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B-cell activating factor belonging to tumour necrosis factor family (BAFF) is essential for B-cell survival and function through interaction with its receptors BAFF receptor 3 (BR3), B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) and/or transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI), though BCMA and/or TACI can also bind to a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL). We evaluate the correlation of the expressions of these ligands/receptors with different clinical manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Levels of BAFF and APRIL in plasma from 73 SLE patients were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Expressions of BR3, TACI and BCMA on CD19+ B cells were detected by flow cytometry. Clinical data were collected and disease activity was evaluated using SLEDAI-2000. SLE patients had elevated BAFF and APRIL levels in their plasma. BAFF levels correlated positively with SLEDAI while negatively with the BR3 protein expression on CD19+ B cells (p < .05). The detected BR3 protein expression in SLE patients was reduced on CD19+IgD+CD27—, CD19+IgD+CD27+ as well as CD19+IgD—CD27+ B cells compared to the counterparts of healthy controls (p < .001), whereas SLE patients did not differ from healthy controls in BR3 mRNA levels. In untreated new-onset patients, the expression rate of BR3 on CD19+ B cells correlated negatively with SLEDAI (p < .05). Elevation of BAFF and reduction of BR3 on CD19+ B cells were more obvious in those with lupus nephritis (LN, p < .05). TACI expression on CD19+ B cells was up-regulated only in those subjects with LN (p < .05). Elevated plasma BAFF and reduced BR3 protein expression on peripheral B cells could act as biomarkers for active disease in SLE patients. High expression of TACI may indicate the occurrence of LN. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Jaundice in an adult patient can be caused by a wide variety of benign or life-threatening disorders. Organizing the differential diagnosis by prehepatic, intrahepatic, and posthepatic causes may help make the work-up more manageable. Prehepatic causes of jaundice include hemolysis and hematoma resorption, which lead to elevated levels of unconjugated (indirect) bilirubin. Intrahepatic disorders can lead to unconjugated or conjugated hyperbilirubinemia. The conjugated (direct) bilirubin level is often elevated by alcohol, infectious hepatitis, drug reactions, and autoimmune disorders. Posthepatic disorders also can cause conjugated hyperbilirubinemia. Gallstone formation is the most common and benign posthepatic process that causes jaundice; however, the differential diagnosis also includes serious conditions such as biliary tract infection, pancreatitis, and malignancies. The laboratory work-up should begin with a urine test for bilirubin, which indicates that conjugated hyperbilirubinemia is present. If the complete blood count and initial tests for liver function and infectious hepatitis are unrevealing, the work-up typically proceeds to abdominal imaging by ultrasonography or computed tomographic scanning. In a few instances, more invasive procedures such as cholangiography or liver biopsy may be needed to arrive at a diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten percent of the population abuses drugs or alcohol, and 20 percent of patients seen by family physicians have substance-abuse problems, excluding tobacco use. These patients can be identified by relying on regular screening or a high index of suspicion based on 'red flags' that can be noted in various clinical situations. The modified CAGE questionnaire is an excellent screening instrument, but several alternatives are available. The best screening test is one that the physician will routinely use well. Laboratory indicators such as gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, mean corpuscular volume, and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin are nonspecific but can add to the evidence of alcohol abuse. If problem alcohol use is diagnosed, even brief physician advice can be helpful. If the problem has progressed to addiction, referral to an addiction specialist or treatment center is recommended. Special issues arise in dealing with substance abuse in adolescents, elderly patients, and patients with mental illness, but the family physician can play an important role in recognizing this common problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Practice guidelines play an important role in