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Abstract The aim of the research was to evaluate different levels of Amino-Vit as a supplement in the feeding of honey bees (Apis mellifera). The duration of the experiment was 60 days and 12 Langstroth type hives were used, divided into four homogeneous groups. The variables under study were: initial and final weight of the hives (kg), weight of the hives at 15, 30, 45 (kg), number of frames with brood at the beginning and end of the evaluation, pollen production (g), feed consumption (ml), cost of the treatments (USD). The experimental units were distributed under a completely randomized design with 3 replications. Significant differences were found only for pollen production, where the best results were obtained with the use of 4 ml/L, with an average of 1063.67 g of pollen/hive; as well as the best cost benefit with USD 1.39. The use of Amino-vit is reflected in pollen production, number of frames with final brood and weight of the hives, identifying the nutritive value and the direct effect on queen laying and larval development.

Integrated water management is complex and requires the participation of diverse actors to identify and implement transformative solutions. However, power relations can obstruct the more inclusive and equitable experiences of participatory approaches, hence limiting the empowerment of vulnerable groups. It is thus important to study how power relations are influenced by people's interests, socio-political structures, and knowledge in the process of (co)creation of water policies. We use a case study in a rural municipality of Bolivia to address this issue. Qualitative data were collected between 2017 and 2020 and analysed using the elements of the Power Cube of Gaventa as the analytical framework. Results confirm that different factors influence power relations in the making of a water policy such as interests, access to information, habits, and customs. Actors use different forms, spaces, and levels of power to achieve their interests. Our results show the importance and need to analyse power relations prior, during and after the (co)creation of any public policy and to step away from linear and sectoral frameworks of policy development. HIGHLIGHTS Different forms, spaces, and levels of power are used by actors to reach their interests.; Hidden power can be exercised by opposing actors to sabotage the process.; Flawed and selective access to information is a form of exclusion.;

Bovine abortions, often caused by infectious agents like Neospora caninum, inflict substantial economic losses. Studying host-pathogen interactions in pregnant cows is challenging, and existing cell cultures lack the intricate complexity of real tissues. To bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo models, we explored the use of cryopreserved bovine placental explants. Building upon our successful development of protocols for obtaining, culturing, and cryopreserving sheep placental explants, we applied these methods to bovine tissues. Here, we compared fresh and cryopreserved bovine explants, evaluating their integrity and functionality over culture time. Additionally, we investigated their susceptibility to N. caninum infection. Our findings revealed that bovine explants deteriorate faster in culture compared to sheep explants, exhibiting diminished viability and function. Cryopreservation further exacerbated this deterioration. While fresh explants were successfully infected with N. caninum, parasite replication was limited. Notably, cryopreservation reduced infection efficiency. This pioneering work paves the way for developing ex vivo models to study reproductive pathogens in cattle. However, further optimization of the model is essential. These improved models will have the potential to significantly reduce the reliance on animals in research., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Stem cell therapy in dogs has increased considerably in recent years; however, there are few publications on the treatment of perianal fistulas (PF) in this species. The aim of this open-label clinical trial was to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of a new protocol for the in situ administration of low-dose adipose-derived allogeneic stem cells (ASCs) for the treatment of refractory spontaneous perianal fistula. The methodology consisted of applying one to three doses of 5 × 10 6 cryopreserved allogeneic ASCs to each fistula. The study was performed in 14 dogs regardless of sex, breed, or age, with a clinical diagnosis of refractory PF. Cells diluted in phosphate-buffered saline were applied to five sites of the PF in an amount of 1 × 10 6 per application site. Efficacy was determined by the complete closure of the fistula, which was observed in 100% of the cases studied one month after therapy, with a subsequent follow-up of 12 to 48 months after therapy. Furthermore, safety was demonstrated by the absence of local or systemic adverse effects. In conclusion, the protocol used in this work demonstrates the efficacy without adverse effects of the in situ application of low doses of allogeneic ASCs, providing a simple, non-invasive, long-lasting and low-cost therapeutic option.

