Measures of body size and growth in rhesus and squirrel monkeys subjected to long-term dietary restriction.

Although many studies have reported the robust effects of dietary restriction (DR) in retarding numerous aging processes in rodents, little is known about the outcomes of reducing caloric intake of a nutritious diet on aging in primates. Most primate studies have concerned the effects of malnutrition. We hypothesized that DR influences aging processes in primate species as it does in rodents.

Physician limitations when assessing work capacity: a review.

Literature evidence indicates that physicians have great difficulty in translating medical impairment into functional limitation and thereby establishing the work capacity or the residual functional capacity (RFC) of the injured worker. This is especially true for the chronic pain patient (CPP). Development of quantitative methods for the measurement of functional capacity (FC), have not improved the problems involved in the measurement of RFC and the translation of RFC into the demand minimum functional capacity (DMFC) of some job or jobs.

Prevalence of proliferative enteritis on pig farms in Australia.

Three surveys, undertaken to assess the prevalence of proliferative enteritis (PE) on pig farms in Australia and to investigate risk factors associated with clinical disease, indicated that PE was a common disease in pig farms. Forty of the 71 (56%) randomly-selected producers had either observed PE or had a veterinarian diagnose the disease in their herd during 1988 to 1990. A relatively low prevalence of the disease was recorded at veterinary diagnostic laboratories, and this suggested that diagnoses of PE were often not confirmed by histopathological examination of the intestines of affected pigs.

Area specific alterations in muscarinic stimulated low Km GTPase activity in aging and Alzheimer's disease: implications for altered signal transduction.

Carbachol-stimulated low Km GTPase activity (an index of muscarinic receptor-G protein coupling) was examined in hippocampus, basal ganglia, orbital frontal gyrus and superior frontal gyrus obtained from mature, aged and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) groups. Results indicated that carbachol-stimulated low Km GTPase activities in basal ganglia were as follows: mature controls > aged > AD, and there was a trend toward a similar pattern of decline in the hippocampus. No differences were seen in the two cortical areas examined; however, carbachol-stimulated low Km GTPase activity was small in the mature controls.

Delta protein kinase-C in the rat ovary: estrogen regulation and localization.

The present studies were undertaken to examine the cellular distribution and regulation of delta protein kinase-C (PKC) at different stages of luteal differentiation in the rat. Results from in situ hybridization studies with a delta PKC-specific probe demonstrated that delta PKC was localized specifically in granulosa cells of healthy preantral, small antral, and preovulatory follicles and corpora lutea from the second half of pregnancy. Northern and Western blot analyses showed that levels of delta PKC protein and messenger RNA were elevated 25- and 35-fold, respectively, in the second half of pregnancy over levels in preovulatory follicle-enriched ovaries, peaking between days 18-20 of pregnancy.

Multiple cytokines stimulate the binding of a common 145-kilodalton protein to Shc at the Grb2 recognition site of Shc.

We recently reported that interleukin-3, Steel factor, and erythropoietin all induce the tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc and its association with Grb2 in hemopoietic cell lines. We have now further characterized the proteins that become associated with Shc following stimulation with these cytokines and found that, in response to all three, the tyrosine-phosphorylated form of Shc binds to common 145- and 52-kDa proteins which also become tyrosine phosphorylated in response to these growth factors. The 145-kDa protein, which appears, from antiphosphotyrosine blots of two-dimensional O'Farrell gels, to exist in four different phosphorylation states following cytokine stimulation (with isoelectric points ranging from 7.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for measuring ileal symbiont intracellularis-specific immunoglobulin G response in sera of pigs.

Proliferative enteritis (PE) is a common intestinal disease on pig farms. The disease is caused by ileal symbiont (IS) intracellularis (Campylobacter-like organisms) bacteria. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to measure IS intracellularis-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) response in the sera of pigs.

Steel factor stimulates the serine/threonine phosphorylation of the interleukin-3 receptor.

The murine interleukin-3 (IL-3) dependent cell line, B6SUtA1, which expresses high IL-3 receptor (IL-3R) numbers, was found to proliferate in a greater than additive fashion when grown in the presence of IL-3 and steel factor (SF). However, pretreatment of these cells with SF had no effect on the number of IL-3Rs expressed at the cell surface nor their affinity for IL-3. Interestingly, although, SF did induce the rapid and transient serine- and threonine-specific phosphorylation of the beta IL-3 subunit of the IL-3R.

Functional electrical stimulation treatment of postradiculopathy associated muscle weakness.

Eighteen chronic pain patients (CPPs) with postradiculopathy-associated muscle weakness were entered into a nonrandomized functional electrical stimulation (FES) clinical treatment study to determine if FES can improve postradiculopathy associated muscle weakness. Because of the clinical nature of the unit, the CPPs could not be denied treatments other than FES. To control for these other treatments, the CPPs were used as their own controls with two control conditions, ie, where possible, the contralateral probable normal muscle was used as a control (control 1) and; in a subgroup of CPPs (n = 6), FES treatment was initially withheld to the probable weak muscle (control 2).

Simulation of the economic impact of transmissible gastroenteritis on commercial pig production in Australia.

A simulation model (AUSPIG) was used to predict the effect of an increase in piglet deaths, and a reduction in growth rate and an increase in feed conversion ratio of grower pigs on the profitability of two herds representative of the Australian pig industry caused by the introduction of transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGE) into those herds. For each herd, mortality rates for piglets under 1 week of age of 50% and 95% were assumed to represent a 'moderate' and a 'severe' outbreak, respectively. A reduction in net revenue of 70% was predicted to occur in the 6 months after a 'moderate' outbreak of TGE (100% for a 'severe' outbreak).

