Vgsc

The brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (s.l.), is an important vector for Rickettsia rickettsii, causative agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Current public health prevention and control efforts to protect people involve preventing tick infestations on domestic animals and in and around houses. Primary prevention tools rely on acaricides, often synthetic pyrethroids (SPs); resistance to this chemical class is widespread in ticks and other arthropods. Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. is a complex that likely contains multiple unique species and although the distribution of this complex is global, there are differences in morphology, ecology, and perhaps vector competence among these major lineages...

BACKGROUND: Culex pipiens pallens and Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus are the dominant species of Culex mosquitoes in China and important disease vectors. Long-term use of insecticides can cause mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (vgsc) gene of mosquitoes, but little is known about the current status and evolutionary origins of vgsc gene in different geographic populations. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the current status of vgsc genes in Cx. p. pallens and Cx. p...

To keep ahead of the evolution of resistance to insecticides in mosquitoes, national malaria control programmes must make use of a range of insecticides, both old and new, while monitoring resistance mechanisms. Knowledge of the mechanisms of resistance remains limited in Anopheles arabiensis , which in many parts of Africa is of increasing importance because it is apparently less susceptible to many indoor control interventions. Furthermore, comparatively little is known in general about resistance to non-pyrethroid insecticides such as pirimiphos-methyl (PM), which are crucial for effective control in the context of resistance to pyrethroids...

Saxitoxin (STX) represents a marine toxin of significant concern due to its deleterious implications for aquatic ecosystems and public food safety. As a potent paralytic agent, the role of STX in obstructing voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) is well-characterized. Yet, the mechanistic details underlying its low-dose toxicity remain largely enigmatic. In the current study, zebrafish embryos and larvae were subjected to subchronic exposure of graded STX concentrations (0, 1, 10, and 100 μg/L) until the 7th day post-fertilization...

Potatoes hold the distinction of being the largest non-cereal food crop globally. The application of insecticides has been the most common technology for pest control. The repeated use of synthetic insecticides of the same chemical class and frequent applications have resulted in the emergence of insecticide resistance. Two closely related pests that feed on potato crops are the potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella , and the tomato leafminer, Phthorimaea absoluta (syn. Tuta absoluta ). Previous studies indicated the existence of insecticide resistance to various classes of insecticides including organophosphates, carbamates, and pyrethroids in field populations of P...

The honeybee ectoparasite Varroa destructor is a major threat to apiculture when evaluating bee diseases and pests. While attempting to control this mite, beekeepers often depend on a small selection of authorized synthetic acaricides, such as flumethrin, which is widely used in Türkiye and globally. However, resistance to flumethrin develops due to incorrect and excessive use. In this study conducted at Ordu Beekeeping Research Institute, trial group were established including an untreated control group and group where flumethrin-based pesticides were applied...

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic ushered a paradigm shift in medical education, accelerating the transition to virtual learning in select cases. The Virtual Global Spine Conference (VGSC), launched at the height of the pandemic, is a testament to this evolution, providing an independent educational series for spine care professionals worldwide. This study assesses VGSC's three-year performance, focusing on accessibility, engagement, and educational value. METHODOLOGY: Through retrospective data analysis from April 2020 to August 2023, we examined our social media metrics to measure VGSC's reach and impact...

UNLABELLED: The most promising anticonvulsant phytocompounds were explored in this work using docking, molecular dynamic (MD) simulation, and Molecular Mechanics-Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA) approaches. A total of 70 phytochemicals were screened against α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA), N -methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA), voltage-gated sodium ion channels (VGSC), and carbonic anhydrase enzyme II (CA II) receptors, and the docking results were compared to the reference drug phenytoin...

BACKGROUND: Over the past two decades, dengue fever (DF) has emerged as a significant arboviral disease in Yunnan province, China, particularly in the China-Myanmar border area. Aedes aegypti, an invasive mosquito species, plays a crucial role in transmitting the dengue virus to the local population. Insecticide-based vector control has been the primary tool employed to combat DF, but the current susceptibility status of Ae. aegypti to commonly used insecticides is unknown. Assessment of Ae...

Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman (Acari: Varroidae) is of paramount significance in modern beekeeping, with infestations presenting a primary challenge that directly influences colony health, productivity, and overall apicultural sustainability. In order to control this mite, many beekeepers rely on a limited number of approved synthetic acaricides, including the pyrethroids tau-fluvalinate, flumethrin and organophosphate coumaphos. However, the excessive use of these substances has led to the widespread development of resistance in various beekeeping areas globally...

