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Surveys for egg-parasitoid wasps were conducted in Rafsanjan, Iran, on two species of Pentatomidae (Hemiptera) found in pistachio orchards, Acrosternum arabicum Wagner and Brachynema signatum Jakovlev. Five species of Scelionidae (Platygastroidea) were recovered, including one that is here described as new: Psix saccharicola (Mani), Trissolcus colemani (Crawford), T. darreh Talamas sp. nov. , T. perepelovi (Kozlov), and T. semistriatus (Nees). In addition to describing a new species, we report new host associations, provide COI barcodes for four of these species, and discuss host-related intraspecific variation in T. darreh and T. perepelovi .

Psix saccharicola (Mani) and Trissolcus semistriatus (Nees) are the most abundant eggs parasitoids of the stink bug, Acrosternum arabicum Wagner, in pistachio orchards and have the potential to contribute to their suppression. However, treatment of orchards with broad-spectrum insecticides may greatly reduce populations of these beneficial natural enemies. Therefore, we conducted risk assessments and evaluated sublethal impacts of two insecticides routinely used in pistachio orchards: the organophosphate fenitrothion and a formulated mixture of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam and the pyrethroid lambda-cyhalothrin on parasitism success, emergence and sex ratio of P. saccharicola and T. semistriatus. Based on the values of their risk quotients (RQ), which are derived from toxicity data, the two insecticide products would be classified as slightly-to-moderately toxic although an alternative metric, the safety factor (SF), showed them to be highly risky. Assessments of sublethal effects on adult wasps showed that insecticide exposure significantly reduced their ability to successfully parasitize stink bug eggs, and exposure of adult females reduced the emergence, survival, and proportion of females of their progeny, which could disrupt biological control for an extended period of time. Analysis of the decreased emergence and parasitism for P. saccharicola and T. semistriatus in accordance with the standards of the International Organization for Biological Control (IOBC) indicate that fenitrothion is slightly harmful to both parasitoid species whereas the mixture of thiamethoxam + lambda-cyhalothrin is moderately harmful. These findings will be useful for integrating insecticides and egg parasitoids into a comprehensive integrated pest management program for managing stink bugs populations in pistachio orchards. Key words: parasitism, emergence, organophosphate, neonicotinoid, pyrethroid

Pistacia vera L. is one of the most important horticultural crops in Iran. The stink bugs Acrosternum arabicum and Brachynema germari are two of the key pests that cause significant direct and indirect damage on Pistacia vera. Egg parasitoids have been considered as potential biological control agents of pistachio green stink bugs. Among them, Trissolcus semistriatus and Psix saccharicola are the most abundant and efficient parasitoid for A arabicum in pistachio orchards. In this study, we assessed lethal and sublethal effects of two commonly used insecticide products (fenitrothion and a binary mixture of lambdacyhalothrin + thiamethoxam) on these two parasitoid wasps under laboratory conditions. The median lethal concentration ([LC.sub.50]) values for fenitrothion and thiamethoxam + lambda-cyhalothrin in P. saccharicola and T. semistriatus were estimated as 1.03, 0.48 and 0.87, 0.98 mg a.i./liter, respectively. In terms of sublethal effects, insecticide treatments altered the type of functional response from type III to type II in T. semistriatus. However, P. saccharicola exhibited a type II functional to density of A arabicum for all treatments, although attack rates were lower for insecticide-exposed wasps while handling times increased. Our results show that sublethal effects of insecticides further reduce the efficacy of biological control agents. Effective integrated pest management programs should avoid antagonistic interactions between chemical and biological control methods. The results of this study provide useful information to develop comprehensive integrated pest management programs for stink bugs in pistachio orchards. Key words: fenitrothion, lambda-cyhalothrin + thiamethoxam, Trissolcus semistriatus, Psix saccharicola, Acrosternum arabicum

