granulocyte colony stimulating factor (Hebervital)

Correction to "Risk of Heart Failure Hospitalization Associated With Hypoxia-Inducible Factor Prolyl Hydroxylase Inhibitors Versus Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents: A Nationwide Claims-Based Cohort Study".

Sharing the cost? Soldier investment following colony fusion in basal termites.

Padget R F B RFB, Thompson F J FJ, Johnstone R A RA, Cant M A MA et al.

In most cooperative animal societies, interactions between groups are hostile or antagonistic. However, in a few species, groups that encounter each other can fuse together to form a new functional collective. In some ants and termites, such fusion events can be followed by changes in investment in soldiers and reproductives, for reasons that are poorly understood. Here we use a theoretical model to investigate optimal allocation to soldiers following colony fusion. Each colony can invest a proportion of its membership into the soldier caste, which provides a public benefit for the whole two-colony collective but comes at a cost to the investing colony by limiting colony growth and therefore reproduction. Our model predicts that soldier investment will typically decrease following colony fusion. However, the reported post-fusion soldier investment from empirical studies could be explained if the cost of soldier production falls following fusion. The model predicts that a colony's reproductive output will typically decline as a result of fusion, unless the other colony makes a greater investment, or the cost of soldiers decreases sufficiently. Finally, our model predicts that smaller colonies will produce fewer soldiers than larger colonies after fusion because their lower average relatedness to the rest of the collective makes each soldier less beneficial; this means that smaller groups might, under certain conditions, gain from fusing with larger groups. Our results demonstrate two potential pathways to the evolution of group fusion in the lower termites - exploitation of additional resources or exploitation of additional soldiers (or potentially other workers). Within-group conflict, not considered in our model, may explain some discrepancies between our model and empirical reports.

Fitness traits and genetic characterization of a new laboratory colony of Anopheles funestus established in Ifakara, Tanzania.

Hape Emmanuel E EE, Njalambaha Rukiyah M RM, Muyaga Letus L LL, Siria Doreen J DJ et al.

Anopheles funestus, a major vector of malaria in Africa, has proven difficult to colonize in laboratory settings, impeding research on its biology and control. After several attempts, our team recently succeeded in colonizing a strain of An. funestus from Tanzania (FUTAZ). The objective of this study was to analyze the key fitness and genotypic characteristics of these mosquitoes during multiple filial generations of laboratory adaptation and compare them to wild An. funestus from Tanzania and a pre-existing colony of An. funestus from Mozambique (FUMOZ). Measures of mating success, body size, fecundity, and insecticide resistance were compared between the newly established FUTAZ colonies, the long-established FUMOZ colonies, and a colony of Anopheles arabiensis maintained in the same laboratory. The maternal lineages of the An. funestus mosquitoes were investigated through a hydrolysis probe analysis of their mitochondrial DNA to identify distinct clades. Other intragenomic variations were examined by D3-RFLP genotyping of 28S ribosomal DNA. These molecular markers were used to compare the FUTAZ colonies, FUMOZ colonies in Tanzania (TZ) and South African (SA) laboratories, and the wild-collected Tanzanian An. funestus. The mating success and body size of FUTAZ females declined significantly from filial generations F1 to F6 relative to the founder population (F0) then increased from F7 onwards, eventually matching FUMOZ by F9. Fecundity was similar across all colonies tested. However, it took significantly longer for 50% of the females in the FUTAZ and FUMOZ colonies (> 10 days) to mate compared to females in the An. arabiensis colony (~ 5 days). Resistance appeared to be lost during colonization, but this varied with insecticide classes. Majority of FUTAZ mosquitoes, and the wild-caught Tanzanian An. funestus belonged to Clade I (80.4-89.4%) and RFLP type "Y" (90.5-91.4%), while FUMOZ colonies in TZ and SA were mostly Clade II (65.5-88.5%) and RFLP type "MW" (90.5-91.5%). This study demonstrates that certain fitness traits of An. funestus, notably mating success and body size, declined during the initial phases of laboratory colonization but recovered as the population adapted to laboratory conditions. Having large founder populations is critical to survive these early-generation bottlenecks. Clade-specific and RFLP genotyping confirmed FUTAZ colony as genetically representative of wild-caught Tanzanian An. funestus. This newly established colony constitutes a valuable and reliable resource for malaria vector research.

Resistance selection and biological performance of Aedes aegypti following laboratory spinosad exposure.

Rique Hyago Luiz HL, Menezes Heverly Suzany Gouveia HSG, Melo-Santos Maria Alice Varjal MAV, Ayres Constância Flávia Junqueira CFJ et al.

Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of arboviruses of major public health importance which are spreading worldwide. Spinosad has been an important compound adopted for Ae. aegypti management, with selective larvicidal action based on the metabolites produced by the bacterium Saccharopolyspora spinosa. The expanding use of spinosad in mosquito control programs highlights the need for monitoring the potential development of resistance. This study evaluated the effects of continuous laboratory selection of an Ae. aegypti field-derived colony with spinosad, focusing on resistance development, cross-resistance patterns, and biological performance. Ae. aegypti field sample from Recife city, Brazil, was used to establish the RecCam colony and the RecSpi strain. This strain was subjected to artificial selection with spinosad under controlled laboratory conditions for 20 generations, while RecCam was used as a reference colony for the study. Larvae susceptibility to spinosad and to other three larvicides, not used in selection process, was determined by in vivo assays. The biological fitness of RecSpi individuals was evaluated and compared to RecCam based on blood-feeding performance, fecundity, fertility, pre-imaginal development, adult production, and longevity assays. The baseline susceptibility of the RecCam larvae to spinosad (LC₅₀ = 0.222 mg/L and LC₉₀ = 0.383 mg/L) was similar to another local reference colony (RecLab), while the Rockefeller colony exhibited the highest susceptibility (LC₅₀ = 0.160 mg/L, LC₉₀ = 0.265 mg/L). After 20 generations of spinosad selection, RecSpi larvae displayed a 9.7- and 8.5-fold resistance ratio at LC₅₀ (2.146 mg/L) and LC₉₀, (3.240 mg/L), compared to the RecCam reference, respectively. Notably, no cross-resistance was observed against Bacillus thuringiensis svar. israelensis (Bti), a combined larvicide based on Lysinibacillus sphaericus/Bti, or temephos. The RecSpi individuals displayed reduced biological performance characterized by prolonged larval development, reduced adult emergence, decreased adult longevity, and lowered blood intake compared to the RecCam strain. Continuous selection with spinosad promoted resistance in Ae. aegypti RecSpi strain accompanied by a reduced biological performance. The absence of cross-resistance to commonly used larvicides underscores the unique spinosad mode of action and supports its use in rotation strategies. To maintain the efficacy of spinosad, resistance management approaches including rotational use and longitudinal susceptibility monitoring are necessary.