Coronary arteriosclerosis was examined in cultured Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) maintained on normal and cholesterol-enriched diets in both freshwater and saltwater during the period when they normally mature (June to December). The incidence of lesions was high (48% or greater) in all experimental subgroups (assigned according to diet, salinity, sex, and maturation status). The primary factor in the development of arteriosclerotic lesions was not established, but the high frequency of lesions in immature fish suggests that it was not maturation. However, maturation was associated with a significant increase in the incidence of lesions and was, therefore, an important secondary factor in the etiology of the disease. Furthermore, diet had a secondary influence on the development of lesions since the cholesterol supplement was also associated with an increase in the incidence of lesions. The cholesterol supplement significantly increased the total plasma cholesterol level in all subgroups; the low density lipoprotein fraction (total cholesterol minus the high density lipoprotein fraction) was also elevated in seven of eight paired subgroups. Plasma free fatty acids and triglycerides were unaffected by the cholesterol supplement. The elevated total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein levels resulting from the cholesterol-enriched diet and the associated increase in the incidence of lesions was most prominent in mature males and females held in freshwater. Salinity had no demonstrable effect on lesion incidence, but the severity of lesions tended to be greater in freshwater fish.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Coronary arteriosclerosis in Atlantic salmon. No regression of lesions after spawning.

The incidence and severity of coronary arteriosclerosis were studied in 209 wild and cultured Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) during various stages of recovery of bodily condition after spawning. All recently spawned fish had lesions of moderate to extreme severity. The incidence of lesions for each fish was high (73% to 94% of all arterial cross-sections examined). The incidence and severity of lesions did not decrease during 5 months in a group of wild salmon reconditioned in the laboratory. Wild salmon that were examined in the spring angling fishery in the Miramichi River, New Brunswick, about 5 months after spawning had a high incidence (89%) of severe lesions, not significantly different from recently spawned salmon from the same and another river. A population of cultured salmon sampled at intervals from a sea cage during 9 months after spawning showed no evidence of lesion regression, but rather a continued increase in both incidence and severity during recovery of bodily condition and growth. Thus, in contrast with previous studies with steelhead trout and Atlantic salmon where the possibility of lesion regression has been suggested, our observations on a large number of Atlantic salmon from various sources gave no evidence of lesion regression. Coronary arteriosclerosis in Salmo salar appears to be a progressive condition, which continues during recovery of bodily condition and growth after spawning.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Omental transposition to brain of stroke patients.

The intact omentum was transposed to the surface of the brain in three aphasic patients who had stabilized following a dominant hemisphere ischemic stroke. The procedure was found to be safe, causing little physical disfigurement. Subjective and objective improvement in these patients, who are on a strict experimental protocol, has provided encouragement to continue this study in a deliberate and critical manner.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The surgery of cervical disk disease: new perspectives.

Current trends in the surgical treatment of cervical disk disease, when compared with those of the 1960s, have been unimpressive. There is an ongoing refinement of anterior procedures, which seem to be effective for both myelopathy and radiculopathy, ranging from simple diskectomy and/or fusion to variously radical anterior decompressions. This refinement has demonstrated that however simple or radical the anterior procedure is, the results seem to be the same and that bone grafting is not necessarily critical to success. Posterior procedures, both for root exploration and spinal cord decompression, have fewer advocates but remain important procedures. Their magnitude relative to that of anterior surgery and the lack of refinement of laminectomy over the past 50 years probably accounts most for the preference for anterior surgery. Anterior and posterior disk surgery both have their place based on a surgion's preference. One can expect 80 to 100% acceptable results with radiculopathy and 50 to 70% with myelopathy.

Cervical Vertebrae↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Odor-associated idiopathic anaphylaxis. A case report.

A 44 year old woman is described who appears to have idiopathic anaphylaxis triggered by chemical odors. Her case and a general discussion of anaphylaxis are presented. The known causes of anaphylaxis and a discourse on idiopathic anaphylaxis are given. The treatment of idiopathic anaphylaxis is discussed.

Adult↗