Episiotomy or cutting the perineum is the most common operation in obstetrics. Perineal pain is the main complication of episiotomy that affects the quality of life and mental health of the mother. Reducing the pain and side effects of the chemical drugs prescribed for pain relief has attracted the attention of both physicians and scientists. This study was conducted to determine the effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), as an alternative method, on post-episiotomy pain severity.  This randomized clinical trial was performed on 120 primiparous women who had referred to Sanandaj Besat Hospital in 2018. The patients were divided randomly into three groups, including the intervention group (TENS-On), the placebo group (TENS-Off), and the control group. TENS electrodes were placed near the episiotomy site in genitofemoral and pudendal nerves. The pain was measured after episiotomy in lying, sitting, and activity positions. The pain severity was measured using a pain measurement instrument  at four-time points, i.e., before the intervention as well as 30, 60, and 120 minutes after the TENS intervention. For data analysis, Pearson correlation, student’s t-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, ANOVA test, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used.  Intragroup evaluation results for placebo and control groups demonstrated no significant difference in the pain score (P>0.05). A significant difference was observed between the mean pain severity of the intervention group and that of the group with walking activities (P=0.04). In terms of the intergroup evaluation, there was a significant difference observed between the mean pain severity of the lying position and that of the control group (P=0.008). Regarding the sitting position, no significant difference was observed between its mean pain severity and that of the other two groups (P=0.04).  TENS is an effective and safe method for post-episiotomy pain relief and a routine method used in the obstetrics and gynecology ward. The results showed that high and low TENS frequencies were effective in relieving the post-episiotomy pain [Episiotomy during childbirth is the most common surgical operation in midwifery , which iildbirth . Ten perildbirth . This coildbirth , 16. Theildbirth . Severalildbirth , epiduraildbirth , turmeriildbirth , and nonildbirth , heat anildbirth , and perildbirth  are effeildbirth . TENS isildbirth , 23. Theildbirth -28. In oildbirth . The effildbirth . In a stomy pain . In a coomy pain . The comomy pain . In the omy pain . Althougomy pain -40, no pThis study was a randomized, controlled, placebo clinical trial conducted from April 2018 to June 2018 in the maternity ward of Sanandaj Besat Hospital, a training hospital and a referral center for the obstetric and nursing care in the Kurdistan province, Iran.The studied samples consisted of 120 primiparous puerperal women who had experienced spontaneous vaginal delivery with mediolateral episiotomy.For each group, the population sample size was measured at 37 based on the Cochran formula, with the power value of 0.80, alpha value of 0.05, and the standard deviation value of 0.78. To improve the power of the study, the sample size of 40 was considered for each group. The patients were divided into three groups by block randomization, including the intervention group (TENS-ON), the placebo group (TENS-OFF), and the control group (routine care without using TENS).The inclusion criteria of the study were primiparous women, aged over 18, the experience of low-risk pregnancy and singleton pregnancy, with a live newborn, the gestational age of between 38-42 weeks, cephalic and anterior occiput positions, the newborns weight ranged 2500-4000 g, the spontaneous vaginal delivery with mediolateral episiotomy, the experience of pain in the episiotomy site, no genitourinary pathology, having no drug addiction, no use of the sedative 4-6 hours before the intervention, and no use of medications during the data collection period. The exclusion criteria included the use of pacemakers, arrhythmia, epilepsy, and mental health problems, epidural anesthesia, puerperal complications, previous exposures to TENS, and the complication occurrence due to TENS .The data were collected using a demographic data form with the variables of age, education level, job, residency, ethnicity, marital satisfaction, satisfaction with the newborn’s gender, mother’s exercise status, and mother’s body mas index (BMI), maternal clinical features , delivery features , infant features , a registration form for the pain , together with the TENS’ complications and satisfaction rate. A numerical rating scale was used to measure the pain severity, i.e., a 10cm line using that people marked their pain intensity or indicate their pain by a number. In this approach, 0 corresponded to no pain and 10 represented the maximum pain ever experienced. The pain scale was divided into three groups, where 1-3, 4-7, and 8-10 were defined as mild, moderate, and severe pains, respectively. All eligible primiparous women were divided randomly into three groups by closed envelopes . The stuThis study was registered at the Iranian Center for Clinical Trials under code “IRCT20171224038034N1” after the approval of the research project in the Ethics Committee of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences (ethics code: IR.MUK.REC.1396/365). Informed consent was obtained from the participants for cooperation in this study and publishing their data. The participants were informed that they could discontinue the interviews at any time.The data analysis was conducted using SPSS Statistics version 20 . For data description, the mean, standard deviation, and relative frequency were used. For data analysis, Pearson correlation, student’s t-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, analysis of variance test, and Mann-Whitney U test were utilized. A P<0.05 was considered as significant difference.The participants’ features were not different among the groups (P>0.05). The baseline features of the participants are presented in et al. (1999), the effects of TENS were evaluated on pain severity after hemorrhoidectomy. The results showed that pain severity decreased significantly in the intervention group, 8, 12, 16, and 24 hours after the surgery [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of TENS on post-episiotomy pain severity in primiparous women with mediolateral episiotomy. Our results showed that TENS reduced the clinical pain in the intervention group immediately and one hour after the intervention. Other studies have also demonstrated TENS’ effectiveness in relieving postoperative pains in the cases of endometrial biopsy, uterine tubal ligation, inguinal herniorrhaphy, abortion, hysteroscopy, and primary dysmenorrhea -39. In a surgery . In the  surgery . In the  [et al. . They sh [et al. . There w [et al.  in the m [et al. . In anot [et al. . A signi [et al. . In the  [et al.  findings [et al. , 42. The [et al. , 43. In  [et al. . In some [et al. , 42. In  [et al. . In some [et al. -33. In t [et al. , the eff [et al. . In the  [et al. , 42, 46. [et al. . At the  [et al. , the eff [et al. . ParticiThe results of the present study indicate that TENS is a safe, uncomplicated, comfortable, and effective pain reliever with a high rate of acceptability. To improve maternal care, this method could be used as a routine approach in the maternity ward to reduce the frequency of the postoperative pain after episiotomy.The present work has been extracted from the MSc thesis of Seyedeh Soma Zakariaee (thesis number: 1397.056), at the Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. The authors would like to thank the Research Affairs Department of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, the medical staff of Sanandaj Besat Hospital, as well as the participants.The authors declare no conflict of interest and approve the final article.


Nanaloricus, namely Nanaloricus valdemari sp. nov. and Nanaloricus mathildeae sp. nov., as well as a new genus and species, Scutiloricus hugoi gen. et sp. nov. Adults of N. valdemari sp. nov. are distinguished by a pair of unique cuticular ridges, here referred to as longitudinal stripes, spanning laterally along the anterior two thirds of the dorsal lorical plate. N. mathildeae sp. nov. is characterized by strong sexual dimorphism. Specifically, the branches composing the multiform male clavoscalids are much broader as compared to other Nanaloricus species. The two new Nanaloricus species are both characterized by unique sensory organs associated with the double trichoscalids. The size and exact position of these organs differ between the two species. Adults of Scutiloricus hugoi gen. et sp. nov. are characterized by, among other features, a square lorica composed of six cuticular plates with a total of 14 anterior spikes, of which 12 have transverse cuticular ridges and thus appear fenestrated; laterodorsal flosculi arranged linearly; a posterior lorical region characterized by an anal field with a small anal cone flanked by a pair of spurs. Notably, mature females are characterized by a pair of seminal receptacles, a character not previously reported in Loricifera. We discuss the new findings and compare N. valdemari sp. nov. and N. mathildeae sp.nov. with other species assigned to genus Nanaloricus. The distinguishing features of Scutiloricus hugoi gen. et sp. nov. are discussed from a comparative perspective with the other genera of family Nanaloricidae.Loricifera is a phylum of microscopic animals that inhabit marine environments worldwide. Named after their conspicuous and protective lorica, the phylum was first described from Roscoff (France) in 1983 and, hitherto, it contains only 40 species. Based on data collected from Roscoff during the past four decades, we here describe two new species of  Symsagittifera roscoffensis   are renowned for their biodiversity and exceptional animal life. This is exemplified by the description of and current research on the Roscoff worm, s Graff, 891 (see see e.g. ) and by see e.g. –7. Notaben, 2009 .Loriciferans are meiobenthic animals of microscopic size (80–800 μm in length) found in sediments from shallow-water coarse sands to deep-sea muddy bottoms at a wide range of depths , 15, 16.The loriciferan life cycle is complex and involves larval and postlarval stages, which succeed through development into adult forms , 22. MemFafnirloricus polymetallicus exhibits the highest number of lorica plates ever found in a nanaloricid, i.e. 20 . The phylum is represented by a single order, Nanaloricida, and currently comprises three families, Nanaloricidae, Pliciloricidae and Urnaloricidae, harboring 42 described species  –14. In aNanaloricus mysticus, were found in this area at 25–30 m water depths in a sediment type known as “Dentalium sand” . Besides these nanaloricids, a single larval specimen belonging to another family, Urnaloricidae, was also found in the vicinity of Roscoff, more specifically in the Bay of Morlaix . This larva was found in maerl (Lithothamnion) sand collected in 2004. With the three new species and new genus described in the present study, the number of loriciferan species present in the coastal area off Roscoff increases to seven. To our knowledge this subtidal area is thus among the most biodiverse localities in the world regarding loriciferan fauna. Interestringly, this observation also holds for other meiofauna groups, as the Roscoff area also represents a biodiversity hotspot for e.g. tardigrades [The marine sediments off the coast of Roscoff (France) are well known for the presence of Loricifera. Importantly, specimens of the first described loriciferan species, 6’45’’W; ), locate6’45’’W; . The spedigrades . Other ldigrades  as well digrades . Fascinadigrades , 39 as wdigrades .N. valdemari sp. nov. and N. mathildeae sp. nov. used in previous molecular and morphological studies [Scutiloricus hugoi gen. et sp. nov. found thus far. Only four specimens belonging to this new species and genus have been found until now: two females (paratypes) in July 1985, a male  in December 2013 and a female (holotype) in May 2013. The reasons behind this apparently low population density are yet to be unraveled, though more sampling efforts not only in Trezen ar Skoden, but also in the surrounding area, could provide new insights into the distribution of the new species and genus in the large coastal area off Roscoff.The description of the three new loriciferan species reported here stems from several decades of sampling in the coastal area off Roscoff. Specifically, the collection of specimens used in the description of these new species spanned 35 years, i.e. the period of 1985–2020. Although the exact number of specimens of  studies , 27 is nArmorloricus sp. I and Armorloricus sp. II [Armorloricus elegans and Armorloricus davidi, respectively, based on the consistent and recurrent finding of larval morphotypes together with adult forms of only one species [Nanaloricus and are, to some extent, similar to the Higgins larva of Nanaloricus mysticus. These larval morphotypes are always found in samples holding N. valdemari sp. nov. and N. mathildeae sp. nov., though an assignment to either species has not yet been possible.In addition to adult forms and postlarval stages, Higgins larva specimens clearly belonging to four different species were found in sediment collected from Trezen ar Skoden between 1985 and 2020. Unfortunately, the larval specimens were often found in samples containing adults of more than one nanaloricid species. Two of the four larval morphotypes were initially described as s sp. II . These s species . The othScutiloricus hugoi gen. et sp. nov. is relevant for the diversity of Loricifera. As compared with Pliciloricidae (with three genera) and Urnaloricidae (with one genus), Nanaloricidae is now the most diverse of the three loriciferan families, accommodating a total number of seven genera. Recently described, the new species and genus Fafnirloricus polymetallicus provided new insights into how diverse the nanaloricid anatomy can be [F. polymetallicus. In this regard, Scutiloricus hugoi gen. et sp. nov. possesses a more traditional nanaloricid-like anatomy. However, its unique anal field and female seminal receptacles add important novelties to our knowledge of the nanaloricid body plan.Finally, the description of y can be . For insS1 VideoSame specimen as shown in (MP4)Click here for additional data file.


Hynobius utsunomiyaorum from Chugoku District, Japan. Our detailed morphological and molecular comparisons showed that H. utsunomiyaorum is clearly divided into two species: the true H. utsunomiyaorum and the Izumo Lineage of H. utsunomiyaorum, i.e., Hynobius kunibiki sp. nov. This new species does not satisfy the diagnosis of H. utsunomiyaorum, while these two species do not form a monophyletic group based on molecular data. Hynobius setoi is morphologically more similar to the new species than is H. utsunomiyaorum. Previous studies have suggested that H. setoi is distributed across the San’in region, i.e., the northern part of Chugoku District, Japan. However, our research revealed that H. setoi is not distributed in the northern part of Shimane Prefecture, located in the western part of the San’in region in Chugoku District. Rather than H. setoi, we found that the new species was distributed in the northern part of Shimane Prefecture. Additionally, results of phylogenetic analyses using all valid Japanese Hynobius species are provided in our study. Based on these results, we show that Japanese Hynobius species included in the subgenus Hynobius may be divided into four genetic clades. The information in our study will be vital for developing conservation management strategies and policies for these species.In the study, we investigated the true taxonomic composition of Hynobius from Chugoku, Japan. In populations from central to eastern Shimane Prefecture, the Izumo Lineage of Hynobius utsunomiyaorum was clearly distinguished from the true Hynobius utsunomiyaorum based on morphological and molecular evidence. Thus, we describe the former lineage as a new species, Hynobius kunibiki sp. nov. Morphological comparisons revealed that H. utsunomiyaorum lacks a distinct yellow line on the ventral side of its tail, whereas the new species possesses this yellow line; most H. utsunomiyaorum individuals have distinct white spots on the lateral sides of their body and lack a fifth toe, whereas the new species largely lacks these spots, and all examined individuals had a fifth toe. The two species also differed significantly by several other morphological characteristics. The lentic species Hynobius setoi is morphologically similar to H. kunibiki sp. nov., but they differ significantly by various morphological characteristics. Despite their partial morphological similarity, these two species differed substantially in terms of their genetics. Finally, we show, in a phylogenetic tree including all Japanese Hynobius species, that the subgenus Hynobius can be divided into four genetic clades. Overall, this information will help develop conservation management strategies and policies for these species.Here, we describe a new species of the genus  Hynobius includes 55 species, 37 (67.3%) of which are endemic to Japan . AddH. setoi is found at the lowland areas along the Japan Sea from northwestern Hyogo Prefecture to the northeastern part of Shimane Prefecture. Based on our analyses, haplotypes of H. setoi were found from the westernmost part of Hyogo, Tottori, from west to east, and the easternmost part of Shimane Prefectures; however, these haplotypes were not detected from around the northeastern part of Shimane Prefecture ; however, supraspecies hidamontanus and naevius cannot be distinguished genetically , Hynobius lichenatus supraspecies , Hynobius shinichisatoi supraspecies , and Hynobius naevius supraspecies . Dubois and Raffaëlli [We conducted phylogenetic analyses using all Japanese  species . Accordietically . If subgaffaëlli  used theHynobius spp. is 38, but some taxonomic problems have been left unsolved. Matsui et al. [H. akiensis and H. nebulosus are not monophyletic species, and they may be divided into two species. Further, the study only described male morphology; thus, female morphology of many Hynobius species remains unidentified. The task of clarifying the distribution ranges of lentic Hynobius also needs to be undertaken as detailed distribution ranges of H. setouchi, H. akiensis, and H. vandenburghi are still unknown. Future studies involving taxonomic reexamination and field surveys to clarify the distribution ranges of both sexes of the Japanese Hynobius species are required.Following this description, the number of Japanese H. kunibiki sp. nov. and H. setoi are morphologically similar, so definitive identification of these species will be difficult where DNA data is unavailable. The information in this study is expected to be useful for confirming the distribution ranges of these two species. However, it is possible that overcollection could decimate the Hynobius species following the release of detailed locality information. Indeed, overfishing of H. utsunomiyaorum has already been recognized [H. kunibiki sp. nov. must be reassessed, and management plans for its conservation and regulation by national or regional administrations are immediately required to prevent overcollection and possible extinction.The localities of the four species used in this study have been provided in detail, which will support conservation activities. In particular, cognized . TherefoHynobius utsunomiyaorum and H. utsunomiyaorum was rejected by the molecular evidence. Besides the genetic evidence, the Izumo Lineage of H. utsunomiyaorum did not satisfy the diagnosis from the original description of H. utsunomiyaorum in morphology. Furthermore, significant morphological differences between them were detected in both sexes, so we described the Izumo Lineage of H. utsunomiyaorum as H. kunibiki based on morphological, phylogenetic, and evolutionary species concepts. This new species is limited to the northern part of Shimane Prefecture, and the conservation status should be reassessed for appropriate conservation activities.The monophyly of the Izumo Lineage of


We continue the inventory of alien vascular plants of Kyrgyzstan, with emphasis on the time and pathways of introduction of the species and their current status in the territory. Each taxon is discussed in the context of plant invasions in Central Asia. This work is a further development of the preliminary checklist of alien plants of Kyrgyzstan, which was compiled for the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species in 2018.Solanaceae and Asphodelaceae and one species of Asteraceae. Physalisphiladelphicus (syn. P.ixocarpa) is reported for the first time from Central Asia, as new to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, thus marking a recent invasion with a variety of imported grain and seed material. The old records of P.ixocarpa from Uzbekistan are based on misidentified specimens of P.angulata. Physalisangulata is an old cotton immigrant in Central Asia, whose invasion started in the 1920s; it is excluded from the alien flora of Kyrgyzstan as registered in error on the basis of cultivated plants. Alkekengiofficinarum is an archaeophyte of the Neolithic period in Central Asia, formerly used for food, now strongly declining and largely casual in Kyrgyzstan. The only historical record of Physalisviscosa from Uzbekistan was based on a technical error and belongs to A.officinarum. Daturastramonium and Hyoscyamusniger were introduced as medicinal plants during the period of the Arabic invasion of Central Asia, by the 11th century. Daturainnoxia is a newly recorded casual alien, recently escaped from ornamental cultivation. Nicandraphysalodes is a casual alien, which was cultivated by Russian colonists in the early 20th century for culinary use and is currently used in ornamental cultivation. Hemerocallisfulva was a remnant of historical cultivation in the former Khanate of Buxoro, and its formerly established colonies are presumably extinct in the wild. Bidensfrondosa was seemingly introduced with contaminated forage and seed of American origin during the late Soviet period and started to spread in the period of independence; its invasion in the former USSR is analysed.This contribution includes all alien species of Kyrgyzstan belonging to  