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OBJECTIVE To describe the technique and findings of the 'veterinary focused assessment with sonography for trauma-airway, breathing, circulation, disability and exposure' protocol in dogs suffering from trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS Prospective observational study on a new point-of-care ultrasound protocol on 64 dogs suffering from trauma and comparison of findings with radiology. RESULTS Comparison of the results of this new ultrasound protocol for trauma patients with radiography findings for pneumothorax, pleural effusion, alveolar-interstitial syndrome and abdominal effusion revealed positive agreement of 89, 83, 100 and 87% and negative agreement of 76, 83, 76 and 92%, respectively. Novel findings of the 'veterinary focused assessment with sonography for trauma-airway, breathing, circulation, disability and exposure' exam, which were not previously reported for dogs undergoing focused assessment with sonography for trauma, included alveolar-interstitial syndrome (suggestive of pulmonary contusions), diaphragmatic hernia, retroperitoneal effusion and tracheal injury. Our new technique may also help identify increased intracranial pressure via changes in optic nerve sheath diameter and haemodynamic instability through the evaluation of the caudal vena cava and cardiac function. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The described ultrasound examination protocol can be rapidly performed on dogs suffering from trauma during resuscitation and it may detect injuries previously undetectable using other veterinary point-of-care ultrasound protocols.

There is still disagreement on whether peritoneal dialysis (PD) should begin with a full dose (Full_Dial) or with incremental doses (Incr_Dial) to compensate for the amount of Kt/V no longer supplied by the residual renal function (RRF). The aim of this study is to assess the effects of an Incr_Dial protocol on the choice of dialysis modality, RRF, and adequacy. The Incr_Dial protocol in our center is as follows: for patients with a glomerular filtration rate (GFR)5 ml min(-1), PD is initiated with two exchanges per day (continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD)) or four sessions per week (ambulatory PD (APD)); and hemodialysis (HD) is initiated with two sessions per week. The PD dose is then increased in proportion to the reduction in the GFR as follows: GFRor =5 and3 ml min(-1)=3 CAPD exchanges or five APD sessions; GFR3 ml min(-1)=full dialysis dose (Full_Dial). The effects of the Incr_Dial protocol on the choice of dialysis modality were assessed on 87 patients (pts) (age: 69.3+/-13.1 years) who initiated dialysis between 1 January 2004 and 31 May 2007. The effects of Incr_Dial on RRF and dialytic adequacy were assessed in 11 pts treated with two CAPD exchanges per day for a total of 106 months (mean+/-s.d. 9.7+/-6.5), and then treated with three CAPD exchanges per day for an additional 105 months (9.4+/-8.3). The use of Incr_Dial determined the choice of PD in 27 of 44 pts (61.4%) without indications or contraindications to HD or PD. CAPD was chosen by 20 of these pts (74.1%), whereas APD was preferred by 6 of the 8 pts switched from Incr_Dial to Full_Dial. During Incr_Dial, a significant reduction in the loss of GFR of 2.4+/-3.1 ml min(-1) year(-1) was observed when compared to the pre-dialysis period. Incr_Dial allowed for adequate clearance, as confirmed by the Kt/V (2.07+/-0.2), protein nitrogen appearance (1.17+/-0.13), and biochemical parameters. Ultrafiltration (UF) with icodextrin (772+/-166 ml per exchange) provided a daily UF of 517+/-296 ml day(-1) and remained unchanged when the duration of the dwell time increased significantly from 12.3+/-1.4 to 17.5+/-2.6 h.

We examined changes in mood and personality characteristics in a sample of cocaine-dependent women being treated in a therapeutic community (TC). Forty-six women completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II) on admission and 12 months after discharge from the TC. On admission, the group was characterized by clinically significant scores on the BDI, HAM-A, and the MCMI-II Avoidant, Dependent, Antisocial, Passive-aggressive, Self-defeating, and Borderline scales. On follow-up, significant improvement in functioning was suggested by decreases in scale scores on the BDI, HAM-A, and MCMI-II Avoidant, Dependent, Self-Defeating, and Borderline Scales, but not for the MCMI-II Antisocial and Passive-Aggressive scales. These results suggest substantial positive effects of TC treatment on personality characteristics and functioning, but also indicate that TC treatment may not habilitate all critical personality deficits.

