Evaluating companion planting and non-host masking odors for protecting roses from the Japanese beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Effectiveness of companion planting, and use of nonhost masking odors were evaluated under field conditions for protecting roses against the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman. Three reputedly effective companion species, rue (Ruta graveolens L.), zonal geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum Bailey), and garlic chives (Allium scheonparum L.) were interplanted with roses in replicated garden plots. Numbers of beetles on these roses were compared with rose-only control plots on 6 d during beetle flight. The masking odor hypothesis was tested by hanging mesh bags of aromatic herbs or other sources of reputedly repellent nonhost volatiles around potted roses in the field. Treatments included crushed red pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.), fennel seeds (Foeniculm vulgare Miller), crushed spearmint (Mentha picata L.), cedar shavings (Juniperus sp.), osage orange fruits (Maclura pomifera (Raif) Schneid.), and fleshy gingko seeds (Gingko biloba L.). No treatment significantly reduced numbers of beetles relative to the controls. Interplanting with geraniums significantly increased numbers of Japanese beetles on roses. Similarly, roses surrounded by sachets with fennel seeds, cedar shavings, crushed red pepper, or osage orange fruits had significantly more beetles than the control plants on two or more sample dates. Our results suggest that the use of companion or reputedly repellent plants or plant odors probably will be ineffective for protecting roses or other highly-susceptible ornamentals from P. japonica. Use of such tactics in an effort to discourage other garden pests might even increase Japanese beetle damage in those plantings.

Hazards of insecticides to the bumble bees Bombus impatiens (Hymenoptera: Apidae) foraging on flowering white clover in turf

Insecticides used on turf are sometimes applied to areas with flowering weeds that attract honey bees and native pollinators. We tested residual effects of such treatments on colony vitality and behavior of the bumble bees Bombus impatiens Cresson foraging on turf containingwhite clover, Trifolium repens L. Imidacloprid, a syst emic chloronicotinyl used for preventive control of root-feeding grubs, was applied as granules, followed by irrigation, or sprayed as a wettable powder, with or without irrigation. Hives were confined on the plots in large field cages after residues had dried and colony vitality (i.e., numbers of brood, workers, and honey pots, and weights of queens, workers, and whole colonies with hives) was evaluated after 28-30 d. Workers' foraging activity and defensive response to an aggressive stimulus also were evaluated. In another test, weedy turf was sprayed with chlorpyrifos, carbaryl, or cyfluthrin at labeled rates for surface-feeding pests. Bee colonies were confined on the plots after residues had dried, with effects on colony vitality evaluated after 14 d. Finally, foraging activity of wild bumble bees was monitored on open plots to determine if insecticide-treated areas were avoided. Imidacloprid granules, and imidacloprid sprays applied with posttreatment irrigation, had no effect on colony vitality or workers' behavior, suggesting that such treatments pose little systemic or residual hazard to bumble bees. In contrast, exposure to dry nonirrigated residues of all of the aforementioned insecticides had severe impact on colony vitality. Foraging workers did not avoid insecticide-treated areas. Means by which turf managers can reduce hazards of insecticide applications to pollinators are discussed.

Biology and management of the Japanese beetle

The Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, an introduced scarab, has become the most widespread and destructive insect pest of turf, landscapes, and nursery crops in the eastern United States. It also damages many fruit, garden, and field crops. This review emphasizes recent research on the beetle's biology and management. Adults feed on leaves, flowers, or fruits of more than 300 plant species. Adaptations mediating their host finding, dietary range, mating, and oviposition are discussed. We also address abiotic and biotic factors affecting population dynamics of the root-feeding larvae. Japanese beetle grubs are widely controlled with preventive soil insecticides, but options for remedial control of adults and larvae presently are limited. Advances in understanding host plant resistance, entomopathogens, and other biorational approaches may provide more options for integrated management. Despite ongoing regulatory efforts, the Japanese beetle remains a threat as an invasive species.

v-Src-induced modulation of the calpain-calpastatin proteolytic system regulates transformation

v-Src-induced oncogenic transformation is characterized by alterations in cell morphology, adhesion, motility, survival, and proliferation. To further elucidate some of the signaling pathways downstream of v-Src that are responsible for the transformed cell phenotype, we have investigated the role that the calpain-calpastatin proteolytic system plays during oncogenic transformation induced by v-Src. We recently reported that v-Src-induced transformation of chicken embryo fibroblasts is accompanied by calpain-mediated proteolytic cleavage of the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and disassembly of the focal adhesion complex. In this study we have characterized a positive feedback loop whereby activation of v-Src increases protein synthesis of calpain II, resulting in degradation of its endogenous inhibitor calpastatin. Reconstitution of calpastatin levels by overexpression of exogenous calpastatin suppresses proteolytic cleavage of FAK, morphological transformation, and anchorage-independent growth. Furthermore, calpastatin overexpression represses progression of v-Src-transformed cells through the G(1) stage of the cell cycle, which correlates with decreased pRb phosphorylation and decreased levels of cyclins A and D and cyclin-dependent kinase 2. Calpain 4 knockout fibroblasts also exhibit impaired v-Src-induced morphological transformation and anchorage-independent growth. Thus, modulation of the calpain-calpastatin proteolytic system plays an important role in focal adhesion disassembly, morphological transformation, and cell cycle progression during v-Src-induced cell transformation.

