A review of the family Alycidae (Acari, Acariformes) from South Africa.

A taxonomic study of the family Alycidae G. Canestrini Fanzago in South Africa revealed nine species of which seven are new to science: Alycus augrabiensis sp. nov., Pachygnathus nasutus sp. nov., Amphialycus acaciae sp. nov., A. adustus sp. nov., A. mayteni sp. nov. (Alycini); Laminamichaelia furcula sp. nov. (Bimichaeliini); and Proteromichaelia sila gen. et sp. nov. (Proteromichaeliini trib. nov.). The four previously known species of Alycidae are redescribed: Amphialycus oblongus (Halbert, 1920), Laminamichaelia shibai nom. nov. (=B. ramosus Shiba, 1976, nom. preocc.), Petralycus longicornis Theron, 1977 and P. brevicornis Theron, 1977. Keys to tribes of the family Alycidae and to genera and species recorded in South Africa are provided.

A new genus and species of the family Microdispidae (Acari: Heterostigmata) associated with Trinervitermes trinervoides (Sjöstedt) (Isoptera: Termitidae) from South Africa.

A new genus and species of termitophilous microdispid mites, Sidorchukdispus ekaterinae gen. nov. and sp. nov. (Acari: Prostigmata: Microdispidae), associated with termites, Trinervitermes trinervoides (Sjöstedt) (Isoptera: Termitidae) are described from South Africa. The morphological and biological traits of Sidorchukdispus ekaterinae gen. nov. and sp. nov. are discussed.

Contribution to the knowledge of the oribatid mite family Nesozetidae (Acari, Oribatida).

A new oribatid mite species of the genus Nesozetes (Oribatida, Nesozetidae) is described from moss (Sphagnum sp.) on the seepage area below a permanent spring in South Africa. Nesozetes membranus sp. nov. differs from its only congener, Nesozetes rostropterus, described from Fiji, by the presence of a second pair of membranes located in the podosomal region, setiform bothridial setae and striate subcapitular mentum. A revised diagnosis of Nesozetidae, discussion on its taxonomic status, and information on distribution and ecology of Nesozetes species are given.

Utilizing Eisenia andrei to assess the ecotoxicity of platinum mine tailings disposal facilities.

South Africa is an important platinum mining country which results in environmental impacts due to the construction of tailing disposal facilities (TDFs). It is unclear what the effects of ageing are on the ecotoxicity of TDFs and whether it increases or decreases over time. The aim of this study was to determine the ecotoxicity of differently aged TDFs by investigating earthworm (Eisenia andrei) responses viz. growth, reproduction, neutral red retention times (NRRT) and tissue metal concentrations. Further, to evaluate the status of these in terms of a geoaccumulation index (I(geo)), pollution index and integrated pollution index. Results indicated that earthworms showed reduced reproductive success (hatchlings per cocoon) and decreased NRRT in all the sites. Juveniles per cocoon between all of the different treatment groups were; control (2.83 ± 0.54) > site 2 (20 years old; 1.83 ± 0.27) > sites 1 and 3 (40 years old; 1.06 ± 0.15 and 6 years old; 0.88 ± 0.39). This might be ascribed to the elevated levels of Cr (±200 to 1,166 µg g(-1)) and Ni (±100 to 316 µg g(-1)) in all of the sites. Earthworms did not bioaccumulate metals with bioconcentration factors for all the different treatments <0.01. Studies like these could be useful when establishing a ranking of TDFs in the future to provide legislative institutions with an indication of the environmental liabilities of platinum mines.

Evaluation of dynamic sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the penis and palpable inguinal nodes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate dynamic sentinel lymph node biopsy (DSLNB) in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the penis and palpable inguinal lymph nodes, using inguinal lymph node dissection (ILND) as the reference standard to assess the reliability of DSLNB, as using radioscintigraphy and colloidal blue-dye injection to locate the SLN was reported to be a useful technique to avoid ILND in men with SCC of the penis and clinically impalpable nodes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 23 consecutive men with SCC of the penis and clinically palpable inguinal nodes treated between August 1999 and July 2006. On the day before surgery the patient had the SLN located by subcutaneous injection of 60 MBq (99m)Tc-nanocolloid 2 cm proximal to the penile tumour. The following day the patient was taken to the operating room for DSLNB, resection of the penile tumour and simultaneous ILND, if considered indicated (G2-3 and/or T3-4 primary tumour). During surgery 2 mL of colloidal blue dye was injected in the same area as the previous (99m)Tc-nanocolloid injection. The SLNs were located during surgery using a gamma-probe and visualization of blue dye in the node(s), which were then surgically removed. After partial or total penectomy, selected patients had ILND through a 10-cm subinguinal incision. The primary tumour, SLNs and ILND specimens were assessed histopathologically, using haematoxylin and eosin staining only. RESULTS: Biopsy of the primary tumour showed SCC grade 1 in six, grade 2 in 13 and grade 3 in two patients. The clinical T stage was T1 in two, T2 in seven, T3 in 13 and T4 in one. There were clinically palpable inguinal lymph nodes bilaterally in 19 and unilaterally in four men. Scintigraphy before surgery showed inguinal nodes bilaterally in 12 and unilaterally in eight patients, while there were no nodes in three. Surgery comprised partial penectomy in 14, radical penectomy in eight and circumcision alone in one patient. Simultaneous bilateral ILND was done in 15 patients. Inguinal node metastases were present in four of the 23 (17%) patients; the SLN was falsely negative in three (13%), one of whom had a small focus of cancer in the SLN that was missed on initial histopathological examination, and in two the dynamically located SLN contained no cancer, but node metastases were found in the ILND specimen. CONCLUSION: The relatively high false-negative rate of DSLNB indicates that it is not sufficiently reliable to replace complete ILND in men with a high suspicion of nodal metastases, i.e. a high-grade or high-stage primary lesion with clinically palpable inguinal nodes.