The major stages of oligodendrocyte differentiation are defined by the presence or absence of certain myelin-specific proteins. Events leading to the successful processing of these proteins, such as the folding, assembly, and trafficking of these proteins through the biosynthetic pathway, are largely undefined. In the present study, we have examined both cultured primary oligodendrocytes and immortalized oligodendrocyte cell lines for the presence of molecular chaperones and/or vesicle transport proteins. We find that a select set of these proteins are expressed relatively early in oligodendrocyte differentiation, whereas a characteristically different set of proteins are expressed at later stages of oligodendrocyte differentiation. In other systems, these proteins participate in the folding and assembly of protein complexes, in the prevention of protein aggregation, as well as the trafficking of proteins via vesicles to specific subcellular destinations including the plasma membrane. Some of the chaperones and/or vesicle transport proteins investigated in this study may play a pivotal role in the certain aspect of myelin biogenesis. J. Neurosci. Res. 50:769–780, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

This study examined the relationship between self-injurious behavior and caloric intake. Behavioral, dietary, and weight/height indices obtained on 80 neurodevelopmentally disabled and autistic clients revealed that maintenance on high caloric diets significantly predicted the occurrence of self-injurious behavior in male clients. Male clients with self-injurious behavior were also outside their recommended weight to height index. Systematic studies are needed to assess the relationship among diet, the endogenous opioid system, and self-injurious behavior. © 1992 Plenum Publishing Corporation.

Washed guinea-pig spermatozoa from the vas deferens re-acquired progressive motility within 1-2 min of incubation in minimal culture medium containing pyruvate and lactate. When glucose was added, either at the beginning or after 15 min of incubation, the cells showed stimulated motility (increased straight-line velocity, linearity and beat-cross frequency, P less than 0.01). Re-acquisition of progressive motility was preceded by a significant (P less than 0.005) transient increase in sperm concentration of cyclic adenosine 5'-phosphate (cAMP) with or without glucose in the medium. Papaverine caused another large significant (P less than 0.001) increase in cAMP concentration; and 5.56mM glucose with papaverine caused a further stimulation in cAMP beyond that with papaverine alone (P less than 0.005). Although 0.05 or 5.56mM glucose plus alpha-chlorohydrin stimulated sperm motility, they did not further stimulate the increase in cAMP after 30 s of incubation. Thus, there was no apparent correlation between the glucose-stimulating effect on sperm motility and the enhancement of cAMP at 30 s. However, there was a close correlation between glucose-stimulated motility and enhancement of ATP (P less than 0.05) by glucose even under incubation conditions in which glucose caused the Crabtree effect (decrease in respiration rate).

The Authors report a case of vesical hemangioma; it was typical for site and clinical presentation whereas the age of onset and gross appearance were atypical. A TUR biopsy was performed without complications, but did not confirm diagnosis. A partial cystectomy was performed. A one-year follow-up, negative for recurrence, confirmed this procedure as the definitive treatment of choice.

WS10.5 Social support, self-esteem and treatment barriers in adolescents with CF: the LINFA study L. Neri1, V. Lucidi2, P. Catastini3, C. Colombo4, LINFA Study Group. 1University of Milan, Clinical Science and Community Health, Milan, Italy; 2Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital, Cystic Fibrosis Unit − Department of Pediatric Medicine, Rome, Italy; 3Ospedale Pediatrico Meyer, Fibrosi Cistica Toscana Centro Regionale Toscano di Riferimento per la Fibrosi Cistica, Firenze, Italy; 4University of Milan, Clinica Pediatrica De Marchi, Milan, Italy

A sudden-onset chyluria after trauma was evaluated giving evidence of a lymphatic-urinary fistula in the right kidney. Treatment with somatostatin normalized the urinary pattern and the result was maintained even after the discontinuation of the therapy.

