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Wild birds have experienced unprecedented, near‐global mass mortalities since 2021, driven by outbreaks of high‐pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 lineage 2.3.4.4b. Managing this panzootic requires identification of transmission pathways. We investigated potential HPAIV transmission via kleptoparasitism (food theft) by examining the distribution, behaviors, and movements of two globally widespread and commonly kleptoparasitic seabird families: Fregatidae (frigatebirds) and Stercorariidae (skuas). These kleptoparasites force other seabirds (targets) to regurgitate food, which the kleptoparasite then ingests, potentially facilitating direct transfer of viral particles from target to kleptoparasite. Scavenging and predation probably contribute further to viral spread. Although frigatebirds use kleptoparasitism on a year‐round basis, skuas more commonly do so outside of the breeding season. Both frequently forage, disperse, or migrate across oceans and hemispheres. Dense aggregations of kleptoparasitic and target seabirds at breeding and/or roosting sites may facilitate the spread of HPAIV. In addition, the migration of these species could also facilitate broadscale geographic spread of HPAIV. Surveillance of kleptoparasites for HPAIVs could aid in early detection and may be important for seabird conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolism and mRNA translation represent critical steps involved in modulating gene expression and cellular physiology. Being the most energy-consuming process in the cell, mRNA translation is strictly linked to cellular metabolism and in synchrony with it. Indeed, several mRNAs for metabolic pathways are regulated at the translational level, resulting in translation being a coordinator of metabolism. On the other hand, there is a growing appreciation for how metabolism impacts several aspects of RNA biology. For example, metabolic pathways and metabolites directly control the selectivity and efficiency of the translational machinery, as well as post-transcriptional modifications of RNA to fine-tune protein synthesis. Consistently, alterations in the intricate interplay between translational control and cellular metabolism have emerged as a critical axis underlying human diseases. A better understanding of such events will foresee innovative therapeutic strategies in human disease states. This review covers different aspects of translation and metabolism cross-regulation, ranging from how cells receive instructions to reprogram metabolism through translational control to how metabolism and metabolic states influence the protein synthesis machinery and translation control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a self‐degrading and highly conserved survival mechanism, autophagy plays an important role in maintaining cell survival and recycling. The discovery of autophagy‐related (ATG) genes has revolutionized our understanding of autophagy. Lysosomal membrane proteins (LMPs) are important executors of lysosomal function, and increasing evidence has demonstrated their role in the induction and regulation of autophagy. In addition, the functional dysregulation of the process mediated by LMPs at all stages of autophagy is closely related to neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Here, we review the role of LMPs in autophagy, focusing on their roles in vesicle nucleation, vesicle elongation and completion, the fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes, and degradation, as well as their broad association with related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The black‐footed cat, a small felid endemic to southern Africa, is particularly vulnerable to killing by larger carnivores while also being prone to developing renal diseases. Here, we investigated the effect of predator control on black‐footed cat populations by comparing adult annual survival between two sites, a nature reserve with little predator management and a sheep and game farm where jackals and caracals were lethally controlled. Although relatively low, survival rates were similar for both sites, suggesting that intraguild killing did not have an additive effect on black‐footed cat mortality. Disease was however prevalent and weakened individuals might have a reduced ability to evade predators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome‐wide scans for selection have become a popular tool for investigating evolutionary responses in wildlife to emerging diseases. However, genome scans are susceptible to false positives and do little to demonstrate specific mechanisms by which loci impact survival. Linking putatively resistant genotypes to observable phenotypes increases confidence in genome scan results and provides evidence of survival mechanisms that can guide conservation and management efforts. Here we used an expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis to uncover relationships between gene expression and alleles associated with the survival of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) despite infection with the causative agent of white‐nose syndrome. We found that 25 of the 63 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with survival were related to gene expression in wing tissue. The differentially expressed genes have functional annotations associated with the innate immune system, metabolism, circadian rhythms, and the cellular response to stress. In addition, we observed differential expression of multiple genes with survival implications related to loci in linkage disequilibrium with focal SNPs. Together, these findings support the selective function of these loci and suggest that part of the mechanism driving survival may be the alteration of immune and other responses in epithelial tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the genetic basis of disease is a fundamental aspect of medical research, as genes are the classic units of heredity and play a crucial role in biological function. Identifying associations between genes and diseases is critical for diagnosis, prevention, prognosis, and drug development. Genes that encode proteins with similar sequences are often implicated in related diseases, as proteins causing identical or similar diseases tend to show limited variation in their sequences. Predicting gene–disease association (GDA) requires time-consuming and expensive experiments on a large number of potential candidate genes. Although methods have been proposed to predict associations between genes and diseases using traditional machine learning algorithms and graph neural networks, these approaches struggle to capture the deep semantic information within the genes and diseases and are dependent on training data. To alleviate this issue, we propose a novel GDA prediction model named FusionGDA, which utilizes a pre-training phase with a fusion module to enrich the gene and disease semantic representations encoded by pre-trained language models. Multi-modal representations are generated by the fusion module, which includes rich semantic information about two heterogeneous biomedical entities: protein sequences and disease descriptions. Subsequently, the pooling aggregation strategy is adopted to compress the dimensions of the multi-modal representation. In addition, FusionGDA employs a pre-training phase leveraging a contrastive learning loss to extract potential gene and disease features by training on a large public GDA dataset. To rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of the FusionGDA model, we conduct comprehensive experiments on five datasets and compare our proposed model with five competitive baseline models on the DisGeNet-Eval dataset. Notably, our case study further demonstrates the ability of FusionGDA to discover hidden associations effectively. The complete code and datasets of our experiments are available at https://github.com/ZhaohanM/FusionGDA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article relates how tropical disease ravaged the British army in the late-eighteenth-century Caribbean, using the San Juan expedition of 1780 as a case study. Based on eighteenth-century European understandings of epidemiology, martial and medicinal officials of the San Juan expedition believed that the outbreak of pestilence within the British army reflected a failure in discipline, properly provisioning troops, as well as overall leadership and planning. Thus, despite natural agents playing a significant role in stalling Britain's advance in Nicaragua, eighteenth-century military and medical authorities dictated that difficulties caused by disease and the environment could be overcome by human might. While the British ultimately could not overcome the devastating effects that tropical diseases had on the army, human agency also led to the expedition's failure. The British did not maintain good relations with their Indigenous allies, the Miskito, which resulted in their abandonment of the campaign. Consequently, they were left without crucial soldiers, guides, and labourers who were necessary to continue the invasion of Central America. Moreover, the Spaniards' stout defence of their territory also hindered the British expeditionary force, stalling their advance at the Castillo de la Inmaculada Concepción. As a result, both natural and human agency dictated the outcome of the San Juan expedition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study was conducted in Pawe district from Benishangul‐Gumuz and Jawi and Fagita Lekoma districts from the Amhara region to investigate major honeybee pests, predators and diseases. Methods: Using a purposive sampling technique, 183 households were interviewed, and 240 samples were collected for laboratory analysis of bee disease; data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: The share of hive types owned by sampled respondents was 88.6%; overall, 1.1% and 10.3% were traditional, transitional and modern beehives, respectively. About 92% of the sample respondents acquired their base colonies by catching swarm bees on the apex of trees. The majority of beekeepers executed external inspections of their colony, whereas only 50% carried out internal inspections. Based on the responses of beekeepers, around 48.9%, 56.3% and 23.1% of colonies absconded every year from Pawe, Jawi and Fagita Lekoma districts, respectively. Ants, wax moths, bee lice, beetles, spiders, birds, monkeys and honey badgers were the major honeybee pests and predators discovered in study areas in decreasing order. Concerning the incidence of Varroa mites, Nosema apis and amoeba disease, 27.5%, 60% and 71.6% of samples showed positive results in study locations, respectively. Conclusions: From this result, we observed that ants, wax moths, bee lice, beetles, spiders, birds, monkeys and honey badgers were the major honeybee pests and predators. The prevalence of amoeba disease was comparatively higher in highland areas and in the summer season. This finding suggests the need for the alertness of beekeepers in controlling bee disease and pests and strengthening bee colonies through seasonal colony management. There should be a strict quarantine, and check‐up undertaken when a new colony is purchased from one region to another is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The western portion of the Pacific Northwest is known for being dry in the summer and cool and humid in the other months. Tall fescue is valued for its drought and heat tolerance, making it a desirable choice in regions where water is scarce and often restricted by legislation during periods of drought in the summer. However, cool and humid climates make it challenging to manage tall fescue in the winter because unacceptable quality is often observed due to low-temperature diseases and thinning in turf. A field trial was initiated in Autumn 2020 in Corvallis, OR, USA to assess the effects of mowing height as well as fertility timing and rate on tall fescue performance. Two mowing heights of 5.1 and 7.6 cm, four seasonal fertility timings, and three levels of annual N rates of 98, 196, and 294 kg⋅ha-1⋅yr-1 were evaluated using a 2 x 4 x 3 factorial experiment in a strip-plot design. Quantitative data of percent green cover and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) suggest that autumn fertilization is needed in cool, humid areas where tall fescue is actively growing in the winter months. The annual fertilization rate of 294 kg⋅ha-1⋅yr-1 N produced higher green turf cover and NDVI, compared with 98 or 196 kg⋅ha-1⋅yr-1 N. Furthermore, divergent effects of mowing heights were observed during winter compared with other months, suggesting that tall fescue could be mowed lower at 5.1 cm during cool, humid winter months and higher at 7.6 cm in other seasons for better overall turfgrass growth and less winter disease and thinning. Our research provides practical cultural practices for managing tall fescue turf in the Pacific Northwest or similar climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution of New Zealand sea lions is typically localised to New Zealand and its remote subantarctic islands. However, non-resident male sea lions were seen on Macquarie Island, 650 km from their nearest natal islands, in all months of all years from 1965 to 1980. The majority of the apparently opportunistic sightings were at the northern end of the island. Sightings increased from May to a September-October peak that was coincident with the cessation of breeding activities in the sea lions' natal range and the period when resident gentoo and royal penguins, and fur and elephant seals aggregated for breeding, all of which are now confirmed prey for New Zealand sea lions on Macquarie Island. The long-term effect of predation pressure from New Zealand sea lions on resident species remains unmeasured. After sleeping, interacting with southern elephant seals was a core sea lion activity. Predation on seabirds and interactions with elephant seals increase the risk of cross-species disease transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In numerous animals, dramatic coloration (e.g. bright red or yellow) often indicates potential fitness, but it is less clear whether subtle coloration in the same individuals (e.g. grey or brown) could also encode such signals. To determine if subtle coloration could indicate health in a bird species with colorful feathers, house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus), we