Electroantennographic and Behavioral Responses of the Melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), to Volatile Compounds of Ridge Gourd, Luffa acutangular L.

The melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a major invasive pest, widely distributed in the Asia-Pacific region and some parts of Africa. Melon fly attractants could improve the effectiveness of current pest management measures. Previous studies have shown that some host fruits are attractive to melon flies but few have investigated the chemical compounds responsible for their attraction. In this study, we aimed to identify the volatile compounds from Luffa acutangula L that attract Z. cucurbitae. In headspace trapping, chemical profiling identified 19 compounds from ridge gourds, with 1-pentadecene being the major component. EAG results revealed that seven compounds elicited antennal responses in Z. cucurbitae, and significant differences in antennal responses between male and female Z. cucurbitae adults were recorded to p-xylene, alpha-pinene, and 1-octadecene. Behavioral experiments demonstrated that the EAG-active compounds methyl isovalerate and methyl myristate had either attractive or repellent effects on Z. cucurbitae at different concentrations, and 1-octadecene attracted Z. cucurbitae. Our findings provide a theoretical basis producing repellents or attractants for effective Integrated Pest Management of Z. cucurbitae.

Identification of candidate chemosensory genes in Bactrocera cucurbitae based on antennal transcriptome analysis.

The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Tephritidae: Diptera), is an invasive pest that poses a significant threat to agriculture in Africa and other regions. Flies are known to use their olfactory systems to recognise environmental chemical cues. However, the molecular components of the chemosensory system of B. cucurbitae are poorly characterised. To address this knowledge gap, we have used next-generation sequencing to analyse the antenna transcriptomes of sexually immature B. cucurbitae adults. The results have identified 160 potential chemosensory genes, including 35 odourant-binding proteins (OBPs), one chemosensory protein (CSP), three sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), 70 odourant receptors (ORs), 30 ionotropic receptors (IRs), and 21 gustatory receptors (GRs). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to validate the results by assessing the expression profiles of 25 ORs and 15 OBPs. Notably, high expression levels for BcucOBP5/9/10/18/21/23/26 were observed in both the female and male antennae. Furthermore, BcucOROrco/6/7/9/13/15/25/27/28/42/62 exhibited biased expression in the male antennae, whereas BcucOR55 showed biased expression in the female antennae. This comprehensive investigation provides valuable insights into insect olfaction at the molecular level and will, thus, help to facilitate the development of enhanced pest management strategies in the future.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of an agricultural pest Zeugodacus tau (Diptera: Tephritidae).

The fruit fly Zeugodacus tau (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a major pest of melons and other cucurbits in Southeast Asia. In this study, we used Illumina, Nanopore, and Hi-C sequencing technologies to assemble a reference genome of Z. tau at the chromosomal level. The assembled genome was 421.79 Mb and consisted of six chromosomes (one X-chromosome + five autosomes). The contig N50 was 4.23 Mb. We identified 20,922 protein-coding genes, of which 17,251 (82.45%) were functionally annotated. Additionally, we found 247 rRNAs, 435 tRNAs, 67 small nuclear RNAs, and 829 small RNAs in the genome. Repetitive elements accounted for 55.30 Mb (13.15%) of the genome. This high-quality genome assembly is valuable for evolutionary and genetic studies of Z. tau and its relative species.

[The in-hospital outcome and predictors of major adverse cardiac events after transradial intervention in patients with coronary artery disease].

