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Specimens collected from dead pigs are a welfare-friendly and cost-effective active surveillance. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of different postmortem specimens from dead piglets for disease detection, using PRRSV as an example. Three farrow-to-wean farms undergoing PRRSV elimination were conveniently selected. Samples were collected at approximately 8- and 20-weeks post-outbreak. Postmortem specimens included nasal (NS), oral (OS), and rectal (RS) swabs, tongue-tip fluids (TTF), superficial inguinal lymph nodes (SIL), and intracardiac blood. These were tested individually for PRRSV by RT-PCR. Sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values, and agreement of postmortem specimens were calculated using intracardiac sera as the gold standard. OS and SIL had the best overall performance, with sensitivities of 94.6–100%, specificities of 83.9–85.1%, and negative predictive values of 97.3–100%. TTF had high sensitivity (92.2%) but low specificity (53.9%) and positive predictive value (48.3%). While challenges in meeting sampling targets due to variable pre-weaning mortality were noted, PRRS was detected in all postmortem specimens. OS and NS showed promising results for disease monitoring, though TTF, despite their sensitivity, had lower specificity, making them less suitable for individual infection assessment but useful for assessing environmental contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The white matter (WM) of the brain of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients is susceptible to neurodegenerative processes, but the specific types and positions of microstructural lesions along the fiber tracts remain unclear. Methods: In this study 61 T2DM patients and 61 healthy controls were recruited and underwent diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI). The results were reconstructed with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI). WM microstructural abnormalities were identified using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Pointwise WM tract differences were detected through automatic fiber quantification (AFQ). The relationships between WM tract abnormalities and clinical characteristics were explored with partial correlation analysis. Results: TBSS revealed widespread WM lesions in T2DM patients with decreased fractional anisotropy and axial diffusivity and an increased orientation dispersion index (ODI). The AFQ results showed microstructural abnormalities in T2DM patients in specific portions of the right superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), right arcuate fasciculus (ARC), left anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), and forceps major (FMA). In the right ARC of T2DM patients, an aberrant ODI was positively correlated with fasting insulin and insulin resistance, and an abnormal intracellular volume fraction was negatively correlated with fasting blood glucose. Additionally, negative associations were found between blood pressure and microstructural abnormalities in the right ARC, left ATR, and FMA in T2DM patients. Conclusion: Using AFQ, together with DTI and NODDI, various kinds of microstructural alterations in the right SLF, right ARC, left ATR, and FMA can be accurately identified and may be associated with insulin and glucose status and blood pressure in T2DM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is closely linked to cognitive decline and alterations in brain structure and function. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is used to diagnose neurodegenerative diseases, such as cognitive impairment (CI), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD). However, whether the functional connectivity (FC) of patients with T2DM and mild cognitive impairment (T2DM-MCI) is conducive to early diagnosis remains unclear. To answer this question, we analyzed the rs-fMRI data of 37 patients with T2DM and mild cognitive impairment (T2DM-MCI), 93 patients with T2DM but no cognitive impairment (T2DM-NCI), and 69 normal controls (NC). We achieved an accuracy of 87.91% in T2DM-MCI versus T2DM-NCI classification and 80% in T2DM-NCI versus NC classification using the XGBoost model. The thalamus, angular, caudate nucleus, and paracentral lobule contributed most to the classification outcome. Our findings provide valuable knowledge to classify and predict T2DM-related CI, can help with early clinical diagnosis of T2DM-MCI, and provide a basis for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and object: The risk of occult HBV infection (OBI) in children whose mothers are HBV carriers has received more widespread attention, but there were few reports to focus on the children with HBsAg-positive parents. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of OBI in immunized children with HBsAg-positive parents. Methods: HBV-vaccinated Chinese hospitalized children with HBsAg-positive parents were analyzed in our investigation. Eligible subjects were tested using a standard nested PCR for all HBV genes, and analyzed by direct sequencing. Results: There were 327 HBsAg-negative children included in the study out of about 9800 involved HBV-vaccinated hospitalized children. The positive rate of OBI was 3.1% (10/327) in the eligible children and 14.1% (46/327) with HBV DNA detectable. No significant differences were found between one and at least two regions positive groups (p > 0.05). The proportions of HBV DNA detectable in children with HBV father-carriers and mother-carriers were similar. The risk factors for HBV DNA-positive children could be male, anti-HBs levels, and anti-HBc positive. Conclusion: There are 3.1% of OBIs and 14.1% of suspected OBI in vaccinated children with HBsAg-positive parents. The potential risk of suspected OBI in children with HBsAg-positive father should not be ignored. Anti-HBc positivity may be a useful seromarker for suspected OBI screening in vaccinated children. To prevent HBV breakthrough infection, accurate and convenient method is needed to detect OBI timely and exhaustively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated multi trophic aquaculture (IMTA) improves the production of aquatic animals by promoting nutrient utilization through different tropical levels. Microorganisms play an important role in elements cycling, energy flow and farmed-species health. The aim of this study was to evaluate how feed types, fresh frozen fish diet (FFD) or formulated diet (FD), influence the microbial community diversity and functionality in both water and sediment in a marine IMTA system. Preferable water quality, higher animal yields and higher cost efficiency were achieved in the FD pond. Feed types changed the pond bacterial community distribution, especially in the rearing water. The FFD pond was dominated with Cyanobacteria in the water, which played an important role in nitrogen fixation through photosynthesis due to the high nitrogen input of the frozen fish diet. The high carbohydrate composition in the formulated diet triggered higher metabolic pathways related to carbon and lipid metabolism in the water of the FD pond. Sediment had significantly higher microbial diversity than the rearing water. In sediment, the dominating genus, Sulfurovum and Desulfobulbus, were found to be positively correlated by network analysis, which had similar functionality in sulfur transformation. The relatively higher rates of antibiotic biosynthesis in the FFD sediment might be related to the pathogenic bacteria introduced by the trash fish diet. The difference in microbial community composition and metabolic pathways may be associated with the different pathways for nutrient cycling and animal growth performance. The formulated diet was determined to be more ecologically and economically sustainable than the frozen fish diet for marine IMTA pond systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]