Modified atmosphere treatments as a potential disinfestation technique for arthropod pests in greenhouses

Incidental transport of arthropods on plant material can be a significant mode of pest entry into greenhouses. We evaluated the use of controlled atmosphere treatments as a potential way to eliminate arthropod pests on plant propagules (i.e., cuttings or small rooted plants). Lethal exposures to CO2 or N2 were determined for common greenhouse pests including fungus gnat larvae, Bradysia sp.; green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer); sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia sp.; twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch; and western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande). We also studied the effect of pest species, life stage, and presence or absence of plants on efficacy of modified atmosphere treatments. Finally, effects of modified atmospheres on plant quality were evaluated for several bedding plant species including begonia, Begonia semperflorens-cultorum Hort. 'Cocktail Series', chrysanthemum, Dendranthema grandiflora Tzvelev., geranium, Pelargonium X hortorum L.H. Bailey, and impatiens, Impatiens wallerana Hook f., and among cultivars of geranium and chrysanthemum. Exposure for 12-18 h to >99% N2 or CO2 caused complete mortality of aphids, mites, thrips, and whiteflies. Fungus gnat larvae were more tolerant of hypoxic conditions. Adult mites and eggs were equally susceptible. For most pests, there was no difference in response to atmospheres modified by CO2 or N2. However, there was variation in response among plant species and cultivars, with effects ranging from delayed flowering to mortality. Despite the possibility of adverse effects on some plants, this work indicates that use of modified atmospheres has potential to eliminate arthropod pests on plant propagules before they are introduced into greenhouses.

Lethal and sublethal effects of bendiocarb, halofenozide, and imidacloprid on Harpalus pennsylvanicus (Coleoptera: Carabidae) following different modes of exposure in turfgrass

Routes by which nontarget predatory insects can be exposed to turfgrass pesticides include topical, residual, and dietary exposure. We used each of these routes to evaluate potential lethal or sublethal effects of two novel turfgrass insecticides, imidacloprid and halofenozide, and a carbamate, bendiocarb, on survival, behavior, and fecundity of the ground beetle Harpalus pennsylvanicus DeGeer. Field-collected carabids were exposed to direct spray applications in turf plots, fed food contaminated by such applications, or exposed to irrigated or nonirrigated residues on turf cores. Halofenozide caused no apparent acute, adverse effects through topical, residual, or dietary exposure. Moreover, the viability of eggs laid by females fed halofenozide-treated food once, or continuously for 30 d, was not reduced. In contrast, topical or dietary exposure of carabids to bendiocarb inevitably was lethal. Exposure to imidacloprid by those routes caused high incidence of sublethal, neurotoxic effects including paralysis, impaired walking, and excessive grooming. Intoxicated beetles usually recovered within a few days in the laboratory, but in the field, they were shown to be highly vulnerable to predation by ants. One-time intoxication by imidacloprid did not reduce females' fecundity or viability of eggs. There was no apparent behavioral avoidance of insecticide residues, or of insecticide-treated food. Carabids exposed to dry residues on turfgrass cores suffered high mortality from bendiocarb, and some intoxication from imidacloprid, but these effects were greatly reduced by posttreatment irrigation. Implications for predicting hazards of insecticides to beneficial invertebrates in turfgrass are discussed.

Dogwood borer (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) infestation of horned oak galls

Pin oak, Quercus palustris Muenchhausen, is the primary host for the gall wasp Callirhytis cornigera (Osten Sacken). Woody stem galls formed by C. cornigera may be infested by the dogwood borer, Synanthedon scitula (Harris), an important pest of flowering dogwood, Cornus florida L. Previous research has shown that S. scitula has a bimodal seasonal flight pattern, with peaks in late spring and midsummer. We tested the hypothesis that moths emerging from dogwoods largely account for the first flight pulse, whereas emergence from stem galls contributes disproportionately to the second pulse. Seasonal flight activity of S. scitula was monitored with pheromone traps baited with Z,Z-3,13-octadecadien-1-ol acetate. Traps were hung near plantings of dogwoods in suburban landscapes or near heavily galled pin oaks. Borer emergence from dogwood was monitored by sampling infested trees for pupal exuviae, and from galls that were collected and held in outdoor rearing cages. The impact of S. scitula on C. cornigera larvae was assessed by weighing, measuring, and dissecting galls. Flight activity of S. scitula began on 5 May and ended on 13 October 1999, with peaks in late May and in late July to early August. The flight pattern was similar for the two types of trapping sites, and moths emerged from both hosts during both flight periods. Proportionately more moths emerged from dogwoods during the first flight pulse than during the second, but emergence from galls was nearly evenly divided between the two flight peaks. We therefore reject the hypothesis that emergence of borers from galls contributes disproportionately to the second flight period. Approximately 12-15% of stem galls (2-3 yr old) contained S. scitula larvae. Feeding and tunneling by borers contributed to gall desiccation and reduced horn development, but rarely killed C. cornigera larvae. This study has implications for management of S. scitula because borers emerging from horned oak galls may represent a threat to dogwood.

Impact of whole-canopy and systemic insecticidal treatments on Callirhytis cornigera (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) and associated parasitoids on pin oak

The gall wasp Callirhytis cornigera (Osten Sacken) is a cynipid with alternating generations that produce large, woody stem galls and tiny blister-like leaf galls on pin oak, Quercus palustris Muenchhausen, in the United States. We tested 3 approaches to control the leaf-galling generation, and determined their impact on associated parasitoids and effectiveness in reducing numbers of new stem galls. First, trees were sprayed with bifenthrin or chlorpyrifos in late March to kill females emerging from stem galls before they oviposited into buds. Second, concentrated solutions of abamectin, imidacloprid, or bidrin were injected from pressurized containers into tree sapwood to control larvae developing in young leaf galls. Finally, systemic insecticides (acephate, abamectin, dimethoate, or imidacloprid) were sprayed at early leaf expansion (2 May) or to young, expanded leaves (17 May) to target larvae in leaf galls. Parasitoids, mostly eulophids, accounted for approximately 70% mortality of leaf-galling C. cornigera larvae on untreated trees. Whole-canopy sprays during C. cornigera emergence from stem galls reduced overall numbers of galled leaves and leaf galls. Trunk injections of bidrin or abamectin resulted in significant mortality of gall inhabitants, including parasitoids. However, neither of the aforementioned approaches significantly reduced numbers of new stem galls. Sprays of abamectin, dimethoate, or imidacloprid applied on 2 May caused high mortality of all gall inhabitants. There was no net benefit, however, because parasitism caused a similar reduction in C. cornigera survival on unsprayed shoots. Sprays applied later in leaf expansion had little impact on gall inhabitants. Of the treatments tested, bifenthrin sprays at bud break provided the greatest reduction in new leaf galls, whereas bidrin injections provided the greatest reduction in gall wasps emerging from galled leaves. This study suggests that gall wasp outbreaks are unlikely to be controlled by a single treatment, regardless of application method.

