Comparative evaluation of laryngeal view and intubating conditions in two laryngoscopy positions-attained by conventional 7 cm head raise and that attained by horizontal alignment of external auditory meatus - sternal notch line - using an inflatable pillow - A prospective randomised cross-over trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: We compared the laryngoscopy position attained by a 7-cm-high pillow (Sniffing position-SP) with that attained by horizontal alignment of external auditory meatus-sternal notch (AM-S) line-using variable height inflatable pillow. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective-randomised-cross-over study included 50 patients in each group. Group-AM-S: A 7 cm uncompressible pillow was used for attaining first laryngoscopy position, followed by horizontal alignment of external auditory meatus-sternal notch (AM-S) line-using an inflatable pillow for attaining second laryngoscopy position followed by intubation. Group-SP: Horizontal alignment of external auditory meatus-sternal notch (AM-S) line-was done using an inflatable pillow for attaining first laryngoscopy position, followed by using 7 cm uncompressible pillow for second laryngoscopy position followed by intubation. The CL-grade, Intubation Difficulty Score (IDS) and time to intubation were compared in both positions. The head raise (in cm) required for attaining AM-S alignment was noted. RESULTS: CL-grade-I was obtained in significantly larger number of patients with AM-S alignment position than with 7 cm head raise (P = 0.004). CL-grade-III was obtained in significantly lesser number of patients with AM-S alignment (P = 0.002). Mean IDS with AM-S alignment (1.18 ± 1.69) was significantly less than with 7cm head raise (2 ± 1.59; P = 0.007) and time to intubation with AM-S alignment (17.33 ± 4.52 s) was significantly less than that with 7cm head raise (18.94 ± 4.64 s; P = 0.041). The mean head rise required to achieve AM-S line alignment was 4.920 ± 1.460 cm. CONCLUSION: External Auditory Meatus-Sternal notch (AM-S) line alignment provides better laryngeal view, better intubating conditions and requires lesser time to intubate as compared to a conventional 7-cm-head raise. The size of pillow used for head raise should be individualised.

The Drosophila melanogaster phospholipid flippase dATP8B is required for odorant receptor function.

The olfactory systems of insects are fundamental to all aspects of their behaviour, and insect olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) exhibit exquisite specificity and sensitivity to a wide range of environmental cues. In Drosophila melanogaster, ORN responses are determined by three different receptor families, the odorant (Or), ionotropic-like (IR) and gustatory (Gr) receptors. However, the precise mechanisms of signalling by these different receptor families are not fully understood. Here we report the unexpected finding that the type 4 P-type ATPase phospholipid transporter dATP8B, the homologue of a protein associated with intrahepatic cholestasis and hearing loss in humans, is crucial for Drosophila olfactory responses. Mutations in dATP8B severely attenuate sensitivity of odorant detection specifically in Or-expressing ORNs, but do not affect responses mediated by IR or Gr receptors. Accordingly, we find dATP8B to be expressed in ORNs and localised to the dendritic membrane of the olfactory neurons where signal transduction occurs. Localisation of Or proteins to the dendrites is unaffected in dATP8B mutants, as is dendrite morphology, suggesting instead that dATP8B is critical for Or signalling. As dATP8B is a member of the phospholipid flippase family of ATPases, which function to determine asymmetry in phospholipid composition between the outer and inner leaflets of plasma membranes, our findings suggest a requirement for phospholipid asymmetry in the signalling of a specific family of chemoreceptor proteins.

Safety of removal of ProSeal laryngeal mask airway in children in the supine versus lateral position in a deep plane of anesthesia: A randomized controlled trial.

