Growth hormone deficiency in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: relation to gross motor function and degree of spasticity

Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) often have poor linear growth during childhood with short final height. Thus, we aimed to assess serum growth hormone (GH), insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) levels among CP patients and their relation to each of gross motor function and degree of spasticity. Fifty CP children and adolescents were studied in comparison to 50 healthy age-, sex- and pubertal stage-matched children and adolescents. All subjects were subjected to clinical evaluation, Intelligence Quotient (IQ) assessment and measurement of serum GH, IGF-1 and IGFBP-3. All auxological and hormonal parameters were significantly lower among cases. Fifty two% of cases were GH-deficient and 62% had reduced IGF-land IGFBP-3 levels. Gross Motor Function Measure- 88 (GMFM-88) score correlated negatively with each of basal (r = -0.71, p = 0.02) and peak stimulated GH (r =-0.88, p = <0.001); IGF-1 (r = -0.64, p = 0.04) and IGFBP-3 (r = -0.69, p = 0.031). There were significant negative correlations between the degree of spasticity assessed by Modified Ashworth Scale and each of basal (r = -0.61, p = 0.032) and peak stimulated GH (r = -0.78, p = 0.01); IGF-1 (r = -0.65, p = 0.041) and IGFBP-3 (r = -0.62, p = 0.035). Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) is prevalent in children with CP and could be one of the causes of their short stature.     

Comparison of preoperative carprofen and postoperative butorphanol as postsurgical analgesics in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy

OBJECTIVE: To compare carprofen to butorphanol, with regard to postsurgical analgesic effects, duration of analgesia, and adverse side effects. STUDY DESIGN: Blinded, randomized clinical study. ANIMALS: Seventy-one cats, 0.5-5 years of age, weighing 3.24 +/- 0.61 kg, undergoing ovariohysterectomy (OHE). METHODS: Cats were premedicated with subcutaneous atropine (0.04 mg kg(-1)), acepromazine (0.02 mg kg(-1)), and ketamine (5 mg kg(-1)). Anesthesia was induced with ketamine (5 mg kg(-1)) and diazepam (0.25 mg kg(-1)) given intravenously, and maintained with isoflurane. There were three treatment groups: group C (4 mg kg(-1) carprofen SC at induction), group B (0.4 mg kg(-1) butorphanol SC at end of surgery), and group S (0.08 mL kg(-1) of sterile saline SC at induction and end of surgery). Behavioral data were collected using a composite pain scale (CPS), prior to surgery (baseline) and 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 hours post-surgery. Interaction scores were analyzed separately. Cats with CPS scores >12 received rescue analgesia (meperidine, 4 mg kg(-1), intramuscular). RESULTS: Sixty cats completed the study. The CPS scores did not differ significantly between groups C and B at any time period. CPS scores for groups B and C were significantly increased for 12 hours post-surgery, and in group S for 20 hours. Both group C and B CPS scores were significantly lower than group S in this 20-hour postoperative period, except at 4 hours (B and C) and at 3 and 8 hours (B alone). Interaction scores for group C returned to preoperative baseline 4 hours after surgery, while both groups B and S remained increased for at least 24 hours post-surgery. Nine cats required meperidine. CONCLUSION: In this study, carprofen provided better postsurgical analgesia than butorphanol. Clinical relevance Neither drug completely abolished pain, however preoperative carprofen provided better pain control compared with postoperative butorphanol in the 24-hour period following OHE surgery in cats.     

Soy processing affects metabolism and disposition of dietary isoflavones in ovariectomized BALB/c mice

Soy foods and nutritional supplements are widely consumed for potential health benefits. It was previously shown that isoflavone-supplemented diets, which contained equal genistein equivalents, differentially stimulated mammary tumor growth in athymic mice based on the degree of processing. This paper reports plasma pharmacokinetic analysis and metabolite identification using the parental mouse strain fed the same diets, which contained genistin, mixed isoflavones, Novasoy, soy molasses, or soy flour plus mixed isoflavones. Whereas the degree of soy processing did affect several parameters reflecting isoflavone bioavailability and gut microflora metabolism of daidzein to equol, stimulation of tumor growth correlated significantly with only the plasma concentration of aglycon genistein produced by the diets. This conclusion is consistent with the known estrogen agonist activity of genistein aglycon on mammary tumor growth. Conversely, plasma equol concentration was inversely correlated with the degree of soy processing. Although antagonism of genistein-stimulated tumor growth by equol could explain this result, the very low concentration of aglycon equol in plasma (12-fold lower relative to genistein) is inconsistent with any effect. These findings underscore the importance of food processing, which can remove non-nutritive components from soy, on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of isoflavones. Such changes in diet composition affect circulating, and presumably target tissue, concentrations of genistein aglycon, which initiates estrogen receptor-mediated processes required for the stimulation of tumor growth in a mouse model for postmenopausal breast cancer.     

