Injection Of Large Doses Research Articles

Selection of parenteral iron supplement for iron deficiency anemia: A review

The article reviews medicinal products for the treatment of iron deficiency conditions and iron deficiency anemia, the prevalence of which is about 30% among the world population. Iron deficiency is a significant cause of anemia, which can lead to hospitalization and even death. In case of intolerance or ineffectiveness of oral formulations of iron supplements, if it is necessary to replenish the iron level quickly, trivalent iron formulations for intravenous administration are used. These supplements are iron complexes with an iron hydroxide core surrounded by a carbohydrate shell. Iron formulations for intravenous administration can be divided into drugs of the "old" and "new" generation. One of the most studied and popular representatives of the "new" generation is iron carboxymaltose (ICM). The results of clinical studies showed that ICM better and faster increases hemoglobin concentration and replenishes iron stores in patients compared to the "old" generation formulations and also has a more favorable safety profile. Large doses of ICM can be administered in a short time, saving resources and increasing patient satisfaction. The injection of large doses of iron with a small number of infusions in the case of ICM is more economically beneficial for all departments of medical institutions, as it significantly reduces the total cost of medical care. Intravenous iron plays an essential role in the perioperative treatment of iron deficiency anemia, especially in elective surgery. Currently, there is a reliable evidence base confirming the efficacy and safety of intravenous iron formulations in chronic kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, heart failure, gynecological and obstetric diseases, and cancer.

Relationship of Protein Synthesis to mRNA Levels in the Muscle of Chicks under Various Nutritional Conditions

The relationship between the rate of protein synthesis and the level of messenger RNA (mRNA) in the breast muscle (pectoralis major) was studied to examine the mechanisms regulating muscle protein synthesis in chicks under various nutritional conditions. The fractional synthesis rate (FSR) of protein was measured by a large-dose injection of L-[4-3H]phenylalanine. Poly(U)-Sepharose 4B affinity chromatography was used to extract Poly(A)+ RNA as mRNA. The first study examined the effect of dietary protein levels (0–60%) on protein synthesis rate and the contents of mRNA and total RNA. The fractional synthesis rate increased with increasing dietary protein levels from 0 to 20%. When chicks were fed high protein diets (40 and 60% of dietary protein), both the FSR and absolute synthesis rate (ASR) of protein were reduced compared with the 20% protein group. Multiple regression analysis indicated that for graded dietary protein levels below the dietary protein requirement, the response of muscle protein synthesis is largely regulated by variation in the ASR per unit RNA (the efficiency of RNA in synthesizing protein). At dietary protein levels above 20%, synthesis rates are also related to changes in the RNA:mRNA ratio (ribosome number relative to mRNA), the mRNA:DNA ratio (mRNA availability) and the DNA:protein ratio (DNA concentration). When chicks were food deprived for 2 d, FSR was reduced to about half that of well-fed controls. Upon refeeding of these chicks with the control diet, the FSR returned to the normal level within 0.5 h. When food-deprived chicks were refed with protein, carbohydrate or fat alone, the FSR returned to the control level within 0.5 h after consumption of each nutrient. The increase in muscle protein synthesis of unfed chicks following refeeding of various nutrients was explained by an increased ASR per unit RNA. Our results suggest that nutrient intake can change muscle protein synthesis rates in chicks largely by altering the ASR per unit RNA, in some cases associated also with changes in the levels of RNA, mRNA and DNA.

A Case of Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis Requiring Intravenous Injection of Large Doses of Potassium due to Repeated Ventricular Fibrillation

A Case of Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis Requiring Intravenous Injection of Large Doses of Potassium due to Repeated Ventricular Fibrillation

Immunogenicity Associated with Aesthetic Botulinumtoxin A: A Survey of Asia-Pacific Physicians' Experiences and Recommendations.

