The impact of FSH stimulation and age on the ovarian and uterine traits and histomorphometry of prepubertal gilts.

This study investigated the effect of age and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) treatment on the estradiol (E2) plasma concentration, ovarian follicle development, endometrial histomorphometry, and ultrasonographic parameters of the ovaries and uterus in prepubertal gilts. Thirty-five prepubertal gilts were grouped according to age (140 or 160 d), and within each age, gilts were allotted to receive 100 mg of FSH (treated; G140 + FSH [n = 10] and G160 + FSH [n = 7]) or saline solution (control; G140 + control [n = 10] and G160 + control [n = 8]). The total dose of FSH was divided into 6 similar doses administered every 8 h (days 0-2). Before and after FSH treatment, blood sample was collected, and transabdominal scanning of the ovaries and uterus was performed. Twenty-four hours after the last FSH injection, the gilts were slaughtered and their ovaries and uterus were processed for histological and histomorphometric analysis. The histomorphometric parameters of the uterus differed (P < 0.05) between prepubertal gilts at 160 d and 140 d of age. Moreover, changes (P < 0.05) in uterine and ovarian ultrasound images occurred between 140 and 160 d of age. Age and FSH treatment did not affect (P > 0.05) E2 plasma concentrations. Follicle stimulating hormone treatment did not affect (P > 0.05) the early stage of folliculogenesis in the prepubertal gilts; however, the number of early atretic follicles decreased (P < 0.05) after the FSH treatment. Follicle stimulating hormone administration increased (P < 0.05) the number of medium follicles and decreased (P < 0.05) the number of small follicles in 140 and 160 d old gilts. In the endometrium, luminal/glandular epithelium height and glandular diameter increased (P < 0.05) after FSH treatment. Thus, injections of 100 mg of FSH stimulate the endometrium epithelium and induce follicular growth to a medium follicle size without affecting the preantral stages in prepubertal gilts; also, the uterine macroscopic morphometry does not change from 140 to 160 d of age.

Estimating the TNT equivalence of a 15-ton single base powder explosion through damaged building profiles analyses.

Back in 1964 President Vargas Works was the only place in the country which processed single base powder for the Brazilian Armed Forces. Then its industrial activity was quite strong and around 4:45 a.m. of 23rd September an intense decomposition of nearly 15 ton of that material took place in one of the production lines workshops. The consequences of this explosion were the destruction and extensive damage to the workshops around its epicenter. At that time pictures of all affected buildings were taken and their damages fully described. This led to the present work which consists in the evaluation of the TNT equivalent charge of the explosion using the concept of damage category developed by UK engineers based on the WWII damaging bombing data.

Intravascular ultrasound imaging of saphenous vein grafts in vitro: comparison with histologic and quantitative angiographic findings.

The ubiquity of coronary artery disease and the resultant widespread use of saphenous veins for coronary artery bypass surgery has stimulated considerable interest in the morphologic and pathophysiologic alterations these vessels undergo after implantation. This study was undertaken to determine the ability of intravascular ultrasound to identify and characterize abnormalities in saphenous vein grafts. Ten saphenous vein grafts excised at autopsy and nine saphenous vein segments harvested during coronary artery bypass surgery were examined with intravascular ultrasound imaging, quantitative coronary angiographic techniques and histologic analysis. Intravascular ultrasound lumen measurements were strongly correlated with quantitative coronary arteriographic measurements (r 0.91, SEE 0.5 mm). Wall thickness was significantly greater in the vein grafts after long-term implantation than in the freshly harvested veins (average thickness 1.4 +/- 0.5 vs. 0.7 +/- 0.2 mm, p less than 0.007); this finding correlated histologically with vein wall fibrosis. There was good correlation between ultrasound imaging and histologic analysis, with the ability to distinguish among normal intima, intimal hyperplasia, vein wall fibrosis and atheromatous plaque. Thus, this preliminary study demonstrates the ability of intravascular ultrasound to provide real-time cross-sectional images of saphenous veins and morphologic characterization of their walls. This modality may have important clinical applications, including the ability to detect serial changes in vein graft intimal hyperplasia and atherosclerosis.

Aflatoxin occurrence in foodstuff supplied to dairy cattle and aflatoxin M1 in raw milk in the North of Paraná state.

Moulds occur in a great variety of foods, including the concentrated and roughage destined for animal feeding, and can produce mycotoxins under certain conditions. The ingestion of mycotoxin AFB(1) by dairy cattle leads to the biotransformation of that substance, which is eliminated via milk as AFM(1), and also causes damage to human health. The present study aimed to analyze the presence of aflatoxins in foodstuff destined for dairy cattle and in the milk produced by these animals. The contamination of the foodstuff by aflatoxins happened mainly in the feeds and the silages did not present contamination by aflatoxins. Out of the 42 samples of milk analyzed, 10 (24%) were contaminated by AFM(1), and 3 (7%) were above the 0.5 microg/l limit.

