Molecular characterization of a recent Newcastle disease virus outbreak in Jordan.

Newcastle disease (ND) is a highly contagious viral disease and is a continuous threat to the poultry industry worldwide. In the early months of 2011, several devastating ND outbreaks occurred in Jordan affecting broilers, layers and breeders. The fusion gene of the isolated Newcastle disease virus (NDV) was partially amplified by RT-PCR, then directly sequenced. The NDV isolates were found to have the motif112RRQKRF117. This motif and a mean death time (MDT) of 46 h are indicative of the velogenic nature of these NDV isolates. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the new NDV strain belongs to the lineage 5d (Aldous et al., 2003) and is closely related to the Chinese strain SG/Liaoning/2009. NDV outbreaks in 2010 and 2011 have been noted in neighboring countries. Based on the high nucleotide similarity between our isolated NDV isolates and the Chinese NDV strain, the origin of these recent NDV isolates might be from China.

Detection of ß-amyloid peptide (1-16) and amyloid precursor protein (APP770) using spectroscopic ellipsometry and QCM techniques: a step forward towards Alzheimers disease diagnostics.

A highly sensitive method of spectroscopic ellipsometry in total internal reflection mode (TIRE) was exploited for detecting ß-amyloid peptide (Aß(1-16)) in the direct immune reaction with monoclonal DE2 antibodies (raised against Aß(1-16)) electrostatically immobilised on the surface of gold. A rapid detection of Aß(1-16) in a wide range of concentrations from 5 µg/ml down to 0.05 ng/ml was achieved using a cost-effective and label-free direct immunoassay format. TIRE dynamic spectral measurements proved that the immune reaction between DE2 monoclonal antibodies and Aß(1-16) is highly specific with the affinity constant K(D)=1.46×10(-8) mol/l. The same DE2 antibodies were utilised for detection of amyloid precursor protein APP(770), a larger protein containing Aß(1-16) domain, using the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements in liquid. A combination of QCM and TIRE kinetics results allowed the evaluation of the originally unknown concentration of APP(770) in complete medium solution containing other proteins, salts, and amino acids.

[Hemifacial spasms caused by neurovascular compression]. / Hemifaciale spasmen door neurovasculaire compressie.

Three patients, one woman aged 52 years and two men aged 63 and 71 years, respectively, had involuntary movement on one side of their face due to hemifacial spasms. The first patient's spasms were misdiagnosed as a tic, the second patient had received injections of botulinum A toxin which gave no improvement and the third patient suffered from persistent symptoms after a first neurovascular decompression without intraoperative EMG monitoring. All three patients underwent microvascular decompression of the facial nerve with intraoperative EMG monitoring. All three patients were cured. Hemifacial spasm is a curable illness if appropriately diagnosed and treated. Oral medications have no effect on the disease. Local injection of botulinum A toxin is indicated when the spasm is mild or when surgery is contraindicated. The primary causative factor is vascular compression of the facial nerve at its exit zone. Therefore, decompressive surgery is the logical treatment, and the best results are obtained with intraoperative EMG monitoring.

Hemifacial spasm: intraoperative electromyographic monitoring as a guide for microvascular decompression.

OBJECTIVE: Microvascular decompression is the logical and well-accepted treatment of choice for hemifacial spasm (HFS). In experienced hands, good to excellent results can be obtained. However, sometimes the exact site of the vascular compression is unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze whether intraoperative monitoring by stimulated electromyography of the facial nerve may help to improve the results of vascular decompression for HFS. METHODS: In a series of 74 patients operated for HFS, the impact of intraoperative facial nerve monitoring on the surgical procedure was analyzed by use of the clinical and operative patient records. The role of this type of monitoring, with assessment of the so-called abnormal muscle response, was broken down into four categories: a guiding, a confirming, an indirect confirming, or an inconclusive role. The relationship between abnormal muscle response monitoring results and final surgical outcome was analyzed. RESULTS: The overall cure rate was 87.8%, including patients who had previously undergone unsuccessful operations. Complications were minor, and hearing impairment was found in 2.7% of patients. A guiding role of intraoperative monitoring was apparent in 33.8% of patients, and a confirming role was demonstrated in 52.7% of patients, which resulted in a positive contribution of approximately 87% for intraoperative facial monitoring in microvascular decompression for HFS. In patients defined as guiding cases, the cure rate was 92%. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the applicability and usefulness of intraoperative facial nerve monitoring in microvascular decompression operations for HFS.

