We have designed a new ultrasonic transmitter to track free-ranging premoIt blue crabs and signal the event of ecdysis. The transmitter (15 g in air, 5 g in water) operates for 6-8 weeks on a small lithium battery, producing 75-kHz tracking pulses at about I-sec intervals. It is attached to the crab's carapace, with a magnetic reed switch placed near the line where the carapace will separate fr...

Studies of the effects of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) on invertebrates are still largely underrepresented. This work aims to fill this gap by assessing the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) and vinclozolin (Vz) on the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber (common rough woodlouse). Male adult and sexually undifferentiated juvenile woodlice were exposed to the toxicants. Effects on molting reg...

Biochemical changes, specifically in hemocyanin and glucose concentrations in hemolymph, glycogen in the digestive gland, were studied throughout the molt cycle in juveniles of Litopenaeus vannamei in a high salinity condition (36), and related to variations in the osmotic capacity of organisms. Increasing hemolymph volume before molting modifies circulating glucose and hemocyanin concentration...

The effect of ivermectin or diethylcarbamazine (DEC) on Wuchereria bancrofti molting from the third to the fourth larval stage (L3 to L4) was evaluated in vitro. L3 larvae were harvested from laboratory-reared Aedes togoi 2 wk after feeding upon a microfilaremic human volunteer. The larvae were kept in an artificial medium (Franke's NI medium) with 10% human serum under an atmosphere of 5% CO2 ...

The insect steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) acts through a specific nuclear receptor complex, ecdysone receptor (EcR) and ultraspiracle (USP). EcR and USP are FXR/LXR and RXR orthologs, respectively, which play critical roles in the regulation of lipid metabolism in mammals. Lipid concentration in Bombyx hemolymph and lipase activity in fat body peaked during molting and pupation, sugge...

October 2005 | Volume 3 | Issue 10 | e347 | e353 Viewed under a microscope, the coronavirus appears almost beautiful, thanks to the halo-like crown formed by its surface proteins. (“Corona” means “crown” in Latin.) Aesthetics aside, this genus of viruses is responsible for a wide range of animal and human diseases, from the common cold to the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome, familiarly...

Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) generally occurs in older horses showing hirsutism, delayed molting, weight loss, polydipsia, polyuria, laminitis, and reproductive disorders (in broodmares), but there have been no reports on stallions. This report presents a case of a 21-year-old Thoroughbred stallion that developed hirsutism and experienced delayed molting. There were no ab...

CHR3 (nhr-23, NF1F4), the homologue of Drosophila DHR3 and mammalian ROR/RZR/RevErbA nuclear hormone receptors, is important for proper epidermal development and molting in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Disruption of CHR3 (nhr-23) function leads to developmental changes, including incomplete molting and a short, fat (dumpy) phenotype. Here, we studied the role of CHR3 during larval devel...