Identification and Synthesis of Leptotriene, a Unique Sesquiterpene Hydrocarbon from Males of the Leaffooted Bugs Leptoglossus zonatus and L. occidentalis.

The leaffooted bugs Leptoglossus zonatus and L. occidentalis (Hemiptera: Coreidae) cause substantial damage in tree nut crops in North America and pine seed orchards in North America and Europe, respectively. Sexually mature males of both species produce a number of aldehydes, esters, and sesquiterpenes, which are hypothesized to constitute an aggregation pheromone attractive to both sexes. Among the volatiles produced by males of both species, we identified a unique sesquiterpene hydrocarbon, given the common name "leptotriene" (5), which elicited strong responses from antennae of both sexes in electroantennogram assays. Here, we report its structure and its synthesis from (-)-(E)-ß-caryophyllene (1).

Multi-scale and multi-site resampling of a study area in spatial genetics: implications for flying insect species.

The use of multiple sampling areas in landscape genetic analysis has been recognized as a useful way of generalizing the patterns of environmental effects on organism gene flow. It reduces the variability in inference which can be substantially affected by the scale of the study area and its geographic location. However, empirical landscape genetic studies rarely consider multiple sampling areas due to the sampling effort required. In this study, we explored the effects of environmental features on the gene flow of a flying long-horned beetle (Monochamus galloprovincialis) using a landscape genetics approach. To account for the unknown scale of gene flow and the multiple local confounding effects of evolutionary history and landscape changes on inference, we developed a way of resampling study areas on multiple scales and in multiple locations (sliding windows) in a single large-scale sampling design. Landscape analyses were conducted in 3*104 study areas ranging in scale from 220 to 1,000 km and spread over 132 locations on the Iberian Peninsula. The resampling approach made it possible to identify the features affecting the gene flow of this species but also showed high variability in inference among the scales and the locations tested, independent of the variation in environmental features. This method provides an opportunity to explore the effects of environmental features on organism gene flow on the whole and reach conclusions about general landscape effects on their dispersal, while limiting the sampling effort to a reasonable level.

Female Sex Pheromone of the Cone Moth, Dioryctria mendacella: Investigation of Synergism between Type I and Type II Pheromone Components.

Polyunsaturated hydrocarbons (Type II pheromone components) have been reported to be synergists for unsaturated acetates, alcohols or aldehydes (Type I components) in the sex pheromones of several species of Lepidoptera. However, there is some debate over whether the active components are the hydrocarbons themselves or more volatile degradation products. Extracts of pheromone glands of adult females of the cone moth, Dioryctria mendacella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), contain (Z,E)-9,11-tetradecadienyl acetate (ZE9,11-14:Ac) and at least ten times as much (Z,Z,Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9,12,15-pentacosapentaene (ZZZZZ3,6,9,12,15-25:H). The former elicits a strong electroantennogram response from males while no response could be recorded to the latter. In field trapping tests, both compounds were individually unattractive to male D. mendacella moths, but blends of the two compounds containing at least a 10:1 ratio of ZZZZZ3,6,9,12,15-25:H : ZE9,11-14:Ac were highly attractive. The relatively involatile hydrocarbon was shown to be released from the dispensers used and no significant degradation could be detected. Furthermore, blends of ZE9,11-14:Ac and analogs of ZZZZZ3,6,9,12,15-25:H with fewer carbons and/or double bonds that might be expected to produce similar degradation products to ZZZZZ3,6,9,12,15-25:H were unattractive. This indicated a specific response to the hydrocarbon itself, further substantiated by the observation that related hydrocarbons did not interfere with the activity of ZZZZZ3,6,9,12,15-25:H. Thus a three-step conversion of fish oil was used to produce a blend of unsaturated hydrocarbons containing ZZZZZ3,6,9,12,15-25:H as the major component, albeit only 30% of the total, and a blend of this material with ZE9,11-14:Ac was as attractive to male D. mendacella moths as blends with an equivalent amount of the purified material. This mixture of unsaturated hydrocarbons is much cheaper to produce than the pure pentaene, and may be useful in lures for other species using these compounds. Dioryctria mendacella is a major constraint to production of edible pine kernels throughout the Mediterranean region. Pheromone traps will provide a means to improve monitoring of seasonal flight patterns and changes in population abundance of this pest.

