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Abstract Aggregation of microtubule-associated tau protein is a distinct hallmark of several neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Tau oligomers are suggested to be the primary neurotoxic species that initiate aggregation and propagate prion-like structures. Furthermore, different diseases are shown to have distinct structural characteristics of aggregated tau, denoted as polymorphs. Here, we investigate the structural and functional differences of amplified brain-derived tau oligomers (aBDTOs) from AD, DLB, and PSP. Our results indicate that the aBDTOs possess different structural and morphological features that impact neuronal function, gene regulation, and ultimately disease progression. The distinct tau oligomeric polymorphs may thus contribute to the development of clinical phenotypes and shape the progression of diseases. Our results can provide insight into developing personalized therapy to target a specific neurotoxic tau polymorph.

Objective: Multidrug-resistant bacteria, including carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), are considered a major public health threat, particularly those which are responsible for nosocomial infections. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism of carbapenem resistance and the clonal relationship of CRAB isolates of a probable outbreak in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Saydet Zgharta University Medical Center, in north Lebanon. Methods: Thirty-two non-duplicate CRAB isolates were collected from patients hospitalised in the ICU. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was carried out using the disk diffusion method and carbapenemase-encoding genes were searched for using standard polymerase chain reaction. Epidemiological relatedness was studied using multilocus sequence typing. Results: Polymerase chain reaction and multilocus sequence typing results suggested the presence of two different periods: period 1 (November 2018 to February 2019), where 15 CRAB isolates were collected harbouring the blaOXA-23 and blaOXA-24 genes mainly and belonging to several clones; and period 2 (March to May 2019), considered an outbreak period where 17 carbapenem-resistant isolates were isolated, harbouring mostly the blaNDM-2 gene, never previously described in Lebanon and belonging to ST103. Infection control measures implemented in Saydet Zgharta University Medical Center successfully eradicated the NDM-2-producing CRAB ST103 clone, thus putting an end to this outbreak in the ICU department. Conclusions: This study showed that infection control measures and adequate identification of NDM-producing A. baumannii remain a powerful tool to limit the spread of such resistant micro-organisms.

ABSTRACT: Adequate transfer of passive immunity (TPI) is a cornerstone for a proper health status of calves. In the literature, there is limited information on the prevalence of failure of TPI in dairy-beef crossbred calves and its effect on morbidity, mortality, and ADG during the preweaning period. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the association between TPI with morbidity, mortality, and ADG in preweaning dairy-beef crossbred calves. A total of 1,055 newborn dairy-beef crossbred calves were enrolled upon arrival at a calf-raising facility in California from January to August 2021. Farm of origin, genetic breed group, sex, and BW were recorded upon arrival. Blood was collected at 24 ± 1 h after arrival to evaluate serum IgG concentration, serum total protein (TP), and packed cell volume. Morbidity (diarrhea and respiratory treatment records) and mortality were recorded daily until 60 d of life. Calves were grouped into 2 genetic breed groups: Holstein × Beef (Ho × Be, 49.6%) and Jersey × Beef crossbred calves (Je × Be, 50.4%). Descriptive statistics and Cox proportional hazard models were created to evaluate the association of TPI categories for serum IgG (TPI-IgG: poor:

Choline is a known developmental programming agent of the bovine preimplantation embryo. Culture of the embryo with 1.8 mmol/L choline, a concentration much higher than in blood, alters development to cause increased weaning weight and other changes during the postnatal period. It was hypothesized here that choline exerts similar effects on the developmental program of the embryo when added at concentrations similar to those in peripheral blood (i.e. 4 μmol/L). Oocytes were collected via ovum pickup, and embryos were produced in vitro. Embryos were cultured until day 7 after fertilization in medium with 4 μmol/L choline chloride or, as a vehicle control, with an additional 4 μmol/L sodium chloride. Blastocysts were transferred into recipients, and pregnancy was diagnosed at approximately 28 days of gestation. Subsequent calves (n = 37 for vehicle and n = 35 for choline) were weighed at birth and at weaning. Addition of choline to the culture medium did not affect the proportion of embryos that became blastocysts or the proportion of transferred blastocysts that produced a pregnancy. Birth weight was unaffected by treatment, but calves derived from choline-treated embryos were heavier at the time of weaning and gained more per day from birth until weaning than calves derived from embryos treated with vehicle. Results demonstrate that choline can act on the preimplantation embryo at a physiologically relevant concentration to alter postnatal phenotype. Observations are further evidence for the importance of the first days of embryonic development for the phenotype of the resulting calf. Lay summary The period of early embryonic development is one in which changes in the environment of the embryo can alter its development and affect characteristics of the resultant offspring. Here, we show that providing a nutrient called choline to the cow embryo for the first 7 days of development increased growth after calving. These results suggest that it may be possible to program embryonic development early in pregnancy to improve livestock production.

