Changes in condylar position and morphology after mandibular reconstruction by vascularized fibular free flap with condyle preservation.

OBJECTS: Changes in condylar position and morphology after mandibular reconstruction are important to aesthetic and functional rehabilitation. We evaluated changes in condylar position and morphology at different stages after mandibular reconstruction using vascularized fibular free flap with condyle preservation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 23 patients who underwent mandibular reconstruction with fibular flap were included in this retrospective study. CT data of all patients were recorded before surgery (T0), 7 to 14 days after surgery (T1), and at least 6 months after surgery (T2). Five parameters describing the condylar position and 4 parameters describing the morphology were measured in sagittal and coronal views of CT images. The association between clinical characteristics and changes in condylar position and morphology was analyzed. A finite element model was established to investigate the stress distribution and to predict the spatial movement tendency of the condyle after reconstruction surgery. RESULTS: The condylar position changed over time after mandibular reconstruction. The ipsilateral condyles moved inferiorly after surgery (T0 to T1) and continually move anteriorly, inferiorly, and laterally during long-term follow-up (T1 to T2). Contrary changes were noted in the contralateral condyles with no statistical significance. No morphological changes were detected. The relationship between clinical characteristics and changes in condylar position and morphology was not statistically significant. A consistent result was observed in the finite element analysis. CONCLUSION: Condylar positions showed obvious changes over time after mandibular reconstruction with condylar preservation. Nevertheless, further studies should be conducted to evaluate the clinical function outcomes and condylar position. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These findings can form the basis for the evaluation of short-term and long-term changes in condylar position and morphology among patients who have previously undergone mandibular reconstruction by FFF with condyle preservation.

Transcriptome Analysis of Detoxification-Related Genes in Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an important pest on maize, and it can cause large yield losses. As S. frugiperda has invaded many developing countries in Africa and Asia in recent years, it could impact food security. Pesticides remain the main method to control S. frugiperda in the field, and this pest has developed resistance to some pesticides. In this study, we used second-generation sequencing technology to detect the gene expression change of S. frugiperda after treatment by LC20 of three pesticides, lufenuron, spinetoram, and tetrachloroamide, which have different modes of actions. The sequence data were first assembled into a 60,236 unigenes database, and then the differential expression unigenes (DEUs) after pesticide treatment were identified. The DEU numbers, Gene Ontology catalog, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway catalog were analyzed. Finally, 11 types of unigenes related to detoxification and DEUs after pesticide treatment were listed, and Cytochrome P450, Glutathione S-transferase, and ATP-binding cassette transporter were analyzed. This study provides a foundation for molecular research on S. frugiperda pesticide detoxification.

Risk Factors for Failure in First-Time Hearing Screening Tests among High-Risk Neonates in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate into the risk factors for failure in the first-time screening test among high-risk neonates in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in order to further clarify the etiology of neonatal hearing impairment, thus providing insights into early prevention and intervention. METHODS: We performed automated auditory brainstem response (AABR), distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE), and acoustic immittance (AI) on 2,194 high-risk neonates admitted into the NICU of Shanghai Children's Medical Center from January 2015 to December 2019, and the risk factors, including premature birth, hyperbilirubinemia, and infant respiratory distress syndrome, were analyzed retrospectively by the univariate χ2 test and multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The pass rates of AABR, DPOAE, and AI were 70.21, 78.44, and 93.12%, respectively, in 2,194 cases of high-risk neonates screened, which are significantly lower than those of healthy controls. The most common diagnoses included artificial feeding, preterm birth, C-section, low birth weight (LBW), neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (NHB), neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS), congenital heart disease (CHD), gestational diabetes mellitus, pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome, advanced maternal age (AMA), twins, and in vitro fertilization. Stepwise logistic regression analysis indicated that the AABR pass rate was negatively correlated with LBW (p = 0.002), NHB (p < 0.001), NRDS (p = 0.007), artificial or mixed feeding (p = 0.018), and CHD (p = 0.005). The pass rate of DPOAE was negatively correlated with artificial or mixed feeding (p = 0.041), NHB (p < 0.001), LBW (p = 0.007), very LBW (VLBW) (p = 0.008), and C-section (p < 0.001). The pass rate of AI was negatively correlated with revised AMA (≥40 year) (p < 0.001), NHB (p = 0.043), C-section (p = 0.005), and artificial/mixed feeding (p = 0.036). CONCLUSION: The hearing screening pass rates of high-risk neonates in the NICU were lower than those of normal neonates, among which the rate of AABR was significantly lower than that of DPOAE. NRDS, NHB, LBW, revised AMA, CHD, C-section, and artificial feeding are potential risk factors of hearing impairment. The combination of different hearing screening tests is necessary for accurate diagnosis of congenital hearing disorders.

