Python farming as a flexible and efficient form of agricultural food security.

Diminishing natural resources and increasing climatic volatility are impacting agri-food systems, prompting the need for sustainable and resilient alternatives. Python farming is well established in Asia but has received little attention from mainstream agricultural scientists. We measured growth rates in two species of large pythons (Malayopython reticulatus and Python bivittatus) in farms in Thailand and Vietnam and conducted feeding experiments to examine production efficiencies.

The perils of flawed science in wildlife trade literature.

Despite broad scientific consensus that sustainable use of wildlife can enhance conservation efforts, ethical concerns have led some community groups to oppose use of wild animals. Voicing those concerns is legitimate, but underlying philosophical bias should not influence science-based analysis and interpretation. We argue that philosophical biases are common in the scientific literature on trade in wildlife.

Behavioral and corticosterone responses to carbon dioxide exposure in reptiles.

The use of carbon dioxide (CO2) exposure as a means of animal euthanasia has received considerable attention in mammals and birds but remains virtually untested in reptiles. We measured the behavioral responses of four squamate reptile species (Homalopsis buccata, Malayopython reticulatus, Python bivitattus, and Varanus salvator) to exposure to 99.5% CO2 for durations of 15, 30, or 90 minutes.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Magnetometer-Guided Sentinel Lymphadenectomy After Intraprostatic Injection of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Intermediate- and High-Risk Prostate Cancer Using the Magnetic Activity of Sentinel Nodes.

Due to the high morbidity of extended lymph node dissection (eLND) and the low detection rate of limited lymph node dissection (LND), targeted sentinel lymph node dissection (sLND) was implemented in prostate cancer (PCa). Subsequently, nonradioactive sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a magnetometer after intraprostatic injection of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) was successfully applied in PCa. To validate the reliability of this approach, considering the magnetic activity of SLNs or whether it is sufficient to dissect only the most active SLNs as shown in other tumor entities for radio-guided sLND, we analyzed magnetometer-guided sLND results in 218 high- and intermediate-risk PCa patients undergoing eLND as a reference standard.

A new polymorph of physcion.

The structure of the title compound, 7-methoxy-2-methyl-4,5-dihydroxyanthracene-9,10-dione, C(16)H(12)O(5), was originally reported by Ulický et al. [Acta Cryst. (1991).

When the problem is not the problem: understanding attention deficit disorder with and without hyperactivity.

Attention Deficit Disorder with, and Attention Deficit Disorder without, Hyperactivity, are common neurobiological conditions that cause or exacerbate many learning, social, and emotional problems. Understanding the significant interactions of biological, cognitive, and psychological factors in AD(H)D and informing clients of all treatment options, including pharmacological intervention, are essential to treatment. Counseling alone, without providing multimodal treatments that acknowledge the core medical problem, has limited positive effect.

Poppy tea drinking in East Anglia.

Poppy tea drinking was a widespread traditional practice in the Fenlands of East Anglia during the nineteenth century. The subsequent social changes which led to greater integration of the area with the rest of the country may have contributed to a decline in the practice. In recent years poppy tea drinking has been revived within the illicit drug using community and a survey using a self-report questionnaire was carried out among patients attending the Cambridge Drug Dependency Unit.

Biomagnetic functional localization of a peripheral nerve in man.

The first detection of the magnetic field of a stimulated peripheral nerve in man is presented. The measurement was performed noninvasively and in vivo on a healthy subject. The spatio-temporal field distribution is utilized to calculate the location of bioelectric activity on the basis of the equivalent current dipole model.

Quinidine-digoxin interaction: cardiac efficacy of elevated serum digoxin concentration.

Cardioactivity due to elevated serum digoxin concentration (SDC) after quinidine (Q) and digoxin (D) was evaluated in six healthy subjects by means of measurement of systolic time intervals (STIs). Each subject randomly received basic treatments with 0.2 mg D and placebo (PL1).

Comparison of impedance cardiography and echocardiography for measurement of stroke volume.

The relationship between stroke volume (SV) measured simultaneously by impedance cardiography (SVI) and echocardiography (SVE) has been analyzed. Change in stroke volume in 6 healthy volunteers was induced by passive head-up tilting (80 degrees) and by oral administration of the sympathomimetic drug amezinium. A correlation of r = 0.

Sympathomimetic effects of amezinium on the cardiovascular system and plasma catecholamines in man.

The cardiovascular effects of the sympathomimetic agent amezinium were investigated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial in six volunteers. Before and 2 h after oral administration of amezinium 30 mg or placebo the cardiovascular responses to orthostatic stress, induced by 80 degrees passive head-up tilt, were assessed by recording blood pressure, systolic time intervals, and echocardiogram. Plasma catecholamines were also determined.

[Threshold of action of meproscillarin following intravenous administration].

A placebo-controlled double-blind trial was conducted, to determine the onset of effect of Meproscillarin (injected intravenously). 28 days apart six healthy volunteers were given double-blind 1,0 mg Meproscillarin or placebo and 60 days later 0,6 mg Digoxin, each drug as short infusion over four minutes. The total electromechanical systole corrected for heart rate (QS2c), was used as criterion of the inotropic effect of the glycoside.

Ischemia and post-ischemic regeneration of the small intestinal mucosa. An enzyme-histochemical investigation.

After ligation of the vascular arcades of the upper jejunum in rats, the ischemic damage to the intestinal mucosa and its regenerative behavior after ischemia lasting 120 minutes were investigated with histological and enzyme-histochemical methods. During the ischemic injury of the jejunal mucosa, there is rejection of hydropically swollen epithelial cells into the intestinal lumen advancing from the tip to the base of the villi without a previously detectable loss of activity of the enzymes investigated. At the end of ischemia lasting 120 minutes, there is complete destruction of the villi as well as the upper portions of the crypts.