Hypomyelination associated with bovine viral diarrhea virus type 2 infection in a longhorn calf.

A newborn Longhorn heifer calf presented with generalized tremors, muscle fasciculations, ataxia, and nystagmus. At necropsy, no gross central nervous system lesions were observed. Histologically, the brain and spinal cord had mild to moderate diffuse microgliosis and astrocytosis, minimal nonsuppurative encephalitis, and decreased myelin staining. Ultrastructural examination revealed thinning and absence of myelin sheaths. Various cell types were immunohistochemically positive for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV). Noncytopathogenic BVDV was isolated from the brain and identified as BVDV type 2 by phylogenetic analysis. BVDV-induced hypomyelination is rare and analogous to lesions in neonates infected with border disease and classical swine fever viruses. This is the first documented case of hypomyelination in a calf specifically attributed to BVDV type 2 and the first description of the ultrastructural appearance of BVDV-induced hypomyelination.

Comparative analgesic effects of H-wave therapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on pain threshold in humans.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the comparative analgesic efficacy of H-wave therapy (HWT) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) using a mechanical model of pain threshold measurement. STUDY DESIGN: Forty-eight healthy human volunteers (24 women, 24 men) were recruited and randomly assigned into one of six experimental groups; control, HWT (placebo, 2Hz, or 60Hz), or TENS (placebo or 110Hz). For each subject, mechanical pain threshold (MPT) measurements were recorded at three standardized recording points marked on the dorsal web space of the dominant hand. Two MPT measurements were recorded at each point at the following time intervals: before treatment was initiated (baseline), after each of three consecutive 10-minute periods of stimulation (HWT or TENS), and at four intervals within 30 minutes after stimulation. In the control and placebo groups MPT measurements were recorded at similar time intervals. RESULTS: Difference scores, calculated from patients' baseline values, were analyzed by ANOVA for each of the three recording points. Although results showed a significant increase in MPT levels in all three stimulation groups when compared with their relative placebo (indicating a hypoalgesic effect), no differences were observed between the different modalities or HWT frequencies. Significant hypoalgesia continued for 5 minutes after stimulation. CONCLUSION: The findings showed that HWT and TENS provided localized hypoalgesia during stimulation and for up to 5 minutes after it. No frequency- or modality-specific effects were observed between the groups.

Interferential therapy electrode placement technique in acute low back pain: a preliminary investigation.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of interferential therapy (IFT) electrode placement technique compared with a control treatment in subjects with acute low back pain (LBP). DESIGN: Single-blind, randomized, controlled trial with a 3-month follow-up. SETTING: Outpatient physiotherapy departments in hospital and university settings. PATIENTS: A random sample of 60 eligible patients with back pain (28 men, 32 women) were recruited by general practitioners and self-referral for physiotherapy treatment and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups. INTERVENTIONS: (1) "IFT painful area" and The Back Book, (2) "IFT spinal nerve" and The Back Book, and (3) "Control," The Back Book only. Standardized IFT stimulation parameters were used: carrier frequency 3.85 kHz; 140 Hz constant; pulse duration 130 micros; 30 minutes' duration. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain Rating Index, Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), and EuroQol were completed by subjects pretreatment, at discharge, and 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: All groups had significant improvements in all outcomes at follow-up. Subjects managed by IFT spinal nerve and The Back Book displayed both a statistically significant (p = .030) and clinically meaningful reduction in functional disability (RMDQ), compared with management via IFT painful area and The Back Book combined or The Back Book alone. CONCLUSIONS: The findings showed that IFT electrode placement technique affects LBP-specific functional disability, providing preliminary implications for future clinical studies.