Taxonomy and feeding of Forcipomyia (Microhelea) fuliginosa Meigen and Forcipomyia (Microhelea) esakiana Tokunaga (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) on Antheraea mylitta Drury (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae).

Taxonomic equivocality and complexity exist in the two species of Ceratopogonids, Forcipomyia (Microhelea) fuliginosa Meigen and Forcipomyia (Microhelea) esakiana Tokunaga. Incongruencies and inaccuracies in species identification restrict further biological and ecological studies on the host-ectoparasite association. Preferential landing and hemolymphophagy of F. fuliginosa and F. esakiana on Antheraea mylitta Drury larva were studied under field conditions. The silkworm A. mylitta is reared in the tasar sericulture industry, contributing 1466 metric tons (202122) of indigenous raw silk in India. Ectoparasitic behavior of the biting midges, F. fuliginosa, and F. esakiana is an increasing threat to the silkworm, necessitating proper identification. Intra and inter-variations of these two closely related species have been stated. Morphological-based identification of these species has been substantiated with COX1 molecular data. A Bayesian-modeled approach to reconstruct the dendrogram of the two species based on the COX1 sequences generated has been presented along with the referred sequences of F. fuliginosa from Genebank. The species F. esakiana is being reported for the first time from India, along with its ectoparasitic hemolymphophagous nature. The role of these insectivorous species in transmitting pathogens to the larvae of tasar silk needs further investigation.

Prognostic Significance of Vocal Cord Mobility after Laryngeal Preservation Protocols in Locally Advanced Laryngopharyngeal Cancers: A Retrospective Analysis.

In the present study, we look at the prognostic implications of the recovery of vocal cord mobility after treatment in T3 laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers with fixed vocal cords. Patients with T3 laryngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinoma were considered for the study. All patients were treated with standard laryngeal preservation protocols as per treatment guidelines. Recovery of vocal cord functions was assessed with serial flexible laryngoscopic evaluation. Recovery of vocal cord mobility was compared with oncological outcomes. Twenty seven patients were available for final analysis. Cases, where vocal cords remained fixed or continued to have restricted mobility on follow up, were categorised as "unfavourable" and those with complete recovery of function as compared to pre treatment FOL as "Favourable". Thirteen (48%) patients did not regain complete mobility of vocal cords. Six patients from the 'unfavourable' group (46%) developed recurrence, whereas only one patient from the 'favourable' group (7%) had a recurrence (p = 0.03). The findings of the present study suggest that failure to regain complete vocal cord mobility after CTRT is a poor prognostic factor in T3 laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers.