Gall-inducing Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea: Eriosomatinae) Associated with Salicaceae and Ulmaceae in Razavi Khorasan Province, with New Records for Fauna of Iran

A survey of gall-inducing aphids on elm and poplar trees was carried out during 2017 in Razavi Khorasan province, NE Iran. As a result, 15 species of gall-inducing aphids from 5 genera, all belonging to the subfamily Eriosomatinae, were recorded on 6 host plant species. The collected species included the genera Eriosoma, Kaltenbachiella, Pemphigus, Tetraneura and Thecabius. Pemphigus passeki Börner (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Pemphigus populinigrae (Schrank) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on Populus nigra var. italica (Salicaceae) were new records for the Iranian aphid fauna. Both new recorded species belong to the tribe Pem-phigini, subfamily Eriosomatinae. Among the identified species, 8 aphid species were new records for Razavi Khorasan province

First report of Scolothrips dilongicornis (Thys.: Thripidae) from Iran

در بررسی فونستیک بال‏ریشک‏داران استان خراسان رضوی طی سال‎‏های‌1391-92، نمونه‏هایی متعلق به گونه‌Scolothrips dilongicornis Han & Zhang, 1982 جمع‏آوری و شناسایی شد. این گونه برای اولین‌بار از ایران گزارش می‌شود و به‌این‌ترتیب تعداد گونه‌های جنس Scolothrips Hinds در ایران به چهار عدد می‌رسد

Study on the gene expression of Chit1 and Chit2 in Beauveria bassiana during the parasitic interaction with onion thrips, Thrips tabaci (Thys.: Thripidae)

The host-pathogen interaction is a very complex process. Like many entomopathogenic fungi during infection process, Beauveria bassiana produces enzymes which are able to destroy the cuticle of insects in order to penetrate into the host. Chitinases are considered to be the important enzymes for the hydrolysis of chitin and play an important role in the biological control of various pests including onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lind. In the present study, specific primers for CHit1 and CHit2 genes were designed to study the expression pattern of these two chitinases from B. bassiana IRAN 789C strain before and after interaction with the second instar larvae of onion thrips using RT-PCR. Larval inoculation was carried out using three concentrations, 104, 105 and 106 conidia per ml. The results showed that both genes were expressed in all conidial concentrations, after parasitic interaction. Increasing the conidial concentration of B. bassiana caused the upregulation of chitinases expression level. Expression of these genes during the parasitic interaction of the fungus and insect larvae reflects the importance of chitinases gene as an effective factor in biological control of target organisms

Life table parameters and development of Aphis nerri (Hem.: Aphididae) at five different temperatures under laboratory conditions

An investigation was carried out to study the life history of Aphis nerri Boyer de Fonscolombe on oleander, Nerium oleander L., under laboratory conditions (RH of 70 ± 5% and a 16: 8 (L: D) h photoperiod) based on the age-stage, two-sex life table at 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 ºC. Duration of total pre-adult stages was 35.61 ± 0.833, 19.6 ± 0.343, 12.02 ± 0.243, 9.12 ± 0.182 and 7.42 ± 0.115 days at 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 ºC, respectively. As temperature increased, the developmental time and longevity of the A. nerri shortened. The shortest developmental time (17.72 ± 0.244 days) and longevity (10.3 ± 0.234 days) were obtained at 30 ºC. With decreasing temperature, age-stage survivorship (lx) extended. Maximum fecundity of females was observed at 25 ºC with 25.54 ± 0.76 nymphs per female. The intrinsic rates of increase (r) at these temperatures were 0.012 ± 0.0014, 0.075 ± 0.0016, 0.13 ± 0.001, 0.23 ± 0.003 and 0.24 ± 0.003 d-1, respectively. The highest net reproductive rate (R0) was at 25 ºC (25.56 ± 0.73) and the lowest value was at 10 ºC (2.58 ± 0.28). According to our results, 25-30 ºC were the optimum temperature range for A. nerri population growth

A Study of the Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders in Patients with Methamphetamine-Induced Psychosis

