The insecticidal effect of diatomaceous earth against adults and nymphs of Blattella germanica

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo evaluate the insecticidal effect of diatomaceous earth (DE) against adults and nymphs of Blattella germanica.MethodsThis cross sectional study has been done on the laboratory strain of German cockroaches. Two stages, nymph and adult, were exposed to six dose rates of the DE, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 g/m2, at 24, 48 and 72 h exposure period. Mortality (number of dead cockroaches) was assessed after 24 h. Other exposed specimens were transferred to the beakers contained food and water for counting the retard mortality rate after 1 week.ResultsIncreasing in dose rates of DE increased mortality rate, so that the lowest and highest mortality rates were observed in 2.5 and 25 g/m2, respectively. The results of the statistical analysis showed no significant difference in the lethality of 50% of DE plus water on the German cockroach nymphs.ConclusionsDue to the resistance of German cockroach against organochloride, organophosphorus, carbamate and pyrethriodes insecticides, it is suggested to use DE for insect's control

Neural correlates of hyperalgesia in the monosodium iodoacetate model of osteoarthritis pain

Background: The mechanisms driving osteoarthritic pain remain poorly understood, but there is increasing evidence for a role of the central nervous system in the chronification of pain.We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the influence of a model of unilateral knee osteoarthritis on nociceptive processing. Results: Four to five weeks post intra-articular injection of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA, 1 mg) into the left knee, Sprague Dawley rats were anesthetized for functional magnetic resonance imaging studies to characterize the neural response to a noxious stimulus (intra-articular capsaicin injection). In a two-arm cross-over design, 5 mM/50 ml capsaicin was injected into either the left knee (n¼8, CAPS-MIA) or right control knee (n¼8, CAPS-CON), preceded by contralateral vehicle (SAL) injection. To assess neural correlates of mechanical hyperalgesia, hindpaws were stimulated with von Frey hairs (8 g: MIA; 15 g: control knee, based on behavioral withdrawal responses). The CAPS-MIA group exhibited significant activation of the periaqueductal gray, unilateral thalamus and bilateral mensencephalon, superior-colliculus, and hippocampus, with no significant activation in the other groups/conditions. Capsaicin injection increased functional connectivity in the mid-brain network and mediodorsal thalamic nucleus, hippocampus, and globus pallidus, which was significantly stronger in CAPS-MIA compared to CAPS-CON groups. Mechanical stimulation of the hyperalgesic (ipsilateral to MIA knee) and normalgesic (contralateral) hindpaws evoked qualitatively different brain activation with more widespread brainstem and anterior cingulate (ACC) activation when stimulating the hyperalgesic paw, and clearer frontal sensory activation from the normalgesic paw. Conclusions: We provide evidence for modulation of nociceptive processing in a chronic knee osteoarthritis pain model with stronger brain activation and alteration of brain networks induced by the pro-nociceptive stimulus. We also report a shift to a medial pain activation pattern following stimulation of the hyperalgesic hindpaw. Taken together, our data support altered neural pain processing as a result of peripheral and central pain sensitization in this model

ITS2-rDNA fragments of Leishmania species isolated from the great gerbil in Iran, 2021

Background: The great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus), is widely distributed in Asia and is a natural reservoir for zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in many endemic areas, as well as Iran. Materials and Methods: In this study, infection to Leishmania species was investigated by two methods, parasitological and molecular survey, in the small number of R. opimus collected from Jovain, a Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ZCL) focus located in North East of Iran. Results: Parasitological observation showed infection in only one of five rodents. But, ITS2-Nested-PCR revealed Leishmania infection in three out of 5 gerbils, including the parasitological positive one. Based on the PCR amplified size, two cases of infections were Leishmania major and one Leishmania turanica, their sequences are accessible in GenBank. The results of sequence analysis were consistent with the results obtained based on the size of the PCR. Conclusion: These findings re-confirm the important role of R. opimus in the natural circulation of Leishmania spp and indicate the need to be concerned about the disease in the study area

