Effect of Prescription Tongxin on Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Peripheral Blood.

CONTEXT: Coronary heart disease (CHD) refers to a disease where coronary atherosclerosis induces stenosis or obstruction of the blood vessels. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) function to protect and repair the vascular endothelium, and their functional activity state reflects the ability of the body to repair vascular damage. In the peripheral blood of patients with CHD, the density of EPCs decreases, and the function of EPCs is low. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA)-approved prescription medicine, Tongxin, on the density and function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in peripheral blood. DESIGN: In this study, a randomized, single blind, parallel controlled clinical trial was used. The single blind subjects were subjects. SETTING: The study took place in the Cardiology and Emergency Departments at Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Shanghai, China. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 48 patients with coronary heart disease at the hospital. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 24 each): a control group and an intervention group. Both groups received routine drug treatments, such as platelet inhibitors, nitrates, ß-receptor blockers, statins, angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor antagonists (ARBs), and calcium blockers. The control group was treated with the Shexiang Baoxin Pill, while the intervention group was treated with prescription Tongxin. The course of treatment was 3 months for both groups. OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in the density and function of EPCs in the peripheral blood of the 2 groups were measured at baseline and postintervention, and the clinical efficacy of the 2 treatments was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The density of EPCs was significantly higher in both groups after 3 months of treatment, compared to the densities at baseline (P < .05). The change in density between baseline and postintervention was significantly greater for the intervention group than for the control group (P < .05). For the control group, the proliferative vitality [optical density (OD)] value of the EPCs was significantly higher than that at baseline from the fourth day of treatment (P < .05). In the intervention group, the OD value was significantly higher than that at baseline from the first day of treatment (P < .05). Furthermore, the intervention group's cells began to enter the logarithmic growth phase of increase from the fifth day of treatment, and the group's increase as significantly higher than the control group's from the fifth to the seventh dayof treatment (P < .05 for all 3 days). Moreover, the total effective rate was higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Prescription Tongxin can stimulate the release of EPCs from the bone marrow to the peripheral blood of patients with CHD, can significantly increase the proliferation of EPCs in the peripheral blood, and can improve the clinical symptoms of patients. Its curative effect was greater than that of the control treatment.

Metarhizium anisopliae infection alters feeding and trophallactic behavior in the ant Solenopsis invicta.

In social insects, social behavior may be changed in a way that preventing the spread of pathogens. We infected workers of the ant Solenopsis invicta with an entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae and then videotaped and/or measured worker feeding and trophallactic behavior. Results showed that fungal infected S. invicta enhanced their preference for bitter alkaloid chemical quinine on 3days after inoculation, which might be self-medication of S. invicta by ingesting more alkaloid substances in response to pathogenic infection. Furthermore, infected ants devoted more time to trophallactic behavior with their nestmates on 3days post inoculation, in return receiving more food. Increased interactions between exposed ants and their naive nestmates suggest the existence of social immunity in S. invicta. Overall, our study indicates that S. invicta may use behavioral defenses such as self-medication and social immunity in response to a M. anisopliae infection.

[Study on the relationship between partial deletions in the azzospermia factor C region of Y chromosome and male infertility].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the partial deletions in the azzospermia factor(AZFc) region of Y chromosome and male infertility. METHODS: Multiplex PCR technology was performed to screen the partial deletions in the AZFc region in 158 azoospermia, 160 severe oligozoospermia and 135 oligozoospermia patients and 236 men with normal spermatogenesis.For samples with gr/gr, b2/b3 recombinogenic deletions, author applied RFLP method to identify which DAZ gene doublet deletion was involved. RESULTS: The gr/gr and b2/b3 were two types of common deletions detected. There were significant differences in the b2/b3 deletion in patients with oligozoospermia and severe oligozoospermia compared to the controls (both P< 0.05). However, there was no difference for the gr/gr deletion between the patients and controls. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that the b2/b3 deletion might be a risk factor to spermatogenic impairment and might lead to male infertility.

(3S,4S)-1-Benzyl-pyrrolidine-3,4-diol.

In the title compound, C(11)H(15)NO(2), the pyrrolidine ring adapts a twisted envelope conformation and the two hydroxyl groups are arranged in a trans conformation. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter-molecular O-H⋯N and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. A weak C-H⋯π inter-action also occurs.