Abstract Background: The abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances such as amphetamines and ecstasy has had a growing trend. Tachycardia, increased blood pressure, hallucinations, panic attacks, and psychosis are the negative effects of methamphetamine abuse. The present study aimed to assess psychiatric disorders associated with methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed from October 2013 to March 2014 on 165 patients hospitalized at Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kerman, Iran, and diagnosed with psychosis induced by methamphetamine abuse within the previous 6 months. Study subjects were selected via census method. Based on the exclusion criteria and due to the lack of cooperation of some patients, 121 patients were enrolled in the study. Research data were gathered using clinical interviews, the Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale (Y-BOCS), Hamilton anxiety scale (HAM-A) and Hamilton rating scale for depression (HRSD), Young mania rating scale (YMRS), substance dependence severity scale (SDSS), positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS), and clinical global impression (CGI) scale. The data analysis was performed using SPSS software, descriptive statistics, and ANOVA. Findings: Among the 121 patients of the sample group, 4 patients (3.3%) had anxiety, 58 patients (47.9%) depression, 30 patients (24.8%) obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), 20 patients (16.5%) bipolar mood disorder (BMD), 8 patients (6.6%) persistent psychotic symptoms, 85 patients (70.2%) personality disorder, and 36 patients (29.8%) had no personality disorders. The highest prevalence was related to borderline personality disorder (35.5%). However, 45 patients (37.2%) had no impairment associated with methamphetamine-induced psychosis. Conclusion: It seems that there is comorbidity between psychiatric disorders, including mood disorders, especially depressive disorder, childhood history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, and personality disorders such as borderline personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorders, and methamphetamine abuse. Keywords: Methamphetamine, Depression, Anxiety, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Manic disorder, Sustained psychotic symptoms, Personality disorde

First record of Thrips juniperinus (Thys.: Thripidae) from Iran

در بررسی فونستیک بال‏ریشک‏داران نیشابور و حومه، که در اواخر بهار و تابستان سال 1392 صورت گرفت، نمونه‏هایی متعلق به گونه‌ Thrips juniperinus Linnaeus از ایران جمع‏آوری و شناسایی شد. این گونه برای اولین‌بار از ایران گزارش می‌شود. ویژگی‌های ریخت‌شناسی افراد ماده و نر نیز به اختصار ارایه شده است

AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE PATTERNS IN PATIENTS WITH RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION

Failure of blood pressure (BP) to dip during sleep (non-dipper pattern) is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke. The prevalence and degree of non-dipping and masked hypertension in patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO), which is associated with stroke, has not been previously examined

Analysis of the Retinal and Choroidal Vasculature Using Ultrawidefield Fundus Imaging in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Normal Cognition

Purpose: To utilize ultrawidefield (UWF) imaging to evaluate retinal and choroidal vasculature and structure in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) compared with that of controls with normal cognition. Design: Prospective cross sectional study. Participants: One hundred thirty-one eyes of 82 MCI patients and 230 eyes of 133 cognitively normal participants from the Eye Multimodal Imaging in Neurodegenerative Disease Study. Methods: A scanning laser ophthalmoscope (California, Optos Inc) was used to obtain UWF fundus color images. Images were analyzed with the Vasculature Assessment Platform for Images of the Retina UWF (VAMPIRE-UWF 2.0, Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee) software. Main outcome measures: Imaging parameters included vessel width gradient, vessel width intercept, large vessel choroidal vascular density, vessel tortuosity, and vessel fractal dimension. Results: Both retinal artery and vein width gradients were less negative in MCI patients compared with controls, demonstrating decreased rates of vessel thinning at the periphery (P &lt; 0.001; P = 0.027). Retinal artery and vein width intercepts, a metric that extrapolates the width of the vessel at the center of the optic disc, were smaller in MCI patients compared with that of controls (P &lt; 0.001; P = 0.017). The large vessel choroidal vascular density, which quantifies the vascular area versus the total choroidal area, was greater in MCI patients compared with controls (P = 0.025). Conclusions: When compared with controls with normal cognition, MCI patients had thinner retinal vasculature manifested in both the retinal arteries and the veins. In MCI, these thinner arteries and veins attenuated at a lower rate when traveling toward the periphery. MCI patients also had increased choroidal vascular density. Financial Disclosure(s): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.</p

A new species of the family Mesopsocidae (Insecta: Psocoptera) on ash trees from Iran

در بررسی تنوع گونه‏ای بندپایان درختان زبان گنجشک در شهرستان مشهد و حومه، نمونه‏هایی از شپش‏های چوب و کتاب در اسفند سال 1392جمع‌آوری شد که توسط پروفسور Charles Lienhard از موزه تاریخ طبیعی سوئیس با نام علمی Mesopsocus hiemalis Marikowskii (Psocoptera: Mesopsocidae) شناسایی گردید. این خانواده، جنس و گونه برای اولین‌بار از ایران گزارش می‌شود