Effect of hyperthermia on somatosensory evoked potentials in the anaesthetized rat.

In the rat heat stroke model, established by heating to a climatic chamber temperature of 42 degrees C, the brain temperature was found to be consistently lower than the rectal temperature, suggesting efficient brain cooling mechanisms in the rat. In response to heating, with increasing brain temperature, the latencies of the somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) showed an initial decrease followed by an increase (inflection point). Studies were done on rats heated up to, before, or after the inflection point and then cooled. Reversibility with cooling of functional and structural changes induced by heat was evaluated by analysis of SEPs, survival time, brain blood perfusion and histopathology. The evidence from these studies demonstrated that the brain temperature at which the inflection in wave P2 latency occurred was critical, beyond which hyperthermia produced irreversible changes in the SEP, shorter survival time, relative reduction in brain blood perfusion and evidence of brain histopathological damage. The suggestion that endorphins may mediate brain dysfunction in hyperthermia was investigated. In rats heated and then cooled after wave P2 latency inflection naloxone, the endorphin antagonist, was injected (10 mg/kg, intravenously) just prior to the inflection. It produced reversibility of SEP changes as well as longer survival time (P less than 0.001) compared to saline-treated rats.

Circulatory changes associated with heat stroke: observations in an experimental animal model.

1. Although heat stroke is a frequent cause of death in both humans and animals as a result of climatic or exercise-imposed stress, underlying mechanisms are understood poorly. In order to develop more effective strategies for prevention and treatment of this cause of death and suffering, controlled experiments were conducted on a small number of sheep to examine cardiovascular involvement in the thermoregulatory failure of heat stroke. 2. Sheep were studied in a hot environment at rest and then during exercise until collapse. 3. With exercise, mean arterial pressure (MAP) increased slightly, cardiac output (CO) increased markedly and total peripheral resistance (TPR) decreased slightly. As collapse was imminent, MAP increased but CO and TPR did not change significantly. On collapse, MAP and TPR increased markedly and CO decreased markedly. 4. Radioactive microsphere measurements demonstrated during exercise a redistribution of blood flow (BF) away from abdominal viscera and torso skin, to muscles involved in exercise, respiratory muscles, myocardium, fat, limb skin and nasobuccal tissues. With progressively increasing heat stress and exercise, BF increased in exercise muscles and decreased in limb skin and fat. As collapse was imminent, there were sharp increases in BF in exercise muscles, brain and spinal cord. On collapse, BF decreased markedly in exercise and respiratory muscles and fat. 5. It is concluded that collapse and ultimately heat stroke are not due primarily to cardiovascular 'failure' but, rather, to consequences of high body temperatures resulting from thermoregulatory failure attributable to demands for blood pressure regulation dominating requirements for body temperature regulation.

Optimization of night and shiftwork plans among policemen in Kuwait: a field experiment.

A pilot survey was designed to define incidence, rotation period, rotation direction and cycle of shiftwork plans in the production and service units in Kuwait. Preliminary results from the Ministry of Interior showed that four different shift plans are widely used. Forty policemen, ten from each shift plan, volunteered to fill in a diary for a period of two or more cycles. The diary was comprised of a set of questions planned to reveal disturbances in sleep duration, sleep quality, food intake and appetite. The daily questionnaire also covered psychosomatic complaints and subjective judgement of recovery. A control group, on permanent day work, volunteered to fill in the diary for the same period. The results indicated that one of the four shift plans was quite satisfactory and least harmful to the policemen. Two plans were associated with excessive strain during working days, but the number of free days was sufficient to achieve complete recovery. The fourth plan was associated with excessive strain during working days and recovery was not achieved after 24 h of rest at the end of the shift cycle.