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Query: UMLS:C0038187 (starvation)
 24,951 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

High density lipophorin (HDLp) is the major lipid transport vehicle in insect hemolymph. Using an indirect ELISA, levels of HDLp were measured in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. The level of lipophorin, when normalized to the total weight of the insect, was similar in the different developmental stages. Starvation (access to water only) of adult females did not affect the level of HDLp nor its density when compared to sugar-fed females. On the other hand, blood feeding (of normally sugar-fed females) resulted in a three-fold increase of the HDLp level at 40 h after feeding. This increase was accompanied by a slight but significant increase in the density of HDLp at 24 h after feeding. Ingestion of a lipid-free protein meal or a lipid-supplemented protein meal induced changes in HDLp level and density that were comparable to those induced by ingestion of a blood meal. Ingestion of a blood meal, following starvation (access to water only) from the moment of adult emergence, did not induce an increase in HDLp level. The results presented indicate that, in contrast to other insect species, A. aegypti responds to an increased need for lipid transport in the hemolymph by increasing the amount of HDLp. Arch. Insect Biochem.
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PMID:Lipophorin levels in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, and the effect of feeding. 905 39

Projections from computer models predict that global warming will expand the incidence and distribution of many serious medical disorders. Global warming, aside from indirectly causing death by drowning or starvation, promotes by various means the emergence, resurgence, and spread of infectious diseases. This article addresses the health effects of global warming and disrupted climate patterns in detail. Among the greatest health concerns are diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and several kinds of encephalitis. Such disorders are projected to become increasingly prevalent because their insect carriers are very sensitive to meteorological conditions. In addition, floods and droughts resulting from global warming can each help trigger outbreaks by creating breeding grounds for insects whose desiccated eggs remain viable and hatch in still water. Other effects of global warming on health include the growth of opportunist populations and the increase of the incidence of waterborne diseases because of lack of clean water. In view of this, several steps are cited in order to facilitate the successful management of the dangers of global warming.
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PMID:Is global warming harmful to health? 1091 84

What little is known about the endocrine regulation of mosquito development suggests that models based on Lepidoptera and Drosophila may not apply. We report on basic parameters of larval development and the commitment to metamorphosis in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti that are affected by varying the length of feeding time for last instar larvae. A critical mass for pupal commitment was achieved after 24 h of feeding by last instars, also the age at which tissue production and hemolymph titers of ecdysteroids are increasing. A greater proportion of last instars successfully pupated and eclosed as adults as the length of their feeding time increased. Less than 24 h of feeding time resulted in last instars that were developmentally arrested; these larvae tolerated starvation conditions for up to 2 weeks and retained the capacity to pupate if re-fed. Starvation tolerance may be a common trait among container-inhabiting species, and this period is an important factor to be considered for vectorial capacity and control measures. To distinguish cues for metamorphosis related to a larva's nutritional status versus its age, newly molted last instars were fed for different periods of time but sampled at the same age; ecdysteroid levels, body mass and nutrient reserves were then measured for each group. Our data suggest that metamorphic capacity is dependent on a larva's nutritional condition and not just the age at which ecdysteroid titers increase. Last instars that have fed for a particular length of time may initiate their metamorphic molt when both threshold levels of nutrient reserves and ecdysteroid titer have been met. Future studies will lead to a conceptual model specific for the nutritional and hormonal regulation of mosquito post-embryonic development. This model should facilitate the exploitation of current and novel insect growth regulators that are among favored strategies for vector population suppression.
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PMID:Larval feeding duration affects ecdysteroid levels and nutritional reserves regulating pupal commitment in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). 1729 45