Synthesis of histidine, serine and folic acid-functionalized and boron and iron-doped graphene quantum dot with excellent optical behavior and peroxidase-like activity for colorimetric and fluorescence detection of H2O2 in food.

Low fluorescence under visible light excitation and catalytic activity limit many applications of graphene quantum dots in optical detection, biosensing, catalysis and biomedical. The paper reports design and synthesis of histidine, serine and folic acid-functionalized and boron and iron-doped graphene quantum dot (Fe/B-GQD-HSF). The Fe/B-GQD-HSF shows excellent fluorescence behavior and peroxidase-like activity. Excitation of 330 nm ultraviolet light produces the strongest blue fluorescence and excitation of 480 nm visible light produces the strongest yellow fluorescence. The specific activity reaches 92.67 U g-1, which is higher than that of other graphene quantum dots. The Fe/B-GQD-HSF can catalyze oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine with H2O2 to form blue compound. Based on this, it was used for colorimetric and fluorescence detection of H2O2. The absorbance at 652 nm linearly increases with the increase of H2O2 concentration between 0.5 and 100 µM with detection limit of 0.43 µM. The fluorescence signal linearly decreases with the increase of H2O2 concentration between 0.05 and 100 µM with detection limit of 0.035 µM. The analytical method has been satisfactorily applied in detection of H2O2 in food. The study also paves one way for design and synthesis of functional graphene quantum dots with ideal fluorescence behavior and catalytic activity.

Chitin synthase genes of Aedes albopictus and their effects on development of pupae.

The invasive species Aedes albopictus is a major vector of several arboviruses. The global spread of this species seriously threatens human health. Insecticide resistance is an increasing problem worldwide that limits the efficacy of mosquito control. As the major structural component of cuticles, chitin is indispensable to insects. Chitin synthase (CHS) is the enzyme that catalyzes the biosynthesis of chitin at the final step. In this study, two CHS genes of Aedes albopictus (AaCHS1 and AaCHS2) were identified and their basic characteristics were evaluated via bioinformatics analysis. The highest abundance of AaCHS1 transcripts was detected in pupae, whereas that of AaCHS2 transcripts was detected in females; the highest expression levels of AaCHS1 and AaCHS2 were found in the epidermis and the midgut of pupae, respectively. The survival and emergence rates of pupae were significantly reduced after the injection of double-stranded RNA of AaCHS1 or AaCHS2, indicating that both AaCHS1 and AaCHS2 play crucial roles in the pupal development. In addition, the chitin content of pupae was obviously decreased after the suppression of AaCHS1 expression by RNA interference (RNAi) treatment. This influence of the RNAi treatment was further supported by the reduced chitin thickness and weakened chitin fluorescence signal in the new cuticle. The midgut of pupae presented a reduced intensity of the chitin fluorescence signal along with RNAi treatment specific to AaCHS2 expression. The results of this study indicate that CHS genes may be suitable as molecular targets used for controlling mosquitoes.

