Dietary molecules and experimental evidence of epigenetic influence in cancer chemoprevention: An insight.

The world-wide rate of incidence of cancer disease has been only modestly contested by the past and current preventive and interventional strategies. Hence, the global effort towards novel ideas to contain the disease still continues. Constituents of human diets have in recent years emerged as key regulators of carcinogenesis, with studies reporting their inhibitory potential against all the three stages vis-a-vis initiation, promotion and progression. Unlike drugs which usually act on single targets, these dietary factors have an advantage of multi-targeted effects and pleiotropic action mechanisms, which are effective against cancer that manifest as a micro-evolutionary and multi-factorial disease. Since most of the cellular targets have been identified and their consumption considered relatively safe, these diet-derived agents often appear as molecules of interest in repurposing strategies. Currently, many of these molecules are being investigated for their ability to influence the aberrant alterations in cell's epigenome for epigenetic therapy against cancer. Targeting the epigenetic regulators is a new paradigm in cancer chemoprevention which acts to reverse the warped-up epigenetic alterations in a cancer cell, thereby directing it towards a normal phenotype. In this review, we discuss the significance of dietary factors and natural products as chemopreventive agents. Further, we corroborate the experimental evidence from existing literature, reflecting the ability of a series of such molecules to act as epigenetic modifiers in cancer cells, by interfering with molecular events that map the epigenetic imprints such as DNA methylation, histone acetylation and non-coding RNA mediated gene regulation.

Long non-coding RNAs regulated NF-κB signaling in cancer metastasis: Micromanaging by not so small non-coding RNAs.

Cancer metastasis is a major reason for the cancer-associated deaths and a role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer metastasis is increasingly being realized. Among the many oncogenic pathways, NF-κB signalling's involvement in cancer metastasis as a key inflammation-regulatory transcription factor has been a subject of interest for long time. Accumulating data from in vitro as well as in vivo studies along with analysis of clinical cancer tissues points to regulation of NF-κB signalling by lncRNAs with implications toward the onset of cancer metastasis. LncRNAs FOXD2-AS1, KRT19P3 and the NF-κB interacting lncRNA (NKILA) associate with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis of individual cancers. The role of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer metastasis is well known. EMT is regulated by NF-κB and regulation of NF-κB/EMT-induced metastasis by lncRNAs remains a hot topic of research with indications for such roles of lncRNAs MALAT1, SNHG15, CRNDE and AC007271.3. Among the many lncRNAs, NKILA stands out as the most investigated lncRNA for its regulation of NF-κB. This tumor suppressive lncRNA has been reported downregulated in clinical samples representing different human cancers. Mechanistically, NKILA has been consistently shown to inhibit NF-κB activation via inhibition of IκBα phosphorylation and the resulting suppression of EMT. NKILA is also a target of natural anticancer compounds. Given the importance of NF-κB as a master regulatory transcription factor, lncRNAs, as the modulators of NF-κB signaling, can provide alternate targets for metastatic cancers with constitutively active NF-κB.

Molecular Evaluation of the Impact of Polymorphic Variants in Apoptotic (Bcl-2/Bax) and Proinflammatory Cytokine (TNF-α/IL-8) Genes on the Susceptibility and Progression of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms: A Case-Control Biomarker Study.