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a neurotoxic molecule used by many animals for defense and/or predation, as well as an important biomedical tool. Its ubiquity as a defensive agent has led to repeated independent evolution of tetrodotoxin resistance in animals. TTX binds to voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSC) consisting of α and β subunits. Virtually all studies investigating the mechanisms behind TTX resistance have focused on the α subunit of voltage-gated sodium channels, where tetrodotoxin binds...

The European grapevine moth Lobesia botrana (Denis & Shiffermüller 1776) is an economically important pest of the vine-growing areas worldwide. Chemical insecticides have been used for its control; however, its resistance status is largely unknown in many regions. We monitored the susceptibility of several L. botrana populations from Greece and Turkey. In addition, based on RNAseq transcriptome analysis, we identified and phylogenetically classify the cytochrome P450 genes of L. botrana , as well as analysed target site sequences and looked for the presence of known resistance mutations...

BACKGROUND: Armenia is considered particularly vulnerable to life-threatening vector-borne diseases (VBDs) including malaria, West Nile virus disease and leishmaniasis. However, information relevant for the control of the vectors of these diseases, such as their insecticide resistance profile, is scarce. The present study was conducted to provide the first evidence on insecticide resistance mechanisms circulating in major mosquito and sand fly populations in Armenia. METHODS: Sampling sites were targeted based mainly on previous historical records of VBD occurrences in humans and vertebrate hosts...

Pain is a sensory state resulting from complex integration of peripheral nociceptive inputs and central processing. Pain consists of adaptive pain that is acute and beneficial for healing and maladaptive pain that is often persistent and pathological. Pain is indeed heterogeneous, and can be expressed as nociceptive, inflammatory, or neuropathic in nature. Neuropathic pain is an example of maladaptive pain that occurs after spinal cord injury (SCI), which triggers a wide range of neural plasticity. The nociceptive processing that underlies pain hypersensitivity is well-studied in the spinal cord...

BACKGROUND: Aedes aegypti is the main vector of arboviral diseases worldwide. The species invaded and became established in southern Iran in 2020. Insecticide-based interventions are primarily used for its control. With insecticide resistance widespread, knowledge of resistance mechanisms is vital for informed deployment of insecticidal interventions, but information from Iranian Ae. aegypti is lacking. METHODS: Fifty-six Ae. aegypti specimens were collected from the port city of Bandar Lengeh in Hormozgan Province in the South of Iran in 2020 and screened for kdr mutations...

Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are responsible for the initiation and propagation of action potentials in the brain and muscle. Pathogenic variants in genes encoding VGSCs have been associated with severe disorders including epileptic encephalopathies and congenital myopathies. In this study, we identified pathogenic variants in genes encoding the α subunit of VGSCs in the fetuses of two unrelated families with the use of trio-based whole exome sequencing, as part of a larger cohort study. Sanger sequencing was performed for variant confirmation as well as parental phasing...

BACKGROUND: The emergence of insecticide resistance and outdoor transmission in malaria-endemic areas underlines the urgent need to develop innovative tools, such as spatial repellents (SR), that may circumvent this residual transmission. With limited options for effective insecticides, regular resistance monitoring is warranted for selecting and using appropriate tools. This study evaluates the pyrethroid knockdown resistance (kdr) allele before and after implementing a transfluthrin-based spatial repellent (SR) intervention in placebo-treated clusters...

Aedes aegypti, the primary vector responsible for transmitting dengue fever in southern Taiwan, has developed a relatively high resistance to synthetic pyrethroids. It has evolved four amino acid substitutions in the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC), namely S996P, V1023G, F1565C, and D1794Y. To unveil the distribution and correlation of VGSC mutations and pyrethroid resistance among different field populations, Ae. aegypti collected from various districts in Kaohsiung and Tainan Cities underwent tests for resistance development against different pyrethroids and frequency of S996P, V1023G, F1565C, and D1794Y substitutions...

BACKGROUND: Decrease in malaria rates (e.g. incidence and cases) in Latin America maintains this region on track to achieve the goal of elimination. During the last 5 years, three countries have been certified as malaria free. However, the region fails to achieve the goal of 40% reduction on malaria rates and an increase of cases has been reported in some countries, including Ecuador. This scenario has been associated with multiple causes, such as decrease of funding to continue anti-malarial programmes and the development of insecticide resistance of the main malaria vectors...

BACKGROUND: The unplanned and intensified use of insecticides to control mosquito-borne diseases has led to an upsurge of resistance to commonly used insecticides. Aedes aegypti, the main vector of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus, is primarily controlled through the application of adulticides (pyrethroid insecticides) and larvicides (temephos). Fine spatial-scale analysis of resistance may reveal important resistance-related patterns, and the application of mathematical models to determine the phenotypic resistance status lessens the cost and usage of resources, thus resulting in an enhanced and successful control program...