Melanization is an important innate immune defense mechanism of insects, which can kill invading pathogens. Most pathogens, for their survival and reproduction, inhibit the melanization of the host. Interestingly, our results suggested that after infection with Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h (HvAV-3h), the speed of melanization in infected Spodoptera exigua larval hemolymph was accelerated and that the phenoloxidase (PO) activity of hemolymph in larvae infected with HvAV-3h increased significantly (1.20-fold at 96 hpi, 1.52-fold at 120 hpi, 1.23-fold at 144 hpi, 1.12-fold at 168 hpi). The transcription level of the gene encoding S. exigua prophenoloxidase-1 (SePPO-1 gene) was upregulated dramatically in the fat body during the middle stage of infection. In addition, when melanization was inhibited or promoted, the replication of HvAV-3h was inhibited or promoted, respectively. In conclusion, infection with HvAV-3h can markedly induce melanization in the middle stage of infection, and melanization is helpful for HvAV-3h viral replication. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.SCOPE There is an increased interest in developing biomarkers of food intake to address some of the limitations associated with self-reported data. The objective was to identify biomarkers of apple intake, examine dose-response relationships and agreement with self-reported data. METHODS AND RESULTS Metabolomic data from three studies were examined an acute intervention, a short-term intervention and a free-living cohort study. Fasting and postprandial urine samples were collected for analysis by 1 H-NMR and LC-MS. Calibration curves were developed to determine apple intake and classify individuals into categories of intake. Multivariate analysis of data revealed that levels of multiple metabolites increased significantly post-apple consumption, compared to the control food- broccoli. In the dose-response study, urinary xylose, epicatechin sulfate and 2, 6-dimethyl-2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-1-benzopyran increased as apple intake increased. Urinary xylose concentrations in a free-living cohort performed poorly at an individual level but were capable of ranking individuals in categories of intake. CONCLUSION Urinary xylose exhibited a dose-response relationship with apple intake and performed well as a ranking biomarker in the population study. Other potential biomarkers were identified and future work will combine these with xylose in a biomarker panel which may allow for a more objective determination of individual intake This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. selleck chemicals This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.The term "dog paddle" has been applied to the swimming behavior of various terrestrial and aquatic species. Dog paddling refers to a form of drag-based, paddle propulsion in which the limbs are oriented underneath the body and moved through an arc. Despite the ubiquity of the term, there has been no analysis of the swimming kinematics of dogs. Underwater video was recorded of surface swimming dogs (velocity 0.4-1.1 m/s) for eight individuals from six breeds, ranging in size from Yorkshire Terrier (3.6 kg) to Newfoundland dog (63.5 kg). The quadrupedal paddling stroke was analyzed to determine kinematics and coordination of the limbs. The paddling stroke represented a modified terrestrial gait, which was outside typical gaits for terrestrial locomotion by dogs. Stroke frequency decreased with increasing body size. The stroke cycle consisted of power and recovery phases. During the power phase, digits of the paw were abducted and the forelimb was swept posteriorly until perpendicular to the body. In the recovery phase, digits were adducted while the brachium was retracted anteriorly and the manus supinated. The power phase was about 34% of stroke cycle and shorter than the recovery phase for both fore and hindlimbs. Maximum velocity during the power phase was greater than the recovery phase. The modified terrestrial gait used for swimming by dogs appears to be stereotypic among breeds, whereas terrestrial locomotion in dogs shows substantial variation in gait. Without constraints imposed by gravity and substrate contact, swimming dogs can utilize a gait profile different from terrestrial gaits. SUMMARY STATEMENT Despite the ubiquity of the term "dog paddle" to describe the swimming motions of animals, this is the first time that the swimming motions of dogs have been analyzed. © 2020 American Association for Anatomy.BACKGROUND In-person cognitive-behavioral stress-management interventions are consistently associated with reduced cancer distress. However, face-to-face delivery is an access barrier for many patients, and there is a need to develop remote-delivered interventions. The current study evaluated the preliminary efficacy of an application (app)-based cancer stress-management intervention, StressProffen, in a randomized controlled trial. METHODS Cancer survivors, maximum 1-year posttreatment (N = 172), were randomized to StressProffen (n = 84) or a usual care control group (n = 88). Participants received a blended delivery care model (a) one face-to-face introduction session, (b) 10 app-based cognitive-behavioral stress-management modules, and (c) follow-up phone calls at weeks 2-3 and 6-7. Outcome measures included stress (Perceived Stress Scale), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL; Short-Form Health Surveys [SF-36]) at 3-months post-intervention, analyzed with change scores as dependent variables in linear regression models. RESULTS Participants were primarily women (82%), aged 20-78 years (mean 52, SD 11.2), with mixed cancer types (majority breast cancer; 48%). Analysis of 149 participants completing questionnaires at baseline and 3 months revealed significant intervention effects decreased stress (mean difference [MD] -2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], [-5.2 to -0.4]; P = .022) and improved HRQoL (Role Physical MD = 17.7, [CI 3.7-31.3], P = .013; Social Functioning MD = 8.5, [CI 0.7-16.2], P = .034; Role Emotional MD = 19.5, [CI 3.7-35.2], P = .016; Mental Health MD = 6.7, [CI 1.7-11.6], P = .009). No significant changes were observed for anxiety or depression. CONCLUSIONS Digital-based cancer stress-management interventions, such as StressProffen, have the potential to provide easily accessible, effective psychosocial support for cancer survivors. © 2020 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.