Chronic wounds and burns are a worldwide healthcare problem that erodes patients' well-being and healthcare systems. This silent and costly epidemic requires new, cost-efficient solutions to improve patients' physical and economic welfare. Eschar-degrading vegetal and bacterial proteases have been utilized as a solution. However, these proteins are evolutionarily far from those present in human wound healing. Serine protease (SP) and annexin (ANX) proteins interact within the skin healing process. A homology-based identification pipeline can help in discovering selective human SP and ANX analogs in the epithelial tissue of the fast-healing species, Pangasius hypophthalmus . In the present work, we found 14 candidates for RT-PCR in P. hypophthalmus using homology inference. The genetically detected candidates were then structurally and sequentially analyzed to understand their possible relation to SPs and ANXs involved in human wound healing. A total of six TBLASTN/BLASTX candidates (four SPs and two ANXs) were detected in P. hypophthalmus skin. Structural analysis revealed that all SP candidates resembled human KLK4, KLK5, KLK6, and KLK8, whereas all ANX only resembled human ANXA4. Structure and sequence analysis revealed high conservation of ANX Ca 2+ binding sites (GDXD) and SP catalytic triad (HDS) motifs. In addition, structural analysis revealed that SP substrate selectivity position 186 was the main difference between human KLK5 and P. hypophthalmus SPs. These findings may allow the proposal and testing of more selective formulations, broadening treatments beyond debridement., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Introduction: The global rise in aesthetic surgery has led to an increase in aesthetic medical tourism (AMT). As patients pursue surgical interventions abroad, concerns about the elevated complication rates in AMT have emerged. This study explores the complexities of AMT, emphasizing the intersection of plastic surgery and aerospace medicine, to elucidate the incidence of complications, identify associated variables, and introduce aeromedical considerations to proactively enhance patient safety., Methods: A comprehensive retrospective observational cohort study was conducted using data spanning 2004 to 2023 from a private plastic surgery practice in Bogota, Colombia. The study included 3367 patients, of whom 26% were international patients. Sociodemographic and clinical variables, flight details, and surgical complications were analyzed. Statistical analyses involved descriptive statistics, odds ratios, and multiple regression analyses., Results: Of the 865 AMT patients, 75 exhibited complications. Infection and wound dehiscence were the most prevalent; no severe complications or mortality was reported. The study revealed that AMT patients have a higher risk of complications compared to those locally treated (adjusted odds ratio = 4.6; 95% confidence interval = 2.6-8.2). Flight time exceeding 4 h was a factor associated with nonaesthetic complications., Discussion: This study reveals that AMT is linked to a higher risk of nonaesthetic complications, with flight duration being a significant contributing factor. Despite the increased risk, complication rates for AMT patients did not surpass thresholds reported in the literature; this may be attributed to the safety protocols implemented. Aeromedical considerations played a crucial role in mitigating physiological stress associated with air travel. Hoyos AE, Ramirez B, Benavides J, Perez Pachon ME, Varela A. Aeromedical considerations for patient safety in aesthetic medical tourism. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2024; 95(10):765-770.

Crotamine (Ctm) is a peptide isolated from Crotalus durissus terrificus venom. This molecule has been demonstrated to diminish body weight gain and enhance browning in adipose tissue, glucose tolerance, and insulin sensitivity; hence, it has been postulated as an anti-obesogenic peptide. However, the mechanism to elicit the anti-obesogenic effects has yet to be elucidated. Thus, we investigated the possible interaction of Ctm with receptors involved in obesity-related metabolic pathways through protein-protein docking and molecular dynamics refinement. To test the anti-obesogenic mechanism of Ctm, we selected and retrieved 18 targets involved in obesity-related drug discovery from Protein Data Bank. Then, we performed protein-protein dockings. The best three Ctm-target models were selected and refined by molecular dynamics simulations. Molecular docking demonstrated that Ctm was able to interact with 13 of the 18 targets tested. Having a better docking score with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) (-1430.2 kcal/mol), DPP-IV (dipeptidyl peptidase-IV) (-1781.7 kcal/mol) and α-glucosidase (-1232.3 kcal/mol). These three models were refined by molecular dynamics. Ctm demonstrated a higher affinity for GLP-1R (ΔG: -41.886 ± 2.289 kcal/mol). However, Ctm interaction was more stable with DPP-IV (RMSD: 0.360 ± 0.015 nm, Radius of gyration: 2.781 ± 0.009 nm). Moreover, the number of interactions and the molecular mechanics energies of Ctm residues suggest that the interaction of Ctm with these receptors is mainly mediated by basic-hydrophobic dyads Y1-K2, W31-R32, and W33-R34. Together, all these results allow elucidating a possible molecular mechanism behind the previously described anti-obesogenic effects., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Animal venoms are natural products that have served as a source of novel molecules that have inspired novel drugs for several diseases, including for metabolic diseases such as type-2 diabetes and obesity. From venoms, toxins such as exendin-4 ( Heloderma suspectum ) and crotamine ( Crotalus durissus terrificus ) have demonstrated their potential as treatments for obesity. Moreover, other toxins such as Phospholipases A 2 and Disintegrins have shown their potential to modulate insulin secretion in vitro. This suggests an unexplored diversity of venom peptides with a potential anti-obesogenic in Mexican rattlesnake venoms. For that reason, this study explored the in vitro effect of Crotalus venom peptide-rich fractions on models for insulin resistance, adipocyte lipid accumulation, antioxidant activity, and inflammation process through nitric oxide production inhibition. Our results demonstrated that the peptide-rich fractions of C. aquilus, C. ravus , and C. scutulatus scutulatus were capable of reverting insulin resistance, enhancing glucose consumption to normal control; C. culminatus, C. molossus oaxacus , and C. polystictus diminished the lipid accumulation on adipocytes by 20%; C. aquilus, C. ravus , and C. s. salvini had the most significant cellular antioxidant activity, having nearly 80% of ROS inhibition. C. aquilus, C. pyrrhus, and C. s. salvini inhibited nitric oxide production by about 85%. We demonstrated the potential of these peptides from Crotalus venoms to develop novel drugs to treat type-2 diabetes and obesity. Moreover, we described for the first time that Crotalus venom peptide fractions have antioxidant and inflammatory properties in vitro models., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Our research work has received financial support from CONACyT (Mexican 10.13039/501100003141National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies), as part of the “Ciencia de Frontera 2023” grant (CF-2023-I-2019). CONACyT has not participated in any way in the definition, execution, and validation of the results of the project. CONACyT, as a governmental agency, focuses on promoting scientific and technological development in Mexico, having no commercial activity. Therefore, CONACyT holds no commercial interest in the results of the project, nor has any influence on such results. In this context, this external funding does not represent a competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: Despite plausible behavioral and physiological pathways, limited evidence exists on how daily temperature variability is associated with acute mental health-related episodes., Objectives: We aimed to explore associations between daily temperature range (DTR) and mental health-related hospital visits using data of all hospital records in New York State during 1995-2014. We further examined factors that may modify these associations, including age, sex, hospital visit type and season., Methods: Using a case-crossover design with distributed lag non-linear DTR terms (0-6 days), we estimated associations between ZIP Code-level DTR and hospital visits for mood (4.6 million hospital visits), anxiety (2.4 million), adjustment (∼368,000), and schizophrenia disorders (∼211,000), controlling for daily mean temperature, via conditional logistic regression models. We assessed potential heterogeneity by age, sex, hospital visit type (in-patient vs. out-patient), and season (summer, winter, and transition seasons)., Results: For all included outcomes, we observed positive associations from period minimum DTR (0.1 °C) until 25th percentile (5.2 °C) and between mean DTR (7.7 °C) and 90th percentile (12.2 °C), beyond which we observed negative associations. For mood disorders, an increase in DTR from 0.1 °C to 12.2 °C was associated with a cumulative 16.0% increase (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.8, 19.2%) in hospital visit rates. This increase was highest during transition seasons (32.5%; 95%CI: 26.4, 39.0%) compared with summer (10.7%; 95%CI: 4.8, 16.8%) and winter (-1.6%; 95%CI: -7.6, 4.7%). For adjustment and schizophrenia disorders, the strongest associations were seen among the youngest group (0-24 years) with almost no association in the oldest group (65+ years). We observed no evidence for modification by sex and hospital visit type., Discussion: Daily temperature variability was positively associated with mental health-related hospital visits within specific DTR ranges in New York State, after controlling for daily mean temperature. Given uncertainty on how climate change modifies temperature variability, additional research is crucial to comprehend the implications of these findings, particularly under different scenarios of future temperature variability., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the "Value-Based Healthcare" concept of an integrated palliative care (PC) program