Background:Most botulinum toxin A (BoNT/A) products contain unnecessary bacterial components that increase the risk of developing neutralizing antibodies (nAbs). Reports of secondary nonresponse and treatment failures (STF) due to nAbs have accompanied a surge in new BoNT/A products.Methods:To formulate recommendations on managing toxin resistance, we reviewed the evidence on BoNT/A-associated immunogenicity and evaluated Asian physicians' current BoNT/A practices, knowledge, and real-world experiences, as provided by survey outcomes conducted with 128 Asian experts (regular botulinum toxin injectors).Results:Most doctors believe STF occurs, some patients exhibit partial symptoms, and impurities (eg, complexing proteins) in BoNT/A preparations risk STF. Bioassays that distinguish non-nAbs from nAbs that hinder toxin function remain unavailable to most doctors, though most would perform testing if given the option. Doctors in the Asia-Pacific region have differing strategies for managing STF, depending on the availability of alternatives or tests. They recommended switching to a highly-purified formulation free of complexing proteins and other impurities to lower the risk of immunogenicity, or offering treatment holidays of 2 -2.5 years. They suggested restarting treatment with the same highly purified formulation, especially for repeated treatments, large-dose injections, and younger patients who will accumulate higher lifetime doses, so as to minimize immunogenic risks and preserve long-term treatment outcomes. Importantly, doctors should always initiate patients on pure formulations rather than switching to these only after resistance develops.Conclusion:Choosing highly purified BoNT/A products at treatment initiation enhances long-term efficacy and patient satisfaction while minimizing the risk of immune activation and nAb formation.

静注大剂量丙种球蛋白与溶血病新生儿坏死性小肠结肠炎发生关系的研究

静注大剂量丙种球蛋白与溶血病新生儿坏死性小肠结肠炎发生关系的研究

Insulin Pump in Difficult to Control Type 2 Diabetes: A Single Center, Five Years' Experience.

ObjectiveDue to a progressive decline in beta-cell function, a considerable number of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) ultimately require multiple daily injections of large doses of insulin for glycemic control. Majority of studies have reported only short-term benefits of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) using an insulin pump in T2D. Our five-year follow-up data of CSII in T2D is one of the few studies showing persistent benefit in glucose control in this population.Research design and methodsWe did a chart review of patients treated with an insulin pump for five years. Inclusion criteria were: type 2 diabetes, 18–75 years of age, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) more than 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) on multiple doses of insulin (MDI > four injections per day) or more than 100 units of insulin/day, wide glycemic excursions, and intractable hypoglycemia. We identified a total of 13 patients. The primary endpoint was change in HbA1c from baseline to five years. We also reviewed the difference in weight, basal insulin requirements, hypoglycemia, and patient satisfaction questionnaire at one year. Exclusion criteria were: type 1 diabetes (T1D) and pregnancy.ResultsThe HbA1c at five years was found to be 7.72% (61 mmol/mol) compared to a baseline of 8.89% (74 mmol/mol), p-value 0.0076. We did not find any increased risk of severe hypoglycemia, weight gain, and insulin requirement.ConclusionsThe beneficial effect of insulin pump persisted for five years of follow-up, suggesting it as a valuable treatment option for difficult to treat T2D.

Safety and efficacy of single intravitreal injection of ranibizumab in macular edema secondary to recent nonischemic retinal vein occlusion

