Population growth of Tetranychus truncatus (Acari: Tetranychidae) on different drought-tolerant potato cultivars.

Tetranychus truncatus Ehara (Acari: Tetranychidae) has become one of the major phytophagous pests in China in recent years, and is found on a wide range of host plants. However, little information is available on the population performance of this arthropod pest on potatoes. In this study, we explored the population growth of T. truncatus on two drought-tolerant potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars under laboratory conditions using the age-stage, two-sex life table. Tetranychus truncatus completed its entire life history on both potato cultivars tested, Holland 15 and Longshu 10. There was no significant difference between two potato cultivars in developmental duration. Tetranychus truncatus had shorter adult longevity (20.61 days), adult female longevity (20.41 days), and total female longevity (33.66 days) on Longshu 10 than Holland 15 (21.16 days, 21.19 days, and 34.38 days, respectively). However, it exhibited a higher preadult survival rate, higher fecundity (F = 88.32 eggs per female), and relatively higher population parameters when reared on Longshu 10 than on Holland 15 (F = 75.70 eggs per female). Growth projection also showed that the population size of T. truncatus on Longshu 10 (expand 750-fold) was larger than that on Holland 15 (expand 273-fold) after 60 days. Our results demonstrate that the drought-sensitive potato variety, Holland 15, is relatively resistant to T. truncatus compared with the drought-tolerant variety, Longshu 10, and suggest that T. truncatus exhibited a trade-off between longevity and reproduction on both potato cultivars. Our findings provide information on population prediction, which may aid the management of this pest mite species of potatoes.

Effect of wrist-ankle acupuncture on propofol dosage during painless colonoscopy: A randomized controlled prospective study.

BACKGROUND: The clinical advantages of painless colonoscopy can reduce the fear and discomfort of patients and increase the detection rate of diseases. Propofol has the characteristics of fast effect and short action time. It is a common choice for painless endoscopic sedation and anesthetics. However, propofol can cause severe respiratory and circulatory depression. Therefore, it is important to find a way to reduce the dose of propofol. AIM: To explore the effect of wrist-ankle acupuncture on propofol dose during colonoscopy. METHODS: Two hundred patients who were going to receive selective painless colonoscopy in Hebei Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were selected and divided into wrist-ankle acupuncture group (WAA group, n = 100) and control group (CON group, n = 100). After entering the operation room, patients were given 0.025 mg/kg nabufine intravenously and propofol at the initial dose of 0.5 mg/kg. In patients who did not fall asleep, propofol (10 mg/time) was given until loss of consciousness. Prior to anesthesia, patients in WAA group were punctured by specialist in the inferior 1, 2 and 3 regions according to the zoning principle of wrist-ankle acupuncture. The primary endpoint was required dose of propofol, and the secondary endpoints were the incidence of hypoxemia and hypotension. Furthermore, the following data were recorded: The operation time, wake-up time, incidence of nausea and vomiting, incidence of abdominal distention, post-colonoscopy pain, examiners' satisfaction, patients' satisfaction and Borg fatigue index. This study has been registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Registration Code: ChiCTR1900022177). RESULTS: The induced dose of propofol and the total dose of propofol in WAA group were 80 mg and 110 mg, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in CON group (P < 0.05). The incidences of hypoxemia and hypotension in the WAA group were 2.2% and 3.3%, respectively, significantly lower than those in the CON group (P < 0.05). The incidence of abdominal distension in the WAA group was 8.8%, which was significantly lower than that in the CON group (P < 0.05, 28.9%). The waking time of WAA group was 3.26 ± 0.87 min, which was significantly lower than that of CON group (6.06 ± 0.88 min, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Wrist-ankle acupuncture can reduce the induction dose and total dose of propofol as well as the incidence of adverse reactions in painless colonoscopy without affecting the satisfaction of examiners and patients. This procedure is simple in operation and easy to promote in clinical practice.