Clinical, pathological and toxicological findings of a iatrogenic selenium toxicosis case in feeder pigs.

Histopathological and toxicological analyses confirmed a clinical diagnosis of selenium (Se) intoxication in pigs from a farm in Spain. After an initial episode of diarrhoea, animals presented both dermatological and neurological signs; the most obvious sign was a marked hind limb paresis. Cutaneous lesions consisted on diffuse alopecia, multifocal skin necrosis and coronary band necrosis of the hooves. Central nervous system lesions involved the cervical and lumbar intumescences of the spinal cord and consisted of a severe, bilateral symmetrical poliomyelomalacia of the ventral horns; pons and medulla oblongata also presented lesions of polioencephalomalacia. Analyses of feed and sera from clinically affected pigs revealed a marked increase in Se concentration. Clinical investigations indicated that a failure in Se dosage in feed was the cause of the toxicosis.

Resynchronization of hormonal rhythms after an eastbound flight in humans: effects of slow-release caffeine and melatonin.

The aim of this work was to investigate the potential chronobiotic properties of slow-release caffeine, in comparison with melatonin, on resynchronization of endogenous melatonin and cortisol secretions after an eastbound flight by jet incurring a time loss of 7 h. A group of 27 reservists of the US Air Force received either slow-release caffeine (300 mg), melatonin (5 mg) or placebo before, during and/or after the transmeridian flight. Saliva and urine were sampled before the flight in the United States (from day -2 to day 0) and after the flight in France (from day 1 to day 10). Saliva was collected once a day on waking to determine saliva melatonin and cortisol concentrations. In addition, concentrations of caffeine in saliva were determined three times a day and of 6-sulphatoxymelatonin in urine collected overnight to check that the treatment regimes had been complied with. From day 3 to day 5, post-flight saliva melatonin concentrations were significantly different from control values in the placebo group only. During treatment with melatonin, the mean urinary 6-sulphatoxymelatonin concentration in the melatonin group was more than twice as high as in the two other groups. In the slow-release caffeine group and the melatonin group, mean saliva cortisol concentrations were significantly lower than control from day 2 to day 5, whereas the placebo group had a mean saliva cortisol concentration significantly lower than the control value from day 2 to day 9. In conclusion, these results indicate that administration of slow-release caffeine, as well as of melatonin, allows a faster resynchronization of hormone rhythms during the 4 days following an eastbound flight incurring the loss of 7 h.

Home-based therapies for the common cold among European American and ethnic minority families: the interface between alternative/complementary and folk medicine.

BACKGROUND: Most studies of alternative/complementary medicine use in children have focused on children with chronic illness and have not addressed the more common form of complementary medicine: popular home-based interventions and therapies for common low-morbidity sickness episodes. Also, there has often been a distinction between alternative/ complementary medical practices used by the general population and those used by members of ethnic minority groups and commonly referred to as folk medicine or ethnomedicine. OBJECTIVE: To describe the home-based therapies and practices that parents from diverse ethnocultural backgrounds use to treat the common cold in their children. METHOD: Interviews with mothers of children coming for care at a number of clinics and physicians' offices. Included were mothers from European American, African American, Puerto Rican, and West Indian-Caribbean heritages. RESULTS: Mean number of home-based remedies for the common cold did not differ among ethnic groups (controlling for maternal age, maternal education, number of children, and health insurance status). There were differences among groups regarding the frequency of use of specific remedies. CONCLUSIONS: Home-based remedies for colds in childhood are commonly used. Many of the treatments are complementary to biomedical treatment (ie, antipyretics, over-the-counter cold remedies, fluids). Very few are potentially hazardous if taken in moderation. Mothers from ethnic minorities use similar amounts of homebased interventions when compared with mothers from the majority culture.