| identification of dna-pk in the arthropods. evidence for the ancient ancestry of vertebrate non-homologous end-joining. | cellular life depends upon the preservation and transmission of genetic material. double stranded dna breaks (dsbs) cause catastrophic gene loss in cell division and must be promptly and accurately repaired. in eukaryotes dsbs may be repaired by either non-homologous end-joining (nhej), single strand annealing or homologous recombination (hr). vertebrate nhej has been shown to depend upon the dna-dependent protein kinase (dna-pk) consisting of the phosphatidylinositol 3 (pi 3)-kinase like (pikk) ... | 2004 | 14697757 |
| chemoprotective effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester on promotion in a medium-term rat hepatocarcinogenesis assay. | caffeic acid phenethyl ester (cape), a natural honeybee product exhibits a spectrum of biological activities including anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-tumoral actions. cape is also chemopreventive against intestinal, colon and skin cancer. our aim was to extend the study of its chemoprotective features to the promotion of hepatocarcinogenesis. male wistar rats were subjected to a protocol under a modified promotion regimen of the resistant hepatocyte model. the altered he ... | 2004 | 14696111 |
| propolin c from propolis induces apoptosis through activating caspases, bid and cytochrome c release in human melanoma cells. | we had demonstrated that two prenylflavanones, propolin a and propolin b, isolated and characterized from taiwanese propolis, induced apoptosis in human melanoma cells and significantly inhibited xanthine oxidase activity. here, we have isolated a third compound called propolin c. the chemical structure of propolin c has been characterized by nmr and hrms spectra, and was identical to nymphaeol-a. however, no biological activities of this compound have ever been reported. in the present study, p ... | 2004 | 14667928 |
| cytotoxic properties of immunoconjugates containing melittin-like peptide 101 against prostate cancer: in vitro and in vivo studies. | monoclonal antibodies (mabs) can target therapy to tumours while minimising normal tissue exposure. efficacy of immunoconjugates containing peptide 101, designed around the first 22 amino acids of bee venom, melittin, to maintain the amphipathic helix, to enhance water solubility, and to increase hemolytic activity, was assessed in nude mice bearing subcutaneous human prostate cancer xenografts. | 2004 | 14722668 |
| photosensitivity reaction in a woman using an herbal supplement containing ginseng, goldenseal, and bee pollen. | photosensitivity, an abnormal skin reaction to light, is a rare adverse event associated with herbal medicine use. case reports in the literature most commonly implicate st. john's wort. in this report, we describe the case of a 32-year-old woman who suffered a phototoxic reaction after taking a dietary supplement containing ginseng, goldenseal, bee pollen, and other ingredients. on presentation, she had a pruritic, erythematous rash, localized to the sun-exposed surfaces of her neck and extremi ... | 2003 | 14677798 |
| characterization of royal jelly proteins in both africanized and european honeybees (apis mellifera) by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. | in this study, the proteins contained in royal jelly (rj) produced by africanized honeybees and european honeybees (apis mellifera) haven been analyzed in detail and compared using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and the n-terminal amino acid sequence of each spot has been determined. most spots were assigned to major royal jelly proteins (mrjps). remarkable differences were found in the heterogeneity of the mrjps, in particular mrjp3, in terms of molecular weights and isoelectric points be ... | 2004 | 14709007 |
| novel insect picorna-like virus identified in the brains of aggressive worker honeybees. | to identify candidate genes involved in the aggressive behavior of worker honeybees, we used the differential display method to search for rnas exclusively detected in the brains of aggressive workers that had attacked a hornet. we identified a novel, 10,152-nucleotide rna, termed kakugo rna. kakugo rna encodes a protein of 2,893 amino acid residues that shares structural features and sequence similarities with various picorna-like virus polyproteins, especially those from sacbrood virus, which ... | 2004 | 14722264 |
| are nectar-robbers mutualists or antagonists? | as "exploiters" of plant-pollinator mutualisms, nectar-robbers remove rewards (nectar) without providing pollination services. though one might expect nectar-robbing to be costly to plants, it may instead benefit plants by indirectly increasing pollen dispersal. i investigated the direct effects of nectar-robbing bees ( xylocopa californica) on floral rewards and behaviors of pollinators visiting desert willow ( chilopsis linearis) and indirect effects of robbing on the reproductive success of t ... | 2004 | 14767755 |
| [studies on the effect of bee venom and histamine in formaldehyde arthritis in the rat]. | | 1951 | 14869074 |
| establishment of the new genus paranosema based on the ultrastructure and molecular phylogeny of the type species paranosema grylli gen. nov., comb. nov. (sokolova, selezniov, dolgikh, issi 1994), from the cricket gryllus bimaculatus deg. | the ultrastructure of the microsporidian parasite nosema grylli, which parasitizes primarily fat body cells and haemocytes of the cricket gryllus bimaculatus (orthoptera, gryllidae) is described. all observed stages (meront, meront/sporont transitional stage ("second meront"), sporont, sporoblast, and spore) are found in direct contact with the host cell cytoplasm. nuclei are diplokaryotic during almost all stages of the life cycle, but a brief stage with one nucleus containing an abundance of e ... | 2003 | 14726239 |
| differential roles of spinal protein kinases c and a in development of primary heat and mechanical hypersensitivity induced by subcutaneous bee venom chemical injury in the rat. | it has been demonstrated that subcutaneous injection of bee venom (bv) can produce different types of pain and hypersensitivity including persistent spontaneous nociception (psn), primary heat and mechanical hypersensitivity (hyperalgesia) and mirror-image heat (mih) hypersensitivity in an individual animal, and the changes of spinal neurons are likely to be responsible for the production of these pain-related behaviors. in this study, we examined the roles of spinal protein kinase c (pkc) and p ... | 2003 | 14739559 |
| complexity of tissue injury-induced nociceptive discharge of dorsal horn wide dynamic range neurons in the rat, correlation with the effect of systemic morphine. | persistent discharge of wide dynamic range (wdr) neurons was recorded from lumbar dorsal horn of anesthetized rats following subcutaneous bee venom injection into the receptive field. to quantitatively describe the complexity of this nociceptive activity, we computed the approximate entropy (apen) for each sampled interspike interval (isi) series. a larger value of apen indicates higher complexity or less regularity and vice versa. the apen value varied across different wdr neurons tested, and f ... | 2004 | 14972663 |
| american foulbrood and african honey bees (hymenoptera: apidae). | we have taken samples of honey from individual beekeepers (n = 64), and of domestic (n = 35) and imported honey (n = 15) retailed in supermarkets in several sub-saharan countries and cultivated these samples for paenibacillus larvae subsp. larvae heyndrickx et al. causing american foulbrood in honey bee colonies. the results are compared with samples of similar backgrounds and treated the same way but collected in sweden (n = 35). no p. larvae subsp. larvae spores were found in any honey produce ... | 2003 | 14977098 |