Halogen Effects-Induced Bright D-π-A Fluorophore as Scaffold for NIR Fluorogenic Probes with High Contrast.

Endowing fluorogenic probes with ultrahigh contrast is essential to increasing the accuracy of fluorescence sensing and imaging. Phenolate-based D-π-A fluorophores (A-DOH) belong to a big family of fluorophores and have attracted increasing attention in fluorogenic probe design. However, the intrinsic dilemma of weak intracellular emission of traditional A-DOH fluorophores resulted in low contrast during live cell imaging. Herein, we present a general and robust approach to preparing novel A-DOH fluorophores with bright NIR fluorescence in living cells based on the unique halogen effects. The reported chlorinated A-DOH fluorophore (A1-2ClOH) has an extremely strong fluorescence in an aqueous solution of pH 7.4 and living cells, which is 194 and 30 times higher than that of the traditional halogen-free analogue (A1-OH), respectively. We systematically investigated and demonstrated that the distinct -I and +M halogen effects, which led to a drastic decrease in the pKa value and a significant enhancement in the fluorescence quantum yield, respectively, should be responsible for the tremendous fluorescence enhancement. The flexible phenol caging chemistry allows one to prepare multiple NIR fluorogenic probes based on the A1-2ClOH scaffold with high contrast for live cell imaging of a variety of analytes by introducing a corresponding triggering moiety. Moreover, the conjugated azide group of A1-2ClOH enables the integration of more functions as desired through a facile click reaction. A fluorogenic probe (mitoProbe-PN) was synthesized as a paradigm by equipping the A1-2ClOH scaffold with a mitochondria-targeting moiety and a peroxynitrite-responsive triggering group and demonstrated specific high-contrast fluorescence imaging of endogenous OONO- in mitochondria of living macrophages.

Nano-Assemblies from J-Aggregated Dyes: A Stimuli-Responsive Tool Applicable To Living Systems.

Controlling the packing arrangements of dyes is a facile way of tuning their photophysical and/or photochemical properties, thus enabling new sensing mechanisms for photofunctional tools. Here, we present a general and robust strategy toward water-stable J-aggregated dye-templated nanoassemblies by incorporating an amphiphilic diblock copolymer and a stimuli-responsive dye as the only two building components. An iodo-substituted boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) was adopted as a template to direct the self-assembly of poly(ethylene glycol)- block-polycaprolactone (PEG-PCL), forming a core-shell nanoplate with slip-stacked BODIPYs as core surrounded by hydrophilic PEG shell. The self-assembled nanoplate is stable in cell culture medium and possesses a built-in stimuli-responsiveness that arises from BODIPY bearing meso-carboxylate protecting group, which is efficiently removed upon treatment with peroxynitrite. The resulting negative charges lead to rearrangement of dyes from J-stacking to nonstacking, which activates photoinduced singlet oxygen production from the nanoassemblies. The stimuli-activatable photosensitivity has been exploited for specific photodynamic ablation of activated RAW 264.7 cells with excessive endogenous peroxynitrite. In light of the generality of the sensing mechanism, the concept described herein will significantly expand the palette of design principles to develop diverse photofunctional tools for biological research and clinical needs.

Surgical Treatment of Primary Parapharyngeal Space Tumors: A Single-Institution Review of 28 Cases.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the surgical treatment of tumors arising from the parapharyngeal space (PPS) in a single-center setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted with 28 patients who underwent surgery for primary PPS tumors from 2011 to 2018. Patient clinical features, histologic tumor type, surgical approach, complications, and follow-up data were evaluated. RESULTS: All patients underwent surgery in this series. The transmandibular approach was most frequently performed (35.7%), followed by the transcervical (28.6%), transparotid (17.9%), and transoral (17.9%) approaches. A surgical navigation system was applied to the surgery of 4 cases with superior PPS tumors. The mean surgical duration of these cases (205.0 minutes) was shorter than that of cases without surgical navigation, and the mean maximum size (MMS) of tumors (5.8 cm) was larger (P < .01). Eleven different tumor types were diagnosed after surgery (78.6% benign and 21.4% malignant). For postoperative complications, there were 10 cases of lower lip numbness, 4 of facial nerve dysfunction, 2 of trismus, and 1 each for the remaining types. During 4- to 81-month follow-up, 27 patients had no recurrence, metastasis, or death and 1 patient was lost to follow-up. CONCLUSION: The histopathologic diagnoses were consistent with those of previous reports. Surgical resection is the main treatment for PPS tumors, with relatively low rates of recurrence and death. For superior PPS tumors, the surgical navigation system can substantially shorten the operative duration and is more suitable for larger tumors.

Study of Specific Interaction between bis(p-phenylene)-34-crown-10-based Substituted Macrocycle and Ni2.

A novel macrocyclic host has been synthesized for the determination of Ni (II) ions in aqueous solution (H2O-CH3CN, v/v = 1:1). Its molecular structure has been verified by 1H-NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectrometry (ESI).This probe shows selectivity towards the presence of Ni (II) ion among various alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metal ions. The formation of a new fluorescence band at 311 nm has been detected due to possible complex formation with increasing Ni2+ concentration in the range of 10-5-10-4 M. The detection limit is calculated to be 5.22 µM. To our knowledge, it will be the first case for bis(p-phenylene)-34-crown-10 based molecules to recognize Ni2+ ions.

A General Strategy Toward Highly Fluorogenic Bioprobes Emitting across the Visible Spectrum.

A general approach toward highly fluorogenic probes across the visible spectrum for various analytes offers significant potential for engineering a wide range of bioprobes with diverse sensing and imaging functions. Here we show a facile and general strategy that involves introducing a new fluorogenic mechanism in boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) dyes, based on the principle of stimuli-triggered dramatic reduction in the electron-withdrawing capabilities of the meso-substituents of BODIPYs. The fluorogenic mechanism has been demonstrated to be applicable in various BODIPYs with emission maxima ranging from green to far red (509, 585, and 660 nm), and the synthetic strategy allows access to a panel of highly fluorogenic bioprobes for various biomolecules and enzymes (H2O2, H2S, and protease) via introducing specific triggering motifs. The potency of the general design strategy is exemplified by its application to develop a mitochondria-targeting far-red probe capable of imaging of endogenous H2O2 in living cells.

Using Next-Generation Sequencing to Detect Differential Expression Genes in Bradysia odoriphaga after Exposure to Insecticides.

Bradysia odoriphaga (Diptera: Sciaridae) is the most important pest of Chinese chive. Insecticides are used widely and frequently to control B. odoriphaga in China. However, the performance of the insecticides chlorpyrifos and clothianidin in controlling the Chinese chive maggot is quite different. Using next generation sequencing technology, different expression unigenes (DEUs) in B. odoriphaga were detected after treatment with chlorpyrifos and clothianidin for 6 and 48 h in comparison with control. The number of DEUs ranged between 703 and 1161 after insecticide treatment. In these DEUs, 370-863 unigenes can be classified into 41-46 categories of gene ontology (GO), and 354-658 DEUs can be mapped into 987-1623 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. The expressions of DEUs related to insecticide-metabolism-related genes were analyzed. The cytochrome P450-like unigene group was the largest group in DEUs. Most glutathione S-transferase-like unigenes were down-regulated and most sodium channel-like unigenes were up-regulated after insecticide treatment. Finally, 14 insecticide-metabolism-related unigenes were chosen to confirm the relative expression in each treatment by quantitative Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The results of qRT-PCR and RNA Sequencing (RNA-Seq) are fairly well-established. Our results demonstrate that a next-generation sequencing tool facilitates the identification of insecticide-metabolism-related genes and the illustration of the insecticide mechanisms of chlorpyrifos and clothianidin.

Influence of Constant Temperature on Reproductive Parameters of Holotrichia oblita (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).

Holotrichia oblita Faldermann (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a major pest both in field crops and forests because the larvae could eat the roots of most crops in the field, and the adults damage the leaves of trees and field crops. In this study, we focused on the effects of temperature on H. oblita reproductive parameters. The results indicated H. oblita female adults at 25 °C could lay more eggs (84.0 eggs per female) and have the shortest preoviposition period (19.1 d), the greatest oviposition rate (2.8 eggs per female per 3 d), and largest percentage of life span spent in oviposition (59.5%). The longevity and the time to 50% egg laying decreased with increasing temperature, and female longevity was always longer than male longevity. The preoviposition and postoviposition period decreased with increasing temperature from 15 to 25 °C and then increased when the temperature increased from 25 to 30 °C. These results show that 25 °C is the optimal temperature for reproduction of H. oblita.