Objectives This study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a single large dose (0.7 mg) of ranibizumab for treatment of macular edema secondary to nonischemic central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) or branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Setting and design A prospective interventional case series study was conducted at Tiba Hospital for Eye Surgery (private practice) in collaboration with the Ophthalmology Department, Assiut University, Egypt, from March 2013 till March 2014. Patients and methods A total of 10 eyes of patients having macular edema caused by nonischemic CRVO or BRVO were treated by intravitreal injection of a single large dose (0.7 mg) of ranibizumab. Fluorescein angiography and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography were done for every patient before treatment, and follow-up was done with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography after injection of ranibizumab at 1, 3, and 6 months. Results There was significant resolution of macular edema after intravitreal injection of a single large dose (0.7 mg) of ranibizumab (macular thickness was 535.5±214.7 µm at baseline compared with 281.3±145 μm at 6 months on follow-up; P=0.045) There was also significant improvement in best-corrected visual acuity (0.15±0.07 at baseline compared with 0.71±0.3 at 6 months on follow-up; P=0.007). There were no ocular or systemic adverse events documented during the 6-month follow-up period. Conclusion A single intravitreal injection of large dose (0.7 mg) of ranibizumab is a new promising regimen for managing macular edema secondary to nonischemic CRVO or BRVO.

Limitation of Infarct Size and the Open Artery Hypothesis: A Conversation With Eugene Braunwald, MD.

Eugene Braunwald received an MD from the New York University School of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital and cardiology fellowships at Mount Sinai Hospital, Columbia University, and the National Heart Institute. He served as chief of cardiology and subsequently clinical director of the institute. From 1968 to 1972, he was the founding chair of medicine at the University of California, San Diego. From 1972 to 1996, he served as chair of medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In 1975, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. He is now the Distinguished Hersey Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a senior investigator of the TIMI Study Group, which he founded in 1984. Dr Braunwald replies: I became aware of the importance of AMI in 1951 during an elective in cardiology during my senior year at the New York University School of Medicine. At the time, AMI was by far the most common cause of death in adults in the United States. Of the patients who survived to be admitted to hospitals (no one knew how many AMI patients failed to reach hospital emergency departments), about one third died before discharge, either suddenly, presumably from an arrhythmia, or secondary to pump failure. Of the patients who were discharged alive, about one quarter died within a year, most frequently as a consequence of heart failure or recurrent MI. Pathologists had taught that AMI was usually associated with coronary thrombosis. Indeed, during my cardiology elective, Herrick’s classic article describing AMI was required reading. Its title, “Clinical Features of Sudden Obstruction of the Coronary Arteries,” showed how these 2 conditions (coronary occlusion and AMI) were intertwined.1 My direct involvement in the care of several patients who did not survive the acute event left …

Experience-dependent escalation of glucose drinking and the development of glucose preference over fructose - association with glucose entry into the brain.

Glucose, a primary metabolic substrate for cellular activity, must be delivered to the brain for normal neural functions. Glucose is also a unique reinforcer; in addition to its rewarding sensory properties and metabolic effects, which all natural sugars have, glucose crosses the blood-brain barrier and acts on glucoreceptors expressed on multiple brain cells. To clarify the role of this direct glucose action in the brain, we compared the neural and behavioural effects of glucose with those induced by fructose, a sweeter yet metabolically equivalent sugar. First, by using enzyme-based biosensors in freely moving rats, we confirmed that glucose rapidly increased in the nucleus accumbens in a dose-dependent manner after its intravenous delivery. In contrast, fructose induced a minimal response only after a large-dose injection. Second, we showed that naive rats during unrestricted access consumed larger volumes of glucose than fructose solution; the difference appeared with a definite latency during the initial exposure and strongly increased during subsequent tests. When rats with equal sugar experience were presented with either glucose or fructose in alternating order, the consumption of both substances was initially equal, but only the consumption of glucose increased during subsequent sessions. Finally, rats with equal glucose-fructose experience developed a strong preference for glucose over fructose during a two-bottle choice procedure; the effect appeared with a definite latency during the initial test and greatly amplified during subsequent tests. Our results suggest that direct entry of glucose in the brain and its subsequent effects on brain cells could be critical for the experience-dependent escalation of glucose consumption and the development of glucose preference over fructose.

