Pine wilt disease (PWD), caused by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is one of the most severe forest diseases worldwide. PWD causes devastating disasters to Chinese pine trees, seriously threatening forestry production and the forest ecological environment, and causes economic losses of over ten billion yuan per year to China. Previous studies have shown that the spread of PWD is closely related to climate factors. Today, PWD is spreading rapidly owing to abnormal climate changes. In order to provide a reference for controlling the spread of PWD in China, in this study, we accurately assessed the risk of the continued spread of PWD in Northeast China; a correlative species distribution model (MaxEnt) (RM = 1, AUC = 0.9904) was used to evaluate China’s climate suitability for PWD. The effects of climate factors on the spread of PWD in Northeast China were studied using Liaoning Province as an example by analyzing the relationship between the changes in average precipitation, average temperature, average relative humidity, average vapor pressure deficit, average wind speed, average sunshine duration and the area of the PWD epidemic over the past five years. These results suggest that with the change in climate, the areas suitable for PWD have expanded, and certain previously unsuitable areas for its distribution have become suitable. Temperature and precipitation were found to play key roles in the occurrence and damage of PWD, and hot and arid conditions favored the spread of PWD. It is recommended that for areas within the suitable range of PWD but not yet epidemic areas, quarantine should be strengthened to prevent the further spread of PWD. In addition, special attention should be paid to epidemic areas with high temperatures and arid while the monitoring of PWD should be strengthened to achieve the early detection and timely treatment of infected epidemic trees. Our results indicate that PWD undoubtedly poses a major threat to Northeast Chinese pine species if climate change proceeds as projected. In the future, more attention should be paid to monitoring the northward spread of PWD, and further studies should consider meteorological data forecasts, which could facilitate timely control measures.

Chouioia cunea Yang (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is an effective parasitoid of many lepidopteran pests in China. Specifically, C. cunea has successfully suppressed populations of the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae), an invasive and quarantined pest in China. Fall webworm biological control programmes in China have been aided by the development of artificial rearing technology for C. cunea. While researchers have determined some aspects of this parasitoid’s biology, such as fecundity and ratio of female offspring, as well as rearing methods, there was less information on the behavioural and ecological mechanisms by which C. cunea regulates host populations. Here, we review the research and application of C. cunea since it was first discovered in China.

Spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), is a worldwide quarantine pest that is currently undergoing a rapid range expansion in the Americas, Europe, and parts of Africa. It feeds and breeds on soft-skinned fruits such as raspberries, blueberries, and cherries, and can cause significant economic losses to fruit production. This study investigated the occurrence of D. suzukii and its wild host fruits and parasitoids in Liaoning, Northeast China for the first time. Sentinel traps were used to monitor D. suzukii adults, and suspected fruits were collected weekly in four different locations (Wafangdian, Faku, Fengcheng, and Shenyang). The results showed that D. suzukii were distributed in the sweet soft-skinned fruit-production areas of Liaoning, and raspberry was the most infested fruit. During the field survey, four species of wild berries from non-crop habitats were found infested by D. suzukii, and two species of parasitoids (Leptopilina japonica and Asobara japonica) were collected. D. suzukii adult-population dynamics throughout the survey period (June to October) were similar in different survey locations; adult fly populations increased and peaked in August, and then declined until the fly was no longer detectable in October.

Chouioia cunea (Yang) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is an indigenous pupal endoparasitoid that effectively attacks the exotic fall webworm Hyphantria cunea (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) in China. In this novel association, the parasitoid’s venom has played an important role in subduing the immune defense of the host although little is known about the composition and functions of the parasitoid’s venom. We therefore first identified the parasitoid’s major venom proteins using electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Approximately 207 different proteins were identified from C. cunea’s venom; among them 26 types widely existed in other endoparasitoids’ venom, including calreticulin and arginine kinase, which inhibited the host immune system.

The pine wood nematode (PWN) Bursaphelenchus xylophilus has caused disastrous losses of pine forests in many countries, and the success of PWN depends strongly on interactions with its insect vectors. Monochamus saltuarius is a newly recorded vector in Northeast China. Feeding (i.e., immature) and egg-laying (i.e., mature) Monochamus spp. target different host plants, and olfactory cues play important roles regarding host choice. Whether infestation with PWN affects olfactory mechanisms in M. saltuarius related to feeding and oviposition is of interest as this may affect the spread of nematodes to new healthy hosts. However, little is known about molecular mechanisms of the olfactory system of M. saltuarius. We identified chemosensory-related genes in adult M. saltuarius and examined the influence of B. xylophilus on the respective expression patterns. Fifty-three odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), 15 chemosensory proteins, 15 olfactory receptors (ORs), 10 gustatory receptors, 22 ionotropic receptors (IRs), and two sensory neuron membrane proteins were identified, and sex bias among non-infested beetles was mainly found with respect to expression of OBPs. Interestingly, OBPs and ORs were markedly down-regulated in male M. saltuarius infested with B. xylophilus, which may reduce olfactory sensitivity of male M. saltuarius and affect the spreading of B. xylophilus to new hosts. Our results will help understand the interactions between B. xylophilus and M. saltuarius, which may lead to the identification of new control targets in the olfactory system of M. saltuarius.

Background: Preoperative chemotherapy (PCT) has been considered an important treatment for advanced gastric cancer (AGC). The tumor regression grade (TRG) system is an effective tool for the assessment of patient responses to PCT. Pathological complete response (TRG = 0) of the primary tumor is an excellent predictor of better prognosis. However, which patients could achieve pathological complete response (TRG = 0) after chemotherapy is still unknown. The study aimed to find predictors of TRG = 0 in AGC.Methods: A total of 304 patients with advanced gastric cancer from July 2009 to November 2018 were enrolled retrospectively. All patients were randomly assigned (2:1) to training and internal validation groups. In addition, 124 AGC patients receiving PCT from December 2018 to June 2020 were included prospectively in the external validation cohort. A prediction model for TRG = 0 was established based on four predictors in the training group and was validated in the internal and external validation groups.Results: Through univariate and multivariate analyses, we found that CA199, CA724, tumor differentiation and short axis of the largest regional lymph node (LNmax) were independent predictors of TRG = 0. Based on the four predictors, we established a prediction model for TRG = 0. The AUC values of the prediction model in the training, internal and external validation groups were 0.84, 0.73 and 0.82, respectively.Conclusions: We found that CA199, CA724, tumor differentiation and LNmax were associated with pathological response in advanced gastric cancer. The prediction model could provide guidance for clinical work.