Predictive value of von Willebrand factor for venous thromboembolism in critically ill patients based on propensity score matching / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective:To analyze the predictive value of von Willebrand factor (vWF) for venous thromboembolism (VTE) of patients in intensive care unit (ICU) by using propensity score matching (PSM).Methods:Patients admitted to ICU of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from December 2020 to June 2022 who stayed in ICU for ≥72 hours and underwent daily bedside vascular ultrasound screening were included. Baseline data such as age, gender, primary disease, and chronic comorbidities were collected. Coagulation indexes before admission to ICU and 24 hours and 48 hours after ICU admission were collected, including prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), international normalized ratio (INR), fibrinogen (Fib), fibrin monomer (FM), vWF, D-dimer, antithrombin Ⅲ (ATⅢ), etc. Patients were divided into VTE group and non-VTE group according to whether they had VTE or not [diagnosis of VTE: patients underwent daily ultrasound screening of bedside blood vessels (both upper and lower limbs, visceral veins), and those suspected of having thrombosis were confirmed by ultrasonographer or pulmonary angiography]. Using PSM analysis method, the VTE group was used as the benchmark to conduct 1 : 1 matching of age, whether there was malignant tumor, whether there was infection, whether there was diabetes, and coagulation indicators before admission to ICU. Finally, the cases with balanced covariates between the two groups were obtained. The risk factors of VTE were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression analysis. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was drawn to evaluate the predictive value of vWF in the occurrence of VTE in critically ill patients.Results:A total of 120 patients were enrolled, of which 18 (15.0%) were diagnosed with VTE within 72 hours after admission to ICU, and 102 (85.0%) were not found to have thrombus in ICU. Before PSM, there were significant differences in age, gender, proportion of malignant tumor and infection, and coagulation indexes between VTE group and non-VTE group. After PSM, 14 pairs were successfully matched, and the unbalanced covariables between the two groups reached equilibrium. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that vWF was an independent risk factor for VTE at 48 hours after ICU admission in critically ill patients [odds ratio ( OR) = 1.165, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 1.000-1.025, P = 0.004]. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of vWF at 48 hours after ICU admission for predicting VTE was 0.782, 95% CI was 0.618-0.945, P = 0.007. When the optimal cut-off value was 312.12%, the sensitivity was 67.7% and the specificity was 93.0%. Conclusion:Dynamic monitoring of vWF is helpful to predict the occurrence of VTE in ICU patients, and vWF at 48 hours after ICU admission has certain value in predicting the occurrence of VTE.

Adverse Psychological and Therapeutic Effects of Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) Use: A Systematic Review

@#Aims: This review aimed to comprehensively examine kratom’s therapeutic potential for treatment of mental health-related issues as well as any related benefits and risks. Design: Systematic review. Data sources: Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Medline. Review methods: Three authors carried out electronic search of articles published between 1950 to September 2022 through major databases for a duration of three months (from July to September 2022). Each author independently screened the literature for inclusion and exclusion criteria, the findings were then compared, discrepancies between authors were resolved, and the final selection of articles were reviewed. Results: A total of 46 articles were included in this review. A total of three in vitro and animal studies and five cross-sectional online surveys reported the therapeutic potential of kratom in opioid replacement therapy. In addition, a total of two animal studies and three cross-sectional online surveys highlighted the role of kratom as a potential antidepressant and anxiolytic. Contrastingly, two animal studies, 11 studies in human subjects, and 16 case reports documented the risk of kratom dependence, cravings, tolerance, and kratom-related substance use disorder as the major safety concern of implementing kratom use as a therapeutic agent. Conclusion and impact: In the absence of human clinical trial, coupled with various considerable adverse events of kratom (not limited to psychological side effects), evidence to support kratom as potential therapeutic use remains inconclusive.

Developmental transcriptomics throughout the embryonic developmental process of Rhipicephalus turanicus reveals stage-specific gene expression profiles.

BACKGROUND: Ticks are important vectors and transmit diverse pathogens, including protozoa, viruses, and bacteria. Tick-borne diseases can cause damage to both human health and the livestock industries. The control and prevention of ticks and tick-borne diseases has relied heavily on acaricides. METHODS: In the present study, using a high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) technique, we performed a comprehensive time-series transcriptomic analysis throughout the embryogenesis period of Rhipicephalus turanicus. RESULTS: Altogether, 127,157 unigenes were assembled and clustered. Gene expression differences among the embryonic stages demonstrated that the most differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were observed in the comparisons of early embryonic stages (RTE5 vs. RTE10, 9726 genes), and there were far fewer DEGs in later stages (RTE25 vs. RTE30, 2751 genes). Furthermore, 16 distinct gene modules were identified according to weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and genes in different modules displayed stage-specific characteristics. Gene Ontology (GO) annotations and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment suggested that some genes involved in organ and tissue formation were significantly upregulated in the early embryonic developmental stages, whereas metabolism-related pathways were more enriched in the later embryonic developmental stages. CONCLUSIONS: These transcriptome studies revealed gene expression profiles at different stages of embryonic development, which would be useful for interrupting the embryonic development of ticks and disrupting the transmission of tick-borne diseases.

A Draft Genome Assembly of Culex pipiens pallens (Diptera: Culicidae) Using PacBio Sequencing.

