Publications

the tiptop/teashirt genes regulate cell differentiation and renal physiology in drosophila.	the physiological activities of organs are underpinned by an interplay between the distinct cell types they contain. however, little is known about the genetic control of patterned cell differentiation during organ development. we show that the conserved teashirt transcription factors are decisive for the differentiation of a subset of secretory cells, stellate cells, in drosophila melanogaster renal tubules. teashirt controls the expression of the water channel drip, the chloride conductance ch ...	23404107
synthetic genomics and synthetic biology applications between hopes and concerns.	new organisms and biological systems designed to satisfy human needs are among the aims of synthetic genomics and synthetic biology. synthetic biology seeks to model and construct biological components, functions and organisms that do not exist in nature or to redesign existing biological systems to perform new functions. synthetic genomics, on the other hand, encompasses technologies for the generation of chemically-synthesized whole genomes or larger parts of genomes, allowing to simultaneousl ...	23997647
susceptibility to chlorpyrifos in pyrethroid-resistant populations of aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae) from mexico.	resistance to the organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos was evaluated in females from six strains of aedes aegypti (l.) that expressed high levels of cross-resistance to eight pyrethroid insecticides. relative to lc50 and lc90 at 24 h of a susceptible new orleans (no) strain, three strains were highly resistant to chlorpyrifos (coatzacoalcos, resistance ratio [rrlc90 = 11.97; pozarica, rrlc90 = 12.98; and cosoleacaque, rrlc50 = 13.94 and rrlc90 = 17.57), one strain was moderately resistant (v ...	24897857
cloning and characterization of a putative farnesoic acid o-methyltransferase gene from the brown planthopper, nilaparvata lugens.	juvenile hormone (jh) plays key roles in both metamorphosis and adult reproductive processes. farnesoic acid o-methyltransferase (famet) is thought to be an important enzyme in the jh biosynthetic pathway, catalyzing methylation of farnesoic acid (fa) to methyl farnesoate (mf). a full-length cdna (nlfamet) encoding a 299 amino acid putative famet was isolated from the brown planthopper, nilaparvata lugens (stal) (hemiptera: geometroidea), a major rice pest in many parts of asia. nlfamet showed h ...	20874390
a killer-rescue system for self-limiting gene drive of anti-pathogen constructs.	a number of genetic mechanisms have been suggested for driving anti-pathogen genes into natural populations. each of these mechanisms requires complex genetic engineering, and most are theoretically expected to permanently spread throughout the target species' geographical range. in the near term, risk issues and technical limits of molecular methods could delay the development and use of these mechanisms. we propose a gene-drive mechanism that can be self-limiting over time and space, and is si ...	18765342
evolution of an insect-specific groucho-interaction motif in the engrailed selector protein.	animal morphology evolves through alterations in the genetic regulatory networks that control development. regulatory connections are commonly added, subtracted, or modified via mutations in cis-regulatory elements, but several cases are also known where transcription factors have gained or lost activity-modulating peptide motifs. in order to better assess the role of novel transcription factor peptide motifs in evolution, we searched for synapomorphic motifs in the homeotic selectors of drosoph ...	18803772
genome-level analysis of selective constraint without apparent sequence conservation.	conservation of function can be accompanied by obvious similarity of homologous sequences which may persist for billions of years (iyer lm, leipe dd, koonin ev, aravind l. 2004. evolutionary history and higher order classification of aaa+ atpases. j struct biol. 146:11-31.). however, presumably homologous segments of noncoding dna can also retain their ancestral function even after their sequences diverge beyond recognition (fisher s, grice ea, vinton rm, bessling sl, mccallion as. 2006. conserv ...	23418180
crystal structure and functional characterization of the human rbm25 pwi domain and its flanking basic region.	human rbm25 (rna-binding motif protein 25) is a novel splicing factor that contains a pwi domain, a newly identified rna/dna-binding domain, and regulates bcl-x pre-mrna alternative splicing. the flanking basic region has been suggested to serve as a co-operative partner of the pwi domain in the binding of nucleic acids, but the structure of this basic region is unknown. in the present paper, we report the crystal structure of the rbm25 pwi domain and its flanking basic region. the pwi domain is ...	23190262
promising new tools to fight aedes mosquitoes.	two new tools for suppressing aedes aegypti mosquito populations have been recommended for pilot testing. carefully designed trials will be needed to see whether they actually reduce disease as well. andréia azevedo soares reports.	27516632
inhibitor designing, virtual screening, and docking studies for methyltransferase: a potential target against dengue virus.	aim of this work was to design and identify some s-adenosyl-l-homocysteine (sah) analogs as inhibitors of s-adenosyl-l-methionine-dependent methyltransferase (mtase) protein using computational approaches.	27413346
evolutionary conservation and adaptation in the mechanism that regulates srebp action: what a long, strange trip it's been.	sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (srebps) are a subfamily of basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper (bhlh-lz) transcription factors that are conserved from fungi to humans and are defined by two key features: a signature tyrosine residue in the dna-binding domain, and a membrane-tethering domain that is a target for regulated proteolysis. recent studies including genome-wide and model organism approaches indicate srebps coordinate cellular lipid metabolism with other cellular physiologi ...	19933148
toxicity studies for indigenous bacillus thuringiensis isolates from malang city, east java on aedes aegypti larvae.	to investigate the toxicity of indigenous bacillus thuringiensis (b. thuringiensis)isolates from malang city for controlling aedes aegypti (ae. aegypti) larvae.	23593589
