Evidence linking cadmium and/or lead exposure to immunomodulatory effects in mammals based upon an adverse outcome pathways approach, and research perspectives.

For decades, studies have shown how exposure to non-essential trace metals such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) largely impact global wildlife. Ecoimmunotoxicology has emerged in the past two decades and focuses on the effects of pollutants on the immune system of free-ranging organisms. Adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) represent a conceptual approach to explore the mechanistic linkage between a molecular initiating event and adverse outcomes, potentially at all biological levels of organisation.

Robust and persistent B-cell responses following SARS-CoV-2 vaccine determine protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Introduction: A clear immune correlate of protection from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has not been defined. We explored antibody, B-cell, and T-cell responses to the third-dose vaccine and relationship to incident SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods: Adults in a prospective cohort provided blood samples at day 0, day 14, and 10 months after the third-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Responses of dairy cows to weekly individualized feeding strategies regarding their metabolic status.

In dairy farms, cows are commonly fed a mixture of forages and concentrates ad libitum. To improve the energy status and productivity of dairy cows, individualized feeding strategies have been proposed. One of these strategies is to provide supplemental concentrates to adjust the forage-to-concentrate ratio based on factors like individual milk yield or calculated energy balance.

Early inflammatory profiles predict maximal disease severity in COVID-19: An unsupervised cluster analysis.

Background: The inflammatory changes that underlie the heterogeneous presentations of COVID-19 remain incompletely understood. In this study we aimed to identify inflammatory profiles that precede the development of severe COVID-19, that could serve as targets for optimised delivery of immunomodulatory therapies and provide insights for the development of new therapies.

Methods: We included individuals sampled <10 days from COVID-19 symptom onset, recruited from both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Are drain essentials in kidney transplantation? Analysis of risk factors affecting the postoperative drainage.

Objective: The routine drain placement following renal transplantation is currently under debate. Its benefit is uncertain and may cause complications, particularly infectious ones. Some renal transplant patients have low-productive drains, that might be unnecessary.

On farm precision feeding of gestating sows based on energy and amino acids on farrowing performances and feeding behavior over 3 consecutive gestations.

Gestating sows are often fed a single diet throughout their gestation cycle, leading to situations of nutrients deficiency or excess at the individual level. The purpose of this study was to characterize, over 3 consecutive cycles, the impact of a precision feeding (PF), i.e.

Immunogenicity, reactogenicity, and safety of a second booster with BNT162b2 or full-dose mRNA-1273: A randomized VACCELERATE trial in adults aged ≥75 years (EU-COVAT-1-AGED Part B).

Objectives: To assess the safety and immunogenicity of a fourth vaccination (second booster) in individuals aged ≥75 years.

Methods: Participants were randomized to BNT162b2 (Comirnaty, 30 µg) or messenger RNA (mRNA)-1273 (Spikevax, 100 µg). The primary end point was the rate of two-fold antibody titer increase 14 days after vaccination, targeting the receptor binding domain (RBD) region of wild-type SARS-CoV-2.

Proximal Bilateral Arm Transplantation with Left Shoulder Reconstruction: Outcomes at 24 Months.

Background: Arm transplantation has been proposed as a valid therapeutic option for arm amputees. A bilateral arm transplantation including reconstruction of the left shoulder was performed on January 13, 2021 in Lyon (France).

Methods: The recipient was a 48-year-old man with bilateral amputation at proximal arm level on both sides following an electric shock in 1998.

Assessing contemporary Arctic habitat availability for a woolly mammoth proxy.

Interest continues to grow in Arctic megafaunal ecological engineering, but, since the mass extinction of megafauna ~ 12-15 ka, key physiographic variables and available forage continue to change. Here we sought to assess the extent to which contemporary Arctic ecosystems are conducive to the rewilding of megaherbivores, using a woolly mammoth (M. primigenius) proxy as a model species.

Estimation of gestating sows' welfare status based on machine learning methods and behavioral data.

Estimating the welfare status at an individual level on the farm is a current issue to improve livestock animal monitoring. New technologies showed opportunities to analyze livestock behavior with machine learning and sensors. The aim of the study was to estimate some components of the welfare status of gestating sows based on machine learning methods and behavioral data.

Recommendations for radiographic assessment of hand wounds.

A retrospective study of 945 hand patients was conducted to determine the relevance of systematic radiographic assessment. An osteoarticular lesion or a radiopaque foreign body was found in 34% of cases. The indications for radiographic assessment should be related to the mechanism of injury.

Associations between host microbiome and inflammation suggest role for host microbiome in driving COVID-19 disease severity.

Systemic inflammation and innate immune activation are associated with COVID-19 disease severity. Knowledge gaps remain in the relationships between microbiome, inflammation and COVID-19 disease severity. To better characterise these associations, we performed 16SrDNA analysis of stool samples in COVID-19 subjects to explore diversity and taxanomic composition.

Distinct receptor binding domain IgG thresholds predict protective host immunity across SARS-CoV-2 variants and time.

SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibodies provide protection against COVID-19. Evidence from early vaccine trials suggested binding antibody thresholds could serve as surrogate markers of neutralising capacity, but whether these thresholds predict sufficient neutralising capacity against variants of concern (VOCs), and whether this is impacted by vaccine or infection history remains unclear. Here we analyse individuals recovered from, vaccinated or with hybrid immunity against SARS-CoV-2.

Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a first booster with BNT162b2 or full-dose mRNA-1273: A randomised VACCELERATE trial in adults ≥75 years (EU-COVAT-1).

Background: Vaccination remains crucial for protection against severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially for people of advanced age, however, optimal dosing regimens are as yet lacking.

Methods: EU-COVAT-1-AGED Part A is a randomised controlled, adaptive, multicentre phase II trial evaluating safety and immunogenicity of a 3rd vaccination (1st booster) in individuals ≥75 years. Fifty-three participants were randomised to full-doses of either mRNA-1273 (Spikevax®, 100 µg) or BNT162b2 (Comirnaty®, 30 µg).

Cut-off time for surgery and prediction of orchiectomy in spermatic cord torsion: a retrospective multicentric study over 15 years.

Purpose: Cut-off time to avoid orchiectomy relies on small series of patients. The objective was to determine the cut-off time to avoid orchiectomy in torsion of the spermatic cord in a large cohort.

Methods: We performed a retrospective multicenter study (TORSAFUF cohort) of patients with suspected spermatic cord torsion between 2005 and 2019.

Prediction of the daily nutrient requirements of gestating sows based on sensor data and machine-learning algorithms.

Precision feeding is a strategy for supplying an amount and composition of feed as close that are as possible to each animal's nutrient requirements, with the aim of reducing feed costs and environmental losses. Usually, the nutrient requirements of gestating sows are provided by a nutrition model that requires input data such as sow and herd characteristics, but also an estimation of future farrowing performances. New sensors and automatons, such as automatic feeders and drinkers, have been developed on pig farms over the last decade, and have produced large amounts of data.

Prospective study comparing hepatic steatosis assessment by magnetic resonance imaging and four ultrasound methods in 105 successive patients.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming a major health problem, resulting in hepatic, metabolic and cardio-vascular morbidity.

Aim: To evaluate new ultrasonographic tools to detect and measure hepatic steatosis.

Methods: We prospectively included 105 patients referred to our liver unit for NAFLD suspicion or follow-up.

Compensating patients in trials: Perspectives from an ethical committee versus sponsor.

Background: According to European clinical research legislation, no undue influence, including financial incentives, should be used to encourage participation in clinical trials. Financial compensation should be based on the inconvenience experienced by patients and is determined by the sponsor.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the adequacy of patients' financial compensation by obtaining an external ethical opinion compared to the actual compensation provided.

Brief Report: Severe Sotorasib-Related Hepatotoxicity and Non-Liver Adverse Events Associated With Sequential Anti-Programmed Cell Death (Ligand)1 and Sotorasib Therapy in KRAS-Mutant Lung Cancer.

Introduction: Sequential anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) or anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) followed by small targeted therapy use is associated with increased prevalence of adverse events (AEs) in NSCLC. KRASG12C inhibitor sotorasib may trigger severe immune-mediated hepatotoxicity when used in sequence or in combination with anti-PD-(L)1. This study was designed to address whether sequential anti-PD-(L)1 and sotorasib therapy increases the risk of hepatotoxicity and other AEs.

The circadian clock remains intact, but with dampened hormonal output in heart failure.

Background: Circadian (24-h) rhythms are important regulators in physiology and disease, but systemic disease may disrupt circadian rhythmicity. Heart failure (HF) is a systemic disease affecting hormonal regulation. We investigate whether HF affects the rhythmic expression of melatonin and cortisol, main endocrine products of the central clock, and cardiac-specific troponin in patients.

Effect of Intravenous Ferric Carboxymaltose on Exercise Capacity After Kidney Transplantation (EFFECT-KTx): rationale and study protocol for a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Introduction: Iron deficiency (ID) is common and has been associated with an excess mortality risk in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). In patients with chronic heart failure and ID, intravenous iron improves exercise capacity and quality of life. Whether these beneficial effects also occur in KTRs is unknown.

Seeing through the eyes of the sabertooth Thylacosmilus atrox (Metatheria, Sparassodonta).

The evolution of mammalian vision is difficult to study because the actual receptor organs-the eyes-are not preserved in the fossil record. Orbital orientation and size are the traditional proxies for inferring aspects of ocular function, such as stereoscopy. Adaptations for good stereopsis have evolved in living predaceous mammals, and it is reasonable to infer that fossil representatives would follow the same pattern.

Effects of thermal conditions on gestating sows' behaviors and energy requirements.

Room temperature and individual behavior may influence the energy requirements of gestating sows. These factors are not yet integrated on a daily and individual basis in the calculation of these requirements. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of temperatures on the sows' behaviors, especially on the level of physical activity, and on the energy requirements of gestating sows.

Neural resources shift under Methylphenidate: A computational approach to examine anxiety-cognition interplay.

The reciprocal interplay between anxiety and cognition is well documented. Anxiety negatively impacts cognition, while cognitive engagement can down-regulate anxiety. The brain mechanisms and dynamics underlying such interplay are not fully understood.