Birch tar oil (BTO) is a by-product of processing birch wood in a pyrolysis system. Accumulating evidence suggests the suitability of BTO as a biocide or repellent in terrestrial environments for the control of weeds, insects, molluscs and rodents. Once applied as biocide, BTO may end up, either through run-off or leaching, in aquatic systems and may have adverse effects on non-target organisms...

The serotonin type 3 receptor (5-HT(3)R) is a member of the cys-loop ligand-gated ion channel (LGIC) superfamily. Like almost all membrane proteins, high-resolution structural data are unavailable for this class of receptors. We have taken advantage of the high degree of homology between LGICs and the acetylcholine binding protein (AChBP) from the freshwater snail Lymnea stagnalis, for which hi...

In order to assess the effect of dredging on macrozoobenthos community, study was carried out in the Hazratbal Basin of Dal Lake from August 2010 to January 2011. The results showed strongly significant differences (P<0.05) between control site and the site which was sampled after dredging operation. The significant differences were also found between pre-dredging and post-dredging (P = 0.004),...

OBJECTIVE Four plant extracts possessing molluscicidal and insecticidal efficacy were evaluated under laboratory conditions versus Biomphalaria alexandrina, Lymnea cailliaudi snails, their egg masses and Culex pipiens larvae. These extracts included Grape seed, Eucalyptus, Pomegranate, Verbesina alcoholic extracts, as well as Eucalyptus oil. METHODS Different mortalities in the exposed vector...

Heavy metal pollution in aquatic ecosystem has been recognized as a serious environmental problem. In many cases, heavy metals occur in natural water bodies at levels below their toxic thresholds, however, due to their nondegradable nature, such low concentrations may still pose risk of damage via uptake and subsequent bioaccumulation by organisms, which cannot effectively metabolize and excret...

Positive allosteric modulation of the GABAA receptor (GABAAR) via the benzodiazepine recognition site is the mechanism whereby diverse chemical classes of therapeutic agents act to reduce anxiety, induce and maintain sleep, reduce seizures, and induce conscious sedation. The binding of such therapeutic agents to this allosteric modulatory site increases the affinity of GABA for the agonist reco...