In their review of the data used in the analyses of alien plants, The current list of alien vascular plants of Kyrgyzstan  includesAs in the first part of these contributions , all occSolanaceae, whose members have been completely inventoried for this purpose. This family is rich in alien plants; it concludes the top-10 of the families most represented in the global naturalised alien flora , due to the extreme obscurity of its background data in Central Asian treatments. The recent expansion of a globally invasive weed, Bidensfrondosa (Asteraceae), has been largely neglected in Central Asia and is treated in detail here.Besides the The checklist is alphabetically organised (according to genera and species) and structured according to The study is largely based on herbarium specimens from Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, which are kept at FRU, H, LE, MW and TASH. Personal herbarium collections of the authors have been deposited at H (A. Sennikov), FRU and LE (G. Lazkov). Besides, documented field observations published on citizen-science online resources  have beeThe set of all the records collected for the present work was included in the dataset of occurrences of alien vascular plants of Kyrgyzstan, which was published through GBIF . DistribSpecies distributions in Kyrgyzstan are characterised according to our scheme of botanical regions Fig. . SpeciesThe pathways of introduction are formalised according to Moench, 1802C7D89800-811F-5A91-857F-380BDD0F15BFurn:lsid:ipni.org:names:814247-1AlkekengiofficinarumPhysalisalkekengi L., Sp. Pl. 1: 183 (1753). Moench, Suppl. Meth.: 177 (1802) — AlkekengiofficinarumPhysalisfranchetiiAlkekengiofficinarumvar.franchetiiAlkekengiofficinarumPhysalispraetermissaAlkekengiofficinarumPhysalisglabripesMany popular sources and even scientific data aggregators, including Plants of the World Online , stated The species was a common vegetable in pre-historic times . For thiThe species is a neophyte outside Eurasia, in North America and northern Africa.The species is widely distributed in Central Asia and has been recorded from every country of the region . It was P.viscosa L. was reported as historically occurring in Uzbekistan (A.officinarum from Tashkent (cultivated or weedy), dated 1919.Due to a technical error, bekistan . This reWestern Tian-Shan, Northern Tian-Shan, Alay-Turkestan.The species has been commonly observed in and around populated places, along irrigation ditches and field margins. It was commonly cultivated in the whole country  but wentRiversides in moist forests in the native distribution area; cultivated lands, sides of watercourses, humid forests in the secondary distribution area.Perennial, rhizomatous, spreading by rhizome growth, persisting for a long time without seed reproduction.P.praetermissa, a subglabrous variant of P.alkekengi with its centre of distribution in China, thus indicating their human-dispersed origin from that country. Latest taxonomic treatments  or locally established. All recent observations are from the places of former cultivation , which should be treated as casual. Not invasive.Agriculture - no impact .BidensfrondosaBidensmelanocarpaBidenstripartita L., which is common in Central Asia , Australia and New Zealand; sporadically also elsewhere.In Europe, this species belongs to the most widely distributed alien vascular plants . It alsoKazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.In Central Asia, the species was first recorded in a single locality on the south-eastern margin of Tashkent City, Uzbekistan, in 1990 . The speIn Kazakhstan, the species was first recorded in 2001 near Jänıbek in West Kazakhstan Region. This locality is situated immediately next to the Russian border, and the species was known from the southern Volga Region of Russia by that time . Its curThe species was first recorded in Kyrgyzstan by In Tajikistan, the species was first recorded from Dushanbe City and its vicinities in 2009, along roadside ditches . It was At present the species is naturalised in all these four countries. It is widely naturalised and invasive in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, but sparsely occurring and not yet invasive in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.Western Tian-Shan, Northern Tian-Shan, Alay-Turkestan Fig. .Bidensfrondosa was recorded in Bishkek in 2008, for the first time in Kyrgyzstan. Since then, small groups of the species have been observed in the city centre , we conclude that contamination of seed material was not a major pathway of the species' introduction into Eastern Europe, and it was contamination of imported forage  and, to some extent, food (grain) that was responsible for the mass invasion of B.frondosa in the European part of the USSR  from the USA; further on, a vast amount of American feed grain had been imported since 1973 as a response to the decision to increase national food consumption and to maintain extensive livestock . This evthe USSR , indicat Belarus . Corn wa Belarus , and seehat crop .Besides Eastern Europe, the second major area of the species' invasion in Russia is the Far East . The speBidensfrondosa seed in urban habitats may occur with the aid of Fringillidae birds, domesticated animals or humans.The primary further dispersal of Bidensfrondosa along water streams suggests its further dispersal with water flows and transport. This type of dispersal was inferred for the first species' expansion in Central Europe . Native ecosystems - no impact . Urban areas - minor impact .Increasing (observed).Mill. 1768A99C5A17-0E52-50A0-B6CB-76B3AC586405urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:316945-2DaturainnoxiaDatura no. 5 (1768). Mill., Gard. Dict., ed. 8: DaturainnoxiaDaturameteloidesDaturainnoxiainoxiaBarkworth and Rabei 2020Central America.North and South America, Europe, Africa, Southern Asia, Australia.Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan.The species was recorded as a rare alien in Uzbekistan, observed as ruderal or escaped from cultivation .Reported from Kyrgyzstan for the first time here.Northern Tian-Shan Fig. .So far, the species has been recently recorded from the only locality on the southern margin of Bishkek City, in 2017, by G. Lazkov. A single individual was noticed on a dumping area of the cemetery. This occurrence is apparently casual.Dry open forests and shrublands in the native distribution area; cultivated lands, roadsides, ruderal places in the secondary distribution area. It occurs at altitudes of 1200-1800 m a.s.l. in Mexico .Short-lived perennial with a thick root.The species is a popular ornamental and medicinal plant, also in the native distribution area .Neophyte.The species was cultivated in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan for at least 60 years . It was Escape from confinement: Ornamental purpose other than horticulture.The species is cultivated for ornamental purposes in private gardens and public areas, and is sometimes found in waste sites. As in Europe e.g. , its subCasual.Agriculture - no impact (not recorded in crop production areas). Native ecosystems - no impact (restricted to urbanised areas). Urban areas - minor impact .Increasing (inferred).L. 17537422F315-B221-59CD-8772-5BA1F48F4A94urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:314738-2Daturastramonium L., Sp. Pl. 1: 179 (1753).DaturastramoniumDaturatatulaCentral America.Archaeophyte in North and South America, Central and Southern Europe, Africa, Southern and Central Asia, Malesia and Australia. Neophyte in Northern Europe. This species is one of the most widely distributed naturalised alien plants in the world, reaching top-10 in the temperate biome .Datura sp. were introduced to the Old World possibly by the 4th century; the exact mechanism of such transportations is still uncertain  by Avicenna in the first part of the 11th century, although probably as an imported plant . NowadayWestern Tian-Shan, Northern Tian-Shan, Alay-Turkestan Fig. .The species was found in major agricultural areas  and consDry open forests and shrublands in the native distribution area; cultivated lands, roadsides, ruderal places and riversides in the secondary distribution area. It occurs at altitudes of 500-1200 m a.s.l. in Mexico .In Kyrgyzstan, the species does not occur in high mountains , althougAnnual, with a taproot.D.stramonium with white flowers and D.tatula with lilac flowers . Native ecosystems - minor impact . Urban areas - moderate impact .Stable (inferred).(L.) L. 1762F29598F0-705D-5C6E-BB57-C79E65738642urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:536335-1HemerocallisfulvaHemerocallislilioasphodelusvar.fulva L., Sp. Pl. 1: 324 (1753). (L.) L., Sp. Pl., ed. 2, 1: 462 (1762) — Central and Southern China, Korea, Japan.North America, New Zealand (neophyte); Europe, Western and Southern Asia (archaeophyte).In Europe, the ornamental cultivation of the species has a long history, recorded as common in Britain by Hemerocallisfulva was common in the North American ornamental cultivation since the late 19th century; now it became invasive in several states of the USA, occurring along roadsides and river banks  of Buxoro from the 16th century until 1924. It included two major cities, Buxoro and Samarqand. The Khanate of Buxoro was characterised by extensive cultivation of numerous fruits, vegetables, ornamental and medicinal plants, which were recorded by early European travellers and native writers of Buxoro and Samarqand  or Mavarannahr (in Arabic). This territory, subordinated to various major contemporary states but being and e.g. .Hemerocallisfulva in Samarqand was recorded by Olga Fedtschenko in 1869 , the species was cultivated also in Qulja [Yining], Xinjiang, China. This means that its historical cultivation apparently included also the agricultural areas of northern Kyrgyzstan.Hemerocallisfulva was originally imported from that country; its broad distribution suggests the early period of introduction. It is also possible that the species was first imported as a vegetable, for its edible flowers and fleshy rhizomes  near populated places surrounding the Fergana Depression.Riversides in forests and grasslands in the native distribution area; stream sides, road sides and grasslands in the secondary distribution area.Hemerocallisfulva in Central Asia were situated at 700-1100 m above sea level.In China, the species was recorded at altitudes of 300-2500 m . In the Rhizomatous perennial. Flowers opening diurnal half-day, due to specialisation to diurnal moths . Easily According to the specimens examined, the traditional cultivation in Central Asia was represented by at least two forms; one was slender with narrow leaves and the other was more robust. The fruits were not developed, thus indicating triploidy. Double-flowered forms were not observed.Archaeophyte.The species was common in ornamental cultivation in the Khanate of Buxoro, and found in the territories around the Fergana Depression that belonged to this state. This introduction is at least some centuries old.Escape from confinement: Ornamental purpose other than horticulture.Although the plant is edible, its latest historical use was ornamental cultivation in private gardens .Locally naturalised, maintained by vegetative reproduction (colonophyte).In Kyrgyzstan, feral populations of the species were known along rivers and irrigation ditches near populated places, from the area of semi-wild apple and walnut forests at the lower belt in the north-western part of the Fergana Range . These pAgriculture - no impact (not weedy). Native ecosystems - minor impact (colonising riversides near populated places). Urban areas - minor impact (colonising irrigation ditches in populated places).Declining (inferred).L. 17538A8F7537-B0AD-5DC5-9DD6-23D1F7DEF7A2urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:815932-1Hyoscyamusniger L., Sp. Pl. 1: 179 (1753).Mediterranean, Western Asia .Archaeophyte in Temperate and Northern Europe and Temperate Asia, neophyte in Australia and North America.The species occurs in all the countries of Central Asia .Western Tian-Shan, Northern Tian-Shan, Eastern Tian-Shan, Alay-Turkestan Fig. .The species is distributed in agricultural areas and populated places across the whole territory of Kyrgyzstan .Stony or rocky places in the native distribution area, roadsides, fields, yards, waste places in the secondary distribution area.Hyoscyamusniger may reach the upper mountain belt  and on fields  and pastures , but mayAgriculture - major impact . Native ecosystems - major impact . Urban areas - major impact .Stable (inferred).