Importance: When a ProSeal laryngeal mask airway (PLMA) is removed with the child in a deep plane of anesthesia, the upper airway muscle tone and protective upper airway reflexes may be obtunded. Objective: To determine whether the supine or lateral position is safer for the removal of a PLMA in deeply anesthetized children by comparing the incidence of upper airway complications. Methods: This randomized single-blind comparative trial was conducted at a tertiary care hospital between January 2020 and September 2020. Forty children of the American Society of Anesthesiologists class I/II of ages 1-12 years age undergoing surgery under general anesthesia with PLMA used as the definitive airway device were recruited. Patients were randomly allocated to lateral group or supine group for PLMA removal in a deep plane of anesthesia in the lateral or supine position. The primary outcome was the number of patients experiencing one or more upper airway complications and the secondary outcomes were incidence of individual respiratory adverse effects and of severe airway complications. Results: The incidence of airway complications was 30% in the supine group and 20% in the lateral group (P = 0.6641). Incidence of laryngospasm, immediate stridor, and excessive secretions were similar. Early stridor and oxygen desaturation were higher in the supine group (P = 0.0374, P = 0.0183 respectively). Interpretation: The overall incidence of upper airway complications was similar with the removal of a PLMA in the supine or lateral position in deeply anesthetized children. The incidence of oxygen desaturation and stridor were higher with PLMA removal in the supine as compared to the lateral position.

Electrophysiological, flight orientation and oviposition responses of three species of mosquito vectors to hexadecyl pentanoate: residual oviposition repellent activity.

Understanding on the chemical ecology of mosquito behavior is of paramount importance in developing control programs employing attractants and repellents. Several workers focused on topical repellents and oviposition attractants of mosquitoes, however, only limited work has been accomplished on mosquito oviposition repellents. The present systematic investigation provides evidence on the effectiveness of a C21 fatty acid ester- hexadecyl pentanoate, to stimulate antennal olfactory receptors of Aedes aegypti (L.), Ae. albopictus (Skuse), and Anopheles stephensi (Liston) that mediate their long-range olfaction guided flight orientation behavior by repelling the gravid females of these mosquito vectors in the olfactometer. The compound loaded onto an effervescent tablet retained its repellent property in the treated substrates for up to 1 wk at 10 mg/L. In places, where the mosquito breeding habitats are near to human habitations, could be treated with hexadecyl pentanoate to repel the ovipositing gravid females as a component of the integrated approach for mosquito management by disrupting the mosquito life cycle and population growth.

Fire ant venom alkaloids act as key attractants for the parasitic phorid fly, Pseudacteon tricuspis (Diptera: Phoridae).

The phorid fly, Pseudacteon tricuspis Borgmeier, is an introduced parasitoid of imported fire ants, Solenopsis spp., in the USA. Although the assumption that phorid flies use fire ant alarm pheromones for host location is probably true, we demonstrated in a previous study the possible involvement of other ant semiochemicals in the response of P. tricuspis to fire ants. This study was conducted to determine the glandular sources and identity of the semiochemicals mediating this interaction. First, we tested the electroantennogram response of P. tricuspis to extracts of key body parts and glands of workers of the red imported fire ant, S. invicta Buren. The results confirm that the poison (venom) gland/sac is the key source of compounds which elicited strong antennal activity in P. tricuspis. Follow-up studies were conducted by using a combination of bioassay-guided fractionation and behavioral bioassays to test the hypothesis that attraction of this parasitoid to fire ants is mediated by venom alkaloids. The results confirm the response of P. tricuspis to physiologically relevant amounts of the two venom alkaloid fractions (cis and trans alkaloid fractions) of S. invicta. Further analysis by coupled gas chromatography-electroantennogram detection revealed nine venom alkaloid components including two novel 2,6-dialkylpiperideines that elicited significant antennal activity in P. tricuspis. This is the first demonstration of the role of venom alkaloids of ants as attractants for their natural enemies. We propose a semiochemical-mediated host location mechanism for P. tricuspis involving both alarm pheromones and venom alkaloids. The ecological significance of these findings, including the attraction of male P. tricuspis to fire ant venom alkaloids, possibly for mate location, is discussed.

