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Amateur breeding of parrots as pets has contributed to many species being found in areas where they never occurred in the wild, particularly in warmer regions, but also in the temperate climates of North America and Europe. Climate change is likely to exacerbate this process. We hypothesised that parrots occurred in the wild in the cities of Poland, especially the rose-ringed parakeet, as there are reports of breeding sites in the literature. Using information on lost, found and sighted parrots posted on social media, we have analysed the extent of parrot emergence in Poland. In a period of less than two years (from October 2018, through 2019 and from June to the end of December 2021), 2,675 parrot specimens of 49 species were found in the wild. The most frequently observed species were cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus (N = 962), budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus (N = 884) and rose-ringed parakeet Psittacula krameri (N = 182). Parrots were most frequently observed in urban areas, in regions characterized by a higher population size, a higher income and a higher proportion of people with a university degree. Our study shows that the occurrence of parrots, especially rose-ringed parakeets in the wild, needs to be monitored as new breeding sites may appear., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Ważna et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Most of the established gait evaluation methods use inertial sensors mounted in the lower limb area (tibias, ankles, shoes). Such sensor placement gives good results in laboratory conditions but is hard to apply in everyday scenarios due to the sensors' fragility and the user's comfort. The paper presents an algorithm that enables translation of the inertial signal measurements (acceleration and angular velocity) registered with a wrist-worn sensor to signals, which would be obtained if the sensor was worn on a tibia or a shoe. Four different neural network architectures are considered for that purpose: Dense and CNN autoencoders, a CNN-LSTM hybrid, and a U-Net-based model. The performed experiments have shown that the CNN autoencoder and U-Net can be successfully applied for inertial signal translation purposes. Estimating gait parameters based on the translated signals yielded similar results to those obtained based on shoe-sensor signals.

Conjugation of oligonucleotide therapeutics, including small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) or antisense oligonucleotides, to N -acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) ligands has become the primary strategy for hepatocyte-targeted delivery, and with the recent approvals of GIVLAARI (givosiran) for the treatment of acute hepatic porphyria, OXLUMO (lumasiran) for the treatment of primary hyperoxaluria, and Leqvio (inclisiran) for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, the technology has been well validated clinically. Although much knowledge has been gained over decades of development, there is a paucity of published literature on the drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic properties of GalNAc-siRNA. With this in mind, the goals of this minireview are to provide an aggregate analysis of these nonclinical absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) data to build confidence on the translation of these properties to human. Upon subcutaneous administration, GalNAc-conjugated siRNAs are quickly distributed to the liver, resulting in plasma pharmacokinetic (PK) properties that reflect rapid elimination through asialoglycoprotein receptor-mediated uptake from circulation into hepatocytes. These studies confirm that liver PK, including half-life and, most importantly, siRNA levels in RNA-induced silencing complex in hepatocytes, are better predictors of pharmacodynamics (PD) than plasma PK. Several in vitro and in vivo nonclinical studies were conducted to characterize the ADME properties of GalNAc-conjugated siRNAs. These studies demonstrate that the PK/PD and ADME properties of GalNAc-conjugated siRNAs are highly conserved across species, are largely predictable, and can be accurately scaled to human, allowing us to identify efficacious and safe clinical dosing regimens in the absence of human liver PK profiles. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Several nonclinical ADME studies have been conducted in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the disposition and elimination of GalNAc-conjugated siRNAs and the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic translation between species. These studies demonstrate that the ADME properties of GalNAc-conjugated siRNAs are well correlated and predictable across species, building confidence in the ability to extrapolate to human., (Copyright © 2022 by The Author(s).)

The European badger plays an important role as a natural factor shaping species diversity in forests. Its extensive setts can be used by many other animals as shelters. Soil perturbations in their setts support plant communities that differ from the matrix landscape. The badger is also an effective seed disperser. We investigated its role as an ecosystem engineer in preserving species diversity and discussed its legal status across Europe. In most European countries (69.3% of the continent), the badger is hunted, sometimes year-round. The hunting season lasting through winter until early spring may have a negative effect on badger populations, especially when cubs are born in February. Although this species is Red Listed in 19 European countries (with categories ranging from LC to EN), the badger is strictly protected by law in 30.7% of its European range. A reduction in badger populations may limit its ecosystem services (seed dispersal, topsoil disturbances, microhabitat creation). Much new data on the importance of badgers in ecosystem engineering has allowed us to reconsider how we manage badger populations.

