Subclinical herpesvirus infection in farmed turbot Scophthalmus maximus.

Subclinical infections with a herpesvirus were detected by light and electron microscopic examination of juvenile turbot collected during a national surveillance programme. Virions detected in the epidermis of skin and in the epithelium of gills had a morphology consistent with those of Herpesvirus scophthalmi described from turbot in the United Kingdom and Denmark. This is the first report of herpesvirus infection in turbot in Norway.

The anatomy of the oesophagus, stomach and intestine in common wolffish (Anarhichas lupus L.): a basis for diagnostic work and research.

The alimentary canal of laboratory-reared common wolffish (Anarhichas lupus L.) was studied using light and electron microscopy. In the oesophagus, a simple columnar microvillous epithelium with transport characteristics was observed in addition to the main striated squamous epithelium. An osmoregulatory function is proposed for the simple columnar epithelium, which was supported by wide, thin-walled vessels. In the stomach, a separate type of neck cells was observed leading into the acinar gastric glands, which morphologically consist of one cell type: chief cells. The intestine was divided into a proximal and distal segment by an intestinal valve. Pyloric caeca were not present. We propose that shallow, crypt-like structures in the intestinal mucosa are the sites of epithelial-cell proliferation in juveniles and adults. The length of microvilli decreased from approximately 4 microns in the cranial part of the proximal intestine, to 1.5 microns in the distal intestine. In the distal intestine, rod-shaped bacteria were observed between microvilli. An extensive system of thin-walled vessels was observed in the submucosa of juvenile and adult wolffish stomach and intestine. Eosinophilic granular cells were numerous in the perivascular connective tissue in the gastric and intestinal submucosa of adults and juveniles, but were not observed in larvae.

Government attitudes to health education: a crucial factor in effective action.

The author argues that health education, which he defines as dealing responsibly with information about health, cannot effectively cover large groups of population without government support. Community action, both through individuals and groups, and social action of a more organized nature are among the key forces that have an impact on improving health: it is the government's responsibility to provide an administrative and legislative framework that is supportive of such action. Other government responsibilities include: (a) recognition of the role of voluntary agencies and facilitating their participation; (b) sharing information about health and the health consequences of certain practices and behaviours with the entire population, and (c) financial responsibility in developing a policy for health promotion. For the author, the most important form of government is local government which calls for effective participation from within through political elections and administrative processes. Current trends indicate that decentralization, in many countries, is more than lip-service. Such a process has important health implications and is also a major aspect of government support of health education and health promotion. Non-involvement of government in health education is impossible today and a health oriented policy can provide an essential and even crucial framework for community and social action for health.