Low-dose follicular-phase cocaine administration disrupts menstrual and ovarian cyclicity in rhesus monkeys

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of daily low-dose follicular-phase cocaine administration on menstrual cyclicity, ovulation rates, corpus luteum function, and hormone levels in rhesus monkeys.

METHOD

Normally cycling, drug-naive, adult rhesus monkeys were randomized to receive either 1 mg/kg of cocaine (n = 7), 2 mg/kg of cocaine (n = 7), or normal saline (n = 7) daily on cycle days 2 to 14. Daily blood samples were obtained through indwelling catheters for measurement of serum gonadotropins and ovarian steroids. Daily vaginal swabs were obtained to determine onset of menses. Laparoscopy was performed 2 days after the midcycle estrogen peak to document ovulation. Daily caloric intakes as well as pretreatment and posttreatment weights were recorded.

RESULTS

Two of seven monkeys receiving 1 mg/kg per day and two of seven monkeys receiving 2 mg/kg per day of cocaine had timely ovulation and normal menstrual cycle lengths. One monkey receiving the 2-mg/kg dose ovulated on cycle day 24 and had a short luteal phase (7 days) with a mean progesterone level of 2.4 ng/mL. All seven saline-treated control monkeys ovulated normally; the mean cycle length was 29 days and all had adequate luteal phases. The difference in ovulation rates between cocaine-treated and control monkeys was statistically significant (P = .003). There were no differences in basal levels of LH or FSH between treatment groups. There were no significant differences in weight change or caloric intake among groups. One third of the subsequent menstrual cycles in cocaine-treated monkeys were of abnormal duration.

CONCLUSION

Daily low-dose follicular-phase cocaine administration disrupts menstrual cyclicity and folliculogenesis. This effect is independent of weight loss, caloric intake, and basal gonadotropin levels. Cocaine exposure may have a persistent effect on menstrual and ovarian cyclicity in some monkeys.

Noncommunicating accessory uterine cavity

OBJECTIVE

To report a case of a noncommunicating accessory uterine cavity.

DESIGN

Case report.

SETTING

University-affiliated reproductive endocrinology practice.

PATIENT(S)

A 15-year-old nulligravida with increasing dysmenorrhea.

INTERVENTION(S)

Pelvic ultrasound, intravenous pyelogram, hysterosalpingogram, laparoscopy, laparotomy, and resection of noncommunicating accessory uterine cavity.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Results of imaging studies, surgical examination, and resection of anomaly.

RESULT(S)

Complete resection of accessory cavity and resolution of dysmenorrhea.

CONCLUSION(S)

The patient had a müllerian anomaly in which the uterus contained two uterine cavities. One normal uterine cavity with communication to both fallopian tubes was present along with a noncommunicating, accessory uterine cavity.

Endometrial biopsy during hormone replacement cycle in donor oocyte recipients before in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer

OBJECTIVE

To examine the usefulness of a trial cycle of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and endometrial biopsy before the actual ET cycle in recipients of donated oocytes.

DESIGN

Retrospective review.

SETTING

Clinical practice at the South Texas Fertility Center, San Antonio, Texas.

PATIENT(S)

Thirty-six concurrent patients who underwent a trial cycle of HRT with endometrial biopsy before the ET cycle with donated oocytes fertilized in vitro.

INTERVENTION(S)

Patients > or =40 years of age received 100 mg of i.m. progesterone in oil daily; patients <40 years of age received 50 mg daily. Endometrial biopsies were performed during the late luteal phase of the trial cycle.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Histologic dating of the biopsy specimens was correlated with the chronologic date of the biopsy.

RESULT(S)

Five of 20 patients > or =40 years of age had out-of-phase biopsies. All 16 patients <40 years of age had in-phase biopsies. All out-of-phase biopsies subsequently were corrected with higher doses of progesterone. Pregnancy rates after fresh and frozen ETs were not significantly different between the two age groups.

CONCLUSION(S)

Patients > or =40 years of age are at risk of having out-of-phase endometrial biopsies while they are receiving standard HRT despite receiving higher doses of progesterone. Trial HRT cycles with endometrial biopsies are recommended.

Calpain regulates actin remodeling during cell spreading

Previous studies suggest that the Ca2+-dependent proteases, calpains, participate in remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton during wound healing and are active during cell migration. To directly test the role that calpains play in cell spreading, several NIH-3T3- derived clonal cell lines were isolated that overexpress the biological inhibitor of calpains, calpastatin. These cells stably overexpress calpastatin two- to eightfold relative to controls and differ from both parental and control cell lines in morphology, spreading, cytoskeletal structure, and biochemical characteristics. Morphologic characteristics of the mutant cells include failure to extend lamellipodia, as well as abnormal filopodia, extensions, and retractions. Whereas wild-type cells extend lamellae within 30 min after plating, all of the calpastatin-overexpressing cell lines fail to spread and assemble actin-rich processes. The cells genetically altered to overexpress calpastatin display decreased calpain activity as measured in situ or in vitro. The ERM protein ezrin, but not radixin or moesin, is markedly increased due to calpain inhibition. To confirm that inhibition of calpain activity is related to the defect in spreading, pharmacological inhibitors of calpain were also analyzed. The cell permeant inhibitors calpeptin and MDL 28, 170 cause immediate inhibition of spreading. Failure of the intimately related processes of filopodia formation and lamellar extension indicate that calpain is intimately involved in actin remodeling and cell spreading.