medicine. Methodological principles have been formulated to guide their development.Objective: To determine whether practice guidelines in peer-reviewed medical literature adhered to established methodological standards for practice guidelines.Design: Structured review of guidelines published from 1985 through June 1997 identified by a MEDLINE search.Main Outcome Measures: Mean number of standards met based on a 25-item instrument and frequency of adherence.Results: We evaluated 279 guidelines, published from 1985 through June 1997, produced by 69 different developers. Mean overall adherence to standards by each guideline was 43.1% (10.77/25). Mean (SD) adherence to methodological standards on guideline development and format was 51.1% (25.3%); on identification and summary of evidence, 33.6% (29.9%); and on the formulation of recommendations, 46% (45%). Mean adherence to standards by each guideline improved from 36.9% (9.2/25) in 1985 to 50.4% (12.6/25) in 1997 (P<.001). However, there was little improvement over time in adherence to standards on identification and summary of evidence from 34.6% prior to 1990 to 36.1 % after 1995 (P = .11). There was no difference in the mean number of standards satisfied by guidelines produced by subspecialty medical societies, general medical societies, or government agencies (P = .55). Guideline length was positively correlated with adherence to methodological standards (P = .001).Conclusion: Guidelines published in the peer-reviewed medical literature during the past decade do not adhere well to established methodological standards. While all areas of guideline development need improvement, greatest improvement is needed in the identification, evaluation, and synthesis of the scientific evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In preparation for potential clinical development of Ab-01, an antagonistic antibody directed against the IL21R, studies were undertaken to address translational medicine needs that fall into four categories: 1) development of a pharmacodynamic biomarker assay suitable for use in the clinic, 2) demonstration that Ab-01 has the desired biological activity in vitro and in vivo in cynomolgus monkeys, the preferred safety study species, 3) pre-clinical in vivo proof-of-concept that the assay can be used to detect Ab-01 pharmacodynamic (PD) activity in treated subjects, and 4) comprehensive assessment of the agonistic potential of Ab-01 when cross-linked. This report and a recently published companion report address the first three of these needs. The fourth has been addressed in a separate study.Methods: Genes that change RNA expression upon ex vivo rhIL21 stimulation of whole blood were identified in human and cynomolgus monkey. The inhibitory effects of exogenously added Ab-01 were measured ex vivo in human and monkey, and the in vivo inhibitory effects of Ab-01 treatment were measured in monkey.Results: Stimulation of whole human blood for 2 hours with rhIL21 induced robust increases in RNA expression of 6 genes. This response was blocked by Ab-01, indicating that the assay is suitable for measuring Ab-01 activity in blood. rhIL21 induced expression of a similar set of genes in cynomolgus monkey blood. This response was blocked with Ab-01, thus demonstrating that Ab-01 has the desired activity in the species, and that safety studies done in cynomolgus monkeys are relevant. Proof -of-concept for using this assay system to detect PD activity in vivo was generated by measuring the response in monkey blood to ex vivo rhIL21 stimulation before and 5 minutes following in vivo Ab-01 administration.Conclusions: A robust PD biomarker assay suitable for clinical use has been developed in human whole blood. The successful adaptation of the assay to cynomolgus monkeys has enabled the demonstration of Ab-01 activity both in vitro and in vivo in monkey, thus validating the use of this species in safety studies and establishing proof-of-concept for using this PD assay system to aid in dose selection in clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that sedative hypnotic agents reduce mortality and duration of delirium in the alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Prospective controlled trials on the management of patients meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, criteria for alcohol withdrawal delirium. Of 4 trials comparing sedative-hypnotic agents with neuroleptic drugs for duration of delirium, 3 trials showed a benefit with sedative-hypnotic agents with decreases in duration ranging from 22 to 48 hours.