Beyond carbon nanotubes: adsorptions on and electronic structures of silicon nanotubes.

In this paper, we have reviewed some of the recent theoretical studies on the electronic and structural properties of silicon nanotubes from single-walled to double-walled nanostructures, primarily focusing on the studies performed by the present authors. The studies so far have not indicated any metallic behavior in both single-walled and double-walled silicon nanotubes. Atomic and molecular adsorptions of elements including hydrogen, oxygen and alkali metals on single-walled silicon nanotubes are also reviewed and new results presented in detail. A systematic study of molecular adsorption and co-adsorptions of hydrogen and oxygen molecules in zigzag silicon nanotube (SiNT) has been performed using hybrid density functional theory. For adsorption of two hydrogen molecules in SiNT (10, 0), the original diatomic molecular structure was maintained after adsorption. The most preferred final site for hydrogen molecules is the on-top site. For adsorption of two oxygen molecules, the most preferred sites are bridge sites, which are the parallel or zigzag bridge sites. Complete dissociation, partial dissociation and non-dissociation were observed for adsorption of two oxygen molecules. Peroxide structure and Si-O-O structures have also been observed in adsorption of two oxygen molecules with smaller adsorption energies rather than complete dissociation. For the co-adsorption of one hydrogen molecule and one oxygen molecule, the hydrogen molecule is slightly polarized, and a suppression effect on HOMO-LUMO gap was observed.

Rho Kinase (ROCK) Inhibitors for the Treatment of Glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the most common cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. It is characterized by progressive optic nerve degeneration and loss of visual field. Pathological increased intraocular pressure is its main modifiable risk factor. Rho kinase inhibitors are developed as a new class of glaucoma medication that increases outflow facility from the conventional aqueous humor outflow pathway. Additionally, they also have neuroprotective and anti-scarring effects that can might increase the success rate of glaucoma filtration surgery. This review aims to summarize the current concept of Rho kinase inhibitors in the treatment of glaucoma from beach to bedside.

Assessment of macular and peripapillary choroidal thickness in non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is the most common optic neuropathy in adults aged ≥ 50 years. Transient non-perfusion or hypoperfusion of the optic nerve head circulation is believed to be the underlying cause of NAION. It has been suggested that peripapillary choroidal thickness (PCT) is altered after ischemic disorders of the optic nerve head, but the results have not always been consistent. To address this issue and provide evidence for the pathogenesis of NAION, we performed a meta-analysis to systematically evaluate macular choroidal thickness (MCT) and PCT in patients with NAION. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases was performed until August 31, 2022. The main inclusion criterion was a case-control study in which MCT and PCT were measured using optical coherence tomography in patients with NAION. Mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence interval were calculated for continuous estimates. The Review Manager (V5.40) was used for the analysis. RESULTS: Nine studies comprising 663 eyes (283 NAION eyes and 380 healthy control eyes) were included (Newcastle-Ottawa Scale score ≥ 5). MCT and PCT were higher in eyes with chronic NAION (MD = 19.16, P = .04; MD = 35.36, P < .00001) and NAION fellow eyes (MD = 30.35, P = .0006; MD = 29.86, P = .04) than in healthy controls. No difference was noted in the MCT between eyes with acute NAION and healthy controls (MD = 2.99, P = .87). CONCLUSION: Increased MCT and PCT may be important anatomical and physiological features of the eyes in patients with NAION.

Separation Operation Followed by Stereotactic Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Spinal Metastasis From Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: Spinal metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma is rapidly progressive and predisposes to spinal disability, cord compression and further neural injury, leading to poor prognosis. Currently, it is still challenging to look for a treatment strategy that can improve the quality of life of patients and even directly prolong the survival time. This study attempts to evaluate the clinical efficacy of separation operation combined with postoperative stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT/SRS) in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma patients developing spinal metastasis and epidural spinal cord compression. METHODS: Patients with metastases spinal cord compression from hepatocellular carcinoma were studied retrospectively and divided into two groups, the SO group (who undergo separation operations combined with postoperative SRS, n = 32) and RT group (who received only SRS, n = 28). The visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain score, Frankel grade, Karnofsky performance score, and Quality of Life (SF-36) score were comparatively analyzed between the two groups. RESULTS: Significantly higher VAS pain scores, Frankel grades, Karnofsky performance scores and Quality of Life (SF-36) scores were demonstrated in patients with combination treatment than in patients with SRS alone. CONCLUSIONS: Separation operations are effective surgical procedure for the treatment of spinal metastatic tumor from hepatocellular carcinoma with spinal cord compression. The combination with postoperative SRS can significantly improve the quality of life in this patient population via spinal canal decompression and spinal stability reconstruction.

