Recent spread of a new strain (A-Iran-05) of foot-and-mouth disease virus type A in the Middle East.

This report describes the characterization of a new genotype of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) type A responsible for recent FMD outbreaks in the Middle East. Initially identified in samples collected in 2003 from Iran, during 2005 and 2006 this FMDV lineage (proposed to be named A-Iran-05) spread into Saudi Arabia and Jordan and then further west into Turkey reaching European Thrace in January 2007. Most recently A-Iran-05 has been found in Bahrain. To the east of Iran, it has been recognized in Afghanistan (2004-07) and Pakistan (2006-07). Throughout the region, this lineage is now the predominant genotype of FMDV serotype A sampled, and has appeared to have replaced the A-Iran-96 and A-Iran-99 strains which were previously encountered. In August 2007, a new A-Iran-05 sub-lineage (which we have called A-Iran-05(ARD-07)) was identified in Ardahan, Turkey, close to the border with Georgia. This new sub-lineage appeared to predominate in Turkey in 2008, but has, so far, not been identified in any other country. Vaccine matching tests revealed that the A-Iran-05 viruses are antigenically different to A-Iran-96 and more like A(22). These findings emphasize the importance of undertaking continued surveillance in the Middle East and Central Asia in order to detect and monitor the emergence and spread of new FMDV strains.

Effect of ante- and postmortem hide clipping on the microbiological quality and safety and ultimate pH value of beef carcasses in an EC-approved abattoir.

AIMS: Effect of ante- and postmortem hide clipping on the microbiological quality of beef carcasses. METHODS AND RESULTS: Bovine carcasses (362) were tested for indicator micro-organisms and the presence of pathogens. Prior to slaughter, hide cleanliness of each animal was categorized on a scale of 1-5 (clean to dirty). Lowest mean aerobic colony counts (ACC) (log(10) 3.0 CFU cm(-2)) came from carcasses where clipping had been performed in lairage, antemortem. ACC from animals clipped online (log(10) 3.2 CFU cm(-2)) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those clipped in lairage, but comparable to those carcasses from Category 1 and 2 animals. There were no significant differences in the detection of pathogens from any of the carcass groups. Ultimate pH values for carcasses from Category 3 and 4 animals showed clipping animals in lairage, as opposed to online, resulted in a small, but significant increase (P < 0.05) in pH value (mean pH 5.66 and 5.59, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Hide clipping does not adversely affect microbiological quality of carcasses, although higher ultimate pH values indicate increases in antemortem stress. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Hide clipping carcasses both ante- and postmortem appears to be an effective intervention to minimize transfer of hide microflora to carcasses during slaughtering operations. Online clipping offers advantages for animal welfare and improves safety for operatives.

Sports medicine training during pediatric residency.

OBJECTIVES: To assess how sports medicine is taught within pediatric residency programs and to determine the level of comfort that pediatric graduates have in managing common sports injuries. INTERVENTION: Investigator-prepared cross-sectional survey. METHOD: A survey questionnaire was mailed to 203 pediatric chief residents of pediatric residency programs in the United States. MEASUREMENTS/MAIN RESULTS: Seventy-three percent of the questionnaires were returned. Most pediatric chief residents (73%) reported that their program provided lectures on pediatric sports medicine topics. Lecture time devoted to sports medicine topics was reported to be less than 6 hours for many residency programs (83%). Instruction on the medical criteria for exclusion from sports was provided to 64% of the chief residents. Of those residents who completed the survey, 55% reported that clinical sports medicine training was available in their programs. Rotations in adolescent medicine (28%), pediatric orthopedics (26%), and ambulatory pediatrics (9%) provided the bulk of clinical training. Clinical exposure to sports medicine was reported to be less than 5 hours in a large number of programs (43%). Most of the chief residents reported that they would refer six of eight pediatric sports injuries for diagnosis and management. CONCLUSIONS: The pediatric chief residents who completed the survey received limited didactic instruction or clinical training in sports medicine. Because pediatricians are primary care physicians for many children and adolescents who participate in sports, pediatric residency directors should consider integrating sports medicine instruction into their programs.

The modulation by chlormethiazole of the GABAA-receptor complex in rat brain.

1. The interactions of chlormethiazole with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) synthesis and release, and with ligand binding to sites associated with the GABAA-receptor complex and the GABAB-receptor have been studied in the rat. The GABAA-receptor was studied using [3H]-muscimol, [3H]-flunitrazepam was used to label the benzodiazepine modulatory site, and [35S]-butyl-bicyclophosphorothionate ([35S]-TBPS) to label the chloride channel. 2. Chlormethiazole had no effect on GABA synthesis in the cortex, hippocampus and striatum or on GABA release from cortical slices in vitro. Chlormethiazole did not displace [3H]-baclofen binding to the GABAB-receptor. 3. Chlormethiazole (IC50 = 140 microM) and pentobarbitone (IC50 = 95 microM) both inhibited [35S]-TBPS binding by increasing the rate of [35S]-TBPS dissociation. In addition, chlormethiazole caused an apparent decrease in the affinity of [35S]-TBPS binding. 4. Chlormethiazole enhanced the binding of [3H]-muscimol but had no effect on [3H]-flunitrazepam binding. In contrast, the sedative barbiturate pentobarbitone enhanced both [3H]-muscimol and [3H]-flunitrazepam binding. 5. It is concluded that the sedative and anticonvulsant effects of chlormethiazole are probably mediated through an action at the GABAA-receptor. However, chlormethiazole does not interact with the GABAA-receptor complex in an identical manner to the sedative barbiturate pentobarbitone.

