Serum copper,zinc, and iron concentrations of Holstein dairy cows in different seasonal and physiological states

The aim of the present study was to determine the serum copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe) concentrations of Holstein dairy cows in different seasonal and physiological states. A total of 250 blood samples were collected from healthy Holstein dairy cows. Blood samples were divided according to season, pregnancy, gestation period, calving number, and milk yield. The Cu, Fe, and Zn contents were assessed in samples using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Neither the seasonal nor the physiological changes affect mean serum Cu and Fe concentrations of Holstein dairy cattle. Mean Zn concentrations in serum vary only with physiological changes, including gestation period and milk yield. In cattle groups divided based on gestation period, the mean serum Zn concentrations were significantly higher for under 3 months than for 6–9 months (P?<?0.05). In cattle groups divided based on daily milk yield, the highest serum Zn concentrations were related to the group under 10 kg/day (P?<?0.05). In present study, although slight differences were observed in serum Cu, Zn, and Fe concentration in different seasonal and physiological states, especial care must be taken when concentrates are supplemented in different physiological states of Holstein dairy cows by trace elements.     

Light deprivation improves melatonin related suppression of hippocampal plasticity

In early postnatal life, sensory inputs deeply influence development as well as function of the brain. Plasticity of synaptic transmission including its experimentally induced form, long‐term potentiation (LTP), is affected by sensory deprivation in neocortex. This study is devoted to assess if dark rearing and a dark phase synthesized hormone melatonin influence LTP in the hippocampus, an area of brain involved in learning and memory. In vivo experiments were carried out on two groups of 45‐days‐old male Wistar rats kept in standard 12‐h light/dark condition [light reared (LR) tested during the light phase] or in complete darkness [dark reared (DR)] since birth to testing. Each group, in turn, was divided to two, vehicle‐ and melatonin‐treated, groups. Stimulating the Schaffer collaterals of CA3 area of hippocampus extracellular postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) were recorded in the CA1 area. Having the stable baseline responses to the test pulses, the hippocampus was perfused by either vehicle or 2 μg melatonin and EPSPs were recorded for 30 min. Then, for induction of LTP, the tetanus was applied to the Schaffer collaterals and the field potentials were pooled for 120‐min post‐tetanus. The light deprivation resulted in a significant augmentation in the amplitude of baseline responses. Also, we observed a melatonin‐induced increase in amplitude of the baseline recordings in either LR or DR animals. Tetanic stimulation elicited LTP of EPSPs in both LR and DR groups, robustly in the former where it lasted for about 90 min. Generally, melatonin inhibited the production of LTP in the two groups especially in the LR animals leading to a noticeable depression. We concluded that higher level of neuronal activity in the DR rats gives rise to a lower level of LTP. Weaker effect of melatonin on blocking the potentiation of post‐tetanus EPSPs in the DR rats may be the result of a desensitization of melatonin receptors due to chronically increased levels of this hormone in the visually deprived rats. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Perinephric hematoma: semi-automated quantification of volume on MDCT: a feasibility study

Background  

To evaluate feasibility and reproducibility of quantification of perinephric hematoma volume on multidetector-row CT (MDCT).     

De-Misty-fying the mesentery: an algorithmic approach to neoplastic and non-neoplastic mesenteric abnormalities

Mesenteric abnormalities are often incidentally discovered on cross-sectional imaging performed during daily clinical practice. Findings can range from the vague “misty mesentery” to solid masses, and the possible etiologic causes encompass a wide spectrum of underlying pathologies including infectious, inflammatory, and neoplastic processes. Unfortunately, the clinical and imaging findings are often non-specific and may overlap. This article discusses the various diseases that result in mesenteric abnormalities. It provides a framework to non-invasively differentiate these entities, when possible.     

Results of treatment of esophageal carcinoma in 110 patients in north-west Iran

Background: Esophageal carcinoma is one of the most common lethal malignancies in north and north‐west Iran. It is usually advanced in presentation and is rarely diagnosed in the early stages. The aim of this article is to describe the clinicopathological features and survival of esophageal carcinoma in the advanced and early stages. Methods: One hundred and ten patients (49 men and 61 women) with esophageal carcinoma treated by surgery and combination therapies in a referral hospital were studied over a 5‐year period. The clinicopathological features, treatment received, complications of the treatment and survival data of these patients and also the time of diagnosis, stage of cancer, demographic features, surgical therapy and survival were analyzed. Results: Among the 110 patients with esophageal cancer who were undergone surgery, there was none in stages 0 and 1. The frequency of patients in stages 2, 3, and 4 were 21%, 70% and 9%, respectively. Of the tumors, 87% were squamous cell carcinomas and 13% adenocarcinomas. Anastomotic leakage and pneumonia were the most common operative complications. The 5‐year survival rate in this study was 2.7%. Conclusion: Most of the esophageal cancers in north‐west Iran are detected in the late stages and the survival rate is lower than reported in other studies. Screening and education in order for early detection are important preventive interventions in this region.     