racing against time against zika.		27489331
it's time for doctors to speak out on climate change.		22135506
cell surface changes in the egg at fertilization.	an egg changes dramatically at fertilization. these changes include its developmental potential, its physiology, its gene expression profile, and its cell surface. this review highlights the changes in the cell surface of the egg that occur in response to sperm. these changes include modifications to the extracellular matrix, to the plasma membrane, and to the secretory vesicles whose contents direct many of these events. in some species, these changes occur within minutes of fertilization, and ...	19658159
chikungunya fever - epidemic in rural maharashtra.		20165644
the efficacy of some commercially available insect repellents for aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae) and aedes albopictus (diptera: culicidae).	reducing the number of host-vector interactions is an effective way to reduce the spread of vector-borne diseases. repellents are widely used to protect humans from a variety of protozoans, viruses, and nematodes. deet (n,n-diethyl-meta-toluamide), a safe and effective repellent, was developed during world war ii. fear of possible side effects of deet has created a large market for "natural" deet-free repellents with a variety of active ingredients. we present a comparative study on the efficacy ...	26443777
big city, small world: density, contact rates, and transmission of dengue across pakistan.	macroscopic descriptions of populations commonly assume that encounters between individuals are well mixed; i.e. each individual has an equal chance of coming into contact with any other individual. relaxing this assumption can be challenging though, due to the difficulty of acquiring detailed knowledge about the non-random nature of encounters. here, we fitted a mathematical model of dengue virus transmission to spatial time-series data from pakistan and compared maximum-likelihood estimates of ...	26468065
clip-domain serine proteases as immune factors in insect hemolymph.	clip proteases are non-digestive serine proteases present in hemolymph of insects and other arthropods. they are composed of one or more amino-terminal clip domains followed by a linker sequence and a carboxyl-terminal s1a family serine protease domain. the genes for clip proteases have evolved as four clades (clipa, clipb, clipc, clipd), each present as multigene families in insect genomes. clip proteases in hemolymph function in innate immune responses. these include proteolytic activation of ...	26688791
nutritional control of insect reproduction.	the amino acid-target of rapamycin (aa/tor) and insulin pathways play a pivotal role in reproduction of female insects, serving as regulatory checkpoints that guarantee the sufficiency of nutrients for developing eggs. being evolutionary older, the aa/tor pathway functions as an initial nutritional sensor that not only activates nutritional responses in a tissue-specific manner, but is also involved in the control of insect insulin-like peptides (ilps) secretion. insulin and aa/tor pathways also ...	26644995
repellant and insecticidal activities of shyobunone and isoshyobunone derived from the essential oil of acorus calamus rhizomes.	it was found that the essential oil of acorus calamus rhizomes showed insecticidal activity.	26600710
vaccine-preventable diseases in humanitarian emergencies among refugee and internally-displaced populations.	humanitarian emergencies may result in breakdown of regular health services including routine vaccination programs. displaced populations including refugees and internally displaced persons are particularly susceptible to outbreaks of communicable diseases such as vaccine-preventable diseases (vpds). common vpds encountered in humanitarian emergencies include measles, polio, and depending on geographical location, meningococcal meningitis, yellow fever, hepatitis a, and cholera. we conducted a r ...	26406333
larvicidal activity of syzygium aromaticum (l.) merr and citrus sinensis (l.) osbeck essential oils and their antagonistic effects with temephos in resistant populations of aedes aegypti.	environmentally friendly botanical larvicides are commonly considered as an alternative to synthetic larvicides against aedes aegypti linn. in addition, mosquito resistance to currently used larvicides has motivated research to find new compounds acting via different mechanisms of action, with the goal of controlling the spread of mosquitos. essential oils have been widely studied for this purpose. this work aims to evaluate the larvicidal potential of syzygium aromaticum and citrus sinensis ess ...	27384083
draft genome sequence of bacillus thuringiensis 147, a brazilian strain with high insecticidal activity.	bacillus thuringiensis is a ubiquitous gram-positive and sporulating bacterium. its crystals and secreted toxins are useful tools against larvae of diverse insect orders and, as a consequence, an alternative to recalcitrant chemical insecticides. we report here the draft genome sequence of b. thuringiensis147, a strain isolated from brazil and with high insecticidal activity. the assembled genome contained 6,167,994 bp and was distributed in seven replicons (a chromosome and 6 plasmids). we iden ...	26517667
satyrization without evidence of successful insemination from interspecific mating between invasive mosquitoes.	previous research has documented low frequencies of interspecific mating in nature between the invasive vectors aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus. it is also known that heterospecific male accessory gland substances transferred during mating sterilize a. aegypti but not a. albopictus females, leading to satyrization, a form of reproductive interference. this paper demonstrates that satyrization of a. aegypti by a. albopictus may occur without evidence of successful insemination. our results sho ...	26382076
modelling, simulation and social network data: what's new for public health and epidemiology informatics?		26293870
[dengue and chikungunya vector control: is it necessary to re-examine present strategies?].		26849689