TRATAMENTO DA DOENÇA DE POMPE - DEFICIÊNCIA DA ALFA-GLICOSIDASE ÁCIDA

Este trabalho tem como objetivos descrever a patogênese e o tratamento da doença de Pompe. Foi realizado um estudo de revisão bibliográfica mediante busca de artigos científicos publicados entre 2004 e 2014. Portadores de deficiência na enzima alfa acido glicosidase, desenvolvem a doença de Pompe, que resulta em um acumulo de glicogênio dentro do lisossomo, originando danos e disfunções orgânicas no tecido muscular, ocasionando dificuldades na respiração, locomoção, fala e audição. A terapia de reposição enzimática é a alternativa de tratamento específica para Pompe, melhorando significativamente a função cardíaca e reduzindo a mortalidade. Contudo, a necessidade de injeção de altas doses da enzima, a perda de 80% da enzima por conta do metabolismo hepático e o alto custo do tratamento dificultam o seu uso. A dose que mostrou melhores resultados foi de 20 mg/kg da enzima a cada duas semanas. Todavia, apesar do alto custo do tratamento, os benefícios de diminuição de sintomas dos pacientes são importantes, como melhora na realização de atividades da vida diária, aumento da força muscular, redução da fadiga e incrementos na função pulmonar. Existem ainda, tratamentos alternativos, mas que ainda estão em fase de estudos. Dentre os tratamentos, aquele que possui um melhor prognóstico é a reposição com a enzima humana recombinante. A terapia de reposição enzimática trouxe sobrevida a diversos pacientes devido à diminuição da hipertrofia cardíaca e melhora nos sintomas motores.

The use of 2‐chloroprocaine for spinal anaesthesia

Spinal anaesthesia is a safe and reliable anaesthetic modality for surgical procedures on the lower part of the body. However, because of the description of transient neurologic symptoms (TNS), most practitioners have abandoned intrathecal lidocaine. Chloroprocaine (2-chloroprocaine, CP) has been one candidate to replace lidocaine for short procedures, despite the fact that neurologic sequelae have been described following the intrathecal injection of large doses of preservative-containing CP intended for epidural use. The National Library of Medicine's Medline and the EMBASE databases were searched for the time period 1966 to April 2012. Fourteen studies of the use of intrathecal CP were analysed, including seven volunteer and seven clinical studies. Preservative-free CP appears to be a reliable local anaesthetic for short procedures. The duration of the surgical block can be adjusted by varying the dose between 30 and 60 mg. Two double-blind randomised controlled studies demonstrate decreased time to ambulation and discharge when CP is used for spinal anaesthesia when compared with other local anaesthetics. The addition of fentanyl appears to prolong the surgical block without significantly prolonging the time to discharge. There have been five possible cases of TNS following CP spinal anaesthesia in over 4000 patients, and a regressive incomplete cauda equina syndrome has been described. The short duration of spinal CP makes it a strong contender for outpatient anaesthesia. It appears to have a lower risk of TNS than lidocaine.

Avoiding Subarachnoid or Intravascular Injection of Local Anesthetics

Avoiding Subarachnoid or Intravascular Injection of Local Anesthetics

DNP Methods for Cardiac Metabolic Imaging with Hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate Large Dose Injection in Pigs

In this study we set up and optimized a dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) procedure for the hyperpolarization of a large dose suitable for cardiac metabolic imaging in vivo in swine models. The dose range proposed in this study allowed chemical shift imaging of cardiac metabolism with hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate in pigs. We investigated the typical pattern of distribution of [1-13C]pyruvate and its downstream metabolites: we analysed the variation of the maximum value of the normalized [1-13C]pyruvate signal and the global pyruvate signal in left ventricle (LV). The study reports data obtained with a large dose increase compared to small animal studies: 20 ml of 230 mM [1-13C]pyruvate with 16 ± 3 % polarization (mean ± SD), using a DNP system operating at ~1.4 K with a magnetic field of 3.35 T. A significant correlation between the maximum value of the normalized [1-13C]pyruvate signal and the global pyruvate signal in the LV was found. The characterization of the dynamic range of the signal and the optimization of the standardized dose could be a starting point for designing pathophysiological studies in experimental large animal models. With this approach the hyperpolarization of metabolic substrates could be applied in biomedical magnetic resonance, which could become one of the most promising models for cardiovascular imaging.

