The development and evaluation of multiple regression equations based on four common nutritional analysis packages to predict the metabolisable energy density of diets fed to grower/finisher and adult pigs and their use for rat and mouse diets.

We have used multiple regression analyses to develop a series of metabolisable energy (ME) prediction equations from chemical analyses of pig diets that can be extended to murine diets. We compiled four datasets from an extensive range of published metabolism studies with grower/finisher and adult pigs. The analytes in the datasets were increasingly complex, comprising: 1.

Instrument-Free Point-of-Care Diagnostic for Leishmania Parasites.

Background/objective: Leishmaniasis is the second deadliest parasitic disease in the world, after malaria, with an estimated 1.6 million new cases each year. While cutaneous leishmaniasis can result in permanent scars from lesions after treatment, the mucocutaneous and visceral diseases can result in life-altering and life-threatening complications.

Cleavable energy transfer labeled oligonucleotide probe for enhanced isothermal amplification detection and nano digital chip-based readout.

Quantitative analysis of human papillomavirus (HPV)-infected cervical cancer is essential for early diagnosis and timely treatment of cervical cancer. Here, we introduce a novel energy transfer-labeled oligonucleotide probe to enhance the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for highly sensitive and specific detection of HPV 16. Conducted as a single-step assay within a digital nanofluidic chip featuring numerous reaction reservoirs, our method facilitates target amplification under isothermal conditions.

Clinical Reasoning: A 63-Year-Old Man With Progressive Multicranial Neuropathy and Leptomeningeal Enhancement.

A 63-year-old man, with a history of melanoma and basal cell carcinoma, presented with progressive right-sided facial numbness, vertical diplopia, and headache. Brain MRI revealed leptomeningeal enhancement of multiple cranial nerves and an enhancing mass-like lesion along the anterolateral surface of the pons and midbrain. Subsequent brain biopsy demonstrated the final diagnosis.

A highly immunogenic UVC inactivated Sabin based polio vaccine.

Despite their efficacy, the currently available polio vaccines, oral polio vaccine (OPV) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), possess inherent flaws posing significant challenges in the global eradication of polio. OPV, which uses live Sabin attenuated strains, carries the risk of reversion to pathogenic forms and causing vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP) and vaccine-derived polio disease (VDPD) in incompletely vaccinated or immune-compromised individuals. Conventional IPVs, which are non-replicative, are more expensive to manufacture and introduce biohazard and biosecurity risks due to the use of neuropathogenic strains in production.

Adrenergic relaxations in an in situ urinary bladder model evoked by stimulation of sensory pelvic and pudendal nerves in the rat.

Urinary bladder dysfunction might be related to disturbances at different levels of the micturition reflex arc. The current study aimed to further develop and evaluate a split bladder model for detecting and analysing relaxatory signalling in the rat urinary bladder. The model allows for discrimination between effects at the efferent and the afferent side of the innervation.

Micropillar enhanced FRET-CRISPR biosensor for nucleic acid detection.

CRISPR technology has gained widespread adoption for pathogen detection due to its exceptional sensitivity and specificity. Although recent studies have investigated the potential of high-aspect-ratio microstructures in enhancing biochemical applications, their application in CRISPR-based detection has been relatively rare. In this study, we developed a FRET-based biosensor in combination with high-aspect-ratio microstructures and Cas12a-mediated trans-cleavage for detecting HPV 16 DNA fragments.

Micropillar enhanced FRET-CRISPR biosensor for nucleic acid detection.

CRISPR technology has gained widespread adoption for pathogen detection due to its exceptional sensitivity and specificity. Although recent studies have investigated the potential of high-aspect-ratio microstructures in enhancing biochemical applications, their application in CRISPR-based detection has been relatively rare. In this study, we developed a FRET-based biosensor in combination with high-aspect-ratio microstructures and Cas12a-mediated trans-cleavage for detecting HPV 16 DNA fragments.

Aerosol Jet Printing-Enabled Dual-Function Electrochemical and Colorimetric Biosensor for SARS-CoV-2 Detection.

An aerosol jet printing-enabled dual-function biosensor for the sensitive detection of pathogens using SARS-CoV-2 RNA as an example has been developed. A CRISPR-Cas13:guide-RNA complex is activated in the presence of a target RNA, leading to the collateral trans-cleavage of ssRNA probes that contain a horseradish peroxidase (HRP) tag. This, in turn, catalyzes the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by HRP, resulting in a color change and electrochemical signal change.

Aerosol Jet Printing Enabled Dual-Function Electrochemical and Colorimetric Biosensor for SARS-CoV-2 Detection.

An aerosol jet printing enabled dual-function biosensor for the sensitive detection of pathogens using SARS-CoV-2 RNA as an example has been developed. A CRISPR-Cas13: guide-RNA complex is activated in the presence of a target RNA, leading to the collateral trans-cleavage of ssRNA probes that contain a horseradish peroxidase (HRP) tag. This, in turn, catalyzes the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by HRP, resulting in a color change and electrochemical signal change.

Gold Nanoparticle Enabled Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance on Unique Gold Nanomushroom Structures for On-Chip CRISPR-Cas13a Sensing.

A novel localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) system based on the coupling of gold nanomushrooms (AuNMs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is developed to enable a significant plasmonic resonant shift. The AuNP size, surface chemistry, and concentration are characterized to maximize the LSPR effect. A 31 nm redshift is achieved when the AuNMs are saturated by the AuNPs.