| a novel inhalation allergen present in the working environment of beekeepers. | inhalation allergies, caused by allergens from various kinds of pollen, house dust mites, animal epithelium, and mould fungi, are strongly increasing in frequency. in 2.6% of the cases the allergen source remains unidentified. the present paper describes a so far unknown inhalation allergy which was observed in the case of a patient working with hives. | 2004 | 14982517 |
| domain analysis of the calcium-activated potassium channel sk1 from rat brain. functional expression and toxin sensitivity. | two small conductance, calcium-activated potassium channels (sk channels), sk2 and sk3, have been shown to contribute to the afterhyperpolarization (ahp) and to shape the firing behavior in neurons for example in the hippocampal formation, the dorsal vagal nucleus, the subthalamic nucleus, and the cerebellum. in heterologous expression systems, sk2 and sk3 currents are blocked by the bee venom toxin apamin, just as well as the corresponding neuronal ahp currents. however, the functional role and ... | 2004 | 14761961 |
| identification by immunoblot of venom glycoproteins displaying immunoglobulin e-binding n-glycans as cross-reactive allergens in honeybee and yellow jacket venom. | ige antibodies against carbohydrate epitopes have been identified recently as a major cause of in vitro double positivity to honeybee (hb) and vespid venom in patients with stinging-insect allergy. as these antibodies possibly have low clinical relevance they may be misleading in the diagnosis of venom allergy. | 2004 | 15005742 |
| varroa-tolerant italian honey bees introduced from brazil were not more efficient in defending themselves against the mite varroa destructor than carniolan bees in germany. | in europe and north america honey bees cannot be kept without chemical treatments against varroa destructor. nevertheless, in brazil an isolated population of italian honey bees has been kept on an island since 1984 without treatment against this mite. the infestation rates in these colonies have decreased over the years. we looked for possible varroa-tolerance factors in six italian honey bee colonies prepared with queens from this brazilian island population, compared to six carniolan colonies ... | 2002 | 14963842 |
| [first detection of kashmir bee virus in hesse, germany]. | we gathered dead bees of 56 hessian bee colonies following a sudden collapse during winter 2002/03. viral rna was purified from ten dead bees per sample. kashmir bee virus (kbv) was detected by use of a rt-pcr protocol. 13 samples were positive for kbv. the pcr amplicon was sequenced. a blast genbank search clearly identified the hessian amplicon as a kbv fragment. similarities of more than 85% were found. phylogenetic analysis revealed a close genetic relationship of the hessian isolate to an i ... | 2004 | 14964117 |
| chemical constituents in baccharis dracunculifolia as the main botanical origin of southeastern brazilian propolis. | previously, it was reported that one group of propolis (group 12) was identified in southeastern brazil, and the botanical origin of the propolis was baccharis dracunculifolia resinous exudates. it was also observed that honeybee (africanized apis mellifera) mainly visited the leaf buds or unexpanded leaves of b. dracunculifolia but rarely expanded leaves. b. dracunculifolia is dioecious with male and female inflorescences, and rphplc of the ethanolic extracts of the respective male and female b ... | 2004 | 14995105 |
| the effect of cape on lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide levels in the plasma of rats following thermal injury. | both experimental and clinical studies have shown that oxygen-derived free radicals rise in the plasma after thermal injury and participate in the pathogenesis of tissue damage. hence, various antioxidant molecules have been used in treatment of burn injury both experimentally and clinically. caffeic acid phenethyl ester (cape), an active component of propolis from honeybee hives, is known to have potent antioxidant property. the purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of cap ... | 2004 | 15019118 |
| effects of ethanol extract of propolis (eep) and its flavones on inducible gene expression in j774a.1 macrophages. | propolis, a bee-hive product, has been used in folk medicine for centuries, and recently in modern medicine as an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory agent. these activities would be mainly due to phenolic compounds such as flavonoids, especially flavone derivatives. the present study examined the effect of ethanol extract of propolis (eep) and selected flavone derivatives (chrysin, galangin, kaempferol and quercetin) on interleukin-1beta (il-1beta) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (inos) ... | 2004 | 15036463 |
| stimulatory actions of caffeic acid phenethyl ester, a known inhibitor of nf-kappab activation, on ca2+-activated k+ current in pituitary gh3 cells. | caffeic acid phenethyl ester (cape), a phenolic antioxidant derived from the propolis of honeybee hives, is known to be an inhibitor of activation of nuclear transcript factor nf-kappab. its effects on ion currents have been investigated in pituitary gh(3) cells. this compound increased ca(2+)-activated k(+) current (i(k(ca))) in a concentration-dependent manner with an ec(50) value of 14 +/- 2 microm. however, the magnitude of cape-induced stimulation of i(k(ca)) was attenuated in gh(3) cells p ... | 2004 | 15039450 |
| bee pollen, a substrate that stimulates ochratoxin a production by aspergillus ochraceus wilh. | the capacity of bee pollen as a substrate for production of ochratoxin a (ota) by a strain of aspergillus ochraceus was studied. for control purposes corn, wheat and rice grains, and eleven liquid media were assayed. they were yeast extract sucrose broth (yes), yes supplemented with 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 5% bee pollen, yes supplemented with 0.5% peptone, 50% must, wickerham medium, aflatoxin production medium and coconut broth medium. cultures were maintained at 28 degrees c for 4 weeks and were ... | 2004 | 15046315 |
| interaction between visiting bees (hymenoptera, apoidea) and flowers of ludwigia elegans (camb.) hara (onagraceae) during the year in two different areas in são paulo, brazil. | this study was designed to characterize the interactions between ludwigia elegans flowers and visiting bees during two years in two areas 200 km apart, at the same latitude (approximately 22 masculine 48's) but at different altitudes (alumínio, 600 m, and campos do jordão, 1500 m), in the state of são paulo, brazil. as these flowers open simultaneously in the morning and lose their petals by sunset, interaction with bees occurs only during the photophase. flowers of l. elegans were mainly visite ... | 2004 | 15029372 |
| anti-plasmodium properties of group ia, ib, iia and iii secreted phospholipases a2 are serum-dependent. | antibacterial, antiparasitidal and antiviral properties have recently been attributed to members of the secreted phospholipases a(2) (spla(2)s) superfamily. seven spla(2)s from groups ia, ib, iia and iii, were tested here in different culture conditions for inhibition of the in vitro intraerythrocytic development of plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of the most severe form of human malaria. in the presence of human serum, all spla(2)s were inhibitory, with three out of seven exhibiting ... | 2004 | 15033330 |