Hodgkin's disease associated with systemic lupus erythematosus.

We report on the rare association of Hodgkin's disease with systemic lupus erythematosus. Two years after the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus, the patient developed upper abdominal pain, jaundice, splenomegaly, and fever of unknown origin. He had a rapidly fatal clinical course, despite being treated for systemic lupus erythematosus, cholecystitis, and possible sepsis. Autopsy revealed Hodgkin's disease, lymphocyte-depletion type, involving lymph nodes, liver, spleen, and bone marrow. The awareness of the association of Hodgkin's disease with systemic lupus erythematosus and its modes of presentation will help in the early diagnosis and management of such patients.

Erythrocyte insulin-like growth factor-I receptor evaluation in normal subjects, acromegalics, and growth hormone-deficient and insulin-dependent diabetic children.

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) receptors are characterized in several animal and human tissues. IGF-I receptor studies performed in erythrocytes to assess IGF-I receptor status at target-cell tissues are potentially useful for clinical studies, since tissue biopsies or cultures are not required. However, validation of results is challenged by some investigators on the basis of discrepancies described in comparative studies with other cell types, probably related to populations of different cell ages affecting binding to red blood cells (RBCs). By correcting cell age for creatine, we studied IGF-I receptor status in 24 normal subjects (11 adults and 13 children, eight prepubertal and five pubertal) and 33 patients with pathologic conditions (five adult acromegalics, six children with pituitary dwarfism, and 22 type I diabetic children, 15 prepubertal and seven pubertal). Acromegalic patients with higher plasma IGF-I and insulin levels presented lower IGF-I specific binding ([Bo] mean +/- SEM, 6.1% +/- 0.8%) and affinity ([ED50] 28.5 +/- 2.2 ng/mL) than normal adults (Bo, 10.9% +/- 0.7%; ED50, 16.4 +/- 0.9 ng/mL; P < .001), and growth hormone (GH)-deficient children showed higher IGF-I binding 24.6% +/- 1.7%, P < .001) without significant affinity alterations than normal prepubertal children (Bo, 14.7% +/- 1.0%). Both prepubertal and pubertal type I diabetic children with higher GH levels presented decreased IGF-I binding (11.4% +/- 0.9% for prepubertal, P < .05; 10.0% +/- 1.1% for pubertal, P < .05) to RBC receptors in comparison to the respective control group (14.7% +/- 10% and 14.9% +/- 1.3%, prepubertal and pubertal, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A simple technique for identification of "unreactive" light chains of immunoglobulins.

Immunoelectrophoresis and immunofixation are not successful in determining the light chain type of some monoclonal immunoglobulins having configurational changes in their light chain structure ("unreactive" light chains) which prevent precipitation reaction with anit-light chain sera. An immunoselection technique was used to ascertain the light chain type of two such monoclonal immunoglobulins of IgD and IgA classes. It appears that a co-precipitation reaction in this assay circumvents the problem of "hidden" determinants. This technique is simple, reproducible, and could be used to characterize monoclonal immunoglobulins that do not precipitate with anit-light chain sera.

Swanson's silastic implants in great toes.

This is a review of 77 partial replacement and interposition arthroplasties in which Silastic implants were used. The operations were carried out between 1971 and 1977 on the metatarsophalangeal joints of the great toes of 62 patients. Twenty-six of the operations were for painful hallux rigidus and 51 for hallux valgus. The patients were reviewed 12 to 92 months after operation, the average follow-up being 60 months. The analysis of results indicated that while the procedure may be suitable for hallux rigidus its use for hallux valgus is not fully satisfactory in the long run.

Long-term results of silicone rubber implants for Kienböck's disease.

Between 1971 and 1976 eight patients underwent excision of the carpal lunate for pain from Kienböck's disease. The bone was replaced by a silicone rubber implant. An average of 84 months had elapsed when they were reviewed in December 1980. All eight were very satisfied with their operations. Objectively, the clinical results were good, but radiographs showed the presence of degenerative change in the region of the wrist and alteration of the position of the prosthesis on ulnar deviation of the hand. No implant has had to be removed.

Primary lymphoma of the liver. Report of a case with diagnosis by fine needle aspiration.

In a 69-year-old man with hepatomegaly, a diagnosis of primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of the liver was made by fine needle aspiration (FNA). At the time of presentation there was no evidence of involvement of the lymph nodes, bone marrow or any other organ. Although hepatic involvement is common in advanced stages of Hodgkin's disease and NHL, primary lymphoma of the liver is rare. The purpose of this paper is to report a rare occurrence of primary lymphoma of the liver and to demonstrate the possibility of making this diagnosis by FNA.

