Congo peafowl use both primary and regenerating forest in Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congogo

The Congo Peafowl Afropavo congensis is a little-known species endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo. A central question in assessing its conservation status is the degree to which it uses secondary forest. Here, we measure relative use of two contiguous forest blocks in Salonga National Park, one patch of primary forest and another of secondary forest that has been regenerating for over 30 years. We searched for Congo Peafowl using systematic surveys along a transect grid, and exhaustive searching of smaller subsections of habitat for secondary signs of peafowl presence (feathers and droppings). Detections of secondary signs of peafowl presence were significantly more frequent in secondary than in primary forest, and 19 of the 31 sightings of birds were in secondary forest. Microhabitats used by the birds differed between forest types, with those in secondary forest being closer to the nearest watercourse, having fewer large trees, and lower plant species richness. In addition, fewer taxonomic groups were found in peafowl droppings collected in secondary forest. Overall, our results demonstrate that old regenerating forest is heavily used by Congo Peafowl at least in this area. Secondary habitats must therefore be considered when planning for the conservation of this species, particularly where regenerating forest fragments might connect larger blocks of habitat

Oestrogen receptor status and histopathological grade of primary breast carcinoma as determined by immunohistochemical assay.

Immunohistochemical assay was performed for oestrogen receptors (ER) on postmastectomy specimens of 66 histologically confirmed cases of primary breast carcinoma. All the cases were non-pregnant black African women aged 18 years and above and had not had prior anti-cancer therapy. The mastectomy specimens were fixed in formal saline and embedded in paraffin wax and subjected to routine histopathological procedures. They were graded according to the G-histopathological classification. The majority (62.1%) of the tumours were of the G2 (moderate) grade. A total of 27(65.9%) of them were ER positive. The G1 (well differentiated) and G3 (poorly differentiated) grades were equally represented. The results showed no association between the ER status and the histopathological grade of the carcinoma

Use of urethral catheters for diagnostic peritoneal lavage in blunt abdominal trauma.

Background: Diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL) has been reported to be a reliable diagnostic tool in assessing the need for laparotomy in blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) with a diagnostic accuracy of more than 95% when using a peritoneal lavage catheter (PLC). The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the procedure when small urethral catheters are used as an alternative to the PLC. Methods: Open diagnostic peritoneal lavage was performed in 115 patients with blunt abdominal trauma in whom clinical assessment for intra-abdominal injury was uninformative. Two-way silicon-coated rubber Foley urethra catheters size l2Fr were used as substitutes for peritoneal lavage catheter. Peritoneal effluent fluid was analysed both macroscopically and by the laboratory estimation of the white and red blood cell counts and amylase levels. Results: A total of 27 Patients (23.5%) had positive DPL results while three (2.6%) had clinically doubtful equivocal DPL results. Both groups were subjected to exploratory laparotomy. The rest of cases (73.9%) improved on non-operative (conservative) management. The diagnostic accuracy was 97.6% for macroscopic and 99.1% for laboratory assessment. There were no complications attributed to DPL. There was a significant association between the DPL results and the laparotomy findings (p=0.000). Macroscopic assessment of DPL results was also found to be a reliable diagnostic method in blunt abdominal trauma (p<0.001). Conclusion: In emergency situations, small urethral catheters size l2Fr are a useful and safe alternative to peritoneal lavage catheters as diagnostic tools in blunt abdominal trauma