Winter blood values of selected parameters in a group of non-hibernating captive brown bears (Ursus arctos).

Bears undergo some significant changes reflected in blood values during winter season. The most significant are reduced urea and increased creatinine, by some authors considered to be physiological indicators of hibernation. Studied group of six captive brown bears (Ursus arctos) showed decreased activity in winter but were accepting food and walked outdoors. Blood parameters assessed in February 2011 revealed mean values of leucocytes and neutrophils as significantly lower, and creatinine significantly increased compared to captive and free living bears sampled during other seasons when bears are active.

Impact of CpG oligodeoxynucleotide stimulation on percentage of T and B cells in chicken.

TLR stimulation in chickens has been shown to play a role in the initiation and regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses. The aim of this study was to use flow cytometry to establish the percentage of T and B subset in blood and lymphoid organs in chicks after CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) stimulation. It was demonstrated that the percentages of CD3+, CD4+, TCRgamma delta+ cells and Bu-1+MHC class II+ cells in blood 24 h post-injection were significantly higher than in the control groups. It was also shown that the percentages of CD3+ and CD4+ cells in the spleen at 48 h post-injection were significantly higher than in control groups. The percentage of Bu-1+ cells in the bursa of Fabricius after CpG ODN stimulation (98.38 +/- 0.84) was significantly higher than that found in the non-CpG ODN control group (94.54 +/- 2.51) (p < or = 0.05). The results indicate that class B CpG ODN increases the percentage of both T (especially CD4+ cells) and B cells.

New insight into the structure, development, functions and popular disorders of bursa Fabricii.

Humoral immune responses in birds, contrary to mammals, depend on the normal functioning of bursa Fabricii. Recent studies have delivered new information about the structure, development and origin of cells that compose the bursa environment. Several viral infections affect bursa, causing lymphocyte depletion or excessive proliferation. This review summarizes data on the development and histology of healthy bursa and introduces some common disorders that affect this organ.

Topography and arterial supply of the thyroid and the parathyroid glands in selected species of Falconiformes.

Birds of two suborders, Accipitres and Falcones were the subjects of the study. The thyroids were always located asymmetrically. In Accipitridae the larger left gland was usually situated significantly more cranially than the right one. In common kestrel, the size of bilateral thyroids was similar while their mutual relationships were individually variable. The location of the parathyroid glands in common kestrel was relatively constant. Seven topographical patterns of the location of the parathyroid gland were noted in Accipitridae. In birds of both the suborders, the thyroid might be supplied by three (groups of) arteries: the cranial thyroid, the caudal thyroid and the middle thyroid arteries. The aforementioned vessels were derived from the common carotid and the oesophagotracheobronchial artery. In common kestrel, the thyroid vessels might also branch from the ascending oesophageal artery, which passes along the thyroid, while in common buzzard and other Accipitridae - from the common trunk of the comes nervi vagi and the ascending oesophageal artery. The parathyroid glands were supplied by one to three parathyroid arteries. The vessels for the cranial parathyroid gland mostly originated from the caudal thyroid artery, while for the caudal one - from the oesophagotracheobronchial artery. The average number of thyroid and parathyroid arteries in common buzzard was significantly higher than those in common kestrel.

The Influence of prolonged beta-blockers treatment on male rabbit's sexual behavior and penile microcirculation.

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of the prolonged intake of three beta-blocking drugs (propranolol, metoprolol and nebivolol) on the sexual behavior and penile microcirculation of rabbits. Drugs were administered p.o. for 9 weeks and every three weeks in each group (n=13) one subgroup (n=7) performed behavioral tests, whereas in the second subgroup (n=6) penile microcirculation was measured with a laser Doppler flowmeter. The copulation studies revealed significant impairment of sexual function only in the propranolol treated group. The measured behavioral parameters suggest that at a given dose propranolol affects more performance rather than arousal aspects of rabbits' sexual behavior. In the course of the whole study no significant difference was observed among groups in penile blood flow. The data indicate that among the beta-blockers given only propranolol interferes with sexual behavior, and that beta-blockers do not appear to have a negative effect on penile microcirculation.

The clinical course of the Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT) field case in hens and estimation of immunoprophylaxis efficiency.

