Longitudinal determination of seroprevalence and immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in a population of food and retail workers through decentralized testing and transformation of ELISA datasets.

Background: Since the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, numerous studies have been conducted worldwide to understand our immune response to the virus and to vaccination. This study investigates the humoral response elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection and by vaccination in the poorly studied population of food and retail workers. These occupations were classified as essential by the Public Health Agency of Canada, potentially placing this population at greater risk of infection.

Testing and characterization of herding dogs' behaviors.

Breeding for phenotype in herding dogs (HDs) mainly relies on their performance in national field trial competitions, which has been shown to be inadequate for identifying HDs suited for real livestock farming conditions. In this study, a different field trial with a new scoring system consisting of 28 items to consider was designed to assess young HDs, the results of which culminated in a statement of adequate phenotype (AP) or non-adequate phenotype (NAP). An AP HD was defined as being able: to control the direction of a flock, to keep it grouped close to a handler when needed, to confront animals it is dealing with in a respectful manner, and able to create movement of the flock without excessive disturbance, threatening or attacking it through chasing, or uncontrolled biting.

[Integrating a "health auxiliary" dog into the hospital: the experience of the Institut Curie].

Drop-in center offer time with animal-assisted therapy to encourage positive interactions with patients. Curie Institute has chosen to adopt a dog full-time as a "care assistant" to work with caregivers and cancer patients. In hospital, an animal requires rigorous organization in order to train the dog for its missions while guaranteeing the well-being of the animal and the safety of the patients.

Live virus neutralizing antibodies against pre and post Omicron strains in food and retail workers in Québec, Canada.

Background: Measuring the ability of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to neutralize live viruses remains an effective approach to quantify the level of protection of individuals. We assessed the neutralization activity against the ancestral SARS-CoV-2, Delta, Omicron BA.1, BA.

S100A9: The Unusual Suspect Connecting Viral Infection and Inflammation.

The study of S100A9 in viral infections has seen increased interest since the COVID-19 pandemic. S100A8/A9 levels were found to be correlated with the severity of COVID-19 disease, cytokine storm, and changes in myeloid cell subsets. These data led to the hypothesis that S100A8/A9 proteins might play an active role in COVID-19 pathogenesis.

From land to ocean: One month for southern elephant seal pups to acquire aquatic skills prior to their first departure to sea.

Weaned southern elephant seals (SES) quickly transition from terrestrial to aquatic life after a 5- to 6-week post-weaning period. At sea, juveniles and adult elephant seals present extreme, continuous diving behaviour. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of the post-weaning period for weanlings to prepare for the physiological challenges of their future sea life.

Breaking the fast: first report of dives and ingestion events in molting southern elephant seals.

Southern elephant seals (SES) experience a 'catastrophic molt', a costly event characterized by the renewal of both hair and epidermis that requires high peripheral vascular circulation. Molting animals are therefore constrained by high metabolic heat loss and are thought to fast and remain on land. To examine the ability of individuals to balance the energetic constraints of molting on land we investigate the stomach temperature and movement patterns of molting female SES.

An in vitro autologous, vascularized, and immunocompetent Tissue Engineered Skin model obtained by the self-assembled approach.

A complete in vitro skin model, containing resident cell types is needed to understand physiology and to consider the role of immune and endothelial cells in dermal drug testing. In this study, a cell extraction technique was developed to isolate resident skin cells from the same human donor while preserving the immune and endothelial cells. Then those cells were used to reconstruct an autologous, vascularized, and immunocompetent Tissue-Engineered Skin model, aviTES.

Diving behaviour of southern elephant seals: new models of behavioural and ecophysiological adjustments of oxygen store management.

Among pinnipeds, southern elephant seals (SESs, Mirounga leonina) are extreme divers that dive deeply and continuously along foraging trips to restore their body stores after fasting on land during breeding or moulting. Their replenishment of body stores influences their energy expenditure during dives and their oxygen (O2) reserves (via muscular mass), yet how they manage their O2 stores during their dives is not fully understood. In this study, 63 female SESs from Kerguelen Island were equipped with accelerometers and time-depth recorders to investigate changes in diving parameters through their foraging trips.

HIV Replication Increases the Mitochondrial DNA Content of Plasma Extracellular Vesicles.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their cargo have been studied intensively as potential sources of biomarkers in HIV infection; however, their DNA content, particularly the mitochondrial portion (mtDNA), remains largely unexplored. It is well known that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and prolonged antiretroviral therapy (ART) lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and reduced mtDNA copy in cells and tissues. Moreover, mtDNA is a well-known damage-associated molecular pattern molecule that could potentially contribute to increased immune activation, oxidative stress, and inflammatory response.

Immune Cells Release MicroRNA-155 Enriched Extracellular Vesicles That Promote HIV-1 Infection.

The hallmark of HIV-1 infection is the rapid dysregulation of immune functions. Recent investigations for biomarkers of such dysregulation in people living with HIV (PLWH) reveal a strong correlation between viral rebound and immune activation with an increased abundance of extracellular vesicles (EVs) enriched with microRNA-155. We propose that the activation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) leads to an increased miR-155 expression and production of miR-155-rich extracellular vesicles (miR-155-rich EVs), which can exacerbate HIV-1 infection by promoting viral replication.

Canine Model of Human Frailty: Adaptation of a Frailty Phenotype in Older Dogs.

Frailty is a clinical presentation resulting from age-related cumulative declines in several physiological systems. The aim of this study was to adapt the concept of frailty to the domestic dog, as a model for frailty research, by characterizing a 5-criterion frailty phenotype using objective measurement, and to investigate its independent association with death. A prospective cohort including 80 Labrador and Golden Retriever dogs aged 9 years or older was conducted between March 2015 and July 2020.

