Risk factors for death in the 27 March 1994 Georgia and Alabama tornadoes.

Field surveys were made one week after tornadoes killed 40 persons and injured over 300 in rural regions of Alabama and Georgia, USA, on 27 March 1994. Surveys were completed for samples of 20 persons who were killed and 31 persons who were in the paths of the tornadoes but survived to determine whether there were differences in personal characteristics, behavior or location between the two groups. Persons who died were significantly older than persons who survived, more likely to be in mobile homes or in rooms above ground with windows, less likely to be watching television before the tornado, and were aware of the approaching tornado for less time than survivors. There was no difference in gender, race, marital status, education, disability or previous experience with tornadoes between those who died and survivors.

Rotations with Coastal Bermudagrass, Cotton, and Bahiagrass for Management of Meloidogyne arenaria and Southern Blight in Peanut.

The efficacy of coastal bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) as a rotation crop for controt of root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne arenaria) in 'Florunner' peanut (Arachis hypogoea) was evaluated in a 3-year field trial. Coastal bermudagrass-peanut rotation (CBP) was compared with peanut monoculture without nematicide (P - ) and peanut monoculture with aldicarb (P + ). The performance of CBP was also compared with 'Pensacola' bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum)-peanut (BP), and 'Deltapine 90' cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)-peanut (CP) rotations. Each rotation crop was grown for 2 years (1991, 1992) and peanut was planted without nematicide the third year (1993). In contrast with peanut, the alternate crops of bahiagrass, bermudagrass, and cotton did not support M. arenaria populations. In 1993, the lowest numbers of M. arenaria second-stage juveniles (J2) in soil were in plots with CP and BP; these rotations resulted in the highest peanut yields. CBP failed to increase peanut yield and resulted in the highest population densities of M. arenaria J2. In 1993, aldicarb reduced J2 densities in the soil but did not increase peanut yields. Rotations of BP and CP reduced incidence of southern blight (Sclerotium rolfsii) in peanut, but neither CBP nor aldicarb affected the disease.

Cotton as a Rotation Crop for the Management of Meloidogyne arenaria and Sclerotium rolfsii in Peanut.

The value of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum cv. Deltapine 90) in rotation with peanut (Arachis hypogaea cv. Florunner) for the management of root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne arenaria) and southern blight (Sclerotium rolfsii) was studied for 6 years in a field at the Wiregrass Substation in southeast Alabama. Peanut yields following either 1 or 2 years of cotton (C-P and C-C-P, respectively) were higher than those of peanut monoculture without nematicide [P(-)]. At-plant application of aldicarb to continuous peanut [P(+)] averaged 22.1% higher yields than those for P(-) over the 6 years of the study. The use of aldicarb in cotton and peanut in the C-C-P rotations increased yields of both crops over the same rotations without the nematicide. When the nematicide was applied to both crops in the C-P rotation, peanut yields were increased in only two of the possible three years when peanut was planted. Application of aldicarb to cotton only in the C-P rotation did not improve peanut yields over those obtained with the rotation without nematicide. Juvenile populations of M. arenaria determined at peanut-harvest time were lowest in plots with cotton. Plots with C-P or C-C-P had lower populations of the nematode than those with either P(-) or P(+). The incidence of southern blight (Sclerotium rolfsii) in peanut was lower in plots with the rotations than in those with peanut monoculture. Aldicarb application had no effect on the occurrence of southern blight.

Intraabdominal adhesions: intraoperative US.

Intraoperative ultrasound (US) was used to help locate the bowel, liver, and spleen in dense abdominal adhesions in 30 patients who were undergoing repeated laparotomy and had undergone previous surgery for various conditions. US helped determine the correct location of these organs in 49 abdominal adhesions. The authors conclude that in patients who have undergone previous surgery, intraoperative US can aid the distinction of tissue planes that can then be safely transected from vital abdominal organs.

Screening mammography in the Tampa Bay area: current status and implications for the next decade.

