Acaricidal and stimulatory effects of insecticides on Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) in cotton

Possible stimulatory or acaricidal effects of thiodicarb, dimethoate and endosulfan on the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, were tested in a glasshouse. Population development of T . urticae was monitored, with the expectation that any stimulatory or acaricidal effects would be reflected in different population growth relative to untreated plants. Acaricidal activity of the three insecticides was also investigated using a standard bioassay technique. Population growth on thiodicarb- or dimethoate-treated plants was no different to that on untreated plants but was slower on plants treated with endosulfan. Bioassays showed that endosulfan was moderately acaricidal, that T . urticae was highly resistant to dimethoate and that thiodicarb was of very low acaricidal activity. No evidence of stimulatory effects of dimethoate or thiodicarb was found. The data suggest that stimulation is an unlikely explanation for outbreaks of T . urticae in cotton and that endosulfan sprayed for control of Helicoverpa spp. may delay the development of mite outbreaks.     

Trichosporium mantegazzae Poll. e Cladosporium chlamydeum n.sp.

Summary Trichosporium mantegazzae Poll. from a human case, through the study of the original strain, has been recognized as a typicalAureobasidium pullulans (De By.) Arn. (formelyDematium orPullularia).From the skin of a dog affected by a purulent, eczematous dermatitis, a species ofCladosporium has been isolated. It is described as a new species (C. chlamydeum) on account of the poorly developed, unbranched, as a rule monocondial conidiophores, and for the chlamydospores produced in culture.     

Revisione di alcuniCephalosporium isolati da casi patologici umani

Summary Eight species ofCephalosporium from man are revised, mostly on original strains.Cryptomyces pleomorpha Gruner is a typicalCephalosporium acremonium; in additionCryptomyces is a valid Phacidiaceous genus described more than a century ago. Of two human strains of the same species, one has been fully pathogenic for laboratory animals. Allantospora violacea Ambr.,A. onychophila Vuill. and an unnamed strain were revised. All are to be referred toCephalosporium (Allantospora)onychophilum (Vuill.) Coudert.Two strains ofAcremonium kiliense are typicalC. acremonium. C. serrae Maffei is a good species, but probably indistinguishable from the saprophyticC. subverticillatum Schulz et Sacc., reisolated in Italy in the year 1934. C. spinosum Negroni — probably indistinguishable fromC. cordoniformis Barbosa, both South American species — is a coremioidal form ofC. acremonium. C. rubrobrunneum (?) Benedek is a simpleC. acremonium, as well asC. stuehmeri Schmidt et van Beyma.In addition to the previously named species,C. pseudofermentatum Cif. (if really possess a yeast-like stage) andC. nigrum Kamb. (if this species is pertaining to the genusCephalosporium) are listed.

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Queste note furono redatte in gran parte tra il 1938 e il 1939; poi, per varie ragioni, rimasero inedite. Le ripubblichiamo con dati bibliografici aggiornati ed un maggiore materiale critico, anche in omaggio al comune amico, il compianto Prof.P. Redaelli.     

Major isoflavonoids of the jamaican dogwood Piscidia erythrina

Reverse-phase HPLC analysis of the bark extracts of Jamaican dogwood Piscidia erythrina shows three main components. Two have been isolated and their structures have been interpreted through their spectroscopic characteristics as a known monoprenylated (piscidone) and a new diprenylated isoflavone.     

8-Hydroxynaphthalene-1,4-dione derivative as novel compound for glioma treatment

Malignant gliomas continue to demand the search for improved chemotherapeutic solutions. In this work the results of a preliminary in vitro screening performed on a small library of compounds are disclosed. As a result 2-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-8-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone emerged as a promising therapeutic lead.     

