Effects of Botanical Insecticides on Hymenopteran Parasitoids: a Meta-analysis Approach.

Botanical insecticides (BIs) are considered a valuable alternative for plant protection in sustainable agriculture. The use of both BIs and parasitoids are presumed to be mutually compatible pest management practices. However, there is controversy on this subject, as various studies have reported lethal and sublethal effects of BIs on hymenopteran parasitoids. To shed new light on this controversy, a meta-analytic approach of the effects of BIs on adult mortality, parasitism, and parasitoid emergence under laboratory conditions was performed. We show that BIs increased mortality, decreased parasitism, and decreased parasitoid emergence. Botanical insecticides derived from Nicotiana tabacum and Caceolaria andina were particulary lethal. Most of the parasitoid groups showed susceptibility to BIs, but the families Scelionidae and Ichneumonidae were not significantly affected. The negative effects of BIs were seen regardless of the type of exposure (topical, ingestion, or residual). In conclusion, this meta-analysis showed that under laboratory conditions, exposure of hymenopteran parasitoids to BIs had significant negative effects on adult mortality, parasitism, and parasitoid emergence.

Embarazo cornual roto. ¿Por qué no debemos olvidar al embarazo como causa de dolor abdominal? / Broken cornual pregnancy. Why not forget pregnancy with abdominal pain?

Resumen ANTECEDENTES: el embarazo ectópico cornual es excepcional y pone en riesgo la vida de la madre. Puede manifestarse con hemorragia materna grave durante la rotura cornual. El embarazo cornual se diagnostica por anamnesis, examen clínico, análisis de laboratorio y ecografía transvaginal. CASO CLÍNICO: paciente de 31 años de edad, con un embarazo ectópico cornual roto que requirió intervención quirúrgica.

Abstract BACKGROUND: Cornual ectopic pregnancy is a rare condition. This is the most dangerous tipe of ectopic pregnancy. A severe maternal hemorrhage can result during a cornual rupture. Cornual pregnancy is diagnosis by anamnesis, clinical examination, plasma markers and transvaginal ultrasound. CLINICAL CASE: We present the case of 31 years old female patient with a ruptured cornual ectopic pregnancy. The patient was submitted to surgery.

Olfactory Response and Host Plant Feeding of the Central American Locust Schistocerca piceifrons piceifrons Walker to Common Plants in a Gregarious Zone.

The Central American locust (CAL) Schistocerca piceifrons piceifrons Walker is one of the most harmful plant pests in the Yucatan Peninsula, where an important gregarious zone is located. The olfactory response and host plant acceptance by the CAL have not been studied in detail thus far. In this work, the olfactory response of the CAL to odor of various plant species was evaluated using an olfactometer test system. In addition, the host plant acceptance was assessed by the consumption of leaf area. Results showed that the CAL was highly attracted to odor of Pisonia aculeata. Evaluation of host plant acceptance showed that the CAL fed on Leucaena glauca and Waltheria americana, but not on P. aculeata or Guazuma ulmifolia. Analysis of leaf thickness, and leaf content of nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) showed that the CAL was attracted to plant species with low leaf C content.

Embolización de arterias uterinas como tratamiento de la hemorragia obstétrica / Uterine artery embolization for the treatment of obstetric haemorrhage

Objetivo: Describir los casos de hemorragia obstétrica que han precisado embolización de arterias uterinas (EAU), evaluando la eficacia de dicha técnica y su tasa de éxito. Establecer su seguridad mediante la detección de complicaciones durante el procedimiento y con posterioridad al mismo. Material y método: Se estudia, desde el 1 de enero del año 2006, hasta el 31 de diciembre del año 2012, a pacientes que precisaron EAU tras fracaso del tratamiento médico en casos de hemorragia posparto, en el Hospital General de Albacete, con posterior seguimiento, analizando la aparición de complicaciones inmediatas y tardías, así como su posterior fertilidad. Resultados: Se presentan 8 casos de EAU en hemorragia posparto. El éxito de la técnica se demostró en 6 de los 8 casos, estableciendo una tasa de éxito global del 75%. De los 6 casos en los que se produce un éxito de la EAU se constata gestación posterior en 5 de ellos. Conclusión: La EAU en la hemorragia obstétrica ofrece buenos resultados, pocas complicaciones y preserva la fertilidad

Objective: To describe cases of obstetric hemorrhage that required uterine artery embolization (UAE) and evaluate the effectiveness of this technique and its success rate. To establish its safety by detecting complications during and after the process. Material and methods: We studied patients who required UAE after medical treatment failed to resolve postpartum hemorrhage at the General Hospital of Albacete from January 1st 2006 until December 31st 2012. The occurrence of immediate and late complications and the subsequent fertility of these patients were evaluated during follow-up. Results: Eight patients with postpartum hemorrhage required UAE. The technique was successful in 6 of the 8 patients, representing an overall success rate of 75%. Of the 6 patients with successful EAU, 5 subsequently became pregnant. Conclusion: UAE for obstetric hemorrhage provides good results with few complications and preserves fertility

Response of Bemisia tabaci Genn. (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) biotype B to genotypes of pepper Capsicum annuum (Solanales: Solanaceae).