| cardiovascular profile after intravenous injection of africanized bee venom in awake rats. | the manifestations caused by africanized bee stings depend on the sensitivity of the victim and the toxicity of the venom. previous studies in our laboratory have demonstrated cardiac changes and acute tubular necrosis (atn) in the kidney of rats inoculated with africanized bee venom (abv). the aim of the present study was to evaluate the changes in mean arterial pressure (map) and heart rate (hr) over a period of 24 h after intravenous injection of abv in awake rats. a significant reduction in ... | 2004 | 15057338 |
| melanocytes and pigmentation are affected in dopachrome tautomerase knockout mice. | the tyrosinase family comprises three members, tyrosinase (tyr), tyrosinase-related protein 1 (tyrp1), and dopachrome tautomerase (dct). null mutations and deletions at the tyr and tyrp1 loci are known and phenotypically affect coat color due to the absence of enzyme or intracellular mislocalization. at the dct locus, three mutations are known that lead to pigmentation phenotype. however, these mutations are not null mutations, and we therefore set out to generate a null allele at the dct gene l ... | 2004 | 15060160 |
| phaiodactylipin, a glycosylated heterodimeric phospholipase a from the venom of the scorpion anuroctonus phaiodactylus. | phaiodactylipin was purified from the venom of the scorpion anuroctonus phaiodactylus. it is the first protein to be purified from a scorpion of the family iuridae and has a molecular mass of 19 172 atomic mass units. the mature protein is composed of two subunits, the large one consisting of 108 amino acid residues, whereas the small subunit has only 18 residues, and the structure is stabilized by five disulfide bridges. the heterodimer is expressed from a single message containing 769 base pai ... | 2004 | 15066171 |
| specificity of igg and ige antibodies against plant and insect glycoprotein glycans determined with artificial glycoforms of human transferrin. | cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants of plants are essentially a mixture of n-glycans containing beta1,2-xylose and core alpha1,3-fucose, the latter also found in insect glycoproteins. to determine the relative contributions of these two sugar residues to antibody binding, we prepared an array of glycomodified forms of human apo-transferrin. using core-alpha1, 3-fucosyltransferase (ec 2.4.1.214) and beta1,2-xylosyltransferase (ec 2.4.2.38) recombinantly expressed in pichia pastoris and suita ... | 2004 | 15033940 |
| transcriptional immune responses by honey bee larvae during invasion by the bacterial pathogen, paenibacillus larvae. | honey bee larvae are highly susceptible to the bacterial pathogen paenibacillus larvae only during the first instar of larval development. transcript levels were measured for genes encoding two antimicrobial peptides, abaecin and defensin, as well as for two candidates in the immune response cascade (pgrp-ld and masquerade) in control larvae and larvae exposed to the pathogen. transcripts for all four are present throughout development. this suggests that other physiological or dietary factors m ... | 2004 | 15050840 |
| mapping the topology and determination of a low-resolution three-dimensional structure of the calmodulin-melittin complex by chemical cross-linking and high-resolution fticrms: direct demonstration of multiple binding modes. | calmodulin serves as a calcium-dependent regulator in many metabolic pathways and is known to bind with high affinity to various target proteins and peptides. one such target is the small peptide melittin, the principal component of honeybee venom. the calmodulin-melittin system was used as a model system to gain further insight into target recognition of calmodulin. using chemical cross-linking in combination with high-resolution fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ftic ... | 2004 | 15096039 |
| signatures of selection among sex-determining alleles of the honey bee. | patterns of dna polymorphisms are a primary tool for dissecting signatures of selection; however, the underlying selective forces are poorly understood for most genes. a classical example of diversifying selection is the complementary sex-determining locus that is found in the very large insect order hymenoptera (bees, wasps, ants, and sawflies). the gene responsible for sex determination, the complementary sex determiner (csd), has been most recently identified in the honey bee. females are het ... | 2004 | 15051879 |
| structural variant of the intergenic internal ribosome entry site elements in dicistroviruses and computational search for their counterparts. | the intergenic region (igr) located upstream of the capsid protein gene in dicistroviruses contains an internal ribosome entry site (ires). translation initiation mediated by the ires does not require initiator methionine trna. comparison of the igrs among dicistroviruses suggested that taura syndrome virus (tsv) and acute bee paralysis virus have an extra side stem loop in the predicted ires. we examined whether the side stem is responsible for translation activity mediated by the igr using con ... | 2004 | 15100433 |
| importance of the inducible costimulator molecule for the induction of allergic immune responses and its decreased expression on t helper cells after venom immunotherapy. | the inducible costimulator (icos), a newly identified member of the cd28 receptor family that is induced after t-cell activation, and its ligand (icosl), being expressed on activated monocytes and dendritic cells play a key role in t-cell-mediated immune responses. as icos costimulation also seems to regulate t helper 2 effector cells, the aim of this study was to analyse the function of this molecule in allergic immune responses and their specific therapy, mainly venom immunotherapy (vit). cd4+ ... | 2004 | 15096187 |
| sequence analysis and genomic organization of a new insect picorna-like virus, ectropis obliqua picorna-like virus, isolated from ectropis obliqua. | the complete nucleotide sequence of a new insect picorna-like virus, ectropis obliqua picorna-like virus (eopv), which causes a fatal infection of ectropis obliqua larvae, has been determined. the genomic rna of eopv is 9394 nt in length and contains a single, large open reading frame (nt 391-9351) encoding a polyprotein of 2987 aa. sequence comparisons with other viral polyproteins revealed that the consensus sequences for picornavirus rna helicase, protease and rna-dependent rna polymerase pro ... | 2004 | 15105531 |
| tyramine functions as a toxin in honey bee larvae during varroa-transmitted infection by melissococcus pluton. | from wounds of honey bee pupae, caused by the mite varroa destructor, coccoid bacteria were isolated and identified as melissococcus pluton. the bacterial isolate was grown anaerobically in sorbitol medium to produce a toxic compound that was purified on xad columns, gelfiltration and preparative hplc. the toxic agent was identified by gc-ms and fticr-ms as tyramine. the toxicity of the isolated tyramine was tested by a novel mobility test using the protozoon stylonychia lemnae. a concentration ... | 2004 | 15109733 |
| in vivo gene transfer into the adult honeybee brain by using electroporation. | the honeybee, apis mellifera l., is a social insect and they show wide variety of exquisite social behaviors to maintain colony activity. to enable the elucidation of those social behaviors at a molecular level and gene function in the nervous system, we developed an in vivo method to perform gene transfer in the adult brain of living honeybee by electroporation. when green fluorescent protein-expressing plasmid was transferred to the brain with this system, green fluorescence was observed near ... | 2004 | 15110748 |