The regulation of apoptosis (the programmed cell death) is dependent on the crucial involvement of BCL2 and BAX. The Bax-248G>A and Bcl-2-938 C>A polymorphic variations in the promoter sequences of the Bax and Bcl-2 gene have been recently associated with low Bax expression, progression to advanced stages, treatment resistance, and shortened overall survival rate in some hematological malignancies, including chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and other myeloproliferative neoplasms. Chronic inflammation has been linked to various stages of carcinogenesis wherein pro-inflammatory cytokines play diverse roles in influencing cancer microenvironment leading to cell invasion and cancer progression. Cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-8 have been implicated in cancer growth in both solid and hematological malignancies with studies showing their elevated levels in patients. Genomic approaches have in recent years provided significant knowledge with the regard to the association of certain SNPs (single nucleotide polymerphisms) either in a gene or its promoter that can influence its expression, with the risk and susceptibility to human diseases including cancer. This study has investigated the consequences of promoter SNPs in apoptosis genes Bax-248G>A (rs4645878)/Bcl-2-938C>A (rs2279115) and pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α rs1800629 G>A/IL-8 rs4073 T>A on the risk and susceptibility towards hematological cancers. The study design has 235 individuals both male and female enrolled as subjects that had 113 cases of MPDs (myeloproliferative disorders) and 122 healthy individuals as controls. The genotyping studies were conducted through ARMS PCR (amplification-refractory mutation system PCR). The Bcl-2-938 C>A polymorphism showed up in 22% of patients in the study, while it was observed in only 10% of normal controls. This difference in genotype and allele frequency between the two groups was significant (p = 0.025). Similarly, the Bax-248G>A polymorphism was detected in 6.48% of the patients and 4.54% of the normal controls, with a significant difference in genotype and allele frequency between the groups (p = 0.048). The results suggest that the Bcl-2-938 C>A variant is linked to an elevated risk of MPDs in the codominant, dominant, and recessive inheritance models. Moreover, the study indicated allele A as risk allele which can significantly increase the risk of MPDs unlike the C allele. In case of Bax gene covariants, these were associated with an increased risk of MPDs in the codominant inheritance model and dominant inheritance model. It was found that the allele A significantly enhanced the risk of MPDs unlike the G allele. The frequencies of IL-8 rs4073 T>A in patients was found to be TT (16.39%), AT (36.88%) and AA (46.72%), compared to controls who were more likely to have frequencies of TT (39.34%), AT (37.70%) and AA (22.95%) as such, respectively. There was a notable overrepresentation of the AA genotype and GG homozygotes among patients compared to controls in TNF-α polymorphic variants, with 6.55% of patients having the AA genotype and 84% of patients being GG homozygotes, compared to 1.63% and 69%, respectively in controls. The data from the current study provide partial but important evidence that polymorphisms in apoptotic genes Bcl-2-938C>A and Bax-248G>A and pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-8 rs4073 T>A and TNF-α G>A may help predict the clinical outcomes of patients and determine the significance of such polymorphic variations in the risk of myeloproliferative diseases and their role as prognostic markers in disease management using a case-control study approach.

Molecular determination of progesterone receptor's PROGINS allele (Alu insertion) and its association with the predisposition and susceptibility to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Polycystic ovary syndrome, previously known as Stein-Leventhal syndrome, is associated with altered reproductive endocrinology, predisposing a young woman towards the risk of PCOS. It has a prevalence of 6-20% among the reproductive-age women. Progesterone is a key hormone in the pathophysiology of PCOS and patients show diminished response (progesterone resistance), implicating the role of progesterone receptor (PR) as a factor in the disease etiology and prognosis. In this case-control study, we have used mutation-specific PCR (confirmed by Sanger sequencing) to detect the presence of a pathologically significant PR polymorphic variant called as PROGINS. The variant has an Alu insertion in intron G and has two SNPs in exon 4 and exon 5, with all the three aberrations in complete disequilibrium. Our results demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the frequencies of PROGINS between the PCOS patients and healthy controls (p = 0.047). The frequencies of the genotypes CC (A1/A1), CT (A1/A2), and TT (A2/A2) in patients were 74.50%, 20.58%, and 4.90%, and in healthy controls they were 87.28%, 11%, and 1.69%, respectively. Our results put forward two determining factors with regard to PCOS: (i) the frequency of PROGINS allele was significantly higher among PCOS patients compared to the healthy matched controls (0.15 vs 0.07) in the studied population, (ii) the PROGIN allele was significantly associated with the lower levels of serum progesterone in PCOS patients (p < 0.003). The findings are conspicuous as these relate the PROGINS variant to the increased susceptibility of PCOS and might explain the progesterone resistance in patients.

Citrus limon L. (lemon) seed extract shows neuro-modulatory activity in an in vivo thiopental-sodium sleep model by reducing the sleep onset and enhancing the sleep duration.