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the in-hospital clinical outcome of patients with coronary artery disease who underwent transradial intervention (TRI) and analyze the predictors of clinical outcome. METHODS: From May 2004 to May 2009, there were 16 281 patients who underwent transradial intervention, as well as 5388 patients who underwent transfemoral intervention (TFI) at our institution. The clinical characteristics, procedural characteristics, and in-hospital clinical adverse events were compared between TRI and TFI groups. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine predictors of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events (composite of death, myocardial infarction, or target lesion revascularization) of TRI. RESULTS: The annulations time was significantly longer for TRI than TFI (P < 0.01), fluoroscopy time, amount of contrast agent and procedural success rate (95.5% for TRI and 96.2% for TFI) were similar between the two groups. However, the rates of vascular complications (0.1% for TRI group and 1.3% for TFI group, P < 0.01), incidence of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events (1.6% vs. 3.8%, P < 0.01) and in-hospital death (0.2% vs. 0.4%, P < 0.01) were all significantly lower in TRI group compared with TFI group. The following characteristics were identified as independent multivariate predictors of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events of TRI: age ≥ 65 (OR: 1.98, 95%CI: 1.50 - 2.61, P < 0.01), prior myocardial infarction (OR: 2.14, 95%CI: 1.63 - 2.82, P < 0.01), use of drug-eluting stent (DES) (OR: 0.68, 95%CI: 0.47 - 0.98, P = 0.04), dissection during procedure (OR: 4.08, 95%CI: 2.28 - 7.33, P < 0.01), left main lesion (OR: 2.12, 95%CI: 1.09 - 4.13, P = 0.03), number of implanted stents (OR: 1.25, 95%CI: 1.09 - 1.43, P < 0.01), and total stented length (OR: 1.01, 95%CI: 1.00 - 1.02, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In this large single-centre patient cohort, the transradial intervention is superior to transfemoral intervention in terms of in-hospital safety and efficacy. Age ≥ 65, prior myocardial infarction, use of DES, dissection during procedure, left main lesion, number of implanted stents and total stented length were identified as independent multivariate predictors of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events of TRI.

COVID-19 impact on high school student's education and mental health: A cohort survey in China.

BACKGROUND: The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the universal implementation of control measures are fundamentally affecting every aspect of our society and daily lives. AIM: To evaluate the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and their associated factors as well as the effects and attitudes towards online education in Chinese high school students. METHODS: A total of 883 students were included. The first, second and third-year students of a high school in Lanzhou, Gansu province of China were invited to participate in this study. They were requested to involve their parents to complete the survey together. A detailed questionnaire of 65 questions was designed and divided into five sections. The survey was anonymously conducted via WeChat, a Chinese multipurpose messaging, social media and mobile payment app. RESULTS: Overall, 32.94% of students experienced post-traumatic stress disorder due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The majority of students (60.82%) felt that online education was not (10.76%) or less effective (50.06%) in terms of gaining knowledge and improving practical and communications skills. Correlation analysis revealed that the class level, residential background and whether living with parents were significantly linked with the effectiveness and satisfaction of the online education system. Of the final year students, 74.2% said that the COVID-19 outbreak has negatively affected their preparation for the college entrance exam, and 68% of students felt that this outbreak increased psychological pressure for their college entrance examination preparation. In case of having COVID-19 symptoms during the exam, 50.7%, 13.3%, and 10.2% would notify the proctor, teacher and parents, respectively. CONCLUSION: We found a high prevalence rate of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in high school students. Thus, our results call for urgent attention from both government and schools to implement effective interventions to cope with the psychological effects and the disturbance of education by COVID-19 on children.