Measuring residual functional capacity in chronic low back pain patients based on the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

Study Design: This study designed and tested a functional battery based on the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT).

Objectives: Such a battery can be used to measure residual functional capacity (RFC) in chronic pain patients (CPP) and results can be matched against the demand minimum functional capacities (DMFC) of DOT jobs.

Summary Of Background Data: Physicians have difficulty translating medical impairment into functional limitation and thereby establishing the RFC of CPPs.

Outcomes in treatment of pain in geriatric and younger age groups.

Chronic pain treatment outcome studies have generated conflicting information on whether geriatric (age 65+) patients (1) benefit from pain center treatment, and (2) benefit as much as do other age groups. We asked chronic pain patients to rate themselves at pain center admission and discharge on 43 scales assessing area of pain, functional status, behavioral variables, and other areas (pain center modification goals). Patients were placed into one of three age groups: "geriatric" (n = 153); "middle aged" 45 to 64 years (n = 126); and "younger" 21 to 44 years (n = 191).

Does nonsurgical pain center treatment of chronic pain return patients to work? A review and meta-analysis of the literature.

Evidence in the literature relating to return to work as an outcome variable for nonsurgical treatment for chronic pain was examined. Study selection criteria were as follows: a detailed definition of patient work status, delineation of work status pre-treatment and at follow-up, and documentation of the proportion of patients employed at follow-up. Of 171 studies reviewed, 37 fulfilled these selection criteria.

The problem-oriented psychiatric examination of the chronic pain patient and its application to the litigation consultation.

Objective: The purpose of this paper is (a) to delineate the behavior problems or complaints of chronic pain patients (CPPs) as presented in the literature and to add those behavior problems that have not yet been identified; (b) to present a semistructured psychiatric interview format that would lead to the delineation of these problems; and (c) to present a format and structure for the proposed semistructured psychiatric interview that could be utilized for the purposes of medicolegal assessment of the CPP and the reporting of that assessment to the litigation process.

Setting: Any psychiatric/psychological examination of the CPP.

Methods: The pain literature was reviewed for any research reports that specifically addressed or delineated the types of behavior problems found within the chronic pain (CP) population.

Evaluating measures of hematology and blood chemistry in male rhesus monkeys as biomarkers of aging.

Reliable and valid biomarkers of aging can provide valuable tools for examining the effectiveness of interventions that may influence the rate of aging processes. However, a standardized method for identifying biomarkers of aging has yet to be developed. The current analysis focused on hematology and blood chemistry variables obtained from a 5-year longitudinal study of male rhesus monkeys (N = 29) on a diet restriction regime known to retard aging processes and extend lifespan in laboratory rodents (70% of the diet intake of controls).

Prediction of pain center treatment outcome for geriatric chronic pain patients.

Objective: Geriatric chronic pain patients (age 65 and over) form an increasing percentage of the pain center treatment population. It is therefore important to be able to predict pain center treatment success or failure for these patients; this is the first study to address this concern.

Design: Chronic pain patients rated themselves at pain center admission and discharge on 43 rating scales for the areas of pain, functional status, behavioral variables, and other pain center modification categories.

Association between the histological diagnosis of tuberculosis and microbiological findings.

The aim of this study was to determine the association between the histological diagnosis of tuberculosis and the microbiological findings and to indicate how these results affect treatment. Histopathology and microbiology records were examined retrospectively. 89 cases were identified between 1984 and 1988.

Regulation of delta protein kinase C during rat ovarian differentiation.

Studies were undertaken to classify protein kinase C (PKC) forms present in rat corpora lutea and to begin to evaluate their regulation during ovarian differentiation. Hydroxyapatite (HAP) column chromatography of rat luteal tissue revealed the presence of multiple forms of PKC (alpha, beta, delta, zeta). Identification of the PKC isoforms was based upon elution positions from HAP column chromatography and immunoreactivity.

High concentrations of antioxidants may not improve defense against oxidative stress.

It is often assumed that the oxygen radical defense could be further improved by higher concentration of antioxidants. But this has not been demonstrated over a wide range of concentrations. There are different types of oxygen radicals produced in the body and the antioxidant protection against them may not positively related to their concentrations.

Erythropoietin stimulates the tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc and its association with Grb2 and a 145-Kd tyrosine phosphorylated protein.

Although the erythropoietin receptor (EpR) lacks a tyrosine kinase consensus sequence within its proline-rich intracellular domain, addition of its ligand to Ep-responsive cells stimulates the rapid and transient tyrosine phosphorylation of a number of cellular proteins. The characterization of these phosphorylatable substrates, which include 5 major phosphoproteins with molecular masses of approximately 145, 130, 97, 72, and 56 Kd is an essential step in understanding the signal transduction pathways used by Ep. Recently, we and others have shown that the major 72-Kd tyrosine phosphorylated protein is the EpR itself.

Multiple cytokines induce the tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc and its association with Grb2 in hemopoietic cells.

The identification and characterization of proteins that become tyrosine-phosphorylated in response to growth factor stimulation is critical to furthering our understanding of the signal transduction pathways involved in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. In this report we demonstrate that interleukin-3, erythropoietin, and steel factor all induce the tyrosine phosphorylation of the SH2 containing protein, p52shc. These studies were carried out with various human and murine cell lines to document that this is a common event in hemopoietic cells.