Infraorbital nerve injury associated with zygoma fractures: documentation with neurosensory testing

Persistent sensibility abnormalities after correction of zygoma fractures indicate injury to the infraorbital nerve and may produce pain. To investigate this, a retrospective study of 25 patients who had undergone surgical correction of a zygoma fracture was performed. Bilateral neurosensory measurements were obtained with the Pressure-Specified Sensory Device (Sensory Management Services, Baltimore, Md.). Seven of the 25 patients had required orbital floor reconstruction. Each patient had undergone fracture correction at least 6 months earlier and was interviewed, at the time of sensibility testing, regarding symptoms related to the fracture. The data were evaluated by a blinded examiner, from a separate clinical facility, who attempted to predict the side of the fracture and the degree of zygoma displacement on the basis of measurements of sensibility of the paranasal, upper lip, and zygomaticotemporal areas. Seventy-six percent of patients demonstrated abnormal sensibility on the side of the zygoma fracture, compared with the contralateral side. Sensibility was abnormal for 100 percent of the patients who required orbital floor reconstruction. Seventy-four percent of patients with abnormal sensibility reported symptoms related to the fracture. Eighty percent of the zygoma fractures were correctly identified, with respect to the side of the fracture, by the blinded examiner on the basis of the neurosensory measurements alone (p < 0.005). Predictions proved correct for 91 percent of the patients with widely displaced fractures and none of the patients with nondisplaced fractures. The results of this study suggest that neurosensory testing is an important clinical adjunct for the evaluation of patients with facial pain or dysesthesia after facial fracture reconstruction. The results suggest the need to develop algorithms for the diagnosis and treatment of trigeminal nerve injuries after craniofacial trauma. This approach could also be applicable to dysesthesia or pain after aesthetic facial surgical procedures.     

Biologic data of Macaca mulatta, Macaca fascicularis, and Saimiri sciureus used for research at the Fiocruz primate center

Physiological parameters of laboratory animals used for biomedical research is crucial for following several experimental procedures. With the intent to establish baseline biologic parameters for non-human primates held in closed colonies, hematological and morphometric data of captive monkeys were determined. Data of clinically healthy rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis), and squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) were collected over a period of five years. Animals were separated according to sex and divided into five age groups. Hematological data were compared with those in the literature by Student's t test. Discrepancies with significance levels of 0.1, 1 or 5% were found in the hematological studies. Growth curves showed that the sexual dimorphism of rhesus monkeys appeared at an age of four years. In earlier ages, the differences between sexes could not be distinguished (p < 0.05). Sexual dimorphism in both squirrel monkeys and cynomolgus monkeys occurred at an age of about 32 months. Data presented in this paper could be useful for comparative studies using primates under similar conditions.     

Ultrasonography in early pregnancy diagnosis and measurements of fetal size in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus)

Transrectal or transabdominal examinations of 13 pluriparous reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) by ultrasonography from the start of mating until week 20 of gestation were conducted to find out when pregnancy could first be detected and to describe fetal development in early pregnancy. The examinations (n=35 per animal) were performed with a 5 MHz linear transducer from 7th October until 1st January and with a 3 MHz sector transducer from that time until 24th February. Time of pregnancy diagnosis by ultrasonography, the first fetal heartbeat and measurements of crown-rump length, chest width and chest depth were recorded during the examinations. Pregnancy was diagnosed by transrectal ultrasonography between the weeks 3 and 7 of gestation. The accuracy of the pregnancy diagnosis, defined as the proportion of females correctly detected to be pregnant, was 15% at week 3, 46% at week 4, 77% at week 5, and 92% at week 6 of gestation. Fetal heartbeat was first detected between the weeks 5 and 8 of gestation. The first measurements of crown-rump length were made on week 3 of gestation, of chest width on week 4 and of chest depth on week 5 of gestation. Chest width and depth were detectable until the end of the study at week 20 of gestation. Transrectal ultrasonography is an efficient tool in early pregnancy diagnosis of reindeer. The fetal growth curves obtained by ultrasonography resembled those obtained in previous morphological studies.     

Dengue virus detection by using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in saliva and progeny of experimentally infected Aedes albopictus from Brazil

Oral susceptibility and vertical transmission of dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2) in an Aedes albopictus sample from Rio de Janeiro was estimated. The infection (36.7%) and transmission (83.3%) rates for Ae. albopictus were higher than those of an Ae. aegypti colony used as control, 32.8 and 60%, respectively. Fourth instar larvae and females descendants of 48.5 and 39.1% of experimentally infected Ae. albopictus showed to harbor the virus. The oral susceptibility and the high capacity to assure vertical transmission exhibited by Ae. albopictus from Brazil reinforce that this species may play a role in the maintenance of the virus in nature and be a threat for dengue control in the country.     

Seasonal shedding of multiple Cryptosporidium genotypes in California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi)

Twelve percent of 853 California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi) from six different geographic locations in Kern County, Calif., were found to be shedding on average 44,482 oocysts g of feces(-1). The mean annual environmental loading rate of Cryptosporidium oocysts was 57,882 oocysts squirrel(-1) day(-1), with seasonal patterns of fecal shedding ranging from <10,000 oocysts squirrel(-1) day(-1) in fall, winter, and spring to levels of 2 x 10(5) oocysts squirrel(-1) day(-1) in summer. Juveniles were about twice as likely as adult squirrels to be infected and shed higher concentrations of oocysts than adults did, with particularly high levels of infection and shedding being found among juvenile male squirrels. Based on DNA sequencing of a portion of the 18S small-subunit rRNA gene, there existed three genotypes of Cryptosporidium species in these populations of squirrels (Sbey03a, Sbey03b, and Sbey03c; accession numbers AY462231 to AY462233, respectively). These unique DNA sequences were most closely related (96 to 97% homology) to porcine C. parvum (AF115377) and C. wrairi (AF115378). Inoculating BALB/c neonatal mice with up to 10,000 Sbey03b or Sbey03c fresh oocysts from different infected hosts did not produce detectable levels of infection, suggesting that this common genotype shed by California ground squirrels is not infectious for mice and may constitute a new species of Cryptosporidium.     

