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In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the Fungal Priority Pathogens List (FPPL), yet its application has remained largely focused on human medicine, with limited consideration of animal hosts and veterinary diagnostics. This retrospective study aimed to characterise the occurrence of WHO critical- and high-priority yeasts in veterinary clinical submissions in Portugal within an explicit One Health framework. All yeast-positive submissions received by a Portuguese veterinary diagnostic laboratory between 2019 and 2026 were reviewed. Isolates were identified phenotypically, by an automated identification system and by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Data on host species, sample type and year of submission were analysed using standard descriptive and inferential statistics. Among 2033 mycological submissions, 219 were yeast-positive. Out of these, 82 isolates (37.4%) corresponded to WHO critical- or high-priority taxa, most frequently Candida albicans, followed by Nakaseomyces glabratus, Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans, the Candida parapsilosis complex and Candida tropicalis. The remaining 137 isolates (62.6%) corresponded to non-WHO taxa, among which the most frequent were Papiliotrema laurentii and Debaryomyces hansenii (n = 21 each; 15.3%), followed by the Stephanoascus ciferrii complex (n = 15; 11.0%), Meyerozyma guilliermondii and Candida sake (n = 12 each; 8.8%), and Wickerhamomyces anomalus (n = 9; 6.6%). WHO-prioritised taxa were recovered predominantly from ornamental birds, as well as from dogs, cats and marine mammals. These findings demonstrate that FPPL-listed yeasts are regularly detected among yeast-positive veterinary diagnostic submissions and highlight ornamental birds as prominent hosts within this dataset.
Esherishia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella species (spp.) pose serious public health threats because of their ability to contaminate poultry products and spread through farm environments. This study assessed the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and virulence gene profiles of E. coli and Salmonella spp. A cross-sectional study was conducted, involving the random collection of 400 samples from broilers, drinker's water, feedstuff, broiler litter, and poultry workers in broiler farms. Furthermore, a structural questionnaire was administered to poultry workers to identify potential risk factors and assess the public health implications associated with pathogen transmission. The antimicrobial and anti-virulence activities of melanin against E. coli and Salmonella enteritidis (S. enteritidis) were also assessed. E. coli and Salmonella spp. were frequently isolated from broiler farms, with a predominance of. E. coli serotype O111:H2 (25.64%) and S. enteritidis strains (30.4%) among the total examined samples. Multivariate analysis revealed that poultry workers, who had symptoms worsened after starting farm work and those did not use of personal protective equipment (PPE) were strongly associated with E. coli positivity. E. coli isolates exhibited full resistance to ampicillin (AMP) and tetracycline (TET), whereas Salmonella spp. isolates showed full resistance to AMP. Most of the examined E. coli isolates (71.8%) and the Salmonella spp. isolates (60.9%) were multidrug resistant (MDR) strains. In addition, 28.2% of E. coli isolates and 30.4% of Salmonella spp. isolates were -XDR. The stx1, stx2, and hylA virulence genes were respectively detected in 69.2%, 69.2%, and 74.4% of the examined E. coli isolates, whereas the sopB and hilA virulence genes were identified in all Salmonella spp. isolates. One-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that natural melanin treatment significantly reduced the expression of virulence genes in both E. coli and S. enteritidis isolates. The predominance of E. coli serotypes O111 and S. enteritidis highlights the need for improved hygiene practices and zoonotic diseases awareness to limit pathogen transmission in poultry farms. The detection of MDR and XDR strains e emphasizes the consequences of antimicrobial misuse and its implications for public health. Melanin has potential antimicrobial and anti-virulence activities against E. coli and S. enteritidis.
Cancer development arises from dynamic interactions between inherited susceptibility and modifiable environmental exposures, among which diet plays a central role. Carotenoids, lipophilic plant-derived pigments including lycopene, α-carotene, and β-carotene, and retinoids, the vitamin A derivatives that regulate gene transcription via retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs), have been extensively investigated for their chemopreventive and therapeutic potential. This review aims to provide an integrated, mechanism-based synthesis of the roles of lycopene, α- and β-carotene, and retinoids in cancer chemoprevention and to clarify the conditions under which they are most likely to be effective. Beyond summarizing established antioxidant and nuclear-receptor mechanisms, we highlight as a novel emphasis the epigenetic actions of these compounds, including effects on DNA methylation, histone modification, and microRNA regulation, and we integrate these with the well-recognized divergence between dietary and high-dose supplement outcomes. Experimental evidence demonstrates that carotenoids modulate oxidative stress, inflammation, proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and metastasis through pathways such as Nrf2/ARE, NF-κB, STAT3, Akt/mTOR, MAPK, and Wnt/β-catenin. Lycopene, in particular, exhibits strong antioxidant capacity and multi-target signaling effects, while provitamin A carotenoids additionally influence retinoid-mediated transcriptional programs. Retinoids exert broader differentiation-inducing and antiproliferative effects through direct nuclear receptor signaling and represent one of the few successful differentiation therapies in oncology, most notably in acute promyelocytic leukemia. Epidemiologic studies generally associate higher dietary carotenoid intake with reduced risk of several malignancies, including prostate, breast, lung, colorectal, and gastric cancers. However, randomized trials of isolated high-dose supplementation, particularly β-carotene in smokers, have demonstrated null or harmful effects, highlighting a critical divergence between whole-food dietary patterns and pharmacologic supplementation. In conclusion, carotenoids and retinoids possess biologically plausible anticancer properties, yet their clinical utility remains context dependent. Future research should prioritize biomarker-guided, precision-based strategies, standardized formulations, and whole-food dietary approaches to clarify their role in cancer prevention and treatment.
