Background: This study stands as a pioneer in the histological evaluation of the biological behavior of a novel implant design featuring decompressive cervical blades. Hence, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the healing outcome in cortical regions at where decompressive protocols were adopted using implants equipped with blades. Materials and methods: Blades with varying diameters were integrated into the coronal portion of the implant to prepare the cortical region of rabbit tibiae. The blade diameters differed from the implant collar by the following amounts: control group (0 µm), +50 µm, and +200 µm. Results: No marginal bone loss was detected. Instead, all implants exhibited new bone formation in the coronal region. Complete closure was observed in the CG-0 group, as well as in the TG-50 and TG-200 groups, despite the presence of marginal gaps without primary bone contact at installation. In the apical region, most implants breached the cortical layer. Nevertheless, new bone formation in this region completely closed the osteotomy, effectively isolating the internal environment of the tibia from the external. Conclusions: The use of a blade attached to the implant body enabled precise preparation of the cortical layer, allowing for controlled decompression in the targeted area. This technique resulted in optimal osseointegration with no loss of marginal bone, and complete restoration of marginal gaps ranging from 0 µm to 200 µm.

Many farms are replacing the lighting with light emitting diode (LED) bulbs because of the technological modernization. We aimed to investigate the effects of incandescent light (IL) and LED lighting on Cobb500 broiler chickens for six weeks. Production parameters (body weight, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio), calculated slaughter values (yield%, relative breast%, thigh%) and breast meat quality parameters (pH at 45 min and 24 h postmortem, color, drip loss, kitchen equipment losses, shear force, meat composition) were recorded. Non-stop recordings were used to analyze the behavior of the birds in several periods of the rearing. LED group was significantly better in body weigh parameter between week 1-5 and feed conversion ratio between week 2-3. The most significant difference in behavior was observed in the middle of the rearing period. The chickens in the LED group spent more eating time, drinking time, interacting, and resting less. There was no difference in the meat quality parameters, only shear force was significantly lower in the LED group (1781.95±0.33 g/s vs. 2098.82±0.42 g/s). Based on our results, LED lighting can bring positive changes in animal production efficiency, behavior, and important characteristics for meat consumers.

This study explores the elements that influence consumer vegetarian diet choices in parts of South Korean provinces. The study examines these explanatory variables: ethical-animal-welfare, health, environment, social issues , mood-emotion, and religious-beliefs with vegetarianism serving as the dependent variable. The Likert scale data from 264 respondents were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Results show that health, ethical-animal-welfare ideals as well as environmental concerns emerge as significant variables influencing the decision to embrace a vegetarian diet. This shows that consumers (international students) in Korea are becoming more aware of and concerned about health, ethical and sustainable dietary choices. Secondly, health plays a crucial role in the vegetarian diet selection, indicating that health-conscious people are more inclined to choose a vegetarian lifestyle. Religious belief and mood have various degrees of influence on the vegetarian diet decision. The findings of this study have consequences for consumer behavior, marketing managers, and decision-makers. Businesses in the food industry, in particular, can gain from catering to the needs and tastes of consumers that prioritize ethical-animal welfare ideals, as well as those that value health and environmental sustainability. Creating and advertising vegetarian and vegan choices in local restaurants can effectively attract and serve this specific target demographic.

The etiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been linked to both genetic and epigenetic factors. Among the epigenetic factors, exposure to valproic acid (VPA), an antiepileptic and mood-modulating drug, has been shown to induce characteristic traits of ASD when exposed during embryogenesis. Conversely, in animal models, Enriched Environment (EE) has demonstrated positive behavioral and neural effects, suggesting its potential as a complementary treatment to pharmacological approaches in central nervous system disorders. In this study, we utilized zebrafish to model ASD characteristics induced by VPA and hypothesized that sensory stimulation through EE could ameliorate the behavioral and neuroanatomical features associated with ASD. To test this hypothesis, we assessed social behavior, cerebellar volume, and Purkinje cell populations via histology and immunohistochemistry after exposing the fish to EE. The results revealed that zebrafish exposed to VPA exhibited social deficits, reduced cerebellar cortex volume, and a decrease in c-Fos-positive cells in the Purkinje layer. In contrast, VPA-exposed fish treated with EE showed increased socialization, augmented cerebellar cortex volume, and an elevation in c-Fos-positive Purkinje cells. These findings suggest that alterations induced by VPA may be ameliorated through EE treatment, highlighting the potential therapeutic impact of sensory stimulation in conditions related to ASD.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IVA (MPS IVA; Morquio A syndrome) is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease (LSD) caused by deficiency of a hydrolase enzyme, N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase, and characterized clinically by mainly musculoskeletal manifestations. The mechanisms underlying bone involvement in humans are typically explored using invasive techniques such as bone biopsy, which complicates analysis in humans. We compared bone proteomes using DDA and SWATH-MS in wild-type and MPS IVA knockout mice to obtain mechanistic information about the disease. Our findings reveal over 1000 dysregulated proteins in knockout mice, including those implicated in oxidative phosphorylation, oxidative stress (reactive oxygen species), DNA damage, and iron transport, and suggest that lactate dehydrogenase may constitute a useful prognostic and follow-up biomarker. Identifying biomarkers that reflect MPS IVA clinical course, severity, and progression have important implications for disease management.

Since alternative methods (AAs), such as in vitro cultures, organs in silico, or mathematical methods, are not fully able to reproduce the complexity of the human organism, particularly neu-ral processes, and brain structures, animal experimentation remains the only way in which re-search can obtain the necessary knowledge to suggest drug therapies or targeted therapeutic in-terventions. Particularly in neuroscience, transgenic animals allow us to model neurological dis-eases, study the relationship between the brain and behavior, and decipher the function of genes involved in pathological conditions. However, it should never be forgotten that animals are "sen-tient beings" capable of feeling pleasure and pain (Art. 13 of the 2007 Lisbon Treaty). For this rea-son, it is crucial to prioritize the welfare of animals involved in testing by considering their phys-ical, psychological, adaptive, and relational well-being. This is where the concept of a Culture of Care comes in, where the responsibility of care extends beyond the veterinary aspects to include everything that can safeguard the welfare of animals before, during, and after experimentation. This chapter explains the advantages of using the animal model while practicing the culture of care in neuroscience, as both animals and research outcomes benefit from this approach.

Wastewater surveillance, initially conceived in the early 20th century during typhoid fever outbreaks, has evolved into a powerful tool for monitoring public health-relevant analytes. Recent applications in tracking SARS-CoV-2 infection highlight its potential. Beyond humans, it can be extended to livestock populations due to the increasing demand for livestock products. Livestock intensification poses risks of zoonotic disease emergence. Wastewater surveillance offers non-invasive, cost-effective means to detect potential outbreaks. This approach aligns with the "One Health" paradigm, emphasizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and ecosystem health. By monitoring viruses in livestock wastewater, early detection, prevention, and control strategies can be employed, safeguarding both animal and human health, economic stability, and international trade. This integrated One Health approach enhances collaboration and a comprehensive understanding of disease dynamics, supporting proactive measures in the Anthropocene era where animal and human diseases are on the rise.

Escalation of commitment explains the choice for investing in an option for which great investments have previously been made even though better choices became available. The last 25 years of producing innumerous versions of Alzheimer Disease animal models with virtually no predictive validity should have exposed the fact that using animals for studying AD is clearly a failing course of action and as such should have been abandoned long ago, giving room to other alternatives to flourish. In this assay, I explore the idea that the investment in new animal models for studying Alzheimer (AD) represents a classic case of escalation of commitment, and sunk cost dilemma, in the biomedical research.

Idiopathic scoliosis (IS) is an unexplained dysplasia of the spine that can occur at any age, with idiopathic scoliosis making up the largest proportion of the total population worldwide, approximately 2-3%. Scoliosis is not just a cosmetic defect, but the development of the spinal deformity can lead to cardiovascular and respiratory lesions, often resulting in serious health problems. Treatment of the condition usually involves major surgery, which is both a physical and financial burden for patients. In order to clarify the aetiology of IS and provide a theoretical basis for new diagnostic and treatment methods IS, it is important to use different animal models for experiments. Zebrafish is an emerging model animal with a short reproductive cycle, minimal breeding expenses, and other beneficial traits including in vitro fertilisation, in vitro development, and embryo transparency. As a result, genetic alteration and observation are simpler than with traditional model animals. This study examines the history of animal models for IS research, focuses on the benefits and drawbacks of zebrafish as an IS model and the advances it provides to IS research, and anticipates zebrafish application prospects in IS research.

The rye (Secale cereale L.) crop shows a high potential to collaborate in the sustainability of high Andean livestock because it supports the agroclimatic conditions and acid soils in the Peruvian Andes. The production of green forage, hay, and grain of the rye crop in acid soils was studied with the use of different levels of phosphorus and potassium fertilization in four local rye ecotypes (CBI-001, CSM-001, CJS-001, and CCE-001). The green forage yield (FV) ranged from 32.35 to 53.62 t ha-1, dry matter from 6.05 to 8.56 t ha-1, and hay from 7.0 to 10.36 t ha-1; nutritional levels ranged from 9.02 % to 13.56 % protein and 6.50 to 7.75 % ash levels, mainly with differences between ecotypes (p<0.05). No differences existed between fertilization levels for the number of stems per plant, and flowering stems per plant, and grains per ear (p>0.05). Also, CBI-001 and CCE-001 were superior with 1868.4 and 1797.8 kg ha-1 of grain, respectively (p=0.0072); the use of 60 kg ha of Nitrogen, 120 kg ha-1 of P2O5 and 80 kg ha-1 of K2O gave higher grain and residue yields. The high nutritional value and yield of the rye ecotypes studied in acid soil conditions and without irrigation can be an alternative for livestock feeding and grain production in the rainy season in the Andes as a dual-purpose crop.

Exosomes have shown promising potential as a therapeutic approach for wound healing. Nevertheless, the translation from experimental studies to commercially available treatments is still lacking. To assess the current state of research in this field, a systematic review was performed to examine the methodological heterogeneity among studies conducted over the past five years. Additionally, the review analyzed the suitability of animal models used and their relevance to human medicine. A PubMed search was performed for english-language, full-text available papers published from 2018 to June 2023, focusing on exosomes derived from mammalian sources and their application in wound healing, particularly those involving in vivo assays. Out of 531 results, 148 papers were selected for analysis. The findings revealed significant variability in terms of cell sources and types, biomaterials, and administration routes under investigation, indicating the need for further research in this field. Additionally, a comparative examination encompassing diverse cellular origins, types, administration pathways, or biomaterials is imperative. Furthermore, the predominance of rodent-based animal models raises concerns, as there have been limited advancements towards more complex in vivo models and scale-up assays. These constraints underscore the substantial efforts that remain necessary before attaining commercially viable and extensively applicable therapeutic approaches using exosomes.

Background: Sleeping Sickness, Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a vector- borne disease caused by Trypanosoma brucei (T.b). Sleeping sickness in Ethiopia was reported in 1967 for the first time. Recently in Southern parts of Ethiopia, in August 2022, five (5) cases of sleeping sickness (T. b. rhodesiense) were confirmed. Following this outbreak, the current investigation was aimed to identify the entomological and epidemiological drivers for the reemergence of HAT outbreak and recommend appropriate interventions. Methods: A cross sectional study design with descriptive data analysis was used. Tsetse fly collection and blood samples from cattle animals were taken. NGU and bio-conical traps were used to determine the distribution (density and abundance) of the vector. About 10μl of blood was collected from the marginal ear vein of 301 cattle animals using the heparinized microhematocrit capillary. The parasite detection was carried out through vector dissection under binocular stereo-microscope (magnification of 60X) and microscopic examination from serum of Animals using the Buffy coat method. Results: A total of 329 tsetse flies were captured and identified to Glosina (G.) pallidipes 259 (60.4%) and Glossina fuscipes 70 (16.3%). 188 (51.1%) of tsetse flies were collected from Dembagofa with 94 apparent density. Among all captured Tsetse flies, 39 (11.8%) of Tsetse were fed with high female apparent density in each ecological variation: wood land (51), Bush land (20) and grassland (11). Overall, the apparent density of tsetse fly was high in Wood land (93): G. pallidipes (76.5) and Bush land (36.5). Among all examined cattles for the presence of parasite, 9 cattles were detected positive with an overall prevalence of 3%. T. congolense 6 (2%) and T. vivax 1 (0.3%) with 2 (0.7%) suspected brucei. The parasite prevalence Trypanosoma was 4 (4.6%) in poor body condition (Bcs) cattle. The animals in the age range 5 - 9 years were infected high with 7 (5.3%) prevalence. Conclusion: The current study revealed that there are high-risk factors that predispose the community to Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) due to the presence of two different species of Tsetse flies and many animal reservoirs. The transmissions of Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) are related to environmental, Vector, and human factors. Further geographically expanded investigation should be conducted throughout the country.

Liver fibrosis is based on complex interactions between extracellular matrix-producing hepatic stellate cells and is defined as excessive matrix deposition and an abundance of infiltrating cells in the liver. Studying these processes requires in vitro and in vivo experimental work on animals. In fibrosis research, experimental work in rodents is currently the gold standard for confirming a proposed disease-associated mechanism. Bile duct ligation (BDL) induces obstructive jaundice resulting in cholestasis. BDL is useful for preclinical research studies of liver injury due to extrahepatic cholestasis such as apoptosis and fibrosis. Here we provide a stepwise surgical approach to resect the common bile duct and monitor in situ hepatic metabolism by microdialysis.

