Sublethal Dosage of Imidacloprid Reduces the Microglomerular Density of Honey Bee Mushroom Bodies.

The dramatic loss of honey bees is a major concern worldwide. Previous studies have indicated that neonicotinoid insecticides cause behavioural abnormalities and have proven that exposure to sublethal doses of imidacloprid during the larval stage decreases the olfactory learning ability of adults. The present study shows the effect of sublethal doses of imidacloprid on the neural development of the honey bee brain by immunolabelling synaptic units in the calyces of mushroom bodies.

A water soluble β-glucan of an edible mushroom Termitomyces heimii: Structural and biological investigation.

A water soluble β-glucan (PS-I) with an average molecular weight ∼ 1.48 × 10(5)Da was isolated from the alkaline extract of an edible mushroom Termitomyces heimii. PS-I contained (1 → 3)-, (1 → 6)-, (1 → 3, 6)-linked and terminal β-d-glucopyranosyl moieties in a ratio of nearly 2:1:1:1.

Residue behaviour of six pesticides in button crimini during home canning.

The effect of home canning (including washing, boiling, cooling, adding solution and sterilisation) on residue levels of imidacloprid, diflubenzuron, abamectin, pyriproxyfen and β-cypermethrin and chlorothalonilin on button crimini was assessed. Residues of imidacloprid, diflubenzuron, abamectin and pyriproxyfen were measured by UPLC-MS/MS; the residues of β-cypermethrin and chlorothalonil were measured by GC. Results showed that washing resulted in a 3.

Accidental mushroom poisoning mimicking stroke. A case report and literature review.

We describe here a paradigmatic case of mushroom poisoning mimicking a stroke. A 64-year old male was referred to the emergency department (ED) for a car accident. He was found diaphoretic, hypotensive, bradycardic, and slightly confused at presentation.

Use of primary cultures of Kenyon cells from bumblebee brains to assess pesticide side effects.

Bumblebees are important pollinators in natural and agricultural ecosystems. The latter results in the frequent exposure of bumblebees to pesticides. We report here on a new bioassay that uses primary cultures of neurons derived from adult bumblebee workers to evaluate possible side-effects of the neonicotinoid pesticide imidacloprid.

Muscarinic toxicity among family members after consumption of mushrooms.

Mushrooms are commercially cultivated over the world and safe for human consumption, except in those with known allergies. Among the thousands of mushroom species identified, few are considered to be edible. Mushroom hunting has emerged as an adventure and recreational activity in recent decades.

Evolution of the toxins muscarine and psilocybin in a family of mushroom-forming fungi.

Mushroom-forming fungi produce a wide array of toxic alkaloids. However, evolutionary analyses aimed at exploring the evolution of muscarine, a toxin that stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, and psilocybin, a hallucinogen, have never been performed. The known taxonomic distribution of muscarine within the Inocybaceae is limited, based only on assays of species from temperate regions of the northern hemisphere.

Brain morphophysiology of Africanized bee Apis mellifera exposed to sublethal doses of imidacloprid.

Several synthetic substances are used in agricultural areas to combat insect pests; however, the indiscriminate use of these products may affect nontarget insects, such as bees. In Brazil, one of the most widely used insecticides is imidacloprid, which targets the nervous system of insects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of chronic exposure to sublethal doses of imidacloprid on the brain of the Africanized Apis mellifera.

Cholinergic pesticides cause mushroom body neuronal inactivation in honeybees.

Pesticides that target cholinergic neurotransmission are highly effective, but their use has been implicated in insect pollinator population decline. Honeybees are exposed to two widely used classes of cholinergic pesticide: neonicotinoids (nicotinic receptor agonists) and organophosphate miticides (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors). Although sublethal levels of neonicotinoids are known to disrupt honeybee learning and behaviour, the neurophysiological basis of these effects has not been shown.

Molybdophyllysin, a toxic metalloendopeptidase from the tropical toadstool, Chlorophyllum molybdites.

A toxic protein, dubbed molybdophyllysin, was isolated from the tropical toadstool Chlorophyllum molybdites by following its lethal effect in mice. Analysis of the protein using SDS-PAGE revealed a single 23-kDa band. Sequence analysis of molybdophyllysin tryptic fragments showed that this protein is highly homologous to metalloendopeptidases (MEPs) obtained from edible mushrooms, such as Grifola frondosa, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Armillaria mellea.

Suspected muscarinic mushroom intoxication in a cat.

A 3-year-old domestic shorthair cat was witnessed ingesting mushrooms and developed signs of muscarine intoxication. After stabilisation and treatment with atropine the cat recovered well and was discharged from hospital in 2 days. This report describes the features and successful management of this unusual toxicosis in cats.

Mushroom poisoning cases in dogs and cats: diagnosis and treatment of hepatotoxic, neurotoxic, gastroenterotoxic, nephrotoxic, and muscarinic mushrooms.

