UNASSIGNED: To compare graft outcomes and postoperative complications between the extended perichondrium-cartilage butterfly inlay (PCBI) technique and the perichondrium-cartilage over-underlay (PCOU) technique for repairing subtotal perforations over a 2-year follow-up period.
UNASSIGNED: Patients with subtotal perforations were prospectively randomized to either the extended PCBI (n = 52) or PCOU (n = 51) group. Evaluation metrics included operation time, graft success rate, hearing gain, and complications at 24 months postoperatively.
UNASSIGNED: The study included 103 patients with 103 ears. Follow-up loss occurred in 11 of 52 patients (21.2%) in the PCBI group and 13 of 51 patients (25.5%) in the PCOU group (P = .773). The final analysis included 41 of 52 patients (78.9%) in the PCBI group and 38 of 51 patients (74.5%) in the PCOU group. The average operation time was significantly shorter in the PCBI group (31.2 ± 1.9 min) compared to the PCOU group (52.8 ± 6.3 min, P < .001). At 24 months postoperatively, the graft success rate was 82.9% (34 patients) in the PCBI group and 92.1% (35 patients) in the PCOU group (P = .374). No significant group difference was noted in mean air-bone gap (ABG) gain (P = .759). High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) demonstrated well-pneumatized mastoids and middle ears in both groups. Altered taste was reported in no PCBI group patients and 23.7% (9 patients) of the PCOU group patients (P < .05). Graft cholesteatoma was found in 4.9% (two patients) in the PCBI group and 7.9% (three patients) in the PCOU group (P = .930).
UNASSIGNED: The endoscopic extended PCBI technique is safe and effective for repairing subtotal perforation. It avoids raising a tympanomeatal flap and demonstrates high long-term graft success with minimal complications.

Insect herbivores are amongst the most destructive plant pests, damaging both naturally occurring and domesticated plants. As sessile organisms, plants make use of structural and chemical barriers to counteract herbivores. However, over 75% of herbivorous insect species are well adapted to their host\'s defenses and these specialists are generally difficult to ward off. By actively antagonizing the number of insect eggs deposited on plants, future damage by the herbivore\'s offspring can be limited. Therefore, it is important to understand which plant traits influence attractiveness for oviposition, especially for specialist insects that are well adapted to their host plants. In this study, we investigated the oviposition preference of Pieris butterflies (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) by offering them the choice between 350 different naturally occurring Arabidopsis accessions. Using a genome-wide association study of the oviposition data and subsequent fine mapping with full genome sequences of 164 accessions, we identified WRKY42 and AOC1 as candidate genes that are associated with the oviposition preference observed for Pieris butterflies. Host plant choice assays with Arabidopsis genotypes impaired in WRKY42 or AOC1 function confirmed a clear role for WRKY42 in oviposition preference of female Pieris butterflies, while for AOC1 the effect was mild. In contrast, WRKY42-impaired plants, which were preferred for oviposition by butterflies, negatively impacted offspring performance. These findings exemplify that plant genotype can have opposite effects on oviposition preference and caterpillar performance. This knowledge can be used for breeding trap crops or crops that are unattractive for oviposition by pest insects.

Butterflies represent one of the largest animal groups on Earth, yet antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) of this group are less studied in comparison with their moth counterparts. This study employed an integrated bioinformatics approach to survey natural AMPs from publicly available genomic datasets. Numerous AMPs, including cecropins, defensins, and moricins, were identified and subsequently used as templates for the design of a series of synthetic AMPs that mimicked the naturally occurring sequences. Despite differing biological effects among the various sequences, the synthetic AMPs exhibited potent antibacterial and antifungal activities in vitro and in vivo, without inducing hemolysis, which implied their therapeutic potential in infectious diseases. Electron and confocal fluorescence microscopies revealed that the AMPs induced distinct morphological and biophysical changes on microbial cell membranes and nuclei, suggesting that the antimicrobial effects were related to a mechanism of membrane penetration and nucleic acid binding by the peptides. In conclusion, this study not only offers insights into butterfly AMPs but also provides a practical strategy for high-throughput natural AMP discoveries that will have implications for future research in this area.

Butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) are one of the most studied, diverse, and widespread animal groups, making them an ideal model for climate change research. They are a particularly informative model for studying the effects of climate change on species ecology because they are ectotherms that thermoregulate with a suite of physiological, behavioural, and phenotypic traits. While some species have been negatively impacted by climatic disturbances, others have prospered, largely in accordance with their diversity in life-history traits. Here we take advantage of a large repertoire of studies on butterflies and moths to provide a review of the many ways in which climate change is impacting insects, animals, and ecosystems. By studying these climate-based impacts on ecological processes of Lepidoptera, we propose appropriate strategies for species conservation and habitat management broadly across animals.

Color is an important communication channel for day-flying butterflies. Chemical (pigmentary) coloration is often supplemented by physical color generated by photonic nanostructures. These nanoarchitectures - which are characteristic for a given species - exhibit wavelength ranges in which light propagation is forbidden. The photonic nanoarchitectures are located in the lumen of the wing scales and are developed individually by each scale during metamorphosis. This self-assembly process is governed by the genes in the nucleus of the scale producing cell. It is crucial to establish well-defined measurement methods for the unambiguous characterization and comparison of colors generated in such a complex manner. Owing to the intricate architecture ordered at multiple levels (from centimeters to tens of nanometers), the precise quantitative determination of butterfly wing coloration is not trivial. In this paper, we present an overview of several optical spectroscopy measurement methods and illustrate techniques for processing the obtained data, using the species Polyommatus bellargus as a test case, the males of which exhibit a variation in their blue structural color that is easily recognizable to the naked eye. The benefits and drawbacks of these optical methods are discussed and compared. Furthermore, the origin of the color differences is explained in relation to differences in the wing scale nanomorphology revealed by electron microscopy. This in turn is tentatively associated with the unusually large genetic drift reported for this species in the literature.

UNASSIGNED: To compare the efficacy of the inlay, composite chondroperichondrial clip (triple-C) tympanoplasty with conventional underlay cartilage island tympanoplasty, and to evaluate its efficacy in treating large, marginal perforations.
METHODS: The study involved 183 patients that were selected from a retrospective chart review of tympanoplasties performed at our center from March 2016 to June 2018.
METHODS: A tertiary referral center hospital.
METHODS: 65 patients underwent inlay, triple-C cartilage tympanoplasty (inlay group) and 118 underwent underlay cartilage island tympanoplasty (underlay group).
METHODS: Postoperative anatomical success rate, surgical time, hearing outcomes, and complications were analyzed. Focused analysis was performed on large or marginal perforations.
RESULTS: Both groups exhibited similar characteristics in demographic distribution, general health status, preoperative anatomical and hearing disabilities. Excellent results were achieved in both groups. Re-perforation occurred for 9.2% of the inlay group and 7.6% of the underlay group (p = 0.71). Hearing improvement was significant in both groups. Within the separate groups, 36% of underlay patients and 60% of inlay patients improved to achieve closure of the air-bone gap (ABG) to less than 10 dB (p = 0.1). In large or marginal perforations, both groups performed similarly. No significant complications were seen in this cohort. Nevertheless, a significant reduction in surgical time was observed in the inlay group (38 min. vs 58 min.; p = 0.0004).
CONCLUSIONS: Inlay triple-C tympanoplasty is comparable to conventional underlay cartilage island tympanoplasty in both anatomical and audiological success rates, even for large, marginal perforations. Due to its shorter operation time, inlay triple-C tympanoplasty should be considered a good surgical option for all tympanic membrane perforations.

In this paper, two methods for assessing the degree of melanization of pupal exuviae from the butterfly Heliconius erato phyllis, Fabricius 1775 (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Heliconiini) are compared. In the first method, which was qualitative, the exuviae were classified by scoring the degree of melanization, whereas in the second method, which was quantitative, the exuviae were classified by optical density followed by analysis with appropriate software. The heritability (h(2)) of the degree of melanization was estimated by regression and analysis of variance. The estimates of h (2) were similar with both methods, indicating that the qualitative method could be particularly suitable for field work. The low estimates obtained for heritability may have resulted from the small sample size (n = 7-18 broods, including the parents) or from the allocation-priority hypothesis in which pupal color would be a lower priority trait compared to morphological traits and adequate larval development.