Screening Sweetpotato Genotypes for Resistance to a North Carolina Isolate of Meloidogyne enterolobii

Potential resistance to the guava root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne enterolobii, in 91 selected sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam.) genotypes was evaluated in six greenhouse experiments. Ten thousand eggs of M. enterolobii were inoculated on each sweetpotato genotype grown in a 3:1 sand to soil mixture. Sixty days after inoculation, the percentage of total roots with nematode-induced galls was determined, and nematode eggs were extracted from roots. Significant differences (P < 0.001) between sweetpotato genotypes were found in all six tests for gall rating, total eggs, and eggs per gram of root. Resistant sweetpotato genotypes were calculated as final eggs per root system divided by the initial inoculum, where Pf/Pi < 1 (reproduction factor; final egg count divided by initial inoculum of 10,000 eggs), and statistical mean separations were confirmed by Fisher's least significant difference t test. Our results indicated that 19 out of 91 tested sweetpotato genotypes were resistant to M. enterolobii. Some of the susceptible genotypes included 'Covington,' 'Beauregard,' 'NCDM04-001', and 'Hernandez.' Some of the resistant sweetpotato genotypes included 'Tanzania,' 'Murasaki-29,' 'Bwanjule,' 'Dimbuka-Bukulula,' 'Jewel,' and 'Centennial.' Most of the 19 resistant sweetpotato genotypes supported almost no M. enterolobii reproduction, with <20 eggs/g root of M. enterolobii. A number of segregants from a 'Tanzania' × 'Beauregard' cross demonstrated strong resistance to M. enterolobii observed in the 'Tanzania' parent. In collaboration with North Carolina State University sweetpotato breeding program, several genotypes evaluated in these tests are being used to incorporate the observed resistance to M. enterolobii into commercial sweetpotato cultivars.

Physician recognition and treatment of hypercholesterolemia

To assess physician behavior regarding hypercholesterolemia, records of patients whose serum cholesterol levels averaged 6.85 mmol/L or greater during a two-month period were reviewed. Of 111 eligible patients, physicians noted hypercholesterolemia in 62 (56%) and prescribed treatment in 34 (31%). Excluding those whose condition had been previously diagnosed and who were receiving treatment at the time of initiation of the study, only 22% of patients with high-risk serum cholesterol levels received treatment. An aggressive physician education program on the definition, evaluation, and management of hypercholesterolemia is needed.

Choice and predictability in the preparation for barium enemas: a person-by-situation approach

The effects of choice and predictability information regarding preparation for a barium enema procedure was investigated for patients differing in desire for control (DFC) and in experience with the barium enema exam. One-third of the patients, randomly assigned to the choice condition, were selected from three equally effective preparations. For these patients, choice and predictability information are confounded. Patients in the instruction only and information conditions were yoked to choice patients to control for type of preparation. Patients in the information condition were given the same sensation information about their specific preparation as those in choice. Instruction only was effective for low DFC patients, but contrary to prediction the choice was problematic for high DFC patients. It was suggested that the limited choice created reactance for these patients. The differential effectiveness of health care interventions in relation to patient predispositions was stressed.

Hypercalcemia in carcinoma of the prostate: case report and review of the literature

Hypercalcemia developed in a man with recurrent adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Serum calcium became normal soon after bilateral orchiectomy and the patient was free of disease 18 months later. The absence of radiographically detectable bone metastases in this patient suggested a humoral mechanism for the hypercalcemia. Orchiectomy may be an effective treatment for hypercalcemia complicating prostatic carcinoma.

Hypercalcemia in disseminated histoplasmosis. Aggravation by vitamin D

Hypercalcemia associated with disseminated histoplasmosis in an elderly male is described. Serum calcium levels increased during vitamin D supplementation, supporting the proposed mechanism of hypercalcemia in granulomatous diseases. Rapid clinical deterioration and death occurred shortly after administration of steroids for relative adrenal insufficiency. Vitamin D and calcium supplements may aggravate the hypercalcemia of granulomatous disease and should be avoided.

Reactivation blastomycosis presenting as a tuboovarian abscess

A 32-year-old Korean woman presented with a rapidly enlarging abdominal mass six months after an undiagnosed illness of fever and a large pleural effusion. Exfoliative cytology of a cervical discharge revealed Blastomyces dermatiditis. At laparotomy, a large peritoneal inclusion cyst was found surrounding a tuboovarian abscess with involvement from the cervix to the peritoneum. B dermatiditis was cultured from the excised uterus and fallopian tube. Female genital blastomycosis has rarely been described. The importance of cytology in making the diagnosis in the present case is emphasized.