Increased time between diagnosis and surgery in slipped capital femoral epiphysis results in increased radiographic deformity.

PURPOSE: Previous work has examined the impact of delay of diagnosis in slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) but not the impact of delay in treatment after radiographic diagnosis. Due to requirements for long distance transportation from less developed regions for many of our patients, our hospital was able to study variation in time between diagnosis and surgery for SCFE, as related to slip severity. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of patients treated for SCFE between 2005 and 2014 at a tertiary care paediatric hospital. Demographics, time between diagnosis and surgery, radiographic deformity (Southwick angle), postoperative complications and need for further surgery were variables of interest. Statistical analysis included Pearson and Spearman rank correlations and chi-squared tests. RESULTS: The study sample included 147 hips (119 patients). Mean time between radiographic diagnosis and surgery was 20.9 days (sd 46, 0 to 321). The mean Southwick angle (SA) at the time of surgery was 31.9˚ (sd 19.6˚, 1° to 83˚). There was a significant relationship between increased delay and increased SA (0.34, p < 0.001). Increased SA was correlated with need for future significant surgery (0.27, p < 0.01).Patients from less-developed regions, with barriers to timely care, had moderate and severe deformity (SA) (p < 0.01), and required significant further surgery more often than SCFE patients from the local population (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The unique referral environment of our hospital provided an opportunity to examine traditional recommendations for treating SCFE promptly after radiographic diagnosis. Delay in treatment is correlated with increased radiographic deformity. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

In vitro susceptibility of porcine respiratory pathogens to tilmicosin.

Bacterial isolates obtained from swine with various clinical diseases were tested for susceptibility to tilmicosin by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion tests using National Committee on Clinical Laboratory Standards methodology. The tilmicosin MIC90 was < or =0.125 microg/ml for Erysiopelothrix rhusiopathiae, < or = 1 microg/ml for Haemophilus parasuis isolates, 8 microg/ml for Actinobacillus suis and Pasteurella multocida type A, 16 microg/ml for toxigenic and nontoxigenic P. multocida type D, 64 microg/ml for Bordetella bronchiseptica, and >128 microg/ml for Staphylococcus hyicus and Streptococcus suis. The results of disk diffusion testing matched well with the MIC results for each pathogen. This in vitro survey of tilmicosin activity against various swine isolates suggests that further clinical evaluation of tilmicosin in swine may be warranted for disease associated with E. rhusiopathiae, H. parasuis, and A. suis but not B. bronchiseptica, S. suis, or S. hyicus.

Comparison of Pasteurella spp. simultaneously isolated from nasal and transtracheal swabs from cattle with clinical signs of bovine respiratory disease.

Twenty-four matched pairs of isolates of Pasteurella haemolytica and three matched pairs of isolates of Pasteurella multocida were isolated by using a nasal swab and a transtracheal swab from individual calves with clinical signs of bovine respiratory disease. The identity of each matched pair was confirmed biochemically and serologically. The similarity of the isolates obtained from a nasal swab and from a transtracheal swab was compared by using ribotyping and antibiotic susceptibility analyses. Although the calves were sampled only once with a nasal and a transtracheal swab, when both samples were bacteriologically positive the nasal swab identified the same bacterial species as the transtracheal swab 96% of the time. The nasal swab isolate was genetically identical to the transtracheal isolate in 70% of the matched pairs. Six different ribotypes were observed for the P. haemolytica isolates, while only one ribotype was observed for the limited number of P. multocida isolates. Of the six P. haemolytica ribotypes, two ribotypes predominated. All the paired isolates displayed similar susceptibility to ceftiofur, erythromycin, tilmicosin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and florfenicol, with some minor variations for ampicillin and spectinomycin. These results suggest that a nasal swab culture can be predictive of the bacterial pathogen within the lung when the isolates are from an acutely ill animal and can be used to determine antibiotic susceptibility.

Boston University's biosciences education program for Boston-area students.

The authors describe the CityLab program, which has the goal of providing equal educational opportunities in biotechnology and medical sciences for all students in the greater Boston area in grades seven through 12, particularly students from groups traditionally underrepresented in science. Since 1992, more than 16,000 students and 1,200 teachers have participated in the program's activities, which focus on giving students meaningful laboratory experiences in the biosciences (either at Boston University of by means of a traveling laboratory in a bus). Students develop confidence in their ability to apply molecular biology and biotechnology concepts and skills to scientific problems and learn that they can pursue careers in the biosciences. The authors describe the CityLab program, its inquiry-based teaching methods, its effects, and its potential to increase students' interest in biomedical studies and careers.