used spectrometry to objectively quantify leg brightness and saturation before, six days after, and 13 days after captive individuals were inoculated with a naturally‐occurring bacterial pathogen, Mycoplasma gallisepticum. We found that legs became less bright six days after infection (near the typical peak of infection), then more bright and less saturated at 13 days (entering the typical recovery period). These results suggest that subtle colors could reliably indicate current infection status, and therefore survival potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The list of standard abbreviations for JDS is available at adsa.org/jds-abbreviations-24. Nonstandard abbreviations are available in the Notes. An economic simulation was carried out over 183 milk-producing countries to estimate the global economic impacts of 12 dairy cattle diseases and health conditions: mastitis (subclinical and clinical), lameness, paratuberculosis (Johne's disease), displaced abomasum, dystocia, metritis, milk fever, ovarian cysts, retained placenta, and ketosis (subclinical and clinical). Estimates of disease impacts on milk yield, fertility, and culling were collected from the literature, standardized, meta-analyzed using a variety of methods ranging from simple averaging to random-effects models, and adjusted for comorbidities to prevent overestimation. These comorbidity-adjusted disease impacts were then combined with a set of country-level estimates for lactational incidence or prevalence or both, herd characteristics, and price estimates within a series of Monte Carlo simulations that estimated and valued the economic losses due to these diseases. It was estimated that total annual global losses are US$65 billion (B). Subclinical ketosis, clinical mastitis, and subclinical mastitis were the costliest diseases modeled, resulting in mean annual global losses of approximately US$18B, US$13B, and US$9B, respectively. Estimated global annual losses due to clinical ketosis, displaced abomasum, dystocia, lameness, metritis, milk fever, ovarian cysts, paratuberculosis, and retained placenta were estimated to be US$0.2B, US$0.6B, US$0.6B, US$6B, US$5B, US$0.6B, US$4B, US$4B, and US$3B, respectively. Without adjustment for comorbidities, when statistical associations between diseases were disregarded, mean aggregate global losses would have been overestimated by 45%. Although annual losses were greatest in India (US$12B), the United States (US$8B), and China (US$5B), depending on the measure of losses used (losses as a percentage of gross domestic product, losses per capita, losses as a percentage of gross milk revenue), the relative economic burden of these dairy cattle diseases across countries varied markedly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Although the nutritional composition of organic food has been thoroughly researched, there is a dearth of published data relating to its impact on human health. Objective This systematic review aimed to examine the association between organic food intake and health effects, including changes in in vivo biomarkers, disease prevalence, and functional changes. Data Sources PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception through Nov 13, 2022. Data Extraction Both observational and interventional studies conducted in human populations were included, and association between level of organic food intake and each outcome was quantified as "no association," "inconsistent," "beneficial correlation/harmful correlation," or "insufficient". For outcomes with sufficient data reported by at least 3 studies, meta-analyses were conducted, using random-effects models to calculate standardized mean differences. Data Analysis Based on the included 23 observational and 27 interventional studies, the association between levels of organic food intake and (i) pesticide exposure biomarker was assessed as "beneficial correlation," (ii) toxic metals and carotenoids in the plasma was assessed as "no association," (iii) fatty acids in human milk was assessed as "insufficient," (iv) phenolics was assessed as "beneficial", and serum parameters and antioxidant status was assessed as "inconsistent". For diseases and functional changes, there was an overall "beneficial" association with organic food intake, and there were similar findings for obesity and body mass index. However, evidence for association of organic food intake with other single diseases was assessed as "insufficient" due to the limited number and extent of studies. Conclusion Organic food intake was found to have a beneficial impact in terms of reducing pesticide exposure, and the general effect on disease and functional changes (body mass index, male sperm quality) was appreciable. More long-term studies are required, especially for single diseases. Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO registration no. CRD42022350175. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In plants, growth and defence are controlled by many molecular pathways that are antagonistic to one another. This results in a 'growth‐defence trade‐off', where plants temporarily reduce growth in response to pests or diseases. Due to this antagonism, genetic variants that improve resistance often reduce growth and vice versa. Therefore, in natural populations, the most disease resistant individuals are often the slowest growing. In crops, slow growth may translate into a yield penalty, but resistance is essential for protecting yield in the presence of disease. Therefore, plant breeders must balance these traits to ensure optimal yield potential and yield stability. In crops, both qualitative and quantitative disease resistance are often linked with genetic variants that cause yield penalties, but this is not always the case. Furthermore, both crop yield and disease resistance are complex traits influenced by many aspects of the plant's physiology, morphology and environment, and the relationship between the molecular growth‐defence trade‐off and disease resistance‐yield antagonism is not well‐understood. In this article, we highlight research from the last 2 years on the molecular mechanistic basis of the antagonism between defence and growth. We then discuss the interaction between disease resistance and crop yield from a breeding perspective, outlining the complexity and nuances of this relationship and where research can aid practical methods for simultaneous improvement of yield potential and disease resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to look at an area we have yet to explore, the enormous impact that disease and treatment can have on people‘s lives. In recent decades, medical thinking has gradually changed, and today we are increasingly talking about psychosomatic medicine. The appearance of the disease creates a new life situation to which the patient must adapt. This new adaptation takes much of his energy—much more than is needed for physiological defense processes. This adaptation is a complex, multidirectional process. The article attempts to present the importance of psychological support provided in a hospital environment. The role of the personality, with its complexity and dynamics in relation to the patient‘s perception of the disease, is examined by presenting a case of a patient who experienced a complex cardiac surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of feed supplementation with quorum quenching (QQ) probiotic bacteria on growth performance, hematology, immune response, and disease resistance in giant mottled eels. The feed used was supplemented with 45 ± 2.3 g/individual QQ bacteria using the following treatments, namely Bacillus cereus strain B8, Pseudomonas putida strain BPA1, Bacillus cereus strain HPC 576, and control (no QQ). A total of 420 eels (average weight 45 ± 2.3 g/ind.) were randomly reared in 12 open tarpaulin ponds of 2 x 1 x 1 (W x L x D) m and 1000-L volume for 8 weeks. Feed was given three times per day at 5% of the body weight. Water was changed daily at 25%, and shelters were provided using 3-inch diameter PVC pipes. The results showed that the feed containing QQ bacteria improved the growth, hematology, immunity, and disease resistance of the eels compared to the control (P < 0.05). Furthermore, among the QQ bacteria tested, the feed with B. cereus strain HPC 576 had the highest performance in all tested parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are commonly kept as pets or bred for laboratory investigation, meat, fur production, or a combination of these purposes. We conducted a retrospective study to assess the prevalence of diseases in domestic rabbits according to purpose. We retrieved results of autopsies, biopsies, and cytologies from 2,583 cases received at 4 diagnostic laboratories in California from 2013–2022. Rabbits were classified as pets (2,241; 86.8%), laboratory animals (92; 3.6%), meat-production animals (60; 2.3%), or multipurpose animals (190; 7.4%). A final diagnosis was reached in 2,360 (91.4%) cases and was classified by system, etiology, and type of process. Pet rabbits had the highest median age (5.9 y; vs. 3 y, 0.67 y, and 0.25 y in meat, multipurpose, and laboratory rabbits, respectively), and most of the neoplasms were diagnosed in this group (872 of the total 896 neoplasms in the study; 97.3%), with tumors of the skin, female reproductive tract, and hematolymphoid system being the most common. Laboratory rabbits had a high prevalence of infectious enterotyphlocolitis (40 of 92; 43.4%), and ~45% of those cases were due to opportunistic colibacillosis. Infectious and parasitic pneumonias were common in meat rabbits (18 of 60; 30%); pneumonic pasteurellosis accounted for >60% of those cases. Infectious cholangiohepatitides were common in multipurpose rabbits (61 of 110; 55.5%), with rabbit hemorrhagic disease representing the most common etiology (82.4% of those cases). Our results demonstrate that purpose of use can predict prevalence of disease in rabbits submitted to diagnostic laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graham Greene is a critically acclaimed British novelist in twentieth-century literature. In his epidemic narrative A Burnt-Out Case (1977), Querry, a world-famous European architect, loses his faith in work and the Catholic religion and escapes to the leprosy-infected Congo. Querry's ennui makes him a de facto spiritual leper. Such an analogy often demonizes disease and normalizes people's perception of epidemics, simultaneously misrepresenting patients' various experiences. Nonetheless, the traditional stigmatization imposed on the Other, such as lepers in the Congo, does not merely necessitate the agony of the infected. Rather, epidemics often entail the victim's epiphany and turn the sufferers' pain into pleasure and their desperation into inspiration. Querry's retrieval of faith in life and humanity illustrates this empowerment. This paper argues that epidemics and people's responses to them alert us to a deconstructive power inherent in contagion. Epidemics are threatening and fearful, but they also enable humans to reexamine their lives and refresh their sympathetic understanding of human suffering. G. Greene's (1977) A Burnt-Out Case brings forth a timely version of people's regained humanity through suffering and disease, something urgently needed in the (post-)COVID-19 era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the effectiveness of using arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (M) and compost applied alone or in combination (vs. conventional chemical fertilizer application (NPK)) on tomato resistance to vascular wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae. In this study, ten treatments were applied: (1) Control (2) M: Rhizophagus irregularis (3) C: Compost (4) MC: The combination of M and compost (5) NPK: conventional chemical fertilizer (6) V: plants infected with V. dahliae (7) MV: plants infected with a conidial suspension of V. dahliae and M, (8) CV: The combination of compost and V. dahliae, (9) MCV: The combination of M, compost and V. dahliae, (10) VNPK: V. dahliae and NPK. The combination of biostimulants reduced disease severity and incidence, as well as the leaf alteration index compared to control plants (V). However, the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) and final mean severity (FMS) were reduced by 37% and 46% respectively by the application of the combination of M, compost and V. dahliae (MCV) compared to the V control. Additionally, the MCV treatment showed the greatest increment in protein content (152.6%), in TSS content (54.6%), and CV increased proline content by 46.6%. Furthermore, MCV also protected the photosynthetic apparatus from pathogen-induced oxidative stress and reduced the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes, such as polyphenol oxidase (PPO) (215.03%), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) (74.73%) and peroxidase activity (POX) (101.91%). MC also enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities by 166.19% compared to their controls (V). M alone or in combination with compost, remains a favourable interaction for suppressing plant diseases and improving antioxidant defense systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the regulation of gene expression, epigenetic factors like non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play an equal role in genetics. The role of microRNAs (miRNAs), which are members of the ncRNA family, in post-transcriptional gene regulation is well-documented and has important implications for both normal and abnormal biological processes, such as angiogenesis, proliferation, survival, and apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to synthesize previous research on miR-449a by analyzing published results from various databases, as there have been a number of investigations on miR-449's potential involvement in the development of human disorders. Based on our findings, miR-449 is strongly dysregulated in a wide range of diseases, from various cancers to cardiovascular diseases, cognitive impairments, and respiratory diseases, and it may play a pivotal role in the development of these problems. In addition, miR-449a functions as a crucial regulator of the expression of several well-known genes, including E2F-3, BCL2, NOTCH1, and SOX4. This, in turn, modulates various pathways and processes related to cancer, including Notch, PI3K, and TGF-β, and