the mysterious multi-modal repellency of deet.	deet is the most effective insect repellent available and has been widely used for more than half a century. here, i review what is known about the olfactory and contact mechanisms of deet repellency. for mosquitoes, deet has at least two molecular targets: odorant receptors (ors) mediate the effect of deet at a distance, while unknown chemoreceptors mediate repellency upon contact. additionally, the ionotropic receptor ir40a has recently been identified as a putative deet chemosensor in drosoph ...	26252744
upward trend in dengue incidence among hospitalized patients, united states.	international travel and a global expansion of dengue fever have the potential to increase the incidence of dengue in the united states. we conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of trends in dengue among hospitalized patients by using the national inpatient sample (2000-2007); the number of cases more than tripled (p<0.0001).	21529411
infection dynamics of western equine encephalomyelitis virus (togaviridae: alphavirus) in four strains of culex tarsalis (diptera: culicidae): an immunocytochemical study.	background: vector competence describes the efficiency with which vector arthropods become infected with and transmit pathogens and depends on interactions between pathogen and arthropod genetics as well as environmental factors. for arbovirus transmission, the female mosquito ingests viremic blood, the virus infects and replicates in midgut cells, escapes from the midgut, and disseminates to other tissues, including the salivary glands. virus-laden saliva is then injected into a new host. for t ...	22629118
the poly(a) polymerase gld2 is required for spermatogenesis in drosophila melanogaster.	the dna of a developing sperm is normally inaccessible for transcription for part of spermatogenesis in many animals. in drosophila melanogaster, many transcripts needed for late spermatid differentiation are synthesized in pre-meiotic spermatocytes, but are not translated until later stages. thus, post-transcriptional control mechanisms are required to decouple transcription and translation during spermatogenesis. in the female germline, developing germ cells accomplish similar decoupling throu ...	21427144
the cost of routine aedes aegypti control and of insecticide-treated curtain implementation.	insecticide-treated curtains (itcs) are promoted for controlling the dengue vector aedes aegypti. we assessed the cost of the routine aedes control program (racp) and the cost of itc implementation through the racp and health committees in venezuela and through health volunteers in thailand. the yearly cost of the racp per household amounted to us$2.14 and $1.89, respectively. the itc implementation cost over three times more, depending on the channel used. in venezuela the racp was the most eff ...	21540384
prevalence of chikungunya in urban field practice area of a private medical college, chennai.	the outbreak of chikungunya in india started during december 2005 with more than 11,00,000 cases. many cases with symptoms suggestive of chikungunya reported to our urban health-training centre. hence this study was done to estimate the prevalence of chikungunya, to study the common treatment-seeking behavior, control measures and the sequalae of chikungunya by follow-up.	21976797
cloning and expression analysis of the bombyx mori α-amylase gene (amy) from the indigenous thai silkworm strain, nanglai.	α-amylase is a common enzyme for hydrolyzing starch. in the silkworm, bombyx mori l. (lepidoptera: bombycidae), α-amylase is found in both digestive fluid and hemolymph. here, the complete genomic sequence of the amy gene encoding α-amylase from a local thai silkworm, the nanglai strain, was obtained. this gene was 7981 bp long with 9 exons. the full length amy cdna sequence was 1749 bp containing a 1503 bp open reading frame. the orf encoded 500 amino acid residues. the deduced protein showed 8 ...	21529256
proteome changes in the plasma of pieris rapae parasitized by the endoparasitoid wasp pteromalus puparum.	parasitism by the endoparasitoid wasp pteromalus puparum causes alterations in the plasma proteins of pieris rapae. analysis of plasma proteins using a proteomic approach showed that seven proteins were differentially expressed in the host pupae after 24-h parasitism. they were masquerade-like serine proteinase homolog (msph), enolase (eno), bilin-binding protein (bbp), imaginal disc growth factor (idgf), ornithine decarboxylase (odc), cellular retinoic acid binding protein (crabp), and one unkn ...	21265041
ecoepidemiologia del dengue: relevancia de dos vectores invasores.		25284912
characterization of cry2-type genes of bacillus thuringiensis strains from soilisolated of sichuan basin, china.	sichuan basin, situated in the west of china, is the fourth biggest basin in china. in order to describe a systematic study of the cry2-type genes resources from bacillus thuringiensis strains of sichuan basin, a total of 791 bacillus thuringiensis strains have been screened from 2650 soil samples in different ecological regions. the method of pcr-restriction fragment length polymorphism (pcr-rflp) was used to identify the type of cry2 genes. the results showed that 322 bacillus thuringiensis st ...	24031615
bilateral premacular subhyaloid hemorrhage in dengue fever.		22454709
sampling considerations for designing aedes aegypti (diptera:culicidae) oviposition studies in iquitos, peru: substrate preference, diurnal periodicity, and gonotrophic cycle length.	when devising methods to sample aedes aegypti (l.) eggs from naturally-occurring containers to investigate selective oviposition, failure to take into account certain aspects of ae. aegypti behavior can bias study inferences. in iquitos, peru, we tested three assumptions related to designing ae. aegypti oviposition field studies, as follows: 1) lining containers with paper as an oviposition substrate does not affect oviposition; 2) diurnal egg-laying activity peaks in the late afternoon or early ...	21337947
differential selection within the drosophila retinal determination network and evidence for functional divergence between paralog pairs.	the retinal determination (rd) network in drosophila comprises 14 known nuclear proteins that include dna-binding proteins, transcriptional coactivators, kinases, and phosphatases. the composition of the network varies considerably throughout the animal kingdom, with the network in several basal insects having fewer members and with vertebrates having potentially significantly higher numbers of rd genes. one important contributing factor for the variation in gene number within the network is gen ...	21210943