Physician variability and uncertainty in the management of breast cancer. Results from a factorial experiment

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this research was to determine the influence of patient and physician characteristics on physicians' level of variability and certainty in breast cancer care.

METHODS

One hundred twenty-eight physicians viewed a videotape of a simulated physician-patient interaction in which the patient has an "atypical" breast lump. Six patient characteristics (age, race, socioeconomic status, physical mobility, comorbidity, presentation style) were manipulated experimentally, resulting in a balanced set of 32 different "patients." Physician subjects were recruited to fill four equal strata defined by specialty (surgeons versus nonsurgeons) and experience (< or = 15 or > 15 years since graduation from medical school).

RESULTS

More than half of the physicians offered a diagnosis of benign breast disease, a third offered a diagnosis of breast cancer, and the rest believed that the patient had a normal breast or something "other." Results also indicated that physicians' level of certainty and test ordering behavior varied with the diagnosis that was offered. Of the six patient characteristics, only socioeconomic status influenced physician certainty; physicians were more certain of their diagnosis when the patient was of a higher socioeconomic status. Surgeons were found to be more certain of their diagnosis compared with nonsurgeons. However, surgeons were less likely to order radiologic tests or a tissue sample for metastatic evaluation than were nonsurgeons.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, physicians displayed considerable variability and uncertainty when diagnosing and managing possible breast cancer.

Effects of follicular-phase cocaine administration on menstrual and ovarian cyclicity in rhesus monkeys

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of daily follicular-phase cocaine administration on menstrual cyclicity, gonadotropin and ovarian steroid levels, ovulation rates, and corpus luteum function in cycling rhesus monkeys.

STUDY DESIGN

Thirteen normally cycling, drug-naive adult rhesus monkeys were randomized to receive daily intravenous injections of either 4 mg/kg cocaine or an equal volume of saline solution. Treated animals were yoked to pair-fed controls to minimize differences in caloric intake. Daily blood samples were obtained through indwelling catheters for measurement of serum gonadotropin and ovarian steroid levels. Daily vaginal swabs were obtained to determine the onset of menses. Laparoscopy was performed 2 days after the midcycle estrogen peak to check for ovulation. Daily caloric intakes and pretreatment and posttreatment weights were recorded.

RESULTS

All six of the control monkeys had laparoscopically confirmed ovulation compared with one of seven in the cocaine-treated group (p < 0.004). Cycle length was normal in five of six controls versus one of seven cocaine-treated monkeys. Estradiol levels were significantly higher in the controls versus the cocaine-treated monkeys (p = 0.01) during the first 14 days of the treatment cycle. There were no differences in basal plasma gonadotropin levels between groups. Luteal-phase lengths and luteal-phase plasma progesterone levels were similar in the controls and the single ovulatory cocaine-treated monkey. There were no significant differences in weight change or caloric intake between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Daily follicular-phase cocaine administration disrupts menstrual cyclicity and folliculogenesis independent of weight loss, caloric intake, and basal gonadotropin levels.

Nonmedical influences on medical decision making: an experimental technique using videotapes, factorial design, and survey sampling

OBJECTIVE

To study nonmedical influences on the doctor-patient interaction. A technique using simulated patients and "real" doctors is described.

DATA SOURCES

A random sample of physicians, stratified on such characteristics as demographics, specialty, or experience, and selected from commercial and professional listings.

STUDY DESIGN

A medical appointment is depicted on videotape by professional actors. The patient's presenting complaint (e.g., chest pain) allows a range of valid interpretation. Several alternative versions are taped, featuring the same script with patient-actors of different age, sex, race, or other characteristics. Fractional factorial design is used to select a balanced subset of patient characteristics, reducing costs without biasing the outcome.

DATA COLLECTION

Each physician is shown one version of the videotape appointment and is asked to describe how he or she would diagnose or treat such a patient.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Two studies using this technique have been completed to date, one involving chest pain and dyspnea and the other involving breast cancer. The factorial design provided sufficient power, despite limited sample size, to demonstrate with statistical significance various influences of the experimental and stratification variables, including the patient's gender and age and the physician's experience. Persistent recruitment produced a high response rate, minimizing selection bias and enhancing validity.

CONCLUSION

These techniques permit us to determine, with a degree of control unattainable in observational studies, whether medical decisions as described by actual physicians and drawn from a demographic or professional group of interest, are influenced by a prescribed set of nonmedical factors.

The influences of patient characteristics and physician experience on case recall

The study focused on the influences of both patient characteristics and physician experience on the recall of two breast cancer cases. Two general research questions were addressed: 1) whether patient characteristics such as age, race, and assertiveness affect a physician's initial problem representation, and 2) whether the recall advantage for physicians of intermediate levels of experience extends to physicians who have been out of medical school for at least six years, 128 physicians with a minimum of six years' experience were presented with two videotapes of a doctor-patient encounter. In the first videotape (the pre-workup scenario), the patient had just discovered a lump; in the second (the post-workup scenario), she had recently had a biopsy. Following the presentation of each videotape, the physicians were instructed to record a synopsis of the case prior to making diagnoses, ordering tests, and providing treatment recommendations. The synopses were coded to capture information from the cases that the physicians were able to recall and inferences that they generated based on this information. Two critical findings were obtained. First, none of the patient characteristics investigated consistently produced differences in recall or inference generation across the two scenarios. Second, physician recall was a monotonically decreasing function of years of experience. The latter result is interpreted using a theoretical framework from Schmidt and Boshuizen.

Non-medical influences on medical decision-making

BACKGROUND

The influence of non-medical factors on physicians' decision-making has been documented in many observational studies, but rarely in an experimental setting capable of demonstrating cause and effect. We conducted a controlled factorial experiment to assess the influence of non-medical factors on the diagnostic and treatment decisions made by practitioners of internal medicine in two common medical situations.

