Harmful parasite infestation can cause energetically costly behavioural and immunological responses, with the potential to reduce host fitness and survival. It has been hypothesized that the energetic costs of infection cause resting metabolic rate (RMR) to increase. Furthermore, under terminal investment theory, individuals exposed to pathogens should allocate resources to current reproduction when life expectancy is reduced, instead of concentrating resources on an immune defence. In this study, we activated the immune system of Tenebrio molitor males via insertion of nylon monofilament, conducted female preference tests to estimate attractiveness of male odours and assessed RMR and mortality. We found that attractiveness of males coincided with significant down-regulation of their encapsulation response against a parasite-like intruder. Activation of the immune system increased RMR only in males with heightened odour attractiveness and that later suffered higher mortality rates. The results suggest a link between high RMR and mortality and support terminal investment theory in T. molitor.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jeb.12318 | DOI Listing |
Front Parasitol
April 2024
Institut für Parasitologie, Biomedizinisches Forschungszentrum Seltersberg (BFS), Justus Liebig Universitaet Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
Introduction: Schistosomiasis has for many years relied on a single drug, praziquantel (PZQ) for treatment of the disease. Immense efforts have been invested in the discovery of protein kinase (PK) inhibitors; however, given that the majority of PKs are still not targeted by an inhibitor with a useful level of selectivity, there is a compelling need to expand the chemical space available for synthesizing new, potent, and selective PK inhibitors. Small-molecule inhibitors targeting the ATP pocket of the catalytic domain of PKs have the potential to become drugs devoid of (major) side effects, particularly if they bind selectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcol Evol
January 2025
Henan Field Observation and Research Station of Headwork Wetland Ecosystem of the Central Route of South-To-North Water Diversion Project College of Life Sciences, Nanyang Normal University Nanyang China.
Resource availability should have consequences for life-history functions and trade-offs among them because it influences the amounts of resources allocated to different functions. Nutritional status during a key developmental window (sexual maturation) may also have an important impact on life-history functions and such trade-offs. However, less is known about whether and how they interact to influence the resource allocation of individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEClinicalMedicine
September 2024
Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of Internal Medicine-Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam Public Health, the Netherlands.
Background: The use of peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) contributes to healthcare-associated infections. In 2017, we implemented a multifaceted de-implementation strategy that successfully reduced the inappropriate use of catheters in seven hospitals in the Netherlands (RICAT-1 study). Five years later, we investigated the sustainability of this strategy and the contributing factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Invest
December 2024
Department of Neurology, UCSF, San Francisco, United States of America.
NMDA receptor mediated autoimmune encephalitis (NMDAR-AE) frequently results in persistent sensory-motor deficits, especially in children, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the long- term effects of exposure to a patient-derived GluN1-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) during a critical developmental period (from postnatal day 3 to day 12) in mice. We observed long-lasting sensory-motor deficits characteristic of NMDAR-AE, along with permanent changes in callosal axons within the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in adulthood, including increased terminal branch complexity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant Cell Environ
December 2024
CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Silviculture, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China.
Corner's rules are well known in describing inter-specific scaling relationships for plant organ size-related traits, from species with thick terminal stems, large leaves, and sparsely branched twigs to species with opposite traits; however, the implications of organ size on physiological functions and growth performance of trees remain unclear. Moreover, whether Corner's rules spectra differ between tree species with simple and compound leaves is not known. Here, we measured key twig morphological traits, physiological characteristics, and radial growth rates of 27 simple- and 6 compound-leaved tree species in a common garden in Northeast China.
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