Impact of the Arundo scale Rhizaspidiotus donacis (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) on the weight of Arundo donax (Poaceae: Arundinoideae) rhizomes in Languedoc southern France and Mediterranean Spain

Arundo donax L. (Poaceae) is native to Mediterranean Europe and invasive in the Rio Grande Basin of North America. Rhizomes from nine sites in France and Spain infested with a candidate control agent, the armoured scale Rhizaspidiotus donacis (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) weighed 50% less than those from nine sites without scale.     

Foraging Efficacy of a Larval Parasitoid in a Cotton Patch: Influence of Chemical Cues and Learning

Plant-herbivore chemical signals and behavioral plasticity may enhance parasitoid host-foraging efficacy in the field; however, no studies have quantified the potential benefits from these factors under field-type conditions. The effect of plant-herbivore signals and learning on the foraging efficacy of Microplitis croceipes was quantified by directly observing and recording total and sequential duration of various foraging behaviors relative to 5 randomly placed herbivore-damaged and host-infested cotton plants and 20 undamaged and non-host-infested plants. Microplitis croceipes spent significantly more time searching (flying and antennation) on host infested versus uninfested plants. Antennation time was significantly and negatively correlated with successive host stings. Contrary to expectations of increased duration, flight time remained constant throughout the foraging bout, which may indicate that there was some learning associated with flight. These results suggest that plant-herbivore chemical signals and learning enhances the foraging efficacy of M. croceipes.     

Wood preservation hygiene and environment in the lime-light of actually

Summary Under the ?Bois plus? scheme, the CTBA is currently developing a third party certification, based on the Scrivener law, with the aim of defending the consumers' interests. At this early stage, wood preservatives and treated wood are checked for the efficacy of treatments in order to ensure the stability and security of works in buildings and civil engineering. According to the different classes of risks in service, ?Bois plus? provides the most adeguate level of protection. In the close future, the industry is planning to incorporate, with the help of the CTBA and experts, health criteria within the frame of the ?Bois plus? certification scheme. The means could beSafety indexes, which are objectives of quality for professionals.Safety indexes are concentrations of substances in wood which can be taken as safe for humans and the general environment, while still toxic for the wood pests. This attractive experience aims to make with the brandname ?Bois plus? a synonym of efficacy and safety. This approach meets the essential requirements 1, 3, 4 of the 89/106 EEC directive: mechanical resistance and stability/hygiene, health and environment/safety in use.     

The 76 kD cell-adhesion factor from crayfish haemocytes promotes encapsulation in vitro

Summary Semigranular cells from the crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus, were separated by Percoll gradient centrifugation and were used to study the encapsulation of foreign particles. The semigranular cells were found strongly to encapsulate glass beads coated with haemocyte lysate in which the prophenoloxidase-activating system had been activated with laminarin or with a low concentration of calcium ions. The granular cells only weakly encapsulated these particles. The encapsulationpromoting factor was purified from haemocyte lysates and found to be a 76 kD protein which was recognized by an antiserum to the previously described 76 kD cell-adhesion factor. After the last step in purification (Con A-Sepharose chromatography), the flowthrough consisted of several proteins, which had some, but less, encapsulation-promoting activity and contained a 30 kD band that was also recognized by the antiserum to the 76 kD cell-adhesion factor. If the haemocyte lysate prepared in low [Ca²⁺] was incubated with a -1,3-glucan prior to purification, no 76 kD protein could be isolated but only a 30 kD protein. The 30 kD protein thus seems to be a degradation product of the 76 kD cell-adhesion factor. We conclude that the 76 kD protein which is released from degranulating haemocytes, and to a lesser extent its 30 kD fragment, can promote encapsulation. Phenoloxidase did not have any encapsulation-promoting activity.     

