Biological Activity of Rosmarinus Officinalis Essential Oils against Callosobruchus Maculatus, (Coleoptera, Bruchinae)

For the purpose of finding alternative ways to synthetic insecticides to fight against pests that ravage stored pulses, rosemary’s (Rosmarinus officinalis (L)) (Lamiaceae) essential oils have been tested against cowpea weevils (Callosobruchus maculatus (Fab)) (Coleoptera, Bruchinae) reared on chickpea (Cicer arietinum (L)) seeds. The chickpea seeds have been infested with ten newly-hatched pairs of cowpea weevils, then fumigated with increasing concentrations of 0, 4, 6, 8 or 10µl of rosemary’s essential oils per liter of air. These essential oils were analyzed by GC-MS. The compound groups were predominantly monoterpenes (93.06%), 74.93% of which were oxygenated and 18.13% hydrocarbonated. The main components in the oxygenated monoterpenes are eucalyptol (1,8-cineol) (50,42%), camphor (17.73%) and borneol (5.99%), while the 3-carene (12.05%) is the most represented compound in the hydrocarbonated  monoterpenes. The remaining constituents represent only 6.94% of essential oils. Rosemary’s essential oils significantly affect longevity (Treated lot: 1 – 7 days, control lot: 2 – 12 days), fecundity (10 – 48 eggs/10 females vs. 437 – 491 eggs/10 females), and fertility (66.67 – 85.00% vs. 93.75 – 95.44%). The cowpea weevil’s success rates in the treated group were 0 – 60.42% compared to 86.35 – 92.33% in the control lot. The lethal concentrations at 50% (LC50) and 99% (CL99), for exposures between 24 and 120h , ranged from 5.51 – 2.43µl/l of air to 11.24 – 6.33µl/l of air, respectively, for males and from 6.80 – 3.04µl/l of air to 15.74 – 7.44µl/l of air for females. The demographic parameters are significantly affected. The average generation lifespan is prolonged ranging from 33.83 days for the control lots to 36.57 days for the treated lots, while the other parameters were all shortened. Rosemary’s essential oils may be used in an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) of stored legumes without any health or environmental risks. Keywords: Essential oils, Rosmarinus officinalis, Callosobruchus maculatus, Pulses, Fumigation

Essential oil chemical diversity of Moroccan mint (Mentha spicata L.)

Spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) is one of the best known aromatic and medicinal plants. The characterization of essential oil variation is of commercial importance as well as helpful for appropriate use of M. spicata. Thirteen strains of cultivated or spontaneous mints were collected from 10 Moroccan regions and acclimatized for two years in Meknes. Their leaves collected at full flowering were dried for hydrodistillation. Essential oil yields were found to vary from 1.32 % to 5.83 %. Analysis of these oils by GC/MS indicated a large variation in chemical composition among the studied strains of Moroccan M. spicata (9 to 51 compounds). The highest yields characterize the cultivated strains of Agadir (5.83 %), S2 of Larache (4.84 %) and the spontaneous strain S3 of Ifrane (4.17%). The richest strain in number of compounds is S3 of Ifrane with 51 compounds whereas uncultivated S2 from the same region has only 9 compounds. Some strains are rich in carvone such as the cultivated strain of Ouarzazate (65.94%) and the spontaneous S2 of Ifrane (72.3 %). Others are rich in eucalyptol, pulegone or 3-Cyclopenten-1-one, 2-hydroxy-3-(3-methyl-2-butenyl) such as those of Marrakech (21.1 %), Agadir (30.7 %) and S1 of Larache (22.1 %), respectively. The strains of Settat and Ifrane (S1) have high levels of limonene (17.8-18.1%). Keywords: Mentha spicata, Essential oils, Carvone, Eucalyptol, Cluster analysis, GC/M

Biological characteristics of Orthonama obstipata (Fabricius, 1794) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), an emerging defoliator of mint (Mentha spicata L., 1753) in Morocco

The looper caterpillar, O. obstipata is one of the defoliator species of cultivated mint in Morocco. Its identification and its biology constitute the preliminary step for the development of a program aiming at its integrated management. The larvae were collected from a plot of mint grown in a region of northern central Morocco, and reared in the laboratory. The identification of the species was based on comparing the male aedeagus and the female spermatheca to the reference slides. In this study, the elements of biology and morphological characteristics of the different ecophases of O. obstipata are clarified and discussed. The life cycle of the species, from egg to egg, is completed in 31.3 ± 2.16 days. The emergence occurs linearly in time after the 27th and 28th days of oviposition according the sex. The sex ratio (Male/Female) is 0.88:1. The fecundity of the females is positively correlated with their lifespan. Females have an average fecundity of 210 eggs and a fertility rate of 97%. Adults live on average 22.0 ± 6.27 days. The highest mortality rates occur in the last larval instar and pupa. Keywords: Orthonama obstipata, Biology, Reproduction, Mentha spicat

Tumor response assessment on imaging following immunotherapy.