in Bogotá, Colombia, through the measurement of health outcomes and care costs in the last 3 months of life., Methods: A multicenter, retrospective cohort study that included patients ≥18 years old who died in 2020 due to medical conditions amenable to PC. The measured health outcomes included pain, wellbeing, comfort, quality of life (QOL), and satisfaction. We analyzed the behavior of overall care costs during the last 3 months of the patients' lives and controlled for the effect of exposure to the program, considering the disease type and insurance coverage, using a linear regression model, nearest-neighbor matching, and sensitivity analysis., Results: Among patients exposed to the program, the mean pain score was 2.1/10 (± 1.3) and wellbeing was rated at 3.5/10 (± 1.0), comfort at 1.6/24 (± 1.3), QOL at 3.6/5.0 (± 0.17), and satisfaction at 9.3/100 (± 0.15). The positive changes in these scores were greater for patients who remained in the program for over 3 months. Cost reduction was demonstrated in the last 90 days of life, with statistically significant and chronologically progressive savings during the last 30 days of life exceeding 5 million pesos per patient (P < .05)., Conclusions: This study demonstrated the success of PC in reducing pain, improving wellbeing and QOL, providing comfort, and ensuring high levels of satisfaction. Moreover, PC is an effective value-based healthcare strategy and can significantly enhance the efficiency of healthcare services by reducing end-of-life healthcare costs., Competing Interests: Author Disclosures Author disclosure forms can be accessed below in the Supplemental Material section., (Copyright © 2024 International Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Bluetongue (BT), caused by bluetongue virus (BTV), is an important arthropod-borne livestock disease listed by the World Organization for Animal Health. Live-attenuated and inactivated vaccines have permitted to control BT but they do not simultaneously protect against the myriad of BTV serotypes. Recently, we identified the highly conserved BTV nonstructural protein NS1 and the N-terminal region of NS2 as antigens capable of conferring multiserotype protection against BTV., Methods: Here, we designed Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) viral vectors that expressed BTV-4 proteins VP2 or VP7 along with NS1 and NS2-Nt as well as MVAs that expressed proteins VP2, VP7 or NS1 and NS2-Nt., Results: Immunization of IFNAR(-/-) mice with two doses of MVA-NS1-2A-NS2-Nt protected mice from BTV-4M infection by the induction of an antigen-specific T cell immune response. Despite rMVA expressing VP7 alone were not protective in the IFNAR(-/-) mouse model, inclusion of VP7 in the vaccine formulation amplified the cell-mediated response induced by NS1 and NS2-Nt. Expression of VP2 elicited protective non-cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) in immunized animals and improved the protection observed in the MVA-NS1-2A-NS2-Nt immunized mice when these three BTV antigens were co-expressed. Moreover, vaccines candidates co-expressing VP2 or VP7 along with NS1 and NS2-Nt provided multiserotype protection. We assessed protective efficacy of both vaccine candidates in sheep against virulent challenge with BTV-4M., Discussion: Immunization with MVA-VP7-NS1-2A-NS2-Nt partially dumped viral replication and clinical disease whereas administration of MVA-VP2-NS1-2A-NS2-Nt promoted a complete protection, preventing viraemia and the pathology produced by BTV infection., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Jiménez-Cabello, Utrilla-Trigo, Calvo-Pinilla, Lorenzo, Illescas-Amo, Benavides, Moreno, Marín-López, Nogales and Ortego.)

Neutrophils are believed to play a role in the initial stages of paratuberculosis, and it has recently been demonstrated that vaccination can modulate their function via priming or through epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming (training). Modulation of the neutrophil response against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis ( Map ) through vaccination has been demonstrated in a rabbit model but not in ruminants. Therefore, in the present work, the effect of vaccination on the response of caprine neutrophils against Map was studied. Neutrophils were isolated from non-vaccinated ( n = 7) and Gudair ® -vaccinated goat kids ( n = 7), before vaccination and 30 days post-vaccination. Then, several neutrophil functions were quantified ex vivo: cell-free and anchored neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) release, phagocytosis, and the differential expression of several cytokines and TLR2. The induction of cell-free NETosis and TLR2 expression by Map is reported for the first time. However, vaccination showed no significant effect on any of the functions studied. This suggests that the protection conferred by Gudair ® vaccination is based on mechanisms that are independent of the neutrophil function modulation. Further research into the impact of alternative vaccination strategies or the paratuberculosis infection stage on ruminant neutrophil function could provide valuable insights into its role in paratuberculosis.