| immunochemical approach to detection of adulteration in honey: physiologically active royal jelly protein stimulating tnf-alpha release is a regular component of honey. | the presence of royal jelly (rj) proteins in honey collected from nectars of different plants, origin, and regions and in honeybee's pollen was detected by western-blot analysis using polyclonal antibodies raised against water-soluble rj-proteins. the most abundant rj-protein in honeybee products corresponded to a 55 kda protein. the n-terminal amino acid sequence of 55 kda protein was n-i-l-r-g-e. this sequence is identical to the apalbumin-1, the most abundant protein of rj. apalbumin-1 is a r ... | 2004 | 15080614 |
| fitness of anopheline mosquitoes expressing transgenes that inhibit plasmodium development. | one potential strategy for the control of malaria and other vector-borne diseases is the introduction into wild vector populations of genetic constructs that reduce vectorial capacity. an important caveat of this approach is that the genetic construct should have minimal fitness cost to the transformed vector. previously, we produced transgenic anopheles stephensi expressing either of two effector genes, a tetramer of the sm1 dodecapeptide or the phospholipase a2 gene (pla2) from honeybee venom. ... | 2004 | 15082552 |
| chronicle of the institute of medicine physical activity recommendation: how a physical activity recommendation came to be among dietary recommendations. | under a contract from the us department of health and human services, a multidisciplinary expert panel was appointed to review "the scientific literature regarding macronutrients and energy and develop estimates of daily intake that are compatible with good nutrition throughout the life span and that may decrease the risk of chronic disease." within the overall context of the charge, the panel sought to quantify rates and components of daily energy expenditure in healthy adults with body mass in ... | 2004 | 15113740 |
| use of diploid male frequency data as an indicator of pollinator decline. | pollination deficits in agricultural and natural systems are suggestive of large reductions in pollinator populations. however, actual declines are difficult to demonstrate using census data. here, we show census data to be misleading because many abundant pollinators exhibit high levels of production of sterile diploid males usually found only in small inbred hymenopteran populations; euglossa imperialis exhibits high levels of diploid male production induced by low effective population sizes ( ... | 2004 | 15101404 |
| antitrypanosomal activity of brazilian propolis from apis mellifera. | extracts from different samples of brazilian propolis were obtained by soxhlet extraction or maceration at room temperature using ethanol, water, and accombination of both solvents. analysis of their composition using hplc revealed that no major differences were seen when a propolis sample was subject to different extraction methods. the activity of the 15 extracts was assayed against bloodstream trypomastigotes of trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of chagas' disease. multivariate analysis ... | 2004 | 15133214 |
| age-related changes in deterministic behaviors of nociceptive firing of rat dorsal horn neurons. | to demonstrate the age-related changes in the dynamics of the nociceptive discharge of dorsal horn nociceptive neurons, the nonlinear prediction method was used to quantify the degree of deterministic behavior within the interspike interval series of tissue injury-induced firing of spinal nociceptive neurons in anesthetized adult young (3-4 months) and aged (>22 months) rats. subcutaneous bee venom injection induced long-term discharge of spinal wide dynamic range (wdr) neurons in both groups. h ... | 2004 | 15127127 |
| newly isolated bacterial strains belonging to bacillaceae (bacillus sp.) and micrococcaceae accelerate death of the honey bee mite, varroa destructor (v. jacobsoni), in laboratory assays. | newly isolated bacterial strains belonging to bacillaceae (bacillus sp.), micrococcaceae and three unidentified strains were tested for their pathogenicity against the mite, varroa destructor. the bacillus sp. strain and two of the strains belonging to the micrococcaceae family significantly decreased the time for 50% mortality of the mite population (up to 57%) and hence may be potential control agents. in in vitro bioassay whole cells, extracellular broth and cellular extract of the bacillus s ... | 2004 | 15127797 |
| hormonal control of the yolk precursor vitellogenin regulates immune function and longevity in honeybees. | a striking example of plasticity in life span is seen in social insects such as ants and bees, where different castes may display distinct ageing patterns. in particular, the honeybee offers an intriguing illustration of environmental control on ageing rate. honeybee workers display a temporal division of labour where young bees (or 'hive bees') perform tasks within the brood nest, and older bees forage for nectar, pollen propolis and water. when bees switch from the hive bee to the forager stag ... | 2004 | 15130671 |
| open-air-nesting honey bees apis dorsata and apis laboriosa differ from the cavity-nesting apis mellifera and apis cerana in brood hygiene behaviour. | the cavity-nesting apis mellifera and apis cerana bees detect, uncap, and remove diseased brood. the hygiene behaviour of open-air-nesting bees apis dorsata and apis laboriosa was investigated in india and nepal. sealed a. dorsata pupae were pin-killed or deep-frozen. the workers removed 73 or 37% of damaged pin-killed pupae depending on the diameter of the pins, and only 7% of the frozen undamaged pupae. migrating a. dorsata and a. laboriosa left unopened the sealed brood in deserted combs. thu ... | 2004 | 15145245 |
| effects of clothianidin on bombus impatiens (hymenoptera: apidae) colony health and foraging ability. | we conducted laboratory experiments to investigate the lethal and sublethal effects of clothianidin on bumble bee, bombus impatiens cresson, colony health and foraging ability. bumble bee colonies were exposed to 6 ppb clothianidin, representing the highest residue levels found in field studies on pollen, and a higher dose of 36 ppb clothianidin in pollen. clothianidin did not effect pollen consumption, newly emerged worker weights, amount of brood or the number of workers, males, and queens at ... | 2004 | 15154457 |
| behavior and pollination efficiency of nannotrigona perilampoides (hymenoptera: meliponini) on greenhouse tomatoes (lycopersicon esculentum) in subtropical méxico. | the acclimation, foraging behavior, and pollination efficiency of stingless bees of the species nannotrigona perilampoides cresson were evaluated in tomato (lycopersicon esculentum mill.) plants cultivated in two greenhouses. the greenhouses were divided into three areas of 16 m2, and one of the following treatments was used for pollination: stingless bees (sb), mechanical vibration (mv), and no pollination (np). observations were conducted once a week from 0800 to 1600 hours during 2 mo. the ac ... | 2004 | 15154470 |
| early duplication and functional diversification of the opsin gene family in insects. | recent analysis of the complete mosquito anopheles gambiae genome has revealed a far higher number of opsin genes than for either the drosophila melanogaster genome or any other known insect. in particular, the analysis revealed an extraordinary opsin gene content expansion, whereby half are long wavelength-sensitive (lw) opsin gene duplicates. we analyzed this genomic data in relationship to other known insect opsins to estimate the relative timing of the lw opsin gene duplications and to ident ... | 2004 | 15155799 |
