Enhancing Miscanthus floridulus remediation of soil cadmium using Beauveria bassiana FE14: Plant growth promotion and microbial interactions.

Soil heavy metal pollution presents substantial risks to food security and human health. This study focused on the efficiency of plant growth-promoting fungus-Beauveria bassiana FE14 and Miscanthus floridulus on the synergistic remediation of soil Cd contamination. Results revealed that B.

Influence of forage-to-concentrate ratio on the effects of a radiata pine bark extract on methane production and fermentation using the rumen simulation technique.

Climate change and food safety standards have intensified research into plant-based compounds as alternatives to dietary supplements in animal feed. These compounds can reduce enteric methane (CH) emissions and the formation of ruminal ammonia. This study investigated the effects of radiata pine bark extract (PBE) supplementation on CH production, ruminal fermentation parameters, and nutrient disappearance using the rumen simulation technique in diets with different forage-to-concentrate (F:C) ratios.

Optimising compensatory growth in pastoral beef production systems: insights into feed efficiency, body composition, carcass characteristics and meat quality attributes.

Exploitation of compensatory growth (CG) is a widely practised management strategy in beef production, especially under pastoral conditions due to its potential to reduce feed costs. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of nutritional restriction during backgrounding in Angus steers slaughtered at either similar age and/or similar BW on feed efficiency, body composition, carcass characteristics and meat quality attributes under either a forage or feedlot-based finishing diet. Eighty steers (BW: 444 ± 39 kg, age: 18 ± 1 months) were blocked and randomly assigned within block to either an optimal (0.

Feasibility of detecting non-small cell lung cancer using exhaled breath condensate metabolomics.

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignancy in the world, and early detection of lung cancer remains a challenge. The exhaled breath condensate (EBC) from lung and trachea can be collected totally noninvasively. In this study, our aim is to identify differential metabolites between non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and control EBC samples and discriminate NSCLC group from control group by orthogonal projections to latent structures-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) models.

Development and laboratory evaluation of a novel IoT-based electric-driven metering system for high precision garlic planter.

In order to address many issues, such as the inconsistent and unreliable seeding process in traditional mechanical garlic seed metering systems (SMS), as well as the lack of ability to monitor the effectiveness of the seeding, a highly accurate electric-driven metering system (EDMS) was developed and created specifically for garlic seed planters. This study provided a description of the overall structure and functioning principle, as well as an analysis of the mechanism for smooth transit and delivery. A combination of an infrared (IR) sensor, Arduino Mega board, stepper motor, speed sensor, and a Wi-Fi module was employed to operate the EDMS, as well as monitor and count the quantity of garlic seeds during the planting process and determine the qualified rate (QR) and missing rate (MR).

Food groups, macronutrient intake and objective measures of total carotenoids and fatty acids in 16-to-24-year-olds following different plant-based diets compared to an omnivorous diet.

Background: Knowledge about the diet quality among youth who follow different types of plant-based diets is essential to understand whether support is required to ensure a well-planned diet that meets their nutritional needs. This study aimed to investigate how food groups, macronutrient intake, and objective blood measures varied between Norwegian youth following different plant-based diets compared to omnivorous diet.

Methods: Cross-sectional design, with healthy 16-to-24-year-olds (n = 165) recruited from the Agder area in Norway, following a vegan, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, pescatarian, flexitarian or omnivore diet.

Effects of antioxidant nutrients on muscle mass, strength and function in COPD patients: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Aim: To comprehensively investigate the effects of antioxidant nutrients on muscle mass, strength and function in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were comprehensively searched from the inception to January 3, 2024. The quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was measured using the Jadad scale.

Exploring the impact of grazing on fecal and soil microbiome dynamics in small ruminants in organic crop-livestock integration systems.

In integrated crop-livestock systems, livestock graze on cover crops and deposit raw manure onto fields to improve soil health and fertility. However, enteric pathogens shed by grazing animals may be associated with foodborne pathogen contamination of produce influenced by fecal-soil microbial interactions. We analyzed 300 fecal samples (148 from sheep and 152 from goats) and 415 soil samples (272 from California and 143 from Minnesota) to investigate the effects of grazing and the presence of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) or generic E.

