Sensitivity of Monilinia oxycocci to Fenbuconazole and Propiconazole in vitro and Control of Cranberry Cottonball in the Field.

The efficacy of fungicides in controlling cottonball disease of cranberry was tested during 1996 to 1998 at three locations in Wisconsin. For some fungicides, the efficacy of four applications, two each during shoot elongation and bloom, was compared with two applications during bloom only. Spraying twice during bloom was as effective in controlling secondary infection as spraying twice during shoot elongation plus twice during bloom. Azoxystrobin, cyprodinil, and propiconazole were equally effective. None of the treatments affected yield, fruit retention, or berry weight compared with the controls. Sensitivity of M. oxycocci, the cottonball pathogen, to fenbuconazole and propiconazole was tested in vitro by comparing the distributions of ED50 values of populations collected from three sites that differed in previous exposure to fungicides. Median ED50 values for fenbuconazole were significantly greater at sites where sterol demethylation inhibitor fungicides had been used compared with a site where fungicides had never been used, but median ED50 values for propiconazole did not differ among sites. There was no correlation between the sensitivities to fenbuconazole and propiconazole. The data will form the basis of recommendations aimed at delaying the onset of fungicide resistance and will provide a baseline for monitoring resistance to fenbuconazole and propiconazole in populations of M. oxycocci in the future.

In vivo study of the elimination from rat brain of an intracerebrally formed xenobiotic metabolite, 1-naphthyl-beta-D-glucuronide.

Among the drug-metabolizing enzymes present in the rat brain, one form of UDP-glucuronyltransferase catalyzes the formation of the polar metabolite 1-naphthyl-beta-D-glucuronide from 1-naphthol. We measured the activity of this isoform in different brain regions and showed its heterogeneous distribution. Conjugation activities were found to be the highest in the olfactory bulbs (25.4 nmol/h/mg protein) and lowest in the cerebellum (4.5 nmol/h/mg protein). As the blood-brain barrier prevents the passage of hydrosoluble molecules, we studied in vivo the characteristics of the efflux of labeled 1-naphthyl-beta-D-glucuronide injected into the lateral ventricle and the cortex tissue, using tritiated water and labeled inulin as reference compounds. The results reported here indicate that intracerebrally formed glucuronide is cleared from brain tissue by both diffusion and a saturable efflux process.

Comparison of minor and severe head injury emotional sequelae using the MMPI.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was administered to 73 patients with traumatic brain injury to objectively evaluate emotional status. Profile analysis indicated that many patients were suffering from emotional disturbance. Higher distress levels were evident among those with minor head injury relative to severe head injury. Observed MMPI profiles for these two head injury groups were consistent with previous research and expectations related to the typical consequences of the post-concussion syndrome. The potential value of the MMPI with the head injury population as well as the need for cautious interpretation and integration of impressions derived from other sources is discussed.

Drug metabolizing enzymes in the brain and cerebral microvessels.

Several families of brain parenchyma and microvessel endothelial cell enzymes can metabolize substrates of exogenous origin. This xenobiotic metabolism includes functionalization and conjugation reactions and results in detoxication, but also possibly in the formation of pharmacologically active or neurotoxic products. The brain is partially protected from chemical insults by the physical barrier formed by the cerebral microvasculature of endothelial cells, which prevents the influx of hydrophilic molecules. These cells provide also, as a result of their drug-metabolizing enzyme activities, a metabolic barrier against penetrating lipophilic substances. The involvement of these enzymatic activities in neurotoxic events, probably responsible for neuronal dysfunctioning and/or death, neurodegenerative diseases and normal aging, is discussed.

Neuropsychological deficits in symptomatic minor head injury patients after concussion and mild concussion.

Recent studies have concluded that most individuals who sustain minor head injury are free of persistent neuropsychological dysfunction. Nevertheless, a subgroup of patients experience continuing post-concussive difficulties and neuropsychological deficits. This study examined 53 symptomatic minor head injury patients referred for neuropsychological evaluation between one and 22 months after injury. These individuals performed significantly poorer than uninjured controls on four of eight neuropsychological tests. Patients who lost consciousness during injury obtained test scores similar to persons who experienced disorientation or confusion but no loss of consciousness. The results indicate that minor head injury patients who report post-concussive symptoms possess measurable neuropsychological deficits and the severity of these deficits is independent of neurological status immediately following injury.

Ten-year experience with mycetomas in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

We studied 33 consecutive patients with tuberculous pulmonary cavities complicated by fungus balls to evaluate their treatment. Nineteen had surgical resection for massive or recurrent bleeding or possibility of tumor. One patient died of postpneumonectomy empyema (30-day surgical mortality, 5 percent). Fourteen had no surgery. No patient died of hemoptysis. Respiratory failure contributed most often to death. Hepatic complications and other problems of alcoholism were also prominent. Good results can be obtained by resection in these severely ill patients if care is taken to preserve functioning pulmonary tissue and to avoid complications of alcoholic hepatic disease. Within these constraints, tuberculous cavities complicated by mycetomas should be resected for massive or recurrent hemoptysis.

Evaluation of outcomes of non-nurse midwives: matched comparisons with physicians.

The purpose of this study was to assess the practice of a group of non-nurse midwives by comparing the outcomes of their deliveries to the standard of hospital-based physicians. This was done by means of a matching procedure designed to equate the populations on major medical risk factors. The first phase of the study used all physicians and found major differences favoring the midwives. The second phase of the study used the least interventionist half of the physician group and found minimal differences between midwives at home and physicians in the hospital. It is suggested that excessive intervention is not without risk regardless of who does it.

PIP: A retrospective study compared the outcome of a sample of 432 low risk, planned home deliveries performed by experienced non-nurse midwives in California with a sample of 432 matched, low risk, hospital planned deliveries performed in California and Wisconsin by physicians. There was significantly less fetal distress, meconium staining, postpartum hemorrhage, birth injuries, and less need to use resuscitation in the midwife sample of deliveries than in the physician sample of deliveries. If a delivery in the midwife sample required hospitalization and physician attendance after labor began, the case was still included in the midwife sample. The physicians tended to use considerably more intervention procedures during delivery than the midwives. In a 2nd phase of the study the physicians were assigned to either an interventionist group or a non-interventionist group on the basis of how quickly and how frequently they resorted to interventionist techniques in performing deliveries. When the non-interventionist physician group was compared with the midwife group there were fewer differences in delivery outcome than when the midwife group was compared to the total physician group; however, the non-interventionist group of physician deliveries still had a higher proportion of fetal distress and placental problems than the midwife assisted group of deliveries. Also the non-interventionist group of physicians still used intervention techniques more frequently and more readily than the midwives. There were no significant differences in infant and maternal postpartum complications between the deliveries performed by the non-interventionist physicians and the midwives. These findings should not be construed as an affirmation of all midwife assisted deliveries. Only highly experienced midwives were included in the study. The findings do suggest that physicians use of intervention techniques may be excessive.

Incidence of pulmonary embolism in deep venous thrombosis.

Abnormal radionuclide phlebograms were found in 65 patients in whom simultaneous-perfusion lung scintigrams and phlebograms were performed. All these patients were on adequate treatment with heparin for deep venous thrombosis. In 28% of the cases, the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism was made because they had abnormal perfusion lung scans with normal chest radiograph and clinical symptoms of pulmonary embolism.