The current status of screening mammography in the Tampa Bay area is evaluated by three parameters: accessibility, cost and quality, and the screening resources necessary to reach the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) cancer control goals for the year 2000 in this area are projected. Fifty-two mammographic facilities were surveyed comprising 64 units in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Manatee Counties. The number of units is adequate to serve the current needs of the population eligible for screening; however, the number of facilities offering low-cost examinations is not adequate. Only a few facilities have documented quality assurance through the American College of Radiology. These results and those projected for the year 2000 suggest that new efforts will be necessary to meet the NCI-2000 goal for screening mammography. We have made recommendations to clinicians and radiologists for strategies to meet this challenge.

Mammography registry: considerations and options.

Radiologists are being urged to provide high-quality low-cost screening mammography to all women over 40 years of age. A mammography registry coupled with existing cancer registries would permit the quality and effectiveness of screening efforts to be evaluated. Standards of care would be determined that would permit quality assessment at individual centers and that could enhance medicolegal defense. The organizing group should consist of physician users, experts in mammography, statisticians, and administrators. Data regarding the number and type of studies, findings, interpretations, and recommendations could be collected and reported easily and cheaply with a standardized form. The registry could be financed by federal, state, or private funds; the latter are most preferable, but a combination of the three is most feasible. Screening mammography presents a serious public health challenge that is best addressed by the organization and support of a registry by radiologists.

Crops Uncommon to Alabama for the Management of Meloidogyne arenaria in Peanut.

In a 1987 field study juveniles of Meloidogyne arenaria assayed at the time of peanut harvest were almost undetectable in plots planted with American jointvetch (Aeschynomene americana), castor bean (Ricinus communis), partridge pea (Cassia fasiculata), sesame (Sesamum indicum), and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), whereas plots with peanut (Arachis hypogaea) averaged 120 juveniles/100 cm(3) soil. Application of aldicarb in peanut resulted in an average of 27 juveniles/100 cm(3) soil. In 1988 all plots were planted to peanut and the aldicarb treatment was repeated in plots that had the nematicide in 1987. In 1988 peanut yields from plots that had no peanut in 1987 were 51-69% higher than the yield from those with continuous peanut and no nematicide. Aldicarb resulted in a 57% increase in yield, which is comparable to 1-year rotation to a nonhost crop. In 1988 harvest-time M. arenaria juvenile population densities in soil were the lowest in plots that had castor bean in 1987; however, the partridge pea-peanut and the sesame-peanut rotations also reduced numbers of juveniles when compared with continuous peanut with no nematicide. The aldicarb treatment resulted in juvenile population densities equivalent to those found with either the partridge pea or the sesame rotations. Rotations with American joint vetch or cotton did not result in lower juvenile population densities in peanut in 1988.

Potential of crops uncommon to alabama for management of root-knot and soybean cyst nematodes.

Vigna unguiculata, Cassia fasiculata, and Sesamum indicum did not support Meloidogyne arenaria, M. incognita, or Heterodera glycines race 4 in greenhouse studies with soils from peanut and soybean fields. Fagopyron eseulentum, Cyamopsis tetragonoloba, and Cucurbita pepo were hosts to the two Meloidogyne spp. but were nonhosts to H. glycines. Meloidogyne arenaria and M. incognita galled but reproduced poorly in the roots of three types of Amaranthus cruentus, and low densities of these two Meloidogyne spp. (< 10 second-stage juveniles/100 cm(3) soil) occurred in soil cultivated with this crop. In a field study no juveniles of M. arenaria determined at peanut harvest were recovered from plots with Ricinus communis, Gossypium hirsutum, Aeschynomene americana, C. fasiculata, or S. indicum. Peanut plots averaged 120 juveniles/100 cm(3) soil. Application of aldicarb (12 kg a.i./ha broadcast) in peanut resulted in an average of 27 juveniles/100 cm(3) soil. Several crops were as effective as aldicarb treatment for reducing soil juvenile population densities of M. arenaria.

Comparison of methyl bromide and other nematicides for control of nematodes in peanut.

