Use of organic material provided by an automatic enrichment device by weaner pigs and its influence on tail lesions.

Providing pigs with organic enrichment material is important for satisfying pigs' natural explorative behavior to prevent injurious tail biting and thus increase animal welfare in general. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of automatically supplied enrichment material of three different types (alfalfa pellets, oat bran pellets, or a mixture of both) and different enrichment frequencies (2, 4, or 6 supplies/day) on the behavior, the occurrence of tail biting, and daily weight gains of weaner pigs. The results showed significant effects and interactions of enrichment material, frequency and the time of day on the exploratory behavior, the occurrence of tail biting, and daily weight gains.

Dupilumab reduces exacerbations and improves lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema: Phase 3 randomized trial (BOREAS).

Background: Dupilumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody that blocks the shared receptor component for interleukin-4 and interleukin-13, reduced exacerbations and improved lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and type 2 inflammation in the phase 3 BOREAS trial.

Objective: To assess clinical outcomes in patients from BOREAS by emphysema status.

Methods: Patients with COPD and type 2 inflammation (screening blood eosinophils ≥300 cells/μL) on maximal inhaled therapy were randomized to add-on dupilumab 300 mg or placebo every 2 weeks for 52 weeks.

Early Flowering and Maturity Promote the Successful Adaptation and High Yield of Quinoa ( Willd.) in Temperate Regions.

Quinoa ( Willd.) can offer an alternative for staple food considering its tolerance to abiotic stresses and high seed quality. However, its cultivation in temperate regions has not been successful due to its photoperiod sensitivity and low seed yield.

Regulatory Peptide Pro-Gly-Pro Accelerates Neuroregeneration of Primary Neuroglial Culture after Mechanical Injury in Scratch Test.

The scratch test is used as an experimental in vitro model of mechanical damage to primary neuronal cultures to study the mechanisms of cell death in damaged areas. The involvement of NMDA receptors in processes leading to delayed neuronal death, due to calcium dysregulation and synchronous mitochondrial depolarization, has been previously demonstrated. In this study, we explored the neuroregenerative potential of Pro-Gly-Pro (PGP)-an endogenous regulatory peptide with neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties and a mild chemoattractant effect.

Targeting PARP-1 and DNA Damage Response Defects in Colorectal Cancer Chemotherapy with Established and Novel PARP Inhibitors.

The DNA repair protein PARP-1 emerged as a valuable target in the treatment of tumor entities with deficiencies of , such as breast cancer. More recently, the application of PARP inhibitors (PARPi) such as olaparib has been expanded to other cancer entities including colorectal cancer (CRC). We previously demonstrated that PARP-1 is overexpressed in human CRC and promotes CRC progression in a mouse model.

Insular monoaminergic deficits in prodromal α-synucleinopathies.

Methods: This study assessed data from two cohorts of patients with alpha-synucleinopathies (University of Brescia and University of Rome Tor-Vergata cohorts). Consecutive participants with video-polysomnography-confirmed iRBD, Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and controls underwent neurological, clinical and I-FP-CIT SPECT imaging assessments. Individuals with iRBD were longitudinally monitored to collect clinical phenoconversion to PD or DLB.

Dupilumab Induces Long-Term On-Treatment Clinical Remission in Patients With Type 2 Asthma.

Background: Remission is proposed as a multicomponent outcome for patients with severe asthma.

Objective: This post hoc analysis of QUEST (NCT02414854) and TRAVERSE (NCT02134028) evaluated whether dupilumab treatment leads to clinical asthma remission (≥12 months with no severe exacerbations, zero oral corticosteroid use, stabilized or improved lung function, patient-reported asthma control <1.5) and assessed its durability in patients with uncontrolled, moderate to severe type 2 asthma (blood eosinophils ≥150 cells/μL or fractional exhaled nitric oxide ≥20 ppb at parent-study baseline) who are not receiving maintenance oral corticosteroids.

Addressing the Intracellular Vestibule of the Plasmodial Lactate Transporter PfFNT by p-Substituted Inhibitors Amplifies In Vitro Activity.

Inhibition of the lactate transporter PfFNT is a valid novel mode of action against malaria parasites. Current pyridine-substituted pentafluoro-3-hydroxy-pent-2-en-1-ones act as substrate analogs with submicromolar EC in vitro, and >99.7% activity in mice.

