Conspecific and allospecific larval extracts entice mosquitoes to lay eggs and may be used in attract-and-kill control strategy.

One of the strategies of integrated vector management is to lure gravid mosquitoes for surveillance purposes or to entice them to lay eggs in water containing toxins that kill the offspring (attract-and-kill or trap-and-kill). Typically, the major challenge of this approach is the development of a lure that stimulates oviposition plus a toxin with no deterrent effect. Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) satisfies the latter criterion, but lures for these autocidal gravid traps are sorely needed. We observed that gravid Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus laid significantly more eggs in cups with extracts from 4th-stage larvae (4 L) of the same or different species. No activity was found when 4 L were extracted with hexane, diethyl ether, methanol, or butanol, but activity was observed with dimethyl sulfoxide extracts. Larval extracts contained both oviposition stimulant(s)/attractant(s) and deterrent(s), which partitioned in the water and hexane phases, respectively. Lyophilized larval extracts were active after a month, but activity was reduced by keeping the sample at 4 °C. In the tested range of 0.1 to 1 larvae-equivalent per milliliter, oviposition activity increased in a dose-dependent manner. In field experiments, Ae. aegpti laid significantly more eggs in traps loaded with larval extracts plus Bti than in control traps with water plus Bti

Entangled Stories: The Red Jews in Premodern Yiddish and German Apocalyptic Lore

“Far, far away from our areas, somewhere beyond the Mountains of Darkness, on the other side of the Sambatyon River…there lives a nation known as the Red Jews.” The Red Jews are best known from classic Yiddish writing, most notably from Mendele's Kitser masoes Binyomin hashlishi (The Brief Travels of Benjamin the Third). This novel, first published in 1878, represents the initial appearance of the Red Jews in modern Yiddish literature. This comical travelogue describes the adventures of Benjamin, who sets off in search of the legendary Red Jews. But who are these Red Jews or, in Yiddish, di royte yidelekh? The term denotes the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, the ten tribes that in biblical times had composed the Northern Kingdom of Israel until they were exiled by the Assyrians in the eighth century BCE. Over time, the myth of their return emerged, and they were said to live in an uncharted location beyond the mysterious Sambatyon River, where they would remain until the Messiah's arrival at the end of time, when they would rejoin the rest of the Jewish people. This article is part of a broader study of the Red Jews in Jewish popular culture from the Middle Ages through modernity. It is partially based on a chapter from my book, Umstrittene Erlöser: Politik, Ideologie und jüdisch-christlicher Messianismus in Deutschland, 1500–1600 (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2011). Several postdoctoral fellowships have generously supported my research on the Red Jews: a Dr. Meyer-Struckmann-Fellowship of the German Academic Foundation, a Harry Starr Fellowship in Judaica/Alan M. Stroock Fellowship for Advanced Research in Judaica at Harvard University, a research fellowship from the Heinrich Hertz-Foundation, and a YIVO Dina Abramowicz Emerging Scholar Fellowship. I thank the organizers of and participants in the colloquia and conferences where I have presented this material in various forms as well as the editors and anonymous reviewers of AJS Review for their valuable comments and suggestions. I am especially grateful to Jeremy Dauber and Elisheva Carlebach of the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies at Columbia University, where I was a Visiting Scholar in the fall of 2009, for their generous encouragement to write this article. Sue Oren considerably improved my English. The style employed for Romanization of Yiddish follows YIVO's transliteration standards. Unless otherwise noted, translations from the Yiddish, Hebrew, German, and Latin are my own. Quotations from the Bible follow the JPS translation, and those from the Babylonian Talmud are according to the Hebrew-English edition of the Soncino Talmud by Isidore Epstein

Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair in patients with acute decompensated heart failure due to severe mitral regurgitation

Background: Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (TEER) has been established as a therapy for severe symptomatic mitral regurgitation (MR) in stable patients, and it has recently emerged as a reasonable option for acutely ill patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of TEER in hospitalized patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and severe MR that was deemed to play a major role in their deterioration. Methods: We included 31 patients who underwent emergent TEER for MR ≥ 3+ from 2012 to 2022 at Sheba Medical Center. Outcomes included procedural safety, procedural success, all-cause mortality, heart failure readmission, and functional improvement. Outcomes were evaluated at 3 months and at 1 year. Data were obtained retrospectively by chart review. Results: Implantation of a TEER device was achieved in 97% of patients, and reduction in MR severity of at least two grades and final MR ≤ 2+ at discharge was achieved in 74%. No intra-procedural mortality or life-threatening complications were noted. Mortality at 30 days was 23%. No excess mortality occurred beyond 6 months, with a total mortality of 41%. At 1 year all survivors had MR ≤ 2+, all were free of heart failure hospitalizations, and 88% were at New York Heart Association class ≤ II. Conclusions: Mitral valve TEER for patients with ADHF and significant MR is safe, feasible, and achieves substantial reduction in MR severity. Despite high early mortality, procedural success is associated with good long-term clinical outcomes for patients surviving longer than 6 months

The Libes Briv of Isaac Wetzlar

Isaac Wetzlar was an eighteenth century wealthy merchant from Celle, Germany who spent many years reflecting on the socio-religious circumstances of German-Jewish society. He wrote Libes Brivin Yiddish as a critique of the situation of this society, and offered suggestions which he felt would improve the spiritual and material situation of his fellow Jews. Faierstein presents the text and translation of this important document, along with an analysis

