Brown planthoppers manipulate rice sugar transporters to benefit their own feeding.

The feeding of piercing-sucking insect herbivores often elicits changes in their host plants that benefit the insect. In addition to thwarting a host's defense responses, these phloem-feeding insects may manipulate source-sink signaling so as to increase resources consumed. To date, the molecular mechanisms underlying herbivore-induced resource reallocation remain less investigated.

Forsythiae Fructuse water extract attenuates liver fibrosis via TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and TGF-β/smads signaling pathways.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Forsythiae Fructuse water extract (FSE) is a water-soluble component extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Forsythiae Fructuse (The fruit of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl) usually used to treat inflammatory diseases. However, little is known about the therapeutic effect of FSE on liver fibrosis.

Effects of long-term cadmium exposure on trehalose metabolism, growth, and development of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae).

Trehalose is the major blood sugar in insects; it not only serves as an energy source but also plays important roles in physiological responses to adverse conditions. However, only a few studies have explored the effects of heavy metal exposure stress on trehalose metabolism in insects. Therefore, in this study, we examined the effects of cadmium stress on changes in trehalose metabolism in Aedes albopictus.

Phillygenin inhibits LPS-induced activation and inflammation of LX2 cells by TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The traditional Chinese medicine Forsythiae Fructus is the dried fruit of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl. It is commonly used to clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling and disperse knot, and evacuate wind and heat.

Demographic analysis, a comparison of the jackknife and bootstrap methods, and predation projection: a case study of Chrysopa pallens (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae).

The life table of the green lacewing, Chrysopa pallens (Rambur), was studied at 22 degrees C, a photoperiod of 15:9 (L:D) h, and 80% relative humidity in the laboratory. The raw data were analyzed using the age-stage, two-sex life table. The intrinsic rate of increase (r), the finite rate of increase (lambda), the net reproduction rate (R0), and the mean generation time (T) of Ch.