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Biomedical subjects

R Jaspers

Publications and source records attributed to R Jaspers.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Compatibility of a bivalent modified-live vaccine against Bordetella bronchiseptica and CPiV, and a trivalent modified-live vaccine against CPV, CDV and CAV-2.

Eight puppies (group 1) were vaccinated once with a bivalent modified-live vaccine against infectious tracheobronchitis by the intranasal route and at the same time with an injectable trivalent vaccine against canine parvovirus, canine distemper virus and canine adenovirus; a second group of eight puppies (group 2) was vaccinated only with the intranasal bivalent vaccine, and a further eight puppies (group 3) were vaccinated only with the injectable trivalent vaccine. Three weeks later they were all challenged with wildtype Bordetella bronchiseptica and canine parainfluenza virus by the aerosol route, and their antibody responses to the five vaccine organisms were determined. Oronasal swabs were taken regularly before and after the challenge for the isolation of bacteria and viruses, and the puppies were observed for clinical signs for three weeks after the challenge. There were no significant differences in the puppies' titres against canine parvovirus, canine distemper virus and canine adenovirus type 2 between the groups vaccinated with or without the bivalent intranasal vaccine. After the challenge the mean clinical scores of the two groups vaccinated with the intranasal vaccine were nearly 90 per cent lower (P=0.001) than the mean score of the group vaccinated with only the trivalent injectable vaccine, and the puppies in this group all became culture-positive for B bronchiseptica and canine parainfluenza virus. There were only small differences between the rates of isolation of B bronchiseptica from groups 1, 2 and 3, but significantly lower yields of canine parainfluenza virus were isolated from groups 1 and 2 than from group 3.

Adenoviridae Infections↗
PubMed2006

Forced magnetic reconnection and field penetration of an externally applied rotating helical magnetic field in the TEXTOR tokamak.

The magnetic field penetration process into a magnetized plasma is of basic interest both for plasma physics and astrophysics. In this context special measurements on the field penetration and field amplification are performed by a Hall probe on the dynamic ergodic divertor (DED) on the TEXTOR tokamak and the data are interpreted by a two-fluid plasma model. It is observed that the growth of the forced magnetic reconnection by the rotating DED field is accompanied by a change of the plasma fluid rotation. The differential rotation frequency between the DED field and the plasma plays an important role in the process of the excitation of tearing modes. The momentum input from the rotating DED field to the plasma is interpreted by both a ponderomotive force at the rational surface and a radial electric field modified by an edge ergodization.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Protection of dogs for 13 months against Bordetella bronchiseptica and canine parainfluenza virus with a modified live vaccine.

Twelve specific pathogen-free (spf) puppies were vaccinated intranasally with a bivalent, modified live vaccine against infectious tracheobronchitis (group 1) and six puppies of the same age and from the same source served as unvaccinated controls (group 2). Both groups were challenged with wild-type Bordetella bronchiseptica and canine parainfluenza virus by the aerosol route 56 weeks after group 1 had been vaccinated, and at the same time six 10-week-old spf puppies from the same source (group 3) were also challenged. Oronasal swabs were taken regularly before and after the challenge, for the isolation of bacteria and viruses, and the dogs were observed for clinical signs for three weeks after the challenge. The control dogs became culture-positive for B bronchiseptica and canine parainfluenza virus, but the isolation yields from the vaccinated group were significantly lower (P<0.05). The mean clinical scores of the vaccinated group were 61 per cent lower than the scores of group 2 (P=0.009), and 90 per cent lower than the scores of group 3 (P=0.001).

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Toroidal plasma rotation induced by the dynamic ergodic divertor in the TEXTOR tokamak.

The first results of the Dynamic Ergodic Divertor in TEXTOR, when operating in the m/n=3/1 mode configuration, are presented. The deeply penetrating external magnetic field perturbation of this configuration increases the toroidal plasma rotation. Staying below the excitation threshold for the m/n=2/1 tearing mode, this toroidal rotation is always in the direction of the plasma current, even if the toroidal projection of the rotating magnetic field perturbation is in the opposite direction. The observed toroidal rotation direction is consistent with a radial electric field, generated by an enhanced electron transport in the ergodic layers near the resonances of the perturbation. This is an effect different from theoretical predictions, which assume a direct coupling between rotating perturbation and plasma to be the dominant effect of momentum transfer.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Quasistationary high confinement discharges with trans-greenwald density on TEXTOR-94

