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Ann Pharmacother 2021 Jun 22:10600280211027968. Epub 2021 Jun 22.

Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.

Objective: This article reviews the pharmacology, safety, efficacy, and clinical importance of abametapir 0.74% (Xeglyze) for the treatment of head lice.

Data Sources: From 2020 to May 2021, a systematic review of the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases was conducted using the terms , , , and . Read More

Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2021 Jun 3. Epub 2021 Jun 3.

Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Imaging Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. Electronic address:

Extensive work on movement-related beta oscillations (~13-30 Hz) over the sensorimotor areas in both humans and animals has demonstrated that sensorimotor beta power decreases during movement and transiently increases after movement. This beta power modulation has been interpreted as reflecting interactions between sensory and motor cortical areas with attenuation of sensory afferents during movement and their subsequent re-activation for internal models updating. More recent studies in neurologically normal subjects have demonstrated that this movement-related modulation as well as mean beta power at rest increase with practice and that previous motor learning enhances such increases. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2021 Jun 1;791:148111. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Fi, Italy; "Nanobiosens" Join Lab, University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini 6, 50139 Firenze, Italy. Electronic address:

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a novel, non-invasive sampling procedure that allows the obtaining of genetic material directly from environmental samples without any evidence of biological sources. The eDNA methodology can greatly benefit from coupling it to reliable, portable and cost-effective tools able to perform decentralized measurements directly at the site of need and in resource-limited settings. Herein, we report a simple method for the selective analysis of eDNA using a magneto-assay with electrochemical detection. Read More

J Med Entomol 2021 Jun 9. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Research Institute on Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.

Knockdown resistance (kdr) is a common mechanism of insecticide resistance in head lice to the conventionally used pyrethroid pediculosis and can be the result of various amino acid substitutions within the voltage-sensitive sodium channel (VSSC). In this study, 54 sequences from varied specimens were investigated to monitor well-known resistance mutations and probable new mutations. The Pediculus humanus capitis de Geer specimens were collected from 13 provinces in Iran. Read More

Turkiye Parazitol Derg 2021 06;45(2):157-159

Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi, Parazitoloji Anabilim Dalı, Samsun, Türkiye

Ectoparasite infestation was detected in a macroscopic examination of a red fox () that was brought dead to the Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Ondokuz Mayıs University Collected tick, lice and flea samples were preserved in 70% alcohol. It was determined in microscopic examination that tick samples were (Acari: Ixodidae), flea samples were (Siphonaptera; Vermipsyllidae) and chewing lice samples were () (Phthiraptera: Trichodectidae). This study first reported the existence of () from foxes in Turkey. Read More

Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2021 Jun 10;248:109095. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Institute of Aquaculture, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, United Kingdom.

The pyrethroid deltamethrin and the macrocyclic lactone emamectin benzoate (EMB) are used to treat infestations of farmed salmon by parasitic salmon lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis. While the efficacy of both compounds against Atlantic populations of the parasite has decreased as a result of the evolution of resistance, the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in L. salmonis are currently not fully understood. Read More

Front Neurol 2021 20;12:673135. Epub 2021 May 20.

Pediatric Neurology and Epileptology Unit, Brotzu Hospital Trust, Cagliari, Italy.

Purified cannabidiol (CBD) was administered to highly refractory patients with Dravet (DS) or Lennox-Gastaut (LGS) syndromes in an ongoing expanded access program (EAP). Herein, we report interim results on CBD safety and seizure outcomes in patients treated for a 12-month period. Thirty centers were enrolled from December 2018 to December 2019 within the open-label prospective EAP up to a maximum of 25 mg/kg per day. Read More

R Soc Open Sci 2021 May 26;8(5):210265. Epub 2021 May 26.

Department of Biology, Sea Lice Research Center, University of Bergen, PO Box 7803, 5020 Bergen, Norway.

Nothing lasts forever, including the effect of chemicals aimed to control pests in food production. As old pesticides have been compromised by emerging resistance, new ones have been introduced and turned the odds back in our favour. With time, however, some pests have developed multi-pesticide resistance, challenging our ability to control them. Read More

Int J Prev Med 2021 19;12. Epub 2021 Jan 19.

Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Background: There is an increase in the prevalence of head lice among urban communities with high density in recent years. This study was aimed to determine the efficacy of 1% permethrin shampoo and some traditional physical treatment for head lice infestation in Qom Province, central Iran.

Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was carried out on all 11,223 cases in six categories that were referred to Qom health care system from 2016 to March of 2017. Read More

BMC Ecol Evol 2021 06 2;21(1):108. Epub 2021 Jun 2.

Center for the Study of Biological Complexity, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1000 W. Cary St., Suite 111, Richmond, VA, 23284-2030, USA.