contributes to the improvement of cancer drug sensitivity. Curiously, abnormalities in the expression of this miRNA may serve as diagnostic or prognostic indicators for distinguishing between healthy people and patients or to evaluate the survival rates for specific disorders. This article provides a synopsis of the current understanding of miR-449a's role in human disease development through its regulation of gene expression and the biological processes related to these genes and their linked processes. In addition, we have covered the topic of miR-449a's potential as a clinical feature (diagnosis and prognosis) indicator for a range of disorders, both neoplastic and non-neoplastic. In general, our goal was to gain a thorough comprehension of the numerous functions of miR-449a in different disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The symptoms of huanglongbing (HLB), a disease caused by the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), are visible on the canopy of citrus plants. They include mottling of leaves followed by dropping and lopsided fruits with premature dropping. Loss in phloem functionality and degradation of the root system are also HLB symptoms with a severe impact on plant growth and production. Some Citrus relatives, such as Poncirus trifoliata and its hybrids, have shown more tolerance to HLB disease and low titers of CLas compared to Citrus species, but little is known about the effects of CLas on their root system. In this study, we investigated the effects of CLas-infected 'Valencia' scion on the citrandarin IAC3222 (a hybrid between P. trifoliata and Sunki mandarin) used as rootstock as well as interstock between 'Valencia' and Swingle citrumelo rootstock. At 13 months post-inoculation, the cycle threshold values (CT) for CLas in the infected scion samples indicated a high CLas titer (from 15.9 to 22.7) regardless of the rootstock variety or interstock used. However, no CLas-positive samples were detected in the roots of IAC3222 (CT ranging from 37.9 to 40.0), in contrast to all Swingle roots (CT ranging from 27.9 to 31.3). Both root volume and mass were reduced in IAC3222 compared to uninfected 'Valencia' scion, suggesting that scion infection damages roots, regardless of whether they are contaminated or not by CLas. The damage to the root system of IAC3222 was significantly less severe than that of the Swingle rootstock. Multivariate hierarchical analysis considering all evaluated parameters clustered the CLas-infected plants grafted on IAC3222 together with the non-inoculated plants. We concluded that the IAC3222 rootstock was less affected by the CLas-infected scion compared to the Swingle rootstock and is a promising rootstock to minimize the HLB effect on plant development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changing notion of "companion animals" and their increasing global status as family members underscores the dynamic interaction between gut microbiota and host health. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the intricate microbial ecology within companion animals required to maintain overall health and prevent disease. Exploration of specific diseases and syndromes linked to gut microbiome alterations (dysbiosis), such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, and neurological conditions like epilepsy, are highlighted. In addition, this review provides an analysis of the various factors that impact the abundance of the gut microbiome like age, breed, habitual diet, and microbe-targeted interventions, such as probiotics. Detection methods including PCR-based algorithms, fluorescence in situ hybridisation, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing are reviewed, along with their limitations and the need for future advancements. Prospects for longitudinal investigations, functional dynamics exploration, and accurate identification of microbial signatures associated with specific health problems offer promising directions for future research. In summary, it is an attempt to provide a deeper insight into the orchestration of multiple microbial species shaping the health of companion animals and possible species-specific differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's Disease, a progressive brain disorder that impairs memory, thinking, and behavior, has started to benefit from advancements in deep learning. However, the application of deep learning in medicine faces the challenge of limited data resources for training models. Transfer learning offers a solution by leveraging pre-trained models from similar tasks, reducing the data and computational requirements to achieve high performance. Additionally, data augmentation techniques, such as rotation and scaling, help increase the dataset size. In this study, we worked with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) datasets and applied various pre-processing and augmentation techniques including include intensity normalization, affine registration, skull stripping, entropy-based slicing, flipping, zooming, shifting, and rotating to clean and expand the dataset. We applied transfer learning to high-performing pre-trained models—ResNet-50, DenseNet-201, Xception, EfficientNetB0, and Inception V3, originally trained on ImageNet. We fine-tuned these models using the feature extraction technique on augmented data. Furthermore, we implemented ensemble learning techniques, such as stacking and boosting, to enhance the final prediction performance. The novel methodology we applied achieved high precision (95%), recall (94%), F1 score (95%), and accuracy (95%) for Alzheimer's disease detection. Overall, this study establishes a robust framework for applying machine learning to diagnose Alzheimer's using MRI scans. The combination of transfer learning, via pre-trained neural networks fine-tuned on a processed and augmented dataset, with ensemble learning, has proven highly effective, marking a significant advancement in medical diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2022, a severe outbreak of disease caused by clade 2.3.4.4b Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus resulted in unprecedented mortality among wild birds in eastern Canada. Tens of thousands of birds were reported sick or dead, prompting a comprehensive assessment of mortality spanning the breeding season between April 1 and September 30, 2022. Mortality reports were collated from federal, Indigenous, provincial, and municipal agencies, the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, and other nongovernmental organizations, universities, and citizen science platforms. A scenario analysis was conducted to refine mortality estimates, accounting for potential double counts from multiple sources under a range of spatial and temporal overlaps. Correcting for double counting, HPAI is estimated to have caused 40,391 wild bird mortalities in eastern Canada during the spring and summer of 2022; however, this figure underestimates total mortality as it excludes unreported deaths on land and at sea. Seabirds and sea ducks, long‐lived species that are slow to recover from perturbations, accounted for 98.7% of estimated mortalities. Our study provides estimates of bird mortality, with Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus; 25,669), Common Murres (Uria aalge; 8133), and American Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima dresseri; 1894) exhibiting the highest mortality figures. We then compare these mortality estimates with recent population estimates and trends and make an initial assessment of whether biologically meaningful population‐level impacts are possible. Specifically, we focus on the Northern Gannet, a species that has suffered significant global mortality, and two harvested species, Common Murre and American Common Eider, to inform management decisions. Our analysis suggests population‐level impacts in eastern Canada are possible for Northern Gannets and American Common Eiders, but are unlikely for Common Murres. This study demonstrates a comprehensive approach to assessing mortality and underscores the urgent need for further research to understand the broader ecological ramifications of the HPAI outbreak on wild bird populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early‐life locomotor activity during turn out may alter susceptibility to musculoskeletal disease and injury via modulation of behaviours and tissue development during growth. Objectives: Investigate associations between turn out practices and rates of musculoskeletal disease and injury in young Thoroughbreds on stud farms in the United Kingdom. Study design: Prospective cohort. Methods: Daily records were kept on location and duration of turn out for 134 Thoroughbred foals on six stud farms, from birth until leaving the farm or study exit. Data on veterinary‐attended episodes of musculoskeletal disease or injury were collated concurrently. Average daily turn out times (hours), areas (acres) and group size (n foals) were calculated for rolling 7‐ and 30‐day periods of age. Multivariable Cox regression, including farm as a random effect, was used to investigate associations between turn out practices and musculoskeletal disease and injury. Results: The overall incidence of musculoskeletal disease or injury was 5.3 cases/100 foal‐months at risk (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.2–6.6). Compared with 24/7 turn out, average daily turn out times of between 9 and 23 hours over a 7‐day period were associated with a 4.6‐fold increase in musculoskeletal injury rate (95% CI: 1.7–12.3; P < 0.001), adjusting for farm and paddock area. Each 1‐acre increase in the average daily turn out area during the 4th month of life, reduced the rate of musculoskeletal disease and injury between 6 and 18 months of age by 24% (hazard ratio 0.76, 95% CI: 0.58–0.99; P < 0.001), adjusting for farm and turn out time. Main limitations: Non‐random sample of participants may affect generalisability. Use of veterinary‐attended events likely underestimates disease/injury rates. Conclusions: Results suggest that disruptions or alterations to turn out time routines increase injury risk and should be avoided where possible. Turn out in larger paddocks, particularly before weaning, may confer protection against subsequent musculoskeletal disease and injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Succinate dehydrogenase (also known as complex II) plays a dual role in respiration by catalyzing the oxidation of succinate to fumarate in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and transferring electrons from succinate to ubiquinone in the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC). Owing to the privileged position of SDH/CII, its dysfunction leads to TCA cycle arrest and altered respiration. This review aims to elucidate the widely documented profound metabolic effects of SDH/CII deficiency, along with the newly unveiled survival mechanisms in SDH/CII-deficient cells. Such an understanding reveals exploitable vulnerabilities for strategic targeting, which is crucial for the development of novel and more precise therapies for primary mitochondrial diseases, as well as for familial and sporadic cancers associated with SDH/CII mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was to ivestigated effects of adult fitness literacy programme (AFLP) in promoting physical activities among adults in Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria. Specifically, it determined effectiveness of AFLP in increasing participation in aerobic, strength, flexibility, and balance activities. Population was made up of adult 124 participants The study used a quasi-experimental pre-test post-test design. Data were collected with questionnaire. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and t-test at 0.05 level of significance. Results show that for aerobic activities, the mean scores increased significantly from pre-test to post-test. For vigorous activities, the mean rose from 3.5 (SD = 0.82) to 4.2 (SD = 0.63), while for moderate aerobic activities, the mean increased from 2.9 (SD = 0.65) to 3.5 (SD = 0.74). Similarly, self-rated current aerobic fitness improved from a mean of 3.2 (SD = 0.87) to 3.8 (SD = 0.69). Paired t-tests revealed these improvements were statistically significant, with t-statistics ranging from 2.47 to 7.69 and corresponding p-values less than 0.001, except for session duration where p = 0.004 (t = 3.08). For strength-based activities, participants also showed significant increases, with the mean for weight lifting, push-ups, or sit-ups rising from 3.57 to 4.21, and the mean for activities involving resistance bands or free weights increasing from 2.95 to 3.52, both at the p<0.001 level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Davide Costa,1,2 Raffaele Serra1,2 1Interuniversity Center of Phlebolymphology (CIFL), International Research and Educational Program in Clinical and Experimental Biotechnology. University “magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, 88100, Italy; 2Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences. University “magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, 88100, ItalyCorrespondence: Raffaele Serra, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences. University “Magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, 88100, Italy, Tel +3909613647380, Email rserra@unicz.itAbstract: The concepts of disease, illness, and sickness, included in Twaddle triad, capture fundamentally different aspects of human health including medical, personal, anthropological, and social related phenomena. All the aforementioned scientific disciplines offer a variety of valuable insights, but they are not strongly connected to each other to describe a unique vision of health phenomena, and this represents a gap in the current literature. This article provides a review of the theoretical discussions on the Twaddle Triad, considering critiques and elements of interest, analyzing its connections with the concepts and the processes of recovery. The concept of recovery has been fully linked to Twaddle triad by means of its three main processes, curing, healing, and habilitating, in order to arrive to a new framework proposal that is able, connecting variables and attributes of each framing concept, to better describe and deepen multifaceted elements around different types of health problems.Keywords: illness, sickness, disease, recovery, Twaddle triad

Abstract Background The amount of regular physical activity (PA) can modulate the prevalence of traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) such as obesity, systemic hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, how different PA levels either below ( 1200 MET min/week) the range of the minimal WHO recommendations impact the age- and sex-dependent prevalence of these risk factors remains to be elucidated. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate these relationships using population-based self-reported data collected in a central European country (Austria, 2019). The sample included a total of 15,461 persons (7166 males: 16–95 + years, BMI 26.6 ± 4.4; 8295 females: 16–95 + years, BMI 25.1 ± 5.0). Besides various lifestyle factors (e.g., dietary habits, smoking, and alcohol consumption), variables of particular interest were the age- and sex-dependent amount of weekly PA and prevalence of risk factors for CVD. Sex-specific logistic regression analyses were applied to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for the associations between self-reported PA and risk factor prevalence. Results Relatively small beneficial effects were found regarding the prevalence of risk factors for CVD when achieving PA levels corresponding to 600–1200 MET min/week as compared to those who did not meet these recommendations. However, exceeding the WHO recommendations provided much more pronounced benefits, especially in younger and older age groups. Adjusted ORs revealed that high volumes of PA (> 1200 MET min/week) were associated with a 32–43% reduction in the prevalence of obesity and T2D compared to those who did not achieve the WHO recommendations (