A clinical trial examined whether retention of cocaine-abusing women in a therapeutic community can be improved by permitting their children to live with them during treatment. Fifty-three women were randomly assigned to either the standard community condition (n = 22), in which children were placed with the best available caretaker, or the demonstration condition (n = 31), in which one or two of the children lived with their mother in the community. Survival analysis distributions indicated that demonstration women remained in treatment significantly longer than standard treatment women. (Mean length of stay was 300.4 days vs 101.9 days, respectively.)

The authors present a description of PAR Village, a demonstration project designed to examine the question of whether mothers in residential treatment accompanied by their children have better outcomes than those who enter treatment without their children. Issues related to the treatment of women in substance abuse programs are discussed as an introduction to the structure and purposes of the program. Details of the setting, client selection process, and program philosophy are provided. The workings of program services and treatment elements are described and illustrated by a case example.

There is convincing clinical and experimental evidence to support the notion that lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is atherogenic. Patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis have an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular complications. In the present study, we investigated the possible relation between the alteration, if any, in serum Lp(a) and coronary artery disease in such patients. The mean serum concentration of Lp(a) tended to be higher in the 64 hemodialysis patients than in the 30 normal controls (15.1 ± 15.2 vs. 9.7 ± 10.4 mg/dl). However the difference did not reach statistical significance. The prevalence of levels above 30 mg/dl was 14% (9/64) and 10% (3/10), respectively, and the difference was also not statistically significant. Eleven hemodialysis patients with coronary artery disease had a significantly higher mean serum concentration of Lp(a) than the unaffected 53 (33.7 ± 18.4 vs. 11.1 ± 11.2 mg/dl, p < 0.001). Elevated levels were present in 63.6% (7/11) and 3.8% (2/53), respectively (p

Because of increasing incidence of diabetes and longer survival of most patients a growing number of diabetics are today affected by end stage of renal failure (ESRF) and diabetes will become in the 90s the single most frequent cause of nephropathy leading to dialysis or renal transplantation in the Western world ([1]). The impact of this problem in terms of clinical and socio-economic implications is therefore becoming more and more huge ([2]).

Left ventricular thrombi can occur after acute myocardial infarction or in patients with chronic left ventricular dysfunction. Stasis of blood within areas of akinesis or dyskinesis is thought to be the mechanism by which thrombi form. Cardioembolic stroke is the most feared complication of left ventricular thrombi. A 37-year-old man with progressive heart failure after myocardial infarction was found to have severe …

Acute traumatic subdural haematoma suspected of extending over an entire hemisphere must be treated with all speed. To obviate unnecessary skin incisions and subsequent craniectomies and craniotomies during the operation, we think it advantageous to plan a series of burrholes at set points in order to; a) begin to clear the haematoma; b) assess its extent and possible origin; c) decide whether a hemicranial or smaller craniotomy is called for.

Intact washed human platelets were studied for ecto-ATPase activity; labelled and unlabelled substrate was used. Strong activity was found with ATP and ITP; weaker activity occurred with ADP, UTP, and GTP. The K m of the ATP-splitting reaction was 1.6–2.0 × 10 −5 m . The enzyme was found to be Ca ++ - and Mg ++ -dependent, was blocked by EDTA, and had maximal activity in a pH range of 7.0–8.5. The enzyme was competitively inhibited by ADP. KCN, 1 × 10 −2 m , 5 × 10 −4 m ouabain, and 3 × 10 −2 m arginine methyl ester had no effect. The ecto-ATPase has many features in common with thrombosthenin, the contractile protein of platelets. The K m of purified thrombosthenin was 2.4 × 10 −5 m . Subcellular fractionation of platelets yielded a membrane fraction whose K m in the presence of ouabain was 1.8 × 10 −6 m . Antisera to thrombosthenin inhibited the platelet ecto-ATPase. The possible relationship of this enzyme to the mechanism of ADP-induced platelet aggregation is discussed.

