Chromosome-level genome assembly of the large carpenter bee Xylocopa dejeanii Lepeletier, 1841 (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

Xylocopinae, a diverse bee subfamily comprising over 1,000 bee species, and also a major model system for studying the pollination and evolution of sociality. The lack of chromosome-level genome assembly resources for the Xylocopinae limits our research of their biology and evolution. Here, we provided the first pseudo-chromosomes genome assembly of the Xylocopa dejeanii combined PacBio CLR long reads, Illumina sequences, and Hi-C data.

Potential Correlation Between Bombus lantschouensis Thoracic Morphology and Flight Behavior.

Remarkably little modern work has investigated the thoracic structures of insects and their relationship to flight locomotion. Most studies focus exclusively on either morphology or flight kinematics. In this study, we explore within-species variation in mesosomal structures (thorax + propodeum) and their correlation with different flight modes of Bombus lantschouensis.

Enhanced Pain Relief with Guanfacine as an Adjuvant for Trigeminal Nerve Blocks: Insights from a PheWAS-Guided Randomized Controlled Study.

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia and painful trigeminal neuropathy are severely painful conditions which are often difficult to treat with medications. A Phenome-Wide Association Study (PheWAS) analysis identified an association between single nucleotide variants in the alpha-2 adrenergic receptor (ADRA2) subtype B, a G protein-coupled receptor expressed on peripheral and central presynaptic terminals, and an increased risk for trigeminal nerve disorders. We hypothesized that adding the ADRA2 agonist guanfacine to routine care trigeminal nerve injections would provide enhanced pain relief in trigeminal neuralgia than routine care alone.

Cadmium exposure following early-life respiratory syncytial virus infection promotes lung fibrosis through autophagy inhibition.

Early-life respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection (eRSV) is a major cause of severe respiratory illness in children and increases the risk of asthma and lung dysfunction later in life. Cadmium (Cd), a toxic environmental metal, exacerbates these risks when combined with eRSV. Our previous research demonstrated that eRSV reprograms lung metabolism and amplifies Cd toxicity, driving inflammation, and metabolic disruption through protein palmitoylation.

Identification and expression of detoxification genes provide insights into host adaptation of the walnut pest Atrijuglans aristata.

Background: Despite the presence of a large number of toxic components, primarily juglone, in walnut green husks, these components have failed to prevent infestations of the specialized pest Atrijuglans aristata. At present, it remains unclear whether detoxification genes play a pivotal role in enhancing host fitness of A. aristata.

Elevated extinction risk in over one-fifth of native North American pollinators.

Pollinators are critical for food production and ecosystem function. Although native pollinators are thought to be declining, the evidence is limited. This first, taxonomically diverse assessment for mainland North America north of Mexico reveals that 22.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of a specialist walnut pest Atrijuglans aristata.

Gelechioidea represents the most diverse superfamily of tiny boring pests in Lepidoptera that pose a serious threat to agricultural and forestry economic crops. However, the lack of high-quality genome of highly specialized species makes it difficult to draw general conclusions about the mechanism of the close binding relationship between pests and crops. In this study, based on second- and third-generation sequencing reads, we constructed a chromosome-level genome for the Atrijuglans aristata, a specialized boring pest, that specifically harms the green husk of cultivated walnuts.

The ethics of theft: Reevaluating the impacts of floral larceny on plant reproductive success.

Plants and their interaction partners offer unparalleled views of evolutionary ecology. Nectar larceny, entailing nectar extraction without pollinating, is thought to be an example of a harmful, antagonistic behavior, but the precise consequences of floral larceny on plant reproductive success remain contentious. We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of 153 studies across 120 plant species, using 14 moderators to assess the effects of floral larceny on plant reproductive success and examine the key moderators.

Multidimensionality of tree communities structure host-parasitoid networks and their phylogenetic composition.

