The effect of host nutritional quality on multiple components of Trichogramma brassicae fitness.

For parasitoids, the host represents the sole source of nutrients for the developing immature. Subsequently, host quality is an important factor affecting immature development and the resulting fitness of the emerging parasitoid, with impacts on fecundity, longevity and offspring sex ratio. Host age is an integral component of host quality and a key factor in host selection by the female parasitoid. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of decreasing host quality (determined by increasing host age) on adult life history traits (size, wing loading, longevity, and fecundity) and nutritional reserves (protein, lipid and glycogen concentrations) of the parasitoid Trichogramma brassicae. Higher quality hosts resulted in the production of larger offspring with increased resource reserves and enhanced mobility. One-day-old eggs contained significantly more protein and triglyceride than 25- and 45-day-old eggs. Quality of host and fitness of reared wasps decreased due to host aging. Parasitoids reared on 1-day-old hosts were larger, with greater fecundity and longevity, a reduced wind loading index, and produced a higher proportion of female offspring when compared with those reared on 25- and 45-day-old hosts. In addition, wasps reared on 1-day-old hosts contained higher energy resources, as determined by triglyceride, glycogen and protein reserves, which are essential to successful offspring production. One-day-old hosts can therefore be considered as the best age for producing wasps with greater fitness, since they contain the highest amount of protein, glycogen, and triglyceride. This has implications for the mass rearing of T. brassicae and enhancing the efficacy of this biological control agent.

Walking speed adaptation ability of Myzus persicae to different temperature conditions.

Walking speeds were calculated for nine clones of the peach potato aphid Myzus persicae collected from three countries along a latitudinal cline of its European distribution from Sweden to Spain (Sweden, UK and Spain), and the effects of collection origin and intra and intergenerational acclimation were investigated. Walking speeds declined with decreasing temperature, with maximum performance at temperatures closest to acclimation temperature (fastest median walking speed of 5.8 cm min(-1) was recorded for clone UK 3, collected from the UK, at 25°C after acclimating to 25°C for one generation). Following acclimation at both 20°C and 25°C, walking ceased (as indicated by median walking speeds of 0.0 cm min(-1)) at temperatures as high as 7.5°C and 12.5°C. However, acclimation at 10°C enabled mobility to occur to temperatures as low as 0°C. There was no relationship between mobility and latitude of collection, suggesting that large scale mixing of aphids may occur across Europe. However, clonal variation was suggested, with clone UK 3 outperforming the majority of other clones across all temperatures at which mobility was maintained following acclimation at 10°C for one and three generations and at 25°C for one generation. The Scandinavian clones consistently outperformed their temperate and Mediterranean counterparts at the majority of temperatures following acclimation for three generations at 25°C.

Client-centred assessment and the identification of meaningful treatment goals for individuals with a spinal cord injury.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. OBJECTIVES: (1) Describe the self-care, productivity and leisure problems identified by individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI) during rehabilitation, (2) describe the perceived level of satisfaction and performance with self-care, productivity and leisure activities following an SCI, (3) quantify the relationship between the Canadian occupational performance measure (COPM), a client-centred, individualized measure of function, and the functional independence measure (FIM). SETTING: Tertiary rehabilitation centre, spinal cord injury unit, GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, Vancouver, Canada. METHODS: Health records from 41 individuals with an SCI admitted between 2000 and 2002 were reviewed. Information was obtained from assessments performed on admission and discharge. Self-care, productivity and leisure problems identified by individuals with an SCI were described and their perceived level of performance and satisfaction was calculated. The relationship between the COPM and the FIM was measured by the Pearson product correlation. RESULTS: Self-care goals were identified most frequently (79%) followed by productivity (12%) and leisure (9%) goals. The top three problems identified by individuals with an SCI were functional mobility (including transfers and wheelchair use), dressing and grooming. A fair relationship was found between the COPM and the FIM (r between 0.351 and 0.514, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the importance of including a client-centred outcome measure in the assessment of individuals with an SCI. Initial support is provided for use of the COPM in individuals with an SCI.

Tachykinin activation of muscarinic inhibition in canine small intestine is SPP in nature.

Substance P when injected intraarterially into the small intestine of the anaesthetized dog during phasic activity produces three concentration dependent responses of the circular muscle. At lowest doses (approximately 10(-12) moles) inhibition occurs via release of acetylcholine to a muscarinic auto-receptor. At slightly higher doses (10(-10) moles) inhibition is preceeded by excitation via release of acetylcholine to muscarinic receptors on the smooth muscle. At still higher doses (10(-9) moles) substance P excites the smooth muscle directly. The present study demonstrates that other members of the tachykinin family also produce inhibition in vivo. The potency sequence was found to be physalaemin greater than or equal to substance P = neuromedin K greater than kassinin greater than alpha neurokinin = eledoisin. Such a sequence suggests that substance P is a natural stimulant of this pathway and that the receptor is SPP-like. The C-terminal fragment, substance P8-11, was a weak agonist at this receptor, while substance P1-9 was ineffective.

Pyosemia and carriage of chlamydia and ureaplasma in infertile men.

Chlamydia trachomatis and Ureaplasma urealyticum have been implicated as causative organisms in infections involving the male and female urogenital tracts. Seminal fluid, anterior urethral swabs and first-voided urine specimens from men undergoing infertility evaluation, with and without pyosemia, or anterior urethritis were cultured for Chlamydia trachomatis and Ureaplasma urealyticum. The method used to isolate Chlamydia trachomatis involved cytochalasin-B treated McCoy cells, and NYC and A7 solid media were used for the isolation of Ureaplasma urealyticum. Isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis from seminal fluid has not been possible even in the face of pyosemia and the presence of Chlamydia trachomatis in urine and urethral swab material. The reasons for the inability to culture Chlamydia trachomatis will be explored.

A simple stain for differentiating semen constituents.

Extensive use of Sedi-stain in an outpatient infertility office has demonstrated that this commercially available urinary sediment preparation is a valuable and practical stain in semen analysis. The stain is inexpensive, has a long shelf life, is easy to apply, and produces immediate and reproducible results. The accuracy of Sedi-stain has compared favorably to other staining compounds used. It should prove to be an asset to the office investigation of male infertility.

A device to protect indwelling catheters in miniature swine.

A simple, sturdy metal box was designed and utilized to protect indwelling central venous and aortic arch catheters in miniature swine. These catheters were easily maintained for 14 days in unrestrained, free-roaming animals while precise amounts of fluids were infused, serial blood samples were taken, and blood pressure recordings and cardiac output measurements were made.

Intravenous pyelographic visualization after complete ureteral obstruction with hypertonic solute loading.

Intravenous pyelography was performed after complete unilateral ureteral obstruction in dogs under conditions of mannitol diuresis and 3% NaCl solute loading. Pyelographic visualization with mannitol diuresis was uniformly poor. Satisfactory intravenous pyelograms were obtained in the 3% NaCl solute loaded group during the first 2 weeks, with nephrogram visualization noted up to 45 days postocclusion. The clinical use of pyelography, boosted by hypertonic solute loading during the early period after complete ureteral obstruction, may yield unexpected good quality studies.