Oenopia conglobata (Linnaeus) and Menochilus sexmaculatus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are important predators of the pistachio psyllid, Agonoscena pistaciae Burckhardt and Lauterer (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), a key pest of pistachio. The abundance of M. sexmaculatus has recently increased in pistachio orchards, while that of O. conglobata has declined. We designed laboratory experiments to (1) evaluate the potential for intraguild predation (IGP) between these two species, (2) detect any possible asymmetries in IGP interactions, and (3) characterize the sensitivity of IGP to varying densities of two extraguild (EG) prey, A. pistaciae and Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae). We measured rates of IGP by fourth instar larvae and female adults (both starved for 12 h) on vulnerable immature life stages of the other species (eggs, first, and second instar larvae). IG and EG prey consumption were tallied after 12 h. All factors influenced rates of IGP, but species of IG predator, and life stage and density of EG prey, contributed the most variance. IGP decreased parabolically with increasing prey densities. IGP on eggs was higher than on first instars, which was higher than on second instars, suggesting palatability declined in later life stages. The larger M. sexmaculatus exhibited higher voracity than the smaller O. conglobata in both predation and IGP. Both species consumed more A. pistaciae than A. gossypii in all treatments, which may reflect either lower handling time or lower food value per prey.

Biological control has long been recognized for its economic and ecological benefits as a pest management approach, but the use of non-native natural enemies has raised concerns about potential risks and unintended consequences. Indigenous predatory ladybeetles, such as Oenopia conglobata, play a crucial role in controlling many sap-sucking pests, including Agonoscena pistaciae, which is the most destructive pest of pistachio trees in Iran and other pistachio-growing regions worldwide. However, the abundance of Oenopia conglobata has recently decreased due to the presence of an adventive predatory ladybeetle, Menochilus sexmaculatus. To better understand the potential risks associated with this adventive species, we investigated the functional responses of female adults of M. sexmaculatus and O. conglobata against the third and fourth instar nymphs of A. pistaciae and Aphis gossypii. Our findings revealed that both predators exhibited a type II functional response, with O. conglobata demonstrating a significantly higher attack rate against A. pistaciae nymphs than A. gossypii nymphs. In contrast, prey species did not have a significant effect on the attack rate of M. sexmaculatus. Notably, M. sexmaculatus displayed the highest predation rate and voracity against both prey species. These results provide valuable insights into the potential risks of M. sexmaculatus for indigenous predatory species like O. conglobata. The fact that M. sexmaculatus exhibits higher voracity for both prey species than O. conglobata does suggest that it may pose a threat to the native ladybeetle population, highlighting the need for further research and careful consideration when introducing non-native natural enemies for pest management.

Pistacia vera L. is one of the most important horticultural crops in Iran. The stink bugs Acrosternum arabicum and Brachynema germari are two of the key pests that cause significant direct and indirect damage on Pistacia vera. Egg parasitoids have been considered as potential biological control agents of pistachio green stink bugs. Among them, Trissolcus semistriatus and Psix saccharicola are the most abundant and efficient parasitoid for A. arabicum in pistachio orchards. In this study, we assessed lethal and sublethal effects of two commonly used insecticide products (fenitrothion and a binary mixture of lambda-cyhalothrin + thiamethoxam) on these two parasitoid wasps under laboratory conditions. The median lethal concentration (LC50) values for fenitrothion and thiamethoxam + lambda-cyhalothrin in P. saccharicola and T. semistriatus were estimated as 1.03, 0.48 and 0.87, 0.98 mg a.i./liter, respectively. In terms of sublethal effects, insecticide treatments altered the type of functional response from type III to type II in T. semistriatus. However, P. saccharicola exhibited a type II functional to density of A. arabicum for all treatments, although attack rates were lower for insecticide-exposed wasps while handling times increased. Our results show that sublethal effects of insecticides further reduce the efficacy of biological control agents. Effective integrated pest management programs should avoid antagonistic interactions between chemical and biological control methods. The results of this study provide useful information to develop comprehensive integrated pest management programs for stink bugs in pistachio orchards.

Female sex workers are a deprived part of Islamic communities. It is necessary for public health policy makers to have knowledge about their mental health status. This study aims to have an evaluation of mental health among female sex workers in Tabriz for the first time in northwest of Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 48 female sex workers who had accepted to be evaluated were included. Sociodemographic and general mental health statuses, using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), were recorded. Those with GHQ-28 score more than 23/24 in the first session were thoroughly interviewed in a second session in order to find out their specific mental disorder, using Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV axis 1 and 2 Disorders (SCID 1 and 2). This study suggests that 62.5% of female sex workers suffer from a mental health problem which is in accordance with previous studies. Mood and anxiety disorder were two of the most common, and there were also records of personality disorders among participants of this survey. There were also high rates of addiction in female sex workers of this study. Based on findings of this study, high rates of mental disorders such as personality disorders, anxiety disorder, and mood disorder were detected among female sex workers in the northwest of Iran. Financial incentive was reported to be the primary motivation for choosing sex work as a source of income.

