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Spodoptera frugiperda poses a severe threat to crops, causing substantial economic losses. The increased use of chemical pesticides has led to resistance in S. frugiperda populations. Micro ribonucleic acids (MicroRNAs or miRNAs) are pivotal in insect growth and development. This study aims to identify miRNAs across different developmental stages of S. frugiperda to explore differential expression and predict target gene functions. High-throughput sequencing of miRNAs was conducted on eggs, 3rd instar larvae, pupae, and adults. Bioinformatics analyses identified differentially expressed miRNAs specifically in larvae, with candidate miRNAs screened to predict target genes, particularly those involved in detoxification pathways. A total of 184 known miRNAs and 209 novel miRNAs were identified across stages. Comparative analysis revealed 54, 15, and 18 miRNAs differentially expressed in larvae, compared to egg, pupa, and adult stages, respectively. Eight miRNAs showed significant differential expression across stages, validated by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses predicted target genes’ functions, identifying eight differentially expressed miRNAs targeting 10 gene families associated with detoxification metabolism, including P450s, glutathione S-transferase (GSTs), ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, and sodium channels. These findings elucidate the species-specific miRNA profiles and regulatory mechanisms of detoxification-related genes in S. frugiperda larvae, offering insights and strategies for effectively managing this pest.

Insect gut microbes have important roles in host feeding, digestion, immunity, development, and coevolution with pests. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797), is a major migratory agricultural pest worldwide. The effects of host plant on the pest’s gut bacteria remain to be investigated to better understand their coevolution. In this study, differences in the gut bacterial communities were examined for the fifth and sixth instar larvae of S. frugiperda fed on leaves of different host plants (corn, sorghum, highland barley, and citrus). The 16S rDNA full-length amplification and sequencing method was used to determine the abundance and diversity of gut bacteria in larval intestines. The highest richness and diversity of gut bacteria were in corn-fed fifth instar larvae, whereas in sixth instar larvae, the richness and diversity were higher when larvae were fed by other crops. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were dominant phyla in gut bacterial communities of fifth and sixth instar larvae. According to the LDA Effect Size (LEfSe) analysis, the host plants had important effects on the structure of gut bacterial communities in S. frugiperda. In the PICRUSt2 analysis, most predicted functional categories were associated with metabolism. Thus, the host plant species attacked by S. frugiperda larvae can affect their gut bacterial communities, and such changes are likely important in the adaptive evolution of S. frugiperda to host plants.

Objective:Chemotherapy is the standard treatment for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), and leukopenia is a common side effect. This study assesses whether chemotherapy-induced leukopenia is a predictor of efficacy and whether it is associated with the survival of SCLC patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on data from 445 patients with SCLC who received standard chemotherapy for 4 to 10 cycles. The World Health Organization grading system classifies leukopenia during chemotherapy as follows:absent (grade 0), mild (grades 1 and 2), or severe (grades 3 and 4). The primary endpoint is overall survival (OS).Results:The association between chemotherapy-induced leukopenia and OS was assessed. According to a multivariate Cox model with time-varying covariates, the hazard ratio of death was significantly lower among patients with mild leukopenia than among patients with severe leukopenia at 0.687 (0.506 to 0.943) and 1.414 (1.147 to 1.744), respectively. The median survival was 13 months (95% CI:11 to 15 months) for patients who did not experience leukopenia, 17 months (95% CI:14 to 18 months) for those with mild leukopenia, and 14 months (95% CI:13 to 16 months) for those with severe leukopenia (absent vs. mild vs. severe leukopenia, P=0.047).Conclusion:Leukopenia during chemotherapy is associated with the survival of SCLC patients. Mild leukopenia is strongly associated with longer survival time.

Background: High prevalence of smartphone addiction among medical students may contribute to adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Aim: To estimate the prevalence of smartphone addiction, and explore the influencing factors and related mental health symptoms of smartphone addiction among Asian medical students. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed (MEDLINE), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and EMBASE were searched for relevant literature from the inception to September 10, 2021. Using Stata software 11.0, the meta-analysis of prevalence and the influencing factors of smartphone addiction were determined with 95% confidence intervals. Results: Nineteen articles, published between 2014 and 2019, were included, producing medical student studies from seven different Asian countries. The included studies were conducted in India (n = 11) and Malaysia (n = 3), with China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Nepal, and Iran each contributing one study. Among a total of 5,497 medical students, the participants included 3,214 females, of whom 2,181 were medical students with smartphone addiction. The prevalence of smartphone addiction among Asian medical students was 41.93% (95% CI [36.24%, 47.72%]). The influencing factors of smartphone addiction among medical students included gender, duration of smartphone use, smartphone function, and marital status. Ten studies (52.63%) explored related mental health symptoms of smartphone addiction among Asian medical students. Smartphone addiction was positively correlated with poor sleep quality (r = .17-.31), stress (r = .30-.40), anxiety, depression, neuroticism, and general health among Asian medical students. Conclusion: Smartphone addiction is highly prevalent among Asian medical students. Smartphone addiction may adversely affect mental health, resulting in sleep disturbance, stress, anxiety, depression, and neuroticism. It is necessary to take appropriate precautionary actions and interventions to prevent smartphone overuse among medical students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]