The Parasitoid Complex of Forest Tent Caterpillar, \u3ci\u3eMalacosoma Disstria\u3c/i\u3e (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), in Eastern Wyoming Shelterbelts

A parasitoid complex affecting the forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria, was investigated during 1978-79 in shelterbelts in eastern Wyoming. Egg parasitoids included five species: Ablerus clisiocampae, Ooencyrtus clisiocampae, Telenomus clisiocampae, Tetrastichus sp. 1 and Telenomus sp. Thirteen hymenopterous species and five dipterous species were reared from larvae and pupae of the forest tent caterpillar. The most common 5th-instar larval parasitoids were the tachinid flies, Lespesia archippivora and Archytas lateralis. Of the pupal parasitoids reared, 640/0 were Diptera and 36% were Hymenoptera. Four previously unrecorded parasitoids of M. disstria were reared: Cotesia alalantae, Macrocentrus irridescens, Pimpla sanguinipes erythropus, and Lespesia flavifrons.

Perspective review of what is needed for molecular-specific fluorescence-guided surgery

Molecular image-guided surgery has the potential for translating the tools of molecular pathology to real-time guidance in surgery. As a whole, there are incredibly positive indicators of growth, including the first United States Food and Drug Administration clearance of an enzyme-biosynthetic-activated probe for surgery guidance, and a growing number of companies producing agents and imaging systems. The strengths and opportunities must be continued but are hampered by important weaknesses and threats within the field. A key issue to solve is the inability of macroscopic imaging tools to resolve microscopic biological disease heterogeneity and the limitations in microscopic systems matching surgery workflow. A related issue is that parsing out true molecular-specific uptake from simple-enhanced permeability and retention is hard and requires extensive pathologic analysis or multiple in vivo tests, comparing fluorescence accumulation with standard histopathology and immunohistochemistry. A related concern in the field is the over-reliance on a finite number of chosen preclinical models, leading to early clinical translation when the probe might not be optimized for high intertumor variation or intratumor heterogeneity. The ultimate potential may require multiple probes, as are used in molecular pathology, and a combination with ultrahigh-resolution imaging and image recognition systems, which capture the data at a finer granularity than is possible by the surgeon. Alternatively, one might choose a more generalized approach by developing the tracer based on generic hallmarks of cancer to create a more "one-size-fits-all" concept, similar to metabolic aberrations as exploited in fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) (i.e., Warburg effect) or tumor acidity. Finally, methods to approach the problem of production cost minimization and regulatory approvals in a manner consistent with the potential revenue of the field will be important. In this area, some solid steps have been demonstrated in the use of fluorescent labeling commercial antibodies and separately in microdosing studies with small molecules. (C) The Authors

NADH oxidase activity (NOX) and enlargement of HeLa cells oscillate with two different temperature-compensated period lengths of 22 and 24 minutes corresponding to different NOX forms

AbstractNOX proteins are cell surface-associated and growth-related hydroquinone (NADH) oxidases with protein disulfide–thiol interchange activity. A defining characteristic of NOX proteins is that the two enzymatic activities alternate to generate a regular period length of about 24 min. HeLa cells exhibit at least two forms of NOX. One is tumor-associated (tNOX) and is inhibited by putative quinone site inhibitors (e.g., capsaicin or the antitumor sulfonylurea, LY181984). Another is constitutive (CNOX) and refractory to inhibition. The periodic alternation of activities and drug sensitivity of the NADH oxidase activity observed with intact HeLa cells was retained in isolated plasma membranes and with the solubilized and partially purified enzyme. At least two activities were present. One had a period length of 24 min and the other had a period length of 22 min. The lengths of both the 22 and the 24 min periods were temperature compensated (approximately the same when measured at 17, 27 or 37°C) whereas the rate of NADH oxidation approximately doubled with each 10°C rise in temperature. The rate of increase in cell area of HeLa cells when measured by video-enhanced light microscopy also exhibited a complex period of oscillations reflective of both 22 and 24 min period lengths. The findings demonstrate the presence of a novel oscillating NOX activity at the surface of cancer cells with a period length of 22 min in addition to the constitutive NOX of non-cancer cells and tissues with a period length of 24 min

Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs

Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs) are becoming increasingly prevalent in the United States as concerns continue to mount regarding antimicrobial resistance and the lack of new, novel antibiotics being introduced. There are a multitude of factors that have contributed to the escalation in antimicrobial resistance, with some of the more common concerns being overly broad antimicrobial coverage and prolonged antimicrobial treatment amongst others. While antimicrobial resistance is a problem of international proportion, each health care institution remains responsible for assessing its own protocols pertinent to antimicrobial usage. ASPs have had unparalleled success in achieving their goals due to the collaboration of health care personnel, informatics, data collection, and effective policies being employed. While the pharmaceutical industry struggles with the development of novel antimicrobials, ASPs are a critical component to promote the continued efficacy of currently available antimicrobials. A considerable number of strategies have been established to implement and manage an effective institutional ASP, including educational programs, the development of institutional antimicrobial and disease state guidelines, prior approval for certain broad-spectrum agents, post-prescription review, and computer-based decision support. However, resources are often limited thus creating barriers for institutional ASP success. Some common barriers include a lack of fundraising, inadequate or absent diagnostic facilities, poor data collection, variation in data collection, a lack of communication among various health care professionals and a lack of cooperation among health care facilities. ASPs have the potential to reduce antimicrobial resistance evolution and therefore improve patient outcomes. The involvement of multiple health care professionals, including pharmacists, is imperative to the success of an ASP

Methodology Development for Three-Dimensional MR-Guided Near Infrared Spectroscopy of Breast Tumors

Combined Magnetic Resonance (MR) and Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) has been proposed as a unique method to quantify hemodynamics, water content, and cellular size and packing density of breast tumors, as these tissue constituents can be quantified with increased resolution and overlaid on the structural features identified by the MR. However, the choices in how to reconstruct and visualize this information can have a dramatic impact on the feasibility of implementing this modality in the clinic. This is especially true in 3 dimensions, as there is often limited optical sampling of the breast tissue, and methods need to accurately reflect the tissue composition. In this paper, the implementation and display of fully 3D MR image-guided NIRS is outlined and demonstrated using in vivo data from three healthy women and a volunteer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Additionally, a display feature presented here scales the transparency of the optical images to the sensitivity of the measurements, providing a logical way to incorporate partial volume sets of optical images onto the MR volume. These concepts are demonstrated with 3D data sets using Volview software online