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Biomedical subjects

J K Levy

Publications and source records attributed to J K Levy.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Isolation of calicivirus from the joint of a kitten with arthritis.

Calicivirus was isolated from the joint of a kitten that had pyrexia, upper respiratory tract disease, and severe shifting-limb lameness. Marked mononuclear inflammation was found in the synovial fluid. Calicivirus infection or live-virus vaccination previously had been associated with arthropathy, but virus had not been recovered from affected joints. Calicivirus infection should be considered as a diagnosis in kittens with fever and arthralgia, especially if there is a history of recent vaccination or upper respiratory tract disease. Lameness associated with calicivirus infection may be severe, but appears to be self-limiting and is associated with an excellent prognosis for recovery.

Animals

Ataxia in a kitten treated with griseofulvin.

A 12-week-old male domestic shorthair kitten developed ataxia, fever, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia during treatment with griseofulvin for superficial dermatophytosis. The fever and hematologic changes resolved promptly with withdrawal of the drug, but the ataxia continued unchanged. Persistent ataxia may represent a previously unrecognized idiosyncratic reaction to griseofulvin in cats.

Animals

Psychopharmacotherapy of psychiatric syndromes in asymptomatic and symptomatic HIV infection.

It is evident that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is one of the most serious public health issues in decades. HIV infection compromises cell-mediated immunity which ultimately may result in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). AIDS, to date, remains an incurable and progressively fatal disorder. HIV infection is spreading beyond the originally identified high-prevalence groups of gay/bisexual males, intravenous drug abusers, and recipients of infected blood or blood products. Today, more and more heterosexual males, women, adolescents, and children have been infected with this lethal virus. This report addresses some of the psychiatric complications associated with HIV infection and discusses the diagnostic and clinical management challenges that clinicians must face as they deal with the increasing population of HIV-infected patients. Depression, anxiety, psychosis, delirium, and dementia are commonly encountered disorders associated with HIV spectrum disorders which must be accurately identified and can be effectively managed with psychopharmacological interventions.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Ifosfamide with mesna uroprotection in the management of lung cancer.

Fourteen patients with extensive disease small cell bronchogenic carcinoma (SCBC) received ifosfamide at 2,000 mg/m2/day for 5 consecutive days with simultaneous mesna and vincristine while 26 patients with extensive disease non-small-cell bronchogenic carcinoma (N-SCBC) received the same regimen without vincristine. Eight partial responses (57%) were observed with a 40-week median survival in the case of SCBC and four partial remissions (15%) with a 31-week median survival in N-SCBC. Granulocytopenia was the dose-limiting toxicity, whereas urotoxicity was well controlled with mesna. Neuropsychiatric toxicity consisted of anxiety, agitation, confusion, and hallucination. Neurobehavioral testing detected worsened performance during ifosfamide treatment. Ifosfamide is one of the few active agents in N-SCBC.

Aged

Effect of macular ablation on vertical optokinetic nystagmus in the squirrel monkey.

After macular ablation in squirrel monkeys, a significant improvement of the slow-phase eye speed of vertical optokinetic nystagmus (VOKN) was found. This findings is in contrast to the result of our previous study in which horizontal optokinetic nystagmus (HOKN) was not improved following macular ablation. The different influence of macular ablation on HOKN and VOKN could be due to the directional characteristics of vestibular and visual interaction relative to the direction of gravity and to the difference in horizontal and vertical vestibulo-oculomotor neural pathways, including vestibular end-organs. The vertical directional dominance which was observed preoperatively was similarly observed in the postablative status; the upward slow-phase nystagmus was easier to provoke than the downward nystagmus by application of an identical stimulus.

Acoustic Maculae

Effect of exercise upon locomotor balance modification after peripheral vestibular lesions (unilateral utricular neurotomy) in squirrel monkeys.

In this study, we placed unilateral utricular nerve section and measured the locomotor equilibrium function (deviation counts of the animal's trotting gait) by the squirrel monkey platform runway test. We applied physical exercise, both preoperatively (3 weeks) and postoperatively. 21 young adult squirrel monkeys were randomly assigned to three groups (7 each): rotating cage exercise (continuous trotting in the motor-driven rotating cage) group, rail-traversing exercise (60 running shuttles on the rotating rail) group, and control nonexercise group. After the statistical analyses on data it was found that the physical exercise showed some effect; however, the type, daily amount, and number of days applied must be quite substantial.

Animals

Locomotor dysfunction after surgical lesions in the unilateral vestibular nuclei region in squirrel monkeys.

The present experimental results in squirrel monkeys indicated that the performance of psycho-physically advanced locomotor task (squirrel monkey rail test) was severely impaired after the placement of the medium to relatively large surgical lesions in the unilateral vestibular nuclei area, and therefore, confirmed that this brain-stem structure is essential for the signal relay and/or input coordination. The severest locomotor disability was found 10-14 days after the surgery; thereafter, squirrel monkeys showed very gradual and only limited degree of performance recovery. The post-ablative performance levels were no better than 1/5 of their pre-ablative performance levels.

Animals

Comparative toxicity of netilmicin and gentamicin in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus).

Netilmicin was found to be less toxic than gentamicin when administered at comparable dosage levels to squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus). This finding is based upon data obtained from the following determinations: length of survival period; change in body weight; observation of general change in behavior after daily injection; ataxia, as measured by the squirrel monkey platform-runway test; acoustic reflex threshold; levels of blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine (and pathology of the kidney); and microbiological antibiotic assay.

Acute Disease

Electrodermal response in the squirrel monkey.

An effort to find evidence of electrodermal response in the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus), as found in man, some infra-human genera of Simiae, and some lower mammals and amphibians, failed to locate an example. Given anatomical considerations, the availability of this response in Saimiri was suspected. In this study, using the skin conductance (constant voltage) method, monophasic electrodermal response as a result of novel or startle stimuli presentation was detected and a range of skin conductance level for test cases was determined.

Animals

Optokinetic nystagmus after cerebellar uvulonodulectomy in squirrel monkeys.

After cerebellar uvulondulectomy in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus), a change occurred in the optokinetic nystagmus, in that there was a slow-phase eye speed decline, at the stimulus speeds above 90 degrees/sec. The difference was statistically significant when pre- and post-ablative comparisons were made. This result supports the usefulness of the optokinetic nystagmus examination to diagnose conditions which involve posterior inferior vermis of vestibulo-cerebellum. The optokinetic after-nystagmus depicted a similar decline postoperatively.

Animals

Effect of physical exercise upon nystagmus and locomotor dysequilibrium after labyrinthectomy in experimental primates.

Spontaneous nystagmus and locomotor equilibrium function were repeatedly tested before and after unilateral labyrinthectomy in 12 squirrel monkeys in order to study the effect of physical exercise on the vestibulo-oculomotor and vestibulo-locomotor compensation. Post-operatively, 6 of the monkeys received forced physical exercise in the rotating cage, while the other 6 did not. The provocation of post-operative spontaneous nystagmus was less in the exercise group. The statistical studies showed a certain contribution of physical exercise toward the oculomotor balance compensation and maintenance, probably at the level of the brain stem. Statistical comparison of the locomotor equilibrium performance did not depict a significant difference between the exercise and non-exercise groups; however, there was a possibility that the present testing maneuver which involves physically advanced tasks might have concealed the effect of the physical exercise.

Animals