Needed research on the interactions of certain parasitic diseases and nutrition in humans

For the purpose of assigning priorities for research, each of the following parasitic disease is examined in regard to its affect on the nutritional status of the host: schistosomiasis, malaria, amebiasis, giardiasis, ascariasis, and hookworm. The epidemiology, diagnosis, immune response to, and available therapies for these diseases are discussed. It is suggested that highest priority be given to three diseases: hookworm, ascariasis, and schistosomiasis, because they can be treated successfully, diagnosed easily, and have a high prevalence.     

Anatomy of the lumbar spine

The macroscopic courses of the posterior primary rami in the lumbar spine are described and illustrated from fresh cadaver dissections.     

Factors limiting the domestic density of Triatoma infestans in north-west Argentina: a longitudinal study

Reported are the environmental and demographic risk factors associated with the domestic infestation and density of Triatoma infestans in three heavily infested rural villages in Santiago del Estero Province, Argentina. In a one-factor unadjusted analysis, the number of T. infestans captured per person-hour was associated significantly and negatively with the use of domestic insecticides by householders, type of thatch used in the roofs and the age of the house; and positively with the following: degree of cracking of the indoor walls and presence of hens nesting indoors. In one model, using multiple linear regression and a backward stepwise elimination procedure, most of the variation in the overall abundance of T. infestans was explained by insecticide use and the presence of hens nesting indoors; in another model using the same procedure it was explained by insecticide use, bug density in 1988 and previous spraying with deltamethrin in 1985. Variations in bug density per capture stratum (household goods, beds, walls and roof) were explained by the bug density in other strata and by one or two of the following risk factors: hens nesting indoors, type of roof, presence of cracks in the walls and number of people living in the house. Bug density might be locally controlled by the availability of refuges in the roofs and walls, by the presence of hens nesting indoors and by the use of domestic insecticides. Certain local materials, such as a grass known as simbol, could be successfully used in rural housing improvement programmes aimed at reducing the availability of refuges for insects in the roof.     

Effects of long-term testosterone, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist, and pimozide treatments on gonadotropin II levels and ovarian development in juvenile female striped bass (Morone saxatilis)

The ability of the juvenile female reproductive axis to respond to hormonal stimulation was investigated in a Perciform fish, the striped bass (Morone saxatilis) using various combinations of testosterone (T), GnRH agonist (GnRHa), and pimozide. A long-term treatment with T alone, or T in combination with GnRHa, increased pituitary gonadotropin II (GtH II) levels 2- and 3-fold, respectively, suggesting that T and GnRHa each stimulate GtH II accumulation. Release of the accumulated GtH II could be induced only by high doses of GnRHa in combination with T, indicating that GtH II synthesis and release require different levels of GnRH stimulation. The addition of the dopamine antagonist pimozide did not affect pituitary and plasma GtH II levels but, in response to an additional acute GnRHa challenge, inhibited the release of GtH II. Although ovarian development was slightly stimulated by a combined T and GnRHa treatment, vitellogenesis was generally not initiated. The present study demonstrated that the juvenile striped bass pituitary is responsive to hormonal stimulation, resulting in elevated levels of GtH II in the pituitary and plasma. However, increased plasma levels of GtH II did not result in precocious puberty, suggesting that additional factors are required for the initiation of ovarian development in this teleost.