Confinement quality as good as ELM-free H-mode at densities substantially above the Greenwald density limit ( &nmacr;(e,0)/n(GW) = 1.4) has been obtained in discharges with a radiative boundary under quasistationary conditions for 20 times the energy confinement time. This is achieved by optimizing the gas-fueling rate of RI-mode discharges which tailors their favorable energy confinement and leads to discharges with beta values just below the operational limit beta(n) = 2 of TEXTOR-94, thereby effectively avoiding confinement back transitions or disruptions. In addition, this high-density regime is favorable for helium removal and results in figures of merit tau(*)(p,He)/tau(E) approximately 10-15, relevant for a future fusion power reactor.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Scale size of magnetic turbulence in tokamaks probed with 30-MeV electrons

Measurements of synchrotron radiation emitted by 30-MeV runaway electrons in the TEXTOR-94 tokamak show that the runaway population decays after switching on neutral beam injection (NBI). The decay starts only with a significant delay, which decreases with increasing NBI heating power. This delay provides direct evidence of the energy dependence of runaway confinement, which is expected if magnetic modes govern the loss of runaways. Application of the theory by Mynick and Strachan [Phys. Fluids 24, 695 (1981)] yields estimates for the "mode width" (delta) of magnetic perturbations: delta<0.5 cm in Ohmic discharges, increasing to delta = 4.4 cm for 0. 6 MW NBI.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1989

Haloperidol and cognitive shifting.

In this study haloperidol appeared to affect the performance on a selected category of cognitive tasks considered to represent shifting aptitude. A pretest--post-test design was used with two groups of subjects: 17 patients suffering from idiopathic spasmodic torticollis, and 17 controls who were matched for age and intelligence. The results are discussed in relation to previous findings on haloperidol and cognition, shifting disorder in Parkinson's disease and changes in behavioural organization found in animals with an experimentally induced dopaminergic hypoactivity.

Attention↗
PubMed1989

Anatomically distinct output channels of the caudate nucleus and orofacial dyskinesia: critical role of the subcommissural part of the globus pallidus in oral dyskinesia.

The findings in this feline study indicate that the enkephalin-positive subcommissural part of the globus pallidus, which is known to contain GABA and cholinergic cells projecting to the cortex, is innervated by the anterodorsal region of the caudate nucleus, but not by the core. Like stimulation of a particular subclass of dopamine receptors in the anterodorsal region of the caudate nucleus, inhibition of the GABA receptors in the noted part of the globus pallidus resulted in orofacial dyskinesia, viz. tic-like contractions of the facial, eye and ear muscles, and tongue protrusions. This phenomenon was elicited by intrapallidal injections of the GABA antagonist picrotoxin in a dose-dependent manner and could be attenuated by the GABA agonist muscimol. Previous studies have already shown that neither stimulation of the dopamine receptors in the core of the caudate nucleus nor any manipulation with the first- and second-order output-stations of the latter brain region, viz. (a) those regions of the substantia nigra, pars reticulata which receive afferents from the caudate nucleus, and (b) those regions of the intermediate layers of the superior colliculus which receive afferents from the latter nigral region, ever resulted in orofacial dyskinesia. These findings support the hypothesis that the anatomically distinct input-output channels of the caudate nucleus are differentially involved in orofacial dyskinesia. The clinical impact of these findings is discussed in view of the L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine-induced tardive dyskinesia in man. In addition, the relevance of the anatomical data is discussed in view of the co-occurrence of Parkinson's Disease and Dementia of Alzheimer-type in certain patients.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Renal masses: differential diagnosis with pulsed Doppler US.

Duplex Doppler ultrasound (US) was used in 21 consecutive patients with renal masses, including renal carcinoma (n = 9), metastases (n = 6), lymphoma (n = 4), angiomyolipoma (n = 1), and sarcoma (n = 1). Seven of the nine carcinomas had Doppler shifts of 4 kHz or more and were hypervascular or vascular. These seven masses had significantly higher (P less than .001) Doppler shifts than all the other malignant renal masses, including the two avascular renal cell carcinomas. Correlation with angiographic findings suggests that the high-frequency Doppler signals were associated with arteriovenous shunts. Detection of the high Doppler shift seems to be a promising step in differentiating hypervascular renal carcinomas from other renal tumors.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

GABAergic neurotransmission within the reticular part of the substantia nigra (SNR): role for switching motor patterns and performance of movements.