The Northern house mosquito, Culex pipiens pallens, serves as important temperate vectors of several diseases, particularly the epidemic encephalitis and lymphatic filariasis. Reference genome of the Cx. pipiens pallens is helpful to understand its genomic basis underlying the complexity of mosquito biology. Using 142 Gb (∼250×) of the PacBio long reads, we assembled a draft genome of 567.56 Mb. The assembly includes 1,714 contigs with a N50 length of 0.84 Mb and a Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO) completeness of 95.6% (n = 1,367). We masked 60.63% (344.11 Mb) of the genome as repetitive elements and identified 2,032 noncoding RNAs. A total of 18,122 protein-coding genes captured a 94.1% of BUSCO gene set. Gene family evolution and function enrichment analyses revealed that significantly expanded gene families mainly involved in immunity, gustatory and olfactory chemosensation, and DNA replication/repair.

Variation in the microbiota across different developmental stages of Aedes albopictus is affected by ampicillin exposure.

The microbiota plays an important role in the growth of mosquitoes and the transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens. The effects of changes in aquatic habitats in which mosquitoes live, as one of the major factors closely associated with the microbial communities of mosquitoes, on the microbiota of different developmental stages remain to be elucidated. Here, we compared the microbiota of larvae and pupae of Aedes albopictus exposed to different ampicillin concentrations and investigated the bacterial composition of adult females. The results demonstrate that the microbial community differed substantially between developmental stages and that samples of the same stages shared similarities, whereas differences were observed between adult females. Based on all observations, we hypothesize that the use of ampicillin caused dysbiosis rather than excluding bacteria from mosquitoes and that the disturbing effect of ampicillin was obvious in adults. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses revealed that most of the bacteria identified in this study were significantly associated with metabolism. Taken together, our results indicate that ampicillin can change the abundance of bacteria, while microbial communities of Ae. albopictus showed obvious stage-specific characteristics. Further investigations are needed to characterize specific bacterial components that are affected by ampicillin exposure and to quantify their functions, thereby providing a better understanding of the influence of antibiotics on microbial communities at different life stages.

Investigation on the effect of job-transfer training for psychiatrists in Henan province / 中华医院管理杂志

Objective:To evaluate the effect of job-transfer training for psychiatrists in Henan province in 2018 and to compare them with the results of 2016.Methods:Data of the trainees were collected through questionnaires in 2017 and 2019 respectively. The influencing factors of knowledge and skills were determined by Multiple linear regression analysis; baseline data, training intention, training feedback and the proficiency of knowledge and skills were compared by independent sample t test and chi-square test. Results:The overall satisfaction rate for training was 98.3%, and the overall mastery rate of training knowledge and skills was 59.2% in year 2018. Compared with 2016, the willingness to participate in training, the satisfaction rate, the recognition degree of " 1+ 10+ 1" training mode, the degree of mastery and practical application of training knowledge and skills increased( P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of the primary reasons for participating in the training, factors hindering their participation in the training, and the causes for their failure to fully apply their learning to practice( P<0.01). The results showed that scope of practice, title, intention, and interest in psychiatry was related to the mastery of training knowledge and skills( P<0.05). Conclusions:The effect of training in 2018 is better than 2016, and the degree of mastery and practical application of training knowledge and skills should be increased.

Analysis of the effect of improved early warning score on the theory and practice interactive infiltration training model for surgical internship nurses / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective@#To study the application value of improved early warning score in the practice of theory and practice interactive infiltration training mode for neurosurgery interns.@*Methods@#A total of 84 neurosurgery interns were selected as study samples and randomly divided into control group and intervention group by random double blind method, each group had 42 interns. The control group adopted the interactive infiltration model of theory and practice. The Intervention group adopted the interactive infiltration training mode of theory and practice under the improved early warning scoring system design. Statistics and comparison of the performance of the two groups of trainee nurses, the evaluation of teaching teachers and patients, the self-evaluation of trainee nurses, and the occurrence of nursing errors during the internship.@*Results@#The related examination results between the two groups showed significance (t value was 7.182,5.462,5.530, P<0.01). The evaluation for nursing students by teachers and patients also showed significant difference (t value was 6.989-8.790, P<0.01). The incidence of error event in the intervention group was 9.52% (4/42), lower than that in the control group [30.95% (13/42)]. There was statistical difference between two groups (χ2 value was 14.227, P<0.01).@*Conclusions@#The application of the improved early warning score in the theory and practice interactive infiltration training mode of neurosurgery interns can improve the satisfaction of teachers and patients to interns, enhance the self-satisfaction of interns and reduce the incidence of nursing errors of interns.