METHOD

One hundred and ninety-two white male internists individually viewed professionally produced video scenarios in which the actor-patient, presenting with either chest pain or dyspnea, possessed various balanced combinations of sex, race, age, socioeconomic status, and health insurance coverage. Physician subjects were randomly drawn from lists of internists in private practice, hospital-based practice, and HMO's, at two levels of experience.

RESULTS

The most frequent diagnoses for both chest pain and dyspnea were psychogenic origin and cardiac problems. Smoking cessation was the most frequent treatment recommendation for both conditions. Younger patients (all other factors being the same) were significantly more likely to receive the psychogenic diagnosis. Older patients were more likely to receive the cardiac diagnosis for chest pain, particularly if they were insured. HMO-based physicians were more likely to recommend a follow-up visit for chest pain. Several interactions of patient and physician factors were significant in addition to the main effects.

CONCLUSIONS

The variability in decision-making evidenced by physicians in this experiment was not entirely accounted for by strictly rational Bayesian inference (the common prescriptive model for medical decision-making), in-as-much as non-medical factors significantly affected the decisions that they made. There is a need to supplement idealized medical schemata with considerations of social behavior in any comprehensive theory of medical decision-making.

Purification of the major histocompatibility complex class I transcription factor H2TF1. The full-length product of the nfkb2 gene

H2TF1 is a ubiquitous major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-specific transcription factor, which binds to the palindromic kappa B enhancer site upstream of MHC class I genes. Here we report that H2TF1 consists of a polypeptide with relative molecular mass 110,000, that corresponds to the predicted 100-kDa product (NF-kappa B2 p100) encoded by the candidate proto-oncogene nfkb2 (lyt-10). H2TF1 was purified by a novel affinity chromatography method and identified as the NF-kappa B2 p100 polypeptide by peptide sequencing as well as by reactivity with a specific antiserum. Purified H2TF1 binds the MHC kappa B site with high affinity (KD = 3 x 10(-11) M), in contrast with previous reports that NF-kappa B2 p100 did not bind DNA.

Seasonal Phenology, Management, and Host Preferences of Potato Leafhopper on Nursery-Grown Maples

Seasonal phenology and control of the potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae (Harris)) on red maples (Acer rubrum L.) were studied for three years in nurseries in central Kentucky. Migratory adult leafhoppers were first captured on yellow sticky traps in early May. Peak population density ranged from late May to late June. The second flush of leaves was most heavily damaged in each year. Foliar sprays of cyfluthrin (Tempo 2), a synthetic pyrethroid, beginning 1 to 2 weeks after first capture of leathoppers and repeated at biweekly intervals during May and June, greatly reduced symptoms of injury. Acephate (Orthene) was less effective than cyfluthrin, whereas treatment of the soil with disulfoton (Di-syston) was ineffective. Oviposition and development of the leafhopper on red maple were confirmed. Field evaluations of selected cultivars showed that red maples were more severely damaged than sugar (A. saccharum L.) or Norway (A. platanoides L.) maples. ‘Autumn Blaze’, an A. rubrum × saccharinum hybrid, was relatively resistant.

Bringing social structure back into clinical decision making

Although research in the past twenty years has resulted in an increasingly sophisticated understanding of clinical decision making processes, the dominant approach in this area of inquiry remains limited. Most studies emphasize normative models of how decisions ought to be made, others attempt to describe physicians' thinking, but few take the social context of decision making systematically into account. Research models typically assume that physicians are autonomous professionals practicing in socially insular clinical settings--an approach that is consistent with classic formulations of the social structure of medical practice, but they ignore 30 years of sociological research on research on patient-physician relationships and major historical changes in the structure of medical practice. Eisenberg's still timely advice to students of clinical decision making--that they need to describe decision making in the context of 'sociologic influences' (including patient, physician and practice setting characteristics)--is expanded in the present discussion. Recent studies are reviewed, highlighting important dimensions of social structure impinging on physicians' decision making. Findings indicate that the process of clinical decision making is likely influenced by patients' age, gender, socioeconomic status, and race, physicians' professional training and experience, as well as by larger structural features of organized clinical settings. Our review of these studies on the social context of clinical decision making, however, reveals major methodological limitations including those inherently imposed by secondary data analysis, normative approaches, written case vignettes, small, non-random samples and the inadequate control of confounding influences. We present a feasible, alternative research strategy, built on a factorial experimental design. Illustrative findings indicate how complex social structural influence on clinical decision making may be disentangled in an unconfounded manner.

Carbohydrate reserves, radial growth, and mechanisms of resistance of oak trees to phloem-boring insects

The twolined chestnut borer, Agrilus bilineatus (Weber) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), attacks oaks (Quercus spp.) that have been weakened by prior environmental or biotic stress. Our earlier work showed that trees with relatively low winter starch reserves are more likely to be attacked by A. bilineatus the following summer. We hypothesized that such trees may have less energy available for defense (Callus formation and allelo-chemical synthesis) in tissues wounded by borer larvae. However, wounding experiments showed little or no relationship between winter or summer carbohydrate reserves, callus formation, radial growth, or concentrations of tannins and phenolics in wounded or nonwounded phloem tissues. Trees with relatively low winter carbohydrate reserves were again found to be attractive to adult A. bilineatus, although not all low starch trees were attacked or successfully colonized by borers. There was a trend for carpenterworm larvae, Prinoxystus robiniae (Lepidoptera: Cossidae), a generalist bark and wood borer, to be more successful in establishing galleries on low starch trees. Carpenterworms gained significantly more weight when fed phloem from trees attractive to A. bilineatus. Oaks that attracted large numbers of A. bilineatus or that were successfully colonized by the borer produced significantly less callus than did non-attacked trees when experimentally wounded at about the time of Agrilus egg hatch. Callus formation may limit the establishment of small larvae that feed slowly in the cambial region. These results indicate that current theory regarding relationships between increased tree stress and decreased allocation of energy reserves to radial growth and defense against phloem borers may be an oversimplification. We suggest that tree growth and the defensive response of phloem tissues may be limited more by the rate of carbohydrate utilization or by changes in source-sink relationships than by storage levels. Callus formation and synthesis of allelochemicals in wounded phloem may be under the same control as cambial activation, which is mediated by plant growth regulators and can be influenced by environmental conditions.