| paenibacillus larvae larvae spores in honey samples from uruguay: a nationwide survey. | american foulbrood is a severe bacterial disease affecting larvae of the honeybee apis mellifera and it is caused by paenibacillus larvae larvae. the disease is present worldwide and cases have been reported in almost all the beekeeping regions of the five continents. during 2001 and 2002 we carried out a nationwide study to assess the presence and amount of p. l. larvae spores in honey samples from uruguay, combining classic bacteriological, and molecular approaches. the distribution of p. l. l ... | 2004 | 15145253 |
| inhibition of the growth of ascosphaera apis by bacillus and paenibacillus strains isolated from honey. | the fungus ascosphaera apis, the causative agent of chalkbrood disease in honeybee larvae, occurs throughout the world and is found in many beekeeping areas of argentina. the potential as biocontrol agents of 249 aerobic spore-forming bacterial antagonists isolated from honey samples was evaluated. each isolate was screened against a. apis by a central disk test assay. ten bacterial strains that showed the best antagonistic effect to a. apis were selected for further study and identified as baci ... | 2004 | 15174751 |
| indoor winter fumigation of apis mellifera (hymenoptera: apidae) colonies infested with varroa destructor (acari: varroidae) with formic acid is a potential control alternative in northern climates. | formic acid treatment for the control of the ectoparasitic varroa mite, varroa destructor anderson & trueman, infesting honey bee, apis mellifera l., colonies is usually carried out as an in-hive outdoor treatment. this study examined the use of formic acid on wintered colonies kept indoors at 5 degrees c from 24 november 1999 to 24 march 2000. colonies were placed in small treatment rooms that were not treated (control) or fumigated at three different concentrations of formic acid: low (mean 11 ... | 2004 | 15154434 |
| honey bee (hymenoptera: apidae) distribution and potential for supplementary pollination in commercial tomato greenhouses during winter. | this study examined the use of honey bees, apis mellifera l., to supplement bumble bee, bombus spp., pollination in commercial tomato, lycopersicon esculentum miller, greenhouses in western canada. honey bee colonies were brought into greenhouses already containing bumble bees and left for 1 wk to acclimatize. the following week, counts of honey and bumble bees foraging and flying throughout the greenhouse were conducted three times per day, and tomato flowers open during honey bee pollination w ... | 2004 | 15154432 |
| use of cd63 expression as marker of in vitro basophil activation in identifying the culprit in insect venom allergy. | the diagnosis of insect venom allergy and the indication for specific immunotherapy is based on history, skin tests and demonstration of hymenoptera venom specific ige-antibodies. in cases with contradictory test results additional cellular tests are recommended. | 2004 | 15160437 |
| bee venom acupoint stimulation increases fos expression in catecholaminergic neurons in the rat brain. | fos immunocytochemistry was combined with tyrosine hydroxylase (th) or dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (dbh) immunolabeling to examine brainstem catecholaminergic neuronal activation resulting from bee venom (bv) stimulation of the zusanli acupoint (st36) in sprague-dawley rats. bv injection into the zusanli acupoint caused increased fos expression in catecholaminergic neurons located in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (arc), the dorsal raphe (dr), the a5 cell group (a5) and the locus coeruleus (lc). ... | 2004 | 15179050 |
| comparative analysis of the kekkon molecules, related members of the lig superfamily. | leucine-rich repeats (lrrs) and immunoglobulin (ig) domains represent two of the most abundant sequence elements in metazoan proteomes. despite this prevalence, comparatively few molecules containing both lrr and ig (lig) modules exist, and fewer still have been functionally defined. one lig whose function has been investigated is the drosophila protein kekkon1 (kek1). in vivo studies have demonstrated a role for kek1 in epidermal growth factor receptor (egfr) signaling and have suggested a role ... | 2004 | 15179511 |
| altered pain-related behaviors and spinal neuronal responses produced by s.c. injection of melittin in rats. | recently, we have reported that following s.c. injection of a solution containing the whole bee-venom (bv; apis mellifera), into one hind paw of a rat, the experimentally produced honeybee's sting, the animal shows altered pain-related behaviors and inflammation relevant to pathological pain state. to see whether melittin, the major (over 50%) toxic component of the bv, is responsible for the above abnormal pain behavioral changes, the present study was designed to investigate the effects of s.c ... | 2004 | 15183523 |
| a pcr-based method that permits specific detection of paenibacillus larvae subsp. larvae, the cause of american foulbrood of honey bees, at the subspecies level. | a reliable procedure for the identification of paenibacillus larvae subsp. larvae, the causal agent of american foulbrood disease of honey bees (apis mellifera l.) based on the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) and subspecies - specific primers is described. | 2004 | 15189284 |
| jelleines: a family of antimicrobial peptides from the royal jelly of honeybees (apis mellifera). | four antimicrobial peptides were purified from royal jelly of honeybees, by using reverse phase-hplc and sequenced by using q-tof-ms/ms: pfklslhl-nh(2) (jelleine-i), tpfklslhl-nh(2) (jelleine-ii), epfklslhl-nh(2) (jelleine-iii), and tpfklslh-nh(2) (jelleine-iv). the peptides were synthesized on-solid phase, purified and submitted to different biological assays: antimicrobial activity, mast cell degranulating activity and hemolysis. the jelleines-i-iii presented exclusively antimicrobial activiti ... | 2004 | 15203237 |
| dirs retroelements in arthropods: identification of the recently active tcdirs1 element in the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum. | members of the dirs family of retrotransposons differ from most other known retrotransposons in that they encode a tyrosine recombinase (yr), a type of enzyme frequently involved in site-specific recombination. this enzyme is believed to insert the extrachromosomal dna intermediate of dirs element retrotransposition into the host genome. dirs elements have been found in plants, a slime mold, fungi, and a variety of animals including vertebrates, echinoderms and nematodes. they have a somewhat pa ... | 2004 | 15221458 |
| microflora of the honeybee gastrointestinal tract. | microorganisms in the midgut and rectum of the honeybee were enumerated and characterized. counts of aerobic microorganisms were distinctly lower than counts of anaerobes (10(5)-10(6) viable cells per g of intestinal content vs. 10(8)-10(9) per g). total numbers of anaerobic microorganisms were almost identical with the count of anaerobic gram-positive acid resistant rods. a higher number of coliform bacteria and bacillus spp. was detected in the rectum (10(5) per g). anaerobic and aerobic micro ... | 2004 | 15227790 |
