Larvicidal Activity of Hemp Extracts and Cannabidiol against the Yellow Fever Mosquito .

To mitigate pyrethroid resistance in mosquito vectors of emerging and re-emerging human pathogens, there is an urgent need to discover insecticides with novel modes of action. Natural alternatives, such as extracts derived from plants, may serve as substitutes for traditional synthetic insecticides if they prove to be sustainable, cost-effective, and safe for non-target organisms. Hemp () is a sustainable plant known to produce various secondary metabolites with insecticidal properties, including terpenoids and flavonoids.

Evaluation of the usefulness of vitamin D as a predictor of mortality in patients with COVID-19.

Introduction: One of the functions of vitamin D is to regulate respiratory epithelium inflammatory response; therefore, deficiency of this vitamin in the context of COVID-19 could constitute a predictive biomarker of the disease outcome.

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of vitamin D for predicting mortality in patients with COVID-19.

Methods: Observational, retrospective study in which 154 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were included, out of whom 111 survived and 43 died.

Larvicidal Activity of Carbon Black against the Yellow Fever Mosquito .

The yellow fever mosquito is one of the deadliest animals on the planet because it transmits several medically important arboviruses, including Zika, chikungunya, dengue, and yellow fever. Carbon-based nanoparticles (CNPs) derived from natural sources have previously been shown to have toxic effects on mosquito larvae and offer a potential alternative to chemical insecticides such as pyrethroids, for which mosquitoes have evolved resistance. However, CNPs derived from industrial sources, such as carbon black, have not previously been evaluated as larvicides.

Prospective predictive performance comparison between clinical gestalt and validated COVID-19 mortality scores.

Most COVID-19 mortality scores were developed at the beginning of the pandemic and clinicians now have more experience and evidence-based interventions. Therefore, we hypothesized that the predictive performance of COVID-19 mortality scores is now lower than originally reported. We aimed to prospectively evaluate the current predictive accuracy of six COVID-19 scores and compared it with the accuracy of clinical gestalt predictions.

Further SAR on the (Phenylsulfonyl)piperazine Scaffold as Inhibitors of the Aedes aegypti Kir1 (AeKir) Channel and Larvicides.

Zika virus (ZIKV), dengue fever (DENV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) are arboviruses that are spread to humans from the bite of an infected adult female Aedes aegypti mosquito. As there are no effective vaccines or therapeutics for these diseases, the primary strategy for controlling the spread of these viruses is to prevent the mosquito from biting humans through the use of insecticides. Unfortunately, the commonly used classes of insecticides have seen a significant increase in resistance, thus complicating control efforts.

Semi-synthetic cinnamodial analogues: Structural insights into the insecticidal and antifeedant activities of drimane sesquiterpenes against the mosquito Aedes aegypti.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito serves as a major vector for viral diseases, such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika, which are spreading across the globe and threatening public health. In addition to increased vector transmission, the prevalence of insecticide-resistant mosquitoes is also on the rise, thus solidifying the need for new, safe and effective insecticides to control mosquito populations. We recently discovered that cinnamodial, a unique drimane sesquiterpene dialdehyde of the Malagasy medicinal plant Cinnamosma fragrans, exhibited significant larval and adult toxicity to Ae.