Safety and effectiveness of an herbal decoction (modified Saengmaeksan) in hypertensive patients: Protocol for a real-world prospective observational study.

Objective: Hypertension, a common chronic disease, often leads to serious complications. While conventional management relies on antihypertensive drugs, which can cause side effects and adherence issues, alternative treatments like herbal medicine are gaining attention. This study examines the efficacy and safety of modified Saengmaeksan, an East Asian herbal remedy, in treating hypertension.

The population dynamics of clustered consumer-resource spatial patterns: Insights from the demographics of a Turing mechanism.

In ecology, Alan Turing's proposed activation-inhibition mechanism has been abstracted as corresponding to several ecological interaction types to explain pattern formation in ecosystems. Consumer-resource interactions have strong theoretical arguments linking them to both the Turing mechanism and pattern formation, but there is little empirical support to demonstrate these claims. Here, we connect several lines of evidence to support the proposition that consumer-resource interactions can create empirically observed spatial patterns through a mechanism similar to Turing's theory.

Nutritional and Sensory Properties of Meat Analogues: A Current Overview and Future Considerations.

For centuries, meat has been a staple in the human diet, cherished for its rich protein content, vitamins, appealing texture, and umami flavor. The future supply is, however, tenuous as the global population continues to grow. Additional issues regarding animal welfare, adverse health effects, and the environmental impact of meat production have accelerated the development of meat analogues (MAs) over the last decades.

Effective Reduction of Transgene-Specific Immune Response With rAAV Vectors Co-Expressing miRNA-UL112-5p or ERAP1 shRNA.

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) has emerged as one of the best gene delivery vectors for human gene therapy in vivo. However, the clinical efficacy of rAAV gene therapy is often hindered by the host immune response against its transgene products. Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is specialised to process peptides presented by class I molecules of major histocompatibility complex.

Unraveling the Stoichiometric Interactions and Synergism between Ligand-Protected Gold Nanoparticles and Proteins.

Nanomaterials that engage in well-defined and tunable interactions with proteins are pivotal for the development of advanced applications. Achieving a precise molecular-level understanding of nano-bio interactions is essential for establishing these interactions. However, such an understanding remains challenging and elusive.

Effects of Atmospheric Pollutants on Volatile-Mediated Insect Ecosystem Services.

Primary and secondary atmospheric pollutants, including carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO), ozone (O), sulphur dioxide (SO) and particulate matter (PM/PM) with associated heavy metals (HMs) and micro- and nanoplastics (MPs/NPs), have the potential to influence and alter interspecific interactions involving insects that are responsible for providing essential ecosystem services (ESs). Given that insects rely on olfactory cues for vital processes such as locating mates, food sources and oviposition sites, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are of paramount importance in interactions involving insects. While gaseous pollutants reduce the lifespan of individual compounds that act as olfactory cues, gaseous and particulate pollutants can alter their biosynthesis and emission and exert a direct effect on the olfactory system of insects.

Efficacy of prophylactic sodium valproate in pediatric migraines: a systematic review of randomized clinical studies.

Background: Migraine is a neurological disorder that is chronic and presents with episodes of paroxysmal features consisting of multiphase attacks of head pain, along with other symptoms related to neurological dysfunction such as sensitivity to movement, photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, and vomiting. Antiseizure medications are frequently used for the treatment of migraine. Of the antiseizure medications, sodium valproate and topiramate have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent adult migraine.

Effects of tropical fruit blends on fermentative and pigmentation aspects of probiotic native cultured goat milk.

Background: Fruits are sources of bioactive compounds such as phenolics that bring health benefits to consumers. The addition of fruit products and microorganisms with probiotic potential in fermented goat milk can facilitate the acquisition of these benefits through diet. In this sense, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of incorporating a mixture of ingredients from jaboticaba (), jambolana (), and mandacaru () fruits on fermentation parameters (pH, titratable acidity, viability of the native culture CNPC003 and the starter culture), associated with pigmentation (phenolic compound content and color) through experimental mixture design.