Abstract We introduce a mirror twin Higgs model with spontaneous ℤ 2 symmetry breaking that ameliorates the constraints in twin Higgs cosmology and, at the same time, generates the Standard Model neutrino masses. The model features an SU(2) triplet with hypercharge 1 alongside its twin counterpart. Spontaneous breaking of both ℤ 2 and electroweak symmetry occurs in the scalar sector. The Standard Model neutrinos acquire small masses through the type-II seesaw mechanism. In contrast, their twin counterparts acquire large masses, effectively addressing the dark radiation problem in mirror twin Higgs scenarios. We study the impact of the model on the N eff. constraints, as well as on collider phenomenology.

The Portuguese policies of colonisation and Christianisation were closely linked. In 1549, the Portuguese monarchy adopted Catholicism as the official religion of the colonial administration and requested that the Society of Jesus establish the Catholic faith among the indigenous people in Brazil. The Jesuits established catechesis, founded the first schools and exercised a long-lasting hegemony on Brazilian education (1549-1759). The Ratio Studiorum was the uniform method adopted worldwide by the Jesuits. However, this article shows that improvisations were employed to convert the entire population to Christianity. The dialectical exchange between imposition and adaptation had lasting repercussions on Brazilian culture. In addition, the following consequences should be noted: (1) currently, Brazil is the country with the largest Catholic population in the world; (2) Christianity has had a lasting influence on pedagogical thinking in Brazil.

Objective Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is an immune‐mediated disease that predominantly affects the axial skeleton. The objective of this study was to describe the frequency and clinical characteristics of axSpA in Black Americans in Shelby County. We also aimed to report diagnostic delays, disease severity, and health disparities in this population. Methods This was a retrospective observational study in which electronic records of patients with axSpA were reviewed across five centers in Shelby County. Patients were identified using International Classification of Diseases codes. Data on demographics, clinical characteristics, and imaging were collected. The frequency was reported. Two‐group comparisons were done using the chi‐square test and two‐sample t‐test. Multivariable logistic and linear regression methods were used to compare sacroiliitis grades and delay in diagnosis, respectively, after adjusting for confounders. Results Black Americans constituted 32% (n = 78) of the 244 patients with axSpA identified. Black Americans had significantly more hip involvement, more elevations in C‐reactive protein, less HLA–B27 positivity, and less family history positivity when compared with White patients. After adjusting for age, sex, and HLA–B27, Black Americans had twice as higher odds of having advanced grades of sacroiliitis on x‐rays compared to White Americans (odds ratio 2.32 [95% confidence interval 1.23–4.44]). AxSpA was associated with significant diagnostic delays in both races. Conclusion A significant proportion of patients with axSpA in Shelby County were Black Americans. The study identified that Black Americans have more odds of having advanced sacroiliitis on x‐rays, more hip involvement, and higher markers of inflammation. It also showed that, regardless of race or ethnicity, there is a significant diagnostic delay.

A sepse é a principal causa de morte em crianças em todo o mundo e, após quase 20 anos da publicação do International Pediatric Sepsis Consensus Conference, em 2005 — que definia sepse como a presença da Síndrome da Resposta Inflamatória Sistêmica (SIRS) associada à infecção suspeita ou confirmada —, um novo consenso para definição de sepse pediátrica foi publicado em janeiro de 2024

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) device (QrayCam Pro, AIOBIO, Seoul, Republic of Korea) in detecting and differentiating the severity of posterior proximal and occlusal primary caries. Materials and methods: The study included a total of 120 teeth in 60 patients (of both genders, aged between 21 and 38 years) between January and March 2024, one carious tooth and one sound tooth were selected at random in each patient. All occlusal surfaces were evaluated in accordance with the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) Nyvad Criteria, using the visual tactile method. The ICDAS employs a scoring system ranging from 0 to 6, while the Nyvad Criteria employs a similar scoring system. Addionally, the depth of the proximal lesions was scored (0–6) using bite-wing radiography. The quantitative values representing the maximum loss of fluorescence (∆Fmax) and the maximum change in the ratio of red and green fluorescence (∆Rmax) were obtained using the Q-ray Clinical software v 1.45. To assess the validity, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) were calculated. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to investigate the correlation between the findings of the traditional and QLF examination methods. Results: The AUROC values for both ∆Fmax and ∆Rmax were found to be excellent. The sensitivity of QrayCam Pro was found to be 84–88.6%, while the specificity was 100%. The correlation analysis demonstrated a strong correlation between scores obtained from the traditional examination and the QLF values. Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study, QrayCam Pro exhibits potential as a valuable additional tool for not only detecting caries but also for assessing their severity and activity. Clinical relevance: This study revealed that QrayCam Pro might be suggested as a precise tool for enhancing caries detection and assessment compared to traditional methods. By providing quantitative data on caries severity and activity, it enables more informed treatment decisions, potentially optimizing outcomes for patients.

