Immortalized mammosphere-derived epithelial cells retain a bioactive secretome with antimicrobial, regenerative, and immunomodulatory properties.

Background: The secretome of primary bovine mammosphere-derived epithelial cells (MDECs) has been shown to exert antimicrobial, regenerative, and immunomodulatory properties in vitro, which warrants its study as a potential biologic treatment with the potential to be translated to human medicine. Currently, the use of the MDEC secretome as a therapy is constrained by the limited life span of primary cell cultures and the decrease of secretome potency over cell passages.

Methods: To address these limitations, early-passage bovine MDECs were immortalized using hTERT, a human telomerase reverse transcriptase.

Preliminary in vivo investigation of the mesenchymal stromal cell secretome as a novel treatment for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in equine skin wounds.

Objective: We aimed to study the antimicrobial and pro-healing potential of equine mesenchymal stromal cell secreted products (i.e. secretome), collected as conditioned media (mesenchymal stromal cell-conditioned media, MSC CM), in a novel in vivo model of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-inoculated equine thorax wounds.

Fractionated photoimmunotherapy stimulates an anti-tumour immune response: an integrated mathematical and in vitro study.

Background: Advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) has high recurrence rates due to disseminated initial disease presentation. Cytotoxic phototherapies, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photoimmunotherapy (PIT, cell-targeted PDT), have the potential to treat disseminated malignancies due to safe intraperitoneal delivery.

Methods: We use in vitro measurements of EOC tumour cell and T cell responses to chemotherapy, PDT, and epidermal growth factor receptor targeted PIT as inputs to a mathematical model of non-linear tumour and immune effector cell interaction.

The mammosphere-derived epithelial cell secretome modulates neutrophil functions in the bovine model.

Background: Innovative therapies against bacterial infections are needed. One approach is to focus on host-directed immunotherapy (HDT), with treatments that exploit natural processes of the host immune system. The goals of this type of therapy are to stimulate protective immunity while minimizing inflammation-induced tissue damage.

The mesenchymal stromal cell secretome promotes tissue regeneration and increases macrophage infiltration in acute and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-infected skin wounds in vivo.

Background Aims: The prevalence of chronic wounds continues to be a burden in human medicine. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is commonly isolated from infected wounds. MRSA infections primarily delay healing by impairing local immune cell functions.

Ground beetle movement is deterred by habitat edges: a mark-release-recapture study on the effectiveness of border crops in an agricultural landscape.

Border crops can increase beneficial insect biodiversity within agricultural fields by supplementing insects with food and nesting resources. However, the effectiveness of border crops relies on insect movement between adjacent habitats and some insects might consider habitat boundaries as barriers. Therefore, understanding insect movement between habitats is needed to determine the effectiveness of border crops for ecosystem services such as pest control within agricultural habitats.

Effect of pregnancy on isolation efficiency and in vitro proliferation of equine peripheral-blood derived mesenchymal stromal cells.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have regenerative and immunomodulatory potential and may be used to treat injured tissues. Pregnancy has been associated with increased MSCs in the peripheral circulation in multiple species, but to date, there are no reports on this matter in horses. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of pregnancy on isolation efficiency and proliferation capacity of equine MSCs derived from the peripheral blood (PB) of mares.

Predicted range expansion of Prostephanus truncatus (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) under projected climate change scenarios.

The larger grain borer (Prostephanus truncatus [Horn] [Coleoptera: Bostrichidae]) is a wood-boring insect native to Central America and adapted to stored maize and cassava. It was accidentally introduced to Tanzania and became a pest across central Africa. Unlike many grain pests, P.

Flight capacity and behavior of Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in response to kairomonal and pheromonal stimuli.

Flight behavior is an important component to understand in the context of pest management. However, because of their small size, little is known about the flight capacity of most stored-product insects, and when a flight has been assessed, it usually consists of a propensity for initiating flight. Despite a priori expectations of the importance of flight for moths, there are no data about the flight capacity and little on the flight behavior of the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).

