Age and sex related responsiveness of Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in novel behavioral bioassays.

The hardiness and mobile nature of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) make them easy to work with but are the same factors that make their responses to behavior-modifying chemical stimuli difficult to evaluate. To overcome these difficulties two bioassays were developed: a two-choice test with airflow and a diffusion-based test to evaluate responses to chemical stimuli. The two-choice assay is excellent for rapidly comparing two stimuli or examining the response to one stimulus against a control. The diffusion assay determines differences in orientation behavior to multiple simultaneous stimuli and can examine other behaviors during exposure. Preparation of individuals for bioassay is also important, because disturbance increases the activity level of individual beetles beyond the duration of the disturbance. The age and the sex of beetles affect responsiveness to chemical cues. These bioassays and a better understanding of T. castaneum's activity have revealed approaches for evaluating its responsiveness to behavior-modifying chemicals.

Evaluating light attraction to increase trap efficiency for Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).

The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), is a major coleopteran pest in flour mills and storage facilities. An aggregation pheromone has been identified for this pest; however, the pheromone is of limited value for population monitoring. To develop more efficient methods to monitor this pest, experiments were conducted to determine whether light functioned as an attractant for the red flour beetle. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of various wavelengths were examined as light sources because they produce bright, narrow light spectra. A comparison of responses to light spectra across the visible and UV regions of the electromagnetic spectrum indicated that the beetle was most attracted to near UV LED at a 390 nm dominant wavelength. The use of LEDs in competitive laboratory experiments resulted in a 20% capture of released beetles, compared with a 1% capture with the aggregation pheromone alone. Even more beetles were captured with a combination of LEDs and commercially available chemical lures in traps. LEDs can easily be added onto existing trap designs or new traps can be designed to take full advantage of positive phototaxis.

Density-related volatile emissions and responses in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum.

Intraspecific attraction depends both on the cues provided by the attracting individual and the response of the attracted individual. These attracting cues are related not only to current conditions, but also are a reflection of individual and population life history. These relationships were examined by placing red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst.), adults in flasks at increasing densities and monitoring the changes in volatile chemical emission over time. Only certain chemicals were quantified: methyl benzoquinone, ethyl benzoquinone and 4,8-dimethyldecanal, all of which are known to impact the biology of T. castaneum. The flasks were used as sources for both quantification of the chemicals and for bioassays. Additional bioassays were conducted with synthetic 4,8-dimethyldecanal, a known aggregation pheromone component, to evaluate attraction with respect to population density. Tribolium castaneum density affected both the release of volatile chemicals and the responses of conspecifics to those chemicals. The results indicated that while there were important effects of beetle density on chemical emission and response, none of the chemicals evaluated emerged as promising synergists to the current aggregation pheromone 4,8-dimethyldecanal. The benzoquinones released in response to stress and density acted as anti-aggregation pheromones along with their accepted defensive function.

[Requirement profile for leading surgeons: from the perspective of an experienced surgeon]. / Anforderungsprofil an den chirurgischen Chefarzt : Aus Sicht des erfahrenen Chirurgen.

The present day and future requirement profiles for leading surgeons have become manifold and are defined as such. Many requirements are teachable and learnable, such as economy and management. It is more difficult to form a leading personality out of a capable surgeon and can only succeed if the personal character disposition is already present. Only such personalities will be able to remain authentic as leader of a clinic. Success is based as always on a symbiosis of the learnable basics and the personality structure with the willingness to lead and to serve and not to become tired of it.

[Detection of hepatic micrometastases in the context of adjuvant chemotherapy and surgery for hepatic metastases]. / Nachweis hepatischer Mikrometastasen.