| protective effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester against experimental allergic encephalomyelitis-induced oxidative stress in rats. | because oxidative damage has been known to be involved in inflammatory and autoimmune-mediated tissue destruction, modulation of oxygen free radical production represents a new approach to the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. central nervous system tissue is particularly vulnerable to oxidative damage, suggesting that oxidation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (ms) and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (eae). caffeic ac ... | 2004 | 15223072 |
| ant allergy in asia and australia. | anaphylaxis due to ant sting is increasingly being recognized as a significant problem. severe allergic reactions to ants are well described in the south-eastern united states, but have only been recognized in recent years as being important in other parts of the world. there are many different ant species and their distribution around the world varies. the purpose of this review is to familiarize the reader with the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of ant allergy in asia and australia. | 2004 | 15238800 |
| the catalytic activity, but not receptor binding, of spla2s plays a critical role for neurite outgrowth induction in pc12 cells. | we previously showed that fungal secretory phospholipase a2 (spla2) induces neurite formation in pc12 cells in an l-type ca2+ channel activity-dependent manner. in this study we compared neurite-inducing activity of different spla2s, including bee venom spla2 (bvpla2), and found that it correlated with the ability of each spla2 to release fatty acids from live pc12 cells. consistently, using several mutants of bvpla2, we found that the enzymatic activity rather than the binding activity to the p ... | 2004 | 15223389 |
| differential actions of intrathecal nociceptin on persistent spontaneous nociception, hyperalgesia and inflammation produced by subcutaneous bee venom injection in conscious rats. | nociceptin is an endogenous ligand for the opioid receptor-like 1 (orl1) receptor. the present study was designed to investigate spinal actions of nociceptin on the spontaneous nociception, hyperalgesia and inflammation induced by subcutaneous bee venom injection. subcutaneous injection of bee venom into one hindpaw of conscious rat produced a persistent spontaneous nociception followed by a long-lasting primary heat and mechanical hyperalgesia as well as local inflammation. compared with the pr ... | 2004 | 15224144 |
| epigenetic regulation of aging in honeybee workers. | aging and longevity are complex life history traits that are influenced by both genes and environment and exhibit significant phenotypic plasticity in a broad range of organisms. a striking example of this plasticity is seen in social insects, such as ants and bees, where different castes can have very different life spans. in particular, the honeybee worker offers an intriguing example of environmental control on aging rate, because workers are conditionally sterile and display very different a ... | 2004 | 15229347 |
| studies on merops orientalis latham 1801 with special reference to its population in mayiladuthurai, tamil nadu. | role of habitat-structure and climatic factors in the population dynamics of the small green bee-eater merops orientalis was evaluated in three habitats viz., agricultural lands, river banks and human habitations during 1991-1993. the river banks supported relatively high population of bee-eaters (157/km2) followed by the agricultural lands (101/km2) and human habitations (58/km2). bee-eater populations showed year-wise variations in river banks and human habitations having high values during 19 ... | 2003 | 15248666 |
| imaging ex vivo and in vitro brain morphology in animal models with ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography. | the feasibility of ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography (uhr oct) to image ex vivo and in vitro brain tissue morphology on a scale from single neuron cells to a whole animal brain was investigated using a number of animal models. sub-2-microm axial resolution oct in biological tissue was achieved at different central wavelengths by separately interfacing two state-of-the-art broad bandwidth light sources (titanium:sapphire, ti:al2o3 laser, lambdac=800 nm, deltalambda=260 nm, pout=50 ... | 2004 | 15250758 |
| predator-prey coevolution: australian native bees avoid their spider predators. | australian crab spiders thomisus spectabilis manipulate visual flower signals to lure introduced apis mellifera. we gave australian native bees, austroplebia australis, the choice between two white daisies, chrysanthemum frutescens, one of them occupied by a crab spider. the colour contrast between flowers and spiders affected the behaviour of native bees. native bees approached spider-occupied flowers more frequently. however, native bees avoided flowers occupied by spiders and landed on vacant ... | 2004 | 15252982 |
| complete nucleotide sequence of kashmir bee virus and comparison with acute bee paralysis virus. | the complete nucleotide sequence of a novel virus is presented here together with serological evidence that it belongs to kashmir bee virus (kbv). analysis reveals that kbv is a cricket paralysis-like virus (family dicistroviridae: genus cripavirus), with a non-structural polyprotein open reading frame in the 5' portion of the genome separated by an intergenic region from a structural polyprotein open reading frame in the 3' part of the genome. the genome also has a polyadenylated tail at the 3' ... | 2004 | 15269367 |
| suction feeding in orchid bees (apidae: euglossini). | energy flux during nectar feeding is maximized at an intermediate sugar concentration, the value of which depends on the morphology of the feeding apparatus and the modality of fluid feeding. biomechanical models predict that a shift from capillary-based lapping to suction feeding will lead to a decrease in this optimal sugar concentration. here, i demonstrate that the four major genera of orchid bees (apidae: euglossini) are suction feeders and provide experimental evidence that the feeding opt ... | 2004 | 15252972 |
| selection for varroatosis resistance in honeybees. | the parasitic mite varroa jacobsoni is a major problem for beekeeping worldwide. it can be controlled efficiently with a variety of ocaracides. however, robin f.a. moritz argues that, owing to the risk of honey contamination and the costs involved with continuous treatment of honeybee (apis mellifera l.) colonies, there is a pressing need to find alternative ways of varroatosis control. a variety of physiological and behavioural traits of the honeybee are known to control efficiently the develop ... | 1994 | 15275460 |
| melittin selectively activates capsaicin-sensitive primary afferent fibers. | whole bee venom (wbv)-induced pain model has been reported to be very useful for the study of pain. however, the major constituent responsible for the production of pain by wbv is not apparent. intraplantar injection of wbv and melittin dramatically reduced mechanical threshold, and increased flinchings and paw thickness. in behavioral experiments, capsaicin pretreatment almost completely prevented wbv- and melittin-induced reduction of mechanical threshold and flinchings. intraplantar injection ... | 2004 | 15257140 |
| biochemical characterization of different genotypes of paenibacillus larvae subsp. larvae, a honey bee bacterial pathogen. | paenibacillus larvae subsp. larvae (p. l. larvae) is the aetiological agent of american foulbrood (afb), the most virulent bacterial disease of honey bee brood worldwide. in many countries afb is a notifiable disease since it is highly contagious, in most cases incurable and able to kill affected colonies. genotyping of field isolates of p. l. larvae revealed at least four genotypes (ab, ab, ab and alpha b) present in germany which are genotypically different from the reference strain dsm 7030. ... | 2004 | 15256579 |