Herdsmen use different techniques, as per varying geographies and cultures, to keep the cohesion within herds and avoid animals getting lost or predated. However, there is no study on the social behaviour of yaks and on herdsmen management practices. Therefore, this ethology study was initiated by ethnographic inquiries. In Manang, the success of the shepherd is dictated by his personal attribute of “Khula man” or open-heartedness. This attribute refers to good intentions and emotions such as empathy that allows the shepherd to focus more on others than on ownself. This cultural method of assessing the skills required to become a successful and knowledgable shepherd guided us to study the effect of cultural values on the herd’s social behavior. We collected data from two herds living at the same settlement (Yak kharka, 4,100 m altitude, Nepal) by equipping them with loggers. One of the herdsman used the tether rope while other did not. Moreover, the Thaku herd had a more proactive shepherd than the Phurba one. In each herd, 17 animals were equipped with one actigraph wgt3x-BT to measure activity using accelerometer and spatial associations using proximity recorder. One of the herds was equipped with GPS (N=11) as well. Using GPS locations and activity, we showed that the two herds were cohesive and synchronised their activities but the herd with the tether rope was more cohesive. The shepherds also have personal knowledge of the social relationships of their herds and use these relationships to keep the group cohesive and to well manage cattle.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity. Neurobiologically, ADHD impairments arise from abnormalities in different circuits involving the prefrontal cortex. In face of high rates of diagnosis, alternative/complementary pharmacological therapeutic approaches for ADHD are needed. Although the number of publications that study the potential effects of caf-feine consumption on ADHD treatment have been accumulating over the last years, and caffeine has recently been used in ADHD research in the context of animal models, an updated evi-dence-based systematic review on the effects of caffeine on ADHD-like symptoms in animal stud-ies is missing. To provide insight and value at the preclinical level, a systematic review based on PRISMA guidelines was performed for all publications available up to September 1, 2021. Caffeine treatment increases attention, improves learning, memory and olfactory discrimination, without altering blood pressure and body weight. These results are supported at the neuronal level. Nonetheless, the implication of caffeine in modulating ADHD-like symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity is contradictory, raising discrepancies that require further clarification. Our results strengthen the hypothesis that caffeine cognitive effects found in animal models could be trans-lated to human ADHD, particularly during adolescence.

Amyloid-beta plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Aberrant amyloid-beta and tau accumulation induce neuroinflammation, cerebrovascular alterations, synaptic deficits, functional deficits, and neurodegeneration, leading to cognitive impairment. Animal models recapitulating the amyloid-beta pathology such as transgenic, knock-in mouse and rat models have facilitated the understanding of disease mechanisms and development of therapeutics targeting at amyloid-beta. There is a rapid advance in high-field MR in small animals. Versatile high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences such as diffusion tensor imaging, arterial spin labelling, resting-state functional MRI, anatomical MRI, MR spectroscopy as well as contrast agents have been developed for the applications in animal models. These tools have enabled high-resolution in vivo structural, functional, and molecular readouts with a whole brain field-of-view. MRI have been utilized to visualize non-invasively the amyloid-beta deposits, synaptic deficits, regional brain atrophy, impairment in white matter integrity, functional connectivity, cerebrovascular and glymphatic system in animal models of amyloidosis. Many of the readouts are translational in clinical MRI in the brain of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. In this review, we summarize the recent advance of using MRI for visualizing the pathophysiology in amyloidosis animal model. We discuss the outstanding challenges in brain imaging using MRI in small animal and propose future outlook in visualizing amyloid-beta-related alterations in brain of animal models.

A surgical microscope is large in size, which makes it impossible to be portable. The distance between the surgical microscope and the observation tissue is 15–30 cm, and the adjustment range of the right and left of the camera is a maximum of 30°. Therefore, the surgical microscope is generated attenuation (above 58%) of irradiation optical source owing to the long working distance. Moreover, the observation of tissue is affected because of dazzling by ambient light as the optical source power is strong (55 to 160 mW/cm2). Further, observation blind spot phenomena will occur due to the limitations in adjusting the right and left of the camera. Therefore, it is difficult to clearly observe the tumor. In this study, a compact pen-type probe with a portable surgical microscope is presented. The proposed surgical microscope comprises a small and portable pen-type probe that can adjust the working distance between the probe and the observed tissue. In addition, it allows the adjustment of the viewing angle and fluorescence brightness. The proposed probe has no blind spots or optical density loss.

A surgical microscope is large in size, making portability impossible. The distance between the surgical microscope and the observation tissue is 15 to 30 cm, while the maximum adjustment range of the camera to the right and left is 30°. Therefore, surgical microscopes cause attenuation (above 58%) of the irradiation optical source owing to the long working distance. Moreover, the observation of tissue was dazzled with ambient light because the optical power source was strong (50 to 160 mW/cm2). Owing to the limited ability to adjust the camera to the right and left, a blind spot occurs with a surgical microscope. Therefore, it is difficult to clearly observe a tumor. In this study, a compact pen-type probe with a portable surgical microscope is proposed. The pen-type probe is small with a portable shape, and is capable of adjusting the working distance between itself and the observed tissue. It is also possible to adjust the viewing angle and fluorescence brightness. The proposed pen-type probe has no blind spots or optical density loss.

Animal communication signals are regulated by multiple hormonal axes that ensure appropriate signal targeting, timing, and information content. The regulatory roles of steroid hormones and many peptide hormones are well understood and documented across a wide range of vertebrate taxa. Two recent studies have reported a novel function for leptin, a peptide hormone central to energy balance regulation: regulating communication signals of weakly electric fish and singing mice. With only limited evidence available at this time, a key question is just how widespread leptinergic regulation of communication signals is within and across taxa. A second important question is what features of communication signals are subject to leptinergic regulation. Here we consider the functional significance of leptinergic regulation of animal communication signals in the context of both direct and indirect signal metabolic costs. Direct costs arise from metabolic investment in signal production, while indirect costs arise from the predation and social conflict consequences of the signal’s information content. We propose a preliminary conceptual framework for predicting which species will exhibit leptinergic regulation of their communication signals and which signal features leptin will regulate. This framework suggests a number of directly testable predictions within and across taxa. Accounting for additional factors such as life history and reproductive strategies will likely require modification or elaboration of this model.

Chitosan is a chitin-derived fiber, extracted from the shellfish shells, a by-product of fish industry, or from fungi grown in bioreactors. In oenology, it is used for the control of Brettanomyces spp., for the prevention of ferric, copper and protein casse and for clarification. The International Organisation of Vine and Wine established the exclusive utilization of fungal chitosan to avoid the eventuality of allergic reactions. This work focuses on the differences between two chitosan categories, fungal and animal chitosan, characterizing several samples in terms of chitin content and degree of deacety-lation. In addition, different acids were used to dissolve chitosans, and their effect on viscosity and on the efficacy in wine clarification were observed. Results demonstrated that, even if fungal and animal chitosans shared similar chemical properties (deacetylation degree and chitin content), they showed different viscosity depending on the acid used to dissolve them. A significant difference was discovered on their fining properties, as animal chitosans showed a faster and greater sedimentation compared to the fungal, independently from the acid used for their dissolution. This suggests that physic-chemical differences in the molecular structure occur between the two chitosan categories and that this affect significantly their technologic (oenological) properties.

Alcohol and nicotine are widely-abused legal substances worldwide. Relapse to alcohol or tobacco seeking and consumption after abstinence is a major clinical challenge, and is often evoked by cue-induced craving. Therefore, disruption of the memory for the cue-drug association is expected to suppress relapse. Memories have been postulated to become labile shortly after their retrieval, during a “memory reconsolidation” process. Interference with the reconsolidation of drug-associated memories has been suggested as a possible strategy to reduce or even prevent cue-induced craving and relapse. Here, we surveyed the growing body of studies in animal models and in humans assessing the effectiveness of pharmacological or behavioral manipulations in reducing relapse by interfering with the reconsolidation of alcohol and nicotine/tobacco memories. Our review points to the potential of targeting the reconsolidation of these memories as a strategy to suppress relapse to alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking. However, we discuss several critical limitations and boundary conditions, which should be considered to improve the consistency and replicability in the field, and for development of an efficient reconsolidation-based relapse prevention therapy.

Despite recent scientific advancements, there is a gap in the use of technology to measure signals, behaviors, and processes of adaptation physiology of farm animals. Sensors present exciting opportunities for sustained, real-time, non-intrusive measurement of farm animal behavioral, mental, and physiological parameters with the integration of nanotechnology and instrumentation. This paper critically reviews the sensing technology and sensor data-based models used to explore biological systems such as animal behavior, energy metabolism, epidemiology, immunity, health, and animal reproduction. The use of sensor technology to assess physiological parameters can provide tremendous benefits and tools to overcome and minimize production losses while making positive contributions to animal welfare. Of course, sensor technology is not free from challenges; these devices are at times highly sensitive and prone to damage from dirt, dust, sunlight, colour, fur, feathers, and environmental forces. Rural farmers unfamiliar with the technologies must be convinced and taught to use sensor-based technologies in farming and livestock management. While there is no doubt that demand will grow for non-invasive sensor-based technologies that require minimum contact with animals and can provide remote access to data, their true success lies in the acceptance of these technologies by the livestock industry.

Introduction: Bacterial resistance is a worldwide public health problem, requiring new therapeutic options. An alternative approach to this problem is the use of animal toxins, such as phospholipases (PLA₂) isolated from snake venom, which have important biological activities. Bothrops erythromelas is one of the snake species in the Northeast of Brazil that attracts great medical-scientific interest. Here we aimed to purify and characterize a PLA₂ from B. erythromelas, searching for heterologous activities against bacterial biofilm. Methods: Venom extraction and quantification were followed by RP-HPLC in C18 column, MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry and sequencing by Edman degradation. All experiments were monitored by specific activity using 4-nitro-3 (octanoyloxy) benzoic acid (4N₃OBA) substrate. In addition, hemolytic tests and anti-bacterial tests including action against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii, were carried out. Moreover, tests of antibiofilm action against A. baumannii were also performed. Results: PLA₂, after one purification step, presented 31 N-terminal amino acid residues, and molecular weight of 13656.4 Da with enzymatic activity confirmed in 0.06 µM concentration. Antibacterial activity against S. aureus (IC₅₀ = 30.2 µM) and antibiofilm activity against A. baumannii (IC₅₀ = 1.1 µM) were observed. Conclusions: This is the first time that PLA₂ purified from B. erythromelas venom has appeared as an alternative candidate in studies of new antibacterial medicines.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of CoV disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly pathogenic and transmissible CoV that is presently plaguing the global human population and economy. No proven effective anti-viral therapy or vaccine currently exist, and supportive care remains to be the cornerstone treatment. Through previous lessons learned from SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV studies, scientific groups worldwide have rapidly expanded the knowledge pertaining to SARS-CoV-2 virology that included in vitro and in vivo models for testing of anti-viral therapies, and randomized clinical trials. In the present narrative, we review SARS-CoV-2 virology, clinical features, pathophysiology, and animal models with a specific focus on anti-viral and adjunctive therapies currently being tested or require testing in animal models and randomized clinical trials.

Pig genetic resources in Africa originate from different regions. Genetic analysis has shown a strong phylogeographic pattern with the pigs on the eastern parts showing a high frequency of alleles from the Far East while the ones on the western parts show a strong European influence. This highlights the influence of trade routes on the genetic legacy of African pigs. They have, however, since adapted to the local environments to produce unique populations with unique attributes. Most of the pigs are now reared in resource-constrained smallholdings under free-range conditions. They are largely owned by women who spread ownership of the resource through kinship networks. Very little work has been done to characterize, conserve and sustainably utilize pig genetic resources in Southern Africa. The risk status of the breeds together with population numbers, distribution and other attributes are largely unknown. This paper proposes several strategies for the sustainable utilization of the pig genetic resources: a market-driven in situ conservation program and two complementary ex situ strategies. In addition, the possibility of community-based breed improvement programs is discussed.

Species data of 249 National Nature Reserves in China was used to identify potential underlying drivers of latitudinal gradients in plant diversity. We used generalized linear models (GLMs) to assess the correlations between predictor and response variables. We also used SAM (Spatial Analysis in Macroecology) to eliminate autocorrelation along each of the 249 studied locations. We used the Akaike information criterion (AICc; Montoya et al. 2007) to select the independent variables were those included in the best models from different combinations of climate, habitat and animal variables. Variance partitioning was used to decompose the variation in plant richness across different taxonomic levels among the three groups of predictors. We found that: Total plant species, gymnosperms, angiosperms and ferns showed significant latitudinal trends in richness (p < 0.001). Water-energy and habitat variables generally explained more variation in richness across different plant groups than did animal richness. Annual precipitation was selected as the best water-energy variable across different taxonomic plants groups, soil PH and elevation range were selected as the best habitat variables across different taxonomic plant groups. The independent effects of habitatvariables were higher than that of water-energy and animal variables across different taxonomic plants groups. Water-energy, habitat heterogeneity, and animal variables explain 48.8% of the variation in total species richness, 28.2% in gymnosperm richness, 44.2% in angiosperm richness, and 38.9% in fern richness.Plants showed significant latitudinal trends in richness (p < 0.001). Water-energy and habitat variables generally explained more variation in richness across different taxonomic plants groups than did animal variables. The independent effects of habitat variables were higher than those of water-energy and animal variables across different taxonomic plants groups.