Polyacrylamide hydrogel injection for breast augmentation: another injectable failure.

SummaryBackgroundIncreasing complications of polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAAG) augmentation mammoplasty, such as chronic persistent infection, have recently caught the attention of both the medical field and the general public.Material/MethodsA total of 96 patients with severe chronic infection following PAAG augmentation mammoplasty were treated in the present study including 63 cases with infection confined to the breast and 33 with systemic infection. Endoscopy and surgery were performed to completely remove the materials and clear the infected tissues followed by drug-irrigation and vacuum-assisted closure for several days.ResultsIn patients with severe infection there were large amounts of PAAG, fibers and infiltration of numerous neutrophils and macrophages. The infection-inducing materials were extensively dispersed in the mammary and subcutaneous tissues, pectoral fascia and intermuscular space. In addition, there was scattered distribution of PAAG materials in the armpit, chest wall and abdominal wall, which were mixed with necrotic tissues and surrounded by lymphocytes, giant cells, macrophages and other inflammatory cells, forming chronic granulomatous and fibrous lesions. Infection was controlled following surgical intervention. No residual infectious foci or recurrent infections were noted among these patients. Although the severe infection did not result in mastectomy, patients had breast atrophy and various degrees of deformation.ConclusionsChronic infection following PAAG augmentation mammaplasty usually causes systemic infection and other devastating adverse reactions. This study confirms PAAG augmentation mammaplasty is another failed attempt. More attention should be paid to the injection of large doses of liquid filler.

Abstract P1-01-14: Intraoperative Injection of Technetium-99m- Dextran 500 for the Identification of Sentinel Lymph Nodes in Breast Cancer

Abstract Background: The intraoperative injection of radiocolloid before a sentinel node biopsy (SLN) in breast cancer has been recently described.The advantages of this approach would be precluding the performance of a scintigram, cost reduction and elimination of pain and anxiety related to the preoperative procedure. Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of intraoperative injection of Dextran 500-99m-Tc and to analyze whether different radiocolloid doses, breast volume and Body Mass Index (BMI) influence the migration time to the axilla. Material and Methods: This is a prospective study of 74 SLN biopsies of breast cancer patients, stages T1N0 and T2N0. After anesthesia induction, patients underwent subareolar dermal injection of 0.5 to 1.5 mCi (18 to 55 MBq) of filtered Dextran 500-99m-Tc (0.22µl) in a volume of 5 ml along with 2 ml of blue dye. Results: The probe identification rate was 98% (73/74 cases) and the medium radiocolloid dose used was 0.97 mCi ± 0.22. The radiocolloid migration time to the axila was 10 min and 43 s (± 5:43 s). An average of 1.66 lymphnodes were identified through the use of radiocolloid and 1.53 through the use of bue dye. Different radiocolloid doses did not modify migration time to SLN (p=0.73). However, larger breast volumes were associated with longer migration time to the axilla (Pearson Correlation 0.393 p< 0.01). The same correlation was observed with BMI (Pearson Correlation 0.469 p< 0.01). Discussion: The intraoperative injection of Dextran 500-99m-Tc is efficient in the identification of SLN in breast patients. Higher BMI and larger breasts determine longer migration time, however injection of larger doses of radiocolloid do not reduce transit time to the axilla. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-01-14.