Analysis of the effect of improved early warning score on the theory and practice interactive infiltration training model for surgical internship nurses / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To study the application value of improved early warning score in the practice of theory and practice interactive infiltration training mode for neurosurgery interns.Methods:A total of 84 neurosurgery interns were selected as study samples and randomly divided into control group and intervention group by random double blind method, each group had 42 interns. The control group adopted the interactive infiltration model of theory and practice. The Intervention group adopted the interactive infiltration training mode of theory and practice under the improved early warning scoring system design. Statistics and comparison of the performance of the two groups of trainee nurses, the evaluation of teaching teachers and patients, the self-evaluation of trainee nurses, and the occurrence of nursing errors during the internship.Results:The related examination results between the two groups showed significance ( t value was 7.182,5.462,5.530, P<0.01). The evaluation for nursing students by teachers and patients also showed significant difference ( t value was 6.989-8.790, P<0.01). The incidence of error event in the intervention group was 9.52% (4/42), lower than that in the control group [30.95% (13/42)]. There was statistical difference between two groups ( χ 2 value was 14.227, P<0.01). Conclusions:The application of the improved early warning score in the theory and practice interactive infiltration training mode of neurosurgery interns can improve the satisfaction of teachers and patients to interns, enhance the self-satisfaction of interns and reduce the incidence of nursing errors of interns.

Hidden biodiversity revealed by DNA barcoding in black fly genus Simulium.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The black fly genus Simulium Latreille is one of the most important medical insect group of the family Simuliidae (Diptera) and many species of this genus are important pests of human and animals, while some of them also represent vectors of pathogens. Correct species identification is essential to the implementation of control measures for species of medical or agricultural importance. METHODS: In this study, the usefulness of DNA barcoding was discussed in distinguishing species of Simulium. RESULTS: Analysis showed hidden biodiversity, usually referred to in Simuliidae as cryptic species, which was detected in 15 species. Firstly, intraspecific divergences of eleven species was unexpectedly high and the maximum distances of them ranged from 5.1-16.8%. Based on the differential of K2P (Kimura 2-Parameter) distances, sequences were subdivided into two or three groups, respectively. Secondly, extremely low interspecific divergences were detected in eight groups of species, and shared haplotypes were also found among them. Furthermore, the subdivision within species and shared haplotypes among some species were all supported by the NJ (Neighbour-Joining) analysis. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Our results confirmed that DNA barcoding was a powerful tool for revealing hidden species diversity of black flies. Further work is needed to reveal ambiguous species delimitation in some problematic species groups.

Characterization of the bacterial community in Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) throughout developmental stages.

As one of the most important vectors, Haemaphysalis longicornis can transmit a variety of pathogens and is widely distributed in China. It has been reported that the bacterial community in ticks can impact tick fitness, development, and reproduction and even the transmission of tick-borne pathogens. In this study, bacterial diversity across all developmental stages (eggs, larvae, nymphs and adults) of H. longicornis was investigated using high-throughput sequencing technology. The results demonstrated that Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum and that Coxiella was the most abundant bacterial genus across all the samples. Alpha diversity analysis demonstrated that the eggs had the highest bacterial richness and diversity, and the bacterial community of the larvae was found to be similar to that of the eggs. However, there was a rapid increase in the relative abundance of Coxiella upon development of larvae to nymphs. Females exhibited the lowest bacterial diversity, and the proportion of Coxiella decreased from 85% in females to 45% in males. Our results suggest that H. longicornis lost most of the bacteria present in the early developmental stages and re-established the bacterial community after bloodmeals and molting.

Phylogenetic relationships and effectiveness of four Beauveria bassiana sensu lato strains for control of Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae).

Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) is an important vector tick that is widely distributed around the world. In many regions, this tick acts as vector of a wide range of pathogens to humans and animals, and its control is mainly based on the use of chemical pesticides. However, the occurrence of some adverse effects, such as tick resistance to pesticides and food and environmental contamination, are driving the need to develop more effective and environmentally sound approaches to control and prevent ticks. As an alternative control strategy, entomopathogenic fungi have been extensively used for the control of pests and cause high mortality in various ticks. In this study, we identified four isolates of Beauveria bassiana sensu lato from insects and investigated their pathogenicity against different developmental stages of H. longicornis (eggs, unfed larvae, unfed nymphs and engorged females). Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the four isolates of B. bassiana clustered into two clades. Four isolates showed different acaricidal qualities: the isolate from Cerambycidae (EF3) exhibited the highest pathogenicity to all developmental tick stages tested. High doses (1 × 107 conidia/ml) of the clade I fungi collected from Cryptotympana atrata fabricus (Cicadidae) (EF1), Cimicidae (EF2), and Boettcherisca peregrine (Sarcophagidae) (EF4) also showed virulence against H. longicornis, with high doses of the fungi application causing higher mortality than control group. Altogether, this study demonstrated that all four isolates of B. bassiana showed high virulence toward different developmental stages of H. longicornis, and therefore, they can be of potential use as biological control agents of ticks.

Analysis of ICU nurses'knowledge, belief and behavior about patients' early activities and its influencing factors / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective To analyze the knowledge, belief and behavior of ICU nurses on patients'early activities and its influencing factors. Methods 311 ICU nurses from three general tertiary hospitals in a certain city were selected to evaluate the knowledge, belief and behavior status quo of patients'early activities by self-made nurses.Nurses'scores were understood and influencing factors were analyzed. Results 301 ICU nurses scored an average of (6.88 ± 1.51) on patients'early activity knowledge (21.01 ± 1.99) on patients' early activity belief knowledge and (16.58 ± 2.47) on patients'early activity behavior knowledge. The results showed that the influencing factors of ICU nurses'early activity behavior included age, whether nurses had received professional training, educational background, professional title, working hours and whether they were ICU specialist nurses. Conclusions The survey results show that ICU nurses have low awareness of patients'early activities. The influencing factors are age, whether nurses have received professional training, educational background, professional title, working hours and whether they are ICU specialist nurses, which directly affect the implementation of patients'early activities in departments.

Signaling pathways and neural circuits of alcohol reward memory / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

A key symptom of alcohol dependence is the strong desire to consume alcohol,which of-ten leads individuals to relapse despite negative social,interpersonal and health consequences. Core of crav-ing is repeatedly drinking alcohol and relevant cues can form pathological reward memory,which is the root cause of craving and relapse. Therefore,the extinction of the alcohol related reward memory is important for reducing relapse. The establishment of alcohol reward memories is associated with reward,motivation and memory circuits in the brain. Dysregulation of alcohol reward memory pathways is a key factor in the devel-opment of alcohol dependence, and the nature of these pathways varies depending on the brain region in which they are located. So systematic review that what reward memory pathways are involved in the develop-ment of alcohol dependence,and what brain regions are involved in these pathways,combined with animal ex-periments and alcohol dependent magnetic resonance imaging data,explain how alcohol reward memory signa-ling pathways regulate alcohol reward memory and how these pathways interact with neural circuits,plays a key role in the early recognition,prevention and treatment of alcohol dependence.

Severe influenza A (H1N1) in late pregnancy: a case report / 中华危重病急救医学

Pregnancy has increased susceptibility to H1N1 influenza virus infection. Maternal influenza infection is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. A case of influenza A (H1N1) during late pregnancy (pregnancy 1, birth 0, pregnancy 30+2 weeks) was admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University on December 16th, 2018. The patient was set on mechanical ventilation with a FiO2 of 1.0, a positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 15 cmH2O (1 cmH2O = 0.098 kPa), and a tidal volume of 4-6 mL/kg (ideal body weight). However the pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2) could only be maintained at about 0.85. The disease was controlled by the treatments of anti-infection, mechanical ventilation, immune therapy, nutritional support, preventive anticoagulant treatment by heparin sodium, adequate negative fluid balance, and other organ support therapy. This article introduced the treatment process of the patient in detail, and provided experience for clinical treatment.

