Most ornamental plants on sale in garden centres are unattractive to flower-visiting insects.

Background: Gardeners and park managers seeking to support biodiversity in urban areas often plant ornamentals attractive to flower-visiting insects. There is a huge diversity of garden plant varieties, and some recommendations are available as to which are attractive to insects. However, these are largely not based on rigorous empirical data.

Using the British National Collection of Asters to Compare the Attractiveness of 228 Varieties to Flower-Visiting Insects.

Wildlife-friendly gardening practices can help conserve biodiversity in urban areas. These include growing ornamental plant varieties attractive to flower-visiting insects. Because varieties vary greatly in attractiveness, there is a need to quantify it in order to give objective advice to gardeners.

Survey of insect visitation of ornamental flowers in Southover Grange garden, Lewes, UK.

Ornamental flowers commonly grown in urban gardens and parks can be of value to flower-visiting insects. However, there is huge variation in the number of insects attracted among plant varieties. In this study, we quantified the insect attractiveness of 79 varieties in full bloom being grown in a public urban garden that is popular due to its beautiful flowers and other attractions.

Interactive effects of plant-available soil silicon and herbivory on competition between two grass species.

Background And Aims: The herbivore defence system of true grasses (Poaceae) is predominantly based on silicon that is taken up from the soil and deposited in the leaves in the form of abrasive phytoliths. Silicon uptake mechanisms can be both passive and active, with the latter suggesting that there is an energetic cost to silicon uptake. This study assessed the effects of plant-available soil silicon and herbivory on the competitive interactions between the grasses Poa annua, a species that has previously been reported to accumulate only small amounts of silicon, and Lolium perenne, a high silicon accumulator.

[Photodynamic therapy of recurrent and residual oropharyngeal and laryngeal tumors].

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) was given to 61 patients with recurrent cancer of the tongue, oral mucosa, lower lip, oro- and nasopharynx, larynx. Photosensitizers photogem and photosens of Russian produce were employed. The radiation was given twice with the interval 24 and 48 hours, the exposure to light 3 to 30 min.

[The clinical picture, diagnosis and radiation treatment principles in cancer of the buccal mucosa].

Diagnosis and treatment of 228 patients with cancer of the buccal mucosa is analyzed. There were 130 women and 98 men aged 65 years on average. 218 were primary patients and 10 with relapses.

[The radiation therapy of skin cancer of the face].

Results of three-year radiotherapy are assessed in 586 patients with skin cancer, with tumors localized on the skin of the face in 484 of these. The results of treatment were found to depend on the histological structure of the tumor and disease stage: 100% cure was attained in patients with basal-cell carcinomas and T1 stage, whereas only 7% of patients with T4 stage were cured; in patients with squamous-cell carcinoma these figures were, respectively, 96.2 and 10%.

[Radiotherapy with local SHF hyperthermia of the late stages of cancer of the mouth and oropharyngeal mucosa].

Thermoradiotherapy (local UHF-hyperthermia at 915 MHz and radiation therapy in the regimen of dynamic fractionation) of cancer of the oral and nasopharyngeal mucosa in patients with stages III-IV led to the 18-mos. survival of 32.5%, radiation therapy alone - to 18.

[Radiotherapy of cancer of the lower lip].

The authors assessed the results of radiotherapy including tele- and brachytherapy (taking into account a cosmetic effect) of 261 patients with lower lip cancer (stage II in 160 patients and stage III in 101 patients). Teletherapy at a summary focal dose of (SFD) 20-24 Gy and a single focal dose (SFD) of 2 Gy was followed after 2-week interruption by brachytherapy, the SFD being 50-65 Gy mostly 50-55 Gy. An irradiation field size (0.

[A multi-fractionated course of gamma teletherapy in the late stages of cancer of the maxillofacial area and neck].

The results of gamma-beam therapy using a multifractional course in 373 patients with advanced stages of different parts of the maxillofacial area and neck were assessed. The 3-year survival rates among patients with stage IV (83.9%) were 18.

[Thermoradiotherapy of the late stages of cancer of the oral mucosa and oropharynx].

Local UHF-hyperthermia (915 MHz) of cancer of the oral mucosa at advanced stages ensures higher immediate cure rates (48.9 +/- 7.5%) as compared to radiotherapy (26.

[Efficacy of radiotherapy of cancer of the mouth mucosa].

An analysis of 10-year experience of a radiological department (962 patients) indicated late admission of oral mucosa cancer patients for specialized treatment: 75-85% of the patients were admitted with Stage II-IV disease. The assessment of the efficacy of radiotherapy according to the 3 and 5-year survival rates showed that better results were obtained for buccal mucosa cancer and the worst for mouth fundus cancer. Three-year survival rates could be considered sufficient for the assessment of buccal cancer therapy whereas a 5-year period was necessary for the rest of the cancer sites.