[Comparison of outcomes after transradial intervention in patients of different age groups].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the in-hospital clinical outcome of patients with coronary artery disease in different age groups [< 65 years (younger), 60 to 79 years (older), and ≥ 80 years (octogenarians)] underwent transradial intervention (TRI) so asto analyze the predictors of adverse events. METHOD: From May 2004 to May 2009, a total of 16 293 patients underwent transradial intervention at our institution. The in-hospital outcome for patients in different age groups after TRI was investigated. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determinate the predictors of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (composed of death, myocardial infarction or target vessel revascularization). RESULTS: Angiographic success rates were not different (97.5%, 97.4%, 98.1%, P > 0.05) between 3 groups. However, the rates of procedural complications became progressively higher with age group (0.8%, 1.2%, 4.0%, P < 0.01). In-hospital MACE (1.3% vs 2.2% vs 7.5%, P < 0.01) and mortality (0.1% vs 0.3% vs 2.9%, P < 0.01) increased incrementally with age group. Aad it was associated with a significant decrement of DES (92.0%, 89.6%, 57.3%, P < 0.01). The following characteristics were identified as independent multivariate predictors of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events: age ≥ 80 (OR 6.26, 95%CI: 3.33 to 11.74; P < 0.01), prior myocardial infarction (OR 2.19, 95%CI: 1.66 to 2.88; P < 0.01), left main lesion (OR 2.02, 95%CI: 1.04 to 3.91; P = 0.04), age of 65 to 79 (OR 1.83, 95%CI: 1.37 to 2.43; P < 0.01), number of implanted stents (OR 1.31, 95%CI: 1.15 to 1.50; P < 0.01), total stented length (OR 1.01, 95%CI: 1.01 to 1.02; P = 0.03), and use of DES (OR 0.59, 95%CI: 0.39 to 0.89; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The younger and older patients undergoing TRI have a more favorable in-hospital outcome. However the octogenarians has a substantially higher risk of in-hospital MACE.

[Clinical characteristics and outcome comparison between young (< or = 45 years) female and male patients with coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical characteristics and clinical outcomes in young (< / = 45 years) female and male coronary artery disease (CAD) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: Angiographic and clinical data from 124 premenopausal female patients who underwent elective PCI from April 2004 to February 2008 were compared to age-matched 430 male patients who underwent elective PCI between 2006 and 2007 in our department. All patients were treated according to guidelines and coronary angiography was repeated after 6 months. One year clinical follow-up were performed in all patients. RESULTS: Incidences of dyslipidemia, the history of myocardial infarction and smoking were significantly lower in female patients than in male patients (all P < 0.01). Left main, left anterior descending and bifurcation lesions were more common while type C lesion and right coronary lesion were less common in young female CAD group compared to young male CAD group (P < 0.01-0.05). The average lesion length in female patients was significantly longer than that in male patients [(20.36 +/- 13.37) mm vs. (23.04 +/- 13.86) mm, P < 0.05]. The in-hospital and follow-up incidences of major adverse cardiac events, stent thrombosis and in-stent restenosis were similar between young female and male CAD patients. CONCLUSIONS: CAD risk factors were less and vessel lesions were more likely to be found at left main, left anterior descending and bifurcation in young female CAD patients compared to young male CAD patients. The clinical outcomes were similar between young female and male CAD patients.

Host population related variations in circadian clock gene sequences and expression patterns in Chilo suppressalis.

The rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis Walker, is one of the most important global agricultural pests. C. suppressalis has distinct rice and water-oat host populations. Asynchrony in sexual activity is thought to be the main factor maintaining reproductive segregation between these populations, particularly the obvious difference in the circadian rhythm of female calling activity between populations. However, the mechanism responsible for this difference in the timing of female calling is poorly understood. The circadian clock is an essential regulator of daily behavioral rhythms in insects, including female calling. We investigated the variation in circadian clock genes of the rice and water-oat populations of C. suppressalis. We did this by comparing deduced amino acid sequences and the expression patterns of seven circadian clock genes (clock, cycle, period, timeless, timeout, cryptochrome1, and cryptochrome2) between females from each population. We found that the two populations had different variants of the timeout and cryptochrome1 genes and differed in the expression of period, timeless and timeout. This suggests that population-related variation in the circadian clock genes period, timeless, timeout and cryptochrome1 could be responsible for the different circadian rhythms of female calling in these host population of C. suppressalis. These results provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying asynchronous sexual activity in insect populations and suggest new topics for future research on the origins and maintenance of population differentiation in insects.

