Vertical transmissibility of small ruminant lentivirus.

This study aimed to evaluate by means of Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (nPCR), co-cultivation and sequencing, with genetic comparison between strains (mother/newborn), the occurrence of vertical transmission of Small Ruminant Lentiviruses (SRLV) from naturally occurring nannies infected for their offspring. For the detection of SRLV seropositive progenitors, blood was collected from 42 nannies in the final third of gestation in tubes with and without anticoagulant. The diagnostic tests used were Western Blot (WB) and nPCR.

Response of resistant and susceptible Brazilian Somalis crossbreed sheep naturally infected by Haemonchus contortus.

This study was carried out to evaluate the performance of Brazilian Somalis sheep to natural infections by gastrointestinal nematodes. During 98 days, 75 weaned sheep, initially 3-4 months old, were kept on the same pasture and evaluated. Fecal and blood samples were collected for parasitological and hematological exams.

Small ruminant lentivirus genetic subgroups associate with sheep TMEM154 genotypes.

Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) are prevalent in North American sheep and a major cause of production losses for the U.S. sheep industry.

Evaluation of reference genes for real-time PCR studies of Brazilian Somalis sheep infected by gastrointestinal nematodes.

Precise normalization with reference genes is necessary, in order to obtain reliable relative expression data in response to gastrointestinal nematode infection. By using sheep from temperate regions as models, three reference genes, viz., ribosomal protein LO (RPLO), glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and succinate dehydrogenase complex subunit A (SDHA), were investigated in the abomasum, abomasal lymph nodes and small intestine of Brazilian Somalis sheep, either resistant or susceptible to gastrointestinal nematodes infections.

Ability of low-dose helical CT to distinguish between benign and malignant noncalcified lung nodules.

Study Objectives: Low-dose helical CT scanning identifies early stage lung malignancies and also a large proportion of lung nodules of uncertain diagnostic and prognostic significance (ie, indeterminate nodules). The sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of these indeterminate nodules detected by CT scanning as part of a lung cancer screening program is largely unknown. We therefore calculated the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of CT-detected lung nodules that were followed up at least 18 months.

Prenatal treatment with picrotoxin promotes heterotypical sexual behavioral and neurochemical changes in male rat offspring.

The effects of maternal prenatal exposure to picrotoxin (0.75 mg/kg S.C.

Influence of time of day on hypothalamic monoaminergic activity in early pregnancy: effect of a previous reproductive experience.

Several dopamine-related neurochemical and behavioral responses are influenced by the time of day. The light-dark shift is a major zeitgeber for various functionally important hypothalamic monoaminergic systems. However, these influences are modulated by reproductive state and by reproductive experience (RE) in females.

Reproductive experience modulates dopamine-related behavioral responses.

Reproductive experience (RE), i.e., mating, pregnancy, parturition and lactation, has long-term physiological effects.

Starting to think digitally: evaluation of web browser-based presentation of images at a Rad Path conference in a traditional film-based environment.

Images have traditionally been projected from film to a large-screen television at the weekly Rad Path conference at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School. An alternative system was developed to digitally transfer computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance images (MRI) into a standard PC format, and present them at the conference in a hypertext markup language (HTML) document via a laptop computer and liquid crystal display (LCD) projector. Resident and attending physicians were given a questionnaire about the differences between the two modes of presentation.

Reproductive experience increases striatal and hypothalamic dopamine levels in pregnant rats.

The effects of parity on the dopaminergic function of rats were studied. Striatal and hypothalamic levels of dopamine (DA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), norepinephrine (NE), serotonin (5-HT), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) as well as serum prolactin (PRL) levels of 7-days primigravid and multigravid rats were compared. Brains and trunk blood were collected from 1200-1400 h on day 7 of pregnancy and assayed for monoamines and their metabolites, and prolactin, respectively.

Pulmonary manifestations of cryptococcosis in patients with AIDS: CT features.

