Role of the Hox Genes, Sex combs reduced, Fushi tarazu and Antennapedia, in Leg Development of the Spider Mite Tetranychus urticae.

Mites, the second largest arthropod group, exhibit rich phenotypic diversity in the development of appendages (legs). For example, the fourth pair of legs (L4) does not form until the second postembryonic developmental stage, namely the protonymph stage. These leg developmental diversities drive body plan diversity in mites. However, little is known about the mechanisms of leg development in mites. Hox genes, homeotic genes, can regulate the development of appendages in arthropods. Three Hox genes, Sex combs reduced (Scr), Fushi tarazu (Ftz) and Antennapedia (Antp), have previously been shown to be expressed in the leg segments of mites. Here, the quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR shows that three Hox genes are significantly increased in the first molt stage. RNA interference results in a set of abnormalities, including L3 curl and L4 loss. These results suggest that these Hox genes are required for normal leg development. Furthermore, the loss of single Hox genes results in downregulating the expression of the appendage marker Distal-less (Dll), suggesting that the three Hox genes can work together with Dll to maintain leg development in Tetranychus urticae. This study will be essential to understanding the diversity of leg development in mites and changes in Hox gene function.

Potential of a winterschmidtiid prey mite for the production of the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus (Acari: Phytoseiidae).

Mass rearing of the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) using natural (prey) methods is costly and laborious, limiting its application in the biological control of pests. A high-production, low-cost method using a prey substitute would help to relieve this problem. Oulenziella bakeri Hughes (Acari: Winterschmidtiidae) could be an alternative prey source, but studies on the reproductive parameters of N. californicus under rearing conditions are lacking. This study evaluated the potential of O. bakeri as an alternative prey in N. californicus rearing by comparing developmental parameters among N. californicus reared on three diets based on an age-stage two-sex life table. We found that the preoviposition period and developmental time of N. californicus did not vary based on diet. The fecundity of N. californicus adults reared on O. bakeri was 29.8 eggs per female, which was lower than that of adults reared on Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) (42.9 eggs per female); there was no significant difference between O. bakeri and apple pollen (30.2 eggs per female). The oviposition rate of mites fed on O. bakeri was 69% of that fed on T. urticae. Neoseiulus californicus reared on O. bakeri and apple pollen showed the same intrinsic rate of increase (0.25 per day), which was 86% of the rate of those fed on T. urticae. Compared with predatory mites reared on natural prey, N. californicus reared on O. bakeri had a high survival rate and good oviposition and population growth parameters, suggesting that O. bakeri is suitable for the rearing of N. californicus.

An Energy-Restricted Diet Including Yogurt, Fruit, and Vegetables Alleviates High-Fat Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Mice by Modulating the Gut Microbiota.

BACKGROUND: The importance of the composition of an energy-restricted diet in the treatment of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is unknown. OBJECTIVES: In this study we aimed to investigate the benefits of a novel dietary treatment (50% calorie restriction diet composed of yogurt, fruit, and vegetables [CR-YD]) in mice with MetS. METHODS: Forty 7-wk-old male C57BL/6 J mice were randomly assigned to 4 groups (n = 10/group) that were fed for 14 wk ad libitum with a normal diet (ND; 10%:70%:20% energy from fat: carbohydrate: protein) or for 12 wk with a high-fat diet (HFD; 60:20:20) or the HFD followed by 2 wk of feeding with a 50% calorie-restricted HFD (CR-HFD) or YD (CR-YD, 21.2%:65.4%:13.4% energy). Body weight, fat deposition, hepatic steatosis, serum concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers, and glucose homeostasis were assessed. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was used to validate the roles of gut microbiota in MetS. RESULTS: The HFD group had 50% greater body weight and 475% greater fat deposition than the ND group (P < 0.05). Compared with the HFD group, the CR-HFD and CR-YD groups had 22% and 31% lower body weight and 49% and 75% less fat deposition, respectively (P < 0.05). Compared with the CR-HFD group, the CR-YD group had 11% lower body weight, 96% less fat deposition, 500% less hepatic steatosis, 75% lower glucose, and 450% more hepatic Akkermansia bacteria (P < 0.05). The CR-YD group also had 50% lower histopathology scores and 1.35-fold higher levels of Claudin4 than the CR-HFD group (P < 0.05). The HFD + CR-YD fecal group had 10.6% lower body weight, 119% lower steatosis, and 17.9% lower glucose (P < 0.05) than the HFD + CR-HFD fecal group. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with CR alone, the CR-YD diet has a better therapeutic effect in mice with HFD-induced MetS.