Animal husbandry is widely practiced on the household scale in communities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and, while having economic and health benefits, exposes household members to risk of zoonotic infections to an extent that is unclear. While demand for georeferenced information on infectious disease risk factors and drivers is growing, spatial variation in livestock ownership remains poorly characterized at high resolution. This study aimed to use geostatistical methods to model and map the prevalence of livestock husbandry in LMICs for three major animal taxa: poultry, swine, and ruminants. Microdata relating to ownership of livestock animal species were sourced from various population-based survey programs which together cover the majority of LMICs and categorized. These were georeferenced and spatially matched with a panel of time-fixed environmental and demographic spatial covariates, INLA models were fitted to the resulting database, and probabilities for ownership of each livestock taxon predicted based on the model parameter estimates. The results indicated widespread poultry ownership across rural Central America, the Amazon basin, tropical Africa and river basins and forests of East Asia. Swine husbandry is the least widely practiced among the three livestock taxa and concentrated in an undulating belt of higher prevalence extending from central China, through southeast Asia to Northeastern India, though such predictions in data-sparse regions (particularly Muslim-majority areas) represent regional covariate patterns rather than fine-scale measurements. To address non-stationarity in swine spatial structure, region-specific spatial kernels were implemented. Rearing of ruminant livestock appears widespread across subequatorial Africa, Central Asia, the Gobi Desert, the Himalayas, Mongolia and northern India. The models perform impressively by most standard evaluation metrics, and the patterns in their predictions align with external evidence. The distribution of this important risk factor for infectious disease transmission can be modeled using publicly available data sources to generate plausible and potentially actionable predictions over wide geographic areas and identify regions of high exposure to animal disease reservoirs. The resulting predicted prevalence estimates are made available as supplementary files in GIS-compatible format.
Food insecurity remains a major public health challenge in many low- and middle-income countries, where environmental and socioeconomic conditions influence household access to adequate, safe, and nutritious food. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between environmental and socioeconomic factors and household food security in Riobamba, Ecuador. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 382 households using the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA), complemented by structured and Likert-scale questions addressing agricultural production practices, food handling, waste management, and food choice and dietary diversity. Household food security status was classified according to the standard ELCSA scoring procedure and subsequently grouped into categories representing adequate or inadequate household food access and consumption. Binary Logit and Probit models were estimated to identify factors associated with household food security. The Probit model showed slightly better predictive performance (classification accuracy = 73.56%; Pseudo R2 = 0.2729; LR χ2 = 143.94; p < 0.01). Household income was the strongest predictor of food security status (Logit coefficient = 1.1977; p < 0.01). Among the environmental variables, agricultural production practices (β = 0.8649; p < 0.01), food handling practices (β = 0.3714; p < 0.05), and food choice and dietary diversity (β = 0.6479; p < 0.01) were positively associated with adequate household food access and consumption, whereas waste management practices were not significantly associated. Household size and gender were also significantly associated with food security outcomes. These findings indicate that household food security in urban Ecuadorian settings is associated with both environmental and socioeconomic conditions. Policies promoting sustainable agricultural practices, safe food handling, dietary diversity, and socioeconomic well-being may contribute to strengthening household food security and nutrition.
Imaging phantoms simulate the ultrasonographic appearance of tissue and enable procedural skill training without animal use. Evidence for effective phantom-based training tools to teach ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (UG-FNA) in veterinary education is limited. This study developed and assessed an inexpensive tofu-based phantom simulating canine hepatic parenchyma with fluid-filled lesions that could be aspirated and compared three training methods for teaching UG-FNA to undergraduate veterinary students. Twelve veterinary professionals reviewed the phantom, and a six-item confidence questionnaire was developed and piloted alongside three training packages (face-to-face, video demonstration, written instructions). Thirty students were randomly allocated (n = 10 per group). Confidence was assessed pre- and post-training using generalised estimating equations with Bonferroni correction (corrected α = 0.0083). Competence was measured by volume of fluid aspirated and time to first successful aspiration, compared using Kruskal-Wallis analysis. Post-hoc power analysis demonstrated large effect sizes for competence outcomes (ε2 = 0.200) and the primary confidence outcome (Cohen's f = 0.431). Professional review confirmed the phantom was realistic and suitable for teaching. Confidence improved significantly following all three methods (P < 0.001 for all items, surviving Bonferroni correction). Face-to-face training produced the greatest gains in confidence and competence; video demonstration achieved equivalent competence outcomes. Written instructions alone were insufficient. This is the first comparative evaluation of veterinary training methods for a UG-FNA phantom, demonstrating that this low-cost (£3.36 per unit) tofu-based model, paired with face-to-face or video instruction, effectively teaches UG-FNA, although findings should be interpreted as preliminary given the proof-of-concept design and small sample size. Effect size estimates are provided to inform future confirmatory studies.
