Blood glucose discrimination training in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) patients

Self-management of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is dependent on a negative feedback loop of blood glucose (BG) fluctuations, which in turn directs treatment decisions to maintain normal BG. Although this feedback is typically accomplished by self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), SMBG has limitations, and patients often rely on what their BG feels like. Two studies were performed to evaluate whether patients could learn to more accurately feel/discriminate their BG on the basis of internal cues or internal plus external BG cues. In Study I, BG Awareness Training significantly improved pre- to posttreatment BG estimation accuracy, relative to a control group. Study II replicated BG Awareness Training efficacy in improving BG estimation accuracy. Improvement in estimation accuracy was related only to initial accuracy; those who were initially less accurate improved the most. This improvement was represented in a 31% reduction in dangerous BG estimation errors and a 9% increase in accurate estimates. Resulting estimations were, however, still significantly less accurate than SMBG at the end of training.This research was supported by NIH grants AM282880, AM24177, AM22125, and RR00847 and by the Ames Company. The authors express their appreciation for the contribution made by trainers Leslie Butterfield and Linda Zimbelman, by the nursing staff at the University of Virginia's Clinical Research Center and the Diabetes and Nutrition Unit, and by Dr. James May from the Medical College of Virginia in soliciting subjects. We would also like to thank Andrea Snyder for her assistance.     

A review and update of animal toxicoses associated with fumonisin-contaminated feeds and production of fumonisins by Fusarium isolates

During the 1989 corn harvest season, numerous reports of equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM) outbreaks and a pulmonary edema (PPE) syndrome in swine from several regions of the United States were received by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL), Ames, Iowa. Previous and concurrent research linked Fusarium moniliforme and fumonisin-contaminated feeds to both diseases. Chemical and mycological investigations revealed fumonisin B₁ (FB₁) concentrations of 20 to 360 ppm in suspect swine feeds and 8 to 117 ppm in suspect equine feeds. Nonproblem feeds contained concentrations below 8 ppm. Fusarium moniliforme and Fusarium proliferatum were isolated from both problem and nonproblem equine and swine feeds. When cultured on autoclaved corn, the F. moniliforme and F. proliferatum isolates produced respective FB₁ and fumonisin B₂ (FB₂) that range from less than 5 to more than 2450 ppm and less than 5 to more than 1000 ppm, respectively. Isolates from both problem and nonproblem feeds produced high levels (greater than 500 ppm) in culture. Reported here is a review of chemical and mycological data resulting from the study of several cases of PPE and ELEM.     

Voluntary progression order in captive rhesus macaques

The sequence in which 14 laboratory rhesus macaques left their home enclosure during a routine catching procedure was recorded on 30 occasions during 6 weeks. The animals were trained to voluntarily exit one by one and enter a transport cage for weighing and/or treatment. Mean weekly exit orders cross-correlated significantly, and individuals retained their exit positions with remarkable consistency throughout the study period. An animal's position did not depend on its sex, age, or dominance rank. The oldest female never failed to enter the transport cage as number 1. When she was prevented from taking the lead, the group was hesitant but eventually proceeded in the usual order. Food was a strong, yet not absolute, incentive for the monkeys to cooperate. If they could not expect a reward, they took more time before proceeding, but did so in the habitual order. The predictability of the exit sequence has practical managerial value because it makes it possible for a single person to quickly catch a selected group member when necessary.     

Control of plant growth by nitrogen and phosphorus in mesotrophic fens

A fertilization experiment was carried out in 3 mesotrophic fens to investigate whether plant growth in these systems is controlled by the availability of N, P or K. The fens are located in an area with high N inputs from precipitation. They are annually mown in the summer to prevent succession to woodland. Above-ground plant biomass increased significantly upon N fertilization in the two mid-succession fens studied. In the late-succession fen that had been mown for at least 60 years, however, plant biomass increased significantly upon P fertilization. The mowing regime depletes the P pool in the soil, while it keeps N inputs and outputs in balance. A long-term shift occurs from limitation of plant production by N toward limitation by P. Hence, mowing is a suitable management tool to conserve the mesothrophic character of the fens.     

The choice between desiccation of wetlands or the spread of Rhine water over The Netherlands

The dry summer of 1976 triggered a wholesale installation of sprinkler systems for agriculture. This dry summer also revealed areas in The Netherlands most susceptible to drought, namely sandy regions and the coastal fringe. This resulted in distribution of Rhine water to new areas, and in quantities hitherto unknown. The Second National Water Management Plan (1982) consequently focussed on enlarging the capacity of water distribution works. This distribution has led to a multitude of ecological effects, such as changes in salinity and nutrient concentration, as well as the spreading of contaminants. Consequently, the Third National Water Management Plan (1990) includes fewer distribution works because of the adverse environmental effects and the reduced feasibility due to increasing costs and decreasing agricultural benefits.A climatic change as predicted may result in climatic conditions in The Netherlands resembling those of France or the Mediterranean, implying drier summers and more precipitation in winter. An increased frequency of dry summers will no doubt revive water distribution plans now shelved and may even bring new ones to the drawing board. An increase in Rhine water distribution will have serious consequences for many aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, as will a lowering of the groundwater table. In this paper we will discuss the dilemma of choosing between allowing increased desiccation of wetlands as the climate becomes drier or increasing the distribution of Rhinewater and the potential ecological effects of these choices. Alternative strategies to water management also are discussed.This article is largely based on Duel et al. 1989.     