Abstract In this review, we discuss current research on forest carbon risk from natural disturbance under climate change for the United States, with emphasis on advancements in analytical mapping and modeling tools that have potential to drive research for managing future long-term stability of forest carbon. As a natural mechanism for carbon storage, forests are a critical component of meeting climate mitigation strategies designed to combat anthropogenic emissions. Forests consist of long-lived organisms (trees) that can store carbon for centuries or more. However, trees have finite lifespans, and disturbances such as wildfire, insect and disease outbreaks, and drought can hasten tree mortality or reduce tree growth, thereby slowing carbon sequestration, driving carbon emissions, and reducing forest carbon storage in stable pools, particularly the live and standing dead portions that are counted in many carbon offset programs. Many forests have natural disturbance regimes, but climate change and human activities disrupt the frequency and severity of disturbances in ways that are likely to have consequences for the long-term stability of forest carbon. To minimize negative effects and maximize resilience of forest carbon, disturbance risks must be accounted for in carbon offset protocols, carbon management practices, and carbon mapping and modeling techniques. This requires detailed mapping and modeling of the quantities and distribution of forest carbon across the United States and hopefully one day globally; the frequency, severity, and timing of disturbances; the mechanisms by which disturbances affect carbon storage; and how climate change may alter each of these elements. Several tools (e.g. fire spread models, imputed forest inventory models, and forest growth simulators) exist to address one or more of the aforementioned items and can help inform management strategies that reduce forest carbon risk, maintain long-term stability of forest carbon, and further explore challenges, uncertainties, and opportunities for evaluating the continued potential of, and threats to, forests as viable mechanisms for forest carbon storage, including carbon offsets. A growing collective body of research and technological improvements have advanced the science, but we highlight and discuss key limitations, uncertainties, and gaps that remain.