SummaryAfter incubation of platelet-rich plasma with labelled adenosine or ADP, platelet incorporation of radioactivity was assessed. Platelets were rapidly separated for counting by filtration through cellulose acetate Millipore. Inulin-H3 served as a plasma marker, and triple isotope techniques permitted simultaneous assessment of the behavior of the adenine and phosphate moieties of ADP without washing of platelets. In other experiments, electron microscopic radioautography was employed to trace the label after platelet incorporation.The results were consistent with previous reports that ADP is dephosphorylated in plasma and is incorporated by platelets only as a dephosphorylated residue, probably adenosine. The label crossed the platelet membrane and entered the platelet, where it was distributed in platelet granules and the agranular cell sap. Concentration within granules occurred to a minor degree.The results support the hypothesis that platelet aggregation by ADP occurs without a persistent bond of ADP to the platelet. Inhibition of aggregation by adenosine probably depends on a metabolic or transport process rather than on competition between adenosine and ADP for platelet binding sites.

SummaryPlatelet adhesiveness, measured by an in vitro technique, has been found abnormal in 21 of 24 patients with chronic renal failure. This abnormality was strongly correlated with prolongation of the Ivy bleeding time, with abnormal prothrombin consumption, and with clinical bleeding.The possible pathogenesis of this defect is discussed.

1.1. The literature on dermatitis due to celery has been reviewed. 2.2. Seventy-seven cases of dermatitis in celery workers have been observed. 3.3. The results of skin tests made by the scratch, intradermal, and patch methods, using various preparations from the celery plant, have been described. 4.4. The dermatitis is of the contact type and appears to be due to the oil in the celery plant. Dextro-limonene may be a factor in this oil. 5.5. The methods of treatment are discussed. In a pilot experiment two highly sensitive workers have been protected by injections of the celery oil.

SummaryNormal washed human erythrocytes, when incubated in a buffered saline solution (pH 7.5-7.6) with T4 (3.75 X 10-8 M), demonstrated increased production of 2, 3-DPG and glucose consumption during the first 30 min of incubation. However, lactate production and ATP levels were decreased. The mechanism is probably related to a direct effect of T4 on the diphosphoglycerate mutase.

Thoracic ganglia and cercal nerve preparations from Periplaneta americana were exposed to Latrodectus mactans tredecimguttatus venom and to its toxic protein fractions which had been electrophoretically separated. Permanent block of endogenous activity of the thoracic ganglia was observed with crude venom at a concentration of 40 μg of protein per ml, while a tenfold concentration was required to block cercal nerve preparations. The separated proteins, which were found to be toxic in vivo, induced the same effect at lower concentrations. Blocked activity may be reversed following contact with the antivenin serum.

Diseases of the cardiovascular system are a common cause of death in renal transplanted patients. In this study we assessed the echocardiographic morphological and functional findings after renal transplantation of two homogenous groups of transplanted patients with normal renal function. The first (A) with spontaneously normotensive patients, the second (B) with moderate hypertension treated mainly with Ace inhibitors. Analysis of these data highlights two noteworthy results: the similar left ventricle hypertrophy found in both groups and the existence of better diastolic compliance among the hypertensive transplanted patients. If this is confirmed by studies currently in progress, the importance of Ace-inhibitors treatment in remodelling cardiac dysfunction after long term dialysis treatment might be seriously considered.

ALTERATIONS in the intracellular concentration of cyclic 3′,5′-AMP have been implicated in the action of many hormones and pharmacological agents in a variety of tissues1. In many cases, drugs, the action of which in liver, myocardium, adrenal and other tissues has been attributed to their effects on cyclic AMP concentrations, are known to influence aggregation of blood platelets, for example, platelet aggregation is inhibited by methyl xanthines2 and reserpine3, which inhibit cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase4,5, and is augmented by epinephrine6, which stimulates adenyl cyclase in liver, fat cells and myocardium7. 5-Hydroxytryptamine induces platelet aggregation8; it stimulates adenyl cyclase in the liver fluke9. Prostaglandin PGE1 is a potent inhibitor of platelet clumping10; it increases the level of cyclic AMP in adipose tissue11 but in some circumstances may lower its concentration in isolated fat cells1.

