Effects of canola-wheat intercrops on Delia spp. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) oviposition, larval feeding damage, and adult abundance.

Reductions in oviposition and subsequent damage by root maggots (Diptera: Anthomyiidae, Delia spp.) to brassicaceous crops in the presence of nonhost plants has been demonstrated, but such investigations have not been conducted using intercrops of species commonly grown in the large-scale agricultural production systems of western Canada. A field experiment was conducted at three sites in Alberta, Canada, in 2005 and 2006 to determine interactions between root maggots and the various proportions of canola (Brassica napus L.) making up the total crop plant populations in intercrops with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The effect of a neonicotinoid seed treatment also was investigated. Root maggot damage to canola taproots decreased with increasing proportions of wheat in the intercrops. The presence of wheat in the intercrops had little effect on root maggot adult abundance in any single site-by-year combination or when data were combined over all sites and years, with different Delia species and sexes responding differently. Similarly, per plant root maggot egg populations were unaffected by intercropping, although egg populations were reduced on a per unit land area basis in intercrops compared with monocultures. Insecticidal seed treatment did not affect root maggot egg populations or canola root damage. Variable abundances and phenologies of the principal root maggot species infesting canola at different sites and years may influence their responses to canola-wheat intercrops. Intercropping canola and wheat may provide an opportunity for reducing crop damage from root maggot attack without compromising environmental sustainability.

Emergence and seasonal activity of the entomophagous rove beetle Aleochara bilineata (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in canola in Western Canada.

Aleochara bilineata Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) is an important natural enemy of root maggots (Delia spp.) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), which are serious pests of brassicaceous crops in North America and Europe. Adults of A. bilineata feed on eggs and larvae of root maggots, and A. bilineata larvae parasitize Delia spp. pupae. Emergence and seasonal activity patterns of A. bilineata were investigated during 2003-2005 in canola (Brassica rapa L. and Brassica napus L.) in central Alberta, Canada, in relation to degree-day (DD) accumulations and Julian date. Captures of A. bilineata adults from pitfall traps within emergence cages situated over canola stubble from the previous year indicated that approximately 428, 493, and 455 DD (soil base 5.57 degrees C) and 187, 189, and 180 Julian days were required for 50% emergence in 2003, 2004, and 2005, respectively (3-yr mean = 185.1 +/- 2.8 Julian days [SEM]). Captures of A. bilineata adults from pitfall traps placed in current canola crops determined that 50% levels of activity density required 379 DD and 180 Julian days in 2004. A logistic model that described the relationship of degree-days and Julian days with emergence of adult beetles was appraised, and good correspondence was evident between predicted and observed cumulative emergence patterns. Emergence and seasonal activity periods of A. bilineata in canola were well synchronized with occurrence of preimaginal life stages of its principal hosts, Delia radicum (L.) and Delia platura Meigen, with beetle emergence beginning shortly after the onset of root maggot oviposition.

Effects of fall and spring seeding date and other agronomic factors on infestations of root maggots, Delia spp. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), in canola.

Several agronomic benefits can result from fall seeding of canola (Brassica spp.), but extensive research data are lacking on the potential impact of this practice on infestations of root maggots (Delia spp.) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), which are major pests of the crop in western Canada. Field experiments making up 13 location by year combinations were conducted in central Alberta, Canada, from 1998 to 2001 to determine the effect of fall versus spring seeding of canola on root maggot damage. Depending on the experiment, interactions with seeding rate, seed treatment, timing of weed removal, and canola species (cultivar) also were investigated. Root maggot damage declined with an increase in seeding rate for plots seeded in May but not in fall or April. Susceptibility to infestation was greater for plants of Brassica rapa L. than Brassica napus L., but seed treatment had no effect on damage by these pests. Combined analysis using data from all experiment by location by year combinations indicated that seeding date had no significant effect on root maggot damage. The extended emergence of Delia spp. adults, which spans the appearance of crop stages vulnerable to oviposition regardless of seeding date, prevented reduced root maggot attack. Covariance analysis demonstrated the importance of increasing seeding rate for reducing root maggot infestations, a practice that can be especially beneficial for May-seeded canola when growing conditions limit the ability of plants to compensate for root maggot damage. Results determined with the small plot studies described here should be validated in larger plots or on a commercial field scale, but both the combined and covariance analyses indicate that seeding canola in fall does not predispose plants to greater damage by larval root maggots than seeding in spring.

Bilateral testicular tumors in congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

A 22-year-old male with bilateral testicular tumors and the 21-hydroxylase variety of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) was studied. Preoperatively, on his usual glucocorticoid regimen, his urinary pregnanetriol excretion was increased (8.0-23.5 mg/day), serum LH and FSH were normal to increased (14.3-28.7 mIU/ml and 13.2-19.5 mIU/ml, respectively) and testosterone (T) was normal to decreased (176-600 ng/dl). At surgery, testicular vein concentrations of 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) and adnrostenedione (delta) were increased (30.1 mug/dl and 38.3 mug/dl respectively) while T was decreased (1,503 ng/dl); a positive peripheral vein--testicular vein gradient was not seen for these steroids. Following injection of 10 U of crystalline ACTH into the testicular artery; testicular vein concentrations of 17-OHP, delta and T increased to 729 mug/dl, 2,390 mug/dl and 9,660 ng/dl respectively. Microscopic examination of the testes revealed multinodular tumors composed of polygonal or rounded eosinophilic cells, arranged in cords, nests and clusters. The tumors extended from the hilus and compressed the adjacent testicular tissue. Electron microscopic examination of the tumors showed features, common to steroid-secreting tissues, with abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum in close proximity to mitochondria which was moderate in number. The adjacent testicular tissue was composed of immature tubules with normally developed Leydig cells in the interstitial tissues. From these data and a survey of previous works, it was postulated that these tumors were dependent upon ACTH for growth and steroid secretion. In view of the high serum LH concentration seen in association with incomplete suppression of adrenal steroid secretion in this study and the association of evidence of gonadotropin secretion with testicular tumors in other CAH patients, LH may also have contributed to the growth of these tumors.