Background: Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the neonate has been restricted by the need to transport the sick baby to the large magnetic resonance scanners and often the need for sedation or anaesthesia in order to obtain good quality images. Ultrasound is the reference standard for neonatal imaging.Objective: To establish a dedicated neonatal MR system and compare the clinical usefulness of MR imaging with ultrasound imaging.Design: Prospective double blind trial.Setting: Neonatal intensive care unit, Sheffield.Main Outcome Measures: Imaging reports.Patients: 134 premature and term babies.Results: In 56% of infants with pathology suspected on clinical grounds, MR provided additional useful clinical information over and above that obtained with ultrasound.Conclusion: Infants can be safely imaged by dedicated low field magnetic resonance on the neonatal intensive care unit without the need for sedation at a cost equivalent to ultrasound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combat medic (68W) will play a critical role in medical operations in the event of future large-scale combat operations (LSCOs). However, the combat medic is largely not prepared for LSCOs. The revised Medical Education and Demonstration of Individual Competence (TC 8-800) state 68Ws much be able to provide advanced airway and trauma management, medication administration, and advanced casualty movement. To meet the increased prehospital medical demands under LSCOs, the U.S. Army should require the Battalion, Brigade, and Division Medical Readiness Noncommisioned Officers (NCOs) to be Nationally Registered Paramedics (who are identified with the 3P Additional Skill Identifier [ASI]). They should have the responsibility to oversee the wartime medical skills sustainment of Combat Medic Specialists (68W) within their organization. These paramedics should drive medical simulation training events and improve current operation medical skills training. These medical readiness NCOs should attend the Medic Master Training Course and serve as advisors to commanders on the status of medic skill readiness within their organization. Commanders will be able to utilize these paramedics to augment the ongoing medical training of their medics to ensure they are operating at the fullest extent of their scope of practice., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2025. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.)

Viral detection methodologies used for wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) studies have a broad range of efficacies. The complex matrix and low viral particle load in wastewater emphasize the importance of the concentration method. This study focused on comparing three commonly used virus concentration methods: polyethylene glycol precipitation (PEG), immuno-magnetic nanoparticles (IMNP), and electronegative membrane filtration (EMF). Influent and effluent wastewater samples were processed by the methods and analyzed by DNA/RNA quantification and sequencing for the detection of human viruses. SARS-COV-2, Astrovirus, and Hepatitis C virus were detected by all the methods in both sample types. PEG precipitation resulted in the detection of 20 types of viruses in influent and 16 types in effluent samples. The corresponding number of virus types detected was 21 and 11 for IMNP, and 16 and 8 for EMF. Certain viruses were unique to only one concentration method. For example, PEG detected three types of viruses in influent and six types in effluent compared to IMNP, which detected seven types in influent and one type in effluent samples. However, the EMF method appeared to be the least effective, detecting three types in influent and none in effluent samples. Rotavirus was detected in influent sample using IMNP method, whereas EMF and PEG methods failed to yield a similar outcome. Consequently, the potential false negative results pose a risk to the credibility of WBE applications. Therefore, implementation of a proper concentration technique is critical to minimize method biases and ensure accurate viral profiling in WBE studies.IMPORTANCEIn recent years, significant research efforts have been focused on the development of viral detection methodology for wastewater-based epidemiology studies, showing a range of variability in detection efficacies. A proper methodology is essential for an appropriate evaluation of disease prevalence and community health in such studies and necessitates designing a concentration method based on the target pathogenic virus. There remains a need for comparative performance evaluations of methods in the context of detection efficiencies. This study highlights the significant impact of sample matrix, viral structure, and nucleic acid composition on the efficacy of viral concentration methods. Assessing WBE techniques to ensure accurate detection and understanding of viral presence within wastewater samples is critical for revealing viral profiles in municipality wastewater samples.