Rationale and study design for one-stop assessment of renal artery stenosis and renal microvascular perfusion with contrast-enhanced ultrasound for patients with suspected renovascular hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Renal artery stenosis (RAS) is always associated with abnormalities in renal microvascular perfusion (RMP). However, few imaging methods can simultaneously evaluate the degree of luminal stenosis and RMP. Thus, this study will aim to evaluate the feasibility of using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for assessing both RAS and RMP to achieve a one-stop assessment of patients with suspected renovascular hypertension. METHODS: This will be a single-center diagnostic study with a sample size of 440. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and suspected of having resistant hypertension will be eligible. Patients with Stages 1-3 CKD will undergo CEUS and computed tomography (CT) angiography (CTA). Values obtained by CEUS and CTA for diagnosing low-grade (lumen reduced by <60%) and high-grade (lumen reduced by ≥60%) RAS will be compared. Moreover, all patients will also undergo radionuclide imaging. The diagnostic value for RAS will be assessed by the receiver operating characteristic curve, including the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, negative predictive values, and area under the ROC. Pearson correlation analysis will be performed to assess the association between CEUS findings for RMP and glomerular filtration rate measured by a radionuclide imaging method. CONCLUSION: The data gathered from this study will be used to evaluate the feasibility of expanding clinical applications of CEUS for evaluation of patients with suspected renovascular hypertension. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1800016252; https://www.chictr.org.cn.

Effects of sirolimus-eluting stent on calcified coronary lesions.

BACKGROUND: Calcified coronary lesions carry the risk of suboptimal stent expansion, subsequently leading to restenosis. The effectiveness of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) for the treatment of calcified lesion has not been fully investigated. In the present study, therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness of SES implantation for the treatment of calcified coronary lesions. METHODS: A total of 333 consecutive patients with 453 lesions were enrolled in this study. They were divided into two groups according to whether the lesion treated with SES was calcified or not; no calcification group (n = 264) and calcification group (n = 189). Lesions treated with SES were subjected to quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) immediately and 8 months following stenting. RESULTS: Baseline clinical, demographic or angiographic characteristics were well balanced in both groups. Angiographic follow-up at 8 months, the in-stent restenosis and in-segment restenosis rates were not significantly different between the two groups; in-stent restenosis: 3.8% vs 4.2%; P = 0.081; in-segment restenosis: 8.7% vs 10.6%, P = 0.503. The target lesion revascularization (TLR) was also not significantly different between the two groups; 4.9% vs 6.9%, P = 0.378. In addition, the in-stent late loss was similar in both groups; (0.16 +/- 0.40) mm vs (0.17 +/- 0.33) mm, P > 0.05. Meantime, overall thrombosis rates were also similar in both groups; 1.6% vs 1.6%, P > 0.05. CONCLUSION: Although calcified coronary lesion was hard to stent, successful percutaneous coronary intervention with SES stenting for calcified lesions was conferred by the similar favorable results that were seen when comparing non-calcified and calcified coronary lesions.

Angiographic prevalence of myocardial bridging in a defined very large number of Chinese patients with chest pain.

BACKGROUND: Muscle fibers overlying the intramyocardial segment of an epicardial coronary artery are termed myocardial bridging (MB). Variable prevalence of MB has been described at autopsy and angiographic series with small and large sample size studies. In addition, no similar study was reported in Chinese population. The aim of this study was to investigate the angiographic prevalence of MB in consecutive 37,106 Chinese patients with chest pain from our center. METHODS: We conducted an observational study to evaluate the consecutive cases with MB among patients undergone selective coronary angiography, and analyzed the angiograhic prevalence and clinical features of MB in this study of very large sample size. RESULTS: Among 37 105 patients with chest pain we found 1002 cases with 1011 MBs in a retrospective manner, and the overall prevalence was 2.70%. Although more than 99% (991/1002) of patients had single bridge, 8 cases were found to have more than two MBs (seven with two, and one with three). Altogether 54.39% of cases (545/1002) had MB without atherosclerotic lesions, and 96.24% (973/1011) of bridging located in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), mainly in the middle of LAD (792/1011, 78.33%). According to Nobel classification, of the single bridge (n=991), <50% of obstruction was predominant (471/991, 47.52%). Totally 50%-69% accounted for 34.81% (345/991), >70% of obstruction was 17.65% (175/991). CONCLUSIONS: These data showed that the prevalence of angiographically detectable MB in Chinese patients with chest pain was similar to those of the previous studies, with 2.7% prevalence in this very large sample size.