A gradient of synaptic efficacy and its presynaptic basis in the cercal system of the cockroach

1. The cerci of the cockroach Periplaneta americana bear longitudinal columns of wind-sensitive receptors which provide excitatory inputs to the giant interneurons (GIs) of the abdominal nerve cord. By using sound stimuli, we showed that spikes were more easily induced in the GIs from the most proximal than from the most distal receptors of the same column. 2. This was not due to a greater responsiveness of proximal sensilla to tones but to stronger synaptic connections; for the 3 largest GIs, the amplitude of the monosynaptic unitary EPSP tended to be all the higher as the stimulated sensillum was more proximal in each column. 3. The differences in EPSP size were due, at least partly, to presynaptic factors: a statistical analysis of the amplitude fluctuations of single-fibre EPSPs, showed that the amount of transmitter released per presynaptic impulse was larger for proximal than for distal sensory neurons in each column. 4. These differences in synaptic strength were correlated with differences in the structure of the afferent terminals. The location, the size and the shape of the axonal arbors are nearly the same for all sensory neurons of the same column, but proximal neurons arborize more profusely, and the terminal arbor of distal neurons is generally characterized by dorsal clusters of varicosities. 5. During postembryonic development, a decrease in the connection strength of 2 identified cercal neurons was accompanied by a retraction of ramifications on the medial side of their axonal arbor. 6. Possible mechanisms involved in the genesis and the remodelling of the gradient of synaptic strength are discussed in the light of available data and hypotheses relative to the development of ordered afferent connections.     

越冬期间香蕉果穗套袋的防寒效果及其对产量的影响

冬季香蕉果穗用兰色聚乙烯薄膜套袋之后,可提高袋内温度1～5℃,果实低温伤害卑只有1％左右,而未经套袋的达23％～35％,果指长度和径围增加率分别达12％和9％左右,果实产量比对照增加8％～16％。试验结果表明,兰色聚乙烯薄膜套袋是越冬期间香蕉防寒保果和增产的一项有效措施。     

棉铃虫病毒杀虫乳悬剂的生产及其药效试验

成功研制出棉铃虫病毒（ＮＰＶ）杀虫乳悬剂,改进了生产工艺和设备,建立了棉铃虫的室内品系,提高了生产效率,建立了产品的检测方法,提高了产品质量,促使棉铃虫病毒杀虫剂商品开发获得成功。大田试验证明,病毒乳悬剂的防治效果,相当于当前推广的化学农药,优于原病毒可湿性粉剂。相同剂量（０．５３一１．０７×１０（１０）ＰＩＢ／公顷）的病毒乳悬剂可使虫口平均减退９１．７％,而病毒可湿性粉剂为８３．７％。     

Stimulating effect of pyroglutamylglutamylprolineamide,a prostatic,TRH-related tripeptide,on mouse sperm capacitation and fertilizing ability in vitro

Pyroglutamylglutamylprolineamide, a prostatic tripeptide with structural similarities to thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH), has been found in the seminal plasma of several mammalian species, suggestive of a biological function relating to spermatozoa. Using chlortetracycline (CTC) fluorescence analysis and in vitro fertilization, we have obtained evidence that the tripeptide stimulates mouse sperm capacitation and fertilizing ability in vitro. The tripeptide at concentrations from 5–500 nM was added to sperm suspensions and cells were assessed with CTC after 40 min, insufficient time for complete capacitation by a majority of spermatozoa under standard conditions of incubation. Concentrations of 25 nM and higher significantly promoted capacitation, as evidenced by a decrease in the proportion of acrosome-intact F pattern spermatozoa, characteristic of uncapacitated cells, and an increase in the proportion of acrosome-intact B pattern spermatozoa, characteristic of capacitated cells. However, there was no significant stimulation of acrosomal exocytosis. These results suggested that peptide-treated cells would be more fertile than their untreated counterparts. This was confirmed using in vitro fertilization, where the presence of 100 nM peptide during sperm preincubation and gamete coincubation significantly stimulated fertilizing ability (peptide, 56.5% of oocytes fertilized; controls, 26.5%). Comparison of the prostatic tripeptide and TRH effects on capacitation revealed that TRH at a concentration of 250 nM was as effective as the prostatic tripeptide in promoting the F & B transition but was less effective or ineffective at lower concentrations. In vitro fertilization assessment of the two peptides, at 100 nM, revealed that only the prostatic tripeptide significantly stimulated fertility. Again, this was consistent with the CTC analyses. Because the prostatic tripeptide can stimulate sperm function in vitro, it is possible that it plays a similar role in vivo and promotes fertilizing ability of ejaculated spermatozoa. We therefore propose that this tripeptide be referred to as fertilization promoting peptide (FPP). © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