Caloric intake can greatly affect many aspects of an organism's life. A deficiency of calories can lead to stress resulting in decreased fecundity, insufficient calories to maintain tissues and increased lifespan. Conversely, increasing caloric density increases fecundity and decreases lifespan. Despite decades of work exploring food quality and quantity on physiology in the model species Drosophila melanogaster Meigan 1830 (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and the melanogaster group in general, relatively little work explores the physiological responses to diet manipulation in other Drosophila species, like the obscura species group. Here, we looked at the effects of five different caloric densities (0.5×, 0.75×, 1.0×, 1.5× and 3.0×) on food intake, body weight, body fat, fecundity and longevity in D. pseudoobscura Frolova & Astaurov, 1929 (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Comparing longevity and fecundity across diets, we found that heavy caloric concentration (3.0×) decreases lifespan and that calorie restriction (0.5× and 0.75×) led to significant decreases in fecundity and body weight. However, calorie concentration did not significantly increase D. pseudoobscura body fat. By expanding our understanding of the physiological responses to diet stress to D. pseudoobscura , we establish the framework for comparative work across Drosophila species. With this information, we can then identify which physiological responses to diet manipulation might be most conserved and comparable across species., Competing Interests: CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Introduction: Standard emergency medicine practice includes tetanus vaccine administration as part of wound care management for patients who are not fully immunized. Since there have been no available studies in the United States reaffirming the prevalence of Clostridium tetani (C tetani) since 1926, we sought to identify its prevalence in a major urban county in the US., Methods: We sampled soil, rusted metal, concrete, and dog feces to determine the prevalence of C tetani in a single metropolitan county in the United States. Soil samples and swabs were collected from four locations: the soil of a public park and an elementary school; dog feces from a single public dog park; and rusted surfaces (metal and concrete) in common student areas of a university campus. The presence of C tetani in each sample was determined using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction., Results: In total, 200 samples were collected, of which 37 (18.5%) tested positive for C tetani DNA. Among the 140 samples taken from the soil, just one (0.7%) tested positive for C tetani DNA. Of the 40 samples of rusted metal and concrete surfaces, 30 (75%) tested positive for C tetani , and six (30%) of the 20 samples from dog feces tested positive for C tetani ., Conclusion: We found that C tetani is frequently present on rusted metal and concrete surfaces but rarely in soil samples. Minor wounds contaminated with soil may be considered low risk for tetanus. However, future studies should assess the burden of C tetani in other similar urban, suburban, and rural environments to help determine the threat of C tetani more exactly., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: By the WestJEM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. No author has professional or financial relationships with any companies that are relevant to this study. There are no conflicts of interest or sources of funding to declare.

Areas of dense population congregation are prone to experience respiratory virus outbreaks. We monitored wastewater and clinic patients for the presence of respiratory viruses on a large, public university campus. Campus sewer systems were monitored in 16 locations for the presence of viruses using next generation sequencing over 22 weeks in 2023. During this period, we detected a surge in human adenovirus (HAdV) levels in wastewater. Hence, we initiated clinical surveillance at an on-campus clinic from patients presenting with acute respiratory infection. From whole genome sequencing of 123 throat and/or nasal swabs collected, we identified an outbreak of HAdV, specifically of HAdV-E4 and HAdV-B7 genotypes overlapping in time. The temporal dynamics and proportions of HAdV genotypes found in wastewater were corroborated in clinical infections. We tracked specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) found in clinical virus sequences and showed that they arose in wastewater signals concordant with the time of clinical presentation, linking community transmission of HAdV to the outbreak. This study demonstrates how wastewater-based epidemiology can be integrated with surveillance at ambulatory healthcare settings to monitor areas prone to respiratory virus outbreaks and provide public health guidance., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Conceptus estrogens and prostaglandins have long been considered the primary signals for maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) in the pig. However, loss-of-function studies targeting conceptus aromatase genes (CYP19A1 and CYP19A2) and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) indicated that conceptuses can not only signal MRP without estrogens or prostaglandins but can maintain early pregnancy. However, complete loss of estrogen production leads to abortion after day 25 of gestation. Although neither conceptus estrogens nor prostaglandins had a significant effect on early maintenance of corpora lutea (CL) function alone, the two conceptus factors have a biological relationship. To