Diurnal behavior of dairy cows on alfalfa pastures supplemented with corn silage and concentrate / Comportamento diurno de vacas leiteiras em pastagem de alfafa suplementada com silagem de milho e concentrado

The diurnal ingestive behavior of dairy cows on alfalfa pastures supplemented with corn silage and concentrate was evaluated. Sixteen Holstein dairy cows in mid-lactation were used in a randomized block design. The treatments were partial replacement of corn silage for limited alfalfa grazing time (LGT) or unlimited grazing time (UGT). Rotational alfalfa grazing was used and the amount of concentrate fed was the same in both treatments. Behavioral activities observed were time spent grazing, rumination and idleness, during four days, from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM. From 2:00 to 5:00 PM grazing was intermittent and short-lasting on UGT, whereas on LGT grazing activity was longer than UGT in the morning and at the end of the afternoon. Restriction in available grazing time clearly influenced the distribution of time spent with grazing, rumination and idleness throughout the day. However, this effect was not observed in the total time spent in these activities...

Avaliou-se o comportamento ingestivo de vacas leiteiras com acesso restrito ou irrestrito a uma pastagem de alfafa suplementada com silagem de milho e concentrado. Utilizaram-se 16 vacas da raça Holandesa, em estádio médio de lactação, em delineamento em blocos ao acaso. Os tratamentos foram: silagem de milho substituída parcialmente por pastejo restrito ou irrestrito de alfafa. As vacas foram manejadas em sistema de pastejo rotacionado e a quantidade de concentrado foi igual em ambos os tratamentos. As atividades comportamentais observadas foram pastejo, ruminação e ócio, das oito às 19 horas, em quatro ocasiões. No pastejo irrestrito, observou-se que, nos horários entre 14 e 17 horas, o pastejo foi intermitente e de curta duração, enquanto no pastejo restrito a atividade de pastejo foi mais prolongada durante a manhã e no final da tarde. A restrição no tempo disponível para pastejo da alfafa influenciou marcadamente a distribuição, no decorrer do dia, do tempo gasto em pastejo, da ruminação e do ócio. Entretanto, não se observou este efeito no tempo total gasto nestas atividades...

Desempenho de vacas leiteiras em pastagem de alfafa suplementada com silagem de milho e concentrado e viabilidade econômica do sistema / Performance of dairy cows on alfalfa pasture supplemented with corn silage and concentrate and its economic viability

Avaliou-se o efeito da substituição parcial de silagem de milho por pastagem de alfafa no desempenho de vacas leiteiras e na viabilidade econômica do sistema. Utilizaram-se 24 vacas da raça Holandesa, em estádio médio de lactação, em delineamento em blocos ao acaso. Os tratamentos foram: dieta à base de silagem de milho em confinamento, silagem de milho substituída parcialmente por pastejo restrito (PR) e pastejo irrestrito (PI) de alfafa. O sistema de pastejo foi rotacionado, e a quantidade de concentrado igual em todos os tratamentos. A massa de forragem foi de 2.338 e de 1.878kg de MS/ha, e a oferta de 1,8 e 4,2kg de MS/100kg de peso vivo, nos tratamentos PR e PI, respectivamente. A produção de leite não diferiu entre os tratamentos, cujas médias foram de 25,9; 25,8 e 25,2 litros por vaca por dia no confinamento, no PR e no PI, respectivamente. A produção diária de leite por área foi de 59,3L/ha no PR e de 63,0L/ha no PI, enquanto no confinamento foi de 45,7L/ha. A substituição parcial de silagem de milho por alfafa em pastejo não limitou o desempenho produtivo dos animais e mostrou-se economicamente vantajosa em relação ao confinamento.

The effect of partial replacement of corn silage for alfafa grazing on dairy cows performance and profitability was evaluated. Twenty-four Holstein dairy cows in mid-lactation were used in a randomized block design. Treatments were: a corn silage-based diet fed on drylot, or partial replacement of corn silage for either restricted alfalfa grazing or unrestricted grazing. A rotational grazing system was used and the amount of concentrate fed was the same in all treatments. Forage availabilities were 2,338 and 1,878kg/ha of dry matter (DM) and offered at 1.8 and 4.2kg of DM/100kg of live weight under restricted and unrestricted grazing, respectively. No difference in milk production was observed among treatments, averaging 25.9, 25.8, and 25.2 liters per cow on feedlot, restricted grazing, or unrestricted grazing, respectively. Milk production per hectare was 59.3L/day on restricted grazing and 63L/day on unrestricted grazing, whereas it was 45.7L/day on drylot. Partial replacement of corn silage for alfalfa grazing did not limit animal performance and it would be economically advantageous as compared to drylot feeding.

Carcinomas arising in fibroadenomas: a report of two cases and a review of the literature.