visceral leishmaniasis in far western nepal: another case and concerns about a new area of endemicity.		21363996
male mating history and body size influence female fecundity and longevity of the dengue vector aedes aegypti.	male reproductive success is dependent on insemination success and reproductive output. during mating, male mosquitoes transfer not just sperm, but also seminal fluid proteins that may have profound effects on mated female biology and behavior. in this study, we investigated the role of male body size and mating history on semen depletion, female longevity, and reproductive success in aedes aegypti l. small and large males were mated in rapid succession with up to five females. our results indic ...	21485355
discrete pulses of molting hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone, during late larval development of drosophila melanogaster: correlations with changes in gene activity.	periodic pulses of the insect steroid molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20e), acting via its nuclear receptor complex (ecr/usp), control gene expression at many stages throughout drosophila development. however, during the last larval instar of some lepidopteran insects, subtle changes in titers of ecdysteroids have been documented, including the so-called "commitment peak." this small elevation of 20e reprograms the larva for metamorphosis to the pupa. similar periods of ecdysteroid immunorea ...	16273522
the drosophila microrna iab-4 causes a dominant homeotic transformation of halteres to wings.	the drosophila bithorax complex encodes three well-characterized homeodomain proteins that direct segment identity, as well as several noncoding rnas of unknown function. here, we analyze the iab-4 locus, which produces the micrornas iab-4-5p and iab-4-3p. iab-4 is analogous to mir-196 in vertebrate hox clusters. previous studies demonstrate that mir-196 interacts with the hoxb8 3' untranslated region. evidence is presented that mir-iab-4-5p directly inhibits ubx activity in vivo. ectopic expres ...	16357215
light on the moth-eye corneal nipple array of butterflies.	the outer surface of the facet lenses in the compound eyes of moths consists of an array of excessive cuticular protuberances, termed corneal nipples. we have investigated the moth-eye corneal nipple array of the facet lenses of 19 diurnal butterfly species by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscope, as well as by optical modelling. the nipples appeared to be arranged in domains with almost crystalline, hexagonal packing. the nipple distances we ...	16608684
condition-specific competition in container mosquitoes: the role of noncompeting life-history stages.	condition-specific competition, wherein competitive superiority varies with the abiotic environment, can determine species' distributions in a spatially heterogeneous environment. we investigated this phenomenon with two competing container-dwelling mosquitoes. we tested the hypothesis that habitat drying alters the outcome of interspecific competition, predicting that the competitive impact of aedes albopictus on aedes aegypti would be severe in wetter environments, but greatly reduced in drier ...	17450188
mutually exclusive splicing of the insect dscam pre-mrna directed by competing intronic rna secondary structures.	drosophila dscam encodes 38,016 distinct axon guidance receptors through the mutually exclusive alternative splicing of 95 variable exons. importantly, known mechanisms that ensure the mutually exclusive splicing of pairs of exons cannot explain this phenomenon in dscam. i have identified two classes of conserved elements in the dscam exon 6 cluster, which contains 48 alternative exons--the docking site, located in the intron downstream of constitutive exon 5, and the selector sequences, which a ...	16213213
females use self-referent cues to avoid mating with previous mates.	females of many species mate repeatedly throughout their lives, often with many different males (polyandry). females can secure genetic benefits by maximizing their diversity of mating partners, and might be expected, therefore, to forego matings with previous partners in favour of novel males. indeed, a female preference for novel mating partners has been shown in several taxa, but the mechanism by which females distinguish between novel males and previous mates remains unknown. we show that fe ...	16271971
a dynamic paracellular pathway serves diuresis in mosquito malpighian tubules.	female mosquitoes gorge on vertebrate blood, a rich nutrient source for developing eggs, but gorging meals increase the risk of predation. mosquitoes are quick to reduce the flight payload with a potent diuresis. diuretic peptides of the insect kinin family induce a tenfold reduction in the paracellular resistance of malpighian tubules and increase the paracellular permeation of cl(-), the counterion of the transepithelial secretion of na(+) and k(+). as a result, the transepithelial secretion o ...	22731730
identification, characterization and structure of a new delta class glutathione transferase isoenzyme.	the insect gst (glutathione transferase) supergene family encodes a varied group of proteins belonging to at least six individual classes. interest in insect gsts has focused on their role in conferring insecticide resistance. previously from the mosquito malaria vector anopheles dirus, two genes encoding five delta class gsts have been characterized for structural as well as enzyme activities. we have obtained a new delta class gst gene and isoenzyme from a. dirus, which we name adgstd5-5. the ...	15717864
influence of spatial heterogeneity on an emerging infectious disease: the case of dengue epidemics.	the importance of spatial heterogeneity and spatial scales (at a village or neighbourhood scale) has been explored with individual-based models. our reasoning is based on the chilean easter island (ei) case, where a first dengue epidemic occurred in 2002 among the relatively small population localized in one village. even in this simple situation, the real epidemic is not consistent with homogeneous models. conversely, including contact heterogeneity on different scales (intra-households, inter- ...	16024379