Immunobiology of the mammary gland.

The mammary gland is a complex organ that provides neonatal offspring with milk for nourishment and disease resistance. Specific and innate immune factors associated with mammary gland tissues and secretion also play a vital role in protecting the gland from infectious disease. Through genetic selection and technological advances in milk removal, the bovine mammary gland yields for more milk than is needed to nourish the newborn calf. This excess is the basis of the dairy industry. Factors associated with the intense management of dairy cattle can profoundly affect mammary gland immunity and the ability of the host to resist mastitis. Technological advances in immunology have led to the availability of new research tools that can facilitate the study of mammary gland immunity and disease pathogenesis. In recent years, considerable research effort has focused on enhancing the natural defense mechanisms of the mammary gland during periods of heightened susceptibility to disease. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of mammary gland immunity with special emphasis on the bovine system. The underlying mechanisms of disease susceptibility and development of potential immunoregulatory strategies to control mastitis are discussed.

Efficacy of a bovine Staphylococcus aureus vaccine using interleukin-2 as an adjuvant.

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of a vaccination protocol using recombinant bovine interleukin-2 (rBoIL-2) as an adjuvant with a Staphylococcus aureus vaccine. Holstein dairy cows were immunized with a S. aureus vaccine in conjunction with either saline solution (n = 3), Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA; n = 3) or rBoIL-2 (n = 3). Whey and serum were analysed for antibody titer to specific S. aureus antigens. Isolated blood mononuclear cells (BMC) were examined for their ability to proliferate and to produce interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon (IFN) after either mitogenic or antigenic stimulation in vitro. Efficacy of the vaccination protocols was assessed by challenging experimental animals intramammarily with 100 colony forming units of S. aureus. Regardless of treatment, all cows exhibited similar serum antibody titers to S. aureus pseudocapsule. Cows treated with saline exhibited a significant increase in serum alpha-toxin antibody titer when compared to levels observed in FIA and rBoIL-2-treated cows. However, cows receiving rBoIL-2 treatment exhibited significantly higher lacteal pseudocapsule antibody titer compared to the other adjuvant groups. Administration of rBoIL-2 did not enhance BMC proliferative responses to the mitogens concanavalin A (ConA), phytohemagglutinin (PHA), pokeweed mitogen (PWM) or interleukin-2 (IL-2) when compared to FIA or saline treated cows. Although cows receiving rBoIL-2 treatment exhibited enhanced cytokine production upon antigenic stimulation, efficacy of the vaccination protocol was inferior compared to the protection offered by saline treatment.

Memory scanning of organized visual material.

A recognition memory experiment investigated memory scanning when stimuli were organized but not easily labeled verbally. Subjects were shown a series of three, four, or five pictures followed by a probe stimulus in a paradigm similar to that introduced by Sternberg. Reaction time to the test stimulus served as the dependent measure. The principle findings indicated that the organization of the to-be-remembered sets had a pronounced influence on performance. When sets were disorganized, the retrieval appeared to be a serial process, since reaction time increased with set size. With organized sets, reaction time was independent of set size, suggesting a parallel search.

Retrieval of information from multiple ensembles in short-term memory.

A recognition memory experiment investigated Ss' ability to organize information in short-term memory. A paradigm similar to that used by Sternberg was employed. A sequentially presented series of six digits (positive set) was shown with each digit appearing on a red, green, or amber background. The colors defined different ensembles, and responding to a test digit was contingent upon an item's membership in the positive set and the color-defined ensemble. Reaction time (RT) to the test digits indicated that Ss did organize information into ensembles. Furthermore, when informative cues were presented prior to the test item, Ss directed and confined their search to the cued subset.

Transformations on sets in short-term memory: Temporal and spatial factors influencing deletion.

An individual's ability to perform a deletion operation on sets in short-term memory was explored in a reaction time (RT) experiment. Special attention was given to the importance, for deletion, of temporal and spatial variables. Ss did perform a deletion operation. The speed of correct recognition was influenced by both the delay between the deletion (D) set and a test item and the serial order correspondence between identical items in the to-be-remembered or positive (P) set and the D set.