Insecticide susceptibility and virulence to resistant rice varieties were determined and evaluated in the brown planthopper (BPH) and the whitebacked planthopper (WBPH), collected from Asian countries (Japan, China, Taiwan, northern Vietnam, southern Vietnam, and Philippines) in 2006. Insecticide susceptibility was determined by a topical application method using four insecticides. Virulence to...

Thyroxine (T4) and reverse triiodothyronine are potent inhibitors of brown adipose T4 5'-deiodinase (BAT 5'D). This effect does not require protein synthesis and is due to an acceleration of the rate of disappearance of the enzyme. Growth hormone (GH) also inhibits BAT 5'D but by a mechanism mediated through a long-lived messenger that correlates with growth rate. This explains the failure of B...

Elrick, Donald B. and Milton P. Charlton. a-latrocrustatoxin increases neurotransmitter release by activating a calcium influx pathway at crayfish neuromuscular junction. J. Neurophysiol. 82: 3550–3562, 1999. a-latrocrustatoxin (a-LCTX), a component of black widow spider venom (BWSV), produced a 50-fold increase in the frequency of spontaneously occurring miniature excitatory postsynaptic poten...

Although rice resistance plays an important role in controlling the brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, not all varieties have the same level of protection against BPH infestation. Understanding the molecular interactions in rice defense response is an important tool to help to reveal unexplained processes that underlie rice resistance to BPH. A proteomics approach was used to explore ...

We report a case of severe systemic loxoscelism in a previously healthy young man. This was associated with a Coombs-positive hemolytic anemia, striking leukomid reaction, renal failure, respiratory failure and cardiovascular collapse. This is the first documented case of a renal biopsy in a patient with renal failure after envenomation by the brown recluse spider. Associated systemic toxicity ...

Interest in understanding how brown-rot fungi degrade wood chas received increasing attention in recent years because of a need to identify novel targets that can be inhibited for the next generation of antifungal wood preservatives. Brown-rot fungi are unique in that they can degrade holocellulose (cellulose and hemicellulose) in wood without first removing the lignin, Furthermore, they degrad...

The effect of germination conditions on the nutritional benefits of germinated brown rice flour (GBR) bread has been determined. The proximate composition, phytic acid, in vitro protein digestibility and in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis of starch, glucose and starch content, as well as the most relevant bioactive compounds (GABA, γ-oryzanol and total phenolic compounds) and antioxidant activity of...

Latrophilins (LPHNs) are a small family of G protein-coupled receptors known to mediate the massive synaptic exocytosis caused by the black widow spider venom α-latrotoxin, but their endogenous ligands and function remain unclear. Mutations in LPHN3 are strongly associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, suggesting a role for latrophilins in human cognitive function. Using affini...

Molecular and material properties of major ampullate silk were studied for the cobweb-building black widow spider Latrodectus hesperus. Material properties were measured by stretching the silk to breaking. The strength was 1.0 +/- 0.2 GPa, and the extensibility was 34 +/- 8%. The secondary structure of the major ampullate silk protein was studied using carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy. Alanine underg...