persistent emergence of dengue.		15898171
location of and landing on a source of human body odour by female culex quinquefasciatus in still and moving air.	the orientation to and landing on a source of human odour by female culex quinquefasciatus say (diptera: culicidae) is observed in a wind tunnel without an airflow or with a laminar airflow of 0.2 m s(-1). odours from human feet are collected by 'wearing' clean glass beads inside a stocking and presenting beads in a petri dish in a wind tunnel. mosquitoes are activated by brief exposure to a 1 l min(-1) jet of 4% co2 positioned 10 cm from the release cage. in moving air at 0.2 m s(-1), a mean of ...	26472918
high level of awareness but poor practices regarding dengue fever control: a cross-sectional study from north india.	delhi, the capital of india, has suffered many outbreaks of dengue in recent past and despite the obvious magnitude of problem, very scarce evidence exists that documents the knowledge, awareness and practices of the people regarding dengue.	22754880
a vitellogenin polyserine cleavage site: highly disordered conformation protected from proteolysis by phosphorylation.	vitellogenin (vg) is an egg-yolk precursor protein in most oviparous species. in honeybee (apis mellifera), the protein (amvg) also affects social behavior and life-span plasticity. despite its manifold functions, the amvg molecule remains poorly understood. the subject of our structure-oriented amvg study is its polyserine tract - a little-investigated repetitive protein segment mostly found in insects. we previously reported that amvg is tissue specifically cleaved in the vicinity of this trac ...	22573762
histone recognition and nuclear receptor co-activator functions of drosophila cara mitad, a homolog of the n-terminal portion of mammalian mll2 and mll3.	mll2 and mll3 histone lysine methyltransferases are conserved components of compass-like co-activator complexes. in vertebrates, the paralogous mll2 and mll3 contain multiple domains required for epigenetic reading and writing of the histone code involved in hormone-stimulated gene programming, including receptor-binding motifs, set methyltransferase, hmg and phd domains. the genes encoding mll2 and mll3 arose from a common ancestor. phylogenetic analyses reveal that the ancestral gene underwent ...	22569554
the combination of npk fertilizer and deltamethrin insecticide favors the proliferation of pyrethroid-resistant anopheles gambiae (diptera: culicidae).	in this laboratory study, we investigated how the biological cycle of anopheles gambiae s.s. (vkpr strain) would be like when grew in an environment containing more or less plant matter (2.5 or 5 g/l) and fertilizer (8-12-8 or 17-23-17 mg/l). half of the environments studied were not exposed to insecticide (control) whereas the other half was submitted to deltamethrin treatment at the concentration of 0.015 mg/l. the bioassays showed that 2.5 g/l of plant matter in water are not sufficient to fe ...	22550627
cadherin binding is not a limiting step for bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis cry4ba toxicity to aedes aegypti larvae.	bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis produces three cry toxins (cry4aa, cry4ba and cry11aa) that are active against aedes aegypti larvae. the identification of the rate-limiting binding steps of cry toxins that are used for insect control in the field, such as those of b. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, should provide targets for improving insecticides against important insect pests. previous studies showed that cry11aa binds to cadherin receptor fragment cr7-11 (cadherin repeats 7-11) wi ...	22329749
analysis of lipolysis underlying lactation in the tsetse fly, glossina morsitans.	female tsetse flies undergo viviparous reproduction, generating one larva each gonotrophic cycle. larval nourishment is provided by the mother in the form of milk secretions. the milk consists mostly of lipids during early larval development and shifts to a balanced combination of protein and lipids in the late larval instars. provisioning of adequate lipids to the accessory gland is an indispensable process for tsetse fecundity. this work investigates the roles of brummer lipase (bmm) and the a ...	22509523
a review on the toxicity and non-target effects of macrocyclic lactones in terrestrial and aquatic environments.	the avermectins, milbemycins and spinosyns are collectively referred to as macrocyclic lactones (mls) which comprise several classes of chemicals derived from cultures of soil micro-organisms. these compounds are extensively and increasingly used in veterinary medicine and agriculture. due to their potential effects on non-target organisms, large amounts of information on their impact in the environment has been compiled in recent years, mainly caused by legal requirements related to their marke ...	22039795
dengue infections in travellers.	dengue has been designated a major international public health problem by the world health organization (who). it is endemic in most tropical and sub-tropical countries, which are also popular tourist destinations. travellers are not only at significant risk of acquiring dengue but they also contribute to its spread to non-endemic regions. furthermore, they may serve as sentinels to alert the international community to epidemics in dengue-endemic regions. geosentinel, a global surveillance netwo ...	22668447
dengue: an escalating public health problem in latin america.	dengue infection is a significant and escalating public health problem in latin america. its re-emergence and subsequent rise in the region over the past 50 years has largely been caused by a combination of a lack of political will, the radical growth of urban populations, migration flow and insufficient financial resources. its increased incidence has been compounded by climate change, poor sanitation and extreme poverty, which lead to more breeding sites of the mosquito vector aedes aegypti. i ...	22668444
the dengue situation in africa.	dengue outbreaks and epidemics have been reported in all regions of africa, and it is believed that all four dengue virus serotypes are in circulation. available data suggest that dengue is endemic to 34 african countries and that aedes aegypti mosquitoes--the primary vector for dengue transmission--are known to be present in all but five countries. whether populations in africa are susceptible to dengue at the same rates as in asia and latin america is difficult to determine from the available ...	22668445