investigate the role that both conceptus estrogens and prostaglandins have on MRP and maintenance of pregnancy, a triple loss-of function model (TKO) was generated for conceptus CYP19A1, CYP19A2, and PTGS2. In addition, a conceptus CYP19A2-/- model (A2KO) was established to determine the role of placental estrogen during later pregnancy. Estrogen and prostaglandin synthesis were greatly reduced in TKO concept uses which resulted in a failure to inhibit luteolysis after day 15 of pregnancy despite the presence of conceptuses in the uterine lumen. However, A2KO placentae not only maintained functional CL but were able to maintain pregnancy to day 32 of gestation. Despite the loss of placental CYP19A2 expression, the allantois fluid content of estrogen was not affected as the placenta compensated by expressing CYP19A1 and CYP19A3, which are normally absent in controls. Results suggest conceptuses can signal MRP through production of conceptus PGE or stimulating PGE synthesis from the endometrium through conceptus estrogen. Failure of conceptuses to produce both factors results in failure of MRP and loss of pregnancy., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society for the Study of Reproduction. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Ten described species of sea anemones (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Actiniaria) serve as hosts to charismatic clownfishes (or anemonefishes) on coral reefs throughout the tropical Indo-West Pacific. Although not diverse in number, the clownfish-hosting sea anemones have large biogeographic ranges, exhibit extensive intraspecific phenotypic appearances, and have been surrounded by a great deal of historical and contemporary taxonomic and nomenclatural confusion. We believe these factors have created challenges for field scientists making real-time species-level identifications of host sea anemones. Subsequently, a surprising amount of peer-reviewed clownfish literature never accounts for the host sea anemone, omitting critical data for understanding the symbiosis ecologically and evolutionarily. Here, we leverage the revolution that has taken place in the realm of digital underwater photography over the past 30 years to provide an updated, practical field guide for the clownfish-hosting sea anemones. First however, we review and revise the nomenclature for each species to better reflect valid changes that were made in the historical literature but never broadly adopted. Next, we demonstrate that machine learning algorithms may be of limited use for automating sea anemone species IDs from digital photographs alone-highlighting the importance of organismal expertise for identifying these animals. Finally, we present high-resolution digital photographs that encompass much of the intraspecific phenotypic variation encountered underwater, discuss important characteristics useful for field IDs, and provide updated range maps for each species to better reflect the known biogeographic range of each host anemone. We hope the increased confidence in field identification provided by this guide will result in more papers incorporating the sea anemone host data into research frameworks and subsequent publications.

Objective: Globally, there has been a marked increase in aortic aneurysm-related deaths between 1990 and 2019. We sought to understand the underlying etiologies for this mortality trend by examining secular changes in both demographics and the prevalence of risk factors, and how these changes may vary across sociodemographic index (SDI) regions., Methods: We queried the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) for aortic aneurysm deaths from 1990 to 2019 overall and by age group. We identified the percentage of aortic aneurysm deaths attributable to each risk factor identified by GBD modeling (smoking, hypertension, lead exposure, and high sodium diet) and their respective changes over time. We then analyzed aneurysm mortality by SDI region., Results: The number of aortic aneurysm-related deaths have increased from 94,968 in 1990 to 172,427 in 2019, signifying an 81.6% increase, which greatly exceeds the 18.2% increase in all-cause mortality observed over the same time interval. Examination of age-specific mortality demonstrated that the number of aortic aneurysm deaths markedly correlated with advancing age. However, when considering rate of death rather than mortality count, overall age-standardized death rates decreased 18% from 2.72 per 100,000 in 1990 to 2.21 per 100,000 in 2019. Analysis of the specific risk factors associated with aneurysm death revealed that the percentage of deaths attributable to smoking decreased from 45.6% in 1990 to 34.6% in 2019, and deaths attributable to hypertension decreased from 38.7% to 34.7%. Globally, hypertension surpassed smoking as the leading risk factor. The reported rate of death was consistently greater as SDI increased, and this effect was most pronounced among low-middle and middle SDI regions (173.2% and 170.4%, respectively)., Conclusions: Despite an overall increase in the number of aneurysm deaths, there was a decrease in the age-standardized death rate, demonstrating that the observed increased number of aortic aneurysm deaths between 1990 and 2019 was primarily driven by an overall increase in the age of the global population. Fortunately, it appears that the increase in overall aneurysm-related deaths has been modulated by improved risk factor modification, in particular smoking. Given the rise in aneurysm-related deaths, global expansion of vascular specialty capabilities is warranted and will serve to amplify improvements