Transcriptome analysis of Holotrichia oblita reveals differentially expressed unigenes related to reproduction and development under different photoperiods.

Holotrichia oblita (Faldermann) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is an insect whose feeding and mating behaviors occur at night. A scotophase is necessary for H. oblita reproduction. We used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to compare the expression patterns of H. oblita at five photoperiods (0:24, 8:16, 12:12, 16:8, and 24:0 h) (L:D). Compared to the control (24:0) (L:D), 161-684 differentially expressed unigenes (DEUs) were found in female samples, while 698-2322 DEUs were found in male samples. For all DEUs, a total of 92-1143 DEUs were allocated to 116-662 categories of gene ontology (GO), and 81-1116 DEUs were assigned into 77-286 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. The iPath diagram showed that the DEUs generated by comparing female and male samples with photoperiods of 0:24 and 24:0, respectively, involved multiple metabolic pathways, such as carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, purine metabolism and glutathione metabolism. Most of these DEUs were upregulated. Finally, 13 DEUs related to reproduction and development were selected to confirm the consistency of relative expression between RNA-Seq and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Most of these comparison results agreed well, except for some qRT-PCR results that were not detected in male samples due to their low expression. These results provide useful information for understanding the dark-induced reproduction of H. oblita.

Defect-Induced Dense Amorphous/Crystalline Heterophase Enables High-Rate and Ultrastable Sodium Storage.

Currently, the construction of amorphous/crystalline (A/C) heterophase has become an advanced strategy to modulate electronic and/or ionic behaviors and promote structural stability due to their concerted advantages. However, their different kinetics limit the synergistic effect. Further, their interaction functions and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, a unique engineered defect-rich V2 O3 heterophase structure (donated as A/C-V2 O3- x @C-HMCS) composed of mesoporous oxygen-deficient amorphous - hollow core (A-V2 O3- x /HMC) and lattice-distorted crystalline shell (C-V2 O3 /S) encapsulated by carbon is rationally designed via a facile approach. Comprehensive density functional theory (DFT) calculations disclose that the lattice distortion enlarges the porous channels for Na+ diffusion in the crystalline phase, thereby optimizing its kinetics to be compatible with the oxygen-vacancy-rich amorphous phase. This significantly reduces the high contrast of the kinetic properties between the crystalline and amorphous phases in A/C-V2 O3- x @C-HMCS and induces the formation of highly dense A/C interfaces with a strong synergistic effect. As a result, the dense heterointerface effectively optimizes the Na+ adsorption energy and lowers the diffusion barrier, thus accelerating the overall kinetics of A/C-V2 O3- x @C-HMCS. In contrast, the perfect heterophase (defects-free) A/C-V2 O3 @C-HCS demonstrates sparse A/C interfacial sites with limited synergistic effect and sluggish kinetics. As expected, the A/C-V2 O3- x @C-HMCS achieves a high rate and ultrastable performance (192 mAh g-1 over 6000 cycles at 10 A g-1 ) when employed for the first time as a cathode for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). This work provides general guidance for realizing dense heterophase cathode design for high-performance SIBs and beyond.

PBP1 plays key roles in sex pheromone reception of the fall armyworm.

Spodoptera frugiperda among the China population employs a four-component sex pheromone blend to accelerate male-female allocation and mating behavior. The underlying molecular mechanism has been incompletely elucidated. In the current study, we showed that differences existed between genders toward the four sex pheromone components, including Z9-14:AC, Z7-12:AC, Z9-12:AC, and Z11-16:AC, in terms of electrophysiological responses and behavioral valences. Male adults were significantly more sensitive to all tested compounds than female adults. Furthermore, ecological outputs may be related to four pheromone-binding proteins, namely, SfruPBP1, SfruPBP2, SfruPBP3, and SfruPBP4. They formed four distinct clades within the lepidopteran phylogeny, and male adults expressed significantly higher levels of SfruPBP1 and SfruPBP2 than female adults. We observed the highest binding affinities of SfruPBP1 toward all four sex pheromone components. SfruPBP4 had moderate binding affinities for Z7-12:AC, Z11-16:AC, and Z9-12:AC, while SfruPBP2 showed binding toward Z9-14:AC. This observation suggests that SfruPBP1 plays a key role in sex pheromone discrimination and drives sexually biased behavioral decisions toward certain pheromone components. These findings will help to develop behavioral-mediating tools as part of integrated pest management approaches for this cross-border pest.