[Effects of retention density on growth, biomass, and economic benefit of Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation]. / 保留密度对杉木人工林生长和生物量及经济效益的影响.

We examined the effects of retention density on plant DBH (diameter at breast height), height, volume growth, stand biomass, and stand economic benefit of Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation by Pingxiang, Guangxi Province. Four treatments of different retention density were set up a 14-year middle-aged Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation, 500, 750 and 1000 trees·hm-2, with stand without thinning as the control (1500 trees·hm-2). Results showed that DBH (20.55 cm), increment in height (15.70 m), and large-diameter timber volume (18.31 m3·hm-2) of the C. lanceolata plantation were the highest in 500 trees·hm-2 treatment. The volume of living trees was the highest in the control (199.63 m3·hm-2), which was significantly higher than that in 500 and 750 trees·hm-2. The biomass of arbor layer and ecosystem, as well as the economic benefit differed significantly across the treatments, with arborous biomass (90.72 t·hm-2), ecosystem biomass (94.97 t·hm-2), and economic benefit (1.184×105 yuan·hm-2) of 1000 trees·hm-2 treatment being significantly higher than others. Reducing stand retention density increased the DBH, plant height, timber diameter, proportion of large diameter timber, average volume and biomass of single timber, but it did not enhance the volume of living trees. The retention density of 1000 trees·hm-2 was the optimum for middle-aged C. lanceolata plantation. Compared with the control, it significantly increased the total stand volume, arbor biomass, ecosystem biomass, and economic benefit by 2.3%, 5.7%, 4.7%, and 5.8%, respectively.

Metabolomics analysis reveals perturbations of cerebrocortical metabolic pathways in the Pahenu2 mouse model of phenylketonuria.

AIMS: Phenylketonuria (PKU), which is caused by mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene, is one of the most common inherited diseases of amino acid metabolism. Phenylketonuria is characterized by an abnormal accumulation of phenylalanine and its metabolites in body fluids and brain tissues, subsequently leading to severe brain dysfunction. Various pathophysiological and molecular mechanisms underlying brain dysfunction in PKU have been described. However, the metabolic changes and their impacts on the function of cerebral cortices of patients with PKU remain largely unknown. METHODS: We measured the levels of small molecule metabolites in the cerebrocortical tissues of PKU mice and wild-type control mice using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolome analysis. Differential metabolites were further subjected to metabolic pathway and enrichment analysis. RESULTS: Metabolome analysis revealed 35 compounds among 143 detected metabolites were significantly changed in PKU mice as compared to those in their wild-type littermates. Metabolic pathway and enrichment analysis of these differential metabolites showed that multiple metabolic pathways, including phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis; valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis; alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism; purine metabolism; arginine and proline metabolism and methionine metabolism, were impacted in the cerebral cortices of PKU mice. CONCLUSIONS: The data revealed that multiple metabolic pathways in cerebral cortices of PKU mice were disturbed, suggesting that the disturbances of the metabolic pathways might contribute to neurological or neurodevelopmental dysfunction in PKU, which could thus provide new insights into brain pathogenic mechanisms in PKU as well as mechanistic insights for better understanding the complexity of the metabolic mechanisms of the brain dysfunction in PKU.

Using therapeutic ultrasound to promote irritated skin recovery after surfactant-induced barrier disruption.

BACKGROUND: Surfactant-induced skin barrier disruption can enhance blood flow and water content in the superficial skin. The effect of therapeutic ultrasound on accelerating the recovery of superficial skin after skin barrier disruption has seldom been studied. OBJECTIVE: To understand the effects of therapeutic ultrasound on barrier recovery, we used the sodium lauryl sulfate irritation model and treatment with ultrasound intervention. METHODS: The study allocated 30 healthy subjects into an ultrasound group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15), each divided into three subgroups (sodium lauryl sulfate at concentrations of 1.0%, 0.5%, and 0%). Pulsed ultrasound (1 MHz, 0.3 W/cm2SATA) was applied to ultrasound subgroups. The treatment effect was evaluated by the recovery rate of enhanced blood flow and water content. RESULTS: The results indicated a surfactant dose-dependent effect on blood flow, but not on water content. The recovery rates of enhanced blood flow were higher in the 0.5% and 1.0% ultrasound subgroups than in the control subgroups throughout the experiment. However, recovery rates of water content were higher in the ultrasound subgroups than in the control subgroups only on Day2. CONCLUSIONS: Pulsed ultrasound accelerated the barrier recovery by reducing the enhanced blood flow and water content after skin barrier disruption.

