Noninvasive mechanical ventilation with high pressure strategy remains a “double edged sword” ?

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Respiratory muscle training in patients recovering recent open cardio-thoracic surgery: a randomized-controlled trial.

Objectives- To evaluate the clinical efficacy and feasibility of an expiratory muscle training (EMT) device (Respilift™) applied to patients recovering from recent open cardio-thoracic surgery (CTS). Design- Prospective, double-blind, 14-day randomised-controlled trial. Participants and setting- 60 inpatients recovering from recent CTS and early admitted to a pulmonary rehabilitation program. Interventions- Chest physiotherapy plus EMT with a resistive load of 30 cm H2O for active group and chest physiotherapy plus EMT with a sham load for control group. Measures- Changes in maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) was considered as primary outcome, while maximal inspiratory pressures (MIP), dynamic and static lung volumes, oxygenation, perceived symptoms of dyspnoea, thoracic pain and well being (evaluated by visual analogic scale-VAS) and general health status were considered secondary outcomes. Results- All outcomes recorded showed significant improvements in both groups; however, the change of MEP (+34.2 mmHg, p<0.001 and +26.1%, p<0.001 for absolute and % of predicted, respectively) was significantly higher in Active group. Also VAS-dyspnoea improved faster and more significantly (p<0.05) at day 12 and 14 in Active group when compared with Control. The drop out rate was 6%, without differences between groups. Conclusions- In patients recovering from recent CTS specific EMT by Respilift™ is feasible and effective

Parasitoid competitive displacement and coexistence in citrus agroecosystems: linking species distribution with climate

[EN] The introduced parasitoid wasp Aphytis melinus, the most widespread natural enemy of the California red scale (Aonidiella aurantii) and the superior competitor, has displaced the native Aphytis chrysomphali from most citrus areas of the Mediterranean basin and other citrus areas all over the world. However, our extensive survey data on the scale parasitoid populations collected in 2004–2008 show that in large citrus areas of eastern Spain both parasitoids coexist. Using field data from 179 orchards spatially divided in five citrusproducing agroecosystems, we examined the mechanisms that could explain displacement or coexistence between both Aphytis species in relation to weather conditions. The distribution and abundance of the parasitoid species are related to the mean summer and winter temperatures and relative humidity of each ecosystem. The relative proportion of A. melinus is higher during the warm months, and the abundance of A. chrysomphali increases from south to north, being higher in the cooler northern areas. Aphytis melinus has displaced A. chrysomphali from hot and dry areas, whereas regions with mild summer temperatures and moderate relative humidity present the optimal conditions for the coexistence of the two parasitoids. The more negative effects of winter temperatures on A. melinus allow the earlier use of the available host resource in late winter and spring by A. chrysomphali and the coexistence of both parasitoids in the same orchard via temporal niche partitioning. We combine previous literature on the behavior of Aphytis species in the laboratory under different temperature and humidity conditions with our field results to confirm the role of spatiotemporal weather conditions and seasonal changes in host stages on the variation of Aphytis relative abundance and parasitoid coexistence.We thank Eugenia Rodrigo of the Ecosistemas Agroforestales Department of the Valencia Polytechnic University (Spain) for her help with Aphytis identification, Robert Luck from the University of California ( USA) for information on the sex ratio, and Alejandro Tena and Rosa Vercher from the Instituto Agroforestal Mediterraneo (Valencia, Spain), Maria Jesus Verdu (Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias, Spain), Jacques Van Alphen and Joan van Baaren from the ECOBIO Institute (Rennes, France) for their recommendations and critical review. Special thanks to all the Citrus Phytosanitary Survey staff for the field trap samples and the two anonymous reviewers who provided helpful comments on the manuscript. English corrections were carried out by Centro de Lenguas of the Valencia Polytechnic University. This work was supported by the AGL2005-07155-C03-03 project of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science.Sorribas Mellado, JJ.; Rodríguez, R.; García Mari, F. (2010). Parasitoid competitive displacement and coexistence in citrus agroecosystems: linking species distribution with climate. Ecological Applications. 4(20):1101-1104. https://doi.org/10.1890/09-1662.1S1101110442

Noninvasive mechanical ventilation with high pressure strategy remains a &ldquo;double edged sword&rdquo;?

Antonio M Esquinas,1 Gherardo Siscaro,2 Enrico M Clini21Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Morales Meseguer, Murcia, 2Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Modena, Pavullo-Modena, ItalyWe read with great interest the original work by Murphy et al analyzing the effects of two treatment strategies for delivery of noninvasive mechanical ventilation in hypercapnic patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.1 High pressure and high intensity noninvasive mechanical ventilation were compared in a short-term crossover trial to assess whether high intensity noninvasive mechanical ventilation (inspiratory pressure > 25 cm H2O associated with a high backup ventilator rate) may improve adherence, physiological, and subjective outcomes when compared with delivery of high pressure noninvasive mechanical ventilation (without elevated backup respiratory rate). The authors concluded that both strategies are equivalent in all the recorded outcomes, showing thus that driving pressure, but not backup respiratory rate, is essential to gain physiological and clinical benefits in this population when in a chronic stable condition.View original paper by Murphy and colleagues

Innovation Technology to Empower Safety, Health and Welfare in Agriculture and Agro-food Systems

