Comparative susceptibility of two banana cultivars to Banana bunchy top virus under laboratory and field environments.

Field and laboratory experiments were carried out on the island of Oahu, HI, to compare the susceptibility of the two most commonly grown banana (Musa sp.) cultivars in the state ('Dwarf Brazilian' or Santa Catarina [locally known as dwarf apple] and 'Williams') to the aphid-borne Banana bunchy top virus (genus Babuvirus, family Nanoviridae, BBTV). Several morphological and physiological features of the two cultivars were monitored to determine whether the banana aphid, Pentalonia nigronervosa Coquerel (Hemiptera: Aphididae), transmits BBTV to both cultivars at a similar rate; and whether after successful inoculation, does each cultivar respond similarly to viral infection. Results from the laboratory experiment showed that a similar percentage of both cultivars were infected with BBTV by aphid vectors (> 90% for both cultivars). However, field results showed a significantly lower percentage of dwarf apple (39%) infected with BBTV compared with Williams (79%). We also found that all physiological and morphological features measured (i.e., plant height, leaf area, canopy, chlorophyll level, and moisture content) for both cultivars were impacted similarly by BBTV. The incubation period, or the time between plant infection and initial appearance of disease symptoms, was similar for both cultivars. Results also showed that BBTV transmission efficiency was lower in the field than in the laboratory, despite that more aphids per plant were used for field than laboratory inoculation tests. The results highlight the potential use of less susceptible cultivars to help manage BBTV and the importance of screening banana varieties in the field to determine their response to vectors and associated diseases.

A New Dietary Supplement Based on Bovine Blood: Recovering Brazilian Children from Malnutrition.

Two compounds ("Prothemol" and "Plasmel"), based on bovine blood as source of high quality-protein, were tested as supplement for malnourished children. Prothemol is a powder containing desiccated bovine red cells, with 23.32 g% protein and 18.8 mg% iron, without any limiting amino acid. Plasmel (a syrup) contains 44.7% bovine plasma, 54.3% saccharose and 1500 IU% retinol. Children, 32-60 month old, from a day-nursery service in Recife, Brazil, received Prothemol + Plasmel for 90 (n = 14) or 180 days (n = 8). When compared to age-matched control children (n = 12 and n = 6, respectively), they presented significantly higher increments in weight and height, and in some haematological parameters. Clinical signs associated to malnutrition (faces suggesting suffering or sadness; brightnessless eyes; apathy; reduced mobility; reduced communication with their classmates and adults) were found in 12 treated children (85.7%) and in 9 controls (75%). Recovery from these signs begun after 51 ± 20.6 and 103.5 ± 14.6 days, for the treated and control groups, respectively (P < 0.05) and occurred in 100% of the treated children and in 67% (6 of 9 children) in the controls. We suggest that Prothemol + Plasmel is an effective dietary supplement to help treating malnutrition in children, recovering them from clinical signs indicative of improving neural functions.

Evaluation of increased aqueous outflow after radial keratotomy in enucleated bovine eyes.

PURPOSE: We studied the efficacy of using radial keratotomy incisions as a surgical method of increasing outflow facility in enucleated bovine eyes. METHODS: Each freshly enucleated bovine eye (n = 23) was cannulated to a system measuring the rate of flow into the eyes. Preoperatively, corneal thickness measurements were determined for all treated eyes. Radial keratotomy was performed in 13 eyes and a control set of eyes (n = 10) had no surgical manipulation. The intraocular pressure was set at 16.9 mm Hg. A clear zone of 10 mm was used for each eye with the incision depth set at 100% of the pachymetric reading. One set of experimental eyes had incisions that remained in the clear cornea, and the other set had incisions that reached 2 mm beyond the limbus into sclera. Preoperative outflow measurements were performed on each eye. Postoperative measurements were made after 10 incisions and 20 incisions. All eyes were checked for perforation after surgery and discarded if a perforation was found. RESULTS: No eye included in the analysis was perforated. The preoperative (baseline) total flow rate was 27.90 +/- 3.72 mu 1/min at 16.9 mmHg. The flow rate increased by 23.5% (over baseline) with 20 radial keratotomy incisions. A paired t-test was used to statistically compare the outflow measurements before radial keratotomy and after the first and second set of radial incisions. The increases in flow were found to be statistically significant (P < .005) for both 10 and 20 radial incisions. CONCLUSION: Assuming the flow measurements (flow rate) in these experiments parallel outflow facility, radial keratotomy increases the outflow facility in enucleated bovine eyes.

Intestinal helminthiasis and anaemia in youngsters from Matriz da Luz, district of São Lourenço da Mata, state of Pernambuco, Brazil.

A group of youngsters (4-18 years old) in northeast Brazil was studied to establish the prevalence of anaemia and intestinal parasitism, as well as to analyze the correlation between them. Two criteria were used to determine the state of anaemia, the level of haemoglobin and the mean of corpuscular volume. The first was considered a single criterion and the second an associated criteria, used in an attempt to correlate anaemia with iron deficiency. The prevalence of intestinal parasitism was 93%, while the prevalence of anaemia was 43.1% and 16.1% according to the criteria employed (single or associated respectively). Anaemia was significantly associated with both sex and age. No significant statistical difference was observed when the association was made between each parasite and anaemia even with those more related to anaemia.

Factors affecting corneal strip stroma-to-stroma adhesion.