(L.) Gaertn. 1791FD5646C1-F347-5162-BBD0-843302B6AEE6urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:816832-1NicandraphysalodesAtropaphysalodes L., Sp. Pl. 1: 181 (1753). (L.) Gaertn., Fruct. Sem. Pl. 2: 237 (1791) — South America.North and Central America, Southern Europe and Asia, Africa, Australia.In Europe, this species belongs to the most widely distributed alien vascular plants .The species has been naturalised in several provinces of China , probablSporadically found in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan .In Central Asia, the species was historically found in gardens and on melon fields . In the The first record of the species from Central Asia comes from Vannovskoe Village of Turkestan Region . This village was founded by Russian and Ukrainian colonists in 1887, which may be close to the earliest possible date of the species' introduction to Central Asia (following the conquest in 1868).Its recent occurrence seems to be in ornamental cultivation and ruderal.Western Tian-Shan, Northern Tian-Shan Fig. .The species was found as a weed in agricultural areas of the Chü and Talas Depressions . RecentlFertile places in the native distribution area; ruderal places, gardens, fields and field margins, roadsides and pastures in the secondary distribution area.Annual, with a taproot.Nicandraphysalodes was rather commonly used as a surrogate for Humuluslupulus in bakery in southern Russian and Ukrainian villages , transported by Russian colonists from their native villages in southern Russia. Its latest record from the Botanical Garden in Bishkek is dated 1955 and may constitute the last remnant of the old cultivation.Its latest subspontaneous record is dated 2020 and may be linked with recent ornamental cultivation.Escape from confinement: Agriculture. Escape from confinement: Ornamental purpose other than horticulture.The plant seems to have been historically introduced for its cultivation and subsequent use in home bakery, and then it has become a weed in and around the places of introduction. This pathway is indicated by the contemporary evidence  and by tModern pathways of introduction of this plant in Europe include grain import , wool coNicandraphysalodes has been widely cultivated for ornamental purposes in private gardens and city yards and along streets, and occasionally noted as running wild and occurring in ruderal and dumping places . The recent ruderal occurrence was represented by a single plant and was apparently casual as well.Agriculture - no impact (no longer occurring as a weed in gardens or on fields). Native ecosystems - no impact (not found outside populated places). Urban areas - minor impact .Increasing (inferred).L. 17535C6EBC2E-B91E-5B10-A86B-B5F787980E76urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:195334-2Physalisangulata L., Sp. Pl. 1: 183 (1753).PhysalisangulataPhysalisminimaPhysalisangulataPhysalishermanniiPhysalis occurring as aliens in Central Asia, P.angulata was sometimes confused with P.philadelphica. It differs from the latter by ovate-elliptic leaves on longer petioles, pale yellow or whitish-yellow corollae with small pale brown spots at the base . According to herbarium records, the species persisted on and around cotton fields until the 1960s. No recent records are available, and the current status of the species is unknown .It seems that No spontaneous occurrence has been recorded.Probably open riversides in the native distribution area; riversides, roadsides, fields and fields margins, ruderal places in the secondary distribution area.Annual, with a taproot.Physalisangulata were reported from Central Asia as P.minima : 101 (1786).PhysalisphiladelphicaPhysalisixocarpaPhysalisphiladelphicasubsp.ixocarpaP.philadelphica has been commonly confused with P.angulata. It differs from the latter by ovate-lanceolate leaves on shorter petioles  time in 2019, in a damp place at Jabağyly Village, Turkestan Region .In Kyrgyzstan, it was found for the first time in Bishkek, in 2015.P.angulata (see discussion under that species). Since 2008, the species was repeatedly collected as a ruderal plant in Tashkent  on the southern margin of the city. The scattered individuals withered quickly, whereas the fate of the large population was not studied. Further on, one individual was observed in flower in Sokuluk Village in 2021. The plants usually occurred in places with regular water supply, along irrigation ditches.Open or partly shaded places on humid, fertile soils in the native distribution area; roadsides, fields, field margins, ditches and riversides, dumps and ruderal places in the secondary distribution area.In arid areas, the species depends on the availability of water supply .Annual or short-lived perennial , with a Physalisphiladelphica are self-incompatible , with corresponding differences in the size of calyx and fruit. These dimensional characters match the infraspecific variability observed in Mexico , but its direct escape from cultivation is considered highly unlikely. Its occurrences on roadsides and waste ground in populated places suggest the arrival with contaminated grain or fodder. No further dispersal was noticed.In Uzbekistan, the species with certainly arrived with contaminated seed material, as indicated by its occurrence on fields. A wide variety of contaminated seed material  indicates its North American origin and multiple sources of introduction.In Russia, the species was introduced in the European part with garden seeds, as a weed of flower beds and vegetable gardens, recorded in the Middle Volga Region in the 1990s . Its earIn the USA, the species is cultivated for fruits and frequently escapes from cultivation, becoming established along roadsides and field margins . In KenyFurther dispersal in other countries was registered as occurring with animals  and watePresumably North America.Casual; ephemeral or locally persisting. The species may become established in places with regular water supply; so far, no long-term survival has been observed.Agriculture - no impact . Native ecosystems - no impact (not found outside populated places). Urban areas - minor impact .Increasing (observed).The species has been noticed in Kyrgyzstan only recently, as a newcomer. Its regular recent occurrence as a weed or ruderal plant in Uzbekistan may suggest further spreading also in Kyrgyzstan. Its recent introduction and subsequent expansion in Turkey  indicateL. 17538488BF57-4338-5B34-84F4-202C9744AE36urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30048260-2Solanumnigrum L., Sp. Pl. 1: 186 (1753).Calyx lobes more or less appressed ; fruits Southern Europe, Mediterranean, Southern Asia from Asia Minor to China. The species is most genetically diverse in Asia and may have an Asian origin . In CentArchaeophyte in Boreal and Central Europe, Northern and Central Asia; neophyte in North America, South Africa, Malesia and Australia. One of the most common and widely distributed weeds in the world .Native in Turkmenistan, alien in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.Solanumnigrum was a common weed of irrigated fields  in Central Asia  by S.nigrum by Solanumscabrum Mill. and S.villosum Mill. , we assume that the dispersal of S.nigrum was also partly human-mediated and this species was an unwanted component of the cultivation of S.villosum.um Mill. ; the disum Mill. . Based oArchaeophyte.This species was known from the whole of Central Asia from the beginning of its botanical exploration . The timTransport - Contaminant: Seed contaminant.Solanumnigrum arrived to the territory as a weed of historical crops (possibly of S.villosum).The species is a noxious weed of gardens and fields , also ocFurther dispersal occurs with water, contaminated seed and soil.Naturalised, invasive. The species has been a noxious weed of all crops in Kyrgyzstan  and remaAgriculture - major impact . Native ecosystems - minor impact . Urban areas - major impact .Stable (observed).Mill. 17685FCA71F3-E92B-5F0F-B7D1-E89D55D7BBEBurn:lsid:ipni.org:names:285344-2SolanumvillosumSolanum no. 2 (1768). Mill., Gard. Dict., ed. 8: SolanumvillosumSolanumluteumSolanumSolanumvillosumSolanumolgaeSolanumvillosumSolanumpseudoflavumCalyx lobes strongly reflected ; fruits Solanumnigrum s.l.: Southern Europe, Mediterranean, Southern Asia from Asia Minor to China, Africa. In Central Asia, the species is considered native in Turkmenistan, where it was recorded abundantly from riversides in the mountains  and S.olgae . The latter two have already been synonymised by The densely glandular variant occurs in scattered localities in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan .Solanumvillosum seems to be an evolutionary derivative of S.americanum Mill.  