Functional Role of AGAP2/PIKE-A in Fcγ Receptor-Mediated Phagocytosis.

In phagocytes, cytoskeletal and membrane remodeling is finely regulated at the phagocytic cup. Various smaFll G proteins, including those of the Arf family, control these dynamic processes. Human neutrophils express AGAP2, an Arf GTPase activating protein (ArfGAP) that regulates endosomal trafficking and focal adhesion remodeling.

Remote Medical Scent Detection of Cancer and Infectious Diseases With Dogs and Rats: A Systematic Review.

Background: Remote medical scent detection of cancer and infectious diseases with dogs and rats has been an increasing field of research these last 20 years. If validated, the possibility of implementing such a technique in the clinic raises many hopes. This systematic review was performed to determine the evidence and performance of such methods and assess their potential relevance in the clinic.

How's my kitty? Acoustic parameters of cat-directed speech in human-cat interactions.

In Western cultures, humans tend to use a specific kind of speech when talking to their pets, characterised, from an acoustical point of view, by elevated pitch and greater pitch modulation. Pet-directed speech (PDS), which has been mainly studied in dogs, shares some acoustic features with infant-directed speech (IDS), used when talking to young children. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that adult humans also modify characteristics of their voice when talking to a cat.

Plasma vesicular miR-155 as a biomarker of immune activation in antiretroviral treated people living with HIV.

People living with HIV (PLWH), despite suppression of viral replication with antiretroviral therapy (ART), have high morbidity and mortality due to immune activation and chronic inflammation. Discovering new biomarkers of immune activation status under ART will be pertinent to improve PLWH quality of life when the majority will be treated. We stipulate that plasma large and small extracellular vesicle (EVs) and their microRNA content could be easily measured biomarkers to monitor immune activation in PLWH.

Sticking Together: Energetic Consequences of Huddling Behavior in Hibernating Juvenile Garden Dormice.

AbstractHibernation, or multiday torpor, allows individuals to save energy via substantial reductions of metabolism and body temperature but is regularly interrupted by euthermic phases called arousals. Social thermoregulation, or "huddling," can act in synergy with torpor in reducing individuals' energy and heat losses. In the wild, the garden dormouse () combines both strategies, which are crucial for winter survival of juveniles with limited prehibernation body fat reserves.

Vesicular MicroRNA as Potential Biomarkers of Viral Rebound.

Changes in the cellular microRNA (miRNA) expression profile in response to HIV infection, replication or latency have been reported. Nevertheless, little is known concerning the abundance of miRNA in extracellular vesicles (EVs). In the search for a reliable predictor of viral rebound, we quantified the amount of miR-29a, miR-146a, and miR-155 in two types of plasma extracellular vesicles.

Metabolic heat loss in southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) differs with stage of moult and between habitats.

The moult in southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) represents an especially energetically demanding period during which seals must maintain high skin temperature to facilitate complete replacement of body fur and upper dermis. In this study, heat flux from the body surface was measured on 18 moulting southern elephant seals to estimate metabolic heat loss in three different habitats (beach, wallow and vegetation). Temperature data loggers were also deployed on 10 southern elephant seals to monitor skin surface temperature.

Immunovirological discordance among female sex workers who start antiretroviral therapy in Burkina Faso.

Background: In people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) leads to sustained effective suppression of viral replication and increasing CD4 + T cell count. However, a fraction of ART-treated patients still fail to reach adequate CD4 + T cell number despite a suppressed viral load (VL), and this phenomenon is defined as immunovirological discordance (IVD). In Africa, several studies have reported immunovirological outcomes of antiretroviral therapy, but little is known about IVD occurrence in Female sex workers (FSW).

Heads and Tails: An Analysis of Visual Signals in Cats, .

Visual communication involves specific signals. These include the different positions of mobile body elements. We analyzed visual configurations in cats that involve ears and the tail.

Effects of a new dietary supplement on behavioural responses of dogs exposed to mild stressors.

Background & Objectives: The effectiveness of a new dietary supplement (derived from fish hydrolysate and melon juice concentrate rich in superoxide dismutase) in reducing fear and stress-related behaviours in pet dogs was examined in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study.

Methods: 39 dogs were recruited after the owners had filled out a fear susceptibility index questionnaire. Over a 30-day period, one group of dogs received the supplement, and another group a placebo.

Plasma Extracellular Vesicle Subtypes May be Useful as Potential Biomarkers of Immune Activation in People With HIV.

Background: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are intercellular messengers with epigenetic potential since they can shuttle microRNA (miRNA). EVs and miRNA play a role in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection immunopathogenesis. Chronic immune activation and systemic inflammation during HIV infection despite effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) are associated with non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) comorbidities in people living with HIV (PLWH).

Proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy piglets after mitogen stimulation as indicators of disease resilience.

Disease resilience refers to the productivity of an animal under disease. Given the high biosecurity of pig nucleus herds, traits that can be measured on healthy pigs and that are genetically correlated with disease resilience, that is, genetic indicator traits, offer a strategy to select for disease resilience. Our objective was to evaluate mitogen stimulation assays (MSAs) on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from young healthy pigs as genetic indicators for disease resilience.

Velocity Gradient Separation Reveals a New Extracellular Vesicle Population Enriched in miR-155 and Mitochondrial DNA.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their contents (proteins, lipids, messenger RNA, microRNA, and DNA) are viewed as intercellular signals, cell-transforming agents, and shelters for viruses that allow both diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. EVs circulating in the blood of individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) may provide insights into pathogenesis, inflammation, and disease progression. However, distinguishing plasma membrane EVs from exosomes, exomeres, apoptotic bodies, virions, and contaminating proteins remains challenging.