No abstract

Study objectives-To determine differences in incidence and case fatality of stroke in district health authorities with differing standardised mortality ratios (SMR) for stroke im residents aged under 65 years in whom death from stroke is considered 'avoidable'. Design-Registration of first ever strokes in three district health authorities. Patients were assessed and followed up over one year by one of three observers. Measurements and main results-Age specific incidence rates and survival time from stroke to death. Severity was assessed in terms ofthe level of consciousness and the presence of speech, urinary, and motor impairment within the first 24 hours of the stroke.Altogether 386 strokes were registered. There was a significant difference in the incidence rate between district health authorities in those aged under 65 (p<0.01). The overall case fatality was 26% at three weeks with no significant difference between the districts. Poor survival was associated jointly with increased age and with coma, incontinence, and swallowing impairment in the first 24 hours after a stroke.Conclusions-The SMRs for stroke in those aged under 65 in these three health districts reflect the incidence ofstroke. Case fatality at three weeks does not vary between these districts and consequently would not be a sensitive indicator ofthe quality ofcare. This also suggests that differences in services between the districts did not lead to changes in prognosis. In districts with high SMRs for stroke there is a need for further study and reduction of risk factors, thereby reducing the incidence and burden of stroke locally. This study provides a framework for assessing the needs for stroke prevention and treatment in both rural and urban areas without an elaborate protocol and detailed neurological assessment. Jf Epidemiol Community Health 1993; 47: 139-143 Stroke is one of the commonest causes of physical disability and death in adults' 2 but for someone

SYNOPSIS At the Princess Margaret Migraine Clinic, 310 patients were studied during an acute attack of headache to see whether atmospheric conditions affect the incidence of migraine attacks. The onset of attack was correlated with five aspects of weather before onset, at onset and after onset. It was also observed that most patients began their attacks between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. which led to a secondary study of 100 non acute patients to find the time and day of the week on which their headaches most commonly occurred. No correlation was found between the onset of attack and adverse weather conditions. In both studies most patients developed their headaches between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. but on no specific day of the week. In this study no conclusive relationship could be found between atmospheric changes and the incidence of headaches in Britain. Most headaches seem to begin between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m.

Asthma is characterized by chronic lower airway inflammation that results in airway remodeling, which can lead to a permanent decrease in lung function. The pathophysiology driving the development of asthma is complex and heterogenous. Animal models have been and continue to be essential for the discovery of molecular pathways driving the pathophysiology of asthma and novel therapeutic approaches. Animal models of asthma may be induced or naturally occurring. Species used to study asthma include mouse, rat, guinea pig, cat, dog, sheep, horse, and nonhuman primate. Some of the aspects to consider when evaluating any of these asthma models are cost, labor, reagent availability, regulatory burden, relevance to natural disease in humans, type of lower airway inflammation, biological samples available for testing, and ultimately whether the model can answer the research question(s). This review aims to discuss the animal models most available for asthma investigation, with an emphasis on describing the inciting antigen/allergen, inflammatory response induced, and its translation to human asthma.

The objective of this study was to compare the plasma pharmacokinetic profile of ceftiofur crystalline-free acid (CCFA) and ceftiofur sodium in neonatal calves between 4 and 6 days of age. In one group (n = 7), a single dose of CCFA was administered subcutaneously (SQ) at the base of the ear at a dose of 6.6 mg/kg of body weight. In a second group (n = 7), a single dose of ceftiofur sodium was administered SQ in the neck at a dose of 2.2 mg/kg of body weight. Concentrations of desfuroylceftiofur acetamide (DCA) in plasma were determined by HPLC. Median time to maximum DCA concentration was 12 h (range 12-48 h) for CCFA and 1 h (range 1-2 h) for ceftiofur sodium. Median maximum plasma DCA concentration was significantly higher for calves given ceftiofur sodium (5.62 μg/mL; range 4.10-6.91 μg/mL) than for calves given CCFA (3.23 μg/mL; range 2.15-4.13 μg/mL). AUC0-∞ and Vd/F were significantly greater for calves given CCFA than for calves given ceftiofur sodium. The median terminal half-life of DCA in plasma was significantly longer for calves given CCFA (60.6 h; range 43.5-83.4 h) than for calves given ceftiofur sodium (18.1 h; range 16.7-39.7 h). Cl/F was not significantly different between groups. The duration of time median plasma DCA concentrations remained above 2.0 μg/mL was significantly longer in calves that received CCFA (84.6 h; range 48-103 h) as compared to calves that received ceftiofur sodium (21.7 h; range 12.6-33.6 h). Based on the results of this study, CCFA administered SQ at a dose of 6.6 mg/kg in neonatal calves provided plasma concentrations above the therapeutic target of 2 μg/mL for at least 3 days following a single dose. It is important to note that the use of ceftiofur-containing products is restricted by the FDA and the use of CCFA in veal calves is strictly prohibited.