Smoke, pheromone and kairomone olfactory receptor neurons in males and females of the pine sawyer Monochamus galloprovincialis (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae).

The response of antennal olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) of Monochamus galloprovincialis to several odourants was tested using single sensillum electrophysiology. Behaviourally active pheromone, and kairomone (host and sympatric bark beetle pheromone) odours were tested alongside smoke compounds released by burnt wood that are potentially attractive to the insect. The antennae bore several types of sensilla. Two plate areas in the proximal and distal ends of each antennal segment were covered with basiconic sensilla that responded to the odour stimuli. Sensilla basiconica contained one or two cells of different spike amplitude. The 32 male and 38 female ORNs tested responded with excitations or inhibitions to the different plant odours. In general the response of male and female receptors was very similar so they were pooled to perform a cluster analysis on ORN responses. Six ORNs were clearly specialised for pheromone reception. Responses to kairomone and smoke odours were less specific than those of pheromone, but a group of 9 cells was clearly excited by smoke compounds (mainly eugenol and 4-methyl 2-methoxyphenol), a group of 8 cells was very responsive to α-pinene, ß-pinene and cis-verbenol, and a group of 14 cells responded to a wider range of compounds. The rest of the cells (47%) were either non-responsive or slightly inhibited by smoke compounds. Dose-response curves were obtained for several compounds. Different compounds induced significantly different latencies and these appeared to be unrelated to their boiling point.

Multilocus genotyping of Amylostereum spp. associated with Sirex noctilio and other woodwasps from Europe reveal clonal lineage introduced to the US.

Sirex noctilio is a woodwasp of Eurasian origin that was inadvertently introduced to the southern hemisphere in the 1900s and to North America over a decade ago. Its larvae bore in Pinus spp. and can cause significant mortality in pine plantations. S noctilio is associated with a symbiotic white rot fungus, Amylostereum areolatum, which females inject into trees when they oviposit and which is required for survival of developing larvae. We compared the genetic diversity of A. areolatum isolated from S. noctilio and other woodwasps collected from Europe and from northeastern North America to determine the origin of introduction(s) into the United States. Multilocus genotyping of nuclear ribosomal regions and protein coding genes revealed two widespread multilocus genotypes (MLGs) among the European samples, one of which is present in the US. The other two MLGs associated with S. noctilio in the US represented unique haplotypes. These latter two haplotypes were likely from unrepresented source populations, and together with the introduced widespread haplotype reveal multiple A. areolatum MLGs introduced by S. noctilio and indicate possible multiple S. noctilio introductions to North America from Europe. Our results also showed a lack of fidelity between woodwasp hosts and Amylostereum species.

Saproxylic community, guild and species responses to varying pheromone components of a pine bark beetle.

Some bark beetle species (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) produce aggregation pheromones that allow coordinated attack on their conifer hosts. As a new saproxylic habitat is founded, an assemblage of associated beetles kairomonally respond to bark beetle infochemicals. Ips sexdentatus is one of the major damaging insects of Pinus spp. in Southern Europe. Its response to varying ipsenol (Ie) percentages in relation to ipsdienol (Id) was studied in northwestern Spain, along with the entire saproxylic beetle assemblage captured at multiple-funnel traps. Response profile modeling was undertaken for I. sexdentatus sexes and sex-ratios, associated species and for selected trophic groups using a reference Gaussian model. In addition, the effects on the saproxylic assemblages were analyzed. I. sexdentatus response curve peaked at 22.7% Ie content, while remaining taxa that could be modeled, peaked above ca. 40% Ie. Predator guilds showed a linear relationship with Ie proportion, while competitors showed a delayed response peak. Consequently, species assemblages differed markedly between varying pheromone component mixtures. Given that the evaluated pheromonal proportions mimicked that of logs being colonized by I. sexdentatus, results suggested that the registered differential responses at different levels might provide I. sexdentatus with a temporal window that maximizes conspecific attraction while reducing interference with competitor and predatory guilds. Described responses might help improve the monitoring of the population status of target bark beetles and their associates, but also point toward the by-catch of many natural enemies, as well as rare saproxylic beetle species, interfering with the aims of sustainable forest management.

Geometrid outbreak waves travel across Europe.

