Toxicity of the active fraction of Pergularia tomentosa and the aggregation pheromone phenylacetonitrile on Schistocerca gregaria fourth-instar nymph: effects on behavior and acetylcholinesterase activity

Chemical insecticides remain the most used approach in locust control although they present a serious menace to human health and the environment. The search for alternative control methods, efficient and environmentally friendly, has become indispensable. The aim of this work is to study the effect of the aggregation pheromone, phenylacetonitrile, alone or in combination with the active fraction of Pergularia tomentosa on Schistocerca gregaria fourth-instar nymph. Toxicity bioassays showed that the combination of phenylacetonitrile with the active fraction of P. tomentosa significantly increased nymph mortality. Results also showed that the aggregation pheromone caused significant mortality especially after 6 hours of exposure. The pheromone also caused neurotoxic effects on S. gregaria nymph due to the disturbance of the acetylcholinesterase activity. We also noted the presence of cannibalism phenomenon. Phenylacetonitrile seems to have an effect on phase ployphenism of S. gregaria imagos that exhibit specific traits to the solitarious phase

First Record of Dericorys albidula Serville, 1838 (Orthoptera: Dericorythidae) in Tunisia and Libya

Tlili, Haithem, Abdellaoui, Khemais, Chouikha, Manel Ben, Mhafdhi, Mouna, Jemmazi, Adel, Ammar, Mohamed, Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure (2019): First Record of Dericorys albidula Serville, 1838 (Orthoptera: Dericorythidae) in Tunisia and Libya. Zootaxa 4551 (3): 385-393, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4551.3.

FIGURE 1 in First Record of Dericorys albidula Serville, 1838 (Orthoptera: Dericorythidae) in Tunisia and Libya

FIGURE 1. Sampling map showing the Tozeur region in Tunisia

Epidemiology of heart failure and long-term follow-up outcomes in a north-African population: Results from the NAtional TUnisian REgistry of Heart Failure (NATURE-HF)

International audienceThe NATURE-HF registry was aimed to describe clinical epidemiology and 1-year outcomes of outpatients and inpatients with heart failure (HF). This is a prospective, multicenter, observational survey conducted in Tunisian Cardiology centers. A total of 2040 patients were included in the study. Of these, 1632 (80%) were outpatients with chronic HF (CHF). The mean hospital stay was 8.7 ± 8.2 days. The mortality rate during the initial hospitalization event for AHF was 7.4%. The all-cause 1-year mortality rate was 22.8% among AHF patients and 10.6% among CHF patients. Among CHF patients, the older age, diabetes, anemia, reduced EF, ischemic etiology, residual congestion and the absence of ACEI/ ARBs treatment were independent predictors of 1-year cumulative rates of rehospitalization and mortality. The female sex and the functional status were independent predictors of 1-year all-cause mortality and rehospitalization in AHF patients. This study confirmed that acute HF is still associated with a poor prognosis, while the mid-term outcomes in patients with chronic HF seems to be improved. Some differences across countries may be due to different clinical characteristics and differences in healthcare systems