In recent years, various systemic immunotherapies have been developed for cancer treatment, such as monoclonal antibodies (mABs) directed against immune checkpoints (immune checkpoint inhibitors, ICIs), oncolytic viruses, cytokines, cancer vaccines, and adoptive cell transfer. While being estimated to be eligible in 38.5% of patients with metastatic solid or hematological tumors, ICIs, in particular, demonstrate durable disease control across many oncologic diseases (e.g., in melanoma, lung, bladder, renal, head, and neck cancers) and overall survival benefits. Due to their unique mechanisms of action based on T-cell activation, response to immunotherapies is characterized by different patterns, such as progression prior to treatment response (pseudoprogression), hyperprogression, and dissociated responses following treatment. Because these features are not encountered in the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1), which is the standard for response assessment in oncology, new criteria were defined for immunotherapies. The most important changes in these new morphologic criteria are, firstly, the requirement for confirmatory imaging examinations in case of progression, and secondly, the appearance of new lesions is not necessarily considered a progressive disease. Until today, five morphologic (immune-related response criteria (irRC), immune-related RECIST (irRECIST), immune RECIST (iRECIST), immune-modified RECIST (imRECIST), and intra-tumoral RECIST (itRECIST)) criteria have been developed to accurately assess changes in target lesion sizes, taking into account the specific response patterns after immunotherapy. In addition to morphologic response criteria, 2-deoxy-2-[ <sup>18</sup> F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ( <sup>18</sup> F-FDG-PET/CT) is a promising option for metabolic response assessment and four metabolic criteria are used (PET/CT Criteria for Early Prediction of Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy (PECRIT), PET Response Evaluation Criteria for Immunotherapy (PERCIMT), immunotherapy-modified PET Response Criteria in Solid Tumors (imPERCIST5), and immune PERCIST (iPERCIST)). Besides, there is evidence that parameters on <sup>18</sup> F-FDG-PET/CT, such as the standardized uptake value (SUV)max and several radiotracers, e.g., directed against PD-L1, may be potential imaging biomarkers of response. Moreover, the emerge of human intratumoral immunotherapy (HIT-IT), characterized by the direct injection of immunostimulatory agents into a tumor lesion, has given new importance to imaging assessment. This article reviews the specific imaging patterns of tumor response and progression and available imaging response criteria following immunotherapy

Experimental observation of turbulent coherent structures in a superfluid of light

We experimentally explore the rich variety of nonlinear coherent structures arising in a turbulent flow of superfluid light past an obstacle in an all-optical configuration. The different hydrodynamic regimes observed are organised in a unique phase diagram involving the velocity of the flow and the diameter of the obstacle. Then, we focus on the vortices nucleated in the wake of the obstacle by investigating their intensity profile and the dependence of the radius of their core on the healing length. Our results pave the way for further investigations on turbulence in photon superfluids and provide versatile experimental tools for simulating quantum transport with nonlinear light

First communication on the efficacy of combined ¹⁷⁷Lutetium-PSMA with immunotherapy outside prostate cancer.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted radioligand therapy is a validated treatment option for patients with advanced prostate cancer. Although PSMA expression is not limited to prostate tissue, little is known about its relevance to other types of cancer. Here, we present a case report of a patient with uterine leiomyosarcoma that is progressing while on immunotherapy and treated with <sup>177</sup> Lu-PSMA radionuclide therapy. We report for the first time that <sup>177</sup> Lu-PSMA radionuclide therapy combined with immunotherapy outside of prostate cancer. We did observe post-treatment reduction of tumor growth rate, although we did not notice disease response based on RECIST criteria. We suggest that <sup>177</sup> Lu-PSMA treatment especially combined with immunotherapy may be an option for patients with cancer without other therapeutic options. Insights: <sup>177</sup> Lu-PSMA radionuclide therapy should be considered for any tumor stained positive for PSMA