Efficacy of a Multimodal Analgesia Protocol in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

A total of 100 osteoarthritis patients undergoing unilateral total knee arthroplasty were randomly assigned to receive either a multimodal analgesia protocol, comprising oral celecoxib and tramadol before and after surgery and intra-articular injection of large doses of morphine, ropivacaine, adrenaline and betamethasone during surgery (trial group), or oral and intra-articular placebo (control group). All patients received patient-controlled analgesia for 48 h after surgery. Morphine consumption up to 48 h after surgery was significantly lower in the trial than in the control group. Compared with the control group, the trial group had significantly lower visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for pain at rest from 6 h to 7 days after surgery and significantly lower VAS scores during activity from 24 h to 7 days after surgery. Active straight leg raise and active 90 degrees knee flexion were achieved sooner and range of knee movement at postoperative days 1 - 15 were significantly greater in the trial group. Postoperative wound healing, infection, blood pressure, heart rate, rash, respiratory depression, urinary retention and deep vein thrombosis were similar in the two groups, but nausea and vomiting were significantly less frequent in the trial group.

Methamphetamine Preconditioning Causes Differential Changes in Striatal Transcriptional Responses to Large Doses of the Drug

Methamphetamine (METH) is a toxic drug of abuse, which can cause significant decreases in the levels of monoamines in various brain regions. However, animals treated with progressively increasing doses of METH over several weeks are protected against the toxic effects of the drug. In the present study, we tested the possibility that this pattern of METH injections might be associated with transcriptional changes in the rat striatum, an area of the brain which is known to be very sensitive to METH toxicity and which is protected by METH preconditioning. We found that the presence and absence of preconditioning followed by injection of large doses of METH caused differential expression in different sets of striatal genes. Quantitative PCR confirmed METH-induced changes in some genes of interest. These include small heat shock 27 kD proteins 1 and 2 (HspB1 and HspB2), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and heme oxygenase-1 (Hmox-1). Our observations are consistent with previous studies which have reported that ischemic or pharmacological preconditioning can cause reprogramming of gene expression after lethal ischemic insults. These studies add to the growing literature on the effects of preconditioning on the brain transcriptome.

Cardiac metabolism with hyperpolarized [1-13c]pyruvate: a feasibility study in mini-pig with a large dose injection

ss Open Acce Technologist presentation Cardiac metabolism with hyperpolarized [1-13c]pyruvate: a feasibility study in mini-pig with a large dose injection Luca Menichetti1, Francesca Frijia2, Vincenzo Lionetti3, Maria Filomena Santarelli1, Jan Henrik Ardenkjaer Larsen4, Giulio Giovannetti1, Vincenzo Positano*2, Daniele De Marchi2, Giovanni Aquaro2, Manuela Campan3, Valentina Hartwig5, Matteo Milanesi2, Fabio A Recchia6, Luigi Landini2 and Massimo Lombardi2

Copper binding components of blood plasma and organs, and their responses to influx of large doses of (65)Cu, in the mouse.

To establish for the first time how mice might differ from rats and humans in terms of copper transport, excretion, and copper binding proteins, plasma and organ cytosols from adult female C57CL6 mice were fractionated and analyzed by directly coupled size exclusion HPLC-ICP-MS, before and after i.p. injection of large doses of (65)Cu. Plasma from untreated mice had different proportions of Cu associated with transcuprein/macroglobulin, ceruloplasmin and albumin than in humans and rats, and two previously undetected copper peaks (Mr 700 k and 15 k) were observed. Cytosols had Cu peaks seen previously in rat liver (Mr > 1,000 k, 45 k and 11 k) plus one of 110 kDa. (65)Cu (141 microg) administered over 14 h, initially loaded plasma albumin and mainly entered liver and kidney (especially 28 kDa and 11 kDa components). Components of other organs were less (but still significantly) enriched. (63)Cu/(65)Cu ratios returned almost to normal by 14 days, indicating a robust system for excreting excess copper. We conclude that there are significant differences but also strong similarities in copper metabolism between mice, rats and humans; that the liver is able to buffer enormous changes in copper status; and that a large number of mammalian copper proteins remain to be identified.