The computed tomographic (CT) scans and chest radiographs of 10 patients with AIDS and proven pulmonary cryptococcal infections were reviewed. In seven patients (70%), CT demonstrated pulmonary opacities that ranged in appearance from a perihilar interstitial pattern to an area of dense alveolar consolidation. Corresponding chest radiographs were less accurate in detecting interstitial opacities (2 of 5 patients, 40%) than the alveolar opacities (4 of 5 patients, 80%).

Pattern recognition of the pulmonary manifestations of AIDS on CT scans.

More than 50% of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) develop pulmonary disease during the course of their illness. The authors reviewed 96 computed tomographic (CT) scans of patients with AIDS in an attempt to describe disease entities by the patterns seen on the scans. Such patterns included isolated ground-glass and interstitial infiltrates, which are suggestive of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP).

Malignant tumors invading chest wall: treatment with CT-directed implantation of radioactive seeds.

Computed tomography (CT) was used to direct permanent implantation of radioactive iodine-125 seeds in two patients with unresectable lung cancer and in one with recurrent breast cancer invading the chest wall. An average of 60 seeds were implanted, with a mean total radioactivity of 35.6 mCi (1,317 MBq).

The functional significance of calcification of coronary arteries as detected on CT.

We evaluated the coronary arteries on computed tomography (CT) scans of the chest and on coronary angiograms of 27 patients who underwent both studies. We related the presence or absence of coronary artery calcification on CT to percentage stenosis on angiogram. For the left anterior descending artery (LAD), the likelihood of calcification rose proportionately with degree of stenosis; this was less true for the circumflex, and not true for the right coronary artery (RCA).

Radiographic manifestations of primary bronchogenic carcinoma.

Carcinoma of the lung continues to account for more cancer-related deaths than any other neoplasm in the United States. The World Health Organization recognizes four main classifications of cell type. Squamous cell carcinoma is most often a central lesion that locally invades the hilus and mediastinum.

Hilar and mediastinal adenopathy in sarcoidosis as detected by computed tomography.

CT of the chest was performed in 25 patients with chest radiographs suspicious for hilar or mediastinal adenopathy, who subsequently proved to have sarcoidosis. In each case, CT detected more extensive adenopathy than suspected on chest radiographs. Adenopathy greater than 1.

Varied appearance of AIDS-related lymphoma in the chest.

The authors reviewed all cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related lymphoma (ARL) seen at their institution between January 1982 and September 1988 to determine the frequency and appearance of ARL in the chest. Of 35 patients with ARL, 11 (31%) had biopsy-proved thoracic involvement. This frequency is significantly greater than that previously reported.

The value of a structured course for an elective in radiology for senior medical students.

The authors recently revised the elective course for senior medical students at Northwestern University Medical School. The new course is well structured with clearly stated objectives, self-instruction seminars, specialized teaching conferences conducted by attendings and residents, student presentations, and a final examination. The enrollment in the course has increased steadily, especially among students not planning a career in radiology.

Complexities of establishing an early diagnosis of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in children.

The problem of attempting to diagnose allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in children at an early age, prior to the development of undesirable sequelae, such as bronchiectasis, is reviewed. Two cases of ABPA with onset under the age of ten are presented as illustrations of the complexities of securing an early diagnosis of ABPA. ABPA is not infrequent in children, with children under ten representing an estimated 9% to 10% of patients with the disorder.

Frequency of extrathoracic metastases from bronchogenic carcinoma in patients with normal-sized hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes on CT.

The only cure for bronchogenic carcinoma is complete surgical resection; the most common reason for not attempting surgical resection is mediastinal adenopathy. However, we have found that even when the lymph nodes are normal in size, the presence of extrathoracic metastases may preclude successful resection. In a series of 263 patients with pathologically proved non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma who were seen over a 2-year period, we identified 95 patients in whom a preoperative CT scan showed only a solitary lung mass without evidence of hilar or mediastinal metastases, pleural effusion, or definite chest-wall involvement.

CT-guided placement of iodine-125 seeds for unresectable carcinoma of the lung.

To avoid thoracotomy, we recently placed 70 125I seeds percutaneously with the aid of CT guidance for treatment of an unresectable carcinoma of the lung. We achieved a successful distribution of seeds without complications.