Isolation of Peptide Inhibiting SGC-7901 Cell Proliferation from Aspongopus chinensis Dallas.

Aspongopus chinensis Dallas is used as a traditional Chinese medicine as well as an edible insect. Although its anti-tumor effects have been observed, the anti-tumor active component(s) in the hemolymph of A. chinensis remains unknown. In this study, a combination usage of ultrafiltration, gel filtration chromatography, FPLC and RP-HPLC to separate and purify active peptides was performed based on the proliferation of the human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cell line treated with candidates. One peptide (MW = 2853.3 Da) was isolated from the hemolymph of A. chinensis. A total of 24 amino acid residues were continuously determined for the active peptide: N'-ECGYCAEKGIRCDDIHCCTGLKKK-C'. In conclusion, a peptide that can inhibit the proliferation of gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells in the hemolymph of A. chinensis was purified in this study, which is homologous to members of the spider toxin protein family. These results should facilitate further works for this peptide, such as the cloning of genes, expression in vitro by prokaryotic or eukaryotic systems, more specific tests of anti-tumor activity, and so on.

The potential of microRNAs as human prostate cancer biomarkers: A meta-analysis of related studies.

Prostate cancer (PC) is a very important kind of male malignancies. When PC evolves into a stage of hormone resistance or metastasis, the fatality rate is very high. Currently, discoveries and advances in miRNAs as biomarkers have opened the potential for the diagnosis of PC, especially early diagnosis. miRNAs not only can noninvasively or minimally invasively identify PC, but also can provide the data for optimization and personalization of therapy. Moreover, miRNAs have been shown to play an important role to predict prognosis of PC. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to integrate the currently published expression profile data of miRNAs in PC, and evaluate the value of miRNAs as biomarkers for PC. All of relevant records were selected via electronic databases: Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane, and CNKI based on the assessment of title, abstract, and full text. we extracted mean ± SD or fold change of miRNAs expression levels in PC versus BPH or normal controls. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), were also calculated to detect the relationship between high miRNAs expression and PC prognosis. Selected 104 articles were published in 2007-2017. According to the inclusion criteria, 104 records were included for this meta-analysis. The pooled or stratified analyze showed 10 up-regulated miRNAs (miR-18a, miR-34a, miR-106b, miR-141, miR-182, miR-183, miR-200a/b, miR-301a, and miR-375) and 14 down-regulated miRNAs (miR-1, miR-23b/27b, miR-30c, miR-99b, miR-139-5p, miR-152, miR-187, miR-204, miR-205, miR-224, miR-452, miR-505, and let-7c) had relatively good diagnostic and predictive potential to discriminate PC from BPH/normal controls. Furthermore, high expression of miR-32 and low expression of let-7c could be used to differentiate metastatic PC from local/primary PC. Additional interesting findings were that the expression profiles of five miRNAs (miR-21, miR-30c, miR-129, miR-145, and let-7c) could predict poor RFS of PC, while the evaluation of miR-375 was associated with worse OS. miRNAs are important regulators in PC progression. Our results indicate that miRNAs are suitable for predicting the different stages of PC. The detection of miRNAs is an effective way to control patient's prognosis and evaluate therapeutic efficacy. However, large-scale detections based on common clinical guidelines are still necessary to further validate our conclusions, due to the bias induced by molecular heterogeneity and differences in study design and detection methods.

Characterization of PD-L1 expression in Chinese non-small cell lung cancer patients with PTEN expression as a means for tissue quality screening.