Citrus limon L. is an ingenious alternative medication and has a broad scope in managing several health conditions as part of natural remedies. Recently, medicinal plants have witnessed incredible consideration worldwide in the field of neuroscience for remedial intervention. The present work has investigated the phytochemical compounds and neuropharmacological potential of the seed extract of Citrus limon as a step to partially validate its formulations as nutraceuticals using an in vivo model. Diverse phytochemical groups such as alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, tannins, gums, saponins, steroids were qualitatively identified through colorimetric methods utilizing standard compounds. The neuropharmacological properties were studied in Swiss albino mice with the sleep time induced by thiopental sodium taken as an end-point, in standard hole cross, hole board, and open-field experiments at varying doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight. Phytochemical screening showed that alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, steroids, and glycosides are present in the aqueous extract of the seed. The extracts demonstrated a significant reduction in sleep onset and enhanced the sleep duration in a dose-dependent manner in thiopental sodium-induced sleeping time, along with a marked decrease in unconstrained locomotors and explorative properties in both hole cross and open field tests. Moreover, in the hole board study, the extracts minimized the count of head dips observed in the treated mice. The results shown in this study demonstrate that Citrus limon extracts have neuropharmacological properties that can be further examined for their potential role as an adjuvant with conventional medications or nutraceuticals.

Prevalence of and factors associated with insufficient physical activity among adolescents: evidence from a nationwide survey in Bangladesh.

The World Health Organization set a target of a 15% relative reduction in the prevalence of insufficient physical activity (IPA) by 2025 among adolescents and adults globally. In Bangladesh, there are no national estimates of the prevalence of IPA among adolescents. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of and risk factors associated with IPA among adolescent girls and boys. Data for 4865 adolescent girls and 4907 adolescent boys, collected as a part of a National Nutrition Surveillance in 2018-19, were analysed for this study. A modified version of the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) was used to collect physical activity data. The World Health Organization recommended cut-off points were used to estimate the prevalence of IPA. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with IPA. Prevalences of IPA among adolescent girls and boys were 50.3% and 29.0%, respectively, and the prevalence was significantly higher among early adolescents (10-14 years) than late adolescents (15-19 years) among both boys and girls. The IPA prevalence was highest among adolescents living in non-slum urban areas (girls: 77.7%; boys: 64.1%). For both boys and girls, younger age, non-slum urban residence, higher paternal education and increased television viewing time were significantly associated with IPA. Additionally, residing in slums was significantly associated with IPA only among the boys. Higher maternal education was associated with IPA only among the girls. This study identified several modifiable risk factors associated with IPA among adolescent boys and girls in Bangladesh. These factors should be addressed through comprehensive public health interventions to promote physical activity among adolescent girls and boys.

Modeling the epidemic control measures in overcoming COVID-19 outbreaks: A fractional-order derivative approach.

Novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2 is one of the global threads and uncertain challenges worldwide faced at present. It has stroke rapidly around the globe due to viral transmissibility, new variants (strains), and human unconsciousness. Lack of adequate and reliable vaccination and proper treatment, control measures such as self-protection, physical distancing, lockdown, quarantine, and isolation policy plays an essential role in controlling and reducing the pandemic. Decisions on enforcing various control measures should be determined based on a theoretical framework and real-data evidence. We deliberate a general mathematical control measures epidemic model consisting of lockdown, self-protection, physical distancing, quarantine, and isolation compartments. Then, we investigate the proposed model through Caputo fractional order derivative. Fixed point theory has been used to analyze the Caputo fractional-order derivative model's existence and uniqueness solutions, whereas the Adams-Bashforth-Moulton numerical scheme was applied for numerical simulation. Driven by extensive theoretical analysis and numerical simulation, this work further illuminates the substantial impact of various control measures.

Breast Cancer: Current Perspectives on the Disease Status.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women and ranks second among causes for cancer related death in women. Evidence in literature has shown that the past and ongoing research has an enormous implication in improving the clinical outcome in breast cancer. This has been attributed to the progress made in the realm of screening, diagnosis and therapeutic strategies engaged in breast cancer management. However, poor prognosis in TNBC and drug resistance presents major inhibitions which are also current challenges for containing the disease. Similarly, a focal point of concern is the rising rate of breast cancer incidence and mortality among the population of under developed world. In this chapter, an overview of the current practices for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and associated impediments has been provided.

