Response of the egg parasitoids of the pine processionary moth to host density and forest cover at the southern edge of the range

1. Thaumetopoea pityocampa is the most important pine defoliator in the Mediterranean basin. Despite being attacked by a number of natural enemies, populations occur frequently at high density in several areas.
2. Egg parasitism was studied in 27 pine and cedar forests in Algeria, in relation to the host density (tents per tree) and the proportion of forest cover in the landscape.
3. Egg parasitism varied from 2% to 25%, accounted by two parasitoid species, the specialist Baryscapus servadeii and the generalist Ooencyrtus pityocampae.
4. Tent density was negatively correlated with parasitism by B. servadeii but not with that of O. pityocampae. Conversely, parasitism by O. pityocampae increased with the proportion of forest and agricultural cover, but not in the case of B. servadeii.
5. Maximum summer temperature showed no correlation with parasitism rates. Still, temperature frequently exceeded 40 °C during the period of adult parasitoid activity.
6. The low performance of the egg parasitoids at the southern edge of the host range could be explained by the reduced fecundity of the host, climate effects, and phenological mismatching between the parasitoids and the egg development. These and other factors potentially involved the need to be further explored with a long-term study of population dynamics.

     

Effets in vitro des dermaseptines sur les caractéristiques du sperme

The spermicidal efficacy of synthetic peptides, dermaseptin (DS1) and (DS4), was studied under in vitro conditions using human spermatozoa. The data showed that sperm motility was inhibited with various concentrations of dermaseptins at different intervals ranging from 2 to 240 min. The effective 100% inhibitory concentration (EC100) of DS4 sperm immobilization assay was equal to 50 mg/ml at 30 min, while the EC 100 of DS1 was equal to 100 mg/ml. The presence of 0.1% of chelating agent, EDTA, reduced the EC100 of DS4 to 5 mg/ml, while less than a twofold enhancement in DS 1 activity was observed in combination with EDTA. The action of dermaseptins on sperm motility was observed to be dose-dependent. Addition of pentoxifylline, which is known to enhance sperm motility, and Ca²⁺, which is a key element for sperm movement, did not prevent the spermicidal action of dermaseptins.     

Are patients affected by chronic non-communicable diseases aware of their own clinical and laboratory parameters? A cross-sectional study from the south of Saudi Arabia

BackgroundPatient’s awareness of their clinical and laboratory parameters is an indicator of the degree of involvement in achieving their management goals. This investigation aimed to identify awareness of patients affected by chronic non-communicable diseases of their clinical and laboratory parameters and factors associated with the awareness.MethodsThis study was a cross-sectional investigation conducted in the Jazan region, between January and August 2020. Data was collected during phone interviews utilizing a semi-structured questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to estimate the likelihood of awareness of each clinical and laboratory parameter according to the measured demographic variables.ResultsThe total number of recruited patients was 675. The mean age of participants was 53.7 years and the 28.7% of patients were illiterate. About 17% of the patient do not attend follow-up visits to any healthcare provider. When patients were asked about their parameters, 87% of them were able to report their body weight and 74% were able to report their height. However, less than half of patients were aware of their glycated hemoglobin level (HbA1c) (271/675 patients) and systolic blood pressure (BP) level (329/ 675 patients), and a minority were aware of their total cholesterol level (71/675 patients). Being female, resident in a rural area, illiterate, and older than 53 was strongly associated with high odds of limited awareness about their own clinical and laboratory parameters (P values < 0.05).ConclusionAwareness of patients affected by chronic non-communicable diseases of their own clinical and laboratory parameters in the Jazan region is sub-optimal where this limited awareness is likely to be associated with the lower engagement of patients with achieving their desired management targets.     

Observations on the combined effects of light,NAA and 2,4-D on somatic embryogenesis of cucumber (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cucumis sativus</Emphasis>) hybrids

Somatic embryogenesis of cucumber was affected by auxin and light during the induction phase. In the light, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) alone induced little embryogenesis, while combined with naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) it induced 1.25 somatic embryos (SEs) per callus. In the dark 2,4-D alone induced 5 times more SEs per callus.     

Effectiveness of low-power laser therapy in improvement of the peripheral neuropathy induced by xenobiotics in rats

BackgroundPeripheral neuropathy (PN) is the damage and dysfunction of neurons of the peripheral nervous system. The present study was conducted to estimate the effectiveness of low-power laser therapy (LPLT) in the management of PN in a rats’ model.MethodsPN was induced by giving dichloroacetate (DCA) (250 mg/kg/day) for up to 12 weeks. Four groups of rats were used: control group, PN group, PN group treated with gabapentin and PN group treated with LPLT. The study was conducted for 8 weeks. The management of PN was estimated by behavioral tests which included hot plate and Morris water maze tests. Blood biochemical analysis were carried out.ResultsUsing of hot plate test indicated thermal hypoalgesia and using Morris water maze test showed cognitive decline in PN rats. Treatment with LPLT or gabapentin improved both the pain sensations and deteriorated memory that occurred in the PN rats. Biochemical analysis showed that LPLT significantly decreased the elevated beta-endorphin level in PN rats, while gabapentin could not reduce it. Treatment PN rats with LPLT or gabapentin shifted the high levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-10 cytokines back to their normal values. Serum nitric oxide and MDA significantly increased in the PN group together with significant reduction in the rGSH level, these values were significantly improved by LPLT application while this was not the case with gabapentin treatment. Furthermore, treatment with gabapentin or LPLT significantly reduced serum ALAT and ASAT activities which are otherwise increased in the PN group. S100B, PGE2, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, urea and creatinine showed insignificant changes among all groups.ConclusionsOur results showed that treatment with LPLT is more efficient than gabapentin in ameliorating the peripheral neuropathy induced by xenobiotics.     

Development of an In vitro pod culture technique for young pods of Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Summary A research program to develop an in vitro culture technique adapted to very immature Phaseolus zygotic embryos indicated that osmolality within young pods in vivo ranged from 580 to 350 mosm during the first 10 d after pollination. Different culture techniques for 2-d-old Phaseolus pods are described using a modified Phillips medium for maturation. The application of high and variable osmolality conditions, similar to what is observed in vivo, during pod culture (1 wk) and before extracting the embryos, gave the best results in terms of ovule and embryo development. To solve contamination problems affecting pod development during these investigations, a sterilizing technique was tested combining various concentrations of polyoxyethylenesorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20) and a broad-spectrum industrial biocide, Plant Preservative Mixture (PPM). The PPM sterilizing method totally eliminated pod contamination and did not affect ovule growth, but significantly reduced the embryo germination rate.