Technical note: the humeral canal approach to the brachial plexus

Many variations to the axillary approach to the brachial plexus have been described. However, the success rate varies depending on the approach used and on the definition of success. Recent work describes a new approach to regional anaesthesia of the upper limb at the humeral/brachial canal using selective stimulation of the major nerves. This report outlines initial experience with this block, describing the technique and results in 50 patients undergoing hand and forearm surgery. All patients were assessed for completeness of motor and sensory block. The overall success rate was 90 percent. Motor block was present in 80 percent of patients. Completion of the block was necessary in 5 patients. Two patients required general anaesthesia. The preponderance of ulnar deficiencies agrees with previously published data on this technique. No complications were described. Initial experience confirms the high success rate described using the Dupré technique. This technically straightforward approach with minimal complications can be recommended for regional anaesthesia of the upper limb.     

Keys to the cockroaches of central panama part II: Flightless species

This key to the flightless species of cockroaches in Panama, 19 species in 14 genera, supplements the keys to flying species in an earlier publication.     

Phage-typing ofSalmonella panama according to the method of Craigie and Yen

A phage-typing scheme forSalmonella panama has been established. This was done according to the method of Craigie and Yen by means of phage preparations which are all derived from a single phage. So far, eight phage types and a restgroup Z could be demonstrated by means of phage 47 and seven adaptations derived from it.     

VII. A note on the Institute of Seaweed Research

A new genus and two new species are described and compared with related algae. All were isolated from terrestrial habitats on Signy Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica. They are Signiosphaera multinucleata gen. et sp. nov. (Tetrasporales, Chlorophyceae), Chlamydocapsa lobata sp. nov. (Tetrasporales, Chlorophyceae) and Chloromonas palmelloides sp. nov. (Volvocales, Chlorophyceae).     

Radiation inactivation ofSalmonella panama andEscherichia coli K 12 present on deep-frozen broiler carcasses

Summary Low doses of ionizing radiation have been used to extend the shelf life of refrigerated poultry carcasses and to reduce the numbers of Salmonellae present. This report gives results of experiments on irradiation of deep-frozen poultry carcasses which were, before freezing, artificially contaminated withSalmonella panama and with a nalidixic acid-resistantEscherichia coli K 12. The D-values (decimal reduction) obtained with the inoculated carcasses were compared with D-values obtained with carcasses which were slaughtered in the normal way.The D-values forS.panama and forE.coli K 12 were 64.9 krad and 55.9 krad in the dripwater. Under commercial conditions approximately 100 krad were required for one decimal reduction of the Enterobacteriaceae present.The D-values estimated on the skin were higher forS.panama than forE. coli K 12 (128.6 krad vs 57.6 krad). If it is assumed that 1 positive carcass in 10,000 is allowed, the deep-frozen carcasses should be irradiated with doses of at least 700 krad to be sure of the absence of the testedS. panama strain.     

Research note: Identity of the Qingdao algal bloom

In early July 2008, news agencies worldwide reported on a vast algal bloom that was threatening the upcoming Olympic sailing events in Qingdao, China. The identity of the culpable alga, however, remained undiscussed. We have identified the alga that caused the bloom by means of morphological and molecular data, including sequence data of the plastid encoded large subunit ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase gene ( rbc L) and the nuclear encoded rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. The bloom-forming alga falls within the morphological limits of the green seaweed Ulva prolifera O.F. Müller (' Enteromorpha prolifera (O.F. Müller) J. Agardh') but our phylogenetic analyses show that it forms a clade with representatives of the Ulva linza-procera-prolifera (LPP) complex. The Chinese rbc L sequences are identical to those of specimens collected from Japan, New Zealand, Finland and Portugal, suggesting that the taxon is widely distributed. rDNA ITS sequences showed a close affinity with Japanese isolates of the species complex. The Qingdao bloom is a typical illustration of a green tide, which occurs increasingly along several coasts worldwide.     