Background: Feather feeding lice are abundant and diverse ectoparasites that complete their entire life cycle on an avian host. The principal or sole source of nutrition for these lice is feathers. Feathers appear to lack four amino acids that the lice would require to complete development and reproduce. Read More

Rev Bras Parasitol Vet 2021 28;30(2):e025520. Epub 2021 May 28.

Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia, Reprodução e Saúde Única, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Jaboticabal, SP, Brasil.

The aim of this study was to report, for the first time, the occurrence of the hippoboscid fly Ornithoctona erythrocephala on a red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata). A Diptera specimen was found among the feathers of a free-living red-legged seriema, which was referred to necropsy at the Wild Animal Pathology Service, UNESP Jaboticabal. The fly was collected, stored in absolute alcohol, and shipped to the Institute of Biosciences of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul for proper identification. Read More

Curr Opin Pediatr 2021 Jun 1. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Division of Dermatology, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Department of Dermatology and Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Purpose Of The Review: This review will update pediatric providers on the recent data regarding the epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of common skin infestations affecting children and adolescents.

Recent Findings: Standard superficial skin biopsy for scabies and the vacuum method for head lice can increase diagnostic accuracy and efficiency. There is growing resistance to some of the traditional treatments for scabies and head lice, and progress has been made in finding newer and potentially more effective treatments, such as oral moxidectin for scabies and abametapir for head lice. Read More

Epilepsia 2021 Jun 1. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Epilepsy Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy.

Objective: The influx of immune cells and serum proteins from the periphery into the brain due to a dysfunctional blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been proposed to contribute to the pathogenesis of seizures in various forms of epilepsy and encephalitis. We evaluated the pathophysiological impact of activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum albumin on neuronal excitability in an in vitro brain preparation.

Methods: A condition of mild endothelial activation induced by arterial perfusion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was induced in the whole brain preparation of guinea pigs maintained in vitro by arterial perfusion. Read More

BMC Ecol Evol 2021 05 31;21(1):105. Epub 2021 May 31.

Joint Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi, 753-8515, Japan.

Background: Relapsing fever (RF) borreliae are arthropod-borne spirochetes and some of them cause human diseases, which are characterized by relapsing or recurring episodes of fever. Recently, it has been classified into two groups: soft tick-borne RF (STRF) borreliae and hard tick-borne RF (HTRF) borreliae. STRF borreliae include classical RF agents and HTRF borreliae, the latter of which include B. Read More

J Immunol Methods 2021 May 26;495:113082. Epub 2021 May 26.

Unité de recherche en Pharmaco-Immunologie (UR-EPI), Université et CHU de La Réunion, Saint-Denis 97400, France; Laboratoire d'immunologie Clinique et expérimentale de la ZOI (LICE-OI), Pôle de Biologie, CHU de La Réunion, Saint-Denis 97400, France.

The development of new diagnostic assays become a priority for managing COVID-19. To this aim, we presented here an in-house ELISA based on the production of two major recombinant and high-quality antigens from SARS-CoV-2. Full-length N and S-RBD fragment proteins fused to mouse IgG2a-Fc were produced in the CHO cell line. Read More

J Dermatol 2021 May 28. Epub 2021 May 28.

Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Japan.

Pyrethroid insecticides are the only pesticides approved for the treatment of head lice (pediculosis capitis) infestations in Japan. However, in Okinawa Prefecture, 96% of head lice are resistant to pyrethroids. Here, we conducted a clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of a dimethicone preparation against head lice infestations in Okinawa Prefecture. Read More

BMJ Paediatr Open 2021 10;5(1):e001129. Epub 2021 May 10.

Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

Background: Head lice infestation is a major public health problem around the globe. Its treatment is challenging due to product failures resulting from rapidly emerging resistance to existing treatments, incorrect treatment applications and misdiagnosis. Various head lice treatments with different mechanism of action have been developed and explored over the years, with limited report on systematic assessments of their efficacy and safety. Read More

Health Equity 2021 13;5(1):310-315. Epub 2021 May 13.

Antenna Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland.

The prevalence of head lice in poor rural communities and urban slums is estimated to be between 28% and 43% in Brazil, respectively. Children are among the most affected, often in clusters within schools. We launched a program intending to tackle the social stigma associated with head lice using scientific information and a local traditional remedy as a way to lower the prevalence of head lice in a low-resource community. Read More

Ann Parasitol 2021 ;67(1):107-109

Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, ul. Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.

Morphological anomalies in sucking lice (Phthiraptera: Anoplura) have been discussed sporadically, mainly when the changes were considerable, such as in the structure of the reproductive organs or pleural plates, and have concerned the most commonly-studied species. An analysis of 376 specimens from three species of the genus Hoplopleura (H. acanthopus, H. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2021 May 20;14(1):269. Epub 2021 May 20.

Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Engineering in Animal Vaccines, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China.

Background: Fragmented mitochondrial (mt) genomes and extensive mt gene rearrangements have been frequently reported from parasitic lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera). However, relatively little is known about the mt genomes from the family Philopteridae, the most species-rich family within the suborder Ischnocera.