玉肤解毒膏治疗结直肠癌患者卡培他滨化疗所致手足综合征的疗效观察

摘要 目的：观察玉肤解毒膏治疗结直肠癌患者卡培他滨化疗所致手足综合征的临床疗效,为临床提供合理治疗方案。方法：选择2021年月-2022年5月湖南省肿瘤医院门诊或住院部确诊为结直肠癌行含卡培他滨方案化疗所致手足综合征患者60例。所有患者采用抛掷硬币法分为玉肤解毒膏组和尿素软膏组,各30例。玉肤解毒膏组采用玉肤解毒膏治疗;尿素软膏组采用尿素软膏治疗,2组均连续治疗21 d。观察2组手足综合征分级改善情况、临床疗效、中医证候积分、疼痛视觉模拟评分（VAS）、手足皮肤反应生活质量量（HF-QoL）评分及焦虑自评量表（SAS）评分。结果：玉肤解毒膏组在降低手足综合征分级及提高治疗总有效率上均优于尿素软膏组（P＜0.05）;治疗后2组中医证候积分、VAS评分、HF-QoL评分及SAS评分较治疗前降低（P＜0.05）,且玉肤解毒膏组均低于尿素软膏组（P＜0.05）。结论：玉肤解毒膏治疗结直肠癌患者卡培他滨化疗所致手足综合征的临床疗效确切,可有效降低患者临床分级,降低中医证候积分、缓解疼痛症状,改善患者生活质量及焦虑状况,具有一定的临床应用价值。     

经阴道三维超声联合CA125、CA199、NLR及PLR检测对绝经后子宫内膜癌的诊断效能

摘要 目的：探讨经阴道三维超声联合糖类抗原125（CA125）、糖类抗原199（CA199）、中性粒细胞/淋巴细胞比值（NLR）及血小板/淋巴细胞比值（PLR）检测对绝经后女性子宫内膜癌（EC）的诊断效能。方法：回顾性分析本院2019年5月至2022年5月收治的因绝经后出血就诊的92例疑似子宫内膜肿瘤患者的病历资料,经手术病理证实,EC患者48例（EC组）、子宫内膜良性病变患者44例（良性组）。比较两组CA125、CA199、NLR及PLR水平,对比两组子宫内膜血管指数（VI）、血流指数（FI）、血管-血流指数（VFI）、子宫内膜容积（EV）变化及血流信号分布情况。绘制受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线分析经阴道三维超声联合CA125、CA199、NLR及PLR检测对绝经后EC的诊断效能。结果：EC组CA125、CA199、NLR及PLR水平均高于良性组（P＜0.05）。EC组三维超声参数VI、FI、VFI及EV均高于良性组（P＜0.05）。EC组血流信号Ⅱ级占比25.00%,Ⅲ级占比70.83%;良性组血流信号Ⅱ级占比88.64%,Ⅲ级占比2.27%。EC组血流信号Ⅱ级占比低于良性组,血流信号Ⅲ级占比高于良性组（P＜0.05）。两组血流信号0级、Ⅰ级比较无差异（P＞0.05）。ROC结果显示五项检查联合检测曲线下面积（AUC）值为0.944（95%Cl：0.902~0.985）,具有更优的诊断效能（敏感度为89.10%、特异度为91.80%）。结论：CA125、CA199、NLR及PLR检测联合经阴道三维超声检查诊断绝经后EC效果显著,可为临床诊断提供参考。