Comparison of Synovex-S® and two levels of Revalor-S® in heavy-weight Holstein steers

In two field trials, 434 Holstein steers averaging 849 lbs were assigned randomly to three single implant treatments: 1) Synovex- S®, 2) Revalor®-S 120 (120 mg trenbolone acetate (TBA) + 24 mg estradiol), and 3) Revalor®-S 140 (140 mg TBA + 28 mg estradiol). Revalor-implanted steers gained .05 to .10 lb per day faster, but this improvement was not statistically significant (P>.05). Both Revalor-implanted groups produced trimmer carcasses with less (P<.05) backfat than Synovex steers. All other carcass characteristics and beef sensory properties, including taste panel evaluations of tenderness, juiciness, and flavor, were not influenced by implant used

Trends in sexually transmitted infections in general practice 1990-2000: population based study using data from the UK general practice research database

Objective: To describe the contribution of primary care to the diagnosis and management of sexually transmitted infections in the United Kingdom, 1990-2000, in the context of increasing incidence of infections in genitourinary medicine clinics. Design: Population based study. Setting: UK primary care. Participants: Patients registered in the UK general practice research database. Main outcome measures: Incidence of diagnosed sexually transmitted infections in primary care and estimation of the proportion of major such infections diagnosed in primary care. Results: An estimated 23.0% of chlamydia cases in women but only 5.3% in men were diagnosed and treated in primary care during 1998-2000, along with 49.2% cases of non-specific urethritis and urethral discharge in men and 5.7% cases of gonorrhoea in women and 2.9% in men. Rates of diagnosis in primary care rose substantially in the late 1990s. Conclusions: A substantial and increasing number of sexually transmitted infections are diagnosed and treated in primary care in the United Kingdom, with sex ratios differing from those in genitourinary medicine clinics. Large numbers of men are treated in primary care for presumptive sexually transmitted infections

Consolidating human disease learning in the dental emergency clinic

Introduction Dental undergraduates typically learn and are assessed on aspects of human disease (HD) in the early part of their programme, but it is not until later in the programme that their HD knowledge is put into practice when they provide courses of treatment for numerous patients over multiple visits. The teaching of HD provides core knowledge on medical conditions & medications and is therefore essential in allowing newly graduated dentists to provide safe treatment for medically-compromised patients or those taking medications. We wanted to examine the medical complexity of patients attending a university hospital dental emergency clinic to determine whether this was a suitable group that would help students to consolidate their HD learning in the context of a single visit where treatment was also provided. Materials and methods We examined the medical history of 200 patients attending the dental emergency clinic in the University Dental Hospital, Cardiff using a previous study as a benchmark. Anonymous data was collected using the medical history proforma, and included age, gender, medications, types and number of medical conditions/disorders. Results Patients attending the clinic were more medically complex that those in the comparator study and the demographics reflect wider population data showing increasing numbers of older patients with greater medical morbidity. Discussion/Conclusions The emergency dental clinic is the place where most patients are new to the hospital, have a dental history, medical history, investigations, diagnosis and treatment in a single visit, and offers excellent opportunities for consolidating HD learning in a one-stop clinical treatment episode, guided by suitable instructors

Photoaffinity cross-linking and unnatural amino acid mutagenesis reveal insights into calcitonin gene-related peptide binding to the calcitonin receptor-like receptor/receptor activity-modifying protein 1 (CLR/RAMP1) complex

