Genomics Analysis of L-DOPA Exposure in .

is a dietary specialist fruit fly that evolved from a generalist ancestor to specialize on the toxic fruit of This species pair has been the subject of numerous studies where the goal has largely been to determine the genetic basis of adaptations associated with host specialization. Because one of the most striking features of fruit is the production of toxic volatile compounds that kill insects, most genomic studies in to date have focused on gene expression responses to the toxic compounds in its food. In this study, we aim to identify new genes important for host specialization by profiling gene expression response to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA).

Amphotericin B and coccidioidomycosis.

Prior to the 1950s no effective therapy for coccidioidomycosis existed. The advent of amphotericin B ushered in the therapeutic era for coccidioidomycosis. Until this time amphotericin B and its lipid congeners have been regarded as the "gold standard" of therapy for severe pulmonary and disseminated coccidioidomycosis.

Coccidioidal meningitis.

Residents of the area now occupied by the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico have had to deal with coccidioidomycosis and complicating meningitis for >1500 years. The hundredth anniversary of the reporting of disseminated coccidioidomycosis has just passed. This year has the dubious distinction of being the hundredth anniversary of the first description of coccidioidal meningitis.

Association between facial cutaneous coccidioidomycosis and meningitis.

The skin is frequently a site of extrapulmonary dissemination in patients with coccidioidomycosis. Clinical experience in an endemic area suggests an association between facial cutaneous coccidioidomycosis and meningitis. Awareness of this association is important because coccidioidal meningitis is the most ominous site of spread in coccidioidomycosis.