A Rout to Protect Quantum Gates constructed via quantum walks from Noises.

The continuous-time quantum walk on a one-dimensional graph of odd number of sites with an on-site potential at the center is studied. We show that such a quantum-walk system can construct an X-gate of a single qubit as well as a control gate for two qubits, when the potential is much larger than the hopping strength. We investigate the decoherence effect and find that the coherence time can be enhanced by either increasing the number of sites on the graph or the ratio of the potential to the hopping strength, which is expected to motivate the design of the quantum gate with long coherence time. We also suggest several experimental proposals to realize such a system.

Validating the 6-minute walk test as an indicator of recovery in patients undergoing cardiac surgery: A prospective cohort study.

The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) has been applied to assess postsurgical recovery in cardiac populations. This study mainly investigated whether the 6MWT could serve as an indicator for physical functioning in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.Participants completed the 6MWT and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) at baseline, discharge, and 3 months postoperatively, in order to analyze the construct validity and responsiveness of the 6MWT. The participants in this study were 125 patients (92 males and 33 females) with an average age of 65.1 ±â€Š11.1 years. The mean 6MWT was 308.9 ±â€Š77.3 m in the preoperative phase, decreased to 277.3 ±â€Š85.7 m at discharge, and returned to 378.1 ±â€Š95.2 m at 3-month follow-up. The results showed that the 6-minute walk distances at baseline and at 3-month follow-up were moderately to highly correlated with the physical functioning subscale of the SF-36 (rs = .44 and .54, respectively) and had weak correlation with the nonphysical functioning subscales. The recovery level of physical functioning is meaningfully associated with the 6MWT change from baseline to discharge and from baseline to 3-month follow-up. Patients with higher New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Classification levels had lower 6MWT. Additionally, the 6MWT was sensitive to change during the perioperative period (effect sizes from -0.51 to 1.72).The supporting evidence includes the construct validity and responsiveness of the 6MWT. This study supports the feasibility of the 6MWT as an evaluation tool of physical functioning for assessment of postcardiac surgical recovery.

Long-term survival after partial hepatectomy for sub-stage patients with intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The current study aimed to examine the long-term survival after partial hepatectomy for patients with BCLC intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) stratified by the Bolondi's sub-staging model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cohort consisted of 360 patients with BCLC intermediate stage HCC who underwent partial hepatectomy between January 2008 and February 2010. Patients were stratified into 3 subgroups (B1-B3) based on the Bolondi's sub-staging model. The last follow-up was conducted at February 2014. RESULTS: Of these patients, 166, 171 and 23 patients had B1, B2, and B3 sub-stage HCC, respectively. The postoperative 5-year Overall survival (OS) rate for patients with these three sub-stages was 49.5%, 33.7% and 12.9%, respectively (P < 0.001). Compared with the reported survival outcomes from previous studies which used transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) as first-line treatment, hepatectomy had a better median survival than TACE in B1 and B2 patients. On multivariable analysis, presence of esophageal and gastric varices, higher NDR score, presence of microvascular invasion, differentiation grade III-IV, and patterns of AFP decreases after surgery were the independent risk factors of OS in the sub-stages B1 and B2 patients. A nomogram which integrated all these independent risk factors was developed, with a C-index of 0.71 for OS prediction. The calibration curve showed an optimal agreement between prediction by the nomogram and actual observation. CONCLUSIONS: The patients with intermediate stage HCC clarified as sub-stages B1 and B2 according to Bolondi's model had an optimal long-term survival following partial hepatectomy than TACE. Their postoperative prognosis could be accurately predicted by our proposed nomogram.

Differential expression of VASA gene in ejaculated spermatozoa from normozoospermic men and patients with oligozoospermia.

