Size of the first spring generation of Helicoverpa punctigera (Wallengren) (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae) and winter rain in central Australia

Serious infestations of Helicoverpa punctigera are experienced yearly in the eastern cropping regions of Australia. Regression analysis was used to determine whether the size of the first generation in spring (G(1)), which is comprised mostly of immigrants from inland Australia, was related to monthly rainfall in inland winter breeding areas. Data from two long series of light-trap catches at Narrabri in New South Wales (NSW) and Turretfield in South Australia (SA) were used in the analyses. The size of G1 at Narrabri in each year was significantly regressed on the amount of rainfall in western Queensland and NSW in May and June. The size of G1 at Turretfield each year was significantly regressed on the amount of rain in May, June and July in western Queensland and NSW and also in the desert of central Western Australia. Low r(2) values of the regressions suggest that rainfall data for more sites, as well as biological and other physical factors, such as temperature, evaporation, and prevailing wind systems, may need to be included to improve forecasts of the potential magnitude of the infestations in coastal cropping regions.

Evolution of the genetic covariance between male and female components of mate recognition: An experimental test

The evolution of a positive genetic correlation between male and female components of mate recognition systems will result as a consequence of assortative mating and, in particular, is central to a number of theories of sexual selection. Although the existence of such genetic correlations has been investigated in a number of taxa, it has yet to be shown that such correlations evolve and whether they may evolve as rapidly as suggested by sexual selection models. In this study, I used a hybridization experiment to disrupt natural mate recognition systems and then observed the subsequent evolutionary dynamics of the genetic correlation between male and female components for 56 generations in hybrids between Drosophila serrata and Drosophila birchii. The genetic correlation between male and female components evolved from 0.388 at generation 5 to 1.017 at generation 37 and then declined to -0.040 after a further 19 generations. These results indicated that the genetic basis of the mate recognition system in the hybrid populations evolved rapidly. The initial rapid increase in the genetic correlation was consistent with the classic assumption that male and female components will coevolve under sexual selection. The subsequent decline in genetic correlation may be attributable to the fixation of major genes or, alternatively, may be a result of a cyclic evolutionary change in mate recognition.

Transitions between routes of benzodiazepine administration among heroin users in Sydney

A sample of 312 heroin users were interviewed regarding their benzodiazepine use. The majority (94%) had used benzodiazepines, 72% in the 6 months prior to interview. Benzodiazepine injecting was common, with 28% of the sample having injected these drugs, 13% in the 6 months preceding interview. Current benzodiazepine injectors showed greater polydrug use, injection-related HIV risk-taking behaviour, criminal involvement, psychological distress and injection-related health problems, as well as poorer general health, and an increased risk of having overdosed than other users of benzodiazepines. Of those subjects who had injected benzodiazepines, 55% were no longer current benzodiazepine injectors. Concern for general health emerged as the most common reason for having made a transition away from injecting, and for being likely to make such a transition.

Flaviviruses isolated from mosquitoes collected during the first recorded outbreak of Japanese encephalitis virus on Cape York Peninsula, Australia

In response to an outbreak of Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus on Cape York Peninsula, Australia, in 1998, mosquitoes were collected using CO2 and octenol-baited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention light traps. A total of 35,235 adult mosquitoes, comprising 31 species, were processed for virus isolation. No isolates of JE virus were recovered from these mosquitoes. However, 18 isolates of Kokobera virus, another flavivirus were obtained from Culex annulirostris. Twelve isolates were from western Cape York (minimum infection rate (MIR) of 0.61: 1,000 mosquitoes) and 6 were from the Northern Peninsula Area (MIR of 1.0:1,000). Potential explanations for the failure to detect JE virus in mosquitoes collected from Cape York Peninsula include the timing of collections, the presence of alternative bloodmeal hosts, differences in pig husbandry, asynchronous porcine seroconversion, and the presence of other flaviviruses.

First published record of the pathogenic monogenean parasite Neobenenenia melleni (Capsalidae) from Australia

The monogenean Neobenedenia melleni (Mac- Callum, 1927) Yamaguti 1963 is a well-known and virulent pathogen in culture conditions recorded from the skin of many teleost fish species worldwide. Until now, N. melleni has not been reported from wild or cultured fish in Australian waters. This study documents a recent outbreak of N. melleni that occurred on Lates calcarifer (barramundi) cultivated in sea cages in Hinchinbrook Channel between Hinchinbrook Island and mainland Queensland, Australia, which resulted in the loss of 200 000 fish (50 tonnes). The origin of this outbreak is unclear because N. melleni has not been recorded from any wild host species in Australia and strict quarantine regulations exclude the possibility of its introduction on imported fish. We propose that N. melleni occurs naturally on wild populations of some teleost species in Australian waters and that the few surveys of wild fish conducted along the eastcoast have failed to report this species. The possibility that uncharacteristically low water temperatures led to the outbreak is discussed.