CD8- dendritic cells and macrophages cross-present poly(D,L-lactate-co-glycolate) acid microsphere-encapsulated antigen in vivo

The analysis of cell types involved in cross-priming of particulate Ag is essential to understand and improve immunotherapies using microparticles. In this study, we show that murine splenic dendritic cells (DCs) as well as macrophages (MΦs) are able to efficiently endocytose poly(D,L-lactate-co-glycolate) acid (PLGA) microspheres (MS) and to cross-present encapsulated Ags in the context of MHC class I molecules in vitro. A comparison of purified CD8(+) and CD8(-) DCs indicated that both DC subtypes are able to present OVA-derived epitopes on MHC class I and II in vitro. To determine the contribution of DCs and MΦs to cross-priming of PLGA MS in vivo, DCs were depleted in transgenic CD11c-DTR mice, and MΦs were depleted by clodronate liposomes in wild-type mice before immunizing mice with OVA-encapsulated MS. Our results show that the depletion of DCs or MΦs alone only led to minor differences in the OVA-specific immune responses. However, simultaneous depletion of DCs and MΦs caused a strong reduction of primed effector cells, indicating a redundancy of both cell populations for the priming of PLGA MS-encapsulated Ag. Finally, we analyzed PLGA MS trafficking to draining lymph nodes after s.c. injection. It was evident that fluorescent particles accumulated within draining lymph nodes over time. Further analysis of PLGA MS-positive lymphatic cells revealed that mainly CD8(-) DCs and MΦs contained MS. Moreover, immune responses in BATF3 knockout mice lacking CD8(+) DCs were normal. The results presented in this work strongly suggest that in vivo cross-priming of PLGA MS-encapsulated Ag is performed by CD8(-) DCs and MΦs.     

In vitro hemodynamics and valve imaging in passive beating hearts

Due to their high complexity, surgical approaches to valve repair may benefit from the use of in vitro simulators both for training and for the investigation of those measures which can lead to better clinical results. In vitro tests are intrinsically more effective when all the anatomical substructures of the valvular complexes are preserved. In this work, a mock apparatus able to house an entire explanted porcine heart and subject it to pulsatile fluid-dynamic conditions was developed, in order to enable the hemodynamic analysis of simulated surgical procedures and the imaging of the valvular structures. The mock loop's hydrodynamic design was based on an ad-hoc defined lumped-parameter model. The left ventricle of an entire swine heart was dynamically pressurized by an external computer-controlled pulse duplicator. The ascending aorta was connected to a hydraulic circuit which simulated the input impedance of the systemic circulation; a reservoir passively filled the left atrium. Accesses for endoscopic imaging were located in the apex of the left ventricle and in the aortic root. The experimental pressure and flow tracings were comparable with the typical in vivo curves; a mean flow of 3.5±0.1l pm and a mean arterial pressure of 101±2 mmHg was obtained. High-quality echographic and endoscopic video recordings demonstrated the system's excellent potential in the observation of the cardiac structures dynamics. The proposed mock loop represents a suitable in vitro system for the testing of minimally-invasive cardiovascular devices and surgical procedures for heart valve repair.     

Body size variation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gryon gallardoi</Emphasis> related to age and size of the host

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of Spartocera dentiventris (Berg) (Hemiptera: Coreidae) egg quality (regarding age, size and superparasitism) on male and female body size of Gryon gallardoi Brèthes (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). It was also analysed host size influence on offspring sex choice and female oviposition order (within egg groups). Groups of 12 eggs, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 12 days old were individually exposed to a female parasitoid for 2 h, and the order of each egg parasitisation was recorded. Size of adult parasitoids (head width and tibia length of the second leg pair), and parasitised and superparasitised host eggs were measured. Sexual dimorphism related to size (SDs), was estimated through a model II linear regression. Females have a larger head width but a smaller tibia length. Parasitoid adult size is significantly related to host age and size. Within an egg group, females did not exhibit preference for any egg size category either to start oviposition or to oviposit male or female eggs. The body size of both sexes diminished with host aging. There was a positive response in both sexes to host size increasing. Estimated SDs diminished with host aging and increased with host volume augmentation. The results suggest that adult body size of G. gallardoi, as well as size differences between males and females, are strongly associated to host quality.