Gossypol toxicosis in a herd of beef calves.

A 6-month-old crossbred calf was examined as representative of a herd of calves experiencing dyspnea and death, with few other clinical signs of illness. Physical examination of the calf identified pleural and peritoneal effusion and poor body condition. The calf did not respond to supportive treatment, and necropsy of it and another calf from the herd identified congestive heart failure as the cause of death.

Function of the Y optic nerve fibres in the cat: do they contribute to acuity and ability to discriminate fast motion?

1. A controlled pressure block has been applied to the optic nerve of the cat, sufficient to bring about degeneration of the axons of the large (Y) nerve fibres caudal to the block site. This degeneration has been monitored by means of implanted electrodes in optic nerve and tract which have shown a loss of the short-latency (t1) response 4-6 days after the block, and also by histological examination of the optic nerve.

Blue-green algae toxicosis in five dairy cows.

Five Holstein cows developed a sudden clinical syndrome of ataxia, muscle tremors, recumbency, and bloody diarrhea. The pond where these cows obtained water contained a near pure culture of Microcystis aeruginosa, a toxic blue-green algae. All cows affected were treated with activated charcoal, procaine penicillin, glucose, and calcium and magnesium gluconate.

Ammoniated forage toxicosis in calves.

Two calves developed a CNS syndrome characterized by hyperesthesia, tremors, and incoordination while nursing dams that had been feeding on ammoniated forage. To increase digestibility, intake, and nitrogen content, low-quality forages were ammoniated at a rate of 3% dry weight. However, a CNS syndrome of unknown cause has been observed in cows and calves nursing cows that have ingested ammoniated forage.

Effects of 4-methylimidazole in young calves.

Clinical signs, gross and histologic necropsy findings and dose response curves of 4-methylimidazole (4-MI) were determined in young Holstein calves. Three-day-old Holstein bull calves were given an oral dose of 0,25,50,100,200 or 400 mg 4-MI/kg body weight. Acute clinical signs were hypersalivation, mouth chomping, diarrhea, muscle fasciculations, tremors, hyperexcitability, convulsions, coma and death.

Immunoglobulin heavy chain switch region restriction fragment length polymorphisms are associated with renal disease.

We describe here, to our knowledge for the first time, associations between polymorphisms at the genomic DNA level in the immunoglobulin gene region and renal diseases which lead to chronic renal failure. Recent studies have shown that protein polymorphisms, present in immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy chains (Gm allotypes) are associated with certain forms of renal disease and with end stage renal failure per se. To investigate this association at the DNA level we have used probes which recognize Ig heavy chain genes and this report describes results obtained with one of these, the S mu switch region probe.

Intoxication of cattle by Perilla frutescens (purple mint).

Perilla frutescens or purple mint has been associated with atypical interstitial pneumonia (AIP) for a quarter of a century. The amount and the stage of the plant required to produce AIP have been much debated. A field case in which catastrophic loses occurred in cattle ingesting hay containing purple mint showed that more than the green plants have the capability of producing atypical interstitial pneumonia.

Complement activation in systemic lupus erythematosus: a marker of inflammation.

Previous investigators have established that complement activation occurs in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Utilizing a new rapid method, an ELISA for C3d as a measure of activation products, 83 SLE plasmas and 24 controls were assayed. A retrospective correlation of C3d levels with the clinical assessment defined 4 subgroups of SLE patients: Group 1--clinically well with normal C3d levels (25%), Group 2--clinically ill with elevated C3d levels (34%), Group 3--clinically well with elevated C3d levels (39%), the largest group, and Group IV--clinically ill with normal C3d levels (2%).

Conus geographus toxins that discriminate between neuronal and muscle sodium channels.

We describe the properties of a family of 22-amino acid peptides, the mu-conotoxins, which are useful probes for investigating voltage-dependent sodium channels of excitable tissues. The mu-conotoxins are present in the venom of the piscivorous marine snail, Conus geographus L. We have purified seven homologs of the mu-conotoxin set and determined their amino acid sequences, as follows, where Hyp = trans-4-hydroxyproline.

Procedure for the determination of 2,4-D and dicamba in inhalation, dermal, hand-wash, and urine samples from spray applicators.

Analytical procedures for the simultaneous determination of residues of 2,4-D and dicamba from polyurethane foam plug air samplers, ethylene glycol impregnated glass-fiber filter paper dermal samplers, 1% sodium bicarbonate hand wash solution, and urine are presented. Residues were derivatized with diazomethane and quantitated using electron capture gas chromatography. Recoveries were greater than 80% at the limit of detection in all substrates.

A new and rapid quantitative assay for complement activation: an ELISA for C3d.

Complement activation occurs in many pathological conditions. Assays to evaluate the presence and extent of this activation may be limited by being qualitative, time-consuming, or radioactive. We have recently devised an enzyme-linked immunoassay that quantitatively measures the presence of the complement activation product C3d in plasma.

Phosphoglucomutase types in blood and hair roots taken from post-transfusion subjects.

Pre- and post-transfusion blood samples were collected from 22 subjects together with the corresponding plucked hair samples taken 2 days and 2 weeks after the transfusion. The phosphoglucomutase1 (PGM1) subphenotypes of blood and hair were determined by isoelectric focusing and the phenotypes confirmed by gel electrophoresis. Many of the post-transfusion blood samples showed an alteration in the PGM1 bands when compared with the pre-transfusion samples.

A venom peptide with a novel presynaptic blocking action.

The venom of the fish-eating marine mollusc, Conus geographus, contains several neurotoxic peptides having different targets. A novel peptide has recently been isolated from the venom of C. geographus by Drs B.

Ca2+-dependent slow action potentials in normal and dystrophic mouse skeletal muscle.

Slowly rising action potentials (APs), previously described in amphibian skeletal muscle, were examined in skeletal muscle of normal and dystrophic mice (129/ReJ strain). A standard two-microelectrode recording technique was used. Muscles were bathed in a solution that was Cl- free (methanesulfonate substituted), high in K+ (20 mM), and contained 15 mM tetraethylammonium.

Effects of pH on membrane resistance in normal and dystrophic mouse skeletal muscle fibers.

Membrane cable properties of skeletal muscle fibers of dystrophic mice (Rej-129) and their littermate controls were examined using a conventional two-microelectrode recording technique. Fibers from dystrophic mice had a decreased membrane resistivity (Rm) compared with those from normal mice (517 +/- 27 vs 642 +/- 34 omega - cm2), while the internal resistivities (Ri) did not differ significantly. The increase in membrane specific conductance was due to an increased Cl- conductance (gCl) (2304 vs 1346 microseconds/cm2 for normal fibers), although the K+ conductance (gK) was actually decreased (234 vs 369 microseconds/cm2 for normal fibers).