evidence of polyandry for aedes aegypti in semifield enclosures.	female aedes aegypti are assumed to be primarily monandrous (i.e., mate only once in their lifetime), but true estimates of mating frequency have not been determined outside the laboratory. to assess polyandry in ae. aegypti with first-generation progeny from wild mosquitoes, stable isotope semen-labeled males ((15)n or (13)c) were allowed to mate with unlabeled females in semifield enclosures (22.5 m(3)) in a dengue-endemic area in southern mexico. on average, 14% of females were positive for b ...	22492148
proteome of aedes aegypti in response to infection and coinfection with microsporidian parasites.	hosts are frequently infected with more than one parasite or pathogen at any one time, but little is known as to how they respond to multiple immune challenges compared to those involving single infections. we investigated the proteome of aedes aegypti larvae following infection with either edhazardia aedis or vavraia culicis, and coinfections involving both. they are both obligate intracellular parasites belonging to the phylum microsporidia and infect natural populations of ae. aegypti. the re ...	22837817
knockdown resistance, rdl alleles, and the annual entomological inoculation rate of wild mosquito populations from lower moshi, northern tanzania.	understanding vector behavioral response due to ecological factors is important in the control of disease vectors. this study was conducted to determine the knockdown resistance (kdr) alleles, dieldrin resistance alleles, and entomological inoculation rates (eirs) of malaria vectors in lower moshi irrigation schemes for the mitigation of disease transmission.	22754247
dengue and us military operations from the spanish-american war through today.	dengue is a major cause of illness among travelers and a threat to military troops operating in areas to which it is endemic. before and during world war ii, dengue frequently occurred in us military personnel in asia and the south pacific. from the 1960s into the 1990s, dengue often occurred in us troops in vietnam, the philippines, somalia, and haiti. we found attack rates as high as 80% and periods of convalescence up to 3-1/2 weeks beyond the acute illness. the increase in dengue throughout ...	22469290
whole-genome sequence of wolbachia strain walbb, an endosymbiont of tiger mosquito vector aedes albopictus.	although bacteria of the genus wolbachia induced significant extended phenotypes to infected hosts, most molecular mechanisms involved are still unknown. to gain insight into the bacterial genetic determinants, we sequenced the whole genome of wolbachia walbb strain, a commensal obligate intracellular of the tiger mosquito aedes albopictus.	22408242
gene expression profiling in the thiamethoxam resistant and susceptible b-biotype sweetpotato whitefly, bemisia tabaci.	thiamethoxam has been used as a major insecticide to control the b-biotype sweetpotato whitefly, bemisia tabaci (gennadius) (hemiptera: aleyrodidae). due to its excessive use, a high level of resistance to thiamethoxam has developed worldwide over the past several years. to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying this resistance in b. tabaci, gene profiles between the thiamethoxam-resistant and thiamethoxam-susceptible strains were investigated using the suppression subtractive hyb ...	22957505
public health as an international problem: 1944.		22676498
advances in developing a climate based dengue outbreak models in dhaka, bangladesh: challenges & opportunities.		22885257
community-based control of aedes aegypti by using mesocyclops in southern vietnam.	we previously reported a new community-based mosquito control strategy that resulted in elimination of aedes aegypti (linn.) in 40 of 46 communes in northern and central vietnam, and with annual recurrent total costs (direct and indirect) of only $0.28-$0.89 international dollars per person. this control strategy was extended to four provinces in southern vietnam in long an and hau giang (2004-2007) and to long an, ben tre, and vinh long (2005-2010). in a total of 14 communes with 124,743 reside ...	22556087
the economic burden of dengue.		22556068
return of epidemic dengue in the united states: implications for the public health practitioner.	conditions that facilitate sustained dengue transmission exist in the united states, and outbreaks have occurred during the past decade in texas, hawaii, and florida. more outbreaks can also be expected in years to come. to combat dengue, medical and public health practitioners in areas with mosquito vectors that are competent to transmit the virus must be aware of the threat of reemergent dengue, and the need for early reporting and control to reduce the impact of dengue outbreaks. comprehensiv ...	22547856
complementary chimeric isoforms reveal dscam1 binding specificity in vivo.	dscam1 potentially encodes 19,008 ectodomains of a cell recognition molecule of the immunoglobulin (ig) superfamily through alternative splicing. each ectodomain, comprising a unique combination of three variable (ig) domains, exhibits isoform-specific homophilic binding in vitro. although we have proposed that the ability of dscam1 isoforms to distinguish between one another is crucial for neural circuit assembly, via a process called self-avoidance, whether recognition specificity is essential ...	22542180
evolution of bmp signaling in drosophila oogenesis: a receptor-based mechanism.	the bone morphogenetic protein (bmp) signaling pathway is a conserved regulator of cellular and developmental processes in animals. the mechanisms underlying bmp signaling activation differ among tissues and mostly reflect changes in the expression of pathway components. bmp signaling is one of the major pathways responsible for the patterning of the drosophila eggshell, a complex structure derived from a layer of follicle cells (fcs) surrounding the developing oocyte. activation of bmp signalin ...	22768927
infertility resulting from transgenic i-ppoi male anopheles gambiae in large cage trials.	anopheles gambiae is the primary vector of malaria in sub-saharan africa and is a potential target of genetic control programs. we determined the capacity of male a. gambiae created by germline transformation to introduce infertility into stable age-distribution populations. we also determined effects of the transgenes on life history.	22595271