We show that the population ecology of the 9- to 10-year cyclic, broadleaf-defoliating winter moth (Operophtera brumata) and other early-season geometrids cannot be fully understood on a local scale unless population behaviour is known on a European scale. Qualitative and quantitative data on O. brumata outbreaks were obtained from published sources and previously unpublished material provided by authors of this article. Data cover six decades from the 1950s to the first decade of twenty-first century and most European countries, giving new information fundamental for the understanding of the population ecology of O. brumata. Analyses on epicentral, regional and continental scales show that in each decade, a wave of O. brumata outbreaks travelled across Europe. On average, the waves moved unidirectionally ESE-WNW, that is, toward the Scandes and the Atlantic. When one wave reached the Atlantic coast after 9-10 years, the next one started in East Europe to travel the same c. 3000 km distance. The average wave speed and wavelength was 330 km year(-1) and 3135 km, respectively, the high speed being incongruous with sedentary geometrid populations. A mapping of the wave of the 1990s revealed that this wave travelled in a straight E-W direction. It therefore passed the Scandes diagonally first in the north on its way westward. Within the frame of the Scandes, this caused the illusion that the wave moved N-S. In analogy, outbreaks described previously as moving S-N or occurring contemporaneously along the Scandes were probably the result of continental-scale waves meeting the Scandes obliquely from the south or in parallel. In the steppe zone of eastern-most and south-east Europe, outbreaks of the winter moth did not participate in the waves. Here, broadleaved stands are small and widely separated. This makes the zone hostile to short-distance dispersal between O. brumata subpopulations and prevents synchronization within meta-populations. We hypothesize that hostile boundary models, involving reciprocal host-herbivore-enemy reactions at the transition between the steppe and the broadleaved forest zones, offer the best explanation to the origin of outbreak waves. These results have theoretical and practical implications and indicate that multidisciplinary, continentally coordinated studies are essential for an understanding of the spatio-temporal behaviour of cyclic animal populations.

Identification and field activity of a male-produced aggregation pheromone in the pine sawyer beetle, Monochamus galloprovincialis.

The pine sawyer beetle, Monochamus galloprovincialis, is a pest of pine trees in Europe and North Africa. Previously considered a secondary pest of stressed and dying trees, it is now receiving considerable attention as a vector of the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the causal agent of a lethal wilting disease in susceptible species of pines. Adult beetles are attracted to traps baited with a kairomone blend consisting of a host volatile, alpha-pinene, and two bark beetle pheromone components, ipsenol and 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol. More recently it has been shown that mature male M. galloprovincialis produce a pheromone that attracts mature females in a laboratory bioassay. Here, volatiles were collected from mature male and female M. galloprovincialis, and a compound produced specifically by mature males was identified as 2-undecyloxy-1-ethanol from its gas chromatographic retention times, its mass spectrum, and by comparison with synthetic standards. The naturally-derived and synthetic compounds elicited electroantennographic responses from both females and males. Sealed polyethylene vials and polyethylene sachets were shown to be effective dispensers with zero-order release, the latter giving a higher release rate than the former. In two field tests, multiple-funnel traps baited with synthetic 2-undecyloxy-1-ethanol caught both female and male M. galloprovincialis, with higher catches at the higher release rate. This compound also synergized the attractiveness of the kairomone blend, the combined mixture catching 80-140% more beetles than the sum of the catches to each bait separately and luring up to two beetles/trap/d in a moderate-density population. We conclude that 2-undecyloxy-1-ethanol is a male-produced aggregation pheromone of M. galloprovincialis. This is the first example of a sex-specific compound in the cerambycid subfamily Lamiinae with significant behavioral activity in the field at a range sufficient to make it a useful trap bait. The possible roles of this pheromone in the chemical ecology of M. galloprovincialis and its potential use in pine wilt disease management are discussed.

