CRISPR/Cas9 mediated editing of () gene disrupts mating in the Fall armyworm, (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Unlabelled: The Fall armyworm, , is a globally important invasive pest, primarily on corn, causing severe yield loss. Overuse of synthetic chemicals has caused significant ecological harm, and in many instances control has failed. Therefore, developing efficient, environmentally friendly substitutes for sustainable management of this pest is of high priority.

CRISPR/Cas9 mediated mutagenesis of the major sex pheromone gene, acyl-CoA delta-9 desaturase (DES9) in Fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

The Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda is a significant global pest causing serious yield loss on several staple crops. In this regard, this pest defies several management approaches based on chemicals, Bt transgenics etc., requiring effective alternatives.

Genome profiling of an indigenous Bacillus thuringiensis isolate, T405 toxic against the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

In this study, we present the molecular and insecticidal characteristics of an indigenous Bt isolate T405 toxic against the maize fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda. The presence of cry1, cry2 (cry2Aa & cry2Ab) and vip3A1 genes in T405 was confirmed. The SDS-PAGE gel analysis confirmed the occurrence of Cry and Vip proteins with molecular masses of 130, ∼88 and 65 kDa in T405.

Malignancy Rate, Number Needed to Treat, and Positive Predictive Value for Breast MRI.

Breast MRI is being used more frequently for advanced screening for breast cancer. Patients may be at increased risk, or are symptomatic, with nonsuspicious mammograms. There is little data regarding the likelihood of a recommendation for biopsy, or for detecting a malignancy, in this population.

Laparoscopic Hysterectomy and Urinary Tract Injury: Experience in a Health Maintenance Organization.

Study Objectives: To evaluate the incidence, detection, characteristics, and management of urinary tract injury in a cohort undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy, and to identify potential risk factors for urinary tract injury with laparoscopic hysterectomy.

Design: Retrospective analysis (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).

Setting: Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center, 2001 to 2012.

Uterine sarcomas and parasitic myomas after laparoscopic hysterectomy with power morcellation.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the incidence and risk factors for uterine sarcomas and parasitic myomas at the time of power morcellation.

Study Design: We performed a retrospective review of 3523 women who underwent laparoscopic hysterectomy from 2001-2012. Univariate analyses were used for the morcellation cases to identify potential risk factors.

Breast cancer care in the community: challenges, opportunities, and outcomes.

In the USA, 80% of patients with breast cancer are treated by community breast surgeons. NCDB data indicate that there are only small differences in outcomes between lower volume cancer programs and higher volume programs. There is some evidence that breast cancer patients of high-volume breast focused surgeons may have improved outcomes.

Factor structure and concurrent validity of the Satisfaction with Life Domains Scale for Cancer (SLDS-C).

The Satisfaction with Life Domains Scale for Cancer (SLDS-C) is a brief self-report measure of quality of life that uses a familiar and easily understood graphic response format of smiling and frowning faces. This article explores the factor structure and further examines the validity of the SLDS-C compared with another cancer specific quality-of-life measure, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale-General (FACT-G), in a sample of patients with a variety of cancer diagnoses. A self-administered questionnaire containing the SLDS-C and the FACT-G was completed by 352 adult cancer survivors who were at various points post diagnosis.

Pharmacotherapy of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia: a review of atypical antipsychotics.

Objective: To review the literature on use of antipsychotics to treat behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).

Data Sources: Information was selected from a MEDLINE search of English-language medical literature using the search terms "antipsychotics" and "elderly." Manual searches of pertinent journal article references, and review of poster presentations at recent professional meetings were also performed.

Treatment enhances ultradian rhythms of CSF monoamine metabolites in patients with major depressive episodes.

Unipolar and bipolar depressions show abnormal behavioral manifestations of ultradian (less than 24 h) rhythms, but abnormal rhythms of the central neurotransmitters thought to be important for depression pathophysiology (eg dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT)) have not been shown in this time frame. Since antidepressant treatments normalize disrupted rhythms in depression (eg rapid-eye-movement sleep and hormonal rhythms), we hypothesized that depression-related changes in ultradian oscillations of DA and 5-HT might be revealed during antidepressant treatment. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples collected q10 min for 24 h in 13 patients experiencing major depressive episodes (MDE) before and after treatment for 5 weeks with sertraline or bupropion were assayed for levels of homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), and their ratio was calculated.

Duloxetine for the treatment of major depressive disorder in older patients.

Objective: The efficacy and safety of duloxetine, a dual reuptake inhibitor of serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE), were evaluated in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and associated pain symptoms in patients age 55 and older.

Methods: Efficacy data were obtained from patients age > or =55 who participated in two identical, multicenter, double-blind studies in which patients with MDD were randomized to receive placebo (N=43) or duloxetine (60 mg/day; N=47) for 9 weeks. The primary efficacy measure was the mean change in Ham-D-17 total score.

Treatment of glossodynia with olanzapine.

A 73-year-old white male with a 6-month history of glossodynia, unresponsive to clotrimazole troches, cevimeline, triamcinolone dental paste, paroxetine, and lorazepam presented to the dermatology clinic for consultation. Work-up revealed no oral abnormalities and no underlying systemic disorder. He denied symptoms consistent with a psychiatric disorder.