Inflammatory osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease characterized by chronic inflammation-induced disruption of bone homeostasis, and its alleviation requires intervention strategies capable of effectively modulating the inflammation-associated bone microenvironment. This study employed genetic engineering techniques to construct recombinant Saccharomyces boulardii strains capable of secreting Hypophthalmichthys molitrix cystatin C (HmCys C), and preliminarily evaluated the efficacy of different dosages of strains in modulating inflammatory osteoporosis. Four recombinant plasmids, designated pSF-TEF1-αMF-HmCys C, pSF-TEF1-STA1-HmCys C, pSF-TDH3-SED1-HmCys C, and pSF-TDH3-CL-HmCys C, incorporating distinct promoter-signal peptide combinations, were designed. Following electroporation, four corresponding recombinant yeast strains (MC, TC, EC, and LC) were successfully constructed, as confirmed by PCR identification and sequencing analysis. Tricine-SDS-PAGE and Western blotting results demonstrated that strains MC and EC successfully secreted HmCys C with an apparent molecular weight of 12.44 kDa. The corresponding inhibitory activities were (56.07±3.82)% and (35.85±1.15)%, respectively. Relative quantification results indicated that the expressed HmCys C accounted for (24.31±0.40)% and (15.15±0.94)% of the total protein in strains MC and EC, respectively. Characterization of the in vitro characteristics of strains MC and EC revealed morphological alterations-including cell collapse, surface roughness, and irregular contours-compared with the wild-type strain. However, the growth profiles showed minimal changes (P>0.05). The cell surface hydrophobicity of strain MC increased to (21.54±4.18)% (P<0.05), whereas the auto-aggregation of strain EC decreased to (49.72±2.91)% (P<0.05). Under various stress conditions (pH 1.0‒7.0, bile salt concentration of 0.1%‒2.0%, and 37‒60 ℃), both MC and EC strains exhibited excellent tolerance to acidic pH [survival rate≥(88.18±3.80)%] and bile salts [survival rate≥(86.95±0.39)%]. In contrast, their thermotolerance was comparatively lower, and strains MC and EC showed the survival rates of (37.50±1.91)% and (37.16±0.22)%, respectively, after exposure to 60 ℃. After sequential exposure to simulated salivary, gastric, and intestinal fluids, the survival rates of all the strains declined progressively but remained above (78.71±4.33)%, indicating robust tolerance to gastrointestinal stresses. Hemolysis assays confirmed that neither the recombinant strains secreting HmCys C nor the wild-type strain induced hemolytic activity. Finally, a murine model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory osteoporosis was established. Oral gavage with strain MC at the medium dosage resulted in an increase in bone mineral density (P<0.05). In conclusion, this study successfully constructed S. boulardii strains secreting HmCys C and revealed their in vitro characteristics. The medium-dosage group demonstrated potential regulatory effects on inflammatory osteoporosis. These findings provide a foundation for further probing into the underlying mechanisms and efficacy, contributing experimental data towards developing probiotic-based intervention strategies for the prevention of osteoporosis. 炎症性骨质疏松是一种由慢性炎症导致骨稳态失衡的代谢性骨病，为开发能有效调节炎症相关骨微环境的干预策略，缓解疾病症状，本研究采用基因工程手段构建分泌鲢鱼cystatin C (HmCys C)的重组布拉迪酵母，并初步评估不同剂量酵母在炎症性骨质疏松调节中的效果。设计了含4种启动子-信号肽组合的重组质粒，即pSF-TEF1-αMF-HmCys C、pSF-TEF1-STA1-HmCys C、pSF-TDH3-SED1-HmCys C、pSF-TDH3-CL-HmCys C，经电转化、PCR鉴定、测序分析确定成功构建4株对应重组酵母菌株MC、TC、EC、LC。Tricine-SDS-PAGE及Western blotting分析表明，菌株MC、EC可分泌HmCys C蛋白，表观分子量为12.44 kDa，对应抑制活性分别为(56.07±3.82)%、(35.85±1.15)%;相对定量结果表明，MC、EC菌株表达的HmCys C蛋白占比分别为(24.31±0.40)%、(15.15±0.94)%。菌株MC、EC的体外特性分析结果显示，相较野生型，重组菌株呈现细胞塌陷、表面粗糙和轮廓不规则的形态学变化，但生长性能变化较小(P>0.05);菌株MC的细胞疏水性显著提升至[(21.54±4.18)%, P<0.05]，而EC的自聚性降至[(49.72±2.91)%, P<0.05]。在不同条件下(pH 1.0‒7.0、胆盐浓度0.1%‒2.0%、温度37‒60 ℃)，菌株MC、EC均表现出优异的pH [存活率≥(88.18±3.80)%]及胆盐[存活率≥(86.95±0.39)%]耐受性;而对高温的耐受性较低，在60 ℃时菌株MC、EC的存活率分别为(37.50±1.91)%、(37.16±0.22)%。经模拟唾液、胃液、肠液连续消化，各菌株存活率呈现下降趋势，但均保持在(78.71±4.33)%以上，具有较强胃肠道压力耐受能力。溶血实验证实分泌HmCys C蛋白的重组菌株及野生型酵母均无溶血效应。最后，构建脂多糖诱导的炎症性骨质疏松小鼠模型，经3种剂量的MC菌株灌胃后，中剂量组骨密度显著提升(P<0.05)。本研究成功构建了分泌HmCys C的布拉迪酵母并明确了其体外特性，中剂量组菌株在炎症性骨质疏松中表现出调控潜力，实验结果为后续深入探究调控效果及机制奠定基础，为建立预防骨质疏松的益生菌干预策略提供了实验依据。.
