Genetic variation of residual feed consumption in a selected Finnish egg-layer population.

The purpose of the study was to estimate the heritability of residual feed consumption (RFC) and the genetic correlations between RFC and economically important traits. The genetic progress after four generations of selection for RFC and the changes in economically important traits were also investigated. A selection experiment for RFC was carried out from 1983 to 1987. The total data consisted of 3,750 birds and 2,661 records. The (co)variance components were calculated using derivative-free bivariate animal model restricted maximum likelihood (REML). Breeding values were estimated for calculating genetic progress in RFC and correlated responses in the other traits. The heritability of RFC calculated from the whole recorded period (16 to 42 wk) and using all 2,661 records was .46 (+/- .04). The genetic correlations between RFC and egg mass, number of eggs, egg weight, and body weight were not significant. The genetic correlation between RFC and feed consumption was .50 (+/- .04). The breeding value estimates indicated a moderate genetic progress in RFC due to selection. Feed consumption was decreased and body weight gain showed reduction in the last two generations. No change could be found in egg mass, number of eggs, egg weight, age at first egg, or body weight.

Unexplained severe pulmonary hypertension in two brothers.

Unexplained pulmonary hypertension of nearly simultaneous onset is reported in two brothers, aged 17 and 26 yrs. Echocardiography revealed right ventricular hypertrophy and dilatation, paradoxical septal motion and an enlarged main pulmonary artery. In the right catheterization highly elevated pulmonary arterial pressures (107/58 and 84/46 mmHg) were seen. Doppler echocardiography showed significant leakage of the pulmonary and tricuspid valves in the younger brother, who died suddenly three weeks later. An initial decline in pulmonary arterial systolic pressure was achieved in the older brother by drug therapy. Eight months later, however, the pressure had risen to the pretreatment level. Dyspnoea increased and the patient underwent heart-lung transplantation but subsequently died. In the family study a third brother, father and mother were healthy.

Multiple pulmonary embolism in patients with ventriculoatrial shunts: a report on two cases.

Pulmonary embolism occurred in two patients with a Spitz-Holter shunt. One patient had a massive pulmonary embolism which resulted in the development of pulmonary hypertension. The patient suffered another episode of embolism during warfarin therapy and died. Autopsy revealed a massive belateral pulmonary embolism. No thrombi were found in the venous system. The other patient had experienced symptoms that suggested recurrent pulmonary embolism before the established diagnosis. Thereafter she has constantly been treated with oral anticoagulant therapy without the recurrence of emboli.

Cough induced by enalapril but not by captopril.

We report a 68 yr old woman with hypertension who developed a dry cough on enalapril but not on captopril therapy. Pulmonary function tests, methacholine inhalation challenges, total blood eosinophil counts, and changes in plasma concentrations of prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane B2 did not explain the difference in the adverse reaction between these two angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors.

Follow-up of patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with intravenous streptokinase.

The sequel of survivors after hospitalisation for an acute myocardial infarction was studied during the following 15 years in 48 patients treated with streptokinase and in 41 controls. No significant difference was seen in the morbidity or mortality during the first 6 months nor in the mortality thereafter.

Hydralazine and oxprenolol in the treatment of hypertension and the effect of these drugs on plasma renin activity.

The effect of a vasodilator (hydralazine), a beta-blocker (oxprenolol) and also their combination, on essential arterial hypertension and plasma renin activity (PRA), was studied. Eighteen patients with mild hypertension (WHO I or II) were treated for 4 weeks with oxprenolol, hydralazine and their combination, with 4-week placebo periods between the active treatment periods. Oxprenolol and hydralazine lowered the blood pressure to a similar degree and their combination accentuated this effect. PRA decreased significantly on both the oxprenolol and the combination therapy, but increased during the following placebo and hydralazine periods to a level slightly higher than the initial level. Another group of eleven patients were treated with oxprenolol for 20 weeks. Blood pressure decreased almost to a normotensive level during the first 4 weeks of treatment and a little lower during the following 4 weeks. It remained at this level until the end of the trial. PRA decreased significantly during the first 4 weeks on oxprenolol and remained low during the whole 20-week treatment period. No correlation was found between the change in blood pressure caused by oxprenolol treatment and the initial placebo value of PRA, or, the change in PRA on oxprenolol treatment. These results support the view that the level of PRA has no significance when an antihypertensive treatment is being selected, e.g. beta-blockers.

Effect of beta-blockade on performance: use of beta-blockade in bowling and in shooting competitions.

The effect of oxprenolol on performance has been investigated on a double-blind basis in eight bowlers during a 30 hour continuous bowling competition ("marathon bowling") and in twenty-four pistol shooters in four internal competitions. An administration of 40 mg oxpernolol every six hours during the marathon bowling did not impair the scoring of the bowlers as compared with the subjects receiving placebo. Oxprenolol likewise exerted little influence on the subjective feelings of general tiredness as measured hourly during the bowling on a visual analogue scale. The beta-blockade effectively prevented metabolic changes, such as increases in plasma renin activity and in plasma free fatty acids, evoked by the prolonged physical stress. A single dose of oxprenolol (40 mg) given to pistol shooters 60 minutes prior to internal shooting matches resulted in a significant improvement of the scoring as compared on a double-blind basis with similar placebo matches. Some evidence was obtained to indicate that the latter improvement by oxprenolol might have been associated with a prevention of cardiovascular manifestations (mainly tachycardia) occurring during the shooting competitions. Unwanted effects were not recorded either in bowlers or shooters, by contrast, the beta-blockade appeared to produce a general feeling of well-being as frequently experienced by the shooters.

Effect of beta-blockade during bowling competitions.

Seventeen amateur bowlers taking part in local bowling competitions were given either 40 mg of oxprenolol or placebo before the competitions, so that each subject played two competitions on oxprenolol and two on placebo in random order. All the bowlers had a relative tachycardia 15 min before the competition which was abolished by oxprenolol. A similar reduction in the heart rate during and after the compeptition was likewise seen after oxprenolol. The drug caused only minor changes in the systolic blood pressure in comparision with placebo. On the whole, the total scores of placebo and oxprenolol competitions did not differ significantly from each other, nor was there any difference between the scores of the trial competitions and the average results during previous season. However, when the bowlers were divided into subgroups according to the effect exerted by oxprenolol on performance, about one third of the bowlers did benefit from the oxprenolol treatment while 50% had worse results. The bowlers whose bowling performance was improved by oxprenolol exhibited significantly higher heart rates before, during and after the competition as compared with the subgroups not responding beneficially to the active drug. The effect of oxprenolol was most pronounced during the very first series and the harmful effect of the drug was mainly seen in the last series of the competition. One reason for the impairment of the general performance could conceivably be an "overrelaxed" state as indicated by the greater number of misses made by the bowlers when treated with oxprenolol.