A new species of Andricus Hartig, 1840 (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae) from China, with references to DNA taxonomy and Wolbachia infection.

In the present paper, a new species of cynipid gall wasp, Andricuselodeoides Liu & Pang, is described from several provinces in southern China. The new species is closely related to the recently redescribed A.mairei (Kieffer, 1906). In addition to differences in adult and gall morphology, the new species is also readily separated by COI sequences, with a 6.2-8.9% genetic distance between populations of the new species and those of A.mairei. A contrasting difference in sex ratios was also observed between the two species, with A.elodeoides extremely female-biased (95.5-97.8% female) while A.mairei male-biased to more balanced (5.4-43.5% female). PCR screening for Wolbachia infection further revealed contrasting infection rates between populations of A.elodeoides and A.mairei: the Wolbachia infection rate was 0% in A.elodeoides and 100% in A.mairei. Cytoplasmic incompatibility induced by Wolbachia is proposed as a potential mechanism of speciation of the sympatric A.elodeoides and A.mairei.

Deoxynivalenol inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a stable mycotoxins found in cereals infected by certain fungal species and causes adverse health effects in animals and human such as vomiting, diarrhea and reproductive toxicity. In this study, we investigated the toxic and apoptotic effects of DON in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), a good model for studying inflammation. The results show that DON significantly inhibited the viability of HUVECs. DON could also inhibit the proliferation of HUVECs through G2/M phase arrest in cell cycle progression. Moreover, oxidative stress induced by DON was indicated by observations of increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, DON also causes mitochondrial damage by decreasing the mitochondrial membrane potential and inducing apoptosis by up-regulation of apoptosis-related genes like caspase-3, caspase-9, and Bax genes, and down-regulation of Bcl-2 gene. These results together suggest that DON could induce cell cycle arrest, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in HUVECs.

Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of itraconazole oral solution in cats.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe the pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of itraconazole (ITR) oral solution in healthy cats. METHODS: The pharmacokinetics of ITR were studied in eight healthy, fasted cats after a single intravenous (IV) and oral (PO) administration at a dose of 5 mg/kg, in a two-period crossover design study. Blood was obtained at predetermined intervals for the determination of ITR concentrations with high-performance liquid chromatography. Pharmacokinetic characterisation was performed by a non-compartmental method using WinNonlin 5.2.1. RESULTS: After IV administration, the major pharmacokinetic parameters were as follows (mean ± SD): terminal elimination half-life (T1/2λz ) 15.8 ± 1.88 h; area under the curve from time zero to infinity (AUC0-∞ ) 13.9 ± 3.17 h·µg/ml; total body clearance 0.37 ± 0.08 l/h/kg; apparent volume of distribution 8.51 ± 1.92 l/kg; mean residence time 20.6 ± 3.95 h. After PO administration, the principal pharmacokinetic parameters were as follows (mean ± SD): T1/2λz 15.6 ± 3.20 h; AUC0-∞ 7.94 ± 2.83 h·µg/ml; peak concentration 0.70 ± 0.14 µg/ml; time of peak 1.43 ± 0.53 h. The absolute bioavailability of ITR oral solution after oral administration was 52.1 ± 11.6%. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The disposition of ITR oral solution in cats is characterised by a long terminal half-life, a short peak time and moderate bioavailability.