Trapping Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs: "The Nazgȗl" Lure and Kill Nets.

Improvements to current brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys, surveillance and killing systems are needed to improve detection sensitivity and to reduce pesticide use. Detection of BMSB in New Zealand with traps is reliant on sticky panels with aggregation pheromone, which are low cost but inefficient compared with beating foliage. Trapping for BMSB adults and nymphs was conducted daily with lethal traps consisting of an aggregation pheromone-baited-coat hanger covered with dark-colored long-lasting insecticide-treated mesh, we termed "The Nazgȗl", based on its sinister appearance. A deep tray lined with white plastic was attached centrally at the base for collecting the dead BMSB. The lethal traps killed and caught up to 3.5-fold more nymphs and adult BMSB than identically-baited sticky panels in the 3 weeks of deployment, and provided a snapshot of phenology by instar. We expect that lure-and-kill stations could contribute to the suppression of a delimited population and could be included as part of a semiochemical-based eradication program. Attracting and killing females and nymphs, thus removing future offspring, could contribute to population suppression during an eradication.

Live Traps for Adult Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs.

Surveillance for detection of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, is reliant on sticky panels with aggregation pheromone, which are low cost, but very inefficient (est. 3%). Trapping for adults was conducted in Italy with novel live (or lethal) traps consisting of aggregation pheromone-baited cylinders with a wind vane, with the upwind end covered by mesh and the downwind end sealed by a removable entry-only mesh cone, admitting the attracted bugs. The novel traps caught up to 15-times more adult H. halys than identically-baited sticky panels in two weeks of daily checking (n = 6 replicates) (the new live traps were, in Run 1, 5-, 9-, 15-, 13-, 4-, 12-, 2-fold; and in Run 2, 7-, 1-, 3-, 7-, 6-, 6-, and 5-fold better than sticky traps, daily). The maximum catch of the new traps was 96 live adults in one trap in 24 h and the average improvement was ~7-fold compared with sticky panels. The rotating live traps, which exploit a mesh funnel facing the plume downwind that proved useful for collecting adults, could also be used to kill bugs. We expect that commercially-available traps could replace the crude prototypes we constructed quickly from local materials, at low cost, as long as the principles of a suitable plume structure were observed, as we discuss. The traps could be useful for the sterile insect technique, supporting rearing colonies, or to kill bugs.

The Competitive Mating of Irradiated Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs, Halyomorpha halys, for the Sterile Insect Technique.

The sterility of eggs and nymphs from gamma-irradiated male Halyomorpha halys was investigated to determine the potential for the sterile insect technique (SIT). Males irradiated at 0, 16, 24 and 32 Gy were placed with untreated virgin females, and egg sterility was determined, showing 54.3% at 16 Gy. The percentage of sterility from irradiation was 26 percent lower than previous results from the USA and the variance was very high. Competitive overflooding ratio trials between irradiated virgin males and fertile virgin males at a 5:1 ratio resulted in the expected egg sterility, indicating competitive performance by irradiated males. By July and August, older, irradiated overwintered males were significantly less competitive than similar, non-irradiated males. There is a need to revisit the irradiation delivery method to achieve proper precision around the paternal dose required for an expected >80% egg sterility and subsequent ~99% endpoint sterility estimated at adult emergence in the F1 phase. These results suggest that the mating competitiveness and competency of males after irradiation at 16 Gy is not limiting to the sterile insect technique for suppression. A wild harvest of overwintering males using the aggregation pheromone, followed by irradiation and male release, might replace rearing. Mass-collected, sterilized bugs could be transported from an area of high H. halys density and shipped for release to enable suppression or eradication elsewhere. This concept is under development but further work is needed now to understand the difference in results between the US and Italian irradiators and increase the reliability of dosimetry.

Sporadic Fundic Gland Polyps With Low-Grade Dysplasia: A Large Case Series Evaluating Pathologic and Immunohistochemical Findings and Clinical Behavior.

OBJECTIVES: Fundic gland polyps (FGPs) occur in two clinical settings, sporadic and syndromic. Epithelial dysplasia is rare in sporadic FGPs, and progression data from large series are lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical, morphologic, and immunohistochemical features in a large series of sporadic FGPs with epithelial dysplasia. METHODS: We studied 85 patients with FGPs with low-grade dysplasia (FGPD), including 62 patients with sporadic and 23 with syndromic FGPDs. RESULTS: Sixty-two patients with sporadic FGPD comprised 29 men and 33 women with a median age of 56 years. The indications for endoscopy were heartburn and follow-up of Barrett esophagus, and 49 patients had a history of proton pump inhibitor use. Morphologically, sporadic and syndromic FGPDs were similar. Immunohistochemical staining for p53 was normal (weak 1+) in all polyps, Ki-67 immunohistochemistry showed staining in the mucus neck and surface epithelium, and nuclear accumulation of ß-catenin was observed in 9 of 40 sporadic FGPDs. Twenty-six (42%) patients with sporadic FGPDs had follow-up esophagogastroduodenoscopies with biopsies after a mean period of 14.8 months (nine with more than one follow-up): nine (35%) had no additional polyps, 13 (50%) had nondysplastic sporadic FGPs, and four (15%) had sporadic FGPDs. CONCLUSIONS: Sporadic FGPDs were seen primarily in middle-aged patients with gastroesophageal reflux. Follow-up data support the indolent nature of these polyps.

