Suppression of Thrips palmi population by spray-on application of dsRNA targeting V-ATPase-B.

The RNA interference (RNAi)-based gene silencing technique has enormous potential as a non-chemical and eco-friendly alternative to hazardous pesticides. This study reports a spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) approach for managing Thrips palmi by lowering survival and offspring development. Vacuolar ATP synthases (V-ATPases) are responsible for survival, egg-laying, and viability of eggs in insects.

Advancements in genetically modified insect pest-resistant crops in India.

The review offers insights into the current state of research on insect pest-resistant GM crops and the regulations governing the cultivation of GM crops in India. India has a rich crop diversity of more than 160 major and minor crops through its diverse agroclimatic conditions. Insect pests alone cause around USD 36 billion in crop loss annually in India.

Emerging challenges in the management of Orthotospoviruses in Indian agriculture.

Orthotospoviruses, a genera of negative-sense ssRNA viruses transmitted by thrips, have gained significant attention in recent years due to their detrimental impact on diverse crops, causing substantial economic losses and posing threats to food security. Orthotospoviruses are characterised by a wide range of symptoms in plants, including chlorotic/necrotic spots, vein banding, and fruit deformation. Seven species, including four definite and three tentative species in the genus Orthotospovirus, have so far been documented on the crops of the Indian subcontinent.

Diversity of transgenes in sustainable management of insect pests.

Insecticidal transgenes, when incorporated and expressed in plants, confer resistance against insects by producing several products having insecticidal properties. Protease inhibitors, lectins, amylase inhibitors, and chitinase genes are associated with the natural defenses developed by plants to counter insect attacks. Several toxin genes are also derived from spiders and scorpions for protection against insects.

It.ÇÖs not always postdural puncture headache: a case report and note to the astute anesthesiologist.

Dural puncture is either diagnosed by unexpectedly profound response to medication test dose or development of a postpartum postural headache. Epidural blood patch is the gold standard for treatment of PDPH when conservative management fails. However, postpartum headaches can be resistant to multiple epidural blood patches.

Individualized estimation of human core body temperature using noninvasive measurements.

A rising core body temperature (T) during strenuous physical activity is a leading indicator of heat-injury risk. Hence, a system that can estimate T in real time and provide early warning of an impending temperature rise may enable proactive interventions to reduce the risk of heat injuries. However, real-time field assessment of T requires impractical invasive technologies.

Assessing Airflow Sensitivity to Healthy and Diseased Lung Conditions in a Computational Fluid Dynamics Model Validated In Vitro.

Computational models are useful for understanding respiratory physiology. Crucial to such models are the boundary conditions specifying the flow conditions at truncated airway branches (terminal flow rates). However, most studies make assumptions about these values, which are difficult to obtain in vivo.

Phytochemical evaluation of roots of L. and assessment of its potential as a nephroprotective agent.

Search for medicinal plants to treat kidney disorders is an important topic on phytotherapeutical research. L. is an important medicinal plant with hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer and anti-hyperlipidemic activities.

An Integrated Musculoskeletal-Finite-Element Model to Evaluate Effects of Load Carriage on the Tibia During Walking.

Prior studies have assessed the effects of load carriage on the tibia. Here, we expand on these studies and investigate the effects of load carriage on joint reaction forces (JRFs) and the resulting spatiotemporal stress/strain distributions in the tibia. Using full-body motion and ground reaction forces from a female subject, we computed joint and muscle forces during walking for four load carriage conditions.

Computational Study of Thrombus Formation and Clotting Factor Effects under Venous Flow Conditions.

A comprehensive understanding of thrombus formation as a physicochemical process that has evolved to protect the integrity of the human vasculature is critical to our ability to predict and control pathological states caused by a malfunctioning blood coagulation system. Despite numerous investigations, the spatial and temporal details of thrombus growth as a multicomponent process are not fully understood. Here, we used computational modeling to investigate the temporal changes in the spatial distributions of the key enzymatic (i.

Untangling the Effect of Head Acceleration on Brain Responses to Blast Waves.

Multiple injury-causing mechanisms, such as wave propagation, skull flexure, cavitation, and head acceleration, have been proposed to explain blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI). An accurate, quantitative description of the individual contribution of each of these mechanisms may be necessary to develop preventive strategies against bTBI. However, to date, despite numerous experimental and computational studies of bTBI, this question remains elusive.

Mathematical modeling of the heat-shock response in HeLa cells.

The heat-shock response is a key factor in diverse stress scenarios, ranging from hyperthermia to protein folding diseases. However, the complex dynamics of this physiological response have eluded mathematical modeling efforts. Although several computational models have attempted to characterize the heat-shock response, they were unable to model its dynamics across diverse experimental datasets.

Patterns of gene expression associated with recovery and injury in heat-stressed rats.

Background: The in vivo gene response associated with hyperthermia is poorly understood. Here, we perform a global, multiorgan characterization of the gene response to heat stress using an in vivo conscious rat model.

Results: We heated rats until implanted thermal probes indicated a maximal core temperature of 41.

A virtual rat for simulating environmental and exertional heat stress.