Carcinomas arising in fibroadenomas are rare. Two such cases are being presented; one is of the ductal variety and the other, lobular. Both cases clearly demonstrate the overall configuration of fibroadenomas with foci of in situ and infiltrating carcinoma, the surrounding breast tissue being devoid of malignant changes. The diagnosis was clinically unsuspected in both cases and in only one of them was it suspected at the time of gross pathological examination. The intent of this presentation is to increase general awareness as to the existence of carcinomas arising in fibroadenomas and also to actively discourage the practice of rendering gross pathological diagnoses of fibroadenomas at table diagnosis, however innocuous these neoplasms may appear to be, without microscopic examination by frozen sections.

Immunoreactivity of neurofilament proteins in neuroendocrine neoplasms.

We immunostained histologic sections of formalin-paraffin-processed specimens from 112 neuroendocrine tumors to evaluate the expression of intermediate filaments, especially neurofilament (NF) protein. The commercially available anti-human NF protein monoclonal antibody was raised against the Mr 200,000 and 70,000 components of neurofilaments. None of our tumors exhibited unequivocal immunoreactivity for Mr 200,000 or 70,000 neurofilament proteins. The failure of a tumor to express the Mr 200,000 or 70,000 component of NF protein does not question its neuroendocrine nature. However, the unequivocal positivity for Mr 200,000 or 70,000 components of NF in an undifferentiated tumor with a differential diagnosis between neuroendocrine small-cell carcinoma and a neurogenic tumor should support the latter consideration.

Intermodal perception of adult and child faces and voices by infants.

This research investigated the ability of 4- and 7-month-old infants to match unfamiliar, dynamic faces and voices on the basis of age or maturity. In Experiment 1, infants received videotaped trials of an adult and a child of the same gender, side by side, speaking a nursery rhyme in synchrony with one another. The voice to one and then the other face was played in synchrony with the movements of both faces in a random order across 12 trials. On one block of 6 trials a man and a boy were presented, and on the other block a woman and a girl. Results indicated significant matching of the faces and voices at both ages, and the infant's prior experience with children appeared to facilitate matching at 7 months. Further, a visual preference for the children's faces was found. Experiment 2 assessed matching to the same events by 7-month-olds, only with the faces inverted. Results indicated no evidence of matching; however, the visual preference for the children's faces was replicated. Together, the findings suggest that infants are able to detect invariant intermodal relations specifying the age or maturity of a person's face and voice. This matching was most likely based on information that was degraded by inverting the faces, including invariant relations between the sound of the voice and configurational aspects of the face, or between temporal aspects of the voice and the relative motion of facial features.

Demonstration of uniform capillary basal lamina thickness by computer technology.

Blood capillaries are assumed to be circular cylinders composed of an inner layer of endothelial cells surrounded by an acellular uniformly thick basal lamina. The capillary basal lamina is the structural and functional interface between the capillary endothelial cells and the adjacent extracellular matrix, important in growth and control mechanisms of the endothelial cell. Capillaries examined in electron micrographs are cut randomly and a projected image of a capillary other than perpendicular to its long axis will produce artifactual thickening of the assumed uniformly thick basal lamina. We have developed an interactive computer program to determine the thickness of the capillary basal lamina that corrects the thickness resulting from the sectioning artifact. We have applied this methodology to demonstrate that the basal lamina of the pancreatic capillaries of the rat are uniformly thick.

Silicone replacement for non-union of the scaphoid. 7 cases followed for 9 (5-18) years.

In the years 1971-1983, 7 patients underwent excision of the scaphoid with replacement by a silicone rubber implant because of painful nonunion of a scaphoid fracture. The patients were reviewed 9 (4.5-18) years postoperatively. All patients returned to work, 2 patients being completely pain-free, 4 having only occasional pain on heavy activity, and 1 having pain on normal activity. The range of motion, power and pinch grip were near-normal in all. Radiographic examination showed progressive dorsal intercalated segment instability with carpal collapse and arthrosis. There was no evidence of fragmentation of, or reaction to the prosthesis. 1 prosthesis was dislocated, and no patient required a revision operation.

Neurofilament immunoreactivity in Merkel-cell tumors: a differentiating feature from small-cell carcinoma.

To differentiate Merkel-cell tumor (MCT) from other neuroendocrine (NE) carcinomas, we immunostained (using avidin-biotin-peroxidase method) nine MCT and 37 NE (including 28 small-cell) carcinomas for NE markers (neuron-specific enolase and chromogranin), cytokeratin, neurofilament, vimentin, and a number of other markers. Cytokeratin was positive in 100% of MCT and in 85% of small-cell carcinomas; neurofilament and vimentin were positive in respectively 100% and 22% of MCT and 0% of NE carcinomas. Our data suggest that the coexpression of cytokeratin and neurofilament by an undifferentiated dermal or visceral tumor is of significant help in diagnosing MCT and differentiating it from small-cell carcinomas. The vimentin reactivity is a weak and insignificant discriminant.