We studied the impact of the new fenced and accident-safe motorway on the mortality of European badgers Meles meles on local roads in western Poland in 2010-2015. We monitored the badgers mortality on local roads of three categories: main roads, secondary roads and county roads. The study was conducted before and after the opening of the motorway in 2012. We hypothesized that the mortality of badgers is lower due to traffic concentration on motorway. Ninety two badgers were killed in collisions with vehicles on all monitored roads. Mean number of killed badgers was lowest in 2010 before the motorway opening and the highest in 2012. The mortality of badgers on regional roads was highest after the opening of the motorway due to the changes in traffic on the access roads. Within the road network, the mortality of badgers was 5.8 individuals/10 km of road per whole study period with the highest rate on main roads 8.5 individuals/10 km. The badgers mortality was highest on county roads but it was lower than expected in relation to the road network density. The highest vehicle collision risk for badgers of both sexes occurred in June. Distance to human settlements was the only environmental factor that was positively related to badger mortality on roads. We conclude that the new motorway did not reduce the mortality rate of badgers on the adjacent roads because the status of local roads has changed and now they mainly function as access roads to the motorway., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

The integrative responses of the cardiovascular (CV) system are essential for maintaining blood flow to provide oxygenation, nutrients, and waste removal for the entire body. Progress has been made in independently developing simple in vitro models of two primary components of the CV system, namely the heart (using induced pluripotent stem-cell derived cardiomyocytes) and the vasculature (using endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells). These two in vitro biomimics are often described as immature and simplistic, and typically lack the structural complexity of native tissues. Despite these limitations, they have proven useful for specific "fit for purpose" applications, including early safety screening. More complex in vitro models offer the tantalizing prospect of greater refinement in risk assessments. To this end, efforts to physically link cardiac and vascular components to mimic a true CV microphysiological system (CVMPS) are ongoing, with the goal of providing a more holistic and integrated CV response model. The challenges of building and implementing CVMPS in future pharmacological safety studies are many, and include a) the need for more complex (and hence mature) cell types and tissues, b) the need for more realistic vasculature (within and across co-modeled tissues), and c) the need to meaningfully couple these two components to allow for integrated CV responses. Initial success will likely come with simple, bioengineered tissue models coupled with fluidics intended to mirror a vascular component. While the development of more complex integrated CVMPS models that are capable of differentiating safe compounds and providing mechanistic evaluations of CV liabilities may be feasible, adoption by pharma will ultimately hinge on model efficiency, experimental reproducibility, and added value above current strategies.

Badgers can gather huge quantities of organic material to build their nests for winter time and to rear their cubs. Moreover, badger burrows (setts) are characterized by specific microclimate with quite stable temperature and humidity. Their fauna is poorly studied, especially in respect of saprobiontic Uropodina mites. In 2018-2019, we monitored 94 badger setts to search for nest material that had been thrown away during cleaning of the chambers after mating and winter sleep. In the collected material from 32 badger nests, we found 413 Uropodina mites of 16 species, in various stages of development (adults, protonymphs, and deutonymphs). The community was dominated by three mite species: Trematura patavina (22.5%, n = 93), Oodinychus ovalis (17.2%, n = 71), and Olodiscus minima (15.5%, n = 64). Other nidicolous-i.e., nest-dwelling-species included: Nenteria oudemansi (14.8%, n = 61), Phaulodiaspis borealis (7.0%, n = 29), Phaulodiaspis rackei (4.6%, n = 19), Uroseius hunzikeri (1.7%, n = 7), Uropoda orbicularis (1.5%, n = 6), and Apionoseius infirmus (1.0%, n = 4). The most frequent species were: Oodinychus ovalis (62.5%, 20 nests), N. oudemansi (46.9%, 15 nests), and Olodiscus minima (40.6%, 13 nests). Detrended correspondence analysis indicated that the Uropodina community from badger nests differed from that of mole nests, studied earlier. In setts, the Uropodina community included T. patavina and N. oudemansi, which were for the first time recorded from underground badger nests. This is the first record of N. oudemansi from Poland.

