Inhibition of wound contraction with colchicine and D-penicillamine.

The effects of locally injected combined colchicine and D-penicillamine on wound contraction were investigated in a murine model. Two full-thickness excisional wounds were made on either side of the back of hairless (hr/hr) mice. A volume of 0.

Synthesis and assembly of chimeric human immunodeficiency virus gag pseudovirions.

Expression of the HIV Gag precursor in insect cells by recombinant baculoviruses results in the assembly and budding of noninfectious pseudovirions that resemble immature virus. Three strategies for packaging additional viral epitopes into pseudovirions were examined: coinfection of insect cells with individual baculoviruses encoding separate Gag and Env structural genes, inframe Gag-Env fusion proteins, and Gag-frameshift-Env fusion proteins. Electron microscopy and Western blot analysis indicated that neither the coinfection nor the inframe fusion strategies reliably produced large quantities of structurally stable chimeric pseudovirions.

The role of circulating catecholamines in the depletion of parotid acinar granules in conscious rats in the cold.

The possibility that circulating catecholamines might affect parotid gland function during feeding (over a period of 80 min) and cold stress (2-4 degree C) was investigated in rats that had been fasted for 30 h. In the first set of experiments, in which the glands had been sympathectomized by removing both superior cervical ganglia 10-12 days previously, there was a substantial reduction in the density of acinar secretory granules (42% compared with non-fed animals in the cold) and in the total glandular amylase activity (54%). However, similar, or even greater, losses were recorded in rats subjected to additional bilateral adrenal medullectomy and pretreatment with atropine and alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor blockers.

Electrophoretic analysis of rat parotid salivary protein composition: investigation of the parasympathetic atropine-resistant secretion.

Rats pretreated with atropine and adrenoceptor antagonists show secretion of saliva upon electrical stimulation of the parasympathetic nerve of the parotid gland. The protein composition of this secretion has been analysed by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and compared with the protein profiles obtained with secretions evoked by parasympathetic stimulation (in the absence of atropine) or infusion of bethanechol with or without vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP, a probable transmitter conveying parasympathetic secretory impulses). The SDS-PAGE patterns were highly reproducible for an individual rat although minor differences were detected between different rats.

Muscarinic receptor subtypes in the submandibular gland and the urinary bladder of the rabbit: in vivo and in vitro functional comparisons of receptor antagonists.

1. In pentobarbitone-anaesthetized rabbits, the inhibitory effects of muscarinic receptor antagonists with different selectivity profiles were examined on carbachol-evoked submandibular secretion and urinary bladder contractions, and on parasympathetically nerve-evoked secretion. On isolated submandibular gland fragments, the inhibitory effects of the antagonists were studied on carbachol-evoked release of potassium and on the overflow of tritium in response to electrical field stimulation.

Ketanserin accelerates wound epithelialization and neovascularization.

We investigated the acute effects of topical ketanserin, a 5-HT(2) (serotonin) receptor blocker, on wound epithelialization and vascularization with the use of the hairless mouse ear model. Varying concentrations of Ketanserin (0%, 0.2%, 2.

Possible role of bovine immunodeficiency virus in bovine paraplegic syndrome: evidence from immunochemical, virological and seroprevalence studies.

Bovine paraplegic syndrome (BPS) is a debilitating cattle disease of unknown origin that is characterized by leukocytosis, lymphocytopenia and monocytopenia. The major clinical signs are difficulties in locomotion affecting hind limbs, hypoalgesia in the hind quarters, posterior paralysis and death within 72 to 96 hours after recumbency. To investigate the aetiological basis of BPS, we examined a possible association of the syndrome with infection by bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV), a lentivirus implicated in immune system dysfunction and central nervous system lesions in cattle.

In vivo and in vitro effects of muscarinic receptor antagonists on contractions and release of [3H]acetylcholine in the rabbit urinary bladder.

The functional effects of muscarinic receptor antagonists were examined in vivo and in vitro on the rabbit urinary bladder. Inhibitory effects on carbachol-evoked contractions of detrusor strips were pronounced for 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine (4-DAMP; -logIC50: 8.64), p-fluoro-hexahydro-sila-diphenidol (pFHHSiD; 7.

Presence and effects of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide in the submandibular gland of the ferret.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP), a recently described vasoactive intestinal peptide-like neuropeptide, was found to be present in neurons in the submandibular gland of the ferret, where PACAP-immunoreactive nerve fibers were distributed around blood vessels, acini and ducts. Most of the PACAP-immunoreactive fibres were distinct from those storing vasoactive intestinal peptide. PACAP occurs in tissues as PACAP1-38 and PACAP1-27.

Fluid and protein secretion from ferret submandibular and parotid glands in response to sympathetic nerve stimulation or administration of sympathomimetics.

Electrical stimulation of the sympathetic innervation evoked secretion of submandibular and parotid saliva. By changing the mode of stimulation from a continuous to an intermittent one the fluid response increased and glandular blood flow improved. The volumes from the submandibular glands were larger than those from the parotid glands and further, the protein concentration of submandibular saliva was higher than that of parotid saliva.