Absceso Cerebral: Estudio clínico terapéutico en un hospital provincial del Perú / Brain Abscess: Clinical therapeutic study in a provincial hospital in Peru

El presente estudio prospectivo, descriptivo reporta seis casos de absceso cerebral piógenos, atendidos en el Servicio de Medicina del Hospital II EsSalud de Cajamarca, Perú, durante el periodo de 1990 al 2006. La edad promedio fue de 42 años, la mínima 9 años y el 66 por ciento fueron mayores de 40 años; 3 casos de sexo masculino y 3 de sexo femenino. Los focos primarios fueron: bronquiectasia, otitis media crónica, absceso dentario, sinusitis crónica, de origen cardiogénico y en 1 caso no se determinó. La desnutrición, VIH positivo, diabetes mellitus y endocarditis bacteriana; en 2 no se determinó enfermedad de fondo y en 1 hubo curetaje de absceso dental. Los síntomas de inicio son: cefalea en 50 por ciento convulsiones 17 por ciento. El síntoma principal: convulsiones en 66 por ciento, la hemiparesia y alteraciones del sensorio. El cuadro clínico estuvo caracterizado por cefalea (83 por ciento) convulsiones (66 por ciento), hemiparesia (66 por ciento), fiebre (66 por ciento), afasia (50 por ciento) edema de papila y vómito (50 por ciento) de alteración de memoria, signos meningeos y signos prefrontales (33 por ciento). Los sindromes clínicos: sindrome de cefalea (33 por ciento), neurológico focal (83 por ciento) epileptico focal (67 por ciento) febril (67 por ciento) de HEC (50 por ciento), meníngeo (33por ciento) de funciones superiores (33 por ciento). La TAC y IRM cerebal reveló 6 casos de absceso cerebral, de localización hemisférica derecha en 5 casos, 3 únicos y 3 múltiples; 2 en el lóculo frontal, 1 frontapariental, 1 frontotemporal y 1 parietal. Dos casos en fase de cerebritis y 4 encapsulados, con edema circundante y efecto de masa. El tratamiento se realizó cocn cefotaxima 1gr c/6 hs. VEV/20 días. 1 caso se prolongó el tratamietnno hasta 60 días con metronidazol por vía oral. Las secuelas fueron: hemiparesia, alteraciones prefrontales, convulsiones, polineuropatía periférica por metronidazol. La evolución clínica y tomográfica fue favorable en ...

Variaciones de la bifurcación de las arterias carótidas primitivas / Variations in the fork of the carotid arteries primitive

El sistema arterial carotídeo, lo forman las arterias carótidas primitivas derecha e izquierda, cada una de ellas se bifurca (divide) por lo general a la altura del borde superior del cartílago tiroides, a nivel de la cuarta vértebra cervical (C4) en arterias carótidas interna y externa, cerca del punto de bifurcación, entre las arterias carótida primitiva e interna se encuentra una dilatación, llamada seno carotídeo, en cuyas paredes están los barorreceptores que son estimulados con los cambios de la presión sanguínea; entre las carótidas externa e interna, se encuantra el cuerpo carotídeo, que actúa como quimiorreceptor en la anoxemia, aumentando la presión sanguínea, el ritmo cardíaco y los movimientos rspiratorios. Entre los años 2001 y 2002, en el Anfiteatro de Anatomía Humana de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, se evaluaron 8 cadáveres humanos embalsamados con solución de formol y preservantes, obtenidos de la Morgue Central de Lima, de sexo masculino, raza mestiza, entre 30 y 65 años de edad, identificados con sus respectivos protocolos de necropsia, la posición de la bifurcación de las arterias carótidas primitivas a 4 cm. por encima del borde superior del cartílago tiroides y C4 es la variante más frecuente 37.5 por ciento y la menor 12.5 por ciento a nivel de estos puntos de referencia.

Neurocisticercosis: Estudio clínico epidemiológico en Cajamarca / Neurocisticercosis: Study clinical epidemic in Cajamarca

El presente estudio incluye 100 pacientes atendidos en el Hospital I, IPSS con el diagníostico clínico inmunológico y tomográfico de neurocisticercosis, durante el período comprendido entre 1993 y 1995. El grupo etéreo de mayor frecuencia estuvo comprendido entre los 20 a 39 años; el 68 por ciento de los casos correspondió a varones, el 74 por ciento procedián de zonas urbano marginales y rurales; 5 pacientes tenían antecedentes de teniasis y el 4 por ciento datos de expulsión de tenía en el 90 por ciento y 77 por ciento de los pacientes consumían frecuentemente verduras crudas y carne de cerdo respectivamente. La TAC cerebral confirmo el diagnóstico en todos los casos. Recibieron tratamiento con albendazol 69 pacientes con praziquantel 15 y por criterio médico 16 pacientes no recibieron tratamiento