A uni- and multivariate analysis approach to reveal sexual size dimorphism in Iranian populations of Hypera postica (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Body size dimorphism between genders is a commonly observed phenomenon in insects, usually manifested in larger female body size. Sexual Size Dimorphism (SSD) varies from species to species, the degree and direction influenced by certain evolutionary pressures. Intraspecific variation in SSD may also occur between populations. The Hypera postica (Gyllenhal, 1813) is a well-known alfalfa plant pest that shows a degree of morphological divergence in its populations. The female alfalfa weevils are very fecund and have a larger body size compared to males. To improve our knowledge on magnitude and direction of SSD in alfalfa weevil, we studied 200 specimens of H. postica from four Iranian populations (Karaj1, Karaj2, Tuyserkan and Jovein). 10 morphological variables from three external anatomic parts (pronotum, elytra and rostrum) and 45 ratio characters were statistically analyzed in order to determine the amount of SSD in Iranian populations. In addition we investigated for morphological divergence pattern in mentioned populations. The results of this study show that a low degree of morphological divergence occurs in Iranian populations. Measured variables indicate that the SSD pattern of H. postica is compatible with the Rensch's rule, and is related to high fecundity of females and a lack of strong sexual selection. Also it is mentioned that the larger rostrum in females may correspond to its unique role in egg laying

Microbial Evaluation of Cooked Foods Served in the Central Restaurant of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Winter and Summer 2015

Food-borne pathogens are the most important thing cause of illness and death in developing countries. Food safety is essential for central university kitchens because of the high number of meals served every day. These central university kitchen systems are of special interest as students are at relatively high-risk of developing serious complications from exposure to food bacterial contamination hazards. A total of 144 samples of cooked foods, collected in winter and summer 2015 from the restaurants of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, were studied to determine the microbiological quality of these products. Results were analyzed through SPSS 22.0 and t-test. According to coliform count, the highest rate of contamination was in Kebab (1.17×102 CFU/g) and lowest was in fish (0.8×102 CFU/g) and also the highest rate of contamination of Escherichia coli (E.coli) was in Kebab (6 samples), and the lowest contamination level was in fish and in this regard no sample was reported to be positive. According to staphylococcus aureus, the highest contamination rate was in rice (0.97×102 CFU/g) and lowest was in fish (0.63×102 CFU/g). Kebab had the highest contamination of ‎coliforms and staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in summer. None of the tested samples was confirmed with respect to salmonella, clostridium perfringens and staphylococcus aureus. Among the foods served in the university restaurants, Kebab had the highest bacterial contamination and fishes the lowest. Improved methods of cooking and food processing, prevention of secondary bacterial contamination, continuous monitoring and surveillance of food processing are the most important measures to prevent food contamination

Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) of Taleghan Region (North of Iran) with reporting of ten new records for Iran

The faunistic knowledge of Iranian weevils is still relatively low, especially in comparison with the vastness and rich environment of this country. During the years 2014-2015, a faunistic study on superfamily Curculionoidea was done in Taleghan Region. This region is located on the southern slope of the Alborz Mountains and irrigated by several rivers. Taleghan Region is known mainly for its green landscape which is covered mostly by rangelands, grasslands, but also agricultural farms and fruit gardens. Recently, several human activities have shaped into the Taleghan landscapes and then it resulted in a dramatic reduction of vegetation. In our study a total of 51 species of weevils were confirmed for this region and 10 of them (Hemitrichapion pavidum (Germar, 1817), Protapion laevicolle (Kirby, 1811), Pseudoprotapion elegantulum (Germar, 1818), P. astragali astragali (Paykull, 1800), Mecinus labilis (Herbst, 1795), Mogulones asperifoliarum (Gyllenhal, 1813), Tychius astragali Becker, 1862, T. callidus Caldara, 1990, T. tridentinus Penecke, 1922, and T. trivialis Boheman, 1843) have been recorded in Iran for the first time. In addition, a brief discussion is given for several species considered as rare weevils or interesting records for Iranian fauna. Finally, the environmental factors with influence effect into the weevil community in Taleghan Region are discussed

Developmental differences of local populations of alfalfa weevil (Hypera postica) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Many invasive insect pests show phenotypic variation between local populations across their geographical range. Understanding and integrating such differences will help to improve pest management. Population differences are the result of local adaptation to environmental conditions and may be detected using ecological analyses. Immature stages may represent especially interesting study objects as they represent important stages in the life cycle of insects and in many cases may be the most destructive stage. The alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal, 1813), is a variable worldwide pest that heavily damages alfalfa fields and is widely distributed in Iran. The lack of information about Iranian populations of H. postica has motivated us to examine immature life stages of three western populations (Karaj, Hamedan, Tuyserkan) and one eastern population (Jovein) under laboratory conditions. We measured the percentage of survival and the developmental times of each immature stage. The results suggested that the mean duration of the pupa stage significantly differs among the eastern population and all western populations (P < 0.005). Egg survivorship was lower in the eastern population (72.5%). The importance of differences in development times between populations is discussed in regards of pest management strategies

