Value of kidney-ureter-bladder radiography in the erect position in addition to standard intravenous urography examination

To determine if additional kidney-ureter-bladder radiography in the erect position can improve the diagnostic yield of standard intravenous urography [IVU] examination. This prospective study was conducted from March to July 2007 on 108 consecutive patients [65 males and 43 females, age ranging from 20 to 50 years] who were referred to the Department of Radiology, Al-Amiri Hospital, Kuwait, for IVU examinations. After 15 min, a film was done in the erect position in addition to the routine IVU protocol. Additional information was demonstrated in the erect radiograph as follows: detecting nephroptosis in 18 [17%] patients, improved visualization of the ureters in 58 [54%] patients, and differentiation between phleboliths and ureteric stone was possible in 12 [11%] patients. Our study demonstrated significant additional findings in the erect position [at 15 min] compared to the supine position

Molecular and Morphological Characterization of Green Mold, Trichoderma spp. isolated from Oyster Mushrooms

Isolates of Trichoderma spp. collected from Pleurotus ostreatus and P. eryngii beds, which included loosened substrate compactness and development of green colour, were grouped into three species. The occurrence of different species of Trichoderma was as T. cf. virens (70.8%), T. longibrachiatum (16.7%) and T. harzianum (12.5%). The conidia of Trichoderma spp. were ellipsoidal, obovoid and phialides were bowling pins, lageniform and the length of phialides was 3.5~10.0 x 1.3~3.3 micromm. Phialides of T. cf. virens and T. harzianum were tending clustered, but it was solitary disposition in T. longibrachiatum. T. cf. virens was characterized by predominantly effuse conidiation, sparingly branched, and fertile to the apex and it was penicillate type. RAPD analysis could detect variability amongst three different species of Trichoderma using two newly designed URP-primers. However, intra-specific variation could not be detected in all the isolates except for rDNA sequence data classified Trichoderma isolates into three distinct groups representing three species. The profiles of rDNA sequences of isolates representing a species showed high similarity in T. cf. virens and T. harzianum. However, there was a variation in rDNA sequences of isolates representing T. longibrachiatum. The results of present study reveals that molecular techniques of RAPD and rDNA sequencing can greatly aid in classification based on morphology and precise identification of fast evolving species of Trichoderma.