56 research outputs found
Preimaginal Stages of the Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae): An Invasive Pest on Ash Trees (Fraxinus)
This study provides the most detailed description of the immature stages of Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire to date and illustrates suites of larval characters useful in distinguishing among Agrilus Curtis species and instars. Immature stages of eight species of Agrilus were examined and imaged using light and scanning electron microscopy. For A. planipennis all preimaginal stages (egg, instars I-IV, prepupa and pupa) were described. A combination of 14 character states were identified that serve to identify larvae of A. planipennis. Our results support the segregation of Agrilus larvae into two informal assemblages based on characters of the mouthparts, prothorax, and abdomen: the A. viridis and A. ater assemblages, with A. planipennis being more similar to the former. Additional evidence is provided in favor of excluding A. planipennis from the subgenus Uragrilus
A cure for the blues: opsin duplication and subfunctionalization for short-wavelength sensitivity in jewel beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)
Comparison of the effects of exercise and anti-TNF treatment on cardiovascular health in rheumatoid arthritis: results from two controlled trials.
People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Both pharmacological treatment and exercise are suggested in the management of CVD risk in RA. This study explored the effects of exercise and anti-TNF treatment on CVD risk in RA. Twenty RA patients (70% female, 50 (10)Â years) completed a 3-month exercise intervention and 23 RA patients (65% female, 54 (15)Â years) started anti-TNF treatment. Markers of disease activity, CVD risk, and vascular function were assessed before and after 3-months of intervention/treatment. Both exercise and anti-TNF treatment improved functional ability and fatigue, anti-TNF treatment was more successful in improving inflammation, disease activity, functional ability and pain. Exercise induced a reduction in overall CVD risk and improvement in vascular function, which was significantly different from anti-TNF treatment where no such changes were found. These findings showed that exercise and anti-TNF had differential effects on CVD risk in RA, and should be combined for optimal CVD risk reduction. Whereas anti-TNF treatment is likely to impact on CVD risk through reducing the systemic inflammatory load, exercise should be recommended to people with RA as an effective self-management strategy to reduce CVD risk further. Once RA patients have responded successfully to anti-TNF treatment, increasing exercise should be encouraged to reduce the risk for CVD. Thus, supporting exercise programmes when the disease is controlled, is likely to enhance the uptake and the maintenance of exercise, which will result in additional benefits to cardiovascular health and wellbeing in people with RA
Iron Behaving Badly: Inappropriate Iron Chelation as a Major Contributor to the Aetiology of Vascular and Other Progressive Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases
The production of peroxide and superoxide is an inevitable consequence of
aerobic metabolism, and while these particular "reactive oxygen species" (ROSs)
can exhibit a number of biological effects, they are not of themselves
excessively reactive and thus they are not especially damaging at physiological
concentrations. However, their reactions with poorly liganded iron species can
lead to the catalytic production of the very reactive and dangerous hydroxyl
radical, which is exceptionally damaging, and a major cause of chronic
inflammation. We review the considerable and wide-ranging evidence for the
involvement of this combination of (su)peroxide and poorly liganded iron in a
large number of physiological and indeed pathological processes and
inflammatory disorders, especially those involving the progressive degradation
of cellular and organismal performance. These diseases share a great many
similarities and thus might be considered to have a common cause (i.e.
iron-catalysed free radical and especially hydroxyl radical generation). The
studies reviewed include those focused on a series of cardiovascular, metabolic
and neurological diseases, where iron can be found at the sites of plaques and
lesions, as well as studies showing the significance of iron to aging and
longevity. The effective chelation of iron by natural or synthetic ligands is
thus of major physiological (and potentially therapeutic) importance. As
systems properties, we need to recognise that physiological observables have
multiple molecular causes, and studying them in isolation leads to inconsistent
patterns of apparent causality when it is the simultaneous combination of
multiple factors that is responsible. This explains, for instance, the
decidedly mixed effects of antioxidants that have been observed, etc...Comment: 159 pages, including 9 Figs and 2184 reference
The discovery, distribution, and evolution of viruses associated with drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster is a valuable invertebrate model for viral infection and antiviral immunity, and is a focus for studies of insect-virus coevolution. Here we use a metagenomic approach to identify more than 20 previously undetected RNA viruses and a DNA virus associated with wild D. melanogaster. These viruses not only include distant relatives of known insect pathogens, but also novel groups of insect-infecting viruses. By sequencing virus-derived small RNAs we show that the viruses represent active infections of Drosophila. We find that the RNA viruses differ in the number and properties of their small RNAs, and we detect both siRNAs and a novel miRNA from the DNA virus. Analysis of small RNAs also allows us to identify putative viral sequences that lack detectable sequence similarity to known viruses. By surveying >2000 individually collected wild adult Drosophila we show that more than 30% of D. melanogaster carry a detectable virus, and more than 6% carry multiple viruses. However, despite a high prevalence of the Wolbachia endosymbiontâwhich is known to be protective against virus infections in Drosophilaâwe were unable to detect any relationship between the presence of Wolbachia and the presence of any virus. Using publicly available RNA-seq datasets we show that the community of viruses in Drosophila laboratories is very different from that seen in the wild, but that some of the newly discovered viruses are nevertheless widespread in laboratory lines and are ubiquitous in cell culture. By sequencing viruses from individual wild-collected flies we show that some viruses are shared between D. melanogaster and D. simulans. Our results provide an essential evolutionary and ecological context for host-virus interaction in Drosophila, and the newly reported viral sequences will help develop D. melanogaster further as a model for molecular and evolutionary virus research
New Medical Device and Therapeutic Approvals in Otolaryngology: State of the Art Review of 2021
Objective: To evaluate new medical devices and drugs pertinent to otolaryngologyâhead and neck surgery that were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2021. Data Sources: Publicly available FDA device and drug approvals from ENT (ear, nose, and throat), anesthesia, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, and general surgery FDA committees. Review Methods: FDA device and therapeutic approvals were identified and reviewed by members of the American Academy of OtolaryngologyâHead and Neck Surgeryâs Medical Devices and Drugs Committee. Two independent reviewers assessed the relevance of devices and drugs to otolaryngologists. Medical devices and drugs were then allocated to their respective subspecialty fields for critical review based on available scientific literature. Conclusions: The Medical Devices and Drugs Committee reviewed 1153 devices and 52 novel drugs that received FDA approval in 2021 (67 ENT, 106 anesthesia, 618 general surgery and plastic surgery, 362 neurosurgery). Twenty-three devices and 1 therapeutic agent relevant to otolaryngology were included in the state of the art review. Advances spanned all subspecialties, including over-the-counter hearing aid options in otology, expanding treatment options for rhinitis in rhinology, innovative laser-safe endotracheal tubes in laryngology, novel facial rejuvenation and implant technology in facial plastic surgery, and advances in noninvasive and surgical treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea. Implications for Practice: FDA approvals for new technology and pharmaceuticals present new opportunities across subspecialties in otolaryngology. Cliniciansâ nuanced understanding of the safety, advantages, and limitations of these innovations ensures ongoing progress in patient care.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/191969/2/New Medical Device and Therapeutic Approvals in Otolaryngology State of the Art Review of 2021.pdfPublished versionDescription of New Medical Device and Therapeutic Approvals in Otolaryngology State of the Art Review of 2021.pdf : Published versio
Histopathological diagnosis of small melanocytic lesions suspicious for malignant melanoma
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