Quantitative evaluation of implant-related heating in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is well standardized in human medicine, whereas evidence in veterinary medicine remains scarce. To address this gap, we measured radiofrequency (RF)-induced heating of four used veterinary implants under controlled conditions on clinical 3.0 and 1.5 T MRI, using an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F2182-19e2-informed gel phantom manufactured to approximate a 10 kg dog. The test set comprised an identification microchip, a titanium alloy tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) plate, a stainless-steel TPLO plate, and an ameroid constrictor. Temperature-time data were acquired with fiber-optic probes, and temperature change was calculated relative to baseline for each replicate run. Maximum temperature rise and heating rate were derived at the run level, with heating rate estimated from the slope of the linear regression of ΔT over time. At 3.0 T, the mean maximum ΔT was 0.300°C for the titanium alloy TPLO plate, 0.300°C for the stainless-steel TPLO plate, 0.467°C for the ameroid constrictor, and 0.500°C for the microchip. At 1.5 T, the corresponding values were 0.067°C, 0.067°C, 0.100°C, and 0.200°C. All individual run-level maximum ΔT values remained ≤0.8°C. Heating rates were small in absolute magnitude, with the microchip ranking highest across field strengths. These findings indicate that, when appropriate imaging parameters are used, MRI-induced heating for the implants examined is unlikely to pose a clinical risk. Future work should broaden device coverage, evaluate off-center placements, vary B1 conditions, test higher load sequences, and extend assessment to other safety endpoints to refine veterinary-specific MRI safety guidance.
Human norovirus (HuNoV) is the leading cause of foodborne viral gastroenteritis worldwide, yet its persistence in foods is still commonly interpreted through a simplified framework of contamination and residual survival. Accumulating evidence indicates that HuNoV persistence in food systems may be shaped by dynamic, genotype-dependent interactions with multiple classes of candidate ligands and retention mechanisms associated with hosts, food matrices, and microbiota. This review synthesizes current advances in the molecular basis and ecological consequences of these interactions, with emphasis on canonical and non-canonical glycans, HBGA-like substances, proteinaceous ligands, and bacterial surface or matrix-associated components. Structural, biophysical, and food-model studies collectively suggest that such factors may modulate capsid engagement, tissue retention, bioaccumulation, environmental stability, and, in some experimental systems, infectivity-related outcomes in representative matrices including leafy vegetables, bivalve mollusks, and bacteria-rich food environments. This multi-ligand perspective helps explain the matrix-dependent limitations of conventional washing, depuration, disinfection, and nucleic acid-based detection, as well as the frequent disconnect between measured viral signals and actual transmission risk. By linking molecular recognition to real food scenarios, this review highlights a shift from single-receptor and single-treatment perspectives toward mechanism-informed detection, risk assessment, and intervention strategies. A more integrated understanding of virus-ligand-matrix-microbiota interactions will be essential for improving the prediction and control of HuNoV foodborne transmission.