The ILT case was observed in laying hen farm where birds of different age (from 40 to 107 weeks) were kept in 10 flocks. A rapid spread of the disease, the decrease in egg production (in flock No. 1 it reached 58%) and higher mortality (the highest in 76 and 77 week-old birds, accounting for 0.11% and 0.36%, respectively ) was recorded during first 2 weeks of disease. Antibodies against ILT virus were detected in serum of the examined birds during the whole observation period (50 weeks after the disease outbreak). The laying hens were vaccinated at 8 weeks of age and boosted after 5 weeks. The vaccine was applied in drinking water, in a dose twice as high as usually recommended per one bird. Immunopropylaxis efficiency was estimated on the basis of immunological response in birds (serum samples, ILT ELISA kit, Guildhay Ltd.) and general health status of hens in flocks. Postvaccinal immunity, the presence of specific antibodies against ILT, was observed in all birds during the observation period (51 weeks). During that time GMT value ranged from 8261,3 (week 10) to 5196 (week 51) after the second vaccination, and CV amounted in this period to 41.1% and 51%, respectively. Subsequently, clinical symptoms of the disease disappeared and the egg production, as well as mortality, returned to the level of technological norms for laying hens.

Any further progress in smoking cessation treatment?

The release of the US Public Health Service's quantitative review of smoking treatments, Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence (TTUD; Fiore, Bailey, Cohen et al., 2000, AHRQ Publication, USDHHS), is a fitting occasion to revisit a question posed by Shiffman (1993, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61:718-722): has there been any recent progress in smoking cessation treatment? Using TTUD meta-analyses as a rough guide, we present an overview of current elements of clinical treatments (structure, content, and pharmacotherapy) with statistical claims to efficacy. We note characteristics of treatment, or treatment research, that may retard accumulation of critical knowledge, including the hegemony of multi-component treatments and a seeming disinterest in treatment process. Finally, we sketch avenues of potentially generative research that might foster new insights and improved treatments. It is concluded that not much has changed since Shiffman's (1993) review, and that his call for a rededication to basic research is still prudent but largely unanswered.

Strike while the iron is hot: can stepped-care treatments resurrect relapsing smokers?

The efficacies of 2 group counseling step-up treatments for smoking cessation, cognitive-behavioral/skill training therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing/supportive (MIS) therapy, were compared with brief intervention (BI) treatment in a sample of 677 smokers. Differential efficacy of the 2 step-up treatments was also tested in smokers at low and high risk for relapse (no smoking vs. any smoking during the first postquit week. respectively). All participants received 8 weeks of nicotine patch therapy. BI consisted of 3 brief individual cessation counseling sessions; CBT and MIS participants received BI treatment and 6 group counseling sessions. Neither CBT nor MIS treatment improved long-term abstinence rates relative to BI. Limited support was found for the hypothesis that high-risk smokers would benefit more from MIS than CBT. Other hypotheses were not supported.

Smoking withdrawal dynamics in unaided quitters.

Considerable research shows that withdrawal severity is inconsistently related to smoking cessation outcomes. This may result from measurement problems or failure to scrutinize important dimensions of the withdrawal experience. Two recent studies demonstrated that withdrawal elevation and variations in the time course of withdrawal were related to relapse in smokers treated with the nicotine patch (T. M. Piasecki, M. C. Fiore, & T. B. Baker, 1998). This article reports a conceptual replication and extension of those findings in unaided quitters. Evidence for temporal heterogeneity was found across different types of withdrawal symptoms. Patterns or slopes of affect and urge reports over time predicted smoking status at follow-up, as did mean elevation in withdrawal symptoms. These results suggest that affect and urge withdrawal symptoms make independent contributions to relapse and that relapse is related to both symptom severity and trajectory.

Smoking cessation services offered by health insurance plans for Wisconsin state employees.

Health insurance plans for state of Wisconsin employees were surveyed regarding the smoking cessation benefits offered to their members. Seven of the 25 plans (28%) cover some form of cessation treatment. Those plans that cover smoking cessation services differ substantially in the scope of benefits, and some have limitations and exclusions. These results suggest that smokers in Wisconsin are offered only limited insurance coverage for effective smoking cessation treatments.

