HIV and HCV prevalence among trawler crew

A survey of 51 people who work on trawlers was carried out to describe injecting and sexual behaviour and the prevalence of HIV and HCV antibody. All crew members who were departing from an Australian port during the last week of February 1996 to work on trawlers were asked to complete a brief, self-administered questionnaire and provide a finger prick blood sample. Questionnaires were received from 51 (77%) and blood samples from 45 (68%) of the 66 crew from 15 vessels. Almost half the respondents reported ever injecting illicit drugs. No respondents had HIV antibody while 27% had HCV antibody detected. Among 20 injecting drug user (IDU) respondents, the prevalence of HCV was 55% (95% CI 32%-77%). Twelve respondents reported new sex partners in the past month of whom half reported no condom use with these sex partners. The survey emphasises the diversity of the IDU population in Australia. Yet it would appear that regardless of the sub-population surveyed that HCV is endemic among IDUs in Australia. Effective HCV prevention programs targeted specifically for these (and other) sub-populations of IDUs should be devised.

The effect of the evanescent wave upon acoustic measurements in the human ear canal

When making acoustic measurements in a human ear canal, it is often necessary to monitor the output of a sound source with a microphone positioned within a few millimeters of that sound source. This microphone will not only measure the pressure due to the propagated acoustic wave, which we wish to measure, but also the pressure due to the evanescent wave. The pressure due to the evanescent wave can be viewed as a source of error in the measurement of the propagating acoustic wave. This paper attempts to quantify the magnitude of this error. Theoretical predictions are made of the relative level of the evanescent sound pressure in a number of source and microphone arrangements applicable to ear canal measurements. It is shown that these theoretical predictions represent an upper limit of evanescent sound pressure that can be measured experimentally. The maximum measurement error due to the presence of the evanescent wave in human ear canals below 10 kHz is predicted to be 3 dB in adults and 1.3 dB in 1 month old infants, when the loudspeaker and microphone ports are spaced more than 2 mm apart.

Radial movement of lysosomes along microtubules in permeabilized macrophages

In murine bone marrow-derived macrophages, lysosomes often form tubulovesicular compartments, whose extended distribution in the cytoplasm depends on the integrity of cytoplasmic microtubules. When macrophages with fluorescently labeled lysosomes were plated onto coverslips opsonized with IgG, they engaged that surface in a phagocytic response (frustrated phagocytosis). The tubular lysosomal compartment of these cells collected in a central, perinuclear region, despite the continued presence of a radiating array of cytoplasmic microtubules. Using methods developed in the study of melanophores, we permeabilized macrophages engaged in frustrated phagocytosis, then re-activated lysosome extension along microtubules. Permeabilization was selective for plasma membranes, in that high molecular weight probes such as trypan blue or IgG could enter cells, while fluorescent probes previously loaded into lysosomes via endocytosis remained contained therein. Addition of 2 mM ATP, GTP or UTP to these permeabilized cell models produced centrifugal extension of tubular lysosomes. Selective depletion of ATP, using Escherichia coli glycerol kinase, inhibited ATP-dependent extension but not that which occurred with GTP or UTP, indicating that the mechanism of radial movement can use any of these three nucleotide triphosphates. Extension was independent of pH between 6.8 and 7.4, and was inhibited by AMP-PNP and by GMP-PNP. Depolymerization of cytoplasmic microtubules with nocodazole prevented subsequent ATP-inducible lysosome extension, whereas preincubation of cells with cytochalasin D did not inhibit the response. These results are consistent with the in vitro mechanochemical properties of kinesin (Cohn et al., 1989), and support earlier evidence, obtained in living cells, that kinesin is the mechanochemical motor of lysosome extension along microtubules in macrophages.

A revision of Entobdella Blainville (Monogenea: Capsalidae) with particular reference to E. hippoglossi and E. squamula: the use of ratios in taxonomy and key to species

Morphologic and morphometric characters for 14 Entobdella species were reviewed. Entobdella brattstroemi, E. curvunca, E. rosaceus, E. squamula, and E. steingroeveri were found to be morphologically indistinguishable from E. hippoglossi, the type species, and are declared synonyms. A redescription of E. hippoglossi is presented. Allometry and the use of ratios to differentiate species are discussed. The nine valid Entobdella spp. belong to two monophyletic subgroups: the "hippoglossi" group (E. hippoglossi, E. soleae, and E. pugetensis) and the "diadema" group (E. diadema, E. bumpusii, E. corona, E. guberleti, E. apiocolpos, and E. australis). A key to species is included.

Terrestrial and freshwater invertebrates in the neuston of the Bay of Fundy, Canada

More than 106 families of insects representing 12 orders, spiders, mites, and millipedes were collected in the neuston of the Bay of Fundy in spring, summer, and autumn. Homoptera, Diptera, and Hymenoptera were dominant in number of families and (or) number of individuals. Seasonal and annual variations in taxonomic composition and in abundance were considerable. The abundant detritus of terrestrial and fluvial origin in the neuston, especially in summer, may be a potentially important food source for surface-feeding animals.

Models of family-centered care in one acute care institution

Focus on the emotional responses and needs of critically ill patients has grown to encompass a focus on their families as well. Moos notes that the family as well as the patient faces a number of adaptive tasks in the crisis of serious illness. These include managing the hospital environment, keeping reasonable emotional balance, negotiating relationships with the treatment staff, preserving self-image, preserving a relationship with the patient, and preparing for an uncertain future. The complexity of these tasks and the coping skills needed to master them speaks to the role of the psychiatric clinical nurse specialist in the acute care setting. This article has highlighted some activities of psychiatric clinical nurse specialists working with families in the acute care setting. Included have been support groups, indirect models, contracting, professional families, VIP/VRP families, families in the intensive care setting, and families in transition from intensive care to floor care. All emphasize the importance and needs of the family as well as the patient during hospitalization in an acute care setting.