Abstract Results of trials on mechanical methods to release beneficials and on new techniques to apply sulphur are reported. The former were carried out on two predators, a phytoseiid mite and an anthocorid bug. Laboratory and greenhouse tests were conducted with the aim of evaluating the vitality and the damage eventually caused and setting the machine. The latter dealt with new techniques of sulphur application on tomato crops using dispensers transforming granular sulphur into vapour. In order to evaluate the effects of sublimated sulphur both on fungal diseases and arthropod pests, different trials have been carried out. The incidence and the severity index for airborne pathogens were bi-weekly evaluated and the infestations caused by some of the most relevant pests have been regularly monitored. Moreover, the incidence of the viral disease TYLCD has been evaluated. During the trials on mechanical methods, no physical damage to the beneficials was observed. The distribution in laboratory seems to be suitable for applications in biological control programs, and the results on protected sweet pepper crops showed a better spatial distribution and a more effective interaction beneficials/preys in the &quot;mechanically released&quot; plots than in the &quot;manually released&quot; ones. The trials on sublimated sulphur confirmed the good effectiveness of the technique in controlling natural infection of tomato powdery mildew as well as a moderate efficacy on tomato late blight. A good protection has been registered in the case of arthropod pests: the tomato russet mite was totally controlled; appreciable results were also obtained on phytophagous insects. A significant reduction in viral infections was also observed

Combined non-Target effects of insecticide and high temperature on the parasitoid bracon nigricans

PubMedID: 26382245We studied the acute toxicity and the sublethal effects, on reproduction and host-killing activity, of four widely used insecticides on the generalist parasitoid Bracon nigricans (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a natural enemy of the invasive tomato pest, Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). Laboratory bioassays were conducted applying maximum insecticide label rates at three constant temperatures, 25, 35 and 40C, considered as regular, high and very high, respectively. Data on female survival and offspring production were used to calculate population growth indexes as a measure of population recovery after pesticide exposure. Spinetoram caused 80% mortality at 25C and 100% at higher temperatures, while spinosad caused 100% mortality under all temperature regimes. Cyantraniliprole was slightly toxic to B. nigricans adults in terms of acute toxicity at the three temperatures, while it did not cause any sublethal effects in egg-laying and host-killing activities. The interaction between the two tested factors (insecticide and temperature) significantly influenced the number of eggs laid by the parasitoid, which was the lowest in the case of females exposed to chlorantraniliprole at 35C. Furthermore, significantly lower B. nigricans demographic growth indexes were estimated for all the insecticides under all temperature conditions, with the exception of chlorantraniliprole at 25C. Our findings highlight an interaction between high temperatures and insecticide exposure, which suggests a need for including natural stressors, such as temperature, in pesticide risk assessments procedures. Copyright: © 2015 Abbes et al

Potential toxicity of α-cypermethrin-treated nets on <em>Tuta absoluta</em> (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

International audienceInsect-proof nets are thought to be effective physical barriers to protect tomato crops against several insect pests, including the invasive tomato pest, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). However, protected tomato crops are frequently infested by this destructive pest, and there is a higher infestation of plants closer to openings in Mediterranean greenhouses, suggesting that immigrating adults can easily walk on these protective materials and find a way to reach the crop. Laboratory bioassays were carried out to characterize the potential toxicity of alpha-cypermethrin-treated insect-proof nets (Agronet) against T. absoluta adults. The data showed that the net acts mainly through a variety of chronic sublethal effects rather than acute ones. Reduced longevity and, more markedly, a reduced number of laid eggs were observed after the moths were exposed to the treated net over the duration of their lifetimes. A Y-tube experiment showed that the treated net does not affect the T. absoluta olfaction cues for host location. In contrast, when the moths were given the option to choose either the treated or the untreated net in laboratory cages, they significantly preferred the untreated one. The toxicological significance and the functional implications of these subtle effects for the implementation of integrated T. absoluta management strategies are discussed

Depression, body mass index, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease &ndash; a holistic approach

Giuseppe Catalfo,1 Luciana Crea,1 Tiziana Lo Castro,1 Francesca Magnano San Lio,1 Giuseppe Minutolo,1 Gherardo Siscaro,2 Noemi Vaccino,1 Nunzio Crimi,3 Eugenio Aguglia1 1Department of Psychiatry, Policlinico &ldquo;G. Rodolico&rdquo; University Hospital, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; 2Operative Unit Neurorehabilitation, IRCCS Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri, Sciacca, Italy; 3Department of Pneumology, Policlinico &ldquo;G. Rodolico&rdquo; University Hospital, University of Catania, Catania, Italy Background: Several clinical studies suggest common underlying pathogenetic mechanisms of COPD and depressive/anxiety disorders. We aim to evaluate psychopathological and physical effects of aerobic exercise, proposed in the context of pulmonary rehabilitation, in a sample of COPD patients, through the correlation of some psychopathological variables and physical/pneumological parameters. Methods: Fifty-two consecutive subjects were enrolled. At baseline, the sample was divided into two subgroups consisting of 38 depression-positive and 14 depression-negative subjects according to the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D). After the rehabilitation treatment, we compared psychometric and physical examinations between the two groups. Results: The differences after the rehabilitation program in all assessed parameters demonstrated a significant improvement in psychiatric and pneumological conditions. The reduction of BMI was significantly correlated with fat mass but only in the depression-positive patients. Conclusion: Our results suggest that pulmonary rehabilitation improves depressive and anxiety symptoms in COPD. This improvement is significantly related to the reduction of fat mass and BMI only in depressed COPD patients, in whom these parameters were related at baseline. These findings suggest that depressed COPD patients could benefit from a rehabilitation program in the context of a multidisciplinary approach. Keywords: COPD, depression, aerobic exercise, BM