Progression of the faecal microbiome in preweaning dairy calves that develop cryptosporidiosis.

Background: Cryptosporidiosis is a diarrheal disease that commonly affects calves under 6 weeks old. The causative agent, Cryptosporidium parvum, has been associated with the abundance of specific taxa in the faecal microbiome during active infection. However, the long-term impact of these microbiome shifts, and potential effects on calf growth and health have not yet been explored in depth.

FAecal micRobiota transplantation in primary sclerosinG chOlangitis (FARGO): study protocol for a randomised, multicentre, phase IIa, placebo-controlled trial.

Introduction: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is the classical hepatobiliary manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The strong association between gut and liver inflammation has driven several pathogenic hypotheses to which the intestinal microbiome is proposed to contribute. Pilot studies of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in PSC and IBD are demonstrated to be safe and associated with increased gut bacterial diversity.

Specific pathway abundances in the neonatal calf faecal microbiome are associated with susceptibility to Cryptosporidium parvum infection: a metagenomic analysis.

Background: Cryptosporidium parvum is the main cause of calf scour worldwide. With limited therapeutic options and research compared to other Apicomplexa, it is important to understand the parasites' biology and interactions with the host and microbiome in order to develop novel strategies against this infection. The age-dependent nature of symptomatic cryptosporidiosis suggests a link to the undeveloped immune response, the immature intestinal epithelium, and its associated microbiota.

Performance of Deep Learning Models in Forecasting Gait Trajectories of Children with Neurological Disorders.

Forecasted gait trajectories of children could be used as feedforward input to control lower limb robotic devices, such as exoskeletons and actuated orthotic devices (e.g., Powered Ankle Foot Orthosis-PAFO).

Wearable Lower-Limb Exoskeleton for Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review of Mechanical Design, Actuation Type, Control Strategy, and Clinical Evaluation.

Children with a neurological disorder such as cerebral palsy (CP) severely suffer from a reduced quality of life because of decreasing independence and mobility. Although there is no cure yet, a lower-limb exoskeleton (LLE) has considerable potential to help these children experience better mobility during overground walking. The research in wearable exoskeletons for children with CP is still at an early stage.

Stem cell-derived enteroid cultures as a tool for dissecting host-parasite interactions in the small intestinal epithelium.

Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium spp. can cause devastating pathological effects in humans and livestock, and in particular to young or immunocompromised individuals. The current treatment plans for these enteric parasites are limited due to long drug courses, severe side effects or simply a lack of efficacy.

Telomere dynamics in wild banded mongooses: Evaluating longitudinal and quasi-longitudinal markers of senescence.

Telomere length and the rate of telomere shortening have been suggested as particularly useful physiological biomarkers of the processes involved in senescent decline of somatic and reproductive function. However, longitudinal data on changes in telomere length across the lifespan are difficult to obtain, particularly for long-lived animals. Quasi-longitudinal studies have been proposed as a method to gain insight into telomere dynamics in long-lived species.

Lifetime fitness consequences of early-life ecological hardship in a wild mammal population.

Early-life ecological conditions have major effects on survival and reproduction. Numerous studies in wild systems show fitness benefits of good quality early-life ecological conditions ("silver-spoon" effects). Recently, however, some studies have reported that poor-quality early-life ecological conditions are associated with later-life fitness advantages and that the effect of early-life conditions can be sex-specific.

Age-related declines and disease-associated variation in immune cell telomere length in a wild mammal.

Immunosenescence, the deterioration of immune system capability with age, may play a key role in mediating age-related declines in whole-organism performance, but the mechanisms that underpin immunosenescence are poorly understood. Biomedical research on humans and laboratory models has documented age and disease related declines in the telomere lengths of leukocytes ('immune cells'), stimulating interest their having a potentially general role in the emergence of immunosenescent phenotypes. However, it is unknown whether such observations generalise to the immune cell populations of wild vertebrates living under ecologically realistic conditions.

Histopathological effects of the Yen-Tc toxin complex from Yersinia entomophaga MH96 (Enterobacteriaceae) on the Costelytra zealandica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) larval midgut.

Yersinia entomophaga MH96, which was originally isolated from the New Zealand grass grub, Costelytra zealandica, produces an orally active proteinaceous toxin complex (Yen-Tc), and this toxin is responsible for mortality in a range of insect species, mainly within the Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. The genes encoding Yen-Tc are members of the toxin complex (Tc) family, with orthologs identified in several other bacterial species. As the mechanism of Yen-Tc activity remains unknown, a histopathological examination of C.

Forest conflict in Thailand: northern minorities in focus.

This paper aims at exploring the local background of and solutions to the forest conflict in upland areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, who are called hill tribes, in northern Thailand. A so-called hill tribe problem has been officially identified as a result of the slash-and-burn cultivation and other perceived problems, such as opium poppy cultivation, illegal immigration, and the suspicion of disloyalty to the state. This has created distrust and tension between the groups and authorities.

The Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia pestis toxin complex is active against cultured mammalian cells.

The toxin complex (Tc) genes were first identified in the insect pathogen Photorhabdus luminescens and encode approximately 1 MDa protein complexes which are toxic to insect pests. Subsequent genome sequencing projects have revealed the presence of tc orthologues in a range of bacterial pathogens known to be associated with insects. Interestingly, members of the mammalian-pathogenic yersiniae have also been shown to encode Tc orthologues.

The insect toxin complex of Yersinia.

Many members of the Yersinia genus encode homologues of insect toxins first observed in bacteria that are insect pathogens such as Photorhabdus, Xenorhabdus and Serratia entomophila. These bacteria secrete high molecular weight insecticidal toxins comprised of multiple protein subunits, termed the Toxin Complexes or Tc's. In Photorhabdus three distinct Tc subunits are required for full oral toxicity in insects, that include the [A], [B] and [C] types, although the exact stochiometry remains unclear.

The Mcf1 toxin induces apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway and apoptosis is attenuated by mutation of the BH3-like domain.

Photorhabdus are Gram-negative, nematode-vectored bacteria that produce toxins to kill their insect hosts. The expression of one of these, Makes caterpillars floppy 1 (Mcf1), is sufficient to allow Escherichia coli to survive within, and kill, caterpillars which are otherwise able to clear E. coli infection.

Abnormalities of vitamin D and calcium metabolism after surgical treatment of morbid obesity: a study of 136 patients.

Objective: To assess the effect of bariatric surgical treatment of morbid obesity on bone mineral metabolism.

Methods: We analyzed pertinent vitamin D and calcium metabolic variables in 136 patients who had undergone a malabsorptive bariatric operation. Measurements of bone mineral density (BMD), serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD), 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25-(OH)2D], parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase were performed.

Structure of murine angiogenin: features of the substrate- and cell-binding regions and prospects for inhibitor-binding studies.

Angiogenin is an unusual member of the pancreatic ribonuclease superfamily that induces blood-vessel formation and is a promising anticancer target. The three-dimensional structure of murine angiogenin (mAng) has been determined by X-ray crystallography. Two structures are presented: one is a complex with sulfate ions (1.

Potentiation and cellular phenotypes of the insecticidal Toxin complexes of Photorhabdus bacteria.

The toxin complex (tc) genes of bacteria comprise a large and growing family whose mode of action remains obscure. In the insect pathogen Photorhabdus, tc genes encode high molecular weight insecticidal toxins with oral activity against caterpillar pests. One protein, TcdA, has recently been expressed in transgenic plants and shown to confer insect resistance.

Crystallographic studies on structural features that determine the enzymatic specificity and potency of human angiogenin: Thr44, Thr80, and residues 38-41.

Human angiogenin (Ang) is a potent inducer of blood vessel formation and is a member of the pancreatic ribonuclease superfamily. Its enzymatic activity is unusually weak and biased toward cleavage after cytidine nucleotides. As part of an ongoing investigation into the structural basis of Ang's characteristic activity, we have determined the crystal structures of three Ang variants having novel activity.

The insecticidal toxin makes caterpillars floppy 2 (Mcf2) shows similarity to HrmA, an avirulence protein from a plant pathogen.

The Photorhabdus luminescens W14 toxin encoding gene makes caterpillars floppy (mcf) was discovered due to its ability to kill caterpillars when expressed in Escherichia coli. Here we describe a homologue of mcf (renamed as mcf1), termed mcf2, discovered in the same genome. The mcf2 gene predicts another large toxin whose central domain, like Mcf1, also shows limited homology to Clostridium cytotoxin B.

Guest-host crosstalk in an angiogenin-RNase A chimeric protein.

Angiogenin and ribonuclease A share 33% sequence identity but have distinct functions. Angiogenin is a potent inducer of angiogenesis that is only weakly ribonucleolytic, whereas ribonuclease A is a robust ribonuclease that is not angiogenic. A chimera ("ARH-I"), in which angiogenin residues 58-70 are replaced with residues 59-73 of ribonuclease A, has intermediate ribonucleolytic potency and no angiogenic activity.

High-level expression of three members of the murine angiogenin family in Escherichia coli and purification of the recombinant proteins.

Angiogenin (Ang) is a small basic protein which belongs to the pancreatic ribonuclease superfamily. It potently induces the formation of new blood vessels and has emerged as a promising anticancer target. Mice possess genes encoding one ortholog (mAng) and three homologs of Ang, designated angiogenin-related protein (mAngrp), angiogenin-3 (mAng-3), and angiogenin-4 (mAng-4).

Unusual snowmobile injury of the penis: a case report.

Snowmobiles have been responsible for a variety of characteristic injuries. The authors report a most unusual injury--degloving of the penis. A 49-year-old man was thrown against the handlebars of his machine.