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KBs (ketone bodies), i.e., acetoacetate, acetone, and (R)-3-Hydroxybutanoate, constitute the intermediate products of the incomplete oxidative degradation of fatty acids. These KBs are used as a source of energy in the hosts' brain, skeletal muscles, and heart. Additionally, they regulate inflammation and oxidative stress of the host by acting as signaling mediators. Parasitic infection is known to result in abnormal physiological and biochemical metabolism, ketoacidosis, and other damage to the host. In this study, we investigated the effects of Trypanosoma evansi and Toxoplasma gondii on ketone body metabolism in mice, as well as the KB levels in the brain, liver, and peripheral blood. T. gondii was found to significantly increase the KB levels, resulting in ketonemia; T. evansi was found to stabilize KB levels in mice. Further investigations showed that T. evansi downregulated the expression of genes encoding enzymes involved in KBs synthesizing pathway and enhanced KBs synthesizing to eliminate ketonemia. Conversely, T. gondii significantly increased the expression of genes encoding enzymes involved in KBs synthesizing pathway and decreased KBs metabolism pathway ones and resulting in increased KBs levels in peripheral blood, culminating in ketonemia. These findings elucidate the differences in the KBs metabolism resulting from infection with T. evansi and T. gondii.

Marek's disease virus (MDV), the causative agent of Marek's disease (MD), results in highly infectious phymatosis, lymphatic tissue hyperplasia, and neoplasia. MD is associated with high morbidity and mortality rate. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) entails long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and microRNA (miRNA). Numerous studies have reported that specific miRNAs and lncRNAs participate in multiple cellular processes, such as proliferation, migration, and tumor cell invasion. Specialized miRNAs and lncRNAs militate a similar role in MD tumor oncogenesis. Despite its growing popularity, only a few reviews are available on ncRNA in MDV tumor oncogenes. Herein, we summarized the role of the miRNAs and lncRNAs in MD tumorigenesis. Altogether, we brought forth the research issues, such as MD prevention, screening, regulatory network formation, novel miRNAs, and lncRNAs analysis in MD that needs to be explored further. This review provides a theoretical platform for the further analysis of miRNAs and lncRNAs functions and the prevention and control of MD and malignancies in domestic animals.

This paper presents a novel 33 kHz relaxation oscillator with temperature compensation over −40–125 °C range. The voltage and current references are integrated within the proposed relaxation oscillator, and the resistor used to generate the voltage reference can be omitted. The reference voltage for the comparator input is temperature insensitive, and the temperature coefficient (TC) of the bias current is utilized to compensate the TC of the comparator delay. The proposed oscillator with integrated voltage and current reference and compensated comparator delay is fabricated in a 180-nm CMOS process with an active area of 0.057 mm2. The measured average TC of the output frequency is 96.1 ppm/°C for a temperature range of −40–125 °C, and the line sensitivity is 2.6%/V for supply voltage of 0.8–2V. The power consumption is 97 nW when the supply voltage is 0.8V, and the frequency variation is ±0.7%.

Cysteine Rich Angiogenic Inducer 61 (Cyr61) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) are signaling proteins involved in the regulation of tumor angiogenesis and progression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of Cyr61 and VEGF expressions in osteosarcoma. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to evaluate the expression of both the proteins in 84 osteosarcoma samples. Correlation between Cyr61/VEGF expressions and clinicopathological parameters was determined using Rank sum test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Prognostic factors were identified using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. The expressions of Cyr61 and VEGF were weak in 26.2% and 17.9%, moderate in 26.2% and 23.8%, and strong in 47.6% and 58.3% of osteosarcoma samples, respectively. Cyr61 and VEGF expressions moderately correlated with each other in osteosarcoma, and exhibited significant association with Enneking stage and distant metastasis. In addition, the high expression of both proteins significantly correlated with short overall survival time in these patients. The key finding in this study was that both Cyr61 and VEGF expressions were independent prognostic indicators of overall survival. In summary, our results indicate that expression of Cyr61 and VEGF may serve as important prognostic predictors in patients with osteosarcoma.

Two fermentation methods, aerobic (generating solid compost) and anaerobic fermentation (generating fermented fluid), were adopted to treat the same amount of organic matter to generate solid compost and fermented fluid, respectively. These treatments were used to supplement replant soils in a pot, respectively, where Malus hupehensis Rehd. seedling was replanted. The pilot project was aimed at investigating the influence of organic matter applied to soil on the physiological features of the plant as well as its impact on soil properties. The following four treatments were adopted in the study: new cropping soil, replant soil, replant soil with solid compost, and replant soil with fermented fluid. The growth of seedlings in the four soils was monitored by biomass production and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) in the plant roots. The activities of soil urease, soil invertase, and soil phosphatase were measured; and the bacterial, fungal, and actinomycetal contents in the soils were also measured. This study showed that the supplementation of organic matter in a fermented liquid form to replant soil significantly enhanced the biomass production of the seedlings compared to the solid compost form. The activities of SOD, POD, and CAT in the roots were increased by both forms of organic matter, with the solid compost form having a stronger effect than the fermented liquid form. Moreover, both forms increased the activities of soil urease, soil invertase, and soil phosphatase, with the fermented liquid form having a stronger impact than the solid compost form. The addition of organic matter in the form of fermented fluid to the replant soil obviously increased the bacteria content in the soil in comparison with the addition of organic matter in the form of solid compost. Compared to the solid compost, the fermented fluid led to a higher increase in the fungal and actinomycetal contents in the soil at the early stage but a lower increase at the late stage. When applied to replant soil, the fermented fluid form of organic matter was superior to the solid compost form of organic matter in preventing apple replant disease (ARD).