Description and SEM Observations of Meloidogyne sasseri n. sp. (Nematoda: Meloidogynidae), Parasitizing Beachgrasses.

Meloidogyne sasseri n. sp. is described and illustrated from American beachgrass (Ammophila breviliffulata) originally collected from Henlopen State Park and Fenwick Island near the Maryland state line in Delaware, United States (6).

An epidemiologic study of sports and weight lifting as possible risk factors for herniated lumbar and cervical discs. The Northeast Collaborative Group on Low Back Pain.

The associations between participation in several specific sports, use of free weights, and use of weight lifting equipment and herniated lumbar or cervical intervertebral discs were examined in a case-control epidemiologic study. Specific sports considered were baseball or softball, golf, bowling, swimming, diving, jogging, aerobics, and racquet sports. Included in the final analysis were 287 patients with lumbar disc herniation and 63 patients with cervical disc herniation, each matched by sex, source of care, and decade of age to 1 control who was free of disc herniation and other conditions of the back or neck.

Role of a raf proto-oncogene during Caenorhabditis elegans vulval development.

During Caenorhabditis elegans vulval induction, multipotent precursors respond to an inductive signal by generating vulval cells as opposed to non-specialized epidermal cells. Both classical and 'reverse' genetic approaches have revealed that a cascade of nematode homologues of mammalian proto-oncogenes is necessary for induction of the vulva. The inductive signal is a growth factor encoded by the lin-3 gene and its candidate receptor is a tyrosine kinase encoded by the let-23 gene.

C. elegans lin-45 raf gene participates in let-60 ras-stimulated vulval differentiation.

Vulval differentiation in Caenorhabditis elegans is controlled by intercellular signalling mediated by a receptor tyrosine kinase and a ras gene product. The lin-45 gene encodes a homologue of the raf family of serine/threonine kinases and is necessary for vulval differentiation. The lin-45 raf gene product appears to act downstream of the ras protein in this pathway.

An epidemiologic study of non-occupational lifting as a risk factor for herniated lumbar intervertebral disc. The Northeast Collaborative Group on Low Back Pain.

An epidemiologic case-control study of herniated lumbar intervertebral disc was conducted in Springfield, Massachusetts, New Brunswick, New Jersey, and New York, New York, to evaluate the role of several possible risk factors in the etiology of this disorder. Patients with signs and symptoms of herniated lumbar disc (N = 287) were matched to control subjects without back pain by age, sex, source of care, and geographic area. Of the total case-subject group, 177 were confirmed by surgery, computed tomographic scan, myelogram, or magnetic resonance imaging.

Bone mass among premenopausal women.

Bone mass in early adult life, or peak bone mass, is primarily under genetic control, although recent data suggest that alterations in nutrition and life style during growth may modify the genetic potential. Cross-sectional data indicated that upon completion of growth, there was a period of skeletal consolidation that resulted primarily from increased width of cortical bones. Data on cancellous bone are conflicting.

Chemigation for Control of Black Shank-Root-knot Complex and Weeds in Tobacco.

Tank mixes of a fungicide (metalaxyl) and a nematicide (fenamiphos) with herbicides (isopropalin or pendimethalin) and an insecticide (chlorpyrifos) were applied by soil incorporation or irrigation to control the black shank-root knot complex and weeds on four tobacco cultivars. The disease complex was more severe on cultivars McNair 944, NC-2326, and K-326 than on Speight G-70. The disease complex was reduced (P View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nematode numbers and crop yield in a fenamiphos-treated sweet corn-sweet potato-vetch cropping system.

Nematode population densities and yield of sweet corn and sweet potato as affected by the nematicide fenamiphos, in a sweet corn-sweet potato-vetch cropping system, were determined in a 5-year test (1981-85). Sweet potato was the best host of Meloidogyne incognita of these three crops. Fenamiphos 15G (6.

Root canal obturation using Thermafil endodontic obturators in dog teeth.

The technique of using Thermafil endodontic obturators to fill root canals in dog teeth is discussed in detail. Stainless steel carriers coated with gutta-percha were heated and inserted in instrumented canals of dog teeth. The ease of the technique is discussed and obturation efficacy is evaluated.

Description of Pratylenchus gutierrezi n. sp. (Nematoda: Pratylenchidae) from Coffee in Costa Rica.

A lesion nematode, Pratylenchus gutierrezi n. sp., collected from the roots of coffee in the Central Plateau of Costa Rica, is described and illustrated.

Effects of Rapeseed and Vetch as Green Manure Crops and Fallow on Nematodes and Soil-borne Pathogens.

In a rapeseed-squash cropping system, Meloidogyne incognita race 1 and M. javanica did not enter, feed, or reproduce in roots of seven rapeseed cultivars. Both nematode species reproduced at low levels on roots of the third crop of rapeseed.