The aim of this review is to provide a narrative analysis of the role of Lactobacillus acidophilus as an active modulating factor in the prevention and treatment of cancer and allergic diseases. The paper discusses the molecular, metabolic, and bionanotechnological mechanisms of Lactobacillus acidophilus's anticancer and immunomodulatory effects, which define this probiotic as an essential component of modern natural and functional medicine. A narrative review of the scientific literature was conducted, mainly from 2019-2026, focusing on the results of in vitro studies and studies on preclinical in vivo models, which analyzed the effect of live L. acidophilus strains, tyndallized bacteria (paraprobiotics) and cell-free supernatant from L. acidophilus cultures on, among others, immune system signaling pathways, tissue cytokine profile, and the integrity of the gastrointestinal epithelial cell barrier (enterocytes). Results indicate that L. acidophilus exerts significant antiallergic, antiproliferative, and proapoptotic effects against many types of cancer. Among other aspects, the ability of L. acidophilus to stimulate the production of anticancer exopolysaccharides and short-chain fatty acids, which directly influence the functioning of immune cells, is covered. The article thoroughly explains the immunomodulatory effects of L. acidophilus and the ability of this probiotic to regulate cytokine profiles, which helps promote an anti-inflammatory environment crucial for maintaining intestinal homeostasis. The article also discusses the direct interaction of L. acidophilus with immune cells, such as dendritic cells and macrophages, which leads to their activation and subsequent influence on the differentiation of T lymphocytes, which play a key role in the regulation of immune processes and in the development of immune tolerance. L. acidophilus is a universal mediator of immunological and metabolic homeostasis. Its ability to synergize with conventional therapies (chemotherapy, oncolytic virotherapy) and its innovative applications in the creation of postbiotics and paraprobiotics may provide a new approach to the treatment of inflammatory, allergic, and neoplastic diseases. Further clinical studies are necessary to assess the efficacy, safety, and optimal dose of this probiotic, which are essential for the widespread use of L. acidophilus in human therapy.
Smallholder dairy farmers in Tanzania face multiple challenges, particularly livestock diseases, which drive the imprudent use of veterinary medicines most notably antimicrobials thereby contributing to antimicrobial resistance. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Bagamoyo District to examine smallholder dairy cattle production systems, health challenges, veterinary drug use and the presence of oxytetracycline (OTC) residues in raw cow milk. Structured questionnaires were administered to 110 farmers, and 50 mL of raw cow milk was collected from each for antimicrobial residue analysis. Screening for antimicrobial residues was performed using the microbial inhibition test, while identification and quantification of OTC residues were conducted using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Data were summarised using descriptive statistics and analysed with Epi-Info version 7.2.6.0. Semi-intensive feeding systems were most common (59.1%), and most farmers (91.8%) reported disease control through good animal management and hygiene (65.5%), pesticide use (63.4%), medicines (61.8%) and vaccination (56.4%). Vector-borne diseases were prevalent, with East Coast Fever (67.3%), anaplasmosis (33.6%), and trypanosomiasis (21%) being the most frequently reported. Antimicrobials, particularly OTC, were widely used for treatment (63.6%) and were readily available from veterinary shops. Encouragingly, most farmers (96.4%) reported compliance with drug withdrawal periods, citing awareness of the health risks associated with consuming milk containing antimicrobial residues. The prevalence of antimicrobial residues in milk was 10%, with mean OTC concentrations of 785.6 ± 699.1 µg/L approximately eight times higher than the Codex Alimentarius Commission's maximum residue limit (MRL) of 100 µg/L. Such elevated levels pose a significant public health risk to consumers and compromise milk quality. Strengthening farmer education on good livestock husbandry, effective disease control and strict adherence to drug withdrawal periods is recommended to safeguard public health and improve milk safety standards.
Previously, we speculated that rabbits could produce more diverse and higher-affinity antibodies for small molecules due to their specific, unique antibody structure and antibody evolution mechanism. Here, using a single antibody-secreting cell (ASC) precise localization and sorting strategy, we discovered five rabbit monoclonal antibodies (RmAbs) with distinct recognition profiles to florfenicol (FF) and FF amine (FFA). Among them, RmAb-A4# exhibited superior performance, featuring high-affinity dual recognition of FF and FFA, with IC50 values of 0.07 ng/mL and 0.16 ng/mL in ELISA, demonstrating approximately 40-fold and 20-fold greater affinity compared to the best mouse monoclonal antibody (MmAb) 4F8 we previously reported, surpassing the reported antibodies derived from the mouse by 2-463-fold. As revealed by molecular docking and dynamic simulations, this enhancement is attributed to a more open binding pocket of RmAb-A4# and more hydrogen bonding interactions with FF and FFA. More importantly, RmAb-A4# displayed remarkable halotolerance (18-5000 mM NaCl) and enhanced pH stability (pH 4-9) in comparison to MmAb-4F8. Based on RmAb-A4#, a lateral flow immunoassay enabling rapid detection of FF and FFA was developed without pretreatment for milk and with a 3-fold dilution for eggs. The semiquantitative limit of detection reached 0.22 μg/L (FF) and 0.17 μg/L (FFA) in milk and 0.74 μg/kg (FF) and 0.78 μg/kg (FFA) in eggs. This work adopted a practical single ASC sorting strategy, discovered RmAb to small molecule, and validated its applicability for on-site sensitive immunoassay detection.
