Microplastics absent from reef fish in the Marshall Islands: Multistage screening methods reduced false positives.

Island communities, like the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), depend on marine resources for food and economics, so plastic ingestion by those resources is a concern. The gastrointestinal tracts of nine species of reef fish across five trophic groups (97 fish) were examined for plastics >1 mm. Over 2100 putative plastic particles from 72 fish were identified under light microscopy.

A Dosimetric Correlation Between Radiation Dose to Bone and Reduction of Hemoglobin Levels After Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: The aim of this work was to investigate the correlation between dose to pelvic bone marrow and anemia when treating prostate cancer (PC) with definitive radiation.

Methods And Materials: Patients were selected from a prospective institutional database of patients with PC treated between 2008 and 2021. Pelvic bone (L3/L4 interface through ischial tuberosities) was contoured, and the dose to this structure was calculated.

Exploring the role of neuronal-enriched extracellular vesicle miR-93 and interoception in major depressive disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with interoceptive processing dysfunctions, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this dysfunction are poorly understood. This study combined brain Neuronal-Enriched Extracellular Vesicle (NEEV) technology and serum markers of inflammation and metabolism with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to identify the contribution of gene regulatory pathways, in particular micro-RNA (miR) 93, to interoceptive dysfunction in MDD. Individuals with MDD ( = 44) and healthy comparisons (HC; = 35) provided blood samples and completed an interoceptive attention task during fMRI.

Augmented Reality Demonstration Survey Results From a Veteran Affairs Medical Center.

Background: Augmented reality (AR) has a wide range of potential applications to enhance health care. Understanding how the introduction of a new technology may impact employees is essential for overall health care system success.

Methods: Survey responses were obtained before and after a health care-focused interactive AR demonstration at a US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center.

Evaluation of the impact of formaldehyde fumigation during the hatching phase on contamination in the hatch cabinet and early performance in broiler chickens.

Commercial hatch cabinet environments promote replication of microorganisms. These pathogenic or apathogenic microorganisms may serve as pioneer colonizers of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of poultry. Some of these pioneer colonizers, such as Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp.

Dietary soy galactooligosaccharides affect the performance, intestinal function, and gut microbiota composition of growing chicks.

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effects of the dietary soy galactooligosaccharides (GOS), raffinose and stachyose, on performance, gastrointestinal health, and systemic stress in young broilers. Birds were fed a GOS-devoid diet based on soy protein isolate (SPI) or the SPI diet with 0.9, 1.

Using health policy and systems research to influence national health policies: lessons from Mexico, Cambodia and Ghana.

Health system reforms across Africa, Asia and Latin America in recent decades demonstrate the value of health policy and systems research (HPSR) in moving towards the goals of universal health coverage in different circumstances and by various means. The role of evidence in policy making is widely accepted; less well understood is the influence of the concrete conditions under which HPSR is carried out within the national context and which often determine policy outcomes. We investigated the varied experiences of HPSR in Mexico, Cambodia and Ghana (each selected purposively as a strong example reflecting important lessons under varying conditions) to illustrate the ways in which HPSR is used to influence health policy.

Development of an environmental contamination model to simulate the microbial bloom that occurs in commercial hatch cabinets.

Microbial blooms that emerge in commercial hatch cabinets consist of apathogenic and pathogenic microorganisms, including Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, and Aspergillus fumigatus. Objectives of the present study included the development of a multipathogen contamination model to mimic commercial conditions and optimization of sampling methods to quantify bacterial or fungal presence within the hatch cabinet. The pathogen challenge mix (PM) was recreated from select bacterial or fungal isolates recovered from an egg homogenate (EH) derived from the contents of infertile eggs and late embryonic mortalities.

Executive function and dopamine response in Parkinson's disease freezing of gait.

Background: This investigation examined whether aspects of attention and executive functioning differed between Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients with freezing of gait (FOG) based on responsiveness to dopamine. We also explored association of cognition with FOG severity and gait metrics.

Methods: Fifty-four individuals with PD completed the study protocol: 17 without freezing (PDC), 23 with dopa-responsive FOG (RFOG), and 14 with dopa-unresponsive (URFOG).

The effect of a mindfulness-based stress intervention on neurobiological and symptom measures in adolescents with early life stress: a randomized feasibility study.

Background: Early life stress (ELS) has been linked to poor mental and physical health outcomes in adolescence and adulthood. Mindfulness reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety and improves cognitive and social outcomes in both youth and adults. However, little is known whether mindfulness can mitigate against the adverse neurobiological and psychological effects of ELS.

Research Note: Application of an Escherichia coli spray challenge model for neonatal broiler chickens.

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) is an opportunistic pathogen often introduced to neonatal chicks during the hatching process. This commensal bacterium, particularly as a pioneer colonizer of the gastrointestinal tract, can have substantial implications in the rearing of poultry because of reduced flock performance.

Development of a wild-type Escherichia coli environmental bloom model to evaluate alternatives to formaldehyde fumigation in broiler chicken hatch cabinets.

