Exploring protandry and pupal size selection for Aedes albopictus sex separation

Background: We explored the possibility to improve male/female separation (sexing) in Aedes albopictus by selection of two strains, one toward increasing sex dimorphism and another toward increasing protandry. In the laboratory we selected and crossed small males with large females to exploit dimorphism, and early pupating males with late pupating females to exploit protandry. Results: While selection for enhanced dimorphism was not a profitable character, the selection for enhanced protandry up to F10 produced significant improvement in the time interval between male and female pupation. By collecting the pupae at 24 h from the beginning of pupation, without any sieving operation, we obtained about 28.50% of pupae (calculated in relation to the estimated initial number of first instar larvae used), vs 26.49% we had in the control strain, and, more interestingly, when checking the sex ratio of these pupae we observed a presence of females of 0.92% vs 23.02% in the control strain. We also modified our egg hatching protocol from the previous standard procedure that required keeping the eggs in the glass hatching container overnight (for about 14-16 h) to a new protocol where eggs are kept in the hatching container for 4 h in order to obtain more synchronized larvae. This was possible without any reduction in the egg hatching rate. Conclusions: In Aedes albopictus it is possible to develop hyper-protandric strains useful to produce male pupae without applying other sexing systems. This represents a considerable achievement assisting the Sterile Insect Technique application, allowing improvement of the current sexing method based on mechanical separation. More investigations are under way in order to further enhance the male productivity capacity of the strain and to determine whether the selection has any impact on the male fitness parameters

Mining genes involved in indoxacarb resistance of Lobesia botrana (Denis and Schifferm\ufcller) by de novo transcriptome assembly and differential expression analysis.

Lobesia botrana (Denis and Schifferm\ufcller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is one of the most important grapevine pests in Europe but, being a non-model organism, only limited genomic and transcriptomic resources are available for functional studies at the molecular level, such as those relevant to insecticide resistance and pest control. Hence, to gain insight into the mechanism of indoxacarb resistance, a blocker of insect voltage-gated sodium channels (NaV), we analysed the transcriptome and expression profile in 2nd instars of L. botrana from susceptible and field selected populations (LC50 resistance ratio 72). De novo transcriptome assembly using Trinity resulted in 141,581 isoforms clustered in 94,290 putative genes. The transcriptome completeness was supported by BUSCO: 92% of conserved orthologs (n= 1,658) were retrieved as a complete sequence, 6.3% displayed fragmented ORFs, and only 1.7% were missing. 36,250 genes were preliminary annotated relaying on the longest isoform per gene, by running Annocript pipeline against non-redundant protein databases (Nr), gene ontology (GO), cluster of orthologous groups of proteins (COG), KEGG orthology (KO) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Conditional Reciprocal Best BLAST analysis of protein isoforms performed on Lepidoptera proteomes identified putative orthologs of multigene family members potentially involved in metabolic resistance (61 cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, 25 glutathione S-transferases, 13 carboxylesterases, 25 UDP-glucuronosyltransferases) as well as alternatively spliced isoforms of the NaV gene. Among 263 upregulated and annotated genes in the resistant population, functional GO enrichment analysis revealed overrepresentation of terms for cytochrome P450, due to up-regulation of CYP6B and CYP9A subfamily members as well as increased transcript level for UGT genes. Hydrolases were, on the contrary, overrepresented in 293 annotated genes, downregulated in the resistant population. These data tentatively suggest the reduced susceptibility to indoxacarb might be related to an increase of Phase I and II detoxification along with reduced bioactivation of the insecticide

Selection of Biomarkers from Differentially Expressed Genes in Leukocytes of Buffalos Treated with Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin: The Importance of Sample Size for Reliable Discriminating Systems

The research on biomarkers to detect livestock treated with recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) is still an open issue. In fact, beyond undertaking confirmation methods, there is the need to develop simple and inexpensive screening tests. In this direction, some proposals have been forwarded, mostly involving the measurement of circulating molecules, whereas the possibility of using biomarkers related to gene expression is a field under investigation. The present study was carried out on sixteen buffalos, eight of which treated with rbST. Blood samples were collected six times during the treatment to investigate on the presence of differentially expressed genes in leukocytes. Analysis with the microarray technique was performed on two sampling moments, in order to obtain a first selection of genes. Further analysis was carried out by real time RT-PCR, in order to create a discriminating linear system. A study on the variation of the error related to the number of samples included in statistics was also performed. Results showed that, including an increasing number of samples to build the discriminating algorithm, the b-error grows and tends to stabilize on 6.5%. This study clearly shows the paramount importance of including a proper number of samples to obtain reliable algorithms

Triangulação entre métodos na administração: gerando conversações paradigmáticas ou meras validações “convergentes”?