The relationship between first postoperative day epithelial status and eventual health of the ocular surface in penetrating keratoplasty

PURPOSE: To determine a possible relationship between donor epithelial status on the first postoperative day after keratoplasty and the eventual health of the corneal surface. METHODS: We analyzed 91 patients who underwent penetrating corneal transplantation between January 1998 and January 2000, monitoring the epithelial status of the corneas with fluorescein staining using slit-lamp biomicroscopy. Recipient pre- and postoperative variables and donor characteristics were recorded. Macroepithelial defects were classified into three groups according to the extent of the epithelial defect. The results on the first postoperative day were compared with the first and third operative month. Donor and recipient variables were compared with the epithelial status on the first and third month as well. RESULTS: On the first postoperative day, 64.84% of the patients had epithelial defects, 10.99% had defects at the 1-month postoperative visit, and none had defects at the third month. Graft recipients with macroepithelial defects in the first postoperative month were older, had a higher prevalence of blepharitis, higher prevalence of inadequate eye hydration, and slightly increased corneal sensation compared with the group without epithelial defects; however, none of these trends were statistically significant. Patients with macroepithelial defects in the first postoperative month received older donor tissue, and the average preservation-to-surgery time was longer. These donor variables, however, were not significant statistically (p value >0.10) in determining outcome of the epithelial status at the first or third months. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the epithelial status on the first postoperative day is not predictive of surface integrity at 1-month postoperative (p value is 0.2676 for the likehood ratio test). The epithelial status on the first postoperative day is not predictive of the status of the third month after keratoplasty, because none of the 91 patients had epithelial defects after 3 months.     

Sleep-disordered breathing: implications in cerebrovascular disease

Stroke and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) are both common and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Several recent large epidemiologic studies have shown a strong association between these two disorders independent of known risk factors for stroke. This review will outline the scientific basis for this relationship and suggest SDB as a modifiable risk factor for stroke. Several studies have shown a characteristic circadian rhythmicity in stroke. The authors discussed the influence of normal sleep states as well as the effect of SDB on cerebral hemodynamics. The hemodynamic, metabolic, and hematologic changes during SDB in the form of decreased cerebral perfusion and increased coagulability are the possible pathogenetic mechanisms for stroke. There are accumulating lines of evidence that SDB may indeed cause diurnal hypertension. However, the increased risk of stroke in patients with SDB appears to be independent of coexisting hypertension, but the presence of hypertension would greatly increase the risk even further. Furthermore, several studies have documented high prevalence of sleep apnea in patients with transient ischemic attacks and stroke. SDB appears to contribute as a risk factor for stroke through hemodynamic and hematologic changes. Because of high prevalence of SDB in this population, patients with transient ischemic attacks and stroke should be screened for these disorders.     

Comparative evaluation of two fixed doses of 185 and 370 MBq 131I, for the treatment of Graves' disease resistant to antithyroid drugs

Radioiodine (131I) treatment is often applied for the treatment of Graves' disease (GD). The optimal dose of 131I for Graves' hyperthyroidism is debated. Various techniques suggest either fixed doses or varying doses based on elaborate calculations of the gland size, 131I uptake, and 131I turnover. Fixed dose regimens avoid dose calculations but there is no consensus on the actual dose to be administered. We compared two routinely recommended fixed 131I doses of 185 and 370 MBq for this purpose. Fifty nine patients with GD who had not been previously treated with 131I were randomized in two groups. Group A consisted of 33 patients who were treated with 185 MBq of 131I. Group B consisted of 26 patients who were treated with 370 MBq of 131I. Group A patients were 21% male and 78% female, mean age 38.1+/-14.4, range 15 to 77 y. Group B patients were 27% male and 73% female, mean age 40.7+/-11.7, range 27 to 72 y. All patients were reexamined every six months for two years. The following clinical outcomes were noticed: a) Persistent hyperthyroidism, which was considered as failure to treatment, requiring further 131I treatment. b) Hypothyroidism; requiring life-long replacement treatment. c) Euthyroid state. Euthyroid and hypothyroid states were considered as a response to treatment of hyperthyroidism. In Group A, 10 patients (30.3%) became euthyroid and 6 (18.2%) hypothyroid (an overall response of 48.5%), while 17 (51.5%) remained hyperthyroid by the end of the follow-up period. In Group B, 10 patients (38%) became euthyroid and 13 (50%) hypothyroid, an overall response of 88.5%. Non responders were 3 patients (11.5%). No correlation was noted between the outcome of treatment and age, sex, size of the thyroid gland or thyroid uptake in each Group of patients, while a significant correlation was noted between the disease outcome and the amount of administered 131I (P<0.003). The incidence of hypothyroidism by the end of two years of follow up was less in Group A than in Group B and the incidence of non responders to treatment was lower in Group A. In view of the higher cost of treatment, the longer time elapsing to treatment, the number of office visits by the patients and the higher number of patients with persistent hyperthyroidism in Group A, we conclude that a fixed dose of 131I of 370 MBq is more useful and effective for the treatment of GD as compared to 185 MBq of 131I.