Growth increments with low dose intermittent growth hormone and fluoxymesterone in first year of therapy in hypopituitarism.

The availability of a commercial preparation of human growth hormone (hGH) prompted a study in children with hypopituitarism to determine the efficacy of a lower dose of hGH. Thirteen children, ages 4 years 3 months to 13 years 7 months, were given hGH concomitant with fluoxymesterone in an intermittent regimen. The hGH was given intramuscularly, 1 IU daily for 12 to 36 days in each course. There were four courses per year. The fluoxymesterone was given orally, 1 to 2 mg. The total amount of hGH administered was between 48 and 112 IU per year, as compared with the regimen of 312 IU per year, 2 units three times a week. The growth velocity in all 13 children improved, and the mean growth velocity was 6.4 cm +/- 1.13 SD. The mean bone age increment was 0.57 years +/- 0.14 SEM in one chronological year of therapy. The low dose regimen permits a significant reduction in cost of hGH without causing undue advance in bone age.

Male pseudohermaphroditism with partial androgen insensitivity.

Androgen insensitivity was demonstrated in two male siblings with partial masculinization of the external genitalia. They had a previously undescribed defect characterized postpubertally by high plasma testosterone and luteinizing hormone concentrations with low serum follicle-stimulating hormone levels. Studies in skin fibroblasts showed normal androgen receptor affinity and capacity for 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), normal nuclear retention of the receptor-DHT complex, and normal conversion of testosterone to DHT.

Height predictions in girls with idiopathic precocious puberty by the Bayley-Pinneau method.

Eleven girls with idiopathic precocious puberty had height predictions determined at various ages prior to obtaining mature heights. The Bayley-Pinneau method of height prediction produced both overestimation and underestimation. Height predictions were more accurate at chronologic ages approaching mature heights.

Neonatal salt loss in the hypertensive form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

The 11 beta-hydroxylase deficiency (11OHD) form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia is diagnosed infrequently during the newborn period. A child presumed to have the 21-hydroxylase deficiency form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia was studied extensively as an infant. The diagnosis was based on ambiguous genitalia, elevated 17-ketosteroids, evidence of urinary 11-ketopregnanetriol, and salt loss. Severe hypertension was detected at 11 years, and 11 beta-hydroxylase deficiency was confirmed with elevated plasma 11-deoxycorticosterone and 11-deoxycortisol, low cortisol, and normalization of blood pressure following glucocorticoid replacement. Impaired aldosterone biosynthesis and salt loss were demonstrated during dexamethasone therapy. Salt loss during infancy does not distinguish between the 11 beta- and 21-hydroxylase deficiency forms of congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) diversity, activity density, and community structure in a diversified agroecosystem.

Diversity and abundance of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) can be enhanced in vegetable and field intercropping systems, but the complexity of polycultures precludes the application of generalized assumptions of effects for novel intercropping combinations. In a field experiment conducted at Lacombe and Ellerslie, Alberta, Canada, in 2005 and 2006, we investigated the effects of intercropping canola (Brassica napus L.) with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) on the diversity and community structure of carabid beetles, and on the activity density responses of individual carabid species. Shannon-Wiener diversity index scores and species evenness increased significantly as the proportion of wheat comprising total crop plant populations increased in one site-year of the study, indicating a positive response to enhanced crop plant species evenness in the intercrops, and in that same site-year, ground beetle communities in intercrops shifted to more closely approximate those in wheat monocultures as the percentage of wheat in the intercrops increased. Individual carabid species activity densities showed differing responses to intercropping, although activity densities of some potential root maggot (Delia spp.) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) predators were greater in intercrops with high proportions of wheat than in canola monocultures. The activity density of Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger), the most abundant species collected, tended to be greater in canola monocultures than high-wheat intercrops or wheat monocultures. We conclude that intercrops of canola and wheat have the potential to enhance populations of some carabid species, therefore possibly exerting increased pressure on some canola insect pests.

Patterns of growth from birth to maturity in infants and children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Patterns of growth of 30 children with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia of the 21-hydroxylase type were studied from infancy to maturity. These children were compliant as to therapy. Intramuscular (I.M.) Cortisone (40 mg/M2) given every three days resulted in growth failure after the first year of life. A marked increase in height velocity occurred when oral Cortisone (20-25 mg/M2) was given at approximately 3 years. Growth was relatively normal during childhood in both boys and girls but there was a marked increase in mean weight in both sexes. Pubertal growth spurt occurred normally in males but was delayed in females. Weight decreased in both sexes at puberty but not to normal. Better methods of monitoring this condition should result in therapeutic regimes which allow normal growth patterns as well as normal mature height.