The efficacy of methyl bromide for control ofMeloidogyne arenaria and to increase yields of 'Florunner' peanut (Arachis hypogaea) was studied in a field at the Wiregrass Substation near Headland, Alabama. Methyl bromide was applied in the row at a depth of 35 cm using a subsoiler-bedder 2 weeks before planting at rates of 0, 34, 50, 67, 101, and 118 kg a.i./ha. Methyl bromide treatments of 67 kg a.i./ha or higher resulted in significant (P = 0.05) yield increases similar to those obtained in the same experiment with at-plant applications of aldicarb (2.2 kg a.i./ha), EDB (1.55 ml a.i./m row), or 1,3-D (5.10 ml a.i./m row). The relation between yield (Y) and methyl bromide rate (x) was described (R(2) = 0.97**) by the exponential function: Y = 2,302.963eb, where b = (- 1.901 - ln x)(2)/169.482. M. arenaria juvenile populations in soil in mid-August were too low to permit establishment of a relation between application rate of methyl bromide and size of the population.

Soybean Response to a Planting-Time Application of Ethylene Dibromide in a Soil Infested with Meloidogyne incognita, M. arenaria, and Heterodera glycines.

A field study was conducted to evaluate one susceptible and six nematode-resistant soybean cultivars for their effects on seed yield, nematode populations, and response to a fumigant nematicide, ethylene dibromide. The soil was a sandy loam, and the field was infested with a mixture of Meloidogyne incognita, M. arenaria, and Heterodera glycines. Soybean cultivars significantly affected yield and juvenile numbers of Meloidogyne spp. but did not affect the H. glycinesjuvenile population. Fumigation increased yield and numbers of H. glycines juveniles, whereas the numbers of Meloidogyne spp. juveniles were decreased. The interaction between cultivars and fumigation treatment was significant for yield but not for nematode numbers.

The anechoic crescent in abdominal aortic aneurysms: not a sign of dissection.

In six cases, abdominal aortic aneurysms simulated dissections because an anechoic crescent was seen peripheral to the echogenic intraluminal thrombus. Thrombus can easily be identified by sonography, but the layered echogenic and anechoic appearance has not been described. Three of these cases are presented to illustrate this sonographic pattern of thrombus so that it will not be misinterpreted as a dissection. CT scans were performed on all three patients and an arteriogram and surgery in one, all of which confirmed that these were not dissections but two layers of thrombus with the intima peripheral to the anechoic layer. At surgery, the anechoic layer medial to the intima in one case proved to be serosanguinous fluid and, therefore, likely liquefaction of the clot.

Nematicidal activity of the fungicide ethazole.

The nematicidal activity of the fungicide ethazole was studied under greenhouse conditions in which a nematode-infested, Norfolk sandy loam was planted to cotton (var. = 'Rowden'). At planting time, the fungicide was incorporated in the soil at rates of 0-100 mg/kg soil. When assayed 4 weeks after planting, plant-parasitic nematodes in soil and roots occurred in decreasing numbers with increasing concentrations of the fungicide; the degree of control obtained was from 60-100% with the four highest concentrations. Results indicate that ethazole possesses nematicidal activity at rates recommended for field application.

Seed treatment as a means of preventing nematode damage to crop plants.

A procedure for treating crop seeds with aqueous solutions of the systemic nematicide oxamyl is described. Seedlings from treated seeds were more resistant to attack by parasitic nematodes. Leachate from treated seeds reduced the number of free-living nematodes in the surrounding soil.

Efficiency of extraction of nematodes by flotation-sieving using molasses and sugar and by elutriation.

Blackstrap molasses was studied as an economical substitute for sucrose in the preparation of an extracting solution for removal of nematodes from soil by the flotation-sieving technique. The maximal number of nematodes extracted from soil was obtained with molasses solutions with specific gravity values in the range 1.000-1.073. Results of studies on the relation between size of soil sample and the amount of extracting solution are presented. In paired comparisons, a molasses solution with sp. gr. = 1.100 at 27 C extracted greater numbers of plant parasitic, dorylaimoid, mononchoid, and other soil nematodes than did the standard 1.0 M sucrose solution (sp. gr. = 1.100); the superiority of the molasses solution is attributed to its higher viscosity. The molasses method also was superior or equal in efficiency to the elutriation technique.