Colorectal cancer is one of the three most frequent malignancies in humans. Survival is mainly determined by local recurrence, lymphatic and hematogenous dissemination. Primary liver resection for metastases is possible in ~20-25% of patients with hepatic metastases and results in a 50% recurrence rate within 23 months. The five-year survival without treatment in patients with UICC stage IV is only 5%, the mean survival 6-9 months. As a result of promising developments in chemotherapy and targeted therapies in the last decade, the mean survival rate has significantly improved to over more than two years. Furthermore, the use of polychemotherapy in combination with anti-angiogenic and anti-proliferative biologicals has resulted in a significant increase of secondary resectability of liver metastases. Despite of a R0-resection (i.e. resection with clear margins) of liver metastases, only 30% of patients remain free of recurrence in the long-term. Prognostic scores are used for optimal patient selection, e.g. the Fong-Score. Resection is often limited by a high number of recurrences: intrahepatic micrometastases and disseminated tumor cells (DTC) are suspected as the cause of their development. In this connection the load of disseminated tumor cells correlates significantly with the survival and recurrence rate after resection. These micrometastases are targets in current adjuvant treatment studies (e.g. MT 201) by using anti-EpCam antibodies. The detection of DTC can supplement the previously used scores and represents the indication for an adjuvant antibody-based treatment (e.g. anti-EpCam) in the context of clinical trials.

[Quality criteria for treatment of colorectal cancer. From a surgeon's viewpoint]. / Qualitätsanforderungen zur Behandlung des Kolon- und Rektumkarzinoms. Aus chirurgischer Sicht.

The surgeon is the key "prognosis factor" for colorectal cancer. For this reason quality criteria were recently established (including minimum numbers) in order to treat patients who are entitled to the best quality of care and to improve the prognosis. The aim of this study was to critically discuss the existing demands on the surgeon based on the current literature and our own results and to formulate evidence-based quality criteria for surgical clinics. After reviewing the current literature criteria were compiled, discussed and finally presented in a summarized form. These are based on current developments on the diagnostic and therapy of large intestine and colorectal carcinoma. New developments of the German Cancer Society for planning of organ centers are incorporated. The quintessence of our study is that the number of cases alone is not decisive for the success of therapy. Important are the application of the correct surgical-oncology operation procedure, adherence to standards and the training of surgeons. Following the S3 guidelines stage-oriented therapy should additionally be carried out in a structured sequence. This includes an interdisciplinary decision making on the diagnostic and therapy strategy (tumor board). The organization structure of the hospital (teams, tumor board, emergency care with intensive care unit, emergency diagnostic and options for interventional measures) can be more important than the hospital case numbers alone. These demands which have been evaluated from published data and own results are designed to raise the therapy of colorectal cancer to the best possible level of quality and to effect a further improvement in the prognosis.

The art of surgery in the 21st century: based on natural sciences and new ethical dimensions.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In the future, new surgical techniques will only be introduced in clinical practice if evidence-based results--frequently the results of controlled clinical trials--are presented. Unlike any other medical discipline, surgeons provide their diagnostic and operative skills through the surgeons' hand and the use of technical equipment, which ranges from instruments and devices employed during operation to the use of surgical robots. RESULTS: Analysing the fundaments of surgery on the turn of the century, there is only a little doubt about the increasing impact of data deriving from natural sciences on knowledge in medicine and management of diseases. The natural scientific method of detecting, measuring, and verifying facts is the methodological basis of surgery as well. The autonomy of the surgeon's clinical decision making is significantly restricted by the definition of guidelines. They shift the decision from a single patient to a collective panel. Patient safety and the efficiency of new treatment modalities compared with previous standards are the criteria for the judgement of innovative surgery today. The communication and interaction between surgeon-scientist and patients is guaranteed legally by written consensus. But beside of the high probability of benefit from therapy and written consensus, the surgeon-patient relation is determined by these factors: limitation of time for care of an individual patient, increase of time for administration and documentation, increase of bureaucratic barriers for medical research, and health cost constraints. CONCLUSION: The medical mandate to cure a sick patient is an individual mandate to take action. Measures, numbers, and images are only preconditions for a surgeon's action in daily clinical work; they can never replace it. The call for an ethical imperative in scientific surgery that is dependent on technology is justified when the state of science and uncritical use of surgical skills and financial constraints have major impact on providing medical care.

Hepatic disseminated tumor cells in colorectal cancer UICC stage 4 patients: prognostic implications.