Volumetric quantification of atherosclerotic plaque in CT considering partial volume effect

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is quantified based on a computed tomography (CT) scan image. A calcified region is identified. Modified expectation maximization (MEM) of a statistical model for the calcified and background material is used to estimate the partial calcium content of the voxels. The algorithm limits the region over which MEM is performed. By using MEM, the statistical properties of the model are iteratively updated based on the calculated resultant calcium distribution from the previous iteration. The estimated statistical properties are used to generate a map of the partial calcium content in the calcified region. The volume of calcium in the calcified region is determined based on the map. The experimental results on a cardiac phantom, scanned 90 times using 15 different protocols, demonstrate that the proposed method is less sensitive to partial volume effect and noise, with average error of 9.5% (standard deviation (SD) of 5–7mm3) compared with 67% (SD of 3–20mm3) for conventional techniques. The high reproducibility of the proposed method for 35 patients, scanned twice using the same protocol at a minimum interval of 10 min, shows that the method provides 2–3 times lower interscan variation than conventional techniques

Chemical Composition and Repellent Activity of Achillea vermiculata and Satureja hortensis against Anopheles stephensi

Background: One of the best ways to control the malaria disease and to be protected human against Anopheles mos­quito biting is the use of repellents. Throughout repellents, herbal ones may be an appropriate and safe source for protection. Methods: Chemical constituents of Achillea vermiculata and Satoreja hortensis were determined by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Efficacy and the protection time of these plants were assessed on Anopheles stephensi under the laboratory condition. Results: The mean assessed protection time and efficacy for A. vermiculata was 2.16 and 3.16 hours respectively and the obtained ED50 and ED90 for this plant was 5.67 and 63 µl/cm2 respectively. The figured for S. hortensis was 4.16 and 5 hours respectively.  ED50 and ED90 for this plant were 5.63 and 45.75µl/cm2 respectively. Conclusion: Results of investigation showed that S. hortensis plant has an acceptable protection time, therefore, this plant could be considered as a good herbal repellent against anopheles mosquitoes

Household Fuel Use and the Risk of Gastrointestinal Cancers: The Golestan Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Three billion people burn nonclean fuels for household purposes. Limited evidence suggests a link between household fuel use and gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the relationship between indoor burning of biomass, kerosene, and natural gas with the subsequent risk of GI cancers. METHODS: During the period 2004-2008, a total of 50,045 Iranian individuals 40-75 years of age were recruited to this prospective population-based cohort. Upon enrollment, validated data were collected on demographics, lifestyle, and exposures, including detailed data on lifetime household use of different fuels and stoves. The participants were followed through August 2018 with < 1 % loss. RESULTS: During the follow-up, 962 participants developed GI cancers. In comparison with using predominantly gas in the recent 20-y period, using predominantly biomass was associated with higher risks of esophageal [hazard ratio (HR): 1.89; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02, 3.50], and gastric HR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.01, 3.31) cancers, whereas using predominantly kerosene was associated with higher risk of esophageal cancer (HR: 1.84; 95% CI: 1.10, 3.10). Lifetime duration of biomass burning for both cooking and house heating (exclusive biomass usage) using heating-stoves without chimney was associated with higher risk of GI cancers combined (10-y HR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.21), esophageal (10-y HR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.30), gastric (10-y HR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.23), and colon (10-y HR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.54) cancers. The risks of GI cancers combined, esophageal cancer, and gastric cancer were lower when biomass was burned using chimney-equipped heating-stoves (strata difference p -values = 0.001 , 0.003, and 0.094, respectively). Duration of exclusive kerosene burning using heating-stoves without chimney was associated with higher risk of GI cancers combined (10-y HR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.11), and esophageal cancer (10-y HR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.26). DISCUSSION: Household burning of biomass or kerosene, especially without a chimney, was associated with higher risk of some digestive cancers. Using chimney-equipped stoves and replacing these fuels with natural gas may be useful interventions to reduce the burden of GI cancers worldwide. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5907