Inhibition of herbivory on young holly leaves: evidence for the defensive role of saponins

Response of the southern red mite, Oligonychus ilicis McGregor, to young and one year old leaves of Ilex opaca Aiton was studied on three dates during the period of leaf expansion in the spring. Young foliage, which is rich in nutrients but also contains high levels of saponins, was found to be unsuitable for colonization by this oligophagous herbivore until the leaves had matured and levels of saponins had declined. Mites preferentially colonized and had higher survival and reproduction on sclerophyllous, one-year old leaves than on young leaves in early spring. High levels of saponins in young, second-flush leaves of shoots that had earlier been damaged by frost were again correlated with low mite survival in June. Laboratory preference tests with the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea Drury, and the eastern tent caterpillar, Malacosoma americanum (F.), indicated that young, saponin-rich holly foliage is especially unpalatable to these highly polyphagous caterpillars. Fifth instar fall webworms required significantly longer to complete their development, attained lower weights, and had greater mortality on artificial diet amended with low concentrations of purified holly saponins than on control diet. These results support the hypothesis that the high levels of saponins in young holly leaves provide protection from herbovores until the leaves have matured and their structural defenses are developed.

Nutritional quality of specific leaf tissues and selective feeding by a specialist leafminer

Many folivorous insects are selective feeders which consume specific leaf tissues. For specialist herbivores feeding on plants of overall low nutritional quality, selective feeding may allow consumption of a high quality resource. Selective feeding may also allow insects to avoid structural or allelochemical defenses. We examined the structure and chemistry of leaves of American holly, Ilexopaca Aiton, and the feeding site of its principal insect herbivore, the native holly leafminer, Phytomyza ilicicola Loew (Diptera: Agromyzidae), to test the hypothesis that the leafminer consumes tissues which are of greater nutritional quality than the leaf as a whole. Holly leaves have a continuous layer of palisade mesophyll, uninterrupted by fibers or vascular bundles. The leafminer feeds entirely within this layer. The palisade mesophyll contained 196 mg/g dry wt extractable protein, more than twice as much as the leaf as a whole, and 375 mg/g dry wt saponins, more than 9 times that of the leaf as a whole. The water content of the palisade mesophyll was 66% higher than that of the leaf as a whole. The palisade mesophyll is 3-4 cell layers thick in leaves grown in full sun, but only 2 layers thick in shaded leaves. Crystals, probably of calcium oxalate, are abundant in the abaxial cell layer. These may impose mechanical constraints on larval feeding in shade leaves, which are thinner than sun leaves. Selective feeding on the middle palisade mesophyll of sun leaves allows the leafminer to consume a resource which is lacking in mechanical barriers and is rich in protein and water, but which contains large amounts of saponins.

High-grade soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities

From July 1975 to December 1982, 358 patients were referred to the Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) with the diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities. Two hundred eleven of these patients presented with resectable, localized high-grade soft-tissue sarcomas and have been included in the present analysis of the management and outcome of patients with high-grade soft tissue sarcomas of the extremity treated at the NCI. One hundred forty-seven of these 211 patients have been included in randomized prospective trials. The remaining 64 patients in this analysis have been followed at the NCI, but were not included in randomized trials because of patient refusal or ineligibility. Tumor size was identified as a highly significant prognostic variable for disease-free and overall survival (P2 = 0.00001 and 0.0081, respectively). Tumor site, histologic type, and microscopic margins of resection were not significant prognostic variables. There was no difference between patients undergoing amputation compared to those undergoing limb-sparing procedures plus postoperative radiotherapy in disease-free or overall survival for all 211 patients in this study (P2 = 0.068 and 0.131, respectively). A significantly greater frequency of local failure among patients treated by local excision was noted compared to patients undergoing amputation (12/128 versus 0/83, P2 = 0.004), but this did not result in decreased overall survival in patients undergoing combined modality limb-sparing procedures. Adjuvant chemotherapy significantly prolonged disease-free survival (P2 = 0.005) for the 124/211 patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy, although analysis of overall survival did not reveal a significant increase (P2 = 0.10). In a subset of 65 patients included in a prospective randomized trial evaluating the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy, a significant improvement in both disease-free (P2 = 0.033) and overall (P2 = 0.055) survival was seen in patients receiving chemotherapy. Sixty-five patients developed recurrent disease (65/211, 31%) and 42 of these patients were rendered disease-free surgically. Survival from the time of first recurrence was significantly prolonged among the 42 patients who were rendered disease-free (median survival, 31 months) compared to those who were not (median survival, 9 months, P2 less than 0.001).

Structure of the murine serum amyloid A gene family. Gene conversion

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is an apolipoprotein produced by the liver in response to inflammation; the levels of SAA mRNA and SAA protein increase at least 500-fold within 24 h. We have obtained clones of all three genes and pseudogene that make up the murine SAA gene family. Two of the genes have 96% sequence homology over their entire length, including introns and flanking sequences 288 base pairs (bp) 5' and 443 bp 3' to the genes: an overall length of 3215 bp. The sharp boundaries between homologous and nonhomologous sequences and the absence of interspersed repeated sequences there suggest that conversion has occurred between these two genes. The homologous regions are bounded by short inverted repeats containing alternating purine and pyrimidine residues, as described for other gene conversion units. The third SAA gene has evolved separately, although all are closely linked on chromosome 7. Comparison of the upstream regions of the SAA genes with those of the rat fibrinogen genes, whose expression is also induced by inflammation, reveals sequences common to all six genes which are very improbable on a random basis.

