Unfixed Material Embedded in A Methacrylate Resin (Technovit 7100) For Immunofluorescent Staining

Wheat grains were embedded with or without fixation in Technovit 7100 or in paraffin. This enabled us to produce 4 μm sections for imnwnofluorescent staining to see whether serum of patients with baker's asthma contained IgG antibodies against wheat grains. Embedding without fixation in Technovit 7100 appeared to be suitable for unmunofluorescent staining and gave superior results to protocols requiring fixation.     

Mitochondrial DNA genomes of five major Helicoverpa pest species from the Old and New Worlds (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Five species of noctuid moths, Helicoverpa armigera, H. punctigera, H. assulta, H. zea, and H. gelotopoeon, are major agricultural pests inhabiting various and often overlapping global distributions. Visual identification of these species requires a great deal of expertise and misidentification can have repercussions for pest management and agricultural biosecurity. Here, we report on the complete mitochondrial genomes of H. assulta assulta and H. assulta afra, H. gelotopoeon, H. punctigera, H. zea, and H. armigera armigera and H. armigera conferta’ assembled from high‐throughput sequencing data. This study significantly increases the mitogenome resources for these five agricultural pests with sequences assembled from across different continents, including an H. armigera individual collected from an invasive population in Brazil. We infer the phylogenetic relationships of these five Helicoverpa species based on the 13 mitochondrial DNA protein‐coding genes (PCG's) and show that two publicly available mitogenomes of H. assulta ( KP015198 and KR149448 ) have been misidentified or incorrectly assembled. We further consolidate existing PCR‐RFLP methods to cover all five Helicoverpa pest species, providing an updated method that will contribute to species differentiation and to future monitoring efforts of Helicoverpa pest species across different continents. We discuss the value of Helicoverpa mitogenomes to assist with species identification in view of the context of the rapid spread of H. armigera in the New World. With this work, we provide the molecular resources necessary for future studies of the evolutionary history and ecology of these species.     

Similar hypotensive responses to resistance exercise with and without blood flow restriction

Low intensity resistance exercise (RE) with blood flow restriction (BFR) has gained attention in the literature due to the beneficial effects on functional and morphological variables, similar to those observed during traditional RE without BFR, while the effects of BFR on post-exercise hypotension remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to compare the blood pressure (BP) response of trained normotensive individuals to RE with and without BFR. In this cross-over randomized trial, eight male subjects (23.8 ± 4 years, 74 ± 3 kg, 174 ± 4 cm) completed two exercise protocols: traditional RE (3 x 10 repetitions at 70% one-repetition maximum [1-RM]) and low intensity RE (3 x 15 repetitions at 20% 1-RM) with BFR. Blood pressure measurements were performed after 15 min of seated rest (0), immediately after and 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, 40 min, 50 min and 60 min after the experimental sessions. Similar hypotensive effects for systolic BP (SBP) were observed for both protocols (P < 0.05) after exercise, with no differences between groups (P > 0.05) and no statistically significant difference for diastolic BP (P > 0.05). These results suggest that in normotensive trained individuals, both traditional RE and RE with BFR induce hypotension for SBP, which is important to prevent cardiovascular disturbances.     

New family characters of larval Plecoptera,with an analysis of the Chloroperlidae: Paraperlinae

Larval structures diagnostic of several Plecoptera families, subfamilies or genera are described and illustrated. They concern the following: distinction of larval Leuctridae from Capniidae; an additional apomorphy of Nemouridae; a synapomorphy of Perlidae and Perlodidae; monophyly of each of the two subfamilies of Chloroperlidae, and the generic limits among Chloroperlidae: Paraperlinae. Paraperla lepnevae Zhiltzova is transferred to Utaperla. Some comments on Notonemouridae are included.     

The First Instar Larva of Nothohoraia (Diptera: Blephariceridae)

The first instar larva of the net-winged midge, Nothohoraia micrognathia Craig, 1969 (Diptera: Blephariceridae) is described. Instead of the primitive ring of eversible hooklets the pseudopods possess stiff apical setae. This character expression suggests that Nothohoraia is more closely related to the advanced Apistomyiini occurring outside New Zealand than to the two other New Zealand genera, Neocurupira and Peritheates.