Predictors of poor neurodevelopmental outcomes in neonates with clinically observed seizures: A prospective observational study in a tertiary care hospital of Bangladesh.

Neonatal seizures can lead to long-term neurodevelopmental problems. This study aims to identify predictors of poor developmental outcomes in neonates with seizures to aid in early intervention and referral for follow-up and rehabilitation. This observational study was conducted in the Department of Neonatology and Institute of Paediatric Neurodisorder and Autism, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. Among 75 study cases of neonatal seizure, 23 died, and 46 were followed-up at 6 and 9 months after discharge. EEGs were performed on every patient. A comprehensive neurological examination and developmental evaluation were performed using Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley III). Three-fourths of neonates were born at term (76.1 %), and over half were male (56.5 %). The majority were appropriate for gestational age (79.7 %) and had an average birth weight of 2607 ± 696 g (±SD). Over half of the neonates (52.2 %) had adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, with global developmental delay being the most common. Recurrent seizures, the number of anticonvulsants needed to control seizures, and abnormal Electroencephalograms were identified as independent predictors of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. The study highlights the need for early referral for follow-up and rehabilitation of neonates with seizures having abnormal electroencephalograms, recurrent seizures and requiring more anticonvulsants to control seizures.

Raspberry ketone feeding makes Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), more vulnerable to desiccation but not starvation.

BACKGROUND: Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) males exhibit accelerated sexual maturation when their diet is supplemented with raspberry ketone (RK) for 48 h following emergence, which is beneficial for sterile insect technique operation. The present study tests whether RK supplementation makes Qfly more vulnerable to starvation or desiccation. RESULTS: Flies were fed for 48 h with a yeast hydrolysate and sugar diet (1:3) that contained 0% RK (control), 1.25% RK (low dose) or 5% RK (high dose) to test subsequent vulnerability to starvation and desiccation. RK feeding decreased body weight and water content in males and increased lipid levels in both sexes before exposure to any stress treatment. Under nutritional stress, flies fed the low RK dose, but not the high RK dose, had higher survival than controls. Under desiccation stress, flies fed both the low and high RK doses had lower survival than the controls. Body weight, water content and lipid reserves at death were all affected by RK dose when under nutritional stress, but not when under desiccation stress. In the absence of stress, body weight at death was higher than controls in flies provided with the high RK dose and lipids were lower than controls in flies provided with the low RK dose. CONCLUSION: Feeding with RK makes Qflies more vulnerable to desiccation but not starvation. In most conditions, it is expected that the disadvantage of increased desiccation vulnerability would be outweighed by the benefits of accelerated sexual maturation in RK-fed young adult Qflies. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Visibility and Persistence of Fluorescent Dyes, and Impacts on Emergence, Quality, and Survival of Sterile Queensland Fruit Fly Bactrocera tryoni (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Tephritid flies released in sterile insect technique pest management programs are usually marked with fluorescent dyes so that they can be distinguished from wild flies in monitoring traps. Dyes can have adverse effects on emergence, quality, and survival, which can impact sterile insect technique (SIT) success, and so it is important to identify dyes and doses that maximize marking efficacy while minimizing deleterious effects on fly quality. This study examines the effects of five fluorescent dye products, Fluoro Pink, Fluoro Orange, Stella Green, Arc Chrome, and Astral Pink applied at four dose levels (1, 2, 3, and 4 g/liter) on Queensland fruit fly. All dye products caused a similar dose-dependent reduction in percentage of adult emergence. Incidence of morphological deformity of emerged adults increased with dose, and this trend was similar for all dye products. No effects of dye product or dose were found on survival rates over the first 35 d of adulthood, although females tended to have higher survival than males. Visibility varied with dose and dye product; 1 g/liter dye was less visible than 2, 3, or 4 g/liter, and Stella green had lower visibility than other dyes. All of the tested dyes except for Stella green were similar in all assessed metrics of fly performance and are recommended for use in SIT programs.

Correction: Suppression of cuelure attraction in male Queensland fruit flies provided raspberry ketone supplements as immature adults.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184086.].

Suppression of cuelure attraction in male Queensland fruit flies provided raspberry ketone supplements as immature adults.

Tephritid fruit flies are amongst the most damaging insect pests of horticulture globally. Some of the key fruit fly species are managed using the sterile insect technique (SIT), whereby millions of sterile males are released to suppress reproduction of pest populations. Male annihilation technique (MAT), whereby sex specific lures are used to attract and kill males, is often used to reduce wild male numbers before SIT programs commence, providing released sterile males an increased numerical advantage. Overall program efficacy might be improved if MAT could be deployed simultaneously with SIT, continuously depleting fertile males from pest populations and replacing them with sterile males. However, such 'male replacement' requires a means of suppressing attraction of released sterile males to lures used in MAT. Previous studies have found that exposure of some fruit flies to lure compounds as mature adults can suppress subsequent response to those lures, raising the possibility of pre-release treatments. However, this approach requires holding flies until after maturation for treatment and then release. The present study takes a novel approach of exposing immature adult male Queensland fruit flies (Bactrocera tryoni, or 'Qfly') to raspberry ketone (RK) mixed in food, forcing these flies to ingest RK at ages far younger than they would naturally. After feeding on RK-supplemented food for two days after emergence, male Qflies exhibited a reduction in attraction to cuelure traps that lasted more than 20 days. This approach to RK exposure is compatible with current practises, in which Qflies are released as immature adults, and also yields advantages of accelerated reproductive development and increased mating propensity at young ages.

Raspberry ketone supplement promotes early sexual maturation in male Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Diptera: Tephritidae).

BACKGROUND: Raspberry ketone (RK) is highly attractive to sexually mature, but not immature, males of many Bactrocera species, including Queensland fruit fly ('Qfly', Bactrocera tryoni), and acts as a metabolic enhancer in a wide diversity of animals. We considered the possibility that, as a metabolic enhancer, RK in adult diet might accelerate sexual maturation of male Qflies. RESULTS: Recently emerged adult Qfly males (0-24 h old) were exposed to RK-treated food for 48 h and were then provided only sugar and water. Four doses of RK (1.25, 2.5, 3.75 and 5%) along with control (0%) were tested with two types of food: sugar alone and sugar mixed with yeast hydrolysate (3:1). For flies tested when 4-10 days old all RK doses increased mating probability of flies fed sugar mixed with yeast hydrolysate but did not show any effect on mating probability of flies fed only sugar. No effects of RK were found for flies tested when 10-30 days old for either diet group. There was no evidence that RK affected longevity at any of the doses tested. CONCLUSION: Feeding of RK together with yeast hydrolysate to immature Qfly increases mating propensity at young ages and accordingly shows significant potential as a pre-release supplement that might increase the proportion of released flies that attain sexual maturation in Sterile Insect Technique programmes. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.