Occurrence of Tobacco streak virus on Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) in India.

A virus disease of peanut (groundnut, Arachis hypogaea L.), characterized by necrosis of the stem and terminal leaflets followed by death, caused severe crop losses in Andhra Pradesh, India during the rainy season of the year 2000. The disease was referred to as peanut stem necrosis disease (PSND).

Preoperative epidural ketamine in combination with morphine does not have a clinically relevant intra- and postoperative opioid-sparing effect.

Unlabelled: In this prospective, randomized, and double-blinded clinical trial, we evaluated the efficacy of preincisional administration of epidural ketamine with morphine compared with epidural morphine alone for postoperative pain relief after major upper-abdominal surgery. We studied 50 ASA I and II patients undergoing major upper-abdominal procedures. These patients were randomly allocated to one of the two treatment groups: patients in Group 1 received epidural morphine 50 microg/kg, whereas those in Group 2 received epidural ketamine 1 mg/kg combined with 50 microg/kg of morphine 30 min before incision.

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of epidural ketamine combined with morphine for postoperative analgesia after major upper abdominal surgery.

Study Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the combination of epidural ketamine and morphine compared with epidural morphine alone for postoperative pain relief following major upper abdominal surgery.

Study Design: Prospective, randomized, double-blinded study.

Setting: Tertiary care referral and teaching hospital.

PIE-1 is a bifunctional protein that regulates maternal and zygotic gene expression in the embryonic germ line of Caenorhabditis elegans.

The CCCH zinc finger protein PIE-1 is an essential regulator of germ cell fate that segregates with the germ lineage during the first cleavages of the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo. We have shown previously that one function of PIE-1 is to inhibit mRNA transcription. Here we show that PIE-1 has a second function in germ cells; it is required for efficient expression of the maternally encoded Nanos homolog NOS-2.

Plastic wrapping of cot mattresses: results from a pilot study.

Aim: To assess the prevalence of plastic wrapping of cot mattresses and their thickness.

Methods: Mothers of infants less than six months attending Plunket clinics in Central Auckland were interviewed. The thickness of the plastic was measured.

Effect of timing of ondansetron administration on incidence of postoperative vomiting in paediatric strabismus surgery.

This prospective, randomized, double-blinded study evaluated the effect of the timing of ondansetron administration on its antiemetic efficacy in children undergoing elective strabismus surgery. One hundred and twenty children aged one to 15 years, ASA physical status 1 or 2, were randomly allocated to receive intravenous ondansetron 100 micrograms/kg either at induction (Group 1) or at the end of the surgery (Group 2). All patients had general anaesthesia induced and maintained with nitrous oxide and halothane, muscle relaxation with vecuronium, endotracheal intubation, reversal with neostigmine and glycopyrrolate, and pethidine 0.

Isolation of a zeta class wheat glutathione S-transferase gene.

A new Zeta class glutathione S-transferases (GST) gene, pGST, has been cloned from wheat for the first time by the differential display PCR (DD-PCR) method. The genomic sequence of pGST, TA-GSTZ1, contains nine exons that encode a polypeptide of 213 amino acids and eight introns. The deduced amino acid sequence of TA-GSTZ1 as well as the exon:intron placement are more similar to the GSTs of the Zeta class than to the two wheat GSTs reported earlier.

nos-1 and nos-2, two genes related to Drosophila nanos, regulate primordial germ cell development and survival in Caenorhabditis elegans.

In Drosophila, the posterior determinant nanos is required for embryonic patterning and for primordial germ cell (PGC) development. We have identified three genes in Caenorhabditis elegans that contain a putative zinc-binding domain similar to the one found in nanos, and show that two of these genes function during PGC development. Like Drosophila nanos, C.

Anatomical variability of the frontal sinuses and their application in forensic identification.

The uniqueness of anatomical structures and their variations provides the basis for forensic identification of unknown deceased persons. Similar to fingerprints, each frontal sinus is so distinctive and unique that the chances of two individuals having the same morphology of the frontal sinuses is extremely remote. Radiographs, especially the occipitomental view commonly used in the assessment of paranasal pathology, provide excellent records of these sinuses.

Organization of common peroneal nerve motoneurones in the rat and monkey: a comparative study.

The motoneurones with axons in the common peroneal nerve (CPN) of the rat and monkey were examined using retrograde labelling with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). In both species, the CPN motoneurone pool was localized in the dorsolateral part of the ventral horn of the spinal cord. In the rat, the labelled motoneurones were located between the L3 and L6 spinal segments whereas in the monkey, they extended from the caudal end of L4 to the L6 spinal segments.

Isolation of two differentially expressed wheat ACC synthase cDNAs and the characterization of one of their genes with root-predominant expression.