Profiles in discouragement: two studies of variability in the time course of smoking withdrawal symptoms.

Research has suggested that the time course of the smoking withdrawal syndrome is fairly invariant across smokers and that smoking withdrawal symptoms are weakly related to relapse. Withdrawal data from 2 clinical trials of the nicotine patch were analyzed to evaluate these characterizations. In both studies, patients were clustered according to the shapes of their withdrawal profiles across 8 weeks of treatment. In each study, 3 clusters with distinct temporal patterns of withdrawal symptomatology emerged. Clusters included both abstinent and lapsing patients, and patch dose was unrelated to cluster membership. Patients with "atypical" patterns of smoking withdrawal (e.g., late symptomatic elevations) were more likely to relapse than patients who showed a gradual elimination of withdrawal. Withdrawal shape, duration, and severity all contributed significantly to the prediction of relapse. Measures of negative affect closely tracked withdrawal symptoms over time within clusters. Topics for future smoking withdrawal research are discussed.

Transdermal nicotine replacement for hospitalized patients: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to assess the safety and efficacy of a treatment involving brief counseling and the nicotine patch among hospital inpatients and to identify variables associated with long-term smoking cessation following hospitalization. METHODS: One hundred eighty-five patients were randomly assigned to one of three smoking cessation interventions: (1) A Minimal Care (MC) condition, consisting of a brief physician-delivered motivational message to stop smoking, (2) a Counseling + Active Nicotine Patch (CAP) condition in which patients received the motivational message, a 6-week supply of nicotine patches, and extended bedside and telephone counseling, and (3) a Counseling + Placebo Patch (CPP) condition identical to the CAP condition except the supplied patches contained no nicotine. RESULTS: At 6-month follow-up, abstinence rates for the three treatments were 4.9, 6.5, and 9.7% for the MC, CPP, and CAP treatments, respectively. These differences were not statistically significant. Patients admitted for respiratory disease were more likely to quit than patients with any other diagnosis. The nicotine patch was well tolerated by hospital inpatients. CONCLUSIONS: The initiation of nicotine patch therapy during hospitalization appears to be safe when used among patients carrying a wide range of diagnoses. Our study provided no evidence of the superiority of nicotine patches versus placebo, but this does not preclude the possibility that future research using larger samples might detect differences between patch groups. Hospital interventions for smoking cessation may be most effective among patients hospitalized for a smoking-related illness such as respiratory disease.

[Therapeutic problems in the application of antiparkinsonian drugs in psychiatry]. / Problemy terapeutyczne zwiazane ze stosowaniem leków przeciwparkinsonowskich w psychiatrii.

This paper describes therapeutic problems concerning antiparkinsonian drugs in psychiatry. Particular attention was paid to problems like: 1. Possibility of making a therapeutic mistake of too prolonged and therefore harmful pharmacotherapy with antiparkinsonian drugs in the treatment of most common psychoses. 2. The importance of a careful selection of an optimal antiparkinsonian drug, especially in psyhogeriatric cases (for example Amantadinum). 3. The description of other indications for antiparkinsonian drugs: affective diseases or alcoholic withdrawal syndroms.

Are clinicians intervening with their patients who smoke? A "real-world" assessment of 45 clinics in the upper Midwest.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of intervention provided by primary care physicians to individuals who smoke. SETTING: 45 primary care clinics throughout the upper Midwest. PATIENTS: 6,086 men and women (M:F = 1:2), ages 50 to 68, who sought medical care at any one of the 45 primary care clinics and completed two questionnaires regarding preventive medical services received during the previous 3 years (1990-1993). RESULTS: Of patients who smoke, 92% reported that their clinician had asked about their smoking status. Additionally, 86% reported being informed at their clinic of the dangers of tobacco use. A smaller percentage of individuals (60.1%) reported being explicitly advised on how to quit, and fewer still (27.2%) reported being referred to a stop smoking program. CONCLUSIONS: While most clinicians inquire about their patients' smoking status and recommend they quit, there currently exists a deficiency in the translation of these recommendations into concise, explicit instructions on how to quit. By increasing the frequency of clinicians giving specific advice about how to quit, the overall success rate of the public health campaign against tobacco use will be greatly enhanced.