Antennal morphology and sensilla ultrastructure of the malaria vectors, Anopheles maculatus and An. sawadwongporni (Diptera: Culicidae).

Mosquitoes rely mainly on the olfactory system to track hosts. Sensilla contain olfactory neuron receptors that perceive different kinds of odorants and transfer crucial information regarding the surrounding environment. Anopheles maculatus and An. sawadwongporni, members of the Maculatus Group, are regarded as vectors of malaria in Thailand. The fine structure of their sensilla has yet to be identified. Herein, scanning electron microscopy is used to examine the sensilla located on the antennae of adults An. maculatus and An. sawadwongporni, collected from the Thai-Myanmar border. Four major types of antennal sensilla are discovered in both species: chaetica, coeloconica, basiconica (grooved pegs) and trichodea. The antennae of female An. maculatus have longer lengths (µm, mean ± SE) in the long sharp-tipped trichodea (40.62 ± 0.35 > 38.20 ± 0.36), blunt-tipped trichodea (20.39 ± 0.62 > 18.62 ± 0.35), and basiconica (7.84 ± 0.15 > 7.41 ± 0.12) than those of An. sawadwongporni. Using light microscopy, it is found that the mean numbers of large sensilla coeloconica (lco) on both flagella in An. maculatus (left: 32.97 ± 0.48; right: 33.27 ± 0.65) are also greater when compared to An. sawadwongporni (left: 30.40 ± 0.62; right: 29.97 ± 0.49). The mean counts of lco located on flagellomeres 1-3, 6, and 9 in An. maculatus are significantly higher than those of An. sawadwongporni. The data in this study indicate that two closely related Anopheles species exhibit similar morphology of sensilla types, but show variations in length, and likewise in the number of large sensilla coeloconica between them, suggesting they might be causative factors that affect their behaviors driven by the sense of smell.

Corrigendum to "Effect of intensive weekend mindfulness-based intervention on BDNF, mitochondria function, and anxiety. A randomized, crossover clinical trial" [Compr. Psychoneuroendocrinol. (2022) 100137].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2022.100137.].

Effect of intensive weekend mindfulness-based intervention on BDNF, mitochondria function, and anxiety. A randomized, crossover clinical trial.

Background: The previous metanalysis found that Mind-body intervention (MBI) improves neuropsychologic well-being and may increase brain-derived growth factor (BDNF). BDNF is a neurotrophic factor related to neuroplasticity. Objective: To evaluate the effect of the short intensive MBI compared to control-relaxation on Site on BDNF and examine if this change is related to mitochondria function or stress-related neurohormonal activity. Methods: Randomized, controlled, two-period cross-over trial conducted in a medical center in Thailand. Healthy-meditation naive Nurse and Occupational Therapy Students, 23 assigned randomly to MBI, and 24 relaxations at the site for 8 h during the weekend. The wash-out period was three months between the two periods. All volunteers took the blood test for BDNF, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), Cortisol, and Heart rate variability (HRV) measurement before and Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety (VAS-A), forward and backward digit span after each period. Results: A total of 40 participants finished the trials. The cross over trial analysis showed a significant treatment effect between MBI and Relaxation on-site for the mean VAS-A as 9.89 (95% CI 4.81 to 19.47; P = 0.001), serum BDNF as 1.24 (95% CI 0.16 to 2.32; P = 0.04), and OXPHOS complex-1 was decreased 0.41 (95% CI 0.03-0.29 p = 0.03). There were no significant differences for digit span, cortisol, and HRV. Conclusion: In healthy meditation naïve females, even a short period of MBI may increase serum BDNF and reduce anxiety more than relaxation on-site. The more reduction of OXPHOS complex-1 in the mindfulness group suggests oxidative stress may be a more sensitive indicator than stress-related neurohormonal activity.

Ultrastructure of sensilla on the antennae and maxillary palpi of the human-biting black flies, Simulium nigrogilvum and Simulium umphangense, (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Thailand.