Severe cases of environmental or exertional heat stress can lead to varying degrees of organ dysfunction. To understand heat-injury progression and develop efficient management and mitigation strategies, it is critical to determine the thermal response in susceptible organs under different heat-stress conditions. To this end, we used our previously published virtual rat, which is capable of computing the spatiotemporal temperature distribution in the animal, and extended it to simulate various heat-stress scenarios, including 1) different environmental conditions, 2) exertional heat stress, 3) circadian rhythm effect on the thermal response, and 4) whole body cooling.

A computational study of the respiratory airflow characteristics in normal and obstructed human airways.

Obstructive lung diseases in the lower airways are a leading health concern worldwide. To improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of lower airways, we studied airflow characteristics in the lung between the 8th and the 14th generations using a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model, where we compared normal and obstructed airways for a range of breathing conditions. We employed a novel technique based on computing the Pearson׳s correlation coefficient to quantitatively characterize the differences in airflow patterns between the normal and obstructed airways.

A 3-D mathematical model to identify organ-specific risks in rats during thermal stress.

Early prediction of the adverse outcomes associated with heat stress is critical for effective management and mitigation of injury, which may sometimes lead to extreme undesirable clinical conditions, such as multiorgan dysfunction syndrome and death. Here, we developed a computational model to predict the spatiotemporal temperature distribution in a rat exposed to heat stress in an attempt to understand the correlation between heat load and differential organ dysfunction. The model includes a three-dimensional representation of the rat anatomy obtained from medical imaging and incorporates the key mechanisms of heat transfer during thermoregulation.

Experimental and analytical temperature distributions during oven-based convection heating.

Mathematical models, combined with experimental evaluation, provide an approach to understand, design, and optimize food process operations. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as an experimental technique, is used extensively in both medical and engineering applications to measure and quantify transport processes. Magnetic resonance (MR) was used in this study to assess a mathematical model based on Fourier's second law.

Implications of different degrees of arytenoid cartilage abduction on equine upper airway characteristics.

Reason For Performing Study: The necessary degree of arytenoid cartilage abduction (ACA) to restore airway patency at maximal exercise has not been determined.

Objectives: Use computational fluid dynamics modelling to measure the effects of different degrees of ACA on upper airway characteristics of horses during exercise.

Hypothesis: Maximal ACA by laryngoplasty is necessary to restore normal peak airflow and pressure in Thoroughbred racehorses with laryngeal hemiplegia.

Multiple accessory structures in the upper limb of a single cadaver.

The arterial and muscular variations of the upper limbs are common but important with regard to surgical approaches. Even though anomalies of the coracobrachialis muscle are rare, anatomical variations of the biceps brachii, existence of the accessory muscles in the forearm and persistent median artery are known and well documented. During routine dissection, we observed some important anatomical variations in a 50-year-old male cadaver.

Twisted renal vessels producing an abnormal shape of the right kidney.

The kidneys and the renal vessels are subject to a wide variety of variations. We report a rare variation of the right kidney and right renal vessels in a 60-year-old male cadaver. The right kidney was pyramidal in shape and the hilum was directed anteriorly.

Finite-element model of interaction between fungal polysaccharide and monoclonal antibody in the capsule of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Many microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi possess so-called capsules made of polysaccharides which protect these microorganisms from environmental insults and host immune defenses. The polysaccharide capsule of Cryptococcus neoformans, a human pathogenic yeast, is capable of self-assembly, composed mostly of glucuronoxylomannan (GXM), a polysaccharide with a molecular weight of approximately 2,000,000, and has several layers with different densities. The objective of this study was to model pore-hindered diffusion and binding of the GXM-specific antibody within the C.

Simulation of turbulent airflow using a CT based upper airway model of a racehorse.

Computational model for airflow through the upper airway of a horse was developed. Previous flow models for human airway do not hold true for horses due to significant differences in anatomy and the high Reynolds number of flow in the equine airway. Moreover, models that simulate the entire respiratory cycle and emphasize on pressures inside the airway in relation to various anatomical diseases are lacking.

Development of equine upper airway fluid mechanics model for Thoroughbred racehorses.

Reason For Performing Study: Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models provide the means to evaluate airflow in the upper airways without requiring in vivo experiments.

Hypothesis: The physiological conditions of a Thoroughbred racehorse's upper airway during exercise could be simulated.

Methods: Computed tomography scanned images of a 3-year-old intact male Thoroughbred racehorse cadaver were used to simulate in vivo geometry.

Computational model predicts effective delivery of 188-Re-labeled melanin-binding antibody to metastatic melanoma tumors with wide range of melanin concentrations.

Metastatic melanoma is almost always deadly and new methods of treatment are urgently needed. Recently, we established the feasibility of radioimmunotherapy (RIT) for experimental melanoma in mice using a 188-rhenium (188Re)-labeled monoclonal antibody (mAb) 6D2 (IgM) to melanin. Our objective was to determine the effects of varying tumor melanin concentration and of different diffusivities and lymphatic clearance rates of the normal tissue, on the absorbed dose to the tumor in simulated therapy, in preparation for a clinical trial of RIT for melanoma.