BACKGROUND: Successful laser in situ keratomileusis depends on strong adhesion between the dissected anterior corneal flap and the underlying stromal bed, without suturing. This study attempts to generate new information about the mechanism of this adhesion. METHODS: Strips of fresh bovine corneal stroma were dissected and split apart. The split strips were then made to adhere to each other with varying amounts of combined heat and drying. A relationship was developed between heat applied and hydration of strips. After each heat and drying treatment, the strips were pulled apart and the force needed to accomplish this task was measured. RESULTS: There was a tight linear correlation between increase in temperature and decrease in water content (R2 = 0.7414) and between decrease in water content and increase in the adhesive force (R2 = 0.3355). CONCLUSION: This model suggests that drying increases stromal-stromal adhesion. We speculate this is due to the increased concentration of surface molecules, which have high ionic charge densities and ionic bonding. A higher concentration of these molecules produces stroma-to-stroma adhesion via ionic bonding.

Corneal epithelial wound healing on bilayer composite hydrogels.

We demonstrate that a bilayer composite hydrogel composed of corneal stroma crosslinked to poly(ethylene oxide) provides a substrate suitable for wound healing behavior of corneal epithelial cells and for formation and maintenance of a stable multilayered epithelium. Potential diffusion-limitation of nutrients or regulatory molecules across the hydrogel was investigated experimentally with a new in vitro ocular assay, using epithelial cell migration as an index of molecular diffusion limitations. Corneal epithelial cells explanted on the composite hydrogel in vitro exhibited morphology similar to those in vivo, and migrated effectively over the stromal surface. Importantly, our system yielded multilayered epithelium like that found in normal corneal tissue under conditions that closely simulate the in vivo physiologic arrangement. In addition, our results indicate that molecules of substantially greater molecular weight than glucose appear to control the cell migration rate. Thus, engineering design of this composite hydrogel system may allow it to be useful in corneal wound healing applications.

[Epidemiological, social, and sanitary aspects in an area of the Rio Negro, State of Amazonas, with special reference to intestinal parasites and Chagas' disease]. / Aspectos epidemiológicos, sociais e sanitários de uma área no Rio Negro, estado do Amazonas, com especial referência às parasitoses intestinais e à infecção chagásica.

A cross-sectional study was carried out on the residents of one in every four dwellings in the town of Barcelos (in the northern part of the State of Amazonas, on the right bank of the Rio Negro, 490 kilometers from Manaus by river), in order to evaluate social and sanitary conditions and specific indicators for intestinal parasites and Chagas' infection. During the survey, two questionnaires were applied, a household one to evaluate social and sanitary aspects, and an individual one, for social and epidemiological evaluation of the population conditions. A conglomerate family sample of 171 dwellings was studied. From each of the 658 habitants, a sample was requested for stool examination by Lutz sedimentation and Baermann-Moraes-Coutinho techniques modified by Willcox & Coura (1989), and blood was collected in filter paper for immunofluorescence test by Camargo (1966) and Souza & Camargo (1966) methods modified by Petana & Willcox (1975). The stool examination showed 69.4% of samples with one or more parasites. Ascaris lumbricoides was predominant with 51% of positivity and Entamoeba histolytica, although surveyed by a non-specific method, was present in 19.7%. Surprisingly, 20.1% of the 658 sera samples were reactive for T. cruzi antibodies at a dilution of 1:20 and 13.7% at 1:40. There was a strong correlation between this result and the level of human contact with wild triatomines, known locally as "piasava lice", and we succeeded in isolating by xenodiagnosis one strain of T. cruzi from one patient, a sixty-one-year old man (n. 209 -1), a native of the area, with positive serology for Chagas' disease and who worked in agriculture and transporting piasava and was very familiar with "piasava lice".

Comportamento antropometrico do desnutrido grave submetido a tratamento intra-hospitalar com dois tipos de dietas. Estudo de 200 casos. / Anthropometric behavior of the severe malnourished patient submitted to intrahospital treatment with 2 types of diet. Study of 200 cases

Estudo antropometrico de 200 criancas desnutridas graves hospitalizadas para tratamento foi realizado. Na admissao, os pacientes foram classificados segundo os criterios de Gomez. O estudo dos deficits de pesolidade, alturalidade e peso/altura, alem da analise da evolucao do estado nutricional pela adequacao peso/altura e estudo do ganho de peso foram valorizados.Evidenciou-se que aos 45 dias de internamento, a classificacao do estado nutricional atraves dos criterios de Gomez e de Macias diferiu significativamente, permanecendo os pacientes na mesma condicao nutricional inicial quando aferidos por Gomez e verificando-se uma melhoria do estado nutricional com os criterios de Macias, sendo estes considerados mais sensiveis para a avaliacao do estado nutricional atual. Todavia, foi reconhecido que os criterios de Macias sao muito exigentes para serem utilizados para alta de pacientes internados, uma vez que para serem atingidos impoem uma permanencia hospitalar mais prolongada. A analise do ganho de peso demonstrou que a mudanca no esquema dietetico nao alterou os padroes de recuperacao em dois grupos estudados

Desnutricao e hospital. II - Tempo de permanencia e criterios de alta para desnutridos. / Malnutrition and hospital.II - Length of stay and discharge criteria for malnourished children

Os AA. analisam o comportamento de 200 criancas portadoras de DPC de II e III graus, com patologia associada, submetidas a tratamento intra-hospitalar mediante a utilizacao de criterios de alta diferentes. Evidenciam que a permanencia hospitalar esta na razao direta dos criterios de alta empregados e apos discutirem acerca dos parametros antropometricos bioquimicos, hematologicos, etc., recomendam como criterios mais objetivos e de valor pratico os seguintes: cura da patologia associada a DPC, adaptacao a dieta normal para a idade e ganho de peso progressivo, pelo menos durante uma semana. Os criterios acima permitiram uma permanencia media de 47 dias