Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) have great potential as a cell replacement therapy for spinal cord injury. However, poor control over transplant cell differentiation and survival remain major obstacles. In this study, we asked whether dibutyryl cyclic-AMP (dbcAMP), which was shown to induce up to 85% in vitro differentiation of NSPCs into neurons would enhance survival of transplanted NSPCs through prolonged exposure either in vitro or in vivo through the controlled release of dbcAMP encapsulated within poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres and embedded within chitosan guidance channels. NSPCs, seeded in fibrin scaffolds within the channels, differentiated in vitro to betaIII-tubulin positive neurons by immunostaining and mRNA expression, in response to dbcAMP released from PLGA microspheres. After transplantation in spinal cord injured rats, the survival and differentiation of NSPCs was evaluated. Untreated NSPCs, NSPCs transplanted with dbcAMP-releasing microspheres, and NSPCs pre-differentiated with dbcAMP for 4 days in vitro were transplanted after rat spinal cord transection and assessed 2 and 6 weeks later. Interestingly, NSPC survival was highest in the dbcAMP pre-treated group, having approximately 80% survival at both time points, which is remarkable given that stem cell transplantation often results in less than 1% survival at similar times. Importantly, dbcAMP pre-treatment also resulted in the greatest number of in vivo NSPCs differentiated into neurons (37±4%), followed by dbcAMP-microsphere treated NSPCs (27±14%) and untreated NSPCs (15±7%). The reverse trend was observed for NSPC-derived oligodendrocytes and astrocytes, with these populations being highest in untreated NSPCs. This combination strategy of stem cell-loaded chitosan channels implanted in a fully transected spinal cord resulted in extensive axonal regeneration into the injury site, with improved functional recovery after 6 weeks in animals implanted with pre-differentiated stem cells in chitosan channels.

A phylogeny of the tribe Aphidini (Hemiptera: Aphididae) was reconstructed from three gene fragments: two mitochondrial regions, partial tRNA‐leucine + cytochrome oxidase II (tRNA/COII), partial 12S rRNA + tRNA‐valine + 16S rRNA (12S/16S) and one nuclear gene, the elongation factor‐1 alpha (EF1α). Bayesian phylogenetic (BP) analyses were performed on each individual dataset of tRNA/COII, 12S/16S and EF1α, and maximum parsimony (MP), Bremer support test, maximum likelihood (ML) and BP analysis were performed on the combined dataset. After comparing our molecular phylogenetic results with the classic classification based on morphological and ecological data, we analysed three main issues: the monophyletic relationships among tribes and subtribes, the validities of the latest taxonomic positions of genera and species and the status of certain Aphis species groups. Our results indicate that 36 of the species analysed, with the exception of Cryptosiphum artemisiae , are clustered within the clade of Aphidini. Also, the 28 species representative of the subtribe Aphidina were separated from the eight species representative of Rhopalosiphina; each monophyletic subtribe was supported by significant P ‐values in the combined analysis. According to our results, Cryptosiphum should be moved to Macrosiphini because it is more closely related to the genera Lipaphis and Brevicoryne . The genus Toxoptera was recovered as non‐monophyletic. In Rhopalosiphina, three genera, Hyalopterus , Rhopalosiphum and Schizaphis , were relatively closer to each other than to the genus Melanaphis . In the relationships between species‐groups among Aphis , most species were separated into two main lineages; the fabae group seemed to be more closely related to the spiraecola and craccivora group rather than to the gossypii group.

Three cryptic species, Aphis gossypii, Aphis glycines, and Aphis rhamnicola sp. nov., are recognized as sharing buckthorn plant, Rhamnus spp. as primary hosts. These aphid species have morphological similarities; however, there are significant genetic differences between the three cryptic species. Based on the high level of genetic divergence and the different secondary host association, we described a new species, Aphis rhamnicola sp. nov., for apterous and alate vivipara, fundatrix, ovipara, and gynopara, including diagnostic key for the host sharing species in the genus Aphis.

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, was recently introduced into North America where it has become a serious pest of soybean, Glyine max (L.) Merr. In its native range of northeastern Asia, A. glycines undergoes host alternation between the soybean (summer host) and Dahurian buckthorn, Rhamnus davurica Pallas (winter host). On the primary host, it is difficult to discriminate A. glycines from coexisting, morphologically similar Aphis species, including seasonal polymorphisms of each species (e.g., gynopara, ovipara, and male). Two widely used molecular markers, the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) “barcode” region (658 bp) and the partial tRNA-leucine + cytochrome c oxidase II (tRNA/COII, 702 bp), were used to analyze 31 individuals of Aphis from R. davurica in Asia and compared with 26 closely related Aphis species. We found that three different species, Aphis gossypii Glover and two new and undescribed putative Aphis species, occur together with A. glycines on R. davurica. All these species were genetically close within the gossypii group. A study of 28 quantitative morphological characters showed that A. glycines, A. gossypii, and one of the new species were quite similar with only a few characters differing significantly between species.