Surface morphology and morphometric analysis of sensilla of Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse): an SEM investigation.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The sensilla and sensory mechanism play a significant role in hostseeking and oviposition behaviour of mosquitoes, which enable them to transmit various diseases to humans. Aedes albopictus (Skuse) has emerged as a major vector of Chikungunya virus in the recent epidemics in most parts of southern India. Studies on the sensory structures of dengue vector, Aedes aegypti (Linn) are comprehensive; whereas information on the sensillary systems of Asian tiger mosquito, Ae. albopictus is inadequate. Therefore, the present study has been carried out to observe various types of sensilla located on the antenna, maxillary palp, labial palp, tarsi and ovipositor of Ae. albopictus using scanning electron microscopy. METHODS: The antennae, maxillary palpi, labellum, tarsi and ovipositor of 10 different female mosquito of Ae. albopictus were fixed individually in 2.5% glutaraldehyde solution, washed twice and dehydrated with ascending grades of ethanol. Samples were cleared with xylene, air-dried, mounted on stubs, gold coated in an ion-sputtering unit and the sensilla were viewed between 5 and 10 KV using FEI-Quanta 400-EDAX scanning electron microscope. ANOVA revealed significant differences in the morphometric features of various sensilla. RESULTS: In the antenna Sensilla trichoidea are numerously distributed in all flagellar segments revealed four distinct subtypes. Two types of grooved peg sensilla were observed. Sensilla coeloconica was observed in the terminal flagellum of antenna and tarsomeres with large variation in diameter. Sensilla chaetica are distributed throughout the body and revealed greater variation in morphology and morphometric parameters. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: The significant difference among various types of sensilla would possibly reveal their functions. The porous sensilla are olfactory and contact chemoreceptors while the aporous sensilla would play the role of mechanoreception. Sensilla coeloconica on the antenna, tarsus showed major differences with Ae. aegypti. The ovipositor sensilla revealed three types of chaetica arranged in rows but has not been reported earlier with other mosquito species.

Cuticular Hydrocarbon Pheromones for Social Behavior and Their Coding in the Ant Antenna.

The sophisticated organization of eusocial insect societies is largely based on the regulation of complex behaviors by hydrocarbon pheromones present on the cuticle. We used electrophysiology to investigate the detection of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) by female-specific olfactory sensilla basiconica on the antenna of Camponotus floridanus ants through the utilization of one of the largest family of odorant receptors characterized so far in insects. These sensilla, each of which contains multiple olfactory receptor neurons, are differentially sensitive to CHCs and allow them to be classified into three broad groups that collectively detect every hydrocarbon tested, including queen and worker-enriched CHCs. This broad-spectrum sensitivity is conserved in a related species, Camponotus laevigatus, allowing these ants to detect CHCs from both nestmates and non-nestmates. Behavioral assays demonstrate that these ants are excellent at discriminating CHCs detected by the antenna, including enantiomers of a candidate queen pheromone that regulates the reproductive division of labor.

Fire ant alarm pheromone and venom alkaloids act in concert to attract parasitic phorid flies, Pseudacteon spp.

Pseudacteon tricuspis, Pseudacteon obtusus and Pseudacteon curvatus are three species of parasitic phorid flies (Diptera: Phoridae), which have been introduced as classical biological control agents of imported, Solenopsis fire ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the southern USA. Previous studies demonstrated the behavioral response of P. tricuspis to the venom alkaloids and alarm pheromone of the fire ant, S. invicta. In the present study, we compared the responses of P. tricuspis, P. obtusus and P. curvatus to Solenopsis invicta alarm pheromone, venom alkaloids, or a mixture of both chemicals in four-choice olfactometer bioassays. The main hypothesis tested was that the fire ant alarm pheromone and venom alkaloids act in concert to attract Pseudacteon phorid flies. Both sexes of all three Pseudacteon species were attracted to low doses of the fire ant alarm pheromone or venom alkaloids (i.e. 1 ant worker equivalent) alone. However, the flies were significantly more attracted to a mixture of both chemicals (i.e., 1:1 mixture of alarm pheromone+alkaloids) than to either chemical. The results suggest an additive rather than a synergistic effect of combining both chemicals. Comparing the fly species, P. tricuspis showed relatively greater attraction to cis alkaloids, whereas the alkaloid mixture (cis+trans) was preferred by P. obtusus and P. curvatus. In general, no key sexual differences were recorded, although females of P. tricuspis and P. obtusus showed slightly higher response than conspecific males to lower doses of the alarm pheromone. The ecological significance of these findings is discussed, and a host location model is proposed for parasitic phorid flies involving the use of fire ant alarm pheromone and venom alkaloids as long range and short range attractants, respectively.

