A single-blind, open-label trial of sodium oxybate for myoclonus and essential tremor.

The authors performed an open-label, rater-blinded, add-on study of sodium oxybate in 20 patients with ethanol-responsive myoclonus or essential tremor. Blinded ratings of videotaped examinations showed improvements in myoclonus at rest, stimulus-sensitive myoclonus, action myoclonus, functional performance, and postural and kinetic tremor. Tolerability was acceptable, and more than half of the patients chose to continue treatment after the trial. Double-blind placebo-controlled studies in these disorders are warranted.

Maize fine streak virus, a New Leafhopper-Transmitted Rhabdovirus.

ABSTRACT A previously uncharacterized virus was isolated from fall-planted sweet corn (Zea mays L., Syngenta GSS 0966) leaves showing fine chlorotic streaks. Symptomatic plants were negative in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay against many maize viruses, but reacted weakly with antisera to Sorghum stunt mosaic virus suggesting a distant relationship between the viruses. The virus was readily transmitted by vascular puncture inoculation (VPI), but not by leaf-rub inoculation. Symptoms on maize included dwarfing and fine chlorotic streaks along intermediate and small veins that developed 12 to 17 days post-VPI. The isolated virus was bacilliform (231 +/- 5 nm long and 71 +/- 2 nm wide), with a knobby surface, and obvious helical structure typical of rhabdovirus morphology. Nucleorhabdovirus virions were observed by transmission electron microscopy of infected maize leaf tissue sections. Proteins unique to infected plants were observed in extracts of infected leaves, and the isolated virion contained three proteins with molecular masses 82 +/- 2, 50 +/- 3, and 32 +/- 2 kDa. Preliminary sequence analysis indicated the virus had similarity to members of the family Rhabdoviridae. The virus was transmitted by Graminella nigrifrons under persistent conditions. The data indicate the virus, provisionally designated Maize fine streak virus, is a new species in the genus Nucleorhabdovirus.

First Report of Puccinia sorghi Virulent on Sweet Corn with the Rp1-D Gene in Florida and Texas.

For the past 15 years, the Rp1-D gene has controlled common rust on sweet corn in North America. In August and September 1999, isolates of Puccinia sorghi were collected from Rp1-D sweet corn hybrids in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and New York. This was the first widespread occurrence in the continental United States of P. sorghi virulent on the Rp1-D gene (1). Isolates of P. sorghi collected from Los Mochis, Mexico, in March 2000 had a pattern of virulence similar to the pattern for the isolates collected in the Midwest in 1999 (2). In April and May 2000, small uredinia were observed on Rp1-D sweet corn in Florida and Texas. In Florida, isolates were collected from six different locations within a 13-km radius near Belle Glade. Three isolates were collected each from Rp1-D and non-Rp sweet corn hybrids. Isolates also were collected from two Rp1-D sweet corn hybrids and a non-Rp sweet corn hybrid near Hondo, TX. Inocula of isolates were increased through one uredinial generation in the greenhouse. Several 1-cm2 pieces of leaf tissue with sporulating uredinia were placed in 15 ml of a solution of water and Tween 20. This inoculum was placed in whorls of five two-leaved seedlings of a susceptible hybrid, 'Primetime.' Urediniospores from newly formed uredinia were collected 10 days later and used as inocula to assay each isolate. Two isolates from Florida (one each from an Rp1-D and a non-Rp hybrid) were assayed on a non-Rp susceptible check, 20 different single Rp genes, and nine compound Rp genes. Other isolates were assayed on two replicates of a non-Rp susceptible check, a source of Rp1-D, and five single Rp genes that were effective against the isolates collected from the Midwest in 1999 and from Mexico in 2000. Each experimental unit consisted of five plants grown in 10-cm-diameter pots. Plants at the two-leaf stage were inoculated three times within 5 days by filling whorls with a urediniospore suspension. Rust reactions were rated 10 days after the final inoculation. Isolates collected in Florida from non-Rp hybrids were avirulent on Rp1-D but those collected in Texas from non-Rp hybrids were virulent on Rp1-D. Isolates collected in Florida and Texas from Rp1-D hybrids had a similar pattern of virulence as isolates collected from the Midwest in 1999 and from Mexico in March 2000; that is, effective single Rp genes included Rp1-E, Rp-G, Rp1-I, and Rp1-K. A source that we previously believed was Rp1-L now appears to be Rp-G. These are the first reports from Florida and Texas of P. sorghi virulent on Rp1-D, and they are the first occurrences of virulence against Rp1-D in the continental U.S. in 2000. Apparently, P. sorghi with virulence against Rp1-D has become established in an area where common rust inocula for North America overwinters. References: (1) J. K. Pataky and W. F. Tracy. Plant Dis. 83:1177, 1999. (2) J. K. Pataky et al. Plant Dis. 84:810, 2000.

