Impact of climate change on Helicoverpa armigera voltinism in different Agro-Climatic Zones of India.

The Gram pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera) is a cosmopolitan agricultural insect pest that prefers to feed on plant's protein biomolecules. Out of different density-independent factors, surface air temperature majorly affects the incidence and damage of the H. armigera on the crops. Early prediction of H. armigera generations (voltinism) in future climate years perhaps prevent additional damage in various crops and improve the farmers preparedness. In this study, future climate data that is temperature obtained for eleven Agro-Climatic Zones (ACZs) of India under four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) scenarios in different climate years (2010, 2030, 2050, 2070, 2090) using weather file generator MarkSim web application. The accumulation of Growing Degree-days (GDD) by H. armigera at eleven ACZs in each climate year under different RCP scenarios was estimated using temperature data. The mean surface air temperature is predicted to 0.51 °C, 1.03 °C, 1.57 °C and 2.1 °C in climate years 2030, 2050, 2070 and 2090, which escalated annual H. armigera Gen. to 12.88, 13.33, 13.79 and 14.23, respectively over the baseline climate year 2010. Likewise, under RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, RCP 6.0 and RCP 8.5 scenarios H. armigera Gen. is predicted to 12.86, 13.29, 13.23 and 13.97 per annum with mean surface air temperatures 27.4 °C, 27.92 °C, 27.86 °C and 28.72 °C, respectively. The Eastern Coastal Plains and Hills Zone (ACZ 11) across climate years and RCPs has experienced a considerable increase in mean surface air temperature minimum (25.22 °C) and maximum (34.61 °C), which likely favor the GDD accumulation (6319.91) and the Genrations (14.97) in H. armigera. Therefore, the Eastern Coastal Plains and Hills Zone of India could be identified as H. armigera risk zone in near future. The present predictions in various ACZs of India may be significant in planning H. armigera management.

Efficacy and safety of valsartan in children aged 1-5 years with hypertension, with or without chronic kidney disease: a randomized, double-blind study followed by open-label phase.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the dose-response relationship for reduction in mean systolic blood pressure (MSBP) with valsartan solution, in young children with hypertension with or without chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy study, 127 young children aged 1-5 years with hypertension (MSBP ≥95th percentile) were randomized (1:1) to receive valsartan 0.25 or 4 mg/kg/day for 6 weeks, followed by a 20 week open-label phase, where patients received valsartan 1 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks, and then optionally titrated to 2 mg/kg/day or up to 4 mg/kg/day. The primary endpoint was the change in MSBP from baseline at Week 6 during the double-blind phase. RESULTS: Overall, 120 patients (94.5%) completed the study; 63 had CKD. A clinically and statistically significant reduction in MSBP from baseline to Week 6 was observed with the valsartan 4 mg/kg group compared with the valsartan 0.25 mg/kg group (8.5 vs 4.1 mmHg; p = .0157). A positive dose-response relationship for MSBP reduction was observed between the 0.25 mg/kg and 4 mg/kg groups (p = .0012). In the CKD subgroup, a significant reduction in MSBP was observed with 4 mg/kg (9.2 mmHg) versus 0.25 mg/kg (1.2 mmHg; p = .0096). In the non-CKD subgroup, a numerically greater decrease in MSBP was observed with 4 mg/kg (7.8 mmHg) versus 0.25 mg/kg (6.9 mmHg; p = .6531). Incidence of adverse events was lower with valsartan 4 mg/kg than 0.25 mg/kg (41.9% vs 51.6%) and similar between CKD and non-CKD subgroups (48.4% vs 45.3%) irrespective of dose. Increase in serum potassium (>20% compared to baseline) was observed more frequently in patients with CKD compared to non-CKD patients. CONCLUSION: Valsartan was efficacious and well tolerated in children 1 to 5 years of age with hypertension, with or without CKD. Clinical trial registration: The study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT01617681).

Characterization of Helicoverpa armigera spatial distribution in pigeonpea crop using geostatistical methods.

