Lactational optic neuritis - A case series with a review of the literature.

PURPOSE: Optic neuritis is the most common optic neuropathy affecting adults, especially women. Lactational optic neuritis is a rare entity occurring during the postpartum period with a high chance of recurrence. Through this study, we evaluated the clinical profile and visual outcome of lactational optic neuritis. METHODS: This was a retrospective study where patients with optic neuritis presenting during the first year of the postpartum period to the neuro-ophthalmology clinic between January 2016 and December 2022 were included in the study. RESULTS: This study included seven eyes of six patients. The mean age of presentation was 24.6 years, with all patients presenting after the first 3 months of the postpartum period. All patients had unilateral involvement except one, presenting with painful vision loss. Best corrected visual acuity ranged from 6/18 to hand movements. Relative afferent pupillary defect and dyschromatopsia were present in all patients. Disc edema was seen in all but one case. Three patients were treated with steroids along with multivitamins, and the remaining three refused treatment with steroids, receiving multivitamins alone. All patients had complete recovery by the end of 12 weeks. CONCLUSION: Optic neuritis during lactation is attributed more to post-pregnancy immunological changes rather than lactation itself. The presentation and clinical features are similar to classic optic neuritis and remain an important differential diagnosis for visual dysfunction in the postpartum period.

Serological response in broiler chicks to different commercial Newcastle disease and infectious bronchitis vaccines.

Broiler chicks were administered vaccines against Newcastle disease and infectious bronchitis (both Arkansas and Massachusetts strains) at 2 weeks of age as either primary or secondary vaccinations. The vaccine was administered as a spray at 2 weeks of age to chicks that had received Newcastle disease vaccine alone, bronchitis vaccine alone, both vaccines in combination, or no vaccine at day 1 in the hatchery. The Newcastle disease hemagglutination-inhibition response was significantly lower in chicks receiving Newcastle disease vaccine as a secondary vaccine at 2 weeks than in those receiving the vaccine as a primary vaccination at that age. In contrast, the bronchitis hemagglutination-inhibition response was significantly higher in chicks receiving bronchitis vaccine as a secondary vaccination at 2 weeks than in those receiving the vaccine as a primary vaccination at that age.

Method for the concentration of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus from hatchery water.

A method was developed for concentrating infectious pancreatic necrosis virus from hatchery water using positively charged 1-MDS filters. The method consists of passing large volumes (Ca. 1001) of hatchery water through 1-MDS microporous filter followed by the elution of the adsorbed virus using a high pH buffer. The virus adsorbed efficiently to 1-MDS filters when the pH of the water was 5.5 and was eluted optimally with 3% beef extract solution (pH 10). This procedure permitted the processing of 100 1 of hatchery water which resulted in a 300-fold reduction in the volume of water and greater than 90% recovery of the seeded virus.

Temperature-sensitive gel for virus concentration from urine.

Cross-linked, partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide gels (temperature-sensitive gels) with the property to swell at 4 degrees C and collapse at higher temperatures (greater than 19 degrees C) were used to concentrate bacteriophage T-2 from urine. Samples of urine, 50 ml, seeded with bacteriophage T-2 were reduced to approximately 5 ml, with an average virus recovery of 53%. Subsequent experiments with feline cell-associated herpes virus resulted in a 6-fold decrease in volume with 54% virus recovery. The gel could be used repeatedly without any loss in efficiency.

Use of Temperature-Sensitive Gel for the Concentration of Escherichia Coli in Milk.

Temperature-sensitive gels (cross-linked, partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide gels) with the property to absorb solutes less than 1 nm in diameter at 4°C and collapse at higher temperatures (190°C) were used to concentrate Escherichia coli from 2% low-fat milk. Milk samples seeded with bacteria were reduced eight-fold in volume with average recoveries of 40-66% at an optimal pH of 5.5. Repeated use of the gel did not affect its efficiency.