Sex-specific performances, trade-offs, and trait repeatability across the lifetime of the world's largest semelparous mammal (Dasyurus hallucatus).

The activities that define survival and reproductive success in animals depend on their physical performances. However, performance is a complex trait, and organisms must balance competing demands of multiple underlying factors every time they undertake an activity. For example, the morphology that increases bite force (i.

HEALTH ASSESSMENT OF BLUE-FOOTED BOOBIES () DETERMINED BY HEMATOLOGY, BIOCHEMISTRY, BLOOD GASES, AND PHYSICAL EXAMINATION IN THE GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS.

The Galápagos blue-footed booby () is a sulid species endemic to the Galápagos archipelago. Here we present physical examination, breeding status, hematology, and blood chemistry results from 60 Galápagos blue-footed boobies that were captured by hand from their nesting site on North Seymour Island in June 2017 and July 2022. A portable blood analyzer (iSTAT) was used to obtain values in the field for hematocrit, hemoglobin, sodium, potassium, chloride, ionized calcium, total CO, glucose, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and anion gap for each bird.

Studies in enantioselective microbial deuteration.

This study reports methods for reductive microbial deuteration with a high degree of isotopic labelling, focusing on economical approaches using various yeast strains and inexpensive carbon sources. A strategy of α-hydrogen exchange followed by deuterative microbial reduction gave >95% backbone perdeuteration for crucial chiral building blocks for medicinal and analytical applications, without loss of the enantioselectivity demonstrated in the corresponding protiative processes. Under an air atmosphere, strain MBG5177 outperformed baker's yeast in the synthesis of (2-H)solketal, while strain X-33 provided >95% deuteration in the synthesis of the two studied building blocks using methanol- as an affordable carbon source.

ILAE neuroimaging task force highlight: The utility of multimodal neuroimaging in diagnostic and presurgical workup of drug-resistant focal epilepsy.

The ILAE Neuroimaging Task Force publishes educational case reports that highlight basic aspects of neuroimaging in epilepsy, consistent with ILAE's educational mission. In patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who are candidates for surgical intervention, the identification of structural abnormalities is a strong predictor of favorable postoperative seizure outcomes. When conventional imaging is insufficient, the integration of multimodal neuroimaging data with structural, metabolic, and functional imaging modalities is often helpful.

Comparative risk of major health events among individuals prescribed different antiseizure medications following ischemic stroke.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the risk of seizure, recurrent stroke, fall or fracture, and mortality in individuals prescribed different antiseizure medications (ASMs) following an ischemic stroke.

Methods: We identified all patients admitted to a Victorian public or private hospital with a principal diagnosis of an incident ischemic stroke between 2013 and 2017 and dispensed an ASM within 12 months of discharge. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the risk of cause-specific rehospitalization or emergency department visits (seizure, fall or fracture, recurrent stroke) and all-cause mortality over a 2-year period.

Sensing the Future of Thrombosis Management: Integrating Vessel-on-a-Chip Models, Advanced Biosensors, and AI-Driven Digital Twins.

Thrombotic events, such as strokes and deep vein thrombosis, remain a significant global health burden, with traditional diagnostic methods often failing to capture the complex, patient-specific nuances of thrombosis risk. This Perspective explores the revolutionary potential of microengineered vessel-on-chip platforms in thrombosis research and personalized medicine. We discuss the evolution from basic microfluidic channels to advanced 3D-printed, patient-specific models that accurately replicate complex vascular geometries, incorporating all elements of Virchow's triad.

Women's desire to have a midwife they know during labor and birth has increased significantly over time.

Background: In Sweden, women often meet with different midwives during antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care, due to the structure of maternity care, with few alternatives which provide continuity. This study aims to explore women's interest in having a midwife they know present during labor and birth and to identify the characteristics of women who prefer this option.

Methods: A comparative study was conducted involving two Swedish nationwide cohorts of Swedish-speaking pregnant women.

BioArchLinux: community-driven fresh reproducible software repository for life sciences.

Motivation: The BioArchLinux project was initiated to address challenges in bioinformatics software reproducibility and freshness. Relying on Arch Linux's user-driven ecosystem, we aim to create a comprehensive and continuously updated repository for life sciences research.

Results: BioArchLinux provides a PKGBUILD-based system for seamless software packaging and maintenance, enabling users to access the latest bioinformatics tools across multiple programming languages.

Porous starch: enhancing functional properties using non-thermal technologies.

Porous starch (PS) represents a novel modified starch variant characterized by numerous pores penetrating the granules, reaching their central cavities. Unlike its native counterpart, PS demonstrates a unique ability to absorb liquids without heating. Consequently, it plays a pivotal role in non-thermally processed foods, serving as an exceptional water absorber, potent thickening agent, bio-carrier, and emulsifier.

Recent insights into Wzy polymerases and lipopolysaccharide O-antigen biosynthesis.

Bacteria synthesize a plethora of complex surface-associated polysaccharides which enable them to persist and thrive in distinct niches. These glycans serve an array of purposes pertaining to virulence, colonization, antimicrobial resistance, stealth, and biofilm formation. The Wzx/Wzy-dependent pathway is universally the predominant system for bacterial polysaccharide synthesis.

and degradation studies of a dual medical-grade scaffold design for guided soft tissue regeneration.

