Advantages of arthroscopy of the knee joint]

Arthroscopic surgery causes considerably less soft tissue damage than conventional surgery. As the result of the development of an optical system employed with a chip camera and a video chain arthroscopic knee surgery can be ideally documented with excellent picture quality. Besides the advantage of soft-tissue sparing procedures, diagnosis is substantially improved and operative procedures can be kept to a minimum. This means, in particular in the case of meniscus procedures, that only the damaged areas are removed, this minimising changes to the biomechanics of the knee. The technical equipment, the arthroscopic surgery technic and the advantages of the knee arthroscopy are discussed.     

Phytogeography of the bryophyte floras of oak forests and páramo of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica

Aim Central America is a biogeographically interesting area because of its location between the rich and very different biota of North and South America. We aim to assess phytogeographical patterns in the bryophyte floras of oak forests and páramo of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica. Location Tropical America, in particular the montane area of Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica. Methods The analysis is based on a new critical inventory of the montane bryophyte flora of Cordillera de Talamanca. All species were assigned to phytogeographical elements on the basis of their currently known distribution. Absolute and percentage similarities were employed to evaluate floristic affinities. Results A total of 401 species [191 hepatics (liverworts), one hornwort, 209 mosses] are recorded; of these, 251 species (128 hepatics, one hornwort, 122 mosses) occur in oak forests. Ninety‐three per cent of all oak forest species are tropical in distribution, the remaining 7% are temperate (4%) and cosmopolitan (3%) species. The neotropical element includes almost 74% of the species, the wide tropical element (pantropical, amphi‐atlantic, amphi‐pacific) only 19%. A significant part of the neotropical species from oak forests are species with tropical Andean‐centred ranges (27%). As compared with bryophyte species, vascular plant genera in the study region are represented by fewer neotropical, more temperate and more amphi‐pacific taxa. Bryophyte floras of different microhabitats within the oak forest and epiphytic bryophyte floras on Quercus copeyensis in primary, early secondary and late secondary oak forest show a similar phytogeographical make‐up to the total oak forest bryophyte flora. Comparison of oak forest and páramo reveals a greater affinity of the páramo bryophyte flora to temperate regions and the great importance of the páramo element in páramo. Surprisingly, oak forests have more Central American endemics than páramo. Main conclusions (1) Providing first insights into the phytogeographical patterns of the bryophyte flora of oak forests and páramo, we are able to confirm general phytogeographical trends recorded from vascular plant genera of the study area although the latter were more rich in temperate taxa. (2) Andean‐centred species are a conspicuous element in the bryophyte flora of Cordillera de Talamanca, reflecting the close historical connection between the montane bryophyte floras of Costa Rica and South America. (3) High percentages of Central American endemics in the bryophyte flora of the oak forests suggest the importance of climatic changes associated with Pleistocene glaciations for allopatric speciation.     

Impaired natural killer cell function in hemophiliacs with or without continuous substitution

In the present study, 28 hemophiliacs substituted continuously and 5 hemophiliacs who had received almost no blood products were investigated. Cells of OKT 3+, OKT 4+, and OKT 8+ subsets were counted. Percoll separated fractions of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were examined by morphological criteria and were tested for NK cell activity. We found that the NK cell activity of both groups of hemophiliacs was decreased on testing Ficoll separated cells or low density Percoll separated cells. Normal NK cell activity was found in medium density cells of hemophiliacs. Two possible explanations are discussed: first, the NK cell activity may be suppressed in hemophiliacs and secondly, there may be a block in maturation of NK cell activity. It is unlikely that chronic substitution by blood products counts for these alterations. The possible role of chronic infections is discussed.     

Genetische Untersuchungen zur Resistenz der Gerste gegen Gelbrost (Puccinia striiformis West.)

Zusammenfassung Fünf Sommergersten, die gegen Rasse 24 von Puccinia striiformis resistent sind, wurden in fast allen möglichen Kombinationen miteinander und mit drei anfälligen Formen gekreuzt. Die F ₂-Generationen, in zwei Fällen auch die F ₃, wurden im Gewächshaus mit Rasse 24 infiziert. Zusätzlich konnten F ₂-Generationen einiger Kreuzungen auch auf dem Feld mit Rasse 24 geprüft werden. Eine sichere Klassifikation und damit die eindeutige Analyse der Ergebnisse war nur im Gewächshaus möglich. Die Feldversuche stützen zwar diese Ergebnisse, hätten aber allein keine sicheren Schlüsse erlaubt.Die Resistenz aller fünf untersuchten Gersten ist monogen rezessiv bedingt. Drei von ihnen sind bezüglich des Resistenzgens allel: Bigo — yr, Ab. 14 — yr, BBA 2890 — yr. In Abed Binder 12 liegt yr2 vor, in I 5 yr3. Die Ergebnisse deuten auf Unabhängigkeit der drei Gene, enge Kopplung kann ausgeschlossen werden.

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Genetic studies on the resistance of barley to yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis West.)

Summary Five spring barley varieties resistant to race 24 of Puccinia striiformis were crossed with each other and with three susceptible varieties (Table 1) in almost all possible combinations. The F ₂ generations and in two cases also the F ₃, were inoculated in the greenhouse with race 24. F ₂ generations of some of the crosses were, in addition, tested with race 24 in the field. Dependable classification of resistance and, consequently, unambiguous interpretation of results was possible only for the experiments carried out in the greenhouse. Although the field tests confirmed these results, they would not have been conclusive by themselves.The resistance of all of the five varieties studied is due to single recessive genes (Table 2). Three of the varieties have alleles at the same locus, the other two varieties have other resistance genes (Tables 3 and 4): Bigo — yr, Ab. 14 — yr, BBA 2890 — yr; Abed Binder 12 — yr2; I 5 — yr3. The results suggest that the three genes are inherited independently, close linkage can be excluded.

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Angenommen durch H. Stubbe     

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Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Scanning electron microscopy of the cuticular armature of the nematode Gnathostoma spinigerum Owen, 1836 from cats in Laos

The body surface of an immature female Gnathostoma spinigerum found for the first time in the definitive host (Felis catus f. domestica) in Laos was studied using a scanning electron microscope. All types of cuticular spines, which are one of the most important features for species identification of gnathostomid nematodes, together with their spatial arrangement, are described and figured.     

A Leucine-to-Proline Substitution Causes a Defective α-Antichymotrypsin Allele Associated with Familial Obstructive Lung Disease

Using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and direct sequencing of amplified genomic DNA, we have identified two defective mutants of the human α₁-antichymotrypsin (ACT) gene associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A leucine 55-to-proline substitution causing a defective ACT allele (Bochum-1) was observed in a family with COPD in three subsequent generations. Another mutation, proline 229-to-alanine (Bonn-1), was associated with ACT serum deficiency in four patients with a positive family history. These mutations were, not detected among 100 healthy control subjects, suggesting a possible pathogenetic role of ACT gene defects in a subset of patients with COPD.