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This study compared refractive and axial length (AL) changes in children wearing dual-focus soft contact lenses for myopia control (MiSight®) with myopic children wearing spectacles one year from the start of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.This retrospective, descriptive, parallel-group, observational study reviewed the charts of 11 children who began treatment for myopia control with dual-focus soft contact lenses for myopia control (MiSight®) in March 2020 and 11 matched spectacle-wearing controls. The mean increase in spherical equivalent refraction (SER) and AL from the beginning of the lockdown and up to 1 year later were compared. The parents of the children were asked about the average time spent on near work, contact lens wearing time both during and after the strict confinement and whether they had discontinued contact lens wear during lockdown.During this first year of preventive COVID-19 measures (March 2020-March 2021), for the contact lens group the average SER and AL increased -0.14 ± 0.09D and 0.13 ± 0.05 mm, respectively. For the spectacle wearers, the corresponding increases were -0.54 ± 0.16D and 0.25 ± 0.08 mm, respectively. A significant difference was found between the groups for both SER (p 0.001) and AL (p 0.05). The average time spent outdoors was restricted for both groups during lockdown and increased after. However, statistically significant changes in the time spent outdoors during and after lockdown were only found for the spectacle group (p 0.05; t-test), whereas this change was not significant for the contact lens group (p = 0.08).Over the observed time period, dual-focus soft contact lenses for myopia control were effective despite the decreased time spent outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report describes a prosthetically-driven implant planning method, guided by the alignment procedures between the cone beam computed tomography, intraoral digital scans, and digitized maxillary and mandibular interim complete dentures using intraoral composite resin markers as a common reference. The markers were attached to the keratinized oral mucosa of the edentulous ridges using cyanoacrylate and kept in place during the digitizing procedures. The technique provides a simpler and more economical alternative to conventional prosthetically-driven static implant planning methods.

Saturn's polar regions (polewards of ∼63° planetocentric latitude) are strongly dynamically active with zonal jets, polar cyclones and the intriguing north polar hexagon (NPH) wave. Here we analyze measurements of horizontal winds, previously obtained from Cassini images by Antuñano et al. (2015), https://doi.org/10.1002/2014je004709, to determine the spatial and spectral exchanges of kinetic energy (KE) between zonal mean zonal jets and nonaxisymmetric eddies in Saturn's polar regions. Eddies of most resolved scales generally feed KE into the eastward and westward zonal mean jets at rates between 4.3 × 10−5 and 1.4 × 10−4 W kg−1. In particular, the north polar jet (at 76°N) was being energized at a rate of ∼10−4 W kg−1, dominated by the contribution due to the zonal wavenumber m = 6 NPH wave itself. This implies that the hexagon was not being driven at this time through a barotropic instability of the north polar jet, but may suggest a significant role for baroclinic instabilities, convection or other internal energy sources for this feature. The south polar zonal mean jet KE was also being sustained by eddies in that latitude band across a wide range of m. In contrast, results indicate that the north polar vortex may have been weakly barotropically unstable at this time with eddies of low m gaining KE at the expense of the axisymmetric cyclone. However, the southern axisymmetric polar cyclone was gaining KE from non-axisymmetric components at this time, including m = 2 and its harmonics, as the elliptical distortion of the vortex may have been decaying.

The use of some anti‐hypertensive drugs in the current COVID‐19 pandemic has become controversial. This study investigated possible relationships between anti‐hypertensive medications use and COVID‐19 infection risk in the ambulatory hypertensive population. This is a population‐based retrospective cohort study involving 34 936 hypertensive adults >50 years in Tarragona (Southern Catalonia, Spain) who were retrospectively followed through pandemic period (from 01/03/2020 to 30/04/2020). Two data sets including demographic/clinical characteristics (comorbidities and cardiovascular medications use) and laboratory PCR codes for COVID‐19 were linked to construct an anonymized research database. Cox regression was used to calculate multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and estimate the risk of suffering COVID‐19 infection. Across study period, 205 PCR‐confirmed COVID‐19 cases were observed, which means an overall incidence of 586.8 cases per 100 000 persons‐period. In multivariable analyses, only age (HR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.02‐1.05; P