in population-based aneurysm health achieved with risk factor control., Competing Interests: Disclosures None., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Vascular Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Wastewater surveillance can reveal population-level infectious disease burden and emergent public health threats can be reliably assessed through wastewater surveillance. While molecular methods for wastewater monitoring of microorganisms have traditionally relied on PCR-based approaches, next-generation sequencing (NGS) can provide deeper insights via genomic analyses of multiple diverse pathogens. We conducted a year-long sequencing surveillance of 1,408 composite wastewater samples collected from 12 neighborhood-level access points in the greater Tempe area, Arizona, USA, and show that variation in wastewater viruses is driven by seasonal time and location. The temporal dynamics of viruses in wastewater were influenced cyclically, with the most dissimilarity between samples 23 weeks apart (i.e., winter vs summer, spring vs fall). We identified diverse urinary and enteric viruses including polyomaviruses, astroviruses, and noroviruses, and showed that their genotypes/subtypes shifted across seasons. We show that while wastewater data of certain respiratory viruses like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strongly correlate with clinical case rates, laboratory-reported case incidences were discordant with surges of high viral load in wastewater for other viruses like human coronavirus 229E. These results demonstrate the utility of wastewater sequencing for informing decision-making in public health.IMPORTANCEWastewater surveillance can provide insights into the spread of pathogens in communities. Advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) methodologies allow for more precise detection of viruses in wastewater. Long-term wastewater surveillance of viruses is an important tool for public health preparedness. This system can act as a public health observatory that gives real-time early warning for infectious disease outbreaks and improved response times., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Influenza viruses are constantly evolving and are therefore monitored worldwide in the hope to reduce the burden of disease by annual updates to vaccine recommendations. We conducted genomic sequencing of 110 influenza A and 30 influenza B viruses from specimens collected between October 2023 and February 2024 in Arizona, USA. We identified mutations in the hemagglutinin (HA) antigenic sites as well as the neuraminidase (NA) gene in our samples. We also found no unique HA and NA mutations in vaccinated yet influenza-infected individuals. Real-time genomic sequencing surveillance is important to ensure influenza vaccine effectiveness.

Introduction: It may take decades to develop cardiovascular dysfunction following exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation from medical therapy or from nuclear accidents. Since astronauts may be exposed continually to a complex space radiation environment unlike that experienced on Earth, it is unresolved whether there is a risk to cardiovascular health during long-term space exploration missions. Previously, we have described that mice exposed to a single dose of simplified Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR 5-ion ) develop cardiovascular dysfunction by 12 months post-radiation. Methods: To investigate the biological basis of this dysfunction, here we performed a quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics analysis of heart tissue (proteome and phosphoproteome) and plasma (proteome only) from these mice at 8 months post-radiation. Results: Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) for irradiated versus sham irradiated samples (fold-change ≥1.2 and an adjusted p -value of ≤0.05) were identified for each proteomics data set. For the heart proteome, there were 87 significant DEPs (11 upregulated and 76 downregulated); for the heart phosphoproteome, there were 60 significant differentially phosphorylated peptides (17 upregulated and 43 downregulated); and for the plasma proteome, there was only one upregulated protein. A Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) technique that assesses canonical pathways from BIOCARTA, KEGG, PID, REACTOME, and WikiPathways revealed significant perturbation in pathways in each data set. For the heart proteome, 166 pathways were significantly altered (36 upregulated and 130 downregulated); for the plasma proteome, there were 73 pathways significantly altered (25 upregulated and 48 downregulated); and for the phosphoproteome, there were 223 pathways significantly affected at 0.1 adjusted p -value cutoff. Pathways related to inflammation were the most highly perturbed in the heart and plasma. In line with sustained inflammation, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) were demonstrated to be increased in GCR 5-ion irradiated hearts at 12-month post irradiation. NETs play a fundamental role in combating bacterial pathogens, modulating inflammatory responses, inflicting damage on healthy tissues, and escalating vascular thrombosis. Discussion: These findings suggest that a single exposure to GCR 5-ion results in long-lasting changes in the proteome and that these proteomic changes can potentiate acute and chronic health issues for astronauts, such as what we have previously described with late cardiac dysfunction in these mice., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Kidane, Lee, Smith, Wang, Mirza, Sharma, Lobo, Dewan, Chen, Diaz, Pla, Foster and Bowles.)

