A herpesvirus was isolated during 2 occurrences of mass mortality among adult catfish Ictalurus melas raised in different farms in northern Italy. The agent replicated in the channel catfish ovary ...(CCO) cell line from channel catfish I. punctatus, inducing a cytopathic effect similar to that caused by Ictalurid herpesvirus 1 (also referred to as channel catfish herpesvirus, CCV). The new herpesvirus, designated I. melas herpesvirus (IcmHV) did not react with polyclonal rabbit or monoclonal antibodies directed to CCV in either neutralization or indirect immunofluorescence assays. The virions of IcmHV possessed a hexagonal nucleocapsid of 107 nm in diameter surrounded by an envelope with a diameter of 227 nm (n = 20) typical for members of the family Herpesviridae. Virions of IcmHV purified from infected CCO cells contained 17 polypeptides ranging in size from 17.5 to 175 kDa and most differed in molecular weight from those found for CCV. The IcmHV was also distinct from CCV when compared by restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) of genomic DNA following digestions with the endonucleases Kpn I and Sac I. Lastly, the virulence of IcmHV for channel catfish fry and juveniles, respectively, was demonstrated by experimental infections induced by bath exposure or intraperitoneal injection that resulted in 78 to 96% cumulative mortality in groups of exposed fish. Preventing the introduction of this agent into geographic regions where significant channel catfish production occurs should be a high priority.
Studies of pharmacotherapy for agitation in dementia have primarily been limited to single-drug trials and have not determined if some forms of agitated behaviors are more responsive to treatment ...than others.
The goal of this study was to determine if manifestations of agitation (ie, physical aggression, physically nonaggressive behavior, and verbally agitated behaviors) show different degrees of response to divalproex sodium (extended release or sprinkles) alone or in combination with second-generation antipsychotic agents.
This was a 6-week, open-label, naturalistic pilot study of patients aged >60 years recruited from a geriatric psychiatry inpatient unit, 2 nursing homes, and 4 assisted living residences. Patients were referred for study if they displayed Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia. The primary outcome measure was the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI), an instrument whose subscales allow measurement of physically aggressive behaviors, physically nonaggressive behaviors (eg, wandering), and verbally agitated behaviors. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Nursing Home version (NPI-NH) was also used to assess patients' behavior.
Fifteen patients were included in the study (10 men, 5 women; mean SD age, 81.9 7.7 years). Total CMAI improved by 17.1% at week 1, showed an additional improvement of 3.4% at week 3, and no further improvement by week 6 (total score dropped by 1.1%). Aggressive behavior improved at weeks 3 and 6 while physically nonaggressive and verbally agitated behaviors improved at weeks 1 and 3, and lost much of the gains by week 6. The NPI-NH agitation/aggression score decreased a mean (SE) of 1.3 (0.5) points (P = 0.03), the irritability/lability subscale decreased a mean (SE) of 2.3 (0.6) points (P = 0.005), and the disinhibition subscale decreased a mean (SE) of 1.4 (0.4) points (P < 0.01). Seven patients were on divalproex monotherapy and 8 patients were on combination therapy. Daily doses of divalproex (mean dose, 656 mg/d) in combination with a second-generation antipsychotic were 28% lower than divalproex monotherapy (mean dose, 914 mg/d). The most common adverse events were somnolence (7 of 15) and gait disturbance (5 of 15). One death was observed in the study; the death was due to a prior medical condition and was judged unlikely to be study related.
Patients with higher levels of agitation receiving divalproex had reduced agitation on the physical aggression subscale of the CMAI. Divalproex was less effective on physically nonaggressive behavior and verbal agitation. Irritability, as measured on the NPI-NH, was also reduced. Patients who received both divalproex and an antipsychotic agent were responsive at lower doses of divalproex. In either case, the effective dosage of divalproex was lower than that commonly used for epilepsy or mania in elderly patients. The most common adverse events included somnolence and gait disturbance.
The organism responsible for causing viral nervous necrosis (VNN) or viral encephalopathy and retinopathy (VER) has been demonstrated to belong to the group Nodaviridae K. Mori, et al., 1992 M. ...Comps, et al., 1994. Since its initial identification in 1990 by Yoshikoshi and Inoue (1990), in Japanese parrotfish, its distribution and/or identification has become global. Methods of identification developed and results from outbreaks of VNN in white seabass between 1992 and 1999 have been published in Curtis et al. (2001). The white seabass cultured at the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute's hatchery in Carlsbad California (CBD), have experienced VNN, of varying severity, since 1992. Disease in 1992 was thought to be due to a picrona-like virus but the indirect fluorescent antibody technique (IFAT) performed in 1999 on samples from 1992, indicated the same nodavirus was responsible. Confirmation of the nodavirus in white seabass was done using IFAT, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), electron microscopy and virus isolation via cell culture. The strain of nodavirus isolated from white seabass was shown to be similar to that recovered from redspotted grouper in Japan. The most serious and extensive outbreak experienced in white seabass at CBD extended from August of 2002 to May 2003. Since 1999 a concerted effort has been made to further the understanding of VNN epidemiology in white seabass. Recently, enzyme linked immunosorbant assays (ELISA) performed on sera samples from wild fish have demonstrated VNN exposure in wild juvenile white seabass. With the apparent lack of species specificity of VNN and its global distribution, continued devastating impacts on new marine species development are a distinct possibility. Along with cooperative measures for identification and epidemiology, there needs to be a drive towards development of preventative husbandry protocols and methods of prophylaxis.
Scope and Method of Study. This study examined the major justifications given for creation and retention of the vice presidency of the United States. The history of the creation and development of ...the vice presidency is also given. The research questions addressed are: (1) What is the electoral significance of the vice presidential candidate? (2) Is the vice presidency a good apprenticeship for the presidency? (3) Has the Twenty-Fifth Amendment worked as its authors intended? (4) What are the various proposals for reforming the vice presidency and how desirable are these? and (5) If the vice presidency were abolished and a presidential vacancy occurred, would an acting president be treated as a caretaker? Data from the University of Michigan's Survey Research Center election surveys and various presidential polls were utilized in the study. Findings and Conclusions. A greater percentage of people vote against a presidential ticket because of the vice presidential candidate than vote for it. While the presidential candidate tends to win the home state of his running mate, this was decisive in only one election this century. Relative to having served as governor or in Congress, the vice presidency (when held for over two years) is the worst preparation for the presidency. It does, however, provide its occupant with name recognition and political skill. The Twenty-Fifth Amendment has not worked as its authors intended. Presidents, like presidential candidates, select vice presidents who balance their characteristics. The closest the United States has come to an acting president (a succeeding vice president) has not been treated as a caretaker. Proposals for reform are numerous and range from giving the presidential candidate more time to make his choice to abolishing the office. The data support abolishment of the office because it fails to live up to the justifications for its retention.
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