Daturametel L. . Native ecosystems - minor impact . Urban areas - moderate impact .Stable (inferred).The variety of plants recorded for the present Contribution, ranging from the oldest archaeophytes to the most recent neophytes, reflect the long and complicated history of the human civilisation in Central Asia.Alkekengiofficinarum, Solanumvillosum) and their weeds (Solanumnigrum). The period of Islamic states of Transoxiana (Mavarannahr), probably from the beginning of the 11th century, was noted for introductions of early medicinal (Daturastramonium and Hyoscyamusniger) and ornamental  plants. The period of the Russian conquest of Central Asia (late 19th century) brought other cultivated plants that quickly became ruderal, i.e. Nicandraphysalodes which was used in home bakery as a substitute for yeast.Some archaeophytes in Central Asia are notably old, dating back to the Neolithic period. This is true for old cultivated plants  and may become a common weed in the future.The recent period is characterised by the intensive import of foreign grain and seed for cultivation and consumption. Due to this recent import, Daturainnoxia and the renewed record of Nicandraphysalodes outside their places of cultivation. As the ornamental cultivation is still actively developing in Kyrgyzstan, we expect more records of such plants in the future.The latest increase (expansion and diversification) of ornamental cultivation brings the risk of further introductions of unwanted plants cf. ; this prAlkekengiofficinarum due to the decrease of its cultivation. A similar level of decline was also observed in Tajikistan  became weeds and ruderals; their position in the flora is stable. The old ornamental plant, Hemerocallisfulva, is seemingly extinct in the wild, as well as the introduction of the period of the Russian colonisation, Nicandraphysalodes, is no longer present in the places of its former cultivation. However, the old introduced plants, once having gone out of fashion and therefore extinct, may be reintroduced into cultivation and found in the wild again; both of the aforementioned plants, H.fulva and N.physalodes, have experienced the reintroduction from Europe, and the latter species has been lately seen in the wild again.Among the plants introduced during the period of Islamic states in Central Asia, the former medicinal plants (Daturastramonium is best studied (Solanumvillosum also belongs to the group of American origin (There are special cases when certain plant species, native to the Americas, were found introduced to the Old World, probably originally to India or other territories nearby, in the pre-Columbian era. Among such introductions, the history of  studied . Solanumn origin , whose dRegarding the difficulties encountered during this compilation, most notable was the lack of dedicated scientific studies and the paucity of herbarium collections, which reflect the current situation in plant invasions completely inadequately. Thanks to the recent development of online observational facilities and citizen-science tools e.g. , this deNicandraphysalodes dated back to 1928 (the undated mention in Another issue is the incompleteness of older publications and the poor availability of their background data. Quite exemplarily, the historical record of


Analyzing the biological and ecological characteristics of arthropods constitutes the basis for the entomological surveillance of vector-borne diseases. This is accomplished in order to implement vector surveillance and control programs. Thus, with the objective to update the distribution of sandflies in the main transmission region of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the state of São Paulo, we carried out a study of fauna in a modified environment, considering its environmental characteristics and climatic variables. Ecological indices such as richness, abundance, diversity, and equitability of the sandfly fauna in the region are presented.Nyssomyia intermedia next to Ny. neivai, which are sympatric species. The results presented reinforce the importance of these species in anthropized areas in the transmission of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) agents and the need for entomological monitoring. Psathyromyia pascalei was encountered for the first time in the municipality, expanding the known area of distribution of this species in a modified environment.Some ecological parameters and the distribution of vectors in the municipality of Eldorado, Vale do Ribeira Region, São Paulo, were studied. Entomological surveys were carried out from September 2019 to March 2021. It was observed that a few ecological parameters, including richness, abundance, diversity, and equitability, were typical of a modified environment, where artificial ecotopes maintain the presence of sandflies throughout the year. A total of 11,668 sandflies were captured. The presence of five taxa were observed in Eldorado, with low diversity and high dominance of  Leishmania . In Brazil, the most epidemiologically important species responsible for its dermotropic forms are Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis (Vianna), Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis (Floch), and Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis (Laison and Shaw). The clinical forms have different characteristics according to the infecting species, such as: cutaneous leishmaniasis (L. guyanensis), mucosal cutaneous leishmaniasis (L. braziliensis), diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (L. amazonensis), and disseminated leishmaniasis (L. braziliensis) ). Ny. intermedia and 25.0% as Ny. neivai  and temperatures around 22.4 °C . Althougth years .Ny. intermedia s.s. is the predominant species, which represented 73.3% of the total specimens captured. The high density of Ny. intermedia reinforces the importance of this sandfly species as transmission agent of CL in the area, which has been described by several studies since the mid-1950s [Some ecological parameters and the distribution of vectors in the municipality of Eldorado, Vale do Ribeira Region, São Paulo, were studied. In the study area id-1950s .Ny. intermedia s.l. was appointed as the main vector of L. braziliensis [Ny. intermedia s.l. in artificial ecotopes within the Vale do Ribeira region. However, Marcondes (1996) [Ny. intermedia s.s. and Ny. neivai, so far considered as the same species. Therefore, data presented in this study contributes to the updating of information on these species in CL transmission foci in the state of São Paulo.In a modified environment, iliensis ,19, mainiliensis  and by Giliensis , in studs (1996) , based oNy. intermedia s.s. and closely followed by Ny. neivai, which are sympatric species in the coastal region of São Paulo, suggest that the adaptation of these species to the anthropic environment is unchanged. This has been previously observed in other municipalities of the Vale do Ribeira [In the studied area, the modified environment and the presence of artificial ecotopes dominated by  Ribeira ,21,23,24 Ribeira ,27,28,29According to Andrade-Filho et al. (2006) , both spNy. neivai, given that the collections were conducted using a Shannon trap with humans as bait. In addition, its importance as a vector has been recorded through natural infection by Leishmania (Viannia) sp or Leishmania braziliensis [Ny. intermedia, is adapted to the modified environment and can bridge the gap between the natural environment and the altered environment. Casanova et al. (2005) [Ny. neivai females using Shannon traps exposed in wild and forest edge environments, demonstrating the tendency of this species to remain at the forest’s edge. However, infection is likely to occur when dispersing to the forest environment, as Shannon traps located in peri-domestic habitat support the hypothesis that household transmission results from infected females in an enzootic cycle which probably remain close to the human population [The anthropophilic characteristic can also be attributed to iliensis ,38,39,40. (2005) , in a mapulation ,43,44.Migonemyia migonei and Pintomyia fischeri species are known to be present in a modified environment and anthropophilic, as previously described in this region of the Vale do Ribeira in foci of cutaneous leishmaniasis [L. braziliensis, and its infection with this parasite has been registered in several endemic regions of Brazil [Mi. migonei next to Ny. intermedia and Pi. fischeri have endophilic behavior, and can be infected outside the home and transmit the parasite to humans at home, contributing to the continuing transmission as observed in the municipality of Eldorado.Two other species of major epidemiological importance were captured. The maniasis ,8,21,44.f Brazil ,46,47,48Pi. fischeri, even in low abundance, as observed in the studied area, is relevant due to its strong relationship with human habitat—its high anthropophily—which leads to this species being identified as a secondary vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis. In Eldorado, the high density observed of the more prevalent species, such as Ny. intermedia and Ny neivai, may be more favorable to CL transmission, to the detriment of Pi. fischeri, a fact corroborated by Galati et al., (2009) [Leishmania (Vianna) flagellated forms in Rio Grande do Sul [Pi. fischeri was the only one that was not naturally infected in SSP [The finding of , 2009) . Neverthe do Sul  and its e do Sul . Among td in SSP  but has 009 . Nevd in SSP .Mi. migonei is a putative vector of Leishmania infantum [Pi. fischeri, whose natural infection was recorded by Pita-Ferreira (2005) [L. (L). infantum in the absence of Lutzomyia longipalpis. Therefore, the risk of visceral leishmaniasis transmission in the studied area should not be ruled out because the main vector is absent. The introduction of the infection is mainly through domestic dog, which is the main reservoir in the domestic environment and because of the cinophilic characteristic of these species.Furthermore, infantum  along wia (2005)  and expea (2005) . In addia (2005)  point toPsathyromyia pascalei (Coutinho and Barreto) in the municipality of Eldorado is noteworthy even though this species has been observed in other municipalities in the Vale do Ribeira region [L. braziliensis [The detection for the first time of a region ,58. So filiensis . This enNy. intermedia, Ny neivai, Pi. fischeri, and Mi. migonei [Ny. intermedia s.l. thrives in a modified environment at the expense of other species. Still considering its role as the main vector of CL in the state of São Paulo, a correlation was observed between the presence of CL cases and the presence of Ny. intermedia s.l., in 88% in the investigated municipalities [For the ecological indices, the low species diversity (H = 0.63) could be related to the degree of anthropization, and the existence of food sources  enhances the development of species close to the household, as described in the literature ,27. Defo migonei ,43. In tThe male:female ratio observed was 1:1.25, which was also an expected result for the environment modified by the capture method employed. Gomes et al. (1982)  observedNy. intermedia showed peaks of exceptional abundance after the rains, during the prior season. However, its occurrence throughout the year can be favored by the ecotopes present in the peridomicile of the area. The same author [Ny. intermedia.The great plasticity of the phlebotomine population was observed throughout the year. The two most abundant species showed greater preference for the periods of the year, with an average relative humidity of 81,1% and average temperatures of 22.4 °C . This bee author  highlighNy intermedia and Ny neivai. The sandflies are commonly found in high densities during the hot and humid months and sometime in drier months [Ny intermedia sl in the Vale do Ribeira region [Ny. neivai has been described in hot and humid periods in other regions of SSP [Climatic factors, such as temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity have been related with the occurrence of sandflies ,62,63,64r months ,63,64. Ta region ,44. Mores of SSP .Long periods of drought or the rainy season are enough to change the dynamics of sandfly populations, even in these micro-habitats. Although seasonality studies should be conducted for at least two consecutive years to produce reliable and consistent data, reducing the margin of error provided by atypical years, it was only possible to carry out 17 months of capture fortnightly; however, we verified a plateau by the curve of species accumulation after the 9th week of capture  and the Ny. intermedia and Ny. neivai were the predominant species. The results reinforce the importance of these species in anthropophilic areas in the transmission of CL agents and emphasize the need for entomological surveillance with a goal to detect natural infection of sandflies, especially for the early detection of Leishmania infantum. The encounter of Ps. pascalei stands out, as this was the first time that it was found in the municipality, expanding the distribution area of this species in a modified environment. Future studies could focus on evaluating the circulation of the Leishmania species in those sandflies and evaluating blood feeding patterns.Five taxa were collected in the studied area in the Vale do Ribeira, and