Cyanophage diversity, inferred from g20 gene analyses, in the largest natural lake in France, Lake Bourget

The genetic diversity of the natural freshwater community of cyanophages and its variations over time have been investigated for the first time in the surface waters of the largest natural lake in France. This was done by random screening of clone libraries for the g20 gene and by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed 35 distinct cyanomyovirus g20 genotypes among the 47 sequences analyzed. Phylogenetic analyses showed that these sequences fell into seven genetically distinct operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The distances between these OTUs were comparable to those reported between marine clusters. Moreover, some of these freshwater cyanophage sequences were genetically more closely related to marine cyanophage sequences than to other freshwater sequences. Both approaches for the g20 gene (sequencing and DGGE analysis) showed that there was a clear seasonal pattern of variation in the composition of the cyanophage community that could reflect changes in its biological, chemical, and/or physical environment.     

Prevalence and seasonal variations of six bee viruses in Apis mellifera L. and Varroa destructor mite populations in France

A survey of six bee viruses on a large geographic scale was undertaken by using seemingly healthy bee colonies and the PCR technique. Samples of adult bees and pupae were collected from 36 apiaries in the spring, summer, and autumn during 2002. Varroa destructor samples were collected at the end of summer following acaricide treatment. In adult bees, during the year deformed wing virus (DWV) was found at least once in 97% of the apiaries, sacbrood virus (SBV) was found in 86% of the apiaries, chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) was found in 28% of the apiaries, acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV) was found in 58% of the apiaries, black queen cell virus (BQCV) was found in 86% of the apiaries, and Kashmir bee virus (KBV) was found in 17% of the apiaries. For pupae, the following frequencies were obtained: DWV, 94% of the apiaries; SBV, 80% of the apiaries; CBPV, none of the apiaries; ABPV, 23% of the apiaries; BQCV, 23% of the apiaries; and KBV, 6% of the apiaries. In Varroa samples, the following four viruses were identified: DWV (100% of the apiaries), SBV (45% of the apiaries), ABPV (36% of the apiaries), and KBV (5% of the apiaries). The latter findings support the putative role of mites in transmitting these viruses. Taken together, these data indicate that bee virus infections occur persistently in bee populations despite the lack of clinical signs, suggesting that colony disease outbreaks might result from environmental factors that lead to activation of viral replication in bees.     

Purification, cloning, and sequencing of a 3,5-dichlorophenol reductive dehalogenase from Desulfitobacterium frappieri PCP-1

A membrane-associated 3,5-dichlorophenol reductive dehalogenase was isolated from Desulfitobacterium frappieri PCP-1. The highest dehalogenase activity was observed with the biomass cultured at 22 degrees C, compared to 30 and 37 degrees C, where the cell suspensions were 2.2 and 9.6 times less active, respectively. The reductive dehalogenase was purified 12.7-fold to apparent homogeneity. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a single band with an apparent molecular mass of 57 kDa. Its dechlorinating activity was not inhibited by sulfate and nitrate but was completely inhibited by 2.5 mM sulfite and 10 mM KCN. A mixture of iodopropane and titanium citrate caused a light-reversible inhibition of the dechlorinating activities, suggesting the involvement of a corrinoid cofactor. Several polychlorophenols were dechlorinated at the meta and para positions. The apparent K(m) for 3,5-dicholorophenol was 49.3 +/- 3.1 microM at a methyl viologen concentration of 2 mM. Six internal tryptic peptides were sequenced by mass spectrometry. One open reading frame (ORF) was found in the Desulfitobacterium hafniense genome containing these peptide sequences. This ORF corresponds to a gene coding for a CprA-type reductive dehalogenase. The corresponding ORF (named cprA5) in D. frappieri PCP-1 was cloned and sequenced. The cprA5 gene codes for a 548-amino-acid protein that contains a twin-arginine-type signal for secretion. The gene product has a cobalamin binding site motif and two iron-sulfur binding motifs and shows 66% identity (76 to 77% similarity) with some tetrachloroethene reductive dehalogenases. This is the first CprA-type reductive dehalogenase that can dechlorinate chlorophenols at the meta and para positions.     

Somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration through leaf culture in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arachis glabrata (Leguminosae)</Emphasis>

Plants of two accessions of Arachis glabrata were regenerated via somatic embryogenesis. Embryogenic calli were initiated from leaflet explants on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with picloram alone or picloram in combination with 6-benzylaminopurine. Leaflets of accession A6138 induced the highest percentage of somatic embryos in media composed of 10 mg dm⁻³ and 15 mg dm⁻³ picloram. In contrast, 5 mg dm⁻³ picloram with 0.1 mg dm⁻³ 6-benzylaminopurine was one of the most effective combinations in accession AF385. MS medium supplemented with 2 g dm⁻³ activated charcoal (AC) used for 30 days was the most effective for embryo maturation. After 20 days of culture on MS medium devoid of growth regulators, 6 % of embryos converted into plantlets in accession A6138.