Evaluation of different natural enemies for biological control of Aphis nerii and Myzus persicae on Mandevilla

Mandevilla is a genus of plants of the Apocynaceae family, widely appreciated by the floriculture market for several aesthetic and agronomic characteristics. During cultivation, various pests can infest Mandevilla, and the management of the aphids Aphis nerii (Boyer de Fonscolombe) and Myzus persicae (Sulzer) can be particularly challenging because of the limited effect of chemical and biological control tactics. In particular, A. nerii can sequester cardenolides produced by Mandevilla, potentially impacting biological control programs. Identifying natural enemies that can prey on this aphid and overcoming the resistance due to cardenolide sequestration is the first step in developing a biological control program. In laboratory and semi-field experiments, we evaluated the performances of different natural enemies in suppressing populations of Aphis nerii and Myzus persicae, on Mandevilla. Promising results were obtained with Sphaerophoria rueppellii (Wiedemann)and Micromus angulatus (Stephens) that were able to prey and reduce the populations of the two aphid species under laboratory and semi-field conditions. Other natural enemies did not show a significant effect in the predation of the aphids and reduction of their populations. With a perspective of IPM and reducing pesticide use on protected crops, this study demonstrated the potential of two predators for their use in biological control of two aphid pests on Mandevill

Altered liver function in patients undergoing veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy

BACKGROUND: Multiple organ dysfunction can occur in patients undergoing veno-arterial extra corporal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO); however, liver function has not been well studied in this setting. METHODS: In a review of our institutional ECMO database (N.=162), we collected aspartate (AST) and alanine (ALT ) transaminases, total bilirubin and international normalized ratio (INR) at time of ECMO initiation (baseline) and once daily during therapy in patients who survived for at least 24 hours. Elevated liver enzymes (ELE) were defined if AST and/or ALT were >200 UI/L, and acute liver failure (ALF) as the presence of an INR 1.5, new onset encephalopathy and an elevated total bilirubin concentrations. RESULTS :On a total of 80 patients undergoing VA-ECMO, 69 patients met the inclusion criteria (cardiogenic shock, N.=52; refractory cardiac arrest, N.=15; cardiac failure following severe ARDS, N.=2). Of them, 45 (65%) had early ELE after ECMO initiation (median highest AST and ALT were 528 [251-2606] UI/L and 513 [130-1031] UI/L, respectively). Two thirds of patients with ELE (N.=30) had a progressive reduction in AST and ALT ,but the levels were normalized only after 5 (5-6) days. Among patients with ELE, 21/45 (47%) had AST and/or ALT levels above >1000 UI/L. A total of 14/69 (20%) patients developed ALF. However, mortality rate was not significantly higher in patients with ELE or ALF when compared to others. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of patients needing VA-ECMO have early ELE, which usually improves over days. The prognostic implications are not evident.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe