Insects impact human health through vector-borne diseases and cause major economic losses by damaging crops and stored agricultural products. Insect-specific growth regulators represent attractive control agents because of their safety to the environment and humans. We identified plant compounds that serve as juvenile hormone antagonists (PJHANs). Using the yeast two-hybrid system transformed with the mosquito JH receptor as a reporter system, we demonstrate that PJHANs affect the JH receptor, methoprene-tolerant (Met), by disrupting its complex with CYCLE or FISC, formation of which is required for mediating JH action. We isolated five diterpene secondary metabolites with JH antagonist activity from two plants: Lindera erythrocarpa and Solidago serotina. They are effective in causing mortality of mosquito larvae at relatively low LD50 values. Topical application of two diterpenes caused reduction in the expression of Met target genes and retardation of follicle development in mosquito ovaries. Hence, the newly discovered PJHANs may lead to development of a new class of safe and effective pesticides.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the extent of tumor spread to local lymph nodes is critical to managing early-stage gastric cancer. Recently, fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green has been used to identify and characterize sentinel lymph nodes during gastric cancer surgery, but no published guidelines exist. We sought to identify areas of consensus among international experts in the use of fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green for mapping sentinel lymph nodes during gastric-cancer surgery. METHODS: In this 2-round, online Delphi survey, 27 international experts voted on 79 statements pertaining to patient preparation and contraindications to fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green during gastric cancer surgery; indications; technical aspects; advantages/disadvantages and limitations; and training and research. Methodological steps were adopted during survey design to minimize bias. RESULTS: Consensus was reached on 61 of 79 statements, including giving single injections of indocyanine green into each of the 4 quadrants peritumorally, administering indocyanine green on the same day as surgery, injecting a total of 1 to 5 mL of 5 mg/mL indocyanine green, injecting endoscopically into submucosa, and repeating indocyanine green injections a second time if sentinel lymph node visualization remains inadequate. Consensus also was reached that fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green is an acceptable single-agent modality for sentinel lymph node identification and that the sentinel lymph node basin method is preferred. However, sentinel lymph node dissection should be limited to T1 gastric cancer and tumors ≤4 cm in diameter, and further research is necessary to optimize the technique and render fluorescence-guided sentinel lymph nodes dissection acceptable for routine clinical use. CONCLUSION: Although considerable consensus was achieved, further research is necessary before this technology should be used in routine practice.