Biodegradable scaffolds with tailored mechanical and structural properties are essential for scaffold-guided soft tissue regeneration (SGSTR). SGSTR requires scaffolds with controllable degradation and erosion characteristics to maintain mechanical and structural integrity and strength for at least four to six months. Additionally, these scaffolds must allow for porosity expansion to create space for the growing tissue and exhibit increased mechanical compliance to match the properties of the newly formed tissue.

FEN1-assisted LAMP for specific and multiplex detection of pathogens associated with community-acquired pneumonia.

Lower respiratory tract infections (LRITs), including community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), are the fifth leading cause of death worldwide over the last ten years, posing a serious threat to global healthcare. Conventional laboratory assays for detecting pathogens are hindered by complicated procedures, a long turnaround time and a lack of multiplex detection capabilities. In this study, a flap-endonuclease 1 (FEN1)-assisted loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method was designed, and an assay based on this method was developed to identify three leading pathogens for CAP, namely, , and .

TP53-Mutated Myeloid Neoplasms: 2024 Update on Diagnosis, Risk-Stratification, and Management.

Alterations in the tumor suppressor gene TP53 are common in human cancers and are associated with an aggressive nature. Approximately 8%-12% of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) harbor TP53 mutations (TP53) and present immense challenges due to inherent chemoresistance and poor outcomes. As TP53 are more common in older individuals and those with secondary/therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (MN), their incidence is expected to increase with an aging population and rising proportion of cancer survivors.

Long-term outcomes of subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillators: a single-centre Australian experience.

Background: The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) has become an established alternative to overcome conventional transvenous ICD (TV-ICD) lead-related complications.

Aims: To describe the long-term outcomes of S-ICD implantation at a single Australian institution.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical outcomes of consecutive patients who underwent S-ICD implantation from 2015 to 2019.

Retrospective Cohort Study to Determine the Effect of Socioeconomic Status and Distance to Hospital on Negative Appendicectomy Rates in a Rural Setting.

Background: The impact of socioeconomic status and distance to hospital on negative appendicectomy rates is unknown. These factors have been shown to be important predictors of health in a rural setting.

Objective: To determine whether socioeconomic status and road distance to hospital were risk factors for negative appendicectomy.

Results of rapid plasma direct oral anticoagulant levels greatly expand stroke thrombolysis eligibility: evidence from real-world implementation.

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are used for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation, but their presence can limit thrombolysis eligibility in acute stroke. This retrospective study examined whether rapid plasma DOAC testing expanded eligibility for thrombolysis. Among ischaemic stroke patients taking DOACs who were otherwise eligible for thrombolysis, 40% had low DOAC levels (<50 ng/mL).

Sputum microbiology data and related clinical outcomes among adult Aboriginal Australians with bronchiectasis.

Background: Sputum microbiology is an integral aspect of managing patients with bronchiectasis. Adult Aboriginal Australians have a high bronchiectasis disease burden; however, as yet there is sparce literature detailing the sputum microbiology profile in this population.

Aims: To assess the sputum microbiology profile among Aboriginal patients aged ≥18 years with chest computed tomography-confirmed bronchiectasis in the Top End Northern Territory of Australia.

Harnessing hyperaccumulator plants to recover technology-critical metals: where are we at?

Since its inception over three decades ago, phytomining has finally reached the stage of commercial-scale implementation, at least for nickel. Much potential remains to be realised for other elements, notably cobalt, selenium, and thallium, but this requires scientific impetus leveraging recent advances in insights garnered from molecular mechanisms of hyperaccumulation, domestication and agronomic development. These advances will also enable us to (genetically) improve hyperaccumulators for use in phytomining by targeted breeding, as well as synthetic biology approaches.

Effect of Transformation of Non-Normal Fitness Trait Data on the Estimation of Genetic Parameters in Turkeys.

Fitness traits described as a ratio often display non-normal distributions; consequently, transformations are frequently applied to improve normality prior to the estimation of genetic parameters. However, the impact of different transformations on genetic parameter estimates depends on the dataset at hand. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of eight common transformations (z-score, log, square root, probit, arcsine, logit, Box-Cox and Yeo-Johnson) on genetic parameter estimates for non-normal fitness traits in turkeys.

Hemodynamics of Veno-Pulmonary Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation With Varying Right Ventricular Function in a Mock Circulatory Loop.

Veno-pulmonary extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VP ECMO) is an emerging mechanical support therapy for patients with right ventricular (RV) injury. This study aimed to assess the hemodynamic impact of VP ECMO using a mock circulatory loop (MCL) to simulate patients with varying levels of RV injury and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). Right ventricular injury was simulated by changing the end-systolic pressure-volume relationship (47.

Virulence and biocontrol potential of entomopathogenic nematodes against soil-dwelling stages of the small hive beetle under laboratory and semi-field conditions.

Background: The small hive beetle (SHB; Aethina tumida) is a significant pest affecting honey bees and the global beekeeping industry. The harmful effects of chemical pesticides on bee health, non-target species and ecosystems highlight the need for sustainable SHB control methods. Soil applications of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) targeting the soil-dwelling life stages (wandering larvae, pupae and emerging adults) of SHB present a promising biological control approach.