Smoothelin expression in the gastrointestinal tract: implication in colonic inertia.

Colonic inertia is a frustrating motility disorder to patients, clinicians, and pathologists. The pathogenesis is largely unknown. The aims of this study were to: (1) characterize the expression of smoothelin, a novel smooth muscle-specific contractile protein expressed only by terminally differentiated smooth muscle cells, in the normal gastrointestinal (GI) tract; and (2) determine whether smoothelin is aberrantly expressed in patients with colonic inertia. A total of 57 resections of the normal GI tract (distal esophagus to left colon) were obtained from patients without GI motor dysfunction. Sixty-one colon resections were obtained from patients with a clinical diagnosis of colonic inertia. Smoothelin immunostaining was conducted on full-thickness tissue sections. In the nondysmotile controls, strong and diffuse cytoplasmic staining for smoothelin was observed in both the inner circular and outer longitudinal layers of the muscularis propria (MP) throughout the entire GI tract. The muscularis mucosae (MM) and muscular vessel walls were either completely negative or only patchily and weakly stained. The 1 exception to this pattern was observed in the distal esophagus, in which the MM was also diffusely and strongly stained. In cases with colonic inertia, a moderate to marked reduction of smoothelin immunoreactivity was observed in 15 of 61 (24.6%) colon resections, selectively seen in the outer layer of the MP. The data demonstrate that smoothelin is differentially expressed in the MP and MM of the normal GI tract and suggest that defective smoothelin expression may play a role in the pathogenesis of colonic inertia in a subset of patients.

Expression of glypican-3 in undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma and mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver.

Glypican-3 (GPC3) is an oncofetal protein that has been demonstrated to be a useful diagnostic immunomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatoblastoma. Its expression in mesenchymal tumors of the liver, particularly undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma (UES) and mesenchymal hamartoma (MH), has not been investigated. In this study, a total of 24 UESs and 18 MHs were immunohistochemically stained for GPC3 expression. The results showed cytoplasmic staining for GPC3 in 14 (58%) UESs, of which 6 exhibited diffuse immunoreactivity and the remaining 8 showed focal positivity. The patients with GPC3-positive UES tended to be younger (mean 18 years; median 11 years) than those with GPC3-negative tumors (mean 39.4 years; median 27 years), although the difference did not reach statistical significance (P = .06). Eight MHs also exhibited GPC3 immunoreactivity (44%; 4 diffuse and 4 focal). Positive staining in all 8 cases was primarily seen in entrapped nonlesional hepatocytes with a canalicular and cytoplasmic staining pattern. In only 4 cases (22%) was GPC3 immunoreactivity also observed in the mesenchymal component. The patients with positive staining also tended to be younger (mean 2.6 years; median 1.1 years) compared with those with negative staining (mean 16.3 years; median 4.5 years), but the difference was not statistically significant (P = .15). Our data demonstrate that GPC3 is expressed in a subset of UES and MH of the liver. Caution should thus be exercised when evaluating a GPC3-expressing hepatic neoplasm, particularly on a needle biopsy when the differential diagnosis includes poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma or hepatoblastoma.

S100P, von Hippel-Lindau gene product, and IMP3 serve as a useful immunohistochemical panel in the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma on endoscopic bile duct biopsy.

