PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Greig

Publications and source records attributed to A Greig.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Association between natural scrapie and PrP genotype in a flock of Suffolk sheep in Scotland.

The incidence of natural scrapie in sheep is associated with polymorphisms of the PrP gene, particularly those at codons 136, 154 and 171. In many breeds, the PrP allele encoding valine at codon 136 confers an extremely high risk of scrapie, but in Suffolk sheep this allele is vanishingly rare. In this study of a single closed flock of Suffolk sheep in Scotland, scrapie occurred primarily in animals which were homozygous for glutamine at codon 171, a genotype which was significantly less frequent in healthy flockmates. However, the apparent linkage between glutamine at codon 171 and scrapie was not completely recessive because two of 64 scrapie cases were heterozygous glutamine/arginine. These results suggest that breeding for increased resistance to scrapie in Suffolks by the selection of animals according to their PrP genotype is a feasible option.

Alleles↗
PubMed1997

How good are doctors at estimating children's weight?

OBJECTIVE: (1) To see whether children are weighted before drugs are prescribed in an accident and emergency (A&E) department; (2) to assess how safe it is for doctors to guess children's weight if they prescribe "by eye". METHODS: An audit of 100 sets of notes was performed to see if children were weighed before drugs were prescribed. A&E senior house officers were asked to estimate the weight of 75 children aged 12 years and under. RESULTS: Children were weighed before prescribing in only two out of 100 cases. The mean difference between the actual and estimated weights was -0.21 (not significantly different from zero: P = 0.40); 95% of the estimates were within two standard deviations of the mean difference. The percentage difference between the actual and estimated weight varied between overestimates of 300% and underestimates of nearly 100%. CONCLUSIONS: The average guess of doctors as a group was approximately correct. However, there was a wide range of estimates for individuals. If the child's weight is guessed, the doctor could risk under- or overprescribing analgesia, sedation, or intravenous fluids. Given the wide range of estimates, actual weights are required for accurate prescribing. Prescribing on an age basis may be acceptable for drugs such as paracetamol or amoxycillin, but it is imperative to prescribe on a mg/kg basis for opiates, sedatives, and intravenous fluids because of the large variation in weight that can occur for a single age.

Body Weight↗
PubMed1995

Johne's disease in a herd of farmed red deer.

An outbreak of Johne's disease in a herd of farmed red deer was studied for four years. Serological, histopathological and cultural techniques were used to monitor the progress of the disease, and delayed type hypersensitivity skin tests were also applied. The results of the serological tests showed that they were poor predictors of future clinical cases and did not consistently identify animals harbouring mycobacteria. The histopathological methods provided a sensitive and specific means of confirming the infection. The skin tests had a low sensitivity and the results were poorly correlated with the serological results in seropositive animals. A vaccination policy was instituted which was accompanied by a change in the pattern of disease. Although the histopathological evidence suggested that the infection was still occurring, there was a marked reduction in the incidence of clinical disease. Vaccinated animals showed a good response to the skin test.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Development and evaluation of an indirect ELISA to detect antibodies to abortion strains of Chlamydia psittaci in sheep sera.

A novel indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for antibodies against abortion strains of Chlamydia psittaci (C. psittaci) has been developed. The antigen used was chlamydial elementary bodies treated sequentially with N-lauroyl sarcosine and n-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside and finally solubilized with N-lauroyl sarcosine and dithiothreitol. Treating the antigen with sodium periodate after coating of the plates increased the specificity for antibodies to abortion strains. The test was evaluated initially with sera from experimentally infected sheep and an uninfected control group. These sheep were monitored for lambing performance and infection status. When used in conjunction with the indirect micro-immunofluorescence test (MIF), the ELISA was able to identify as negative all twenty-five sera from ewes that had no typical placental lesions and identified as positive twenty of twenty-one sera from infected ewes that had either typical placental lesions or had been found positive by isolation of chlamydia in cell culture. The combination of ELISA and MIF was also able to discriminate correctly groups of sera from six flocks with a history of infection from four known uninfected flocks.