Divergence in larval diapause induction between the rice and water-oat populations of the striped stem borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).

Differences in diapause traits can result in the seasonal reproductive isolation of host plant-associated insect populations and thereby facilitate the population divergence. The striped stem borer, Chilo suppressalis, has two host plant-associated populations: rice population and water-oat population. Several studies have found evidence that seasonal reproductive isolation between these populations is at least partially due to interpopulation differences in diapause. However, there still lack unambiguous evidence comparing characteristics of diapause induction for both populations. We compared the photoperiodic response and the age of peak photoperiod sensitivity of these populations and used RNA-Seq to compare the molecular response of diapause induction between populations. The photoperiodic response of the two populations differed at 25 °C; the critical night length of larvae from the rice population was 11 h and 20 min, whereas no obvious critical night length was in those from the water-oat population. In rice population, larvae were most sensitive to photoperiod at 9-12 days of age, whereas in water-oat population, larvae were the most sensitive to photoperiod at 9-10 days of age. The RNA-Seq results indicated that there were several differences in the molecular response of diapause induction and small overlap in differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between populations. Furthermore, GO analysis indicated that both rice and water-oat population's DEGs were significantly enriched in heme and iron binding. Besides, water-oat population's DEGs were significantly enriched in metabolizing nutrients but rice population's DEGs do not. Thus, our results described differences in diapause induction between rice and water-oat populations of C. suppressalis which could affect the timing of diapause and thereby contribute to the seasonal reproductive isolation of these host plant-associated populations. In conclusion, this work suggests that difference in diapause induction could promote the population divergence in insects associated with different host plants.

Is there delayed restenosis in patients with coronary artery disease treated with sirolimus-eluting stent?

BACKGROUND: Although long-term follow-up after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation shows a sustained clinical benefit in several randomized and registered trials, little is known about the pattern of neointimal growth beyond the first 6 to 9 months. In this study, we therefore evaluated the possible delayed restenosis in patients with coronary artery disease treated with sirolimus-eluting stent. METHODS: A total of consecutive 333 patients with 453 lesions were enrolled in this study (among 782 consecutive patients with 1023 lesions). Lesions were subjected to follow-up by quantitative coronary angiography, and patients were divided into two groups according to the time of follow-up by quantitative coronary angiography: early group (< or =270 days, n=270 with 369 lesions) and late group (>270 days, n=63 with 84 lesions). Binary restenosis was defined as stenosis of more than 50% of the lumen diameter in the target lesion. RESULTS: Baseline clinical, demographic or angiographic characteristics were well balanced between the two groups. The in-stent restenosis rate was not significant between the early group and the late group (3.5 vs. 6.0%; P>0.05). The late loss and target lesion revascularization appeared higher in late group but there were no significant differences (0.15+/-0.38 mm vs. 0.24+/-0.44 mm; and 4.9 vs. 9.5%, P>0.05, respectively). Similarly, overall thrombosis rate was also same in both groups. In-segment restenosis was, however, higher in late group compared with that in early group (7.9 vs. 16.7%, P=0.013). CONCLUSION: In this unrestricted population, the beneficial effects of sirolimus-eluting stent implantation extend out more than 1 year in real world practice, that has been confirmed by the results of the large randomized clinical trials. The late in-segment restenosis could, however, be found, suggesting that a prolonged clinical and angiographic surveillance in this subset of patients seems to be warranted.

Drug-eluting stent for the treatment of small coronary lesion: comparison between sirolimus- and paclitaxel-eluting stent.