Discrepancies between ergosterol and the phospholipid fatty acid 18:2ω6,9 as biomarkers for fungi in boreal forest soils

Ergosterol and the phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) 18:2ω6,9 are frequently used as fungal biomarkers in studies on soils, and in accordance with the ideal for biomarkers of microorganisms they are thought to turn over rapidly after cell death and lysis. These biomarkers should also show the same patterns and responses to perturbations of the studied system. Here, I report strong correlations, in natural boreal forests of contrasting fertility, between free ergosterol and PLFA 18:2ω6,9 (r=0.821, P=0.007, n=9). Surprisingly, ergosterol, but not PLFA 18:2ω6,9, appears non-responsive to both large-scale tree girdling, which interrupts tree belowground C allocation to ectomycorrhizal fungi, and to long-term N-loading, which may have negative effects on both mycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi. These results, therefore, question the use of ergosterol to monitor effects of soil perturbations on fungi in the field, but do not put into question the use of the biomarker in natural forest ecosystems.     

An Electronic Nose and Indicator Volatiles for Monitoring of the Composting Process

The aim of this research was to study whether electronic nose sensor technology (NST 3320, Applied Sensor, Sweden) can be used effectively for monitoring of the composting process. The effect of aeration on the composting process was examined using two aeration levels representing insufficient and optimal aeration for composting. An additional aim was to identify possible indicator gases in the volatile organic compound profiles of the composts by on-line FT-IR and gas chromatographic determinations. The results indicated that the electronic nose was able to distinguish between the two composter bins after 13 days of composting. Of the volatile metabolites that were identified, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) proved to be a suitable indicator compound of anaerobicity as it was only produced in considerable quantities in the insufficiently aerated composter bin.     

Social modulation of pain as evidence for empathy in mice

Empathy is thought to be unique to higher primates, possibly to humans alone. We report the modulation of pain sensitivity in mice produced solely by exposure to their cagemates, but not to strangers, in pain. Mice tested in dyads and given an identical noxious stimulus displayed increased pain behaviors with statistically greater co-occurrence, effects dependent on visual observation. When familiar mice were given noxious stimuli of different intensities, their pain behavior was influenced by their neighbor's status bidirectionally. Finally, observation of a cagemate in pain altered pain sensitivity of an entirely different modality, suggesting that nociceptive mechanisms in general are sensitized.     

Genetic variations in maternal transfer and immune responsiveness to infectious bursal disease virus

The immune responsiveness to infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) in four native and crossbred chicken lines was compared. ELISA IBDV antibody titers in hen serum samples, yolk from matched eggs and sera from matched 1-day-old chicks from each chicken line with an identical vaccination program were measured, and plotted. There was considerable variation between lines in the measured IBDV specific antibodies, in vaccinated parent hens and in the amounts of inherited maternally derived antibodies in both yolk and progeny chicks. Differences in ratios of the inherited antibody level from hen to 1-day-old chicks were also found among different chicken lines. Breed differences in regressions of IBDV antibody levels in yolk to that of hen or progeny chicks' sera were also found, so prediction of serum titer of hen and/or progeny chicks from yolk are varied among chicken lines.     

Histomorphometric analysis of the irides of dogs, camels, buffalos and donkeys

The present study was carried out to investigate the morphological and histomorphometrical characters of irides in dogs, camels, buffalos, and donkeys. The findings of the study revealed that, morphologically, the irides were consisted of an anterior border layer, a middle layer of connective tissue stroma and a posterior layer of pigmented epithelium. Interestingly, the anterior borders of all investigated animals were not enveloped by a distinct epithelial or endothelial lining, but on contrary, the posterior border was covered by pigmented epithelium. The constrictor and dilator iridial muscles were well developed in dogs, weakly developed in donkeys, and with an intermediate position in camels and buffalos. Morphometric analysis revealed significant species differences in the mean total thickness of the iris and its different layers. In addition significant differences were also found between the ratio of the means of different layers to the total thickness of the iris at the pupillary, middle and ciliary borders. In conclusion, these variations might be related to the different lifestyles and visual behaviour of the investigated animals.     

Sorption of perfluorinated compounds from contaminated water to activated carbon

Introduction  

Perfluorinated compounds (PFC) are toxic and bioaccumulative compounds that are ubiquitous in the environment. It is important to develop effective techniques to remove PFC from water. This study is the first to investigate sorption of PFC to activated carbon (AC) at environmentally relevant nanogram per liter concentrations.