The Comparative Peripheral Anticholinergic-Like Adverse Event Profiles of Olanzapine and Risperidone.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that reported in vitro muscarinic receptor affinity differences between olanzapine and risperidone would be reflected in peripheral solicited anticholinergic adverse event frequencies. METHOD: Data from a double-blind, randomized trial of olanzapine versus risperidone in 339 patients (age range, 18-65 years) with DSM-IV schizophrenia spectrum acute psychosis were retrospectively analyzed. Subgroups based on the median of the mean daily drug dose were constructed (olanzapine 17 mg; risperidone 6 mg).

The rate, pattern, and cost of use of antiparkinsonian agents among patients treated for schizophrenia in a managed care setting.

Objective: To examine the use and economic cost of antiparkinsonian agents during the medication management of patients diagnosed with schizophrenic disorders in a naturalistic healthcare setting.

Design: Cross-sectional retrospective analysis of 1-year (1999) administrative data from a large managed care organization.

Patients And Methods: Patients were 1938 adults who were treated for a schizophrenic disorder.

Retrospective cohort study of diabetes mellitus and antipsychotic treatment in a geriatric population in the United States.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate risk of diabetes among elderly patients during treatment with antipsychotic medications.

Design: We conducted a longitudinal, retrospective study assessing the incidence of new prescription claims for antihyperglycemic agents during antipsychotic therapy.

Setting: Prescription claims from the AdvancePCS claim database were followed for 6 to 9 months.

Comparison of risperidone and olanzapine in the control of negative symptoms of chronic schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders in patients aged 50 to 65 years.

Background: This analysis compares the efficacy of risperidone and olanzapine in controlling negative and positive symptoms of chronic psychosis in older patients.

Method: Post hoc assessments were made in a subset of risperidone-treated (N = 19) and olanzapine-treated (N = 20) older patients (aged 50 to 65 years) from a large international, multicenter, parallel, double-blind, 28-week study of patients aged 18 to 65 years (N = 339) randomly assigned to receive risperidone (4-12 mg/day) or olanzapine (10-20 mg/day). Assessments were made using repeated-measures analysis.

Is absolute amount or change in exercise more associated with quality of life in adult cancer survivors?

Background: The present study examined the association between quality of life (QOL) in adult cancer survivors and the (a) absolute current amount of exercise and (b) change in exercise since cancer diagnosis.

Methods: Three hundred fifty-two (mean age = 59.6) adult cancer survivors recruited from outpatient clinics in four states (Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Georgia) and a minority support groups completed a survey including demographic, medical, exercise behavior, and QOL questions.

Diurnal variation of cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1 (Orexin-A) levels in control and depressed subjects.

Background: Hypocretins, excitatory neuropeptides at monoaminergic synapses, appear to regulate human sleep-wake cycles. Undetectable cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1 levels are seen in narcolepsy, which is frequently associated with secondary depression. Shortened rapid eye movement latency is observed in both narcolepsy and depression.

The effects of antipsychotic drug treatment on prolactin concentrations in elderly patients.

Objective: To describe the change in serum prolactin concentrations in elderly agitated nursing home patients with dementia who were newly initiated on olanzapine or switched to olanzapine treatment from either conventional antipsychotics or risperidone.

Methods: During an 8-week open-label olanzapine efficacy trial in elderly nursing home patients demonstrating clinically significant behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, serum prolactin concentrations were drawn on four occasions: at time of consent, following a washout period from previous therapy, midway through the study, and at endpoint. To assess post-hoc the effects of prolactin concentrations upon switching to olanzapine treatment, patients were divided into three different groups, based upon status at time of consent: those not taking antipsychotic medication, those taking any conventional antipsychotic, and those taking risperidone.

Characterizing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) among geropsychiatric inpatients.

Objective: The purpose of this database analysis was to determine if, upon hospital admission, particular behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) could be linked to patient characteristics, levels of cognitive or clinical functioning, and/or type of residence before hospitalization.

Methods: Sampled were geropsychiatric inpatients with a primary DSM-IV discharge diagnosis of dementia, who participated in the Mental Health Outcomes, Inc. CQI+(SM) measurement program between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 1999 and who had admission data on all study variables and dementia subtype diagnosis at discharge (N = 2256).

Do adults change their lifestyle behaviors after a cancer diagnosis?

Objective: To examine changes in lifestyle behaviors after a cancer diagnosis and medical and demographic influences on such changes.

Methods: Adult cancer survivors (n = 352) completed a survey including demographic, medical, and lifestyle behavior change questions.

Results: Results showed that since cancer diagnosis, 46% of smokers quit smoking, 47% improved their dietary habits, and 30.

Association of a critical CSF tryptophan threshold level with depressive relapse.

This work studies association between relapse during acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) and CSF level of tryptophan (TRP) in remitted depressives treated with sertraline or bupropion. Eight medication-responding depressives ingested an ATD amino acid mixture during 48-h continuous CSF sampling before and after treatment. Mood rating scores were compared with nadir levels of TRP in CSF.