To evaluate the effects of prenatal ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and probiotics-alone or combined-on colostrum quality and lamb survival in ewes. Forty Middle Anatolian Merino ewes were randomized to control, UDCA (5 mg/kg/day), PRO (probiotic 0.2 mL/kg; 6.2 × 107 colony-forming unit (CFU)/mL ≈ 1.24 × 107 CFU/kg) or UDCA + PRO for the last month of gestation. Maternal blood/colostrum was sampled pre- and postpartum; lamb serum was sampled at 24 h to assess immunoglobulin G (IgG), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS) and colostrum composition (IgG, fat, protein and lactose). Growth and survival were monitored to weaning. Maternal treatments significantly affected colostral IgG (p = 0.017; highest in UDCA + PRO). In lambs, IgG (p = 0.037), total protein (TP) (p = 0.021) and albumin (p = 0.011) differed by group, favouring UDCA + PRO. Survival improved with treatment (p = 0.0014). Across groups, time effects were observed for triglycerides (p < 0.001), cholesterol (p = 0.002), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (p < 0.001) and bilirubin (p = 0.004). Treatment-specific changes included PRO increasing colostrum fat (p = 0.010) and lactose (p = 0.050) and lowering maternal GGT (p = 0.021) while elevating TOS (p = 0.032) and TAC (p = 0.039); UDCA + PRO increased postpartum TOS (p = 0.034) and TAC (p = 0.005); UDCA altered glucose and triglycerides (both p = 0.015). In hierarchical regression, maternal IgG and colostrum IgG positively predicted neonatal IgG (p = 0.005). A higher order interaction suggested attenuation of transfer efficiency when maternal IgG, maternal TP and colostrum IgG were simultaneously high (p = 0.088). Combined UDCA + PRO most consistently enhanced passive immunity indicators and survival.
Understanding how sentiment toward COVID-19 mitigation measures evolves on social networks can help to inform infectious disease models and policymakers. Even though numerous studies have described social media interactions during the pandemic, few have modeled the underlying dynamics of sentiment contagion and polarization. This study aimed to investigate topic emergence and sentiment evolution in COVID-19 mitigation discussions on r/Belgium, focusing on (1) whether discussion topics exhibited social contagion, (2) whether expressed sentiment displayed homophily, and (3) how this homophily formation can be captured by a mechanistic model. We classified posts created on r/Belgium between January 1, 2020, and June 30, 2022, into lockdowns, masks, and vaccination, using a pretrained bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) topic model, and assigned English posts a sentiment, using a robustly optimized BERT pretraining approach (RoBERTa)-based sentiment classifier. We then examined temporal patterns of post volume and tested for social contagion in topic initiation. Sentiment homophily was quantified by comparing observed comment-parent sentiment pairs to null distributions. The novel smooth latent-expressed bounded confidence (SLEBC) model dynamically captured sentiment evolution, distinguishing between latent sentiment trajectories and noisy expressed sentiment. We tested the model against 2 alternatives, one with a linear update and one without the latent state, using the Watanabe-Akaike information criterion. Analysis of 655,642 posts made by 28,559 users revealed that post volume was associated with external events such as policy announcements and media reports. There was no evidence of within-Reddit social contagion in topic initiation. However, sentiment exhibited significant homophily, with comment sentiment correlating with parent comment sentiment. The SLEBC model reproduced observed sentiment patterns (Watanabe-Akaike information criterion: -28.5 to -18.4 across topics), outperforming both alternatives (-21.1 to -17.4 for the linear model and 6.8 to 692 for the one without the latent state). It slightly underestimated sentiment homophily but still outperformed the alternatives in this regard. In the SLEBC model, expressed sentiment adapts more strongly to the immediate parent comment than the user's latent state updates based on their interaction history (proportions of users showing this pattern: 0.74, 0.70, and 0.51 for lockdowns, masks, and vaccination). Discussion topics on r/Belgium are not associated with social contagion within the platform, but sentiment dynamics are shaped by within-thread interactions. The SLEBC model suggests that users adapt their expressed sentiment to match the post they reply to, highlighting that expressed sentiment may poorly reflect underlying latent sentiment. Infodemic models for Reddit-like platforms could benefit from incorporating external information sources for topic seeding and from using bounded confidence rather than linear contagion mechanisms for sentiment spread.
Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) is a leading global cause of foodborne illnesses. The emergence of multidrug-resistant strains has exacerbated clinical treatment challenges and public health threats. The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is central to bacterial carbon metabolism, with key enzyme-encoding genes linked to environmental adaptation and pathogenicity. However, the biological role of ΔgltA, which encodes citrate synthase, the rate-limiting enzyme initiating the TCA cycle, in S. Enteritidis, and its potential as an attenuated vaccine target remain poorly understood. We constructed a gltA deletion mutant (ΔgltA) and its complemented strain (ΔgltA+gltA) from S. Enteritidis C50336of using λ-Red homologous recombination. We systematically characterized the effects of ΔgltA deletion on bacterial growth, antimicrobial susceptibility, and stress tolerance. Transcriptomics and qRT-PCR were employed to investigate virulence regulation mechanisms, while mouse models were used to evaluate attenuation and immunoprotective efficacy. ΔgltA deletion did not alter growth in nutrient-rich LB or nutrient-poor M9 media, but significantly impaired motility and biofilm formation by inhibiting curli fimbriae and cellulose synthesis, and increased susceptibility to 15 antimicrobial agents. The ΔgltA mutant also showed reduced tolerance to acidic, alkaline, oxidative, thermal, and osmotic stresses. Notably, intraperitoneal infection revealed >106-fold attenuation in Kunming mice (wild-type LD50 = 3.16 × 10³ CFU; no mortality at 1 × 109 CFU ΔgltA), with decreased organ bacterial loads and global downregulation of 24 key virulence genes. A single oral immunization with ΔgltA elicited robust humoral and cellular immunity, conferring promising protection against lethal wild-type challenge. Deletion of ΔgltA is associated with altered metabolic homeostasis, impaired environmental adaptability and attenuated pathogenicity in S. Enteritidis. The ΔgltA mutant conferred effective protective immunity in the mouse model used here, serving as a promising candidate strain and molecular target for further development of live attenuated S. Enteritidis vaccines.
Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a commonly used modality for image guided radiotherapy (IGRT). It offers real time anatomical visualization with low acquisition cost and dose. Nevertheless, photon scattering and beam hindrance lead CBCT images to suffer from several artifacts. These involve inaccurate Hounsfield Unit (HU) values, which render a lower reliability towards the dose calculations and adaptive planning. Computed tomography (CT), on the contrary, offers better image quality and accurate HU calibration, yet is typically acquired using offline mode and fails to capture the intra-treatment anatomical changes. This renders a need for developing an accurate CBCT to CT synthesis to mitigate the gap in imaging quality in the adaptive radiotherapy workflow. To cater to this, we propose a novel diffusion based conditional generative model, coined EqDiff-CT, to synthesize high quality CT images from CBCT. EqDiff-CT employs a denoising diffusion probabilistic model (DDPM) to iteratively inject noise and learn latent representations that enable reconstruction of anatomically consistent CT images. A group equivariant conditional U-Net backbone, implemented with e2cnn steerable layers, enforces rotational equivariance (cyclic C4 symmetry), helping preserve fine structural details while minimizing noise and artifacts. The system was trained and validated on the SynthRAD2025 dataset, comprising CBCT and CT scans across multiple head and neck anatomical sites, and we compared it with advanced methods such as CycleGAN and DDPM. EqDiff-CT provided substantial gains in structural fidelity, HU accuracy and quantitative metrics. Visual findings further confirm the improved recovery, sharper soft tissue boundaries, and realistic bone reconstructions. The findings suggest that the diffusion model has offered a robust and generalizable framework for CBCT improvements. The proposed solution helps in improving the image quality as well as the clinical confidence in the CBCT guided treatment planning and dose calculations.
Although chemotherapy is still a widely used primary treatment modality for many cancers, it is an accepted fact that it causes many undesirable side effects and toxicity. Until a new, side-effect-free treatment modality is developed, new resources will continue to be sought to prevent and reduce the adverse effects of chemotherapy. In this study, we investigated the potential of apigenin, selenium, and their combination to prevent cardiovascular toxicity induced by 5-fluorouracil (5FU), an important chemotherapeutic agent. The study consisted of control (C), 5FU, apigenin + 5FU (Api + 5FU), selenium + 5FU (Se + 5FU), and apigenin + selenium + 5FU (Api + Se + 5FU) groups. Api (50 mg/kg) and Se (0.5 mg/kg) were administered orally to rats for 7 days. On Day 5, 5FU was administered i.p. at a dose of 150 mg/kg. Administration of 5FU significantly reduced GSH levels and CAT and TrxR activities in both cardiac and thoracic aortic tissues. It also decreased Bcl-2 expression and increased Bax and Caspase-3 expression in cardiac tissue, while reducing Bcl-2 and increasing Bax expression in the thoracic aorta. Thoracic aortic MDA levels were also significantly elevated. On the contrary, oxidative stress and apoptosis were significantly decreased, and cardiovascular damage was attenuated in apigenin and selenium treated groups. In this study, it was determined that 5FU caused a higher level of toxicity to the heart compared to the thoracic aorta. In addition, both apigenin and selenium were shown to have significant protective effects on the cardiovascular system against 5FU toxicity. However, the cardiovascular protection against 5FU toxicity was found to be higher when apigenin and selenium were used together.