Approximately 30-50% of all colorectal cancer patients with a resectable primary tumor will subsequently develop metastatic disease due to tumor cell dissemination. In the case of limited solid hepatic metastasis, resection of the primary tumor and the respective hepatic metastasis can be curative. Our aim was to evaluate the incidence of hepatic DTC in patients with solid liver metastasis and to describe their prognostic impact. Therefore, we applied a sensitive PCR-RFLP assay detecting one K-ras mutant among one million wild-type cells. Tumor tissue and liver biopsies from 32 colorectal cancer patients staged UICC 4 undergoing palliative surgery could be obtained intra-operatively and were thereupon screened for the presence of hepatic DTC. The primary tumor of 16 patients (50%) harbored a K-ras mutation and survival of K-ras positive patients was reduced as compared to K-ras negatives (P=0.039). In 8 of the patients (50%) with a K-ras mutated primary, no hepatic DTC were detected, whereas the liver of the remaining 8 patients (50%), showed a coincidence of solid liver metastasis and hepatic DTC. Median survival of patients with solid liver metastasis and hepatic DTC was decreased as compared with patients without any hepatic DTC burden (median survival 165 vs. 240 days; log-rank P=0.951). A subgroup analysis revealed that survival was significantly decreased in the case of bilobal DTC affection as compared with monolobal hepatic DTC affection (median survival 68 vs. 355 days; log-rank P=0.002). We conclude that the detection of hepatic DTC is a powerful prognostic factor. Furthermore, bilobal hepatic DTC involvement might be a contraindication for the resection of solid liver metastasis.

Extended staging results from the detection of isolated tumor cells in the liver of colorectal cancer patients.

Liver metastasis, as well as local recurrence, are delineating factors of postoperative survival in patients suffering from colorectal cancer. We set up a PCR-RFLP assay to detect K-ras mutated cells in liver tissue as an indicator of possible isolated tumor cells (ITC) or micro-metastasis at the time of surgery. Sixty-four patients with K-ras codons 12 or 13 mutated colorectal cancer were clinically diagnosed for liver metastasis, as well as by PCR-RFLP assay of DNA from liver biopsies. Macro-metastasis was observed in the liver of 7 patients (11%), with no additional evidence of ITC. Likewise, in the liver of 14 patients (22%) only ITC, but no macro-metastasis was detected. In another 7 patients (11%) there was both, ITC and macro-metastasis. No macro-metastasis or ITC were found in 36 patients (56%). Thus, the PCR-RFLP assay added 14 cases (22%) with potential liver-metastasis to the 14 cases (22%) detected by clinical diagnostic means. T and N status were related to the refined detection and extended classification of liver involvement. We conclude that clinical and PCR-RFLP methods supplement each other and can increase the detection of cases with liver involvement, if applied together.

Monitoring insect pests in retail stores by trapping and spatial analysis.

Stored-product insects are a perennial problem in retail stores, where they damage and contaminate susceptible merchandise such as food products and animal feed. Historically, pest management in these stores has relied heavily on chemical insecticides, but environmental and health issues have dictated use of safer methods, and these require better monitoring. A monitoring procedure that employs an array of moth and beetle traps combined with spatial (contour) analysis of trap catch was tested in three department stores and two pet stores. The rate of capture increased with the level of infestation but was essentially constant over 4- to 5-d trapping periods. Contour analysis effectively located foci of infestation and reflected population changes produced by applications of the insect growth regulator (S)-hydroprene. The most abundant insects were Plodia interpunctella (Hiibner), Lasioderma serricorne (F.), Oryzaephilus mercator (Fauvel), Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and Cryptolestes pusillus (Schönherr). The results indicate that contour analysis of trap counts provides a useful monitoring tool for management of storage pests in retail stores. It identifies trouble spots and permits selection, timing, and precision targeting of control measures to achieve maximum pest suppression with minimum pesticide risk. It permits managers and pest control operators to visualize pest problems over an entire store, to monitor changes over time, and to evaluate the effectiveness of control intervention. The contour maps themselves, along with records of control applications and stock rotation, provide permanent documentation of pest problems and the effectiveness of pest management procedures.

Insect infestation of stored oats in Florida and field evaluation of a device for counting insects electronically.

