Guidelines on appropriate indications for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Working Party of the Joint Committee of the Royal College of Physicians of London,Royal College of Surgeons of England,Royal College of Anaesthetists,Association of Surgeons,the British Society of Gastroenterology,and the Thoracic Society of Great Britain.

Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is a valuable diagnostic tool, but for an endoscopy service to be effective it is essential that it is not overloaded with inappropriately referred patients. A joint working party in Britain has considered the available literature on indications for endoscopy, assessed standard practice through a questionnaire, and audited randomly selected cases using an independent panel of experts and an American database system. They used these data to produce guidelines on the appropriate and inappropriate indications for referral for endoscopy, although they emphasise that under certain circumstances there may be reasons to deviate from the advice given. The need for endoscopy is most difficult to judge in patients with dyspepsia, and this aspect is discussed in detail. Early endoscopy will often prove more cost effective than delaying until the indications are clearer.     

Cytokine production in a model of wound healing: the appearance of MIP-1, MIP-2, cachectin/TNF and IL-1

Macrophages are essential for normal wound repair and many of their effects on healing wounds are likely to be mediated by the secretion of cytokines. This study examines the appearance of messenger RNA (mRNA) for cachectin/tumor necrosis factor (TNF), IL 1, and macrophage inflammatory proteins 1 and 2 (MIP-1 and MIP-2), as well as the mature peptides, in a model of wound healing using wound chambers. RNA for all four cytokines can be detected in wound inflammatory cells by polymerase chain reaction amplification throughout the first 7 days. Cachectin/TNF and IL 1 protein levels peaked on the first day after wound chamber implantation, and MIP-1 and MIP-2 were detected only on day 3. The data suggest that these cytokines participate in the early inflammatory response to wounding.     

Darting and marking techniques for an arboreal forest monkey,Cercopithecus ascanius

Techniques are described for capturing and marking redtail monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius). An air-powered darting rifle and syringe darts loaded with a Ketamine-Rompun mixture were used for capture. Ketamine was used for maintaining anesthesia. Monkeys were darted 48 times and captured 27 times. In 24 of the 27 captures, the monkeys were released unharmed. Adult males were marked with radiotransmitters attached to collars of nylon webbing. Females received nylon webbing collars with colorcoded plastic washers for identification.     

Coordinate induction of electrophoretic variants of juvenile hormone esterase

Major and minor electrophoretic variants of juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) were found in the hemolymph of last instar larvae of Trichoplusia ni, both before and after metamorphic commitment. The average ratios of activity of the two major forms were similar during both last stadium peaks in activity. Immunological analysis showed that the hemolymph concentration of JHE during this stadium paralleled the level of enzymatic activity, and no putative higher molecular weight, inactive forms were detected. Immunological analysis provided the first evidence of relatedness of major and minor forms. After hormonal stimulation, the concentration of the two major forms increased concomitantly and by a similar proportion, suggesting that charge variation, at least for these two major forms, is not a point of hormonal or developmental regulation of JHE.