The effects of GABAB receptor agonists and antagonists on potassium-stimulated [Ca2+]i in rat brain synaptosomes.

The effects of GABAB agonists and putative antagonists on intrasynaptosomal calcium ion concentrations ([Ca2+]i) after stimulation with potassium ions were studied with the fluorescent probe Quin 2. gamma-Aminobutyric acid and (-)-baclofen, but not (+)-baclofen, produced a dose-dependent inhibition of the potassium-stimulated [Ca2+]i in cortical synaptosomes from the rat. This effect was mimicked by another GABAB agonist SL75102 and weakly by muscimol. It was not inhibited by the alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine. This system thus appears to provide a useful test of GABAB receptor function. None of the putative GABAB antagonists, phaclofen, delta-aminovaleric acid or beta-phenyl GABA inhibited responses to (-)-baclofen. Indeed, all three compounds produced similar responses to that seen with (-)-baclofen, suggesting that they act as agonists in this system. These data suggest that those GABAB receptors modulating [Ca2+]i have a distinct pharmacology from post-synaptic GABAB receptors, defined in electrophysiological experiments.

Loss of glycine-dependent radioligand binding to the N-methyl-D-aspartate-phencyclidine receptor complex in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Well washed membranes have been prepared from samples of cerebral cortex of control subjects and patients with Alzheimer's disease, obtained both at post mortem and by neurosurgical procedures earlier in the course of the disease. Binding to these membranes of two radioligands for the N-methyl-D-aspartate-phencyclidine receptor complex has been determined in the presence and absence of glycine. Glycine increased the binding in both control and Alzheimer tissue samples. At one concentration of radioligand, in the presence of glycine there was less binding to post-mortem samples, which Scatchard analysis showed was associated with a 36% loss of sites. In rare neurosurgical samples, there was also a loss of binding of radioligand which suggests that the effect is not due to post-mortem artefacts or epiphenomena. These new results may have implications for the symptomatic and preventative treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

The binding of [3H]thienyl cyclohexylpiperidine ([3H]TCP) to the NMDA-phencyclidine receptor complex.

The high affinity binding of the phencyclidine derivative [3H]TCP to cortical membranes of the rat was investigated. In an extensively washed membrane preparation the binding of [3H]TCP was enhanced in the presence of L-glutamate and NMDA. The stimulation of the binding of [3H]TCP by L-glutamate was inhibited competitively by AP5 and non-competitively by MK801. The binding of [3H]TCP was also enhanced in the presence of glycine; this effect was insensitive to strychnine and inhibited non-competitively by AP5. Saturation experiments demonstrated that MK801 was a competitive inhibitor of the binding of [3H]TCP. These results suggest that [3H]TCP binds to a site similar to that which binds MK801; this site may be associated with the ion channel of the NMDA receptor.

Autologous x-irradiated tumour cells and percutaneous BCG in operable lung cancer.

To determine the value of specific immunotherapy with adjuvant BCG in operable lung cancer, the immunological and clinical results of serial postoperative injections of autologous irradiated tumour cells and BCG were compared with those of a single preoperative injection of BCG in two randomly selected groups of patients undergoing resection of their tumours. There was a significant rise in tuberculin skin reactivity from seven weeks to 11 months after operation in the treated group. Actuarial curves for survival and freedom from tumour recurrence and median survival times showed an advantage for the treated patients who had stage I tumours, but these differences were significant only at the levels p = 0.07 - 0.09. Survival and duration of freedom from tumour recurrence was greater in autograft-treated patients whose skin responded to a weak test dose of dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) after sensitisation with 2% DNCB than in control DNCB-positive patients (p = 0.02). There were no significant differences in the actual proportion of patients from each group surviving at two years. The results show that this form of specific immunotherapy with adjuvant may have a beneficial effect in patients with stage I tumours and those who become sensitised to 2% DNCB after the first exposure.

Cell-mediated immunity in operable bronchial carcinoma: the effect of injecting irradiated autologous tumour cells and BCG.

In 52 patients undergoing tests of cell-mediated immunity before surgical resection of bronchial carcinoma a positive tuberculin test result was found in 71% compared with 68% of age- and sex-matched controls. Sensitisation to DNCB occurred in 52% of 37 patients but in 78% of controls. There was depression of lymphocyte transformation by PPD in 19 patients compared with controls (P=0.001), but there was no difference in lymphocyte transformation by PHA or pokeweed mitogen between 34 patients and controls. In a pilot study patients were randomly allocated to autograft (eight) or non-autograft (seven) groups. The autograft group were given an intradermal injection of a suspension of irradiated autologous tumour-cells mixed with intradermal BCG on the day of operation. Tests of cell-mediated immunity were repeated two weeks after operation. Five patients in each group received a course of radiotherapy to the mediastinum three weeks after operation. There was a rise in cutaneous tuberculin reactivity (P=0.08) and total leucocyte count (P=0.09) in the autograft group postoperatively with a fall in total lymphocyte and T lymphocyte counts in the non-autograft group (P less 0.05). These differences, however, were not followed by any difference in the frequency of tumour recurrence or the survival rate two years after operation. The results show that the immunological surveillance mechanism is impaired even in patients with early bronchial carcinoma and that it is possible to overcome postoperative immunological depression with specific immunotherapy combined with BCG. This treatment did not produce any clinical advantage in this small number of patients and the skin lesions caused the patients considerable discomfort.