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) is the etiological agent of paratuberculosis (PTB), a chronic intestinal inflammatory disease that causes high economical losses in dairy livestock worldwide. Due to the absence of widely available preventive or therapeutical treatments, new alternative therapies are needed. In this study, the effect of a probiotic alone or in combination with a commercial vaccine has been evaluated in a rabbit model. Vaccination enhanced the humoral response, exerted a training effect of peripheral polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) against homologous and heterologous stimuli, stimulated the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines by gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) macrophages, and reduced the bacterial burden in GALT as well. However, the administration of the probiotic after vaccination did not affect the PMN activity, increased metabolic demand, and supressed pro-inflammatory cytokines, although humoral response and bacterial burden decrease in GALT was maintained similar to vaccination alone. The administration of the probiotic alone did not enhance the humoral response or PMN activity, and the bacterial burden in GALT was further increased compared to the only challenged group. In conclusion, the probiotic was able to modulate the immune response hampering the clearance of the infection and was also able to affect the response of innate immune cells after vaccination. This study shows that the administration of a probiotic can modulate the immune response pathways triggered by vaccination and/or infection and even exacerbate the outcome of the disease, bringing forward the importance of verifying treatment combinations in the context of each particular infectious agent., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Oyanguren, Molina, Mugica, Ladero-Auñon, Fuertes, Fernández, Benavides and Elguezabal.)

Molecular phylogenies are a cornerstone of modern comparative biology and are commonly employed to investigate a range of biological phenomena, such as diversification rates, patterns in trait evolution, biogeography, and community assembly. Recent work has demonstrated that significant biases may be introduced into downstream phylogenetic analyses from processing genomic data; however, it remains unclear whether there are interactions among bioinformatic parameters or biases introduced through the choice of reference genome for sequence alignment and variant calling. We address these knowledge gaps by employing a combination of simulated and empirical data sets to investigate the extent to which the choice of reference genome in upstream bioinformatic processing of genomic data influences phylogenetic inference, as well as the way that reference genome choice interacts with bioinformatic filtering choices and phylogenetic inference method. We demonstrate that more stringent minor allele filters bias inferred trees away from the true species tree topology, and that these biased trees tend to be more imbalanced and have a higher center of gravity than the true trees. We find the greatest topological accuracy when filtering sites for minor allele count (MAC) >3-4 in our 51-taxa data sets, while tree center of gravity was closest to the true value when filtering for sites with MAC >1-2. In contrast, filtering for missing data increased accuracy in the inferred topologies; however, this effect was small in comparison to the effect of minor allele filters and may be undesirable due to a subsequent mutation spectrum distortion. The bias introduced by these filters differs based on the reference genome used in short read alignment, providing further support that choosing a reference genome for alignment is an important bioinformatic decision with implications for downstream analyses. These results demonstrate that attributes of the study system and dataset (and their interaction) add important nuance for how best to assemble and filter short-read genomic data for phylogenetic inference., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background and Aims: Traffic-related exposures, such as air pollution and noise, have a detrimental impact on human health, especially in urban areas. However, there remains a critical research and knowledge gap in understanding the impact of community severance, a measure of the physical separation imposed by road infrastructure and motorized road traffic, limiting access to goods, services, or social connections, breaking down the social fabric and potentially also adversely impacting health. We aimed to robustly quantify a community severance metric in urban settings exemplified by its characterization in New York City (NYC)., Methods: We used geospatial location data and dimensionality reduction techniques to capture NYC community severance variation. We employed principal component pursuit, a pattern recognition algorithm, combined with factor analysis as a novel method to estimate the Community Severance Index. We used public data for the year 2019 at census block group (CBG) level on road infrastructure, road traffic activity, and pedestrian infrastructure. As a demonstrative application of the Community Severance Index, we investigated the association between community severance and traffic collisions, as a proxy for road safety, in 2019 in NYC at CBG level., Results: Our data revealed one multidimensional factor related to community severance explaining 74% of the data variation. In adjusted analyses, traffic collisions in general, and specifically those involving pedestrians or cyclists, were