| bacterial probiotics induce an immune response in the honey bee (hymenoptera: apidae). | to explore immune system activation in the honey bee, apis mellifera l., larvae of four ages were exposed through feeding to spores of a natural pathogen, paenibacillus larvae larvae, to cells of a diverse set of related nonpathogenic bacteria, and to bacterial coat components. these larvae were then assayed for rna levels of genes encoding two antibacterial peptides, abaecin and defensin. larvae exposed to either p. l. larvae or a mix of nonpathogenic bacteria showed high rna levels for the aba ... | 2004 | 15279248 |
| analysis of the insect os-d-like gene family. | insect os-d-like proteins, also known as chemosensory (csp) or sensory appendage proteins (sap), are broadly expressed in various insect tissues, where they are thought to bind short to medium chain length fatty acids and their derivatives. although their specific function remains uncertain, os-d-like members have been isolated from sensory organs (including the sensillum lymph in some cases), and a role in olfaction similar to that of the insect odorant binding proteins (obp) has been suggested ... | 2004 | 15274438 |
| inhibitory effect of pollen and propolis extracts. | bee pollen and propolis were collected from apis mellifera colonies in five regions of turkey. the antifungal properties of methanol extracts of pollen and propolis (2% and 5% concentrations) were determined on alternaria alternata and fusarium oxysporium f. sp. melonis. the least active concentration towards the tested fungi was 2% concentration of both extracts. the inhibitory effect of all propolis extracts on growth of f. oxysporium and a. alternata were generally higher when compared with p ... | 2004 | 15285109 |
| thermal stability and muscle efficiency in hovering orchid bees (apidae: euglossini). | to test whether variation in muscle efficiency contributes to thermal stability during flight in the orchid bee, euglossa imperialis, we measured co2 production, heat loss and flight kinematics at different air temperatures (ta). we also examined the relationship between wingbeat frequency (wbf) and ta in five additional species of orchid bees. mean thoracic temperature (tth) for eg. imperialis hovering in a screened insectary and in the field was 39.3+/-0.77 degrees c (mean +/- 95% c.i.), and t ... | 2004 | 15277548 |
| respiration of individual honeybee larvae in relation to age and ambient temperature. | the co(2) production of individual larvae of apis mellifera carnica, which were incubated within their cells at a natural air humidity of 60-80%, was determined by an open-flow gas analyzer in relation to larval age and ambient temperature. in larvae incubated at 34 degrees c the amount of co(2) produced appeared to fall only moderately from 3.89 +/- 1.57 microl mg(-1) h(-1) in 0.5-day-old larvae to 2.98 +/- 0.57 microl mg(-1) h(-1) in 3.5-day-old larvae. the decline was steeper up to an age of ... | 2004 | 15278398 |
| social parasitism by male-producing reproductive workers in a eusocial insect. | the evolution of extreme cooperation, as found in eusocial insects (those with a worker caste), is potentially undermined by selfish reproduction among group members. in some eusocial hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps), workers can produce male offspring from unfertilized eggs. kin selection theory predicts levels of worker reproduction as a function of the relatedness structure of the workers' natal colony and the colony-level costs of worker reproduction. however, the theory has been only part ... | 2004 | 15282605 |
| bee moth (galleria mellonella) allergic reactions are caused by several thermolabile antigens. | exposure and contact with bee moth (galleria mellonella) larvae (gm) can cause an allergic reaction both in anglers and breeders. we described the case of an amateur fisherman who experienced an allergic reaction using gm but not using heat-treated gm (h-gm) (mummies). the aim of this study was to demonstrate by immunoblotting and radioallergosorbent test (rast)-inhibition experiments the loss of allergenic epitopes in h-gm extracts. | 2004 | 15291910 |
| nocturnal vision and landmark orientation in a tropical halictid bee. | some bees and wasps have evolved nocturnal behavior, presumably to exploit night-flowering plants or avoid predators. like their day-active relatives, they have apposition compound eyes, a design usually found in diurnal insects. the insensitive optics of apposition eyes are not well suited for nocturnal vision. how well then do nocturnal bees and wasps see? what optical and neural adaptations have they evolved for nocturnal vision? | 2004 | 15296747 |
| cell killing and radiosensitization by caffeic acid phenethyl ester (cape) in lung cancer cells. | caffeic acid phenethyl ester (cape) is a biologically active ingredient of honeybee propoplis. the cytotoxicity and radiation sensitization effects of cape were evaluated in human lung cancer a549 cells and normal lung fibroblast wi-38 cells. a549 cells treated with 6 microg/ml cape showed marked growth inhibition (60%) at 48 hr after treatments. during the same time, the number of viable cells decreased to 46% of the control value. in contrast, wi-38 cells showed 20% growth inhibition with no c ... | 2004 | 15304968 |
| [varroa mites in the apiaries of campania region]. | mites in the genus varroa are obligate ectoparasites of honey bee populations worldwide. recent evidence from morphological, geographical, and especially genetic variation has spurred an important revision of varroa taxonomy. specifically, mitochondrial dna (mtdna) evidence suggests that the main mite pest on western honey bees (apis mellifera) is not varroa jacobsoni, as first described, but a distinct species now named varroa destructor. genetic markers also have been used to support a taxonom ... | 2004 | 15305732 |
| olfactory eavesdropping by a competitively foraging stingless bee, trigona spinipes. | signals that are perceived over long distances or leave extended spatial traces are subject to eavesdropping. eavesdropping has therefore acted as a selective pressure in the evolution of diverse animal communication systems, perhaps even in the evolution of functionally referential communication. early work suggested that some species of stingless bees (hymenoptera, apidae, meliponini) may use interceptive olfactory eavesdropping to discover food sources being exploited by competitors, but it i ... | 2004 | 15306311 |
| the effects of the caffeic acid phenethyl ester (cape) on erythrocyte membrane damage after hind limb ischaemia-reperfusion. | reactive oxygen species have been implicated in pathogenesis injury after ischaemia-reperfusion (i/r). caffeic acid phenethyl ester (cape), an active component of honeybee propolis extract, exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cape on erythrocyte membrane damage after hind limb i/r. rats were divided into two groups: i/r and i/r with cape pre-treatment. they were anaesthetized with intramuscular ketamine 100 mg kg(-1). a 4 ... | 2004 | 15338467 |
| grouping of visual objects by honeybees. | recent work has revealed that monkeys as well as pigeons are able to categorise complex visual objects. we show here that the ability to group similar, natural, visual images together extends to an invertebrate - the honeybee. bees can be trained to distinguish between different types of naturally occurring scenes in a rather general way, and to group them into four distinct categories: landscapes, plant stems and two different kinds of flowers. they exhibit the same response to novel visual obj ... | 2004 | 15326205 |