AIM: To detect the expression of VASA in human ejaculated spermatozoa, and to compare the expression of VASA between normozoospermic men and patients with oligozoospermia. METHODS: Ejaculated spermatozoa were collected from normozoospermic men and patients with oligozoospermia by masturbation, and subsequently segregated through a discontinuous gradient of Percoll to obtain the spermatozoa. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), quantitative RT-PCR (QRT-PCR), immunoflurescence and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of VASA in mRNA and protein levels. RESULTS: VASA mRNA was expressed in the ejaculated spermatozoa. QRT-PCR analysis showed that VASA mRNA level was approximately 5-fold higher in normozoospermic men than that in oligozoospermic men. Immunofluorescence and Western blotting analysis showed that VASA protein was located on the cytoplasmic membrane of heads and tails of spermatozoa, and its expression was significantly decreased in oligozoospermic men, which is similar to the result of QRT-PCR. CONCLUSION: The expression of VASA mRNA and protein was significantly decreased in the sperm of oligozoospermic men, which suggested the lower expression of the VASA gene might be associated with pathogenesis in some subtypes of male infertility and VASA could be used as a molecular marker for the diagnosis of male infertility.

Prehospital Predictors of Initial Shockable Rhythm in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Findings From the Taichung Sudden Unexpected Death Registry (THUNDER).

OBJECTIVE: To identify the incidence and prehospital predictors of ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF) as the initial arrhythmia in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in central Taiwan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Taichung Sudden Unexpected Death Registry program encompasses the Taichung metropolitan area in central Taiwan, with a population of 2.7 million and 17 destination hospitals for patients with OHCA. We performed a detailed analysis of demographic characteristics, circumstances of cardiac arrest, and emergency medical service records using the Utstein Style. RESULTS: From May 1, 2013, through April 30, 2014, resuscitation was attempted in 2013 individuals with OHCA, of which 384 were excluded due to trauma and noncardiac etiologies. Of the 1629 patients with presumed cardiogenic OHCA, 7.9% (n=129) had initial shockable rhythm; this proportion increased to 18.8% (61 of 325) in the witnessed arrest subgroup. Male sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.45; 95% CI, 1.46-4.12; P<.001), age younger than 65 years (OR, 2.39, 95% CI, 1.58-3.62; P<.001), public location of arrest (OR, 4.61; 95% CI, 2.86-7.44; P<.001), and witnessed status (OR, 3.98; 95% CI, 2.62-6.05; P<.001) were independent predictors of VT/VF rhythm. CONCLUSION: The proportion of patients with OHCA presenting with VT/VF was generally low in this East Asian population. Of the prehospital factors associated with VT/VF, public location of OHCA was the strongest predictor of VT/VF in this population, which may affect planning and deployment of emergency medical services in central Taiwan.

Human intestinal capillariasis (Capillaria philippinensis) in Taiwan.

Capillaria philippinensis was first reported in 1963 in the Philippines. Major outbreaks have occurred in the Philippines and Thailand. This article reviews the known 30 intestinal capillariasis cases in Taiwan from January 1983 to December 2003. The infected cases were diagnosed each year with the exception of 1984 and 2002, making Taiwan a Capillaria-prevalent area. Two Taiwanese aboriginal tribes, the Ami and Paiwan, presented a high prevalence. The males and elderly also had a high infection rate. Nine cases were diagnosed by histopathological biopsied specimens. About half of the 30 cases denied having consumed raw or undercooked fish. All cases recovered to health after receiving medication, with no deaths or recurrences.

Emergency air medical services for patients with head injury.

BACKGROUND: Patients suffering head injury in remote islands of Taiwan, which have a shortage of manpower and facilities, depend on EAMS for prompt and definitive treatment. Emergency air medical services are becoming an increasingly important issue in improving the quality of primary care and avoiding medicolegal problems. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of patients with head injury and use of EAMS. METHODS: We reviewed all patients, especially head injury transported by air ambulance from a remote island, Kinmen (400 km from Taiwan Main Island), from January 2001 to December 2003. Data were collected with regard to demographics, disease classification, mechanism of injury, severity of head injury, ventilator use, and mortality rate. RESULTS: A total of 215 patients were transferred, of whom 57 (27%) had head injury. The mean age of patients was 48.6 +/- 23.8 years. Males accounted for 72% of the cases (male/female ratio, 2.6:1). Motor-vehicle accidents were the most common mechanism of injury (68%). There were 21 (37%), 20 (35%), and 16 (28%) patients in the minor, moderate, and severe head-injury groups, respectively. Nineteen patients (33%) received mechanical ventilation. The overall mortality rate was 14 % (8/57). In the severe head-injury group, the mortality rate was 44% (7/16). CONCLUSIONS: The higher incidence of head injury (26.5%) in EAMS than in ground transportation (19.8%) suggests that preflight assessment and in-flight management of patients conducted by an experienced escort team following guidelines for head injury in EAMS are a very important issue.