Animal bioacoustics is an important tool for monitoring different aspects of the physiology, behavior and well-being of animals remotely, non-invasively and continuously. Studies using this science are growing mainly due to the development of machine learning. This work aims to investigate the use of machine-learning classifiers to determine whether calves’ vocalization audio data can be used to assess their welfare condition regarding feeding. Firstly, we collected several calves’ vocalization audio data before and after feeding the animals at different day times and ages. Then, eleven time-domain, frequency-domain and sound quality-based metrics were extracted from these audio data and used as features for the classifiers. These features were used to determine whether vocalization audio data belonged to before or after feeding classes. Moreover, the most relevant ones were identified using the Random Forest algorithm. Finally, seven machine-learning classifiers were trained and tested, considering the entire set of features and a subset containing the most relevant features. The k-nearest neighbor classifier trained with the subset of the most relevant features obtained a 98.37% accuracy. Both frequency-domain and sound quality features played important roles in this classification. The main implications of this study are the development of a methodological proposal to study acoustics using machine learning and the fact that vocalization is a biomarker of animal welfare.

Abstract Global warming is a major challenge to the sustainable and humane production of food because of the increased risk of livestock to heat stress. Here, the example of the prolactin receptor (PRLR) gene is used to demonstrate how gene editing can increase the resistance of cattle to heat stress by the introduction of mutations conferring thermotolerance. Several cattle populations in South and Central America possess natural mutations in PRLR that result in affected animals having short hair and being thermotolerant. CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to introduce variants of PRLR in two thermosensitive breeds of cattle – Angus and Jersey. Gene‐edited animals exhibited superior ability to regulate vaginal temperature (heifers) and rectal temperature (bulls) compared to animals that were not gene‐edited. Moreover, gene‐edited animals exhibited superior growth characteristics and had larger scrotal circumference. There was no evidence for deleterious effects of the mutation on carcass characteristics or male reproductive function. These results indicate the potential for reducing heat stress in relevant environments to enhance cattle productivity.

This article reports the findings of two studies of the Aotearoa coronial service that sought to understand how coronial processes engage with whānau who have lost a rangatahi to suicide. The aim of the combined study was to understand the extent to which coronial investigations met the needs of Māori bereaved by suicide. We conducted interviews with coroners to understand how they investigate suicide (Study One) and examined coronial files of rangatahi who had died by suicide, including communications between the coroner’s office and the bereaved whānau (Study Two). We found that coroners relied heavily on documentation and only rarely engaged with whānau to gather evidence from those who knew the person who died by suspected suicide. Moreover, forms of communication between the coronial service and whānau were couched in legalese and did not engage with whānau in ways that would add value to the coronial investigation and lead to closure for bereaved whānau. Current efforts to embed Te Tiriti o Waitangi in government policy provide an ideal opportunity to adopt a Tiriti-based approach to coronial investigations so that they align with the needs of whānau in ways that contribute to culturally appropriate suicide investigation, suicide prevention and postvention initiatives.

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effect of feeding milk replacer (MR) with varying levels of lactose and the increased supply of total solids (from 750 to 960 g/d) on performance, blood metabolites, and health of Holstein male calves during the preweaning period. Methods Forty newborn Holstein calves (10 per treatment) were blocked according to birth weight and date of birth and distributed in a randomized block design to different liquid diets: Whole milk powder (WMP) diluted to 125 g/L solids; MR with 48% lactose (48L), diluted to 125 g/L solids; MR with 53% lactose (53L), diluted to 125 g/L solids; 53L MR corrected to 160 g/L solids (16TS) by the inclusion of a solid corrector. Calves were individually housed in wood hutches, fed 6 L/d of the liquid diet, and had free water and starter concentrate access. The study lasted 56 days. Results Liquid diet intake was higher for calves fed 16TS than for other treatments. Calves fed 16TS presented higher protein and fat intake, followed by those fed WMP and the 48L or 53L MRs. Lactose intake was higher for 16TS-fed calves, followed by 53L, 48L, and WMP-fed calves. Starter and total dry matter intake did not differ among liquid diets. The average daily gain was higher for 16TS than 48L-fed calves, with the other treatments being intermediary. The lowest feed efficiency was observed for calves fed 48L. No effects on health were observed, as well as on selected blood metabolites, except for albumin concentration, which was higher for calves fed 16TS and WMP. Conclusion Higher total solids content (160 g/L) in MR increases nutrient intake and consequently improves the performance of dairy calves. Feeding MRs with levels of lactose up to 53% of the DM had no deleterious effect on the performance or health of the calves.