Automated methods of monitoring stored grain for insect pests will contribute to early detection and aid in management of pest problems. An insect population infesting stored oats at a seed processing plant in north-central Florida was studied to test a device for counting insects electronically (Electronic Grain Probe Insect Counter, EGPIC), and to characterize the storage environment. The device counts insects as they fall through an infrared beam incorporated into a modified grain probe (pitfall) trap and transmits the counts to a computer for accumulation and storage. Eight traps were inserted into the surface of the grain bulk, and the insects trapped were identified and counted manually at weekly intervals. Grain temperature and moisture content also were recorded for each trap location. Manual and automatic counts were compared to estimate error in the EGPIC system. Both over- and undercounting occurred, and errors ranged from -79.4 to 82.4%. The mean absolute value of error (+/- SE) was 31.7% (+/- 4.3). At least 31 species, or higher taxa, were detected, but the psocid Liposcelis entomophila (Enderlein) and the foreign grain beetle, Ahasverus advena (Waltl), accounted for 88% of the captured insects. Species diversity, phenology, and spatial distribution are presented, as well as temporal and spatial distribution of grain temperature and moisture content. The data sets generated will find application in population modeling and development of integrated pest management systems for stored grain.

Phenology and spatial pattern of Typhaea stercorea (Coleoptera: Mycetophagidae) infesting stored grain: estimation by pitfall trapping.

The hairy fungus beetle, Typhaea stercorea (L.), occurs frequently in stored grain, often in large numbers. Populations infesting stored barley in Minnesota, corn in South Carolina, and wheat in Florida were sampled by means of grain probe traps. Spatial distribution of the species was examined by contour analysis of trap catch. In South Carolina, corn was sampled at 2 locations over 2 storage seasons, and temperature, moisture content, and malathion residues were measured. These data were used to examine phenology as well as spatial distribution, and showed peak trap catch shortly after harvest in the fall, and in the spring. This pattern followed seasonal changes in grain temperature, but there was no apparent relationship of trap catch to either grain moisture content or malathion residue. The populations of T. stercorea were not distributed randomly, but were largely concentrated in 1 or very few aggregations associated with the "spoutline," a region high in foreign material and broken grain that forms near the center of a bin as it is loaded. However, the spatial patterns were dynamic, even on a very small time scale (week to week). Numbers of insects in aggregations rose and fell, the areas involved expanded and contracted, the centers shifted, and secondary centers appeared and disappeared. These changes were apparently in response to changing patterns of grain temperature and moisture content. Secondary centers of aggregation often formed in warmer grain along bin walls.

Increased therapeutic failure for cephalexin versus comparator antibiotics in the treatment of uncomplicated outpatient cellulitis.

We reviewed records of outpatients to determine the therapeutic failure rate of cephalexin in treating uncomplicated cellulitis. Therapeutic failure was defined as an increase in antibiotic dosage, prescription renewal, or addition or substitution of another antibiotic. Demographics, physical characteristics, risk factors, intervention, and outcome data were collected. Twenty-seven percent of patients failed therapy with an oral antibiotic. The failure rate for cephalexin was 40% versus 20% for comparator antibiotics (p=0.02, odds ratio [OR] 2.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18-5.75). We identified no statistically significant variables related to cephalexin failure. Concomitant acid suppressive therapy was administered with cephalexin in 42% of failures and 20% of nonfailures (p=0.11, OR 2.78, 95% CI 0.77-9.87). These data suggest that cephalexin's efficacy was less than that of other antimicrobials in treating cellulitis, possibly related to concurrent acid suppression.

Perception of pain after resistance exercise.

OBJECTIVES: The main objective was to assess the influence of resistance exercise on pain threshold and pain ratings. Secondary objectives included measuring state anxiety, body awareness, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate responses. METHODS: Pressure (3 kg force) was applied to the middle digit of the left hand for two minutes using a Forgione-Barber pain stimulator before and after (five minute and 15 minutes) resistance exercise and quiet rest. Resistance exercise consisted of 45 minutes of lifting three sets of 10 repetitions at 75% of an individual's one repetition maximum. Quiet rest consisted of sitting quietly in a room free from distractions. RESULTS: Data were analysed by repeated measures analysis of variance for multifactor experiments. Pain threshold was significantly higher (p<0.05) and pain ratings were significantly lower (p<0.05) five minutes after resistance exercise. Changes in pain perception were accompanied by changes in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and body awareness after exercise. CONCLUSION: A single bout of resistance exercise is capable of modifying the sensation of experimentally induced pain.

