A single-step method for RNA isolation from tropical crops in the field.

The RNAzol RT reagent was used to provide pure RNA from human cells. We develop a protocol using RNAzol RT reagent to extract pure RNA from plants tissues and demonstrate that this RNA extraction method works not only at room temperature but also at elevated temperatures and provides the simplest and most effective single-step method to extract pure and undegraded RNA directly from tropical plants in the field. RNA extraction directly in a complex field environment opens up the way for studying gene-environment interactions at transcriptome level to decipher the complex regulatory network involved in multiple-stress responses.

[Value of Lotmar interferometry with vision assessment for predicting visual acuity after surgery of epimacular membranes]. / Utilité de l'interférométrie au visomètre de Lotmar pour prédire l'acuité visuelle après chirurgie des membranes epimaculaires.

BACKGROUND: To determine the usefulness of preoperative Lotmar interferometry to predict visual acuity recovery after surgery for epimacular membrane. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1999 to 2001, thirty pseudophakic eyes that underwent surgery for removal of epimacular membrane were examined prospectively. Visual acuity (VA) was recorded with the ETDRS chart before surgery and 6 months or more after (mean follow-up: 7.5 months). Lotmar interferometry was performed before surgery and its result was compared with the VA measured after surgery. RESULTS: The mean preoperative VA was 0.4 - 3 (20/55). The Lotmar VA (mean: 0.5, 20/40) was lower than the final postoperative VA (mean: 0.66, 20/30), p < 0.001. The Lotmar VA was found within one ETDRS line of the final postoperative VA in 10 cases (33 %). The Lotmar VA was > 1 line lower than the final postoperative VA in 17 cases (57 %) and was 1 - 3 lines higher in 3 cases (10 %). CONCLUSIONS: Lotmar interferometry tends to underestimate the final postoperative VA after surgery for epimacular membrane. A low value does not allow any relevant prediction. A high value is interesting since the risk to have a false-positive is low.

The reengineering of Naval Hospital Charleston.

Current changes in the practice of medicine and the downsizing of the military have resulted in the necessity to look at alternatives to current military hospital structure. Based on business case analysis and other economic factors, Naval Hospital Charleston has undergone a reorganization and introduced a primary care-based health care system. This model provides efficient, high-quality health care and addresses the need to maintain adequate support for operational forces.