Controversy exists on whether animal and plant proteins influence obesity differently. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between total, animal, and plant protein intake with the obesity index and renal function in Korean adults. Study participants included Korean adults aged 60 years or older from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2013-2014. Height, weight, and waist circumference (WC) were measured and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated. One-day 24-hour recall data were used to estimate the daily total, animal, and plant protein intake. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated by using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation. General linear modellings were used to assess the relationships between protein intake, BMI and WC. The mean age was 69.2 ± 0.2 years, 44.2% were male. The total daily protein intake was 1.1 ± 0.02 g/kg/d and 0.9 ± 0.02 g/kg/d for males and females, respectively. Only one third of protein intake was from animal sources. In males, BMI (p < 0.001, p = 0.016, p < 0.001 respectively) and WC (p < 0.001, p = 0.010, p < 0.001, respectively) decreased as daily intake of plant protein (g/kg/d), animal protein (g/kg/d) and total protein (g/kg/d) increased. Similar associations were shown in Korean female. GFR was not associated with protein intake regardless of protein source in both sexes. In Korean adults aged 60 years or older, the protein intake was associated with a favorable obesity index without decrease in renal function. The effect was similar in both male and females, with both animal and plant proteins.

Neuropsychiatric disorders are worldwide public-health concern. Schizophrenia is one of the well-known neuropsychiatric disorders, which may affect millions globally. Maternal immune activation might be one of the key factor for the development of neuropsychiatric disorders. Previously, a mouse model of neuropsychiatric disorders has originally been made, in which poly-I:C, sodium dextran sulfate (DSS) and κ-carrageenan (CGN) were used for the maternal immune activation of mice. In the neuropsychiatric disorder mice, a significant link between biochemical changes of p62 and/or GLAST in the mouse brain and the alteration of experimental behaviors. Therefore, potential therapeutic study has been achieved for the development of effective treatment against neuropsychiatric disorders with using butyric acid, trehalose, piceid, and biochanin A. As a result, some of the combination with these orally available molecules could be effective for the improvement of behavioral alterations as well as biochemical changes of p62 and/or GLAST in the mouse brain. Importantly, the correlation between behavioral score and p62/GLAST protein expression has been again recognized. The significant correlation between pathological behavior and the biochemical alterations would contribute to develop further innovative therapeutics for vaious psychiatric disorders.

Despite the increasing prevalence of pet ownership in Chinese societies, standardized tools to assess grief from pet loss remain lacking. Research predominantly focuses on Western populations, creating a gap in understanding pet bereavement in Chinese cultural settings. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Pet Bereavement Questionnaire (PBQ-C) for a Chinese context to create a culturally appropriate assessment tool. A total of 245 participants with companion animal loss experiences were recruited through the university of the research team. They were invited to complete an online survey including the Chinese PBQ, the Depression subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), and the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG). Both Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the PBQ-C and the findings supported a three-factor structure—grief, anger, and guilt—aligned with the original PBQ, with three items were reassigned to different factors. Despite these adjustments, the PBQ-C showed strong internal consistency, split-half reliability, and concurrent validity. The validated PBQ-C provides a culturally sensitive tool for assessing pet bereavement in Chinese society that can promote research and counselling support for this under-researched and under-recognized type of loss of human-animal relationships.

The sleeping and grazing behaviors of horses play a crucial role in their health and welfare. In the horse industry, with the prevalent trend of individual single-stall farming in stable, accurately identifying various behaviors of horses within stables is imperative. This study has established a spatio-temporal dataset for horse postures and behaviors, proposed an algorithm utilizing a SE-SlowFast network with an enhanced loss function. This algorithm achieves automatic recognition of multiple postures and behaviors of horse simultaneously. The model developed in this study demonstrates high accuracy in identifying three postures within the stable: Standing, Crouching, and Lying, achieving respective accuracies of 92.73%, 91.87%, and 92.58%. Additionally, it accurately recognizes two behaviors: Sleeping and Grazing, achieving best accuracies of 93.56% and 98.77%. The overall best accuracy of the model is 93.9%. Experiments on video recognition confirm that the suggested model recognizes horse video data accurately. This study marks the first time computer vision technology has been used in the horse farming industry, achieving non-intrusive recognition of multiple horse postures and behaviors. This study provides valuable data support for livestock managers to evaluate the health conditions of horses, enhances the welfare of horses in stables, and contributes to the advancement of modern horse husbandry practices.

Liver injury caused by various factors significantly impacts human health. Stem cell transplantation has potential for enhancing liver functionality, but safety concerns such as immune rejection, tumorigenesis, and the formation of emboli in the lungs remain. Recent studies have shown that stem cells primarily exert their effects through the secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs have been shown to play crucial roles in reducing inflammation, preventing cell death, and promoting liver cell proliferation. Additionally, they can function as carriers to deliver targeted drugs to the liver, thereby exerting specific physiological effects. EVs possess several advantages, including structural stability, low immunogenicity, minimal tumorigenicity targeting capabilities, and convenient collection,. Consequently, these factors have garnered significant attention from researchers and are expected to become alternative therapeutic agents to stem cell therapy. This article provides a comprehensive review of the current research progress on the use of stem cell-derived EVs in the treatment of liver injury.

Lifecycle assessment (LCA) quantified changes in environmental impact categories (global warming, eutrophication, etc.) from 2021 to 2030 due to genetic trends in (re)production traits in pig lines of breeding company Genus-PIC. The 2030 levels were projected with se-lection index theory based on weightings of traits in the breeding goals and genetic covari-ances among them. Projected improvement was 0.9% annually for most impact categories. Another LCA compared impacts of 2021 North American pig production based on PIC ge-netics versus the industry average. Software openLCA converted material and energy flows to impact categories of frameworks ReCiPe-2016, PEF-3.1 and IPCC-2021. Flows came from data recorded by customers (1.1/4.7 million sows/finishing pigs) and by subscribers to a third-party data-aggregator (1.3/9.1 million). PIC genetics have a 7-8% better impact than industry average for 13/18 categories of ReCiPe-2016, 19/25 of PEF-3.1, and all categories of IPCC-2001. Pig breeding delivers positive environmental outcomes as correlated respons-es to selection for profitability-oriented breeding goals. This trend is additive; technology development will increase it. Different investment levels in breeding population structure and technology, and different operational efficiencies of breeding companies, cause substan-tial differences in the environmental impact of pig production.

Gene editing is now easy to make new disease models through in-vivo and in vitro tests. It can potentially be used to make animals with single-gene or multiple-gene changes. The mutant strains with changed germlines are no longer needed with in vivo gene editing, which uses the CRISPR-Cas9 system to target cells of interest in their normal tissues. Whereas, the AAVs and other viral vectors have made it possible to change cells selectively. Gene editing hade made it possible to use human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) to model diseases that run in families. Researchers can compare and contrast the human genomes of many different ethnic and racial groups using this method. Scientists may be able to make a disease in a lab dish using iPSCs from a patient. Using CRISPR, iPSCs made from patient cells can be fixed if they have certain problems. This shows that gene therapy is possible and shows what happens when cells aren't working right. The fact that CRISPR-Cas9 can change the DNA by just one nucleotide has had a huge effect on biological studies. CRISPR is becoming more and more popular, which shows how useful, easy, and effective it is. With the broad use of CRISPR-based apps, the tool is now used for much more than just changing genes. This method can be used to screen the whole genome, control the translation of genes based on their sequence, and edit several genes at the same time. Scientists can now model diseases in different species and learn more about how genes work because of these advances. Genome-wide association studies and genome-editing tools like CRISPR are giving us a good look at the future of personalized medicine.

Model animals are employed in experiments as substitutes for human tissues and fluids, particularly when accessing particular human samples (such as cerebrospinal fluid, brain, ocular tissues, etc.) poses significant challenges or is ethically constrained. Nonhuman primates are frequently regarded as superior animal models for investigating human ophthalmological diseases. However, despite this recognition, the metabolomic composition of ocular tissues in non-human primates remains predominantly unexplored. In this work, we present a dataset on metabolite concentrations in serum and ocular tissues, including aqueous humor (AH), vitreous humor (VH), and lens, in two Macaque species: crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis) and rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). A total of 99 compounds were quantified in 45 samples, shedding light on the previously unknown metabolomic profiles of primate eye tissues.

The overpopulation of feral pigeons in Hong Kong has significantly disrupted the urban ecosystem, highlighting the urgent need for effective strategies to control their population. In general, control measures should be implemented and re-evaluated periodically following accurate estimations of feral pigeon population in the concerned regions, which, however, is very difficult in urban envi-ronments due to the concealment and mobility of pigeons within complex building structures. With the advances in deep learning, computer vision can be a promising tool for pigeon monitoring and population estimation but has not been well investigated so far. Therefore, we propose an improved deep learning model based on Mask-RCNN (Swin-Mask R-CNN) for feral pigeon detection using computer vision techniques. Specifically, our model consists of a Swin transformer network (STN) as the backbone, a feature pyramid network (FPN) as the neck, and three decoupled detection heads. The STN is utilized to extract deep feature information of feral pigeons through local and cross-window attention mechanisms. The FPN is employed to fuse multi-scale features and enhance the multi-scale learning ability. Heads in the three branches are responsible for classification, pre-dicting best bounding boxes, and segmentation of feral pigeons, respectively. During the prediction phase, a Slicing Aided Hyper Inference (SAHI) tool is employed to zoom in on the feature infor-mation of small feral pigeon targets, and the segmentation head is frozen to expedite inference of large images. Experiments were conducted on feral pigeon dataset to evaluate model performance. The results reveal that our model is well-suited for detecting small targets in high-resolution images and achieves excellent recognition performance for feral pigeons with a mAP (mean average pre-cision) and an AP50 (average precision at 50% intersection over union) of 0.74 and 0.93, respectively. For small target feral pigeons, AP50 in small scale (AP50s) improved by 10% as compared to the Mask R-CNN (AP50s of 0.75), demonstrating its potential for dynamic pigeon detection and population estimation in the future.

Glycans play important roles as recognition molecules on cell surfaces in living organisms due to their remarkable structural diversity. Carbohydrates exist in numerous isomeric forms and can adopt diverse structures through various branching patterns. Despite their relatively small molecular weights, they exhibit extensive structural diversity. On the other hand, lectins, also known as carbohydrate-binding proteins, not only recognize and bind to the diverse structures of glycans but also induce various biological reactions based on structural differences. Initially discovered as hemagglutinins in plant seeds, lectins have been found to play significant roles in cell recognition processes in higher vertebrates. However, our understanding of lectins in marine animals, particularly marine invertebrates, remains limited. Recent studies have revealed that marine animals possess novel lectins with unique structures and glycan recognition mechanisms not observed in known lectins. Of particular interest is their role as pattern recognition receptors in the innate immune system, where they recognize glycan structures of pathogens. Furthermore, lectins serve as toxins for self-defense against foreign enemies. Recent discoveries have identified various pore-forming proteins containing lectin domains in fish venoms and skins. These proteins utilize lectin domains to bind target cells, triggering oligomerization and pore formation in the cell membrane. These findings have spurred research into the new functions of lectins and lectin domains. In this review, we present recent findings on the diverse structures and functions of lectins in marine animals.

The suitability of an animal model to study human diseases heavily relies on the similarity between the two species at the genetic, epigenetic, gene expression and metabolic levels. However, consistent data from different animal models at each level to evaluate this suitability is lacking. With the availability of genome sequences for many mammalian species it is now possible to compare animal models based on the genomic similarities. Here, we compare the coding sequences (CDS) of five mammalian models that include rhesus macaque, marmoset, pig, mouse and rat with those from human. We identified 10,316 conserved CDS across the five organisms and human based on the sequence similarity. Mapping the human disease-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from these conserved CDS in each species has identified species-specific association with various human diseases. While associations for a disease such as colon cancer were prevalent in multiple model species, pig showed the highest number (117 diseases) of model-specific human disease associations. Based on the percentage of disease-associated SNP-containing genes, marmoset models are well suited to study many human ailments including behavioral and gastrointestinal diseases. Comparison of gene expression levels of the conserved CDS from colon, heart, kidney, lung, skeletal muscle, and spleen tissues in these models showed correlations with human expression levels in a tissue-specific manner. In the gastrointestinal tissues (colon, spleen), the pig showed the highest correlation while mouse displayed a better correlation in the heart and kidney. This study demonstrated genomic as well as tissue-specific expression-based similarity evaluation of five animal models against human that could help investigators select a suitable animal model to study their targeted disease.

Strengthening the analysis and risk assessment of the pig epidemic will help to better prevent and mitigate epidemic risks and promote high-quality development of the pig industry. Based on the systematic grasp of the situation of live pig epidemics, a risk assessment index system was constructed, and the spatial and temporal variation characteristics of the risk of pig epidemics in China were explored by the entropy method. In recent years, the overall trend in pig epidemics in time first increased and then decreased, and in space, the trend in the acceleration of the spread across the country continued to weaken. China still faces challenges, such as many types and a wide range of diseases, large total livestock breeding and weak epidemic prevention and control capacity, and a large risk of introduction of foreign animal epidemics. The spatial and temporal variation in the pig epidemic risk was obvious; there was one high-risk area, two higher-risk areas and 10 medium-risk areas in recent years, and the epidemic risk was highest in Beijing, Hainan, Liaoning, Tibet and Zhejiang. However, there were significant differences in the regional distribution of the risk of pig epidemics in different years. To further build a secure “defense system” for the high-quality development of the pig industry, it is recommended to improve the monitoring and early warning system of pig epidemic risk, perfect the pig epidemic prevention and control system, and strengthen the regional collaboration mechanism of epidemic prevention and control.