The study of logarithmic image processing model and its application to image enhancement.

Describes a new implementation of Lee's (1980) image enhancement algorithm. This approach, based on the logarithmic image processing (LIP) model, can simultaneously enhance the overall contrast and the sharpness of an image. A normalized complement transform has been proposed to simplify the analysis and the implementation of the LIP model-based algorithms.

An experimental model for long-term examinations of urethral and uterine pressures in conscious dogs: effect of a highly selective compound contracting urethral smooth muscles.

An experiment model was designed for studies of urethral and uterine pressures in a conscious animal, thereby avoiding the interference of anesthesia on these responses. Dogs were trained to stand in cradles for an experimental period of 3 hours, during which urethral and uterine pressures and ECG were recorded. Substances were administered either orally or intravenously.

The Biosure Study: influence of composition of diet and food consumption on longevity, degenerative diseases and neoplasia in Wistar rats studied for up to 30 months post weaning.

The 1200-rat Biosure Study had six interrelated aims: (1) To see whether dietary restriction (80% ad lib.) reduces the age-standardized incidence of fatal or potentially fatal neoplasia before the age of 30 months. (2) To see whether the beneficial effects of diet restriction can be achieved by (a) limiting the daily period of access to food to 6 hr, or by (b) limiting the energy value of the diet.

Amino acid sequence analysis of the proteolytic cleavage products of the bovine immunodeficiency virus Gag precursor polypeptide.

Bovine immunodeficiency virus Gag proteins were purified from virions, and their amino acid sequences and molecular masses were determined. The matrix, capsid, and nucleocapsid (MA, CA, and NC, respectively) and three smaller proteins (p2L, p3, and p2) were found to have molecular masses of 14.6, 24.

Electrophoretic analysis of cat parotid saliva in response to parasympathetic stimulation or infusion of bethanechol.

The protein constituents of cat parotid saliva evoked by parasympathetic stimulation or the infusion of bethanechol have been compared by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The SDS-PAGE patterns were highly reproducible for an individual cat and revealed up to 30 polypeptide bands in microlitre volumes of unconcentrated saliva. Only minor and predominantly quantitative differences were detected in the salivary protein composition of different cats.

Comparison of the effects of commonly used wound agents on epithelialization and neovascularization.

Background: The primary effect sought with most topical wound therapy is antimicrobial. Topical wound agents are thought to promote normal healing by protecting the wound from infection. In this study, we examined the effect of six commonly used topical wound agents (bacitracin, sodium hypochlorite, silver nitrate, silver sulfadiazine, mafenide acetate, and povidone-iodine) on epithelialization and neovascularization in noninfected wounds.

Masticatory-salivary reflexes mobilize non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic secretory mechanisms in parotid glands of conscious rats.

All rats were maintained on liquid diet, prepared from their ordinary hard pelleted diet, for a week, then fasted 32-33 h and subsequently either fed liquid or pelleted diet for 60-90 min or serving as non-fed controls. Both the fed and the non-fed animals had received atropine and alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor antagonists 15 min before the test. The rats given the liquefied chow consumed about twice as much as those given the hard chow.

Outbreak of infection with penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in a hospital for the elderly.

A penicillin- and trimethoprim-resistant strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 9 was isolated from sputum, pleural effusion fluid or blood collected from 10 patients with lower respiratory tract infection on three separate wards in a hospital for the elderly over a 3-week period in February, 1993. Eight of the 10 infections were hospital-acquired. Following the cessation of new admissions to wards with infected patients, and a change of antibiotic policy for the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections, there were no new isolates.

Parasympathetic non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic reflex secretion of parotid acinar granules in rats pretreated with atropine and adrenoceptor antagonists.

In parotid glands of fasted rats, feeding for 60-90 min reduced numerical density of acinar secretory granules by 52% and total activity of glandular amylase by 38%. In the presence of adrenoceptor antagonists (phentolamine and propranolol, 2 mg/kg, i.p.

Closure of esophageal defects with muscle flaps.

Objective: To determine the feasibility and reliability of muscle flaps as a sole means of closure of severe esophageal defects.

Design: Retrospective case series of patients with esophageal defects closed with muscle flaps. Mean follow-up was 6 years.

Vascularized muscle flaps for life-threatening mediastinal wounds in children.

Vascularized muscle flaps have been shown to be highly effective in adults for complicated mediastinal and thoracic wounds. They result in infection control, wound coverage, and preservation of life. Minimal experience exists with the use of these techniques in children.

The hairless mouse ear: an in vivo model for studying wound neovascularization.

Microvascular ingrowth into damaged tissue is an essential component of the normal healing process. In fact, wound therapy is often aimed at promoting neovascularization. However, little is known about the mechanisms that regulate microvascular ingrowth into a healing wound.