A series of experiments was designed to evaluate treatment schedules for control of the estrous cycle in which luteolysis is induced prior to atresia of the first follicular wave following a long-term progestin presynchronization treatment in beef heifers. The overarching hypothesis was that the proportion of heifers undergoing luteolysis and expressing estrus following PG administration would be affected by the duration of treatment with an intravaginal progesterone-releasing insert (CIDR; 1.38 g progesterone) and/or by the interval from CIDR removal to prostaglandin F 2ɑ (PG; 500 μg cloprostenol) administration. In each experiment, heifers were blocked by reproductive tract score (RTS) and body weight (BW) and were assigned randomly within block to treatment. In Experiment 1, heifers (n = 91) were assigned to one of four treatments in a 2 x 2 factorial design: presynchronization via CIDR treatment for either 14 d or 18 d with administration of PG either 8 d or 9 d following CIDR removal. In Experiment 2, heifers (n = 63) were assigned to receive administration of PG either 9 d or 10 d following a 14 d CIDR presynchronization. In Experiment 3, heifers (n = 83) were assigned to receive administration of PG either 9 d or 16 d following a 14 d CIDR presynchronization. In Experiment 1, there was a tendency for a greater proportion of heifers to express estrus by 96 h after PG administration when PG administration occurred 9 d versus 8 d after CIDR removal (P = 0.07). Additionally, serum estradiol (E 2 ) concentrations were greater at the time of PG administration when PG was administered 9 d versus 8 d after CIDR removal following an 18 d CIDR treatment (P = 0.006). In Experiment 2, pregnancy rate to AI (P/AI) was greater among heifers receiving PG administration 9 d versus 10 d after CIDR removal (P = 0.03). There was a tendency for largest follicle diameter (LFD) to be greater among non-estrous heifers receiving PG administration 10 d versus 9 d after CIDR removal when measured at timed AI (P < 0.08). In Experiment 3, there was a tendency for serum progesterone (P 4 ) concentrations at the time of PG administration to be greater among heifers receiving PG administration 16 d versus 9 d after CIDR removal (P = 0.07). These results provide a preliminary evaluation of the feasibility of inducing luteolysis prior to atresia of the first follicular wave following long-term progestin presynchronization., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The movement of individual weaver ants, of Oecophylla smargandina, was previously tracked within an unfamiliar arena. We develop an empirical model, based on Brownian motion with a linear drag and constant driving force, to explain the observed distribution of ants over position and velocity. Parameters are fixed according to the isotropic, homogeneous distribution observed near the middle of the arena. Then, with no adjustable parameters, the model accounts for all features of the measured population distribution. The tendency of ants to remain near arena edges is largely explained as a statistical property of bounded stochastic motion though evidence for active wall-following behavior appears in individual ant trajectories. Members of this ant species are capable of impressive feats of collective action and long-range navigation. But we argue that they use a simplistic algorithm, captured semi-quantitatively by the model provided, to navigate within the confined region., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)