The aim of this paper is to answer the following question: the triangulation method has been used in administration researchs from a multiparadigmatic perspective, generating conversations between paradigms? Or it has been used simply in order to perform a “convergent” validation between the methods? To answer this question, we used a database with 174 papers of three Annals of EnAnpad that used the triangulation. These papers were analyzed qualitatively to verify how the triangulation was conducted to investigate whether the combination was only at the method level, or if it reached at the paradigm level. The position adopted by the researchers in this paper is one that defends the importance of paradigmatic conversation for dealing with social phenomena that are characteristic in researchs in administration. The results showed that combination of methods has been adopted mainly in the purpose of convergent validation without discussions between different worldviews and different scientific knowledge views. What is noticed is its application mainly in studies which predominates, in epistemological terms, a positivist view and, in methodological terms, a nomothetic approach.O objetivo deste artigo é buscar responder à seguinte questão: a triangulação como método tem sidoutilizada nas pesquisas em administração de uma perspectiva multiparadigmática, gerando conversaçõesentre paradigmas? Ou tem sido utilizada simplesmente no intuito de se realizar uma validação“convergente” entre os métodos na pesquisa? Para responder à questão, utilizou-se o banco de dadosreferente a 174 artigos que utilizaram a triangulação em três anais do EnAnpad. Esses artigos foramanalisados qualitativamente para verificar de que forma a triangulação foi conduzida, a fim de investigarse a combinação se ateve apenas no nível do método, ou se atingiu o âmbito paradigmático. O posicionamentoadotado pelos pesquisadores neste estudo é o de defender a importância da conversaçãoparadigmática para lidar com os fenômenos sociais característicos das pesquisas em administração. Osresultados demonstraram que a combinação de métodos tem sido adotada principalmente no intuito devalidação convergente, não implicando necessariamente conversações efetivas entre diferentes visõesde mundo e de conhecimento científico. O que se observa é sua aplicação principalmente em estudosnos quais predomina, em termos epistemológicos, uma visão positivista e, em termos metodológicos,uma postura nomotética

Mitofusin-2 Down-Regulation Predicts Progression of Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

Identification of markers predicting disease outcome is a major clinical issue for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). The present study aimed to determine the role of the mitochondrial proteins Mitofusin-2 (Mfn2) and caseinolytic protease P (ClpP) in predicting the outcome of NMIBC. The study population consisted of patients scheduled for transurethral resection of bladder tumor upon the clinical diagnosis of bladder cancer (BC). Samples of the main bladder tumor and healthy-looking bladder wall from patients classified as NMIBC were tested for Mfn2 and ClpP. The expression levels of these proteins were correlated to disease recurrence, progression. Mfn2 and ClpP expression levels were significantly higher in lesional than in non-lesional tissue. Low-risk NMIBC had significantly higher Mfn2 expression levels and significantly lower ClpP expression levels than high-risk NMIBC; there were no differences in non-lesional levels of the two proteins. Lesional Mfn2 expression levels were significantly lower in patients who progressed whereas ClpP levels had no impact on any survival outcome. Multivariable analysis adjusting for the EORTC scores showed that Mfn2 downregulation was significantly associated with disease progression. In conclusion, Mfn2 and ClpP proteins were found to be overexpressed in BC as compared to non-lesional bladder tissue and Mfn2 expression predicted disease progression

Enantiomeric Separation and Molecular Modelling of Bioactive 4-Aryl-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one Ester Derivatives on Teicoplanin-Based Chiral Stationary Phase

The enantiomeric separation of 15 racemic 4-aryl-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one (DHP) alkoxycarbonyl esters, some of which proved to be highly active as A2B adenosine receptor antagonists, was carried out by HPLC on ChirobioticTM TAG, a chiral stationary phase (CSP) bearing teicoplanin aglycone (TAG) as the chiral selector. The racemic compounds were separated under polar organic (PO) conditions. Preliminarily, the same selectands were investigated on three different Pirkle-type CSPs in normal-phase (NP) conditions. A baseline separation was successfully obtained on TAG-based CSPs for the majority of compounds, some of which achieved high enantioselectivity ratios ( > 2) in contrast with the smaller values (1–1.5) and the lack of baseline resolution observed with the Pirkle-type CSPs. In particular, the racemic tetrazole-fused DHP ester derivatives, namely compounds 8 and 9, were separated on TAG-based HPLC columns with noteworthy values (8.8 and 6.0, respectively), demonstrating the potential of the method for preparative purposes. A competition experiment, carried out with a racemic analyte (6) by adding N-acetyl-D-alanine (NADA) to the mobile phase, suggested that H-bonding interactions involved in the recognition of the natural dipeptide ligand D-Ala-D-Ala into the TAG cleft should be critical for enantioselective recognition of 4-aryl DHPs by TAG. The X-ray crystal structure of TAG was elucidated at a 0.77 Å resolution, whereas the calculation of molecular descriptors of size, polar, and H-bond interactions, were complemented with molecular docking and molecular dynamics calculations, shedding light on repulsive (steric effects) and attractive (H-bond—polar and apolar) interactions between 4-aryl DHP selectands and TAG chiral selectors