BACKGROUND: Patients with small coronary lesions are at increased risk for repeat interventions after coronary angioplasty and stenting. The efficacy of drug-eluting stents (DES) has been demonstrated to improve the outcomes of these patients and is a focus of interest. Currently, two platforms of DES are available (sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) and paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES)). However, it has less been known that DES, SES vs PES, is superior for the treatment of small coronary lesions. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 87 consecutive patients with 151 lesions underwent implantation of coronary SES (n = 68) and PES (n = 83). Quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) was performed at the time of stent implantation and subsequently at 8 months post-stenting. Small vessel disease was defined as lesions in vessels with diameter 2.5 mm measured by QCA. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including death, thrombosis, nonfatal myocardial infarction and target lesion revascularization (TLR) were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Baseline clinical characteristics and angiographic parameters were similar between the two groups. At clinical and angiographic follow-up, overall thrombosis rates were similar in both groups (0 vs 1.2%, P > 0.05). The TLR and in-segment restenosis were not significantly different (19.1% vs 25.3%; 10.3% vs 10.8%, P = 0.365 and P = 0.913 respectively) between the two groups. The in-stent restenosis rate, however, was significantly higher in the PES group (4.4% vs 21.7%; P = 0.002). Similarly, the late loss was significantly higher in the PES group ((0.140.38) mm vs (0.490.61) mm; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this small sample-size, non-randomized study, the data indicated that implantation of SES for the treatment of patients with small coronary lesion showed more favorable results in respect of restenosis compared with PES implantation.

A comparison of clinical and angiographic outcomes after Excel bioabsorbable polymer versus Firebird durable polymer rapamycin-eluting stent for the treatment of coronary artery disease in a "real world" setting: six-month follow-up results.

BACKGROUND: Several clinical trials have shown that rapamycin-eluting stents significantly reduce the risk of restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The Firebird stent and the Excel stent (coated with bioabsorbable polymer) are two different types of rapamycin-eluting stents made in China, both have been recently approved for clinical use in China by State Food and Drug Administration. However, it is unclear whether there are differences in safety and efficacy between the two types of stents in daily practice. METHODS: In the month of June 2006, a total of 190 consecutive patients were treated exclusively with Firebird stents (n = 93, Firebird group) or Excel stents (n = 97, Excel group) in our center and were included in this study. The frequency of major adverse cardiac events (MACE, a composite of death, myocardial infarction or target lesion revascularization), binary restenosis, and late lumen loss and stent thrombosis during a six-month follow-up period were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Patient and lesion characteristics were comparable between the groups. Major adverse cardiac event rates were low in hospital and at 6 months (2.1% in the Excel group and 0% in the Firebird group, P > 0.05). The 6-month angiographic in-stent restenosis rate was 0% in both groups, with an associated late loss of (0.15 +/- 0.21) mm versus (0.14 +/- 0.20) mm (P = 0.858) and the in-segment restenosis rate was also 0% for the Excel group and the Firebird group. There was no definite stent thrombosis identified in either group during the six-month follow-up period and only one patient in the Excel group had probable stent thrombosis in hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this mid-term, single-center study showed that both of the Firebird and the Excel rapamycin eluting stent had similar effects on reducing the incidence of MACE and the risk of restenosis (both in-stent and in-segment binary restenosis) after PCI in daily practice.

Age-based clinical and angiographic outcomes after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation in patients with coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Advanced age independently predicts early and late mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Randomized clinical trials indicate that sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) implantation reduces target lesion revascularization (TLR), but there are limited data on the impact of age on outcomes following SES implantation in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) in real-world practice. METHODS: A total of 333 CAD patients with 453 lesions were enrolled in this study. Subjects were divided into two groups according to age: a young group (< 65 years old, 244 patients with 369 lesions) and elderly group (= 65 years old, 89 patients with 113 lesions). Clinical follow-up and quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) were performed seven months after PCI. RESULTS: Baseline clinical, demographic, angiographic, and procedural chararcteristics were similar in both groups, except that there were more female patients in the elderly group (21.3% vs 9.8%, P = 0.006). Primary success rate was similar in both groups (96.5% in young group vs 95.7% in elderly group, P > 0.05). During angiographic follow-up at 7 months, binary in-stent restenosis and in-segment restenosis rates were not significantly different between the two groups (4.7% vs 1.8%; 9.7% vs 8.8%, P > 0.05 respectively). Both sub-acute and late thrombosis rates were similar in the two groups (0.3% vs 0.9% and 1.2% vs 0.9%, P > 0.05 respectively). TLR was not significantly different between the two groups (6.5% vs 3.5%; P = 0.246). The rates of bleeding, stroke, angina rehospitalization during the follow-up period were also similar in both groups (P > 0.05 respectively). CONCLUSION: Despite a high-risk clinical profile, coronary SES implantation can be safely and effectively performed in elderly patients with a similar procedural success rate, a low complication rate, and excellent 7-month outcomes.