// Simona Ultimo 1 , Giorgio Zauli 1 , Alberto M. Martelli 2 , Marco Vitale 3, 4 , James A. McCubrey 5 , Silvano Capitani 1 and Luca M. Neri 1 1 Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy 2 Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy 3 Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy 4 CoreLab, Azienda Ospedaliero, Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy 5 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA Correspondence to: Luca M. Neri, email: luca.neri@unife.it Silvano Capitani, email: silvano.capitani@Unife.it Keywords: cardiovascular diseases; sport exercise; aging; miRNAs; biomarkers Received: December 26, 2017 Accepted: January 20, 2018 Published: March 30, 2018 ABSTRACT Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the most important causes of mortality worldwide, therefore the need of effective preventive strategies is imperative. Aging is associated with significant changes in both cardiovascular structure and function that lower the threshold for clinical signs and symptoms, making older people more susceptible to CVDs morbidity and mortality. microRNAs (miRNAs) modulate gene expression at post-transcriptional level and increasing evidence has shown that miRNAs are involved in cardiovascular physiology and in the pathogenesis of CVDs. Physical activity is recommended by the medical community and the cardiovascular benefits of exercise are multifactorial and include important systemic effects on skeletal muscle, the peripheral vasculature, metabolism, and neuroendocrine systems, as well as beneficial modifications within the myocardium itself. In this review we describe the role of miRNAs and their dysregulation in several types of CVDs. We provide an overview of miRNAs in CVDs and of the effects of physical activity on miRNA regulation involved in both cardiovascular pathologies and age-related cardiovascular changes and diseases. Circulating miRNAs in response to acute and chronic sport exercise appear to be modulated following training exercise, and may furthermore serve as potential biomarkers for CVDs and different age-related CVDs.

The janus kinases (JAK), extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) pathways have been shown to play a cardioprotective role. We previously gave evidence that melanocortins afford cardioprotection in conditions of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion. Here we aimed to investigate the influence of melanocortins on the JAK/ERK/STAT signaling in cardiac and systemic responses to prolonged myocardial ischemia/reperfusion. Ischemia was produced in rats by ligature of the left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min. At the end of the 2-h reperfusion, western blot analysis of the cardioprotective transcription factors pJAK2, pERK1/2, pTyr-STAT3 and pSer-STAT3, the inflammatory mediator tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), the pro-apoptotic factors BAX and c-jun N-terminal kinases (pJNK), the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-XL, as well as of the cardioprotective enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), was performed in the left ventricle and spleen. Intravenous treatment, during coronary artery occlusion, with the melanocortin analogs [Nle(4), D-Phe(7)]α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (NDP-α-MSH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone 1-24 [ACTH-(1-24)], induced a left ventricle up-regulation of pJAK2, pERK1/2 and pTyr-STAT3 (JAK-dependent), and a reduction in pJNK and TNF-α levels; these effects of NDP-α-MSH and ACTH-(1-24) were associated with over-expression of the pro-survival proteins HO-1 and Bcl-XL, and marked decrease of the myocardial infarct size. Melanocortin treatment did not affect left ventricle pSer-STAT3 (ERK1/2-dependent) and BAX levels. In the spleen, NDP-α-MSH and ACTH-(1-24) induced similar effects on the expression of the above transcription factors/proteins, except for pERK1/2 (down-regulated) and HO-1 (unaffected). Blockade of JAK and ERK pathways with AG490 and U0126, respectively, abrogated the myocardial infarct size reduction by NDP-α-MSH. These results indicate that melanocortins inhibit local and systemic inflammatory and apoptotic cascades triggered by prolonged myocardial ischemia/reperfusion, with consequent reduction in myocardium infarct size, seemingly via activation of the JAK/STAT signaling and with modulation of an ERK (STAT unrelated) signaling pathway.