BACKGROUND: The gram pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an economically important pest of pigeonpea crop in India. Fixed plot surveys for H. armigera larvae were carried out at 28 pigeonpea fields located in the Southern Plateau and Hills agro-climatic zone of India for three crop seasons (nine sampling weeks per season). The spatiotemporal dynamics of H. armigera larvae in the experimental area (=Hanamkonda) was analysed using geostatistics tools, namely a variogram and Voronoi diagram, and H. armigera larval distribution patterns were further characterized and mapped. RESULTS: A significant difference in H. armigera larval incidence was noticed between sampling weeks, with greater larval incidence observed between 26 November and 2 December. Pod formation phenophase (Meteorological Standard Week 44) of pigeonpea favoured the initial H. armigera larval incidence. Variogram analysis revealed moderate to strong larval aggregation (spatial dependence) of H. armigera in all nine sampling weeks. Based on the range value of the variogram, the average aggregation distance of H. armigera larvae in pigeonpea was estimated to be 2425.48 m. Voronoi diagrams illustrated the spatial heterogeneity of H. armigera larva between sampling weeks, which can be linked to availability of food sources. CONCLUSION: This study witnessed intrapopulation variability in H. armigera larvae associated with geographical space and temporal patterns. Based on our findings, a sampling distance of 2425.48 m may be used in larger pigeonpea fields (experimental area) to reduce scouting fatigue. The interpolated maps generated in this study may be of value in developing effective H. armigera larva monitoring and management tools in pigeonpea crop.

Annotation of gut bacterial taxonomic and functional diversity in Spodoptera litura and Spilosoma obliqua.

The insect gut has been the house of many taxonomically and physiologically diverse groups of microbial colonizers as symbionts and commensals, which are evolving to support the physiological requirement of insects. Lepidoptera is one of the important family of class hexapoda, comprising agriculture insect pest Spodoptera litura and Spilosoma obliqua. Information on gut microbiota and their functional role in these insects was meager to elucidate the wide-ranging survivalist mechanisms. In this context, we analyzed the composition, diversity and functional role of gut bacteria in S. litura and S. obliqua collected from soybean and sunflower crops, respectively, using Next Generation Sequencing of 16S rRNA. A total of 3427 and 206 Operation Taxonomic Units (OTUs) were identified in S. litura and S. obliqua gut metagenome, respectively. Highest number of sequences were annotated to unclassified bacteria (34%), followed by Proteobacteria (27%), and Chlorobi (14%) in S. litura, while S. obliqua has significant representation of Firmicutes (48%), followed by Bacteroidetes (20%), and unclassified bacteria (11%). Functionality of both metagenomes revealed, high abundance of ammonia oxidizers (20.1 58.0%) followed by relative abundance of detoxifying processes - dehalogenation (17.4-41.2%) and aromatic hydrocarbons degradation (1.1-3.1%). This study highlights the significance of the inherent microbiome of two defoliators in shaping the metagenome for nutrition and detoxifying the chemical molecules, and opens an avenue for exploring role of insect gut bacteria in host selection, metabolic endurance of insecticides and synergistic or agonistic mechanisms inside gut of insects feeding on insect-resistant biotech crops.

Timeliness of a Signal Detection Process as a Component of Effectiveness Assessment in a Drug Safety Department of a Large Pharmaceutical Company: Review Over a 5-Year Period.

The effectiveness of a signal detection process integrating traditional and data-mining techniques was evaluated retrospectively in the real-world setting of a drug safety department at a large pharmaceutical company. To this effect, annual metrics on all signals detected internally or externally for all approved Novartis drugs were reviewed from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2011. Timeliness (ie, the ability of the signal detection process to detect signals prior to any regulator) was taken as a main component of effectiveness. Over this 5-year period, 568 (about 17%) of the 3481 signals submitted by the safety management team at the signal escalation boards were identified as new or changing signals. Of these 568 signals, 53 (10%) were detected first by health authorities (a quarter of which were class signals). In conclusion, the signal detection process at Novartis Pharmaceuticals could detect at least 9 of 10 signals prior to them being detected by health authorities.

Patients with a major depressive episode responding to treatment with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) are resistant to the effects of rapid tryptophan depletion.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) appears to be efficacious in the treatment of major depression based on the results of controlled studies, but little is known about its antidepressant mechanism of action. Mood sensitivity following rapid tryptophan depletion (RTD) has been demonstrated in depressed patients responding to SSRI antidepressants and phototherapy, but not in responders to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). We sought to study the effects of RTD in patients with major depression responding to a course of treatment with rTMS. Twelve subjects treated successfully with rTMS monotherapy underwent both RTD and sham depletion in a double-blind crossover design. Depressive symptoms were assessed using both a modified Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The differential change in depression scores across the procedures was compared. No significant difference in mood symptoms was noted between RTD and the sham-depletion procedure on either continuous measures of depression, or in the proportions of subjects that met predefined criteria for a significant degree of mood worsening. Responders to rTMS are resistant to the mood perturbing effects of RTD. This suggests that rTMS does not depend on the central availability of serotonin to exert antidepressant effects in major depression.