Studies on the economics of ticks in Zambia

Two herds of experimental Sanga cattle were maintained under traditional savanna grazing management for three years in the Central Province of Zambia. One herd was kept free of ticks by regular acaricide treatment, while the other was given no tick control. Milk production, growth rate, fertility and mortality were monitored throughout the trial. The tick-free herd performed significantly better than the tick-infested herd, but the value of the additional production was much less than the cost of the acaricide used. it is concluded that there is no economic justification for intensive tick control under these conditions. However, strategic tick control would be justified if the quantity of acaricide used could be reduced by 50% without any major reduction in benefits. The results indicate that treating calves below 45 days of age reduces their performance, as does treating cows during periods of very low tick challenge. Therefore, it seems likely that economically beneficial strategic tick control policies could be developed.     

Studies of cultivated plants in Choco dwelling clearings,Darien, panama

Useful plants and techniques of their cultivation were studied in and around dwelling clearings of Choco Indians in tropical rain forests of Darien, Panama. The population sampled consisted of 115 adult Chocos living at 26 sites along the banks of the Rio Chucunaque and two of its tributaries, the Rio Tuquesa and Rio Chico. The Rio Chico had a higher population density per linear mite of river bank, but less dwelling area per person was kept clear of vegetation. A map of each clearing allowed comparison of the frequency and spatial distributions of useful plants. These data are statistically treated elsewhere. A decrease in both numbers and variety of native plants occurred as commercially important plants were established on a larger scale. Creation of open niches by means of trash heaps became more definite as distance from the riverbank increased; edible plants were often growing in such locations. Present-day agricultural techniques among the Choco may illustrate their agricultural history. A comparison is made with several extant theories of early agriculture. Small-scale, more intensive gardening was noted in village clearings; groups of dwellings may thus have been a cause rather than a result of field agriculture.     

Translocation of an ampicillin resistance determinant within an R-factor aggregate inSalmonella panama

The molecular properties of the plasmids of a natural isolate ofSalmonella panama have been studied. This strain, Sp477, harbours 5 different plasmids: the conjugative plasmid pRI477TF (molecular weight 20 megadaltons), the two non-conjugative plasmids, pRI477A and pRI477S, coding for ampicillin and streptomycin plus sulfonamide resistance respectively (molecular weights of both 5.6 megadaltons) and two cryptic plasmids with molecular weights of 1.0 and 2.7, megadaltons respectively. After conjugal transfer toEscherichia coli the ampicillin resistance determinant was frequently found to be integrated into pRI477TF or pRI477S. The translocatable sequence on pRI477A, designated as Tn901, resembles the TnA subclass transposon TnA(1).     

A note on the horopter

By assuming the fixity (but not the symmetry) of corresponding points on the two retinae, it is possible to derive the equation of any horopter when one is known. In particular when, as experiment shows, one horopter is linear, then all horopters must be conics. These have the form given by Ogle, but whereas Ogle leaves one parameter undetermined at each fixation, on our assumption the only arbitrary parameter is determined by the position of the linear horopter.     

Research note: Effects of deoxynivalenol on immunohistological parameters in pigs

TheFusarium toxin deoxynivalenol (DON) is known to exert immunomodulatory effects. Numerous studies in mice demonstrated that dietary exposure leads to an upregulation of polymeric serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) suggesting the mucosal immune system as a primary target while at the cellular level T cells and macrophages are involved in this process. The present study aimed to verify these effects in pigs. A total of 24 male pigs were subjected to four treatments, a control group fed a diet devoid of DON, a chronically exposed group receiving a diet containing contaminated wheat (5.7 mg DON/kg diet), an acute orally exposed group receiving only one meal (550 g) of the contaminated feed and an acute intravenous exposed group receiving 53 μg DON/kg body weight. Cryosections of the spleen and the jejunum of the pigs were immunohistologically stained for IgA+, CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ cells. The number of positive stained cells did not differ significantly between the treatment groups and the control group of any of the specimen.