Two partial 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase cDNA clones (pWAS1, 1089 bp; and pWAS3, 779 bp) were isolated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using cDNA to total mRNA purified from etiolated wheat seedlings as template and degenerate oligonucleotides synthesized based on the regions of the ACC synthase amino acid sequence that are highly conserved among different plants. Northern analysis showed that the expression of the corresponding genes are differentially regulated. While the transcripts of pWAS1 were found in all the tissues of wheat that were tested with a maximum level at the early stages of spike development, pWAS3 mRNA was present almost exclusively in the root.

Re-innervation of muscles after nerve injury in neonates.

Three-day-old neonatal rats had their common peroneal nerve crushed 3 mm from the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle. At periodic intervals of 7, 10, 14, 21 and 28 days following nerve injury the EDL muscles were removed, weighed, stained using the silver cholinesterase method and their muscle fibres counted. In these rats during the re-innervation process, the bands of Biingner were absent, some endplates disintegrated and a large proportion of the muscle fibres were lost.

The use of multiple-choice tests in anatomy: common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Multiple-choice questions (MCQ) are widely used to evaluate students in the health sciences, including anatomy. Unusual responses in 90 simple MCQ examinations have been identified and classified as to cause, including a number of illustrated examples. About one-quarter of these errors were attributable to the teacher and could have been avoided by a critical analysis of the questions before use.

Unusual faecal elements in a human diarrhoeal stool.

A 16-year-old female from Rantau Panjang, Kelantan reported having diarrhoea for three months. During this period, she lost 15 lb in weight and was treated with antibiotics and anti-spasmodic tablets with no improvement. Stool examinations by private laboratories revealed "worm-like eggs".

The cDNA sequence of cytochrome b5 associated with cytokinin-induced haustoria formation in Cuscuta reflexa.

A cDNA clone isolated by differentially screening a cytokinin-induced haustorial cDNA library of Cuscuta reflexa was sequenced and identified as the gene coding for cytochrome b5, based on the similarity of the deduced amino-acid sequence with that of the cauliflower (60% identity) and tobacco (78% identity) proteins. The 5'-UTR is unusually long (720 bp) and contains 14 potential start codons (ATG) and 10 short ORFs.

A longitudinal study of alveolar bone loss around maxillary central incisors in patients with leprosy in Malaysia.

The loss of alveolar bone supporting the maxillary central incisors and the general periodontal conditions were evaluated after 14 years in the 12 patients remaining from an original group of 47 under treatment in Malaysia. Alveolar bone loss was minimal during this period even in the presence of periodontal inflammation. These data suggest that treatment protects patients with leprosy from alveolar bone loss and suggests that other skeletal deformities might respond similarly.

Cloning and sequence of a cDNA encoding a novel hybrid proline-rich protein associated with cytokinin-induced haustoria formation in Cuscuta reflexa.

A complete cDNA encoding a novel hybrid Pro-rich protein (HyPRP) was identified by differentially screening 3 x 10(4) recombinant plaques of a Cuscuta reflexa cytokinin-induced haustorial cDNA library constructed in lambda gt10. The nucleotide (nt) sequence consists of: (i) a 424-bp 5'-non coding region having five start codons (ATGs) and three upstream open reading frames (uORFs); (ii) an ORF of 987 bp with coding potential for a 329-amino-acid (aa) protein of M(r) 35,203 with a hydrophobic N-terminal region including a stretch of nine consecutive Phe followed by a Pro-rich sequence and a Cys-rich hydrophobic C terminus; and (iii) a 178-bp 3'-UTR (untranslated region). Comparison of the predicted aa sequence with the NBRF and SWISSPROT databases and with a recent report of an embryo-specific protein of maize [Jose-Estanyol et al.

Factors influencing the egg production of Ascaris lumbricoides: relationship to weight, length and diameter of worms.

Fifty children aged 6 to 13 years and infected with Ascaris lumbricoides were selected for the study. The number of eggs laid daily by a female Ascaris increased with increase in its length, weight and diameter. Female worms became mature and started laying eggs when they reached a length of 118 mm.

Absence of Nerve - muscle Interaction Influences the Survival of Developing Motoneurons.

Following sciatic nerve crush at birth, approximately 70% of motoneurons to the soleus and 60% of motoneurons to the tibialis anterior (TA) and to the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) die. However, following nerve injury at 5 days, there is negligible motoneuron death. We investigated whether the interaction between the nerve and its target during these 5 days is an important factor for the ability of the motoneuron to survive injury.

Application of a 'standardized factor' to egg counting techniques for better prediction of worm burdens.

The reliability of Stoll's dilution egg count technique, Beaver's direct smear technique and Katz's modified thick smear technique were evaluated on patients with ascariasis. Studies revealed that the modified thick smear technique appears to be more reliable and accurate. The use of these three techniques revealed a significant correlation between the number of eggs per gram (e.