An improvement of the acoustic fetal heart rate monitoring using statistical evaluation of the abdominal signal.

An improved acoustical method for fetal heart rate (FHR) measurement is presented. The beat identification is based on the selection of the power peaks measured on two frequency channels. The identification of the valid peaks will be accomplished by rules, considering the timing and the amplitudes of the detected peaks with preferred search for pairs of the first and second sound.

Conformational trapping in a membrane environment: a regulatory mechanism for protein activity?

Functional regulation of proteins is central to living organisms. Here it is shown that a nonfunctional conformational state of a polypeptide can be kinetically trapped in a lipid bilayer environment. This state is a metastable structure that is stable for weeks just above the phase transition temperature of the lipid.

An instrument using parallel filtering of acoustic signals to record fetal heart rate.

A novel portable instrument for long-term recording of fetal heart rate has been developed, based on the detection and evaluation of maternal abdominal acoustic signals. Multichannel, adaptive digital filtering using different frequency characteristics yields a reliable indication of fetal heart beats even at a high level of noise. The evaluation system statistically processes the acoustic signals, controls amplitude limits, and adjusts filter characteristics.

Detection of ochratoxin a in human blood and colostrum.

Ochratoxin A (OA) is one of the most frequent sources of mycotoxin contamination of feed plants in Hungary. It is produced by 10% of Aspergillus and 12% of Penicillium species, i.e.

Pathomorphological changes caused by T-2 trichothecene fusariotoxin in geese.

T-2 trichothecene fusariotoxin was administered to 110 laying geese and 33 ganders in the active egg production period through a tube at 2-day intervals on a total of 10 occasions. After the treatment, the geese were subjected to detailed pathomorphological examination. In the ovaries of layers, a cessation of follicle maturation and follicle degeneration dependent on the toxin dose were observed, accompanied by ovulation and consequent peritonitis in the birds that died and in some of those killed by bleeding.

Perinatal oestrogen syndrome in swine.

Perinatal oestrogen syndrome (F-2 fusariotoxicosis occurring at the perinatal age) was studied in large pig herds and in animal experiments. The disease markedly lowered the conception rate of sows and gilts, and increased the number of repeat breeders. Litter size decreased and the number of stillbirths rose.

Effects of T-2 toxin treatment on the egg yield and hatchability in geese.

Ten groups of one-year-old geese, each including 10 layers and 3 ganders, were treated with T-2 toxin at doses of 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.

[Neuro-reflexotherapy intervention in the treatment of non specified low back pain: a randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial].

Background: Nonspecific low back pain is a very common disorder for which no completely satisfactory treatment has been established. A randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial was design to assess the efficacy of neuro-reflexotherapic intervention in the treatment of this condition.

Methods: Ninety-one patients with a confirmed diagnosis of nonspecific low back pain were referred for treatment from primary health care facilities in the Spanish National Health System.

Kinetics of hypodermically injected technetium-99m and correlation with cutaneous structures: an experimental study in dogs.

We investigated the involvement of cutaneous structures in specific linear migration pathways of technetium-99m pertechnetate hypodermically injected at points of low electrical resistance in the metacarpus of male beagles. Skin-deep incisions were made in the front or back legs on either the same side as the 99mTc injection or on the opposite side. Incisions in the back legs did not affect the migration pattern.

Glycoprotein gp50-negative pseudorabies virus: a novel approach toward a nonspreading live herpesvirus vaccine.

Essential herpesvirus glycoproteins are involved in membrane fusion processes during infection, e.g., viral penetration and direct cell-to-cell transmission.

Experimental study on radioactive pathways of hypodermically injected technetium-99m.

The objective of this study was to investigate the biological substrate of radioactive pathways of migration of hypodermically injected 99mTc into points of low electrical resistance. Sixteen anesthetized adult male beagles were used. Control and test points were defined by comparing their electrical resistance to that of the pinna.

Firefly luciferase as a marker for herpesvirus (pseudorabies virus) replication in vitro and in vivo.

Insertion of reporter genes into complex viral genomes and monitoring virus replication by detecting the corresponding protein products is increasingly used in pathogenesis studies. We present here the isolation and characterization of a recombinant neurotropic alpha-herpesvirus, pseudorabies virus (PrV), which stably carries the gene encoding firefly luciferase. To express the enzyme the complete open reading frame for luciferase was fused to the promoter and first seven codons of the non-essential glycoprotein gX gene of PrV.

[Relationship between reproductive and productive performance in poultry flocks].

The author analyses the interrelationship between the hygienic prerequisites of reproduction and performance in poultry farming, with regard to their impact on human health. The main factors influencing the hatching rate of poultry eggs are reviewed along with their epizootiological and economic aspects, and the possibilities of the prevention of egg-transmitted diseases are discussed.

Changes induced in newborn piglets by the trichothecene toxin T-2.

Three pregnant sows, being in the last quarter of gestation, were used in an experiment to study the changes induced in newborn piglets by T-2 toxin. One sow was used as control (C). The other two received 24 mg (sow A) and 6 mg (sow B) T-2 toxin, respectively, mixed in the feed, daily, up to the time of farrowing.

Role of prestomal teeth in feeding of the house fly, Musca domestica (Diptera; Muscidae).

Ultrastructural studies of the mouthparts of Musca domestica L. show that the fly's prestomal teeth are more damaging to host tissues than considered previously. When fed on tissue culture or pig cornea, SEM revealed that M.

Growth inhibition of Escherichia coli by nitrate reductase.

The metabolite of a not nearer identified Pseudomonas strain inhibited or inactivated Escherichia coli in presence of nitrate.

A simple preparatory method for scanning electron microscopy of the mouthparts of muscoid flies (diptera).

A Scanning electron microscopic preparation method is described, especially for muscoid flies also useful for the preparation of other chitinous structures of insects. Carbon-tetrachloride was used to maintain the proper positions of the proboscis and the labella rendering a better view of the fine structures. Specimens were cleaned by a bioactive washing powder, then air-dried prior to fixing them on stubs by a reliable home-made adhesive.

The role of the housefly, Musca domestica, in the spread of Aujeszky's disease (pseudorabies).

Starved houseflies were held over a suspension of Aujeszky's virus (PRV-1) for 24-48 h. One group was rinsed in 70% ethanol to kill virus attached to the body surface. No virus was isolated from this group.