The Complete Inpatient Record Using Comprehensive Electronic Data (CIRCE) project: A team-based approach to clinically validated, research-ready electronic health record data.

Introduction: The rapid adoption of electronic health record (EHR) systems has resulted in extensive archives of data relevant to clinical research, hospital operations, and the development of learning health systems. However, EHR data are not frequently available, cleaned, standardized, validated, and ready for use by stakeholders. We describe an in-progress effort to overcome these challenges with cooperative, systematic data extraction and validation.

Integrated Business and Engineering Educational Experience for Medical Students in the Development of Pediatric Medical Devices.

Background: There are few opportunities in undergraduate medical education that provide formal training in engineering and scientific innovation. Institutions have sought to address student-specific career goals through combined degree programs such as the Medical Scientist Training Program and MD/MBA. However, only a small percentage of medical students pursue these additional degrees.

LPMO-Catalyzed Oxidation of Cellulosic Fibers with Controlled Addition of a Reductant and HO.

Cellulose-derived biomaterials offer a sustainable and versatile platform for various applications. Enzymatic engineering of these fibers, particularly using lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs), shows promise due to the ability to introduce functional groups onto cellulose surfaces, potentially enabling further functionalization. However, harnessing LPMOs for fiber engineering remains challenging, partly because controlling the enzymatic reaction is difficult and partly because limited information is available about how LPMOs modify the fibers.

Do climate change adaptation strategies improve farmers' food security in Tanzania?

The damaging effects of changing climate on farm-household food security are steadily increasing in sub-Saharan Africa. Adaptation strategies are important for agrarian households to reduce the adverse effects on their food security. This study employed multivariate probit and endogenous switching regression models to analyze the determinants of farm households' choice of climate-change adaptation strategies, such as the cultivation of early maturing crops, early planting, growing drought-tolerant maize varieties, using precautionary savings, practicing income diversification, and sale of assets, and their effects on household food security in Tanzania.

Antimicrobial consumption in food animals in Fiji: Analysis of the 2017 to 2021 import data.

Introduction: Globally, the demand for animal protein for human consumption has beenQ7 Q6increasing at a faster rate in the last 5 to 10 decades resulting in increasedantimicrobial consumption in food producing animals. Antimicrobials arefrequently used as part of modern methods of animal production, which mayput more pressure on evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Despite theserious negative effects on animal and human health that could result fromusing antibiotics, there are no assessment of antimicrobials consumed by thelivestock sector in Fiji as well as other Pacific Island Countries.

Services and payments associated with the medicare new technology add-on payment program.

In 2001, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services established the New Technology Add-On Payment (NTAP) program to incentivize access to costly new technologies for Medicare beneficiaries. These technologies, authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), must demonstrate "substantial clinical improvement" when compared to existing technologies. However, in FY2021, the FDA introduced two expedited authorization pathways, allowing technologies with either designation to bypass the "substantial clinical improvement" criterion.

Oxidised Apolipoprotein Peptidome Characterises Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease.

Background: Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) encompasses a spectrum of histological conditions ranging from simple steatosis to fibrosing steatohepatitis, and is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). While oxidised apolipoproteins A and B have been linked to obesity and CVD, the association between other oxidised apolipoproteins and MASLD is yet to be established. To fill this gap, we characterised the circulating serum peptidome of patients with MASLD.

Hemodynamic Evaluation of Intra-Aortic Dual-Balloon Pump Based on Fluid-Structure Interaction.

The intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) is a widely-used mechanical circulatory support device that enhances hemodynamics in patients with heart conditions. Although the IABP is a common clinical tool, its effectiveness in enhancing outcomes for patients with acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock remains disputed. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of intra-aortic dual-balloon pump (IADBP) and its impact on aortic hemodynamics compared with an IABP.