A zebrafish homologue of deleted in colorectal cancer (zdcc) is expressed in the first neuronal clusters of the developing brain

DCC (deleted in colon cancer), Neogenin and UNC-5 are all members of the immunoglobulin superfamily of transmembrane receptors which are believed to play a role in axon guidance by binding to their ligands, the Netrin/UNC-40 family of secreted molecules (Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 56 (1999) 62; Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 7 (1997) 87). Although zebrafish homologues of the Netrin family of secreted molecules have been reported, to date there has been no published description of zebrafish DCC homologues (Mol. Cell. Neurosci. 9 (1997) 293., Mol. Cell. Neurosci. I I ( 1998) 194; Mech. Dev. 62 (1997) 147). We report here the expression pattern of a zebrafish dcc (zdcc) homologue during the initial period of neurogenesis and axon tract formation within the developing central nervous system. Between 12 and 33 h post-fertilisation zdcc is expressed in a dynamic spatiotemporal pattern in all major subdivisions of the central nervous system. Double-labelling for zdcc and the post-mitotic neuronal marker HNK-1 revealed that subpopulations of neurons within the first nuclei of the zebrafish brain express zdcc. These results support our previous observation that patterning of neuronal clusters in the zebrafish brain occurs early in development (Dev. Bioi, 229 (2001) 271). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Helping the female partners of men abusing alcohol: a comparison of three treatments

Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness of three approaches to assisting the female partners of male problem drinkers with the stress imposed by the male's drinking. Design. Participants were assigned randomly via random number tables to one of three treatment conditions: supportive counselling, stress management or alcohol-focused couples therapy. Setting. The intervention took place at the Behaviour Research and Therapy Centre (BRTC), The University of Queensland. This research and training centre offers outpatient psychology services to the community. Participants. Sixty-one married women whose husbands drank heavily. Participants reported protracted alcohol problems, severe impact of alcohol on social functioning and severe marital distress. Measurement. The women's stress, alcohol consumption by the male, and relationship functioning were assessed at pre- and post-treatment and at 6-month follow-up. Interventions. All three treatments involved 15 1-hour sessions with the woman. In the alcohol-focused couple therapy, attempts were made to engage the man in these sessions. Results. Contrary to our predictions, there were few differences between the treatments. All three treatments were associated with reductions in the women's reported stress, with trends for somewhat greater reduction in the women's stress in the stress management and alcohol-focused couples therapy conditions than for supportive counselling. None of the treatments produced clinically significant reductions in men's drinking or relationship distress. Conclusion. The treatments ease stresses and burden but do not improve drinking or relationships. Limited power in the design restricted the capacity to detect differential treatment effects.

Modulation of ligand selectivity by mutation of the first extracellular loop of the human C5a receptor

The cyclic C5a receptor antagonist, phenylalanine [L-ornithine-proline-D-cyclohexylalanine-tryptophan-arginine] (F-[OPchaWR]), has similar to 1000-fold less affinity for the C5a receptor (C5aR) on murine polymorphonuclear leukocytes than on human. Analysis of C5aR from different species shows that a possible cause of this difference is the variation in the sequence of the first extracellular loop of the receptor. The mouse receptor contains Y at a position analogous to P-103 in the human receptor, and D at G(105). To test this hypothesis, we expressed human C5aR mutants ((PY)-Y-103, G(105)D and the double mutant, (PY)-Y-103/G(105)D) in RBL-2H3 cells and investigated the effects of these mutations on binding affinity and receptor activation. All three mutant receptors had a higher affinity for human C5a than the wild-type receptor, but showed no significant difference in the ability of F-[OPchaWR] to inhibit human C5a binding. However, all of the mutant receptors had substantially lower affinities for the weak agonist, C5a des Arg(74) (C5adR(74)), and two altered receptors (G(105)D and (PY)-Y-103/G(105)D) had much lower affinities for the C-terminal C5a agonist peptide analogue, L-tyrosine-serine-phenylalanine-lysine-proline-methionine-proline-leucine-D-alanine-arginine (YSFKPMPLaR). Although it is unlikely that differences at these residues are responsible for variations in the potency of F-[OPchaWR] across species, residues in the first extracellular loop are clearly involved in the recognition of both C5a and C5a agonists. The complex effects of mutating these residues on the affinity and response to C5a, C5adR(74), and the peptide analogues provide evidence of different binding modes for these ligands on the C5aR. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