A xenotransplantation mouse model to study physiology of the mammary gland from large mammals.

Although highly conserved in structure and function, many (patho)physiological processes of the mammary gland vary drastically between mammals, with mechanisms regulating these differences not well understood. Large mammals display variable lactation strategies and mammary cancer incidence, however, research into these variations is often limited to in vitro analysis due to logistical limitations. Validating a model with functional mammary xenografts from cryopreserved tissue fragments would allow for in vivo comparative analysis of mammary glands from large and/or rare mammals and would improve our understanding of postnatal development, lactation, and premalignancy across mammals.

Clinical Evaluation of Safety and Efficacy of a Central Current Good Manufacturing Practices Laboratory Produced Autologous Adipose-Derived Stromal Vascular Fraction Cell Therapy Product for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis.

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a prevalent condition characterized by the progressive deterioration of the entire joint and has emerged as a prominent contributor to disability on a global scale. The nature of the disease and its impact on joint function significantly limit mobility and daily activities, highlighting its substantial influence on patients' overall well-being. Stromal vascular fraction (SVF) is a heterogenous, autologous cell product, containing mesenchymal stem cells, derived from the patient's subcutaneous adipose tissue with demonstrated safety and efficacy in the treatment of KOA patients.

Differentiating spillover: an examination of cross-habitat movement in ecology spillover in ecology.

Organisms that immigrate into a recipient habitat generate a movement pattern that affects local population dynamics and the environment. Spillover is the pattern of unidirectional movement from a donor habitat to a different, adjacent recipient habitat. However, ecological definitions are often generalized to include any cross-habitat movement, which limits within- and cross-discipline collaboration.

CHARIOT: a phase I study of berzosertib with chemoradiotherapy in oesophageal and other solid cancers using time to event continual reassessment method.

Background: Berzosertib (M6620) is a highly potent (IC50  =  19 nM) and selective, first-in-class ataxia telangiectasia-mutated and Rad3-related protein kinase (ATR) inhibitor. This trial assessed the safety, preliminary efficacy, and tolerance of berzosertib in oesophageal cancer (A1 cohort) with RT and advanced solid tumours (A2 cohort) with cisplatin and capecitabine.

Methods: Single-arm, open-label dose-escalation (Time-to-Event Continual Reassessment Method) trial with 16 patients in A1 and 18 in A2.

miRNA-214-3p stimulates carcinogen-induced mammary epithelial cell apoptosis in mammary cancer-resistant species.

Mammary cancer incidence varies greatly across species and underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We previously showed that mammosphere-derived epithelial cells from species with low mammary cancer incidence, such as horses, respond to carcinogen 7, 12-Dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced DNA damage by undergoing apoptosis, a postulated anti-cancer mechanism. Additionally, we found that miR-214-3p expression in mammosphere-derived epithelial cells is lower in mammary cancer-resistant as compared to mammary cancer-susceptible species.

The behavioral response to the putative necromones from dead Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in traps by conspecifics as a function of density and time since capture.

Long-term trapping programs of stored product pests provide information for timely and accurate pest management. Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is a highly successful external-infesting grain pest and is frequently monitored using a commercial pitfall trap that combines pheromonal and kairomonal stimuli. However, an often overlooked component of lure-based traps is the potential for the volatile plume to change over time as individuals are captured.

Bovine milk-derived cells express transcriptome markers of pluripotency and secrete bioactive factors with regenerative and antimicrobial activity.

The bovine mammary stem/progenitor cell secretome stimulates regeneration in vitro and contains proteins associated with antimicrobial defense. This has led to the exploration of the secretome as a biologic treatment for mastitis, a costly inflammation of the udder commonly caused by bacteria. This study reports on a population of bovine mammary stem/progenitor cells isolated non-invasively from milk (MiDCs).

Use of Biologics and Stem Cells for Wound Healing in the Horse.