A key and diagnostic compendium to the species of the genus hoplolaimus daday, 1905 (nematoda: hoplolaimidae).

An identification key to 29 valid species of Hoplolaimus is given. A compendium of the most important diagnostic characters for use in identification of species is included as a practical alternative and supplement to the key. Diagnosis of Hoplolaimus is emended and lists of species of the genus, their synonymies, species inquirendae, nomina nuda, and species transferred to other genera are given.

Nematodes associated with blackberry in arkansas.

A survey of the nematodes in blackberry (Rubus sp.) rhizospheres was conducted in Arkansas from 1986 to 1989. The state was divided arbitrarily into four quadrants.

Evaluating cancer patients for rehabilitation potential.

The Karnofsky performance scale is the most widely used method of quantifying cancer patients' ability to function. It has also been used to measure patients' function before and after treatment. Because identifying problems with function is the cornerstone of rehabilitating patients with cancer, we developed a table that relates the functional independence measure with the Karnofsky scale.

Evaluation of the calcium channel-blocking agents diltiazem and verapamil for treatment of feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

To determine the efficacy of and clinical response to several pharmacologic agents for treatment of idiopathic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats, 17 symptomatic cats were randomized to treatment with either propranolol, diltiazem, or verapamil. Clinical, laboratory, radiographic, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic data were obtained before treatment and after 3 and 6 months of chronic oral therapy. Too few of the cats receiving propranolol or verapamil survived long enough to obtain long-term data needed to make statistical comparisons between groups.

Evidence for or against the efficacy of calcium channel blockers for management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats.

The positive lusitropic and direct coronary vasodilating properties of the calcium channel blocking agents are beneficial therapeutic effects not provided by the beta-adrenergic blocking agents for the management of feline HCM. Data from cats studied at the University of Tennessee suggest that diltiazem more consistently alleviates clinical signs and more effectively prolongs survival in cats with HCM than either propranolol or verapamil. Orally administered diltiazem appears to have sustained beneficial effects on left ventricular filling and cardiac performance based on its ability to reduce resting heart rate, decrease blood lactate concentration, increase venous oxygen tension, improve echocardiographic parameters, and resolve radiographic abnormalities.

Familial predisposition for herniation of a lumbar disc in patients who are less than twenty-one years old.

The parents of sixty-three patients who were less than twenty-one years old and who had operatively confirmed herniation of a lumbar disc were interviewed regarding a history of sever back pain, sciatica, and herniated disc, to determine whether aggregation of herniation of a lumbar disc occurs in families of patients in this young age-group. The parents of sixty-three additional patients who had a non-spinal orthopaedic diagnosis (control group) were matched for age and sex with the study group and were given the same interview. Of the patients who had herniation of a lumbar disc and were less than twenty-one years old, 32 per cent had a positive family history for that lesion compared with 7 per cent of the control group.

Role of platelet membrane glycoprotein IIb-IIIa in agonist-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of platelet proteins.

Treatment of platelets with thrombin was shown previously to induce rapid changes in tyrosine phosphorylation of several platelet proteins. In this report, we demonstrate that a variety of agonists which induce platelet aggregation also stimulate tyrosine phosphorylation of three proteins with apparent molecular masses of 84, 95, and 97 kD. Since platelet aggregation requires the agonist-induced activation of an integrin receptor (GP IIb-IIIa) as well as the binding of fibrinogen to this receptor, we examined the relationship between tyrosine phosphorylation and the function of GP IIb-IIIa.

Use of relaxation half-time as an index of ventricular relaxation in clinically normal cats and cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Relaxation half-time (t1/2) was evaluated as a measure of isovolumic ventricular relaxation in clinically normal cats and cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Relaxation half-time was determined directly from the left ventricular pressure tracing as the time required for the left ventricular pressure at the beginning of isovolumic relaxation to decrease by half. The value of t1/2 was unaffected by moderate changes in heart rate, inotropic state, and afterload in clinically normal cats.

Low back pain/prolapsed lumbar intervertebral disc.

Low back pain is common throughout the adult years in both men and women; first episodes most frequently occur among people in their 20s and 30s. Prolapsed lumbar disc most often affects individuals in the age range 25-45 years; prolapses occur infrequently in persons below 20 years or over 65 years. Major risk factors for low back pain in general and for prolapsed disc specifically include frequent lifting of objects weighing 25 pounds or more, especially if the objects are lifted with the arms extended and with the knees straight and if the lifting is done while the body is twisted; exposure to whole-body vibration, including driving motor vehicles; cigarette smoking; and, for prolapsed lumbar disc, narrow lumbar vertebral canals.