Automatic and real-time pose estimation is important in monitoring animal behavior, health and welfare. In this paper, we utilized pose estimation for monitoring farrowing process to prevent piglet mortality and preserve the health and welfare of sow. State-of-the-art Deep Learning (DL) methods have lately been used for animal pose estimation. The aim of this paper was to probe the generalization ability of five common DL networks (ResNet50, ResNet101, MobileNet, EfficientNet and DLCRNet) for sow and piglet pose estimation. These architectures predict body parts of several piglets and the sow directly from input video sequences. Real farrowing data from a commercial farm was used for training and validation of the proposed networks. The experimental results demonstrated that MobileNet was able to detect seven body parts of the sow with median test error of 0.61 pixels.

Gene therapy has seen major progress in recent years. Viral vectors have made a significant contribution through efficient engineering for improved delivery and safety. A large variety of indications such as cancer, cardiovascular, metabolic, hematological, neurological, muscular, ophthalmological, infectious diseases, and immunodeficiency have been targeted. Viral vectors based on adenoviruses, adeno-associated viruses, herpes simplex viruses, retroviruses including lentiviruses, alphaviruses, flaviviruses, measles viruses, rhabdoviruses, Newcastle disease virus, poxviruses, picornaviruses, reoviruses, and polyomaviruses have been used. Proof-of-concept has been demonstrated for different indications in animal models. Therapeutic efficacy has also been achieved in clinical trials. Several viral vector-based drugs have been approved for the treatment of cancer, and hematological, metabolic, and neurological diseases. Moreover, viral vector-based vaccines have been approved against COVID-19 and Ebola virus disease.

With the increased use of simulation based training using animal models for the education of surgical and anaesthetic techniques, an increased understanding of the anatomy of such models and how they compare to humans is required. The transversus abdominis plane block is a regional anaesthetic technique that requires an understanding of the abdominal wall anatomy along with proficient ultrasound use. The current review aims to compare the anatomy of the abdominal wall across species, particularly focussing on the pertinent differences within the class of mammals, and secondarily, it aims to address the implications of these differences for simulation based training of the transversus abdominis plane block. To achieve this, the PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases were searched for relevant literature. The mammalian abdominal wall differs in its musculature, vasculature or innervation from that of amphibians, birds or reptiles, however, among species of mammals, the structure of the abdominal wall follows a similar framework. Particular differences among mammals include the additional muscular layer of the panniculus carnosus found in most mammals other than humans, the variable arterial origins and dominant vascular supply of the abdominal wall and the number of thoracolumbar nerves innervating the abdominal wall. When using animal models for simulation based training, the pig is recommended for the transversus abdominis plane block given its closely homologous abdominal wall structure, availability and larger comparative size.

The worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become an unprecedented challenge to global public health. With the intensification of the COVID-19 epidemic, the development of vaccines and therapeutic drugs against the etiological agent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are also widespread. To prove the effectiveness and safety of these preventive vaccines and therapeutic drugs, available animal models that faithfully recapitulate clinical hallmarks of COVID-19 are urgently needed. Currently, animal models including mice, golden hamsters, ferrets, nonhuman primates and other susceptible animals have been involved in the study of COVID-19. 92 vaccine candidates have entered clinical trials after the primary evaluation in animal models, of which inactivated vaccines, subunit vaccines, virus-vectored vaccines and mRNA vaccines are promising vaccine candidates. In this review, we summarize the landscape of animal models and advanced vaccines with efficacy range from about 50% to more than 95%. In addition, we point out future directions for animal models and vaccine development, aiming at providing valuable information and accelerating the breakthroughs confronting SARS-CoV-2.

A number of studies have investigated different crustacean food stuffs, feeding methods, 18 and feeding behavior, but little attention has been given to the interaction between these aspects in 19 crustaceans. The aim of the present review is to update knowledge, and examine challenges and 20 opportunities in the development of formulated diets, as pelleted feed, which is vital for developing 21 better quality of seed or broodstock in hatcheries, and adaptation of hatchery product to the aqua- 22 culture environment, and production systems.

Digital twin technology is already improving efficiencies and reducing costs across multiple industries and sectors. As the earliest adopters, space technology and manufacturing sectors have made the most sophisticated gains with automobile and natural resource extraction industries following close behind with recent investments in digital twin technology. The application of digital twins within the livestock farming sector is the next frontier. The possibilities that this technology may fuel are nearly endless as digital twins can be used to improve large-scale precision livestock farming practices, machinery and equipment usage, and the health and well-being of a wide variety of farm animals. Currently, many pioneers of digital twins in livestock farming are already applying sophisticated AI technology to monitor both animals and environment around the clock, which leads to a better understanding of animal behavior and distress, disease control and prevention, and smarter business decisions for the farmer. Mental and emotional states of animals can be monitored using recognition technology that examines facial features such as ear postures and eye white regions. Used with modeling, simulation and augmented reality technologies, digital twins can help farmers build more energy-efficient housing structures, predict heat cycles for breeding, discourage negative behaviors of livestock, and potentially much more. As with all disruptive technological advances, the implementation of digital twin technology will demand a thorough cost and benefit analysis by individual farms. Digital twin application will need to overcome challenges and accept limitations that arise. However, regardless of these issues, the potential of digital twins promises to revolutionize livestock farming in the future.

A proposed animal welfare assessment protocol for semi-arid rangeland-based cow-calf systems in Namibia combined 40 measures from a protocol developed for beef cattle in New Zealand with additional Namibia-specific measures. Preliminary validation of the protocol had been undertaken with five herds in one semi-commercial village. The aim of the current study was to apply this protocol and compare animal welfare across three cow-calf production systems in Namibia. A total of 2529 beef cows were evaluated during pregnancy testing in the yards of 17 commercial, 20 semi-commercial and 18 communal (total: 55) herds followed by an assessment of farm resources and a questionnaire-guided interview. Non-parametric tests were used to evaluate the difference in the welfare scores between the production systems. The results indicated a discrepancy of animal welfare between the three farm types, with a marked separation of commercial farms from semi-commercial, and communal village farms in the least. The differences in these production systems was mainly driven by economic gains through access to better beef export market for commercial farms and semi-commercial villages, as well as by the differences in the available grazing land, facility designs/quality and traditional customs in the village systems. The results indicate an advantage of commercialisation over communalisation.

Modern day civilization is dependent on energy generation by fossil fuels. But the major drawback of using fossil fuels is environmental pollution. Microalgae are potential candidate for production of various products of interest, such as proteins, mini food, pigments and triglycerides that can be converted into biofuels. Lignocellulosic feedstocks are the most abundantly available raw material of plants that can serve as a promising feedstock for cultivating bacteria, fungi, yeasts and microalgae to produce biofuels and other value-added products. Owing to the abundant availability of these low/no cost substrates, can be utilized as feedstocks for cultivating microalgae to generate biogas/biodiesel. Likewise, there is much room to exploit defatted algal biomass to be used as animal/fish feed and oil producing/accumulating genes knowledge in future to produce high and good quality biodiesel and biogas.

Dogs are considered property under UK law, while current discourses of pet ownership place canine companions as part of an extended family. This means sentences for those who steal dogs are not reflective of a dogs’ sentience and agency, rather reflecting the same charges for those who steal a laptop or wallet. This is particularly problematic as dog theft is currently on the rise in England and Wales and led to public calls to change the law. Recognizing that a more robust analysis of dog theft crime statistics is required, we gathered dog theft data for 2015, 2016 and 2017 from 37 of 44 police forces through FOI requests. This paper uses this data to examine how dog theft crime statistics are constructed; assesses the strengths and weaknesses of this data; and categorizes, maps and measures dog theft changes temporally per police force in England and Wales. Our findings reveal there has been an increase in dog theft crimes, 1,294 in 2015, 1,525 in 2016 (+17.85%), and 1,678 in 2017 (+10.03%); and a decrease in court charges related to dog theft crimes, 62 (4.7%) in 2015, 48 (3.14%) in 2016, 37 (2.2%) in 2017. There were police force inconsistencies in recording dog theft crime which meant some data was unusable or could not be accessed or analysed. There is a need for a qualitative study to understand dog theft crime in different areas, and standardised approach to recording the theft of a dog by all forces across England and Wales.

Background. A rat model of chronic tympanic membrane perforation was developed to be used in the search of new materials for the sealing of these perforations. Methods. A longitudinal study was carried out in rats subjected to incisional myringotomy followed by the application of mitomycin C alone or with dexamethasone. Rats were checked at days 3, 7, 10, 14 and weekly thereafter until perforation closure, for up to 6 months. Results. The addition of dexamethasone is a key component in order to obtain a chronic opening. Myringotomies treated with saline had a mean healing time of 8.5 days. At 8 weeks, 70.5% of these remained perforated and at 6 months this number fell to 21.4%. Conclusion. This technique is able to maintain more than 70% of tympanic membrane perforations patent for at least 8 weeks. This rat model is adequate for its use in preclinical or translational research.

Agro-industrial lignocellulosic waste can be bioconverted to fungal biomass and then utilized as a high nutritional value food alternative for ruminants, with potential for ruminal methane (CH4) mitigation. This study was carried out to evaluate the changes in the enzymatic expression and nutritional value of palm kernel cake fermented with Pleurotus ostreatus (FPKC), as well as the differences in the in vitro fermentation parameters and methane production in diets based on tropical forages with the inclusion of 20% FPKC. The highest activity of laccases and cellulases occurred on day 13 with values of 0.75 ± 0.09 U/g and 266.7 ± 20.8 U/g; respectively. The biological pretreatment decreased the contents of (p< 0.05) neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and lignin (LIG) by 29%, 20.5% and 46.6% respectively, while those of crude protein (CP) increased by 69.65%. The inclusion of FPKC resulted in increases (p

Agro-industrial activities generate significant amounts of organic waste and a variety of effluents, thus posing environmental challenges. Viticulture in Argentina, covering 204,847 ha in 2023, faces water scarcity as a limiting factor conditioning its production. This industry produces large volumes of grape marc, sediments, and stalks, which can be valorized into products like alcohol, tartaric acid, and compost. However, these valorization processes generate effluents with high organic load and salinity, further stressing water resources. This study explores the potential of utilizing these effluents to cultivate plant biomass in arid regions (sorghum or perennial pasture), which could serve as bioenergy, animal feed, or composting co-substrates, contributing to circular bioeconomy principles. Sorghum plots showed better establishment and higher dry biomass yield (32.6 Tn/ha) compared to pasture (6.5 Tn/ha). Sorghum demonstrated better tolerance to saline soils and high salinity effluents, aligning with previous studies. Although pasture had lower biomass yield, it was more efficient in nutrient uptake, concentrating more NPK, ash, and soluble salts. Sorghum's higher yield compensates for its lower nutrient concentration. For biomass production, sorghum is preferable, but if nutrient capture from effluents is prioritized, summer polyphytic pastures are more suitable. These results suggest that the final selection between plant biomass alternatives highly depends on whether the goal is biomass generation or nutrient capture.

Effective pain management in laboratory animals is crucial for both animal welfare and the reliability of scientific research. We retrospectively examined the effects of carprofen as post-operative analgesia in Sprague Dawley rats following stereotactic surgery. Our data indicate that administering carprofen twice daily (5 mg/kg), as currently recommended by GV-SOLAS, led to adverse effects such as reduced food and water intake, disrupted fecal excretion, and abdominal bloating consistent with peritonitis. Continued administration exacerbated these symptoms, with post-mortem findings of intestinal obstructions and ulcers. However, when the frequency was reduced to once daily, such adverse symptoms were not observed. These results are based on incidental data collected from various neuroscientific experiments, resulting in small and uneven sample groups across various experimental cohorts. The inherent imbalances in these groups present challenges for statistical interpretation. While the findings suggest that less frequent carprofen use may reduce adverse effects, the surgical interventions and concurrent use of other drugs in these experiments likely exacerbated these outcomes. Further investigation into the interactions between carprofen, surgical stress, and other perioperative factors is needed to refine analgesia protocols in laboratory animals. Despite these limitations, these observations contribute to understanding analgesia protocols and may assist in improving animal welfare practices.