Horizontal transmission of opportunistic Escherichia coli during hatch can have detrimental effects on early performance, particularly as pioneer colonizers. Commercially, formaldehyde is often applied in the United States to combat the bacterial bloom that occurs inside of the hatching environment. The purpose of these experiments was to develop a replicable E.

Assessment of Fermented Soybean Meal on Infection in Neonatal Turkey Poults.

This study's objective was to evaluate the effect of the fermented soybean meal (FSBM) on (ST) to turkey poults using two models of infection. In the prophylactic model, one-day-old turkeys were randomly allocated to one of four different groups ( = 30 turkeys/group): (1) Control group, (2) FSBM group, (3) Control group challenged with ST (Control + ST), and (4) FSBM group challenged with ST (FSBM + ST). On day 9 of age, all poults were orally challenged with 10 colony forming units (CFU) ST and 24 h post-inoculation, intestinal samples were collected to determine ST recovery and morphometric analysis.

Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems and Serum Folate: A Case Study.

Introduction: In 2018, the US Surgeon General declared youth electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use as an epidemic. Combustible cigarettes have been shown to adversely affect folate status; however, no study to date has explored how ENDS impact folate status.

Methods: In this case study, a white 18-year-old woman was followed for a 1-month period as part of a larger study.

Development of a novel in ovo challenge model for virulent Escherichia coli strains.

During the hatching process, chicks are exposed to opportunistic and/or pathogenic organisms, such as virulent or avirulent Escherichia coli. Virulent E. coli strains have not been feasible for induction of neonatal colibacillosis via in ovo challenge due to high embryonic mortality.

Isolation and characterization of a Rickettsia from the ovary of a Western black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus.

A rickettsial isolate was obtained from a partially engorged Ixodes pacificus female, which was collected from Humboldt County, California. The isolate was provisionally named Rickettsia endosymbiont Ixodes pacificus (REIP). The REIP isolate displayed the highest nucleotide sequence identity to Rickettsia species phylotype G021 in I.

Characterization and evaluation of lactic acid bacteria candidates for intestinal epithelial permeability and Salmonella Typhimurium colonization in neonatal turkey poults.

The present study evaluated the microbiological properties of three probiotic candidate strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) (128; 131; CE11_2), their effect on intestinal epithelial permeability, and their ability to reduce intestinal colonization of Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) individually or as a batch culture in neonatal turkey poults. Isolates were characterized morphologically and identified using 16S rRNA sequence analyses. Each isolate was evaluated for tolerance and resistance to acidic pH, high osmotic NaCl concentrations, and bile salts in broth medium.

Optimizing Fluorescein Isothiocyanate Dextran Measurement As a Biomarker in a 24-h Feed Restriction Model to Induce Gut Permeability in Broiler Chickens.

Fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (FITC-d) is a 3-5 kDa marker used to measure tight junction permeability. We have previously shown that intestinal barrier function can be adversely affected by stress, poorly digested diets, or feed restriction (FR), resulting in increased intestinal inflammation-associated permeability. However, further optimization adjustments of the current FITC-d methodology are possible to enhance precision and efficacy of results in future.

In ovo evaluation of FloraMax®-B11 on Marek's disease HVT vaccine protective efficacy, hatchability, microbiota composition, morphometric analysis, and Salmonella enteritidis infection in broiler chickens.

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of in ovo administration of FloraMax®-B11 (FM) on Marek's disease (MD) herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) vaccine protective efficacy, hatchability, microbiota composition, morphometric analysis, and Salmonella enteritidis (SE) infection in chickens. Experiment 1 consisted of 3 trials. In trials 1 and 2, d 18 White Leghorn 15I5x71 embryos were randomly distributed in 4 groups: 1) HVT vaccinated in ovo and no Marek's disease virus (MDV) challenge; 2), HVT + FM vaccinated in ovo and no MDV challenge; 3) HVT vaccinated in ovo and challenge with virulent MDV (vMDV; strain 583A); and 4), HVT + FM vaccinated in ovo and challenge with vMDV.

Risks Involved in the Use of Enrofloxacin for Salmonella Enteritidis or Salmonella Heidelberg in Commercial Poultry.

The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the risks involved in the use of Enrofloxacin for Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) or Salmonella Heidelberg (SH) in commercial poultry and determine the effects of a probiotic as an antibiotic alternative. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the risks involved in the use of Enrofloxacin for SE or SH in commercial poultry. Experiment 1 consisted of two trials.

Alternative expression analysis by RNA sequencing.

In alternative expression analysis by sequencing (ALEXA-seq), we developed a method to analyze massively parallel RNA sequence data to catalog transcripts and assess differential and alternative expression of known and predicted mRNA isoforms in cells and tissues. As proof of principle, we used the approach to compare fluorouracil-resistant and -nonresistant human colorectal cancer cell lines. We assessed the sensitivity and specificity of the approach by comparison to exon tiling and splicing microarrays and validated the results with reverse transcription-PCR, quantitative PCR and Sanger sequencing.

cisRED: a database system for genome-scale computational discovery of regulatory elements.

We describe cisRED, a database for conserved regulatory elements that are identified and ranked by a genome-scale computational system (www.cisred.org).