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) binds to the complex of the calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CLR) with receptor activity-modifying protein 1 (RAMP1). How CGRP interacts with the transmembrane domain (including the extracellular loops) of this family B receptor remains unclear. In this study, a photoaffinity cross-linker, p-azido l-phenylalanine (azF), was incorporated into CLR, chiefly in the second extracellular loop (ECL2) using genetic code expansion and unnatural amino acid mutagenesis. The method was optimized to ensure efficient photolysis of azF residues near the transmembrane bundle of the receptor. A CGRP analogue modified with fluorescein at position 15 was used for detection of ultraviolet-induced cross-linking. The methodology was verified by confirming the known contacts of CGRP to the extracellular domain of CLR. Within ECL2, the chief contacts were I284 on the loop itself and L291, at the top of the fifth transmembrane helix (TM5). Minor contacts were noted along the lip of ECL2 between S286 and L290 and also with M223 in TM3 and F349 in TM6. Full length molecular models of the bound receptor complex suggest that CGRP sits at the top of the TM bundle, with Thr6 of the peptide making contacts with L291 and H295. I284 is likely to contact Leu12 and Ala13 of CGRP, and Leu16 of CGRP is at the ECL/extracellular domain boundary of CLR. The reduced potency, Emax, and affinity of [Leu16Ala]-human α CGRP are consistent with this model. Contacts between Thr6 of CGRP and H295 may be particularly important for receptor activation

CD4 count recovery following initiation of HIV antiretroviral therapy in older childhood and adolescence.

OBJECTIVE To investigate CD4 cell count recovery following ART initiation in perinatally HIV-infected children diagnosed in later childhood. DESIGN Observational prospective cohort study of newly diagnosed children aged 6-15 in Harare, Zimbabwe. METHODS Participants were enrolled into a cohort at seven primary healthcare clinics between January 2013 and January 2015. ART was initiated according to national guidelines and CD4 counts were performed 6-monthly over 18 months. The relationship between CD4 count and time on ART was investigated using regression analysis with fixed (population) and random (individual) effects, and age at ART initiation as a covariate. RESULTS Of the 307 participants who initiated ART, the median age at initiation was 11.7 years (interquartile range 9.6-13.8). The addition of an individual intercept and slope as random effects significantly improved the model fit compared to a fixed effects-only model. CD4 response (using a square root transformation) was best modelled using a 2-knot linear spline, with significant effects of time on ART and age at ART initiation. Younger children had a higher CD4 count at ART initiation (-17.9 cells/mm per year of age), an accelerated increase during the first three months on ART (-38.9 cells/mm per year of age at day 84), and a sustained higher CD4 count. CONCLUSIONS Earlier ART initiation in older children is associated with accelerated CD4 count recovery and lasting immune reconstitution. Our findings support WHO guidance recommending ART initiation in all children, irrespective of disease stage and CD4 count

High-temperature performance of ferritic steels in fireside corrosion regimes: temperature and deposits

The paper reports high temperature resistance of ferritic steels in fireside corrosion regime in terms of temperature and deposits aggressiveness. Four candidate power plant steels: 15Mo3, T22, T23 and T91 were exposed under simulated air-fired combustion environment for 1000 h. The tests were conducted at 600, 650 and 700 °C according to deposit-recoat test method. Post-exposed samples were examined via dimensional metrology (the main route to quantify metal loss), and mass change data were recorded to perform the study of kinetic behavior at elevated temperatures. Microstructural investigations using ESEM-EDX were performed in order to investigate corrosion degradation and thickness of the scales. The ranking of the steels from most to the least damage was 15Mo3 > T22 > T23 > T91 in all three temperatures. The highest rate of corrosion in all temperatures occurred under the screening deposit

Adaptive response and enlargement of dynamic range

Many membrane channels and receptors exhibit adaptive, or desensitized, response to a strong sustained input stimulus, often supported by protein activity-dependent inactivation. Adaptive response is thought to be related to various cellular functions such as homeostasis and enlargement of dynamic range by background compensation. Here we study the quantitative relation between adaptive response and background compensation within a modeling framework. We show that any particular type of adaptive response is neither sufficient nor necessary for adaptive enlargement of dynamic range. In particular a precise adaptive response, where system activity is maintained at a constant level at steady state, does not ensure a large dynamic range neither in input signal nor in system output. A general mechanism for input dynamic range enlargement can come about from the activity-dependent modulation of protein responsiveness by multiple biochemical modification, regardless of the type of adaptive response it induces. Therefore hierarchical biochemical processes such as methylation and phosphorylation are natural candidates to induce this property in signaling systems.Comment: Corrected typos, minor text revision