The study objective is to evaluate the reliability of the Göttingen Mini-pig (G-MP) as a large animal model for preclinical studies addressing articular cartilage treatment procedures. Second this work compared the G-MP to the domestic pig (DP) in terms of surgical anatomy, postoperative management, and follow-up period possibilities and challenges. Six G-MP and four DP underwent a two-stage surgical procedure including cartilage harvesting using a superolateral approach followed by cartilage implantation using a medial parapatellar tendon approach. The superolateral approach exposed 11% (SD ± 5) of the entire trochlea in G-MP and 20% in the DP model. The medial parapatellar tendon approach in G-MP exposed 63% (SD ± 4) of the trochlear surface and exposed 34% (SD ± 13) of the medial femoral condyle, allowing 4 trochlear lesions of 6mm of diameter and one to the medial condyle in 4 out of 6 G-MP and in all DPs. Cartilage thickness was under 1mm in G-MP compared to more than 2mm in DP. Weight-progression was + 4 kg/week in DP and + 0.2 kg/week for G-MP. The G-MP is a feasible model for cartilage research, with adequate access to the joint via the dual approach. Thus enabling 4-5 lesions of 6mm, however a thinner cartilage in the G-MP needs to be considered.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, anxiety, hyperactivity, and restricted interest for specific subjects. In addition to the genetic factors, multiple environmental factors have been related to the development of ASD. Animal models can serve as crucial tools for understanding the complexity of ASD and identifying potential therapeutic strategies. In this study, a chemical model of ASD has been developed in zebrafish by exposing embryos to valproic acid (VPA) from 4 to 48 hours post-fertilization. After the exposure, embryos were transferred to fish water and the effects on behavior and neurotransmitters profile were analyzed at both larval and adult stages. Larvae from VPA-treated embryos showed hyperactivity and decreased visual and vibrational escape responses, as well as an altered neurotransmitters profile, with increased glutamate and decreased acetylcholine and norepinephrine levels. Adults from VPA-treated embryos exhibited impaired social behavior characterized by larger shoal sizes and a decreased interest for their conspecifics. Neurotransmitter analysis revealed a significant decrease in dopamine and GABA levels in the brain. These results support the interest of this model in the study of ASD.

Buruli ulcer is a chronic ulcerative disease of skin and subcutaneous tissues caused by infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans. Although Australian possums are known to be susceptible to Buruli ulcer, many aspects of the disease in possums, including welfare impacts, remain largely unreported. Severe clinical Buruli ulcer was identified in four common ringtail possums (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) from Melbourne, Victoria. All four possums were euthanised due to welfare concerns and poor prognosis, based on the presence of deep ulcerative lesions to paws, some of which exposed carpal or tarsal bones. These lesions were considered likely to cause partial or complete loss of limb function, which would severely affect the welfare and survival of these wild arboreal animals. Histologically, there was severe ulcerative necrotising pyogranulomatous dermatitis, panniculitis, and myositis, with intralesional acid-fast bacteria. M. ulcerans was detected by real-time PCR in all swabs and biological tissues collected from all four cases. Buruli ulcer may be an important and under-recognised cause of poor possum welfare in endemic areas. In addition to severe cutaneous lesions, infection extends to underlying bones and joints, and the systemic distribution of M. ulcerans throughout all major tissues and internal organs, as observed in these four cases, may further impact the health and fitness of infected possums. Further research is needed to investigate the epidemiology, pathogenesis and impacts of Buruli ulcer in possums, and to inform the design of interventions that may protect the health and welfare of possums and other affected animal species.

Disease outbreaks can severely affect populations in the wild. However, their ecological consequences are poorly understood. Here, we used a multi-site capture-recapture model to investigate the impacts of a yellow fever outbreak on the endangered golden lion tamarin Leontopithecus rosalia, in the Atlantic forest, Brazil. We show that the annual adult survival rate severely declined in 2017-2018, coinciding with the outbreak period. Simultaneously, dispersal patterns changed temporarily, with a slight reduction of dispersal between groups of the same forest fragment from 3.6 to 2.8%, and a strong increase of dispersal between forest fragments, from 0.4 to 4.3%. Those results suggest that disease transmission potential was low, especially between forest fragments and advocate for a better integration of host movements and landscape configuration when evaluating species response to vector-borne diseases

Lower urinary tract dysfunction, such as incontinence or urinary retention, is one of the leading consequences of neurological diseases. This significantly impacts the quality of life for those affected, with implications extending not only to humans but also to clinical veterinary care. Having motor and sensory fibers, the pudendal nerve is an optimal candidate for neuromodulation therapies using bidirectional intraneural prostheses, paving the way towards the restoration of a more physiological urination cycle: bladder state can be detected from recorded neural signals, then an electrical current can be injected to the nerve based on the bladder real-time need. To develop such prostheses and investigate this novel approach, animal studies are still required since the morphology of the target nerve is fundamental to optimize the prosthesis design. This study aims to describe the porcine pudendal nerve as a model for neuromodulation studies aiming at restoring lower urinary tract dysfunction. Five male farm pigs were involved in the study. First, a surgical procedure to access the porcine pudendal nerve without muscle resection was developed. Then, an intraneural interface was implanted to confirm the presence of fibers innervating the external urethral sphincter by measuring its electromyographic activity. Finally, the morpho-physiology of the porcine pudendal nerve at the level of surgical exposure was described by using histological and immunohistochemical characterization. This analysis confirmed the nerve fasciculate nature and the presence of mixed fibers with a spatial and functional organization. These achievements pave the way for further pudendal neuromodulation studies by using a clinically relevant animal model with the potential for translating the findings into clinical applications.

Abstract: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are short peptides, usually made up of less than 100 amino acid residues. They are found in many living organisms and are an important factor in their innate immune systems. AMPs can be extracted from various living sources including bacteria, plants, animals and even humans. They are usually cationic peptides with an amphiphilic structure, which allows them to easily bind and interact with the cellular membranes of viruses, bacteria, fungi and other pathogens. They can act against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens and have various modes of action against them. Some attack the pathogens membrane, while others target their intracellular organelles as well as their nucleic acids, proteins and metabolic pathways. A crucial area of use of AMPs is in their ability to help with emerging antibiotic resistance: some AMPs are active against resistant strains and are susceptible to peptide engineering. This review considers AMPs from three key sources: plants, animals and humans, as well as their modes of action and some AMPs sequences.

Trypanosomosis is a global animal issue, causing significant economic losses, particularly in Africa. In Spain, only one pathogenic species, Trypanosoma evansi, has been identified so far. It was first detected in a dromedary camel in the Canary Islands in 1997. Since then, numerous cases of the disease, known as surra, have been diagnosed, prompting various studies and efforts in control and surveillance. Given the lack of a comprehensive database that consolidates the most relevant data in this area, the development of a national atlas, with focus on the Canary Islands, to incorporate all available information on T. evansi in Spain became a necessity. For the development of the atlas, a repository was constructed, encompassing a range of datasets and documents spanning from 1997 to 2022. Information from each source, and in particular georeferenced locations and results of blood tests on animals, were extracted and integrated into a comprehensive database. A total of 31 sources were analysed, providing a total of 99 georeferenced locations and 12,433 animal samples. Out of these samples, 601 (mostly from dromedaries) were found to be positive for T. evansi. The Card Agglutination Test for T. evansi (CATT/T. evansi), a serological test, was the most commonly used diagnostic method, and it showed higher prevalence for all tested animal species. Positive cases were mainly concentrated in the Canary Islands, specifically in the eastern islands, with isolated cases found in the province of Alicante (Iberian Peninsula). This atlas provides an overview of the history and occurrence of surra in Spain, and it represents a valuable tool for future control initiatives and for research. Still, the need for more studies remains, especially for further testing of potential hosts other than camelids and for the examination of their potential transmission vectors.

Chloroquine (CQ) and its derivate hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), the compounds with recognized ability to suppress autophagy, have been tested in experimental works and in clinical trials as adjuvant therapy for the treatment of cancers of different origin to increase the efficacy of cytotoxic agents. Such strategy can be effective to overcome the resistance to standard chemotherapy or anti-angiogenic therapy. This review presents the results of combined application of CQ/HCQ with conventional chemotherapy drugs (doxorubicin, paclitaxel, platinum-based compounds, gemcitabine, tyrosine kinases and PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors, and other agents) for the treatment of different malignancies obtained in experiments on cultured cancer cells and on animal xenograft models, with a few examples of clinical trials. The effects of such approach on viability of cancer cells and tumor growth, as well as autophagy-dependent and independent molecular mechanisms underlying cellular responses of cancer cells to CQ/HCQ are summarized. Although the majority of experimental studies in vitro and in vivo have shown that CQ/HCQ can effectively sensitize the cancer cells to cytotoxic agents and increase the potential of chemotherapy, the results of clinical trials are often inconsistent. Although pharmacological suppression of autophagy remains a promising tool for increasing the efficacy of standard chemotherapy, the development of more specific compounds is required.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses a significant global health concern, with its incidence steadily increasing. The development of HCC is a multifaceted, multi-step process involving alterations in various signaling cascades. In recent years, significant progress has been made in understanding the molecular signaling pathways that play central roles in hepatocarcinogenesis. In particular, the EGFR/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in HCC has garnered renewed attention from both basic and clinical researchers. Preclinical studies in vitro and in vivo have shown the effectiveness of targeting the key components of this signaling pathway in human HCC cells. Thus, targeting these signaling pathways with small molecule inhibitors holds promise as a potential therapeutic option for patients with HCC. In this review, we will explore recent advancements in understanding the role of the EGFR/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in HCC and assess the effectiveness of targeting this signaling cascade as a potential strategy for HCC therapy based on preclinical studies

The use of metal oxide nanoparticles as an alternative antimicrobial agent has gained attention due to the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance. Understanding its properties and potential benefits can contribute to the development of more effective and sustainable treatments in veterinary medicine. The aim of this study was to characterize TiO2-NP formulations and evaluate their antibacterial and wound healing abilities. The diameters and zeta potentials were determined using the Zetasizer in conjunction with dynamic light scattering. The agar-well diffusion method, time-kill kinetic assay and crystal violet assay were used to evaluate their antimicrobial activities. Wound healing assays were conducted both in-vitro and in-vivo. The study demonstrated that TiO2-NP formulations exhibit significant antimicrobial properties against various bacterial strains such as S. aureus and E. coli. No measurable E. coli growth was observed within a 15-mins period following exposure to TiO2-NP formulations. The TiO2-NP formation can improve wound healing by enhancing cell migration and collagen formation in both in-vitro and in-vivo conditions. In summary, our study suggests that TiO2-NP has the potential for use as an antimicrobial agent for animal wound treatment due to its ability to suppress bacterial growth and biofilm formation, as well as to enhance wound healing.

Pesticides are chemical products are used to protect crops to prevent or eliminate undesirable organisms. Pesticides can contaminate continental waters, air, soil and food products. The presence of pesticide residues must therefore be monitored in water and food using sensitive, reliable and broad-spectrum analytical methods, as there is a huge variety of pesticides. Biosensors are one of the screening methods with great potential for detecting residues below the maximum residue limits. The different sensing principles of enzymatic biosensors for pesticide analysis will be described. This review highlights the great potential of colorimetric, enzymatic biosensors for detecting pesticide residues in water and food. Moreover the development of dual colorimetric and fluorimetric sensors during the past years is presented. These methods are most often based on the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, whose activity is inhibited by pesticides. The different approaches used in the development of these biosensors will be detailed, based on different chemical substrates, fluorophores and nanomaterials. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach will be discussed. Finally, the development prospects for improving these biosensors will be presented.

The pond slider (Trachemys scripta) was designated as an invasive alien species in South Korea in 2001. Although the prevention and control of invasive species have received considerable atten-tion worldwide, studies on the current status and effective management of T. scripta in South Korea are lacking. This study aimed to elucidate the status of domestic reuse of T. scripta and provide effective management suggestions. Analysis of the National Institute of Ecology's “Na-tionwide Survey of Non-native Species in Korea” conducted from 2015 to 2022 confirmed the habitats of 1,440 T. scripta individuals at 295 sites. T. scripta is the most frequently observed among invasive turtles identified in the Korean Peninsula. To determine the reuse of T. scripta, 13 tradi-tional markets were surveyed; five markets were confirmed to have T. scripta. Although the exact distribution route is unknown, individuals living or abandoned in the region might be resold in the market. T. scripta is mostly sold for ritual purposes. Moreover, T. scripta accounted for 31% of freshwater turtles abandoned between 2019 and 2022. Their continuous reuse has been confirmed 22 years after their designation as an invasive alien species. Therefore, effective and fundamental management measures for T. scripta are required.

Animal welfare assessment protocols are important for identifying welfare problems in conservation programs. This study aimed to develop a baseline welfare protocol for the assessment of welfare in huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) in conservation centers. This protocol is based on the Welfare Quality® (WQ) framework for cattle, considering the available literature on the behaviours, ecology, conservation plans, captive management of this species, and welfare assessment protocols for other ungulate species. As a result, the protocol was specifically developed for huemuls and included four principles, 12 criteria, and 23 animal- and resource-based indicators. The 12 criteria of the WQ protocol were reduced to nine, and three new criteria were added because they were both feasible and essential for welfare assessment in captive huemuls. This protocol is mainly intended to identify welfare problems in endangered species in the context of conservation centers (reproduction, rescue, rehabilitation, or treatment centers). Thus, aggregation of different measures to obtain a global score has not been proposed. However, a scoring system that assigns a value on a 0-2 scale (0= No welfare concern; 1= welfare concern; 2= urgent welfare concern) is proposed for each category. Although further research is still needed to fully validate the protocol, this is the first development of a completed protocol for huemul welfare assessment.