Characterizations of botanical attractant of Halyomorpha halys and selection of relevant deorphanization candidates via computational approach.

Halyomorpha halys has been recognized as a global cross-border pest species. Along with well-established pheromone trapping approaches, there have been many attempts to utilize botanical odorant baits for field monitoring. Due to sensitivity, ecological friendliness, and cost-effectiveness for large-scale implementation, the selection of botanical volatiles as luring ingredients and/or synergists for H. halys is needed. In the current work, botanical volatiles were tested by olfactometer and electrophysiological tests. Results showed that linalool oxide was a potential candidate for application as a behavioral modifying chemical. It drove remarkable attractiveness toward H. halys adults in Y-tube assays, as well as eliciting robust electroantennographic responsiveness towards antennae. A computational pipeline was carried out to screen olfactory proteins related to the reception of linalool oxide. Simulated docking activities of four H. halys odorant receptors and two odorant binding proteins to linalool oxide and nerolidol were performed. Results showed that all tested olfactory genes were likely to be involved in plant volatile-sensing pathways, and they tuned broadly to tested components. The current work provides insights into the later development of field demonstration strategies using linalool oxide and its molecular targets.

Effect of Photoperiod on Longevity, Food Consumption, and Reproduction of Holotrichia oblita (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).

Holotrichia oblita (Faldermann) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a major soil insect pest that damages forest trees, crops, and lawns. Adults of H. oblita fly, forage, and mate at night but remain underground during the day. We studied the effect of photoperiod on H. oblita reproduction. H. oblita females laid more eggs at 8:16 (L:D) h and 0:24 (L:D) h than other photoperiods. As the scotophase increased, the preoviposition period decreased and the oviposition period increased. Female longevity exceeded that of males at all photoperiods, and both males and females at 0:24 (L:D) h had the shortest longevity. The number of eggs laid per female increased with increasing food consumption. Females at 8:16 (L:D) h had the greatest food consumption and laid the most eggs, while females at 24:0 (L:D) h had the lowest food consumption and laid few eggs. The food intake of adults increased gradually and decreased slowly after reaching a peak. Females began to lay eggs when their food consumption reached a maximum. These results indicate that a scotophase is necessary for the reproduction of H. oblita. A long scotophase promotes greater oviposition. The effect of photoperiod on reproduction is affected by food intake.

Preoperative and intraoperative predictors of deep venous thrombosis in adult patients undergoing craniotomy for brain tumors: A Chinese single-center, retrospective study.

PURPOSE: Brain tumor resection by craniotomy is associated with a high risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This study evaluated the incidence and preoperative and intraoperative risk factors for DVT within 30 days of surgery. METHODS: The analysis included: 1) basic clinical variables (patient age, sex, body mass index [BMI], tumor location, and tumor histology); 2) blood test results before operation, such as leukocytes, platelets, and coagulation parameters; and 3) surgical factors (total amount of blood lost, anesthesia mode, and surgery duration). RESULTS: Of the 1670 patients, 206 (12.34%) had DVT and nine (0.54%) had both DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE) after surgery. Preoperative and intraoperative factors independently associated with DVT/PE were: older age 46-55 years (odds ratio [OR]: 2.87; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.83-4.50; P < 0.001), age 56-65 years (OR: 5.24; 95% CI: 3.27-8.40; P < 0.001), age > 65 years (OR: 6.00; 95% CI: 3.45-10.45; P < 0.001), BMI (OR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.00-1.05; P = 0.029), activated partial thromboplastin time [APTT] (OR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.86-0.95; P = 0.000), D-dimer (OR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.23-2.34; P = 0.001), high-grade glioma (OR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.28-3.40; P = 0.003), glio-neuronal (OR: 3.30; 95% CI: 1.28-8.47; P = 0.013), craniopharyngioma (OR: 2.16; 95% CI: 1.13-4.10; P = 0.019), and surgery duration (OR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.27-2.60; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Older age, BMI, preoperative APTT, D-dimer, tumor histology, and surgery duration independently increased the risk of developing postoperative DVT/PE. These findings provide prognostic information that will guide therapies aimed at minimizing the development of DVT/PE during hospitalization.