the effect of ivermectin in seven strains of aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae) including a genetically diverse laboratory strain and three permethrin resistant strains.	seven different strains of aedes aegypti (l.), including a genetically diverse laboratory strain, three laboratory-selected permethrin-resistant strains, a standard reference strain, and two recently colonized strains were fed on human blood containing various concentrations of ivermectin. ivermectin reduced adult survival, fecundity, and hatch rate of eggs laid by ivermectin-treated adults in all seven strains. the lc50 of ivermectin for adults and the concentration that prevented 50% of eggs f ...	22493855
study on the correlation of premises condition index and the presence of larvae of aedes species mosquitoes in human dwellings of the cuddalore district of tamil nadu, india.	it is concluded that this study helps in conducting rapid survey to identify the presence of aedes larvae with a minimum number of staff for both inspection and treatment of aedes larvae during the epidemic situation.	24159479
mosquitocidal properties of natural product compounds isolated from chinese herbs and synthetic analogs of curcumin.	because of resistance to current insecticides and to environmental, health, and regulatory concerns, naturally occurring compounds and their derivatives are of increasing interest for the development of new insecticidal compounds against vectors of disease-causing pathogens. fifty-eight compounds, either extracted and purified from plants native to china or synthetic analogs of curcumin, were evaluated for both their larvicidal activity against aedes aegypti (l.) and their ability to inhibit bin ...	22493854
aedes albopictus mosquitoes, yucatan peninsula, mexico.		22377491
wedding fever: fever in the returning traveler. diagnosis: dengue fever.		23851538
distinct intracellular motifs of delta mediate its ubiquitylation and activation by mindbomb1 and neuralized.	dsl proteins are transmembrane ligands of the notch receptor. they associate with a ring (really interesting new gene) family e3 ubiquitin ligase, either neuralized (neur) or mindbomb 1 (mib1), as a prerequisite to signaling. although neur and mib1 stimulate internalization of dsl ligands, it is not known how ubiquitylation contributes to signaling. we present a molecular dissection of the intracellular domain (icd) of drosophila melanogaster delta (dl), a prototype dsl protein. using a cell-bas ...	22162135
aedes aegypti mosquitoes imported into the netherlands, 2010.	during summer 2010, aedes aegypti mosquitoes were discovered in the netherlands. using genetic markers, we tracked the origin of these mosquitoes to a tire shipment from miami, florida, usa. surveillance of tire exports from the united states should be included as part of a comprehensive surveillance system.	22172498
spatial stability of adult aedes aegypti populations.	vector control programs could be more efficient by identifying the location of highly productive sites of aedes aegypti. this study explored if the number of female adults of ae. aegypti in bg-sentinel traps was clustered and if their spatial distribution changed in time in two neighborhoods in san juan, puerto rico. traps were uniformly distributed across each neighborhood (130 m from each other), and samples were taken every 3 weeks. global and local spatial autocorrelations were explored. spa ...	22144449
the monarch butterfly genome yields insights into long-distance migration.	we present the draft 273 mb genome of the migratory monarch butterfly (danaus plexippus) and a set of 16,866 protein-coding genes. orthology properties suggest that the lepidoptera are the fastest evolving insect order yet examined. compared to the silkmoth bombyx mori, the monarch genome shares prominent similarity in orthology content, microsynteny, and protein family sizes. the monarch genome reveals a vertebrate-like opsin whose existence in insects is widespread; a full repertoire of molecu ...	22118469
new approaches to the inhibition of replication of viral pathogens.	this meeting was a special symposium sponsored by the american society for biochemistry and molecular biology. the conference was held in gangzhou, china on 24-26 july 2011 and shared a venue with the society of chinese bioscientists in america thirteenth international symposium. over 150 participants from the americas, europe, asia and australia attended the meeting. this article focuses on two areas of research in which there have been exciting developments that have application to the develop ...	22029515
genetics and morphology of aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae) in septic tanks in puerto rico.	dengue viruses, primarily transmitted by the mosquito aedes aegypti (l.), affect an estimated 50-100 million people yearly. traditional approaches to control mosquito population numbers, such as the use of pesticides, have had only limited success. atypical mosquito behavior may be one reason why current vector control efforts have been less efficacious than expected. in puerto rico, for example, adult ae. aegypti have been observed emerging from septic tanks. interestingly, adults emerging from ...	22238867
lessons from studying insect symbioses.	as in mammals, insect health is strongly influenced by the composition and activities of resident microorganisms. however, the microbiota of insects is generally less diverse than that of mammals, allowing microbial function in insects to be coupled to individual, identified microbial species. this trait of insect symbioses facilitates our understanding of the mechanisms that promote insect-microbial coexistence and the processes by which the microbiota affect insect well-being. as a result, ins ...	22018236
characterization of lipophorin receptor (lpr) mediating the binding of high density lipophorin (hdlp) in the silkworm, bombyx mori.	in an earlier report, we described the gene encoding a lipophorin receptor (lpr) of the silkworm, bombyx mori l. (lepidoptera: bombycidae), and recombinant expression of the protein. the present study was performed to characterize the corresponding native bmlpr and its binding characteristics. polyclonal anti-lpr antibody prepared against the cloned receptor fragment from the cytoplasmic domain specifically detected the receptor. through immunoblotting, ovary and brain membrane protein samples o ...	22236107
