAPS, SANS and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and on the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) were subjected to a principal components analysis and orthogonal rotation followed by an extension analysis. In both analyses, three of four SAPS subscales had their highest loading on the positive symptom factor and four of five SANS subscales had their highest factor loading on the negative symptom factor. The SAPS bizarre behavior subscale, however, had a much higher loading on the depressive symptom factor than on the positive symptom factor, and the SANS avolition-apathy subscale had moderate loadings on both the negative symptom factor and the depressive symptom factor. The use of SAPS and SANS subscales to represent two constructs was largely (but not entirely) validated among middle-aged and elderly schizophrenia outpatients. The SAPS bizarre behavior subscale and, to a lesser extent, the SANS avolition-apathy subscale appear to represent in this older population a separate construct which may be related to depressive symptoms.

Effects of acute smoking and exercise on high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and subfractions in black female smokers.

This study investigated the effects of acute bouts of both exercise and smoking on high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol subfractions, HDL2-C and HDL3-C in black females. During two testing trials, seven subjects were exposed to either acute exercise or smoking. Treadmill exercise was performed at 70% of heart rate reserve for 15 minutes. Blood samples were taken before, immediately after, and 10 minutes after exercise. The smoking trial consisted of subjects smoking two cigarettes followed by 30 minutes of nonsmoking. Blood samples were taken before smoking, after each cigarette, and after two 15-minute intervals of nonsmoking. The exercise protocol resulted in a 10.8% increase in total HDL-C, primarily through an increase in the HDL2-C subfraction. The values returned to baseline within 10 minutes after exercise. Smoking one cigarette decreased total HDL-C by 10%. Neither subfraction was significantly effected by smoking; however, the HDL3-C subfraction was decreased 11% and HDL2-C subfraction was decreased 14.7% from resting values. The maximum reduction in HDL3-C subfraction occurred after the smoking of the first cigarette, while the maximum reduction in the HDL2-C subfraction occurred after the first 15-minute nonsmoking period. Acute cigarette smoking was associated with a decrease in total HDL-C that was maintained through 15 minutes of nonsmoking. It is suggested that the adverse effect on HDL-C by acute smoking is a significant contributor to coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in black females. Results further indicate that low-intensity exercise is capable of transiently increasing the total HDL-C via an increase in the anti-atherogenic HDL2-C subfraction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cigarette smoking, physical activity, and alcohol consumption: relationship to blood lipids and lipoproteins in premenopausal females.

A total of 164 premenopausal female subjects were randomly selected for evaluation from a much larger pool of volunteers. The relationships between blood lipid and lipoprotein levels as dependent variables and cigarette smoking, physical activity, and alcohol consumption were determined from partial regression coefficients. A lower HDL-C level (10.1 mg/dL) was seen in smokers v nonsmokers. For each ounce of alcohol consumed, HDL-C level was higher by 2.8 mg/dL, and greater physical activity was associated with a higher HDL-C level of 8.6 mg/dL. An analysis of covariance with covariance adjustments for age and body fat revealed that smokers who regularly exercise or consume alcohol had significantly lower HDL-C levels than nonsmokers with similar habits. Subjects who both exercise and consume alcohol demonstrated higher HDL-C levels than those who indulge in one or the other separately. Results suggest that cigarette smoking may attenuate the effects of chronic exercise or alcohol consumption, or of both, to raise HDL-C levels. Also, chronic exercise and alcohol consumption may exert an additive effect, raising HDL-C level.

Passive tension in rat hindlimb during suspension unloading and recovery: muscle/joint contributions.

Muscle/joint stiffness associated with disuse conditions or weightlessness may seriously impair movement and work capacity. The purposes of this study were 1) to develop a noninvasive model to measure rat hindlimb passive tension, 2) to describe changes in passive tension (i.e., flexibility) during whole body suspension and weight-bearing recovery, and 3) to determine relative contributions of the posterior hindlimb to passive tension. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were suspended (14 days) and reloaded (14 days). On days 0, 7, 14, 17, 21, and 28, animals were anesthetized and hindlimb passive tension was measured during ankle dorsiflexion. Seven days of suspension significantly increased passive tension. Recovery of passive tension occurred by 14 days of weight bearing. In suspended animals, increased passive tension was due to musculotendinous units (75%) rather than to the joint (25%). Increased passive tension did not appear to be due to a shorter muscle, but changes in muscle architecture, cytoskeletal proteins, or viscoelastic properties of the muscle and its connective tissue elements cannot be excluded.