Artificial nutrition and hydration: the evolution of ethics, evidence, and policy.

Introduction: The debate over use of artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) in terminal illness, including advanced dementia, remains contentious despite extensive ethical and empirical investigation.

Methods: For this narrative review we undertook a focused, selective review of literature reflecting ethical analysis, empirical assessment of outcomes, legal responses, and thinking within the Roman Catholic religious tradition.

Results: The history of the debate over the past 60 years results from a complex interplay of ethical concerns, a growing empirical database, legal changes, public opinion, and financial as well as institutional concerns.

Complementary and integrative approaches to dementia.

This is a review that evaluates complementary and alternative approaches to dementia and places them into an integrative framework. While many therapies in popular use have yet to be supported by "best-evidence" trials or meta-analysis, conventional treatments for dementia are clearly suboptimal. This encourages both health care providers and patients' families to expand their search for options for this difficult condition.

Pacheco's disease in psittacine birds.

Pacheco's disease, caused by a herpesvirus, was diagnosed in 20 groups of 47 psittacine birds received for necropsy. A tentative diagnosis, based on history and gross lesions, was confirmed by one or more of the following observations: Cowdry type A inclusions in the hepatocytes and cells of other affected tissues, pathogenicity of tissue suspensions for chicken embryos, cytopathic effects of herpesvirus in monolayers of chicken embryo fibroblasts, and demonstration of herpesvirus in cell-culture fluid by electron microscopy.

Hemorrhagic disease in canaries (Serinus canarius).

Two aviaries were diagnosed as harboring an infectious and fatal disease of canaries (Serinus canarius) characterized by acute hepatocellular necrosis and associated with megaloschizonts of a protozoan parasite and extravasation of blood into the thoracoabdominal cavity.

Immunogenic potency of oil-emulsified Mycoplasma gallisepticum bacterins.

Immunogenicity of an aqueous Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) bacterin and two oil-emulsified bacterins with aqueous-phase-to-oil-phase ratios of 1:2 and 1:4 were evaluated in 3 groups of 5-week-old MG-free White Leghorn chickens. Group 4 chickens were nonimmunized controls. Group 1, 2, and 3 chickens received primary immunizations with 0.

Isolation of avian influenza virus in Texas.

An avian influenza virus with surface antigens similar to those of fowl plague virus (Hav 1 Nav 2) was isolated in 1979 from 2 commercial turkey flocks in Central Texas. Two flocks in contact with these infected flocks developed clinical signs, gross lesions, and seroconversion but yielded no virus. This was the first recorded incidence of clinical avian influenza in Texas turkeys and only the second time that an agent with these surface antigens was isolated from turkeys in U.

Unusual disease conditions in pet and aviary birds.

Ninety percent ot 100% mortality in budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) nestlings from 2 aviaries was attributed to giardiasis. Treatment with dimetridazole in drinking water was effective in controlling mortality. Aeromonas hydrophila infection incriminated in acute deaths of aviary canaries (Serinus canarius) was successfully treated with chlortetracycline.

Bacterial coryza in turkeys in Texas.

A motile, gram-negative, short bacillus was isolated from the tracheas of turkey poults with coryza. An Escherichia coli also was isolated from the tracheas of poults. The former bacterium possessed characteristics similar or identical to those isolated from coryza outbreaks in other states.

Zoonotic diseases in psittacine birds: apparent increased occurrence of chlamydiosis (psittacosis), salmonellosis, and giardiasis.

Between September 1977 and November 1978, chlamydiosis (psittacoisis) was diagnosed in 52 of 128 parrots, 5 of 12 cockatiels, 2 of 5 cockatoos, 3 of 6 macaws, 1 of 22 conures, 2 of 18 lovebirds, and 6 of 76 parakeets; 2 lories and 1 lorikeet were chlamydiosis negative. Two cases of human chlamydiosis were associated with two submissions of parrots subsequently found to have active infection. Twenty parrots (including 13 that were chlamydiosis positive), 2 cockatiels, 1 macaw, 1 lorie, and 1 parakeet yielded salmonella organisms, of which 16 were identified as Salmonella typhimurium, 8 as untypeable monophasic salmonellae of serogroup B, and 1 as S arizonae.

Insecticide poisoning of peafowls and lead poisoning in a cockatoo.

The deaths of peafowls and a cockatoo were respectively traced to insecticide and lead toxicities. The specific insecticide could not be identified but was demonstrated in the liver by use of fruit flies. The liver of the cockatoo contained 7.

Candidiasis in cockatiel nestlings and mucormycosis in a pigeon.

Deaths of cockatiel nestlings caused by Candida albicans, and of a pigeon caused by air-sac infection with Absidia corymbifera, are described. Lesions in the cockatiels were pseudomembranes and ulcers in the mouth, esophagus, and crop. In the pigeon the air sacs were thickened and contained a grayish gelatinous exudate.

Giardia infection in parakeets.

Giardia infection causing high morbidity and mortality in parakeets in 3 commercial aviaries is described. The disease was successfully treated with dimetridazole.

Comparison of selected diagnostic tests for detection of motile Aeromonas septicemia in fish.

Cultural isolation, slide agglutination (SA), tube agglutination (TA), microagglutination (MA), and fluorescent antibody (FA) techniqes were compared as methods for detecting motile aeromonas septicemia in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). Tests were conducted on naturally infected fish from feral populations and commercial sources, as well as on fish which were experimentally infected with a virulent culture of Aeromonas hydrophila. Increased levels of specific serum agglutinins to A hydrophila were demonstrable only in fish from whose blood the organism could be recovered.

Complement-fixation and hemagglutination antigens from a Chlamydial (ornithosis) agent grown in cell cultures.

Methods are described for the preparation of complement-fixation (CF) and hemagglutination (HA) antigens from the Texas turkey ornithosis agent grown in McCoy cell culture monolayers. The particulate antigens prepared for this study were satisfactory for testing mammalian sera by direct CF tests and avian sera by indirect CF or modified direct CF tests. Comparison of titers were made on human, bovine and ovine sera using direct CF tests employing antigen prepared for this study, 6 BC yolk sac antigen, and a commercially available antigen.