The goal of this study is to evaluate PD-L1 prevalence and its association with major clinical characteristics in Chinese non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients to inform the clinical development of anti-PD1/PD-L1 agents in this population. We used phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) expression through IHC as a surrogate tissue quality marker to screen surgical NSCLC samples in tissue microarray (TMA; 172 cases) or whole-section (268 cases) format. The samples were then analyzed with a clinically validated PD-L1 IHC assay. The results were correlated with baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes. PTEN IHC showed that 108 TMA samples and 105 whole-section samples qualified for PD-L1 IHC. With a clinically relevant cutoff, 41.7% of the TMA samples were PD-L1 positive. PD-L1 level was much lower in EGFR-mutant patients and seemed to be a favorable prognostic factor for both overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). These findings were confirmed in the whole-section samples except that their survival data were not mature enough for correlation analysis. In summary, PD-L1 expression was detected in approximately 40% of PTEN-qualified Chinese NSCLC samples, negatively correlated with EGFR mutation and seemed to be a favorable prognostic factor for both OS and RFS. Notably, the different results from PTEN-qualified and PTEN-disqualified samples underscore the importance of tissue quality control prior to biomarker testing.

Pathogenic differences of the entomopathogenic fungus Isaria cateniannulata to the spider mite Tetranychus urticae (Trombidiformes: Tetranychidae) and its predator Euseius nicholsi (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae).

Isaria cateniannulata and Euseius nicholsi are two important biological control agents currently being used in many areas of China to control a variety of pests. In order to determine the possibility of a concomitant application with the two agents in a biocontrol program involving the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, we quantified the pathogenicity of a strain of I. cateniannulata (08XS-1) against females of both T. urticae and E. nicholsi. We observed the infection process using scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy to distinguish differences in fungal performance. The female mites were infected by I. cateniannulata at 2 × 107 conidia/ml. The mortality of T. urticae was 100% when treated with submerged conidia and 92% when treated with aerial conidia (spray), and that of E. nicholsi was 4.2 and 6.7%, correspondingly. Following infection with aerial or submerged conidia, mated E. nicholsi females displayed no significant differences between treatments and control, indicating the fungus had no obvious effect on their vitality and fertility. This demonstrates that I. cateniannulata is safe to E. nicholsi when used to control T. urticae. The two types of propagules of I. cateniannulata are readily produced by common culture, and the submerged conidia, because of their substantially higher mortality, are preferable to the aerial conidia. Our results indicate that I. cateniannulata and E. nicholsi are viable candidates to be concomitantly applied in the biocontrol programs of T. urticae.

Interleukin-1ß and cyclic AMP mediate the invasion of sheared chondrosarcoma cells via a matrix metalloproteinase-1-dependent mechanism.

Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) is a potential biomarker for chondrosarcoma that is overexpressed at the invading edges of articular cartilage, and its expression correlates with poor survival rates. However, the molecular mechanisms of MMP-1 regulation and its potential contribution to chondrosarcoma cell invasion have yet to be elucidated, especially in shear-activated cells. Using molecular biology tools and an in vitro fluid shear model, we report that shear stress upregulates cyclic AMP (cAMP) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) release, which in turn promotes the invasion of chondrosarcoma cells via the induction of MMP-1 in a phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-K)- and ERK1/2-dependent manner. Activated PI3-K and ERK1/2 signaling pathways phosphorylate c-Jun, which in turn transactivates MMP-1 in human chondrosarcoma cells. Collectively, fluid shear stress upregulates matrix MMP-1 expression, which is responsible for the enhanced invasion of human chondrosarcoma cells.

[Progress on pharmacokinetic study of antibody-drug conjugates].

Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) is a new class of therapeutics composed of a monoclonal antibody and small cytotoxin moieties conjugated through a chemical linker. ADC molecules bind to the target antigens expressed on the tumor cell surfaces guided by the monoclonal antibody component. The binding ADC molecules can be internalized and subsequently the toxin moieties can be released within the tumor cells via chemical and/or enzymatic reactions to kill the target cells. The conjugation combines the merits of both components, i.e., the high target specificity of the monoclonal antibody and the highly potent cell killing activity of the cytotoxin moieties. However, such complexities make the pharmacokinetic and metabolic studies of ADCs highly challenging. The major challenges should include characterization of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion, investigation of underlying mechanisms, assessment of pharmacokinetic- pharmacodynamic relationship, and analytical method development of ADC drugs. This review will discuss common pharmacokinetic issues and considerations, as well as tools and strategies that can be utilized to characterize the pharmacokinetic and metabolic properties of ADCs.

Genetic diversity of Sogatella furcifera (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) in China detected by inter-simple sequence repeats.

The white-backed planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) is a serious pest causing grievous damage to rice plants. In the present study, inter-simple sequence repeats were employed to investigate the genetic diversity of 108 samples from 27 WBPH geographic populations in China. Ten primers were screened out with 147 amplified bands, average percentage of polymorphic bands, polymorphic information content, and marker index were 78.9, 0.456, and 6.753% respectively. The results indicated that genetic diversity was different among populations, but genetic variation was as low as 0.2% among the populations and as high as 99.8% within the same geographic population. Among the examined WBPH populations, genetic distances were weakly correlated to geographic distance, and there was no correlation between genetic identity and elevation. Cluster analysis showed that the 27 WBPH populations studied could be lumped into four clusters, with which the results of principal coordinate analysis (were almost consistent. In conclusion, the molecular genetic data demonstrated that the region consisting of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, and Guangxi was the first landing area of WBPH in its migrating process from overwintering sites to China.

New Insights into the Role of Mild Hypoxia in Regulating Neural Stem Cell Characteristics.

The proliferation of neural stem cells (NSCs) is precisely regulated by extracellular environmental factors. In situ hypoxia, one of the key factors involved in the regulation of NSC characteristics, has attracted increasing amounts of attention. Numerous studies have demonstrated that hypoxia can significantly promote the formation of neurospheres and the proliferation of NSCs in vitro and that intermittent hypoxia can promote the proliferation of endogenous NSCs in vivo. In this article, the effects of different concentrations of oxygen on NSC proliferation and differentiation both in vivo and in vitro are reviewed, and the potential applications of hypoxia-preconditioned NSCs, as well as research progress and challenges in the treatment of central nervous system diseases, are further summarized. Here, the critical role of oxygen in the neurogenesis of NSCs is emphasized, and insights into the use of hypoxia to regulate NSC characteristics are provided.

[Follow-up observation of photoselective vaporization of prostate for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia within five years].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safty of photoselective vaporization of prostate (PVP) in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia with obstruction within 5 years. METHODS: From December 2004 to December 2009, there were 782 cases have been except for neurogenic bladder dysfunction and prostate cancer, who received PVP surgical treatment of BPH. The surgical conditions and postoperative follow-up data were recorded and the follow-up cut-off time for surgery after 5 years. RESULTS: A total of 782 patients with BPH who underwent PVP were included in this retrospective study. The operation in 740 cases was successfully completed at one time. But in other 42 cases, the twice operation was performed. The mean operation time was (85 ± 38) minutes, and the mean energy delivery was (355 ± 124) kJ. The mean catheterization and postoperative hospitalization time was (2.3 ± 1.7) days and (5.2 ± 2.6) days, respectively. No severe intraoperative complications were observed. The mean follow-up was (44.1 ± 19.3) months. The shortest follow-up was 6 months. The longest follow-up was 5 years. Complete follow-up data were available for 398 of the 782 patients. Of the 398 patients followed up for 5 years, the mean international prostate symptom score after 5 years was 12.8 ± 6.9, quality of life score was 2.2 ± 1.6, maximal flow rate was (14.5 ± 2.4) ml/s, and residual urine volume was 58 ml (M50). The retreatment rate because of BPH was 2.3% (9/398). Urethral stricture and bladder neck contracture were observed in 1.5% and 0.5% of the patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PVP has demonstrated remarkably consistent results for objective and subjective voiding parameters. Its late complication is rare and retreatment rate is low.

Stability analysis of soft-hard-interbedded anti-inclined rock slope.

The instability of rock slope is still a very frequent geological disaster, which seriously affects people's life and production activities. Previous studies have mainly focused on deformation mechanism, prediction, and control of hard rock with single lithology, while there are limited studies on the theoretic computational method of the stability for soft-hard interbedded anti-inclined rock strata. In this study, a geomechanical model for the toppling failure of soft-hard-interbedded anti-inclined rock slope is established. The modes of failure for soft and hard rock strata are analyzed, the computational formula of the downward thrust for each anti-inclined rock stratum is derived, and the stability safety factor of each rock stratum is defined. A theoretical computational method for determining the potentially most dangerous failure surface of soft-hard-interbedded anti-inclined rock slope is proposed. By comparing with the existing research results, the theoretical solving method proposed in this study can well solve the location of the potentially most dangerous failure surface of soft-hard-interbedded anti-inclined rock slope. The potentially most dangerous failure surface of this kind of slope is approximately planar, and the angle between it and the normal plane of the rock strata is an acute angle within 30°. It provides theoretical support for the stability analysis of this kind of slope.

New striatal neurons form projections to substantia nigra in adult rat brain after stroke.

Previous studies have demonstrated that newborn striatal neurons can functionally integrate with local neural networks in adult rat brain after injury. In the present study, we determined whether these newly generated striatal neurons can develop projections to the substantia nigra, a target of striatal projection neurons. We used 5'-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and a retroviral vector expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) combined with multiple immunostaining labels of newborn striatal neurons, and nigral microinjection of fluorogold (FG) to trace the striatonigral projection in adult rat brain at different weeks following a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). We found that FG positive (FG(+)) cells could be detected in newly generated neurons (BrdU(+)-NeuN(+) and GFP(+)-NeuN(+)) in ipsilateral striatum clearly at 12, but not 2 weeks after MCAO. The data suggest that ischemia-induced newborn striatal projection neurons could form long axons that targeted the substantia nigra (striatonigral projection pathway) and that have intact axonal transport from the nerve terminal to cell body. These new striatal neurons express glutamate NR2 and dopamine D2L receptors, which form the molecular basis for responding to the inputs from cortical glutamatergic and nigral dopaminergic projection neurons. Our data provide the first morphological evidence that newborn neurons in the striatum, a non-neurogenic region, can establish new striatonigral neural circuits, important pathways for the maintenance of motor function. These results help us to understand endogenous cellular mechanisms of brain repair, and suggest that increasing adult neurogenesis could be a practical strategy for enhancing the efficacy of rehabilitative therapy in stroke patients.

Juvenile Hormone Is an Important Factor in Regulating Aspongopus chinensis Dallas Diapause.

Aspongopus chinensis is a Chinese traditional edible and medicinal insect, which is in great demand in the society. This insect reproduces once a year which is caused by reproductive diapause resulting in insufficient production in wild resources. However, the mechanism of diapause in A. chinensis is still unclear. In this study, we focus on the relationship between juvenile hormones (JHs) and A. chinensis diapause. The results showed that JHIII concentration in diapause adult individuals was significantly lower than that in diapause termination adult individuals. When exogenous JHⅢ was injected into diapause adults, the rate of mating was increased significantly, development of the reproductive systems was accelerated, consumption of fat intensified, the expression of juvenile hormone acid o-methyl-transferase (JHAMT) was upregulated, and juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase (JHEH) and fatty acid synthase (FAS) gene expressions were downregulated. In addition, RNAi of JHAMT decreased JH concentration, delayed the development of reproductive systems, slowed down fat consumption, and delayed the mean mating occurrence time significantly. Conversely, RNAi of JHEH resulted in an increased concentration of JH, development of reproductive systems was accelerated, consumption of fat was intensified, and mean mating occurrence time advanced significantly. Taken together, these findings uncovered that JH plays an important role in regulating reproductive diapause in A. chinensis and, thus, could provide a theoretical basis for further research on the diapause of A. chinensis.

Morphological changes and ontogenetic development of Amblyseius eharai Amitai & Swirski (Acari: Phytoseiidae).

This paper describes the immature and mature characteristics of Amblyseius eharai Amitai & Swirski in detail to determine its morphological ontogeny based on laboratory-reared specimens. The main changes during ontogeny are as follows: the pronotal shield extends to j6 level and opisthosoma is unsclerotized in the larva; the dorsum has two shields in the protonymph, pronotal shield slightly expended comparing to that of the larva, and the opisthonotal shield smooth and weakly sclerotized. The podonotal and opisthonotal shields in the deutonymph are partially fused, and the dorsal shield is complete, covering almost the entire opisthonotum in adults in both sexes. There are nine pairs of dorsal setae in the larva, 14 pairs in the protonymph, and 19 pairs in both deutonymph and adult. In deutonymphs, gender could be distinguished by the number of setae in the area around the anal valves. In protonymphs, all dorsal, hypostomal setae, and the macrosetae of leg IV appear and are consistent with the subsequent stages. The development of morphological traits in the ontogeny of A. eharai may provide some basic knowledge to distinguish it from closely related species.

