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Backgraund: The presence or absence of fungi on the seed surface is an important aspect that determines the quality of seeds. Since the data on the presence of Fusarium spp. and other seed-borne pathogens on vegetable pea in Serbia are scarce, the aim of this study was to isolate seed-borne pathogens and identify the disease-causing Fusarium spp. from the infected pea seed. Methods: Colony morphology and microscopic characters of isolated Fusarium species were recorded from the cultures grown on PDA and CLA, respectively. In order to confirm the morphological identification at the species level, a single-spore culture of the representative isolates was subjected to genomic DNA extraction and gene amplification using the translational elongation factor 1α (TEF-1) region. The PCR products were sequenced and the sequences were compared against the GenBank nucleotide database by using the BLAST alignment. Result: Based on morphological and microscopic characteristics, as well as molecular identification by sequencing the TEF gene, the presence of Fusarium equiseti and F. proliferatum was confirmed on the representative isolates Ps18, Ps19 and Ps1, Ps36 obtained from vegetable pea seeds, respectively. According to our knowledge and research, this is the first report of F. equiseti and F. proliferatum on vegetable pea seeds in Serbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A morphological analysis of the male genitalia of 24 species of the subfamily Agathidinae from 10 genera is presented. Detailed descriptions of important morphological features of all the species are given. Their value in the identification of the species was assessed. It was found that the morphology of male genitalia could be used for identification of the genera, while it was of limited value at the species level, except for those belonging to multispecific genera.

Adaptation to the parasitic way of life in braconids has led to a number of consequences in the morphology of the ovipositor of females. As a derivative of the paired appendages of the eighth and ninth abdominal segments, the ovipositor is a complex morphological structure of gonapophysal origin whose muscular system makes possible highly complex movements during the act of egg-laying. In some groups of braconids, imaginal and egg-larval forms of parasitism have developed in the course of evolution. In adapting to these two forms of parasitism, the ovipositor underwent significant changes, while still remaining a successful structure for the paralyzation and laying of eggs in the host. This paper presents a survey of the ovipository apparatus structure in the species of the genera Ascogaster Wesmael, Leptodrepana Shaw, Chelonus Panzer, Microchelonus Szepligeti, and Phanerotoma Wesmael, and gives a review of the changes in structure of the ovipositor during adaptation to egg-larval parasitism.

In this work, the results of an optical emission study of fullerene synthesis in an inductively coupled radio frequency thermal plasma reactor are presented. The emission spectroscopy studies, based on the use of the Swan C2 (0,1) and CN (0,0) vibration emission spectra, were carried out to determine the plasma temperature. The evaporation process of graphite powder was observed by scanning electron microscopy.

Braconids are primary parasites of other insects and their eggs, larvae, and adults, and species have been recently discovered that lay their eggs in plant seeds. Classified into about 25 genera, more than 1,400 species of Opiinae are known at the present time in the world fauna. They have been registered in all zoogeographic regions. The Opiinae are solitary endoparasites of the larvae of cyclorhaphous Diptera, most often those of species belonging to the families Agromyzidae, Tephritidae, Anthomyiidae Ephydridae. In investigations conducted on Mt. Durmitor since 1982, we have up to now established 10 species of braconids of the subfamily Opiinae (Opius peterseni Fi., O. caudatus Wesm., O. parvungula Th., O. levisWesm., O. pallipesWesm., O. quasiquisti Fi., O. exilis Hal., O. filicornis Th., O. lugens Hal., and O. meracus Fi), eight of which are new for the fauna of Serbia and Montenegro.

Altogether 18 species of invertebrates were evidented during investigations on snail farms of Helix pomatia Linnaeus and Helix aspersa O. F. Müller in Serbia and Montenegro. Of these, 9 species from 8 genera were registered from Serbia, and 9 species from 9 genera were collected from Montenegro. Invertebrate material mostly pertained to insects (orders Coleoptera and Heteroptera) and crustaceans (order Isopoda). Data about exact ecological status of all species of collected invertebrates were also presented. Also we notify clear distinctions between all analyzed species in the type of feeding (the cases of helicophagy, zoophagy, phytophagy, and mixophagy).

In a phytocenosis of sessile oak and hornbeam with butcher’s broom (Querco-Carpinetum serbicum aculeatetosum Jovanović 1951) on the territory of Mt. Avala, 42 species of sawflies belonging to the families Argidae Pamphiliidae and Tenthredinidae have been registered. The 42 species that were found, as many as 19 (or 45.23%) are new for the entomofauna of Serbia and Montenegro. Of these 19 species, one belongs to a genus newly recorded on our territory (the genus Cephaleia). The dominant family is the family Tenthredinidae, to which 38 of the registered species belong. The family Tenthredinidae is also dominant in this community with respect to the number of specimens caught, as only a few specimens of species of the other two families were present. The subfamily Tenthredininae is the most numerous subfamily of the family Tenthredinidae inasmuch as 19 of its species were registered in the course of two-year sampling. The most abundant species in the observed phytocenosis are species of the genus Macrophya, while the majority of species of sawflies during the research were present in the field in only small numbers.

Endocarditis is endovascular infective disease of intracardiac structures, which are in contact with blood. The most common cause is Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus viridans, which inhabit oral cavity. During dental intervention, which includes gingival trauma (risky dental intervention) microorganisms that cause infective endocarditis could penetrate into circulation of the blood. The group of high risk patients consists of patients which have already had infective endocarditis, patients with prosthetic heart valves or other foreign endovascular bodies, patients with congenital heart defect, patients with acquired heart defect, prolapse of mitral valve with registered mitral regurgitation and hyphertrophic cardiomiopathy. Those groups of patients should have prevention from infective endocarditis before any risky dental intervention with bactericidal dosage of wide spectrum antibiotics at least an hour before the procedure. .

Summary: Results of recent studies confirmed that oxidative stress negatively affects sperm motility and causes sperm DNA damage. Produced by nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3), nitric oxide is considered to be one of the important mediators of oxidative stress in testis tissue. The aim of this study was to assess the possible association of three genetic variants (rs2070744, rs1799983 and intron variant 4a/4b) in NOS3 gene and infertility occurrence in two groups of infertile men (idiopathic azoospermia and oligoasthenozoospermia) and fertile controls. Genotypes for the single‐nucleotide genetic variants rs1799983 and rs2070744 were determined by PCR‐RFLP, while genotyping of intron 4 variant 4a/4b was performed by gel electrophoresis of PCR products. Statistical analysis was performed by SNPStats software. No significant association between the three genetic variants of the NOS3 gene and infertility risk was determined comparing allele and genotype frequencies among group of patients diagnosed with azoospermia and the control group. Nevertheless, there was a significant positive association between 4a/4b and infertility in the group of males diagnosed with oligoasthenozoospermia, under overdominant genetic model. Our findings suggest that tandem repeat variant within intron 4 of the NOS3 gene is associated with an increased risk of infertility in men diagnosed with idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]