Histopathologic distinction between benign and malignant bile duct epithelial lesions on endoscopic biopsies can be extremely challenging because of limited material, crush artifact, and compounding inflammatory and/or reactive changes particularly after stent placement. In this study, a total of 72 endoscopic bile duct biopsies, including 40 adenocarcinomas and 32 benign cases, were immunohistochemically examined for the expression of S100P, von Hippel-Lindau gene product (pVHL), and IMP3 to evaluate their diagnostic value. The results showed that 36 adenocarcinomas (90%) exhibited strong nuclear and cytoplasmic staining for S100P, of which 30 (83.3%) showed diffuse immunoreactivity. Intermediate to strong cytoplasmic staining for IMP3 was demonstrated in 31 tumors (77.5%) (15 diffuse, 16 focal). Completely negative staining for pVHL was observed in 37 adenocarcinomas. In the remaining 3 tumors, focal (1) or diffuse (2) membranous and cytoplasmic pVHL immunoreactivity was detected. Twenty-eight tumors (70%) showed a S100P+/IMP3+/pVHL- staining pattern, 6 (15%) with a S100P+/IMP3-/pVHL- pattern, and 2 (5%) with a S100P-/IMP3+/pVHL- pattern. All 32 benign biopsies were completely negative for IMP3 with the exception of 2 cases with focal dysplasia where focal immunoreactivity was observed. Thirty benign biopsies (93.8%) were positive for pVHL with a diffuse staining pattern observed in 28 cases (93.3%). Eight benign biopsies (25%) showed focal S100P positivity. Twenty-two benign biopsies (68.8%) displayed a S100P-/IMP3-/pVHL+ staining pattern. In conclusion, an immunohistochemical panel consisting of S100P, pVHL, and IMP3 can be helpful in distinguishing adenocarcinoma from reactive epithelial changes on challenging bile duct biopsies. The findings of focal S100P and/or IMP3 expression with reciprocal loss of pVHL immunoreactivity in a few benign biopsies suggest a use of these markers in the detection of early epithelial dysplasia that may be beyond histologic recognition.

hBub1 negatively regulates p53 mediated early cell death upon mitotic checkpoint activation.

Our previous studies showed that the depletion of the outer kinetochore protein hBub1 upon activation of spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) primarily triggers early cell death mediated by p53 rather than aneuploidy. Here, we report that phosphorylation of p53 at Ser37 is critical for proapoptotic activity upon SAC activation. Furthermore, we show that p53 physically interacts with hBub1 at kinetochores in response to mitotic spindle damage suggesting a direct role for hBub1 in the suppression of p53 mediated cell death. This observation is further substantiated by the inhibition of p53 mediated transactivation of the proapoptotic target genes, PUMA and BAX, by hBub1 in SAC activated cells. In summary, our data from these and our previous studies strongly suggest that in response to SAC activation, hBub1 acts as a negative regulator of p53 mediated early cell death in a novel checkpoint pathway. On the translational medicine front, it is tempting to speculate that by disabling hBub1 in p53 proficient cancer cells, apoptosis may be induced as a therapeutic approach to eradicate the tumor cells.

hBub1 deficiency triggers a novel p53 mediated early apoptotic checkpoint pathway in mitotic spindle damaged cells.

It has been universally believed that spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) proteins which include the kinetochore proteins are involved in monitoring the faithful segregation of sister chromatids during cell division and hence defects in these proteins result in aneuploidy. Furthermore, there are multiple sources of experimental data to suggest that a defect in p53 can also promote genomic instability leading to aneuploidy. Despite these observations, a molecular basis for the prevention of aneuploidy to maintain genomic integrity upon activation of SAC has largely remained elusive. In this report, we demonstrate a novel mechanism for the maintenance of a balance between cell survival and apoptosis upon activation of SAC. We found that depletion of the outer kinetochore protein hBub1 upon activation of SAC primarily triggers early cell death mediated by p53. This phenomenon is further supported by the upregulation of p53 downstream pro-apoptotic genes, BAX and PUMA as well as a corresponding increase in the cleavage products of PARP and caspase 3, markers of apoptosis, upon depletion of hBub1 in SAC activated cells. On the other hand, as expected, concomitant loss of both hBub1 and p53 resulted in disabling of the p53 mediated cell death pathway leading to the accumulation of cells with aneuploidy/polyploidy.

Differential expression of selected gene products in uterine leiomyomata and adenomyosis.

Gene products estrogen receptor alpha, progesterone receptor-A, retinoid X receptor alpha, insulin-like growth factor-II, insulin-like growth factor I receptor beta, platelet-derived growth factor, epithelial growth factor receptor, and BCL-2 were examined by immunohistochemistry with the aid of a tissue microarray from 46 hysterectomies with adenomyosis and leiomyomata. With appropriate internal controls, there were significant differences in gene expression between adenomyosis and leiomyomata.

Healing after Columbine: reflections of psychoanalytic responders to community trauma.

Following the shootings at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, the Denver Psychoanalytic Society provided both immediate and long-term interventions to those closely impacted by the tragedy. In this effort, analytically trained volunteers faced many personal challenges and role adjustments. To address these issues a reflective study group was formed twenty months after the traumatic event. Group discussions revealed a surprising number of residual symptoms from secondary trauma, as well as opportunities for shared coping among analysts. Little has been written about the very human and subjective responses of analysts in such circumstances. These experiences may be helpful to others in today's world of terrorism and unexpected violent events.