Uso do potencial visual evocado por flashes de luz e eletrorretinograma de campo total em cães idosos

A disfunção cognitiva canina (DCC) é caracterizada por alterações neurodegenerativas e normalmente começa a ser apresentada com o passar da idade. Esta disfunção canina compartilha semelhanças com a demência humana – doença de Alzheimer. As mudanças relacionadas ao envelhecimento normalmente são progressivas e irreversíveis. O diagnóstico da DCC é realizado principalmente por questionários com base em escalas de avaliação clínica sobre alterações comportamentais; através da mensuração dos biomarcadores β-amilóide no líquido cefalorraquidiano (LCR) e tomografia computadorizada. O uso do PVE-F como auxílio ao diagnóstico da DCC ainda é escasso. O fator limitante mais atual em termos de pesquisa em cães com DCC é a ausência de uma ferramenta baseada em evidências para avaliação e monitoramento preciso da evolução clínica ou resposta à terapia. Objetivo: padronizar este exame como uma ferramenta promissora para o diagnóstico de disfunção cognitiva em cães idosos. Material e Métodos: Para o desenvolvimento do estudo foram utilizados 14 cães no total. Esses animais foram divididos em 3 grupos: Grupo DCC (6 animais com > 8 anos), Grupo Controle 1 (4 animais com > 8 anos) e Grupo Controle 2 (4 animais com 8 years old), Control Group 1 (4 animals> 8 years old) and Control Group 2 (4 animals <8 years old). Retinal assessment was performed using the full-field and post-retinal ERG by examining the Evoked Visual Potential by flashes of light. Results: The mean P2 peak latency in the CCD groups, Control Group 1 and Control Group 2 was 31.8ms (p = 4.5), 34.7ms (p = 3.0) and 50.4ms (p = 30.6) respectively. The mean for peak P3 latency in the CCD groups, Control Group 1 and Control Group 2 was 141.5 (p = 58.7), 125.5 (p = 55.3) and 105.9 (p = 25.5) respectively. Conclusion: The use of VEP-F should be considered as a useful tool to assess and monitor the progression of CCD

An Early Modern Version of Shalom Aleichem for Women after Friday Candle Lighting

The singing of the hymn Shalom Aleichem upon returning home from the synagogue on Friday night is a well–known tradition. It is assumed that the Talmudic passage in Tractate Shabbat (B. Shabbat 119b) is the source of this tradition. In fact, it is a kabbalistic custom more influenced by the Zohar. There is a second version of Shalom Aleichem to be recited by women after the lighting of the Sabbath candles, that was first published in a collection of prayers entitled Birkhat ha-Mazon, Basel, 1600. This study analyzes the origins and history of this second version of Shalom Aleichem for women

Violência física pelo parceiro íntimo e uso inadequado do pré-natal entre mulheres do Nordeste do Brasil

RESUMO: Objetivo: Analisar a associação entre violência física pelo parceiro íntimo e uso inadequado da atenção pré-natal. Métodos: Estudo transversal realizado com 1.026 mulheres participantes de estudo de coorte prospectivo delineado para investigar violência na gravidez entre mulheres cadastradas no Programa Saúde da Família (PSF) do Recife. O uso do pré-natal foi avaliado utilizando a norma do Programa de Humanização do Pré-natal e Nascimento (PHPN), do Ministério da Saúde (MS), considerando a época de início do pré-natal e o total de consultas durante a gravidez. Os dados foram coletados por meio de duas entrevistas presenciais (uma no último trimestre da gravidez, outra no pós-parto) para aplicação de questionário estruturado e a partir dos registros do cartão da gestante. Regressão logística não condicional foi realizada para estimar odds ratio (OR) e valores de intervalo de confiança de 95% (IC95%), a fim de medir a associação entre violência física pelo parceiro íntimo e uso inadequado de cuidados pré-natais, utilizando-se o método stepwise. Resultados: A prevalência de uso inadequado do pré-natal foi de 44,1%, e da violência física pelo parceiro íntimo, de 25,6%. Na análise de regressão logística, a violência física pelo parceiro íntimo apresentou-se associada à realização de pré-natal inadequado (OR = 1,37; IC95% 1,01 - 1,85; p = 0,04), após ajuste pelas variáveis confirmadas como confundidoras (paridade, uso de álcool na gravidez e nível de escolaridade). Conclusão: Mulheres vítimas de violência física pelo parceiro íntimo têm maior chance de realizar um pré-natal inadequado, seja pelo início tardio, pela realização de menor número de consultas ou mesmo pelas duas condições juntas

A popular Indian clove-based mosquito repellent is less effective against Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti than DEET.

Insect repellents are widely used as the first line of defense against mosquito bites and transmission of disease-causing agents. However, the cost of daily applications of even the most affordable and the gold standard of insect repellents, DEET, is still high for low-income populations where repellents are needed the most. An Indian clove-based homemade recipe has been presented as a panacea. We analyzed this homemade repellent and confirmed by behavioral measurements and odorant receptor responses that eugenol is the active ingredient in this formulation. Prepared as advertised, this homemade repellent is ineffective, whereas 5x more concentrated extracts from the brand most enriched in eugenol showed moderate repellency activity against Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti. DEET showed higher performance when compared to the 5x concentrated formulation and is available in the same market at a lower price than the cost of the ingredients to prepare the homemade formulation