A questionnaire survey of animal and human health authorities in Europe revealed that leishmaniases are not notifiable in all countries with autochthonous cases. Few countries implement surveillance and control targeting both animal and human infections. Leishmaniases are considered emergent diseases in most countries, and lack of resources is a challenge for control. Leishmania species in this region are L. major, L. tropica, and the L. donovani complex species (including L. infantum and L. donovani sensu stricto). All cause cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL); visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is caused mainly by L. donovani complex species. There is evidence that the risk for leishmaniases is increasing in some EU and neighboring countries  and its neighboring countries. L. infantum infections in domestic or wildlife hosts and a human leishmaniases (HumL) questionnaire referring to infections by L. infantum, L. major, L. tropica and L. donovani s.s.  questionnaire referring to ani s.s. . The tarani s.s. . The queani s.s. .Leishmania spp. infections in animals and humans and clinical forms in humans. The mapping of the countries with autochthonous transmission matches previous published information with few discrepancies. For instance, according to the questionnaire, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary do not have autochthonous canine leishmaniasis cases, although such cases have been described (L. tropica were reported in Cyprus and Serbia and due to L. major in Georgia; however, none of the literature presents concurring evidence (We reviewed the countries’ epidemiologic status with regards to autochthonous evidence .Animal leishmaniases are notifiable in 17 countries and human leishmaniases in 20 countries . In PaleL. infantum in a HumL outbreak in Madrid in Spain (Seven countries conduct AniL surveillance , indicatin Spain .Leishmania spp. infection prevalence in healthy hosts, but their diagnostic validity depends on the sample used, the DNA sequence target, and the PCR protocol. Standardization of PCR tests in leishmaniasis diagnosis is needed (Antibody tests, including the immunofluorescence antibody test, ELISA, and the rapid immunochromatography test, are the main surveillance diagnostic methods used, followed by PCR. Antibody tests play a fundamental role in disease surveillance because they are relatively cheap and easy to use (L. infantum, actions focused on the use of insecticides on dogs, and for L. major, L. tropica, and L. donovani, the common activity was the use of peridomiciliary and intradomiciliary insecticides. Lack of funds and capacity constraints are considered the main challenges for HumL. Of the 7 countries that have ongoing AniL prevention and control programs , 5 use tL. infantum strategies are centered on preventing and eliminating infections in dogs, the main parasite reservoir host, we found that insecticides and treatments are not fully effective and are expensive, and so provided to a relatively small proportion of dogs. Leishmaniasis control needs the One Health approach to account for the complexity of its transmission cycle involving humans, domestic animals, wildlife, and sand fly vectors (Although zoonotic L. infantum, and movement of infected persons between countries for L. major, L. tropica, and L. donovani.Animal leishmaniases are considered emergent diseases in Cyprus and Jordan and in parts of Algeria, Armenia, France, Georgia, Jordan, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey, and Ukraine. The most important AniL emergence risk factor is the lack of control. Human leishmaniases are considered emerging diseases in Cyprus, Libya and Malta and in parts of Albania, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Israel, Italy, Montenegro, and Spain. The main risk factors for HumL emergence are vector expansion for In general, the perceived increasing risk for AniL and HumL was in line with the literature. In the EU and its neighborhood, the risks include movement of humans and dogs, increased number of immunosuppressed patients, climate warming, and other environmental changes affecting vector and reservoir host distribution (Leishmaniases are considered widespread, endemic, or emerging infections in the EU and its neighborhood, yet are neglected and underreported because they are low priority at the country and EU level. Our study revealed a clear need to strengthen leishmaniasis prevention and control programs in the EU and its neighborhood. We recommend analysis of leishmaniasis incidence in the region for an objective assessment of disease emergence, and also improvement of prevention and control programs based on a robust surveillance and following a One Health approach.Questionnaires used in a study of animal leishmaniases in 2010–2020 in the European Union and neighboring countries.


Leptoglossus zonatus, is widely distributed in the Western Hemisphere. In California, two lineages (strains) occur. One lineage is known from California, and the second is found in California and Brazil. Although this species has been in California since 1900, it has become a pest in almonds in the last decade. It is possible that a cryptic species or strain has been introduced. This study investigated the distribution of the two lineages (strains) of L. zonatus in the Western Hemisphere. Specimens from the Leptoglossus collection in the national insect collection in Mexico were used to extract DNA and sequence the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I gene. These sequences were combined with others in Genbank from California and South America to determine the strain distributions. The first strain occurred in California and Mexico, while the second was widespread from California into South America. When all samples were combined, there was overall low genetic diversity. The small number of genetic types (haplotypes), the range expansion, and the economic pest status of L. zonatus in California, suggest this insect is a potentially invasive insect pest.The leaffooted plant bug, Leptoglossus zonatus  (Hemiptera: Coreidae) is polyphagous and widely distributed in the Western Hemisphere. Although it has been recorded in California since around 1900, it has become a more common pest in almonds in the last decade. Other studies have shown that an established insect can become a pest when a new genotype is introduced. This study investigated the distribution of two lineages (strains) of L. zonatus in the Western Hemisphere. Specimens from the Leptoglossus collection in the national insect collection in Mexico were used to extract DNA and sequence the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I (mtDNA COI) gene, for use in population genetic and phylogenetic analyses. New sequences from Mexico, Central and South America were combined with those available in GenBank, from California and Brazil. Two lineages (strains) of L. zonatus were uncovered. One lineage occurs in California, Mexico and Ecuador. The second lineage is more widespread and found in California, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Brazil. The haplotype number and diversity, and nucleotide diversity, were found for samples from California, Mexico, and Brazil, for the two lineages, and for all 118 sequences combined. All sequences combined produced five haplotypes, and a haplotype diversity of 0.54. California and Brazil had 3 haplotypes each, with one haplotype shared . Haplotype diversity in California and in Brazil were 0.526 and 0.505, respectively. A haplotype network found that one haplotype was most abundant and widespread. The small number of haplotypes, a range expansion, and economic pest status of L. zonatus in California, all contribute to this insect being a potentially invasive insect pest.The leaffooted plant bug,  Leptoglossus species (Guérin-Méneville) (Hemiptera: Coreidae), also known as leaffooted plant bugs, are endemic to the Western Hemisphere with at least 61 species recorded , in Mexico there were 15 collection sites from 12 sampling years with the widespread lineage predominant. It is possible that if larger sample numbers were available from these collection sites, higher haplotype diversity could have been detected. Another possibility is that the widespread lineage is replacing the more restricted lineage. This would need to be investigated with older museum specimens.One interesting finding is that the two L. neovexillatus was included due to its morphologically similar to L. zonatus; this species formed another lineage 13% divergent. This group consisted of two L. neovexillatus specimens from Bolivia and several GenBank sequences from insects identified as L. zonatus from Brazil. L. neovexillatus is recorded from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay [L. zonatus. The L. neovexillatus from Brazil appeared sufficiently morphologically similar enough to be mistakenly grouped with other L. zonatus from Brazil, yet genetically those specimens were quite genetically divergent. The L. zonatus group could benefit from a study of genetic distance among members to examine evolutionary relationship and to compare with existing taxonomic studies [ Uruguay . This sp studies ,21.L. zonatus in this study. While the precise region of origin and genetic diversity is not known for L. zonatus, the number of haplotypes found can be compared to those obtained for other Leptoglossus species. Leptoglossus clypealis Heidemann in California was genotyped from three sites within 100 km in the Central Valley of California. Among the 20 L. clypealis genotyped using mtDNA COI, there were 17 haplotypes with a haplotype diversity of 0.979, suggesting that California is a native region for this species [L. occidentalis Heidemann, has been introduced from North America into Europe. Prior to arriving in Italy, L. occidentalis slowly spread from the Western United States through the Midwest and into the Eastern United States [Genetic diversity can help determine where a species may be native, introduced, or invasive. For example, the number of haplotypes for a species can be compared between regions where it is native or suspected to be introduced. There was a low haplotype (5) and moderate genetic diversity for  species . Anotherd States ,41. Usind States .Halyomorpha halys Stal (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB). The BMSB is native in China and Japan where