cdna cloning and expression pattern of homolog of alpha subunit of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase ib from the chinese oak silkworm, antheraea pernyi.	platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (paf-ah) is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of platelet-activating factor (paf). a homolog of alpha subunit of paf-ah(ib) from antheraea pernyi (guérin-méneville) (lepidoptera: saturniidae) (appafahibα) was isolated and characterized. the obtained cdna sequence was 1843 base pairs (bp) long with an open reading frame (ore) of 678 bp encoding 225 amino acids. the predicted amino acid sequence shared several conserved features of paf-ahs of other ...	22224584
evaluation of the who classification of dengue disease severity during an epidemic in 2011 in the state of ceará, brazil.	in 2009, the world health organization (who) issued a new guideline that stratifies dengue-affected patients into severe (sd) and non-severe dengue (nsd) (with or without warning signs). to evaluate the new recommendations, we completed a retrospective cross-sectional study of the dengue haemorrhagic fever (dhf) cases reported during an outbreak in 2011 in northeastern brazil. we investigated 84 suspected dhf patients, including 45 (53.6%) males and 39 (46.4%) females. the ages of the patients r ...	24626308
birth of three stowaway-like mite families via microhomology-mediated miniaturization of a tc1/mariner element in the yellow fever mosquito.	eukaryotic genomes contain numerous dna transposons that move by a cut-and-paste mechanism. the majority of these elements are self-insufficient and dependent on their autonomous relatives to transpose. miniature inverted repeat transposable elements (mites) are often the most numerous nonautonomous dna elements in a higher eukaryotic genome. little is known about the origin of these mite families as few of them are accompanied by their direct ancestral elements in a genome. analyses of mites in ...	24068652
the basic reproduction number r0 and effectiveness of reactive interventions during dengue epidemics: the 2002 dengue outbreak in easter island, chile.	we use a stochastic simulation model to explore the effect of reactive intervention strategies during the 2002 dengue outbreak in the small population of easter island, chile. we quantified the effect of interventions on the transmission dynamics and epidemic size as a function of the simulated control intensity levels and the timing of initiation of control interventions. because no dengue outbreaks had been reported prior to 2002 in easter island, the 2002 epidemic provided a unique opportunit ...	24245625
evaluation of the traditional and revised world health organization classifications of dengue cases in brazil.	dengue is a worldwide public health problem with approximately 50 million cases reported annually. the world health organization proposed a revised classification system in 2008 to more effectively identify the patients who are at increased risk of complications from dengue. few studies have validated this new classification system in clinical practice. we conducted a cross-sectional study of patients hospitalized for dengue in dourados, mato grosso do sul, brazil, to evaluate the capacity of th ...	24212835
rapid evolution of reduced receptivity to interspecific mating in the dengue vector aedes aegypti in response to satyrization by invasive aedes albopictus.	in this paper we examine the effect of reproductive interference on the dynamics of two mosquito vectors of public health concern and add to the growing literature on the strength and speed with which interspecific reproductive interference may drive evolution. recent evidence supports a role for asymmetric reproductive interference, or satyrization, in competitive displacements of aedes aegypti by aedes albopictus. however, populations of a. aegypti sympatric with a. albopictus in nature evolve ...	24563572
bacteria mediate oviposition by the black soldier fly, hermetia illucens (l.), (diptera: stratiomyidae).	there can be substantial negative consequences for insects colonizing a resource in the presence of competitors. we hypothesized that bacteria, associated with an oviposition resource and the insect eggs deposited on that resource, serve as a mechanism regulating subsequent insect attraction, colonization, and potentially succession of insect species. we isolated and identified bacterial species associated with insects associated with vertebrate carrion and used these bacteria to measure their i ...	23995019
leishmania amazonensis exhibits phosphatidylserine-dependent procoagulant activity, a process that is counteracted by sandfly saliva.	leishmania parasites expose phosphatidylserine (ps) on their surface, a process that has been associated with regulation of host's immune responses. in this study we demonstrate that ps exposure by metacyclic promastigotes of leishmania amazonensis favours blood coagulation. l. amazonensis accelerates in vitro coagulation of human plasma. in addition, l. amazonensis supports the assembly of the prothrombinase complex, thus promoting thrombin formation. this process was reversed by annexin v whic ...	24037188
distribution, seasonal variation & dengue transmission prediction in sisaket, thailand.	environmental factors including weather variables may play a significant role in the transmission of dengue. this study investigated the effect of seasonal variation on the abundance of aedes aegypti and ae. albopictus larvae and explored the impact of weather variability on dengue transmission in sisaket, thailand.	24135179
identification and characterization of heat shock 70 genes in aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae).	heat shock genes are highly evolutionarily conserved and are expressed to varying degrees in all organisms in response to stress. heat shock 70 (hsp70) genes have been well characterized in a number of organisms, most notably drosophila melanogaster, but not as yet for any of the major arthropod-borne viral mosquito vectors. to identify hsp70 genes in the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae), basic local alignment searches of the ae. aegypti genome were performed using d. me ...	19496419