Of the several thousand species of mushrooms found in North America, less than 100 are toxic. Species in the genus Amanita are responsible for the vast majority of reported mushroom poisonings. In general, the number of reported mushroom poisonings in animals is low, most likely because toxicology testing is available for a limited number of mushroom toxins and thus many cases are not confirmed or reported.

Determination of nicotine in mushrooms by various GC/MS- and LC/MS-based methods.

Due to the basic properties of nicotine, it is not easily integrated into commonly used multiresidue methods. The present work investigates the application of two commonly employed multiresidue methods-the QuEChERS method and the ethyl acetate method-for determining nicotine in mushrooms. Both methods are employed in a modified form and an unmodified form: the former to address the special properties of nicotine and the latter, combined with the use of isotopically labelled nicotine, to compensate for poor recoveries.

[Poisoning with selected mushrooms with neurotropic and hallucinogenic effect].

Picking mushrooms, especially in summer and autumn, is still very popular in Poland. Despite raising awareness of poisonous mushrooms in the Polish society, year after year hospitals treat many patients diagnosed with poisoning with the most common toxic species of mushroom found in our country. Furthermore, growing interest in hallucinogenic mushrooms among young people has become a serious medical problem of our time.

Effect of organic amendments on microbial activity in chlorpyrifos contaminated soil.

The aim of this research was to study the inhibitory effect of chlorpyrifos (CPF) on soil microbial activity and to evaluate the efficacy of different organic amendments as a biostimulation agent for sustaining the microbial activity and thereby assisting in the remediation of CPF (10 ppm) contaminated soil. Experiments were carried out under controlled conditions (37 °C) up to 74 days; CPF was analyzed by GC-ECD while dehydrogenase activity (DHA) was measured as one of the indices of soil microbial activity. Throughout the experiment, there was higher microbial activity in uncontaminated soil (S) as compared to CPF contaminated soil (SP) and overall a considerably high reduction (63.

Mushroom poisoning from species of genus Inocybe (fiber head mushroom): a case series with exact species identification.

Background: Many species of the genus Inocybe (family Cortinariaceae, higher Basidiomycetes) are muscarine-containing mycorrhizal mushrooms, ubiquitous around the world. The few published reports on the poisonous Inocybe mushrooms are often limited by the inadequate identification of the species. The clinical course of patients with typical muscarinic manifestations, in whom Inocybe spp.

Genetic and chemical modifiers of a CUG toxicity model in Drosophila.

Non-coding CUG repeat expansions interfere with the activity of human Muscleblind-like (MBNL) proteins contributing to myotonic dystrophy 1 (DM1). To understand this toxic RNA gain-of-function mechanism we developed a Drosophila model expressing 60 pure and 480 interrupted CUG repeats in the context of a non-translatable RNA. These flies reproduced aspects of the DM1 pathology, most notably nuclear accumulation of CUG transcripts, muscle degeneration, splicing misregulation, and diminished Muscleblind function in vivo.

Stimulation of muscarinic receptors mimics experience-dependent plasticity in the honey bee brain.

Honey bees begin life working in the hive. At approximately 3 weeks of age, they shift to visiting flowers to forage for pollen and nectar. Foraging is a complex task associated with enlargement of the mushroom bodies, a brain region important in insects for certain forms of learning and memory.

"Mushroom madness" in the Papua New Guinea Highlands: a case of nicotine poisoning?

"Mushroom madness" is a condition that was first reported in the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. This condition was originally blamed on the ingestion of hallucinogenic mushrooms. This was later proven to be incorrect and this condition was explained instead as a form of collective hysteria.

[Cholinergic syndrome with unconsciousness in amanita poisoning].

History And Admission Findings: A 41-year-old patient was found in his flat in a state of coma. After emergency treatment his vital signs were stable and he was transferred to an acute hospital with possible cannabis intoxication. The patient, a hobby gardener, was previously well and had an adversion to the use of any chemical substances.

Clinical symptomatology and management of mushroom poisoning.

Among poisonous mushrooms, a small number may cause serious intoxication and even fatalities in man. Humans may become symptomatic after a mushroom meal for rather different reasons: (1) ingestion of mushrooms containing toxins, (2) large amounts of mushrooms may be hard to digest, (3) immunological reactions to mushroom-derived antigens, (4) ingestion of mushrooms causing ethanol intolerance, and (5) vegetative symptoms may occur whenever a patient realizes that there might be a possibility of ingestion of a toxic mushroom after a mushroom meal. Based on the classes of toxins and their clinical symptoms, seven different types of mushroom poisoning can be distinguished: (1) phalloides, (2) orellanus, (3) gyromitra, (4) muscarine, (5) pantherina, (6) psilocybin, and (7) gastrointestinal mushroom syndrome.