Advances in biological sciences have been applied in medicine, agriculture and industry with great benefit. Some recent trends in society, governance structures and communications, however, appear to be hampering the use of new scientific findings for controlling infectious diseases. These limitations are illustrated with examples related to (i) the adaptation of fresh water mosquito vectors of major arboviral diseases to salinity in coastal areas with consequences for disease transmission, (ii) understanding the implications of reduced dengue transmission during the COVID-19 lockdown for dengue control, (iii) causes underlying the rapid spread of the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi in South Asia and Africa, (iv) the application of serodiagnostic techniques for Lyme disease and tick-borne relapsing fever caused by tick-borne bacteria of the genus Borrelia, and (v) COVID-19 prevention.

The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) is the most popular measure of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which has been recently validated in Arabic. This instrumental study aimed to determine optimal cutoff scores of the IES-R and its subscales in Arab samples of psychiatric patients (N = 168, 70.8% females) and healthy adults (N = 992, 62.7% females) from Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic as an ongoing collective traumatic event. Based on a cutoff score of 14 of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-items (DASS-8), receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis revealed two optimal points of 39.5 and 30.5 for the IES-R in the samples (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.86 & 0.91, p values = 0.001, 95% CI: 0.80-0.92 & 0.87 to 0.94, sensitivity = 0.85 & 0.87, specificity = 0.73 & 0.83, Youden index = 0.58 & 0.70, respectively). Different cutoffs were detected for the six subscales of the IES-R, with numbing and avoidance expressing the lowest predictivity for distress. Meanwhile, hyperarousal followed by the irritability expressed stronger predictive capacity for distress than all subscales in both samples. In path analysis, pandemic-related irritability resulted from direct and indirect effects of key PTSD symptoms (intrusion, hyperarousal, and numbing). Irritability contributed to traumatic symptoms of sleep disturbance in both samples while the opposite was not true. The findings suggest usefulness of the IES-R at a score of 30.5 for detecting adults prone to trauma related distress, with higher scores needed for screening in psychiatric patients. Various PTSD symptoms may induce dysphoric mood, which represents a considerable burden that may induce circadian misalignment and more noxious psychiatric problems/ co-morbidities (sleep disturbance) in both healthy and diseased groups.

Aquaculture is rapidly becoming one of the pivotal sectors in the farm economy, driven by the increasing demand for high-quality animal protein at an affordable cost, especially with the escalating human population. However, the expansion of high-density fish populations also brings forth a challenge – the rapid transmission and spread of infectious disease agents among them. To combat this, vaccination is emerging as a reliable and standardized method for providing immunity against viral and bacterial outbreaks. The ideal vaccine is expected to be safe, effective, economical, and easily administered. The fish vaccination industry continually publishes new information on fish immunology and vaccinology, contributing to the improvement of vaccine formulation and efficacy. This review aims to offer insights into the current status of bacterial, viral, and parasitic diseases, discuss existing vaccinations, and address potential industry-threatening diseases like infectious edwardsiellosis, motile aeromonas septicemia, TiLV, salmon anemia, vibriosis, and white spot disease. Technological advancements have played a crucial role in enhancing our understanding of fish immunological mechanisms, leading to improved vaccine administration and the development of recombinant live attenuated, subunit, DNA, and RNA vaccines. However, challenges such as oral tolerance, vaccine degradation, and stressful environments persist, impacting vaccine efficacy. Addressing these challenges and gaining a deeper understanding of the fish immune system and host-pathogen interactions will be pivotal for future improvements, contributing to the sustainability of aquaculture and enhancing global food security.

Increased screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic and the accelerated incorporation of technology into daily practices have directly contributed to the increased prevalence of eye disease. The human eye is not built for continual technological use and must adjust to exposure to digital screens. Overexposure to technology can result in eye strain and an increased risk of eye diseases such as myopia with complications later in life, including retinal tears, cataracts, and macular degeneration. As vision and ocular diseases become more prevalent, the study of eye diseases, including their causes and treatments, is especially relevant. There is a need to prevent ocular diseases before they become a burden to individuals, their families, and their communities by better understanding the pathophysiology of ocular diseases. Several ocular diseases are thought to be caused by imbalances in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and autophagy. ROS refers to a class of highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules that can undergo damaging reactions with other molecules in the cell. Autophagy is a cellular process of self-eating whereby damaged, harmful, or dead material in cells is broken down to maintain cellular homeostasis. This paper discusses the role of ROS and autophagy in the pathogenesis of computer vision syndrome (CVS), digital eye strain (DES), myopia, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), optic nerve crush injury (OCN), optic nerve gliomas, and retinoblastoma. Lifestyle changes such as limiting screen time, ensuring adequate exposure to evening sunlight, and using blue light protection measures or protective eyewear are important in the prevention of eye disease. Nutrition also contributes significantly to eye health. A balanced diet rich in vitamins and antioxidants may help to prevent ROS and autophagy imbalance-induced eye disease. Medical and surgical treatments become necessary when preventative measures fail. This paper also addresses how government measures to decrease the onset of eye disease, including targeted programs to increase access to fresh vegetables and fruits in food deserts, are a critical macro-level avenue to reduce eye disease prevalence in the US, which according to the National Eye Institute, costs $139 billion yearly.