nonlinearly associated with an increasing level of Community Severance Index in NYC., Conclusion: We developed a high spatial-resolution Community Severance Index for NYC using data available nationwide, making it feasible for replication in other cities across the United States. Our findings suggest that increases in the Community Severance Index across CBG may be linked to increases in traffic collisions in NYC. The Community Severance Index, which provides a novel traffic-related exposure, may be used to inform equitable urban policies that mitigate health risks and enhance well-being., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Over the last decades, air pollution emissions have decreased substantially; however, inequities in air pollution persist. We evaluate county-level racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in emissions changes from six air pollution source sectors (industry [SO 2 ], energy [SO 2 , NO x ], agriculture [NH 3 ], commercial [NO x ], residential [particulate organic carbon], and on-road transportation [NO x ]) in the contiguous United States during the 40 years following the Clean Air Act (CAA) enactment (1970-2010). We calculate relative emission changes and examine the differential changes given county demographics using hierarchical nested models. The results show racial/ethnic disparities, particularly in the industry and energy generation source sectors. We also find that median family income is a driver of variation in relative emissions changes in all sectors-counties with median family income >$75 K vs. less generally experience larger relative declines in industry, energy, transportation, residential, and commercial-related emissions. Emissions from most air pollution source sectors have, on a national level, decreased following the United States CAA. In this work, we show that the relative reductions in emissions varied across racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Carrion's disease is a neglected endemic disease found in remote Andean areas. As an overlooked disease, knowledge of innate immune responses to Bartonella bacilliformis , the etiological agent, is scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the cytokine response to B. bacilliformis using in vitro human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulations. PBMCs from naive adults were isolated by gradient centrifugation and cocultured with heat-inactivated (HI) B. bacilliformis at different incubation times (3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 h). Cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors were determined in culture supernatants by multiplex fluorescent bead-based quantitative suspension array technology. During the first 36 h, a proinflammatory response was observed, including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, interferon-α2, and IL-6, followed by an anti-inflammatory response mainly related to IL-1RA. Moreover, high expression levels of chemokines IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1α, and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1β were detected from 3 h poststimulation and MIP-1α was detected at 24 h. Some growth factors, mainly granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and in minor concentrations vascular endothelial growth factor, epidermal growth factor, and eotaxin, were also detected. Innate response to HI B. bacilliformis stimulation consists of a rapid and strong proinflammatory response characterized by a wide range of cytokines and chemokines followed by an anti-inflammatory response and increased specific growth factors.

This study explored risk and protective factors for resilience in survivors of sex trafficking from the survivors' perspectives. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 participants recruited from survivor-led advocacy agencies and social service agencies that provide trafficking-specific services. Two overarching themes emerged from data analysis: (a) deep connections to self and others facilitate resilience and (b) detrimental "help" threatens survivors' resilience. Our findings suggest that it may be important for service providers to assist survivors build healthy relationships with themselves and others to promote survivors' resilience. Further, our results highlight the importance of offering more inclusive, survivor-centered, and trauma-informed services., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Reproductive failure is one of the main performance constraints in ruminant livestock. Transmissible agents such as Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are commonly involved in the occurrence of abortion in ruminants, but little is known about the mechanisms involved. While in vivo models are optimal for the study of abortion pathogenesis, they have a high economic cost and come with ethical concerns. Unfortunately, alternative in vitro models fail to replicate the complex in vivo placental structure. To overcome the limitations of currently available models, we developed an ex vivo model based on the cultivation of fresh and cryopreserved sheep placental explants, enabling the biobanking of tissues. Reproducible and simple markers of tissue integrity (histology, RNA concentrations), viability (resazurin reduction), and functionality (synthesis of steroid hormones) were also investigated, allowing a clear quality assessment of the model. This work shows that, similar to fresh explants, tissues cryopreserved in ethylene glycol using slow freezing rates maintain not only their structure and function but also their receptivity to T. gondii and N. caninum infection. In addition, the findings demonstrate that explant lifespan is mainly limited by the culture method, with protocols requiring improvements to extend it beyond 2 days. These findings suggest that cryopreserved tissues can be exploited to study the initial host‒pathogen interactions taking place in the placenta, thus deepening the knowledge of the specific mechanisms that trigger reproductive failure in sheep. Importantly, this work paves the way for the development of similar models in related species and contributes to the reduction of experimental animal use in the future., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

