The impact of life events on later life: a latent class analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

BACKGROUND: Inequalities in life events can lead to inequalities in older age. This research aimed to explore associations between life events reported by older people and quality of life (QoL) and functional ability. METHODS: Participants were grouped according to eight life events: parental closeness, educational opportunities in childhood, financial hardship, loss of an unborn child, bereavement due to war, involvement in conflict, violence and experiencing a natural disaster. Linear and logistic regressions were used to explore associations between these groups and the main outcomes of functional ability and QoL. RESULTS: 7555 participants were allocated to four LCA groups: 'few life events' (n = 6,250), 'emotionally cold mother' (n = 724), 'violence in combat' (n = 274) and 'many life events' (n = 307). Reduced QoL was reported in the 'many life events' (coefficient - 5.33, 95%CI -6.61 to -4.05), 'emotionally cold mother' (-1.89, -2.62 to 1.15) and 'violence in combat' (-1.95, -3.08 to -0.82) groups, compared to the 'few life events' group. The 'many life events' group also reported more difficulty with activities of daily living. CONCLUSIONS: Policies aimed at reducing inequalities in older age should consider events across the life course.

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)-derived phase angle (PA) is a practical aid to nutritional assessment in hospital in-patients.

BACKGROUND: Nutritional status can be difficult to assess. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)-derived phase angle (PA), and the plasma markers citrulline and transthyretin (pre-albumin) have the potential to assist, but the protocol of fasting and resting for BIA renders the investigation impractical for routine use, especially so in populations at high risk of malnutrition. AIMS: 1 To clarify whether starving and resting are necessary for reliable measurement of PA. 2 To identify whether PA, citrulline and transthyretin correlate with nutritional status. METHODS: Eighty consenting adult in-patients were recruited. Nutritional status was determined by subjective global assessment (SGA) used as gold standard. The Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) was used and anthropometric measurements were performed. Serum was analysed for citrulline and transthyretin. PA was measured using Bodystat 4000. The PA was considered to define malnutrition when lower than reference ranges for sex and age, and severe malnutrition if more than 2 integers below the lower limit. Anthropometric measurements were categorised according to WHO reference centiles. Ordinal logistic regression estimated the strength of association of PA, citrulline and transthyretin with SGA. PA values in the different metabolic states were compared using paired t tests. RESULTS: All 80 subjects completed the BIA and the nutritional assessments in the 3 different states; 14 declined to provide blood samples for the biochemical assays. Malnutrition was identified in 32 cases, severe malnutrition in 14 cases, the remaining 34 cases were deemed not to be malnourished. PA was strongly inversely associated with SGA (Odds Ratio [OR] per unit increase = 0.21, CI 0.12-0.37, p < 0.001). PA was not influenced by exercise (p = 0.134) or food intake (p = 0.184). Transthyretin was inversely associated with malnourished/severely malnourished states (OR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.97-0.99, p = 0.001), but had poorer predictive values than PA. There was no significant association between citrulline concentration and SGA (OR = 1.01, 95% CI 0.99-1.04, p = 0.348). CONCLUSIONS: The BIA-derived PA reliably identifies malnutrition. It is strongly associated with SGA but requires less skill and experience, and out-performs circulating transthyretin, rendering it a promising and less operator-dependent tool for assessing nutritional status in hospital patients. Our novel demonstration that fasting and bed-rest are unnecessary consolidates that position.

Histochemical localization of T-cells in tissue sections.

Utilizing the acid alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase histochemical staining technique, cells with established T-cell (thymus-derived) staining characteristics could be consistently demonstrated in the periarteriolar lymphatic sheaths of the spleen and the diffusely infiltrated area of the cloacal bursa. The same areas failed to stain positively in significant numbers following a preincubation period with a specific inhibitor for carboxyl esterase. Lymphoid cells in the thymus, the splenic follicles, and bursal follicles were mostly negative.

Reovirus-associated enteritis in Georgia broiler chicks.

The histopathology of reovirus-infected small intestines from clinically ill commercial broiler chicks afflicted with so-called runting stunting syndrome is described. We do not speculate that a cause-and-effect relationship necessarily exists between intralesional reovirus and illness in chicks in the present study. We propose that, in the future, similar cases be termed reovirus-associated enteritis (RAE). RAE must be differentiated from lesions attributed to infections by enterovirus-like particles.

Intralesional herpesvirus, reovirus-like particles, and bacteria in a flock of broiler chicks with spiking mortality, diarrhea, and enterotyphlitis.

The search for a solitary cause of spiking mortality (so-called spiking mortality syndrome) among broiler chicks has been thwarted by the fact that multiple agents cause similar mortality histograms. In the present case report, we describe intralesional herpesvirus, reovirus-like virus particles, and bacteria in small and large intestines from chicks with a spiking mortality histogram, diarrhea, and enterotyphlitis. We attributed the spiking mortality histogram to starvation coupled with diarrhea.