Abortion, Veterinary↗
PubMed1995

Molecular basis of human cardiac troponin T isoforms expressed in the developing, adult, and failing heart.

Cardiac troponin T (cTnT), a protein essential for calcium-regulated myofibrillar ATPase activity, is expressed in the human heart as four isoforms (cTnT1 through cTnT4, numbered in the order of decreasing molecular size). The expression of these isoforms at the protein level has previously been found by us to differ in the normal and failing adult and fetal human heart. In the present study, we have cloned and sequenced four full-length cDNAs corresponding to the four native cTnT protein isoforms and have expressed these cDNAs in an in vitro transcription and translation system. The cDNAs differ by the variable inclusion of a 15- and a 30-nt exon in the 5' half of the coding region. These cDNAs yielded proteins that comigrate with the native isoforms, cTnT1 through cTnT4. Polyclonal antisera, raised against a synthetic peptide corresponding to the 10-residue peptide encoded by the 30-nt exon, reacted with the two human isoforms largest in molecular size (cTnT1 and cTnT2) and the two largest cTnT isoforms of the rabbit and rat. The isoforms cTnT1 and cTnT2, containing either both peptides encoded by the 30- and 15-nt exons or the peptide encoded by the 30-nt exon alone, are expressed in the fetal heart, with cTnT2 being expressed at a very low level. cTnT4, lacking both of these sequences, is expressed in the fetal heart and is reexpressed in the failing adult heart, whereas cTnT3, containing the 5-residue peptide, is the dominant isoform in the adult heart.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Necrotic enteritis of unknown aetiology in young beef calves at pasture.

An enteric disease has occurred for four consecutive years (1989 to 1992) in a spring-calving beef suckler herd in east central Scotland affecting seven- to 12-week-old beef calves. The affected animals remained pyrexic (40 to 42 degrees C) with an acute enteritis which progressed in some cases to severe mucohaemorrhagic colitis. Despite intensive antibiotic and fluid therapy 25 per cent of the affected calves died after five to 10 days of illness. Post mortem examination revealed ulceration and necrosis of the mucosa of the abomasum and small and large intestine. Haematological examinations revealed a severe, non-regenerative neutropenia. Histopathological examination of gut and associated lymphoid tissue revealed lesions similar to those described in bovine viral diarrhoea/mucosal disease (BVD/MD) infection but detailed investigations failed to reveal evidence of active BVD virus infection in the herd. No aetiological agent has been found in association with this disease, for which the term necrotic enteritis is proposed.

Abomasum↗
PubMed1994

Molecular basis of cardiac troponin T isoform heterogeneity in rabbit heart.

In the rabbit heart, multiple isoforms of cardiac troponin T (cTnT1 through cTnT5, from largest in size to smallest), a protein essential for calcium-regulated myofibrillar ATPase activity, have been identified, and a correlation has been found between these isoforms and myofilament sensitivity to calcium. We have sought to establish the molecular basis of this diversity. Restriction-digest analysis of genomic DNA has indicated that the rabbit cTnT gene is a single-copy gene. cTnT cDNA clones were isolated from cDNA libraries, yielding a consensus sequence for the protein. Newborn rabbit heart cDNAs, obtained using the reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), were amplified using primers derived from this cDNA. Three full-length cDNAs that differed by the inclusion or exclusion of three short nucleotide sequences within the cDNAs were obtained. Amplification in the 5' half of the cDNAs confirmed that multiple cTnT products arose because of the variable inclusion of an 18- and a 30-nt sequence. The 30-nt sequence has homology with previously described alternatively spliced exons in rat and chicken cTnT, whereas the 18-nt sequence has not been described previously. RT-PCR in the 3' half of the cDNAs confirmed an additional region of heterogeneity: the presence, in part or in full, or absence of a 9-nt region, which matches the alternatively spliced exon 12 described for rat cTnT. In vitro transcription and translation of four cDNA clones containing both the 18- and 30-nt sequences, the 30-nt sequence, the 18-nt sequence, or neither generated protein isoforms that comigrated with cTnT1, cTnT2, cTnT3, and cTnT4, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Identification of cattle infected with bovine virus diarrhoea virus using a monoclonal antibody capture ELISA.