New World monkeys are especially vulnerable to develop severe clinical manifestations and succumb to acute toxoplasmosis. This study aimed to describe the histopathological findings and genotypic characterization of the Toxoplasma gondii strain involved in a lethal case occurring in a zoo-housed black-capped squirrel monkey (Saimiri boliviensis) in Portugal. Cyst-like structures suggestive of Sarcocystidae parasites and acute injuries in liver and brain were observed by light microscopy examination. By immunohistochemistry, calprotectin, T. gondii antigen and Iba1 antigen had a positive signaling in lung, liver and brain tissues. Toxoplasma gondii B1, ITS1 and 529 repetitive element fragments amplifications together with the genotyping of 13 microsatellite markers confirmed a systemic T. gondii infection linked to a non-clonal type II strain. This description is consistent to the majority T. gondii strains circulating in Europe., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Embedding various sensors with powerful computing and storage capabilities in a small communication device, smartphones have become a prominent platform for navigation. With the increasing popularity of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, smartphones are quickly replacing built-in automotive navigation solutions. On the other hand, smartphones are equipped with low-performance Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensors to enhance their navigation performance in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-degraded or -denied environments. Compared with higher-grade inertial navigation systems (INS), MEMS-based INSs have a poor navigation performance due to large measurement errors. In this paper, we present laboratory test results on the stochastic and deterministic errors observed in MEMS inertial sensor measurements of five different smartphones from different manufacturers. Then, we describe and discuss the short-term effects of these errors on the pure inertial navigation performance and also on the navigation performance based on the tight coupling of INS with GNSS measurements using a smartphone.

Neutrophils constitute an essential component of the innate immune response, readily killing most bacteria through phagocytosis, degranulation, and the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) among other mechanisms. These cells play an unclear role in mycobacterial infections such as Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map), the etiological agent of paratuberculosis, and its response is particularly understudied in ruminants. Herein, a wide set of techniques were adapted, or newly developed, to study the in vitro response of caprine neutrophils after Map infection. Immunofluorescence was used to demonstrate, simultaneously, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, degranulation, and NETs. The quantification of neutrophil phagocytic activity against Map at a 1:10 multiplicity of infection (MOI), through flow cytometry, showed values that varied from 4.54 to 5.63% of phagocyting neutrophils. By immunofluorescence, a 73.3 ± 14.5% of the fields showed NETs, and the mean release of DNA, attributable to NETosis, calculated through a fluorometric method, was 16.2 ± 3.5%. In addition, the RNA expression of TGF-β, TNF and IL-1β cytokines, measured through reverse transcription qPCR, was significantly higher in the two latter. Overall, neutrophil response was proportional to the number of bacteria. This work confirms that the simultaneous study of several neutrophil mechanisms, and the combination of different methodologies, are essential to reach a comprehensive understanding of neutrophil response against pathogens, demonstrates that, in vitro, caprine neutrophils display a strong innate response against Map, using their entire repertoire of effector functions, and sets the basis for further in vitro and in vivo studies on the role of neutrophils in paratuberculosis., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Histamine type-2-receptor antagonist drugs (H2-antagonists) have been used as standard treatment to prevent hypersensitivity reactions (HRs) in paclitaxel-containing regimens, however, their use has been strongly questioned. Ranitidine has been the most widely used H2-antagonist. Therefore, especially after its withdrawal from the market, the objective of this study is to determine the impact of its elimination from premedication on HR incidence., Methods: A cohort, multicenter, observational, prospective, and non-inferiority study, including paclitaxel-naïve cancer patients, designed to determine the incidence of HRs of any grade associated with paclitaxel administration and analyze non-inferiority against the incidence estimated in the literature (20%), with 5% as the maximum difference (Δ). Patients with a solid neoplasm of any type/stage, who initiated treatment with paclitaxel without H2-antagonists in the premedication regimen were enrolled., Results: A total of 441 patients were included, of whom 50 presented 54 HRs of any grade. The cumulative incidence was 11.3% (95%CI 8.5-14.7), thus fulfilling the hypothesis of non-inferiority. Of the overall HRs detected, 15 were grade ≥ 3 with a cumulative incidence of 3.4% (95%CI 1.9-5.5)., Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the elimination of ranitidine from paclitaxel premedication schedules is non-inferior in the development of HRs of any grade compared to the administration of H2-antagonists.