Despite extensive investigations of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) since its development in 1995, its factor structure and other psychometric properties still need to be firmly established, with several calls for revising its item structure. Employing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), this study examined the factor structure of the DASS-21 and five shortened versions of the DASS-21 among psychiatric patients (N = 168) and the general public (N = 992) during the COVID-19 confinement period in Saudi Arabia. Multigroup CFA, Mann Whitney W test, Spearman’s correlation, and coefficient alpha were used to examine the shortened versions of the DASS-21 (DASS-13, DASS-12, DASS-9 (two versions), and DASS-8) for invariance across age and gender groups, discriminant validity, predictive validity, item coverage, and internal consistency, respectively. Compared with the DASS-21, all three-factor structures of the shortened versions expressed good fit, with the DASS-8 demonstrating the best fit and highest item loadings on the corresponding factors in both samples (χ2(16, 15) = 16.5, 67.0; p = 0.420, 0.000; CFI= 1.000, 0.998; TLI = 0.999, 0.997; RMSEA = 0.013, 0.059, SRMR = 0.0186, 0.0203). It expressed configural, metric, and scalar invariance across age and gender groups. Its internal consistency was comparable to other versions (α = 0.94). Strong positive correlations of the DASS-8 and its subscales with the DASS-21 and its subscales (r = 0.97 to 0.81) suggest adequate item coverage and good predictive validity of this version. The DASS-8 and its subscales distinguished the clinical sample from the general public at the same level of significance expressed by the DASS-21 and other shortened versions, supporting its discriminant validity. Neither the DASS-21 nor the shortened versions distinguished patients diagnosed with depression and anxiety from other conditions. The DASS-8 represents a valid short version of the DASS-21, which may be useful in research and clinical practice for quick identification of individuals with potential psychopathologies. Diagnosing depression/anxiety disorders may be further confirmed in a next step by clinician-facilitated examinations. Brevity of the DASS-21 would save time and effort used for filling the questionnaire and support comprehensive assessments by allowing the inclusion of more measures on test batteries.

The study comprehensively evaluated the prognostic roles of PLR, NLR, MLR, BLR, and ELR in patients with acute exacerbation chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). 619 patients with AECOPD and 300 healthy volunteers were retrospectively included into the study. The clinical characteristics containing laboratory findings of the AECOPD patients and the blood cell counts (CBCs) of the healthy volunteers were collected. Compared with the healthy volunteers, PLR, NLR, and MLR were elevated in COPD patients in stable condition, and were further ele-vated during exacerbation. ELR showed the opposite trend. PLR, NLR, and MLR were all posi-tively correlated with hospital LOS as well as CRP. In contrast, ELR was negatively correlated with hospital LOS as well as CRP. Elevated PLR, NLR, and MLR were all associated with more serious airflow limitation in AECOPD. Elevated PLR, NLR, and MLR were all associated with increased in-hospital mortality while Elevated ELR was associated with decreased in-hospital mortality in AECOPD. A nomogram was construct to predict in-hospital mortality in AECOPD. The nomo-gram had a C-index of 0.850 (95% CI: 0.799 – 0.901) with good predictive value and clinical ap-plicability. In summary, PLR, NLR, MLR, and ELR served as predictors for clinical outcomes in patients with AECOPD.

Neurodegeneration is a major problem in neuroscience and medicine as it causes and worsens many neurological and psychiatric disorders. It involves gradual loss of neurons at different levels of the brain, affecting cognition, emotion, behavior, consciousness, and attention. Understanding the causes and consequences of neurodegeneration is crucial for identifying the risk factors, biomarkers, and treatments. However, the current therapies are mostly symptomatic and ineffective. Therefore, new and innovative methods, such as noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS), are needed to modulate brain activity and plasticity in a safe and reversible manner. This field is rapidly developing, with a focus on exploring new clinical applications, mechanisms, and combinations of NIBS and drugs. This special issue covers the latest progress and challenges in the study of neurodegeneration in cognitive impairment and mood disorders from the experimental, clinical, and translational perspectives. It addresses the complexity and diversity of these conditions, the lack of disease-modifying treatments, the ethical and practical issues of conducting research in vulnerable and diverse populations, the integration and interpretation of data from multiple sources and modalities, and the development and validation of novel methods such as NIBS, artificial intelligence, and drug repurposing. Collaborative efforts among various stakeholders are needed to improve our knowledge and treatment of neurodegeneration underlying cognitive impairment and mood disorders.