The anaesthetic steroid combination alphaxolone-alphadolone is a well-established short-acting inject-able agent for cats and primates. It can be recommended for intravenous administration to rats, rabbits, neonatal pigs, mice and hamsters. It has limited value in mice and hamsters by the intraperitoneal route, but provides sedation in ferrets and neonatal pigs when injected intramuscularly. It can be given repeatedly or continuously to maintain anaesthesia for long periods without the development of tolerance or cumulation.

Summary. Initially, techniques for autografting ovaries with or without adnexa were developed but a 30% vascular failure rate was experienced by day 14. Of the technically successful grafts, 50% proved fertile. Single vascularized ovaries with their oviducts were then allografted into bilaterally ovariectomized rabbits by microsurgical techniques and the vascular failure rate was reduced to 5% of 40 grafts. The time‐course of rejection in untreated recipients was mapped by histological examination and by 24‐h culture of fallopian tubes after autopsy at different times after transplantation. Control allografts were consistently rejected by day 20. Striking prolongation of both types of graft was obtained with a short 17‐day course of cyclosporin A at 10 or 15 mg day−1kg−1. Indeed, significant evidence of rejection was found in only two ovaries out of 20 so far examined histologically. Mating behaviour, ovulation, ciliary function and transport of ova appeared normal in 80% of the recipients as long as 18 weeks after stopping cyclosporin A treatment. Only one of the ovarian allografted rabbits has so far been mated and this produced seven normal young 126 days after transplantation. However, none of the five animals mated after being allografted with en bloc adnexa have so far become pregnant.

The effect of CP130 (a synthetic hexadentate pyridinone iron chelator) on the formation of two markers of lipid peroxidation (TBA-reactive material and Schiff's bases) in rabbit kidneys following a 72 h period of cold (0-4 degrees C) ischaemia was investigated by either adding CP130 to the flush/storage solution (hypertonic citrate solution) or by administering the agent intravenously 15 min before removal of the organs. In both cases, CP130 blocked the adverse rises in lipid peroxidation caused by ischaemia and subsequent reoxygenation of the homogenates in vitro. Both CP130 and desferrioxamine (DFX) (administered intravenously 15 min before ischaemia and 5 min before reperfusion) were also found to significantly reduce post-ischaemic rates of in vitro lipid peroxidation in kidneys rendered warm ischaemic for 90 min followed by reperfusion for 5 or 60 min in situ. Kidneys exposed to warm ischaemia and reperfusion developed interstitial and intracellular oedema, congestion and haemorrhage. DFX administration had little effect on the histological outcome, whereas CP130 significantly reduced interstitial oedema (at 5 min reperfusion compared to the DFX-treated group), intracellular oedema (at 60 min reperfusion compared to the DFX-treated group) and congestion (at 5 min reperfusion compared with a control group not given any agent). It is concluded that while CP130 and DFX exhibited similar antioxidant properties, CP130 provided better protection from ischaemia/reperfusion injury at the histological level. Synthetic iron chelators may therefore be of benefit in clinical organ transplantation by protecting against tissue damage caused by prolonged ischaemia.

Control of mange mites, Myobia musculi and Myocoptes musculinus, in large numbers of imported mice is described. Previously recommended acaricides were found inadequate in clearing Myobia unless unrealistic treatment schedules were employed. A simple dipping procedure at fortnightly intervals with a bucarpolate-pyrethrins agent which is safe both for adult and newly born mice, completely cleared mice that were heavily infested.

During the course of a study on preservation of small bowel transplants in rats, the hypothesis that histamine may play a role in graft damage has been investigated. Plasma and mucosal histamine levels have been measured after storage and reperfusion of Lewis rat small bowel transplants which have received an intravascular flush of saline or of one of the tissue preservation media, hypertonic citrate or University of Wisconsin solution. Plasma histamine concentration was unchanged from a control value of 23.2 +/- 2.6 ng/ml 15 min after reperfusion of grafts, whether fresh or stored for 24 h or for 48 h. Mucosal histamine levels in the grafts fell, however, from a control value of 371.0 +/- 22.9 ng/g tissue, first on storage then further after 15 min reperfusion. No differences were found in these parameters of histamine release between any of the preservation media. It is suggested that histamine may play a role in storage and reperfusion damage to small bowel transplants.