Analysis of ICU nurses'knowledge, belief and behavior about patients' early activities and its influencing factors / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective@#To analyze the knowledge, belief and behavior of ICU nurses on patients'early activities and its influencing factors.@*Methods@#311 ICU nurses from three general tertiary hospitals in a certain city were selected to evaluate the knowledge, belief and behavior status quo of patients'early activities by self-made nurses.Nurses'scores were understood and influencing factors were analyzed.@*Results@#301 ICU nurses scored an average of (6.88±1.51) on patients'early activity knowledge (21.01±1.99) on patients' early activity belief knowledge and (16.58±2.47) on patients'early activity behavior knowledge. The results showed that the influencing factors of ICU nurses'early activity behavior included age, whether nurses had received professional training, educational background, professional title, working hours and whether they were ICU specialist nurses.@*Conclusions@#The survey results show that ICU nurses have low awareness of patients'early activities. The influencing factors are age, whether nurses have received professional training, educational background, professional title, working hours and whether they are ICU specialist nurses, which directly affect the implementation of patients' early activities in departments.

Severe influenza A (H1N1) in late pregnancy: a case report / 中华危重病急救医学

Pregnancy has increased susceptibility to H1N1 influenza virus infection. Maternal influenza infection is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. A case of influenza A (H1N1) during late pregnancy (pregnancy 1, birth 0, pregnancy 30+2 weeks) was admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University on December 16th, 2018. The patient was set on mechanical ventilation with a FiO2 of 1.0, a positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 15 cmH2O (1 cmH2O = 0.098 kPa), and a tidal volume of 4-6 mL/kg (ideal body weight). However the pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2) could only be maintained at about 0.85. The disease was controlled by the treatments of anti-infection, mechanical ventilation, immune therapy, nutritional support, preventive anticoagulant treatment by heparin sodium, adequate negative fluid balance, and other organ support therapy. This article introduced the treatment process of the patient in detail, and provided experience for clinical treatment.

Genetic analysis of Aedes albopictus (Diptera, Culicidae) reveals a deep divergence in the original regions.

Aedes albopictus has been described as one of the 100 worst invasive species in the world. This mosquito originated from southeastern Asia and currently has a widespread presence in every continent except Antarctica. The rapid global expansion of Ae. albopictus has increased public health concerns about arbovirus-related disease threats. Adaptation, adaption to novel areas is a biological challenge for invasive species, and the underlying processes can be studied at the molecular level. In this study, genetic analysis was performed using mitochondrial gene NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (ND5), based on both native and invasive populations. Altogether, 38 haplotypes were detected with H1 being the dominant and widely distributed in 21 countries. Both phylogenetic and network analyses supported the existence of five clades, with only clade I being involved in the subsequent global spread of Asian tiger mosquito. The other four clades (II, III, IV and V) were restricted to their original regions, which could be ancestral populations that had diverged from clade I in the early stages of evolution. Neutrality tests suggested that most of the populations had experienced recent expansion. Analysis of molecular variance and the population-pair statistic FST revealed that most populations lacked genetic structure, while high variability was detected within populations. Multiple and independent human-mediated introductions may explain the present results.

Genetic characters of the globally spread tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Diptera, Culicidae): implications from mitochondrial gene COI.

There has been a rapid global expansion of Aedes albopictus, with varying biological characters and vector competence according to geographic and evolutionary origins of the invading populations. Based on mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequences from both native and invasive regions, genetic characters of Ae. albopictus were examined. Phylogenetic analyses indicate lineage differentiation in the original areas, and only one of the lineages was involved in the worldwide expansion. Multiple invasions were detected in populations in Africa and the Americas, whereas no obvious genetic structure was found in European populations. Asian populations showed high genetic diversity, with 42 private haplotypes being detected in this region. In addition, other genetic divergence has occurred, as in Japan and Pakistan, where populations showed significant differences from all other Asian populations. Altogether, populations in China displayed the highest genetic diversity (Hd=0.946, π=1.609%) and significantly negative Tajima's D (-1.88475) and Fu's FS (-24.43873). This result may be attributable to the insecticide interventions used to control dengue epidemics.