Production and processing of Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum submerged conidia for locust and grasshopper control

Currently, mycopesticide development for locust and grasshopper control depends on aerial conidia or submerged spores of entomopathogenic fungi. In our study, the production of submerged conidia of Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum (IMI 330189) was investigated in a liquid medium containing 3% biomalt and 1% yeast extract (BH-medium). The effects of freeze and spray drying techniques on the quality of submerged conidia were determined. The influence of different additives on the viability of fresh submerged conidia and their suitability for oil flowable concentrate formulation development was assessed. In a BH medium maintained at 180 rev min(-1), at 30 degrees C for 72 h, IMI 330189 produced a green pigmented biomass of submerged conidia whereas in Adámek medium it produced a yellowish biomass of submerged spores. The spore concentration was high in both media; however, the size of the spores produced in the BH medium was significantly lower than those produced in Adámek medium (P < 0.001). Submerged conidia can be effectively dried using either freeze or spray drying techniques. The viability and speed of germination were significantly affected by the drying and pulverizing process (P < 0.001). The initial viability was significantly higher for spray-dried submerged conidia than for freeze-dried spores. Pulverizing of freeze-dried submerged conidia reduced the speed of germination and the viability by 63-95%. Dried submerged conidia can be stored over 45 wk at low temperatures (< 10 degrees) without suffering a significant loss in viability. Furthermore, we have identified carriers that are suitable for oil flowable concentrate formulation development.

Online process control for directional solidification by ultrasonic pulse echo technique

A method of controlling the actual growth velocity during directional solidification based on ultrasound has been developed. For this purpose a pulse echo technique is used to measure the actual solidification rate online. This quantity is used to control the furnace velocity. Solidification experiments with metallic alloys and constant furnace velocity often result in non-steady actual solidification rates. Experiments carried out with online process control demonstrate that a really steady-state solidification with a constant solidification rate is achieved.

Soil-to-grain transfer of fallout 137Cs for 28 winter wheat cultivars as observed in field experiments

In order to find wheat cultivars with a minimum soil-to-grain transfer of fallout (137)Cs, 28 winter wheat cultivars were investigated at 3 different sites with different soil types in Bavaria, Germany. Each cultivar was grown on an area of 10 m(2) and harvested in August 1999. The soil-to-grain concentration ratios (C(r)) of (137)Cs varied by a factor of up to 3 from cultivar to cultivar at a given site and from site-to-site for a given cultivar. The mean C(r) values at the three sites, 4.2 x 10(-4), 4.9 x 10(-4) and 7.5 x 10(-4), differed significantly. The fact that no cultivar showed similar C(r) values at the three sites indicates a strong influence of the soil on C(r). The cultivars Flair, Kornett and Previa showed a minor uptake of (137)Cs compared with the mean of all cultivars at each site. Unlike (137)Cs, the (40)K concentrations in the wheat grains varied only within a small range (122-190 Bq kg(-1)) at each site, which is due to the potassium regulation by the plants. For both radionuclides, the differences between the root uptake characteristics of the cultivars may not only be explained by an inter-cultivar variability due to genetic differences between the cultivars, but also by an intra-cultivar variability due to different soil conditions.

Agrobacterium-mediated insertional mutagenesis (AIM) of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana

Agrobacterium tumefaciens was used to stably transform the entomopathogenic deuteromycete Beauveria bassiana to hygromycin B resistance by integration of the hph gene of Escherichia coli into the fungal genome. The transformation protocol was optimized to generate a library of insertion mutants of Beauveria. Transformation frequencies around 10(-4) and suppression of background growth were achieved. Over 90% of the AIM mutants investigated contained single-copy T-DNA integrations at different chromosomal locations. Integrated T-DNAs were re-isolated from ten transformants by a marker rescue approach. When the sequences flanking these T-DNAs were compared with the corresponding locations of the wild-type genome, truncations of T-DNA borders were found to be common, while none of the sites of integration had suffered deletion or rearrangement. Thus, AIM can be considered a promising tool for insertional mutagenesis studies of entomopathogenic filamentous fungi.

[Clinical usefulness and perspectives of sentinel node biopsy in the management of breast cancer]

INTRODUCTION

In view of its predictive potential, axillary nodal status plays a particularly important role in breast cancer. The concept of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) revealed an accurate method with low postoperative morbidity for staging the axilla in patients with lymph node-negative breast cancer. The aim of this study was to show that SNB alone must have a place in routine clinical work and is reliable after preoperative chemotherapy (PC) and also in patients with multicentric tumors (MC).