more than 25 haplotypes were observed, while only five were observed in introduced areas including in the US [Lygus hesperus (Knight) from its endemic region of the Western US [When an insect is introduced on another continent, a range expansion can more easily be observed, such as with n the US ; in Chinn the US , as werestern US .Leptoglossus species occur in South America [L. zonatus genetic diversity from that region could uncover more haplotypes than found in this study, and potentially find a region where there is higher genetic and haplotype diversity for this species.Sample sizes genotyped from California, Mexico and Brazil, were sufficient to detect genetic variability yet low genetic and haplotype diversity was found . Some sa America ,2,21. AnL. zonatus may have been moved from its center of diversity inadvertently by humans, as is the case with other insects [L. zonatus has a wide distribution through much of this species’ known range, and the full distribution of the other lineage is unknown. To date, the five haplotypes uncovered are a relatively small number, and a higher number is expected in the insect’s center of origin. The introductions into Louisiana and Florida in the last few decades and the expansion into the northern Central Valley of California demonstrates the insect is expanding its range. Invasive species can be defined as those which are introduced, may transmit disease, cause economic damage, or outcompete native organisms [L. zonatus has become more abundant, expanded its range, and it can transmit plant pathogens, it is not known to kill trees directly. It does however cause economic damage in almonds, and is one of the most potentially damaging insect pests in almonds after navel orangeworm [L. zonatus as a plant pest may outweigh the benefits of this insect in California, but would need to be determined [ insects . One haprganisms . While Langeworm . Recent termined . There a


Water quality status in terms of one crucial parameter such as dissolved oxygen (D.O.) has been an important concern in the Fei-Tsui reservoir for decades since it’s the primary water source for Taipei City. Therefore, this study aims to develop a reliable prediction model to predict D.O. in the Fei-Tsui reservoir for better water quality monitoring. The proposed model is an artificial neural network (ANN) with one hidden layer. Twenty-nine years of water quality data have been used to validate the accuracy of the proposed model. A different number of neurons have been investigated to optimize the model's accuracy. Statistical indices have been used to examine the reliability of the model. In addition to that, sensitivity analysis has been carried out to investigate the model's sensitivity to the input parameters. The results revealed the proposed model capable of capturing the dissolved oxygen's nonlinearity with an acceptable level of accuracy where the R-squared value was equal to 0.98. The optimum number of neurons was found to be equal to 15-neuron. Sensitivity analysis shows that the model can predict D.O. where four input parameters have been included as input where the d-factor value was equal to 0.010. This main achievement and finding will significantly impact the water quality status in reservoirs. Having such a simple and accurate model embedded in IoT devices to monitor and predict water quality parameters in real-time would ease the decision-makers and managers to control the pollution risk and support their decisions to improve water quality in reservoirs. However, reservoir's water quality is susceptible to deterioration2. The reservoir's water quality status is measured based on three different properties such as physical, chemical, and biological4. Various water quality parameters are measured for each mentioned property to evaluate water quality. Therefore, there is a need to accurately model these parameters due to their importance for better management and mitigating any risk associated with sustaining the quality within the acceptable level5. Dissolved Oxygen (D.O.) is among the most critical parameters in measuring water quality status6. Among all the water quality parameters, the Dissolved Oxygen (D.O.) is considered the most representative parameter that showed the class's water quality status, especially in surface water. This is due to the fact that D.O. is vital for the aquatic organisms and fish in the water bodies. The level of dissolved oxygen is a reflection of wind and aerating action. The D.O. level must be within amount to assure the stability of organisms and fish life in the water bodies; the higher the D.O., the better the condition aquatic and fish survival. To indicate the state of any aquatic system, D.O. is used as an indicator, and it is essential for microorganisms when its present in water column7.Reservoirs water considers one of the most crucial sources for household needs, irrigation, and other purposes such as industrial needs8. Other models, such as the statistical model introduced to overcome the conventional models. Since many factors impact the concentration of D.O. in the reservoir, which can cause to nonlinearity pattern, the statistical model fails to capture it since it assumes that the relationship between D.O. and other parameters is linear9. Alternatively, Machine Learning (ML) techniques have been proposed as an other technique to capture the nonlinearity in any complex system11.Deterministic and stochastic models are used to model the D.O. concentration changes and capture any pattern from the measured data; However, these models require massive data to model the D.O. pattern and consider very complex12. Recently, ML techniques have been used intensively in modeling complex parameters related to water resources, such as predicting sea-level rise15, rainfall prediction17, reservoir water level prediction19, and streamflow forecasting21. Inspired by the robust performance of ML in capturing the nonlinearity patterns in most of the engineering systems, different algorithms of ML have been adopted to predict the water quality parameters. Predicting the class Water Quality Index (W.Q.I.) has been carried out using different ML algorithms by many researchers24. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) has been used to predict total nitrogen and phosphorus in the United States (U.S.) lakes25. At the same time, a support vector machine (SVM) was developed to predict the concentration of biological oxygen demand (B.O.D.) at the Johor river, Malaysia26.Artificial Neural Network (ANN) methods were used in conjunction with numerical simulation models to boost the simulation results8. However, the limitations of the A.N.F.I.S. model were reported by Ahmadlou et al.27. These drawbacks are that it is not very accurate and cannot find the best parameters; it is also prone to get stuck in a local minimum, contributing to its lack of prediction abilities.Regarding dissolved oxygen concentrations, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (A.N.F.I.S.) was proposed to predict D.O. at the Johor river, Malaysia28 to predict dissolved oxygen concentration using an optimally pruned extreme learning machine (O.P.E.L.M.). The study found that O.P.E.L.M. provided a reasonable estimate of D.O. However, Sánchez-Monedero et al.29 found that O.P.E.L.M. tends to degrade too many neurons, which results in noticeable performance degradation in some data sets.A model was developed by Heddam30 to predict the amount of dissolved oxygen in intensive anaerobic ponds. However, It has been found that L.S.S.V.R. performance depends heavily on selecting the kernel coefficient and regularization coefficient, which are necessary for the optimization process and the final L.S.S.V.R. model. Regrettably, there is no unique, perfect method to specify the given parameters in the L.S.S.V.R. model. Extreme machine learning was developed by31 and used to predict dissolved oxygen in urban rivers. In addition to that, recently, the concentration of dissolved oxygen in fishery pond was predicted using a gated recurrent unit32.The least-squares support vector (L.S.S.V.R.) has been proposed by Liu et al.35. Teaching–learning-based optimization algorithm (T.L.B.O.) is used to predict dissolved oxygen36. Various regression equations were optimized, including quadratic, exponential, logarithmic, and linear using T.L.B.O. Then the findings from T.L.B.O. compared with an artificial bee colony (A.B.C.) optimizer. Better results were obtained by hybridizing the quadratic regression equation with T.L.B.O. Besides the hybridized model's complexity, the authors used many parameters (twenty parameters) as inputs to develop the model. One of the drawbacks of such a model is to have access to a significant amount of available and reliable water quality parameters data, which is challenging.To overcome the inherent limitations established by standalone models, hybrid models have been proposed to optimize these algorithms' hyper-parameters by augmenting them with different optimization algorithms. For instance, different hybrid models have been developed and used to predict dissolved oxygen concentration37. Kumar et al.38 found that the artificial neural network's prediction performance can be enhanced by improving the training approach without hybridizing it with optimization algorithms. In addition to that, a recent study highlighted the importance of the input combinations of ML algorithms' output accuracy, where the optimal input combinations can lead to a high level of accuracy without the need to augment ML with optimizers40.Despite the acceptable performances these models achieved, however, there are few limitations associated with the hybridization of ML. One of these limitations is the complexity and complicated architecture and the difficulties in initializing the input parameters for these hybrid models41. For example, Moghadam et al. used four input parameters and DO concentration to predict DO concentration in three different lead times42. Therefore, in this study few input parameters will be investigated.Therefore, this study's chief aim is to propose an artificial intelligence model with simple architecture and a high-performance level to predict dissolved oxygen concentrations. This study will use historical data recorded for 29 years from the Fei-Tsui Reservoir to train the model to accomplish this goal. The number of neurons will be optimized in order to obtain the desired results. Different input combinations will be investigated and examined to enhance the model's performance. Recently many researchers have been developing AI models with a few inputsSensitivity analysis and uncertainty analysis will be carried out to validate the proposed model. Different statistical indices will be introduced to inspect the proposed model performance. For better visualization, Taylor's diagram, violin plot, and percentage of relative error between the projected data and the observed one have been implemented in this study.2 catchment area approximately, as shown in Fig. 143. Since the 1980’s, for Taipei city, the Fei-Tsui reservoir is considered the primary source of drinking water. One hundred fifty days is the approximate duration when the water resides in the reservoir. Since 1987, monthly measurements have been conducted to examine the reservoir's water status based on different water quality parameters. The water quality samples have been collected at the outlet of the five inflow tributaries of the reservoir and another seven sampling locations at the reservoir's main lake44. The data was obtained from the administration office of the Taipei Fei-Tsui Reservoir. Table Located in Taiwan's north region, the Fei-Tsui reservoir serves a 300 km45. The proposed model consists of an input layer, which presents the input parameters that will be used to develop the model. In contrast, the output layer presents the model's output, which is the dissolved oxygen concentrations. Weights and biases connect the input and output layers to the hidden layer.An Artificial Neural Network with a single hidden layer was proposed to predict the dissolved oxygen concentration in the Fei-Tsui reservoir. The architecture of the proposed model can be seen in Fig. 2The hidden layer consists of several neurons. In this study, a different number of neurons will be investigated. In the beginning, the number of neurons will be set to equal five, then ten, fifteen, and finally, twenty. The predicted dissolved oxygen concentration will be compared with the observed concentration to choose the best model with the best-optimized number of neurons that give the lowest error. 