Abstract Leukemia, a hematological disease affecting the bone marrow and white blood cells (WBCs), ranks among the top ten causes of mortality worldwide. Delays in decision-making often hinder the timely application of suitable medical treatments. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is one of the primary forms, constituting approximately 25% of childhood cancer cases. However, automated ALL diagnosis is challenging. Recently, machine learning (ML) has emerged as an important tool for building detection models. In this study, we present a hybrid detection model that improves the accuracy of the detection process by combining support vector machine (SVM) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) approaches to automatically identify ALL. We use SVM to represent a two-dimensional image and complete the classification process. PSO is employed to enhance the performance of the SVM model, reducing error rates and enhancing result accuracy. The input images are obtained from two public datasets (ALL-IDB1 and ALL-IDB2), and public online datasets are utilized for training and testing the proposed model. The results indicate that our hybrid SVM-PSO model has high accuracy, outperforming stand-alone algorithms and demonstrating superior performance, an enhanced confusion matrix, and a higher detection rate. This advancement holds promise for enhancing the quality of technical software in the medical field using machine learning.

ABSTRACT: Negative associations of health disorders with reproductive performance, often measured with pregnancy per AI or the risk of pregnancy loss, have been demonstrated extensively. Most studies investigated common clinical diseases but did not include subclinical disorders comprehensively. They often evaluated cows subjected to hormonal synchronization protocols for timed AI, limiting the ability to understand how disease may affect spontaneous reproductive function, which is essential for targeted management programs with selective hormonal intervention. It is plausible that metabolic and inflammatory disorders have short- and long-term detrimental effects on different features of reproductive function that result in or contribute to reduced fertility. These may include: (1) re-establishment of endocrine function to promote follicular growth and first ovulation postpartum, (2) corpus luteum (CL) function, (3) estrus expression, and (4) uterine environment, fertilization, and embryonic development. In this narrative literature review, we discuss insights and knowledge gaps linking health disorders with these processes of reproductive function. A growing set of observational studies with adequate internal validity suggest that these outcomes may be affected by metabolic and inflammatory disorders that are common in the early postpartum period. A better characterization of these risk factors in multisite studies with greater external validity is warranted to develop decision-support tools to identify subgroups of cows that are more or less likely to be successful in targeted reproductive management programs.

