Multiple-center study of reduced-concentration triamcinolone topical solution for the treatment of dogs with known or suspected allergic pruritus

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of triamcinolone acetonide topical solution (TTS) in dogs for use in reduction of clinical signs of pruritic inflammatory skin diseases of a known or suspected allergic basis and to evaluate adverse effects associated with TTS administration. ANIMALS: 103 pruritic adult dogs with known or suspected allergic skin disease. PROCEDURE: Dogs were treated for 4 weeks with TTS or with vehicle solution (control dogs) in a multiple-center study. Clinical signs were scored by owners and by examining veterinarians before and after treatment. Blood samples obtained before and after treatment were subjected to routine hematologic and serum biochemical analyses. RESULTS: Treatment success, as defined by an improvement of at least 2 of 6 grades in overall clinical score, was evident in 35 of 52 (67%) TTS-treated dogs (mean improvement, 1.98) and 12 of 51 (24%) control dogs (mean improvement, 0.29). For several criteria, TTS was significantly more effective than vehicle in reducing clinical signs. Minor alterations in hematologic determinations in TTS-treated dogs were limited to slightly lower total leukocyte, lymphocyte, and eosinophil counts after treatment. Minor adverse effects were reported by owners in 6 of 52 (12%) TTS-treated and 9 of 51 (18%) control dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Triamcinolone used as a spray solution at a concentration approximately one-sixth the concentration of triamcinolone topical preparations currently available for veterinary use is effective for short-term alleviation of allergic pruritus in dogs. Adverse effects are few and mild and, thus, do not preclude prolonged treatment with the solution.     

A highly specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of Cry1Ac insecticidal crystal protein in transgenic WideStrike cotton

A highly selective enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed for the quantitative detection of the Cry1Ac protein expressed in transgenic cotton. Two Cry1Ac-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAb), Kbt and 158E6, were developed and selected to form a sandwich format ELISA. The MAb Kbt was used as a capture antibody, and 158E6 was conjugated with horseradish peroxidase and served as a detection antibody. The assay was optimized and validated with different cotton matrices. Tissues were extracted with phosphate-buffered saline containing 0.05% Tween 20 and 1% polyvinylpyrrolidone. The extract was then treated with trypsin to truncate full-length Cry1Ac into the core toxin for quantitation. The resulting assay has good accuracy and precision with a validated limit of quantitation ranging from 0.1 to 0.375 mug/g dry weight of cotton tissues. This assay is highly specific for Cry1Ac protein and has no cross-reactivity with the nontarget proteins tested such as Cry1Ab and Cry1F.     

Räumliche Spannungsmessungen mit dem Stress State Transducer (SST) in ungesättigten aggregierten Böden - theoretische Betrachtungen und erste Ergebnisse

Stress measurements in undisturbed unsaturated soils with a Stress State Transducer (SST) - theory and first results A method to quantify the spatial stress distribution will be introduced and first results will be discussed. This method allows the detailed analysis of principal and shear stresses as well as the determination of the direction angle of principal stresses and the octahedral shear stress angle. The described Stress State Transducer (SST) is composed of six single strain gage sensors that enable the accurate and reproducable recording of stresses in six directions in a wide load range. Their data form the base for calculation of spatial stress distribution. Some first results show that in a luvisol derived from loess wheeling at a wheel load of 4.0 Mg induces high shear stresses in a depth of 30 cm. This probably causes plastic soil deformation.     

Enzymatic coupling of cholesterol intermediates to a mating pheromone precursor and to the ras protein

The post-translational processing of the yeast a-mating pheromone precursor, Ras proteins, nuclear lamins, and some subunits of trimeric G proteins requires a set of complex modifications at their carboxyl termini. This processing includes three steps: prenylation of a cysteine residue, proteolytic processing, and carboxymethylation. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the product of the DPR1-RAM1 gene participates in this type of processing. Through the use of an in vitro assay with peptide substrates modeled after a presumptive a-mating pheromone precursor, it was discovered that mutations in DPR1-RAM1 cause a defect in the prenylation reaction. It was further shown that DPR1-RAM1 encodes an essential and limiting component of a protein prenyltransferase. These studies also implied a fixed order of the three processing steps shared by prenylated proteins: prenylation, proteolysis, then carboxymethylation. Because the yeast protein prenyltransferase could also prenylate human H-ras p21 precursor, the human DPR1-RAM1 analogue may be a useful target for anticancer chemotherapy.     

Genetic and pharmacological suppression of oncogenic mutations in ras genes of yeast and humans

The activity of an oncoprotein and the secretion of a pheromone can be affected by an unusual protein modification. Specifically, posttranslational modification of yeast a-factor and Ras protein requires an intermediate of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. This modification is apparently essential for biological activity. Studies of yeast mutants blocked in sterol biosynthesis demonstrated that the membrane association and biological activation of the yeast Ras2 protein require mevalonate, a precursor of sterols and other isoprenes such as farnesyl pyrophosphate. Furthermore, drugs that inhibit mevalonate biosynthesis blocked the in vivo action of oncogenic derivatives of human Ras protein in the Xenopus oocyte assay. The same drugs and mutations also prevented the posttranslational processing and secretion of yeast a-factor, a peptide that is farnesylated. Thus, the mevalonate requirement for Ras activation may indicate that attachment of a mevalonate-derived (isoprenoid) moiety to Ras proteins is necessary for membrane association and biological function. These observations establish a connection between the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway and transformation by the ras oncogene and offer a novel pharmacological approach to investigating, and possibly controlling, ras-mediated malignant transformations.     

Self-stimulation alters human sensory brain responses

Human electrocortical potentials evoked by self-administered auditory and visual stimuli manifest much smaller amplitude and faster poststimulus timing than do average brain responses evoked by identical machine-delivered stimuli. Auditory evoked potentials show this "self-stimulation effect" to a greater degree than do visual responses. For visual evoked potentials, the effect appears greater at the vertex association area than over the occipital cortex. Individual differences in the magnitude of the "self-stimutlation effect" relate to level of intelligence.     

Electron probe x-ray microanalysis of a normal centriole

A scanning spectrometer with lithium fluoride, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, and gypsum crystals was used to detect the x-ray spectrum of a normal centriole, the transmitted electron image of which was used to focus the exciting electron beam to the size, shape, and position of the centriole in a 700-angstrom section of intact tissue.     

Observations on blood coagulation after snakebite in dogs and cats

Blood samples from 13 cases of snakebite, 6 in dogs and 7 in cats, were tested for activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT) and fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products (FDP). Four cases were tested for fibrinogen concentration. Based on the results of a commercially available ELISA test, 9 cases were caused by tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus) and 1 case by a brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis). Three other cases had clinical signs and increased creatine phosphokinase values which suggested tiger snake envenomation. Although the period post-envenomation varied, results indicated a marked prolongation of the APTT and PT in 5 of 6 dogs. Three of these 5 dogs also had increased FDP values and 3 (of 3 examined) were hypofibrinogenaemic. Clinical manifestations of this coagulopathy were: haematoma formation after venepuncture (3 cases), gingival petechiae (1 case) and hyphaema (1 case). In contrast, there was minimal or no prolongation of the APTT and PT values, and no increase in FDP, in all 7 cats. Furthermore, no cat exhibited clinical signs of a coagulopathy.