Breath-to-breath "noise" in the ventilatory and gas exchange responses of children to exercise.

The purposes of this investigation were to quantify the noise component of child breath-by-breath data, investigate the major determinants of the breath-to-breath noise, and to characterise the noise statistically. Twenty-four healthy children (12 males and 12 females) of mean (SD) age 13.1 (0.3) years completed 25 min of steady-state cycle ergometry at an exercise intensity of 50 W. Ventilatory and gas exchange variables were computed breath-by-breath. The mean (SD) oxygen consumption (VO2) ranged from 0.72 (0.16) to 0.92 (0.26) l x min(-1); mean (SD) carbon dioxide production (VCO2) ranged from 0.67 (0.20) l x min(-1) to 0.85 (0.16) l x min(-1); and mean (SD) minute ventilation ranged from 17.81 (3.54) l x min(-1) to 24.97 (5.63) l x min(-1). The majority of the breath-to-breath noise distributions differed significantly from Gaussian distributions with equivalent mean and SD parameters. The values of the normalised autocorrelation functions indicated a negligible breath-to-breath correlation. Tidal volume accounted for the majority of the VO2 (43%) and VCO2 (49%) variance. The breath-to-breath noise can be explained in terms of variations in the breathing pattern, although the large noise magnitude, together with the relatively small attainable response amplitudes in children reduces the certainty with which ventilatory and gas exchange kinetics can be measured.

The power of scenario.

Teaching wilderness medicine to medical students comes alive when nontraditional methods are used. In our wilderness medicine elective at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the teaching is primarily experientially based. The following anecdote illustrates the magic that can happen when teaching is done via the scenario-debriefing method.

Laboratory analysis of techniques for remote sensing of estuarine parameters using laser excitation.

The theoretical concepts underlying remote sensing of estuarine parameters using laser excitation are examined. The concepts are extended to include Mie scattering as a measure of the total suspended solids and to develop the water Raman signal as an internal standard. Experimental validation of the theory was performed using backscattered laser light from a laboratory tank to simulate a remote-sensing geometry. Artificially prepared sediments and biological cultures were employed to check specific aspects of the theory under controlled conditions. Natural samples gathered from a variety of water types were also analyzed in the tank to further enhance the simulation. The results indicate that it should be possible to remotely quantify total suspended solids, dissolved organics, attenuation coefficient, chlorophyll a, and phycoerythrin in estuarine water using laser excitation.

Comparison of reflectance with backscatter and absorption parameters for turbid waters.

The relation of reflectance to backscatter and absorption parameters is investigated for waters more turbid than those of previous investigations. Experimental data are examined for river waters in which beam attenuation values range from 8.9 to 18.9 m(_1) at 550 nm. Attenuation, absorption, backscatter, and irradiance reflectance spectral properties are presented for wavelengths between 450 and 800 nm. Comparisons of reflectance with backscatter to absorption ratio and backscatter with absorption plus backscatter ratio indicate that data for turbid waters do not fit linear or polynomial models which are presently available in the literature.

Absorption coefficient instrument for turbid natural waters.

An instrument has been developed that directly measures the multispectral absorption coefficient of turbid natural water. The design incorporates methods for compensation of variation in the internal light source intensity, correction of the spectrally dependent nature of the optical elements, and correction for variation in background light level. When used in conjunction with a spectrally matched total attenuation instrument, the spectrally dependent scattering coefficient can also be derived. Systematic errors associated with multiple scattering have been estimated using Monte Carlo techniques.

An Absorption Technique for Measuring OH Concentrations in Shock Tubes.

A spectroscopic technique has been developed and experimentally verified for measuring OH concentrations behind shock waves. A water-cooled, rf-powered lamp was used to generate OH background lines sufficiently narrow to allow the peak absorption technique to be used to compute concentration from the measured absorption. Measurements of absorption by known OH concentrations in incident shock waves over a temperature range from about 1000 K to 2400 K and a pressure range from about 100 Torr to 600 Torr were used to verify the technique. Experimental runs were made with a spectral width containing four lines and another containing eight lines. A quantitative relationship between absorbance and OH concentration was obtained by using a rotationless oscillator strength, f(00) of 8.45 x 10 (-4), and a = 250 (P/T) as the damping constant expression.

The significance of mumps hemagglutinin inhibition titers in normal populations

Mumps hemagglutination-inhibiting antibodies were clearly related to mumps history in diverse normal populations. A decline in titer of about twofold per decade after infection was observed in prospective and retrospective studies. This decline was such that many persons who had had mumps more than 15 years prior to testing had titers that could not be distinguished from non-immune. There was very little variation in titer over one month. Antibodies against four parainfluenza strains were tested for correlation with the discrepancies that were found between mumps serology and history. No correlation was found to suggest that parainfluenza causes a persistent aberration of mumps titer, but transient aberrations may occur.(Summary)