Babesiosis, a globally significant tick-borne disease, poses substantial threats to livestock production and public health. Reported cases of human babesiosis in the United States increased from 1742 in 2014 to 3586 in 2023. In livestock, cattle babesiosis causes mortality, reduced meat and milk production, reproductive losses, and substantial control costs, with annual economic losses estimated at hundreds of millions of US dollars in several endemic countries. Rapid and sensitive detection methods are essential for early warning, surveillance, and control of this disease. In this study, we developed a closed-tube, one-pot assay for genus-level detection of Babesia spp. associated with cattle and sheep, based on recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) coupled with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas12a. This format effectively minimizes cross-contamination risks associated with repeated tube opening in conventional assays. A three-channel signal readout system, including blue-light fluorescence visualization, ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence visualization, and lateral flow strip (LFS) readout, was integrated to enable flexible endpoint detection under different laboratory and field conditions. The assay targets a conserved region of the Babesia 18S rRNA gene and enables genus-level detection of Babesia spp. within 40 min at 37°C. The established RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a platform exhibited high analytical sensitivity, with a limit of detection of 5 copies/μL for recombinant plasmid templates, high analytical specificity against the tested nontarget pathogens, and low equipment dependency. The detection limit of the LFS format reached 50 copies/μL. Field validation using 71 pooled tick samples and 53 clinical blood samples collected from cattle and sheep yielded positive rates of 15.49% and 9.43%, respectively, with 100% concordance between this assay and conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for both specimen types. In conclusion, this one-pot RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a detection platform provides a rapid, sensitive, and field-applicable molecular screening tool for genus-level detection of Babesia spp. This assay may support early warning and preliminary field monitoring of babesiosis, particularly in resource-limited settings. However, species-level confirmation should be performed by sequencing or other species-specific methods when epidemiological tracing or precise species identification is required.
Ascaridia galli infection compromises the health and productivity of chickens. this study aimed to determine the prevalence, pathology, and control of A. galli in backyard chickens. Four hundred and fifty-six faecal samples were tested using direct smear and concentration techniques. sixty chickens were grouped based on egg per gram into untreated control, mebendazole-treated, and derivative-treated. Key epidemiologic host based and environmental variables were recorded and analysed statistically (p < 0.05 significance level). Histopathological changes in the intestine were also assessed. Overall prevalence of A. galli was 72% (330/456). Infection was high in females (74%, 200/267) than in males (68%, 130/189). Adult chickens had a higher infection rate than young (64% vs 55%; p < 0.05). Weak chickens showed a markedly higher prevalence (96%, 150/156) than healthy chickens (60%, 180/300) (p < 0.05). Geographically, prevalence was highest in Swat (85.53%), followed by Lower Dir (72.3%) and Malakand (59.21%), with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). Management system influenced infection: free range chickens had (63%) compared to semi-free range (37%), scavenging chickens were more infected (75%) compared to receiving supplemental feed (53%) (p < 0.05). The non-dewormed chickens had a significantly higher prevalence (92%) than the dewormed group (20%) (p < 0.05). Seasonal infection peaked during the rainy season (86%) compared to the dry season (44%) (p < 0.05). Intestinal histology revealed inflammation, epithelial necrosis, villous atrophy, and crypt hyperplasia. Treatment of the chickens nematodes using mebendazole resulted in 70% (14/20) of the treated eggs being egg-negative, and the comparison of treatment of the egg-negative derivative compound resulted in 80% (16/20) of the treated eggs being egg-negative. The A. galli infection are very common, and cause intestine damage. The mebendazole and its derivative decrease egg shedding significantly, Husbandry, management and treatment should be enhanced for effective control strategies.
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) represents one of the most severe transboundary animal diseases globally. Although considered endemic in Ghana, recent data on circulating serotypes are limited. This study investigated and characterized FMD outbreaks occurring between July and December 2024, assessed the occurrence of the infection in seemingly healthy cattle imports, and explored alternative methods to enhance early diagnosis in livestock; using probang Sera, epithelial tissue and oral mucosal swabs were obtained from cattle exhibiting signs suggestive of FMD from farms, livestock markets and a slaughter facility. This was followed by a cross-sectional survey at two major points of entry (POE) to Ghana to obtain oropharyngeal samples using probang from healthy cattle to assess the possible role of imported cattle in the outbreaks in the northern and southern regions of the country. Samples were analysed for FMD virus (FMDV) and non-structural protein (NSP) antibodies to assess infection and exposure from the outbreak foci and POE. Positive samples were sequenced to characterize the virus serotypes. Outbreaks were reported in 38 kraals, three livestock markets, and one slaughter facility across 14 districts in nine regions. Morbidity rates ranged from 8% to 100% (median = 50%), with fatalities occurring in three kraals. Of the 247 samples from outbreak locations, FMD virus was detected in 49.4% (122/247). A majority of cattle (66.03%, 140/212) tested seropositive for FMD NSP antibodies. From healthy cattle at POE, 250 oropharyngeal (probang) samples were collected, with 62.4% testing positive, distributed between the north and south. Only 1.6% of the samples had FMDV RNA detected using PCR. Phylogenetic analysis identified serotypes O, A, and SAT2. These findings confirm the co-circulation of multiple FMDV serotypes in Ghana and highlight the necessity for enhanced molecular surveillance and coordinated cross-border control measures.