The effect of defatted Hermetia illucens meal (HIM) dietary inclusion on growth performance, stress indicators and gut histological traits of Sparus aurata was studied. For 131 days, 312 fish were fed with one basal diet, containing fish meal as animal protein source, and three diets containing 25%, 35% and 50% HIM as a partial replacement for fishmeal. On all fish (26 fish per tank, 3 replicate tanks per diet, 78 fish per diet) the growth performance were calculated. At the end of the trial, on a subsample of 72 specimens (6 fish per tank, 3 replicate tanks per diet, 18 fish per diet), stress parameters were determined on blood samples and gut histological tract investigated. Insect meal inclusion did not affect (p > 0.05) growth performance, blood parameters, length and width of villi and goblet cell count of the posterior gut tract while, those of the anterior gut tract while increased (p < 0.05). The histological examination of the intestinal sections showed in fish fed the HIM25 and HIM50 diets, more frequent and evident morphological changes; instead, there were no substantial differences between HIM0 and HIM35 groups. In conclusion, the HIM35 was the most tolerated formulation by fish.

High-resolution GPS/GSM dataloggers provide spatial information of the highest quality, which outperform previous tracking methods, such as Argos telemetry or conventional VHF ground-tracking. As a result, this has improved our knowledge of home-range behavior and spatial ecology of many species, including large raptors. In this paper, we use high-resolution GPS/GSM dataloggers to assess the home-range size and the role of sex, season (breeding or non-breeding season), and breeding status (reproductive or non-reproductive individuals) on the space use of Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata). To this end, 51 territorial individuals (25 females and 26 males) were equipped with GPS/GSM transmitters and were tracked over 7 years (2015–2021) in eastern Spain. Overall, we recorded 4,791,080 fixes that were analyzed through kernel density methods (50%, 75%, and 95% fixed kernels). The average individual home-range size according to the 95%, 75%, and 50% kernels was 54.84 ± 20.78 km², 24.30 ± 10.18 km², and 11.17 ± 4.90 km², respectively. Overall, the home-range size of individuals occupying the same territory was similar, mainly due to the cooperative hunting behavior exhibited by the species. We did not find interannual differences in the home-range size (95% fixed kernel) of the majority of individuals, showing a strong territorial fidelity of the breeding pairs. In general, females’ home-range size was slightly smaller than males’ size due to the decrease in activity in the breeding season as a result of laying, incubation, and chick attendance at nests. No seasonal variation in the 95% kernel was found, but it was found in the 75% and 50% kernels. In regard to the breeding status, higher home-range size was recorded in the non-reproductive individuals. Moreover, we found a low neighbor overlap among the territories (4.18% ± 3.06%), which evidences a high level of intraspecific competition in the Bonelli’s eagle. Finally, this study highlights the advantages of the use of accurate telemetry information to improve our understanding of the spatial ecology of the endangered Bonelli’s eagle, which ultimately will serve to better inform management actions for its conservation.

A new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.5 virus has displaced all previous variants of the virus around the world. Preliminary assessment of the effectiveness of drugs for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 requires the availability of infection models in animals. In this study, we characterize the infection model SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.5 and its progeny sublineage BE.1 in hACE2-transgenic mice and in Syrian hamsters. Both sublineages turned out to be pathogenic for animals – the challenged animals showed weight loss, a high level of viral load and acute inflammation in the lungs. Part of BA.5-infected mice died after virus challenge, indicating that this virus variant is more pathogenic than the previous BA.1 variant but less pathogenic than Wuhan variant.

Early disease detection in livestock allows for target treatment decreasing antibiotics use and allow advancements in precision veterinary medicine. MicroRNA (miRNA) -driven signaling cascades play a crucial role in the context of farm animal disease diagnostics and prediction, and their proper understanding remains a challenge. In livestock farm animals, only a small number of miRNAs have been fully validated with respect to disease conditions and physiological or behavioral traits. Low abundance of miRNAs in blood and bodily fluids, along with a small number of nucleotides, makes detection and discrimination tedious and challenging task in. miRNAs usually are homologous, owing to which detection specificity becomes next to impossible when screening for multiple miRNAs in the same analyte sample. Hence, a concurrent, multiplexing, approach becomes crucial for the development of on-farm point-of-care based detection systems. Comprehensive screening methods demand broad dynamic range and enhanced specificity. For on-farm handheld platform development, the ability to screen for multiple varieties of miRNA is essential. In this review paper, I provide an overview of the recent developments of miRNA sensing and the current bottlenecks in the realization of the sensors for detecting miRNAS as target analyte for various livestock disease detection applications. Due to the nascent stages of this research, the possibilities of exploiting miRNAs as a biomarker opens up ways to move from reactive to predictive possibilities in diseases detection in the modern digital livestock farming.

As a stimulus signal, coded electrical signals can control the motion behavior of animals, which has been widely used in the field of animal robots. In current research, most of the stimulus signals used by researchers are traditional waveform, such as square waves. To enrich the stimulus waveform, a wireless animal robot stimulation system based on neuronal electrical signal characteristics is presented in this paper. The stimulator uses the CC1101 wireless module to control animal behavior through brain stimulation. The LabVIEW-based graphical user interface(GUI) can manipulate brain stimulation remotely while the stimulator powered by battery. Additionally, the spikes of animals have been simulated by this system through Direct Digital Synthesizer(DDS) algorithm. The GUI enable users to customize the combination of these analog spike signals. The recombined signals are sent to the stimulator through CC1101 as stimulus signals. In vivo experiments conducted on five pigeons verified the efficacy of the stimulation mechanism. The analog spike signal with an amplitude of 3-5V successfully caused the pigeon’s turning behavior. The feasibility of the analog spike signals as stimulus signals was successfully verified. Increased the diversity of stimulus waveform in the field of animal robots.

Increasing rates of infection by antibiotic resistant bacteria have led to a resurgence of interest in bacteriophage (phage) therapy. Several phage therapy studies in animals and humans have been completed over the last two decades. We conducted a systematic review of safety and toxicity data associated with phage therapy in both animals and humans reported in English-language publications from 2008 – 2021. Overall, 69 publications met our eligibility criteria including 20 animal studies, 35 clinical case reports or case series, and 14 clinical trials. After summarizing safety and toxicity data from these publications, we discuss potential approaches to optimizing safety and toxicity monitoring with the therapeutic use of phage moving forward. In our systematic review of the literature, we found few, but no serious, adverse events associated with phage therapy. Comprehensive and standardized reporting of potential toxicities associated with phage therapy has generally been lacking in the published literature. Structured safety and tolerability endpoints are necessary when phages are administered as anti-infective therapeutics.

Higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (HR-MDS) has a poor prognosis in the absence of efficient therapy. The evaluation of new therapies in animal models of HR-MDS is hampered by the absence of accurate in vivo biomarkers of the disease. In this study we compared [18F]Fluoro-desoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG-PET) and [18F]Fluoro-thymidine (FLT)-PET imaging for disease follow-up in a triple transgenic MMTVtTA/TetoBCL-2/MRP8NRASD12 mouse model of HR-MDS. Normal control FVB/N mice (G1,n=9) and HR-MDS mice (G2,n=12) underwent both FDG- and FLT-PET procedures at 2-day intervals, on a dedicated small animal device. Blood cell counting, BCL-2 and Mac-1hi/Gr-1lo expression measurements in blood were performed before each PET procedure. Visually, PET images of G2 mice demonstrated homogeneous FDG uptake in the whole skeleton similar to that observed in G1 mice, and abnormal FLT hot spots in bone marrow not observed in G1 mice. The intensity of FLT hot spots in bone marrow was higher in 3-months old G2 mice than in 2-months old G2 mice, concordant with a higher percentage of cells expressing Mac-1hi/Gr-1lo and lower platelets counts. We conclude that FLT-PET/CT imaging is a more valuable surrogate non-invasive quantitative marker of HR-MDS bone marrow involvement than FDG-PET/CT in our mouse model of HR-MDS.

Mate choice that is based on behavioural traits is a common feature in the animal kingdom. Using the Trinidadian guppy, a species with mutual mate choice, we investigated whether males use female swimming activity – a behavioural trait known to differ consistently among individuals in many species – as a trait relevant for their mate choice. In a first experiment, we assessed male and female activity in an open field test alone (two repeated measures) and afterwards in heterosexual pairs (two repeated measures). In these pairs, we simultaneously assessed males’ mating efforts by counting number of sexual behaviours (courtship displays and copulation). Male and female guppies showed consistent individual differences in their swimming activity when tested both alone and in a pair, and these differences were maintained across both test situations. When controlling for male swimming behaviour and both male and female body size, males performed more courtship displays towards females with higher swimming activity. In a second experiment, we tested for a directional male preference for swimming activity by presenting males video animations of low and high active females in a dichotomous choice test. In congruence with experiment 1, we found males to spend significantly more time in association with the high active female stimulus. Both experiments thus point towards a directional male preference for higher activity levels in females. We discuss the adaptive significance of this preference as activity patterns might indicate individual female quality, health or reproductive state while, mechanistically, females that are more active might be more detectable to males as well.

The study aimed to develop standards for a welfare assessment protocol, by validating potential categorisation thresholds for assessment of beef farms in various beef cow-calf production systems in Namibia. Forty measures combined from a New Zealand-based protocol plus Namibia-specific measures, were applied on 55 beef farms (17 commercial farms, 20 semi-commercial and 18 communal village farms) during pregnancy testing, and a questionnaire guided interview. The categorised measures on a 3-point welfare score of 0: good 1: marginal and 2: poor/unacceptable welfare were subsequently compared with derivation of thresholds based upon the poorest 15% and best 50% of herds for each measure. Overall combined thresholds of continuous measures across the 3 farm types, showed 10/22 measures that posed welfare compromise across Namibia, where commercial farms had 4/22 measures and semi-commercial and communal village farms had 12/22 and 11/22 respectively with high thresholds. Most measures-imposed thresholds were retained because of significant importance to welfare of animals and preventiveness of the traits, while leniency was given to adjust good feeding and mortality measures to signify periods of drought. Handling measures (fearful, falling/lying) and abrasions thresholds were adjusted to reflect the temporary stress caused by infrequent cattle handling, and faulty yard designs/design and possible cattle breed influence on handling. Hence, the country needs prioritised investigation of underlying contributing factors and remediation to reduce the high thresholds.

In this review, we address issues that relate to the rapid “Warp Speed” development of vaccines to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. We review the antibody response that is triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection of humans, and how it may inform vaccine research. The isolation and properties of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies from COVID-19 patients provide additional information on what vaccines should try to elicit. The nature and longevity of the antibody response to coronaviruses are relevant to the potency and duration of vaccine-induced immunity. We summarize the immunogenicity of leading vaccine candidates tested to date in animals and humans, and discuss the outcome and interpretation of virus-challenge experiments in animals. By far the most immunogenic vaccine candidates for antibody responses are recombinant proteins, which are not included in the initial wave of “Warp Speed” immunogens. A substantial concern for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is adverse events, which we review by considering what was seen in studies of SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV vaccines. We conclude by outlining the possible outcomes of the “Warp Speed” vaccine program, which range from the hoped-for rapid success to a catastrophic adverse influence on vaccine uptake generally.

The interaction between endocannabinoid (eCB) system with in key brain structures such as hippocampus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex and sleep deprivation (SD)-induced psychosis has been less studied. The present hypothesis revolves around the question whether altered chemical dynamics within the eCB system with the resultant impact on cannabinoid receptors in key cortical hubs would impact SD-induced psychosis-like symptoms. Having this investigated research is expected to pave the path towards identifying newer drug targets namely for schizophrenia.

Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) is a zoonotic arbovirus of the Phenuiviridae family. Infection causes abortions in pregnant animals, high mortality in neonate animals and mild to severe symptoms in both people and animals. There is currently an ongoing effort to produce safe and efficacious veterinary vaccines against RVFV in livestock to protect against both primary infection in animals and zoonotic infections in people. To test the efficacy of these vaccines it is essential to have a reliable challenge model in relevant target species, including ruminants. We evaluated two goats breeds (Nubian and LaMancha), three routes of inoculation (intranasal, mosquito-primed subcutaneous and subcutaneous) using an infectious dose of 10⁷ pfu/ml, a virus strain from the 2006-07 Kenyan/Sudan outbreak and compared the effect of using virus stocks produced in either mammalian or mosquito cells. Our results demonstrated that Nubian goats achieved the highest levels and longer duration of viremia. In the Nubian goats, all three routes of inoculation were equally efficient at producing clinical signs, consistent viremia (peak viremia: 1.2x10³ - 1.0x10⁵ pfu/ml serum), nasal and oral shedding of viral RNA (1.5x10¹ – 8x10⁶ genome copies/swab), a systemic infection of tissues, and robust antibody responses. The Nubian goat breed and a needle-free intranasal inoculation technique could both be utilized in future vaccine and challenge studies.

Free-range sloths living in an urban environment is rare. In this study, human opinions, attitudes and interactions with a population of Bradypus variegatus in a public square were investigated. A questionnaire was applied to people in the square where the sloths reside, and informal, opportunistic observations of human-sloth interactions were made. 95% of respondents knew of the sloths’ existence in the square and 87.8% likes their presence. Opinions about population size differed greatly and younger people were concerned if the square was appropriate place for them. Some human-sloth interactions showed the consequence of lack of biological knowledge. People initiated all sloth-human interactions. The fact that sloths are strictly folivorous has limited their interactions with humans and consequently minimised negative impact of the human-animal interaction on their wellbeing. These results demonstrate that while there is a harmonious relationship between people and sloths, actions in environmental education of the square’s public could be beneficial for the sloths.

