A population (SERD3) of the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella L.) with field-evolved resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-1 (Dipel) and B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai (Florbac) was collected. Laboratory-based selection of two subpopulations of SERD3 with B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (Btk-Sel) or B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai (Bta-Sel) increased resistance to the se...

Withanolides are known as the main components of Physalis genus with broad biological activities. Using combination of various chromatographic methods, three withanolides were isolated including physagulin J (1), physagulin K (2), and physagulin N (3). Their chemical structures were determined by analysis of NMR spectra, and as well as comparison with reported literature. Compound 1 showed sign...

A novel withanolide, aromaphysalin A (1), possessing an exceptional C(11)-C(15) bond and an unprecedented 4,9-cyclized aromatic ring (ring A), is isolated from stems and leaves of Physalis angulata L. Its structure was determined by a combination of HRESIMS, 2D NMR spectra, and theoretical calculations. Compound 1 exhibited inhibitory activity on NO production with an IC50 value of 51.64 μM. A ...

BACKGROUND The pathogenesis of Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia, has been primarily characterized in mice. However, the high degree of sensitivity of mice to bacterial challenge, especially with the human virulent strains of F. tularensis, limits this animal model for screening of defined attenuated vaccine candidates for protection studies. METHODS AND FINDINGS We ana...

We analyzed the multilocus short sequence repeats (SSRs) of 211 and 56 isolates of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis and M. avium subsp. avium, respectively. The M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolates could be differentiated into 61 genotypes. The M. avium subsp. avium isolates showed limited diversity. These SSRs are stable and suitable for studying the molecular epidemiology of M...

Background and objectives: Alzheimer's disease (AD) as a neurodegenerative disorder is the most common form of dementia in the elderly. According to the amyloid hypothesis, accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, which are mostly constituted of Aβ peptide aggregates, triggers pathological cascades that lead to neuronal cell death. Thus, modulation of Aβ toxicity is the hopef...

PURPOSE Streptococcus oralis and Streptococcus mitis belong to the Mitis group, which are mostly commensals in the human oral cavity. Even though S. oralis and S. mitis are oral commensals, they can be opportunistic pathogens causing infective endocarditis. A recent taxonomic re-evaluation of the Mitis group has embedded the species Streptococcus tigurinus and Streptococcus dentisani into the s...

Physalis angulata is a solanaceae widely used in folk medicine in various tropical countries in the world. We have previously described that seco-steroids (physalins) purified from P. angulata are potent inhibitors of macrophage activation, blocking the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and LPS-induced lethality. Herein we investigated the immunomodulatory activities of these substances ...

The phylogeographic structure of the monotypic endemic southern African angulate tortoise Chersina angulata was investigated throughout its distribution with the use of partial sequences from three mtDNA loci (COI, cyt b and ND4). Phylogeographic and phylogenetic structuring obtained for the three mtDNA markers were highly congruent and suggested the presence of two genetically distinct, recipr...