Background The Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI) established a series of resource-stratified, evidence-based guidelines to address breast cancer control in the context of available resources. Here, the authors describe methodologies and health system prerequisites to support the translation and implementation of these guidelines into practice. Methods In October 2018, the BHGI convened the Sixth Global Summit on Improving Breast Healthcare Through Resource-Stratified Phased Implementation. The purpose of the summit was to define a stepwise methodology (phased implementation) for guiding the translation of resource-appropriate breast cancer control guidelines into real-world practice. Three expert consensus panels developed stepwise, resource-appropriate recommendations for implementing these guidelines in low-income and middle-income countries as well as underserved communities in high-income countries. Each panel focused on 1 of 3 specific aspects of breast cancer care: 1) early detection, 2) treatment, and 3) health system strengthening. Results Key findings from the summit and subsequent article preparation included the identification of phased-implementation prerequisites that were explored during consensus debates. These core issues and concepts are key components for implementing breast health care that consider real-world resource constraints. Communication and engagement across all levels of care is vital to any effectively operating health care system, including effective communication with ministries of health and of finance, to demonstrate needs, outcomes, and cost benefits. Conclusions Underserved communities at all economic levels require effective strategies to deploy scarce resources to ensure access to timely, effective, and affordable health care. Systematically strategic approaches translating guidelines into practice are needed to build health system capacity to meet the current and anticipated global breast cancer burden.

A 4-year-old girl presented with a 2-month history of round, hypopigmented, slightly scaly patches measuring 1-6 cm and encircled by an erythematous halo, first appearing on the lower limbs then spreading to the whole body. Three biopsies were taken as the condition progressed, each showing a lymphocytic infiltrate affecting a medium-sized artery at the dermal-subcutaneous junction, with a concentric fibrin ring. These findings are characteristic of lymphocytic thrombophilic arteritis (LTA). The young age of our patient and the type of skin lesions she developed make this an atypical presentation of LTA, which usually manifests as hyperpigmented macules on the lower extremities, predominantly in dark-skinned women.

Chilblain‐like acral lesions have been identified in some coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients. It has been suggested that these pseudo‐chilblains could be a specific marker of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection. Most patients with these lesions have had negative polymerase chain reactions (PCRs), but some authors believe serology tests are likely to give positive results. We designed a prospective study including all patients with pseudo‐chilblains treated in outpatient department in April and May 2020 and then performed SARS‐CoV‐2 PCR and serology tests on all available patients. We evaluated 59 patients, of whom 17 had undergone PCR before the study period, all with negative results. For the present study, we performed 20 additional PCRs, serology tests in 25 patients, and a parvovirus B19 antibody test in 15 patients. All results were negative. Our findings counter the hypothesis that serology is likely to reveal SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in patients with pseudo‐chilblains. One hypothesis for our negative results is that the time period between symptom onset and antibody production is longer in these patients; another is that the lesions are caused by behavioral changes during lockdown rather than SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. We nevertheless maintain that COVID‐19 should be ruled out in people presenting with chilblain‐like lesions.

Recently, young COVID‐19 patients have presented with erythematous and purpuric acral lesions similar to chilblains1–3. Despite the scarcity of published cases, this topic has attracted significant mass media attention.4 Dermatologists have noted that more people than would be expected at this time of year are seeking medical attention for these chilblain‐like lesions. Some have suggested that people presenting with this manifestation should be tested and isolated2. Determining the accuracy of this association is therefore crucial. To establish the real prevalence of COVID‐19 in patients with acral skin lesions, we firstly evaluated all the cases of acral lesions presented in dermatology and paediatrics departments and family doctors’ offices in an eastern Spanish region over a three‐week period. Then we prospectively performed a SARS‐CoV‐2 PCR on nasopharyngeal aspirates taken from all available patients to determine whether their cutaneous manifestations were predictive of a positive result. To put our findings into context, we reviewed all the articles published before May 2020 concerning COVID‐19 patients with cutaneous lesions. We evaluated 58 patients, whose characteristics are summarized in Table 1. In most cases, lesions were chilblain‐like. Fifteen patients had already been tested, and only one had a positive result: an 85‐year‐old man admitted for severe Covid‐19 pneumonia. He had an ulcer on a toe that was finally determined to be vascular in nature. We performed prospective PCR testing in 24 patients. All test results were negative. In total, then, PCR was negative in 38 patients and positive in a single patient whose lesion was very unlikely to be due to COVID‐19. Our bibliography search returned 97 articles and we found 2 more through cross‐references. Nine of these articles dealt with acral lesions specifically. Their results are summarized in Table 2. Data published in the literature are heterogeneous, as are the methods employed to collect them. The first papers looked at cutaneous manifestations in patients with confirmed SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.5–8 This approach cannot reveal whether this dermatologic manifestation is a specific marker of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, since patients without COVID‐19 are not included. The other approach, which we have followed, is to analyse all patients with acral lesions. This can be done retrospectively, reporting on patients in the sample who have already been tested, or prospectively, performing the test on all available patients, regardless of whether they have symptoms. The retrospective method has a significant risk of confounding bias: due to the scarcity of COVID‐19 tests8, they are usually reserved for patients with COVID‐19‐related symptoms, who are obviously more likely to test positive. All previous studies including only patients with cutaneous acral lesions (summarized in table 2) have been retrospective, and only a minority of patients were tested. In total, 12 out of at least 49 tested patients were positive (24.5%). Combined with our results, they total 13 positives out of 88 tests (14.8%). There are two possible explanations for the high proportion of negative results: I) A high number of false negatives. II) The lesions are not related to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. The low prevalence of an infected contact in our sample, after three weeks of strict confinement in Spain, makes the possibility of being infected in our cohort less likely. The diffusion of this entity by the mass media may have caused patients who would not normally consult to do so.9 . Other possible explanations include a concomitant parvovirus B19 outbreak10 or trauma‐induced lesions. Our study suggests that acral skin lesions are not a specific marker of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Although larger prospective studies are needed, current evidence indicates that acral skin lesions should not be regarded as a sign of COVID‐19 in otherwise asymptomatic patients.

Wall teichoic acids (WTAs) are important surface glycopolymers involved in various physiological processes occurring in the Gram-positive cell envelope. We previously showed that the decoration of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) WTAs with l-rhamnose conferred resistance against antimicrobial peptides. Here, we show that WTA l-rhamnosylation also contributes to physiological levels of autolysis in Lm through a mechanism that requires efficient association of Ami, a virulence-promoting autolysin belonging to the GW protein family, to the bacterial cell surface. Importantly, WTA l-rhamnosylation also controls the surface association of another GW protein, the invasin internalin B (InlB), that promotes Lm invasion of host cells. Whereas WTA N-acetylglucosaminylation is not a prerequisite for GW protein surface association, lipoteichoic acids appear to also play a role in the surface anchoring of InlB. Strikingly, while the GW domains of Ami, InlB and Auto (another autolysin contributing to cell invasion and virulence) are sufficient to mediate surface association, this is not the case for the GW domains of the remaining six uncharacterized Lm GW proteins. Overall, we reveal WTA l-rhamnosylation as a bacterial surface modification mechanism that contributes to Lm physiology and pathogenesis by controlling the surface association of GW proteins involved in autolysis and infection.

Wall teichoic acids (WTAs) are important surface glycopolymers involved in various physiological processes occurring in the Gram-positive cell envelope. We previously showed that the decoration of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) WTAs with l-rhamnose conferred resistance against antimicrobial peptides. Here we show that WTA l-rhamnosylation also contributes to physiological levels of autolysis in Lm through a mechanism that requires efficient association of Ami, a virulence-promoting autolysin belonging to the GW protein family, to the bacterial cell surface. Importantly, WTA l-rhamnosylation also controls the surface association of another GW protein, the invasin InlB, that promotes Lm invasion of host cells. Whereas WTA N-acetylglucosaminylation is not a prerequisite for GW protein surface association, lipoteichoic acids appear to also play a role in the surface anchoring of InlB. Strikingly, while the GW domains of Ami, InlB and Auto (another autolysin contributing to cell invasion and virulence) are sufficient to mediate surface association, this is not the case for the GW domains of the remaining six uncharacterized Lm GW proteins. Overall, we reveal WTA l-rhamnosylation as a bacterial surface modification mechanism that contributes to Lm physiology and pathogenesis by controlling the surface association of GW proteins involved in autolysis and infection. This work received funding from Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000012 - Structured program on bioengineered therapies for infectious diseases and tissue regeneration, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). F.C received an FCT Doctoral Fellowship (SFRH/BD/61825/2009) through FCT/MEC co-funded by QREN and POPH (Programa Operacional Potencial Humano). SS was supported by FCT Investigator program (COMPETE, POPH, and FCT).

Microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain, plays a central role in cerebral listeriosis. Here, we present evidence that microglia control Listeria infection differently than macrophages. Infection of primary microglial cultures and murine cell lines with Listeria resulted in a dual function of the two gene expression programmes involved in early and late immune responses in macrophages. Whereas the bacterial gene hly seems responsible for both transcriptional programmes in macrophages, Listeria induces in microglia only the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-regulated transcriptional programme. Listeria also represses in microglia the late immune response gathered in two clusters, microbial degradation, and interferon (IFN)-inducible genes. The bacterial gene actA was required in microglia to induce TNF-regulated responses and to repress the late response. Isolation of microglial phagosomes revealed a phagosomal environment unable to destroy Listeria. Microglial phagosomes were also defective in several signaling and trafficking components reported as relevant for Listeria innate immune responses. This transcriptional strategy in microglia induced high levels of TNF-α and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 and low production of other neurotoxic compounds such as nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide, and Type I IFNs. These cytokines and toxic microglial products are also released by primary microglia, and this cytokine and chemokine cocktail display a low potential to trigger neuronal apoptosis. This overall bacterial strategy strongly suggests that microglia limit Listeria inflammation pattern exclusively through TNF-mediated responses to preserve brain integrity. GLIA 2014;62:233–246

Aims Heart failure (HF) is a chronic condition that typically affects a patient's quality of life (QoL). Little is known about long-term QoL monitoring in HF. This study aimed to evaluate the temporal changes and prognostic value of QoL assessment in a real-life cohort of HF patients. Methods and results The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire was used to monitor QoL at baseline and at 1, 3, and 5 years for 1151 consecutive patients {71.7% men, median age 69 years [25th–75th percentiles (P25–P75) 59–76]} in an HF unit. Follow-up for prognosis assessment was extended to 6 years. The number of answered questionnaires was 1151 at baseline, 746 at 1 year, 268 at 3 years, and 240 at 5 years. QoL scores showed a steep decrease (indicating QoL improvement) during the first year [29 (P25–P75 16–43) at baseline vs. 15 (P25–P75 8–27) at 1 year, P < 0.001], which was tempered, yet significant up to 5 years [12 (P25–P75 7–23) at 3 years vs. 10 (P25–P75 5–21) at 5 years, P = 0.012]. We recorded 457 deaths during follow-up. In a comprehensive multivariable Cox regression analysis, baseline QoL remained a significant prognosticator during follow-up [hazard ratio (HR)Cox for death 1.012, 95% confidence interval 1.006–1.018, P < 0.001]. QoL monitoring showed that a score increase ≥10% between consecutive assessments stratified high-risk patients within the next 12 months (P = 0.008). Conclusion Both baseline and follow-up QoL monitoring were useful for patient risk stratification in a real-life HF cohort. Worse QoL may warn of a worse prognosis. Widespread QoL monitoring in routine clinical practice is recommended.

A queen honey bee mates at ~6 days of age, storing the sperm in her spermatheca for life. Mating is associated with profound changes in the behaviour and physiology of the queen but the mechanisms underlying these changes are poorly understood. What is known is that the presence of semen in the oviducts and spermatheca is insufficient to initiate laying, and that copulation or CO2 narcosis is necessary for ovary activation. In this study we use real-time quantitative PCR to investigate the expression of biogenic amine receptor genes in the brain and ovarian tissue of queens in relation to their reproductive status. We show that dopamine, octopamine and serotonin receptor genes are expressed in the ovaries of queens, and that natural mating, CO2 narcosis, and the presence of semen in the spermatheca differentially affect their expression. We suggest that these changes may be central to the hormonal cascades that are necessary to initiate oogenesis.

