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Our objective was to isolate glycosaminoglycans from various regions of the female bovine reproductive tract to ascertain their concentrations and composition. Oviducts, uterine horns, and cervices from 104 female bovine reproductive tracts obtained at slaughter were flushed with 5 ml phosphate buffered saline. Following proteolysis, glycosaminoglycans were isolated by alcoholic precipitation, and concentrations were quantitated by high performance liquid chromatography. Concentrations of glycosaminoglycans decreased significantly anterior to the cervix. There was an increase of chondroitin sulfates and heparin-like material in estrual cervical mucus compared with cervical mucus collected during the luteal phase of the estrous cycle.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone administered at breeding enhances fertility of dairy cows, so a study was designed to evaluate the mechanism for enhanced fertility following administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone at first postpartum breeding. Twenty-four cows were assigned randomly to one of two treatments, 100 micrograms of gonadotropin-releasing hormone intramuscular or saline vehicle intramuscular at insemination. Blood samples for luteinizing hormone assay were taken at 2-h intervals prior to breeding and .5-h intervals for 3 h after insemination. Composite morning milk samples for progesterone assay were collected for 30 days after insemination or until next estrus. Cows given gonadotropin-releasing hormone had higher luteinizing hormone concentrations in blood serum following treatment than cows given saline, 13.2 versus 3.0 ng/ml. There was no relationship between luteinizing hormone and subsequent conception. Progesterone for cows that became pregnant was higher throughout sampling days. Mean progesterone concentrations were 4.6 versus 2.2 ng/ml in pregnant and nonpregnant cows during the first 4 days after insemination. Cows treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone that conceived had higher progesterone than other cows, and that was evident at the first 4 days postbreeding.

Minimal inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) of 5 antituberculosis drugs (isoniazid, rifampin, streptomycin, ethionamide, and ethambutol) were determined by the radiometric (BACTEC) broth method and by the agar plate proportion method. Seventeen M. tuberculosis strains, isolated from patients before treatment, were tested. The MIC values of 4 of the 5 drugs (the exception was streptomycin) were 2 to 4 times lower in 7H12 broth than in 7H11 agar. The broth-determined MIC were also at least 2 to 4 times lower than the achievable serum concentrations. The broth-determined MIC are probably much closer to the true MIC values than those determined in agar plates because of the lower degree of absorption and degradation in the liquid medium. The radiometric broth method is a simple and rapid quantitative method for accurate determination of the MIC values of the antituberculosis drugs. The data obtained in this study will be used for further evaluation of the MIC values as complementary or alternative to the conventional qualitative testing against critical concentrations.

Between December 1980 and December 1987, approximately 6,000 two-dimensional echocardiographic examinations were performed in our noninvasive cardiac laboratory. During this period, five cases of intra-atrial smoke-like echoes were diagnosed. The four patients with dense smoke-like echoes in the left atria all had echocardiographic evidence of severe mitral stenosis and thrombi in the left atrial cavity, both of which were confirmed at open-heart surgery. One patient with right-sided cardiomyopathy had echocardiographic evidence of dense smoke-like echoes and thrombus in the right atrial cavity. One of our five patients was receiving anticoagulant therapy, and none had a history of thromboembolism. We conclude that using conventional two-dimensional echocardiographic techniques, smoke-like echoes in the atria are a very infrequent finding and are very commonly associated with formation of thrombi.

Adenosine or vehicle; dibutyryl c-AMP, a c-AMP analogue, or vehicle in two separate experiments were infused through an indwelling cannula every four hours around the ovarian vascular pedicle of ewes unilaterally ovariectomized on day 8 postestrus. Adenosine or vehicle was infused from day 8 through 22 postestrus and dibutyryl-cAMP was infused from day 8 through 20 postestrus or until the ewes returned to estrus. Interestrous intervals were greater (p less than or equal to 0.05) in ewes receiving adenosine (27.3 +/- 2.4 days) than in control ewes (17.2 +/- 1.3 days). The length of the estrous cycle of ewes receiving dibutyryl c-AMP was greater (22.4 +/- 1.1; p less than or equal to 0.05) than in control ewes which averaged 16.7 +/- 0.6 days. Profiles of progesterone were different (p less than or equal to 0.05) for ewes receiving adenosine or dibutyryl c-AMP when compared to their respective controls. In addition, the overall mean concentrations of progesterone were greater (p less than or equal to 0.05) in dibutyryl c-AMP or adenosine-treated ewes than in controls. In a third experiment, infusions of adenosine or dibutyryl c-AMP intrauterine every 4 hours through a cannula from day 8 through 22 postestrus had no effect (p less than or equal to 0.05) on the interestrous interval or profiles of progesterone. It is concluded that dibutyryl c-AMP or adenosine in vivo can delay luteolysis and adenosine and c-AMP may play roles in luteal secretion of progesterone in sheep but are probably not the uterine embryonic antiluteolysin of early pregnancy in sheep.