Pollarding and a possible explanation of the neolithic elmfall

Sections of two pollarded parkelms (Ulmus glabra) from Damsgaard, Bergen, west Norway have been studied. Changes in annual ring-width are attributed partly to management, namely pollarding, and partly to pathogenic attacks, probably by Ceratocystis ulmi. The oldest attack on the trees dates back to 1826: so far the oldest known record of Dutch elm disease in Norway. Pollarding may be an important factor in attacks by the pathogen within parkelms. A possible relationship between pollarding, the pathogen and the Neolithic elmfall is suggested.     

Application of good laboratory practice (GLP) to culture collections of microbial and cell cultures

Although the principles and the necessity for good laboratory practice (GLP) guidelines to confirm the credibility, integrity, and quality of non-clinical laboratory studies have been known for more than a decade, culture collection activities are not subject to them. Because of recent advances in biotechnology, culture collections face increased demands not only for quality cultures but also current information. When applied in culture collections, GLP guidelines prove to be an excellent management tool as well as a cost-effective system of providing authentic and reliable microbial and cell cultures and associated data.     

欺骗,契约,合作的ESS

动物竞争中的欺骗、契约、合作现象是极为常见的。本文就论述与此有关的ESS。一、欺骗某些动物竞争时信号a后跟随发生行为A,如一个体不出现A则为欺骗。欺骗是相对真实     

Pastoral dairy marketing and household wealth interactions and their implications for calves and humans in Ethiopia

Surveys of pastoral households in a semi-nomadic Borana community during 1987–1988 were used to test the hypothesis that poorer families living closest to a market town would be most affected by the enhanced opportunity to sell dairy products, which would intensify competition between people and calves for milk and have negative implications for calf management. These poorer families indeed reported the highest rates of milk offtake per cow, and the milk increment was probably sold to purchase more grain for human consumption at the expense of milk intake for the calf. Consequently, this strategy may increase the susceptibility of malnourished calves to disease, especially those from lower-producing dams. Benefits of improved human energy intake from grain and retention of livestock capital must be weighed against risks of calf death and possible malnutrition of people from milk restriction when assessing dairy marketing trade-offs that are most acute for the poor. Opportunity to sell dairy products at favorable terms of trade helps the poorest people survive, and their risks could be mitigated by policies that facilitate grain marketing in the rangelands and interventions that improve calf feeding management, diversify human diets, and create alternative opportunities for women to generate income. The households postulated to be most at risk were identified from a complex, but logical, interaction among factors of distance to market, household wealth, and the quality of milking cows held. This indicates that targeting such needy groups for development assistance may require a more detailed and interdisciplinary analysis of production systems than is commonly practiced.     

Phorbol ester receptors in cerebral cortex of cats with GM1 gangliosidosis

The pathogenesis of neuronal dysfunction in the gangliosidoses is poorly understood. Studies of the feline gangliosidoses and in vitro experiments implicate ganglioside inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) in the pathogenesis of these neurological diseases. Therefore, in the present study, the binding of [³H]phorbol-12, 13 dibutyrate was measured to determine the levels of PKC in cerebral cortex of cats with GM₁ gangliosidosis (mutant) and age matched normal siblings. This binding of ([³H]PDB) to cerebral cortex homogenates in both normal and mutant cats was highly specific. The specificity of receptors was ascertained also from displacement studies using nonradioactive phorbol ester analogues to displace [³H]PDB bound to its receptors. In both mutant and normal cat brain, phorbol 12, 13-dibutyrate (PDB), 4--phorbol 12,13-didecanoate (-PDA) and 4--phorbol 12,13-dibenzoate (-PDBz) were highly potent (approximately to same degree) and effective in displacing [³H]PDB. On the other hand, 4- phorbol 12,13-diacetate (-PDA) was a weak displacer and 4--phorbol did not displace the bound [³H]PDB in either normal or mutant brain. Scatchard analysis of the binding data indicated a homogenous single class of binding sites in normal and mutant brain (Normal: K_d=1.42×10^–7 M, B_max=8.40 pmoles/mg protein. Mutant: K_d=1.60×10^–7 M, B_max=10.00 pmoles/mg protein). Sphingosine inhibited the binding to approximately the same extent in normal and mutant cortex. These studies demonstrate the presence of highly specific, homogenous, single type phorbol ester receptors in cerebral cortex of cats with GM₁ gangliosidosis which are qualitatively and quantitatively similar to normal cat brain.