Garcinol Sensitizes NSCLC Cells to Standard Therapies by Regulating EMT-Modulating miRNAs.

Garcinol, a dietary factor obtained from Garcinia indica, modulates several key cellular signaling pathways as well as the expression of miRNAs. Acquired resistance to standard therapies, such as erlotinib and cisplatin, is a hallmark of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells that often involves miRNA-regulated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We used A549 cells that were exposed to transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-ß1), resulting in A549M cells with mesenchymal and drug resistant phenotype, and report that garcinol sensitized resistant cells with mesenchymal phenotype to erlotinib as well as cisplatin with significant decrease in their IC50 values. It also potentiated the apoptosis-inducing activity of erlotinib in A549M and the endogenously mesenchymal H1299 NSCLC cells. Further, garcinol significantly upregulated several key EMT-regulating miRNAs, such as miR-200b, miR-205, miR-218, and let-7c. Antagonizing miRNAs, through anti-miRNA transfections, attenuated the EMT-modulating activity of garcinol, as determined by mRNA expression of EMT markers, E-cadherin, vimentin, and Zinc Finger E-Box Binding Homeobox 1 (ZEB1). This further led to repression of erlotinib as well as cisplatin sensitization, thus establishing the mechanistic role of miRNAs, particularly miR-200c and let-7c, in garcinol-mediated reversal of EMT and the resulting sensitization of NSCLC cells to standard therapies.

The meaning of work after spinal cord injury: a scoping review.

STUDY DESIGN: Scoping review. OBJECTIVES: To explore the meaning of work after spinal cord injury (SCI) in existing literature. METHODS: Arksey and O'Malley's widely used methodological framework for scoping reviews was used to guide this review. Studies involving adults with SCI, conducted using qualitative methods, and published in peer reviewed literature were identified based on key terms and searches in three databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO). Further search steps included checking citations in identified articles and citation tracking for other relevant articles and reviews. Reported qualitative data were then thematically analysed to generate themes. RESULTS: Twelve studies were included. Three themes were identified across these studies that describe the meanings of work after spinal cord injury: re-developing a sense of self, re-establishing place in the community and regaining economic self-sufficiency. CONCLUSIONS: The varied meanings of work after SCI identified in this review may be used in rehabilitation programs to explore ideas about work, the types of work they wish to pursue, and the ways in which work may be meaningful for people with SCI, so as to identify individually and contextually relevant work. Taking account of meaning in ICF based models of work participation could enhance patient-centred approaches in SCI rehabilitation.

Laboratory evaluation of the effect of Beauveria bassiana on the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis (Acari: Phytoseiidae).

Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), a major pest of many agricultural crops, is mainly controlled with chemical acaricides. However, predatory mites and entomopathogens have been proposed as alternative control agents. In this study, the effect of the BotaniGard® GHA strain of Beauveria bassiana on the survival, longevity, fecundity, and egg hatch rate of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) were studied under laboratory conditions. When B. bassiana was applied directly to P. persimilis eggs at a concentration of 1×108conidia/ml, corrected hatchability was less than 5%, and the corrected mortality of nymphs and adults was not significantly different from control 10days after treatment. Phytoseiulus persimilis nymphs that hatched from treated eggs showed no significant change in their development time, adult female longevity, hatch rate, survival rates over time, or offspring sex ratio. However, significant negative effects on fecundity and life table parameters (net reproductive rate, intrinsic rate of natural increase, mean generation time, finite rate of increase, and doubling time) were found when B. bassiana was applied to the adult stage. Spraying B. bassiana at 1×108conidia/ml on newly emerged adults of P. persimilis caused 44% reduction in the oviposition period, 26% in adult longevity, and 63% in fecundity. Due to these negative effects, B. bassiana should be used with careful adjustment of application timing (first spray B. bassiana and then release P. persimilis) to supplement biological mite control systems using P. persimilis.

Copulation duration, sperm transfer and reproduction of the two closely related phytoseiid mites, Neoseiulus womersleyi and Neoseiulus longispinosus (Acari: Phytoseiidae).