Mosquito, Bird and Human Surveillance of West Nile and Usutu Viruses in Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy) in 2010

<div><h3>Background</h3><p>In 2008, after the first West Nile virus (WNV) detection in the Emilia-Romagna region, a surveillance system, including mosquito- and bird-based surveillance, was established to evaluate the virus presence. Surveillance was improved in following years by extending the monitoring to larger areas and increasing the numbers of mosquitoes and birds tested.</p> <h3>Methodology/Principal Findings</h3><p>A network of mosquito traps, evenly distributed and regularly activated, was set up within the surveyed area. A total of 438,558 mosquitoes, grouped in 3,111 pools and 1,276 birds (1,130 actively sampled and 146 from passive surveillance), were tested by biomolecular analysis. The survey detected WNV in 3 <em>Culex pipiens</em> pools while Usutu virus (USUV) was found in 89 <em>Cx. pipiens</em> pools and in 2 <em>Aedes albopictus</em> pools. Two birds were WNV-positive and 12 were USUV-positive. Furthermore, 30 human cases of acute meningoencephalitis, possibly caused by WNV or USUV, were evaluated for both viruses and 1,053 blood bags were tested for WNV, without any positive result.</p> <h3>Conclusions/Significance</h3><p>Despite not finding symptomatic human WNV infections during 2010, the persistence of the virus, probably due to overwintering, was confirmed through viral circulation in mosquitoes and birds, as well as for USUV. In 2010, circulation of the two viruses was lower and more delayed than in 2009, but this decrease was not explained by the relative abundance of <em>Cx. pipiens</em> mosquito, which was greater in 2010. The USUV detection in mosquito species confirms the role of <em>Cx. pipiens</em> as the main vector and the possible involvement of <em>Ae. albopictus</em> in the virus cycle. The effects of meteorological conditions on the presence of USUV-positive mosquito pools were considered finding an association with drought conditions and a wide temperature range. The output produced by the surveillance system demonstrated its usefulness and reliability in terms of planning public health policies.</p> </div

Race has no impact on prostate cancer-specific mortality, when comparing patients with similar risk of other-cause mortality: An analysis of a population-based cohort

Background: Other-cause mortality (OCM) can serve as a surrogate for access-to-care. The authors sought to compare prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) in Black versus White men matched based on their calculated OCM risk. Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was queried for Black and White men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 2004 to 2009, to collect long-term follow-up. A Cox regression was used to calculate the OCM risk using all available covariates. This calculated OCM risk was used to construct a 1:1 propensity score matched (PSM) cohort. Then, a competing-risks multivariable tested the impact of race on PCSM. Results: A total of 94,363 patients were identified, with 19,398 Black men and 74,965 White men. The median (IQR) follow-up was 11.3 years (9.8-12.8). In the unmatched-cohort at 10-years, PCSM and OCM were 5.5% versus 3.5% and 13.8% versus 8.4% in non-Hispanic Black (NHB) versus non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients (all p \u3c .0001). The standardized mean difference was Conclusions: The results of this study showed similar PCSM in Black and White patients, when matched with their calculated OCM risk. This report is the first to indicate at a population-based level that race has no impact on PCSM

Minimally invasive surgical therapies (MISTs) for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS): promise or panacea?

: The increasing importance of treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), while avoiding side effects and maintaining sexual function, has allowed for the development of minimally invasive surgical therapies (MISTs). Recently, the European Association of Urology guidelines reported a paradigm shift from the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) to the management of nonneurogenic male LUTS. The aim of the present review was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the most commonly used MISTs: ablative techniques such as aquablation, prostatic artery embolization, water vapor energy, and transperineal prostate laser ablation, and nonablative techniques such as prostatic urethral lift and temporarily implanted nitinol device (iTIND). MISTs are becoming a new promise, even if clinical trials with longer follow-up are still lacking. Most of them are still under investigation and, to date, only a few options have been given as a recommendation for use. They cannot be considered as standard of care and are not suitable for all patients. Advantages and disadvantages should be underlined, without forgetting our objective: treatment of LUTS and re-treatment avoidance