Aims To address the incremental usefulness of biomarkers from different disease pathways for predicting risk of death in heart failure (HF). Methods and results We used data from consecutive patients treated at a structured multidisciplinary HF unit to investigate whether a combination of biomarkers reflecting ventricular fibrosis, remodelling, and stretch [ST2 and N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP)] improved the risk stratification of a HF patient beyond an assessment based on established mortality risk factors (age, sex, ischaemic aetiology, left ventricular ejection fraction, New York Heart Association functional class, diabetes, glomerular filtration rate, sodium, haemoglobin, and beta-blocker and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor blocker treatments). ST2 was measured with a novel high-sensitivity immunoassay. During a median follow-up time of 33.4 months, 244 of the 891 participants in the study (mean age 70.2 years at baseline) died. In the multivariable Cox proportional hazards model, both ST2 and NTproBNP significantly predicted the risk of death. The individual inclusion of ST2 and NTproBNP in the model with established mortality risk factors significantly improved the C statistic for predicting death [0.79 (0.76–0.81); P < 0.001]. The net improvement in reclassification after the separate addition of ST2 to the model with established risk factors and NTproBNP was estimated at 9.90% [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.34–15.46; P < 0.001] and the integrated discrimination improvement at 1.54 (95% CI 0.29–2.78); P = 0.015). Conclusions Our data suggest that in a real-life cohort of HF patients, the addition of ST2 and NTproBNP substantially improves the risk stratification for death beyond that of a model that is based only on established mortality risk factors.

Introduction – Aurones (aureusidin glycosides) are plant flavonoids that provide yellow colour to the flowers of some ornamental plants. In this study we analyse the capacity of tyrosinase to catalyse the synthesis of aureusidin by tyrosinase from the chalcone THC (2′,4′,6′,4–tetrahydroxychalcone). Objective – To develop a simple continuous spectrophotometric assay for the analysis of the spectrophotometric and kinetic characteristics of THC oxidation by tyrosinase. Methodology – THC oxidation was routinely assayed by measuring the increase in absorbance at 415 nm vs. reaction time. Results – According to the mechanism proposed for tyrosinase, the enzymatic reaction involves the o-hydroxylation of the monophenol THC to the o-diphenol (PHC, 2′,4′,6′,3,4 – pentahydroxychalcone), which is then oxidised to the corresponding o-quinone in a second enzymatic step. This product is highly unstable and thus undergoes a series of fast chemical reactions to produce aureusidin. In these experimental conditions, the optimum pH for THC oxidation is 4.5. The progress curves obtained for THC oxidation showed the appearance of a lag period. The following kinetic parameters were also determined: Km = 0.12 mM, Vm = 13 μM/min, Vm/Km = 0.11/min. Conclusion – This method has made it possible to analyse the spectrophotometric and kinetic characteristics of THC by tyrosinase. This procedure has the advantages of a short analysis time, straightforward measurement techniques and reproducibility. In addition, it also allows the study of tyrosinase inhibitors, such as tropolone. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Objective To assess the prevalence of primary cardiac complications in a large population of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), using recently developed echocardiographic techniques. Methods We prospectively studied 100 consecutive patients (mean ± SD age 54 ± 14 years; 86 women) presenting with SSc without pulmonary arterial hypertension or clinical manifestations of heart failure. All patients underwent standard echocardiography, along with measurements of longitudinal velocities by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) to assess left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) contractility and LV diastolic function. Results were compared with those in 26 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Results Patients with SSc had a wider mean left atrial diameter and impaired relaxation compared with the controls. A trend was observed toward a smaller LV ejection fraction (EF) in the patients (mean ± SD 64.9 ± 0.6%) than in the controls (67.2 ± 0.7%), as well as higher pulmonary artery pressure (mean ± SD 33.3 ± 0.6 mm Hg versus 30.8 ± 1.0 mm Hg). LVEF was

The two enzymes involved in enzymatic browning reactions - polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) - were extracted from peach fruit mesocarp. PPO was mainly located in the membrane fraction and was in its latent state. However, POD activity was found in the soluble fraction. The kinetic characterization of PPO and POD was carried out with a natural substrate (chlorogenic acid) and with a non-physiological substrate. Under native isoelectric focusing (IEF), several PPO isoenzymes were present in the pH range 5.4-5.8. A partially denaturing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) showed the presence of two active bands with apparent molecular masses of 49 and 50kDa. A totally denaturing SDS-PAGE indicated the presence of a single polypeptide with a molecular mass of 60kDa, as revealed by western blot. POD was also analyzed by IEF, showing the presence of two strongly basic isoenzymes, which were resolved by cationic native PAGE into two different bands.  2007 Society of Chemical Industry