Antennae and maxillary palpi are the most important sensory organs involved in the behaviors of black flies. The ultrastructure of sensilla on these sensory appendages of two human-biting black fly species, Similium nigrogilvum and Simulium umphangense, was studied for the first time. Wild adult females of both species were collected in Umphang District, Tak Province, western Thailand. The morphology and distribution of sensilla were examined using scanning electron microscopy. Overall, the morphology of the antennae and maxillary palpi and distribution of sensilla are similar in the two species. Four major types of sensilla were found on the antennae of both species: sensilla basiconica (three subtypes), coeloconica, chaetica (four subtypes), and trichodea. However, sensilla basiconica subtype IV are only present on the antennal surface of S. nigrogilvum. Sensilla trichodea are the most abundant among the four types of sensilla that occur on the antennae of both species. Significant differences in the length of the antennae (scape and flagellomere IX), length of the maxillary palpi (whole and palpal segments I, III, IV and V), and the length and basal width of four sensilla types (trichodea, chaetica, basiconica, and coeloconica) were found. In addition, two types of sensilla were observed on the maxillary palpi: sensilla chaetica (three subtypes) and bulb-shaped sensilla. Differences were observed in the numbers of bulb-shaped sensilla in the sensory vesicles of S. nigrogilvum and S. umphangense. The findings are compared with the sensilla of other insects, and the probable functions of each sensillum type are discussed. The anatomical data on sensory organs derived from this study will help to better understand black fly behavior.

Spatiotemporal distribution and age of seizure onset in a pediatric epilepsy surgery cohort with cortical dysplasia.

OBJECTIVE: Focal Cortical Dysplasias (CD) are a common etiology of refractory pediatric epilepsy and are amenable to epilepsy surgery. We investigated the association of lesion volume and location to age of seizure onset among children with CD who underwent epilepsy surgery. METHODS: A retrospective study of epilepsy surgery patients with pathologically-confirmed CD. Regions of interest (ROI) determined preoperative lesion volumes on 1.5 T and 3 T T2 and SPGR MRIs, and location in 7 distributed neural networks. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. RESULTS: Fifty-five patients were identified: 35 girls (56.5 %). Median age of seizure onset: 19.0 months (range 0.02 months - 16.0 years). Median age of surgery: 7.8 years (range 2.89 months - 24.45 years). CD were frontal (n = 21, 38 %); temporal (n = 15, 27 %); parietal (n = 10, 18 %); occipital (n = 3, 5%); multilobar (n = 6, 11 %). Frontal FCD had seizure onset < 1-year-old (P = 0.10); temporal lobe CD seizure onset was more likely > 5-years-old (P= 0.06). Median lesion volume for CD was 23.23 cm3 (range: 1.87-591.73 cm3). Larger CD lesions were associated with earlier epilepsy (P = 0.01, r = -0.16). We did not find that lesions proximal to early maturing cortical regions were associated with earlier seizure onset. We found an association with CD location in the default mode network (DMN) and age onset < 5years old (P = 0.03). Age of seizure onset was negatively correlated with percent of CD overlapping motor cortex (P = 0.001, r =-0.794) but not with CD overlap of the visual cortex (P = 0.35). There was no effect of CD type on age of epilepsy onset. SIGNIFICANCE: Larger CD lesions are associated with earlier onset epilepsy. CD most commonly occurs within the DMN and Limbic network, and DMN is associated with seizure onset before 5-years-old. Percent of CD overlapping motor cortex correlates with earlier seizure onset. These observations may reflect patterns of brain maturation or regional differences in clinical expression of seizures.

Reliability and Validity Testing of the FAMCARE-2 Scale: Thai Translation.