| short variable sequence acquired in evolution enables selective inhibition of various inward-rectifier k+ channels. | tertiapin (tpn), a small protein toxin originally isolated from honey bee venom, inhibits only certain eukaryotic inward-rectifier k(+) (kir) channels with high affinity. we found that a short ( approximately 10 residues) sequence in kir channels, located in the n-terminal part of the linker between the two transmembrane segments, is essential for high-affinity inhibition by tpn and that variability in the region underlies the great variation of tpn affinities among eukaryotic kir channels. this ... | 2004 | 15311931 |
| ant-induced alopecia: report of 2 cases and review of the literature. | localized scalp hair loss is associated with many processes, including alopecia areata, trichotillomania, tinea capitis, and early lupus erythematosus. there are several reports of localized alopecia after tick- and flea-bites and bee stings, but there are only two reports of ant-induced alopecia in the literature. we present two cases of alopecia induced by ants of genus pheidole (species pallidula) and review the literature for insect-induced alopecia. ant-induced alopecia should be considered ... | 2004 | 15347501 |
| vitellogenin of the parasitoid wasp, encarsia formosa (hymenoptera: aphelinidae): gene organization and differential use by members of the genus. | the vitellogenin (vg) gene of the parasitoid wasp, encarsia formosa (hymenoptera: aphelinidae), has been cloned and sequenced. the gene codes for a protein consisting of 1814 amino acids in seven exons. the position of the six introns in the e. formosa gene align with those inferred for the vg gene of the honeybee, apis mellifera. the position of two introns in the hymenopteran sequences are shared with every full-length insect vg gene characterized to date. the deduced amino acid sequence of th ... | 2004 | 15350614 |
| genetic variation in natural honeybee populations, apis mellifera capensis. | genetic variation in honeybee, apis mellifera, populations can be considerably influenced by breeding and commercial introductions, especially in areas with abundant beekeeping. however, in southern africa apiculture is based on the capture of wild swarms, and queen rearing is virtually absent. moreover, the introduction of european subspecies constantly failed in the cape region. we therefore hypothesize a low human impact on genetic variation in populations of cape honeybees, apis mellifera ca ... | 2004 | 15340693 |
| anti-inflammatory effect of bee venom on type ii collagen-induced arthritis. | bee venom (bv) has been used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation in traditional oriental medicine, especially in chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (ra). we previously reported that the bv injection into a traditional acupuncture point (zusanli) reduced arthritis-associated edema and nociceptive responses in freund's adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats (kwon et al., 2001). this study was designed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and anti-cytokine effect of bv on a mur ... | 2004 | 15344419 |
| spinosad toxicity to pollinators and associated risk. | spinosad is a natural insecticide derived from an actinomycete bacterium species, saccharopolyspora spinosa (mertz and yao 1990), that displays the efficacy of a synthetic insecticide. it consists of the two most active metabolites, designated spinosyn a and d. both spinosyns are readily degraded in moist aerobic soil, and field dissipation, which is quite rapid (half-life, 0.3-0.5 d) can be attributed to photolysis or a combination of metabolism and photolysis. spinosad causes neurological effe ... | 2003 | 15366583 |
| a simple mushroom body in an african scarabid beetle. | this account describes novel mushroom body organization in a coleopteran insect, the african fruit chafer pachnoda marginata. each of its prominent mushroom bodies possesses a pair of simple calyces comprising two populations of kenyon cells, the dendrites of which are organized into a central and an annular zone. kenyon cells of the central zone extend their dendrites downward and toward the perimeter of the calyx. their axon-like processes in the pedunculus are densely packed to make up a dist ... | 2004 | 15368535 |
| acupoint stimulation with diluted bee venom (apipuncture) alleviates thermal hyperalgesia in a rodent neuropathic pain model: involvement of spinal alpha 2-adrenoceptors. | chemical acupuncture with diluted bee venom (dbv), termed apipuncture, has been traditionally used in oriental medicine to treat several inflammatory diseases and chronic pain conditions. in the present study we investigated the potential antihyperalgesic and antiallodynic effects of apipuncture in a rat neuropathic pain model. dbv (0.25 mg/kg, subcutaneous) was injected into the zusanli acupoint 2 weeks after chronic constrictive injury (cci) of the sciatic nerve. between 5 and 45 minutes after ... | 2004 | 15336634 |
| the cd63 basophil activation test in hymenoptera venom allergy: a prospective study. | the basophil activation test (bat), which relies on flow cytometric quantitation of the allergen-induced up-regulation of the granule-associated marker cd63 in peripheral blood basophils, has been suggested to be a useful approach in detecting responsiveness to allergens. the purpose of this study was to establish the usefulness of the bat with regard to the clinical history and current diagnostic tools in hymenoptera venom allergy using a prospective study design. | 2004 | 15355471 |
| the basophil activation test in wasp venom allergy: sensitivity, specificity and monitoring specific immunotherapy. | as in vitro diagnosis of wasp venom sensitization by specific serum ige has a sensitivity of only 60-80%, additional in vitro tests are desirable. basophil activation is associated with the expression of cd63 and its measurement has been proposed as a novel in vitro test for immediate-type allergy. furthermore, to date, no in vitro test exists to monitor successful specific immunotherapy (sit) with wasp venom. therefore, the potentially harmful sting challenge is still recommended. | 2004 | 15355470 |
| the distribution of genotypes of the trypanosome parasite, crithidia bombi, in populations of its host, bombus terrestris. | this study reports the distribution of parasite genotypes for the trypanosome crithidia bombi across individual units (the colonies) in host populations of a social insect, the bumble bee bombus terrestris. a number of microsatellite primers were developed and several of them were found to be polymorphic in our samples. furthermore, a simple algorithm was used to identify the likely multi-locus genotypes present in multiply infected host individuals. the results demonstrated a remarkably high de ... | 2004 | 15376774 |
| a picorna-like virus from the red imported fire ant, solenopsis invicta: initial discovery, genome sequence, and characterization. | we report the first discovery and genome sequence of a virus infecting the red imported fire ant, solenopsis invicta. the 8026 nucleotide, polyadenylated, rna genome encoded two large open reading frames (orf1 and orf2), flanked and separated by 27, 223, and 171 nucleotide untranslated regions, respectively. the predicted amino acid sequence of the 5' proximal orf1 (nucleotides 28 to 4218) exhibited significant identity and possessed consensus sequences characteristic of the helicase, cysteine p ... | 2004 | 15380366 |
| bacillus pulvifaciens (n. sp.), an organism associated with powdery scale of honeybee larvae. | | 1950 | 15421942 |