Effect of nerve growth factor-ß administered at insemination for lactating Holstein dairy cows bred after timed-artificial insemination protocol.

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of nerve growth factor-ß (NGF), purified from bulls' seminal plasma and administered at the time of artificial insemination (AI), on progesterone post-AI, interferon-stimulated genes (ISG), and pregnancy per AI (P/AI) for lactating Holstein dairy cows enrolled in a timed-AI protocol. We hypothesized that administration of NGF at the time of AI would increase plasma progesterone post-AI, upregulate relative abundance of ISG, and improve P/AI in lactating dairy cows. Holstein cows (n = 557) from a single commercial dairy farm were blocked by parity and randomly assigned to receive an intramuscular injection containing 296 µg of bovine purified NGF at the time of AI, diluted in 2 mL of phosphate-buffered saline (NGF: n = 275), or receive only the 2 mL of phosphate-buffered saline (control: n = 282). Plasma progesterone and corpus luteum size were assessed in a subset of cows (NGF: n = 32; control: n = 36) at d 7, 14, and 19 post-AI. Relative mRNA abundance of ISG (ISG15, MX1, MX2, and RTP4) was assessed in peripheral blood leukocytes on d 19 post-AI. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed at 37 and 65 d post-AI. There was an interaction effect between treatment and parity for plasma progesterone; however, plasma progesterone and ISG did not differ between treatments. There were no effects of NGF for P/AI at 37 d post-AI (NGF = 40.0% vs. control = 41.6%), 65 d post-AI (NGF = 36.0% vs. control = 38.1%), and for pregnancy loss (NGF = 8.4% vs. control = 7.7%). The current study revealed that effects to NGF in lactating Holstein cows were minor and contingent with parity for progesterone, and no improvement in ISG relative abundance and P/AI were observed.

Factors related to noncompliance with screening mammogram appointments among low-income African-American women.

Despite current mammography recommendations, screening rates among African-American women are suboptimal. The purpose of this case-control study was to identify the psychological, demographic, and health care system barriers to screening mammography use among low-income African-American women. A total of 574 women with screening mammogram appointments at an urban hospital were interviewed to determine the predictors of mammogram appointment noncompliance. Predictor variables included: demographics; breast cancer knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and screening practices; and type of health care provider making the referral. Age was inversely related to mammogram appointment noncompliance. Relative to women 40 to 49 years old, women 70 years of age and older were the least likely to miss their appointments (odds ratio [OR], 0.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.2, 0.5). Women referred for mammography by a physician's assistant or nurse practitioner were less likely to miss their appointments than women referred by a physician (OR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1, 0.8). Embarrassment, lack of breast symptoms, and forgetfulness also contributed to noncompliance. Key demographic, attitudinal, and health care system factors hinder low-income African-American women from obtaining screening mammograms. These findings have significant health education and policy implications for health care delivery to women in this population.

Risk factors for near-fatal asthma. A case-control study in hospitalized patients with asthma.

We prospectively recruited patients admitted to the hospital with severe asthma to comprehensively evaluate the association of historical and physiologic features with the risk of near-fatal asthma (NFA). A case-control study design was used. All patients admitted with NFA (cases) were identified prospectively and compared with asthma patients admitted during the same period without respiratory failure (controls). Nineteen cases (age: 40.2 +/- 12.0 yr) (mean +/- SD) and 80 controls (age: 36 +/- 13.5 yr) were enrolled. Duration of asthma, gender, smoking status, ethnicity, and prevalence of atopy were similar in the case and control groups. More than 80% of patients in both groups reported worsening symptoms for more than 48 h before admission, and more than 50% were worse for longer than 7 d. There was no difference in degree of airways obstruction or bronchial hyperresponsiveness (PC20). Perception of dyspnea was similar in the cases and controls, but among cases the males had greater impairment than the females (Borg score: 1.9 +/- 1. 4 versus 3.9 +/- 1.2: p = 0.05). Univariate analysis identified a history of previous mechanical ventilation (OR: 27.5; 95% CI: 6.60 to 113.7), admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) (OR: 9.9; 95% CI: 3.0 to 32.9), history of worse asthma during January and February (OR: 3.5; 95% CI: 1.0 to 11.8), and use of air-conditioning (OR: 15.0; 95% CI: 1.3 to 166) as risk factors for NFA. Of concern was the dependence of most patients (59.8%) on the emergency department (ED) for initial care, and the small number of cases (16%) in which patients visited a physician before admission to the hospital. We have confirmed risk factors identified previously in retrospective studies of fatal and NFA, and have also shown that hospitalized patients with asthma, irrespective of severity of their asthma, share several characteristics, especially in terms of their failure to respond to worsening asthma.

Uncovering and managing denial during the research process.

This article describes experiences of geropsychiatric nurses examining the effectiveness of the Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold Model for caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, and briefly reviews the literature on coping and denial. This research project, and those of many other psychiatric nurses, is predicated on the expectation that subjects will be able to acknowledge and report to investigators their personal and intimate responses to the challenges and everyday experiences of caregiving. Clearly, the research findings will be most valid if subjects are completely open about all aspects of their experiences, no matter how painful; yet this is often an idealized expectation. Therefore, this article also explores the concerns of geropsychiatric nurse researchers attempting to balance sensitivity to the needs of subjects and the reliability and validity of the data.

Standardized care plan. Managing Alzheimer's patients at home.

1. Family-provided care of members with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD) is complicated by the presence of secondary behavioral symptoms, such as agitation, that lead to caregiver depression, burden, and breakdown. 2. Caregiver education to manage secondary symptoms in ADRD can be simplified by using a theoretical framework of person-environment fit, providing a selection of interventions to modify the environment to reduce demand on the dwindling resources of the demented person. 3. The Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold (PLST) model identifies six areas of stress for persons with ADRD fatigue, change of caregiver, environment or routine, demands to achieve beyond capability, multiple and competing stimuli, affective response to perceived losses, and physical stressors.

Convulsant properties of L-glutamic acid di-tert butyl ester.

Glutamic acid di-tert butyl ester (GTBE) was found to have a pronounced convulsant effect in mice and rats, producing recurrent clonic convulsions combined with postural and respiratory disturbances in a dosage of 0.5 mmol/kg (148 mg/kg). Tert-butyl ester derivatives of aspartic acid and alanine, and glutamic acid gamma-benzyl ester did not produce seizures. Various other glutamate esters, such as glutamic acid diethyl ester and glutamic acid dimethyl ester, have previously been found to have anticonvulsant effects, and also do not induce seizures. It is suggested that glutamic acid di-tert butyl ester may have specific pharmacological properties which differ from those of other known convulsant drugs.

Genetic effects on PCP-induced stimulation in recombinant inbred strains of mice.

The stimulation of motor activity by phencyclidine was found to differ significantly in BALB/c and C57Bl/6By inbred strains of mice. Phencyclidine-induced stimulation was compared for these strains, their reciprocal F1 hybrids, and their recombinant inbred offspring. There were significant differences in responsivity among the strains, suggesting a genetic influence on the PCP response; however, the strains did not segregate into two distinct groupings, suggesting that this genetic influence was not carried by a single gene. In addition, there was no relationship between the responsivity of these strains of mice to PCP and their previously-reported responses to amphetamine or scopolamine, which suggests that PCP-induced stimulation is not a simple cholinergic or amphetamine-like response.