Bemisia tabaci Genn. biotype B is a widely distributed plant pest that represents one of the major constraints for horticultural crop production. The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the oviposition preference, survivorship, and development of B. tabaci biotype B on semi-cultivated genotypes of Capsicum annuum from southeast Mexico. In free-choice experiments to evaluate the oviposition preference, lower number of eggs laid by B. tabaci biotype B was observed in the genotypes Maax and Xcat´ik relative to that in the commercial genotype Parado. Egg hatchability was significantly lower in Pico Paloma, Bolita, Blanco, Chawa, Payaso, and Xcat´ik than in the rest of the genotypes, including the commercial genotype Jalapeño. Likewise, survivorship of nymphs was significantly lower in Pico Paloma, Bolita, and Blanco than in the remaining genotypes. Nymph developmental time and the period of development from egg to adult were the shortest in Amaxito. Therefore, sources of resistance to B. tabaci biotype B by antibiosis (accumulation of plant defense compounds) might be found in the semi-cultivated genotypes Pico Paloma, Bolita, and Blanco.

Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) modulates the expression of dopamine-related genes in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced Parkinsonism in mice.

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) causes nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurotoxicity and behavioral impairment in rodents similar to Parkinson's disease. The MPTP mouse model is widely used to evaluate new protective agents. EGb 761 is a well-defined mixture of active compounds extracted from Ginkgo biloba leaves according to a standardized procedure. We have shown that EGb 761 attenuates the loss of striatal dopamine levels and prevents the neurodegeneration of the nigrostriatal pathway induced by MPTP. This finding shows that neuroprotective effects of EGb 761 act, in part, on the dopamine system. Therefore, this study investigates whether EGb 761 exerts dopaminergic neuroprotection through the regulation of dopamine-related gene expression in MPTP-induced Parkinsonism. Male C57BL/6J mice were injected with MPTP (30 mg/kg, i.p.) for 5 days and later with EGb 761 (40 mg/kg, i.p.) daily for 18 days. The expression of selected genes was evaluated in the striatum and midbrain by quantitative PCR. The genes for tyrosine hydroxylase (Th), vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (Vmat2), dopamine transporter (Dat), dopamine D2 receptor (Da-d2r), and transcription factors (Pitx3 and Nurr1) related to dopamine neurotransmission were selected for the analysis. EGb 761 administration to MPTP-treated mice protected Th (41%), Vmat2 (15%), Dat (102%), Da-d2r (46%), Pitx3 (63%), and Nurr1 (148%) mRNA levels in the midbrain, all of which were up-regulated. However, EGb 761 partially reversed the MPTP effect exclusively for Th (48%) and Nurr1 (96%) mRNA in the striatum. Only Th and Nurr1 mRNA and protein levels were regulated by EGb 761 in both regions of the nigrostriatal pathway. This result could be related to the regulation of their transcription. Our results suggest that EGb 761-associated neuroprotection against MPTP neurotoxicity is related to the regulation of the dopamine genes. Moreover, this neuroprotection also involves the regulation of transcription factors such as Nurr1 that are important for the functional maintenance of dopaminergic neurons.

BCR/ABL p210, p190 and p230 fusion genes in 250 Mexican patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML).

There are two major forms of the BCR/ABL fusion gene, involving ABL exon 2, but including different exons of BCR gene. The transcripts b2a2 or b3a2 code for a p210 protein. Another fusion gene leads to the expression of an e1a2 transcript, which codes for a p190 protein. Another, less common fusion gene is c3a2[e19a2], which encodes a p230 protein. The incidence of one or the other rearrangement in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients varies in different reported series. This study was designed to determine the frequency of coexpresion of the p210, p190 and p230 transcripts in 250 Mexican patients with CML. We performed nested and multiplex reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on bone marrow samples from adult patients and found that all cases were positive for some type of BCR/ABL rearrangement. In 226 (90.4%) patients it was p210, while the remaining 9.6% showed coexpression or one of the transcripts of p190/p210/p230. In 7% of patients with p210 expression there are both isoforms (b3a2/b2a2), presumably the result of alternative splicing. The rate of coexpression of the p190/p210 transcripts was 5%, which is much lower than in other reports. This may be due to the technical factors. These patients had high platelet counts, marked splenomegaly and chromosomal abnormalities in addition to Ph'. Other types of coexpression seen were p210/p230 and p190/p210/p230, in patients with high-risk clinical factors. Our study confirms the occurrence of coexpression of different BCR/ABL transcripts, although the rate (9.6%) was much lower than has been reported in other populations. This may reflect either the sensitivity of the detection techniques used or the possibility of genetic differences between the populations studied. Coexpression may be due to alternative splicing or to phenotypic variation, with clinical courses different from classical CML.