Differential impacts of six insecticides on a mealybug and its coccinellid predator.

Broad-spectrum insecticides may disrupt biological control and cause pest resurgence due to their negative impacts on natural enemies. The preservation of sustainable pest control in agroecosystems requires parallel assessments of insecticide toxicity to target pests and their key natural enemies. In the present study, the leaf dipping method was used to evaluate the relative toxicity of six insecticides to the striped mealybug, Ferrisia dasylirii (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) and its predator, Tenuisvalvae notata (Mulsant) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Three neurotoxic insecticides, lambda-cyhalothrin, methidathion and thiamethoxam, caused complete mortality of both pest and predator when applied at their highest field rates. In contrast, lufenuron, pymetrozine and pyriproxyfen caused moderate mortality of third-instar mealybug nymphs, and exhibited low or no toxicity to either larvae or adults of the lady beetle. At field rates, lufenuron and pymetrozine had negligible effects on prey consumption, development or reproduction of T. notata, but adults failed to emerge from pupae when fourth instar larvae were exposed to pyriproxyfen. In addition, pyriproxyfen caused temporary sterility; T. notata females laid non-viable eggs for three days after exposure, but recovered egg fertility thereafter. Our results indicate that the three neurotoxic insecticides can potentially control F. dasylirii, but are hazardous to its natural predator. In contrast, lufenuron and pymetrozine appear compatible with T. notata, although they appear less effective against the mealybug. Although the acute toxicity of pyriproxyfen to T. notata was low, some pupal mortality and reduced egg fertility suggest that this material could impede the predator's numerical response to mealybug populations.

Mechanism of olfactory deficit in neurotrauma and its related affective distress: A narrative review.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is among the leading causes of death and disability all over the globe. TBI is also commonly associated with clinical sequelae of posttraumatic depression, and reports of other subsequent affective distress are common. Similarly, posttraumatic changes in chemoreceptive sensory functions, primarily due to coup-contrecoup injury induced shearing of the olfactory nerve fibers, leading to anosmia and ageusia are also well documented in the literature. However, the current literature is limited in addressing the intersections between said variables. The aim of this study was to provide a focused narrative review of the literature, to address these intersections found in clinical sequelae of TBI. As chemoreceptive sensory deficits are also linked to significant affective distress of their own, this review addresses the bidirectionality between sensory deficit and affective distress. Prevalence, demographics, mechanisms, and clinical implications are presented. Previous research is presented and discussed, in an effort to highlight the importance of consideration for all factors in TBI patient care and future research.

Neurocognitive outcome after endoscopic third ventriculocisterostomy in patients with obstructive hydrocephalus.

Obstructive hydrocephalus can be treated with an extracranial shunting system or, when the obstruction is between the posterior third ventricle and the fourth ventricular outflow tracts, by an endoscopic third ventriculocisternostomy (ETV). The placement of an extracranial shunting device entails significant long-term risk of infection and malfunction. This risk has led to the concept that ETV is preferable to shunting. While the long-term cognitive performance of shunted hydrocephalus patients has been extensively examined, the outcome of patients undergoing ETV has been studied only sparsely. Ten adults who had undergone ETV were entered into the study under institutional review board approval. Each patient underwent a neuropsychological testing battery that included testing within the domains of basic attention, verbal memory, visual memory, language, and executive functioning. Aggregate test scores showed a decrease in performance in the domains of memory and executive functioning when compared to normative data. The present study revealed persistent cognitive inefficiencies in memory and executive domains in patients post-ETV intervention. A larger longitudinal study considering the impact of prior shunting, presence of headaches, emotional status, and surgical complications will assist in elucidating the etiology and eventual treatment of these deficits.

Intellectual functioning in children with early shunted posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus.

OBJECTIVES: Early intervention for cognitive impairments seen in children with hydrocephalus is key to successful developmental outcome. Thus, the examination of the cognitive and behavioral functioning of children with hydrocephalus is important, given increasing survival rates and the potential to implement successful cognitive interventions. The current literature suggests that intellectual impairment is common in hydrocephalus patients, yet the findings vary concerning the extent and specifics of the cognitive deficits seen in these children. To better understand the pattern of cognitive impairment observed in children with shunted hydrocephalus, the present study examined a cohort of children with hydrocephalus uniformly shunted with a nonsiphoning valve in the first year of life. METHODS: Forty-one children and adolescents with a history of congenital hydrocephalus, who were shunted with nonsiphoning valves in the first year of life and are currently achieving academically within 1 year of appropriate school grade for their chronological age, were compared to 16 nonaffected age- and education-level-matched controls. The subjects completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery that included the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third Edition, (WISC-III) as a measure of general intellectual functioning. Performances across the WISC-III were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: The data were normally distributed for both groups. The children shunted for hydrocephalus scored approximately 1 standard deviation lower than the controls on the measures of general intellectual functioning (shunted group mean WISC-III full-scale intelligence quotient = 83.8 vs. control mean full-scale intelligence quotient = 102.9, p

Population growth and within-plant distribution of the striped mealybug Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell) (Hemiptera, Pseudococcidae) on cotton

Population growth and within-plant distribution of the striped mealybug Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell) (Hemiptera, Pseudococcidae) on cotton. The striped mealybug, Ferrisia virgata (Cockerell) (Hemiptera, Pseudococcidae), is a widely distributed and polyphagous pest species, which naturally occurs on cotton plants in Brazil. This study evaluated the establishment and population growth as well as the within-plant distribution of F. virgata on four cotton cultivars: CNPA 7H (white fibers), BRS Verde, BRS Safira, and BRS Rubi (colored fibers). The experiment was conducted in a complete randomized design with four treatments (cultivars) and 18 replications of each. Thus, cotton plants of each cultivar were infested with 100 newly hatched nymphs of F. virgata. The number of adult female mealybugs and the total number of mealybugs per plant were quantified, respectively, at 25 and 50 days after infestation. The developmental and pre-reproductive periods were also determined. Furthermore, we verified the distribution of F. virgata on the plant parts at 25 and 50 days after infestation. Ferrisia virgata showed similar growth of 412-fold in the four cotton cultivars studied. Also, the nymphs were spread on infested leaves; the secondgeneration nymphs were spread and established in all plant parts. Our results characterize F. virgata as having much potential as an important cotton pest in Brazil.

Espécies de Frankliniella (Thysanoptera, Thripidae): novos registros em mangueira (Mangifera indica) no Brasil / Species of Frankliniella (Thysanoptera, Thripidae): new records on mango orchards (Mangifera indica) in Brazil

O objetivo do trabalho foi conhecer as espécies de tripes (Thysanoptera) que atacam pomares de mangueira no semiárido pernambucano. Foram realizadas coletas no período de um ano, em três plantios comerciais da cv. 'Tommy Atkins'. Avaliações semanais foram realizadas em 75 plantas, nos estádios vegetativo e reprodutivo, perfazendo um total de 10.704 amostras em folhas e 390 em panículas. Os espécimes coletados foram levados ao laboratório da Embrapa Semiárido, Petrolina, PE, para triagem dos adultos em microscópio estereoscópico e, posteriormente, enviados à Universidade Federal de Lavras, MG, para identificação. As espécies Frankliniella gardeniae Moulton e Frankliniella Brevicaulis Hood, pertencentes à família Thripidae, representaram, respectivamente, 77 por cento e 23 por cento do total dos tripes coletados. Este estudo relata a primeira ocorrência dessas duas espécies em associação à cultura da mangueira, no Brasil.

The goal of this study was to survey the thrips (Thysanoptera) fauna that attack mango trees in the "semiárido" of Pernambuco. During one year, three commercial orchards of the 'Tommy Atkins' variety were visited. Weekly evaluations were carried out in 75 plants in the vegetative and reproductive stages, totaling 10.704 leaf samples and 390 panicle samples. The adult specimens were sorted using stereomicroscope at the Embrapa Semiárido lab, Petrolina, PE, and sent to the Lavras Federal University, MG, for identification. The species Frankliniella gardeniae Moulton and Frankliniella Brevicaulis Hood, family Thripidae, represented 77 percent and 23 percent of all collected thrips, respectively. This is the first report of these two species occurring in association with mango trees in Brazil.

The state of the single tryptophyl of the black-eyed pea trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor by charge transfer with N-methylnicotinamide chloride.

The single tryptophan residue of the black-eyed pea trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor was found to be sufficiently exposed to bind N-methylnicotinamide chloride and give rise to a characteristic charge-transfer absorption spectrum. At pH 7.0, ionic strength of 1M and 25 degrees C, an apparent association constant K = 3.19 +/- 0.07 M-1 and a molar extinction coefficient epsilon = 1240 +/- 18 M-1 cm-1 (at 350 nm) were obtained for the charge-transfer complex. The values of these parameters were also estimated for other wavelengths over the 330-420 nm range. The association constant showed a negligible dependence on the wavelength.