Fetal renal vein thrombosis,hydrops fetalis,and maternal lupus anticoagulant. A case report

Hydrops fetalis with fetal renal vein thrombosis in a mother with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome detected post-partum suggests an underlying pathogenetic association that may provide new strategies for treatment of a lethal disorder.     

Enteric Viruses and Management of Shellfish Production in New Zealand

In New Zealand shellfish are a significant food resource and shellfish are harvested for both recreational and commercial use. Commercially harvested Greenshell mussels (Perna canaliculus) and Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) from aquaculture farms dominate consumption in New Zealand. Other commercial species include cockles (Austrovenus stuchburyii) and surf clam species which are wild harvested. The consumption of shellfish has been associated with gastroenteritis outbreaks caused by noroviruses following faecal contamination of growing waters with human waste. In New Zealand, since 1994 over 50 norovirus outbreaks linked to consumption of either New Zealand commercially grown oysters or imported oysters have been reported. An IEC/ISO 17025 accredited method for detection of noroviruses in bivalve shellfish was established in 2007. This method has been used in outbreak investigations to analyse implicated shellfish, in virus prevalence surveys and monitoring programmes, and commercially for product clearances. Surveys have shown that enteric viruses occur frequently in non-commercial shellfish, especially near sewage outfalls and following sewage discharge events. Viral source tracking methods have assisted in identifying pollution sources. The commercial shellfish industry operates under the Bivalve Molluscan Shellfish Regulated Control Scheme (BMSRCS), administered by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority. Recently regulatory measures were introduced into the BMSRCS to manage viruses. These include the closure of harvest areas for at least 28 days after human sewage contamination events and norovirus outbreaks. These management strategies, coupled with new information on norovirus prevalence in shellfish, have helped to improve the quality and safety of New Zealand shellfish.     

Multi-parameter renewal processes and simulation of forest fires

The concept of the renewal property is extended to processes indexed by a multidimensional time parameter. The definition given includes not only partial sum processes, but also Poisson processes and many other point processes whose jump points are not totally ordered. Various properties of renewal processes are discussed. Renewal processes are proposed as a basis for modelling the spread of a forest fire under a prevailing wind.

Normal blood cell values in the early mid-trimester fetus

Samples of pure fetal blood from 116 fetuses of 15–21 weeks' gestation were obtained by direct vision fetoscopy. Ninety nine of these fetuses, presumed to be haematologically normal, were suitable for analysis. The data obtained show that the erythropoietic system is evolving rapidly in this gestational age range. The myeloid series shows no significant increase or decrease in numbers apart from eosinophils and basophils which increase significantly with gestational age whereas the platelet count remains constant. The growing application of fetoscopic blood sampling to the prenatal diagnosis and management of fetal blood disorders renders mandatory a knowledge of normal fetal blood values.     

Responses of Metaphycussp. nr. flavus to semiochemicals released from a scale host, Coccus hesperidum

Summary. Metaphycus sp. nr. flavus (Encyrtidae: Hymenoptera) is a parasitoid species collected from the Mediterranean region which lays its eggs in the immature stages of several economically important soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccidae), including brown soft scale, Coccus hesperidum L. (= host insect). Preliminary tests suggested that the parasitoid is most successful in producing offspring when it oviposits in the younger stages of brown soft scale. In Y-olfactometer bioassays measuring wasp choices and residence times, naïve parasitoids were significantly more attracted to yucca leaves infested with 26, 27, or 28 d-old scale than to uninfested leaves, whereas leaves with older (29-30 d-old) scale were no more attractive than uninfested leaves. Parasitoids also spent significantly more time in the arm with yucca leaves infested with 26 d-old scale than in the arm with uninfested leaves. These results are consistent with observations of the parasitoids reproductive success on scale of different ages, whereby older scale are more likely to encapsulate the developing eggs of M. sp. nr. flavusfemales than are younger scale. Further bioassays determined that yucca leaves that had been infested with 26 d-old scale but from which the scale had been removed were as attractive as infested leaves. In contrast, infested yucca leaves from which scale had been removed and the leaves subsequently washed with distilled water were less attractive than infested leaves. Furthermore, the wash water containing scale residues was attractive to female wasps. In total, these results suggest that Metaphycussp. nr. flavus females utilize volatile, water soluble compounds produced by brown soft scale as cues to locate suitable hosts.