Animal venoms are complex mixtures of bioactive peptides and enzymes that have garnered significant interest for their therapeutic potential, particularly in drug delivery systems. Among these peptides, cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have emerged as promising candidates due to their ability to traverse cellular membranes and deliver a variety of molecular cargos, including drugs, imaging agents, and nanoparticles. Recent advancements in omics technologies have enhanced our understanding of the structural and functional properties of CPPs, leading to their classification based on conformation, origin, and physicochemical characteristics. This review discusses the diverse types of CPPs, including three-finger toxins, disintegrins, and bradykinin-potentiating peptides, highlighting their roles in targeted drug delivery and therapeutic applications. The potential of venom-derived peptides in developing novel strategies for drug delivery and disease treatment is explored, emphasizing their impact on biotechnological and biomedical research.

Overconsumption of an unbalanced diet and overweight, leading to insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis, cardiovascular diseases and obesity, is nowadays a worldwide health issue, with different patterns of metabolic disturbances in the young and adult popula-tions, in both gender. Preclinical models that closely mimic the gradual weight gain that occurs in humans upon consumption of a “western-type” diet (WD) are of great interest. In particular, the diet-induced obesity (DIO) model in the C57BL/6J mouse sub-strain is often used in biomed-ical research, considering that it is prone to metabolic disorders and obesity, and is widely used to generate genetically modified mice. This study aimed to phenotypically characterize the C57BL/6J mouse strain fed a WD-like diet, using high-frequency ultrasound imaging (HFUS) as a complementary tool to longitudinally monitor morphofunctional changes in the liver, heart and kidney associated with DIO. Long term WD feeding increased mice body weight (BW), liver/BW ratio and body condition score (BCS), serum transaminases, glucose and insulin, as well as Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) indexes, and caused dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. According to the 3Rs, ultrasound imaging has enabled a comprehensive study of metabolic syndrome in mice, in vivo and non-invasive, improving the identification of early stages of diseases.

Sick sinus syndrome (SSS) is a disease of sinus rhythm abnormalities. This study aimed to establish an SSS model by injecting 3% NaOH into the jugular vein(JV). Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham, 3% NaOH, and 10% NaOH groups. Anesthetized rats underwent electrocardiogram recording before right JV exposure. Rats in the experimental groups received NaOH injections at 0.01 ml/s, while the sham group did not. Model success was evaluated after one hour. Heart rate(HR) and rhythm were documented at 1 hour, 1 week, and 2 weeks post-molding, including HE staining, membrane ion transcription and expression, and calcium ion content test. In the 3% NaOH group, the model establishment rate was 87%, and the mortality rate was 13%, whereas in the 10% NaOH group, they were 57% and 43% respectively (P < 0.01). The HR of the 3% NaOH group decreased at multiple time points post-molding (P < 0.001), presenting as arrhythmias such as sinus bradycardia. The JV sustained less damage, with necrosis of P cells, changes in membrane ion channels, and reduced calcium ion distribution. In conclusion, JV injection of 3% NaOH can establish the SSS model and benefit animals.

Appropriate animal models of human diseases are a cornerstone in the advancement of science and medicine. To create animal models of neuropsychiatric and neurobehavioral diseases such as ASD necessitates the development of sufficient neurobehavioral measuring tools to translate human behavior to expected measurable behavioral features in animals. Indeed, at least in rodents, adequate neurobehavioral and neurological tests have been developed. Since ASD is characterized by a number of specific behavioral trends with significant severity, animal models of autistic-like behavior have to demonstrate the specific characteristic features, namely impaired social interactions, and communication, restricted, repetitive behavioral patterns with association to several additional impairments such as somatosensory, motor and memory impairments. Thus, an appropriate model must show behavioral impairment of a minimal number of neurobehavioral characteristics using an adequate number of behavioral tests. The proper animal models enable the study of ASD like-behavior from the etiologic, pathogenetic and therapeutic aspects. From the etiologic aspects, models have been developed by the use of immunogenic substances like polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (PolyIC), Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and propionic acid or other well-documented immunogens or pathogens, like mycobacterium tuberculosis. Another approach is the use of chemicals like valproic acid, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organophosphate pesticides - chlorpyrifos (CPF) and others. These substances were administered either prenatally, generally after the period of major organogenesis, or, especially in rodents, during the early postnatal life. In addition, using modern genetic manipulation methods, genetic models have been created of almost all human genetic diseases that are manifested by autistic like behavior (i.e. fragile X, Rett syndrome, SHANK gene mutation Neuroligin genes and others). Ideally, we should not only evaluate the different behavioral modes affected by the ASD-like behavior but also assess the severity of the behavioral deviations by an appropriate scoring system, as applied to humans.

Animal personalities play a crucial role in invasion dynamics during alien species invasions. The behavioral strategies adopted by native species varied among personalities when facing an invasion by alien species, just as the invasive species exhibited variations in behavior strategies across different personalities during the invasion process. However, the effects of personality interactions between native species and invasive species on behavior and growth are rarely illustrated. We used the globally invasive freshwater turtle Trachemys scripta elegans and the native freshwater turtle Mauremys reevesii to investigate how the personality combinations of native and invasive turtles would impact the foraging strategy and growth of both species. We found that M. reevesii exhibited bolder and more exploratory personalities than T. scripta elegans. The foraging strategy of M. reevesii was mainly affected by the personality of T. scripta elegans, while the foraging strategy of T. scripta elegans was influenced by both their own personality and M. reevesii's personality. In addition, we did not found that the personality combination would affect the growth of either T. scripta elegans or M. reevesii. Difference in foraging strategy may be due to the competitive advantage of invasive species and variations in the exploration-exploitation foraging strategy among different personalities. Overall, our results reveal the mechanisms of personality interaction effects on the foraging behavior of both native and invasive species during alien species invasion and provide empirical evidence to help understand the effects of personality in invasion dynamics.

Australia has the highest small-mammal extinction rate in the world, and there are ample of reasons that have led to the higher extinction rates such as introduction of feral species, wildfires, climate change and uneven population distribution. All these factors instil a dire need to protect the species in captive environment. Stress has a major role to play in maintaining an adequate welfare conditions for wildlife, hence quantification of the stress levels in captive animals help us understand the effectiveness of the methods used to house the animals. In this study, we assessed the stress levels of captive marsupials namely Rufous bettongs (Aepyprymnus rufescens) (n=9), Long-nosed potoroo (Potorous tridactylus) (n=4) and Greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) (n=5) by measuring the faecal cortisol metabolites using the Enzyme-Immuno assay (EIA) (R4866). We carried out a laboratory validation of the EIA for the Rufous bettongs and long-nosed potoroo by demonstrating parallelism between the pooled faecal samples and the standard curve. We also used the iterative baseline approach to calculate the baseline levels and detect peak concentrations of FCM in all the studied species. No significant differences were found in the FCM and baseline levels in the potoroos. Results highlighted a significant difference (p &lt; 0.05) in the individual FCM and baseline levels of the bettongs. Additionally, significant differences (p &lt; 0.05) were found in the FCM and baseline levels between male and female bettongs. In case of bilbies, the FCM and baseline levels showed no significant differences, however the male and female baseline levels were significantly different (p &lt; 0.05). Our study provides the baseline and peak FCM concentrations in Long-nosed potoroos and Rufous bettongs under captive management. Future studies can use the iterative baseline approach and validated EIA to detect any possible variations in the FCM concentration and baseline values in captive marsupials created due to factors like sex, grouping, and housing conditions.

The main challenge in milk production has been to maintain a focus on efficient processes that enhance production outcomes, while aligning with animal welfare and sustainability and being valued by society. As an alternative to improve cow welfare in production and provide better handling of the waste generated by the activity, the system called compost-bedded pack barn (CBP) is an alternative that has been widely adopted in countries with temperate climates and higher milk production. This CBP has been attracting global interest, including from countries with tropical and subtropical climates, such as Brazil, where many producers have started to use it due to the response in terms of milk productivity. A CBP can be designed either in a) an open facility with natural ventilation or positive pressure ventilation system or b) totally closed facilities, equipped with negative pressure ventilation systems and permanent thermal control. The latter system is being implemented in Brazil, despite insufficient knowledge about its efficiency. The objective of this study was, through a review, to gather and describe the most recent information on the use of open and closed CBP systems for dairy cattle housing, mainly how it is applied in tropical climate regions. To achieve the proposed objective, this review study included the following topics related to CBPs: (i) implementation; (ii) bedding; (iii) general construction and architectural characteristics; iv) ambient thermal conditioning. Knowledge gaps and directions for future research are also identified.

When wildlife and motor vehicles collide, the result for the animals is often death (roadkill). A commercial roadkill Virtual Fence (VF) mitigation device (iPTE Traffic Solutions) was used in a field trial to test its effectiveness along a 4.9-km segment of road on Bruny Island, Tasmania. A total of 585 days of monitoring of roadkill by species was conducted, with six sections alternatively switched on or off, according to a variation of a Crossover and Multiple Before-After-Control-Impact (MBACI) experimental designs that divided monitoring into “off-on” then “on-off” blocks of periods with each “on” period followed by a 16 d “wash-out” period. For the six sections over the four periods that exclude wash-outs, the 24 aggregated values of daily counts of roadkill of Tasmanian pademelons (Thylogale billardierii), that gave a total count of 222, were modelled. Other species were killed in insufficient numbers for analysis to be informative. The statistical analysis exploited the MBACI design to estimate the VF effect using a log-odds ratio parameter (LORP) while accounting for local spatio-temporal effects. Both versions of the analysis, either averaging over the three spatial replicates (paired sections) or two temporal replicates (blocks) gave no statistically significant effect of the VF judged as a LORP estimate not sufficiently below zero. Corresponding percentage reduction estimates of 9% and 16% were derived from the LORP estimates and given parameter uncertainty estimates the power to detect as significant a LORP corresponding to a 50% reduction in rate were 0.5 and 0.6, respectively. This study confirms results from a similar field trial carried out in 2018 also in southern Tasmania and adds to the evidence that this VF is likely to give if anything only a minor reduction in roadkill for a commonly killed species for which researchers have the best chance of detecting any practically useful reduction.

Due to the increasing risk of extreme events caused by climate change (i.e. floods, fires, hurricanes) or wars, European veterinary public health may need some improvement. Utilizing a mix of qualitative (participatory observation) and quantitative methods (Internet mining), we analyzed the Greek media responses to the millennial flood in Thessaly (September 2023), focusing on animal health (including wild, companion animals and livestock) and public sentiment towards epizootic/epidemic threats. The study revealed a gap in crisis management plans regarding veterinary-related issues, emphasizing the need for comprehensive emergency response strategies. Our findings show how: (i) lay-referral system is projecting perception of epidemic threats into the population; (ii) emotional load of images of animal carcasses is misused by media creators aiming for big audience; (iii) pets owners are creating on-line communities for searching and treatment of their pets. Our results stress the importance of integrating crisis communication in consecutive phases of the discourse, such as (i) weather change; (ii) acute flood; (iii) recovery; (iv) outbreaks, into veterinary practices to better prepare for such disasters.

Animal trypanosomiasis (AT) is a complex of veterinary diseases known under various names such as nagana, surra, dourine and mal de caderas, depending on the country, the infecting trypanosome species and the host. AT is caused by parasites of the genus Trypanosoma, and the main species infecting domesticated animals are T. brucei brucei, T. b. rhodesiense, T. congolense, T. vivax, T. evansi and T. equiperdum. AT transmission, again depending on species, is through tsetse flies or common Stomoxys and tabanid flies or through copulation. Therefore, the geographical spread of all forms of AT together is not restricted to the habitat of a single vector like the tsetse fly and currently includes almost all of Africa, and most of South America and Asia. The disease is a threat to millions of companion and farm animals in these regions, creating a financial burden in the billions of dollars to developing economies as well as serious impacts on livestock rearing and food production. Despite the scale of these impacts, control of AT is neglected and under-resourced, with diagnosis and treatments being woefully inadequate and not improving for decades. As a result, neither the incidence of the disease, nor the effectiveness of treatment is documented in most endemic countries, although it is clear that there are serious issues of resistance to the few old drugs that are available. In this review we particularly look at the drugs, their application to the various forms of AT, and their mechanisms of action and resistance. We also discuss the spread of veterinary trypanocide resistance and its drivers, and highlight current and future strategies to combat it.

Globally, the demand for plant-based alternative food is increasing rapidly as these products are getting quite popular in vegan and vegetarians. However, it is still in the early stage and faces various technological challenges, but the imitation of sensory profile is the most challenging part as the products are meant to be an alternative of meat. The development of similar product to meat requires an accurate selection of ingredients and processing. An understanding about the sensory profile can help to construct the product and technologies that are consumer centric and sustainable. In this review, we focus on the comparative differences in the sensory profile of animal meat and plant-based meat alternative specially in the color, texture and flavor, along with the method used to resemble them. The paper also explains about the sensory evaluation and how it affects the consumer preference and acceptability. Additionally, a direction to further research for developing better plant-based alternative products has also been suggested.