Treatment of skin wounds is a high priority in veterinary medicine because healthy uncompromised skin is essential for the well-being of horses. Stem cells and other biologic therapies offer benefits by reducing the need for surgical procedures and conventional antibiotics. Evidence from in vitro studies and small in vivo trials supports the use of equine stem cells and biologics for the treatment of acute and chronic cutaneous wounds.

Induced pluripotent stem cells from domesticated ruminants and their potential for enhancing livestock production.

Ruminant livestock, including cattle, sheep, goat, and buffalo, are essential for global food security and serve valuable roles in sustainable agricultural systems. With the limited availability of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from these species, ruminant induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and iPSC-like cells provide a valuable research tool for agricultural, veterinary, biomedical, and pharmaceutical applications, as well as for the prospect of translation to human medicine. iPSCs are generated by reprogramming of adult or fetal cells to an ESC-like state by ectopic expression of defined transcription factors.

Use of a non-endoscopic immunocytological device (Cytosponge™) for post chemoradiotherapy surveillance in patients with oesophageal cancer in the UK (CYTOFLOC): A multicentre feasibility study.

Background: Effective surveillance strategies are required for patients diagnosed with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) or adenocarcinoma (OAC) for whom chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is used as a potentially-curative, organ-sparing, alternative to surgery. In this study, we evaluated the safety, acceptability and tolerability of a non-endoscopic immunocytological device (the Cytosponge™) to assess treatment response following CRT.

Methods: This multicentre, single-arm feasibility trial took place in 10 tertiary cancer centres in the UK.

Mesenchymal stromal cells isolated from chicken peripheral blood secrete bioactive factors with antimicrobial and regenerative properties.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are adult multipotent progenitor cells that have been isolated from various tissue sources of many species, primarily mammals. Generally, these cells proliferate extensively in culture and have been shown to secrete bioactive factors that contribute to healing processes by regulating inflammation, modulating immune responses, inhibiting bacterial growth, and promoting tissue regeneration. The present study reports on the isolation and characterization of MSCs from the peripheral blood (PB) of chickens.

Denoising multiplexed microscopy images in n-dimensional spectral space.

Hyperspectral fluorescence microscopy images of biological specimens frequently contain multiple observations of a sparse set of spectral features spread in space with varying intensity. Here, we introduce a spectral vector denoising algorithm that filters out noise without sacrificing spatial information by leveraging redundant observations of spectral signatures. The algorithm applies an n-dimensional Chebyshev or Fourier transform to cluster pixels based on spectral similarity independent of pixel intensity or location, and a denoising convolution filter is then applied in this spectral space.

Induced mammary cancer in rat models: pathogenesis, genetics, and relevance to female breast cancer.

Mammary cancer, or breast cancer in women, is a polygenic disease with a complex etiopathogenesis. While much remains elusive regarding its origin, it is well established that chemical carcinogens and endogenous estrogens contribute significantly to the initiation and progression of this disease. Rats have been useful models to study induced mammary cancer.

Surgical management of Graves' disease: historical context and single institution experience.

Aim: To describe indications and outcomes of total thyroidectomy for Graves' disease in a large New Zealand endocrine surgery unit, and to compare these results to international studies.

Methods: We analysed a prospectively collected database to describe the indications and outcomes of surgery for Graves' disease between December 2001 and January 2021.

Results: Among 64 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy at our tertiary centre for Graves' hyperthyroidism, Graves' ophthalmopathy and patient preference/aversion to radioactive iodine were the most common indications for surgery.

Comparative Efficacy of Topical Ophthalmic Ganciclovir and Oral Famciclovir in Cats with Experimental Ocular Feline Herpesvirus-1 Epithelial Infection.

To determine the comparative efficacy of ganciclovir ophthalmic gel and famciclovir oral tablets in cats with experimentally induced ocular feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1) epithelial infection. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial was performed using 16 nonvaccinated, specific pathogen-free cats with experimental FHV-1 infection induced by topical ocular inoculation. Cats received topical ganciclovir 0.