No evidence for the melanin desiccation hypothesis in a larval Lepidopteran.

Water regulation is an important physiological challenge for insects due to their small body sizes and large surface area to volume ratios. Adaptations for decreasing cuticular water loss, the largest avenue of loss, are especially important. The melanin desiccation hypothesis states that melanin molecules in the cuticle may help prevent water loss, thus offering protection from desiccation.

Low-dose overlap initiation with split tablets of buprenorphine in intubated intensive care unit patients with opioid use disorder.

Background: As the opioid public health crisis evolves to include fentanyl and other potent synthetic opioids, more patients are admitted to the hospital with serious complications of drug use and frequently require higher levels of care, including intensive care unit (ICU) admission, for acute and chronic conditions related to opioid use disorder (OUD). This patient population poses a unique challenge when managing sedation and ensuring adequate ventilation while intubated given their high opioid requirements. Starting a patient on medications such as buprenorphine may be difficult for inpatient providers unfamiliar with its use, which may lead to undertreatment of patients with OUD, prolonged mechanical ventilation and length of stay.

The adaptive role of melanin plasticity in thermally variable environments.

Understanding the evolution of adaptive plasticity is fundamental to our knowledge of how organisms interact with their environments and cope with environmental change. Plasticity in melanin pigmentation is common in response to variable environments, especially thermal environments. Yet, the adaptive significance of melanin plasticity in thermally variable environments is often assumed, but rarely explicitly tested.

A high-quality, long-read genome assembly of the whitelined sphinx moth (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae: Hyles lineata) shows highly conserved melanin synthesis pathway genes.

The sphinx moth genus Hyles comprises 29 described species inhabiting all continents except Antarctica. The genus diverged relatively recently (40-25 MYA), arising in the Americas and rapidly establishing a cosmopolitan distribution. The whitelined sphinx moth, Hyles lineata, represents the oldest extant lineage of this group and is one of the most widespread and abundant sphinx moths in North America.

Optimal Injectable Haloperidol Dose Assessment in the Older Hospitalized Inpatient.

Background: Haloperidol can be used off-label for agitation and/or delirium in older individuals. The recommended initial intramuscular or intravenous dose is 0.5 to 1 mg.

Aducanumab for Alzheimer's Disease: Summarized Data From EMERGE, ENGAGE, and PRIME Studies.

To review the data informing the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for aducanumab for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). At the time of writing there were no peer-reviewed published studies on aducanumab. All data presented are derived directly from the material Biogen submitted to the FDA for approval.

Flexible responses to stage-specific offspring threats.

When caring for their young, parents must compensate for threats to offspring survival in a manner that maximizes their lifetime reproductive success. In birds, parents respond to offspring threats by altering reproductive strategies throughout the breeding attempt. Because altered reproductive strategies are costly, when threats to offspring are limited, parents should exhibit a limited response.

Quantifying Vibrio cholerae Enterotoxicity in a Zebrafish Infection Model.

is the etiological agent of cholera, an acute intestinal infection in humans characterized by voluminous watery diarrhea. Cholera is spread through ingestion of contaminated food or water, primarily in developing countries that lack the proper infrastructure for proper water and sewage treatment. is an aquatic bacterium that inhabits coastal and estuarine areas, and it is known to have several environmental reservoirs, including fish.