Susceptibility of Trichogramma pretiosum Riley (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) adults to fungicides used to control apple diseases

This study evaluated the susceptibility under laboratory conditions of Trichogrammapretiosum Riley adults to fungicides recommended by the Integrated Production of Apple (IPA). The bioassays were carried out using the International Organization for Biological Control (IOBC), West Palearctic Regional Section (WPRS) standard protocols. Twelve selected fungicides were studied in the doses (g or ml active ingredient/100 L) captan 1 (0.115), captan 2 (0.120), kresoxim-methyl (0.010), sulphur 1 (AG) (0.480), sulphur 2 (0.480), folpet (0.105), mancozeb (0.160), pyraclostrobin (0.010), tebuconazole (0.010), tetraconazole (0.005), thiophanate-methyl (0.050) and triforine (0.024). Distilled water was used as the blank treatment and the insecticide triclorfon (0.150) as a positive control. The parasitoids were exposed to dry residues applied on glass plates. The reduction in the capacity of parasitism was used to measure the effect of the chemical in comparison to the blank treatment. Each treatment was replicated four times. The results allowed us to classify the fungicides tested in four categories: 1, harmless (< 30%); 2, slightly harmful (30-79%); 3, moderately harmful (80-99%); and 4, harmful (> 99%). 75% of the tested substances were classified as selective (classes 1 and 2) to the parasitoid. The fungicides captan 1, captan 2, kresoxim-methyl, folpet, pyraclostrobin, tebuconazole, thiophanate-methyl and triforine were harmless; mancozeb was slightly harmful; sulphur 1 (AG) and tetraconazole were moderately harmful and sulphur 2 was harmful. These findings should be taken into account when selecting fungicides to spray apple orchards against fungi diseases to preserve the egg parasitoid T. pretiosum.     

Antifungal and physicochemical properties of Ocimum essential oil loaded in poly(lactic acid) nanofibers

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibres containing different proportions of the essential oils from Ocimum basilicum L. and Ocimum gratissimum L. were prepared by solution blow spinning method. The essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and characterized by gas chromatography. MEV, contact angle, DSC and FTIR were used to characterize the nanofibres. The effect of bioative nanofibres on the growth of the fungus and on the production of ochratoxin A were evaluated using the fumigation test. Linalool, 1·8-cineole and camphor were the principal components of the essential oil from O. basilicum, and eugenol was the principal constituent in the oil from O. gratissimum. An increase in the average diameter of the nanofibres was observed with the addition of the essential oils. The essential oils acted as a plasticizer, resulting in a reduction in the crystallinity of the PLA. The encapsulation of essential oils in PLA nanofibres was verified by FTIR. An effective antifungal and antimicotoxygenic activity against Aspergillus ochraceus and Aspergillus westerdjikiae was observed for the bioative nanofibres. These results confirm the potential of PLA nanofibres containing the essential oils for the control of toxigenic fungi that cause the deterioration of food and are harmful to human health.     

APC Inhibits Ligand-Independent Wnt Signaling by the Clathrin Endocytic Pathway

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Production of moss‐dominated biocrusts to enhance the stability and function of the margins of artificial water bodies

Margins of water reservoirs associated with dams can have high‐frequency tides, promoting soil erosion and nutrient leaching. We propose the use of biocrusts for restoration and ecological engineering purposes, due to their poikilohydric character, to stabilize reservoir margins. We promoted biocrust growth under controlled conditions, testing two types of substrate: native sand and organic substrate. After 2 months, biocrusts grew on organic substrate covering almost all the area, but not on native sand. This fast and easy nature‐based solution for soil stabilization can be used as an environmental engineering tool in highly degraded sites.     

Synthesis and profiling of benzylmorpholine 1,2,4,5-tetraoxane analogue N205: Towards tetraoxane scaffolds with potential for single dose cure of malaria

A series of aryl carboxamide and benzylamino dispiro 1,2,4,5-tetraoxane analogues have been designed and synthesized in a short synthetic sequence from readily available starting materials. From this series of endoperoxides, molecules with in vitro IC50s versus Plasmodium falciparum (3D7) as low as 0.84?nM were identified. Based on an assessment of blood stability and in vitro microsomal stability, N205 (10a) was selected for rodent pharmacokinetic and in vivo antimalarial efficacy studies in the mouse Plasmodium berghei and Plasmodium falciparum Pf3D70087/N9 severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mouse models. The results indicate that the 4-benzylamino derivatives have excellent profiles with a representative of this series, N205, an excellent starting point for further lead optimization studies.     

Therapeutic treatment with scFv–PLGA nanoparticles decreases pulmonary fungal load in a murine model of paracoccidioidomycosis

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a systemic mycosis with lymphatic dissemination that is caused by Paracoccidioides species. Treatment of PCM consists of chemotherapeutics such as itraconazole, trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole or amphotericin B. However, several studies are aiming to develop therapeutic alternatives for the treatment of fungal infection using new molecules as adjuvants. The single-chain variable fragments (scFv) from an antibody that mimics the main fungal component incorporated within poly(lactide-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles helped treat the fungal disease. After expressing the scFv in Picchia pastoris (P. pastoris), the recombinant molecules were coupled with PLGA, and the BALB/c mice were immunized before or after infection with yeast Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (P. brasiliensis). Our results showed decreased disease progression and decreased fungal burden. Taken together, our results showed an increased of IFN-γ and IL-12 cytokine production and an increased number of macrophages and dendritic cells in the pulmonary tissue of BALB/c mice treated with a high concentration of our molecule. Our data further confirm that the scFv plays an important role in the treatment of experimental PCM.     

Cytogenetic Studies on Workers of the Neotropical Ant Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger 1863) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae)

Wasmannia auropunctata is known as one of the worst invasive ants in the World. A cytogenetic study was conducted on two native populations from southeastern Bahia, Brazil. The analysis of the chromosomes observed in mitotic metaphases was made by a combination of methods: Giemsa conventional staining, chromomycin A3 (CMA3) and 4-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) fluorochrome staining, and acridine orange banding. The workers have all the karyotype 2n=32, with ten pairs of metacentric and six pairs of acrocentric chromosomes. One chromosome arm of the pair ten was positive for CMA3 and acridine orange, suggesting the occurrence of a nucleolar organizing region. This region is an interesting marker because is very conservative and seems to constitute an interesting specific taxonomic character. The pericentromeric region of many chromosomes was stained with DAPI, evidencing the occurrence of AT bases rich heterochromatin.