In order to investigate the role of GABAergic neurotransmission within the reticular part of substantia nigra (SNR) in the switching of motor patterns and the performance of movements, cats trained to walk on the running belt of a treadmill at constant speed were subjected to three different tests: a food dispenser test measuring the animals' capacity to switch motor patterns in order to get access to food during walking; an obstacle test measuring the animals' capacity to switch motor patterns in reaction to incoming obstacles; EMG recording of two representative antagonistic muscles of the hindlimb during walking on the treadmill. Local injection of a moderate dose of the GABA antagonist picrotoxin (PTX; 250-500 ng/0.5 microliter) into the SNR disrupted the animals' capacity to switch motor patterns in the food dispenser test, but not in the obstacle test. These animals displayed normal EMG patterns during walking. Higher doses of intranigral injections of PTX, however, impaired the execution of movements per se as detected by an increased number of 'faults' in the obstacle test and pathological EMG patterns during walking. These experiments support the view that the SNR plays a distinct role for switching motor patterns; the SNR is involved in the control of movements per se; the degree of motor disorder depends on the degree of pathology within this brain structure.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Muscular rigidity and delineation of a dopamine-specific neostriatal subregion: tonic EMG activity in rats.

In order to investigate the role of neostriatal dopamine receptors in muscular rigidity we have studied catalepsy and spontaneous muscle tone in rats receiving haloperidol injections into various parts of the neostriatum. It was found that low doses of haloperidol (250-750 ng/0.5 microliter) induced a tonic activity in the EMG of the gastrocnemius-soleus muscle when injected into the most rostral part of the neostriatum (A 8620-9650). This tonic EMG activity was found to be both dose-dependent and dopamine-specific: the haloperidol effect of 500 ng could be inhibited by 500 ng apomorphine. No muscular rigidity could be observed when haloperidol (500 ng/0.5 microliter) was injected further caudally into the neostriatum or into the medial part of the nucleus accumbens. With regard to the haloperidol-induced catalepsy as measured by means of the bar test, a similar distribution of effective and ineffective injection sites was observed; however, higher doses of haloperidol (1.5-2.5 micrograms/0.5 microliter) were required. Thus catalepsy and muscular rigidity were found to be closely related phenomena within the neostriatum. Finally, it is discussed how information relevant to tonic EMG activity is transmitted from the substantia nigra pars compacta to the superior colliculus and the ventromedial thalamus via the neostriatum and the substrate nigra pars reticulata.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Caudate nucleus and programming behaviour in cats: role of dopamine in switching motor patterns.

Cats were trained to walk on a specially designed treadmill: the cats were able to collect food pellets by switching motor patterns with or without the help of exteroceptive stimuli inherent to the treadmill. To study the involvement of the caudate nucleus in switching motor patterns cats received intracaudate bilateral injections of haloperidol. In addition, in a final series of experiments, EMG recordings of two antagonistic muscles, together with recordings of characteristic changes in the length of one muscle, were made before and after the haloperidol treatment. Haloperidol treatment resulted in a decreased number of motor patterns which were not directed by exteroceptive stimuli (non-exteroceptively directed motor patterns). This haloperidol-induced effect was dose-dependently counteracted by the additional intracaudate injections of apomorphine which per se remained ineffective. Haloperidol neither altered the number of food collecting attempts nor reduced the number of exteroceptively directed motor patterns. Furthermore, haloperidol did not affect the capacity to switch to proprioceptively directed motor patterns. Finally, haloperidol did not produce abnormalities in EMG and length signals recorded from hindlimb muscles. It is concluded that haloperidol selectively reduced the animal's capacity to 'programme non-stimulus directed motor behaviour'. The data are discussed in view of their significance for therapy of patients with basal ganglia disorders, such as patients suffering from Parkinson's disease.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

GABA-specificity of behaviour responses to picrotoxin injected into the colliculus superior of cats.

The behavioural response to picrotoxin (25-500 ng) injected into the colliculus superior (CS) of freely moving cats was investigated. The maximal response to unilateral injections of picrotoxin (greater than or equal to 200 ng) was characterized by the following sequence of behavioural events. During the first 5 min after the injection the cat executed retroflexions of the contralateral ear. After 1-5 min these contralateral ear movements were followed by short, contralateral head movements. As time progressed the front part of the body, including the forelimbs, became involved in the movements resulting in contralateral torso movements. Finally, as the response was maximal, the whole body became involved in the movements resulting in contralateral body movements. Data are shown indicating that most of these behavioural phenomena were dose-dependent, locus-specific, and GABA-specific. Bilateral injections of picrotoxin resulted in similar characteristic movements, but now directed towards both sides and/or directed 'ventrocaudally'. Finally, it was found that blindfolding the animals did not change the response to unilaterally injected picrotoxin. As the behavioural phenomena described here are dissimilar to the effects observed after disturbing the GABAergic activity in the substantia nigra, pars reticulata (SNR), it is concluded that the CS, being an output station of the SNR, transforms its input signals into new output signals. Finally, it is suggested that picrotoxin resulted in a fixed code at the level of the CS, forcing the animal to execute characteristic motor patterns.

Animals↗