Variation of habitats and resources important for farmland birds seems to be only partly captured by ordinary statistics on land-use and agricultural production. For instance, densities of rodents being prey for owls and raptors or structures of rural architecture providing nesting sites for many species are central for bird diversity but are not reported in any official statistics. Thus, modelling species distributions, population abundance and trends of farmland birds may miss important predictive habitat elements. Here, we involve local socio-economy factors as a source of additional information on rural habitat to test whether it improves predictions of barn owl occurrence in 2768 churches across Poland. Barn owls occurred in 778 churches and seemed to prefer old churches made of brick located in regions with a milder climate, higher share of arable land and pastures, low road density and low levels of light pollution. Including data on local unemployment, the proportion of elder citizens, commune income per citizen, the share of citizens with high education and share of farmers among working population improved the model substantially and some of these variables predicted barn owl occurrence better than several land-use and climate data. Barn owls were more likely to occur in areas with high unemployment, a higher proportion of older citizens in a local population and higher share of farmers among working population. Importantly, the socio-economy variables were correlated with the barn owl occurrence despite all climatic, infrastructure and land-use data were present in the model. We conclude that the socio-economy of local societies may add important but overlooked information that links to spatial variation in farmland biodiversity., 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 © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The setts of the European badger Meles meles can be cohabited during reproductive season by the red fox Vulpes vulpes and raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides. There is no information on the possible impact of both species on the size of badgers' litter. The aim of the study was to show the influence of cohabitation of the same setts by badger, raccoon dog and fox on the litter size. The research was conducted in 2012-2014 and 2018 in the lowland forests of western Poland. We conducted the survey of setts by direct observations and analysis of photographic material from trap cameras during mid-April-July each year. We recorded 85 badger litters, 18 fox litters, and 15 raccoon dog litters. Average litter size was 1.71 (±0.90), 2.44 (±1.34) and 4.93 (±2.76) litter mates in badgers, foxes and raccoon dogs, respectively for all observed pairs. Badger litter size did not differ between setts used only by badgers including pairs with no cubs (1.66 ± 0.98) and cohabited with foxes (1.90 ± 0.32) or raccoon dogs (1.88 ± 0.81). However, foxes reared even more cubs in setts cohabited with badgers than when badger was absent (2.90 ± 1.37 vs. 1.88 ± 1.13 respectively). In the case of raccoon dogs, there were no differences in the mean number of their cubs in setts with badgers (5.25 ± 2.92) and without badgers (4.57 ± 2.76). The results indicate that the cohabitation of setts by badgers, foxes and raccoon dogs does not affect litter size negatively., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Patterns of body size variation along geographical gradients have long been searched for and generalized into eco-geographical rules. However, no rodent species has yet been analyzed in relation to the 3 dimensions of latitude, longitude and altitude. We analyzed geographical clines and dimorphism of body and skull size in the herb field mouse (Apodemus uralensis) across the species range, based on field data and on data from the literature. Sexual dimorphism in adult A. uralensis was not expressed at a large scale, while local patterns were inconsistent. Age-dependent size changes were most expressed in adult individuals: most characters of adults exceeded in size those of subadults, while subadult-juvenile size differences were only significant in body weight and length, zygomatic skull width, length of cranial diastema and breadth of braincase. Despite central morphological niches along the clines being separated, A. uralensis populations showed a high degree of size overlap in morphological space. We found the species to be characterized by high size variability, with the largest individuals inhabiting the eastern and southern edges of the distribution range. Tail, hind foot and ear lengths were largest in the southern part of the range, in agreement with Allen's rule. The main measurements that we analyzed, namely body mass, zygomatic skull width and condylobasal skull length, show the presence of 3 clines in the size of adult A. uralensis: (i) a decreasing south-north cline, opposing