The effects of copulation duration on reproduction were studied in two important biological control agents, Neoseiulus womersleyi (Schicha) and Neoseiulus longispinosus (Evans), to better understand their reproductive potential. The number of eggs produced was significantly and positively related to the copulation duration in both species. Egg production was observed even in females which experienced only 15 min of copulation and increased as copulation period increased in both species. Both pre- and post-oviposition periods of N. womersleyi and N. longispinosus decreased with the increase of copulation durations, and they were significantly different between the two species. Copulation duration had no effect on the female adult longevity of N. womersleyi and N. longispinosus, but N. womersleyi showed higher adult longevity than N. longispinosus. Fecundity remarkably increased in both species when the copulation period exceeded 90 min. The size of the spermatophore inside the spermathecae increased in proportion to the copulation duration in both species. Fecundity was consistent with the sizes of the spermathecae and spermatophores. When copulation was extended, males first filled one spermatheca and then filled the other. The results obtained in this study suggest that copulation duration had similar effects on egg production in N. womersleyi and N. longispinosus. Egg production depended on the quantity of sperm transferred during copulation. The two species have similar reproductive potentials and mating properties under laboratory conditions.

Mechanism of Radiation Damage Reduction in Equiatomic Multicomponent Single Phase Alloys.

Recently a new class of metal alloys, of single-phase multicomponent composition at roughly equal atomic concentrations ("equiatomic"), have been shown to exhibit promising mechanical, magnetic, and corrosion resistance properties, in particular, at high temperatures. These features make them potential candidates for components of next-generation nuclear reactors and other high-radiation environments that will involve high temperatures combined with corrosive environments and extreme radiation exposure. In spite of a wide range of recent studies of many important properties of these alloys, their radiation tolerance at high doses remains unexplored. In this work, a combination of experimental and modeling efforts reveals a substantial reduction of damage accumulation under prolonged irradiation in single-phase NiFe and NiCoCr alloys compared to elemental Ni. This effect is explained by reduced dislocation mobility, which leads to slower growth of large dislocation structures. Moreover, there is no observable phase separation, ordering, or amorphization, pointing to a high phase stability of this class of alloys.

Pharmacological Intervention through Dietary Nutraceuticals in Gastrointestinal Neoplasia.

Neoplastic conditions associated with gastrointestinal (GI) tract are common worldwide with colorectal cancer alone accounting for the third leading rate of cancer incidence. Other GI malignancies such as esophageal carcinoma have shown an increasing trend in the last few years. The poor survival statistics of these fatal cancer diseases highlight the need for multiple alternative treatment options along with effective prophylactic strategies. Worldwide geographical variation in cancer incidence indicates a correlation between dietary habits and cancer risk. Epidemiological studies have suggested that populations with high intake of certain dietary agents in their regular meals have lower cancer rates. Thus, an impressive embodiment of evidence supports the concept that dietary factors are key modulators of cancer including those of GI origin. Preclinical studies on animal models of carcinogenesis have reflected the pharmacological significance of certain dietary agents called as nutraceuticals in the chemoprevention of GI neoplasia. These include stilbenes (from red grapes and red wine), isoflavones (from soy), carotenoids (from tomatoes), curcuminoids (from spice turmeric), catechins (from green tea), and various other small plant metabolites (from fruits, vegetables, and cereals). Pleiotropic action mechanisms have been reported for these diet-derived chemopreventive agents to retard, block, or reverse carcinogenesis. This review presents a prophylactic approach to primary prevention of GI cancers by highlighting the translational potential of plant-derived nutraceuticals from epidemiological, laboratory, and clinical studies, for the better management of these cancers through consumption of nutraceutical rich diets and their intervention in cancer therapeutics.

Simulating hypoxia-induced acidic environment in cancer cells facilitates mobilization and redox-cycling of genomic copper by daidzein leading to pro-oxidant cell death: implications for the sensitization of resistant hypoxic cancer cells to therapeutic challenges.