Abstract The gastrointestinal tract of felines is inhabited by an active and intricate population of microorganisms whose alteration creates disturbances in the immune response and can affect health and disease states. Studies using various analytical methods have identified peculiar trends in various illnesses, with Firmicutes being the most prevalent phylum, followed by Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. However, more Firmicutes and fewer Bacteroidetes have been observed in cats infected with Feline coronavirus. Alterations in the composition of these gut microbiota can be solved by microbiota modification through dietary fiber, probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation. Therefore, it is critical to understand the composition of the gut microbiota, the changes in and roles of the gut environment, and the importance of these concepts for overall health while considering the exchange of microbes between humans and domestic animals. This review provides comprehensive information on feline gut microbiota composition, modulation, and analytic methods used for characterizing the gut microbiota.

Introduction: While some patients recovered, others died across the world thereby losing their loved ones. The objective of the current study is to determine statistical differences in means of the COVID-19 infected population (laboratory confirmed), discharged cases(recovered) and deaths resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic in Rivers State, Nigeria. Material and Methods: In this study, extraction of the infected population (laboratory confirmed), discharged cases, and deaths from COVID-19 was carried out from data obtained from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control which covered 572 days (25th March 2020 - 17th October 2021). The test for the significance of means among the variables was done using a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by the Tukey HSD test. The two variables whose means do not significantly differ were tested for strength of relationship and dependence using correlation analysis and cubic polynomial function respectively. Results: Results showed that there is a statistically significant difference between the infected population, discharged cases, and deaths from COVID-19 as obtained from one-way ANOVA (F(2, 1710) = 121.958, p = 0.000). Use of the Tukey HSD test indicated that the means of infected population and discharged cases do not differ from each other (p>0.01); however, mean deaths from COVID-19 significantly differ from others at 99% confidence intervals (p

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate adherence to medication treatment and possible associated factors in elderly patients interviewed during medical appointments in primary care units. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional, population-based study of 57 older patients aged 60 to 99 years living in the municipality of Ponto dos Volantes, state of Minas Gerais, including rural and urban areas. Data were collected during medical appointments, using a structured electronic script. The association between the parameters and the level of adherence to treatment was assessed using the χ2 test, with a 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: Among the elderly patients interviewed, 45 (78.9%) responded about adherence to treatment. Of these, 11 (24.4%) were included in the low adherence group. None of the parameters evaluated showed a statistically significant association with the classification of drug adherence. CONCLUSION: The present study identified that 1 in every 4 patients had low adherence to drug treatment. Among the variables studied, notably sex, age, schooling, number of comorbidities, number of medications, and income, no statistically significant relationship was observed. KEYWORDS: aged; treatment adherence and compliance; disease; volunteers.

OBJECTIVE: Goal 3 (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by India in 2015, seeks to “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” by 2030 and covers 13 broad target areas. Diagnosis is a major milestone in disease identification and, hence, planning of management. Charaka Samhita, which is the major treatise of Ayurveda explains the disease diagnostic principles through eight chapters of Nidana Sthana. Another irony is the Ayurveda texts, documented thousands of years ago, offers cures to the diseases of all the times, many of which were not even prevalent at the time of the documentation of the Samhita and hence are not mentioned in the same. The present paper aims to highlight the competence of the Nidana Sthana of Charaka Samhita in diagnosing diseases that are not listed directly in the same. Data Source: Charaka Samhita, along with its available commentaries and related research works. Review Methods: The Charaka Samhita and its available commentaries were thoroughly explored and critically analyzed to understand the rationale behind the Ashta-Adhyaya of Nidana Sthana and their relevance in decoding the pathogenesis of the unstated diseases through the stated. Contemporary research works in the context were explored and analyzed to elicit evidence. Results and Conclusion: The documentation of scientific writing should be pertinent and comprehensive. Charaka Samhita is documented scientifically, where the relevant data are quoted at specific instances, assuring no repetition, undue elaboration, or abridgment. The Nidana Sthana comprising the eight chapters lays the foundation for diagnosing diseases of diverse pathogenesis due to the dominance of three doshas, which can be applied to understand the unstated conditions based on Yukti.

The porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus (PRRSV) belonging to the Arteriviridae family is the cause of PRRS disease. After being discovered for the first time in the United States in 1987, this illness quickly expanded to Canada. The disease was initially discovered in late 1990 in Germany, from where it quickly spread throughout Europe. The consequences of PRRSV lead to a number of epidemiological issues, including a sickness with a delayed immune response that permits extended viremia, which facilitates viral transmission. The virus penetrates the nasal epithelium, tonsils, lung macrophages, and uterine endometrium through the oronasal and genital pathways. Abortions performed late in pregnancy and premature or delayed deliveries resulting in dead and mummified fetuses, stillborn pigs, and weakly born piglets are indicative of reproductive syndrome. In the meanwhile, dyspnea, fever, anorexia, and lethargic behavior are signs of respiratory syndrome. The virus can be isolated from the tissue or serum of animals that have been infected to confirm the diagnosis. Pig movements and potential airborne dissemination are two ways that the virus can enter new herds and propagate through nose-to-nose contact or aerosols. Various supportive therapies may enhance infant survival, and antibiotics may or may not lessen the impact of secondary bacterial infections. The absence of simple diagnostic tests, the virus's airborne transmission, the occurrence of subclinical infections, and the virus's persistence in infected populations have all contributed to the failure of control efforts for PRRS. [Open Vet J 2024; 14(9.000): 2138-2152]

Acid α-glucosidase deficiency – Pompe disease (PD) is a genetic, autosomal recessively inherited disorder leading to impaired glycogen degradation and storage in cells, especially muscles. It occurs with a frequency of 1 : 10,000 – 1 : 40,000 live births. This article presents a currently 14-year-old girl diagnosed with infantile-onset PD. A 15 days old the girl was referred to the hospital due to tachycardia. On examination, reduced muscle tone and hepatomegaly were observed. Electrocardiography showed supraventricular tachycardia. Laboratory tests detected increased hepatic aminotransferase activity. Echocardiography of the heart showed features of hypertrophy of both chambers. The patient was referred to the Children’s Memorial Health Institute in Warsaw. Pompe disease was diagnosed. At 4 months of age, therapy with Myozyme, administered intravenously every other week, was started, and it continues to the present day. Early recognition of PD and initiation of substitution therapy allow its course to be slowed and patients’ lives to be extended.