A monoclonal antibody capture enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed to detect pestivirus-specific antigen in the leucocytes of cattle infected with bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV). A blind trial was conducted to compare the specificity of the ELISA with conventional tissue culture virus isolation on 215 blood samples submitted for BVDV diagnosis from cattle throughout Scotland. One hundred and sixty seven samples were negative by both ELISA and virus isolation and 47 samples were positive by both tests. One blood was negative by ELISA and positive by virus isolation.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Use of ammonium tetrathiomolybdate in the treatment of copper poisoning in sheep.

Intravenous administration of ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (three doses on alternate days) appeared to be an effective means of containing the acute phase of copper toxicity in sheep, whether this arose from continuous ingestion of high copper feeds or by injudicious use of copper preparations for the control of copper deficiency. No adverse effects were recorded on lamb numbers, birth weight or survival of lambs born to ewes of normal to low copper status when the treatment was applied at sensitive periods of the reproductive cycle. Decreases in 'available' plasma copper and in liver damage occurred rapidly in response to intravenous tetrathiomolybdate and it is suggested that all animals at risk be treated.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

A bovine respiratory virus vaccination trial.

A respiratory virus vaccination trial was carried out in a commercial calf-rearing unit with a history of virus pneumonia. The effects of vaccination on the incidence of virus respiratory disease and growth rate were assessed. Forty-four bought-in calves were allocated to groups and treated as follows: A, unvaccinated controls; B, intranasal temperature-sensitive infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) vaccine at three and 10 weeks; C, intranasal temperature-sensitive combined IBR and parainfluenza-3 (PI3) vaccine at three and 10 weeks; D, intranasal temperature-sensitive combined IBR and PI3 vaccine at three and 10 weeks plus live attenuated bovine respiratory syncytial (BRS) virus vaccine intramuscularly at seven, 10 and 16 weeks. Two outbreaks of virus pneumonia occurred, one at three to four months of age associated with BRS virus and the other at four to five months of age with PI3 virus. During these outbreaks the incidence of pneumonia was lower and the number of days of elevated temperature and the number of treatments were significantly less in groups vaccinated against the associated virus. Despite these findings there were no significant differences between the growth rates of the groups either during the outbreaks of virus pneumonia or during the 10 month period to slaughter.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Persistent bovine virus diarrhoea virus infection in a bull.

Investigation of a sight defect in a pedigree bull, born as a result of artificial insemination and ovum transplantation, led to the finding that the animal was persistently infected with bovine virus diarrhoea virus. Virus was cultured from blood and from nasal and ocular swabs and was present in semen in high titre. At necropsy, virus was cultured from a wide range of tissues. The pathological findings are described and discussed as are the potential hazards of such infections.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Field studies on the efficacy of a long acting preparation of oxytetracycline in controlling outbreaks of enzootic abortion of sheep.

The effects of long acting oxytetracycline in controlling outbreaks of enzootic abortion of ewes were studied over three consecutive years in 13 different commercial flocks. When used in the face of an outbreak the compound produced a statistically significant reduction in abortion in treated ewes when compared to untreated controls. There was, however, only a marginal difference in the overall abortion rate between treated and untreated groups of ewes in known infected flocks, where the drug was used in anticipation of an abortion storm, mainly because the abortion rate was too low in the control group. It is suggested that oxytetracycline therapy should only be used in an effort to control an actual abortion outbreak on the understanding that the treatment will not eradicate infection from the flock.

Abortion, Veterinary↗