[Clinical and angiographic outcome in coronary artery disease patients with type-II diabetes mellitus undergoing elective bare-metal stenting or drug-eluting stenting].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical and angiographic outcome in patients with type-II diabetes mellitus undergoing drug-eluting stent (DES) or bare-metal stent (BMS). METHODS: A total of 139 consecutive diabetic patients (114 males) with coronary disease who underwent successful elective percutaneous coronary intervention with DES (n = 83 with 151 lesions) or BMS (n = 56 with 70 lesions) on native coronary arteries from April 2004 to August 2005 at our institution were included in this study. All patients were treated according to guidelines and coronary angiography was repeated at 6 months post procedure in all patients. Aspirin (300 mg/d) and clopidogrel (75 mg/d) were administered till 6 months after the procedure. RESULTS: There were 42.5% C type by ACC/AHA and 19.0% total occlusion lesions. The average stent length of each lesion was 26.53 +/- 14.72 mm, and mean reference diameter was 2.80 +/- 0.43 mm. Baseline characteristics were similar between DES and BMS groups except lower mean reference vessel diameter in DES than that of BMS group (2.71 +/- 0.41 mm vs. 2.98 +/- 0.53 mm, P < 0.001). The in stent restenosis rate at 6 months (10.6% vs. 38.6%, P < 0.001) and in-segment late loss (0.24 +/- 0.56 mm vs. 0.91 +/- 0.77 mm, P < 0.001) were significantly lower in DES group than those of BMS group. The target lesion revascularization (TLR) incidence was also significantly lower in DES group compared to BMS group (8.6% vs. 30.0%, P < 0.001). However, 4 late in-stent thrombosis were seen in DES group and none in BMS group of DES (P = 0.148). CONCLUSION: DES implantation in patients with diabetes mellitus is associated with lower in-stent restenosis and TLR rates compared to BMS implantation 6 months after procedure and attention should be paid on late in-stent thrombosis after DES implantation.

Difference in diel mating time contributes to assortative mating between host plant-associated populations of Chilo suppressalis.

Behavioral isolation in animals can be mediated by inherent mating preferences and assortative traits, such as divergence in the diel timing of mating activity. Although divergence in the diel mating time could, in principle, promote the reproductive isolation of sympatric, conspecific populations, there is currently no unequivocal evidence of this. We conducted different mate-choice experiments to investigate the contribution of differences in diel mating activity to the reproductive isolation of the rice and water-oat populations of Chilo suppressalis. The results show that inter-population difference in diel mating activity contributes to assortative mating in these populations. In the rice population, most mating activity occurred during the first half of the scotophase, whereas in the water-oat population virtually all mating activity was confined to the second half of the scotophase. However, when the photoperiod of individuals from the water-oat population was altered to more closely align their mating activity with that of the rice population, mate choice was random. We conclude that inter-population differences in diel mating time contribute to assortative mating, and thereby the partial reproductive isolation, of these host-associated populations of C. suppressalis.

Comparison of short- and mid-term outcomes between CYPHER and TAXUS stents in patients with complex lesions of the coronary arteries.