Abstract Objective This study aimed to determine the prevalence of vitiligo and associated factors among patients visiting the dermatologic outpatient departments at Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital and Addisalem Primary Hospitals, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, from September 15 to November 15, 2023. Results Among the 460 patients studied, 243 (52.8%) were female, with the majority (28.9%) aged between 25 and 34 years. The overall prevalence of vitiligo was found to be 7.4% (34 patients). Significant predictors of vitiligo included rural residence (AOR: 3.18; 95% CI: 1.10–9.18), family history of vitiligo (AOR: 2.20; 95% CI: 2.16–4.76), and aggravating factors such as trauma (AOR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.01–2.08). The highest prevalence was observed in the 14–24 age group. These findings suggest the importance of awareness campaigns focusing on the causes, symptoms, and treatments of vitiligo, particularly among young adults in rural areas.

Abstract Spatial proteomics is a multidimensional technique that studies the spatial distribution and function of proteins within cells or tissues across both spatial and temporal dimensions. This field multidimensionally reveals the complex structure of the human proteome, including the characteristics of protein spatial distribution, dynamic protein translocation, and protein interaction networks. Recently, as a crucial method for studying protein spatial localization, spatial proteomics has been applied in the clinical investigation of various diseases. This review summarizes the fundamental concepts and characteristics of tissue-level spatial proteomics, its research progress in common human diseases such as cancer, neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, and anticipates its future development trends. The aim is to highlight the significant impact of spatial proteomics on understanding disease pathogenesis, advancing diagnostic methods, and developing potential therapeutic targets in clinical research.

Abstract Disease can act as a driving force in shaping genetic makeup across populations, even species, if the impacts influence a particularly sensitive part of their life cycles. White-nose disease is caused by a fungal pathogen infecting bats during hibernation. The mycosis has caused massive population declines of susceptible species in North America, particularly in the genus Myotis. However, Myotis bats appear to tolerate infection in Eurasia, where the fungal pathogen has co-evolved with its bat hosts for an extended period of time. Therefore, with susceptible and tolerant populations, the fungal disease provides a unique opportunity to tease apart factors contributing to tolerance at a genomic level to and gain an understanding of the evolution of non-harmful in host-parasite interactions. To investigate if the fungal disease has caused adaptation on a genomic level in Eurasian bat species, we adopted both whole-genome sequencing approaches and a literature search to compile a set of 300 genes from which to investigate signals of positive selection in genomes of 11 Eurasian bats at the codon-level. Our results indicate significant positive selection in 38 genes, many of which have a marked role in responses to infection. Our findings suggest that white-nose syndrome may have applied a significant selective pressure on Eurasian Myotis-bats in the past, which can contribute their survival in co-existence with the pathogen. Our findings provide an insight on the selective pressure pathogens afflict on their hosts using methodology that can be adapted to other host-pathogen study systems.

ABSTRACT: An economic simulation was carried out over 183 milk-producing countries to estimate the global economic impacts of 12 dairy cattle diseases and health conditions: mastitis (subclinical and clinical), lameness, paratuberculosis (Johne's disease), displaced abomasum, dystocia, metritis, milk fever, ovarian cysts, retained placenta, and ketosis (subclinical and clinical). Estimates of disease impacts on milk yield, fertility, and culling were collected from the literature, standardized, meta-analyzed using a variety of methods ranging from simple averaging to random-effects models, and adjusted for comorbidities to prevent overestimation. These comorbidity-adjusted disease impacts were then combined with a set of country-level estimates for lactational incidence or prevalence or both, herd characteristics, and price estimates within a series of Monte Carlo simulations that estimated and valued the economic losses due to these diseases. It was estimated that total annual global losses are US$65 billion (B). Subclinical ketosis, clinical mastitis, and subclinical mastitis were the costliest diseases modeled, resulting in mean annual global losses of approximately US$18B, US$13B, and US$9B, respectively. Estimated global annual losses due to clinical ketosis, displaced abomasum, dystocia, lameness, metritis, milk fever, ovarian cysts, paratuberculosis, and retained placenta were estimated to be US$0.2B, US$0.6B, US$0.6B, US$6B, US$5B, US$0.6B, US$4B, US$4B, and US$3B, respectively. Without adjustment for comorbidities, when statistical associations between diseases were disregarded, mean aggregate global losses would have been overestimated by 45%. Although annual losses were greatest in India (US$12B), the United States (US$8B), and China (US$5B), depending on the measure of losses used (losses as a percentage of gross domestic product, losses per capita, losses as a percentage of gross milk revenue), the relative economic burden of these dairy cattle diseases across countries varied markedly.

The field of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) has grown substantially in both relevance and prominence over the past 40 years. Notwithstanding its impressive trajectory, a majority of PNI studies are still based on a relatively small number of analytes. To advance this work, we suggest that PNI, and health research in general, can benefit greatly from adopting a multi-omics approach, which involves integrating data across multiple biological levels (e.g., the genome, proteome, transcriptome, metabolome, lipidome, and microbiome/metagenome) to more comprehensively profile biological functions and relate these profiles to clinical and behavioral outcomes. To assist investigators in this endeavor, we provide an overview of multi-omics research, highlight recent landmark multi-omics studies investigating human health and disease risk, and discuss how multi-omics can be applied to better elucidate links between psychological, nervous system, and immune system activity. In doing so, we describe how to design high-quality multi-omics studies, decide which biological samples (e.g., blood, stool, urine, saliva, solid tissue) are most relevant, incorporate behavioral and wearable sensing data into multi-omics research, and understand key data quality, integration, analysis, and interpretation issues. PNI researchers are addressing some of the most interesting and important questions at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and immunology. Applying a multi-omics approach to this work will greatly expand the horizon of what is possible in PNI and has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of mind-body medicine.