This study was conducted to investigate the mechanism of action involved in the anti-cancer activity of daidzein and identification of cancer specific micro-environment as therapeutic target of this secondary metabolite derived from soy. Our data indicated that daidzein induces cellular DNA breakage, anti-proliferative effects and apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. We demonstrated that such a daidzein-induced anti-cancer action involves a copper-dependant pathway in which endogenous copper is mobilized by daidzein and redox-cycled to generate reactive oxygen species which act as an upstream signal leading to pro-oxidant cell death. Further in the context of hypoxia being a resistant factor against standard therapies and that an effect secondary to hypoxia is the intracellular acidification, we show that the anticancer activity of daidzein is modulated positively in acidic pH but copper-specific chelator is still able to inhibit daidzein activity. Moreover, an experimental setup of hypoxia mimic (cobalt chloride) revealed an enhanced sensitivity of cancer cells to the cytotoxic effects of daidzein which was neutralized in the presence of neocuproine. The findings support a paradigm shift from the conventional antioxidant property of dietary isoflavones to molecules capable of initiating a pro-oxidant signaling mediated by reactive oxygen species. Further, the clinical relevance of such an action mechanism in cancer chemoprevention is also proposed. This study identified endogenous copper as a molecular target and acidic pH as a modulating factor for the therapeutic activity of daidzein against cancer. The evidence presented highlights the potential of dietary agents as adjuvants to standard therapeutic regimens.

Mobilization of Intracellular Copper by Gossypol and Apogossypolone Leads to Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Cell Death: Putative Anticancer Mechanism.

There is compelling evidence that serum, tissue and intracellular levels of copper are elevated in all types of cancer. Copper has been suggested as an important co-factor for angiogenesis. It is also a major metal ion present inside the nucleus, bound to DNA bases, particularly guanine. We have earlier proposed that the interaction of phenolic-antioxidants with intracellular copper leads to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that ultimately serve as DNA cleaving agents. To further validate our hypothesis we show here that the antioxidant gossypol and its semi-synthetic derivative apogossypolone induce copper-mediated apoptosis in breast MDA-MB-231, prostate PC3 and pancreatic BxPC-3 cancer cells, through the generation of ROS. MCF10A breast epithelial cells refractory to the cytotoxic property of these compounds become sensitized to treatment against gossypol, as well as apogossypolone, when pre-incubated with copper. Our present results confirm our earlier findings and strengthen our hypothesis that plant-derived antioxidants mobilize intracellular copper instigating ROS-mediated cellular DNA breakage. As cancer cells exist under significant oxidative stress, this increase in ROS-stress to cytotoxic levels could be a successful anticancer approach.

Pesticide-mediated displacement of a phytoseiid predator, Neoseiulus womersleyi, by another phytoseiid predator, N. californicus (Acari: Phytoseiidae).

Neoseiulus womersleyi and N. californicus are two predators that are frequently used to control spider mites in fruit-tree orchards. Neoseiulus womersleyi used to be the dominant predator species in Japan, but since the 1990s in central and southwestern Japan, N. californicus populations have been increasing and have displaced populations of N. womersleyi. We previously observed the same phenomenon under laboratory conditions when these species were released at a 1:1 ratio, and attributed the displacement to asymmetrical intraguild predation. However, the ratio in fruit-tree orchards could be different from 1:1. Therefore, we hypothesized that differential susceptibilities to pesticides might accelerate species displacement of N. womersleyi by N. californicus, even if the ratio between these two species was extremely skewed in favor of N. womersleyi and no species displacement occurred otherwise. We examined the effects of 21 pesticides on egg-to-adult and adult survivorship in N. womersleyi and N. californicus. Among these pesticides, two neonicotinoids (acetamiprid and imidacloprid) had much severer effects on N. womersleyi than on N. californicus and thus could possibly account for the species displacement. When the two species were released onto leaf arenas at an N. californicus: N. womersleyi ratio of 1:9 in the absence of insecticide, no displacement was observed. However, just after acetamiprid or imidacloprid application, the proportion of N. californicus increased, causing N. californicus to displace N. womersleyi. Our results indicate that displacement in predator complexes of fruit-tree orchards could be due to different degrees of pesticide susceptibility.

Life History Characteristics of Frankliniella occidentalis and Frankliniella intonsa (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Constant and Fluctuating Temperatures.

Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) and Frankliniella intonsa (Trybom) are sympatric pests of many greenhouse and field crops in Korea. We compared the influence of constant (27.3°C) and fluctuating temperatures (23.8-31.5°C, with an average of 27.3°C) on the life table characteristics of F. occidentalis and F. intonsa held at a photoperiod of 16:8 (L:D) h and 45±5% relative humidity. The development times of both F. occidentalis and F. intonsa were significantly affected by temperature fluctuation, species, and sex. The development time from egg to adult of F. intonsa was shorter than that for F. occidentalis at both constant and fluctuating temperatures. Survival of immature life stages was higher under fluctuating than constant temperature for both thrips species. The total and daily production of first instars was higher in F. intonsa (90.4 and 4.2 at constant temperature, and 95.7 and 3.9 at fluctuating temperatures) than that of F. occidentalis (58.7 and 3.3 at constant temperature, and 60.5 and 3.1 at fluctuating temperatures) under both constant and fluctuating temperatures. The percentage of female offspring was greater in F. intonsa (72.1-75.7%) than in F. occidentalis (57.4-58.7%) under both temperature regimes. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) was higher at constant temperature than at fluctuating temperature for both thrips species. F. intonsa had a higher rm value (0.2146 and 0.2004) than did F. occidentalis (0.1808 and 0.1733), under both constant and fluctuating temperatures, respectively. The biological response of F. occidentalis and F. intonsa to constant and fluctuating temperature was found to be interspecifically different, and F. intonsa may have higher pest potential than F. occidentalis based on the life table parameters we are reporting first here.

Optical nano antennas: state of the art, scope and challenges as a biosensor along with human exposure to nano-toxicology.

The concept of optical antennas in physical optics is still evolving. Like the antennas used in the radio frequency (RF) regime, the aspiration of optical antennas is to localize the free propagating radiation energy, and vice versa. For this purpose, optical antennas utilize the distinctive properties of metal nanostructures, which are strong plasmonic coupling elements at the optical regime. The concept of optical antennas is being advanced technologically and they are projected to be substitute devices for detection in the millimeter, infrared, and visible regimes. At present, their potential benefits in light detection, which include polarization dependency, tunability, and quick response times have been successfully demonstrated. Optical antennas also can be seen as directionally responsive elements for point detectors. This review provides an overview of the historical background of the topic, along with the basic concepts and parameters of optical antennas. One of the major parts of this review covers the use of optical antennas in biosensing, presenting biosensing applications with a broad description using different types of data. We have also mentioned the basic challenges in the path of the universal use of optical biosensors, where we have also discussed some legal matters.

Laboratory bioassay of Beauveria bassiana against Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) on leaf discs and potted bean plants.

Use of the mycopathogen Beauveria bassiana (strain GHA), marketed as BotaniGard(®) ES, was evaluated as a plant protection strategy against the spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch, which is considered one of the most economically important and cosmopolitan pests of many crops. Tetranychus urticae were treated with four concentrations of conidia (1 × 10(5), 1 × 10(6), 1 × 10(7), or 1 × 10(8) conidia/ml), and virulence was assessed on mites held at four relative humidity levels (35, 55, 75, and 95 ± 2 % RH) at 25 ± 1 °C. At 1 × 10(8) spores/ml, the LT50 value was 9.7 h at 95 % RH, which was significantly lower than values for other RH levels. At 1 × 10(7) spores/ml, the LT50 value was 43.8 h at 95 % RH, which was significantly different from values at 55 and 35 % RH. The efficacy of B. bassiana product was also verified on mites infesting potted bean plants with a concentration of 1 × 10(8) spores/ml. In double spray treatment where applications were made 2 × on days 5 and 10 after mite infestation, the nymphal and adult population of T. urticae were reduced to zero on days 20 and 15, respectively. With a single spray on day 5, the nymphal population was also greatly reduced, but increased rapidly after day 20. Single and double sprays with B. bassiana reduced leaf damage as measured by image analysis by 33 and 94 % compared to no treatment, respectively. These results suggest that 1 × 10(8) spores/ml was the most effective dose and that two applications, at a 5-day interval, provided control of T. urticae in our laboratory assay.