Enteritis (so-called runting stunting syndrome) in Georgia broiler chicks.

So-called runting stunting syndrome (RSS) afflicts chicks worldwide. The present study in Georgia chicks is the first report of unique histologic features of RSS pathology in chicks in the United States. Various combinations of avian nephritis virus, enterovirus-612, and reovirus were always isolated from chick small intestines. Ultrastructurally, only small round viruses were seen in small intestinal lesions. Although finding intralesional virus in small intestinal segments from chicks with signs and gross lesions consistent with RSS constitutes a reasonable criterion for making a diagnosis of this disease, chicks without intralesional viruses and with bacterial or protozoal enteritis may also be small and abnormally feathered. Because just what constitutes RSS remains a diagnostic dilemma, we recommend that the use of the imprecise acronym "RSS" be discontinued.

Toxicological pathology of cockleburs (Xanthium spp.) for broiler chickens.

Spiking mortality syndrome (SMS) in chickens resembles cocklebur toxicity in cattle, sheep, pigs, and rats. In order to determine if cockleburs are toxic to broiler chicks, crushed burs were fed (25% wt:wt) to broilers for 21 days. Ingestion of cockleburs resulted in significant failure to properly gain body weight. Otherwise, chicks did not develop clinical signs of illness or gross or microscopic lesions. Although there were some significant differences in serum chemistry values among chick groups, there were no consistent patterns. Severe hypoglycemia is said to be a characteristic finding in chicks that die with SMS. Because glucose levels were not low in chicks that were fed cockleburs, we feel certain that cockleburs do not cause SMS.

The rete ovarii of cattle and deer communicates with the uterine tube.

Textbooks in embryology, histology, and reproductive biology erroneously state that the mammalian rete ovarii consists of a tubular structure in the medulla of the ovary which is closed at both ends. In white-tailed deer and cattle, the lumen of the rete ovarii opens directly into the infundibulum near its attachment to the ovary. This serendipitous discovery followed the serial sectioning of over 100 ovaries. Secretions through this tuboretial opening may affect reproductive processes. Obstructions could explain the development of cysts of clinical importance in both human and veterinary medicine. This rather obscure structure may have more significance than previously recognized.

Fringed membranous particles and viruses in faeces from healthy turkey poults and from poults with putative poult enteritis complex/spiking mortality.

The purpose of the present study was to use clinical epidemiologic tools to define the relationship between production performance data, virus particles, and intestinal fringed membranous particles (FMPs) in healthy turkey poults and in poults that were experiencing an outbreak of poult enteritis complex (PEC) and spiking mortality syndrome (SMS). Small and large intestines from flocks of healthy poults and poults with PEC/SMS were collected, processed, and examined for viruses. Production performance parameters were collected and analyzed. Hocks of turkeys with PEC/SMS in the present study had low survival expectancy (livability) and poor growth compared to their healthy turkey counterparts. The only significant association between sickness and intestinal virus was the presence of coronavirus.

Polyomavirus inclusion bodies in chicken caecal epithelium.

In this case report we describe the light microscopic and transmission electron microscopic appearance of polyomavirus inclusions in caecal epithelial cells from a chicken with diarrhoea and intestinal parasites. The DNA in situ hybridization technique demonstrated that the polyomavirus reported here is different from polyomaviruses observed in psittaciformes. The chicken polyomavirus described may share some homologous base sequences with psittaciforme polyomavirus; however, the viruses are different. Clinicians and pathologists should be aware that polyomavirus can infect chickens and that polyomavirus inclusion bodies can be found in chicken caecal epithelial cells.

Viral proventriculitis in chickens.

The objectives of the present study were to examine proventriculi of broiler chicks for lesions, and to classify and record the incidence of these lesions. Deep non-purulent necrotizing proventriculitis (accompanied by adenoepithelial hypertrophy and hyperplasia) was the most common (109/220 = 49.5%) light microscopic diagnosis in the proventriculi examined. Degenerating and necrotic alveolar secretory cells had amorphous, granular or vacuolated cytoplasm. Nuclei usually were either pyknotic, karyorrhectic or karyolytic; however, fewer attached or sloughed cells had swollen nuclei with marginated chromatin and clear centres. Basophilic inclusion bodies were never seen. In five cases examined ultrastructurally, hexagonal virus particles were found in intact nuclei (average size = 68.9 nm, n = 89), associated with unbound condensed chromatin, and within vacuolated spaces in the cytoplasm (average size = 62.3 nm, n = 109). DNA in situ hybridization failed to detect adenovirus or polyomavirus nucleic acids. The presence of intralesional virus suggests that a causal relationship might exist between the virus and the proventricular lesions.