Evolutionary view on sexual dimorphism and shape variation in Iranian populations of Hypera postica (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

The alfalfa weevil (Hypera postica) is a worldwide variable pest that is established in almost all Iranian alfalfa fields. As a result of the large distribution range and the climatic diversity in Iran, population differentiation had been observed, which was largely unstudied. Previous morphological studies have suggested a local adaptation of Hypera postica populations; yet, traditional morphological markers are not powerful enough to reveal subtle changes in morphological characters among populations or even gender within populations. The robust statistical geometric morphometric analysis promised to be able to detect small changes in shape. In this study, we used Fourier outline analysis to compare the shape of pronotum, elytra and rostrum of five Iranian populations of the alfalfa weevil from three well-separated geographic areas (Karaj, Jovein and Tuyserkan). Besides population divergence, the sexual shape dimorphism was investigated. The results show a significant shape difference between males and females, at inter- and intrapopulation levels for H. postica. These results suggest the influence of a local natural selection on the studied characters

Wolbachia host shifts: routes, mechanisms, constraints and evolutionary consequences

Wolbachia is one of the most abundant endosymbionts on earth, with a wide distribution especially in arthropods. Effective maternal transmission and the induction of various phenotypes in their hosts are two key features of this bacterium. Here, we review our current understanding of another central aspect of Wolbachia's success: their ability to switch from one host species to another. We build on the proposal that Wolbachia host shifts occur in four main steps: (i) physical transfer to a new species; (ii) proliferation within that host; (iii) successful maternal transmission; and (iv) spread within the host species. Host shift can fail at each of these steps, and the likelihood of ultimate success is influenced by many factors. Some stem from traits of Wolbachia (different strains have different abilities for host switching), others on host features such as genetic resemblance (e.g. host shifting is likely to be easier between closely related species), ecological connections (the donor and recipient host need to interact), or the resident microbiota. Host shifts have enabled Wolbachia to reach its enormous current incidence and global distribution among arthropods in an epidemiological process shaped by loss and acquisition events across host species. The ability of Wolbachia to transfer between species also forms the basis of ongoing endeavours to control pests and disease vectors, following artificial introduction into uninfected hosts such as mosquitoes. Throughout, we emphasise the many knowledge gaps in our understanding of Wolbachia host shifts, and question the effectiveness of current methodology to detect these events. We conclude by discussing an apparent paradox: how can Wolbachia maintain its ability to undergo host shifts given that its biology seems dominated by vertical transmission

Management of internal root resorption in the maxillary central incisor with fractured root using Biodentine

Abstract Biodentine is desirable to successfully manage internal root resorption, and the MTA apical plug backfilled with thermoplasticized gutta‐percha is suggested for the tooth with external apical root resorption

Electrospun poly(L-lactide) nanofibers coated with mineral trioxide aggregate enhance odontogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells

A combination of bioceramics and nanofibrous scaffolds holds promising potential for inducing of mineralization in connective tissues. The aim of the present study was to investigate the attachment, proliferation and odontogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) on poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) nanofibers coated with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). Polymeric scaffolds were fabricated via the electrospinning method and their surface was coated with MTA. DPSC were isolated from dental pulp and their biological behavior was evaluated on scaffolds and the control group using MTT assay. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, biomineralization and the expression of odontogenic genes were analyzed during odontogenic differentiation. Isolated DPSC showed spindle-shaped morphology with multi-lineage differentiation potential and were positive for CD73, CD90 and CD105.MTA-coated PLLA (PLLA/MTA) exhibited nanofibrous structure with average fiber diameter of 756 ± 157 nm and interconnected pores and also suitable mechanical properties. Similar to MTA, these scaffolds were shown to be biocompatible and to support the attachment and proliferation of DPSC. ALP activity transiently peaked on day 14 and was significantly higher in PLLA/MTA scaffolds than in the control groups. In addition, increasing biomineralization was observed in all groups with a higher amount in PLLA/MTA. Odontogenic-related genes, DSPP and collagen type I showed a higher expression in PLLA/MTA on days 21 and 14, respectively. Taken together, MTA/PLLA electrospun nanofibers enhanced the odontogenic differentiation of DPSC and showed the desired characteristics of a pulp capping material

Complete mitochondrial genome of Acropteris iphiata (Lepidoptera: Uraniidae)

Acropteris iphiata belongs to the family Uraniidae in the superfamily Geometroidea (Lepidoptera). We sequenced 15,346-bp long complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the species, which consists of a typical set of genes (13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes) and one major non-coding A + T-rich region. The A. iphiata mitogenome harbored the gene order tRNAMet, tRNAIle, and tRNAGln between the A + T-rich region and ND2 that is found in most lepidopteran mitogenomes. Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) phylogeny, using 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) and 2 rRNAs showed that A. iphiata was placed as a sister to Geometridae with the highest nodal support (Bayesian posterior probabilities for BI = 1.00 and Bootstrap support for ML = 100)