Electroantennogram, flight orientation and oviposition responses of Anopheles stephensi and Aedes aegypti to a fatty acid ester-propyl octadecanoate.

Studies were carried out to evaluate the role of a C(21)-fatty acid ester; propyl octadecanoate (PO) for olfaction-mediated behavioral responses of urban malaria vector, Anopheles stephensi and dengue vector, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes using electroantennogram (EAG), flight orientation and oviposition experiments. Dose dependent electrophysiological responses were recorded for PO from the antenna of both mosquito species in which 10(-5) g elicited significant EAG response. An. stephensi exhibited 2.4, 4.2 and 5.5 fold increased EAG response compared to control, while Ae. aegypti showed 1.9, 4.6 and 5.8 fold EAG responses respectively at 10(-7) g, 10(-6) g and 10(-5) g doses. In the Y-tube olfactometer, 77-80% gravid females of An. stephensi, and 64-77% of Ae. aegypti were caught in the chambers releasing 10(-6) g and 10(-5) g plume of PO. The synthetic fatty acid ester loaded onto an effervescent tablet at 0.1 mg/L, 1 mg/L and 10 mg/L elicited increased ovipositional responses from gravid mosquitoes compared to control. The oviposition activity indices (OAI) of An. stephensi females were +0.40, +0.51 and +0.58, whereas the OAI for Ae. aegypti females were +0.05, +0.36 and +0.57 respectively in 0.1, 1, 10 mg/L of PO; indicated concentration dependent increased egg deposition. Similarly, in the residual activity studies, oviposition substrates treated with PO on effervescent tablet at 1mg/L and 10mg/L received significantly increased egg deposition by gravid females of both mosquito species for up to 1 week compared to control substrates. PO can potentially be used in ovitraps to monitor An. stephensi and Ae. aegypti populations in the vector surveillance programs.

Abundance of antennal chemosensilla in two parasitoid wasps with different degree of host specificity may explain sexual and species differences in their response to host-related volatiles.

The endoparasitic wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Microplitis croceipes (specialist), and Cotesia marginiventris (generalist) are parasitoids of lepidopteran larvae that differ in their degree of host specificity. Previous studies by our group have reported key differences in the response of both parasitoids to host-related volatiles. To possibly understand the basis for our results, we compared the abundance of antennal sensilla in both sexes of both parasitoid species using scanning electron microscopy and silver-staining techniques. Males of both species had relatively longer antennae than conspecific females. Five major sensilla types were recorded in both species: sensilla chaetica (nonporous), s. trichodea (nonporous), s. placodea (multiporous), s. basiconica (two types, type 1 with terminal opening and type 2 with wall pores), and s. coeloconica (nonporous). Silver staining confirmed multiple pores on the walls of s. placodea and s. basiconica type 2 and terminal openings on s. basiconica type 1, suggesting chemosensory function. In general, both putative chemosensilla types, s. placodea and s. basiconica, were more abundant in M. croceipes (specialist) than in C. marginiventris (generalist), and this was true for both sexes. Comparing the sexes, s. placodea and s. trichodea were significantly more abundant in M. croceipes males compared to females. In contrast, s. placodea was relatively more abundant in female C. marginiventris than in males. These results may explain the reported differences in the responses of both parasitoid species to host-related volatiles and are discussed in relation to the possible roles of the sensilla types in the behavioral ecology of the parasitoids.

Mediation of oviposition responses in the malaria mosquito Anopheles stephensi Liston by certain fatty acid esters.

The chemical factors involved in oviposition site selection by mosquitoes have become the focus of interest in recent years, and considerable attention is paid to the chemical cues influencing mosquito oviposition. Studies on synthetic oviposition attractants/repellents of long-chain fatty acid esters against Anopheles stephensi are limited. Screening and identification of chemicals which potentially attract/repel the gravid females to/or from oviposition site could be exploited for eco-friendly mosquito management strategies. The ester compounds demonstrated their ability to repel and attract the gravid A. stephensi females in the treated substrates. Significant level of concentration-dependent negative oviposition response of mosquitoes to octadecyl propanoate, heptadecyl butanoate, hexadecyl pentanoate, and tetradecyl heptanoate were observed. In contrast, decyl undecanoate, nonyl dodecanoate, pentyl hexadecanoate, and propyl octadecanoate elicited concentration-dependent positive oviposition responses from the gravid mosquitoes. Forcing a female to retain her eggs due to unavailability of a suitable oviposition site and attracting them to lay the eggs in a baited ovitraps shall ensure effective control of mosquito breeding and population buildup because the oviposition bioassay target the most susceptible stage of an insect life cycle. Treating relatively smaller natural breeding sites with an effective repellent and placing ovitraps containing an attractant in combination with insect-growth regulator (IGR)/insecticide would be a promising method of mosquito management.

Electroantennogram, flight orientation, and oviposition responses of Aedes aegypti to the oviposition pheromone n-heneicosane.

Oviposition pheromones specifically influence the females of many insects to lay eggs in the sites resulting in more egg deposition. A previous report describes the principal role of n-heneicosane (C(21)) identified and characterized from the larval cuticle of Aedes aegypti (L.) in attracting the gravid mosquitoes to oviposit in treated substrates among other chemical components. However, the means by which this compound is perceived by the females for oviposition has not been reported. In this study, we have recorded the peripheral olfactory responses from the antenna of Ae. aegypti from 10(-7) g to 10(-3) g doses of n-heneicosane. The EAG response of female mosquitoes increased in a dose-dependent manner with increasing stimulus strength. In the orientation assay using Y-maze olfactometer, female mosquitoes were attracted to the odor plume of 10(-6) g and 10(-5) g dose, while the higher dose of 10(-3) g plume enforced repellency to gravid mosquitoes. The response to oviposition substrates by gravid Ae. aegypti females differed across the range of concentrations of n-heneicosane under multiple choice conditions, larger number of eggs were deposited in 10 ppm (10 mg/l) solutions compared to lower and higher concentrations indicating 10 ppm was most attractive. Application of n-heneicosane at 10 ppm in breeding habitats will be a useful method to attract the gravid mosquitoes using ovitraps for surveillance and monitoring. The possible use of this compound in monitoring of mosquito population in endemic areas in relevance to integrated vector management strategies is discussed in detail.

Oviposition responses of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus to certain fatty acid esters.

Laboratory studies were carried out to observe the oviposition responses of Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) to several C21 fatty acid esters. The oviposition activity of these dengue and chikungunya vectors to the long-chain fatty acid esters of C21 length have not been reported earlier. From the multiple choice experiments on oviposition activity in standard mosquito cages, it was observed that compounds hexadecyl pentanoate, tetradecyl heptanoate and tridecyl octanoate presented significant oviposition repellent activity against the two mosquito species, while one compound propyl octadecanoate was found to attract A. aegypti to the treated oviposition substrate at 1- and 10-ppm concentrations. The possible utilization of these esters in integrated vector management is discussed.