Intramuscular Olanzapine and Intramuscular Haloperidol in Acute Schizophrenia: Antipsychotic Efficacy and Extrapyramidal Safety During the First 24 Hours of Treatment

To determine the antipsychotic efficacy and extrapyramidal safety of intramuscular (IM) olanzapine and IM haloperidol during the first 24 hours of treatment of acute schizophrenia. Method: Patients (n = 311) with acute schizophrenia were randomly allocated (2:2: 1) to receive IM olanzapine (10.0 mg, n = 131), IM haloperidol (7.5 mg, n = 126), or IM placebo (n = 54). Results: After the first injection, IM olanzapine was comparable to IM haloperidol and superior to IM placebo for reducing mean change scores from baseline on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BRPS) Positive at 2 hours (-2.9 olanzapine, -2.7 haloperidol, and -1.5 placebo) and 24 hours (-2.8 olanzapine, -3.2 haloperidol, and -1.3 placebo); the BPRS Total at 2 hours (-14.2 olanzapine,-13.1 haloperidol, and -7.1 placebo) and 24 hours (-12.8 olanzapine, -12.9 haloperidol, and -6.2 placebo); and the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scale at 24 hours (-0.5 olanzapine, -0.5 haloperidol, and -0.1 placebo). Patients treated with IM olanzapine had significantly fewer incidences of treatment-emergent parkinsonism (4.3% olanzapine vs 13.3% haloperidol, P = 0.036), but not akathisia (1.1% olanzapine vs 6.5% haloperidol, P = 0.065), than did patients treated with IM haloperidol; they also required significantly less anticholinergic treatment (4.6% olanzapine vs 20.6% haloperidol, P < 0.001). Mean extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) safety scores improved significantly from baseline during IM olanzapine treatment, compared with a general worsening during IM haloperidol treatment (Simpson-Angus Scale total score mean change: -0.61 olanzapine vs 0.70 haloperidol; P < 0.001; Barnes Akathisia Scale global score mean change: -0.27 olanzapine vs 0.01 haloperidol; P < 0.05). Conclusion: IM olanzapine was comparable to IM haloperidol for reducing the symptoms of acute schizophrenia during the first 24 hours of treatment, the efficacy of both being evident within 2 hours after the first injection. In general, more EPS were observed during treatment with IM haloperidol than with IM olanzapine.

Polymorphic CAG repeat length in the androgen receptor gene and association with neurodegeneration in a heterozygous female carrier of Kennedy's disease

Kennedy's disease (spinobulbar muscular atrophy) is an X-linked form of motor neuron disease affecting adult males carrying a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion within the androgen receptor gene. While expression of Kennedy's disease is thought to be confined to males carrying the causative mutation, subclinical manifestations have been reported in a few female carriers of the disease. The reasons that females are protected from the disease are not clear, especially given that all other diseases caused by CAG expansions display dominant expression. In the current study, we report the identification of a heterozygote female carrying the Kennedy's disease mutation who was clinically diagnosed with motor neuron disease. We describe analysis of CAG repeat number in this individual as well as 33 relatives within the pedigree, including two male carriers of the Kennedy's mutation. The female heterozygote carried one expanded allele of the androgen receptor gene with CAG repeats numbering in the Kennedy's disease range (44 CAGs), with the normal allele numbering in the upper-normal range (28 CAGs). The subject has two sons, one of whom carries the mutant allele of the gene and has been clinically diagnosed with Kennedy's disease, whilst the other son carries the second allele of the gene with CAGs numbering in the upper normal range and displays a normal phenotype. This coexistence of motor neuron disease and the presence of one expanded allele and one allele at the upper limit of the normal range may be a coincidence. However, we hypothesize that the expression of the Kennedy's disease mutation combined with a second allele with a large but normal CAG repeat sequence may have contributed to the motor neuron degeneration displayed in the heterozygote female and discuss the possible reasons for phenotypic expression in particular individuals.