Liposome uptake by melanoma: in vitro comparison with hepatocytes

Liposomes are artificially generated vesicles entrapping aqueous solutions within lipid bilayer membranes. A major potential use of liposomes is for the delivery of antineoplastic agents to malignant tissue. However, liposome-cell interactions with both normal and neoplastic cells must be characterized in vitro to identify neoplastic tissues for which this approach may be most applicable in vivo. In this study, mouse melanoma-liposome interactions were examined in vitro. Small, unilamellar vesicle liposomes of three different phospholipid-cholesterol compositions were synthesized incorporating an aqueous phase fluorescent marker. Mouse melanoma had a significantly greater affinity for phosphotidylcholine-cholesterol liposomes than did mouse hepatocytes, as determined by comparing quantities of free intracellular 6-carboxyfluorescein in cells after a 15-min incubation with each of the three different liposome preparations (P less than 0.001). In addition, the efficiency of liposome internalization, calculated as the percentage of total cell-associated 6-carboxyfluorescein present as free, intracellular 6-carboxyfluorescein, was significantly greater for melanoma than for hepatocytes with all three liposome preparations (P less than 0.05). Therefore, in vitro liposome uptake by melanoma depends on lipid characteristics of the liposome preparation. Because melanoma uptake of liposomes appears to be a very efficient process in vitro, liposomes may be a useful vesicle for delivery of antineoplastic agents to melanoma in vivo.

Insect Feeding Deterrents in Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue

The presence of an endophytic fungus, Acremonium coenophialum , in tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea ) deterred aphid feeding by Rhopalosiphum padi and Schizaphis graminum. Both species of aphid were unable to survive when confined to endophyte-infected tall fescue plants. Feeding deterrents and toxic factors to R. padi and Oncopeltus fasciatus , large milkweed bug, were primarily associated with a methanol extract obtained when endophyte-infected tall fescue seed was serially extracted with hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The concentrations of pyrrolizidine alkaloids were determined to be 30 to 100 times greater in the methanol extract than in the hexane and ethyl acetate extracts.

Patterns of recurrence in patients with high-grade soft-tissue sarcomas

From July 1975 to December 1982, 563 patients were referred to the Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute with the diagnosis of soft-tissue sarcoma. Three hundred and seven of these patients had fully resectable, localized high-grade soft-tissue sarcomas and were treated at the National Cancer Institute using standard protocols with surgery alone, or in combination with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. An aggressive surgical approach was undertaken in the management of patients who subsequently developed recurrent disease. These 307 cases have been reviewed, with a median duration of follow-up of 30 months, to determine the frequency of recurrent disease, the patterns of recurrence, and the impact of surgery on the survival of patients who developed recurrent disease. Disease recurred in one hundred seven patients (107/307, 35%), with a median disease-free interval of 18 months (range, 0.5 to 72.0 months). The frequency of recurrence by site of primary sarcoma was extremity, 31% (65/211); head and neck, 33% (4/12); trunk, 40% (17/42); retroperitoneum, 47% (17/36); and breast, 67% (4/6). Isolated pulmonary metastatic disease was the most common pattern of initial recurrence (56/107, 52%) followed by isolated local recurrence (21/107, 20%). Single other sites of recurrence and multiple concurrent sites of recurrence each accounted for 14% (15/107) of all initial recurrences. The relative frequency of each of these four patterns of recurrence varied with the site of the primary sarcoma. The outcome for patients with recurrent disease depended on the site of recurrence, rather than on the site of the primary sarcoma. Sixty-six patients (66/107, 62%) with recurrent disease were rendered surgically disease-free with the first recurrence, including 40 (40/56, 72%) patients with isolated pulmonary metastases, 20 patients (20/21, 96%) with isolated local recurrences, five patients (5/15, 33%), with isolated other sites of recurrence and one patient (1/15, 7%) with multiple sites of initial recurrence. Following surgical resection, the actuarial three-year survival for the 66 patients rendered disease-free was 51%. The median survival for the 41 patients not rendered surgically disease-free with the first recurrence was only 7.4 months. Thirty of the sixty-six patients (30/66, 45%) rendered disease-free with the first recurrence remained disease-free at follow-up, with a median follow-up of 28 months from the time of resection of the first recurrence. The remaining 36 patients (36/66, 55%) subsequently recurred, with a median disease-free interval of 7.3 months.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Thoracic manifestations of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome

The acquired immune deficiency syndrome is characterized by the development of multiple recurrent opportunistic infections or unusual neoplasms in individuals with no prior history of immune suppression. This report summarizes the thoracic diseases encountered in such patients before after death and the role of diagnostic techniques currently used in the evaluation of thoracic disease in 15 patients with this syndrome. Efficacy of treatment was determined by correlation with postmortem findings in all patients. Pulmonary disease was present in all 15 patients and necessitated 23 transbronchial biopsies in 11 patients. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and cytomegalovirus pneumonia were the most common findings. Nine open lung biopsies in eight patients disclosed either Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia or Kaposi's sarcoma. Esophageal disease was present in four patients, and endoscopic evaluation demonstrated Candida esophagitis (two), esophageal Kaposi's sarcoma (one), and cytomegalovirus esophagitis and Kaposi's sarcoma (one). Mean time to death from diagnosis of acquired immune deficiency syndrome was 7.7 months, with respiratory insufficiency being the most common cause of death (9/15, 60%). Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was successfully eradicated in 70% of the patients. Candida esophagitis was ameliorated in both patients with the disease. Unsuspected pulmonary Kaposi's sarcoma, cytomegalovirus pneumonitis, and other infectious pathogens were documented at autopsy. These data reveal that Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and Candida esophagitis can be managed successfully in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome if appropriately diagnosed. The major cause of death in this series was pulmonary insufficiency, often the result of severe cytomegalovirus infection. Thoracic surgeons must continue to play an aggressive and important role in the early diagnosis and management of potentially treatable pulmonary and esophageal disease in these patients.