BACKGROUND: Drug-eluting stent (DES) could obviously reduce in-stent restenosis, which has been proved by international multi-center clinical trials. However, the types of the lesions for stenting were highly selected in these trials. Up to now, there has been no large scale study on the effect of DES in treating complex lesions in real world. Although REALITY trial was just reported during American College of Cardiology Congress 2005, the entry criteria for lesions were limited to one or two de novo lesions. This study was conducted to compare the short- and mid-term clinical outcomes between sirolimus-eluting stent (CYPHER stent) and paclitaxel-eluting stent (TAXUS stent) in patients with complex lesion. METHODS: This is a retrospective study. From April 2002 to June 2004, a total of 1061 patients were treated with DES in Fu Wai Hospital, of which, 611 patients (642 lesions with 698 CYPHER stents) were in CYPHER group, and 450 patients (534 lesions with 600 TAXUS stents) were in TAXUS group. There was no significant difference in clinical data and lesion types between CYPHER group and TAXUS group. RESULTS: Success rates of stent implantation were 99.2% and 98.8% in CYPHER and TAXUS stent groups respectively. The major adverse cardiac events (MACE) during in-hospital and 6-8-month follow-up were 0.7% and 2.3% in CYPHER stent group versus 1.3% and 3.2% in TAXUS stent group. There was no significant difference in MACE rate between these two groups. Restenosis rate was a little higher in TAXUS stent group than that in CYPHER stent group (14.0% vs 7.3%), but there was no significant difference. The incidence of acute occlusion of side branch after implanting DES in main vessel was 6.9% in CYPHER group and 11.9% in TAXUS group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CYPHER and TAXUS DES were safe and effective in patients with complex lesion. Clinical outcomes of CYPHER stent were better than TAXUS stent in bifurcation lesions. There was an increasing tendency in restenosis rate and late thrombosis in TAXUS group as compared with that of CYPHER group.

A single center investigation of bare-metal or drug-eluting stent restenosis from 1633 consecutive Chinese Han ethnic patients.

BACKGROUND: Stents are widely used in China but the clinical impression is somehow that restenosis is less common because of the lower prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and associated risk factors in Chinese populations. However, no large-sample published studies are available on angiographic stent restenosis including those of bare-metal stent (BMS) or drug-eluting stent (DES) in Chinese Han ethnic population. METHODS: A total of 1633 consecutive patients with CAD who had undergone coronary stenting, quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) were retrospectively studied. At the time of stent implantation and at 7 months post-stenting 675 patients had a follow-up angiography. Statistical analysis was made with the chi-square test for categorical variables, unpaired t test for continuous variables, univariate or multivariate regression for baseline and angiographic characteristics and the Kaplan-Meier method for rate of target lesion revascularization (TLR). RESULTS: Stent restenosis was defined as > or = 50% diameter stenosis in the dilated segment. A total of 675 patients with 1074 lesions were subjected to angiographic follow-up for 7 months on average. Of these lesions, 448 were implanted with BMS whereas 626 lesions with DES. At 7 months, bare-metal in-stent restenosis occurred in 148 lesions (33.0%), and bare metal in-segment restenosis in 155 lesions (34.6%) in contrast to drug-eluting in-stent restenosis in 48 lesions (7.7%) and drug-eluting in-segment restenosis in 73 lesions (11.7%) (P < 0.001 compared with BMS respectively). Late loss in both in-stent and in segment was higher in BMS than in DES groups [(1.00 +/- 0.69) vs (0.28 +/- 0.52); (0.78 +/- 0.71) vs (0.21 +/- 0.52), P < 0.001 respectively]. Angulated lesion, lesion length, pre-procedural minimal luminal diameter (MLD), and BMS were independent predictors for TLR, (P < 0.01 respectively), whereas current smoker, ostial lesion, and stent overlapping, post-procedure in-stent MLD, lesion length, and stent types were independent predictors for in-segment restenosis (P < 0.01 respectively). Standard coronary risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and history of CAD were not associated with a higher rate of restenosis caused by BMS or DES implantation in our Chinese Han ethnic population. CONCLUSIONS: Coronary stenting including BMS or DES implantation in Chinese Han ethnic patients is associated with a restenosis rate comparable to that demonstrated in previous studies from the western countries, and predictors of stent restenosis are somehow different from those in the western population.