Psix saccharicola (Mani) and Trissolcus semistriatus (Nees) are the most abundant eggs parasitoids of the stink bug, Acrosternum arabicum Wagner, in pistachio orchards and have the potential to contribute to their suppression. However, treatment of orchards with broad-spectrum insecticides may greatly reduce populations of these beneficial natural enemies. Therefore, we conducted risk assessments and evaluated sublethal impacts of two insecticides routinely used in pistachio orchards: the organophosphate fenitrothion and a formulated mixture of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam and the pyrethroid lambda-cyhalothrin on parasitism success, emergence and sex ratio of P. saccharicola andT. semistriatus. Based on the values of their risk quotients (RQ), which are derived from toxicity data, the two insecticide products would be classified as slightly-to-moderately toxic although an alternative metric, the safety factor (SF), showed them to be highly risky. Assessments of sublethal effects on adult wasps showed that insecticide exposure significantly reduced their ability to successfully parasitize stink bug eggs, and exposure of adult females reduced the emergence, survival, and proportion of females of their progeny, which could disrupt biological control for an extended period of time. Analysis of the decreased emergence and parasitism for P. saccharicola and T. semistriatus in accordance with the standards of the International Organization for Biological Control (IOBC) indicate that fenitrothion is slightly harmful to both parasitoid species whereas the mixture of thiamethoxam + lambda-cyhalothrin is moderately harmful. These findings will be useful for integrating insecticides and egg parasitoids into a comprehensive integrated pest management program for managing stink bugs populations in pistachio orchards.

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Introducing a foreign body into the heart, a part of the human anatomy that symbolically represents emotions, is a major life event which may result in a change in the body image, changes in physical and emotional wellbeing and quality of life. methods: In a descriptive study in Fall 2006, 78 out of 267 patients with implanted cardiac pacemakers (PPM) were randomly evaluated by using a quality of life questionnaire for patients published by Salud Co. Data entry and analysis were done by SPSS 11.5. results: Thirty-two men and 46 women with mean ages of 67.4 and 66.7 years, respectively, were included in the study. Thirty-six patients had single chamber VVIR, 15 had dual chamber VDD and 27 had dual chamber DDDR PPM implanted. Scores of physical and emotional wellbeing were grater than 75, but those of social/family and functional wellbeing were lower than 50 in the majority of patients. Except for a few questions, there was no significant difference between patients with single or dual chamber PPM in terms of quality of life (P=0.34). CONCLUSIONS: Quality of life of patients with PPM is good in respect of physical and emotional wellbeing. However, the results were not desirable in terms of family/social and functional wellbeing. Thus, family and social educational programs are recommended. Keywords: Quality of life, pacemaker, physical/emotional wellbeing, family/functional wellbeing.

Using a system that incorporates a variety of food items rather than focusing on individual components can aid in assessing the inflammatory effects of a diet on disease outcomes such as chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therefore, we decided to investigate the association between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and the risk of protein–energy wasting (PEW) and sarcopenia in patients with CKD. In this cross-sectional study, 109 patients with CKD were selected from two clinics in Shiraz, Iran. The intake of individuals’ diets was recorded using a validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire. Additionally, Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) guidelines were utilized to evaluate muscles’ strength, mass, and function. Also, four International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism (ISRNM) criteria (body mass index, intake of protein, albumin, and urine creatinine) were used  to diagnose PEW. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between DII and sarcopenia as well as PEW. The results showed that the intake of saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, niacin, beta-carotene, and vitamin C was significantly different between lower and higher DII groups. In the univariate model, higher odds of sarcopenia was observed by each unit increase in DII (odds ratio (OR) = 1.379, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.042–1.824) and age (OR = 1.073, 95% CI: 1.017–1.132). Additionally, in the multivariate model, the association between DII and age with odds of sarcopenia remained significant (DII: OR = 1.379, 95% CI: 1.030–1.846 and age: OR = 1.063, 95% CI: 1.007–1.121). The current study suggests the possible role of pro-inflammatory foods in worsening muscle health, specifically sarcopenia, in CKD patients. Future longitudinal studies may reveal the causative nature of these correlations.