Comparison of Mating Disruption and Insecticide Application for Control of Peachtree Borer and Lesser Peachtree Borer (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) in Peach.

The peachtree borer, Synanthedon exitiosa, and lesser peachtree borer, S. pictipes, are economically important indirect pests of peach in West Virginia. The purpose of this 3-year study was to compare the efficacy of mating disruption and post-harvest trunk sprays of chlorpyrifos insecticide for control of this pest complex in a commercial peach orchard. Overall, Isomate PTB-Dual disruption dispensers applied at a rate of 371/ha significantly disrupted the male mate-finding behavior of S. exitiosa and S. pictipes. In addition, the infestation of peach trees by S. exitiosa larvae did not vary significantly between mating disruption and insecticide treated plots. Hot-spot maps of S. exitiosa infestation showed significant spatial clusters of infestation predominately near the perimeter of all orchard plots, or where trees were missing within and/or between rows. The generation of standard deviational ellipses revelated that the location of S. exitiosa infestations in orchard plots remained relatively constant between years, and were generally oriented in a north and easterly direction, which coincided with the prevailing wind direction. Although our data indicated that mating disruption can provide growers with an effective non-chemical alternative to chlorpyrifos trunk sprays, several variables may affect its long-term success in West Virginia peach orchards; most notably the presence of high population densities, problems with maintaining adequate pheromone coverage, and the need for area-wide implementation.

Interrelations between pain, stress and executive functioning.

AIM: The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss the interrelations between pain, stress and executive functions. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Self-regulation, through executive functioning, exerts control over cognition, emotion and behaviour. The reciprocal neural functional connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system allows for the integration of cognitive and emotional neural pathways and then for higher-order psychological processes (reasoning, judgement etc.) to generate goal-directed adaptive behaviours and to regulate responses to psychosocial stressors and pain signals. Impairment in cognitive executive functioning may result in poor regulation of stress-, pain- and emotion-related processing of information. Conversely, adverse emotion, pain and stress impair executive functioning. The characteristic of the feedback and feedforward neural connections (quantity and quality) between the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system determine adaptive behaviour, stress response and pain experience.

Aerial release of Rhinoncomimus latipes (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to control Persicaria perfoliata (Polygonaceae) using an unmanned aerial system.

BACKGROUND: Rhinoncomimus latipes (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a major biological control agent against the invasive plant Persicaria perfoliata. Release of R. latipes is challenging with the current visit-and-hand release approach because P. perfoliata shows a high degree of patchiness in the landscape, possesses recurved barbs on its stems, and often spreads into hard-to-access areas. This 3-year study developed and evaluated unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for precise aerial release of R. latipes to control P. perfoliata. RESULTS: We have developed two UAS (i.e. quad-rotor and tri-rotor) and an aerial release system to disseminate R. latipes. These include pods containing R. latipes and a dispenser to accommodate eight pods. Results of field tests to evaluate the systems showed no significant (P > 0.05) effects on survivorship and feeding ability of R. latipes after aerial release. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates the potential of UAS for precision aerial release of biological control agents to control invasive plants. The aerial deployment systems we have developed, including both pods and a dispenser, are low cost, logistically practical, and effective with no negative effects on aerially released R. latipes. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Epstein-Barr Virus and Its Association with Oral Hairy Leukoplakia: A Short Review.

In immunocompromised subjects, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection of terminally differentiated oral keratinocytes may result in subclinical productive infection of the virus in the stratum spinosum and in the stratum granulosum with shedding of infectious virions into the oral fluid in the desquamating cells. In a minority of cases this productive infection with dysregulation of the cell cycle of terminally differentiated epithelial cells may manifest as oral hairy leukoplakia. This is a white, hyperkeratotic, benign lesion of low morbidity, affecting primarily the lateral border of the tongue. Factors that determine whether productive EBV replication within the oral epithelium will cause oral hairy leukoplakia include the fitness of local immune responses, the profile of EBV gene expression, and local environmental factors.

Radiolucent inflammatory implant periapical lesions: a review of the literature.

PURPOSE: To discuss the terminology, etiopathogenesis, and treatment of radiolucent inflammatory implant periapical lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic search for relevant articles published in the English literature in the PubMed database. RESULTS: Bacterial contamination of the apical portion of the implant either from a preexisting dental periapical infection or from a periapical lesion of endodontic origin of an adjacent tooth is the probable causative factor. Aseptic bone necrosis owing to overheating of the bone during preparation of osteotomies, or compression of the bone at the apex of the implant owing to excessive tightening, may also play a role. The histopathological features are of a mixed inflammatory cell infiltrate on a background of granulation tissue consistent with either a granuloma or an abscess as may be found at the apex of a nonvital tooth. Treatment consists of immediate and aggressive surgical debridement, chemical detoxification of the apical portion of the exposed implant surface, and systemic antibiotics with or without a bone regenerative procedure. CONCLUSION: A radiolucent inflammatory implant periapical lesion is analogous to either a granuloma or an abscess as may be found at the apex of a nonvital tooth.

Melanocyte biology and function with reference to oral melanin hyperpigmentation in HIV-seropositive subjects.

The color of normal skin and of oral mucosa is not determined by the number of melanocytes in the epithelium but rather by their melanogenic activity. Pigmented biopolymers or melanins are synthesized in melanosomes. Tyrosinase is the critical enzyme in the biosynthesis of both brown/black eumelanin and yellow/red pheomelanin. The number of the melanosomes within the melanocytes, the type of melanin within the melanosomes, and the efficacy of the transfer of melanosomes from the melanocytes to the neighboring keratinocytes all play an important role in tissue pigmentation. Melanin production is regulated by locally produced factors including proopiomelanocortin and its derivative peptides, particularly alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), adrenergic and cholinergic agents, growth factors, cytokines, and nitric oxide. Both eumelanin and pheomelanin can be produced by the same melanocytes, and the proportion of the two melanin types is influenced by the degree of functional activity of the α-MSH/MC1R intracellular pathway. The cause of HIV oral melanosis is not fully understood but may be associated with HIV-induced cytokine dysregulation, with the medications commonly prescribed to HIV-seropositive persons, and with adrenocortical dysfunction, which is not uncommon in HIV-seropositive subjects with AIDS. The purpose of this article is to discuss some aspects of melanocyte biology and HIV-associated oral melanin hyperpigmentation.