International audience; By comparative genomics, we have identified a gene of the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes that encodes an LPXTG surface protein absent from nonpathogenic Listeria species. This gene, vip, is positively regulated by PrfA, the transcriptional activator of the major Listeria virulence factors. Vip is anchored to the Listeria cell wall by sortase A and is required for entry into some mammalian cells. Using a ligand overlay approach, we identified a cellular receptor for Vip, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident chaperone Gp96 recently shown to interact with TLRs. The Vip-Gp96 interaction is critical for bacterial entry into some cells. Comparative infection studies using oral and intravenous inoculation of nontransgenic and transgenic mice expressing human E-cadherin demonstrated a role for Vip in Listeria virulence, not only at the intestine level but also in late stages of the infectious process. Vip thus appears as a new virulence factor exploiting Gp96 as a receptor for cell invasion and/or signalling events that may interfere with the host immune response in the course of the infection.

[EN] Two field trials in citrus orchards in Turis (Valencia, Spain) and Denia (Alicante, Spain) were performed in order to test the sterilant effect of the insect growth regulator lufenuron against wild medfly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) populations. Two application methods for lufenuron were tested: spraying, in spots, an emulsion of lufenuron in a protein bait, and hanging delta traps that contained a proteinaceous gel with lufenuron (solid bait). The sterilant effect was measured as medfly population reduction, reduction of fruit damage in treated fields, and the number of eggs hatching in punctured fruits. In order to assess the efficacy of lufenuron treatments, we recorded results obtained from two different zones in both trial fields: an outer zone, close to untreated fields, and an inner zone, in the centre of lufenuron treated fields. We observed a minimum sterilant effect in the outer zone and a maximum sterilant effect in the inner one. The maximum sterilant effect was in the inner zone, where a reduction of medfly population of 80.4% in the sprayed field and a reduction of 77.6% in the solid bait field was observed. In addition, the greater the distance from the untreated zones of the treated orchard (inwards), the lower the fruit damage and medfly population level. In this inner zone, fruit punctured by medfly developed significantly fewer larvae (38.8%) than punctured fruits from the outer zone (68.6%). In addition, we recorded the decline in the activity of the lufenuron treatments with time. Lufenuron activity persisted in field for at least two weeks with spray applications, and for three months with bait gels. (C) 2004 Society of Chemical Industry., [ES] Se realizaron dos ensayos de campo en huertos de cítricos en Turis (Valencia, España) y Denia (Alicante, España) para probar el efecto esterilizante del regulador del crecimiento de insectos lufenurón en poblaciones silvestres de moscamed Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann). Se probaron dos métodos de aplicación del lufenurón: pulverización en puntos, de una emulsión de lufenurón en un cebo proteico y trampas delta colgantes que contenían un gel proteico con lufenurón (cebo sólido). El efecto esterilizante se midió como la reducción de la población de moscamed, la reducción del daño de la fruta en los campos tratados y el número de huevos que eclosionan en las frutas perforadas. Para evaluar la eficacia de los tratamientos con lufenurón, se registraron los resultados obtenidos en dos zonas diferentes en ambos campos de prueba: una zona exterior, cerca de los campos no tratados, y una zona interior, en el centro de los campos tratados con lufenurón. Se observó un efecto esterilizante mínimo en la zona exterior y un efecto esterilizante máximo en la zona interior. El máximo efecto esterilizante fue en la zona interior, donde se observó una reducción de la población de mosca med del 80,4% en el campo asperjado y una reducción del 77,6% en el campo de cebo sólido. Además, cuanto mayor es la distancia de las zonas no tratadas del huerto tratado (hacia el interior), menor es el daño de la fruta y el nivel de población de moscamed. En esta zona interna, los frutos atacados por moscamed desarrollaron significativamente menos larvas (38,8%) que los frutos atacados en la zona exterior (68,6%). Además, se registró la disminución de la actividad de los tratamientos con lufenurón con el tiempo. La actividad de lufenurón persistió en el campo durante al menos dos semanas con aplicaciones de aspersión y durante tres meses con geles de cebo. (C) 2004 Society of Chemical Industry., We wish to thank Hiper-Riego and Jose Soler for lending their orchards for the field trial. Francisco Cuenca helped with the monitoring of punctured fruit. This research was funded by the Conseller´ıa de Agricultura de la Generalitat Valenciana, and Fundacion Jose y Ana Rollo. We also thank Fernando ´ Alfaro Lassala for his advice in field trial methodology