The composition of the stent microbiome is associated with morbidity and adverse events during endoscopic drainage therapy of pancreatic necroses and pseudocysts.

Background: Development of pancreatic necroses or pseudocysts are typical complications of pancreatitis and may require endoscopic drainage therapy using metal or plastic stents. Microbial infection of these lesions poses a major challenge. So far, the composition and significance of the microbial colonization on drainage stents are largely unknown although it may impact outcomes during endoscopic drainage therapy.

The Association between Aortic Valve Stenosis and a Subsequent Diagnosis of Depression in Germany.

: Aortic valve stenosis (AS) represents one of the most common valve diseases in the western world. It often leads to severe symptoms that can lead to a restriction of everyday life and thus to psychological stress. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between AS and depression in outpatients in Germany.

Leg Attachment Devices of Tiger Beetles (Coleoptera, Cicindelidae) and Their Relationship to Their Habitat Preferences.

The ability of many insects to adhere vertically or even upside down to smooth substrates is closely related to the morphology and distribution of the adhesive structures on their legs. During locomotion, the legs are in direct contact with different substrates, and it is hypothesized that the adhesive structures have been evolved as an adaption to smooth substrates in specific environments. To investigate whether there is a relationship between the presence of adhesive structures and the combined effects of different environments and mating behavior, we compared five species of tiger beetles belonging to two tribes living in arboreal and non-arboreal environments, respectively.

An assessment of the species diversity and disease potential of Pythium communities in Europe.

Pythium sensu lato (s.l.) is a genus of parasitic oomycetes that poses a serious threat to agricultural production worldwide, but their severity is often neglected because little knowledge about them is available.

AERIFY-1/2: two phase 3, randomised, controlled trials of itepekimab in former smokers with moderate-to-severe COPD.

Background: Accumulating data implicate interleukin (IL)-33, a proinflammatory cytokine released locally upon epithelial cell damage, in the pathogenesis of COPD. In a phase 2 study, itepekimab, a human monoclonal antibody against IL-33, reduced exacerbations and improved lung function in a subgroup analysis of former smokers with COPD with an acceptable safety profile.

Methods: The study designs of AERIFY-1 and AERIFY-2 are described in this article.

CAR-T cells for the treatment of pediatric chronic myeloid leukemia in repeatedly relapsed lymphoid blast phase.

Chronic myeloid leukemia presenting de novo in the blast phase (CML-BP) is a rare diagnosis among pediatric malignancies. We report on a 16-year-old male who presented with CML-BP lymphoid at diagnosis. He was treated with shortened acute lymphoblastic leukemia induction plus the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) imatinib followed by dasatinib.

Trade-off between soil enzyme activities and hotspots area depends on long-term fertilization: In situ field zymography.

Mineral fertilizers and livestock manure have been found to impact soil enzyme activities and distributions, but their trade-off and subsequent effects on soil functioning related to nutrient cycling are rarely evaluated. Here, we investigated the long-term effects of manure and mineral fertilization on the spatial distribution of enzyme activities related to carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling under field-grown maize. We found that the legacy of mineral fertilizers increased the rhizosphere extension for β-glucosidase and N-acetylglucosaminidase by 16-170 %, and the hotspots area by 37-151 %, compared to manure.

Focus on fungi.

Fungi play critical roles in the homeostasis of ecosystems globally and have emerged as significant causes of an expanding repertoire of devastating diseases in plants, animals, and humans. In this Commentary, we highlight the importance of fungal pathogens and argue for concerted research efforts to enhance understanding of fungal virulence, antifungal immunity, novel drug targets, antifungal resistance, and the mycobiota to improve human health.

Paracellular barriers: Advances in assessing their contribution to renal epithelial function.

Regulation of salt and water balance occupies a dominant role in the physiology of many animals and often relies on the function of the renal system. In the mammalian kidney, epithelial ion and water transport requires high degree of coordination between the transcellular and paracellular pathways, the latter being defined by the intercellular tight junctions (TJs). TJs seal the paracellular pathway in a highly specialized manner, either by forming a barrier against the passage of solutes and/or water or by allowing the passage of ions and/or water through them.