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, several cities allocated more public spaces for physical activity and recreation instead of road transport through Open Streets. This policy locally reduces traffic and provides experimental testbeds for healthier cities. However, it may also generate unintended impacts. For instance, Open Streets may impact the levels of exposure to environmental noise but there are no studies assessing these unintended impacts., Objectives: Using noise complaints from New York City (NYC) as a proxy of annoyance caused by environmental noise, we estimated associations at the census tract level between same-day proportion of Open Streets in a census tract and noise complaints in NYC., Methods: Using data from summer 2019 (pre-implementation) and summer 2021 (post-implementation), we fit regressions to estimate the association between census tract-level proportion of Open Streets and daily noise complaints, with random effects to account for within-tract correlation and natural splines to allow non-linearity in the estimated association. We accounted for temporal trends and other potential confounders, such as population density and poverty rate., Results: In adjusted analyses, daily street/sidewalk noise complaints were nonlinearly associated with an increasing proportion of Open Streets. Specifically, compared to the mean proportion of Open Streets in a census tract (0.11%), 5% of Open Streets had a 1.09 (95% CI: 0.98, 1.20) and 10% had a 1.21 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.42) times higher rate of street/sidewalk noise complaints. Our results were robust to the choice of data source for identifying Open Streets., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that Open Streets in NYC may be linked to an increase in street/sidewalk noise complaints. These results highlight the necessity to reinforce urban policies with a careful analysis for potential unintended impacts to optimize and maximize the benefits of these policies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Phacomatosis pigmentokeratotica (PPK) is a distinct and rare type of epidermal nevus syndrome characterized by coexisting nonepidermolytic organoid sebaceous nevus (SN) with one or more speckled lentiginous nevi (SLN). Atypical nevi including compound Spitz and compound dysplastic may manifest within regions of SLN. Patients with PPK, or similar atypical nevus syndromes, may be subject to a significant lifetime number of biopsies, leading to pain, scarring, anxiety, financial burden, and decreased quality of life. The current literature includes case reports, genetics, and associated extracutaneous symptoms of PPK, but use of noninvasive imaging techniques have not been explored. We aim to investigate the value of high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in discriminating morphological features of pigmented lesions and nevus sebaceous within one patient with PPK., Materials and Methods: Two modalities, (1) HFUS imaging, based on acoustic properties and (2) OCT imaging, based on optical properties, were used to image a patient with PPK. Benign pigmented lesions, which may raise clinical suspicion for significant atypia, and nevus sebaceous, were selected on different areas of the body to be studied., Results: Five pigmented lesions and one area of nevus sebaceous were imaged and analyzed for noninvasive features. Distinct patterns of hypoechoic features were seen on HFUS and OCT., Conclusion: HFUS provides a deep view of the tissue, with ability to differentiate gross structures beneath the skin. OCT provides a smaller penetration depth and a higher resolution. We have described noninvasive features of atypical nevi and nevus sebaceous on HFUS and OCT, which indicate benign etiology., (© 2023 The Authors. Skin Research and Technology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The development of a portable device created by 3D printing for colorimetric and fluorometric measurements is an efficient tool for analytical applications in situ or in the laboratory presenting a wide field of applications in the environmental and food field. This device uses a light-emitting diode (LED) as radiation source and a webcam as a detector. Digital images obtained by the interaction between the radiation source and the sample were analyzed using a programming language developed in Matlab (Mathworks Inc., Natick, MA, USA), which builds the calibration curves in real-time using the RGB colour model. In addition, the entire system is connected to a notebook which serves as an LED and detector power supply without the need for any additional power source. The proposed device was used for the determination in situ of norfloxacin, allura red, and quinine in water and beverages samples, respectively. For the validation of the developed system, the results obtained were compared with a conventional spectrophotometer and spectrofluorometer respectively with a t -test at a 95% confidence level, which provides satisfactory precision and accuracy values.