A population genomics approach to unlock the genetic potential of lablab (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet), an underutilized tropical forage crop.

Background: Lablab is one of the conventionally grown multi-purpose crops that originated in Africa. It is an annual or short-lived perennial forage legume which has versatile uses (as a vegetable and dry seeds, as food or feed, or as green manure) but is yet to receive adequate research attention and hence remains underexploited. To develop new and highly productive lablab varieties, using genomics-assisted selection, the present study aimed to identify quantitative trait loci associated with agronomically important traits in lablab and to assess the stability of these traits across two different agro-ecologies in Ethiopia.

Distinct virologic trajectories in chronic hepatitis B identify heterogeneity in response to nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy.

Background & Aims: The dynamics of HBV viral load (VL) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) on nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) treatment and its relationship with liver disease are poorly understood. We aimed to study longitudinal VL patterns and their associations with CHB clinical outcomes.

Methods: Utilising large scale, routinely collected electronic health records from six centres in England, collated by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Health Informatics Collaborative (NIHR HIC), we applied latent class mixed models to investigate VL trajectory patterns in adults receiving NA treatment.

Brain-type natriuretic peptide is a useful biomarker of cardiovascular disease and predictor of cardiac-related mortality in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Objective: To validate the use of brain-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) for detecting and monitoring cardiac dysfunction in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional (N = 175) and longitudinal (N = 76) BNP, echocardiogram, ECG, and pathology data from living and deceased captive chimpanzees to examine age and sex effects and to assess the usefulness of BNP for detecting cardiovascular disease and predicting mortality. The study period was from July 2010 through October 2024.

Gender relations and women's empowerment in small-scale irrigated forage production in Ethiopia.

Small-scale cultivation and irrigation of planted forages can increase the availability of good-quality animal feed in smallholder farms. However, low adoption rates of improved forage technologies in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa have been observed and are partly attributed to limited understanding of gender dynamics in the context of production and utilization of planted forages. The introduction of small-scale cultivation and irrigation of planted forages is likely to interlink gender relations in the mixed crop-livestock farming system given the differences in contributions, benefits and challenges men and women farmers face.

Comparative analysis of characteristics among young people discharged from adolescent medium secure psychiatric hospital.

Background: Specialised forensic mental health provision for young people with mental disorders and high-risk behaviours has developed significantly in the UK. Despite this, research on the young people within secure settings remains limited. Adolescents in secure settings exhibit higher levels of mental disorders and have complex needs.