This is the first prospective clinical trial recorded to date of short-course chemotherapy in pulmonary tuberculosis complicated by pneumoconiosis. Forty-eight anthrasillicotic and 11 silicotic patients with previously untreated pulmonary tuberculosis completed 9-month, short-course chemotherapy regimens: 2 months of daily streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampicin, and pyrazinamide followed by daily isoniazid and rifampicin for 7 months (2SHRZ/7HR). There were 3 treatment failures (5%). The remaining 56 patients (95%) all had their sputum converted within 4 months (mean, 1.5 months). Bacteriologic relapses were noted in 3 patients (5%) after 18 to 40 months of follow-up (mean, 28.4 months). The relapses occurred within 7 months after chemotherapy was stopped. There were 2 deaths from nontuberculosis causes during the follow-up period. Fifty-one patients (90%) remained bacteriologically sterile for 28.4 +/- 6.1 months. These results suggest that the 2SHRZ/7HR regimen is satisfactory in treating anthrasilicotic or silicotic patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, though antituberculosis chemotherapy seemed less effective in patients with pneumoconiosis than in those without pneumoconiosis.

Poliovirus type 1 strains recovered from patients with poliomyelitis during the epidemic of 1982, were distinct antigenically from Sabin-1 strain by comparing homologous and heterologous neutralization rate constants of Sabin-1 specific antiserum. With the reproductive capacity at 40 degrees C, these isolates could be easily differentiated from vaccine strain. It was suggested that the epidemic of poliomyelitis in 1982 was not caused by vaccine strain. The 24 isolates reacted with LSc and/or Sabin-1 antisera to the same extent. It was speculated that they might be antigenically similar if not identical. Three isolates which were collected from the later part of epidemic formed small plaques at 40 degrees C. Rabbit antisera against poliovirus strains 3844, Sabin-1, Mahoney and Brunhilde were produced. Antigenic relatedness among the strains was tested by kinetic neutralization. The strain 3844 was distinct from Brunhilde, Mahoney and Sabin-1. Asymmetric cross-reactions between Mahoney and Sabin-1 strains were clearly demonstrated.

The objective of this study was to determine if progesterone administered near the onset of estrus in dairy cows would block the preovulatory surge of LH and result in subsequent persistence of ovarian follicular structures. Following synchronization of estrus with prostaglandin F2 alpha, 20 multiparous, non-lactating Holstein cows were randomly assigned into three groups: 1 ml ethanol administered i.m. at 12-h intervals for 24 h (n = 6; group 1); 1 mg progesterone administered i.m. at 12-h intervals for 24 h (n = 7; group 2); 2.5 mg progesterone administered i.v. at the onset of standing estrus (n = 7; group 3). Ovarian structures were palpated per rectum on the day of estrus and twice weekly for 14 d. Blood was collected every 2 h from onset of standing estrus for 30 h, and concentrations of LH and progesterone were determined. Numbers of cows diagnosed with persistent follicles 10 d after estrus were 1 of 6 (group 1), 2 of 7 (group 2), and 5 of 7 (group 3). The preovulatory surge of LH did not occur during the sampling period (30 h) for 1 of 6, 7 of 7 and 5 of 7 cows, for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and mean serum concentrations of LH were higher in group 1 than in groups 2 and 3. Serum concentration of progesterone (ng/ml) was higher in group 1 (1.9 +/- .4) than in groups 2 (.9 +/- .4) and 3 (.9 +/- .4) 10 d following estrus. Blocking the preovulatory surge of LH with exogenous progesterone resulted in persistence of ovarian follicles.