29 years of monthly water quality data (348) will be used in developing the proposed model. 80% of the data will be used to train the model, while 20% will be used to test the model's accuracy. The pre-processing step was carried out by scaling the dataset between 0 to 1. Different types of activation functions and transfer functions will be explored and optimized.Similarly, different training algorithms will be investigated to develop a model with a high level of precision. Finally, cross-validation with different k-fold  will be carried out to minimize the risk of overfitting. This validation procedure has been implemented using the trails-and-errors procedure, each trail with different value of the k-fold until achieving the one with minimal possibility of experienced overfitting. MATLAB Programming language was used to develop the proposed model.One of the primary reasons for developing a model to predict the D.O. from other surface water parameters is that the D.O. is relatively costly and time-consuming to acquire and monitor. On the other hand, the main reason for selecting the Water Temperature, Biological Oxygen Demand, Iron, and Total Organic Carbon as a predictor for the D.O. is first because of the availability of these parameters. Secondly, there is a direct relationship between all these parameters and the D.O.; for example, the greater the amount of Biological Oxygen Demand in the water stream, the more rapidly is the depletion of the D.O. in water. Similarly, for the temperature (T), the more the T, the less the D.O. in the water stream will have occurred. Iron could critically consume the D.O. because of D.O. will be consumed as an oxidant for the Iron concentration. Hence, the D.O. concentration could dramatically reduce its amount in water stream. Finally, the Total Organic Carbon is the measuring indicator for how pure is the water stream considering the organisms’ life, which is indirectly affected by the level of D.O. in the water stream. Therefore, these parameters have been considered as predictors for D.O. in the current research. Table 46. In addition to that, Taylor's diagram and violin plots will be performed to assess the correlation between observed and predicted data. Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis will be carried to validate the proposed model's reliability. Figure Three different statistical indices will be applied to measure how the proposed model predicts dissolved oxygen concentration. These indices are Root Mean Square Error (R.M.S.E.), Coefficient of Correlation (Correlation), and Coefficient of Determination (R-squared). The formulas for these indices with comprehensive explanation can be found in study carried out by Najah et al.47. However, if more neurons are introduced, that might increase the model's time and lead to overfitting. Therefore, to overcome such issues, in this study, different models were developed to find the optimum number of neurons where the number of neurons set to be 5, 10,15, and 20. In addition to that, identifying the right input combination is one of the vital factors that need to be considered in optimizing the performance of the artificial neural network model48. In this study, five different models with different input combinations have been introduced. The first model (M.1) was developed using one input parameter (water temperature), while the second model (M.2) was developed by introducing another input parameter . A third model (M.3) used three input parameters . The fourth model (M.4) was developed using a different combination of three parameters . And finally, model five (M.5) was developed using all four parameters as input . Twenty models have been developed with different inputs and numbers on neurons to find the best model for predicting dissolved oxygen concentrations changes. Table One of the main characteristics of defining artificial neural network models is choosing the number of neurons for the hidden layer. An insufficient number of neurons can cause the model not to capture the data's nonlinearity model M. used thr model M. used thrIt can be seen from Table 49. It can be seen from Fig. To test the proposed model's reliability and to determine the model's validity, Taylor’s diagram is recommended by many researchers and is commonly usedThe average percentage of relative error for each model has been computed to examine the error percentage between the predicted and the actual observed data, as shown in Fig. A Violin plot is used to demonstrate the difference between the actual and predicted data from each model, as shown in Fig. 50. This study uses the following equations to calculate d-factor values:To measure the proposed models' performance when new data are introduced, the d-factor value is used for this purpose. When the d-factor values close to zero mean that the model can still perform well if a new data set is introducedFigure To sum up, the lowest accuracy reported when M.5 used to predict D.O. It should be noted that M5. model exhibits acceptable accuracy in capturing the maximum and average values of D.O. concentrations. However, for the minimum values of D.O. concentrations, the M.5 model is unable to capture it where the absolutes relative error percentage ranged between 42 to 59%. Model M.3 ranked four among the five developed models with an average relative error percentage of 5%. M.1 ranked three among the five other models. It performs better than M.3 and M5 where the average absolute relative error percentage equals 1.7%. And finally, M.2 ranked second, outperforming M.1, M.3, and M.5. However, M.2 was unable to capture the extreme concentration values of D.O. as M.4.51 proposed a Bayesian model averaging (B.M.A.) model to predict the concentration of dissolved oxygen. And the findings were compared with different data-driven methods, including an extreme learning machine (E.L.M.), classification and regression tree (CART), and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (A.N.F.I.S.). The r-squared for testing ranged from 0.718 to 0.836 (B.M.A. (0.836), E.L.M. (0.822), A.N.F.I.S. (0.831) and CART(0.718)) for one of the stations used in the study. Four input parameters were used as inputs to develop the four models. In the current study, only three parameters were used as input to the model. As mentioned earlier, choosing the right combinations has a crucial impact on the performance of the model. In the current study, when water temperature, biological oxygen demand, and iron were used as input, the artificial neural network achieved a high accuracy level where r-squared equals 0.98. Multi-layer perceptron neural network developed to predict dissolved oxygen concentration in Malaysia's Johor River52. In this study, five different input combinations were used to develop the model. The performance of the model was acceptable were r-squared was equal to 0.95. Compared with the proposed model in the current study, a high accuracy level has been achieved where r-squared equals 0.98 with a smaller number of input combinations. It can be concluded that the current proposed model is more accurate and can be adopted as a tool to predict the changes in the concentration of dissolved oxygen. A point that can be raised from the earlier comparison is that the studies were conducted using different datasets in different countries. Therefore, for future works, a more valid comparison should be performed to consider these algorithms in predicting dissolved oxygen concentrations at the Fei-Tsui reservoir.A comparison was conducted between the proposed model and other literature models to compare the current study findings to other studies. Kisi et al.For comparison purposes, the performance of the developed model (M.4) was compared with two other models, namely Random Forest (R.F) and Boosted Tree (B.T) regressions. The comparison was carried out using maximum and average relative percentage error. It has been observed that the maximum relative percentage error for M.4 is equal to 4.7%, while the maximum relative percentage error for B.T and R.F is 46% and 49%, respectively. At the same time, the average relative percentage error for M.4 is 1.3% which is the lowest than both B.T (4.1) and R.F (4.6).The study focuses on predicting dissolved oxygen concentration as crucial water quality parameters in the Fei-Tsui reservoir in Taiwan using an artificial neural network model with simple architecture. Twenty-nine years of historical data provided the basis for development of the model. To test the model's reliability and optimize the algorithm, different numbers of neurons were used. Various numbers of input combinations were used to enhance the model's accuracy. Statistical indices were used to validate the accuracy of the model. The results reveal that the best number of neurons equals fifteen, while the best input combinations are three input parameters. These parameters are water temperature, biological oxygen demand and iron. The proposed model exhibits a high level of accuracy in predicting dissolved oxygen concentration changes where the r-squared is equal to 0.98. Taylor's diagram shows that the proposed model (M-4) displays a high consistency and accuracy level. Further investigation in implementing the proposed model in this research can predict other water quality parameters and be applied at locations with different climatic conditions for generalization purposes. There is a need to investigate machine learning models' integration with sensing technologies to efficiently monitor and predict water quality parameters for a smart early warning system. In addition, although the proposed optimization of the hyper parameters of the ANN modeling approach could provide proper prediction accuracy for DO, the accuracy could be improved by implementing the optimization of the hyper parameters of other AI model such as Random Forest and Boosted Tree algorithm.