Methods: Herein, we use next-generation sequencing to decode the mt genome of Falcolipeurus suturalis and compare it with the mt genome of F. Read More

PLoS One 2021 20;16(5):e0251575. Epub 2021 May 20.

Department of Biological Sciences, SLRC-Sea Lice Research Center, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.

The salmon louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, is an ectoparasitic crustacean that annually inflicts substantial losses to the aquaculture industry in the northern hemisphere and poses a threat to the wild populations of salmonids. The salmon louse life cycle consists of eight developmental stages each separated by a molt. Fushi Tarazu Factor-1 (FTZ-F1) is an ecdysteroid-regulated gene that encodes a member of the NR5A family of nuclear receptors that is shown to play a crucial regulatory role in molting in insects and nematodes. Read More

Heliyon 2021 Apr 27;7(4):e06903. Epub 2021 Apr 27.

Department of Pharmaceutics, RMES'S College of Pharmacy, Gulbaraga, Karnataka, 585 102, India.

The intent of the present investigation was to explore the utility of alcoholic and aqueous extract of L. as hair growth promoter along with anti-lice and antidandruff activity. A filter paper diffusion approach was employed for screening of the pediculocidal and ovicidal activity. Read More

PeerJ 2021 6;9:e11158. Epub 2021 May 6.

School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.

Background: Even if many schoolchildren in Ethiopia are anemic and stunted, few have studied the co-existence of anemia and stunting among schoolchildren in Ethiopia In addition, multilevel analysis to explore the variation in prevalence of concurrent anemia and stunting (CAS) across schools and classes is rarely applied. Thus, we aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors of CAS at the individual, household, and school level among schoolchildren in southern Ethiopia.

Methods: We recruited 864 students aged 7-14 years from the Wonago district in southern Ethiopia using a three-stage random sampling, assigning four schools to level one, 24 classes to level two. Read More

Vet Parasitol 2021 Jun 7;294:109444. Epub 2021 May 7.

School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK. Electronic address:

Lice are common production-limiting ectoparasites affecting livestock. Up-to-date data on their prevalence and spatial distribution on farms in Great Britain is important given that prevalence is believed to be increasing as a result of insecticide resistance. Here the prevalence of farms reporting lice, and factors associated with louse presence, were assessed using a retrospective questionnaire. Read More

Gene 2021 Jul 13;791:145719. Epub 2021 May 13.

Grupo de investigación de Biología y ecología de artrópodos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Colombia. Electronic address:

The evolution of the Hexapoda mitochondrial genome has been the focus of several genetic and evolutionary studies over the last decades. However, they have concentrated on certain taxonomic orders of economic or health importance. The recent increase of mitochondrial genomes sequencing of diverse taxonomic orders generates an important opportunity to clarify the evolution of this group of organisms. Read More

Parasitol Res 2021 Jun 8;120(6):2109-2124. Epub 2021 May 8.

Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Via F. Delpino 1, 80137, Naples, Italy.

Acanthocheilonema reconditum is a filarial parasite transmitted by arthropods (fleas, lice, and ticks) that infect dogs. There is minimal published data available to date on potential haematological and biochemical changes associated with this parasitic infection. Study aims were (i) provide an overview of A. Read More

Microbiol Resour Announc 2021 May 6;10(18). Epub 2021 May 6.

Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Human head and body lice host the obligate endosymbiotic bacterium " Riesia pediculicola." In this announcement, we describe the complete genome sequence of a " Riesia pediculicola" strain isolated from the human head louse, subsp. The inter- and intraspecific variations of endosymbiont genomes were investigated, and this strain was found to display high-level variations in its genome. Read More

J Fish Biol 2021 May 4. Epub 2021 May 4.

The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway.

Brown trout (Salmo trutta) display extensive plasticity in marine migratory behaviours, with marine migrations considered to be an adaptive strategy which enables sea trout to maximize growth and reproductive potential. However, marine migrations are not without associated costs, including threats posed by ever-increasing salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) infestations. In the present study, we used passive integrated transponder technology to characterize variability in sea trout migration behaviour amongst three catchments situated in a region of intensive salmon farming in central Norway. Read More

Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2021 Aug 2;15:22-30. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Werftstr. 6, D-25761, Buesum, Germany.

Whale lice (Cyamidae; Amphipoda) are ectoparasitic crustaceans adapted to the marine environment with cetaceans as their host. There are few reports of cyamids occurring in odontocetes from the North Sea, and long-term studies are lacking. Marine mammal health was monitored along the German and Dutch coasts in the past decades, with extensive post mortem investigations conducted. Read More

Front Microbiol 2021 16;12:642543. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States.

While interspecific variation in microbiome composition can often be readily explained by factors such as host species identity, there is still limited knowledge of how microbiomes vary at scales lower than the species level (e.g., between individuals or populations). Read More