In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), recurrence usually occurs after curative surgical resection. Currently, no approved adjuvant therapy has been shown to reduce recurrence rates. In this report, the in vivo mouse effect of sequential combination treatment with recombinant mouse interferon-alpha (rmIFN-α) and an anti-mouse-PD1 antibody on hepatitis B virus (HBV) clearance was evaluated. A phase I clinical trial was then conducted to assess the safety, tolerability, and inhibitory activity of sequential therapy with ropeginterferon alfa-2b and nivolumab in HCC recurrence in patients who have undergone curative surgery for HBV-related HCC. In animal modeling, HBV suppression was significantly greater with rmIFN-α and anti-PD1 sequential combination treatment than with their treatment alone. In the Phase I study, eleven patients completed the sequential therapy with ropeginterferon alfa-2b every two weeks at the dose of 450 µg for six doses, followed by three doses of nivolumab every two weeks up to 0.75 mg/kg. A notable decrease or clearance of HBV surface antigen was observed in two patients. Dose-limiting toxicity of grade 3 alanine transaminase and aspartate aminotransferase increases was observed in one patient. The maximum tolerated dose was determined. Currently no HCC recurrence has been observed. The treatment modality was well tolerated. The data support further clinical development of sequential combination therapy as a post-surgery prophylactic measure against the recurrence of HBV-related HCC.

Background: Xenogenous bone has been proposed as an alternative to overcome the disadvantages of autogenous grafting. The aim of the present study was to study bone dynamics at inlay and onlay xenografts used for bone augmentation applying a ring technique. Methods: The bone at the lateral surface of the mandibular angle of 12 adult male New Zealand White rabbits was exposed bilaterally. The cortical layer received multiple perforations at one side of the mandible and a xenograft block of collagenated cancellous equine bone, 7 mm in diameter and 3 mm in width, was fixed on the prepared surface using an implant (onlay group). On the opposite side, a defect 7 mm in diameter and 3 mm in depth was prepared, the xenograft block was adapted to the defect and fixed with an implant (inlay group). Results: After ten weeks of healing, in the onlay grafts, new bone was mainly formed on the trabeculae surface, reaching in some specimens the most coronal regions of the block. In the inlay grafts, new bone was found arranged on the trabecular surfaces but also occupying the spaces among the trabeculae. The entrance of the defect was often found close at the top of the block by newly formed bone. A higher percentage of new bone was found in the inlay (19.0 ±9.3%) compared to the onlay (10.4 ±7.4%) groups (p=0.031). The mean gain in osseointegration at the implant in relation to the base of the original 3 mm deep defect was 0.95 ±1.05% at the onlay group and 0.78 ±0.71% at the inlay group (p=0.603). Conclusion: The inlay grafts exhibited a higher new bone percentage than the onlay grafts possibly due to the defect conformation that presented more sources for bone formation. The trabecular conformation and the composition of the grafts made possible the expression of the osteoconductive properties of the material used. This resulted, in several specimens, in growth of bone on the graft trabeculae toward the most superior regions in both groups, and in the closure of the coronal entrance of the defects in the inlay group.

Dairy calves are susceptible to a great range of welfare and health issues up to the age of weaning. The aim of the current pilot study was to evaluate incidence of the main health disorders affecting dairy calves up to one year of age. The study was carried out at the Experimental Farm of the Research and Development Institute for Bovine Balotesti, Romania, were health data was collected for two consecutive years, between November 2017 and October 2019, from a number of 176 purebred Romanian Black and White calves. Diarrhea had the highest incidence in un-weaned calves (0-3months old), of 29.55±0.34%, significantly higher (p≤0.001) compared to 3-6 months (2.16±1.24) and 6-12 months age groups (5.88±2.17), respectively. Coccidiosis incidence was on average of 39.20±0.36% in un-weaned calves, 1.44±1.01% in the 3-6 months group and of 5.04±2.01% in the 6-12 months group, significantly higher (p≤0.001) in the 0-3 months age group, compared to older calves.

Background: The conformation of the recipient site for an inlay graft presents an increased contact with the parent bone compared to the onlay graft. This might favor bone growth within the inlay compared to the onlay grafts. Hence, the objective of this study was to compare bone incorporation and remodeling process of xenogeneic en bloc grafts, placed using two bone grafting techniques, i.e., onlay vs. inlay. Methods: In this prospective, randomized, split-mouth study (test and control sides in the same animal), two bone grafting techniques were comparatively evaluated on the lateral aspect of the rabbit mandibles. One side was prepared with perforations (onlay site), whereas the other side was prepared with trephines and drills to obtain a wide (7 mm) standardized recipient site (inlay site). A xenogeneic bone block was fixed in the center with a titanium screw in both sides of the mandible and covered with a collagen membrane. Two healing periods were applied in the study: 2 and 10 weeks of healing. Results: after 2 weeks of healing, the mean percentage of new bone was 10.4% and 23.3% at the onlay and inlay grafts, respectively (p=0.022). After 10 weeks of healing, new bone increased to 13.2% and 25.4%, respectively (p=0.080). In this period of healing, the inlay grafts presented new bone percentage &gt;20% in all regions examined while the onlay graft presented a lower percentage in the most external regions of the graft. Conclusion: The percentage of new bone increased faster and was higher in the inlay compared to the onlay grafts. The composition of the grafts allowed new bone to reach the most peripheral regions in both graft groups, even though it was higher in the inlay group. A marginal closure of the defects by newly formed bone was observed in the inlay group.

Animal viruses are a significant threat to animal health and are easily spread across the globe with the rise of globalization. The limitations in diagnosing and treating animal virus infections have made the transmission of diseases and animal deaths unpredictable. Therefore, early diagnosis of animal virus infections is crucial to prevent the spread of diseases and reduce economic losses. To address the need for rapid diagnosis, electrochemical sensors have emerged as a promising tool. Electrochemical methods present numerous benefits, including heightened sensitivity and selectivity, affordability, ease of use, portability, and rapid analysis, making them suitable for real-time virus detection. This paper focuses on the construction of electrochemical biosensor, as well as promising biosensor models, and expounds its advantages in virus detection, which is a promising research direction.

Gram-negative bacterial infections pose a significant threat to public health. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) recognizes bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and induces innate immune responses, autophagy and cell death, which have major impacts on the body physiological homeostasis. However, the role of TLR4 in bacterial LPS-induced autophagy and apoptosis in large mammals remains unknown, which are closer to humans than rodents in many physiological characteristics. So far, few reports focus on the relationship between TLR, autophagy and apoptosis in large mammal levels. We urgently need more tools to further explore their crosstalk. Here, we generated a TLR4-enriched mammal model (sheep) and found that a high-dose LPS treatment blocked autophagic degradation and caused strong innate immune responses and severe apoptosis in PBMCs of transgenic offspring. Excessive accumulation of autophagosomes/autolysosomes might contribute to LPS-induced apoptosis in PBMCs of transgenic animals. Further study demonstrated that inhibiting TLR4 downstream NF-κB or p38 MAPK signaling pathways reversed the LPS-induced autophagy activity and apoptosis. These results indicate that the elevated TLR4 aggravates LPS-induced PBMCs apoptosis by leading to lysosomal dysfunction and impaired autophagic flux, which is associated with TLR4 downstream NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. This study provides a novel TLR4-enriched mammal model to study its potential effects on autophagy activity, inflammation, oxidative stress and cell death. These findings also enriched the biological functions of TLR4 and provided powerful evidence for bacterial infection.

In recent years, new therapies have been developed based on molecules that target mo-lecular mechanisms involved in both the initiation and maintenance of the oncogenic process. Among these molecules are the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) inhibitors. PARP1 has emerged as a target with great therapeutic potential for some tumor types, drawing attention to this enzyme and resulting in many small molecule inhibitors of its enzymatic activity. Thus, many PARP inhibitors are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of homologous recombina-tion (HR)-deficient tumors, BRCA-related cancers, taking advantage of synthetic lethality. In ad-dition, several novel cellular functions unrelated to its role in DNA repair have been described, including post-translational modification of transcription factors, or acting through pro-tein-protein interactions as a co-activator or co-repressor of transcription. Previously, we report-ed that this enzyme may play a key role as a transcriptional co-activator of an important compo-nent of cell cycle regulation, the transcription factor E2F1. Here, we show that PARP inhibitors, which interfere with its activity in cell cycle regulation, do so without affecting its enzymatic function.

The survival rate of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) remains overall at 60 %. Research and development is slow, partly due to the lack of sophisticated experimental models. This publication introduces a dedicated rodent oxygenator (“RatOx”) and shows preliminary in vitro classification tests. The RatOx has an adaptable fiber module size for various rodent models. Gas transfer performance over the fiber module for different blood flows and fiber module sizes were tested according to DIN EN ISO 7199.At the maximum possible amount of effective fiber surface and a blood flow of 100 ml/min, the oxygenator performance has been tested to a maximum of 6.27 ml O2/min and 8.2 ml CO2/min, respectively. The priming volume for this the largest fiber module is 5.4 ml, while the smallest possible configuration with a single fiber mat layer has 1.1 ml of priming volume. The novel RatOx ECLS system has been evaluated in-vitro to comply to a high degree with all predefined functionality criteria for rodent sized animal models. We intend for the RatOx to become a standard testing platform for scientific studies on ECLS therapy and technology.

Deep learning dominates automated animal activity recognition (AAR) tasks due to the high performance on large-scale datasets. However, constructing centralised data across diverse farms raises data privacy issues. Federated learning (FL) provides a distributed learning solution to train a shared model by coordinating multiple farms (clients) without sharing their private data. Whereas directly applying FL to AAR tasks often faces two challenges: client-drift during local training and gradient conflicts during global aggregation. In this study, we develop a novel FL framework called FedAAR to achieve AAR with sensor data. Specifically, we devise a prototype-guided local update module to alleviate the client-drift issue, which introduces global prototypes as shared knowledge to force clients to learn consistent features. To reduce gradient conflicts between clients, we design a gradient refinement-based aggregation module to eliminate conflicting components between client gradients during global aggregation, thereby improving the agreement between clients. Experiments are conducted on a public dataset to verify FedAAR’s effectiveness, which consists of 87,621 2-s motion data. The results demonstrate that FedAAR outperforms state-of-the-arts, with precision (75.23%), recall (75.17%), F1-score (74.70%), and accuracy (88.88%), respectively. The ablation experiments also show FedAAR’s robustness against various factors (i.e., different data sizes, communication frequency, and client numbers).

Animal welfare is not only an ethically important consideration in good animal husbandry, but can also have a significant effect on an animal’s productivity. The aim of this paper is to show that a reduction in animal welfare, in the form of increased stress, can be identified in pigs from frontal images of the animals. We train a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) using a leave-one-out design and show that it is able to discriminate between stressed and unstressed pigs with an accuracy of >90% in unseen animals. Grad-CAM is used to identify the animal regions used, and these support those used in manual assessments such as the Pig Grimace Scale. This innovative work paves the way for further work examining both positive and negative welfare states with a view to the development of an automated system that can be used in precision livestock farming to improve animal welfare.

COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory disease that is causing significant global morbidity and mortality. Understanding the impact of a SARS-CoV-2 infection on the host metabolism is still in its infancy but of great importance. Herein, we investigated the metabolic response during viral shedding and post-shedding in an asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 ferret model (n=6) challenged with two SARS-CoV-2 isolates. Virological and metabolic analyses were performed on (minimally invasive) collected oral swabs, rectal swabs, and nasal washes. Fragments of SARS-CoV-2 RNA were only found in the nasal wash samples in four of the six ferrets, and in the samples collected 3 to 9 days post-infection (referred to as viral shedding). Central carbon metabolism metabolites were analyzed during viral shedding and post-shedding periods using a dynamic MRM (dMRM) database and method. Subsequent untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics of the same samples were performed using an LC-QToF-MS methodology, building upon the identified differentiated central carbon metabolism metabolites. Multivariate analysis of the acquired data identified 29 significant metabolites and three lipids that were subjected to pathway enrichment and impact analysis. The presence of viral shedding coincided with the challenge dose administered and significant changes in the citric acid cycle, purine metabolism, and pentose phosphate pathways, amongst others, in the host nasal wash samples. An elevated immune response in the host was also observed between the two isolates studied. These results support other reported metabolomic-based findings found in clinical observational studies and indicate the utility of metabolomics applied to ferrets for further COVID-19 research that advances early diagnosis of asymptomatic and mild clinical COVID-19 infections, in addition to assessing the effectiveness of new or re-purposed drug therapies.

Anthropomorphism is a natural tendency in humans, but it is also influenced by many characteristics of the observer (the human) and the observed entity (here, the animal species). This study asked participants to complete an online questionnaire about three videos showing epimeletic behaviours in three animal species. In the videos, an individual (a sparrow, an elephant and a macaque, respectively) displayed behaviours towards an inanimate conspecific that suddenly regained consciousness at the end of the footage. A fourth video showed a robot dog being kicked by an engineer to demonstrate its stability. Each video was followed by a series of questions designed to evaluate the degree of anthropomorphism of participants, from mentaphobia (no attribution of intentions and beliefs, whatever the animal species) to full anthropomorphism (full attribution of intentions and beliefs by animals, to the same extent as in humans) and to measure how far the participants had correctly assessed each situation in terms of biological reality (current scientific knowledge of each species). There is a negative correlation (about 61%) between the mental states attributed to animals by humans to animals and the real capability of animals. The heterogeneity of responses proved that humans display different forms of anthropomorphism, from rejecting all emotional or intentional states in animals to considering animals to show the same intentions as humans. However, the scores participants attributed to animals differed according to the species shown in the video and to human sociodemographic characteristics. Understanding the potential usefulness of these factors can lead to better relationships with animals and encourage a positive view of human-robot interactions. Indeed, reflective or critical anthropomorphism can increase our humanity.