Environmental factors can influence ecological networks, but these effects are poorly understood in the realm of the phylogeny of host-parasitoid interactions. Especially, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the ways that biotic factors, including plant species richness, overall community phylogenetic and functional composition of consumers, and abiotic factors such as microclimate, determine host-parasitoid network structure and host-parasitoid community dynamics. To address this, we leveraged a 5-year dataset of trap-nesting bees and wasps and their parasitoids collected in a highly controlled, large-scale subtropical tree biodiversity experiment.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of Megachile sculpturalis Smith (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Megachilidae).

Megachile sculpturalis Smith, 1853 native to East Asia, is an important solitary bee species that has invaded both Europe and the United States. This study provides the first chromosome-level genome assembly of M. sculpturalis using a combination of Nanopore long reads, Illumina short reads, and Hi-C data.

[genus]_[species]; Presenting phylogenies to facilitate synthesis.

Each published phylogeny is a potential contribution to the synthesis of the Tree of Life and countless downstream projects. Steps are needed for fully synthesizable science, but only a minority of studies achieve these. We here review the range of phylogenetic presentation and note aspects that hinder further analysis.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of Megachile lagopoda (Linnaeus, 1761) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae).

Megachile is one of the largest bee genera, including nearly 1,500 species, but very few chromosome-level assemblies exist for this group or the family Megachilidae. Here, we report the chromosome-level genome assembly of Megachile lagopoda collected from Xizang, China. Using PacBio CLR long reads and Hi-C data, we assembled a genome of 256.

A pilot metabolomics study across the continuum of interstitial lung disease fibrosis severity.

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) include a variety of inflammatory and fibrotic pulmonary conditions. This study employs high-resolution metabolomics (HRM) to explore plasma metabolites and pathways across ILD phenotypes, including non-fibrotic ILD, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and non-IPF fibrotic ILD. The study used 80 plasma samples for HRM, and involved linear trend and group-wise analyses of metabolites altered in ILD phenotypes.

Comparison of manual titrations to automated microplate and gel titration assays used in the screening of blood donors for production of Low-Titer O Whole Blood.

Background: The popularity of Low-Titer O Whole Blood (LTOWB) for treating trauma patients requires that donor centers and transfusion services make decisions on what titer testing capabilities to institute and an appropriate titer level threshold. This study compared the titer results determined by four methods to find a rate of agreement.

Study Design And Methods: Isohemagglutinin titers were tested on 300 plasma samples utilizing various methods, each determining IgM antibody levels by direct hemagglutination with A1 and B reference cells.

Intraspecific and interspecific resource partitioning between bumblebee workers and males related to nectar quantity and quality.

Bumblebees are important pollinators for many natural and agricultural systems in temperate regions. Interspecific and intraspecific variation in floral resource preferences have been proposed to influence bumblebee community structure. In particular, sexual dimorphism is a major source of intraspecific niche variation.

Floral resource partitioning of coexisting bumble bees: Distinguishing species-, colony-, and individual-level effects.

Resource partitioning is considered a key factor in alleviating competitive interactions, enabling coexistence among consumer species. However, most studies have focused on resource partitioning between species, ignoring the potentially critical role of intraspecific variation in resource use. We investigated floral resource partitioning across species, colonies, and individuals in a species-rich bumblebee community in the diversification center of bumblebees.

Metabolic alterations and mitochondrial dysfunction in human airway BEAS-2B cells exposed to vanadium pentoxide.

Vanadium pentoxide (V) is a hazardous material that has drawn considerable attention due to its wide use in industrial sectors and increased release into environment from human activities. It poses potential adverse effects on animals and human health, with pronounced impact on lung physiology and functions. In this study, we investigated the metabolic response of human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells to low-level V exposure (0.

Cryptic diversity begets challenges and opportunities in biodiversity research.

How many species of life are there on Earth? This is a question that we want to know but cannot yet answer. Some scholars speculate that the number of species may reach 2.2 billion when considering cryptic diversity and that each morphology-based insect species may contain an average of 3.

Designing and Evaluating a Portable UV-LED Vane Trap to Expedite Arthropod Biodiversity Discovery.

A novel design of a portable funnel light trap (PFLT) was presented for collecting insects in ecological studies. The trap consists of a compact plastic box equipped with a light source and power source, along with two plastic polypropylene interception vanes. The PFLT costs 18.