6-OHDA-Induced Changes in Colonic Segment Contractility in the Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Gastrointestinal dysfunction is one of the most common non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). The exact mechanisms behind these symptoms are not clearly understood. Studies in the well-established 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesioned rats of PD have shown altered contractility in isolated circular and longitudinal smooth muscle strips of distal colon.

Gold Nanoparticle-Labeled CRISPR-Cas13a Assay for the Sensitive Solid-State Nanopore Molecular Counting.

A gold nanoparticle (AuNP) labeled CRISPR-Cas13a nucleic acid assay has been developed for sensitive solid-state nanopore sensing. Instead of directly detecting the translocation of RNA through a nanopore, our system utilizes non-covalent conjugates of AuNPs and RNA targets. Upon CRISPR activation, the AuNPs are liberated from the RNA, isolated, and passed through a nanopore sensor.

Whole-cell vaccine candidates induce a protective response against virulent .

causes multi-system diseases in both nosocomial settings and a pre-disposed general population. The bacterium is not only desiccation-resistant but also notoriously resistant to multiple antibiotics and drugs of last resort including carbapenem, colistin, and sulbactam. The World Health Organization has categorized carbapenem-resistant at the top of its critical pathogen list in a bid to direct urgent countermeasure development.

Computer vision enabled funnel adapted sensing tube (FAST) for power-free and pipette-free nucleic acid detection.

A simple, portable, and low-cost microfluidic system-funnel adapted sensing tube (FAST) is developed as an integrated, power-free, and pipette-free biosensor for viral nucleic acids. This FAST chip consists of four reaction chambers separated by carbon fiber rods, and the reagents in each chamber are transferred and mixed by manually removing the rods. Rather than using electrical heaters, only a hand warmer pouch is used for an isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and CRISPR-Cas12a reaction.

Select Whole-Cell Biofilm-Based Immunogens Protect against a Virulent Staphylococcus Isolate in a Stringent Implant Model of Infection.

Many microbes of concern to human health remain without vaccines. We have developed a whole-microbe inactivation technology that enables us to rapidly inactivate large quantities of a pathogen while retaining epitopes that were destroyed by previous inactivation methods. The method that we call UVC-MDP inactivation can be used to make whole-cell vaccines with increased potency.

Effect of antibiotic prophylaxis in dental implant surgery: A multicenter placebo-controlled double-blinded randomized clinical trial.

Background: The growing resistance of bacteria to antimicrobial medicines is a global issue and a direct threat to human health. Despite this, antibiotic prophylaxis is often still routinely used in dental implant surgery to prevent bacterial infection and early implant failure, despite unclear benefits. There is a lack of sufficient evidence to formulate clear clinical guidelines and therefore there is a need for well-designed, large-scale randomized controlled trials to determine the effect of antibiotic prophylaxis.

Changes in the Proteome in the Development of Chronic Human Papillomavirus Infection-A Prospective Study in HIV Positive and HIV Negative Rwandan Women.

Background: Effects on the proteome when a high risk (HR)-HPV infection occurs, when it is cleared and when it becomes chronic were investigated. Moreover, biomarker panels that could identify cervical risk lesions were assessed.

Methods: Cytology, HPV screening and proteomics were performed on cervical samples from Rwandan HIV+ and HIV- women at baseline, at 9 months, at 18 months and at 24 months.

Novel Insights Into Muscarinic and Purinergic Responses in Primary Cultures of Rat Lacrimal Gland Myoepithelial Cells.

Purpose: The functional characteristics of receptors that regulate lacrimal gland myoepithelial cells are still somewhat unclear. To date, mainly muscarinic receptors have been of interest; however, further knowledge is needed regarding their expression and functional roles. For this purpose, primary cultures of rat lacrimal gland myoepithelial cells were established and examined functionally.

Acute Inhibitory Effects of Antidepressants on Lacrimal Gland Secretion in the Anesthetized Rat.

Purpose: Patients that medicate with antidepressants commonly report dryness of eyes. The cause is often attributed to the anticholinergic properties of the drugs. However, regulation of tear production includes a substantial reflex-evoked component and is regulated via distinct centers in the brain.

Radiation-Inactivated Vaccine Candidates.

is a bacterial pathogen that is often multidrug-resistant (MDR) and causes a range of life-threatening illnesses, including pneumonia, septicemia, and wound infections. Some antibiotic treatments can reduce mortality if dosed early enough before an infection progresses, but there are few other treatment options when it comes to MDR-infection. Although several prophylactic strategies have been assessed, no vaccine candidates have advanced to clinical trials or have been approved.

Neurodevelopmental Outcome in Very Low Birth Weight Infants Exposed to Donor Milk.

Objective: This study was aimed to evaluate the impact of donor milk (DM) received in the first 28 days of life (DOL) on neurodevelopmental (ND) outcome at 20-months corrected age (CA) in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.

Study Design: A total of 84 infants born in 2011 to 2012 who received only mother's own milk (MOM) and/or preterm formula (PF) was compared with 69 infants born in 2013 to 2014 who received MOM and/or DM. Daily enteral intake of MOM, DM, and PF was collected through 28 DOL.

In vivo paracrine effects of ATP-induced urothelial acetylcholine in the rat urinary bladder.

Mechanical stretch of the urothelium induces the release of ATP that activates bladder afferent nerves. In the rat urinary bladder, ATP is also a contractile co-transmitter in the parasympathetic innervation. In isolated preparations, ATP evokes a urothelial release of acetylcholine that substantially contributes to ATP-evoked contractile responses.