Prolonged survival following six pulmonary resections for metastatic adrenal cortical carcinoma: a case report

A case is presented of prolonged survival following multiple thoracotomies performed for metastatic adrenal cortical carcinoma that was refractory to other treatment modalities. In selected patients with isolated metastases to the lungs, repeated surgical resection may offer the only possibility for cure or extended palliation.

Evaluation of abdominal pain in the AIDS patient

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a recently recognized entity characterized by a deficiency in cell mediated immune response. The syndrome is manifested by the development of otherwise rare malignant neoplasms and severe life-threatening opportunistic infections. Case histories of five AIDS patients evaluated for abdominal pain are presented to demonstrate the unusual spectrum of intra-abdominal pathology that may be encountered in the AIDS patient. As the number of patients with AIDS continues to escalate, surgical evaluation and intervention will be required more frequently. An understanding of this syndrome and its complications is mandatory for the surgeon to adequately evaluate AIDS patients with abdominal pain.

Induction of hepatic synthesis of serum amyloid A protein and actin

Major changes in the mRNA population of murine liver occur after administration of bacterial lipopolysaccharide, an agent that causes increases in the concentrations of acute-phase serum proteins. The mRNA for one of these, serum amyloid A, is increased at least 500-fold compared to the normal level. It becomes one of the most abundant hepatic mRNAs, and serum amyloid A synthesis comprises about 2.5% of total hepatic protein synthesis in the acute-phase response. Its synthesis is tissue-specific in that amyloid A mRNA was not detected in the kidney, an important site of amyloid fibril accumulation. The protein synthesized in largest amount by acute-phase liver tissue in culture is cytoplasmic actin. Its relative rate of synthesis is increased about 5-fold compared to the normal tissue; that of serum albumin is decreased to about one-third of its normal rate. The concentration of mRNA for serum albumin is decreased by a similar amount. Starting with induced liver RNA, we have constructed a recombinant plasmid containing most of the DNA sequence encoding the serum amyloid A polypeptide.

Total mastectomy with complete axillary dissection

A technique for total mastectomy with complete axillary dissection, which uses division of the insertion of the sternal portion of the pectoralis major muscle, preservation of its innervation, reconstruction after completion of the dissection and resection of the pectoralis minor muscle has been evaluated for 115 consecutive procedures. This modification facilitates a thorough axillary dissection, while preserving the cosmetic and functional benefits of the Patey operation.

DNA-protein interactions in the Drosophila melanogaster mitochondrial genome as deduced from trimethylpsoralen crosslinking patterns

The location of proteins on the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Drosophila melanogaster was investigated by trimethylpsoralen photoreaction of embryos disrupted by gentle homogenization. After photoreaction, the mtDNA was isolated and the pattern of DNA crosslinking was determined by electron microscopy of the DNA under totally denaturing conditions. In contrast to nuclear DNA, which showed periodic crosslinks indicative of a nucleosome structure, most of each mtDNA molecule exhibited uniformly heavy crosslinking. A 10% region of the mtDNA was, however, protected from psoralen crosslinking in a distinctive manner: five uncrosslinked segments were closely clustered in the mtDNA. Four were 394 +/- 13 (SD) base pairs in size, while the fifth measured about 200 base pairs. These protected segments mapped within the A+T-rich region of the mtDNA, extending from the end of the A+T-rich region near the Bg1 II cleavage site to the center of the A+T-rich region. Protection of this part of the mtDNA from crosslinking was interpreted to be the result of association with proteins in the mitochondrion because mtDNA that was deproteinized before the photoreaction was uniformly crosslinked over its entire length. The origin of replication of the mtDNA is also located at the center of the A+T-rich region, which suggests that the protection from the psoralen photoreaction may be due to proteins involved in membrane attachment or replication.

Rhythmic variations of valine and leucine decarboxylation in rat diaphragm

Daily rhythmic variations of valine and leucine decarboxylation in the rat diaphragm were measured. Both valine and leucine decarboxylation increased during the hours of darkness and decreased during hours of light. Hypophysectomy eliminated the daily variation of decarboxylation. When food is available ad lib. to normal rats, the time of most active feeding coincides with the hours of darkness. Therefore, the period of darkness and maximum feeding coincides with the maximum oxidation of these two essential amino acids, valine and leucine, by diaphragm, and an active pituitary appears to be necessary to maintain this relationship. This model can be used to study interrelationships to behavioral, neurohumoral, and metabolic rhythms.

Differential alterations in branched-chain amino acid decarboxylation in liver of hypophysectomized rats

Valine decarboxylation was significantly increased and leucine decarboxylation was significantly decreased in rat liver slices following hypophysectomy. In both normal and hypophysectomized rats decarboxylation of leucine exceeded that of valine in slices whereas the reverse was observed with the respective keto acids and mitochondria.

Substrate specificities of base-level and induced forms of oncofetal alkaline phosphatase in HeLa cells

HeLa65 cells contain an oncofetal form of alkaline phosphatase that exhibits an increase in catalytic activity when cultures are grown in medium containing adrenal glucocorticoid hormones such as hydrocortisone or its analogue prednisolone. The increase in alkaline phosphatase specific activity in cells grown with hormone is apparently the result of a reduced phosphate content of the enzyme which alters the transition state of the enzyme-substrate complex with an increase in catlytic efficiency. Fourteen different substrates possessing aliphatic, aromatic and heterocyclic configurations were studied with respect to the initial velocities of hydrolysis catalyzed by the base-level and induced forms of the enzyme. The magnitude of increase in catalytic activity was not substantially influenced by the structure of the nonphosphoryl moiety of substrates.

Aggression and Mating Success in Male Spider Mites

Male Tetranychus urticae search for and defend quiescent pharate females. Intruding males may be threatened or attacked. Fights involve pushing and grappling with the forelegs, jousting with the mouthparts, and entangling the opponent with silk. In these encounters larger males usually win. Sole possession of a female at her ecdysis virtually ensures successful mating.