Redescription and new record of Odontoscirus nipponicus Shiba, 1985 (Bdellidae: Odontoscirinae) from China with a description of its ontogeny.

Odontoscirus nipponicus Shiba, 1985 is recorded from China and is redescribed; male, tritonymph, deutonymph, protonymph, and larva are described and illustrated for the first time. Morphological observations on the ontogeny of this species are also provided.

Two New Species and a New Combination of the Subfamily Erythraeinae Based on Larval Stage (Acari: Trombidiformes: Erythraeidae) from China.

The species Eatoniana yangshuonicus (Haitlinger) comb. nov. is transferred from the genus Erythraeus to Eatoniana based on the basifemoral setal formula 2-2-1. Two new species, Eatoniana nanlingensis Xu and Jin sp. nov. and Erythraeus (Erythraeus) kunyuensis Xu and Jin sp. nov. are described and illustrated based on larvae. Eatoniana nanlingensis sp. nov. from the Oriental region (Guangdong Province), Er. (Er.) kunyuensis sp. nov. from the Palaearctic region (Shandong Province). An updated key to larval species of the genus Eatoniana of the world is presented.

Four New Species of Larval Charletonia and Leptus (Acari: Trombidiformes: Erythraeidae), with a Checklist of the Two Genera and Their Hosts from China.

Four new species, Charletonia rectangia Xu and Jin sp. nov., Leptus (Leptus) bomiensis Xu and Jin sp. nov., Leptus (Leptus) longisolenidionus Xu and Jin sp. nov., and Leptus (Leptus) striatus Xu and Jin sp. nov. are described and illustrated based on larvae. All four new species are from biodiversity hotspots, L. (L.) bomiensissp. nov. from the Eastern Himalayas biodiversity hotspot, while the other three species from the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot.

The Effects of Alternative Foods on Life History and Cannibalism of Amblyseius herbicolus (Acari: Phytoseiidae).

The development, survivorship, fecundity, and cannibalism of the predatory phytoseiid mite, Amblyseius herbicolus (Chant), fed six different alternative foods (Oulenziella bakeri, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Aleuroglyphus ovatus, almond pollen (Prunus armeniaca), apple pollen (Malus pumila), maize pollen (Zea mays)), and natural prey (Tetranychus urticae) were determined in the laboratory. Our findings indicated that A. herbicolus that fed on all six alternative foods could normally complete its developmental and reproductive cycles. The shortest pre-adult developmental duration was observed when A. herbicolus fed on almond pollen (4.91 d) as well as T. urticae (4.90 d), and the longest when it fed on maize pollen (6.24 d). Pre-adult survival rates were higher when the predator fed on almond pollen (0.99), maize pollen (0.96), and O. bakeri (0.93). The highest fecundity was observed when A. herbicolus fed on apple pollen (28.55 eggs/female), almond pollen (26.06 eggs/female), and O. bakeri (26.02 eggs/female) in addition to T. urticae (48.95 eggs/female), and the lowest when it fed on maize pollen (7.84 eggs/female). The highest value of the intrinsic rate of increase (r) was obtained when A. herbicolus fed on O. bakeri (0.202 d-1) in addition to T. urticae (0.210 d-1), followed by almond pollen (0.163 d-1), and the lowest was when it fed on maize pollen (0.064 d-1). Cannibalism of conspecific eggs by adults of A. herbicolus did not occur when O. bakeri and T. urticae were provided. The cannibalism rate of the predatory mite was the lowest when fed on almond pollen, T. putrescentiae, and A. ovatus and the highest on apple pollen. Above all, when fed on O. bakeri and almond pollen, and with no or low cannibalism rate, A. herbicolus had the best development, survivorship, fecundity, and population parameters. Therefore, O. bakeri and almond pollen could be potential alternative foods for mass rearing programs of A. herbicolus or to support its population in the fields.