PATIENTS AND METHOD

Between April 1997 and March 2002, a total of 300 SNBs were performed in patients with uni- or bilateral breast cancer. Of them, 45 who had completed PC and 13 with multicentric lesions underwent SNB followed by axillary dissection. The sentinel nodes (SN) were labelled with a blue dye and radioactive colloids. Median follow-up was 33.6 months (range 8.2-67.0) (StAw 1.4).

RESULTS

The detection rate in the learning phase was 81.8% and later 93.5%, independently of the size of the primary tumor. Overall accuracy and negative predictive value of the first 55 patients, after PC and in those with MC came to 97.8% and 96.7%, 97.6%, 95.8% and 100%, respectively. Through focused pathologic examination, staging was improved in 11.3% of patients. A year after the procedure, one patient developed recurrence. Morbidity after SNB alone was significantly lower than after axillary dissection.

CONCLUSION

Our experience shows SNB to be reliable and accurate for axillary staging in breast cancer patients. Morbidity after SNB alone was low. Conclusive data on the local recurrence rate are not yet available. Under certain conditions, SNB appears to have future clinical potential, even in patients with PC and MC, which must be confirmed in further multicentric studies. In the meantime, this method has attained definite value in the surgical therapy of breast cancer patients.

Expression of beta hCG and alpha CG mRNA and hCG hormone in human decidual tissue in patients during tubal pregnancy

We recently showed that endometrial tissue produces hCG during the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that the decidua should also be able to secrete hCG. We examined the decidualized endometrium of patients with extrauterine pregnancies. Decidual specimens were obtained for mRNA extraction and paraffin embedding from 24 patients that were between weeks 6-11 of tubal pregnancy. Tissues were evaluated and classified into one of three groups based on the endometrial differentiation that took place prior to conception: (A) high secretory transformation, (B) diminished transformation with restricted decidualization and (C) inferior endometrial proliferation. Decidual gland hCG secretion was demonstrated immunohistochemically and by Western blotting. Serum hCG levels were higher (P < 0.0001) in patients from group A than group C. mRNA expression of both the beta subunit (beta-hCG) and alpha subunit (alpha-CG) was determined by RT-PCR. Furthermore, the specificity of beta-hCG amplification was confirmed by restriction enzymes. beta-LH amplification was not found. Moreover, the degree of endometrial transformation and the level of decidualization was found to correlate with hCG hormone staining and beta-hCG mRNA expression. hCG protein in the decidua was present in the glands of the compact layer and in the spongy layer, and was more pronounced in previously transformed high secretory endometrium than in inferior endometrium. In conclusion, this study provides the first evidence that hCG is produced in the decidua of patients during extrauterine pregnancies and might play a possible paracrine role.

Shoulder-arm morbidity following axillary dissection and sentinel node only biopsy for breast cancer

AIMS

The purpose of this study was to examine the outcome of shoulder-arm morbidity in patients with breast cancer after various axillary staging procedures. We used a new specific summation score to compare conventional axillary node dissection (AD) and sentinel node only biopsy for postoperative shoulder-arm morbidity.

METHODS

Eighty-five patients undergoing conventional AD and 66 patients undergoing sentinel node biopsy were evaluated both subjectively (questionnaire) and objectively (clinical examination) for reduced muscle strength, limited range of motion, lymphedema and pain, dysesthesias and loss of sensitivity. The symptoms elicited were rated by their severity with a single summation score describing all symptoms reported.

RESULTS

Subjective evaluation of patients undergoing breast conserving surgery showed a highly significant difference in favor of SNB only (P< or =0.002). On clinical examination the outcome of patients with SNB only was also significantly or highly significantly better (difference in arm volume:P =0.007; difference in arm muscle strength: P=0.016; loss of sensitivity: P<0.001). Of a total score of 100 (=no symptoms), the mean for AD patients was 80.2 vs 92.8 for SNB patients (P=0.001). In patients undergoing total mastectomy the difference was only significant for pain sensations and total scores.

CONCLUSIONS

SNB appears to reduce morbidity. Summation scores are a suitable and practicable tool for describing the symptoms associated with axillary surgery.

[Rapid induction of withdrawal with opiate antagonists under anesthesia: an alternative to treatment of opiate dependence?]

Rapid induction of withdrawal by opiate antagonists under anesthesia is an opiate detoxification technique. This technique is useful to reduce intensity and duration of withdrawal. Therefore, this technique represents an alternative strategy in the treatment of opiate addicted patients. This paper attempts to present a brief history of this technique, and a critical review of related issues.

Human deep tissue infection with an entomopathogenic Beauveria species

Beauveria spp. are ubiquitous fungal entomopathogens that are commercially distributed as biological insecticides worldwide. In this paper we describe the clinical manifestation, diagnosis, and therapy of the first documented human deep tissue infection with an entomopathogenic Beauveria species in a patient receiving immunosuppressive therapy and describe the morphological and molecular characterization of the mold.