Differential effects of conifer and broadleaf litter inputs on soil organic carbon chemical composition through altered soil microbial community composition.

A strategic selection of tree species will shift the type and quality of litter input, and subsequently magnitude and composition of the soil organic carbon (SOC) through soil microbial community. We conducted a manipulative experiment in randomized block design with leaf litter inputs of four native subtropical tree species in a Pinus massoniana plantation in southern China and found that the chemical composition of SOC did not differ significantly among treatments until after 28 months of the experiment. Contrasting leaf litter inputs had significant impacts on the amounts of total microbial, Gram-positive bacterial, and actinomycic PLFAs, but not on the amounts of total bacterial, Gram-negative bacterial, and fungal PLFAs. There were significant differences in alkyl/O-alkyl C in soils among the leaf litter input treatments, but no apparent differences in the proportions of chemical compositions (alkyl, O-alkyl, aromatic, and carbonyl C) in SOC. Soil alkyl/O-alkyl C was significantly related to the amounts of total microbial, and Gram-positive bacterial PLFAs, but not to the chemical compositions of leaf litter. Our findings suggest that changes in forest leaf litter inputs could result in changes in chemical stability of SOC through the altered microbial community composition.

Arterial baroreflex dysfunction promotes atherosclerosis in rats.

The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that arterial baroreflex dysfunction promotes the development of atherosclerosis. Experiment 1: the baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) was measured in 30 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats in conscious state with a computerized blood pressure monitoring system. Four weeks later, the rats were administered with Vitamin D3, and fed with the high-cholesterol diet for 8 weeks to induce atherosclerosis. The hearts and aortae were removed for pathological examination. A negative correlation was found between BRS and the scores of coronary (r=-0.464, P<0.01) or aortic atherosclerosis (r=-0.524, P<0.01) in SD rats. Experiment 2: sinoaortic denervation (SAD) was performed in SD rats. Then atherosclerosis was also induced. The atherosclerosis scores in SAD rats were significantly higher than those in sham-operated rats (aortic score: 1.50+/-0.41 versus 1.10+/-0.39, P<0.05; coronary score: 1.70+/-0.35 versus 1.25+/-0.54, P<0.05). Using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting methods, it was found that the expressions of C-reactive protein, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular-cell adhesion molecule-1 in coronary artery and aorta were increased in SAD rats compared with sham-operated rats. These results indicate that arterial baroreflex dysfunction promotes the development of atherosclerosis in rats, and that inflammation may be involved in this process.

Esophagectomy for locally advanced esophageal cancer, followed by chemoradiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy.

AIM: To compare the efficacy and toxicity of a three-step combination therapy with post-operative radiation alone for locally advanced esophageal cancer. METHODS: Patients with T3-4 and N0-1 esophageal carcinoma from a number of institutions were non-randomly, prospectively enrolled in the study. All patients underwent single-stage curative en bloc esophagectomy. The patients were then assigned into one of two treatment groups based on treatment consisting of either post-operative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with weekly cisplatin 30 mg/m2 followed by systemic adjuvant chemotherapy (four monthly cycles of cisplatin 20 mg/m2 and 5-fluorouracil 1 000 mg/m2 for five consecutive days), or, post-operative radiation alone. The radiotherapy dose was 55-60 Gy for all patients. Primary end-point of this study was to assess the per-protocol patients' improvement of overall survival benefit. Secondary end-point was designed to evaluate both the per-protocol and intent-to-treat patients' outcome of survival. RESULTS: A total of 60 patients (n = 30 per group) were enrolled in this study. The two groups were generally comparable for demographic characteristics and hematological and non-hematological toxicities. The CCRT with weekly cisplatin was well tolerated, with significantly better overall survival (30.9 mo vs 20.7 mo; 95% CI, 27.5-36.4 vs 15.2-26.1) and 3-year survival (70.0% vs 33.7%; P = 0.003). Low histological grade of tumor (P<0.001) was associated with favorable survival in these locally advanced patients. CONCLUSION: For locally advanced esophageal cancer, the combination of esophagectomy, post-operative CCRT with weekly cisplatin and systemic adjuvant chemotherapy is well tolerated and effective. A large-scale, prospective randomized trial of this regimen is in progress.