Bergmann's rule; (ii) an increasing west-east cline, in accordance with Murphy's rule; and (iii) an increasing altitudinal cline., (© 2019 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Bat wings are characterized by high endurance, and these mammals have developed a number of adaptations that protect them from falling into obstacles and potential injuries. However, in bat populations, there are individuals with visible fresh or healed injuries to the flight-enabling body parts. The aim of this research was to determine the differences in the occurrence of wing membrane damages among species of bats that differ in ecology and behavior. The study was conducted in southern and western Poland in the years 2000-2016 and included 3,525 individuals of six species: lesser horseshoe bat Rhinolopus hipposideros, Daubenton's bat Myotis daubentonii, Natterer's bat Myotis nattereri, greater mouse-eared bat Myotis myotis, western barbastelle Barbastella barbastellus, and brown long-eared bat Plecotus auritus. In all, 2.9% of the bats studied showed damage to the flight-enabling body parts. Natterer's bat was the species with the highest number of injured individuals (21.74%). The lowest number of injured individuals (0.3%) was found in the brown long-eared bat. The most frequently observed type of damage was loss of an edge of the wing membrane (29.3%). The bat species studied differed significantly in the occurrence and location of flight enabling body parts damages. Certain behavioral and ecological factors like foraging mode, foraging habitats and habitat types of bat species determine the number of wing and tail membrane damages., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Owl pellets have high potential as a source of DNA. However, this noninvasive method of collecting DNA is rarely used, and its methodological aspects are poorly understood. We investigated the methodology for DNA extraction and amplification from owl pellets containing the smallest European rodent-the Harvest mouse Micromys minutus -as an example. We used mandibles identified in owl pellets for mitochondrial and nuclear DNA amplification. For DNA extraction, we tested two commercial protocols and utilized a protocol being a combination of two commercial kits which ensured high efficiency of DNA extraction. Additionally, we recorded that the amount of DNA was five times higher in extracts from teeth as compared to DNA extracts from jawbones derived from the same mandible. The quantity of DNA was significantly positively correlated with biological sample weight; however, the age of the pellet remains had an impact on the level of inhibition. We recorded inhibition in 40 % of mtDNA extracts derived from pellets older than 150 months, whereas in DNA extracts from pellets younger than 80 months, we did not observe a negative impact of inhibition on PCR efficiency. The amplification success rate was 89.9 % for the mitochondrial fragment and 39.4 % in the case of the nuclear fragment. We observed partial degradation of DNA evidenced by the fact that the longest fragments that we were able to amplify in the case of mtDNA were 450 and 200 bp for nuDNA. The study shows that pellets can be considered as a source of DNA and have high potential for molecular research in the case of threatened species and species that are difficult to study using standard field techniques.

A 22-year-old male patient with penetrating cardiac injury was admitted to general surgery, where he underwent an immediate, life saving operation. Subsequent cardiological evaluation established the presence of a well tolerated mitral regurgitation without the need for urgent cardiac surgical intervention. One month later the patient was re-admitted in cardiac failure. Transesophageal echocardiography suggested the detachment of the posterior leaflet, which was not previously demonstrated by transthoracic echocardiography. Emergency surgery confirmed the diagnosis and the mitral valve was successfully repaired. The postoperative course was uneventful. This case history suggests that transesophageal echocardiography is mandatory after penetrating cardiac injury even in the case of good clinical condition and negative transthoracic echocardiographic findings. In the presence of valvular injury, early surgical intervention is recommended.

Twelve adult rhesus monkey eyes underwent a radial keratotomy, consisting of 16, deep evenly spaced radial corneal incisions extending from the edge of a 3 mm central optical zone to the limbus. Peripheral deepening incisions were used. Keratometry and retinoscopy done before and after surgery monthly for one year revealed an average of 1.79 diopters decrease in the corneal curvature and an average increase of 2.49 diopters in the refractive error, which remained stable after one to two months. No significant complications were observed despite four perforations.