OBJECTIVE: Measuring the satisfaction of family caregivers regarding the palliative care provided to their family members is very important for quality improvement in the palliative care system. The aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties (i.e., reliability and validity) of the FAMCARE-2 Scale: Thai Translation for measuring family caregiver satisfaction. METHODS: A forward-backward translation process was utilized to produce the 17-item FAMCARE-2 Scale: Thai Translation. The questionnaire and the demographic data form were hand-delivered to the primary family caregivers of 66 palliative care patients of the inpatient wards at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, on the patient discharge date. Internal consistency reliability testing of the FAMCARE-2 Scale: Thai Translation was assessed by calculating the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Factor analysis was used to test construct validity. RESULTS: The FAMCARE-2 Scale: Thai Translation showed a high level of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.94) and an item-to-total correlation coefficient of 0.13-0.77. Factor analysis of FAMCARE-2 revealed a four-factor structure: management of physical symptoms and comfort, patient care and sharing information, symptoms and side effects, and family and patient support. CONCLUSIONS: The FAMCARE-2 Scale: Thai Translation was found to be a valid psychometric tool for measuring family caregiver satisfaction within the Thai context of palliative care.

PM10-related DNA damage, cytokinetic defects, and cell death in COPD patients from Chiang Dao district, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Exposure to PM10 generated by biomass burning may reduce lung function and induce cytogenetic effects, especially in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. This study investigated the frequency of DNA-damaged cells, cells with cytokinetic defect, and different types of cell death using a buccal micronucleus cytome assay. The correlations between each biomarker and lung function were investigated. The changes in these biomarkers associated with high pollutant levels (PM10 > 50 µg/m3) and low pollutant levels (PM10 < 50 µg/m3) were evaluated to explore whether PM10 exposure induced genotoxic damages and cytokinetic defects in COPD patients when the daily average PM10 concentration reached above 50 µg/m3. Fifty-eight COPD patients and 26 healthy subjects living in Chiang Dao district, Chiang Mai, Thailand, were recruited in this study. The results revealed that buccal cells with micronuclei (high vs low 1.09 ± 1.95 vs 0.29 ± 0.64 in COPD patients) and binucleated cells (high vs low 11.43 ± 18.68 vs 1.60 ± 1.31 and 7.77 ± 12.76 vs 1.00 ± 1.17 in COPD and healthy subjects, respectively) observed during the high pollutant period were more frequent than in the low pollutant period. Moreover, exposure to PM10 increased the risk of micronucleus induction in COPD patients 295.23-fold.

Natural Plasmodium vivax infections in Anopheles mosquitoes in a malaria endemic area of northeastern Thailand.

There was recently an outbreak of malaria in Ubon Ratchathani Province, northeastern Thailand. In the absence of information on malaria vector transmission dynamics, this study aimed to identify the anopheline vectors and their role in malaria transmission. Adult female Anopheles mosquitoes were collected monthly by human-landing catch in Na Chaluai District of Ubon Ratchathani Province during January 2014-December 2015. Field-captured mosquitoes were identified to species using morphology-based keys and molecular assays (allele-specific polymerase chain reaction, AS-PCR), and analysed for the presence of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of circumsporozoite proteins (CSP). A total of 1,229 Anopheles females belonging to 13 species were collected. Four anopheline taxa were most abundant: Members of the Anopheles barbirostris complex, comprising 38% of the specimens, species of the Anopheles hyrcanus group (18%), Anopheles nivipes (17%) and Anopheles philippinensis (12%). The other nine species comprised 15% of the collections. Plasmodium infections were detected in two of 668 pooled samples of heads/thoraces, Anopheles dirus (1/29) and An. philippinensis (1/97). The An. dirus pool had a mixed infection of P. vivax-210 and P. vivax-247, whereas the An. philippinensis pool was positive only for the latter protein variant. Both positive ELISA samples were confirmed by nested PCR. This study is the first to incriminate An. dirus and An. philippinensis as natural malaria vectors in the area where the outbreak occurred. This information can assist in designing and implementing a more effective malaria control programme in the province.

Clinical characteristics of gynecologic cancer patients who respond to salvage treatment with Lingzhi.

Lingzhi or Ganoderma lucidum is a popular medicinal mushroom used as a health promotion herb in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years. There have many previous studies about the anti-cancer effects of lingzhi especially in vitro. The present study reports the clinical data of 5 gynecologic cancer patients who achieved stability in the disease after ingestion of lingzhi in the form of fruit body water extract and spores in a salvage setting. This report has been written to enhance the data describing the effect of lingzhi in cancer patients.