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Abstract Although it is a normal involution process in advanced age, brain atrophy—also termed atrophic encephalopathy—can also occur prematurely in childhood as a consequential effect of brain tissues injury through trauma or central nervous system infection, though in both normal and premature occurrences this condition always presents with loss of volume relative to the skull. A common tool for the functional study of brain activities is an electroencephalogram, but analyses of this have reportedly identified mismatches between qualitative and quantitative forms, particularly in the use of Delta-alpha ratio (DAR) indices, meaning that the values may be case dependent. The current study thus examines the value of Focused Occipital Beta-Alpha Ratio (FOBAR) as a modified biomarker for evaluating brain functional changes resulting from brain atrophy. This cross-sectional design study involves 260 patients under 18 years of age. Specifically, 207 patients with brain atrophy are compared with 53 control subjects with CT scan-proven normal brain volume. All the children underwent digital electroencephalography with brain mapping. Results show that alpha posterior dominant rhythm was present in 88 atrophic children and 44 controls. Beta as posterior dominant rhythm was present in an overwhelming 91.5% of atrophic subjects, with 0.009 p-values. The focused occipital Beta-alpha ratio correlated significantly with brain volume loss presented in diagonal brain fraction. The FOBAR and DAR values of the QEEG showed no significant correlation. This work concludes that QEEG cerebral dysfunctional studies may be etiologically and case dependent from the nature of the brain injury. Also, the focused Beta-alpha ratio of the QEEG is a prospective and potential biomarker of consideration in studying childhood atrophic encephalopathy.

Brucellosis is a zoonosis caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella, which results in economic losses relating to livestock and threatens public health. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the molecular prevalence of Brucella species in smallholder dairy cattle in six regions of Tanzania from July 2019 to October 2020. Dairy cattle (n = 2048) were sampled from 1371 farms. DNA extracted from blood and vaginal swabs was tested for Brucella using qPCR targeting the IS711 gene and positives were tested for the alkB marker for B. abortus and BMEI1172 marker for B. melitensis. The molecular prevalence was 3.5% (95% CI: 2.8–4.4) with the highest prevalence 8.1% (95% CI: 4.6–13.0) in Njombe region. B. melitensis was the predominant species detected (66.2%). Further studies are recommended to understand the source of B. melitensis and its implications for veterinary public health. Livestock keepers should be informed of the risks and biosecurity practices to reduce the introduction and control of Brucella. Cattle and small ruminant vaccination programs could be implemented to control brucellosis in high-risk populations in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccination is an approved novel approach for controlling aeromonads disease caused by Aeromonas hydrophila. This study aimed to optimize the A. hydrophila vaccine candidate with a protective efficacy of 71.4% through immersion. A total of 600 tilapia fingerlings weighing 10–15 g were collected and distributed in tanks at Magadu farm. The fingerlings acclimatized for 2 weeks. Vaccination was done by immersion at a dose of 1.6 × 108 cfu/mL mixed as 1 part of a vaccine in 20 parts of tank water. A total of 150 fingerlings were exposed to a vaccine for 30 min and distributed in three replica tanks, each having 50 fingerlings. The same procedure was applied to fingerlings exposed to the vaccine at 45 and 75 min, while the remaining 150 fingerlings served as control. Fish were bled at day 0 and days 7, 14, 21, and 28 postvaccinations for immunogenicity studies. A challenge trial with a virulent A. hydrophila followed. Observation for mortalities and clinical signs was made for 28 days postchallenge. No clinical signs and death were observed during the entire period of 28 days postvaccination. The serology findings showed higher antibody titer of 45 min vaccination time of exposure (GMT log 2 = 5.0 at day 28). The findings revealed that the protective efficacy had increased to 90% relative percent of survival at 45 min duration of vaccine exposure. The vaccine demonstrated acceptable safety and protection levels on the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge about genetic diversity and population structure among goat populations is essential for understanding environmental adaptation and fostering efficient utilization, development, and conservation of goat breeds. Uganda's indigenous goats exist in three phenotypic groups: Mubende, Kigezi, and Small East African. However, a limited understanding of their genetic attributes and population structure hinders the development and sustainable utilization of the goats. Using the Goat Illumina 60k chip International Goat Genome Consortium V2, the whole-genome data for 1,021 indigenous goats sourced from 10 agroecological zones in Uganda were analyzed for genetic diversity and population structure. A total of 49,337 (82.6%) single-nucleotide polymorphism markers were aligned to the ARS-1 goat genome and used to assess the genetic diversity, population structure, and kinship relationships of Uganda's indigenous goats. Moderate genetic diversity was observed. The observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.378 and 0.383, the average genetic distance was 0.390, and the average minor allele frequency was 0.30. The average inbreeding coefficient (Fis) was 0.014, and the average fixation index (Fst) was 0.016. Principal component analysis, admixture analysis, and discriminant analysis of principal components grouped the 1,021 goat genotypes into three genetically distinct populations that did not conform to the known phenotypic populations but varied across environmental conditions. Population 1, comprising Mubende (90%) and Kigezi (8.1%) goats, is located in southwest and central Uganda, a warm and humid environment. Population 2, which is 59% Mubende and 49% Small East African goats, is located along the Nile Delta in northwestern Uganda and around the Albertine region, a hot and humid savannah grassland. Population 3, comprising 78.4% Small East African and 21.1% Mubende goats, is found in northeastern to eastern Uganda, a hot and dry Commiphora woodlands. Genetic diversity and population structure information from this study will be a basis for future development, conservation, and sustainable utilization of Uganda's goat genetic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]