[Effect of oxygen-increased respirator on SaO2 and heart rate under plateau environment].

OBJECTIVE: To study effects of oxygen-increased respirator on blood oxygen saturation (SaO2) and heart rate under altitude hypoxic environment. METHOD: Nine subjects were carried to the plateau of 3700 m by air for the first time, and then four trials were carried out two hours later. First, SaO2 and heart rate were examined during rest without oxygen-increased respirators, and then the examination was repeated by using the respirators. Second, the examinations were repeated during loaded exercise test without respirators. After rest for one hour, test of using the respirators during motion was carried out finally. RESULT: During rest, after using respirators, the level of SaO2 increased significantly while heart rate decreased notably (P<0.05) than those without respirators. During loaded-bicycle exercise, after using respirators, the level of SaO2 increased significantly (P<0.05) than that without respirators, while heart rate didn't show significant difference (P>0.05). But, the recoveries of heart rate after three minutes and fives minutes were better than those without respirators (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Oxygen-increased respirator can improve the capacity of workload under altitude hypoxic environment. It can promote the acclimation to high altitude.

Evaluation of alternative Plutella xylostella control by two Isaria fumosorosea conidial formulations - oil-based formulation and wettable powder - combined with Bacillus thuringiensis.

BACKGROUND: Entomopathogenic fungi are potential candidates for controlling the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae). The control efficacy of two Isaria fumosorosea conidial formulations - wettable powder and oil-based formulation - combined with Bacillus thuringiensis against P. xylostella was tested. RESULTS: In the laboratory, the combined application of two pathogens increased larval mortality either in an additive or a synergistic way. P. xylostella larvae treated with oil-based formulation died sooner than larvae infected with wettable powder. For pot and field experiments, each formulation was applied alone or combined with B. thuringiensis 668 µg mL(-1) , and then larval mortality, pupation rate, adult emergence rate, female longevity and fecundity were recorded. In pot experiments there was no evidence of any antagonistic effects between the two pathogens. Combined application of B. thuringiensis and a high concentration of the two I. fumosorosea formulations resulted in higher mortality (84.4 and 86.2%) with minimum pupation (15.6 and 11.9%) and adult emergence rates (8.7 and 7.0%). Female longevity and fecundity were significantly reduced by the two formulations at high concentration compared with the control. Similar results were also observed in field experiments. CONCLUSION: The combined application of I. fumosorosea and B. thuringiensis is a promising alternative strategy for P. xylostella control. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Evaluation of the time-concentration-mortality responses of Plutella xylostella larvae to the interaction of Isaria fumosorosea with the insecticides beta-cypermethrin and Bacillus thuringiensis.

BACKGROUND: Entomopathogenic fungi are potential candidates for controlling Plutella xylostella, a cosmopolitan pest of crucifers. In this study, bioassays were conducted to evaluate the interaction between Isaria fumosorosea and sublethal doses of two insecticides, beta-cypermethrin and Bacillus thuringiensis, against P. xylostella. RESULTS: Data of each assay were in good agreement with the time-concentration-mortality model, indicating a strong dependence of the fungus and insecticide interaction on both concentration and post-exposure time. Using beta-cypermethrin 58-116 µg mL(-1) or B. thuringiensis 222.5-890 µg mL(-1) with the fungus significantly enhanced fungal efficacy. The LC50 values of the fungus declined over a 1-7 day period after exposure, and the LT50 values decreased with increasing concentration. Based on LC50 or LC90 estimates, synergism between the fungus and beta-cypermethrin resulted in a 2.7-28.3-fold reduction in LC50 values and a 12.1-19.6-fold reduction in LC90 values, while synergism of the fungus with B. thuringiensis led to a 2.4-385.0-fold reduction in LC50 values and a 4.4-151.7-fold reduction in LC90 values. CONCLUSION: Results show that sublethal doses of B. thuringiensis and beta-cypermethrin can synergise I. fumosorosea activity on P. xylostella, suggesting that combination of I. fumosorosea with the two insecticides might offer an integrated approach to controlling P. xylostella in practice. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.