Single-blind study of the effects of intravenous dolasetron mesylate versus ondansetron on electrocardiographic parameters in normal volunteers.

A single-blind, randomized, five-way cross-over, safety and tolerability trial was conducted to determine whether intravenous (i.v.) dolasetron mesylate at varying single doses induces changes in ECG intervals in healthy volunteers and to compare these changes with a single intravenous dose of ondansetron or placebo. Thirty healthy male volunteers received 1.2, 1.8, and 2.4 mg/kg i.v. dolasetron mesylate, 32 mg i.v. ondansetron, and placebo on 5 separate days. ECGs were recorded at intervals during the 24 h after study drug administration. The changes in ECG intervals observed after dolasetron mesylate or ondansetron were acute, transient, and asymptomatic. Dolasetron mesylate resulted in slight but statistically significant dose-related increases in heart rate (HR) and PR and QRS intervals (between h 0 and 4). A statistically significant increase in QTc interval was detected with both dolasetron mesylate (2.4 mg/kg) and ondansetron. Ondansetron also produced a slight but statistically significant increase in JT interval and a decrease in HR. These changes in ECG intervals were usually observed between h 0 and 4; all parameters returned to baseline within 8 h of treatment. The results demonstrate that both dolasetron mesylate and ondansetron prolong the QTc interval. However, dolasetron mesylate predominantly altered ECG parameters indicative of ventricular depolarization (QRS duration), whereas ondansetron predominantly affected ventricular repolarization as measured by a prolongation in the JT interval. Both dolasetron and ondansetron were well tolerated. The adverse event (AE) rate was 13.3% (4 of 30); all AE were of mild or moderate severity and were distributed across all dose arms.

Aggregation pheromone ofCarpophilus dimidiatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) and responses toCarpophilus pheromones in South Carolina.

The major component of the male-produced aggregation pheromone ofCarpophilus dimidiatus (F.) is (3E, 5E, 7E, 9E)-6,8-diethyl-4-methyl-3,5,7,9-dodecatetraene. It attracts beetles of both sexes in the field and is synergized by odors from fermenting bread dough; mean trap catches for the tetraene alone, tetraene plus dough, dough alone, and control were 24.5, 48.3, 0.02, and 0.00, respectively. In the laboratory, individual males produced 0.58 µg±0.35 µg (SD) of the tetraene per day, but males in groups of 10-50 produced <2% as much per beetle. A second male-specific compound, (3E, 5E, 7E, 9E)-5,7-diethyl-9-methyl-3,5,7,9-tridecatetraene, was also identified fromC. dimidiatus and is about 5% as abundant as the major pheromone component.Carpophilus flight activity was monitored for one year in South Carolina corn fields with the pheromones forC. dimidiatus, C. freemani Dobson,C. mutilatus Erichson,C. hemipterus (L.),C. lugubris Murray, andC. obsoletus Erichson, all in combination with bread dough. The first four of these species accounted for 18, 70, 5.7, and 0.03%, respectively, of the totalCarpophilus trapped, but noC. lugubris orC. obsoletus were captured. Captures ofC. freemani were as high as 11,400/trap/week. Species specificity for the first four pheromones was high, except that a synthetic impurity in theC. dimidiatus pheromone was somewhat attractive toC. freemani andC. mutilatus. Three other species captured.C. antiques Melsheimer,C. marginellus Motschulsky, andC. humeralis (F.), accounted for 0.005, 5.0, and 1.3% of the total catch, respectively.C. antiquus was attracted primarily to the pheromone ofC. dimidiatus, butC. marginellus andC. humeralis responded to most of the test pheromones. There were two major periods ofCarpophilus flight activity: February through June and September through November.