Preface: Papers selected from the symposium “Parasitoid Polydnaviruses: Genomes and Physiological Functions,” presented at the 11th International Congress on Parasitology in August 2006

AbstractAmong the many exciting areas of insect science, it would be extremely difficult to exaggerate the interest and importance of our growing knowledge on polydnaviruses (PDVs). In recent years, the available molecular and genomic‐level information has grown exponentially as a result of genome and expressed sequence tag sequencing projects. These projects already have an important impact on PDV research and provide novel insights in the evolution of genes coding for important components of PDV–insect interactions. This Special Issue of Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology presents four papers on the leading PDV research.Lee and Kim report on an approximately 15‐kDa protein found in the hemolymph of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, exclusively after the larvae were parasitized by the wasp, Cotesia plutellae. The protein is the product of two homologous genes, named CpBV15α and CpBV15β. The ORFs of both genes are similar, although there are internal differences. Southern blots indicate the genes are located on the C. plutellae bracovirus (BV) genome. These are late genes, appearing 7–8 days after parasitization. Antibodies prepared using protein purified from an expression system demonstrated that the appearance of the protein in the hemolymph of parasitized larvae corresponded in time with the expression of the late genes. Based on bioinformatic studies, this protein is probably a host translation inhibitory factor.Bezier et al. contribute an important insight into bracovirus genomics. In their analyses of Cotesia congregata bracovirus (CcBV) genes, they found that CcBV virulence gene products are not more closely related to insect proteins than they are related to human proteins. This finding prompted the questions on the apparent distances between CcBV and insect proteins. Specifically, the distance between the two groups could be related to something about BV proteins or it could be related to a broadly high divergence. Bezier et al. conclude that the high divergence of BV proteins is a character of the viral products. Their discussion adds new insights into the origins of wasp–BV associations.Doucet et al. contribute new information on prophenoloxidase (PPO), one of the major defense mechanisms insects evolved to protect themselves from parasitoids. The spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana, is parasitized by the wasp Tranosema rostrale. Parasitism by the wasp effectively inhibit melanization in 6th‐instar budworms. To learn more about the mechanism of inhibiting melanization, Doucet et al. cloned two PPO homologs (CfPPO1 and CfPPO2) from budworms. In their analysis, they discovered three mRNA variants of CfPPO1, from which they suggest there may be more than one copy of CfPPO1. Following injection of large doses of polydnavirus‐rich calyx fluid prepared from the wasp, the authors found that the fluid exerted only a minor influence on CfPPO1 and CfPPO2 transcript accumulation. Doucet et al. propose that down‐regulation at the transcriptional level is not the major mechanism of inhibiting melanization in hemolymph of parasitized budworms.One of the important barriers to progress in PDV genomics is the enormous amount of time and labor invested in culturing and dissecting several thousands of ovaries from parasitic wasps. The ovaries are needed to prepare viral DNA for genomic sequencing because the viruses do not replicate in cell culture systems. One of the few tools available to improve this lengthy process would be to optimize the preparation of viral DNA.Rodriguez‐Perez and Beckage take on this challenge with a direct study of three methods to prepare PDV genomic DNA. They used the BV of Cotesia flavipes, a parasite of the sugarcane borer, for their comparisons. Two protocols were based on phenol‐chloroform DNA extractions steps. Both of these methods were inferior to a modified Qiagen DNA kit procedure for extraction of viral DNA. The kit procedure was the most efficient of the three protocols because the kit requires far less time to complete and it is more cost effective. This work contributes a reliable, standard protocol that may be applied on a very wide scale to speed international work on PDV genomic sequencing. This should unleash new possibilities in gene discovery and enhance the deployment of PDVs in serious insect management problems in agricultural and medical settings.We bring these reports together to illuminate progress in the broad field of insect PDVs. The future holds real promise for great advances in a research area that easily embraces a broad spectrum of insect science, ranging from fundamental areas of biology to real‐world applications of advancing science.